"He's coming!" my father hissed. "Run!"
I ran as fast as I could, stumbling through the mossy undergrowth of the forest, looking back occasionally. My father stood in the clearing, watching Koares. His mouth was glowing red, preparing a stream of fire. His claws anchored him to the ground like roots.
Suddenly, a loud cry shook the leaves of the trees. Koares had arrived. The great dragon dived from the sky and unleashed a loud cry, tackling my father, sending him tumbling back, crashing through trees and uprooting them.
I couldn't leave my father behind, despite his orders before this fight. I hid behind a thick tree trunk and watched. The moonlight shone on Koares and I managed to get a good look of him. Unfortunately, all the details I noticed were bad.
Koares looked well-rested and ready to fight. His scales shone dark magenta. There were no visible wounds from the last skirmish but he did retain that scar on his right eye, where my father had sliced him with his claws. Pride warmed my heart looking at that scar. Unfortunately, Koares was much stronger than my father. He was bigger in size, at least a few metres taller in height and half a metre wider in wingspan. His upper body was serrated with red spikes that jutted from his skin. His eyes were narrow silts and sanguine in colour, which meant that his bloodlust was immense.
"Shyvant, face your death!" Koares roared.
"Never," my father muttered.
"You are an outcast, Shyvant! You and your daughter, the abomination! She has human blood inside her veins, and is thus tainted with impurity. Bring her in, and you will be spared."
"I WILL NEVER DO THAT! AS LONG AS BLOOD FLOWS THROUGH MY BODY, I WILL NEVER STOP FIGHTING!"
"Then die in the flames, Shyvant."
As I watched with mixed emotions of courage and fear, Koares opened his mouth wide and his mouth started to glow orange. My eyes widened, knowing what was going to happen.
"FATHER!" I screamed.
He saw the incoming fire blast from Koares and shielded himself with his huge wings. Dragon's wings were impervious to fire, so when the fire ceased, there was no wound but it was smoking.
My father growled and charged at Koares, who met him with claws raised. They clashed in a storm of fire and claws, both raking each other and breathing fire. The surroundings were completely razed to the ground. The earth was scorched and ploughed with the two drakes' claws and talons. Smoke rose from the forest, polluting the air and reducing my vision. I choked as the smoke went down my throat. As I was young, I was still not fully adapted to smoke and fire. I had to escape the blaze and battle, but a part of myself, the bold self, told me to help my father, who was obviously losing the fight. What could I do? I was not strong enough to face Koares. One of his fire blasts would sear my skin instantly and one of his claws would cut my skin like paper. In short, entering the fight would be suicide.
The two dragons grappled. My father was putting up a good fight but not for long. Koares was too powerful. We had to leave now, before it was too late. I saw numerous cuts and scratches on my father's body. The excruciating pain he must have felt was nothing compared to the pain that was aching my heart. Tears flowed freely, cascading down my face as I stood there, feeling more helpless than ever.
My father could not fly away. Koares would drag him back down whenever my father tried to take flight.
We normally would have escaped by now, but Koares was fuelled with more energy. My father could not run. This was going to be his last fight.
It seemed to happen in slow motion. Perhaps it was the adrenaline. Koares pinned my father's wings to the ground with his claws. As they dug deeper into his skin, piercing it, he said, "You made a mistake, Shyvant."
"I made no mistake. RUN SHYVANA! RUN!" he cried, and this time, I obeyed him. I turned and sprinted away, determined not to look back. I then heard a loud screech of pain, coming from Koares.
Hope soared in my heart. Had my father bested him? I turned around and instantly regretted what my eyes saw. Blood was pouring from a wound in Koares' chest, a mark made by my father. Rage burned in Koares' eyes. He used both his claws, and opened my father's mouth, and unleashed a torrent of fire that burned him from the inside.
When his fire breath ceased, he dropped my father's corpse on the ground. He looked up and saw me but fear flashed in his eyes. He was heavily wounded. He took flight, flying north. Part of me wanted to chase him, to avenge my father. Vengeance was all that was on my mind. My hands trembled with fury. I wanted to tear his heart out, to kill him, limb from limb. But I had other matters to deal with.
The corpse of my father was charred. Smoke curled from his mouth. His eyes were completely incinerated, leaving empty eye sockets, just like the void in my heart.
