The Gift That Devoured the World
by hachidori
Long ago, there was a kingdom.
A demon, bent on destroying humanity, disguised himself as a sage and came to the royal palace, carrying a baby dragon in his arms. Standing before the king and his ministers, he said:
“This dragon’s excrement will enrich the soil and yield abundant harvests. Its claws, fangs, and fiery breath will defend the realm from all enemies. Its tears can heal the gravest of wounds. And above all, whoever drinks its blood shall gain immortality. Accept this dragon, and your kingdom shall prosper beyond measure.”
The king and his ministers, blinded by greed and hope, eagerly accepted the demon’s words and raised the baby dragon within the palace. The news spread swiftly across the land. Deep in the forest, an old sage living in solitude heard of these events. Stricken with dread, he hastened to the palace and spoke before the throne:
“Majesty, in time, this dragon’s excrement will poison the soil, and no crops will grow. Its breath will foul the air, and your people will struggle to breathe. Though it now obeys your commands, when it grows large enough, it will devour you whole. Slay this creature at once, and punish the deceiver who brought it here!”
The courtiers erupted in fury. The common folk raged as well, for they depended on the dragon’s excrement to enrich their fields. The ministers shouted in anger, for they saw the dragon as the key to their kingdom’s strength.
One minister declared:
“Even if we refuse the dragon, other kingdoms will surely raise their own. Shall we stand idle and watch them surpass us?”
The king, consumed by greed for power, wealth, and the promise of immortality, shouted:
“Execute this mad old fool at once!”
The old man was slain on the spot.
Years turned into decades. The dragon grew larger than the grandest palace. Its excrement poisoned the land until nothing would grow. Famine swept the realm, and countless people perished. Its fiery breath filled the skies with poison, choking the last survivors. The mighty dragon crushed the king’s army with ease and swallowed the king whole.
Humanity perished, and only dragons remained upon that desolate world.
