Chanyeol gaped at the giant beast in front of him, its black wings spread out in dominance. The only thing that made him realize that this was all not a dream was when he felt Kris’s strong grip get stronger on his arm. He winced in pain, pulling his arm away from the grasp.

“That hurts!” Chanyeol spat and just like that, the beast in front of him growled low. He tensed. “E-Er… no… I mean…!”

The dragon hissed unpleasantly down at him and then its serpent-like eyes glanced ever so slightly to the side. The dragon huffed defiantly, “Must you always be attached to someone like him?”

Chanyeol blinked, confused, before the cogs in his brain started to move again. “A-Are you talking about Kris?”

“His name is still that?” The dragon sneered. “I thought now that times have changed, he could use a new name as well.”

Chanyeol looked at the beast, lost. But then, he heard the rustling of grass indicating that Kris had moved. He glanced over to the lake but it was a bit too far for him to see Kris’s reflection. “Wait a minute, you can see him?”

“So what if I can?” The dragon said and then it chuckled darkly, “Ah~ I see…”

The younger male brought his legs closer to his chest with the contempt look the dragon was giving him. Something in that tone of voice told Chanyeol to shut up and that the dragon, one way or the other, figured out the whole situation by just looking at him.

“You’re the dragon from the legend, aren’t you?” Kris’s voice suddenly appeared out of nowhere. The dragon gave a loud, irritated huff – puffs of white smoke coming out of its mouth in the process.

“Ill-mannered as usual.” The dragon retorted, “Even after all those years, you’re reincarnated exactly the same way.”

Chanyeol felt his head throb. Had Kris and the dragon met before? The way the dragon spoke to him sounded as if they did…

Kris’s mocking voice came after a few seconds, “I’d say the same to you. Don’t you know that it’s rude to throw fire balls at people? Especially one that’s under that guy’s eye?”

Chanyeol felt his cheeks heat up. Kris was referring to him. He looked warily back at the dragon, whose face contorted impatiently.

Kris didn’t stop there, “If you’re the dragon from the legend, then where’s the phoenix?”

“Ah,” Chanyeol gasped softly, remembering Kris mentioning about a phoenix who had drunk the water from the lake earlier. Could the two mythical beings the elder mentioned be this dragon and a phoenix? If so, Chanyeol couldn’t believe that he was meeting one of them right now.

“That is none of your business.” The dragon replied derisively. It turned its attention to Chanyeol who instinctively flinched. “Hmph.”

It wouldn’t take a genius to notice that the dragon already hated Chanyeol and the latter hadn’t even done anything yet. Or maybe he did and he just didn’t realize it…? Whatever the case, Chanyeol was feeling more and more belittled by the giant beast.

“Why are the two of you insolent beings here anyway? This is not your territory.”

“Protection,” Kris answered simply and the dragon huffed.

“Are you using this place for your own benefit? Such crude behaviour.”

“Chanyeol’s life is on the line here, you lizard.” Kris spat and Chanyeol paled, looking up at nothing but air.

“K-Kris! What are you saying?!”

The dragon’s eyes narrowed and it hissed violently, “What did you just call me?”

“Nothing! H-He’s very sorry, Mr. Dragon-Sir…!” Chanyeol stood up suddenly, like a spring. He nervously gulped and somehow heard Kris sigh nearby.

The dragon looked at Chanyeol, moving its head closer to him before seething, “Get out.”

Chanyeol felt the contents in his stomach churn. He gulped, wanting to do just that but he couldn’t move his legs. Then, he heard Kris speak again, “We’re not leaving. Chanyeol can’t leave this place. He’s safer here than in any other area.”

“That’s not my problem.” The dragon frowned. “The two of you are always attracting all kinds of trouble no matter what era you’re both born in.”

“I’d agree in my case but this was never Chanyeol’s fault.” Kris growled. “His bad luck--”

The dragon roared and slammed its foot on the ground, causing a little shake. Chanyeol wobbled and paled in fear. Now the giant beast was pissed and Chanyeol had no means whatsoever to defend himself if it ever spat a fire ball at him.

“Your existence…” The dragon glared at Chanyeol. “I’ll never forgive it.”

Chanyeol’s eyes widened. The dragon didn’t just hate him. The dragon hated his very existence. “B-But…”

“What did you mean by that?” Kris asked before Chanyeol could, mainly because the latter just felt his whole life drain out of his body.

The dragon hesitated, eyes glaring at Chanyeol as if he was insulted, as if Chanyeol was a piece of dirt. Chanyeol only shrunk further and felt like he wanted to cry. Thankfully, he felt Kris’s touch on his arm and he felt relieved that someone was there with him. The dragon finally folded its wings and rested on the ground, frustrated.

“Many years ago, there was an event that caused the flow of time to be disrupted.”

“Are you talking about the rebirth of the phoenix?” Kris asked and Chanyeol turned his head to and fro.

“What are you talking about?” Chanyeol asked and only earned a low growl from the giant reptilian beast.

Chanyeol squeaked in response and felt Kris’s hold on his arm, pulling him closer to the elder’s side. “You heard the dragon say so before right? We’re reincarnations. Everyone is, technically. We’re all reincarnations of someone before in the past. That’s how life carries on.”

Chanyeol ogled at nothing in particular as he listened to Kris’s words.

“That said, we’re reincarnations of people who possibly had the same names as us, same faces even. During their time, they were involved in the event concerning the phoenix,” At the mention of the phoenix’s name, the dragon grumbled impatiently. “Its rebirth caused a crack in the flow of time,”

“That crack led to many things – one of which was your unfortunate bad luck.”

Chanyeol gaped at the being. “Wh-What did you…?”

“You’re the reincarnation of the person who