Rain lashed the asphalt as I huddled beneath the convenience store's awning, my pale face reflected on my phone screen. Storm clouds churned in the distance, and a huge shadow seemed to move through the purple lightning.
"Alert! Boundary fluctuations detected at 121.47° east longitude, 31.23° north latitude!" A mechanical female voice suddenly came from my phone. Before I could react, the shop window exploded with a crash.
A three-meter-tall dragon-shaped creature smashed through the shelves. The moment its dark golden, slit-pupil eyes locked onto me, the family heirloom jade pendant on my chest suddenly grew hot. Countless lightning runes flowed across my vision, and a deep voice rang in my ears: "All struck by thunder shall be utterly destroyed!"
A tearing pain shot through my right arm as blue-violet plasma wound around my elbow, forming an arm guard. The instant the dragon's claw came down, my body reacted on its own: I turned, lowered my shoulder, and drove my elbow into the monster's jaw with a thunderous crack.
That was the first time I saw dragon's blood spray.
