-Earth X. Visitor Space Station. The year 2317. 3rd POV-

"Hey, my probe found something big that's not a robot." A short blond haired teenage girl announced.

""What? What is it?"" The others students approached her terminal interested.

"Is that...a Dragon? It is!" A blond haired boy identified.

"Dragons are a myth created when people of the past mixed parts of the animals they feared into one chimera..." A bald boy disproved.

"Not this one. Maybe it was engineered during the Great World War." A black haired girl declared.

"Woah?! You're right! These readings indicate it's been around for hundreds of years!" The blond boy affirmed.

"Wolly! Somebody forgot to tell that beast not to exist..." A brown haired girl teased.

"Ha-ha..." The bald kid derided.

"Are you kids behaving?" A supervisor appeared.

"Oh, teacher. I found a rare specimen!" The blond girl announced sending a mental projection.

"...Ah! That one huh? He's the last Dragon, but it's crazy." He explained

"C-crazy? It's heading for City GQ0551..." The black-haired girl asserted.

"They'll activate Camouflage as usual to avoid it. In fact, everyone avoids it..." The teacher explained.

"Sounds lonely..." The blond haired girl sympathized.

"Why not just put it in a zoo? A mythical species would make many go crazy back on Earth 2." The bald boy proposed.

"If it's intelligent, then I can communicate with the probe, and become its friend..." The blond girl determined.

"...Can't." The teacher denied. "Arrangements have been made to leave him alone until it dies naturally, and unauthorized contact will be terminated by either ground forces or satellite lasers," he explained.

""Scary~"" The girls cringed.

"Barbaric..." The blond boy admonishes.

"Their world, their rules." The teacher clarify.

"...Who's that influential to keep this implemented for centuries?!" The black haired girl asked.

"The founder of the interstellar immigration program, and council member of Earth 2." He replied.

"Oh, yeah. It's rumored that person is half human, so maybe the dragon is related." The brown haired girl recalled.

"...Hundreds of years in isolation is a punishment though." The blond haired girl concluded.

"Well, our visit to Earth 1 is over." The teacher said looking at the time.

-Nefiru's POV-

10 years passed in a blink of an eye after meeting the dragons with something new things to try each day... It's now early morning on a mountain of lower altitude than the clouds and I'm surrounded by Screwpines vegetation near a cliff far away from human population or satellite surveys where I'm attempting my first complete transformation into a dragon. The first change is the hardest as the humanoid body undergo metamorphosis which modifies bones into puzzle-like carbon structures and replace any normal cell left before regrowing a dragon body.

And so, the dream continues. Man, this is long. Though Guardian warned me. I recalled.

"GHAHH! It hurtsss..." I complain kneeling down naked. "Huff! Huff!" I pant covered in sweat and blood.

"It hurts because your muscles are being ripped and reconstructed, but the pain will cease after the transformation...just leave the brain alone. Although we can survive without a heart, it's over if the brain is damaged." He explained before advising.

"You--huff! You make it sound so bloody simple, but I could easily die!" I protest at the guy in neat clothes.

"Stop complaining. The dragons of the past achieved this through trial and error, so that you could have instructions embedded in the genes." Rigel admonished.

"That's all they did? Why not try to be something more instead of less? Why not trying to find what's beyond being mere dragons? Why not evolve?" I rebuked.

"If there is something more, then it must be very difficult, or perhaps someone in the past achieved it, but much information was lost since our golden age. Two intelligent species can't coexist in the same planet, but even if humans perish now, I think it's far too late for us..." He replied.

"It's sad growing up as half a member of a dying race in a dying planet. Who will even remember us?" I announced saddened.

"Yeah... We are ghosts in history." Rigel acknowledged lowering his head. "Now keep on trying. Start with the bones, disassemble the carbon structure and rearrange them following the blueprint." He commanded.

"I got this...50% instinct, and 50% control...okay--Erggghh!" I initiated the process.

