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Oncina, who had faded from sight, opened his eyes and realised he was in a strange site where he had

never been before. He raised his head and exhaled sharply, made a great endeavour to lift his heavy

body, noticed all the earth was purple. All the ground was dry and thick with dust, no water or

vegetation anywhere. The atmosphere was warm, no wind was blowing, an overwhelming silence

lurked.

Stone mountains erected in the distance. The sky was light green, dyed with orange and mauve tones

in the surroundings. It was also adorned with faint stars in the distance and a radiant sun that flashed

on the horizon. The few clouds present were barely visible. What's more, three moons of different sizes

protruded in the highest part of the firmament.

'Where am I?'

He stepped forwards and thought he was somewhere in Xeon. He supposed that he had returned to

his home. That place looked a lot like the famous Red Desert where red dragons roamed all the time.

His mind was focused on the last images he had seen. All his memories were diffuse and meaningless.

He needed to know how to return to Egtenbard canyon, where his companions were waiting for him.

A sudden powerful presence called his attention so he geared up to attack. An unfamiliar voice

whispered his name behind him. When he turned, he noticed that he was before one of the most

powerful races of dragons. That stranger had purple scales all over his body, lilac eyes, golden midriff,

short grey horns, sharp silvery claws, extensive wings with brown scapulas, yellowish membranes, and a

spiny yellow crest that went from his head to his long tail.

'I'm so glad you've finally woken up,' he spoke to him.

'Who are you?' he asked him.

'Don't you remember me?' he spoke in a friendly way and approached him. 'You and I are

comrades. We've done so many things together that I could never forget you. I don't understand how

you don't remember me. You used to have an excellent memory. I was your favourite rival. How can

you forget me? I was your trusted friend for centuries,' he rambled.

'What are you talking about?' he asked. 'I've never seen you in my life.'

'You were a legend in Picks Pocks. They knew you as the cruellest cold-blooded slayer. Cen-Dam

himself respected you, not his sons who were stubborn, bigheads, scoundrels, hypocrites, swindlers,

liars, flatterers. They believed they could dominate the world only cos they had a large army of deluded

fools who did everything they were told.'

Picks Pocks was an ancient village from Xeon occupied by quadruped red dragons, both upper-class

and middle-class. It was known for its picturesque scenery, boundless variety of colourful plants,

gigantic spiders and furious cockatrices whose spasmodic visits wreaked more than any other savage

species.

'Skip the mumbo jumbo and tell me who you are.'

'What's wrong with you? You're not the same as before,' he looked at him with suspicion.

'Do what I asked you.'

'My name is Zander. I'm one of the famous purple dragons from Xeon. I'm one-hundred fifty-nine

thousand years seven months and five days old to be precise. I'm a vegetarian. Eating meat makes me

sick. I dedicate myself to travel from one corner to another of the immense cosmos. I still need to visit

the last ninety-three billion remaining galaxies. I have been on more than five hundred forty-four

million different planets, eight hundred sixty-six million moons and thirty-two suns. Some sites of the

cosmos are more beautiful than others. In some places it's very hot and in others it's very cold.

Honestly, I don't know why there are so many lifeless planets in the universe: tiny floating rocks

revolving around an immense hot star without stopping, year after year, century after century,

millennium after millennium. After having visited so many sites I've been very disappointed. I thought

all those places existed for some reason, but now I see they exist just because,' he stopped to inhale

oxygen. 'Also, I like flowers with pleasant aromas, sweet-and-sour fruits, prickly pears, nuts and cotton.

I feel a great admiration for natural lights and multi-coloured butterflies. I like colourful scenery and

sunsets at sea. I am, if not the, one of the most powerful sorcerers that exists. I control all elements,

poison and magic. Due to the misuse of some dangerous techniques, my health has deteriorated and

I've aged a little. I'm a big fan of extreme sports and hand-to-hand battles. The bad thing is that I'm so

good that I always win. I'm hyperactive, that's why I can never stay still. I'm effusive and a little chatty.

I don't have my own home so I walk around like a bohemian without direction. I'm an art lover. I love

painting and literature. In fact, I've written several poems about myself and made some paintings about

the beautiful places I've visited.'

