There was once a quote along the line of “The greatest tricked the devil has ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist.”

For centuries, what the boy had done was the exact opposite.

When he was 15, his family settled down in a castle they found standing isolated and preoccupied. His father had said, "Yoongi, one day you will take over this castle after me."

The boy had nodded because the thought of running a castle and declaring himself king of the place he had just claimed his own sounded pretty reasonable back then. But then his mother had pulled him to a corner when they were alone, and whispered, "Yoongi, you must not take what isn't yours."

The boy had nodded, too, but somehow was very confused.

And only when the next group of people had settled down on the land next to his father's that the boy knew, this earth was not anyone's to call theirs. Fights broke out between the two groups, but the boy's father had won every single one. And he was proud.

"Yoongi," he had said. "The land is yours and this castle remains yours. My next battle is also your battle. Will you fight with me?"

The boy had nodded, excited. But he didn't realize the danger he was about to put himself into. The next battle his father had was with a group unlike any other human. These people possessed abilities that could swipe everything on land to dust with just the flicker of their finger.

The boy had returned home alone. His shirt was gone, his army was gone, his father—gone. The first thing his mother had told him was, "Yoongi, everything is going to be all right. I'm going to find a way to save you."

The boy had heard yelling. And the clanging of metal against metal. And screaming. He saw his mother's face for a brief second before she shove him into something.

And that was the last thing he remembered.

The next group that came to live next to the castle didn't know the history of the land. They had lived believing in peace.

And then the next group.

And the next.

The boy woke up one morning, feeling the most uncomfortable in his entire life. He had looked around his room, which was dark and gray. When he tried to reach for the candle, he only saw of sharp finger nails bigger than his normal hand. He pulled back and examined himself. His skin was sore and hard and rough, his hands were no longer his hands, they were replaced by a pair of talons. He gawked, appalled. What should have been his voice was no longer there. When he opened his mouth and tried to speak, red hot fire erupted from his throat and burned everything in front of him.

The boy jumped back, and something soft flapped behind him. He turned, seeing two enormous wings attached to his back. And when he tried to look closer, he was stopped. His head bumped against the wall. Or rather, his head was inches away but something on his face had bumped against the wall. What? Fire. More fire. The boy grabbed his own face in horror, on which he found crooked horns grown out.

He cried himself to sleep that night, his tears hotter than boiled water.

And many nights after.

So many, until his appearance no longer bothered him, until he learnt about his new self and abilities—that he was no longer a human. He had become a beast. A fire-breathing dragon. He had learnt to not try to speak because what came out would only bring destruction. He had found solace in his being, though, for he got to spend many sunny days indoor, not worrying about battle or invaders because nobody dared to come near him or the castle anymore.

Monster, they had called him. He would have agreed if he could still speak, so for that moment he could only light their houses on fire to prove their point.

Those people evacuated. Then a new group settled in. The beast had learnt to cope by staying out of the villagers' way. But not until long that words got around about a beast in the castle full of diamond and gold.

And from that moment, the boy had become more aware of the world he was living in, and what kind of thing the greedy people—like his father—were capable of doing.

-

The year is now 2015.

The light from the torch flickers and the intruders wince in uncertain fear. The further they get into the castle underground passageway the colder the air gets. Both of them scoot closer to one another as they continue to take their steps.

"Careful." Once whispers. "Do you hear this?"

The other one whimpers. "Yes."

The harsh breathing sound that echoes through out the whole tunnel turns the intruders' spine to ice. Suddenly they don't want to go on anymore.

"Maybe we should go back."

"But we've come so far."

The breathing hitches. And silence. The intruders stop abruptly. The whole place has become very still and quiet, as though the wind stops blowing and the trees stand still in fear of something. Ever experience the peacefulness before the big rain? The moment when the clouds in the sky blocks all sunlight and suddenly everything is dark and hopeless?

The torch is blown out by a sudden strong wind and the two intruders let out a squeak. There are stories about this abandoned castle—of how the first mankind on Earth had lived here, and they had gold and diamonds, and they had a poor fate and didn't get to live the fancy life they deserved. The story goes on saying that their ghosts remained, and that they guarded those treasures from outsiders. But people feel that the living should be able to live properly, and so from time to time people try their luck to get those things. But so far, no one has succeeded. All who have ever tried all said the same thing. They said something alive was still inside and it was watching them.

They weren't wrong.

The two intruders finally find a set of stairs. Tagging closely behind one another, they climb up. They keep their cool and take each step with carefulness until a dim light shines through the door at the end of the stairs. They turn to each other and grin. Pushing the door open, the first thing they see is a gigantic red-skinned creature, with a head the size of a truck, two eyes bigger than frying pan, and two swirling horns—unlike any horn normal animals possess—on where the eyebrows should have been. The beast has its jaws wide open toward the intruders' direction, its teeth baring sharp like spears.

Both of them scream and fall d