A Chronometric Defect

I was incredibly confused when I heard the dragon maiden raise the alarm in the middle of our town square. Usually, we get her alerts on some border region, maybe barely outside the town.

But directly in the center? Unheard of.

She should've known it was coming. She should've felt it coming with her Mana sense. Yet, she only alerted us when it had already reached the core of our town.

I thought— either there's something wholly different about this dragon, or she needs to be retrained. Once I saw the dragon? I instantly knew it was the former. Even without the list, I know it can't be a protected one.

That thing looks much too sinister to be any other dragon's favorite. I may not be the top expert on dragons, but I am up there; I do have a pretty good reputation. I know what dragons tend to prefer in their offspring.

It's not... This thing's appearance, that's for damn sure.

I say 'thing' partly because it claims to not be pure dragon. Yes, it's a dragon that can talk. While it won't say what it's mixed with, crossbreeds are extremely rare. I can't imagine what a dragon bred with to produce this vile abomination.

Or, why it would.

Regardless, I have a job to do, so I'll do it dutifully. It's definitely not on the list.

I've showed random black dragons to my attendant anyway. Hopefully he won't think I was blowing off my responsibilities.

I mean, if something bad happens. I just...

I don't know.

I have a bad feeling about this dragon. Aside from the fact it calls itself 'Pure Evil' of all things, it doesn't seem the least bit concerned when I rebuke its threats.

Nothing is normal about it. That's why I feel a strong need to keep checking and double-checking my bases. It's not on the list, as I'd expected, but the fact it's as expected only makes me more concerned.

In addition to the first ever conversation between man and dragon, which I've mostly been ignoring, I decide to taunt the thing to shake my fears.

"You may let loose that dainty roar of yours; your oversized form solely means I have more places to stab. May you rest in hell, Pure Evil."

Instead, I feel worse. Like I just asked the gods to strike me down. Why? Why is this dragon making me feel so different from the others?

I grab my sword.

No matter. I have a duty, and I will execute it flawlessly. I WILL execute it, the dragon, flawlessly. I level my sword in the dragon's direction and get ready to charge.

At the same time, the dragon raises its head and takes in a deep breath. The classic pose of a dragon readying its roar. What use is that when you don't have magic? No flame will come out no matter how hard you try.

I almost want to let it do so and then mock its bravado. But, no— I feel a rising sense of terror as it inhales. As if the world itself is warning me: I MUST KILL IT NOW!!!

I rush forward, sword in hand, bracing for my strike. I jump high into the air, so I may pierce its thickly-armored torso. Just as my sword is about to reach its armor plates...

Its head jerks down.

It exhales.

Oh, no. Oh, gods no.

My sword stops dead like it hit a solid wall. What it hit, I can see very clearly. My sword hit... Space. The empty black of a spatial tear.

My mind flashes to the many spatially-black spikes along its body. The spatially-black spots lining its every feature.

It... Can't... Be...

NO!!!!!!

The spatial wave instantaneously rips forward, tearing my sword from my grasp.

Then, the world seems to slow way down such that everything moves in slow motion. I watch my sword begin shattering bit by bit as the rear side of the wave menacingly, yet smoothly, slides toward me.

If that hits me... No, WHEN it hits... I'll—

Time goes back to normal. The wave passes through my body in an instant. My sword explodes into blue and silver flecks while my plate armor simply disintegrates.

And my body?

Well, it's obvious, isn't it?

I'm less rigid than metal, but not NEARLY strong enough to bear such an immense shockwave.

As I fly backward toward the ground, I see so many of my town's citizens exploding into a bloody pulp. The wave passed through them quickly, but a human body can't move that fast. They aren't nearly as strong as I am, either.

So, every... One... Turns into a cloud of gore.

...

I'm not disgusted.

I'm terrified. I'm distraught. I'm regretful.

Everyone I swore to protect, and everything I wanted to see prosper; all of it is razed to shreds in a flash. Yes, even the town's buildings. They too are nearly annihilated.

Pure Evil— truly a fitting name.

I silently hit the ground... Somehow, I'm still conscious even after an impact of that magnitude.

But.

