The legend of DRACO

Preface

The legend of Draco is a series of short stories that follow the fictionalized character of Draco, a Godlike figure who, faced with the end of existence, decides to create a set of mystical watches and help humanity gain their freedom from contemporary society.

As mythical and as magical as the tales are, the purpose is to give our customers an insight into our philosophy of life, and as such, The Legend of Draco is more than a story about dragons and mystical watches. It delves into serious topics, debating the nature of our society and the constant struggles with our mental sanity in a world defined more and more by materialistic values.

We tried linking the myth of the dragon, present in almost all major civilizations, thus creating a connection with every culture. Through this link, our story doesn’t have borders and is not divided by nations or restricted by nationalities. Our stories, our brand, and our philosophy of life speak to everyone on the planet.

We hope that the character of Draco can reach a broader audience. These stories not only define our brand, but they speak of our way of life. For us, The Legend of Draco is a guideline towards the meaning of life and an elevated experience of happiness. 

 

Introduction

The first one to call him 'Draco' was the Roman poet Virgil. The Vikings thought the creature was as large as Earth itself and called it Jormungandr. The Tudors included the dragon as part of their coat of arms. The Chinese saw it as a symbol of power and strength; only the emperors were allowed to interact with it. In truth, all we truly know is that the beast is older than time itself.

There are bits of lore pieces scattered around mythologies—imperfect tales of winged serpents with dominion over the sky. Giant reptiles scaling mountains and burying themselves into the abyss of Earth. Greedy monsters hunting down treasures and gold, or lustful creatures abducting beautiful women. Fire breathing Demons summoned by sorcerers and witches. All stories, all inflated, none revealing the truth.

A truth buried deep among the dark corners of humanity's mortality, but it's not with humanity that Draco's story begins. Our knowledge is limited. Merely bread crumbs left behind by an ancient existence.

Draco was born before time was being perceived as linear; before time was time. The winged serpent experienced every moment of his existence at once. All moments, past, present, and future, always have existed, always will exist. Draco stared at the sky, observing where each star has been, where it's going, and where its existence ceased.

For us, each moment follows another one in succession, and once a moment is gone, it's gone forever. When a person dies, it stays dead. On the other hand, for Draco, when a person dies, he only appears to die. He is still alive in the past. A person might suffer in a particular moment, but the same person is fine in the past or future.

The best way to understand how Draco perceived time is to think of it as a novel. You read through it once, and you get the story. Then you read through again. You know how it begins and ends, but you can't change the story. You can swipe through each chapter in any order you want.

For the winged serpent, time was a resource under its control. Draco was the absolute master of time.

Life started to evolve, animals were born and extinct, and nature flourished and desiccated. At some point, humans appeared. Within these creatures, Draco found a certain curiosity grow within. The beast followed their evolution attentively. The more these humans evolved, the more Draco concluded that these tiny beings experienced time in a different manner.

For Draco, the present meant whatever moment he chose to perceive. Before humanity, Draco didn't know that there was a beginning, a continuation, and an end to something; before humans, all was a continuous manifestation, like staring at a neon light. Everything existed.

Draco discovered that everything had a point of origin, a period of time that has elapsed, a past. Then the serpent studied the continuous stretch of time known as the present, and as its knowledge grew, Draco began to perceive the future as a period yet to come.

As Draco's infatuation with humanity increased, it became more challenging for the beast to differentiate the 'present' from the other two.

Ages lapsed by, and Draco could no longer perceive time the way he used to. Time was now linear.

Decrepit and seduced by humanity's blissful existence, Draco lost its ominous powers and became a mortal being.

Terrified after losing his clairvoyance, Draco came to respect humanity's courage to exist within a world of uncertainty, not knowing where it all might end. Whether blissful or not, that courage made Draco understand the beauty of an uncertain life, where spontaneity reigned, and one never expected what lay around the next corner.

The winged serpent interacted with humanity, learning from them. At the same time, people would spread Draco's knowledge of the world, consequently growing wiser. A connection, defining every generation to come, was made between the dragon and society.

Ultimately, Draco became mortal, and time itself started to shrink, gradually reducing. Draco felt it. The being that embodied time itself was now dying, and along with it, time would follow too, putting a halt to all life.

Fearing the end of all things, the winged serpent had only one way of stopping time from completely draining and thus collapsing all existence with it. The beast had to make the ultimate sacrifice.

Draco infused all his life-force within the foundation of time, fueling the universe with its energy.

Draco drained his entire body of life-force, leaving only enough energy to crawl into a hollow cave within the Carpathian Mountains.

The Dacian people dwelling in that region cared for the dying beast, venerating it and worshiping the winged serpent.

"Time is restored," Draco spoke to the Elder Dacians, reassuring them of their existence, although the beast knew that as soon as the energy used to fuel time expired, time would end once more. It was a sentence that humanity could not avoid. Draco at least took comfort that for the next centuries, existence will be guaranteed.