I burst into tears. The anger was replaced by grief. I could not believe my father was dead. He was the one that protected me and now he was gone. How was I supposed to survive in this world? Koares was coming back for me. He was going to.
This was my life. Since birth, I was considered an abomination, a mutant, by my kin. My human mother was killed by Koares. My father and I had, since then, been pursued by him. My father had endured countless battles. He could not face him. We could only run. We never knew a home. The term seemed foreign.
I sat down on the forest floor. The small fires left from the battle had been extinguished, leaving the ground grey with ash and char marks. My eyes focused on a small flame. It burned bright, but slowly became extinguished, like the rest of the fires.
"Koares, you will become like that. Burn bright for now, I will end you soon…" I vowed. I would go north to hunt Koares. I would hone my skills. My father was gone. I could only rely on myself. The hunter will become the hunted.
My heart pumped faster. My breaths became deeper.
It is time.
My face elongated. Leathery wings sprung from my arms as my arms grew in size, thickening and extending to the size of tree trunks. I felt my teeth sharpen and grow. My skin hardened, transforming to golden scales. My hands transformed into claws, each larger than a bull's horns.
I roared and birds scattered from the trees. I leaped off the cliff and took flight, beating my majestic wings as I searched for Koares. I had seen dragon blood trails, left not too long ago. I was hot on his heels. He was definitely somewhere in this forest. I soared above the clouds, gazing at the earth, scrutinizing every single patch of forest, hoping to see the purple-and-black dragon, but to no avail. Where had he gone?
He must have left already. I growled as Koares slipped away yet again. I dived towards the ground, deciding it was better to travel in human form than drain my energy. I could not stay as a dragon for too long as I would get tired. My head was spinning as I landed and transformed back.
I sat on a rotten log and rested from the transformation.
It had been a month since the death of my father. In that one month, I had trained to fight and survive in this world where I had no one to rely on anymore. I developed my skills and grew, hence learning how to transform into a dragon. Now, I was a relentless hunter, hounding after Koares to avenge my father.
My mouth soured. Whenever I thought about this, it always put me in a bad mood. I tried to vent my anger by throwing fireballs around.
Suddenly, my ears tingled. I wasn't alone. Something, or someone, was watching me. I turned around and commanded, "Who's there? Show yourself!"
I heard the rustling of bushes and I saw a flash of gold. A group of humans in armour approached me cautiously. They were all wearing silver armour and carrying spears, swords and shields, all except for one, who I assumed was their leader. He was wearing golden armour which glinted in the afternoon sun. He carried a javelin, a two-metre high steel pole decorated with embedded emeralds, ending in a sharp point. It looked like it could impale anything.
His soldiers were looking at me fearfully. They held their shields firmly and brandished their weapons, pointing it at me. On the other hand, their leader walked up to me and spoke in a thunderous tone, like he was giving a speech to a public audience. If anyone was a leader, this guy was definitely him.
"Greetings, I am Jarvan Lightshield the Fourth, prince of Demacia, and these are my soldiers who accompanied me on my quest. And who might you be?"
He seemed friendly, so I replied, "Shyvana. It is a pleasure to meet you."
He stuck his hand out for a handshake and I took it. He then ordered his men to relax their weapons. They obeyed, but they still looked afraid, like I would suddenly transform into a huge monster and eat them, which I probably could.
"So, Shyvana, if I may venture a guess, you are not fully human, are you?" he phrased his question carefully.
I nodded. "You are correct. I am a half-dragon."
An awkward silence passed before Jarvan spoke up. "Ah, well, what are you doing here, Shyvana?"
"I am hunting for a dragon who had slain my father."
At this, the group of soldiers and Jarvan perked up. "A dragon?" he said interestedly.
"Yes, a dragon. He is called Koares. He-"
"Has purple scales, extremely big, flown north?" Jarvan interrupted. I was a bit startled at his description of Koares. "Yes…you know him?"
"We are hunting for the same dragon," he responded. "I am on a quest to hunt and slay Valoran's most terrifying beast. It so happens that we saw this huge dragon a month back and we have been hunting it since then. Would you like to join us to track this Koares?"
I was silent, deep in my thoughts.
