Chapter 8: Dragonslayer – 3/3

So, it has taken what feels like a millennium, but we are finally. At. The last part. Of the last chapter. It has taken me longer than I would have liked, in all honesty.

My thanks to everyone who supported me up until this point, via reviews, favourites, or follows, and special thanks to Shamgxk.

Now, sit back, and enjoy.

(Obsidian's POV)

"NIGHT FURY"

"GET DOWN!"

An explosion registers in my left ear, but I hardly notice. All my attention is on Talmaris, the fool who took my life. Twice, if you include the time when I put on the ebony ring.

I call every ounce of my power to my broken body, a dark fire escaping from between my scales. I charge at Talmaris with a speed rivalling light, a terrible roar escaping from my maw. Not a roar of intimidation, fear, or even hatred. No, this… this was a roar of pain. Pure, undiluted, unending pain. The same pain coursing through my broken, battered body. The same pain keeping me alive.

Talmaris doesn't have time to react. My whole body slams into him, my black power enhancing my strength, and the purple dragon goes flying. I don't wait for him to hit something. I open my maw and launch a fireball at the dragon of fate, one significantly darker than usual. Talmaris collides with the wall of the volcano, and my fireball collides with Talmaris. The explosion of dark energies would blind lesser beings, but it only makes it easier for me to see. I jump into the air, infusing Nifred with darkness, and I hit Talmaris like a meteor.

Orange, dark flames explode from the point of impact, launching me and Talmaris away from each other. Talmaris flies deeper into the rock wall, and I end up in the air. My wings ache, the pain unending, but I don't care.

Talmaris crawls out of the rock wall, before he summons a convexity spear, and throws it at me. The spear splits into multiple different spears mid-flight, almost like a shotgun shell. I don't bother dodging. Instead, I counter with a breath of dark fire. The convexity struggles to break my wall of flames, but on my end, this is child's play. Eventually, the spears disappear, and I let my fires die.

A mistake. Talmaris teleports towards me, and delivers a solid punch to my groin. I growl in pain, before countering with a swing from Nifred. Talmaris is too shocked to react, apparently under the impression that the punch would have at least stunned me. The bladed end of Nifred ends up buried in Talmaris' maw, barely missing his eye. I twist the glaive, earning a screech of pain from Talmaris, and I pull the blade out. The purple dragon falls towards the ground, glowing, purple blood trailing from his wounds. I allow my wings to fold beside my back, and I swan dive towards Talmaris. At the last second, I bring the blade of Nifred to point, and infuse it with every last ounce of my fires.

I collide with Talmaris, impaling him in the stomach, and my flames explode everywhere. This half of the island is engulfed with dark, light-absorbing fires, which burn away all traces of Talmaris' corruption.

I twist Nifred, my flames finally spent, and I pull it out. Purple blood flows out of the gaping wound. Talmaris stares at his stomach, and he chuckles. Not a 'I'm better than you' chuckle. No, this was a laugh of resignation.

"So…" Talmaris. "this is where my life ends." The purple dragon coughs up blood. "Strange. I became a god, and raised up the ancestors, to prevent this very thing from *cough* *cough* happening. And yet, in doing so, I caused my own death." A twisted, broken smile forms on the face of the false god. "Fitting, really, isn't it? That I would be defeated by the one who bears my own device." Talmaris' eyes glance towards the ebony ring on my claw, which shines orange in response. "*cough* Give my regards to Malefor, if he is ever freed."

With that, Talmaris closes his eyes, and ceases to live. His body starts burning in my dark flames, his corruption finally, finally, being purged from this world. My anger fades, but the pain remains. It has to. I'm a living corpse, at this point. My heartbeat is weak, but I refuse to die. After all, I have a promise to keep.

I turn towards the main battlefield, and the first thing I see… is the queen of the vermin, taking off like a demon from hell, chasing the black creature which led us here. On the creature's back, is Hiccup. I collapse onto my back, my energy, pain, and anger fully spent. I have done it… killed the false god of fate. There is only one thing left for me to do. Find a way back to Firana.

(Time skip)

I walk through the wreckage from the battle between Hiccup and Toothless, and the queen. My broken body has started to heal, but… but I am still dead. I have been killed, twice now. There is no way in hell that I can live normally now, and my own power will likely stop me from dying again anyway. No… I've been cursed with immortality, it seems. Fitting, really. I kill an immortal by becoming immortal myself.

I spot a black creature in the ashen ruins of the island. I run towards it, only to find that Stoick is already kneeling in front of him. Toothless, I see.

I turn away, and I walk towards the remains of the volcano. It has been charred black by the battle between me and Talmaris, but… but a doorway is now visible. Winter is sitting at the doorway, staring at me intently. I sigh, and walk towards her.

"Obsidian."

I nod, and force my vocal chords to respond.

"Winter."

Winter jumps back in surprise. It would seem like my power needs a little controlling.

I force my flames away from my throat, and towards my heart. The beating of the black organ increases in intensity, and before I know it, I feel… alive again. It must have shown too, because Winter's eyes widened, and a smile appeared on her face.

"How are you feeling, Obsidian?"

