The Dragon Who Ran Away

The semester had officially become much more complicated.

Kai Velez stared at the message on his phone.

DIVINE CONTRACT ESTABLISHED.

Hidden Class Unlocked.

Error.

Error.

Unknown Authority Detected.

"What does that even mean?" he muttered.

The screen flickered once before returning to normal, as if the app regretted showing him the message in the first place.

He looked up.

Zephyr was standing in front of him with his hands tucked into his pockets, gazing at the shattered sky as though it were nothing more than an interesting sunset.

Students slowly emerged from behind benches and buildings. Some whispered. Others pointed.

No one dared approach.

The air still hummed with lingering divine energy.

"So..." Kai said carefully. "Are you going to explain any of this?"

Zephyr tilted his head.

"Which part?"

Kai blinked.

"The part where you descended from a hole in reality."

"Oh."

"The part where the campus alarm called you a celestial anomaly."

"I suppose that was unusual."

"And the part where my phone started displaying errors the moment we became partners!"

Zephyr thought for a moment.

"That one is probably unrelated."

Kai stared at him.

"...You're lying."

"A little."

Before Kai could say another word, every phone around the courtyard chimed simultaneously.

A shrill emergency tone echoed through the campus.

WORLDWIDE DIVINE ALERT

Threat Level: Crimson

The cheerful voice of the Divine Network was replaced by a serious announcement.

"Attention, citizens. A Class-A Blackscale Dragon has breached the northern barrier outside Vesper City. All civilians are advised to seek shelter immediately. Registered gods and licensed contractors are authorized to respond."

The announcement repeated three times.

Panic swept across the campus.

Students grabbed their belongings and ran toward reinforced shelters beneath the university.

Professors began activating protective wards around the buildings.

The once peaceful courtyard descended into organized chaos.

Kai's phone buzzed again.

FIRST DIVINE MISSION AVAILABLE

Mission: Assist in the suppression of the Blackscale Dragon.

Reward: 50,000 Credits

Kai's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

"Fifty thousand..."

That was enough to pay his tuition.

His rent.

And maybe even buy food that didn't come in a cup.

He looked toward the city walls.

A massive black silhouette circled above them.

Each beat of its wings stirred clouds into spirals.

Flames escaped between its teeth as it roared.

The sound rolled across the city like thunder.

Kai slowly lowered his phone.

"I don't think fifty thousand is enough."

Zephyr glanced at the mission.

"Hmm."

"Hmm?"

"They're underpaying."

Kai turned to him.

"UNDERPAYING?"

"That's at least a seventy-thousand-credit dragon."

Kai wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry.

"You seriously rate dragons by price?"

"Freelancing teaches you many things."

A deep explosion echoed from the city.

Smoke rose into the sky.

The dragon had begun its attack.

Kai swallowed.

"What do we do?"

Zephyr looked genuinely puzzled.

"Didn't you accept the mission?"

"I was thinking about accepting it!"

"Oh."

Zephyr smiled.

"That makes more sense."

Kai groaned.

"I thought gods were supposed to help people."

"We do."

"You haven't helped me once."

"I appeared exactly when you summoned me."

"That's the bare minimum!"

"It still counts."

Kai rubbed his temples.

Somewhere in the distance, bells rang throughout the city.

Then the sky turned gold.

A brilliant pillar of light descended from the heavens.

The fleeing students stopped.

Even the professors looked upward.

A woman emerged from the light.

Long silver hair flowed behind her like moonlight.

Her white-and-gold robes shimmered with celestial patterns.

Golden feathers drifted through the air with every step she took.

She landed gracefully atop the university's central fountain.

The atmosphere itself seemed to brighten.

Kai recognized her immediately.

"Lyra..."

The Goddess of Fortune.

One of the highest-ranked freelance gods in the world.

She was practically a celebrity.

Students who had been panicking moments ago erupted into cheers.

"It's Lady Lyra!"

"We're saved!"

"I knew the Divine Council would send someone!"

Lyra offered the crowd a reassuring smile.

"Please remain calm."

Her voice carried effortlessly across the courtyard.

"The situation is under control."

For the first time that afternoon, Kai felt hope.

Then Lyra's gaze drifted past the crowd.

Past the professors.

Past the students.

Until it settled on Zephyr.

Her smile vanished.

Not faded.

Vanished.

A flicker of disbelief crossed her face.

"...You."

Zephyr gave a lazy wave.

"Hello, Lyra."

The two stared at each other.

Kai looked between them.

"You know each other?"

Neither answered.

Finally, Lyra spoke.

"I thought you disappeared."

"I've been busy."

"Busy?"

"I discovered television."

Kai nearly choked.

Lyra closed her eyes for a brief moment, as if silently praying for patience.

"You haven't changed."

"I've changed snacks."

"...That's not what I meant."

Before the conversation could continue, another deafening roar shook the sky.

The dragon swooped lower.

Its enormous shadow swept across the city walls.

Soldiers below fired enchanted ballistae.

The glowing bolts bounced harmlessly off its scales.

Lyra rose into the air.

Golden rings of divine light formed behind her.

Power surged outward.

The wind itself seemed to bow before her.

"Stay here," she told Kai.

"I'll deal with it."

She shot into the sky like a streak of sunlight.

The dragon noticed her immediately.

It opened its jaws.

Blue fire gathered between its fangs.

Kai held his breath.

The two powerful beings faced one another in the clouds.

Everyone watched.

Waiting for the battle to begin.

Then something unexpected happened.

The dragon stopped.

Its burning eyes shifted.

Not toward Lyra.

Past her.

Toward the university.

Toward...

Zephyr.

The dragon froze.

Its wings faltered.

For one impossible moment, the enormous beast hovered perfectly still.

Its pupils shrank.

Its muscles tensed.

Kai had seen fear before.

Students before final exams.

Landlords after hearing "I'll pay next week."

His own reflection in the mirror every time tuition was due.

But this...

This was different.

This was absolute terror.

The dragon let out a low, trembling growl.

Then, without warning—

It folded its wings.

Turned around.

And fled.

Not a tactical retreat.

Not an orderly withdrawal.

It fled as though death itself had just looked in its direction.

Within seconds, the Blackscale Dragon vanished beyond the distant mountains.

Silence blanketed the city.

Even the smoke drifting through the air seemed to pause.

Kai blinked.

"Did..."

He looked at Lyra.

She was hovering in the sky, equally motionless.

Then he looked at Zephyr.

The god yawned.

"Well."

He reached into his pocket.

"...I guess that's over."

Kai slowly pointed toward the mountains.

"The dragon ran away."

"It did."

"It saw you."

"Maybe."

"It looked terrified."

Zephyr shrugged.

"Perhaps it remembered an appointment."

Kai narrowed his eyes.

"I don't believe that for a second."

"Good."

Kai blinked.

"What?"

Zephyr smiled faintly.

"You shouldn't believe everything a god tells you."

Before Kai could ask what that meant, his phone buzzed once more.

A new message appeared on the screen.

MISSION COMPLETE

Reward Deposited: 50,000 Credits

Additional Notice:

Your contract has been flagged for investigation by the Divine Oversight Bureau.

Kai's stomach sank.

He looked at Zephyr.

"You wouldn't happen to know why we're being investigated..."

Zephyr looked toward the empty sky where the dragon had disappeared.

His smile faded for the briefest moment.

"I have a few guesses."

Far beyond the city, hidden beneath a forgotten mountain temple, a pair of ancient crimson eyes slowly opened.

A weathered voice echoed through the darkness.

"So..."

"It has finally found him."

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