FIRST BRANCH

Qualt's iron horns

The fog was everywhere with the darkness, the cold, and death. He didn't knew where he was... or maybe he didn't want to believe that, deep inside of him, he knew. His breath was loud and fast and he tried to run away from this mist. But, even if he ran for hours without stopping, the land around him didn't change and the white smoke was still surrounding him.

His head turned in every directions... and he finally stepped on a warm liquid. A warm scarlet liquid...

Fear began to take over him… and he saw the bodies, the bloody corpses of the ones he once knew.

Suddenly, he felt observed... He felt that something was right behind him...

He turned around, slowly... very slowly, afraid of what was watching him. And he recognized what it was when he saw the two bright yellow eyes and when he heard the terrible voice...

"Kill... Kill... Kill..."

He yelled a scared scream.

"What's happening!" asked a wounded dragon that just woke up.

Qualt's breath was quick, jerky and tears were on his face.

"Oh... that's just him..." moaned the same dragon before returning into sleep.

Then, the jerky breath turned into a silent sob. Even after one week, these events were still destroying his mind. He tried to make some humour, sometime, but he didn't get a laugh... Not even from himself... That was evident, the mark of what happened that night would be deep into him forever.

Then, he calmed down and the total silence was coming back as he got up from bed and moved to the window. He wanted the refreshing and calming night air.

He inspired deeply and expired slowly. His friends and sister's death was overtaking his mind and prohibiting him to sleep. Even if he lost his wife and his son before, the fact that Gloria past away destroyed him. Before that, whatever who died, he always had a member of his family left. But, now...

But pain woke up into his chest, a gift left by the one he call Myst during their fight. He gritted one's teeth and swore to search this darker and to kill him! But, for now, he had to stay during one or two more nights in there. There was only one thing left to be done here.

And while thinking of that, he put one paw on the rest of his right horn.

He sighed and returned to sleep, trying to stay away from nightmares this time.

"Mister Ironhorns?"

Qualt was staring at the window and turned his head towards the voice.

"Please, don't call me that name. I have no family left now, it's useless to have a family name", he answered.

"Well, I fear that, even if you abandon that name, it will be your new nickname after the operation. Follow us."

He obeyed and followed the doctor.

The operation was painful as they fixed the false horns on the top of his head and he almost broke one or two teeth thank to his suffering. A bandage was now around the finished product. And now he needed some rest. But sleep was hard to come and he once again got up from bed and moved to the window.

His eyes were always blocked in one direction: a graveyard that was not so far from the hospital. A graveyard where every members of the Ironhorns family were laying. Only one was not in there. And this one was, at this moment, touching his horns, his iron horns.

How ironic, isn't it?

It finally was the day where he got out of the hospital, with a lot of bandages on his body but the great scar on his chest visible to the entire world. His iron horns were shinning to the solar beams.

He moved to the graveyard to see the tomb of his family. He was finally in front of where Gloria was laying at that moment. He inspired and whisper:

"Gloria, I promise, you will be avenged. I promise I will kill Myst! I promise! I'll do it for you... and for our friends... and for the family. After that, I swear, I'll stop being an Ironhorns. After that, Qualt Ironhorns will die to become..."

But he stopped as he felt that someone was behind him. He turned around to see a yellow dragon with a lot of scars on his body.

"I knew I would find you here", he said.

"What's new since I'm now without a family and since I was in this hospital chamber, boss?"

"Nothing special."

"And why did you came here to see me? You have something in head, that's for sure."

"I see you're beginning to know me..."

"So, what is it?"

"Now that you're out of the hospital, you'll work again.''

"Haven't I vacations or something after what I endured into this fucking forest?"

"I see that your language is always as poetic as before. And, yeah, you had vacations... while you were healing."

"And I see that you are always as manipulator and as player on words as before... So, what will it be? An other exploration outside?"

"No. This time, you have a little promotion. You were a simple soldier yesterday, today, you're an investigator, a detective."

"And why do you think I can do that job?"

"Your past in Warfang told us that you are intelligent enough to do what we want of you."

"Yeah, as obedient as a good puppet, it would have been the same coming from your mouth."

"If you were as obedient as you said, you wouldn't have said that."

''Words are different from actions. So, what do you want from me, now that I'm a... detective?"

"A murder. It happened last night."

"And who's the lucky one?"

"Who are the lucky ones. Two children: a brother and his little sister."

"Any possible evil brother?"

"Nah. They were the only children of the Gald family."

"You say me that like I know who they are... But who the fuck are they!"

"1st class citizens."

"Yeah... still don't know who they are and why you send me instead of you other detectives."

"First, you're the only 'detective' that is not busy."

"Wrong! I'm busy doing nothing...'

''Second, the Gald family is a rich family who's the only ones left in are, now, the two parents: Pold and Frey. And the victims are Korth and Lilya.'

"Any other informations?"

"Pold is a painter and a writer. And Frey is a scientist who works the most of her time with Merth Altherio, a mole."

"Please don't be a creepy love story between a dragoness and a mole..."

"Don't worry, these two are like hating each other. They work together because they need the knowledge of the other for some subjects."

"Thanks for explaining me what working in a team is."

"Stop being so cynical, please."

"You wish too much dreams to come true, I see."

"So, Ironhorns, I think that questioning the two parents is the best thing to do for now."

"Yeah, maybe. But where do I have to go?"

Then, the yellow dragon took a paper and wrote the address. He gave it finally to Qualt and answered right after:

"Now get out of that graveyard and get back to work."

"Yeah, yeah, I understood!" he said while moaning.

"Oh! And I heard the way you told your story. A bit vulgar."

"And? You have a problem with that?"

"No, not me, but other yes. You look like a 3rd Class Citizen, ah ah!"

"You say that like I give a fuck about it! Because you think that the fact they're complaining about my vulgarity will change the way I am? Ah ah! Fuck nope! I am like this and I'll be forever like this! And the ones that complaining about how vulgar I am, they can go fuck themself and get used to what the world is: violent and vulgar, no matter who you are or where you are! Eh! They cry because of this but, at least, I'm honest with the world and myself."

And he turned around and began to move to the direction of the address. But, before he passed the exit of the graveyard...

"Oh! And, for the 'Myst' you encountered during your walk at the forest and you swore to kill...'

"Yeah?"

"I know someone who probably encountered him too and tried to know more about him. Maybe he has some informations about it that can interest you."

"1st Class Citizen? 2nd?"

"None of the two."

"Oh, okay. And what's his name?"

"Doug Harmot, a mole."

"Okay, I'll try to see him."

"We both know that you won't try but do it."

"Yeah, maybe, whatever. Thanks for the info, anyway."

"You're welcome, my dear.''

And, after this discussion, Qualt finally gone into the direction of his destiny...

He was in the dark, in front of a mirror. He knew he couldn't see himself but, for him, it was the better: he disgusted himself. And a question went into his mind: why did he let that monster doing this? Why...

Suddenly, he heard a voice, right behind him:

"Don't be disgusted like that, don't make that face... We both know why I killed them..."