Dragon Blood, originally released under the name X Fighters! Beyond, is an original illustrated novel set in the 1980s as a prequel to the X Fighters! series.
In a laboratory beneath the mountains of Japan, X Fighters continues its experiments away from the public eye. When faced with his own morality and an ethical dilemma, Professor Ryuuga, lead scientist on Project Dragon’s Eye, defects. Having freed the captive Dragons, he sets out to protect the mysterious enhancer serum born from their suffering, following only his instincts and desire to defy the organization he believes is corrupt to its core, from the coldblooded director at its helm to the various teams of warriors fighting for its goals.
Chapter 1: Lancelot
The year was 1983, set fifty-six years prior to the current date. The laboratory, located beneath Mount Yōtei, remained a secret to anyone but select members of the organization. It could only be reached through a very narrow underground tunnel, extending over dozens of kilometers, with the only entry point existing within a seemingly abandoned building not far from Sapporo Medical University’s main campus. Under the financial supervision of the Japanese government, X Fighters was conducting dangerous experiments, with the aim of developing new biological weapons for military use, despite the peacekeeping agreement of not engaging in such activities. These weapons were however not infringing upon any laws, as X Fighters was already far beyond the current hierarchy of the world, after their victory in the first Galactic War.
The scientists working on this most recent project were not allowed to leave the laboratory. The underground facilities spanned into a complex network of living quarters and experimentation blocks, in which they could roam freely, not bound by any strict schedule. To them, it never felt as if they were trapped. The many scientists were just enjoying their lives, motivated solely by their desire to advance science.
…
A faint scent of sweat enveloped the room. The only audible sound was the rapid clicking of the keyboards. Tall preservation incubators, connected by glass tubes to the computer-operated apparatus, contained large volumes of green viscous liquids, in which vivid orange particles collided, freely flowing back and forth in the matter. The room, brightly lit, had enough working space to accommodate up to ten working scientists. For now, they were all present, like they had been for the past month, relentlessly trying to reach a breakthrough in their discoveries.
Exhaling deeply as his condensed breath slowly dissipated across the cold room, Professor Ryuuga lifted his hands from the keyboard, cracking his knuckles to alleviate some of the stress from his tired joints.
“I think this is enough progress for now, gentlemen. We’ve far exceeded our expectations for today already. Let’s end it here,” he said, holding a hand to his hips and bending his spine backwards.
Light hand clapping followed. The scientists were now smiling, congratulating each other for yet another successful day of hard work. The tension lifted as they wiped off their foreheads, speaking for the first time in hours.
Amidst the excitement, one younger scientist came forward with a big smile on his face, lightly jogging up to Professor Ryuuga, who then turned around.
“Ah, Mr. Miyazaki, did you learn a lot today?” asked the much older Professor Ryuuga.
“Absolutely, Doctor! I’m very confident about tomorrow’s examination, and it’s all thanks to your guidance! If all goes well, I’d like to keep working for this branch,” replied Miyazaki.
The other scientists were still chatting, packing up their things while a few had already left to go to the dining hall.
“I have no doubt that your internship will conclude with brilliance. You have helped us all greatly, and we’re very proud of you. Your parents would be proud too, I’m certain of it,” added Ryuuga, smiling back.
Miyazaki gripped the professor’s shoulders with both of his hands, bowing his head to hide his face.
“Thank you, Doctor,” uttered the intern, before returning to the group, now brimming with confidence.
Left alone, Professor Ryuuga shut down the equipment. He gazed at the incubation tanks, amazed by the orange particles coagulating and dissolving back into the solution. This mixture could already perform as expected, but still lacked stabilization. He was confident however that his team would solve this issue very soon.
…
Sitting on his bed and minding his back posture for once, Professor Ryuuga penned down the last words to his letter of recommendation for the intern. Signing at the bottom, he carefully placed the letter in an envelope, to be given the following day to the executive that would be coming to the laboratory.
Miyazaki lived solely by his last name, a practice that, while more common in Japan, was still regarded as odd. On paper and in actuality, he had no first name. Family names had become scarcer as a result of the first Galactic War, and those who still held both names were seen to be of a higher status. In addition, the previous two world wars had caused so much tension that people across the globe preferred to live more simply. In Miyazaki’s case, whose parents had both perished during the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima, only archives containing records of his last name remained, and being too young at the time, was all he could remember.
