Starlit Dragon - Part 2

On a wince of pain Layla's eyes shot open, blinking rapidly at the strange sky above. Total blackness painted the endless night while swirls of blue, pink, green, purple… nearly every color imaginable joyfully streaked across. Other realms floated like orbs in no pattern she could see, some flying quickly around while others took a slower pace around some central force.

She'd been here for over seven months now and she still hadn't gotten used to it. Her dreams were closer to reality, much tamer than the strangeness surrounding her in the spirit world… even if they were the most horrible nightmares she'd ever experienced.

Her stomach twisted on another spasm and she cringed, clenching her teeth as she waited for the pain to subside. Her time was fast approaching and she knew that any day now she would have to leave. That had been the plan, for her to stay throughout the duration of her pregnancy and then return to the world of the living when the horrors that had been plaguing it were long over.

So many times she'd wanted to leave earlier, though not from any lack of hospitality. The spirits had been great, treating her like a queen and taking care of every tiny little thing she needed. But she'd missed Acnologia terribly. Not a second of the day had gone by that she hadn't thought of him, hadn't felt the sting of tears behind her eyes. It was only the bump on her belly that kept her from breaking her promise to him and the fear of what would happen if she returned… the fear of what she would find.

He was the most powerful mage she'd ever seen, arguably the most powerful mage in the land. But against dozens upon dozens of angry dragons, what did that mean? How could he possibly stand a chance? In her heart she believed he survived. But there was no way for her to know. They'd been informed before making the decision to send her to the spirit world that time did not flow the same way it did in Earthland. There was no telling how much time would have passed when she returned. All she could do was hope… hope that he had survived and that they would soon be reunited with all the bad buried away in the past.

A long hiss slipped between her teeth as the pain in her belly worsened and she grabbed the sheets beside her, gripping them tightly. Could it possibly be time? She tried sitting up but another wave of agony ripped through her and she fell back on the sheets, gritting her teeth and closing her eyes tightly shut. She didn't know when they arrived but soon her female spirits surrounded her and after many, many hours, a baby with large brown eyes blinked dreamily up at the world.

His chest was heaving with the effort to breathe, oxygen stinging his lungs as he stood there surrounded by countless lifeless dragon bodies. The field was littered with them, acre upon acre drenched in the awful red blood that even stained the stream till it looked like a crimson thread weaving its way through a green canvas. It was a horrible sight, one that would linger in his mind for the rest of his life… one that he'd created.

It had gone by in a blur, time ceasing to exist. The memory of killing even a single dragon was non-existent in his brain but the evidence was clear enough. Something had taken over him, possessed him to the point where he'd no longer been himself or even conscious of what he'd been doing. One moment he'd been screaming at fate for taking his love away and the next, he'd been kneeling in the mess, staring hazily at the world surrounding him.

He took a shaky step up, rising to his feet while he stared down at his blood soaked hands. Beneath the layer of red, his skin was cracked and hard, tinted a dusty shade of grey that reached all the way up his arms and even covered part of his chest. He'd seen this before, but never to this degree and it always faded away quickly, never lingering long after battle. But here he stood, possibly hours after swinging his last blow and still it remained.

The dark clouds overhead ceased their downpour, thinning out as night crept over the land. Acnologia stared up at the few stars that peeked through, the brilliantly pure light filling his chest with sorrow. She was gone now, as far out of reach as the twinkles of light that she'd always loved. Moisture blurred his vision and he swiped a scaled hand over them, scratching his skin with their hard and sharp edges.

A curse burst between his lips and he growled in frustration. Why did it have to be this way? Why had their love been fated for doom?

An echo of thunder rumbled in the distance and he blinked up at the nearly empty sky. That sound was all too familiar now and he took a deep breath, preparing himself for the endless battle which was soon to reignite. "I love you Layla," he whispered, feeling the words resonate deeply within. "I will destroy them all… every last one. Then we'll be together again."

Holding the tiny bundle close to her chest, Layla walked determinedly down the worn path, passing small cottages with shrubbery and small flowers quaintly decorating the little village. Earlier that morning she'd said good bye to the home she'd known over the past seven months and now she was back in Earthland, feeling as if she'd once again entered a foreign universe. Everything looked the same, but it felt different. She didn't know what it was, but something wasn't right.

She found a small shop with a crooked wooden sign and made her way inside, smiling at the small lady who was perched atop a high bar stool. "Good day," she said, stepping closer to the counter.

"Hello there. What can I do for you and your little one?"

Layla placed a gentle kiss to the bundles forehead. "I was wondering, could you tell me what the date is today?"

The lady looked at her strangely, her grey brows winging up. "You're a little young to be forgetting such things. It's July 1, X767. And a beautiful day I might add."

"X767?!" Layla gasped. Her heart started to beat frantically and panic crept inside.

"Yes dear. Are you ok?"

Distractedly Layla nodded her head and excused herself, walking back out to the road while hugging her baby close. "400 years… how is that possible? It can't be. She must be…" A black and white sheet of paper went tumbling by, caught by the wind till it stopped a few feet away. She stepped in front of it and looked down, disbelief making her throat constrict.

July 1, X767

Aimlessly she walked after that, feeling like she'd entered a dream… one that was beyond even her worst nightmares in the spirit world. 400 years meant that her love was gone. Her Acnologia was a distant memory in the present day. The grief threatened to bring her to her knees but her little bundle started crying in her arms and she took a shuddering breath and pushed the pain aside, determined to not be defeated.

Time stretched on as far as the road she traveled and eventually she came to a stop. Love & Lucky she read on the sign, finding the name oddly interesting. Her luck so far certainly hadn't been much but maybe, just maybe that was all about to change.

To be continued

So, sorry if there are any errors. I'm rushing out the door and I wanted to publish this before I left.

Thank you all for the encouraging reviews in the last chapter. I'm glad I was able to make a few of you Laylogia shippers lol.

One more part to come...