"All I want... is your approval. Your agreement. Become my companion, Draco."
The final words hung in the air, swallowed momentarily by the vast silence of the jungle night. The dragon, that massive, scaled embodiment of vengeance and grief, remained motionless. The single tear that had traced a path down his cheek seemed to catch the dim light, a silent testament to the pain I had inadvertently exposed.
My own heart hammered a steady rhythm against my ribs. I waited. No System notification popped up, no divine voice echoed in my head demanding I continue dodging. Just... waiting. The weight of his gaze, invisible in the gloom but intensely felt, pressed down on me. What would he choose? Another furious assault? A scornful rejection, followed by a fatalistic stand? Or... the impossible?
After what felt like an eternity, a deep, resonant sigh escaped the dragon's massive chest. It wasn't a sound of exhaustion, but of profound contemplation, of a heavy burden being shifted, if only slightly. His massive head lowered further, not in defeat, but as if focusing his immense, ancient thoughts inward. The raw intensity that had radiated from him moments before seemed to soften, replaced by a quiet, almost melancholic presence.
Finally, he spoke.
"Draco." The name was repeated, not with anger, but with a strange mix of distaste and... finality. "I am tired of that name."
My internal monologue, always eager to provide commentary, perked up. Oh? Name change? This is new. Means he's considering it. "Tired of it?" I echoed, seizing the opening. "But it suited you. Big, scary dragon..." And source of my Cursed Series, but I didn't add that part aloud.
"It is the name you gave me," the dragon rumbled, his voice still soft but firm. "A name for... for this." He gestured vaguely with his head towards the devastated trees behind me, the landscape marked by his rage and my evasions. "For the puppet you claim I have become."
He shifted, his posture changing from defensive readiness to something less hostile, though still powerful. His eyes, huge and glowing faintly in the darkness, fixed on me. "If... if I am to walk a different path," he said, and the 'if' felt less like a question and more like a possibility he was genuinely exploring, "if... if I am to consider... this." He didn't use the word 'companionship,' but the meaning was clear. "Then I will not be called 'Draco' by you. Call me by... by some other name."
A name. Okay. He wasn't saying yes, not outright. But asking for a new name? That was a negotiation. That was accepting the premise of a relationship that went beyond 'angry monster and irritating hooman'. That was... amazing.
"A different name, huh?" My brain immediately went into pragmatic mode. What kind of name? Something cool? Something descriptive? Something that wouldn't make Filo giggle? Naming things wasn't exactly my strong suit, as my past life's track record with party member nicknames could attest to.
"Alright," I said, trying to sound thoughtful, like I was bestowing a great honor, not just coming up with something on the spot for a creature who could melt me. "Okay, let's see... How about... Scaly? Or... Big Guy? No, too generic. How about... uh... Fang?"
A low growl started in his chest, a warning rumble that lacked the previous fury but held distinct displeasure. "Do not mock me, hooman," he said, and the word 'hooman' was less an insult now, more a statement of fact, a reminder of the gap between us. "A name of... of respect. Of significance. If you are capable of such a thing."
Right. Respect. Significance. For a creature whose rage I needed to unlock my own rage. Whose pain I understood. Whose family was slaughtered by my own species. Okay. This needed actual thought.
"Respect, huh?" I mused aloud, rubbing my chin. The request, so simple, felt weighted with the burden of his past, the potential of his future. He wanted a name that acknowledged... what? His power? His suffering? His pride? Or a new beginning?
"How about... Fafnir?" I suggested. Sounded appropriately dragon-like, legendary.
The dragon was silent for a moment, considering. Then, a slow shake of his massive head. "Too heavy. Too much... baggage. From the old stories. From what we once were."
Okay, scratch legendary dragon names. Something simpler? Something that spoke of... what? Survival? Resilience? A new path?
My gaze drifted upwards, towards the sliver of moon visible through the canopy. Towards the stars scattered like diamonds. Towards the vast, indifferent cosmos that contained Gods who gave arbitrary tasks and Goddesses who forced awkward intimacy.
"How about... Ryu?" I offered. Japanese. Simple. Meant dragon. Fit my background. And it felt... cleaner than 'Draco'.
The dragon looked at me, his glowing eyes seeming to pierce the darkness. He considered the name. Rolled it around in his ancient mind.
Finally, he gave a small nod. A surprising, almost subtle movement for a creature his size.
"Ryu," he repeated, the sound a low murmur. It wasn't perfect. It wasn't burdened with the weight of his history or the promise of his vengeance. But maybe... maybe that was the point. A name for a different path.
"Alright," I said, accepting it. "Ryu it is. Welcome aboard... companion." The word felt strange, attaching it to this creature. But fitting, in its own messed-up way.
Ryu looked at me for another long moment. The sadness I had seen before was still present, lurking in the depths of his eyes, but the despair seemed to have lessened. Replaced by a wary, calculating curiosity.
"So," Ryu rumbled, the sound no longer just raw power, but a voice with a name. "What... what do I have to do? For this... companionship?"
He hadn't explicitly agreed, but asking about the terms was the agreement. He was accepting the premise. He was willing to help me, in exchange for my protection, my respect, and maybe, just maybe, a chance at something other than a vengeful, inevitable death.
"First thing," I said, allowing a small, genuine smile to finally touch my lips. It wasn't a cynical smile this time. It was... relieved. And pragmatic. "You have to keep trying to kill me. At least 326 more times tonight."
Ryu blinked his massive eyes. A flicker of... confusion? Followed by something that might have been exasperated amusement.
"The task," I explained, seeing his reaction. "System requires 1000 dodges. And I need... something... from enduring your attacks. So, yeah. Get angry again, Ryu. Just for a little while. For old times' sake. And for... progress."
The absurdity of it all, laid bare – the divine task, the hidden goal, the recruitment of a vengeful dragon through a philosophical debate and a name change, all culminating in asking him to resume trying to kill me – was pure, unadulterated Shield Hero. Amazing, in the sheer impossibility of it. Attractive, in the strange bond forming between two outcasts. And humorous, in the utter, bewildering chaos of my life.
Ryu stared at me for another moment, then let out a sound that was somewhere between a sigh and a snort.
"Very well," he rumbled, settling into a more attack-ready posture, the faint glow returning to his eyes. The raw grief was still there, the deep scars of his past, but now... now there was also a spark of something else. A grudging acceptance. A shared absurdity. A new path, beginning with 325 more dodges.
The chase was far from over. But maybe... maybe I wasn't hunting alone anymore.