Walking slowly through a dark cave, Demir moved toward the light. He wasn't in a hurry, and he didn't smell. He knew his mother was right behind and following him. She would never let anything happen to him. With this sense of trust and peace, he walked through the darkness and reached the light.
The sun had just risen. While the red glow of dawn hadn't yet faded from the sky, he loved looking at the view below. As he approached the edge of the cliff, eager to see more space and farther distances, his mother warned him.
- Baby, don't go too close to the edge. I would be very upset if you fell. After, where else can I find a child as sweet and adorable as you? Please don't leave me alone, and be careful, okay?
- Okay, Mom.
Before he got too close to the cliff's edge, Demir stuck his head out and looked down. As always, a few clouds were swirling around the mountain. He smiled. Because being above the clouds made Demir happy. When his little heart was filled with joy, he wanted to raise his head and look into the distance.
They were in the middle of three adjacent mountain ranges. This mountain where he lived with his mother was the highest mountain in the mountain range. It was so high that the clouds could never reach its peak. That's why Demir named it the Lord of the Clouds.
They lived in a special cave near the mountain's summit. Every morning, Demir would emerge from the cave and squint his eyes at the endless mountains, forest, fields, and sea below. He wouldn't leave his spot until the morning glow faded and the sun rose completely.
- Isn't the view even more beautiful today?
- Yes, Mom, it's beautiful. I love to watch these beauties. Especially that big red tree in the middle of the forest in the distance. It's so beautiful. It's so magnificent. It makes me happy to look at it.
His mother guided Demir and turned him towards the view on the other side of the mountain.
- You were saying earlier that you were so happy. Tell me, what do you think of this view?
- (Looking at a landscape dominated by gray and black made Demir shudder. It was as if all evil was laid bare before his eyes.) This is a terrifying sight, mom. I'm scared. I feel like the darkness is going to swallow me. I don't want to look at it. I'm scared mom. (Demir ran with his little feet and took shelter between his mother's feet.)
- This is who we are, my son. Goodness and beauty on one side, evil and ugliness on the other. If it weren't for us, this evil and ugliness would climb these mountains and destroy the good and beauty behind them. We are the protectors. We are a sublime race that protects good from evil.
- Yes Mom. So let's go right now and destroy this evil. Let it never reappear, and let us spread goodness and beauty everywhere. Let every place be filled with goodness and beauty. Wouldn't that be the case, Mom?
- My sweet, kind-hearted son. Just as goodness and beauty will never disappear, neither will evil and ugliness. We are the ones who maintain the balance. We protect good from the cruel and destructive nature of evil... (Demir interrupted his mother excitedly.)
- So, we are good, aren't we, Mom?
- We... We are neither good nor bad, son. We are balance... We are justice... We do not treat the good as good or the bad as bad. We rule according to what is just. Taking sides with the good or the bad is not in our nature. We are the side that is equal to both.
- But Mom... I want to take the side of good and beauty. That darkness is so scary. I don't want it to frighten anyone.
- (His mother smiled lovingly at her son.) It seems what I told you was a bit premature. Grow up a little more, and then you'll understand some things better.
- Okay, Mom. I'll grow up very quickly.
His mother approached the edge of the cliff. She spread her enormous wings and launched herself left it in the void. After flapping her wings a few times, she soared through the air and flew towards where the evil beings were trying to overcome the mountain range.
A little later, when his mother began killing the demonic creatures, Demir cheered her on from the edge of the cliff.
- Yes, Mom. You're the strongest dragon. Show them your dragon fire. (He blew out a small flame from his mouth.)
As his mother moved above the demons and burned them, Demir ran from side to side, blowing and spitting out tiny flames. Looking at his mother, wanting to run around like her and spit fire from his mouth, he didn't see the small piece of rock on the ground, tripped, and fell down the cliff.
(I'm so little, I haven't learned how to fly yet), he thought and suddenly finding himself floating in the air. It was a wonderful feeling. After floating in the air for a little longer and being sure that he had succeeded in doing this, he said, "Since I can fly, I can help my mother too," and floated away to where his mother was.
His mother had breathed her fire upon every demonic creature below. All the trees, war equipment, monsters, and demonic creatures were swallowed by dragon fire. The smoke from the fire had made everything invisible. But still, his mother continued to breathe her fire into the smoke.
A spear flew out of this fire and smoke, then another, then another. A multitude of spears soared into the sky. These spears never reached his mother, but one pierced Demir's wing.
When he cried out in fear, his mother and he met eyes. At that moment, another spear emerged from the smoke and pierced his other wing. Demir could no longer soar through the sky and plummeted into the fire and smoke at a tremendous speed.