Can I trust this man? What if he kills me after we kill Koares? Would a prince be such a betrayer? He doesn't seem hostile….
I smiled. "Very well then, I will join you." Jarvan returned the smile and nodded. We shook hands, signalling our alliance.
We journeyed further north, crossing The Great Barrier and during our travels, I got to know the soldiers better. After they got over the fact that I wasn't a monster out to kill them, they warmed up to me, slightly. I learned some of their names as well, such as Lyreth, Diak and Clandium.
Humans truly have weird names, I observed.
I also got to know Jarvan. We talked a lot. He told me what it city life was like and his duties as a prince. We became friends. At the back of my mind, I mulled over my friendship with the humans.
I am a half-breed. Both the humans and dragons think of me as an abomination. So why am I making friends? I refused to acknowledge the fact that I already knew the answer. I wanted a home. I wanted to lead a normal life after this whole thing is finished. Above all, the one thing I longed for more than anything was a home. I could only pray that once I have avenged my father, I can have a normal life.
"Father, help me," I murmured.
Not only that, I was also concerned over the impending fight with Koares. Even though he was gravely wounded, he still was strong. I didn't want to make friends and have them perish in the clash of steel, claws and flames. I didn't want anyone more to die.
"Are you sure?" Clandium whispered to Horvath.
"Yes, Koares is inside this cave. He almost saw me, if not for the bats and a rock…" Horvath replied, shuddering slightly. "I made my escape while the bats distracted him."
"You did well, Horvath." Jarvan complimented him. He bowed and expressed his thanks. "Now, we plan our attack."
"We will split into two groups." Jarvan used his index finger to draw on the ground. "I will lead Lyreth, Horvath, Zain, Diak, Hal and Quentin. Shyvana will lead the rest. My group will cause a diversion, go in turtle formation. Lock shields on my mark." His group nodded.
"That's your cue for the rest of you will charge at him when the dragon is focused on us. Aim for his underside. It's more vulnerable. Then when the beast is wounded, we all charge in and finish it off. Understood?"
Everyone nodded and readied themselves.
I watched as Jarvan led his men inside the cave. My group and I waited.
"LOCK SHIELDS!" I heard Jarvan command. Without any command we rushed in, charging and screaming a battle cry. Inside the cave, I saw granite stalactites and stalagmites formations everywhere. Columns rose from the ground to the tall ceiling, towering over us. They were glowing orange and I knew why. Koares was breathing fire at Jarvan and his men. Their shields were locked, acting as a bastion against the inferno. Jarvan was surrounded in a magic shield. Yellow tendrils swirled around him.
The soldiers readied their swords and held their shields. As for me, I leaped into the air and the familiar sensation spread over me. When I landed, I had transformed into a dragon. I slammed into Koares and I saw everyone charge towards Koares. They stabbed and slashed at him. He roared in pain. I unleashed orange flames at Koares and sliced him with my claws. Finally, with a mighty bellow, I ripped Koares' heart out and the evil dragon's body went slack.
I transformed back, panting, and tossed the heart aside. I looked at the humans. They were staring at me in slight shock and fear, and that was what I was afraid of. Jarvan, however, was looking at me in awe.
"That was quite a fight," he remarked. I tried for a weak smile and thanked him. We then left the cave where Koares' corpse still remained.
When we were outside, Jarvan approached me and, much to my shock, asked, "Would you like to join the Demacian Elite Guard?"
I was taken aback by his request.
"Me?" I asked. "But…" my voice trailed off. I didn't know what to say. Jarvan had seen my ferocity, my true self, a dragon lurking beneath my skin, yet he was inviting me to join his Elite Guard.
"We could use someone like you."
I was silent for a while, considering it. I desperately wanted to accept. A true home is all I've wanted. No running. No hiding. But if I did accept, what would happen. The last thing I wanted is to join Demacia, only to end up scorned by the humans. Were humans that cruel? I doubted all of them were like Jarvan, who I now respected. I also wanted to repay the prince for his help…
"Yes, I will join you," I replied. A smile spread across Jarvan's face. "That is good to hear."
His men seemed happy about it. They cheered and congratulating me, but I could see the distrust in their eyes.
Do they have a right to fear me, I wonder…