Author's Note
Hey guys! Sorry for another long wait but I have been pretty busy but hopefully I can get more chapters out soon! It's a pretty long one so I hope you guys enjoy!
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Chapter 9
The sun pokes out from its resting place beyond the horizon once again. It shines light onto the sea, glistening it with orange and pinkish glows. Many birds chirp as they fly around looking for their morning food. As Striker wakes up, he sees Vinur next to him already awake. He was stretching and taking in the morning air, seeming to have just woken up. Striker then notices Spktra. He was standing at a cliff of the island, staring out into the sea.
"Good morning Spktra." Vinur greets. He turns around a bit disrupted in his thinking and responds,
"O.. oh, you're awake, morning." Striker then gets up slowly and stretches.
"M-morning guys." Striker smiles.
"Morning Angel of Nature, heh, your passive ability is getting stronger." Spktra points to the flowers and plants that grew around Striker when he slept. Striker looks at the flowers and then back to Spktra.
"Heh, I guess so." He chuckles.
"So, are we ready to fly to Your Eternal Reward Island?" Vinur asks.
"I think so." Spktra responds.
"Yeah, I'm ready to go." Striker nods.
"Alright, let's go." Spktra says. He takes off quickly and begins flying East. Vinur transforms into his dragon form and takes off, following Spktra. Striker follows the two and chuckles,
"Wanting to fly on your own Vinur?"
"Yep! I think I am getting the hang of this…"
"Heh, good." Striker smiles.
After a few hours of flying, the three see a small island in the distance. As they got closer, they could see that the island had a small village with neat little houses all tidied up in the north corner of the island. The rest of the island was filled with a forest that seemed natural and undisturbed.
"We should land in the forest for now." Vinur suggests. The two nod and follow Vinur as he makes his descent to the forest. The three land and Spktra gets closer to Striker and asks,
"So how do you feel today?"
"I mean, I feel fine… are you feeling ok today?" Striker asks back.
"Yeah, I'm doing fine." He smiles slightly.
"So guys, let's search the island. We need to find a place to rest and retreat to. Which directions do you guys want to search in?" Vinur asks them.
"Ehh… I'll go East." Striker states.
"Well, the village is to the North, so I'll go South. You go West then." Spktra tells Vinur.
"Alright, we'll meet here again soon." The three then head in their respective directions. Spktra finds a nice lake after a while; however, he senses some life forms around, so he plays it safe and looks for another place. After a little more time passed, Striker finds a little cove with a small pond in the center of it. Striker checks around to see if anything else was in the cove.
So, find anything? Spktra questions after about a half hour.
I found a nice little place…. There's nothing dangerous here… It has a little pond, find anything better? Striker responds.
Not really. Be careful, if your necklace glows red, get out of there. You're still not powerful enough to see them before they get you. Spktra communicates.
Ok, will do, I'll check around this place thoroughly to make sure there is nothing here. Striker responds. He then starts searching around the cove, double checking for any sort of danger.
--
Vinur starts to walk back to the location the three started, not seeing anything of use in the western part of the island. However, before he turns back, he hears a shuffle in a bush to his right. Vinur goes up to it curiously and pokes his head through it. Suddenly, a girl around her teenage years jumps out of the bushes. She backs off from Vinur in a defensive position. Vinur looks at her curiously and walks closer to her. The girl starts freaking out and runs away, trying not to scream. Vinur sighs and jumps in front of her to block her way. Seemingly panicked, the girl picks up a small stone from the ground and throws it at Vinur, still trying not to scream in fear. Vinur just watches as the stone bounces off of him and he sits down. The girl backs off more but a tree blocks her as she backs up. Vinur pads up to her with a friendly smile. She watches Vinur and as he approaches, freaking out and looking for a way to run. Vinur smiles at her with no teeth to show he's not a threat. The girl looks confused but is still scared of him. Vinur sits down in front of her before she can escape and nudges her with his head gently. She completely panics and pushes his head away. She cries for help, not able to compose herself any longer. Vinur watches her closely but does nothing to convey he is of no harm to her.
The girl now tries to run past Vinur, but she trips over Vinur's tail accidentally and falls. Before she could hit the ground, Vinur cushions her fall with his tail fin, and he looks at her with a smile. She gets up very confused and inspects Vinur quickly. She notices the symbol on Vinur's paw and gasps a little. Vinur tilts his head a bit confused at her gasp.
"It… it can't be…" She pants out. Vinur keeps his head tilted with curious eyes. The girl then looks at Vinur with excitement and runs to the village quickly. Before she gets away, Vinur jumps in front of her again and sits down. The girl backs off a bit; however, she doesn't look scared anymore. She looks curious more than anything. She begins looking at Vinur's wings with curiosity, almost making notes in her mind. Vinur extends his wings and looks at himself for her to see his wings. The girl notices the orange glowing tip of the end of his wings. She stretches her hand to touch him but then backs off immediately, remembering that he was still a dragon. Seeing her back off, Vinur steps closer to her with his wing still stretched out. The girl calms down a bit and looks into Vinur's eyes which are staring back at her curiously. She stretches out her hand again and touches Vinur's wings. She begins moving her hand around and gets closer to him.
