The Dragon's Heir

It is said that a long time ago, when the Dragon Empire came to an end, one of its heirs was saved. Everyone believed that humans had completely destroyed the dragons, but unknowingly, one of them survived.

A kind-hearted woman, while traveling through a jungle, found and adopted the child. She named him Joe, unaware that he belonged to the Dragon family.

And so, although the Dragon Empire was destroyed because of human greed, one of its descendants survived. Who was he? No one knew.

“Oh, Joe! What are you reading?” asked his mother(Mrs. William).

“Nothing, Mom. Just reading this book called The Dragon Empire.”

“Oh, good. But for now, finish your breakfast and get ready for school, kid,” said Mrs. William.

“Okay,” said Joe.

“Hey, Joe! How are you?” asked his friend.

“Yeah, good, dude,” said Joe.

“Bad news for you, Joe. Yesterday, you broke that antique dragon sculpture that was in Mr. Soneria’s cabin. Now he’s looking for you everywhere,” said his friend.

“Oh, damn!” said Joe.

“Joe, you nasty fellow! Where the hell are you?!” screamed Mr. Soneria.

“Shit! I need to run. Let me go to the terrace. He probably won’t find me there,” Joe muttered.

“Damn! It’s a good thing I’m here, otherwise that sir wouldn’t spare me,” said Joe, breathing peacefully in the open air.

Suddenly, he heard a voice behind him.

“Joe, what were you thinking?!” asked Milli.

“Huh? What do you mean?” Joe replied.

“When you jumped from the terrace! I saw everything!”

“What?!”

“Yes! You jumped, and just before you hit the ground, a mattress suddenly appeared beneath you. Before you jumped, there was no mattress there. But after you fell, it appeared out of nowhere. How? From where? I have no idea,” said Milli, confused.

“How do you know?”

“Because this time I was in the corridor, going to the washroom. I witnessed everything.”

“But Joe, why would you jump?” asked Rupert calmly.

“I was trying to save myself from Mr. Soneria. I panicked and jumped from the building,” said Joe.

“Joe, are you a wizard? A magician? Whatever happened to you isn’t normal. Or was it some spirit trying to protect you?” asked Milli nervously.

“Oh, shut up! It’s not like that. I mean... I don’t know. I have no idea,” said Joe, thinking deeply.

“Oh, my child! Are you okay? My son! What happened to you? Are you alright?” asked Joe’s parents in panic.

“Yeah, Mom and Dad. I’m alright,” said Joe.

The Next Day

“Maybe Milli was just confused. Otherwise, how is that even possible? Yeah, of course it isn’t...”

“Ouch! My leg hurts. Umm... my glasses. Oh, damn! Where did I keep them?”

Joe looked into the mirror.

“Huh? I’m taller. And I can see without my glasses! What the...? I can’t believe it. Is this really me? What a miracle! Maybe because I drank milk yesterday? No, that’s impossible!” he said in surprise.

“Oh, Mom, I’m okay. There was no need for milk,” said Joe.

“Just drink it. No arguments,” ordered his mother.

“Yeah, come on, dear. Have your breakfast. Wait... you seem taller than before. And where are your glasses?” asked his mom.

“I can see clearly now. And yeah, I grew taller. How? I don’t know,” said Joe happily.

“That’s strange. It happened so suddenly. This isn’t a good sign. We’ll see a doctor today,” said his father.

“But Dad, I only got one day off from school, and it’s over. I have to go today.”

“We’ll talk to your teacher and get you a few more days off.”

“No, Dad! Don’t do that. See? I’m okay. I’ll get checked in school. We have a medical room and a great doctor. Trust me. If I feel something is wrong, I’ll tell you. I promise. Now I’m going. Bye, Mom! Bye, Dad!”

“Oh, wait, Joe! Joe!” shouted his father.

“God! This kid never listens to me,” he said angrily.

“Hi, friends!” said Joe.

“Oh! Hi, Joe,” said Milli.

“Hello, buddy! Are you okay? You seem different,” said Rupert.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Actually, I’m perfect. My height increased, and I can see without glasses. Isn’t that amazing?” Joe said excitedly.

“No! Everything happening to you is super crazy,” said Rupert in confusion. “Whatever it is, it’s strange... but kind of awesome too.”

“Come on. I need a check-up. Let’s go to Miss Leena,” said Joe.

“Hmm... everything seems fine. Your eyes, ears, and tongue are perfectly normal. Maybe your hormones are developing unusually fast. It’s strange, but there’s no need to worry,” said Miss Leena.

She paused.

“Oh, Joe! You know tattoos aren’t allowed in school. Why did you get one? Especially on your neck.”

“No, ma’am! I don’t have any tattoo. Trust me,” said Joe in confusion.

“Alright. Just keep it covered. I’ll send a health report to your parents. Take care.”

“I told you something unusual is happening to you,” said Milli. “First, you jumped from the terrace and a mattress appeared out of nowhere. Then your body changed. And now this tattoo. Something is definitely going on.”

“I don’t know. But even I feel something is wrong,” said Joe.

“But it’s strange. A dragon tattoo on your neck. Mr. Soneria would love it!” Rupert laughed.

“Oh, shut up, Rupert! This is serious. We need to find out why it’s a dragon. Am I somehow related to it?” asked Joe.

“Alright, students! Break time is over. Get back to class. And Joe, please don’t break anything new today. Especially dragon antiques. They’re rare!” said Mr. Soneria.

Everyone laughed and entered the classroom.

“Everyone, open page 54. Here’s a very interesting story about the Dragon Empire. It’s one of my favorites.”

“Of course it is,” whispered Rupert. “It’s about dragons.”

“Shh! Focus,” Milli whispered back.

“Alright, class. Does anyone know about the Dragon Empire?” asked Mr. Soneria.

“Yes, sir. I do,” said Joe.

“Oh? Well, let me tell everyone anyway.”

Mr. Soneria began:

“The Dragon Empire was not made up of giant beasts like the dragons you imagine. They were actually half-human and half-dragon. Because of an ancient curse, they couldn’t fully transform into dragons.

If you saw one, they would look almost human. However, there were some differences. They had wings that appeared only when needed. Their ears were slightly larger than those of humans, and they were generally taller and stronger.

Unfortunately, humans feared them. Many believed they were abnormal humans. Because of greed and fear, humans started fighting them. The dragons’ powers had weakened so much that they could barely protect themselves.

Eventually, the Dragon Empire fell.

Only one heir survived. Where that heir is now, no one knows.”

Mr. Soneria looked at Joe.

“Correct, Joe?”

Joe nodded silently.

“So, class, that was the story of the Dragon Empire.”

“Class dismissed. You may all go now,” said Mr. Soneria.

“Huh! What a boring lecture. An antique person teaching about antiques,” said Rupert while yawning.

Suddenly Joe stopped walking.

“I am a dragon.”

“What? Nice joke,” said Milli.

“No, I’m serious. Everything happening to me is strange. Look at my body. It’s changing.”

“No way. It’s probably just hormones working unusually fast. You can’t conclude you’re a dragon because of that,” said Milli.

Joe remained silent.

But deep inside, he couldn’t stop thinking about it.