Kuroinu: Armored Dragon Prince

Prologue

The Armored Dragon

Prim couldn't believe her eyes. The creature that stood before her was mighty. It's body looked to be covered in armor. It was a four legged beast with wings. The beast had claws on all of its legs, all tucked up so that the knuckles touched the ground. It even had what appeared to be opposable thumbs. It had a tail with five individual fins attached. It was almost impossible to tell if it had a face or not, though there was a noticeable jaw on the head. It had antlers on its head.

It was covered in wounds. Bite marks, cuts, gashes, it was bleeding terribly. It had protected her from the hobgoblins that were attacking her. It's blood was evaporating. The creature was surely aggressive when she first saw it, but it seemed to have ignored her only until now. Either it wasn't aware of her and was focused on the hobgoblins or it just didn't notice her at all until she accidentally broke a stick.

And yet… it didn't attack.

She wondered why it wasn't attacking her.

Then it fell to the ground.

Then steam began to envelop its entire body.

The creature's body was then enveloped in steam that came from all over its body. The steam cleared, a boy about her age was lying on the ground. The boy was wearing what appeared to be armor with a black satin shirt and satin gloves. He was also wearing open toe-heel leggings with armor on top of them. He had a blue medium sized bandanna around his neck and a cloak that was above the shoulders as it was strapped onto a brace over his chest plate. She gasped.

He had the antlers on his head, the tail that seems to have grown out from his tailbone, and his arms had the claws of the monster that he himself once was. His ears were slightly pointy, but not like that of the elves. She had to help him. He saved her life and now she was indebted to him. She pulled out her wand and remembered what she had learned. A green light cake from the tip of the wand.

"Cure!"

The green light bursted as pieces of the light surged around the boy, healing his wounds and revitalizing him. The boy began to stir. His eyes opened. They were crimson red and the pupils were almost like that of a reptile. Prim slowly got back from him. The boy got up and looked at Prim. The boy was breathing hot air, releasing vapors from his mouth. The boy was quick to move on up towards her. He quickly pinned her against a tree. She could feel the hot air brushing against her face. Wings sprouted forth and quickly enclosed the two. He got his arms on her back and gripped her upper back tightly. His head was over her shoulder. She could hear his raspy breathing on her left ear.

Prim wasn't sure what he was doing, but it seemed short of hurting her.

She hesitated at first, but then she began to hold him in her embrace.

The moment of silence was broken when Alicia came in through the bushes, holding some blue stone in hand along with her sword.

"Prim! Oh by the Goddess Larentia, you're—!"

The boy looked at her. He began to let off a growl.

"Wait!" Prim called to the boy.

The boy turned to Prim.

"It's ok… she's not going to hurt you. It's alright now. You understand what I'm saying, do you?" Prim asked.

The boy froze for a few seconds. His eyes were changing in color. They stopped being crimson red and turned into a grey color. His pupils became round, the antlers and the tail shrunk, and the claws turned into hands with fingers. The wings slowly dipped back into his shoulder blades.

"I… where… what…" the boy said.

"It's alright now… he won't be hurting anyone, Alicia." Prim said.

"So you say…" Alicia said, "So, am I right to assume this boy saved your life by mere chance?"

"Yes…" Prim said, "Let's take him to the Citadel. He'll be safe there."

"Very well." Alicia said, "I'll go fetch the horses."

Later…

Arcturus Estate, Feoh

Prim found the boy looking at his hands.

"What's wrong?"

"I… I had this dream where I… I turned into some kind of… beast. I was fighting a horde of orcs, and then I… I…"

Prim looked with a downed expression.

'So… he turned into a monster and can't remember anything past that.' Prim thought, "Actually, that may have happened already."

"Huh?"

"You see… maybe it's better for me to show you."

She pulled out a drawing she had made of the beast. Her memory was good. She had a knack for drawing and painting things, especially by memory. The boy stared intently at the drawing, as though his gaze was attracted to it like it were a diamond.

"That… beast… I… I have seen it in my dreams…"

"You have?"

"Yes… the antlers, the way it stood, by the Goddess… I… I remember everything about it." The boy said, "And you claim it was me?"

She showed him another drawing. It was from when he was unconscious.

"That's… me?"

"Yes…" Prim said, "That was you."

"A tail, those antlers… I was… I was that monster all along?" The boy asked, "What… what am I?"

"You're a dragon, or in this case, half-dragon."

The two looked to see Alicia coming into the room with the stone.