"W-what are you doing?" Vinur asks her in a calm voice. Her head turns to his face instantly with shock.
"D-did… did you j-just… talk?" She asks, very confused.
"W-wait… you can understand me?" Vinur asks just as shocked. He thought that humans couldn't understand him. Maybe he learned how to? He shook his head very confused.
"Y-yes… so they… are real… My father was right the entire time… I knew it!" She exclaims happily.
"Who is real?" He asks, very confused at her exclamation.
"You… you are a Derkiatad, aren't you?"
"Well, yes. How did you know?" He asks before changing into his human form right in front of her. She backs off as she sees the transformation but pulls herself together once the process is done.
"So how do you know about Drekiatðs?" He repeats.
"From my father. He is then only one on this island who read about them and believed they exist… I believe what he said as well, but I had my doubts… I can't believe I'm talking to one of them right now." She responds, smiling.
"Well, here I am a Drekiartð. So, any questions?" Vinur offers.
"Would you mind coming with me to my village? My dad needs to meet you. Please?" She begs.
"Uhh, sure. Although, may I ask, what is this island's relation with dragons?"
"Well, people here haven't seen dragons in years. We are a mostly poor people, so no one could afford a dragon from the War Leash, so they don't know much about them." She explains.
"Let's head to your father then." Hey Striker, I'll be heading into the village. Vinur communicates to Striker.
Uhh… why? We've found a nice place to rest…
Well, I have found one of the inhabitants. I'll explain it all later.
Ok… well, be careful… There could still be demons around.
I will, don't worry.
Vinur and the girl now begin to walk North towards the village. "So, I don't think you have told me your name. I'm Svarturvinur." Vinur introduces.
"Sv.. svar… svariv… I can't repeat that, sorry… My name is Kenna." She responds.
"You can just call me Vinur." He chuckles. "Nice meeting you Kenna and sorry for kind of scaring you."
"It's ok. Why were you in your dragon form anyways?" She questions.
"Well, I flew here and explored the island with my dragon body because I thought why not just walk around as a dragon for a bit." Vinur responds plainly.
"Heh… Can't argue with that. If I had the ability to turn into a dragon, I wouldn't turn back into my human form."
"You seem to like dragons a lot."
"I've read about them a lot. They are truly amazing creatures, and I am so happy that Derkiatads aren't extinct as the books suggested."
"Yep, evidence is all right here." Vinur chuckles. "So who is your father?"
"His name is Lynx. The village calls him 'the elder.' He is the one who gets the village books if needed, although he is normally seen as an old man who lost his mind…" Her face turns to a sad expression.
"Why do they think he lost his mind?" Vinur asks. Kenna sighs and responds,
"Well, as you can probably imagine, none of them believe in the existence of Derkiartads, yet he did. He reads a lot about them, and he tried to convince the village so many times about them being real… You can guess how it went after that…"
"Well, I can help prove him right." Vinur smiles. "I bet he'll be excited."
"Heh, definitely. His dream is to prove that your kind exists to his village. He is the only one around to actually be interested in magic. Others here are interested in geology, history, agriculture, mythology, and divination."
"I already know what your island is interested in. I visited it a lot a few years ago…"
"Really? The only allies we've ever had was the Isle of Berk. I'm guessing you are from there?"
"Yes, do you remember Stoick's son, Hiccup, and his friend?"
"I've heard about Hiccup, but not about his friend."
"Well, I'm his friend, and Hiccup is now no longer on Berk. He has chosen a life with dragons." She nods before pushing away some branches and enters into a clearing. The two now see the village and they walk along the path into it.
"Welcome to Your Eternal Reward." She narrates to Vinur. Many people walk around the place, holding books among other things.
"So where is your house?" Vinur asks with a smile.
"It's up there." Kenna points to a medium sized house in the high part of the village. It was based on a little hill that overlooked the village. Vinur nods and he follows her up to the house. As they walk, people give Kenna weird glances.
"Umm, why are people looking at you like that…"
"You know how it is… People think that my dad is crazy, and since I'm the only one who believes him and defends him, they all treat me poorly." She sighs.
"I know that feeling-" Vinur gets interrupted with a message from Striker:
Code red.
"Sorry Kenna, I have to go." Vinur says determined. He runs off into the forest before she could respond.
--
A figure uncloaks behind Striker. Sensing the movement, Striker turns around quickly. "O-oh… it's you… Still like sneaking up on me Spktra?" Striker chuckles.
"Heh… Yeah… I'm trying to get you to be more wary of your surroundings, demons won't uncloak before attacking…"
"I guess so, but I would see a bright red glow from my necklace if they came near…"
"Don't count on other methods, Striker. You need to be more powerful and learn how to deal with the demons without the help of artifacts… Plus, it'd be hard to tell if it was me or an actual demon." Spktra gestures to the necklace which glowed red from Spktra's presence." Spktra explains, laying down next to him.
"Y-yeah… you're right… Thanks for trying to help me." Striker smiles. Spktra looks at Striker and sighs.
"I should probably teach you more about your abilities since it seems like we'll be waiting for a while."
