Takeo lived on a small, remote island for the majority of his life. The only people he had ever seen were his own: the Reptila. These lizard-humanoids could transform into their actual reptillian counterparts. Takeo in particular was a little chameleon boy with a curled tail. Chameleon varieties were considered quite rare on the island, and thus he and his family were showered with gifts--he was the village's good-luck charm, even if he was just a baby.

Takeo grew up in his peaceful village for several years, but one day, things began to change. An otherworldly, white fog began rolling in every night and soon some inhabitants became ill with a strange disease. This illness would cause the infected Reptila to act strangely and slowly turn them a pale color similar to the fog. Sadly, at only a few years old, Takeo contracted this illness.

The village healers struggled to fight off this disease. Help was even called from other villages. While some Reptila fought it better than others, there were some who actually vanished overnight. Instead of having good luck, the people of Takeo's village feared they were actually cursed. Of course, this was a very scary experience for Takeo and his family.

However, not all hope was lost. There was a trader visiting the villages with various foreign goods... Perhaps there was a cure among them?
The people of the village were rather suspicious at the time. They didn't want to trust immediately when they were at such a weakened state. But Takeo's family was desperate.
They went against their chief's rules and met with the trader in secret. The trader told them that this situation was not something normal healing methods could handle, but he did have one solution. He offered them a green and gold mask depicting the face of a grinning dragon. A green, eye-like gemstone was planted in the center of its forehead. All he wanted for it were some of the family's scales--a special deal to get the boy help as soon as possible.

Takeo would just need to wear the mask or keep it on him. Although the family's relation with the village would be severed by this agreement, they decided it would be better to raise Takeo away from society if it meant he would overcome the illness. The trader even offered to stay with them for a while and help them get settled.

So, they did just that. The trader remained with them and helped the family build a new home in the wilderness, then he went on his way. Meanwhile, as Takeo wore the mask or had it on his shoulder, his skin and scales returned to their vibrant tans and greens. His smile seemed bigger than ever! And his bubbly personality brought some cheer back into the family's new, very different living situation.
Although, the family soon found the mask didn't just ward the sickness... Takeo's scales spread further across his skin than most Reptila, and feathers sprouted atop his head, limbs, and tail. Tiny red spines lined his back, and his chameleon form was now a three-eyed dragon form.
Even if he had been good luck, it couldn't matter now. He was completely different.

Whenever he would remove the mask, his illness would return. The fog continued to appear every night as well, presumably along with more of the illness...
Thus, after he had grown older, Takeo and his family decided they wanted to know the truth. If they could find a more permanent solution, maybe they could help their old village and return? So, they gathered up supplies and left home to go find the one lead they had: the trader--a long-eared man with a smiling mask and a tall hat.