Emperor's Reckoning

"What the... What are you doing on the shore old- I mean, father-in-law?"

Lyon scratched his head as he saw a mini bonfire was set up on the lonely shore under the starry skies. The moon was crescent as it lost three-fourth of its illuminating capabilities. The old man was sitting neatly with his legs crossed, listening to the crackle the dry wood made. The flame was burning with fire as the fish on the stick gradually change color.

The two servants were ecstatic as they saw their master. They ran toward him without any hesitation and leave the poor old man alone.

Lyon raised his hand to stop them from speaking any further before he joined the old man by the bonfire. The old man let out a heavy sigh before he muttered, "Why?"

"Why what?" asked Lyon as he pulled out a slice of premium meat from a flick of his finger. Stabbed it with a stick and roasted it by the fire like some sort of marshmallow. He may very well have sinned in the culinary world but no chefs were around to witness it.

"Why I wonder," muttered the old man with a shaking head.

"Wonder what?" asked Lyon as he took out a pinch of salt and threw it against the premium meat.

"Nothing..."

Lyon slowly glanced at the old man with half of his eyes opened. He lightly threw the last pinch of salt against the meat before he said, "Old man, do you have a period?"

The old man furrowed his eyebrows before he said, "Period what?"

"You know, the thing where a woman would become really sensitive over something that is not really sensitive," answered Lyon as he drank water.

"You mean, being horny?"

*bruu

"Aiya, you almost took out the fire there," said the old man while shaking his head.

(Goddamn it) thought Lyon before he said, "Not horny, but that time of the month that woman become really sensitive emotionally. You know like your wife, like, somehow, someway, she found fault in your action even though you were right before playing the victim card or when she demolished you when you were wrong. You need to apologize in both scenarios though."

The old man raised his eyebrows, "What do you mean that time of the month? She did that every day."

Lyon patted his shoulder, "My condolences."

The old man sighed before he said, "Human and demi-human, what do you think about the situation in this world?"

Lyon laid back and watched the starry sky behind the thin clouds, "I don't know, this is just one island, I cannot say for sure what is going on."

The face that was weary with time said, "The human and demi-human hated each other and it started from a long time ago."

"How long?"

"It's about a thousand... actually I don't know."

Lyon and the other two servants had blacklines over their heads.

"The time is not important, anyway, where was I?"

"You didn't even start yet."

"Oh right, it happened a long time ago. There was a meeting of fate that happened right on one of the islands here. One young man and a little demi-human girl. He was an aloof swordsman, she was a teenage dragon girl that happened to play outside."

(Quick grandpa!) said Lyon toward Grandpa Shen Long.

(It's about a hundred years in normal mortal human years) answered his grandfather.

(Nice..).

Meanwhile, Sun rolled his eyes as he drank nearby alcohol with one gulp behind everyone else.

"The swordsman was said to be really powerful despite his tender young age. His charming face was everyone's dream but he would always act aloof and free. Many kingdoms wanted his services but he said no to all of them."

"Heh, looks like someone I can hang around with," said Lyon as he picked up his premium meat.

"Yeah me too, but the story didn't end yet. The swordsman one day was strolling with his wooden raft seeking enlightenment before one time he met the teenage dragon girl by the shore jumping around and waving at him."

"The young swordsman smiled back and approached her. They played a lot since then without exchanging names. At the same time of the day, she would be there and the swordsman was also there. Their happiness was sinless, it was pure joy. However, one day, the swordsman suddenly stopped coming."

The old man took an alcohol before he continued, "One week, two weeks, three weeks, she kept on waiting for him but he never came until one day a ship came by. It was the ship that would wreck the relationship of humans and demi-humans from then on. The crew took advantage of her naivety and locked her up in a cell. The greedy king then got information before he was consumed with greed. He demanded a ransom toward the dragon girl's parents, only to know later that she was actually a direct descendant from a noble race. War immediately broke out that left devastating results."

"Then what happened?" asked Lyon as he gorged the meat.

"Well, the war never ended until now, but it never peaked again like it was then," said the old man as he gorged his tiny fish. He looked at the young man's food with envy but Lyon asked him, "No, I mean what happened to the girl?"

"Oh, she was found missing from her cell. It would appear that she had awoken her bloodline and made her exit amidst the war based on the destruction inside her prison. The researchers said she was dead because of her inexperience in the wild but some said that she flew away to find the swordsman. However, if that was the truth then she would have been found by her parents already since they sealed out the entrance during the time. Another fascinating and heartbreaking theory was that she left the prison to return to the island where she met the swordsman. Waiting for his return, always."

Lyon swallowed the delicious meat amidst the old man's drilling before he asked, "Where did you hear that story?"

"It's a famous tale in this world, in fact they build a statue in the island said to be the place that she was waiting the swordsman," said the old man before he saw the youth stood up, clapping the sand away from his hand then put it on his waist, "Let's go!"

"...Eh?"