*Sssrrsk--kssshh...* I heard the change before it wasn't possible anymore.

My body became hot melting away along with the pain, and the bones rearranged in a different structure before the muscles took shape absorbing moist from the atmosphere while the pain also returns. The scales and claws took a few minutes to grow until I open my eyes and the narrowed vertical vision confirmed a successful transformation.

"GWUAAAARRL!!" I roar triumphantly of the success.

"Small!" Rigel criticized in his dragon form.

"Wudachamin?" I wondered and noticed I'm much smaller than Rigel.

"Well, congratulations. It took you half an hour, and it's a little small, but this is your first transformation...it'll get bigger, and easier to speak." He reviewed.

"Ghoh...kay..." I affirmed looking at my golden scales.

"It seems your ability will be Earth. There is someone who can teach you..." The water dragon informed. "Now, can you flap?" He asked.

This world is rather similar to my current one, and there seems to be some relation to affinity, though he said the scales were like hair...perhaps it's a different system. I conjecture.

*Flooop! Whosh! Wooshh!* I extended my wings and gave it a try.

"Good!" He smirked and whipped his tail.

*Wham!* I was smacked off the cliff.

"GAHHHH!" I scream watching the ground approach. *WHOSH! WHOSH!--TRHUD!* I tried fly but ended up meeting the ground.

"Are you a corpse yet?" The blue dragon asked sneering.

"URRGGHHH..." I uttered feeling pain all over when trying to move.

After that, I got up the cliff and tried again...and again...and again until noon.

...

"No! No! No! You have to match the strength, length, and angle of the 8-shape beat pattern with the center of gravity, and use the tail to aid that balance." Rigel lectures.

I see. I see... So, it's like that. Well, it would have taken me a bit longer to get it right since my instincts are too vague, but I can even feel his muscles...I want to fly now. I take flight notes.

"Twyred...Huff! Huff!" I uttered exhausted.

"Alright. Let's go eat some cows. Dragon form demands large prey, but you'll have to compensate for the extra weight. Also, don't transform until digestion finish." He adviced.

We were about to glide down the cliff when a sound became louder.

*Krukk-booOOOOMMM!!* A distant explosion rumbles through the air and ground.

"WHUA? Wut's Dat?" I asked looking around alarmed.

"I believe that was a nuclear explosion in Russia...a fusion bomb by this magnitude." He replied.

It was on this event that the reality of War became clear after hiding in the mountains for years, and perhaps because of overconfidence or fearing loneliness in the absence of humans, I desired to partake in the conflict.

"OYY! Kan't wehelp?" I inquired.

"NO!" Rigel opposed. "Remember my fight with the fighter jets ten years ago? Our abilities are parlor tricks compared to the current technology and who knows what else developed during the War... The humans will just kill you, and then, resume killing each other." He rebuked.

"B-but..." I pleaded.

"I'm sorry, but it's meaningless... You won't make a difference. At least we have each other..." The large dragon said leaning on me.

And so, the years confined in the mountains continued with someone always 'looking after me' for my own good, but I just felt like a prisoner. Years didn't mean much to Dragons unless they were closer to the end of their lifespan, and it gave them a purpose to keep me around like some pet. My escape attempts always resulted in Rigel or Ronja dragging me back, and the condition for freedom was beating them which won't be possible for decades or with methods they would approve.

32 years later the war was still going and bombs started a nuclear winter while the communications ceased one by one until the internet disappeared. Grandma Elaine passed away at the age of 988 and requested me to remain in human form to slow down aging like she did since my lifespan is shorter than pure dragons, but wishing freedom, I did not. Soon after her, other dragon people died or disappeared without telling me which increased the loneliness that led to blame, then resentment and finally hatred.

It was difficult surviving the famine that came with a Nuclear Winter, and Ronja would spend long days searching prey to diligently feed us whatever she could. I was incredibly grateful for such care since it took me decades to reach the size of her son and master my earth ability to approach their capabilities.

