Heron’s life was completely, totally, and utterly normal. Well, as normal as things could be considered given that he was now the delegated caretaker of a dragon-rabbit, a melon bread stealing slime, and a smiling cow.

  After his first—and hopefully final—adventure, Heron was ready to kick it back and retire for good. Though the dragon was still constantly spouting the nonsense of conquering the universe, it never pressured Heron into actually doing anything. Just talks of grand adventures and leaving the planet, and yet the day never came. In fact, over the course of the following months, the dragon began to speak of it less and less, even after it returned from its rabbit form.

  It had happened on one fateful day when Heron had heard a crash in the middle of the night, ran out into the dark, just to find the dragon still sleeping but its rabbit hut completely in shambles as the dragon had returned to its original form in its sleep. Both the slime and Melvin were spooked but no one was harmed in the event of the rabbit hut exploding. Heron was grateful he did not need to perform CPR for any of his newfound companions.

  To this day, Heron still did not have a formal name for the dragon. Lord Bun and Lord GOAT were the alternative titles he had chosen for the dragon, and surprisingly, it had never complained. There were a few grumbles about Lord Bun but never formally rejected. Heron was still waiting for the day that the dragon would tell him its name.

  As for the slime? It was a little thief that would eat his charcoal and steal his bread. Heron named the little fella Charcoco. Charcoco was very good at cleaning up around the camp, eating and digesting all sorts of stray objects and waste; it was Heron’s little helper.

  Melvin was a happy and spoiled cow. No, it wasn’t because she was always smiling, though that was probably a decent indication of her happiness. But rather Heron had spent his time building a wooden shelter for the cow, a fenced in space in the clearing, a wooden trough and fresh water daily, and all the carrots and hay she could eat. He even brushed Melvin on a regular basis, and she always mooed with delight.

  Heron was quite fond of his friends and was relieved that he could speak to them on a day-to-day basis.

  While it was unfortunate that he had not met fellow humans or even humanoids such as elves, dwarves, or other mythological beings, he was still glad he had Lord GOAT to talk to in his mind. Even though it was the ramblings of a mad dragon with grandiose dreams, Heron was still satisfied and at peace with how his second life was turning out. He had continued to farm and take care of his fellow friends without another care in the world.

  Of course Heron didn’t suspect the drastic changes that would soon be coming.

  It had been a pleasant day so far with no signs of clouds in the sky with the invisible sun beating down on Heron and the land. Once again, he had eased off on the strict dress-code that he had implemented after the last adventure and was once again in his underwear. Lord GOAT was completely stable, snoozing away in its dragon form as it rested under the shade of a tree as Heron farmed away.

  If anything, Heron wondered if there were even seasons on his tiny planet. Since the time he had arrived, there had been sunny days, cloudy days, and even rainy days. But the temperature of the world remained consistent; pleasant and bearable. It was the ideal weather for farming. He didn’t know why there hadn’t been a change in season, but he was grateful for the stability of the planet. It made farming easier, consistent, and reliable.

  Over the course of the few months, Heron had improved the state of his home once more. Still, he had no access to cloth or threads and was still surviving off of his salary man clothes. But given the circumstances, he found no need to wear his clothes since it was just him and his buddies. Instead, he had begun to grow the cotton plant and spent most of his days speeding up the growth and picking it.

  Also preventing Charcoco from eating it.

  It was likely that Heron could create clothes eventually, but he was more focused on the quality of his life, such as hoarding enough cotton to make a decent pillow so his feeble middle-aged neck could get a break from his sad wooden bed where he had to refresh the grass clippings on a regular basis so he wasn’t sleeping in rot. Heron was certain he was doing things incorrectly or inefficiently, but he was an office worker for crying out loud. Survival 101 was just not in his books.

  Still, it was a tough life, but a good life and Heron was thankful for it.

  “Good girl, Melvin.” Heron patted the cow and she mooed happily.

  Squatting down, Heron touched the wooden trough, refreshing the wood and cleaning the trough. He picked up the pail of water and poured the fresh water in. Charcoco slicked around in the back, cleaning up the pasture and having a field day with it.

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  You always tell her that. What if she’s not good? What if she’s evil?

  “She’s not evil.” Heron snorted as he exited the pen. Melvin flicked her tail indignantly.

  But she could be. Lord GOAT yawned, its jaw snapping in the air before it curled up once more under the shade, snoozing away.

  “Name one thing she’s done that's evil.” Heron grinned as he took a seat by the fire pit, stirring the bubbling soup over the flames.

  She chased me. Case closed.

  “That was so long ago.” Heron laughed, taste testing the soup. Summoning some salt, he adjusted the flavoring. Then poured in some fresh milk he had squeezed out from earlier this morning.

  My point stands.

