THE DRAGON DESCENDANT

As Michael alighted from the commercial plane in Glass City Airport, he attracted staggered gapes and worrying stares the same way magnets attract steel. Commencing from the moment he left his home country, he had long grown accustomed to the dazed looks. Nonetheless, he remained remarkably delusional that they only stared because of his amazing appearance. Not once did he appear bothered or unnerved, his individuality was practically higher than the Times Tower Building. He had spent most of his days working on his body and thus it did not come as a surprise when everyone gawked.

Since this was Michael’s first time in a public setting, a large metropolitan city for that matter, he goggled so much his eyes hurt. Everything in Glass City easily amazed him, from a golden retriever taking a huge dump on its owner’s bag to the automated androids working like living human beings.

For a little while longer than thirty minutes of aimless wandering, he finally saw a placard with the initials MR LEE on it. He took a deep sigh of relief then brandished a smile before walking towards the direction. The man holding the board was perfectly suited up in a ‘decent CEO’ kind of way. His shoes polished so black and shiny that they glinted blindingly in the evening glare. However, that did not draw away the fact that he had no single hair on his head, or face – shamelessly of course, Michael inwardly compared his head to an egg. He graced the latter with a split second frown before his eyes pulled back to comb the crowd as if in search of a particular person.

“Hey” Stopping right in front of the man’s face, Michael accosted cheerfully, “Mr. Lee. I like it…it has a nice ring to it”

“Take a walk young man,” the man shot in a deep but authoritative tone. Visibly, he did not seem interested in whatever the young man in front of him was selling. He took a step back to allow a respectable distance between them.

“I’ve been doing that for a while now, I don’t feel like it anymore” Michael smiled cynically as he dropped his bag. His eyes casually wandered to a bunch of attractive airhostesses passing by.

“I said…” the man’s tone grew deeper, laced with unmistakable menace and threat.

“I’m Michael, Michael Lee” the lad instantly interposed after realizing that the well-dressed man probably did not know what Mr. Lee looked like.

The man frowned then scrutinized Michael from head to toes. His eyes lingered on his feet for a few seconds longer before he snapped himself back to reality.

“You are Mr. Lee?” he asked in a much softer tone, his face discernably perplexed.

“In the flesh” Michael shrugged “Don’t you have my picture or something? Or were you expecting another person?”

As if having recalled something, the man hurriedly retrieved his phone from his coat. He darted his eyes back and forth from his phone to Michael.

“Apologies sir, forgive me I didn’t recognize you sooner” the man slightly bowed his head

Michael, now confused, stared at the man for quite a while, visible frown lines above his brows.

“Why?” he almost whispered

“What?”

“Why didn’t you recognize me?”

“Its…it’s just that…you…” words clearly got lost in the man’s mouth, restraining him from stringing a perfect sentence together.

“I what?”

“You don’t…I figured it would be someone…”

“Ah!” Michael’s eyes lit up in apprehension “someone older?”

“Y-yeah”

“Well, sorry to disappoint. Shall we?”

“Sure” the man quickly responded as he picked up Michael’s bag “I’m Reigns, Samuel Reigns, and Mr. Robert’s personal assistant.”

As they weaved their way through the subterranean parking levels of the airport’s private space.

“Can you believe I’ve never been in a city before?” Michael spoke up

“As a matter of fact, yes” Samuel chuckled, albeit nervously

“I mean, I’ve been getting all these stares, it’s like I had grown a second head…or a tail”

“I can frankly assure you that you don’t have two heads or a tail” Samuel paused by a mirror and directed Michael’s gaze towards it “you just look…different.”

When Michael stared at his reflection, and compared it to that of the surrounding people, he realized that he looked like he had just popped out of a Big Foot’s ad. He looked like he was auditioning to be the actor in ‘the first man who invented fire’ movie. His long black hair, roughly combed to incompletion, resembled a raccoon’s nest. His attire, a tight brown shirt and a very short and chic brown short, revealed a bulk of his muscles in all the awkward places. Furthermore, he wore sandals, the cheap kind usually sold in flea markets.

“It’s the clothes, isn’t it?” Michael’s figure sagged “master wouldn’t even let me dress properly”

“And the shoes, and the hair…your bag and that bulge on your tight shorts. Don’t get me started on that weird moustache…”

“Now you are just getting personal”

“I’m sorry Mr. Lee” Samuel quickly apologized as they stopped by a black SUV. He inwardly wondered whether the young man had any bit of self-respect or dignity left in him. He had travelled for miles looking like that and apparently, it did not seem to bother him at all. He was even handling it better that him.