Serendipity (Veldora x TBATE)

Veldora is amused. He lifted himself off of the ground and began flying to the floating city up above. Flying was as easy as breathing—with wings or otherwise. It wasn't long until he was among the clouds, which was where the city hovered. He eyed the city from above for a while, just marveling at the sight. It was a huge city.

I wonder where I should land, he mused.

He floated a considerable distance above the city for a while, just observing like a deity with his creation. It's not an exaggeration since technically, Veldora is divine. Veldora's a god. It wasn't long, Veldora spotted a good landing place.

Secluded and fitting, Veldora deemed it perfect to blend in. He didn't want to go through the trouble of being arrested in the scenario that he was deemed strange for flying in the city unauthorized.

When did I learn to become prudent? Veldora thought to himself, amused. Here goes nothing, then.

Veldora's form blurred into a streak of crackling golden lightning as he landed elegantly, his feet creating haze as it made contact with the ground in a silent thump. Elegant, though—not a word anyone would usually associate with the storm dragon.

But his majesty is undeniable. It's something inherent with the dragons. Veldora walked for a while, joining in with the crowd along the marble pavements. Stalls lined up from side to side as the shouts of advertisements from vendors dominated the space along with the chattering of the crowd.

He was walking and squirming with excitement from the diverse wares that were being sold. Some didn't have a store of their own and just joined the vendors down the streets, while others were intricately displayed in a glass casing of their own.

"This world has mana, but why is no one using magic?" Veldora asked to himself in a whisper. He could see it flowing through people's veins from a core around their sternum, propagating with their blood.

Or was my conjecture correct and it's not allowed without permission or what?

Veldora shrugged as a flying rotating disk made its way to his face, cutting through the air with fairly impressive speed. He didn't even need to look at it to effortlessly catch it in his hand, its momentum persisting as it attempted to grind through his hand but to no avail. He turned the disk over in his hand, inspecting it with mild interest as a group of young men and women in matching uniforms rushed toward him, clearly alarmed.

"Are you okay?!" A young adult boy with blue hair asked him, concern evident in his voice.

Veldora regarded him with a raised eyebrow before glancing over the rest of the group. A small smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. Heh, the gals are checking me out.

It wasn't difficult to notice—their eyes flicked between his face and his well-built arms, which were on full display thanks to his snug polo shirt. The sleeves clung to his biceps, clearly leaving an impression on them. One of the girls blushed and quickly averted her gaze when their eyes met, while another just stared, too flustered to even pretend to look away.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Veldora finally replied, his voice informal and relaxed. He tossed the disk back to the blue-haired boy, who fumbled for a second before catching it. "You might want to be careful where you're throwing these things, though."

The boy let out a nervous laugh, scratching the back of his head. "S-Sorry about that! We didn't expect anyone to be standing there, and our research artifact got out of control."

Veldora shrugged again, dismissing the concern with a wave of his hand. "No harm done. It'll take a lot more than a toy to bother me."

The boy sighed in relief, while the girls continued to steal glances at Veldora, clearly impressed by his casual strength and composure. The whole situation amused him. It had been a long time since he'd had such interactions—back in his original form, his mere presence usually sent people running in fear. But now, in this new form, they seemed drawn to him in a different way.

Not only did I magically learn how to transform to my human form, but I even learned how to control my aura. Is it because those were my last thoughts when I died? I gasped, realization dawning on me. Is this the legendary plot armor?!

Veldora is almighty, as Veldora is a true dragon.

Despite his nonsensical and absolutely garbage theories of plot whatnot, he always had it in him to learn these things, just that he never bothered on attempting on learning. He thought he was beyond those things. He never had any reservations on showing his strength, after all—so why hide it? And why constrict his massive strength in such a small body as that of a human?

Veldora just knew the answer now.

"Okay, then, we'll let you get back to whatever you were doing," the blue-haired boy said, motioning for his teammates to follow him. "Sorry again for the scare!"

"What scare? And don't sweat it," Veldora replied. "Just try not to hit me again. I might not be as forgiving next time." He smiled playfully, causing the girls to giggle behind their hands as the group walked away, chattering amongst themselves.