"This stone was meant to curb the instincts of the dragon while you were in that form. But it appears you have lost the stone and changed due to your own instincts taking hold of you." Alicia said, "In that span of time, it seems you were not aware of what you were doing."

"A dragon?"

"I've seen them in one of the books in the library." Alicia said, "They have been described as being the most mighty of all creatures in Eostia, comparable to that of Larentia. In a way, they were practically much like the Goddess."

She looked to the boy, who was more surprised than Prim was.

"They all had wings that allowed them to soar through the skies, claws that could tear through walls, tails mightier than a battering ram, and capable of unleashing a great amount of destruction." Alicia said, "They were also practically immortal, considering that they could live for thousands of years. However, they were vulnerable to one thing."

"And that is?" Prim asked.

"Well… the dragons were intelligent, but that did not stop them from falling to madness under the weight of their primal instincts." Alicia said, "One by one, they became feral and attacked one another. They felt more compelled by their instincts and their pride and dignity seemed to vanish as they grew distrustful towards others. The ones that avoided such a fate casted aside their mortal shells. Some took a human form and sealed all of their power within stones such as this one."

Alicia pulled out the stone she brought with her.

"The ones that survived probably blended in with society or simply became hermits." Alicia said, "But this boy is the spawn of a dragon that had split his own soul. He now carries the blood of a dragon, granting him the abilities his blood bestowed upon him ever since he was born."

"I… I…"

"I know this comes off as a shock for you, but you need not fear." Alicia said, "It's not everyday that you'll find a halfbreed who is half dragon."

"Besides, I think we'll get along just fine!" Prim said, "I'm Prim Fiorire, and this is my cousin."

"Alicia Arcturus of the House of Arcturus." Alicia said, "And you are?"

"Me? I'm Yotaru, Yotaru Kuri Katea." The boy said, "Me and my mother were royalty in our country of Katea before we were exiled. She… she died trying to protect me."

"I see…" Alicia said, "Well you are welcome to stay in Eostia then."

"Thank you." Yotaru said, "So… you're a noble of the land then?"

"Actually, I am more than just a mere noble." Alicia said, "Me and my cousin are both Princesses who became a part of the Princess Knights of the Seven Shield Alliance. We are put in charge of two out of the seven fortress cities called Citadels. I am in charge of Feoh, guarded by the Holy Chivalry Order of Iris. Prim is in charge of Ur."

"Princesses?" Yotaru asked.

"In case you haven't noticed, we are at war with the Dark Elves and their Legion of orcs, goblins, imps and whatever monster loyal to the Dark Elf Queen to the north where the Black Citadel stands." Alicia said, "The land, the sky, even the water is tainted by its presence. The land is bleak, arid, barren, and is incapable of supporting any form of plant life. The water is foul, or perhaps poisonous as well. And the sky is full of red clouds, making it impossible to tell from day or night."

"Not only that, the war has gone on for more than one hundred years. Villages and towns are left to ruin as the Legion invades our land, slaughter countless men, and take countless women and children as slaves." Prim said, "We hired a mercenary group to be the vanguard for our military forces. They are rather successful despite their methods. Nonetheless…"

"We are not the only Princess Knights. There is Claudia Levantine, the right hand of the High Elf Celestine Lucross, who is the reincarnation of Larentia, the Goddess of Eostia. She is the captain of the church's Dawn Templars and is in charge of defending Geofu and Ken." Alicia said, "Kaguya the Shrine Maiden governs Thorn along with her priestesses. Luu-Luu, ruler of the dwarves, is in charge of Ansur. Maia, the renowned "Queen of the Mercenaries" governs and protects Rad."

Yotaru was snoring.

"Are you listening?" Alicia asked.

"Eh?"

"This is serious! I don't know if you're a knight or not, but I'm sure someone who is royalty would know how grave the situation here is!" Alicia said.

"Gah! I'm still listening!" Yotaru said as he jumped out of his chair.

He got back up.

"So there's a war going on." Yotaru said, "And this Celestine Lucross is the reincarnation of your Goddess?"

"Yes, for that reason, she is the leader of the Alliance and is the one who bound us together to form such an alliance." Alicia said.

"Well… I think I can help you then."

"R-Really?" Prim asked.

"Yeah! I can fight with a sword!" Yotaru said, "Plus, you said I could turn into a dragon! And if they are so incredibly tough, I can totally help you win this!"

"Well that's bold of you." Alicia said, "But you'll have to learn how to fight with a sword."

"I know how to do that." Yotaru said.

"Oh really?" Alicia asked, "We'll see if you're telling the truth."