"Y-yeah, I think I'd like to try some of my lightning abilities…" Striker suggests.
"Good idea." Spktra stands up and moves away a little. "Alright, we've never tried your offensive abilities. We should probably get started on that."
"Y-yeah, that was what I was thinking… I should probably work on some sort of offensive ability… so, which one first?" Striker asks.
"Alright, since we don't want to cause much damage to this island, as this island is already too small, we should try the disabler blast." Spktra answers.
"Ok, I assume this just makes my selected target get stunned for a while?" Striker speculates.
"Yes, it makes them sleep for a while. It can be quite dangerous to them if someone gets hit by it in the middle of channeling lightning to prepare and attack or something…" He informs.
"Yeah, that seems like a very useful ability… How would I go about performing it?"
"Pretty much the same as healing a target from a poison effect… Focus on damaging the target's mind, not the body, once successful, your plasma bolt should be more green than usual and much colder. Shoot it at me." Spktra sits down to be an easy target.
"O-ok… this shouldn't hurt you, right?"
"No, my host's brain would stop working and sleep, but I'll still be in control of the body, so it won't affect me in the first place. Just don't aim at my head, that could stun my actual self…"
"Ok, I'll try-" A sudden black bolt shoots at Spktra and interrupts Striker. Spktra lays limp from whatever shot at him and his body stops moving. He can only breath and his eyes close. Striker rushes towards Spktra and asks,
"Are you ok Spktra? What was that?!" Striker panics and then notices that his necklace becomes brighter in red. He then looks around in a defensive stance, knowing the bolt had to have come from a demon.
"Hehehehehe… How could you be so distracted?... Now, you're… Mine! Hahahaha!" The demon screeches.
Code red. Striker communicates to Vinur a little panicked. Knowing he couldn't be possessed, Striker closes his eyes and starts concentrating on using his lightning abilities to his advantage. Lightning then strikes on him and his spikes start glowing, illuminating the entire cove. Striker then zips out of the cave with incredible speed. He felt really bad for leaving Spktra behind, but if he was to get possessed, it would make matters worse.
"Where do you think you're going? Hahahahaha!!"
Striker flies into the sunlight so the demon is weaker. Try to get it away from me He tells Vinur. The Demon then shows up at the cove. It has no real shape, just an unstable shadow.
"Where do you think you're going?" Vinur shouts with his dragon body from the cove as it starts flying towards Striker.
"Hehehehe, take a look inside the cove! Look at what your friend has done!"
"He would never do that, that was you! I can sense dark magic! Vinur shouts and flies in front of the demon. "I've banished one of your kind before, and I'll banish another too!" The demon then laughs maniacally.
"Ohoho! You got this all wrong my friend! Hehehe… Your friend, the elemental… He has turned on the traitor… I've seen it all… and now the traitor is dead! Hehehe! His heart and lungs will soon be paralyzed as well… Your friend has realized how powerful he is… He doesn't need you anymore! Hehehe!"
Don't listen to him. He paralyzed Spktra! Striker tells Vinur.
I know. "You are lying. You're trying to deceive me. Now leave before I have to banish you!" Vinur growls at the demon and his eyes start glowing a bright orange color.
"Hehehe… I'll be back! You better sleep with one eye open! Trust no one, mortal, even your elemental friend… and you might just… survive! Hahahahaha!!!" The shadow then disappears into the ground as the demonic laughter subsides. Vinur quickly rushes into the cove to Spktra after the demon leaves.
Is it safe to come back? Striker asks.
Should be. Striker nods and makes his way back to the cove, being extremely cautious. He glides down and reaches the cove and lands next to Spktra and Vinur.
"Lækna drekann" Vinur casts to heal Spktra. After a while, Spktra's eyes slowly open and his breathing becomes more natural. "Spktra, are you ok?" Vinur asks. Striker nuzzles Spktra comfortingly.
"I… I should've known…" Spktra sighs.
"Is everything alright now, Spktra?"
"I.. we weren't even careful… how did we not notice the demon?... That could've been terrible… I can't believe I didn't notice! Ugh!" Out of frustration, Spktra shoots a plasma blast into the air.
"S-Spktra, it's oki, we were in the middle of a training exercise and Vinur wasn't here so we didn't have all eyes looking… Don't be hard on yourself…" Striker tells him comfortingly.
Spktra sighs and looks to Striker. "Ugh.. you're right… we just need to be more careful next time…" He then looks to Vinur. "Did you find the person Hermit told us about?"
"Most likely, but I didn't meet him yet because I had to rush back here."
"I see…"
"Well, let's all go visit him then." Striker says smiling.
"N-no! We need to be more careful, Striker. Vinur, you go meet him and bring back answers or bring him back here… Striker, go to the cave, we need you safe." Spktra tells them strictly.
"A-alright, I'll be back with answers hopefully." Vinur says and then runs off into the woods in his dragon form.
"I… Ok" Striker nods and goes into the cave and lays down softly. Spktra follows him in and lays down. After a few moments, Spktra sighs,
"Sorry for being a bit harsh there… just frustrated from the situation…" Striker looks up to him.
