Cat Dragon Story ~~~ Prologue ~~~
I made a song using the lyrics of a lullaby that appears in the story. "The Trail of the Dragon's Tail"
https://youtu.be/m4-1xUFlgoY
If you like, please listen to it as a closing recap after reading or before going to bed.
~~~Wizard Oswald~~~
Ancient wizards gathered in a dimly lit stone tower. Their eyes were filled with hope for the future and respect for the past.
Faint magical light danced from their fingertips, and the air was buzzing with anticipation. The ancient wizards were trying to create a powerful creature by combining the powers of cats and dragons.
They aimed to create a creature with the agility and magical sensitivity of cats and the strength and wisdom of dragons.
In their first attempt, they were unable to simply combine cats and dragons.
However, after long research and many experiments, the wizards first succeeded in extracting the magical essence from each of the cat and dragon, and then crystallizing it.
Wizard Oswald picked up the essence crystal and narrowed his eyes at its brilliance.
Oswald: "This crystal is the key to making our dreams come true. When the magic of cats and dragons come together, a new legend will begin."
Oswald holds the crystal high, as if to show it off to the wizards around him, and continues his lecture.
"We are witnessing the dawn of a new era. By combining the agility of cats with the power of dragons, we will bring an unprecedented protector to the world."
The wizards around him let out exclamations of admiration. Then they performed a ritual to fuse the crystals.
Oswald placed the crystal in the center of the circle drawn on the altar, and the wizards began chanting an ancient spell. Their voices resonated powerfully like prayers, and the crystal gradually grew brighter.
Oswald: "O ancient power, grant our wish. Unite the essence of cats and dragons into one. May this fusion bring peace and harmony to the world."
Oswald shouted, and the essence crystals of both harmonized with each other, drawing out the power to create new life. The essence of cats and dragons fused together,
and a new creature, the "Cat Dragon," was born.
Cat Dragons have the grace and hunting skills of cats, but also the strength and wisdom of dragons. And by fusion, they gained new qualities and abilities.
Its appearance is an incredible fusion of the flexibility of a cat and the dignity of a dragon, and its magical power is immense, so the Cat Dragon is worshiped as a guardian beast that protects the world from the abuse of magic.
One of the magical powers of the Cat Dragon is that it forces the world to use magic correctly, preventing it from bringing disaster to the world.
Cat dragons were the guardians of magic and played an active role in protecting the ancient world.
The birth of cat dragons was the greatest achievement for the ancient wizards, but their power was also their greatest fear.
The power of cat dragons was essential to maintain the balance of the world, but if used incorrectly, it could bring about immeasurable destruction.
For that reason, Oswald and his people tried to protect cat dragons closely and hide their secrets from the outside world.
However, the existence of cat dragons soon became a rumor, and it became a topic of conversation among those who feared their power and were blinded by lust. The leader of one of these groups was Gareth.
Gareth had a sturdy build and an intimidating face. He was a general of a military nation and an unquestioning believer in rule by force.
They plotted to bring cat dragons under their control, and were determined to use any means necessary to achieve that goal. His eyes burn with ambition, and his standing posture exudes an overwhelming presence.
Gareth: "I will take the power of the Cat Dragon into my hands. I will use any means necessary to achieve this. Our era begins now."
In order to capture the Cat Dragon, they even performed forbidden rituals.
Finally, they succeeded in capturing them by skillfully using a mysterious powder that, once touched, causes the Cat Dragon to lose its ability to think, purr, and become completely unable to resist.
And so, Gareth and his comrades carefully groomed the Cat Dragon every day, fed it the mysterious powder, and devotedly tried to please it by giving it its favorite food, called churun.
So after capturing the Cat Dragon, it was very happy and docile.
When the Cat Dragon was captured, sadness and fear spread among the wizards who created the Cat Dragon, led by Oswald.
Sadness was for the arrogance and foolishness of humanity to think of dominating the Cat Dragon.
Fear is impossible considering the strength of the Cat Dragon, but it was a fear of what would happen if they were to succeed in dominating it.
Oswald, who learned of the Cat Dragon's capture, gathers his companions. His voice reverberates, cutting through the silence before dawn.