Yotaru parried a strike from Alicia. He thrusts his sword at her. She blocked the attack and redirected the sword away from her. He dodged one thrust and partied another. They clashed with one another and struggled.

"Well… you certainly know your way around a sword." Alicia said, "You may have better reach than I do, but I have more flexibility!"

"Well isn't that just great?" Yotaru asked.

They backed away from each other. Yotaru jumped into the air and rolled in midair. She blocked the attack. He quickly bounced over her and got behind her. She turns around and hits him with a roundhouse kick. He pushed his hand onto the ground and pushed himself up into the air before landing. The two were sweating.

"Amazing… and here I thought you knew nothing about swordsmanship." Alicia said.

"Glad we cleared that up." Yotaru said.

His free arm suddenly turned into a draconic mouth. Water formed out of the mouth and shot out like a cannonball. Alicia quickly slashed the water projectile with ease. Then she saw that Yotaru's face was covered by the head of the dragon that Prim drew.

"Transforming parts of your own body? Guess that stone is doing wonders for you." Alicia said.

"Oh no. It happened when I was growing up. I got the hang of these things easily in time though." Yotaru said, "Thanks to the stone, I could do way more than this."

His arm-mouth turned into a spear. He stuck it into the ground and leapt forward. Alicia brought hee sword up to guard herself. The two clashed. Yotaru bounced over her and stuck his spear arm into the ground before swinging around. She turned, but it was too late. He kicked her in the gut and found himself above her. His sword was at her neck.

"Looks like I win." Yotaru said.

She quickly tripped him over and now had her sword at his neck while standing over him.

"A knight does not call victory until he is certain. Remember that." Alicia said, "But you proved to me that you are skilled with a sword."

She got off Yotaru. Yotaru got up.

"For now, I think I'll consider having you a part of the Order. Of course, I'll have to send a letter to lady Levantine to see what she thinks about you." Alicia said, "Until then, I think you should be Prim's personal guardian."

"S-Sister!"

"Prim… we talked about this. You need someone to protect you other than me." Alicia said, "He'll take good care of you. I can tell."

"Me?" Yotaru asked.

"I can trust you with her." Alicia said, "You're reliable and dependable."

She got over to his ear.

"But heed my warning well." Alicia said, "If I find that a hair is missing from her head or that you are having an affair with her, and I will not be so amiable towards you. Do we have an understanding?"

Yotaru nodded. She backed away from his ear.

"That's good then. You must want to rest and everything, so I've gotten a room prepped for you." Alicia said, "Now take a cleansing bath and get some sleep. It'll be dark soon."

Ken

Claudia and Celestine stood facing one another.

"What do you think of this Yotaru that Alicia spoke of?" Claudia asked, "Can he be trusted? She did claim that he was a dragon. We know very little about the dragons aside from the fact that they themselves have been known to go mad due to their primal instincts that cloud their wisdom. How can we know for sure that he is a dragon? How can we be sure he won't go mad as all the other dragons have?"

Celestine looked with serenity in her eyes.

"I believe that he is a dragon. I recognize the aura of a dragon. I also know that he can control his primal instincts." Celestine said, "As for whether he can be trusted, I believe his heart is filled with good and that might benefit us all one day."

"Is that so?" Claudia asked.

"Yes… I can feel it." Celestine said, "He is the son of Quius of the Silent Brood and a human woman. That I can tell."

"The Silent Brood… the brood of dragons that govern over water and can see into the future?" Claudia asked.

"Yes… it was these abilities that made them one of the most powerful dragon clans to exist." Celestine said, "Then, like all dragons, became mad. But Quius did something unprecedented."

"And that is?"

"He split a part of him. That part became a human. A human who fell in love with another human and later had a child after courting the other human." Celestine said, "To this day, that child has now become neither a man or a monster. Perhaps he is the one we seek."

"The one to capture Olga Discordia and bring her here to Ken so that we may end this war?" Claudia asked.

"We asked the Black Dogs to capture the Black Citadel, not Olga." Celestine said, "But he shall not go alone. Find him a group of companions that he can trust and summon them all here."

"I shall relay the information to all the others at once." Claudia said, "In fact, I know someone he'll trust. He fought alongside my father. I believe the boy will take a liking to him."

"That remains to be seen." Celestine said.

"He won't disappoint." Claudia said before she took her leave.

Claudia left the room, leaving Celestine to her thoughts. She herself needed to find a trustful companion for the boy. Perhaps there might be one such person in Ken. She'll just have to look.