1Kitsu3's notes: This story is a TRANSLATION of Agosto negro by the talented author Narutinachan. If you speak Spanish, you should go read the original work! Otherwise, please read and review; Narutinachan is looking forward to reading your feedback.
Narutinachan's notes: This fanfic is to contribute to the activity "¡Juega a tirar bombas con Hak!" ("Play at throwing bombs with Hak!") on the forum El feliz grupo de hambrientos (The Happy Hungry Bunch), with the objective of celebrating Hak's birthday as it deserves. It consists of writing a long-shot of Hak interacting with other people, in my case Hak, Hiryuu, and the original dragons.
With nothing more to say… HAPPY BIRTHDAY HAK!
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Black August
Prologue: The Dark Dragon
Battle cries and screams of pain and desperation were followed by the sound of clashing metal, reverberating in his ears like an ode to the dead.
The air that entered his lungs was poisoned by the smell of putrefaction and death.
The earth, which had been rich and fertile, was now only rich with the blood of uncountable lives lost.
The landscape, previously a place of peace and beauty, had been transformed into a wasteland by the continuous marching of soldiers and their mounts.
In other words… it was war.
Zeno tried not to let his face show the disgust and repulsion he felt and clenched his fists to suppress the uncontrollable trembling of his hands.
He hated this. He didn't want to be here. He knew that he wasn't suited for the battlefield and doubted he ever would be.
However, as much as some part of him wanted to run away and leave this all behind him, he wouldn't do it. It would be an insult and a betrayal of his King, of the Dragon Gods who had entrusted him with the protection of their beloved brother, of his fellow dragon warriors who were at this very moment risking their lives on the battlefield, and above all of his own conviction when he agreed to drink the dragon's blood and took the title of Ouryuu.
For these reasons Zeno stayed firmly by Hiryuu's side without averting his gaze, alert to any threat that might come near.
He didn't have incredible powers, nor was he a fierce warrior, like the other three who had been chosen to protect the Red Dragon; he felt weak and insignificant by comparison. But he was unwaveringly determined that if he couldn't fight at the very least he could serve as a shield, using his supposedly invulnerable body to defend his King, whatever the cost.
However, even to him, inexperienced as he was in the art of war, it was obvious that the tide was beginning to shift against them. Their enemies outnumbered them by hundreds, and although they had initially believed they could make up the difference with the power of the dragon warriors, they were now getting pushed back.
Fatigue was taking its toll. No longer could Shuten be seen jumping about in the sky, a sure sign that his energy was flagging, as his usual brutality wasn't otherwise possible to constrain. Abi, who was in charge of the last line of defense and who was only a few meters ahead of Hiryuu and Zeno, was obviously barely staying on his feet and was close to his limit; soon the side effects of abusing his power would hit him and he would be rendered completely useless. Guen clearly wasn't in much better shape on the front line of the battle, because their main force wasn't advancing, although it wasn't retreating either.
Zeno clenched his fists once more, feeling newly frustrated and powerless at his inability to help, but above all growing more and more anxious and worried.
They were out of time. They had to do something right now or they would be defeated; they had to retreat in order to regroup and change strategies. He didn't see any other solution.
Zeno allowed himself to look askance at his King. His usual serene expression appeared clouded by his obvious concern for the outcome of the battle; nevertheless the fire in his eyes blazed with the force of his determination.
The Yellow Dragon frowned and turned his focus to the ongoing battle.
Apparently retreat wasn't an option; they had to win here and now. He wanted to help but… what could the weak and clumsy Ouryuu do to help his King?
Abi collapsed to the ground. He'd reached his limit.
Zeno felt the impulse to run to his side, but checked it and instead just watched how the soldiers who were nearby hurried to arrange themselves around the Blue Dragon to protect him. Nevertheless, their enemies, as if they'd been waiting for this moment, took advantage the instant the formation changed in order to break their line of defense and charge towards the king with fierce battle cries.
Zeno tensed and unconsciously sought out the presences of Guen and Shuten in his mind. They'd clearly sensed Abi's collapse and he could feel their anxiety and that they were moving closer; but they were still far away, and not even the leg of the Green Dragon could get the others there in time when the enemy was already on top of them. Zeno couldn't count on them; he had to protect his king on his own.
Hiryuu drew his sword, and charged towards the enemies who had gotten close before Zeno had time to react, obviously ready to fight to the death and not about to go down easily.
"Zeno, stay behind me," he heard the king say just before bringing his sword to collide with the first enemy and then swinging his blade in a wide arc to dissuade the rest from getting any closer. But this didn't prevent them from surrounding the king and proceeding to box him in, using their greater numbers to defeat the rest of the soldiers who tried to defend him and growing more emboldened as they tasted victory.
