Chapter 2:
The End Begins

  In the tiniest room of the God Pine many years later,
the dragons Harvard and Helen left to go out hunting. Although they were poor,
they were well respected and loved throughout the community of social and
friendly dragons. They left their son Seoul unattended with only the comfort of
the other dragons arguing next store. Seoul was the deep shade of red rare in
dragons. These special few dragons were pressured because it either meant they
were destined for good or bad. Everyone expected him to be good and become
something great, but he just didn’t like it. He caused various acts of villainy
whenever he could, such as vandalizing other’s rooms, raiding the kitchens, and
causing much disrespect to anyone he disliked. Although this should have been a sign to the other dragons to beware Seoul, they still believed in him anyway.

Immediately after his parents left,
his closest and most loyal friend, Trenton pounced through the front door.

"What do you think about the new
oath we are bound to, brother?" he asked in the manor of one who was
slightly angry, but only bringing up matters just to converse with someone.

"I think it's ridiculous," replied
Seoul angrily.

"I have no idea how our ancestors
actually agreed to live like this."

The teachers of their generation had
explained about the vow their ancestors had made to the gods long ago. He and a
handful of dragons had disagreed with this statement. From Seoul’s point of
view, life as a dragon was killing whatever you could get your claws on,
showing your dominance to everyone who stood in your way, and ruling with every
cruel bone in your body. At least it was comforting to know that some dragons
had some common sense. Dragons needed to be more aggressive than what they
portrayed in his opinion. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing when he found
that the dragon army just sat on their butts doing nothing all day and night,
while other races like the foul humans fought almost daily amongst themselves.

"You know, we
could do something about it," rasped Trenton's low, rumbly croak of a
voice.

Seoul looked deep into the eyes of his friend.
He was not the average dragon. His body was that of a serpent, with tiny little
arms and legs held next to his sides so he slithered on the rough bark. He
could use them if he wanted, but he preferred not to. He had the most
serpentine face he had ever seen, even on real snakes. He looked like a puff
adder, with only a hint of dragon stretched across his features, and was about
the size of a small boulder. His tongue was the most frightening though. It was
a dark shade of black, and slowly wiggled its way out of his mouth, and doing
the same on its path back in.

Seoul knew that his friend was right.
He could never live the rest of his life without killing a single thing but his
food.

All of a sudden, in a voice that made
even Trenton quiver with fear, "Go round up the dragons that don’t want to
live without violence and bring them to me, for we are leaving tonight!"

"Yes my lord," squeaked Trenton.

He unfurled his wings and took off at
a speed that most young dragons couldn't accomplish even if they tried. It made
him feel good that even his best friend was frightened to death of him. He
thought it would make him a good leader. He decided that he would be the one to
lead this new band of ''mischief makers'' and rule the world. For his new reign
of terror had just begun.

  ***

When Seoul’s parents returned, Trenton
still hadn’t arrived with the others yet yet. He knew that they would stop him at all costs if they
discovered his plan, so he kidnapped them, and decided he would dispose of them
at the top of the tree later.  

He gathered up his belongings and tied
them in a bundle of cloth and readied it for when the group returned. About a
half hour later, Trenton returned with the others. Unfortunately, there were
only ten of them, and one of them was a girl. He had a feeling that she would
not be of much use in battle if they were ever caught in it.

"Welcome, my friends, to my mother and
father's residence. I hope you all wish to leave with me to seek power, land,
and eventually the world. For now however, we’re not welcomed here. Follow me,
and there will be great promise, decide you want to be a chicken and scramble
back to these pathetic excuses for dragons, I will kill you, for you know too
much. Before any of you ask me, we will begin by searching for refuge among the
humans, for we will be least expected there."

He was pleased to see that they wore
looks of disgust about settling with the humans; however they remained silent. Occasionally
they glanced at Seoul’s bound parents in the corner. They were desperately
trying to break free and were hissing madly under their gags.

"Then we will come back here and
battle every last one of them who refuse to join our side, and rule the world,
with this place as our own. Now, who's with me?"

It took them a while to ponder his words
and decide if this was the path they wanted to take, but once they did, they
all agreed.

"Excellent, now may I have your
names?" Seoul asked once they were all in agreement.

He started with the right end of the line so
he would hear the female's last. But before he began he told them that they
could change their names if they were too “pathetic” to bear.

The first dragon started with his
name. "I am Utar, and I am at your service!"

He was a beautiful shade of gold. His body was
big and bulky, and had thick spines starting from his majestic neck and ending
at his branch-like tail. It had a spiky bush of needles cluttered around the
end. His head was like that of a komodo dragons’. The only feature that wasn't
the same was his eye. It was an early sunset orange with a hard black pupil.
They seemed to bore into him, eager for his reply.

"A fine dragon indeed; you will
be of great assistance." Seoul stated, much to the dragon Utar’s approval.

He was about to move on when an alarm roar
rang. Their scheme had been discovered somehow. Without pausing to stop to
consider there might be a traitor in their midst, he leapt into the air and
hovered for a moment as he hastily began to wrap up his speech.

  "We will continue when we are far
away from here. Now fly my subjects fly!"

  Then they took off into the blackening
sky and flew until they could fly no more.