"I-it's ok, I know it can be frustrating… I'm sorry I wasn't on high alert…"
"I'm the one who needs to be sorry… I put you in danger and wasn't alert enough to sense a demon…"
"No.. don't be sorry Spktra… we were both just in the middle of an exercise… We should be more careful next time."
"Yeah, you're right… I'll be sure to be more alert next time I train you." Spktra smiles weakly at Striker. He smiles back and pads up to him before laying down and nuzzling him a little. Spktra nuzzles back with a purr watching over Striker as he begins to rest, putting a wing around him. "Heh, sleep well Angel of Nature…"
--
Vinur runs through the forest and reaches the edge at which the village starts. He transforms before the clearing to appear in his human form rather than his dragon form to not frighten anyone. Vinur then casually walks up the hill towards Kenna's house to visit her again and to find out who her father really is. He reaches the porch and walks up the stairs before knocking on the door and stepping back. Kenna then opens the door.
"Oh, there you are! Where did you go?"
"Well, ehh, I had to go for a bit… I can tell you later… so… where is your father?"
"This way…" Kenna opens the door more for Vinur to let him in. He enters and notices the quite extensive interior of the house. It was filled with books and unusual wooden machines. Vinur also notices an old man sitting in a chair in the corner, writing something in a book.
"Good day. You must be Kenna's father?" Vinur asks with a smile. The old man raises his head to look at him and smiles as he sees Kenna beside him.
"Greetings son, you must be Vinur. Come, sit down." Vinur nods and sits down in a chair near the old man.
"So, what has Kenna told you about me already?"
"She told me that you have something to show me. She didn't want to specify what exactly…" Kenna puts her hand on her mouth and giggles. Vinur smiles over to her and then looks back to the old man.
"Well, let's go to the forest so I can show you what she means." Vinur stands up and reaches out to the old man to help him up. "What's your name? I don't think I've asked…"
"My name is Lynx, but please make it quick. I have some things to finish." Lynx takes his hand and gets up. Vinur nods and walks out the door and leads the two into the forest. They follow and Lynx looks to Kenna. "What is he doing?"
"Just a moment, you'll see." Kenna responds. Once they reach the forest, Vinur hides and transforms before revealing himself to the two.
"So, here I am again." Lynx looks at Vinur shocked. Kenna holds his hand and comforts him.
"It's ok dad. It isn't a wild one, it's him, Vinur." Lynx looks at her hand and then back to Vinur even more confused.
"Yes, it's me. I am a drekiartað. I've heard you were interested in meeting one?" Vinur asks with a chuckle. Lynx's eyes widen and he looks to his daughter.
"A dr-dr-drekiartad? Th-th-they… truly exist?"
"Yes they do." Vinur purrs, walking closer to him. Lynx backs off a bit. Kenna reassures him and puts her hand on his shoulder.
"It's ok father." She holds her hand with his, reaching out to touch Vinur. He looks at the hand and puts his head against it with a churr.
"So, do you have any questions about drekiartaðs?" Vinur asks. Lynx smiles, then closes his eyes and drops, passing out. Kenna immediately holds him.
"Dad? Dad!?" Vinur helps Kenna support him with his tail.
"I think he passed out... we need to get him back to your house." Vinur suggests.
"Yes, but we can't let anyone see you like this…" She agrees, gesturing towards you. Vinur nods and transforms back into human form away from them and then helps carry Lynx back to their house. Once they arrive, Kenna opens the door and puts him on his chair. "Just a second, I'll go get something to wake him up." She leaves and Vinur notices a book open on the table in the living room. He takes a look at the book but does not flip through it. On the front cover, He notices that there was a drawing of a dragon similar to Hermit.
'Well that's interesting…' Vinur thinks to himself. He then looks up and waits for Kenna to come back to the living room. After a few moments, Kenna comes back holding a bowl with some boiling water and some sort of herbs in it. She sits on a chair near Lynx and stirs them with a ladle. "Can I do something to help?" Vinur offers.
"Don't worry about it." She smiles. "It will take some time until it's ready. For now, tell me, why did you come here? From what I've read, Drekiartads spend most of their time with dragons and there aren't any here…"
"Well, there are two in fact, but that's not why I'm here. I've heard that someone here knows a lot about dragons." Vinur gestures to Lynx. She stops stirring and looks at him with a concerned face.
"Two dragons?"
"Well, if you want to count me, then three dragons."
"D-did you bring dragons to this place?" She questions seriously.
"Yes, why do you ask?"
"Well, most people here don't take dragons lightly. You know, we've never seen one in years, but everyone still seems to dislike them."
"Well, they are well hidden in the forest... maybe… we could change the opinion of dragons on this island…" Vinur ponders. "...and how is the chieftain towards dragons?"
"Well, He isn't around right now. He hasn't been for a long time actually… He went on a trip one day to try and form alliances and he never came back since…" Kenna recalls.
"Let me guess, towards Berk?"