  Heron shook his head, chuckling. While Lord GOAT was adamant regarding its experience with Melvin, it stayed far away from her, always watching her with suspicious eyes. But nothing ever came of it. All of them cohabited together peacefully, living off of Heron’s care and attention.

  The only thing Heron could complain was how much it took to feed Lord GOAT.

  While Lord GOAT had only been the size of a rabbit, it could only eat a small portion of the food that Heron made. At the size of a dragon, well, that was a different story. Heron spent a good part of his day just making enough bread and soup for the dragon. He still avoided fishing at the lake since he had no idea how he was gonna keep things up if he were to fish and cook and clean all day every day. And he had avoided thinking about chickens—

  What are chickens?

  Uh oh.

  This wasn’t a conversation Heron was ready to have. The last time he’d wanted something, they had gone to get it. Which also meant an adventure that he never asked for. And he did not want to go on an adventure just yet.

  “Chickens are like Melvin.” Heron blurted out as he scooped some soup into his bowl and the remaining for Lord GOAT.

  I see, so chickens are evil.

  That was a good enough response to reassure Heron that he wasn’t about to get kidnapped once more to another adventure—and so he started another batch of soup.

  This was the life of Heron and his friends. But it was only a matter of time until he thought about chickens again and would inevitably be dragged away from the comforts of his home. A chick-napping was the last thing he wanted, even if he craved eggs. Flying through space with unforeseen dangers or having an egg? The answer was clear to Heron—he could live without eggs.

  With the night sky shining with the three moons that glowed and the distant stars—or planets—that glowed, Heron stared into the horizon with his back flat on the grass. It was a warm night with the fire crackling at his side as he watched the sky. While still bare from working in the fields all day, Heron didn’t feel cold even when the breeze swept across the clearing.

  Heron.

  “Hm?” He didn’t glance over to the dragon, though it was still curled up nearby under the shade of the tree from earlier.

  Who knew dragons were always so sleepy all the time?

  Your presence is… welcome.

  That came out of nowhere. The corner of his lips tugged as he broke into a smile. It wasn’t often that the dragon spoke like this. And Heron was glad that while the dragon was demanding, it was also strangely mellow at times. Like now.

  “That’s good. Hope you give me a stellar performance review.” He joked as he cleared his throat.

  I do not know what a performance review is, but yes, it is stellar.

  Heron grinned as he continued gazing at the stars in the far distance. Charcoco was sludging around nearby, he could hear the slick sounds of it moving in the clearing. Probably eating dirt or stray pebbles. Melvin was quiet but present, making noise from time to time.

  “You know, you never told me your name, Lord GOAT.”

  Heron had not brought the conversation up since the last time they spoke about it. While he had frivolously given the dragon two nicknames that were just goofy titles, he was still interested in its real name. Not to mention, while he was certain it was a boy dragon, it could totally be a girl dragon.

  The silence lingered until it cracked.

  I do not have a name.

  Heron didn’t respond but his fingers curled across his abdomen where they had been resting.

  Then he said, “Would you like one?”

  A name? The dragon’s voice was hesitant, sounding almost as if in disbelief.

  “I could give you a name.” Heron responded, blinking at the night sky.

  The dragon didn’t say anything. Instead, Heron felt a wave of relief. It was an odd feeling. It wasn’t his own feeling—he could tell it was the dragon’s. Perhaps the contract and bond between them were not so simple after all. He’d have to ask the dragon someday. It was one thing to be tied together in an everlasting contract, it was another for him to understand the actual terms and conditions.

  “Lucifer.”

  The name felt right. For both Heron and the dragon—who was now named Lucifer. But it didn’t just feel right, the second Heron had spoken, there was a glow that appeared in front of his eyes and he blinked. The small, bulb-like glow settled down onto his chest and disappeared immediately after. There was no time for him to react, other than just letting out a breath as the warmth of the glow faded.

  What was that?

  It was the final stamp of our familiarity, Heron.

  Oh brother, so the contract wasn’t final before!?

  Before Heron could protest at what a terrible job Lucifer had done to explain anything at all, his eyes widened as a streak of orange light appeared in the far distance. Sitting up, he squinted as he watched the trajectory of something ablaze that was…

  Coming right for them. At a very alarming speed. With the rapid approach, Heron jumped to his feet and bolted. Lucifer had snapped awake, eyes wide at the approaching incoming crash.

  “LUCI—“

  SMASH.

  Heron shut his eyes as he felt his hands and arms come across Lucifer’s scales. When he couldn’t feel Lucifer anymore, Heron fretted as he grasped for his friend. He coughed from the dust and rubbed his eyes. When he could finally open his eyes, Lucifer was gone. Turning around, he faced what had slammed into the ground from outer space.

  His breath caught in his throat as he stared at the collision that had taken place in his potato field.

  Again.