Draco closed his eyes, expecting eternal slumber.

For decades to come, Dacians and Romans would visit the site of Draco's resting place and leave gold and treasures until the very last generation.

Humanity gradually forgot about Draco and his sacrifice. The centuries that came buried the memory of the winged serpent, until the image of the dragon became nothing more than a myth.

 

Chapter I - Awakening

 

He lost his scales, and without wings, found himself in human form—a simple man, buried within a mountain of gold and treasures.

He hibernated for centuries. His remaining life-force regenerated during his sleep morphing him into a man. Even in that mortal body, he still would live longer than a human. His godlike heritage gave him a longer lifespan.

Draco fled the cave that was his tomb for so long and proceeded to wander the new world and experience it through his mortal eyes.

The dilemma that inevitably bugged Draco regarded the existence of time. He was sure that time had consumed all the energy that his dragon form had previously transferred, and yet humanity was alive and well. It was the late twentieth century, and the world had survived nearly a millennia with no apparent resource to fuel time.

Draco was sure that his sacrifice provided no more than a couple of centuries until, inevitably, time collapsed.

Something was fueling time, and the answer could only be found on his journey.

Draco financed his travels with the treasures he was buried with during his sleep. In his voyage through the world, he discovered the beauty that lay in each culture, its people, and how the mindset of every nation differed.

Humanity had changed, focusing on their routine. Society was plagued by insecurity, fear, and anxiety. The interests of mankind were deformed, determined by greed, and essentially diverged from the human form Draco grew to love during his age. Sickened by this new human, Draco persisted in his travels, hoping to understand how life could survive for so long and what kept time from draining fully.

He walked among the people of this new generation, studying them, analyzing, and trying to figure the answer. Time was linear and working, but nothing indicated the resource that fueled it.

The answer came to him while observing two lovers. A man and a woman holding hands, sipping champagne from two crystal glasses on the last floor of the Eiffel Tower. The radiant glee in her eyes could fuel any watch with the power to tick. Within this gaze of intense joy, Draco glimpsed at an eternal state that could only be attained when one person's soul was in tune with the Universe. The moment in her eyes lasted for a second. Even so, it was enough to fuel the fabric of the Universe for decades. Draco discovered that there lay tremendous power within a simple act of love. These moments sustained time. Each genuine smile, or loving embrace, or the sense of everlasting peace supplied time with the energy it needed to persist.

"Moments," Draco told himself. "Meaningful moments. Love, happiness, joy, or pleasure, these moments fuel time. Deep, fulfilling experiences preserve the fabric of existence." Draco walked among people and witnessed these moments for himself. "Life in the Universe will forever be preserved as long as people keep living these meaningful moments. They fuel life."

Sadly, there was a downside. More and more people fell prey to sadness, anxiety, frustration, and stress. Humans were no longer free to roam the world, to live in tune with nature. They detached themselves from making life a captivating experience.

Greed and social status corrupted the human soul. Envy and hatred presided over love and serenity.

There had to be a way to change people's minds—their mentality to be steered back onto its original track.

During his time in Morocco, Draco stumbled upon an idea.

Draco was having tea while seated at a tiny cafe in Marrakech. Old fortifications blended with narrow streets packed with merchants and merchandise. Sales pitches suffocated the air out of the scorching heat, and tourists flooded the bars demanding fresh beverages to cool their boiling skin.

The old dragon felt at ease with the overwhelming summer. Fire never posed discomfort. In fact, it relaxed him.

Draco chose to peruse through North Africa for a couple of years, wishing to get accustomed to the region's culture.

After discovering the source that fueled time, Draco sought to develop a system that could help a person find happiness.

Draco's concern lay with humanity's growing mental and spiritual distress. While observing this trend increase, he believed that it was a matter of time until humanity's anxiety would prevail against the promise of serenity.

Draco searched for a way to equip humanity with a tool that could help fight anxiety and stress. An item that made them see the true nature of their desire and guide them in following their goals; milestones meant to supply serenity and peace of mind.

Draco played with a gold nugget. One of many that lay within the cave that was his tomb for centuries. The golden piece danced on his knuckles quietly, shinning every time light from the sun reflected on its rough surface. At the same time, the old serpent stared blankly, concerned with sentiments not residing in the present.

A merchant caught Draco's attention. The man sold carpets and spices to uninterested customers. Yet, every tenth bystander fell prey to curiosity, letting the merchant present his goods showcasing remarkable persuasive skills. Often customers would leave with valueless items that none needed nor used. Customers purchased irrelevant things, and yet, the appeal towards these miscellaneous objects was apparent.

Draco switched his point of view on the golden nugget juggling on his fingers. He had a revelation. Draco got up, and as he left the cafe, an idea conjured within his ancient mind. An item, he thought to himself, create an object that would indirectly guide whoever wields it toward achieving his life's goal.