Hmm... This Ronja seemed important in my life, so where could she be in the new world? I wondered.

One afternoon, around 20 years after grandma died, the strongest Dragon alive, Ronja, returned from hunting far away with her head bashed, and right side completely scorched by what seems to be high-temperature chemicals.

"MOM!" The blue dragon on my left sounded horrified.

"That looks bad..." I affirmed flatly.

What happened to his accent? I questioned monotonous tone.

*THOOM!--KRRCHHH! Thud!* The blue dragoness fell and slid on the rocky ground before her battered head touched down.

"Mom! Hang on! You can make it..." Rigel encouraged reaching her left side.

"I'm-I'm a-afraid not... Brain...injur-red." She denied.

Some individuals have survived brain injuries in my former world though. I interjected.

"NO! N-no... No, mom... Don't leave us!" He pleaded snuggling on her cheek

"Acting like a child at 100..." I admonished.

No, you are being too cold. This dragoness treated you like her own son. I rebuked.

The beast turned her head slightly my direction with her only eye before speaking.

"Ray-an... I'm so-rry you co-couldn't...see b-better times..." Ronja apologizes with a warm look.

"Yeah, it's just my luck. But I am grateful..." I said flatly.

"HM... Li-live well...you two..." Ronja wished with her last breath.

The death of this dominant Dragon is inconvenient since the free food stopped, but it also signifies my freedom, and less emotional attachments to drag me down.

"MOM! GHUAAAAAA!" Rigel wailed towards the sky.

Moments after, I noticed a strong lifeforce emanating from the dead dragoness and recalled what grandma said about recovering naturally. All living creatures have lifeforce, and the fuzzy energy is slightly different in each which makes it difficult to assimilate, but perhaps there is compatibility in family members similar to blood types, so I decided to test it.

I don't like where this is going. I asserted, unable to stop it.

I separated my Lifeforce with much difficulty, and slipped it into Ronja's body, then twisted it around until I managed to scoop some of her remaining energy out before absorbing it. The successful siphoning worked better than I thought, and the invigorating feeling was addictive like a drug which made it hard to stop. I kept absorbing Lifeforce without restraint before wanting to devour the flesh as well and started drooling, but my actions were discovered...

"W H A T A R E Y O U DOING?" Rigel asked infuriated.

Stalking your mom... I roll my eyes.

"Hey... It's okay... Ronja was a wonderful dragoness and her Soul will find peace with the others. She also wanted us to survive, and this is like eating her unfertilized eggs...she doesn't need this body anymore." I reasoned sympathetically.

"This is MOM! Our mom. Such desecration is something you do to an enemy or prey, NOT FAMILY!" Rigel declared with tears streaming down his scaly cheeks.

"Very well. That's overdoing it...but at least, let me have her lifeforce before it dissipates back to nature." I compromise.

"...How can you be so cold after everything we did for you? You are supposed to be the one with a HUMAN side!" Rigel exposed.

"YES! Half-human! But neither of you could understand me, nor tried because of arrogance. ALL you Dragons did was keeping me around like a PET!" I vented.

"...No human cared that you disappeared after that attack... We checked, and you were just a nobody who wasn't even mentioned. WE gave you a family, a purpose...a home. Is that not enough?" He announced.

"Oh, my Hero~" I mocked casually and turned serious. "I won't make it past 200 at the rate I'm aging, and I haven't done A N Y T H I N G, I have achieved NOTHING! You just prolonged my meaningless life keeping me in these mountains..." I reveal.

"Well, it's not our fault the world ended, is it? There's nothing to do anymore, so what does it matter a few years more when you will die of hunger or killed like mom? It's time Dragons leave the stage..." Rigel said pointing towards the corpse.

"Hmph! You can still live hundreds of years more, yet too afraid to step on the Stage? Dragons may have been too stupid to evolve or make a come-back in the world, but I still want to achieve something, or at least be remembered." I declared taking a combat stance near the rear of the dragoness.