Zeno's knees shook. He was terrified; there was nothing but war and death surrounding him. But as a dragon warrior he had a mission to accomplish, the blood in his veins burning with the insistence that he protect Hiryuu. And so, disobeying his king's direct order he ran towards the man, miraculously dodging all the stray swords and arrows that crossed his path, and positioned himself to cover his back, wielding the sword he barely knew how to use with trembling hands.
Hiryuu glanced over his shoulder at him for a second, and Zeno could feel the disapproval and concern in his penetrating gaze. Nevertheless, both of them knew he couldn't turn away the help; the situation was critical and they had to fight with all their might to survive or this would be the end of the newly founded Kouka Kingdom. It was for this reason that neither of the two said a word and simply stood back-to-back, concentrating on the enemies in front of them.
Zeno squeezed the grip of his sword and, in spite of the unfamiliarity of the weight in his hands, struggled to project a confidence he didn't feel in the least, standing firm in the defensive position Guen had taught him in order to deter the attackers that were eyeing them with calculating malevolence.
However, something in his stance must have betrayed that he was no more than a lowly beginner pretending to be an expert, or it could simply have been that word had spread that in reality Ouryuu was a weakling who was a dragon warrior only in name, because their enemies didn't hesitate to spring to attack.
Zeno did what he could to block or dodge their incessant strikes, but his technique and balance were poor, and before long he tripped, something one of the enemy soldiers immediately took advantage of by sending the Yellow Dragon's sword flying with a powerful blow.
Zeno staggered and fell flat on his back, staring fearfully up at the enemies who were approaching him pitilessly with their swords drawn.
"Zeno!" he heard his king call in distress.
But it was too late, the Yellow Dragon was only a moment from being run through, he was going to die…
Just at that moment a giant spear slammed into the ground right in front of their noses, blocking the sword that had been aimed to deal him a grievous injury, and was then swung in a wide arc around the fallen dragon, sending all the enemies in a two-meter radius of him flying.
Zeno blinked repeatedly, dazed by his miraculous rescue from the jaws of death. However, he quickly recovered from his shock and sighed heavily in relief before turning towards his savior, thinking it to be Shuten due to the choice of weapon.
It wasn't.
Standing right behind Zeno was a tall and well-muscled stranger, a young man with short, dark hair and sharp features. His confident demeanor and the technique he'd just shown in taking out all those soldiers at once indicated he was a fierce warrior who fought frequently. His sharp blue eyes were those of a predator, intimidating the rest of the enemy soldiers who were still surrounding them, dissuading their approach. But when his gaze dropped to the Yellow Dragon he showed only concern, and if Zeno hadn't been certain they were unacquainted, he could have sworn there was sincere affection in his eyes.
"Are you alright?" asked the stranger amiably, offering him his free hand.
Zeno surprised himself when he didn't hesitate to take the man's hand, and was helped to his feet. But his inexplicable trust didn't stop him from looking the stranger over carefully.
This man had helped him and appeared to be on his side; he couldn't sense any malice nor deception in his actions. However, he wore neither uniform nor emblem to identify him as a soldier of Kouka; in fact, his clothes were strange in both material and design, and Zeno had never seen a spear such as the one this man wielded. Perhaps he was from a foreign tribe or country…
"Who are you?" the Yellow Dragon couldn't stop himself from asking.
The stranger arched an eyebrow, as though this were a strange question, but in the next instant realization appeared on his face, which then changed to hesitation and slight regret as he looked away and murmured something to himself which, in the middle of the furor of the battle, Zeno was unable to hear.
However, when the man turned to face Zeno again his gaze was one of determination and also (Zeno could swear) a touch of amusement, as though he were internally laughing at a private joke.
"I'm the Dark Dragon," the man finally declared, pointing at himself with a proud, confident expression.
Zeno was only able to blink repeatedly with his mouth half-open in bewilderment, staring as the enemies around them renewed their attack and the strange man reentered the battle as though nothing had happened, cutting down the men with his spear as easily as if he were swatting flies.
"Let's get out of here. You have to protect Hiryuu, right?" asked the stranger, glancing over his shoulder for a moment as he made a clear gesture to indicate what he intended, and then commenced opening a passage through the multitude of enemy soldiers with his spear, wielding the weapon expertly.
The Yellow Dragon's mind was blank. But he couldn't deny that his immediate priority was to return to Hiryuu's side, so he just followed behind his protector without a word.
In the end his confused mind was only able to come up with one question…
Since when was there a Dark Dragon?
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Narutinachan's notes:
Here is the prologue of my contribution for the activity "Play with bomb throwing with Hak!". If you would like to know how Hak wound up in the era of Hiryuu and the original dragons, you'll have to wait for the next chapter.
Although this prologue is told from Zeno's perspective (because those who know me know that I love Zeno and I couldn't resist putting in his reaction to the initial appearance of the Dark Dragon XD), the rest of the fanfic will be from Hak's point of view, or at least most of it.
See you in one of my next fanfics or translations.