[Summer 2014] Return of the Dragon

Somewhere in the eastern part of the world, lies a continent thriving in its agriculture and trades. Cultural heritages, arts, military, philosophy, science and many other things. It boasts a lineage of greatest people known to men; a thriving history older than most, which stands strong until this day and age. A country of bamboo shoots, rice, slave labors, drunken monks, pandas and famously known for mythical snake-like creature--dragons.

The dragons came at the year of dragons, and revisit the nation once every twelve years, serving as their divine god for the whole year, granting them prosperity corresponding to the elements it bears at current time. Each twelve years, the dragons would change elements from Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water— sequentially, until it goes back at the starting cycle after the last.

The elements will govern the proceedings of the year, and affects each person in the nation. Their successes and their failures in life.

There was a contract made by the 12 divine creatures : rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog and pig. The story begins when the sky god wants to invite various animals to his party and the first twelve will be elected as divine ones. The rat comes first, followed by ox and so forth, listed before in sequence. Each changing years will be followed by the governance of the divine animals in that order.

The animals, each one has different properties which affects different people in different ways, depending on which animal year that person was born. The animals' way of governing was uniquely different, add that with their diversity of elements, that's why the nation had so much turbulence within each passing year. The changing of government, revolts, war, peace, something flourishing, something dies. It flows like unsettling water; no one's perfectly safe—said one certain philosopher of that nation.

Regardless of that happening, everything was well out. Things that happen were mainly handiwork of humans, with no direct intervention from the divine animals.

Until one day came, upon the year of the dragon....



(Note : the following names will use badly translated english names or something made up as not to offend certain cultures.)

The village of 'Down Roots'. A place quite thriving in the argiculture. Rice fields and vegetables flourishly growing within the irrigated soils even with ancient technology. It's not one of the favored places by the current emperor, as the village was quite secluded in the far western province, trailed by tough mountainous steps.

It's mainly there to trade with far eastern traders at a low price barely enough for other necessities while the traders sell them at high praces in the east area, with direct access to ocean trading. Of course, the villagers made their meals by growing their own crops.

The emperor itself favored more of the east since it's more thriving in other places and it's much easier to go around since it's mostly located on flat ground. Not to mention, that's where the drinks, the women, the arts and other stuff mostly concentrated. It's now the times of peace, and the leaders were elected based on lineage. This story, however, ain't gonna focus on the emperor with his care-free antics.

Let's go back to the 'Down Roots' village. Everything was peaceful. So peaceful that a certain young man, let's call him Flying Squirrel—he's just out there lazing around with nothing to do. He was the youngest child of twelve brothers and eleven sisters. The sisters helped around the house, sometimes around the farm and stuff that was mostly light in labor but needing lots of energy to do: weaving clothes, crafting things and etc. .The brothers helped the farm, and took some other jobs like mining, woodcutting, or some other hard labors.

Two of the eldest brothers went towards the capital to become a scholar. They provided themselves by working part time, without the help of their parents, or so what they wrote in the letters sent. After they graduated, though, they rarely sent letters.

It's supposedly that they probably want to erase their commoner past in order to marry in some royalty with their made-up past, considering they had good education and such and wanting to impress their brides by things they learned in school. That way they could spend their time in wealth lazing around and reading books, or maybe raise some sex slaves and concubines if their wife's not hot enough. Though it's mostly just someone jumping into conclusions, let's just say they're being alright.

Three of the eldest sisters were married to a rich trader. Again, the family didn't heard of them ever since they went out of honeymoon. Not even money were sent back. The parents just shrugged their shoulders, saying: it's for the sake of their happiness. Well, it's not like they knew if their daughters were divorced midway with three starving children off to live in poverty—in depression they eventually committed suicide together. Well, not implying that this actually did happen though. Let's just hope everything goes alright.

Their house was quite big, but not big enough to fit the entirety of family, not counting those who left the village for their own good, for their own individuality. In this family, no one seems to care about the youngest son. The parents were all too busy with the farms and stuff, hoping to expand their business by working their children as hard as they can as a payback for raising them in a couple of years, especially for the mother, who had to go through painful childbirth process to give birth multiple times.

Well what you know, all of the births were pair of twins, triplets and even quadruplets. The youngest son, however, was alone. He was the only one different. With all his brothers having the same pair of faces, and his sisters too. He was probably the one most physically attractive. That too, the reason why nobody in his family actually understands him. His parents too, were originally twins. Their twin halves committed suicide in the embryo. So it goes.

In this family quite large, the parents were too busy to give their children individuality. It's only work this work that and feeding them accordingly. Though for the youngest son, no matter he worked hard or not, got the smallest portion of meals, slept in the worst, most cramped corner. Got the worst treatment, and often got bullied by his brother and sisters. The situation being even worse when he decides to rebel against them.

He decided to quit working. Not just simply lazing around. He's really fed up with the mistreatment and decided to pass upon his discontent openly in a certain day at the family dinner.

That made the whole family enraged. The youngest son was too scared to talk back, but he won't accept his father beating him again and again for the mistakes he didn't make. So he deflected the old man's blows and threw him out to the ground by his blows.

He took out a large log and start beating on his brothers and sisters that bullied him, few of them, though not all of them. While they were still confused, he swiftly dashed outside. He did not know what kind of thing made him able to do such, and how absentmindedly like lifeless dolls they were, when they saw some insignificant brat roaring wildly and fighting back fiercely.

He figured, it's time for him to say goodbye. He doesn't belong in the family anymore.

Time to turn a new page...



Well, that thing didn't actually happen at the dragon year. The youngest son was born on the dragon year though. That was just the thing about our hero's place and the other places, along with his family and such.

Now, this is, what actually happened during the year of dragon.

Just read the next chapter.

The dragon. A creature of pride. When other divine animals had somehow given themselves to service humanity, the dragon refused. It plays the role of a god over the times. Their solitary nature and general unfriendliness often caused various conflicts with humans in the ancient times. Their numbers declined due to their extreme hardship to reproduce, not to mention the humans, albeit weak, are cunning and grew in numbers extremely fast compared to them.

At first, I'm supposed to tell a silly story about our hero and the last remaining dragon, but I got so lazy writing it. So let's just say, either the hero killed himself during his journey while he exiled himself from his family, or he became a good adventurer who eventually met the dragon, which gave him riddles to answer, in order to prove his own wisdom. Satisfied with the hero's answer, the dragon bestowed its wisdom, its legacy to the hero and finally passed away after an extremely long period of solitude.

Even though its race were wronged by humans, it still its own responsibility to give everything he could, so the humans would grow. He wants to pay back for the arrogance his ancestors did in the past, by becoming those who give birth to a new kind of legacy.

The hero wrote the teachings of the dragon, which later became one of the most important philosophy this nation adopts. From the ancient times until now, will be rooted deep in traditions—the way of the dragon. The animal itself, extinct as for now, will keep watching over the nation with its wisdom shared across the citizens.

Alas, the dragon has returned, protecting the nation, forever and ever. It doesn't seek revenge, rather, a passion for brighter tomorrow. So even a childish wish like peace and prosperity could come to its realization.

About protecting the nation. What about the other divine animals?

Well I don't know really, this is the story 'bout the dragon who has finally returned. The other animals had their own ways of giving their legacy, so yeah.

Thanks for reading.