"W-what's with the sudden change? What happened to you?" He questioned.

"Kukuku... Can't you even understand after all these years? The isolation and hatred along with the beast side destroyed my humanity, destroyed the capacity to care for the world or any living creature, then I felt it...a primal instinct to evolve within my Soul...one older than dragons or this very world, a desire which I intend to heed." I elaborated proudly.

Wait... If he didn't go crazy, then it should be the Celestial Fragment! Guardian said one needs to feel it which I have yet to do, but this guy sensed it to such an extent...by himself!!? I realized and continued watching.

"Have you lost your mind!?" He inquired sizing me up.

With the large dragoness out of the way, I found no need to pretend anymore and decided to put into practice what I've been preparing for all these years.

"Now that I think about it, your lifeforce is strong as well. The two of you will buy me enough time to search for the dragon people who left to do the same as father and absorb their energy, then their offsprings after they grow up. Beyond that, it wouldn't be bad to rule over the surviving humans..." I revealed my plans.

"Are you S E R I O U S? You want to spend a long life alone?" He asked walking counterclockwise away from the dragoness.

The blue dragon was trying to corner me with the large dragoness behind, and force a melee fight with an advantage in momentum.

"Yes! And you are the O N L Y ONE in my way now!" I declared stepping left into the open.

We face each other at around fifteen meters parallel to the large Dragon corpse to the north.

"YOU FOOL!! I'll end you before that!" He yelled rushing at me.

"Let's go then!" I incited with a smirk.

I got my imaginary popcorn and notepad... I prepared.

""GRAAAH!"" We both yell rushing at each other. *Thu-rum! Thu-rum!--Shhhwiiip!* We used our left fore claws at our necks. *CHRRRRAKK!* The black claws pierce our scales in a curved gash across the neck and shoulder as we move past each other before turning around. ""Rrrrggggh!"" We complain, with blood gushing out the long wounds and prepared to clash once more.

I rush from the west over the rocky field littered with blue and golden scales while Rigel from the east with his mouth semi-open. Noticing the nature of his next attack, I decided to lift my body before making contact to gain the upper hand.

*THRUMPSH!* We clashed with the frontal body standing on our hind legs while support with our tails.

""Gurrr-Grawrl! Rwaawrr-Gwrarrr!"" We wrestle trying to bite our necks but the movement only allowed swallow bites that ripped scales off while using our claws to inflict more wounds. *Crack! Wraaksh! Shrak!*

Injuries continue to increase in our necks and chest while the gushing blood is regenerated, but earth dragons are the strongest, and eventually, I managed to topple Rigel over, then while he was falling... *BWOOSHHH!* The blue dragon shot at me the accumulated water in his body with enough force to push my head backward and temporarily blinded me. *Thump!! Swiff!* We both land and I hear a whistling noise that should be a tail.

*Hup!-Thud!* I jumped back and took some distance while my vision restores.

However, I met an expanding white cloud hiding his presence and about to reach my position.

"HUP!" I jumped high up and used my golden wings. *Floop!-Whosh! WHOSH!!* I gained altitude while dispersing the cloud below.

I couldn't see nor hear the blue dragon around, but sensed presence above, and turned to see a blue spiked tail approaching my head. He had mirrored my wing beats and flew higher while I focused on the ground, so it was too late for me to dodge.

*Swishhh--Bonk!* The impact destroyed my balance and lost altitude. *THUMP!* I hit the ground on all fours and immediately dodged right as Rigel was diving down to claw at me. *BANG!* His Left paw sank into the ground on my previous position and sent pebbles everywhere.

I couldn't relax though. The Blue Dragon was already sending a kick my way before the rest of his body touched down.

*ZWOONG!-THUMP!* I dodged the Left hind paw while he landed, then rushed to his exposed back.

Dragon Ninja! I retorted.

