Requiem of the Forgotten

Over a month had passed since Dragontown was officially born.

I was sitting by the fire with Carmen, Amina, Daisuke, and Caelith. It had been a long time since we had a moment to just sit down and talk without something urgent looming over us. The night air was crisp, the stars bright, and the conversation—well, it was all over the place.

"Anyone else ever wonder what happened to Nikita?" Carmen mused, tossing a small rock between her hands. "Dude just left with his group, and we haven't heard anything since."

I poked at the fire with a stick. "If he's smart, he found a nice place to settle before winter hits."

Daisuke nodded, pushing his glasses up. "Traveling long distances without supply chains is dangerous. The probability of them establishing a permanent settlement is higher than returning here."

Carmen sighed. "I hope he's okay."

Amina smirked. "You liked him, didn't you?"

"Shut up."

I let my gaze wander to the edge of town, where the forest loomed. "What's been bothering me isn't Nikita. It's the dragon from the ruins."

The group went silent. Even Caelith, who rarely reacted to anything, seemed to focus slightly more on the conversation.

"You mean the one we found underground?" Amina said, lowering her voice slightly.

"Yeah. That thing was ancient," I muttered. "And we still don't know why it's here or what it even wants."

"We're lucky it didn't kill us on the spot," Carmen added, shaking her head. "I don't care how many elves or dwarves show up, a dragon is on a whole different level."

"Perhaps it is watching us," Caelith finally spoke. His silver hair gleamed faintly in the firelight, his inhumanly sharp features as unreadable as ever. "It has seen civilizations rise and fall. Perhaps it wishes to see what we will become."

I exhaled through my nose. "Yeah, well, I'd rather it do that from a distance."

Daisuke, now writing something in his ever-present notebook, muttered, "If it wanted us dead, we wouldn't be here."

"Comforting," Carmen deadpanned.

The fire crackled between us, and for a brief moment, there was an odd sense of peace. But it didn't last. In the distance, a bell rang—the signal that the gathering was starting. The first real election of Dragontown.

The center of Dragontown was packed. People stood shoulder to shoulder, murmuring among themselves. The makeshift stage—little more than a few stacked crates—stood in the middle of it all.

I folded my arms and scanned the crowd. The atmosphere was tense, a mix of excitement and unease. This wasn't just about picking a leader; this was about defining what Dragontown would become.

One of the older men who had taken on the role of an organizer stepped onto the stage and cleared his throat. "Alright, folks. We all know why we're here. Dragontown needs leadership, and it's time we make this place official. The candidates will step up, say their piece, and then we vote. Simple as that."

I clenched my jaw. I already knew what was coming.

"Aleks should run," Carmen said casually, like she was commenting on the weather.

I nearly choked. "Absolutely not."

Amina smirked. "Oh come on, you basically run this place already."

"I'd rather be eaten alive."

Amina raised a brow. "That can be arranged."

I groaned. "Why me?"

Daisuke shrugged. "You have the most experience handling crises. Leadership is about calculated decision-making, and you excel at that."

Carmen grinned. "Look, you're an asshole, but you're our asshole. You're the only person in this town who actually tries to keep things together."

I exhaled slowly. "No. If I took charge, I'd screw this up in a week. Pick someone else."

Carmen rolled her eyes. "Fine. Then I'll do it."

I blinked. "Wait, what?"

Carmen stretched. "Might as well. You know what they say—if you can't beat 'em, run for office."

Amina clapped her on the back. "Great. That's settled."

The other candidates stepped forward. A former politician, a merchant, and a religious leader all put in their bids for leadership.

"We need structure. Civilization. Laws that ensure safety and order," the politician argued.

"Trade is survival. We must make Dragontown the heart of commerce," the merchant countered.

"Faith has guided us here. We must choose a path that aligns with the higher purpose that brought us here," the religious leader declared.

The crowd murmured in response. Some agreed, others frowned, but everyone listened.

Then Carmen stepped up.

"Look, I don't have a fancy speech." She put her hands on her hips. "I'm not gonna promise that I have all the answers. But what I do know is that we built this place with our own hands. We made something out of nothing. And we need a leader who's not going to get caught up in politics, power, or religion."

She let that sink in before continuing. "We need someone who actually cares about the people living here. Someone who's gonna fight for you, not for their own position. So yeah. That's all I got."

For a moment, silence. Then, scattered applause. It grew until it was a full-blown reaction.

I smirked. "Well. That's one way to do it."

Daisuke, for once, didn't analyze it. "It was a good speech."

The voting system was simple. Each citizen would take a stone and place it in a designated box for the candidate they supported. Primitive, but effective.

As people lined up to vote, I let out a breath and looked up at the stars above Dragontown. The city had come a long way in just a month. And now, they were about to take their next step.

Whatever happened next—things were about to change.