Starting out as a Dragon Slave

A heavy silence settled, broken only by the distant hum of the fluorescent lights and the muffled whisper of the ventilation system.

- "We must inform the Hunters Bureau immediately," Laura concluded, her voice regaining its professional firmness. "If even a tenth of what he says is true, we’re facing an unprecedented threat."​

Marc nodded gravely, retrieving a secure, austere-looking phone from the inner pocket of his jacket.​

- "I’ll contact the Director directly. A matter of this sensitivity can’t go through regular channels."​

His fingers quickly dialed a number known to few. After three rings, a deep voice answered.​

- "Inspector Marc Lemaire here," he announced, his low voice vibrating with restrained urgency. "We have a critical situation."​

He hesitated for a fraction of a second before continuing:​

- "The survivor of the yeti dungeon massacre claims the responsible creatures are dragons. Yes, dragons, in a dungeon officially listed as housing only yetis. He’s adamant and... strangely convincing."​

A silence as heavy as lead fell on the line. Marc could almost hear the gears turning in the brilliant and calculating mind of the Director. Then, the deep, authoritative voice resumed, each syllable measured with military precision:​

- "Dragons? I see. It might be wise to convene an emergency meeting of the Council. Thank you, Inspector Lemaire. Keep the suspect in complete isolation."​

The call ended abruptly. Marc slowly put away his phone, exchanging a long look with Laura. No words were necessary—they both knew they had just set in motion a series of events with incalculable consequences.​

A few hours later, Élysée Palace, Crisis Room

The silence in the vast room was anything but peaceful. It was tense, electric, charged with a palpable anxiety that seemed to thicken the very air. The dim light from the wall sconces cast dramatic shadows on the grave faces of the participants.​

Around the imposing solid oak table a historical relic that had witnessed crises and wars stood the nation’s most powerful figures. The President of the Republic occupied the center, his gaunt face betraying the exhaustion of a recent international crisis, but his eyes remained sharp and alert. To his right stood the Prime Minister, whose fingers nervously tapped on the polished surface of the ancient wood. The Ministers of Defense and the Interior completed this inner circle, their rigid postures expressing the gravity of the situation.​

Facing them, on the other side of this historic table that had borne witness to so many crucial decisions, stood the delegation from the Hunters Bureau’s Council of Leaders. Their very presence in this highly secure room was exceptional a silent testament to the seriousness of the situation.​

Antoine Delcourt, their leader, rose with deliberate slowness. Tall, broad-shouldered despite being over sixty, he naturally commanded respect. His hair, once jet black, was now streaked with silver that gleamed under the subdued lighting. But it was his gaze that captivated attention—intense green eyes that seemed to have witnessed horrors most men couldn’t imagine without descending into madness.​

He slowly swept the assembly with that penetrating gaze, establishing eye contact with each person present, as if to ensure that all were fully aware of the importance of what was to follow.​

- "Mr. President, Ministers," he began in a deep, grave voice that resonated in the silent room. "Thank you for responding to our call with such alacrity. What we are about to present today goes beyond our usual protocols and could fundamentally redefine our understanding of the threat we face."​

He paused deliberately, allowing the weight of these words to settle in the minds of his audience.​en.wikipedia.org

- "One of our hunters, a man named Isaac, is the sole survivor of a particularly savage attack that occurred in a category C dungeon, theoretically inhabited only by yetis creatures we know well and can manage."​

Antoine retrieved a small device from his inner pocket and placed it at the center of the table. An instant holographic projection appeared, displaying a detailed map of the dungeon in question, with red markers indicating the positions where bodies had been found.​

- "He and his team, led by a particularly experienced A-rank hunter, entered this dungeon for a routine mission. What they encountered was anything but routine."​

With a wave of his hand, he changed the holographic image, now revealing macabre photographs of the recovered bodies—images so brutal that several people around the table involuntarily looked away.​

- "These men and women," Antoine continued, his voice now tinged with restrained anger, "were not simply killed. They were massacred, torn apart, some partially... consumed. The marks on their remains do not match any creature listed in our databases."​

The Minister of Defense leaned slightly forward, his brows furrowed.​

- "Get to the point, Mr. Delcourt. What is this threat you’re referring to?"​

Antoine met his gaze unflinchingly.​

- "According to our survivor’s testimony, the creature responsible for this carnage and potentially for many other similar massacres reported worldwide in recent months—is a dragon. An intelligent dragon, capable of communication, and evidently possessing a specific agenda."​

A stunned silence fell over the assembly, quickly broken by incredulous murmurs and a few muffled exclamations. The Minister of Defense, a man accustomed to crisis situations, was the first to react openly:​

- "Dragons?" he articulated with a mix of astonishment and skepticism. "But that’s absurd! We’ve never encountered such creatures since the portals appeared. This witness must be traumatized, confused, or simply seeking attention..."​

Antoine calmly raised his hand, a simple gesture that abruptly halted the flow of protests.