But then, I was once again forced to cancel the motion and withdraw my head to avoid the blue tail aiming at my right eye. *Shuuu!* The tail tip passed in front of my snout at high speed and rushed at his rear.

The water dragon threw another kick with his right foreleg, but I saw it coming as the left was supporting the tail motion, and used my right forepaw to stop it.

*THUP!* I canceled his attack watching the spiked tail aim at my eyes again, but instead of dodging... *Waup! Grrr! Crack!* I bite down the limb and twisted my head to sever it.

"GAH!--Waurp!" Rigel uttered twisting his body to grab my right foreleg.

"GRR!" I growl putting all the pressure possible on my carbon reinforced teeth. *Riiiiip!!--Snap!!* I ripped his tail off while Rigel takes my right foreleg.

""ARGHH!"" We both growl losing our limbs and retreat while dropping the body parts.

Rigel pull back to his mother and straightens his body my way while I move back on three legs to reassess our capabilities. It was a bad trade of a forearm for a tail, but at least, I hindered his flight capabilities and still hold an advantage on the ground even with three legs.

""HUFF! HUFF!"" We pant glaring at each other while stopping the bleeding.

*Srash!* Rigel dashed my direction with a low posture meant to destroy my balance.

I created a sandstorm for cover while coiling my body and covered the tip of my tail with small rocks to form a ball half a meter wide.

*Shuuuuu!* I swung the rocky ball unfurling my body to multiply the force. *BANG!* I hammered the blue dragon's head and threw him toppling on the ground. *SHRUuushhh!* He slid on hte ground while my rock ball disintegrates.

I rushed to Rigel while he gets up, but running on three legs decreased my speed, and only managed to reach his right flank. *Gwuarwl! Crack! Crack! Snap!* I bit down his wing and pulled.

"GRAAH!" The blue dragon cries out annoyed and pushed from my left with everything he had.

"Gwuoh!?" I utter losing my balance and recalling my missing right foreleg.

*Bumph!* I fell over with a wing in my mouth and provided too big of an opening. "Arwgh!" Rigel bit down my neck close to the head and stopped my left foreleg with his right.

"GRRR!" I growl on the ground while the blue dragons bring his body closer.

*THUAAKK!* A large claw pierced my right eye and went deep into my head breaking any skull in its path.

I stop struggling and my breathing slows down losing strength in my body.

"HUFF! Huff! Huff!" Rigel let go of my neck panting. "I'm sorry. It was good while it lasted." He apologized thinking to have won after destroying my brain. *Schluuk!* He took out the claw stabbing my eye and laid my head down gently.

Still conscious, I created another rock ball on my tail which caught his attention.

"...!!" The blue dragon was baffled my body was still moving and using an ability.

"HA-HA-HA! Too bad I changed the location of my brain years ago." I revealed.

"WHA--!? That's not poss--" He questioned.

*Warrgh!* I latched onto his neck while swinging my tail. *BONK!!* I impacted right above the eyes, knocking Rigel unconscious.

"HAHAHA! I DID IT!!" I rejoiced. "I knew I needed to do something outside of your perception to win. And I had time to think." I reviewed getting up from under the beast.

I heal my head, then walk over to my ripped forearm and reattached it before inspecting the two dragons.

"I should keep Rigel unconscious until I'm done eating Ronja..." I plan to get the most out of them.

I spent two weeks eating Ronja while keeping Rigel crippled, then moved onto devouring the blue Dragon who kept regrowing his body back, but at some point, he stopped regenerating and ate the rest of his body along with the brain before it starved. The only remains of my family three weeks later were just large skeletons and piles of excrement everywhere. I thought I would achieve something after devouring their lifeforce, but it only made me stronger, and I'm still a mortal.

You--I...ate our teacher, our cousin, alive?? I can understand the need for freedom, and evolution, but Rigel did not deserve to suffer like that! It's no wonder this memory was suppressed...this is messed up. I admonished my past-self.

