A/N: After this chapter, there will be one or two chapters left. So, I hope you enjoy. And just a warning, the legendary dragons may be OOC (especially Timaeus).
Red felt his entire world crash around him. His eyes were impossibly wide in shock as he stared up at Timaeus. The turquoise dragon just stared back at him. The legendary dragon didn't appear to be affected by the situation at all. In fact, the turquoise dragon seemed satisfied with the situation.
Taking in a shuddering breath, Red turned his attention towards the other two dragons. His eyes were unconsciously drawn towards the ebony dragon. Looking over to Hermos, Red could barely contain a gasp. The ebony dragon looked as though he was heartbroken. There were large tears cascading down the legendary dragon's face and falling to the ground. The tears come crashing down to the floor below, causing Red to fly away before any of the drops hit him.
The tears collided with the floor and waves of water traveled towards their perspective walls in a rush. Red spread his wings and took to the sky just in time to avoid the large wave. He looked down at the floor below, which was now completely covered with water.
Lifting his head back up, Red saw that the legendary dragons were no longer paying him any attention. Instead, they seemed to be arguing. Timaeus was growling in anger while Hermos was glaring at the elder dragon outright. The temperature in the room mounted tremendously as the two dragons stepped into each other's personal space.
"Why can we not just give him the Dragon's Heart? He has proven that he is an honorable and skillful dragon!" Hermos shouted to the Timaeus in outrage.
Timaeus bristled in anger and straightened his posture so that he was hovering over the ebony dragon. His black eyes glared right at the smaller dragon, causing Hermos to shrink back in mild fear. Critias moved forward a few feet to try and help Hermos, but Timaeus blocked his path. Timaeus turned his head around, his black eyes gleaming in the light.
"You will not interfere, Critias. This conversation is between Hermos and myself," Timaeus growled out.
Critias flinched slightly at the turquoise dragon's tone, but he held his ground. He wasn't about to let the elder dragon take control of the situation. "I stand for what is right. And denying this dragon of the Dragon's Heart is anything but that!"
Timaeus glanced over to Red, who was watching the argument cautiously. Narrowing his eyes, the turquoise dragon flew over to the smaller dragon. Red instinctively flew backwards until his back collided with the marble wall. He looked up in fear and swallowed deeply. He knew deep down that he would not be able to hold of the turquoise dragon if he chose to attack him. His heart picked up slightly at the prospect but he held his gaze with the legendary dragon.
Out of the corner of his eye, Red saw a red claw shoot out towards Timaeus' wing. He looked around Timaeus' large figure and connected the crimson claw to Critias' body. The crimson dragon's claw scraped across Timaeus' wing, ripping some of the scales off with it. Red winced when he heard a loud roar fill the room, reverberating off of the walls.
Timaeus snapped his head around and slashed his tail through the air towards the crimson dragon. Critias barely dodged the attack, stumbling back towards Hermos. Timaeus turned around to face the other two dragons and glared openly at them. Red held his breath as the tension in the room mounted once again.
"You are being immature Timaeus," Hermos remarked in annoyance.
The turquoise dragon scoffed and rolled his eyes. "If there is someone who is acting immature, it is Critias and yourself."
Critias stepped forward and bared his teeth in response, only to be held back by Hermos. "No Critias. We must not lower our selves to Timaeus' level."
"Well, it is my job to protect the Dragon's Heart at all costs. So, I shall not apologize for keeping the Heart out of the hands of a raving murderer!" Timaeus shouted in righteousness.
Red felt his heart clench in pain and he lowered his head in response. Thoughts of his mate came back to his mind and the black dragon winced. No matter what he did to try and push the guilt away, he still felt the burden of Blue's possible death on his shoulders. He could feel two pairs of eyes on him, but he refused to lift his head.
"Do you not see that he is remorseful about what he has done?" Hermos asked incredulously.
"That matters not. For all we know, he could be fooling us right now!" the turquoise dragon said offhandedly.
Red puffed his chest out in anger and spread his wings. Red pushed himself off of the wall and flew towards the legendary dragons. He flew up until he was eye-level with Timaeus and stared right into the dragon's eyes.
"It is one thing to blame me for my mate's injuries. But it's another thing when you accuse me of lying when I'm trying to help my mate!" Red growled out, nearly spitting out the last few words.
Timaeus' eyes widened in surprise before they narrowed in suspicion. "It is no matter. I will still not allow you to have the Dragon's Heart."
Hermos and Critias growled in anger and both dragons moved closer to the turquoise dragon. Red pierced his lips. It seemed as though the legendary dragon wasn't going to let go of his side of the argument. Looking over to the ebony and crimson dragon, he saw that both dragons were prepared to fight to the death over this issue. Red glanced over to Timaeus, who was still watching him with narrowed eyes.
Red pondered the situation. He could join in with the two legendary dragons to try and convince Timaeus that he in trustworthy. But that would prove nothing. Instead, it would only make the situation worse. But he had to do something to help his mate. It was his fault that Blue was dying and he needed to find a way to heal him. And if Timaeus wasn't willing to let him use the Dragon's Heart, then he'd have to go elsewhere for a cure.
Sighing in exhaustion, Red eased himself towards the ground. He heard a soft gasp from Timaeus but he ignored it. If the turquoise dragon wasn't willing to compromise, then there was not use in trying to reason with him. His feet came into contact with the water below that he had forgotten about. Looking down, Red noticed that the water from Hermos' tears was still around.