"Humans," he muttered to himself, a fondness in his tone. This new world was certainly shaping up to be more interesting than he had anticipated.

He continued his walk until he made his way in what seemed to be the city's town square. It was a large and open clearing made for announcements, but it was the large structure to the right that caught his eye. It stood out, to say the least. Not only did it look fairly older than the other buildings in the city, but it was looking a lot like a library.

Perfect, Veldora smiled as he made his way to it. He proudly entered the open and inviting large doors of the library, and inside, there was a labyrinth with towering bookshelves and cozy reading nooks. Veldora wandered the aisles, occasionally plucking a book that piqued his interest.

"'A Comprehensive History of Xyrus'... 'Magical Theory for Beginners'... 'Dragons: Myth or Reality?'" Veldora snorted at the last one. "Oh, if they only knew."

He settled into a plush armchair, a stack of books beside him. As he read, he found himself genuinely intrigued by this world's history and magical systems. It was so different from what he knew, yet in some ways, strangely familiar. Hours passed, and the library began to empty. A gentle tap on his shoulder startled Veldora from his reading.

"I'm sorry, sir, but we're closing soon," a soft-spoken librarian informed him.

Veldora blinked, surprised at how much time had passed. "Already? Well, I suppose time flies when you're having fun, even for an immortal being."

The librarian gave him an odd look but chose not to comment.

"Say," he said, turning back to the librarian. "You wouldn't happen to know if there are any, oh I don't know, magical academies around here, would you? Asking for a friend, of course."

The librarian's eyes lit up. "Oh yes! The Xyrus Academy is the pride of our city. Are you interested in working?"

Veldora's grin widened. "Who knows? I just asked for a friend, after all. But where is it?"

The librarian gave him the answer and he left the library satisfied. It was night, but not too late into the night. It's still early yet they're already closing?

Veldora looked up at the starry sky. "Xyrus Academy it is," he muttered as he followed the directions given to him by the librarian before.

...…

...

…

Veldora isn't dumb. He can know all too well when something is wrong just by feeling the space around him. What looked to be highly-developed caravans went past him in great numbers. Beasts that looked like tamed monsters flew over his head, and riding them were what looked to be military people.

It was clear something was wrong, and was it just a coincidence that they're headed the same way he's headed? He looked down at his own attire—a black polo and black slacks along with black shoes. Perfect, I might just come off as a terminator.

Veldora then quickened his pace and eventually arrived at the prestigious academy. It sure looked majestic and advanced, he thought. But that's if it's not engulfed in flames and enclosed in a barrier.

Before Veldora's eyes was a towering dome-shaped barrier made of interconnected hexagonal panels. They pulsed with crimson mana and multiple devices were lined up before it, repeatedly attempting to puncture it, but to no avail. Shouts and orders dominated the outside of the barrier as the military attempted to break down the barrier.

In the other side of the barrier was the academy campus engulfed in flames with its towering buildings crumbling piece by piece. The scent of blood and iron passed through the barrier, further intensifying the anxiety of the military and the onlookers—most of which were concerned parents.

Veldora nonchalantly walked through the crowd, towering over everyone. His casual march shoved away everyone in his way and they were left wondering who this handsome albeit intimidating young man was.

"H-Hey," an officer called out to him. "Stop right there!"

But Veldora merely glanced back at him and arrogantly smirked as he provocatively sticked out his tongue, shutting the officer up. There was something about those eyes of the strange blonde man, those perpetually glowing amber eyes and those diamond-shaped pupils that instilled unspeakable unease to everyone who gaze upon it.

Veldora walked through the barrier. There was a loud screeching sound as the barrier denied his entry, but Veldora was—is—almighty. This is certainly a significant plus to my aura points—he thought. Any resistance by the barrier was rendered null and void by his mere march and he found himself on the other side immediately.

There was a human-shaped gap in the barrier that stayed for several seconds, but the onlookers—military or otherwise—stood there, shocked and unmoving. They snapped to focus all too late just when the barrier started reforming, and when Veldora is already a dozen meters away from the outer edge of the barrier.

Just who is this man? Everyone collectively thought.

~🐉~

I, Veldora, has arrived! Bask in my majesty as I save the lives of you fragile mortals!