Dedicating his life to science and to discoveries that would inevitably discourage war, Miyazaki’s life had eventually led to this position. His passion was burning strongly, and always reflected in his work. Even as an intern, he was already standing out from the crowd, and was proudly Professor Ryuuga’s best disciple.
The old man pulled the blankets closer, letting his head hit the pillow after another long day of work. His smile reached higher than his pointy nose as the memories from the internship flooded into the present. Ryuuga loved his intern as a friend and accomplice, and shared great times with him and his entire team. He closed his eyes, looking forward to shaking Miyazaki’s hand as an equal and fellow hard-working scientist.
…
Miyazaki cleared his throat, the sound echoing slightly in the otherwise silent laboratory. Everyone sat comfortably while he had his legs crossed, swinging his foot from side to side. He could feel his heart beating faster with every coming minute. The stress, rising, only allowed him to focus on the coming reunion as he prepared himself for failing results, despite being previously confident in his performance.
All the scientists were present once again, this time ready to congratulate the intern on his potential success. Professor Ryuuga, sitting in the middle of the room, next to his disciple, kept tapping his fingers on his envelope. More than ten minutes passed, and for the first time, the silence was broken by a sound caused by other than Miyazaki’s anxiety.
Footsteps neared the laboratory, confidently echoing through the hallway. The cadence, although slow, was heavy enough to cause Miyazaki’s legs to twitch. The apprentice looked up as both doors to the laboratory opened simultaneously, revealing a trio of examiners.
The tall man in the centre moved his eyes rapidly, surveying the room and taking in as much information as possible before settling on the intern’s fleeting glance. Miyazaki swallowed the ball of anxiety that was held in his mouth. He couldn’t explain the feeling, but knew that the pressure was quickly rising. Before he could gasp for air, however, the examiner’s gaze shifted towards the professor.
“Professor Ryuuga, I presume?” asked the man.
Like a sharp needle, the words pierced the professor’s train of thought entirely, quickly replacing his state of mind with the same fear that Miyazaki felt. Unconsciously and without delay, Professor Ryuuga lowered one knee to the floor, arching his back again as he put himself in a submissive position.
“It is I… Sire,” muttered Ryuuga, trying to regain his composure.
“It seems you already know your place. As you may have already presumed, I have not come to assess your disciple. I am in fact here to put an end to this project, and to shut down this facility indefinitely,” replied the ominous presence.
“This has to be a farce... We’re on the brink of a new breakthrough! Who even are you to barge in and threaten our research?” interjected one of the scientists.
“It can’t be helped…” he continued, slowly unbuttoning his coat, before revealing a thin sword resting on his hip. “I am the director of the organization that employs you. You shall address me as Lancelot. I take it you’ll refrain yourself from making such remarks again. While it may not be on today’s agenda, I could easily threaten more than your job if you’d prefer.”
The man and the woman accompanying Lancelot moved aside to guard the entrance while he slowly inched closer to the group. Recognizing the intent behind the director’s actions, the scientists dared not add anything, choosing to stay put and watch carefully instead.
Lancelot walked by everyone sitting as his overwhelming aura pulsated through each scientist’s veins. For the very first time, the usually optimistic Ryuuga was cowering in fear. He was well aware of the power held at the upper echelons of X Fighters. Lancelot, while not known for his prowess of strength, fully deserved to stand at the top. He had inherited the role of director from his royal father, who had created the organization long before the first Galactic War. Lancelot himself, however, had demonstrated superior commandment of the organization in that war, leading X Fighters to become the current dominating force across the universe as he remained in the shadows, seldom revealing his identity to anyone. His stratagems and intellect were unmatched.
Still, Ryuuga knew that, under regular circumstances, people were not born with the ability to sense ki. The natural energy that now flowed in the air and earth did not belong to the humans, but to the Gods. The previous war was a result of the different species’ greedy attempts to seize the knowledge required to harness such an aura, a feat that had only been first achieved a mere decade or so ago, sparking an entirely new era. Realistically, such a time period would have proved to be impossibly short for anyone to become even moderately proficient in its usage. Yet, he was different, clearly able to will his ki into feeling almost tangible to the untrained. Lancelot was a monster, and his current display of power proved just that.
Eventually, Lancelot reached the central computers. Keeping a hand on his hilt at the ready, he observed the viscous green liquid flowing freely in the incubators. The serum, as if aware of Lancelot’s thoughts, began to dance against itself, contracting and expanding rapidly in the hopes of escaping the tanks.