As there were no plants in that dusty planet, Zander had to create a great amount of oxygen to be

able to breathe.

'I didn't ask you to tell me the history of your life. I only asked you to tell me who you were.'

'The history of my life? I haven't even told you a fraction of it.'

'Can you tell me how I got here?'

'I brought you here. I thought it was the safest place to heal you. If it hadn't been for me, those

gryphons would've turned you into ground meat.'

'They attacked me?'

'They were about to kill you.'

'Those fucking shitheads hate me cos I'm a dragon.'

'They hate us all.'

'Why did you save me?'

'You're a friend of mine. I'd never let you die.'

'I don't recognise you.'

'It's been aeons since the last time we met us.'

'Where do you know me from?'

'We were adventurous fighters, eager to become stronger. Even though we were from different

families, we both enjoyed dicey missions and break-neck races in the south.'

'Wait, you know something about my past life?'

'I know a lot of things about you.'

'Can you tell me about it?'

'Why? It's your life. You remember it better than me.'

'I remember almost nothing about my past,' he acknowledged that he was scatty. 'The last thing I

remember was when I woke up in a beach and a group of sakles found me.'

'You were given permission to go outside the continent to fight the rebels. None of your comrades

returned. I guess all of them were killed.'

'Who gave me permission to go out from where?'

'The commanders of the Red Army gave you permission to leave Xeon.'

'For what purpose?'

'Don't you really remember anything?'

'I've just told you I remember almost nothing about my past.'

'That's weird! Maybe you need to have your memory refreshed. I can help you.'

'Can you?'

'Lower your head.'

Zander stood in two legs, put his hands on Oncina's brow and transmitted his memories to him.

Everything he knew about his friend's life was passed from one conscious to the other. As expected,

Oncina's reaction was aggressive as there was no way to admit his gory past life. He had been as violent

and pitiless as the black dragons he had faced during last years. The bygone days were appalling and

nightmarish. Under no conditions could he accept such a dreadful life without anything more than

innocent bloodshed. Thousands of guiltless families he had killed and thousand lives he had ruined.

'I was a killer dragon,' he was desperate.

'One of the most efficient ones.'

'Now I understand why gryphons hate me. I'm one of them.'

'You're not one of them any longer. Now you're a docile dragon that lives with week creatures.'

'All this time I was convinced I had grown up in Mitriaria, when actually I'm a member of the

bloody Red Army. How could I be so stupid?'

'It's never too late to redeem, you know.'

'There was a... strong gryphon I fought against in the coast. After having faced him I remember

nothing more.'

'Your brain is starting to work again. That's nice!'

'I don't deserve to live after everything I've done.'

'It's too late to regret, but not too late to change things, my friend.'

'You're right. I can still do something good for others.'

'Any good action counts.'

'How much time passed since our last meeting?'

'Five hundred years.'

'Now I remember you. You were a very good fighter and a loquacious jackass as well.'

'You have no idea how much I missed your swear swords.'

'Why did you bring me to this place exactly?'

'To have a friendly encounter. This distant planet is perfect for a good fight.'

They used to fight with certain regularity when they were in Xeon, mainly in their days off. Oncina

was the only affable red dragon who dared to face a purple dragon for fun, with no intention of

harming him.

'Think you can still face me?'

'I know my way around when it comes to fights.'

'Have you been training?'

'My friends and I train every day. We rip everything apart with our powers.'

'Are you ready to have fun?'

'I was born ready.'

'Let's do it.'

Oncina lashed out at him and tried to scratch him with his claws. The purple dragon's body turned

into a stone figure so the attacks were useless. Then he spat a fire ball, it was also an ineffective

attempt. Zander spat his poisonous breath and made him cough. A direct headbutt pushed the red

dragon back and left him sore.

'Damn it!'

Zander appeared above and filled his back with hard punches. Oncina covered himself with his

wings, made an abrupt turn and used his hind legs to kick him in the abdomen, getting himself off him.

Subsequent to that, he stood up and launched a series of attacks. Zander became a frozen figure,

appeared at the rear, smote him with both fists on his back and made him fall, cracking the dusty

ground, then he became a stony figure again and jumped on his back, causing his heavy weight to crush

his spine and ribs.

