The one who brought an end to the wanderings of the boy was his stepbrother. One day, amidst the long and wearisome journey where he felt neither fully human nor entirely dragon, the boy found himself face-to-face with his disapproving stepbrother, Noyer.
“Why torment yourself, Rezette?” Noyer demanded, his voice laced with annoyance. “Live as you were born.”
“Live as I am?” Rezette echoed, the confusion evident.
“You were born a predator,” Noyer continued, his tone harsh, “why mimic humans? Embrace your draconic heritage. Do you really want to become human?”
Noyer’s frustration stemmed from Rezette’s refusal to participate in the coming war. Having seized the Van Yela throne in a coup, Noyer craved further dominion. To ascend as the ruler of the Grandel Northern Alliance, a dominant empire across the continent, he needed to conquer at least half of the north.
Only Rezette, the unique dragon-human, possessed the power and loyalty to secure victory. Humanity wasn’t a requirement. Noyer believed Rezette’s yearning for a wider world was a dangerous path, and his voice hardened.
“Deny yourself these fantasies. Loyalty is the sole virtue you need, Kyrstan. That’s all.”
Rezette remained silent, a cold dread gripping his heart.
“A childish dream,” Noyer scoffed. “Your very blood separates you from humanity.” The man who had named him, the one who brought him into the human world, tossed a dagger at his feet.
He was forever an outsider, a being who belonged to neither dragons nor humans. A yearning filled his chest as he pleaded, “I refuse to be a monster, but if I can’t be human, where do I belong?”
“Live as your name dictates,” Noyer countered. “It carries the meaning of ‘devotee.'”
“Devotee?” Rezette echoed.
“Originally, it meant servants of the gods,” Noyer continued, his voice laced with a chilling mockery. “But gods offer no answers. So serve those made in their image – humans! Prove your worth to me, your master. Then I will judge your life.”
Noyer’s cruelty escalated. “Those women I sent? Dead. A test you failed. Now you are nothing. Zero. Understand?” He waved a dismissive hand. “Prepare for war, brother. Do your duty. Perhaps then, I may grant you the ‘privilege’ of humanity.”
Rebecca, had she been within earshot, would have scoffed at Noyer’s ramblings. Yet, to the boy, those very ramblings felt like a guiding light.
He left the study with a newfound purpose. Impulsively, he sought solace in the palace cathedral. There, beneath the looming crucifix, he spent the day transfixed, the nonsensical prayers of his former master, Galeus, echoing in his mind: “In the presence of the Lord above all things, grant me another day…”
The Lord above all things. The Absolute. Beings who supposedly acknowledged humans as divine creations.
The boy remained oblivious to the judging gazes burning into his back. Disdain, fear, terror – these were the emotions he inspired, not kinship. Wealth and fame couldn’t erase his alienation.
‘Unquestioning obedience.’ A pang struck him as he realized the days under Galeus, despite the absurdity, had been the most comfortable.
Noyer’s words, laced with contempt, echoed: prove your worth, your very existence. This, while being treated worse than a commoner, an outcast in both worlds.
It was a twisted logic, yet it resonated.
He returned to Rotiara, a new resolve hardening his features. With unwavering determination, he pushed back the encroaching forces: neighboring countries and the southern nomads, all eyeing his domain.
***
The young Duke, fueled by youthful zeal, didn’t stop at securing Rotiara. When Van Yela declared a war of conquest, he raced to the battlefield, arriving before the imperial army even reached Rotiara’s borders.
Three grueling years later, he returned a changed man. Rotiara’s borders had expanded by a third under his leadership. The boy who left was gone, replaced by a hardened young man of twenty-three. He carried no visible trace of his arduous journey, as if he’d simply shaken off dust.
His brother’s words echoed in his mind. Perhaps blind obedience wasn’t so bad after all. A life worshipping authority figures, like basking in the sun’s warmth, was undeniably easier. He could live as a loyal servant, human when convenient, and a ferocious dragon when the situation demanded it. It was a life without complexities.