"Actually, Berk has broken the alliance with us, so I doubt it. Our village is in serious need of outside help though, so I hope he comes back soon…" Now that the water has cooled down in her bowl, she pours some of the water into a cup and gives it to her father, putting some in his mouth gently and helps him swallow it down. "This should help…"
"I hope so…" Vinur then thinks for a few moments. "Why does your island need help?"
"As you probably have noticed, the island isn't exactly rich. Most of us are readers, scientists... etcetera, and it caused most of the traders to not visit us often as none of them are interested in our books. That caused a lot of alliances to break because we can't defend ourselves, let alone some other tribe…"
"Seems like you need some allies… Do you know of the Enforcer Island?"
"We know every single island that exists." She smirks.
"Well, they are now friendly with dragons. If we can convince this island, maybe you two can establish some trade?" Vinur suggests. Before Kenna can respond, Lynx coughs and wakes up. Kenna gets up quickly and stands next to him, patting his back and offering him some water. Lynx stops coughing and scratches his eyes, he puts on what looks like glasses to see clearer.
"Oh sunshine, I just had the weirdest dream…"
"Well, what was the dream about?" Vinur asks with a chuckle.
"Well it was ab-..." He then pauses and looks at Vinur confused. Kenna holds a laugh at her father's expression.
"Was the dream about a drekiartað in dragon form who talked to you?" Vinur chuckles more. Kenna laughs along with Vinur, and Lynx is still in a state of confusion.
"Just show him your symbol." She tells him. Vinur nods and transforms into a dragon again and shows his right paw.
"Like this?" He asks, laughing a bit. Lynx, still in shock, grabs the book on the table and opens a page with a bunch of symbols. He then pulls Vinur's paw closer and compares the symbols.
"It's... It's matching... I can't believe it…" Lynx gasps. Kenna hugs him and kisses his cheek.
"It is true dad, you were right, like I've been telling you all this time." She smiles.
"Yes, you are." Vinur puts his other paw on Lynx's head. Lynx now looks at Vinur, and stretches his hand to him. Kenna smiles at the sight. Vinur licks his hand. "So Lynx, any questions?"
"Questions? I have lots of them! I can't believe this is happening. I've spent almost my entire life trying to prove to not only this island but everyone that drekiartaðs exist, and that they were all real, but no one but my sunshine over here believed me."
"Well then let's get going with the questions." Vinur chuckles and lays down on the ground.
"Where did all the drekiartaðs go? What happened to them?"
"As far as I know, because of the war between dragons and humans that started three hundred years ago, many drekiartaðs fought on the human side so Apsu gave up on creating them. I am the only one that I know of that stayed on the dragon's side."
"I thought that drekiartaðs were supposed to protect them, not fight them. Did Dahaka have a hand in this...or a paw I guess..?"
"I think Dahaka started the war and that caused islands and tribes to defend and force every member of the islands to fight them and so the drekiartaðs followed what the humans did, and now I'm here to fix all of their mistakes. I already managed to convince the Enforcer Island with some help that dragons aren't the enemy. Maybe I can even convince this island... It is quite small."
"It is indeed, but I doubt they will get convinced, but I wish you luck."
"Alright… I now have a question for you. How can I speak to you in my dragon form? I couldn't a few days ago…" Vinur asks. Lynx scratches his chin and then finds a page in his book.
"I think… here it is. Drekiartaðs can speak human tongue as a dragon once they transform… You must've just been delayed for whatever reason… maybe from shock, you didn't really know how to speak in human tongue."
"I see… well now I have another question... What do you know about elemental night furies?"
"Ah, one of my favorite topics to talk about. They are truly amazing dragons... Hold on, I'm pretty sure I have a book about them somewhere…" Lynx slowly gets up with Kenna helping him. He walks slowly upstairs.
"Why do you want to know about them? I thought they were all extinct?" Kenna asks Vinur, staying downstairs.
"They aren't extinct and you could meet one if you'd like."
"I... I can? Wait, is that why you're here? Is it about those 2 dragons you mentioned earlier?" She asks intrigued.
"Well yeah, one is an elemental, so do you want to meet him together with Lynx?"
"If they are as friendly as the books suggest, then yes I'd love to."
"Well they are friendly just like any dragon, so let's wait for Lynx I think he would also like to meet him." Lynx comes back after a few moments, holding a huge book. He puts it on the table and sits down
"Here it is. Been a while since I've read this... Oh how rude of me, I should probably get you something to drink!" Lynx begins walking towards the kitchen but Kenna stands up.
"Relax, I'll go get him something." She smiles and exits to the kitchen. Lynx nods and sits in his chair again.
"Well Lynx, have you ever met an elemental night fury?"
"I have not. They are extinct... Or that's what the books tell me anyways…"
"Today is your lucky day then. They are not extinct."
"Are you being serious?" He smiles happily. "Meeting a real drekiartað and meeting an elemental on the same day? Am I in Valhalla already?"
"Yes, I'm being serious. There is one on this island as we speak. He's a good friend of mine, so take the book with you, and we can meet him if you want."
"I'd love to! What elemental is he?"
"A nature elemental." Vinur informs. Lynx quickly flips through the pages until he finds a page with a symbol similar to the one glowing green on the Dead of the Night Island.
"There we go."