Oncina concentrated his power and produced a short magnitude shock wave that forced his

opponent to move away, he picked himself up off the ground and ran at him. Zander tossed him a

mighty bolt, but he absorbed it within his maw and spat it back. The purple dragon jumped to shun his

own technique, remaining on the air, surprised to see his friend was so ingenious. Oncina bounded to

catch his tail, stretched it to get him down.

'My tail...' Zander bellowed.

Upon having him grabbed by his tail, he twiddled him from one side to the other and struck his

body against the ground, then he let go of him to throw him aside. He spat out a second shot charged

with electrical energy, mingling flames and rays. Zander became a burning figure and prevented the

attack from hurting him.

He appeared behind Oncina and then on his left, he clutched his body, teleported to the top of the

sky and descended like a fleeting meteorite, spinning in the interim, reaching a speed that exceeded

sixteen hundred kilometres per hour. Both dragons collided with the ground. Oncina flew off and had a

great whack against the soil, feeling the hardest impact of his life.

'How strong he is,' he murmured and stood up with slowness.

Zander appeared in front and stared at him.

'Surrender?'

'Never,' he replied and spread his wings to fly.

Back in the air, both hit each other with all their strength. As Oncina was heavier, he battered him

down. Before touching the earth, Zander called his elemental shadows to fight for him. In a blink of an

eye, seven colourful shadows loomed up and smote him.

The chaotic battle soon became an epic scuffle: puffs of fire, bolts of lightning, pieces of spiky ice,

dust tornados, noxious fumes, streams of water and powerful beams made the planet shake all over.

Each shadow possessed a distinctive colour that showed which element they dominated. As they were

just dummies, Oncina knew killing them was not possible. Hence, he headed for the purple dragon and

attacked him once more.

With a swish of the tail, the red dragon was pushed back and he rolled over the dust. He stood up

with swiftness and concentrated to unleash all his power. In less than five seconds, he hot up and

oozed a powerful energy. In a gush of fury, he created an explosion so big that it produced a massive

shock wave that melted everything, like an atomic bomb. All the shadows were disintegrated. Zander

had to create a magic bubble to protect himself from the extreme heat. As soon as the peril was away,

he went back for more.

'That was amazing,' Zander was thrilled.

Oncina ran fast as a roadrunner while Zander chased him, moving his legs at an incomparable

speed. He shot him several fire balls; the target was so lithe that he shunned all the attacks. Taking off

was the subsequent action, flying to the highest part of the sky entailed a dragon dance where heft

blows were common. Oncina kept his wings moving, waiting for the adversary to appear.

Once Zander was in front, he spat a puff a fire to ball him up, took his left hind leg and tossed him

down with all his strength. Unable to balance his body, Zander became invisible and disappeared out of

sight. Even though the red dragon was not able to see him, he felt his presence moving around.

Covered with a brilliant rosy aura, he descended fast and opened his mouth to spit two hundred energy

grenades that exploded one after the other.

The smoke revealed the opponent's figure. Aiming a fireball at his head was what he tried to do

next. His rival surprised him with a special technique that blinded him for a moment. He flashed by

him and bit his tail, then dragged him away and hit his body against a crag, leaving him in pain. Even

having felt the painful impact, the red dragon was still willing to keep fighting. Rage dominated him;

ready he was to unleash his inner power.

'This is getting better than I expected,' Zander murmured.

Both put themselves in attack position and covered their bodies with brilliant auras, crashed each

other as if they were comets, strutting their stuff. They continued attacking and releasing a huge

amount of energy. Shortly thereafter, the encounter went on in the air. Attack after attack, none of

them showed weakness. Viciousness was a surplus element and dexterity was a necessary requirement

to punch and scratch. Majestic swift movements were very well calculated, no fruitless manoeuvres

were permitted.

That impressive brutal combat lasted almost three hours. Their bodies felt the massive tiredness

increasing. Both had to slow down and halt. Their dazzling auras faded and sprawled on the shattered

ground.

'I'm out of breath,' Oncina recognised his lassitude.

