The day dawned beautifully, the house I was staying in was favorably situated in a well-lit area. It wasn't quite as radiant as heaven, but it wasn't too far off either. The previous day, I had failed to observe the gardens, the flowers that ornamented the streets, and the overall meticulous care that seemed to pervade the place. It was nothing like the city I had gone through. It was greener than ever.

With no one coming to seek me out in the morning, I decided to venture outside and inspect the city map. It wasn’t far away. As I made my way, I realized I was the only soul around. Only in the square did I encounter a couple of other dragons. They seemed quite young, possibly even younger than me. They were busy and just passing by, hence they didn’t halt to engage with me. That worked in my favor. I could scrutinize the map uninterrupted.

The city sprawled across several square kilometers. I realized how fortunate I had been the day before when I had aimlessly wandered around the city walls. If I had to choose the wrong direction, I would have met a dead end at the temple location, marked by nothing more than a colossal crack. I would have lost hours to no avail.

The city was segmented into regions. The closer a section was to the temple, the greener it appeared, seemingly more befitting of royalty. There were numerous squares and an abundance of places that I might one day explore.

Near my location, marked on the map, was the “Castle of the Ancestor”. I had assumed I was already in a castle, but there was indeed a second, smaller one connected to the walls. From a distance, I could see several towers adorned with banners bearing unknown symbols. I dared not approach it.

After over an hour of scrutinizing the map, its infinite details holding me captive, the same wyvern from the day before approached silently. Despite its size, it moved as if it weighed nothing, with its single pair of arms that doubled as wings.

I was caught off guard when it greeted me courteously out of nowhere, “Greetings, Raphael. I see you’re already exploring your surroundings. Do you need help with that?”

I responded, “I’m still trying to understand this map. I believe I could use some assistance, thank you.”

He offered, “There’s a more detailed one in the library, if you’d like me to guide you to it. I’ll show you.”

I accepted his offer, and we made our way to the library, an impressively large building housing several rooms. The interior was labyrinthine. Towering bookshelves. Countless books of every conceivable genre and age.

The map he had mentioned was tucked away in a concealed room. The torches lit up on their own like magic.

I questioned him about them: “Am I mistaken, or did the torches ignite by themselves?”

He confirmed, “They all light up as soon as you approach them. They were crafted by fire dragons that can create self-igniting fire. In the past, this ability was used to create traps or defenses to deter others. Here, they provide our light.”

I was astounded by that. It seemed like magic.

We were about to delve into the details of the new map, but first, I wanted to address something: “Sorry, we’ve met twice now, but I still don’t know your name. You already know mine. It feels awkward to ask, but may I know your name?”

He replied, “My apologies for the oversight, I’m Leo. One of the few left after the exterminations of the Wyverns.”

Hearing that was quite sad at best: “I’m sorry to hear that. I was unaware. I didn’t intend to uncover such a sorrowful truth.”

Unperturbed, he replied, “It’s okay. Don’t worry about it. I wrote a book on this topic, which you can find in the library. I can guide you to it if you’re interested. But I understand that you have more pressing matters to learn about our world, especially if Akira was correct.”

I suddenly remembered, “Wait, I forgot that Akira was supposed to meet me again. Perhaps I should find her.”

He reassured me, “Don’t worry, she spoke with me, and she was unable to meet you today. That’s why I sought you out. And now that we’re here, you’ve already made progress with something you were supposed to receive assistance with.”

For a moment, I felt a surge of pride. I expressed my gratitude, “Oh, well, thank you, I guess.”

Following that, we delved into studying the map. First, he provided an overview of the city, advising me on areas to avoid and where to seek help from well-known acquaintances, as he called them.

What I had theorized was correct. The city was divided into sectors, but I hadn't anticipated there would be so many. Moreover, there was life beyond the city walls, with some smaller sister kingdoms not too far.

He elucidated further as we moved to another room featuring a different map. The vastness was overwhelming. We meandered from one place to another. Each building was colossal. This one, particularly from the outside, seemed modest compared to the temple, but it had these underground chambers that were larger than those above ground.

However, this map depicted the surroundings of our kingdom. It was not a planisphere, regrettably. When I queried him about it, he informed me that such a map no longer existed. The only one that had survived had been destroyed in an accident some years prior.

Now, the only way to reach distant places was to have an experienced guide, and although he was one, he no longer ventured beyond the city walls to far-off places. He explained that it simply wasn't his task anymore. The library felt more like home to him, and he was good with that.

His age started to pique my curiosity, so when the opportunity arose during our discussion about ages, I asked him, and he replied, “As a Wyvern, I'm about halfway through my average lifespan, so around 80 years. Sadly, my life won’t last as long as other dragons.”

I responded, “Wait, if 80 years is about half of the average, that means that you usually live more than 150 years? That’s remarkable. I could never reach such an age. You don’t look so old, though.”

He retorted, “Compared to a dragon that can live on average for almost a thousand years, my life is really short.”

To console him, I replied, “If it offers any solace, my kind consider themselves lucky if they reach your age, and it's rare for them to reach a century. Personally, I must thank whoever gave me a second chance to live. I reached maybe a fifth of that in my previous life, and then the inevitable happened.”

His curiosity was suddenly piqued.

“What do you mean? Did you die or something?”

I clarified, “I’m not entirely sure, but I believe I may have. For some reason, I was given a new life here, in this world that isn’t mine. I hope I won’t cause any harm. I shouldn’t exist.”

His curiosity seemed to outweigh my growing discomfort with the topic, so he asked,

“This means that you’ve died at one fifth of your average age, which is mine, so were you 16 years old?”

I realized I hadn't been clear enough about the fifth of a century.

“No, no, it was some time after that. I don’t really remember exactly. During my years of service in the military, I lost track of my age. My sole focus was successfully completing one mission after another.”

With a hint of melancholy in his voice, he responded, “That sounds harsh. Well, I suppose you’re fortunate then to have been granted a second chance.”

His words gave me comfort, so I thanked him again and said, “I believe I must be incredibly lucky. Thank you.”

We didn’t linger much longer on that subject. Instead, we spent the rest of the day in the library discussing maps, different types of dragons, elements, and some legends.