"Ready to meet him? Take the book with you so you can add new info if you are." Lynx nods and stands up. He calls out for Kenna, and she exits out of the kitchen.
"Well sunshine, today will be the best day of my life." Lynx says as she holds his hands.
"I know father, it will be amazing to finally meet them. Your efforts won't go to waste." Vinur now transforms back into human form to fit through the door. He exits and leads them to the edge of the forest and transforms into a dragon and crouches down for the two to get on.
"So ready to go?"
"Sorry if I make you uncomfortable…" Lynx tries to get on and almost falls but Kenna helps him, then she gets on herself.
"I think we're ready, just please be slow." Kenna suggests. Lynx is quietly giggling to himself. He looks at the book and holds it near his chest. Vinur nods and tries to take off as gently as possible and starts to glide towards the cove. Lynx holds on while Kenna looks down at the island, then up at the clouds.
"So how is your first flight on a drekiartað?" Vinur asks, chuckling.
"It's... It's amazing... I've never been this close to the sky... I don't know what to say…" Lynx gasps.
"Then just enjoy the flight." Vinur, after a few moments, glides and lands in front of the cave inside the cove. "Striker! we have visitors!" Vinur yells into the cave. Striker wakes up suddenly.
"Wha-what?" He gets up and goes to the entrance of the cave. Spktra gets up as well, but doesn't leave the cave.
"Striker, we have visitors that want to meet you."
"So his name is Striker, huh?" Lynx asks and waits in anticipation.
"Yep, he should come out any second."
Striker fully exits out of the cave and looks at the two visitors with some blinking from the bright exterior.
"H-hello…"
"Well Lynx, meet Striker." Lynx looks at Striker in awe. Kenna takes a step back.
"He's... He's just like how they are in the books... They are real…"
"I can translate for you if you want to talk to him." Vinur offers.
"Oh... Then hello, Striker... Nice to meet you." Lynx greets. Kenna waves her hand at Striker slightly. Striker nods and churrs to them,
"Hey guys…" He then looks to Vinur. "Are these the people that could give info about me?"
"Yes, yes they are, and Lynx brought his book about elementals. He could probably read it to you."
"Huh? Oh right... You can understand him…" Kenna recalls.
"Yep I can, but time to find out somethings about Striker."
"Ah yes, I can tell you a lot about yourself Striker." Lynx smiles and gets closer to Striker, Vinur comes near to help translate. Striker tilts his head curiously and then looks at Lynx. "Heh, hello." He puts his hand on Striker and scratches Striker's chin with his other hand causing him to churr happily. Lynx then opens the book and flips through some pages. Striker looks over Lynx's shoulder to see what he was looking at. Lynx looks at Striker "Oh, you're interested, huh?" He chuckles and opens the book enough for Striker to see it, there are drawings and sketches of dragons similar to Striker. Striker looks at the book with curiosity and intrigue. Lynx points at one of the drawings. "This is your greatest ancestor, the first ever nature elemental." Striker's jaw drops, astonished.
"W-wow…" He gasps. Lynx looks at him and smiles.
"He was a powerful night fury, but he managed to change his powers in order to help others. He was the first to learn about banishing demon dragons and was the primary reason Apsu won one of his many wars. He was able to make Apsu's entire army invincible.
"Th-that's incredible…" Striker awes. Lynx turns the page showing an enlarged drawing of the nature elemental from before. There is some writing on the right written in a weird, unfamiliar language.
"These are some spells those dragons used to have... You think you can read them?" Lynx questions. Striker shakes his head like a human indicating a 'negative.' Lynx nods and turns the page again. The page had a drawing of a nature elemental killing a demon dragon. Striker inspects it, and feels a bit proud to be an elemental, smiling widely. "The nature elementals were the demon's worst nightmare. They can heal anyone and make anyone invincible against the demon's possession. They were also more wise, so manipulating their mind almost never worked. The war between them and demon dragons was mostly pursuits of elementals chasing demons around."
"W-wow…" Striker keeps looking at the book with astonishment. Striker thought to himself. 'I can't wait to learn these abilities...I'll be able to protect my friends from any threat.' Lynx flips the pages again. The new page has a drawing of a nature elemental looking at a demon possessed dragon, both of which are smiling at each other. There is another drawing of those two dragons nuzzling each other. Striker looks at the drawing with shock on his face. He then looks into the cave where Spktra was resting and looks back at the book, seeing a resemblance in their situation.
"This has to be my favorite part... Not all demons wanted power or destruction, some of them wanted peace with the other dragons, wanting to use their powers for good. They protected other important dragons, sacrificing everything for them. A nature elemental noticed a demon doing this one day, and they became friends. The elemental cared about him so much, but he realized that when he banishes the demons of his generation, he will banish his friend as well, so he used his powers. Normally this power is formed unconsciously as the two form a close bond and the elemental will eventually be able to use a power to give the demon life, a body to live with. It turns them into a dragon. It's truly beautiful…" Striker looks at Lynx, astonished and then gestures towards the cave where Spktra is. "Huh? What is it?" Lynx asks, confused.