All of my senses are paralyzed. I can't even move my eyeballs. I'm not sure if it's shock or the absolute suppression of raw power. It's... It's probably both.

Was it hiding its full Mana capacity? I think back to its ridiculous size. Sure, dragons usually have Mana pools correlating with their size, but this one had strangely little Mana compared with those old monsters. I want to check it again, but my senses, even my Mana sense... They're all distorted and fuzzy.

Then I remember.

It showed up in the center of town, somehow bypassing all our defenses. It had a Mana level almost exactly enough to break our array. It, a dragon, talked. It told us it was peaceful, and that we would regret attacking it.

Was this all a test? If it was— we failed.

My eyes still can't move well, but I notice they've become focused enough to see clearly.

I realize I'm staring at the dragon maiden. She doesn't have a name; as is customary for all dragon maidens. They're trained from birth to detect and predict dragons and... Nothing else.

They can't even speak or write.

Just scream.

She's looking at me with fear. She's alive, which isn't surprising given her training. Though, not a muscle is moving.

Still— in her eyes? I see fear. Yet, I also see her eyes darkening. Its roar was too much for her body.

Silently, or perhaps because I can't hear, I suddenly see the dragon's huge foot. Its overgrown claws alone block my view of the lower half of the dragon maiden.

It's a DAMN big foot. It also looks shiny; like it's surrounded by a clear bubble which hugs its body. What changed?

The dragon's thick hand then hovers over the dragon maiden. What's it trying to do? Heal us? Why doesn't it simply eat us like any other dragon?

I watch in horror as that space-black material smoothly furls out from its draconic body. It's like the squirming abyss is trying to escape its solid confines. I thought only its spikes and armor was like that, and so I'd assumed the material was hard and rigid. Wrongly. Very wrongly.

The emptiness covers the dragon maiden. Then, she's simply gone.

I see it lean down a little and look into my eyes, perhaps checking to see if I'm awake. Does it not want to do to me what it did to the dragon maiden while I remain conscious? But, it could've checked earlier. Maybe then I wouldn't have seen something so incomprehensible.

Apparently dissatisfied with me, it stands back up and walks away. Yes— leave. Please leave.

But, no. It stops at the huge ring of gore that was once my beloved town's citizens. Then it does... Whatever it did to the dragon maiden.

On the red ring. The ring of former—.

I mentally choke up.

Instead, I'm forced to watch it slowly walk out of my vision, likely going to do... That.... To the entire circle of bodies.

...

...

I finally remember to try my Mana sense again. I'll need to check its Mana pool. If I somehow survive then the Empire will—

My thoughts are abruptly cut off by what I see. Uhm, my Mana senses are... Here? Where is this?

This thing's Mana pool is endless. How is THIS a Mana pool?

Why do I see my own Mana pool?

AGH!

I forcibly rip away my Mana sense.

It felt like it wouldn't let me go. I check again, but... No. It's still there?

It's in my mind?

It didn't. It didn't let me leave? Why can't I—

WHAT EVEN IS THIS CREATURE?

Then, I recall its name, as if to answer my own question: it's Pure Evil!

As I'm quietly panicking, it walks back into my line of sight.

I watch as the thing takes another huge step.

...

Wait.

Did it get... Bigger?

I look at the house it stood near when it was scooping up the first few bodies. It's likely the last standing building in this whole town. Using it, I mentally compare my memories from before. Its bulky, muscle-surrounded knee was over the top of that window. Now? Oh, gods.

Now?

Now its knee is well above the roof. It's not a small change. No wonder I could notice the difference so easily.

This thing GROWS by eating humans! For the love of all gods almighty, someone, anyone, strike it down before it's too late!

As if to mock myself, I can almost hear Pure Evil's rending voice. 'Can't we all get along?'

What if I'd listened? Would it have mattered?

Or is this all a game?

It walks over to me. It looks at my eyes again, but this time seems to decide something.

Its hand has become much larger. Massive, even. Its immense hand sways over my body. The spatial blackness flows out.

One last time.

My panic becomes an all-encompassing terror. Literally.

Gods... Gods, please! Have you forsaken us?

I hear a distorted, sad reply:

"... YES! ..."