He didn’t see his father much. Yet what Vex knew was that whenever his father appeared, they would go out somewhere. So every time the child saw his parent, more than being happy to see the man, he would be excited about going someplace new.

  As the years passed, Vex forgot most of their outings. Rather than a fine wine that improved as the years went by, most of those memories soured and rotted away as they were left alone and discarded.

  However, the very few that remained untouched by that rot became so precious, Vex would even avoid recalling them. As if the more he cherished and relieved them, the more likely it would be for them to become spoiled as well.

  One of those precious memories was the very first time he saw a dragon race.

  Even though he was barely six years old, his father managed to bring him along. So he could see properly, his father put Vex on top of his shoulders and the boy would grip the man’s hair whenever one of the beasts roared or passed by.

  At first, Vex was terrified.

  The dragons, even from afar, were monstrous and magnanimous—creatures with sharp teeth, horns, and claws. Beasts that spit fire, shot lightning and ice or made other riders succumb to their poison. Not only that, but the race itself was violent. Brutal.

  Yet as time passed and the surrounding crowd cheered and shouted, Vex started to feel something warm spreading against his chest. Something he couldn’t quite name or understand, yet it was a feeling that brought awe to his eyes. A joyful brightness to his smile.

  Soon enough, Vex picked out from the riders the ones he liked best—be it because of the rider or their dragon. However, one competitor among the others would steal his gaze every time—a young rider who was at the beginning of their career, whose dragon had a star-shaped scar on their face.

  Vex liked that duo the best.

  Even though it was a four-legged dragon, the creature was fast. Time and time again, Vex witnessed as the rider surpassed the others, their dragon enveloping their competitors in dark shadows before striking them down with their tail and claws.

  At some point, this rider almost lost their position as a wingless dragon hit them from below with a bolt of lightning, the rider falling from the saddle, going straight to the ground.

  Vex’s little hands grabbed his father’s hair so tightly, the man even let out a small cry.

  It was as if time stopped.

  In only a few seconds, when it looked like they were going to lose, the rider shot a grappling hook into their dragon’s horn and pulled themselves back up. And without ever slowing down, the two made their way to the finishing line.

  Winning first place.

  “Dad, Dad! Did you see that?! The rider fell, but then they went up again! And won! It was amazing! Wasn't it amazing?!” Vex never saw his father’s expression, nor could he recall how the man reacted to his words. And he didn’t want to.

  It had been years since that day, yet Vex still recalled it. Apart from the star-shaped scar on the dragon, Vex couldn't remember what the rider looked like, or their dragon. However the things he felt that day, those he remembered vividly.

  So he cherished the memory. For the way his heart raced and his eyes widened as he saw dragons race for the very first time, and for the young rider who never let Vex’s eyes wander.

  The rider who, even when he was about to lose, made every single person in the crowd clap and shout their name as they made their way to the very top.