'So am I.'

They stood up and flew towards the top of a stony mountain. Over there they hooked up to have

their last conversation.

'That was incredible!' Zander claimed satisfied with the result. 'I didn't think we would put up with

that much.'

'I was almost knocked out after the blow you gave me with your fists.'

'It was a good fight.'

'It was a duel to see how strong you had become.'

'Who won?'

'We're both at the same level,' he affirmed. 'I think it's a draw.'

'At least I didn't lose.'

Oncina was very satisfied after the confrontation. He, like Dersaco, loved combats. The challenge of

the purple dragon had been the most exciting thing that had happened during his long journey.

'Nobody lost.'

'It was helpful. My following fights will be very demanding.'

'Who are you planning to face?'

'I have to fight the Black Army and then Daikron.'

'That'll be a dangerous confrontation. Daikron is much stronger than me.'

'I know.'

'I dare to face none of the kings. I also have my limitations.'

'I'm sure you have.'

'Don't have comrades that give you a hand?'

'I have some, but...' he looked contrite.

'But what?'

'I've mistreated my companions all this time. I didn't even notice how valuable they were.'

'Why did you do that?'

'I was pretending to be fierce so that they respected me.'

'I don't think that's handy.'

'I've just realised I don't need to pretend anything. I've been in captivity all my life. From now on,

I'll be kind.'

'Your companions deserve a better treatment.'

'I let my innermost thoughts controlled me. My instinct always dominated me, but that will happen

no more.'

'You should try to be happy, at least for a while. Find someone to spend the time and have fun. Any

company will be okay. We're social beings; we need company.'

'I know someone who trusts me. I was very rude to him,' he recognised his uncouth behaviour had

not been correct. 'That young man, even though he seems a mentally retarded monkey, is very friendly.

In fact, I've never met someone so naïve and dumb in my life.'

'Who are you talking about?'

'He's a common human being with no special ability, but he's brave and noble-hearted. His name is

Demitrius.'

'I don't know that species,' he admitted. 'I think I've heard about it before.'

'That twerp is the only one I can put my trust in.'

'Then it'll be worth fighting for him.'

'I'll show him I can be a better pet.'

'You're his pet?'

'I am,' he replied with proud.

Oncina, as a loyal member of the Red Army, had sworn allegiance to king Cen-Dam. However, after

seeing his past was tinged with blood and darkness, he decided that the honorary title of guardian of

Arkadia was the maximum he could aspire to. His true motivation did not consist simply in being a

better dragon, but being an honourable fighter. He was in time to change history and gain the respect

he deserved.

'Be happy isn't as difficult as it seems. I'm happy with what I have and I don't ask more. Life has

taught me happiness is an easy virtue to get, but hard to maintain. If you want to be really happy, you

must make an effort.'

'I know. Kindness was never my thing.'

'This is your chance to enjoy your life. You're not a puppet anymore. Now you're free to do

whatever you want.'

'I won't waste the rest of my life.'

'I'm sure you won't.'

'You're a good friend, Zander.'

'I am.'

'From this day forwards, I want others to know me for my good deeds, not for the bad reputation

of an unfeeling snappy dragon.'

'Cool!'

'It's been a real pleasure to have faced you. I really enjoyed your company.'

'Whatever befalls you, I'll always have a special place in my heart for you.'

'That sounded a little weird... '

'Did it?'

'Yeah.'

'It's time you went back.'

'Thank you for your friendship. You gave my life meaning.'

'That sounded even weirder... ' he laughed.

'This will be my leave-taking I guess.'

'I wish I could see you once more.'

'Daikron won't allow that,' he told him. 'I'm not afraid of dying anyway. I've already lived enough.'

'Bye, my friend. May you be happy.'

'So long.'

Zander opened a dimensional portal so that his friend returned to the other dimension. The red

dragon traversed the portal and teleported back to his world, landed in the middle of a dark forest,

found the empty jar beside a lake and saw everything was silent. With no hesitancy, he hurried to go

find his companions. Towards Egtenbard canyon he ran. Everywhere he searched and nothing he

found. To the north he flew, longing to see them again.