Once he landed completely, Red looked back up. All three dragons were watching him in mild surprise. Sighing again, Red closed his eyes. For a split second, he could see Blue basically dying in Dark Sage's bed. He could see Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon crying over his son's body. He could see Blue's brothers blaming him for their brother's death.
Choking back a sob, Red wiped his eyes quickly to stop the tears that threatened to leave his eyes. However, one tear left his eyes before he could stop it. It trailed down his face until it dripped down to the wet floor below. The tear dropped into the pool of tears and sent ripples throughout the entire area of water.
A slight rumbling fills the air and all four dragons look around the room in shock. The ripples in the water grew larger until actual waves were being formed. Red took to the air again to avoid being splashed. He looked down at the water in shock and his eyes widened as the pool started to glow brightly. A pulse of energy filled the room and light burst into the circular building. The water movement below grew rougher and rougher before an orb of energy slowly raised from the pool.
The orb was bright blue and it pulsed every few seconds. It slowly rose into the air, gradually gaining altitude. All four dragons watched the energy with rapt awe. All of a sudden, the orb stopped right in front of Red, who was holding his breath. His eyes were wide and he let out a shuddering breath.
Slowly, Red reached out and gently touched the ball of energy. Almost at once, the energy burst into a flash of light before it completely surround Red. The black dragon exclaimed in shock and immediately started to slash at the light. However, his attacks seemed to do nothing at all. In fact, the light seemed to get brighter.
As the seconds ticked by, the light seemed to get dimmer and dimmer. Blinking a few times, Red looked around in confusion. The light had disappeared completely and it seemed to have left an effect on his body. He felt lighter than usual, as if all the stress that he had been carrying had mysteriously left his body. Any previous soreness that he didn't even notice that he had was gone now and he felt rejuvenated. He also felt a constant buzzing under his skin that made him want to burn some energy.
"I told you the dragon was trustworthy Timaeus! He even absorbed the holy energy of the temple!" Hermos exclaimed in excitement.
Timaeus pierced his lips together before moving his gaze towards me. My heart skipped a beat. Although I had no idea what the dragons were talking about, it sounded good. Looking up with hopefully eyes, Timaeus sighed.
"I guess if the temple spirits accept him, then he is indeed trustworthy," Timaeus agreed.
I felt all the worry in my heart leave my body and I slump in relief. Looking over to Hermos and Critias, I saw that the two dragons were happy about the arrangement as well. Timaeus signaled me to walk over towards him and I hesitantly followed his instruction. He narrowed his eyes onto me and I tense slightly.
"In my eyes, I still do not trust you. You betrayed your mate and nearly killed him. However, if the temple can accept that you are being sincere, then that is enough for me." the turquoise dragon remarked.
I nodded my head in understanding. Timaeus nodded his head back before he looked up towards the ceiling. Joining his gaze, I saw something gleaming on the ceiling. Looking closely, I saw that there was a chest hanging from above.
"With the permission of the gods and the allegiance of the legendary dragons, I request the Dragon's Heart!" Timaeus commanded, his voice nearly shaking the very foundation of the building.
Red watched as the locks holding the chest snapped and he started to move out of the way as the chest came barreling down towards the ground. However, Timaeus held out his hand just in time to catch the chest before it could reach the ground. Red watched in awe as the turquoise dragon lowered the chest down to the ground.
Red stared at the chest for a few seconds before looking up at Timaeus in hesitation. The turquoise dragon must have understood his silent question because he said, "You may open it."
Red let out a shuddering breath before stepping towards the chest. His claws gripped the edges of it and he looked up one last time at the three dragons. All three legendary dragons nodded their heads and Red let out a deep breath before opening the chest.
A bright light shot out from the chest and went up to the ceiling. The light grew brighter before Red noticed something slowly rising out from the chest. It was in the shape of a heart and it was made completely of a special crystal. The crystal moved up higher to the sky until it moved into Timaeus' hand.
"We entrust the power of the Dragon's Heart into your hands. Do you promise not to abuse this power and to use it for what you have requested?" Timaeus asked.
Red nodded his head quickly and Timaeus clenched his claw around the Heart. His claw glowed bright blue for a few seconds before he opened his paw. Looking down at Red, he released his grip on the Dragon's Heart. Red held out his paws in time to catch the Heart. He looked at the large crystal in his hands and smiled. Now he could save his mate before time ran out.
Red snapped his head up. He wasn't even sure how long he had until his mate would perish. For all he knew, Blue could be dead. His heart skipped a beat and he looked around frantically for an exit. The legendary dragons must have understood his predicament, because Hermos lower himself to the ground to comfort him. Critias and Timaeus just stood back and let the ebony dragon handle the situation.
"Don't worry, Black Dragon. We can teleport you back to your home if you so desire," Hermos proposed.
Red let out a sigh in relief before he nodded his head. "Oh, thank you. But instead of my den, can you take me to Dark Sage's residence? That's where my mate is," I requested cautiously.
Hermos nodded his head before directing his hand forward. Out of nowhere, a portal appeared. In the center of the portal, Dark Sage's home was visible. The black dragon smiled and ran towards the portal before he stopped. He looked back towards the dragons and bit his lip before smiling gently.
"Thank you for your help. I'm forever in your debt," Red said thankfully.
Timaeus, Critias, and Hermos all nodded their heads and waved Red off. The black dragon smiled again before turning back towards the portal. Spreading his wings one last time, Red took off through the portal.