Apollo/Stories

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Dragon Story Episodes
The City of New Suns

There is a city called Apollonia

where strong warriors gather.

Its guardian is Apollo, a dragon

of both sun and prosperity.

Apollo has long been revered as an

avatar of the sun--and given his

strength, the comparison is apt.

But because of his unique nature,

Apollo has always found himself along.

For while he gave light to his people,

he could find none for himself.

Mere solitude did not make Apollo

feel this way--it was also because of

the nobles and royals who gathered

in his beloved city.

They came seeking honor and power,

and gambling and treachery ran rife.

At first, he thought these another form

of human strength, but soon grave

doubts began to cloud his heart.

Questions without answers mounted

all around him. Was his city truly

a place for people to test their

strength? And what WAS the true

strength of humanity anyway?

One day, another quarrel broke out

in a training hall: warriors of noble

birth barged in on some training

commoners and demanded they

leave at once.

But one commoner chose to resist.

"Strength is all that matters here in

Apollonia," he said. "So if I can

defeat you, your social standing

means nothing."

The man defeated the nobles without

breaking a sweat, leaving Apollo

most impressed. In truth, he had

never seen a commoner defeat a

noble in combat before.

The man's blows were as dazzling

as the sun's rays, and Apollo saw

a radiance in him that even he

himself did not possess.

Apollo followed the man's actions

with great interest, watching him

train and grow stronger by the day.

Before long, he had defeated all

others in the colosseum and become

its champion. "Noble and commoner

alike, heed me!" he shouted to all,

"I am the new sun of this place!"

Some were appalled that he dare

compare himself to the sun-- for this

was an honor reserved for Apollo

alone. But the man just laughed at

their offense.

"The place of sun is taken, you say?

Then I will simply claim it as my own!

Apollo! Dragon! I challenge you!"

The dragon Apollo ruled over the city

of Apollonia--and to his surprise, he

found himself challenged by the new

champion of his city's colosseum.

But while the city's residents were

shocked at this reckless proposal,

Apollo found himself intrigued by

the ambition in the man's eyes.

Accepted the challenge, Apollo

descended upon the colosseum.

The moment the battle began,

the man leapt at the dragon with

a mighty shout.

Apollo effortlessly dodged the man's

sword, which smashed into the

ground. As he moved, he struck at

the man with his fist, but the man

parried the blow with his weapon.

Apollo was deeply impressed; the

man's strength and reflexes were

beyond any human he had ever

encountered. Why did he push

himself to achieve such power?

Apollo asked the man why he wished

to be a new sun. He replied with

his account of a childhood in a

poor village where those in power

took all that he had.

"But class and strength are not the

same," said the man, "and I intend

to prove that by becoming the

champion of the colosseum!"

Incredibly, the man then forced back

Apollo's fist. Through intense training,

the man had faced down the sun.

Apollo was impressed with this

display of humanity's true strength.

Eventually, the man was defeated

by the full might of Apollo. As he

slumped to the ground, the dragon

felt light enter his heart for the first

time in an age.

He stood over the man and said,

"There is no reason there can be

but one orb in the sky. And so, I

proclaim you a new, glorious sun."

This was a friendship born.

The man proposed changes for the

colosseum, making it a place where

all could train side-by-side--young

and old, rich and poor, man and

woman. Soon, it was busier than ever.

Decades passed. Eventually,

the man who had challenged

Apollo was himself defeated

by a young warrior.

That came as no surprise; age had

taken its toll, and even the man's

intense training regimen was no

match for the march of time.

The man then spoke to Apollo once

more. "My sun cannot shine eternal,"

he said, "but you once told me there

can be more than one."

"Many a sun will take to the sky

here. Many a brave warrior--with

no regard to class--will shine bright.

Maybe that will make the world of

men a brighter one."

Soon, the man breathed his last.

The city of Apollonia lost a sun

that day, and its people mourned.

But surprisingly, there was no sense

of emptiness in Apollo's heart.

The city's prosperity grew and grew.

Even now, people from all walks of

life journey there to make a name

for themselves.

They spend their days training in an

effortt to reach greater heights--and

the light with which they shine

grants the city its dawn.

"Train hard, young warriors," Apollo

often tells them. "For only those who

have reached the limits of their

potential shall become as suns

upon the earth."