"Better, thank you." My voice has returned to normal. "Although, that fight took a lot out of me. If there is anything in this tunnel…"

"We're dead." Winter finishes for me. "Don't worry, we'll be fine."

Both me and Winter walk into the carved entrance, purple convexity runes visible on either side of the corridor. After what feels like an hour of walking, we come across a complete portal. Well… almost complete. A ring-shaped space is visible on the top of it.

I raise my paw, and glance at my claw. The ebony ring, the one that has been controlling my power… it would seem like this is where I part with it. I pull the ring off my claw, my power flooding my bloodstream when I do, and I force it into the gap. The portal bursts into life, my own dark energies making up the vortex that would take me and Winter home.

I look at Winter.

"Ready?"

The ice dragoness nods.

"Yes. The question is, are you ready?"

I nod, and before I know what we're doing, we both jump through the portal.

(Time skip)

(Firana's POV)

I wake up in shock. Another nightmare about Obsidian dying. I'm starting to think that they mean something, but…

I look out of the window. Midnight. I sigh. Obsidian promised he would return to me, but it has been three months at this point. Surely Obsidian would have come back by now, if he was still alive.

I make a decision. I walk out of the temple, and I make my way to the edge of the floating island. I know this is not what Obsidian would want, but… it is what I want. I can't live any longer without the knowledge that the black dragon is safe. At least this way, I will learn whether or not he is still alive.

I jump, wings folded on my sides, fully intent on suicide. Just before I reach the ground though, I am picked up. A black, bipedal dragon in ebony armour flies in and grabs me mere metres from the ground. I look up in shock.

"I don't like to break my promises, and if you're dead, how can I fulfil my promise to you?"

The dragon lands, dropping me gently onto the ground. I shake the dust off my scales, before looking properly at him. Ebony armour that I recognised, an ebony glaive with a Darksign banner, orange eyes, black veins visible at the edge of the eyes…

"Obsidian?" I ask nervously. The dragon nods. "You're alive? Or… we're both dead…?"

The dragon chuckles.

"No, we're both very much alive. Or you are, at least. I've been killed twice over during my time away, but… well, I'm still technically 'alive'."

A smile unwittingly forces its way to my face, and I run towards Obsidian. I embrace him tightly. He drops his glaive, and returns the embrace, a tear escaping from his right eye.

"I missed you, Firana."

A tear escapes from my eye as well.

"I missed you too…"

Obsidian smiles, and pulls me further into the embrace. The cold ebony armour rubs against my scales, but I don't care. Obsidian is back. My own Obsidian is back…

We both pull out of the embrace, and Obsidian gazes at me longingly.

"I'm sorry."

"For what?"

I have to know.

"For leaving you behind. For leaving everyone behind, simply for the sake of revenge." Blood fills Obsidian's eyes, and tears start steaming down his right eye. "I understand if you… if you don't want to be near me anymore. But I had to. I didn't realise until halfway through my time away, but-"

"I don't care." I interrupt Obsidian before he can continue. "You're here now."

Obsidian smiles, his eyes filling completely with blood. Not in anger or pain, but… in joy.

"Thank you. Firana. Thank you. I can finally move on now."

"What do you mean?"

Obsidian doesn't answer. Instead, he turns around.

"Please, come with me. I discovered something while I was away. You have to see it."

(Time skip)

(Obsidian's POV)

"What is this place?"

That was Firana. I have brought her to the convexity vortex where I first encountered Talmaris.

"This, Firana, is where I dethroned Talmaris, the first purple dragon. He's the one responsible for all of the destruction here in the Dragon Realms. I chased him into another timeline, and I've killed him. But… I discovered something while I was here." I wave my paw in the air, and a book with a symbol of a black dragon appears. "This book… it is interesting to say the least. It describes how to access different timelines, and when I observed them, there are several that could use our help."

"'Our' help?"

Firana seems very curious, and I must say, she also seems happy.

"Yes, our help. I'm not leaving you again, not in a million years. I would like to go into these other timelines to help them, but… I won't go if you won't. In all likelihood, they'll resolve themselves, but I don't want to leave things to chance." I look Firana in the eye. "Firana, please. I won't go if you won't, but… I really want to. Not just to help the timelines, but… but because there are a few I recognise from stories I have been told. A few that need help now."

Firana smiles, and stares longingly into my eyes.

"Can you promise that you won't leave me again?"

I smile back.

"I swear, with the Ancestors as my witnesses, that I will never leave you again, not even if I have to kill a thousand innocents."

"Then I will go with you."

My eyes water with joy.

"Thank you, Firana."

I escort Firana to the portal 'room'. I turn towards one specific portal.

"Ready, Firana?"

"Always, Obsidian."

I pour my power into the portal, and a dark vortex appears. Both me and Firana entwine our tails, and we jump in…

And… that wraps up the final chapter of 'Destiny'. For those of you who are confused by the title of this fiction, I named it 'Destiny' because of the fact that Obsidian was chasing the God of Fate, and was, ironically, destined to kill the one who controls destiny. In a sense, he was destined to kill destiny.

There is just the epilogue to go, now. It should tie up the loose ends of Mithril, Lightna, Spyro, and Cynder.

Until next time…