"Hmm... My instincts tell me I would need to eat at least a hundred more Ronjas and Rigels before something happens... But I'm not sure what exactly..." I ponder feeling the core of my being.

Umm... It might be possible to reach Divine with lifeforce here, but it should be incredibly hard... So, the sacrifices won't be small just to try if its possible there. I conjecture.

"Oh, wait... I forgot about that mundane thing called Sex since I destroyed my reproductive organs long ago, but having kids to harvest their lifeforce is the second best option to evolve--if there were other Dragons. Although mingling with this body could kill the few people that I find, my human body should still be able to procreate, but at the cost of losing lifeforce to change... I'll have to decide when I find people, and just eat the ones who die or the fail products...yes, this could work." I scheme.

...How disgusting can you get? Well, he just turned his family into shit...literally! So, I can't expect anything good from this personality... I admonished.

I left the mountains and tracked the general location where Ronja was injured expecting humans, but it was surprising to find a destroyed settlement near a thermal vent.

"Ronja...was eating humans to feed us?" I look around identifying different corpses.

I ate all the bodies that still edible and moved on searching for humans, but days passed, weeks, months and then years without seeing any signs after searching all over the globe.

"Grrr! Where did Humans GO?! It's been YEARS already! I doubt people became extinct as most big animals did, but where are they? Did the Dragon people who left warned humans or something? Stupid Dragons! This is all your fault!" I blamed the solitude.

...

I continued my search for many more years again, and the planet recovered save for the former cities that are now holes or many radiation spots which mutate animals.

"I've been alone for over a century--WHYYYYYY???! For what purpose do I even remain alive? Why did I desired to live long in the first place? A long life in an empty world is nothing but a curse--A CURSE! I'm tired...really tired of living. I regret to have been born at all. This sorrow...I can't take it anymore--somebody, take it away! I-I need to end this suffering...a nostalgic place to die...yes, the mountains...I'm going back to the mountains." I grieved tearless as they have run dry with the years and decided to return to the Himalayas.

Guh! I can feel this...I didn't want to remember...UAAgh!

...

The mountains were much greener now with moss, flowers and weeds growing on the pile of big bones. I laid down trying to recall the beings that quietly inhabited this place for many years before I came along.

"Who were them again?" I question unable to remember. "Sighs... Hundreds of years of pointless life..." I muttered depressingly.

"Greetings!" A person suddenly spoke

"!!? A ghost?" I question the transparent appearance lifting my head.

"IT TALKED!!?" The petite human girl uttered surprised. "My name is Vershie. I'm using an old hologram since I can't transmit images into your head. But I have to go soon. The teacher won't be fooled long that I'm not playing a video game..." The short person announced.

Oh, this is interesting. I pay attention.

"Where have you monkeys gone?! I've been searching for hundreds of years!" I said excitedly.

"Yeah... Sorry... But we left this world long ago...at least, most of us did." She revealed.

"WHAT!?" I uttered with my mouth agape.

"The terrestrial natives avoided you because of a law while ocean colonies don't even know you exist. You are the last of your kind..." The dwarf recounted.

"Ah... I see..." I muttered understanding before closing my eyes.

"Do you have a name?" The blond-haired girl asked.

"...Rayan," I answered.

"Nice to meet you~" The girl waved. "Can we talk on my next planetary visit? I gotta go now." She requested.

"I'd like that." I approved.

"Yes! ...Bye~" The shorty departed.

"Hah... Why didn't she appeared sooner? I can't change back to human anymore. But her company sounds nice... I don't have long to live though." I lamented the end of my lifespan. "A video game huh? I wonder if there's a way to reach great heights in a world with different rules..." I fell asleep imagining.

Ah, it finally ended...or did it?! If Rayan met Guardian and reincarnated in my current world with this disgusting personality--Oh no...it can't be...the Tinker inventions from earth...no way! NOOO! I realized with horror.