The Lost Dragon King

CRACK!!

The ceramic plate shattered into pieces the moment it fell to the floor with a loud noise.

  

The woman who had slammed the plate on the ground was now glaring at a stunned waiter, rage pouring out of her eyes. 

“Didn’t I ask you to stop doing these shitty minimum wage jobs and embarrassing me?” 

Elijah Wilson, the waiter in question, took a few moments to react. He calmly placed the tray of oysters on the table, before bending down to pick up the shards of the broken plate. 

He straightened up, his hands clutching the broken pieces. Despite the acidic pang of humiliation choking his throat, he tried to speak in a steady and formal voice.

“Kathy, this is just a temporary arrangement. I’m only doing it for you, because you wanted the jewelry set, and a new designer bag. I thought I’d earn some extra cash so I could…”

Kathy’s icy cold voice cut him off mid-sentence. 

“Can’t you see I already have all those things?”

She gestured toward the table in front of her, where glossy shopping bags were piled high like trophies. More such bags littered the seat as if it was nothing special or extraordinary, despite the logos and names of luxury brands stamped on them. 

Sitting across from her, on the other side of the table, was a man Elijah didn’t recognize, swirling his wine glass lazily before taking a sip… probably the one who had purchased all of those things. 

Kathy Hawkins smirked, feeling amused on seeing the stunned expression on her husband's face. 

“So you see, your pathetic little side hustle is completely pointless. Even if you kept doing this job for the next ten years, you'd never be able to buy me all these things, ever! But, honestly, it’s a good thing I came to this restaurant and found you here. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have known you’ve been ruining my reputation in this part of town too. Picking up dirty plates and cleaning other people’s shit… even a diamond would lose its value if it's purchased with this crappy money!”

Elijah swallowed. His grip tightened around the broken ceramic shards, but he forced himself to remain calm. 

“Please don't be upset, okay? If it bothers you that much, I’ll quit. I… I just didn’t want you to feel like you lacked anything–”

"But you already lack everything! Everything… everything that a desirable man should have. And just quitting this job isn't going to fix this– actually, nothing can fix things between us anymore.”

She rolled her eyes dramatically, pulling out a crisp envelope from her purse and slamming it on the table like she was slapping Elijah directly. 

“You have already proven you’re not worth the effort, and this is the limit of my patience. Do me a favor, and sign these divorce papers.”

The color drained from Elijah’s face as he stared at the envelope.

“Kathy, please. I'm not going to sign them, we can't… we can't divorce like this–”

"Oh come on, hurry up and sign it! I promise I'll give you a generous tip, if you make my darling happy and divorce her right away.”

It was Jordan Langford, Kathy's boyfriend who had spoken in an utterly condescending tone. Elijah ignored him, focusing completely on his wife. 

“Baby please… let’s talk about this first, okay? We can fix whatever’s wrong.”

Before Kathy could respond, the man sitting at her table stood up, towering over Elijah. 

“Can’t you see she doesn’t want to talk? Or even see your face again! Just sign the damn papers and be done with it. Or else…”

“Or else, what?” Elijah shot back. 

“Stay out of it, this is between me and my wife.”

However, the wife he was speaking about didn't even glance at him. She shoved her plate away, standing up at once. 

“Darling…” 

She said sweetly to her boyfriend, checking her phone and slinging the brand new handbag over her shoulder. 

“I’ve got a hair spa appointment at eight. Can you handle this for me?”

Jordan smirked. 

“Don’t worry. You’ll definitely get good news by the time your appointment gets over. I am sure I'll also be done with this trash by then.”

Kathy flashed him a smile and turned away. 

“Okay, darling! I believe you! Good luck!”

She spoke over her shoulder, not bothering to look back. And the moment she disappeared, the man grabbed Elijah by the collar. 

“Listen, you little piece of shit! You’re going to sign those papers, or things are going to get real ugly, real quick.”

Elijah met his gaze with confidence and defiance. 

“No. I’m not signing anything without talking to my wife first.”

BAM!!

Jordan’s fist slammed into Elijah’s jaw before he could think straight. For a moment, he felt darkness overcoming his vision as he stumbled backward.

“Listen, you crap! I am telling you this one last time, if you are not going to choose the civil way… then you will free her from this goddamn marriage, one way or another!” 

He roared, advancing on Elijah again. But just then, a few people arrived on the scene, pulling them apart. 

“What is going on here? Mr. Langford? Is everything alright?”

The restaurant manager rushed over, his eyes darting between Elijah and the furious man, expecting an explanation.

The man he had referred to as Mr. Langford, pointed his finger at Elijah. 

“Your waiter was harassing my girlfriend and now, he is causing a scene and demanding a hefty tip, even after forcing her to leave. Is this the kind of people you allow to run your restaurant!”

“I… I apologize sincerely, Mr. Langford. This is really unacceptable, and I am deeply ashamed–”

“But he attacked me! He is trying to influence my wife–”

As the manager turned to Elijah, his face had taken on a mottled shade of red as he tried to narrate his side of the story. 

“You still dare to argue even after misbehaving with the customer! You’re fired. Leave now, before I ask the security to throw you out.”

Humiliation burned in Elijah's chest. He had many witnesses who could testify in his favor, and yet, nobody spoke up for the sake of a lowly waiter. 

Before Elijah could say a single word in his defence, Langford grabbed him by the arm, dragging him through the kitchen and out the back door, into the alley. 

The first kick hit Elijah in his ribs, stealing his breath. Before he could brace himself, yet another punch slammed into his face… then came another kick to his stomach, and another one that broke his nose. 

Seeing that he didn't even have the luxury to catch his breath, Elijah knew he should forget about retaliating. Right now, the only thing he could do was to shield himself from the relentless assault, by protecting his vital organs. 

However, Langford continued to curse and hit him with all the power he had in his body, only thinking about stopping when Elijah didn't stir or groan in pain, even after a series of kicks to his shin.

Finally, the man spat on the ground beside him. 

“Stay down where you belong, you dog!”

He snarled before adjusting his clothes and walking away, leaving Elijah broken and bleeding beside the dumpster.

There was no sound in the alley except for the barking of stray dogs and Elijah’s ragged breathing as he lay there, swallowed by the darkness. 

_____

Sometime past midnight, the sound of soft footsteps echoed in the deserted and dark alley. Two shadows crept up towards Elijah’s unconscious form, slumped beside a dumpster like he was one of the discarded items. 

A young woman and an old man. 

The woman knelt beside him, looking at him with a puzzled expression. 

“Are you sure he is the one we’re looking for? The—”

“Be quiet!” the old man hissed, cutting her off. 

“I have already told you, you can’t refer to him without honorifics. After all, he is our Master.”

The old man’s gaze lingered on Elijah’s battered face, overcome with emotion. 

“Rest now, Master… your destiny awaits.”