DAR Vol. 1 Special Short Story
Special Short Story – How Roa and the Gryphon Met
A very long time ago…
<I…have lost….?>
The gryphon was lying on the ground, with burn marks all over its body. It couldn’t move an inch. While suffering from the scorching burns covering its body, it reflected.
<I was too naive… My power did not even touch it. It went easy on me…no, it played with me…>
The gryphon recalled its arrogance. It felt a choking pain in its chest, but did not know if it was caused by its wounds or how pathetic the whole ordeal had been.
<Am I going to pass away like this…?>
Even if the burns eventually healed, it was immobile and could not catch prey to eat, thus eventually starving to death. The gryphon’s fate was sealed.
“……”
A voice in the distance.
The burns had paralyzed the gryphon’s senses. But even so, it felt like someone was calling out to it. At the same time, a sort of liquid was poured on its body, cooling its scorched hide.
<….rain? It feels…pleasant…>
The pain was receding, but it could not feel relieved yet. Rain would rob its body of warmth, which would prove fatal at this time.
“….me?”
Someone was talking. A warm, kind voice.
<….master? Have you come to take me?>
The gryphon recalled a nostalgic figure. An important person, who died and left him hundreds of years before. The gryphon’s only master and also parent, a woman.
<Can I be by your side again? If so, then death does not scare me. If we can be together forever…>
The gryphon’s body, tense in its efforts to fight against the coming death, relaxed. It decided to leave everything to nature and accepted its fate.
“Are you okay? Are you alive?”
Then the voice was heard again.
<…….hm?>
The voice was clearer this time, but it was different than what the gryphon imagined. It was still young, a boy’s voice.
“This potion I tried making should be enough to heal burns, but…”
The gryphon turned towards the source of the voice and found a young boy.
<What? Who’s this brat? It wasn’t master? Master, where are you?>
“I guess it wasn’t enough for a full recovery…”
The young boy touched the gryphon’s body to check the state of its injuries, without showing any sign of being scared. When his eyes and the gryphon’s met, the boy smiled.
“You can see again, good.”
<I was saved by this brat???>
The gryphon looked directly at the boy. His expression, without a hint of fear, was somehow nostalgic.
<Master might have led us to meet…>
The gryphon raised its still pained body and gently rubbed its face against the boy’s cheek. His face became dirty with ash, but the boy happily received the gryphon’s nuzzling while smiling.