Oswald: "My companions, now is the time to rise up. The mastermind is General Gareth of the military nation Balthazar. Rescue the Cat Dragon and crush Gareth's ambitions."
Oswald and his companions tried to rescue the Cat Dragon, and fought a fierce battle with Gareth, who had captured the Cat Dragon.
However, they were defeated in the battle, and most of them lost their lives, leaving only a few survivors. Their opponent was the general of a military nation and his subordinates. It was impossible to fight them in a simple battle.
However, Gareth felt a certain sense of crisis thanks to this battle. This battle was different from the ordinary battles between nations that had been fought so far.
These days, most commoners in the world adore and worship cat dragons. Oswald and his group's actions will spread to other humans. Gareth thought, "We don't have time, we have to hurry."
Gareth thought that someone was needed to protect this underground experimental facility, so he started on that issue first.
The wizards were performing an ancient ritual in front of the altar. His voice had a timeless resonance, concentrating the light gathering on the altar to a single point.
"Aurum Spiritus Armada..." The words chanted by the priest echoed through the space, and the light took shape.
The light gradually took on a human form, transforming into a spirit warrior clad in light. His appearance was pure like a star shining in the night sky, and at the same time exuded the dignity of a warrior.
"Follow my life and ancient oath, and become the protector of this altar." The priest solemnly ordered.
The Spirit Warrior's eyes lit up as if awakened to a new consciousness, and he held the words of the priest to himself.
"Priest, I hereby swear to protect the Altar of Life and keep its secrets forever." The Spirit Warrior's voice was carried by the wind and reverberated throughout the ruins.
The wizard smiled with satisfaction and waved his hand, and the Spirit Warrior blended into the surroundings of the altar with the light. His presence became part of the air surrounding the altar, and he quietly began to fulfill his role as the guardian of the place.
Thus, the Altar of Life was protected by the Spirit Warrior clad in light, and it fulfilled its mission beyond time.
This was for the purpose of protecting the altar, and it did not go against the power of the Cat Dragon (to enforce the world to use magic correctly).
Gareth's heart was filled with impatience, as if the last grain of the hourglass was falling. He also did not know when people like Oswald would bare their fangs.
His military nation, Balthazar, feared that people like Oswald would come again to recapture the Cat Dragon.
This was because the fear that the whole world might respond to them next time cast a dark shadow over their hearts.
"We don't have much time. That bastard Oswald might bring a large army this time, so we have to get the power of the Cat Dragon for ourselves before that happens..." Gareth hurried on his experiment.
Gareth rushed through an experiment that would normally take months or even years. The Cat Dragon's power was so great that it could not be controlled, and the constraint that disaster would occur if he angered it restricted his actions.
But one day, Gareth finally lost patience and forced the ritual to remain incomplete. This was because Oswald challenged him to a battle again.
Oswald, along with the survivors of the previous battle, gathered a large number of volunteers, much larger than the last time, and challenged Gareth to a battle again. Their footsteps shook the land of Balthazar like distant thunder.
Oswald: "This time, we must free the Cat Dragon and fight to ensure that the sacrifices of our comrades are not in vain!"
In a panic, Gareth forced an incomplete ritual, but was unable to control the Cat Dragon's magical power, and it began to run wild to the point where even the Cat Dragon itself could not control it.
Gareth: "So this is... the power of the Cat Dragon... But this isn't how it should be...!"
An uncontrollable magical storm raged around the Cat Dragon, and Balthazar's castle, along with the underground facilities, was engulfed in its power.
The storm devastated the surrounding land, like a battle between angry gods in mythology.
And those who tried to rule, Gareth, many of those around him, and many of those Oswald brought with him were caught up in the storm, and lost their lives as if the thread of fate had been snapped.
The effects of the storm did not stop there. For decades afterwards, thunder rumbled around the world, the earth split and sometimes rose, causing tectonic shifts that repainted maps, taking the lives of many, and demonstrating its incredible power.
Then, Cat Dragon fell into a deep sleep as a result of the aftereffects of the magical rampage. His figure disappeared from this world like a vision in a legend.
For hundreds of years after that, the legend of Cat Dragon was gradually lost from people's memories, but it was still told as a story among wizards, and he was still respected and feared.
Continue to Episode 2.
