The sun in this star system had long since burned out, leaving behind a sky of permanent, deep, and heavy violet. Atop the shards of a planet that was now nothing more than a barren plain of red stone, Momodongga sat with one hand resting on her knee.
Her reddish-orange hair glowed dimly in the dark, like the last ember in the middle of a snowfield. She was watching grains of dust floating in her palm. With one small puff of breath, the dust disintegrated into subatomic particles.
"Boring," she whispered. Her voice was small, yet it echoed in the silence of the dead planet.
Suddenly, a streak of silver light sliced through the purple sky. The light plummeted, piercing through clouds of cosmic dust, and struck the ground only a few hundred meters from where Momodongga sat.
BOOM!
Red dust billowed into the air. Momodongga didn't blink. She only turned her head slowly, staring at the freshly formed crater. From behind the shroud of dust, a tall silhouette emerged. The figure stepped out calmly. Great black dragon wings were folded against his back, and a pair of curved horns adorned his shimmering silver hair.
It was Rey.
"So, this is the legendary 'Star Swallower'?" Rey spoke with a casual tone, as if he were merely greeting an old neighbor, rather than an entity that had just wiped out a civilization.
Momodongga stood up. A red aura began to overflow from her small frame, causing the ground beneath her feet to crack and melt. "Who? A dragon? Have you come to die as well?"
Rey chuckled—a sound that was sincere yet brimming with confidence. His sharp, cat-like yellow eyes looked directly into Momodongga's empty red ones.
"I didn't come to fight, though I know you crave it," Rey said, stepping closer. "I came because I saw your eyes from afar. You don't look like a bloodthirsty monster. You just look like a lost child in a room that is far too big."
Rey's footsteps stopped right at the edge of Momodongga's destructive aura. Intense heat began to singe the hem of his cloak, but he did not retreat.
"Come with me, Momodongga," Rey continued, his voice softening. "I know what it's like to be the strongest and end up alone. I know what it's like to have power that only destroys what you want to touch. I have a way for you to see the world without having to turn it to ash."
Momodongga was stunned. For the first time, someone didn't run from her. Someone didn't look at her with terror, but with understanding. In her mind, a faint memory of someone from her long-gone past suddenly flickered.
"Why..." Momodongga's voice trembled slightly, "Why do you care?"
Rey smirked, revealing small fangs. "Because this galaxy is far too boring if I explore it alone. And I think you need someone strong enough to hold your hand when you feel like blowing something up."
Rey reached out his large, steady hand toward Momodongga. On Rey's wrist, a dragon scale began to glow a dull red, ready to be forged into a promise that would bind them for the thousands of years to come.