"S-spktra… he's a demon dragon who helped us… Striker could turn him into a mortal so he doesn't have to be banished…" Vinur answers for him, shocked as well.
"Wait… you have a demon dragon here? Are you sure he's safe?..." Lynx asks nervously and Kenna backs up, holding her father's arm.
"Yes, he is safe. He has saved our lives before… You can trust him. We need to tell him this…" Vinur assures. Striker nods and then giddily bounds towards Spktra. The four of them enter and Striker nudges Spktra who was resting again.
"S-S-Spktra...we found some amazing news! Just hear what Lynx has to say!" Spktra opens his eyes and looks at Striker "wh...what?"
"Just please listen to Lynx!" Striker exclaims excitedly.
"I will, ok? Why are you that excited?" Spktra asks confused, opening his eyes. Lynx and Kenna both get caught off guard by the eyes but Vinur reassures them.
"Cause...j-just let him tell you!" Striker says looking at him and then back at Lynx who looks confused as the two dragons look at him.
"Uhh... Vinur? What did they say?"
"He wants you to read the part of where demons can become mortals. Spktra needs to know this…"
"Oh, I see… I will." He gestures to one of the drawings of the nature elemental and the demon dragon. Spktra looks at them with a surprised expression.
"Well" Lynx begins. "Here we go again." He clears his throat. "The last chapter talked about how nature elementals are the enemies of demons and their biggest counters, but not all demons are after power and destruction, some of them wanted peace, wanted to live how they want, and use their powers for good. Those demons protected some elementals in hope of one day getting rid of the chaos their families cause, sacrificing everything to protect them, their hosts, their family, themselves, everything. One day, a nature elemental noticed a demon protecting him and after a while they became friends." Spktra just keeps looking at Lynx, in deep thoughts, shaking a little bit, but not sure why.
"Keep...going…" Spktra mumbles out. Striker gets closer to him, hugging him as the story continues.
"After a while, the nature elemental was powerful enough to banish all his generation's demons from existence, but he knew that it would mean banishing his friend as well. His friend was ready to make the sacrifice, but the elemental wasn't, so he used a power he didn't even know existed. Because he cared about him so much, the power activated, it gave the demon life. It gave him a body to live with. He turned him into a real dragon." He flips the page and shows them the book. The two pages have a large drawing of a dragon, it's eyes are full black but with glowing pupils and its tail resembles angelic wings much like Thorron's. Spktra looks completely shocked, not blinking at all. He looks at Lynx then back at Vinur, then finally to Striker.
"I... I…" He mumbles out barely.
"Y-you are like that friend in the book… I-I guess I can turn you into an elemental" Striker says nuzzling him.
"This will be amazing…" Vinur now starts to nuzzle Spktra as well. Still shocked, Spktra looks back at the two and smiles. His eyes start tearing, and he nuzzles both back.
"So... I will not be a demon anymore... I won't have to use this body... I'll be an actual dragon?... Heh.." He closes his eyes to try and control the tears. Kenna gets closer to her father, hugging him and looking at them. Spktra starts laughing and tearing at the same time, nuzzling Striker happily. "Th...thank you...thank you so much…"
"I-it's m-my pleasure...to save a friend…" Striker nuzzles him back, tearing up as well. Vinur hugs Striker and Spktra with his wings. Spktra now stops tearing up and closes his eyes again.
"I've never been this happy... I can't believe this is happening... I... I'll be an actual dragon…" Striker keeps nuzzling him.
"Y-yes...I'm s-so happy for you, Spktra."
"And I'm happy for you too." Vinur chimes in with a smile. Spktra looks at Lynx, changing his voice to his demonic one so that Lynx can understand him.
"So... What about the body I'm in?... What will happen to it?" Lynx backs off, taken back by the voice. Vinur uses his wing to push Lynx back.
"He just sounds like that, so you can understand him."
"W...well, here it says…" He flips the page again, some drawings of the dragon from before are on the pages with some writing around. "...Once the elemental has a strong bond with the demon, a power will become known to him. The process involves the elemental focussing on the soul of the demon and sending a unique healing beam. It has to be in the moonlight for it to occur… The demon will exit the host and form its own new body. The host will be fine and not be possessed any longer."
"That's good to hear… We're not sacrificing anyone…" Striker sighs in relief. Spktra looks at him, saying,
"We should probably go somewhere else to perform it, a high place or something... I... I want to watch the moon as this happens... I want Liry to have an easy way of leaving the island as well…" Vinur then turns to Kenna and Lynx.
"We will be back in the morning. I'll quickly fly you back." Vinur crouches down for them to get on. They both mount on carefully and wave at Striker and Spktra.
"Good luck Spktra." Kenna and Lynx say together. Spktra nods and both dragons churr a goodbye. After the goodbyes are finished, Vinur takes off towards their house. Spktra watches them leave and then turns to Striker.
"Liry is...the light fury I'm in right now... I've found her flying around the Hidden World's gate, and I knew she would be the perfect host to protect you… She...hated me for the most part... But then we started having normal conversations after she realized my goal... She is wishing you good luck right now…"
"W-well… I wish her good luck as well…"
"Heh... I thought it'd be a long time before I heard her telling me to stay strong, and wishing me good luck and hoping that I complete my goal... She's speaking to me right now... I'm glad I'm finally freeing her…"
"Y-yeah… I'd like to meet her when she's free."