Or maybe—

Fear not, for Veldora has descended upon your world! Witness the power of a True Dragon as I effortlessly dismantle your troubles!

Wait, that's a bit over the top.

Ah, at last, Veldora has arrived. Allow me to take care of this for you, and restore a semblance of order to your chaos.

I am Veldora, and I've come to help. You need not worry any longer; let me handle this and bring you some relief.

How about the simpler ones—

I'm Veldora. It looks like you could use some help. Let me sort this out for you.

Hello, I'm Veldora. I'll handle the situation. Please, stay calm.

Bullshit. It's just not it, ugh.

I wandered through the sprawling, mostly deserted grounds of Xyrus, mulling over the perfect line for my grand entrance—despite the fact that I can't just decide on one.

It's definitely not because I'm shy and socially awkward.

Why am I deciding on a grand entrance line? Well, in scenes like this, it's usually the most formidable figure who swoops in to save the day, earning both awe and fear alike from all who witness their heroism.

Suddenly, a tower's roof collapsed, sending debris crashing to the ground and kicking up a cloud of dust. I barely flinched, my personal barrier already shielding me from the mess. I continued my stroll through the silent academy, with only the faint crackle of smoldering fire and the distant clamor of military personnel trying to breach the barrier filling the air.

As I moved deeper into the academy, I noticed a large banner hanging from a broken archway. The banner, ripped but still visible, bore the emblem of Xyrus, and it now hanged limply as if acknowledging its own fall from grace.

And then I finally saw people ever since I entered the barrier's confines. But it wasn't exactly the most pleasant sight, no. Well, it'd be weird if there are any such sights at all in such a desolation, but this was a different thing.

There was a man and a dead woman. The man looked to be in his fifties and had an ID lace hanging down his collar, bearing the same mark as the banner I saw—of Xyrus—so he must've been a professor. And the woman—girl, actually—barely looked fifteen.

I stared with an impassive face at the man having his way with the dead girl. Her face was still contorted with fear and a silent plea for help—a help that would never come. Disgraceful. With a corpse, really?

Just moments ago, I had been in high spirits, even enjoying the company of a few humans in the city. Their simple, genuine interactions had lifted my mood. But now, confronted with this abhorrent act, my feelings had shifted to something darker.

I heaved a sigh from my mouth, making sure it was loud enough to be heard by this thing. The old man looked at me like I was intruding in his bath, but maybe that's a good comparison. I simply stared at him as I channeled a little bit of magic to my eyes. The man seemed to sense something was wrong, but by then, it was too late.

The man sat there just to witness his own unmaking.

The self-satisfied smirk on his face twisted into confusion and then terror as he slowly disintegrated. His body shattered into fragmented pieces, each fragment dissolving into nothingness. The old man's existence, once full of arrogance and cruelty, was reduced to mere echoes of what he had been.

I eyed the victim of such vile act, then dead and is still dead. I turned around and continued on my way to what I sensed was a particularly large gathering of life, and a rather prominent source of the fear that I sense was disturbing the air.

I turned right to the pavement I waked, and there it was. Huddled like trapped animals in a barrier were students and professors alike. Some discussed counterattack plans, while most cowered in fear and terror. Numerous people clad in black cloaks surrounded the quadrangle.

At the slightly elevated stage, there was a man with red hair and dark circles under his eyes sitting on what looked to be a flaming throne. He was preaching, like he was some sort of apostle of a twisted god and that he was a herald sent to "save" the people of Dicathen.

It wasn't long before the crimson-haired man saw me, unexpectedly. He just stared at me like I was some lost kid. Kid? How dare he? The bliss of ignorance saves his sanity, for sure. He began mumbling on the man in black beside him.

"Another hostage!" The man in black shouted.

At his words, the other figures in black turned to look at me. They all walked towards me, like they were so sure I can't escape—although I never had any intention to. I also began walking towards them, my hands in my pockets.

"Who the hell are you?" The man closest to me asked, poking my chest with his sword, somewhat expecting it to slice off a layer of flesh but otherwise shocked at seeing me absolutely unharmed.

"Ah," I said, looking down on him while smiling scarily. "I'm what you call a nice cold can of whup-ass."