Cove the dragon of despair

Have you ever heard the tale of the heartbroken dragon?

A dragon so fierce and strong, yet weak for the one it loves?

No? Let me tell you a story...

There was once a truly great God, the God of Love. And yet, the God did not know how to love. Only to be foolish. For he'd one day let a love he wished to know, consume him. The God disguised himself as a mere mortal, beginning to wander the world with awe and excitement, all the while brushing away a truth he must not ignore. Gods are forbidden to enter the mortal realm.

Is love greater than power? Cove thought so.

Love existed for all, even a God like him. He'd simply have to find it. But until such joy was found, the beautiful sunrises that only existed in the human world would suffice. One day, seeing the sun rise above the ocean, Cove found himself in complete awe. Love seemed to exist everywhere he looked, whether within the heart of mortals or the beauty of the sea and sun colliding. But love can lead one astray -- as he stepped into the ocean and his legs faded away, only to be replaced with the tail of a fish, turning him into a merman. A curse deserved for breaking the promise of gods, yet devastating all the less.

No longer would he gaze upon the world's love. He could only exist as it passed by around him. He'd be alone, bound to the sea, simply a fish.

Can a fish find love?

It'd been many empty years since he'd last interacted with a mortal, but never before had Cove seen one weep like Ophelia. On the beach stood a mortal of sorrow, the fleeting light of the sun their only comfort. A shared loneliness, Cove knew all too well.

Why let loneliness win when there can be so much more? His curse didn't matter; the fallen god found himself leaving the sea and pulling Ophelia into an embrace.

Oh, how warm they were.

It was a warmth he wished would last forever. He'd found the love he'd been searching for, a love so strong it broke his curse. To Cove, it didn't matter if he lost his godhood, for he'd gained something far more important. Ophelia. His beloved Ophelia. He'd learned of the most wonderful feeling in existence. But also, the most painful.

Love, no matter how strong, doesn't make one immortal. Before he knew it, Cove found himself crying Ophelia's name, begging for their eyes to remain open, just a moment more as he repeated the words, "I love you" over and over again till his voice went dry and their eyes never opened again. The fallen god learned a new lesson that day. Love hurts.

Do you know of Atlantis? The kingdom under the sea? It's said the fallen god wept till an ocean of tears had consumed the haven he once treasured, himself along with it.

A monster of the sea, that's all Cove was now. Without love, he was nothing, and that nothingness destroyed him.

In the once loving god's place was a monster of sorrow, of hatred, searching for a love he'd never know again.

The Dragon of Despair.

What a pitiful creature, one who only knew of sadness and was wasting away within it. Now, merely a spectacle for knights to defeat in hopes of restoring the now drowned lands. While Cove was nothing more than a beast, his sadness was his fuel, a sadness that could not so easily be put to rest.

Even the dragon himself could not calm his own despair. Even when the most magnificent of knights appeared before him. He knew this knight's face, for he refused to ever let go of their smile. Ophelia's smile.

Could it be? Has his love returned?

As sadness reawakened, it only fueled the beast, for Cove found himself attacking Ophelia beyond his control. His thoughts cried for him to stop, to take them into a warm embrace and repeat those last three words he'd uttered, but alas, he could not.

No longer was he the man they'd loved, but now, a pathetic beast who only knew how to hate.

As the dragon's scorching breath illuminated toward Ophelia, Cove could only hope they'd survive, that they'd defeat the beast, even if it meant never seeing them again.

At least he'd embrace the darkness with love in his heart.

"Ophelia"...