"You will…" Spktra gets closer and nuzzles him, pushing his head gently into his chin. Striker churrs and nuzzles him back, softly.
After a few minutes, Vinur returns and lands next to them.
"Alright, we should get to a high place… I want to watch the moon when I transform…" Spktra says to the two.
"Lead the way." Vinur purrs and spreads his wings. The three then take off after Spktra. He flies noticeably faster, excited to become mortal. He looks around until he finds a small rocky island nearby with a perfect view of the moon.
"Let's land here… It should be enough room for all four of us." He points out, now landing on it. The two follow and land next to him. Spktra takes a deep breath in preparation. Vinur transforms back into his human form and sits down next to him. Spktra now looks back at the two slightly worried. "Hey... No matter how I'll end up looking... What I'll end up being... Will we stay friends?"
"We will always stay friends." Vinur says, hugging Spktra.
"Of course! Don't even think to ask that question." Striker hugs Spktra as well. He embraces their hugs and smiles
"Th...thanks friends… Alright, Striker, whenever you are ready." Striker nods and gets in a steady stance. Spktra stands still and gets ready for the process. Striker feels his new power emerging from within and he focuses on Spktra's soul. After a few moments of concentration, Striker roars loudly and shoots a healing beam of blue at Spktra. A shadow now starts forming around him. Spktra looks at both of them and notices the shadow forming around him. His body starts to go a little limp. After a few moments Spktra collapses on the floor. A shadow emerges out of him, and the light fury on the ground has its blue eyes back. A shadow figure now stands in front of the two, having no real shape and being unstable. The shadow turns around, looking at the moon one final time. It's size and shape starts changing, taking the shape of a light fury, but still in a shadow form. The shadow starts disappearing like fog, revealing a dragon, a navy blue light fury, about the same size as Striker. There are some black patterns on its wings, and two small lines at the end of its ears. It opens its eyes looking at the two. It has full black eyes and blue glowing pupils.
Immediately, Striker and Vinur run to Spktra and hug him tightly. He looks at both of them and smiles, tearing up a little.
"It's... It's done... I'm... a real dragon now…"
"Y-yes… you are a real dragon…" Striker nuzzles him. Spktra smiles and then looks at the old body.
"Excuse me for a second…" He starts walking slowly towards it. Striker notices that Spktra's tail fin is similar to Thorron's and his back is emitting a black glow. Spktra nudges the body. "Liry...Liry, are you there?..."
Striker and Vinur both walk up to her as well.
"Her name is Liry?" Vinur asks.
"Yes.." He responds. Liry starts opening her eyes, and she looks at Spktra and stands up.
"Liry, are you ok?" Vinur asks, concerned. She looks at Vinur.
"I am, Vinur." She turns back to Spktra and gives him a weak smile. "So... This is you now?... You're new body?..."
"Yeah... Sorry for taking yours for all these months... I understand if you don't want to forgive me…"
"You did it for a noble purpose. You protected him from your own family and sacrificed everything. I forgive you." She gets closer and nuzzles him a little. Spktra looks completely taken back by this. She then stops and looks at Striker. "So, you must be Striker, right? The angel of nature?..."
"Y-yeah… I'm Striker, nice to meet you." He responds, looking at her.
"Heh, I'm glad I could help protect you two. You're dragons' only hope, only guards. Be prepared and never give up... Be like your ancestors, no, be better than your ancestors and banish all the danger once and for all."
"We will, but we can always use some help." Vinur offers.
"I'm afraid I can't be much of a help to you. The Hidden World is still missing a king, and I'm looking for one. I'm looking for an alpha that everyone has heard his roar… That's why I was outside of the hidden world that one day…" Spktra looks at the ground, but Liry looks at him and presses her head against his neck gently to raise his head. "It's alright, Spktra... The past is the past…"
"Would you want to rest the night with us before you leave?" Vinur asks.
"I'm sorry, but I need to leave as soon as possible." She looks back at Spktra. "Goodbye Spktra, and good luck."
"Y..yeah...goodbye…"
"Goodbye Liry… Good luck to you." Striker and Vinur greet her goodbye. Liry nods before taking off, firing a plasma blast and going through its fire, cloaking and flying away. The three watch her leave and then Striker turns to the two.
"Should we go back to the cave and rest?"
"I like it here actually, it's quite calming." Vinur remarks.
"Y-yeah this place is nice, let's rest here, then." Striker smiles and lays down beside the two. The three lay there cuddled against one another. Spktra looks at the moon and then at his own body. Striker admires Spktra's body as well before resting his eyes, resting his head against Spktra.
"Goodnight you two, this has been really special to me… Thank you so much Striker…" Spktra smiles, looking at him. Striker nods and nuzzles under his chin.
"Of course Spktra, goodnight."
"Goodnight." Vinur says, cuddled in between the two dragons. The three fall asleep happily, all of them smiling in their sleeps.