The object would act as an inner voice, whispering defiance towards the oppressive system that governed society. It should subliminally persuade the owner to act on behalf of his heart, not on greed or ego. Like the merchants on Marrakech's streets, Draco's devices would show the owner what can be achieved by following the promise of serenity and the intoxicating taste of freedom.

Draco was sure it would work. He was convinced. Anyone that worked a nine-to-five job would quit the instant he or she witnessed the feeling of liberation when choosing to chase one's dreams.

To do that, to infuse each device with that feeling, Draco needed two things.

First, he needed a way to take that feeling of love and somehow implanted it into his devices.

Lastly, Draco needed to design the object into a tangible form that appealed to the masses, something like the gold nugget but with a useful function. That way, it could always be in the owner's presence.

Luckily he knew someone who could help him.

Jabir ibn Hayyan probably had around a thousand years, if not more, yet looked in his mid-forties. The man could obviously take a young adult's appearance, but it didn't feel right. A millennia-old man could not pass for a twenty-year-old, nor would he be taken seriously when addressing himself. Thus a forty-year-old was old enough to be wise and, at the same time, not old enough to be perceived as irrelevant.

Jabir was the second oldest living being on Earth after Draco. The two knew each other from the time the winged serpent possessed its original form.

Aside from being extremely old, Jabir was arguably the first Alchemist in the world and undoubtedly the most influential one. The man founded astrology, translated the text on the famed Emerald Tablet, and forged the Philosopher's Stone. Nevertheless, the greatest deed of them all was actually achieving immortality.

"Ouroboros," Jabir called him. Draco's name given by the ancient Greeks. The serpent eating its own tail represented an occult symbol for millennia.

"Could feelings be infused within objects?" Draco asked him.

Jabir nodded. Of course, they could, as a matter of fact, that occurred regularly in the world. Objects and items always attract the energy that surrounds them. Whether it's positive or not, they infuse themselves with sadness or happiness depending on their exposure. "Object are like sponges," Jabir explained, "If, say, a rock is thrown with harmful intent, it will be infused with aggressive energy, with pain and belligerence. Then someone else picks up the rock, and without knowing it, the person will feel rage and anger for no apparent reason. Apply that to everything that surrounds us, and you'll understand how it works."

The first step was covered. With Jabir's help, Draco could infuse the objects with energy meant to inspire the owner to chase what he loved most in his life.

"A watch," Draco told the Alchemist.

"Isn't it too ironic since you're the personification of time?"

"A watch projects an image of who you are, and if this world is to free itself, there's no better tool than an item that defines a person."

After two years of work designing the watch's mechanics, Draco was finally invited to Jabir's warehouse.

The Alchemist placed the first model on a marble table. As soon as Draco approved the design, the Alchemist would begin manufacturing the product.

Jabir pointed at the metallic case of the watch. "Its main alloying components are chromium and molybdenum, both impeccable against corrosion. I threw some nickel in there too. Nickel is energy sensitive. It'll easily absorb energy and never stop working."

The hands of the watches were made from the scales of Draco's former body, while the watch straps out of full grain leather molded from the dragon's wings.

A dragon's body never decays, and by crafting parts of it into the watch, the item would assume its magical properties. Draco traveled back to the Carpathian Mountains and plucked the scales and cut parts of the wings from the immaculate, intact body, delivering them to Jabir.

The minute and hour hands, along with the leather straps, would keep the materials forever impeccable, condemned to never deteriorate.

Draco knocked on the watch-face analyzing its components.

"It's a form of sapphire found in the Kashmir region, the finest in the world," Jabir replied.

"How about the seal?" Draco wanted to know if the watches would work as subconscious aids to the owner, prompting them to follow serenity and not greed.

Jabir pointed at the triangle at the end of the second hand. The triangle is the alchemical symbol for fire. Together with the fiery red color, it would allude to Draco's origin, and, above all, it would infuse the owner with Draco's philosophy of life, working as a discreet guide to freedom.

The triangle enchanted the watch. The object would create a direct link with the first person that strapped it to its wrist. In time, gradually, the watch would quietly steer the owner through hardship and obstacles. It would become an inner voice, devoted to its possessor.

In a world where money reigns as an instrument of persuasion, guiding humanity towards a dry life consumed by mental disturbance, emotional instability, and overall misery, Draco's watches come as a palpable form of defiance, born out of an urge to shatter these emotional shackles.

Draco's watches are not definite means of control. Ultimately, one must make the decision independently. The first step can only come from us, the people. The watches are a reminder of our inner strength and the opportunities that lay scattered out there, in our world.

Draco's awakening provided humanity with a resource to resist the cheap pleasures of an existence devout of meaning. Time can only be sustained if humanity focuses on achieving their dreams. Otherwise, time will become shorter and shorter, until there will be nothing left. When time comes to an end, we, the people, will wither away without ever tasting peace of mind, regretful of how pointless we spent our time.

 

Written by:

Pierluigi Testerini