- "We’ve considered all those possibilities, Minister," Antoine said evenly. "Our psychological teams subjected Isaac to extensive evaluations. While his mental state is clearly affected by trauma, it remains stable enough for his testimony to be deemed credible."

He changed the holographic projection again, this time displaying complex graphs of psychological and neurological analyses.

- "He shows none of the usual markers of deliberate deception or psychotic fabrication. Either he’s the most sophisticated liar we’ve ever encountered—or he’s reporting exactly what he believes he saw."

The President, who had remained silent until now, sat up slightly in his chair. His pale blue eyes had hardened, reflecting the weight of the situation.

- "If this information proves accurate, what would the precise implications be for our national security—and what response could we realistically mount against such a potential threat?"

Antoine gave a small nod, appreciating the President’s direct, pragmatic approach.

- "Mr. President, if dragons truly exist and have begun infiltrating our reality through the portals, then we’re facing a threat of an entirely new order."

He brought up a new projection—hypothetical models based on the descriptions provided by the witness.

- "Unlike the creatures we’ve faced thus far, dragons would pose not only immense physical and magical power, but also a level of intelligence equal to—or greater than—our own. Isaac’s account suggests a being capable of strategic planning, coherent speech, and very specific goals."

The Prime Minister leaned forward, his face lined with concern.

- "Are we equipped to face such a threat?" he asked, his voice betraying an anxiety he struggled to conceal.

Antoine exchanged a brief glance with his fellow Council members before answering with brutal honesty: ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm

- "As things stand no. Our hunters are trained to combat creatures whose behavior patterns, weaknesses, and biological cycles we understand. They are not prepared to face entities potentially possessing an entire civilization, a culture, a military strategy."

He paused, allowing his words to sink in.

- "That said, we can adapt—quickly. Our immediate proposals are as follows: first, drastically increase security around all known portals; second, divert a significant portion of our research funding toward the study of these creatures; and third, begin training special hunter units specifically equipped for this type of adversary."

A leaden silence fell over the room. Each person present weighed the staggering implications of what had just been said. The Interior Minister, who had remained quiet until then, finally spoke up:

- "And the public? What do we tell them?"

- "Nothing for now," Antoine replied firmly. "A premature revelation would spark uncontrollable panic. We must first verify this information, assess the true extent of the threat, and prepare our defenses. The public will be informed only when we have concrete solutions to present. Not before."

The President nodded slowly, his fingers laced before his face in a posture of deep contemplation. After a long pause, he reached a decision:

- "Very well. I authorize the immediate implementation of your proposals, Mr. Delcourt. You’ll have access to all necessary resources. But I want daily status updates—and total transparency regarding any discoveries. If this threat is real..."

He left the sentence unfinished, but everyone understood the implication: if dragons truly existed, the world as they knew it might soon be gone.

- "You’ll have them, Mr. President," Antoine replied solemnly.

The meeting concluded shortly thereafter in a mood of extraordinary gravity. Each individual leaving the room now carried the burden of knowledge that could redefine the future of humanity.

In the grand corridor of the Palace, illuminated by the last rays of the setting sun, Antoine Delcourt paused for a moment, contemplating the portraits of past leaders lining the walls—men and women who had weathered crises, wars, and historical upheavals.

His fellow members of the Hunters Bureau joined him, their faces reflecting the same solemn concern.

- "We must prepare for every possibility," Antoine declared in a grave voice that echoed in the hushed stillness of the hall. "Because if these dragons truly exist..."

He turned his gaze to the window, watching the sky grow steadily darker—a metaphor for the times ahead.

- "...then we may very well be standing at the dawn of a war unlike any in human history. A war for our very survival."

His colleagues nodded silently, as the shadows lengthened around them an omen of the darkness that threatened to descend upon their world.