When his mother descended after her son, she left nothing unburned. She created a ring of fire around them so that no one could approach her son. Then, when she tried to take son away, she saw that he was inside a glowing black sphere.
"This sphere... The ancient dragon's protective sphere," she muttered, then soared back into the sky, burning everything with dragon fire until no demonic creatures remained. When all the enemies were dead, the sky suddenly darkened, and then raindrops began to fall to the ground.
Soon all the fire had died down and the smoke had cleared. When the mother dragon glided through the sky and was certain there were no enemies left, she descended to her son's side. She settled quietly to one side and waited for the bright black sphere protecting her son to disappear.
Finally, with a bright flash of light, the black orb vanished, revealing Demir. When Demir opened his eyes, he saw his mother first. Then he immediately looked at her wings. The spear holes in her wings had disappeared, and her wings had completely healed.
He ran to his mother with joy and snuggled up close to her.
- I was so scared, Mom. I thought I was going to die.
- Okay... Okay, my dear. It's over now. Don't be afraid... Don't be afraid, you're safe now. Let's go home...
- Okay, Mom.
His mother spread her wings and asked Demir to climb onto her back. Then they fly away and returned to their house. His mother lowered Demir onto the plain in front of the house and warned him about his future.
- My son. You have, the ancient dragon's protective sphere…
- What is that, Mom? Is it a good thing?
- Yes, my son, it's a good thing. But this will greatly affect your future. Because now everyone has seen that you have the dragon's protective sphere. They will definitely come after you. They will do everything in their power to take the sphere from you. We can't stay here anymore. Let's find another home…
- Mom, do we have to move? Then I don't want this sphere. Let's give it to whoever wants it and live happily here together, okay?
- Oh, my dear son. You are so loving, but things don't work out the way you think, the way you want them to. This is a choice. You are the chosen one. You can only escape this by dying.
- I don't want to die, Mom. I want to live with you forever. Let's live together, okay?
- Of course we will live together. Get those bad thoughts out of your mind. I'm always by your side. I'll protect you as much as I can, but you need to protect yourself, too. That's why you need to learn how to use your sphere now. Listen to me carefully.
- Okay, Mom. I'm listening... Teach me.
- First, you must know, my son, that our lineage stretches back to the first ancient dragon, Dhul-Qarnayn. The ancestor of dragons. He is the first dragon to roam the worlds, upholding justice and protecting the laws of existence.
It is said that he received this pitch-black protective orb from the almighty god himself and then passed it on as a legacy to those he deemed worthy among his descendants. Dragons who are his descendants and meet his criteria can possess the orb.
Until now, I thought this was a myth, but I was wrong. Now I know that you, my son... You are the one who will honor your ancestor, Dhul-Qarnayn, and you have been chosen to uphold the laws of existence. I am proud of you.
- I am proud of you too, mother. You are a very good mother, and I love you very much.
- My dear son, never forget that the first person you must protect is yourself. If you cannot protect yourself, you will not be able to protect others. Therefore, you must work very hard and gain the strength to protect yourself.
As you know, we are born genetically inheriting the knowledge of the previous generation. But this knowledge becomes available as we age and pass certain stages. Actually, you know everything about the protective sphere, but because you are so young, its knowledge hasn't yet been opened available to you.
Therefore, I will pass on my knowledge of the protective sphere to you, and with it, you will learn to control your sphere. Okay?
- Okay.
When the mother dragon bent her head and touched Demir's forehead, the knowledge about the sphere was engraved in Demir's mind. Now he knew everything about the ancient dragon's protective sphere. He never tried to read or understand it. He no longer needed to constantly improve himself by studying.
It was like an inner impulse from the depths of his heart. His mind had always known this. As his body glowed with the light of possessing this power, he lifted slightly from the ground. He didn't flap his wings to take off, but somehow he was rising.
When the light flared stronger and disappeared from the center of his body, Demir was at the level of his mother's eyes. His mother immediately folded her wings under her son, as if to hold him.
Demir slowly opened his eyes and said, "Mom, I now know how to use my protective sphere." As soon as he finished, a deep pain coursed through his body, and Demir, unable to stay airborne, fell onto his mother's wings.
His mother watched him intently as his son writhed in pain between her wings.
- Experience generally begins with acquiring knowledge, followed by application. Now that you've acquired the knowledge you need, it's inevitable that the experience inherited from your ancestors will also be ingrained in your body... Hang on, my son... You can succeed...
As the training of his ancestors, the successes and failures, were ingrained in Demir's young body, he writhed in pain. Before his time had come, it triggered knowledge and experience. And the consequences placed an indescribable burden on Demir's soul and body.
After enduring great pain for a long time in his mother's arms, Demir exhausted all his strength and finally lost consciousness, falling into a deep sleep...