“It can’t be helped…” the director sighed as he turned towards his audience, impatient. “Would I be correct in assuming that this is in fact the main control unit of this operation?”
The sound of a very hard fingernail breaking reverberated across the room. Professor Ryuuga had clenched his fists so tightly that his long nails had started digging into his skin, one of them snapping in half. The pain had successfully given him a wave of adrenaline, enough to allow him to stand face to the director of X Fighters, even if just for a moment.
“That would be correct, Sire,” replied the professor, careful not to overstep his ground.
With no visible motion, the main computer split in half. Countless sparks flew across the room. Wires dropped dead. Lancelot stood still; his blade already sheathed again. This was a warning. The following words were not to be taken lightly; any defiance in authority would lead to greater consequences.
Lancelot looked back at Professor Ryuuga, addressing everyone in the room at once. “From this day until two weeks from now, you are all to empty the equipment in this laboratory. The council has elected to terminate Project Dragon’s Eye.”
A full minute of silence ensued. Miyazaki stood up, eyes full of tears and incomprehension.
“Wh-what about my examination?” he said, unable to process the situation at hand. “And what about our jobs and hard work? This is unfa-”
Stopping mid-word, the young scientist felt the sharp tip of the director’s rapier connecting with his throat. Lancelot, who was just across the room seconds prior, was now staring him down viciously. Miyazaki’s entire body froze, droplets of sweat running down his forehead as he simply exhaled the rest of his sentence.
“I do not believe I have requested for your response, young man. It certainly is not written on my agenda.” Lancelot lowered his blade, pivoting his head to address Professor Ryuuga once again, “I have simply come to inform everyone of our decision to destroy this facility in fourteen days. I expect of you to make your men understand my implications. Otherwise, there shall be severe repercussions.”
Only capable of producing a nod, Ryuuga fell to his knees, devastated. In that instant, Ryuuga had feared but two things, one of which had become a reality. Firstly, the professor had feared most for Miyazaki’s life, as he would have been powerless against any action taken by Lancelot. The second had just been realized. The destruction of the entire facility would however forebode a far more devastating turn of events than he feared.
After taking another minute to recover, Ryuuga regained a fraction of his composure. The professor laid low, attempting a response. An unintelligible mumbling followed. Lost, he stared into the void, letting his eyes dampen just like those of his pupil.
“You seem confused, Professor,” the director continued. “Shall I infer that you wish to know the reasons behind the council’s decision?” Ryuuga nodded blankly. “My subordinates will leave with you a report containing the minutes of our meeting. As all the necessary information is included in it, there is no need for my time to be expended any further.”
Lancelot snapped his fingers, signaling for the woman following him to pull out a file from her briefcase. She laid it on the desk closest to the door, returning to her position. Both thought-to-be examiners made room for the director as he walked past the scientists once more. Condescendingly bidding them farewell for the time being, he reached out for the agenda in his pocket, jotting down a few notes and reminders. Engraved in the professor’s mind, the sight of the director’s back and the upside-down cross sewn on his coat as he slowly drifted away with every step would become a tragic memory.
The trio exited the laboratory, leaving the room in a sombre mood. The ominous energy eventually dissipated, but the toll it had had on the scientists was still felt. Nobody dared make a sound. No scientist dared utter a word. The room would have been in complete silence would the broken computer not have kept sparking, its wires occasionally flaring up in a tiny blaze. Tears were running down faces, fists were clenched. One scientist had even passed out, another helping her rest. Ryuuga looked at the nearby desk, where the document had been placed. In it would be every answer he sought.
Before anyone could view it, he slowly got up, careful not to stress his arched back. He carefully took the file, inserting it in an inner pocket of his lab coat. Reading it now in front of everyone would only break the team’s morale further, and he himself was not ready to open the report.
…
Ryuuga pushed his feet against the floor to rotate his swivel chair around. At a leisurely pace, the old man got up and reached the doorknob. Leaving the door ajar as a precaution, he was met with his apprentice, who was knocking just prior.
“Ah, Mr. Miyazaki, I see you haven’t gone to pack up your belongings like the others?”
“Why did you lie to us, Doctor?” replied the ex-intern, ignoring the question.
Ryuuga opened the door, avoiding looking at Miyazaki’s face directly. “So, you noticed.” He paused. “Please don’t tell the others… I wouldn’t want them concerned for my sake.”
“Right… Well, I’m concerned for you, Doctor. I wasn’t certain at first, but that changed after confirming with the amounts on our last balance sheet. When you debriefed us earlier, you told everyone that X Fighters provided each of us with a supplementary living fund. Turns out, the total amount is the exact same as our entire research reserve!”
“That’s correct, Mr. Miyazaki. I shouldn’t have expected any lesser of my best pupil. X Fighters will not be providing us with anything. We’ve been completely abandoned, I’m afraid. I was simply hoping to alleviate some of the tension by giving you all hope.”
“Then that leaves you with absolutely nothing, Doctor!” Miyazaki gripped the door. “Sure, we’ll have enough to survive and find employment elsewhere, but you’ll lose everything! If anything, I’d like to help you, Doctor.”
“I’ve already lost everything. I’d rather put only myself at risk, if it means that this family can make it through in exchange. What is the old life of a sole scientist worth when compared to the bright young minds of a dozen more?”
Ryuuga refrained from making eye contact with Miyazaki, who noticed tears slowly forming at the root of his mentor’s growing sorrow. As a response, he gently placed his hand on the professor’s shoulder and closed his eyes, so as to share some of his warmth while allowing Ryuuga to lament unseen.
The two shared few words. The connection they had formed was enough for both to understand each other. Upwards of an hour passed as they remained idle, letting their thoughts flow through their energy, after which Miyazaki finally left the professor to himself, concluding that there would be no way to reverse his decision.
…
The wooden supports creaked as Ryuuga shuffled his weight to the other side of the bed. After waking up for the third time in the same night, he had decided to forgo trying to fall asleep again. The constant bombardment of thoughts rained on him relentlessly, making it nearly impossible to shut his eyes.
He looked at the nightstand next to his bed. There it was: the report from headquarters. Coming to terms with his sleep deprivation, he picked up the document, laying back on his bed. There was little purpose in doing this, however, as the words written on it were already far too etched into Ryuuga’s very being.
Earlier, after dismissing the scientists following Lancelot’s departure, he had spent hours by himself, reading the report over and over again, before returning to his room and inevitably facing Miyazaki. He had lost count of how many times the words had flown through his mind. It would have been a poor decision to announce its contents to the others; instead, it was best if the information remained his.
The report itself was oddly structured. The first few pages detailed unimportant minutes of the meeting, as if to throw off any reader’s attention. The rest was equally puzzling. Most of it focused on recent financial developments from the Japanese government, which had explained their reasoning for ceasing their share of the funding. The Japanese did not wish to meddle any further with the project as it progressed. Clearly, they were concerned for its future, and deemed it too dangerous to continue. This made sense and was a perfectly valid cause for termination, one that most scientists would have agreed with, but Ryuuga had dug even further.
By taking some of the more out of context lines and arranging them together, the professor gathered additional meaning explaining the more draconian measures that X Fighters was ready to take. They too were scared, but it was likely that the director had deemed important concealing their distress from their foes, as it had been less than a decade since their victory in the first Galactic War.
The Dragons had already attacked X Fighters. This was Ryuuga’s conclusion. As the methods ordered by the organization for extracting and pulverizing the compounds of the serum were slightly torturous, it required for the test subjects to feel a great deal of pain, one that he knew resonated intensely among the Dragons in the laboratory. Assuming that the species was able to harmonize beyond the scale of this facility, the roaming Dragons were most likely already alerted of their fallen brethren.
This explained why lengthy efforts had been taken in order to conceal the project deep underground, in an effort to remain unnoticed not only by the world, but also by the Dragons.
As the old man’s understanding approached the truth, a thin smile, elongated like the shape of his eyes, began to form on his face. All of them were pawns to the organization, worthless guinea pigs with no more value than the Dragons they were slaughtering. Giving the rest of the project funding to his fellow scientists had been the correct decision. With it, they now had the chance to distance themselves from the project, and find a new purpose in life. This would also make them in no way responsible for what Ryuuga would do next.
…
Ryuuga watched as the flames engulfed the document that he held in front of him, lighter in hand. His conviction burned brighter as he resolved himself to save the project, and continue working on it from the shadows. X Fighters, a corrupt organization with limitless power, would now become his sole enemy.
