ROSE'S STORY: THE DARKNESS DRAGOON
CHAPTER THREE: FATE AND SOUL
"Dart! Dart, look!" Shana gasps in wonder, pointing and jumping up and down like a little girl.
Most of us had been on the deck, and even I had to raise my eyebrows in surprise when I saw Mille Seseau. I had never approached it at this angle before, even though I had come here many times.
At this view, Furni, the first city we would dock at, was resting entirely on the water, supporting by piers and docks which reached into the ocean. The houses were elegantly crafted of stone, with open doorways and several small boats to travel around town with. Although looking like hundreds of little dome-shaped houses, the entire city looked enchanting.
Dart climbs up the ladder that leads below deck, and walks over to Shana, sliding an arm around her waist and looking at where she is pointing.
Furni is drawing closer quickly, and I frown. Something is not right.
The Queen Fury pulls into the docks, and I am the first one to jump off, sniffing the air. "There is blood here, but…it is not bad."
Meru looks around. "It's been a long time!"
Haschel comes off the ship after her. "You've been here before?"
The dancer looks around quickly. "Um…y-yeah. I'm really popular, remember?"
"Kongol cross sea first time." The Giganto says, stomping onto solid land.
"We have to concentrate on finding Lloyd. I wonder why he announced his destination to us?"
Shana and Dart get off together. "I like this place." Shana declares. "It's nice and quiet."
I frown again. It wasn't like this the last time I came.
As we walk deeper into the town, we see that there are hardly any people on the sidewalks. The streets are all made of water, but the wooden boats are all abandoned. They are all hiding inside. Aside from the five knights arguing on the main sidewalk, there is no sign of life.
The oldest knight, already turning gray, speaks up to the others. "My name is Harris. I've called you all here to help me find a wolf. It used to belong to a little boy named Teo, but recently the wolf Kamuy has become savage and ran off to the Evergreen Forest to join other monsters attackin people."
Wolves are wolves. They have to hunt, to eat, to do what they are meant to do. That is how nature works. Monsters are stupid; they don't know what else to do but to feed and sleep.
"Also, Teo has disappeared! I promise a five times larger reward for the one who kills Kamuy! The same goes for the one who finds Teo."
The largest knight carries an axe like Kongol's, only more modern, with a longer handle. This Human is different, hungry for battle, and the promised gold. "It's gonna be me!" he declares. "I'll get the five times larger reward!"
He turns and glares at our group. "I'm going to be the one who gets the reward. Don't ever disturb me!"
Wow, I'm frightened. I think sarcastically.
The large knight glares at us. "Are you so frightened and cannot speak?"
Yeah, that must be it.
"Bulgus!" Harris calls sharply. "We have to cooperate or we won't be able to defeat Kamuy."
Grumbling something, the knights disappear into a stone building.
Albert studies the shimmering clear water. "We'll need a boat to travel by. The rental shop is over that bridge." He points, and with a swirl of the green cape, begins to walk, pausing for us to catch up.
The man at the counter is busy fixing something that looks like an oar. "Please hold on a moment." He calls, straining to push something into place, then shoving it away and looking up. "Hello. Oh. Here is the license for the boat."
"What?" Dart asks, clearly surprised.
"The mayor said that the boats are free for the warriors. You are the warriors here to help stop Kamuy, aren't you?"
"No, we're travelers. We just came in from Tiberoa."
"Tiberoa!" The rental shop man's eyes widen. "Did you just arrive in that huge ship?"
Dart nods. "Yeah, that's the Queen Fury."
"Wait a minute.!" The owner says, twisting his head so that he can count. "One, two, three... seven! Could this be the Dart and companions that defeated the Sea Dragon at Illisa Bay?"
"I see our fame has spread this far." Haschel says to the rest of us.
In my head I am debating about whether or not I like this new 'fame'. For the past eleven thousand years, I have kept a low profile. The less people who knew about me, the better. If they feared me, even better. Now that they refer to me, as well as the rest of the Dragoons, as heroes, I am slightly bewildered and unsure.
"Wow! Hon, you gotta tell the mayor!" The owner calls to his wife, and she paddles away in a small boat. "Here it is! The license for the boat! Take it!" The owner tosses three keys at us, free of charge.
I board a boat with Albert and Haschel. Meru rides with Dart and Shana. And because Kongol is so big, he gets his own boat. The boats are moved by oars, not motors, and Haschel and Albert paddle like twin water wheels. I watch in amusement.
"You know, Rose, a little help would be appreciated." Haschel puffs.
I shrug. "You two seem to be doing fine."
The two men exchange a knowing glance, but do not say anything else.
The three boats line up by the docks, which are on every house, of the mayor's house. The seven Dragoons all tumble out, and walk up the stairs to the open door.
The mayor is inside waiting for us. "Hello. I have been waiting for you! I was pacing all around the house. Here, let me tell you about our current situation." He waves over a little girl of about eight years, with dark hair and dark eyes filled with sadness. "This is…my daughter Fa. She was attacked by Kamuy a few days ago. Then Kamuy ran off into the Evergreen Forest. Not long afterwards, Teo disappeared as well. He probably feels responsible for what happened to Fa. Teo and Fa are best friends. Fa has not spoken one word since Teo left."
Shana bends down so that she's on eye-level with the little girl. "Hello. Who are you?"
The girl nods but doesn't say anything.
"We are starting a hunt tomorrow morning to find Kamuy." The mayor concludes.
"So…" I purr from my place against the wall. "You are asking for us to cooperate with you on your hunt."
"Well, yes." The mayor seems bewildered. "Of course, I cannot force you. We have a group of warriors. It should be enough." He pauses, and shakes his head. "How inconsiderate of me! I have been talking on and on without asking about you! As an apology, why don't you stay here for the night?"
"…" Dart considers this, then turns and looks at the rest of us. I shrug my consent, and Dart looks at Fa. "Do you like Shana?"
Fa smiles shyly.
"All right. For tonight only." Dart agrees with the mayor. "Thank you."
"Wonderful. Why don't you look around town? By the time you get back, dinner will be ready. Come on, Fa, come help me with dinner."
I do not go very far. I only slip out of the house because I do not want to stay in the house by myself. The others have decide to see the town, and Haschel and Albert offer me the ride, but I decline it, trying to be polite.
When the boats disappear, I sit outside, which seems to be the dock and the entranceway to the house.
Looking around, I realize that the water town of Furni is not quite as elegant as I had first thought when we docked. Now the stone houses look small and cramped, and the water streets seem uncomfortable and poor. Instead of the enchanted look I had thought, it carried more of a quaint look of what might have once been poverty.
I suppose everything is like that once you actually see it. I think. Gods, I miss Zieg. I wish he was here so I could talk to him. I have so much I want to say to him.
It seems I spend all my free time thinking. But otherwise, what can I do? I have learned how to block my own thoughts so that my mind is completely blank, and several hours can go by without my feeling bored. But I like to reminisce about the past. It brings me back to the times I can never have again.
How weak I am.
The others have not been gone long before they return, which is no surprise because Furni is a small town. When the first boat pulls in, I am standing on the narrow ledge practicing thrusts with my sword. And as they head inside, I go with them.
Fa and her father have finished preparing the dinner, and we wait for everyone to return before we eat.
Shana and Meru talk with the mayor throughout the meal, and I listen with half a mind. I hate being social. It's hard to talk to someone after being alone for 11,000 years. I poke at my food a lot, but hardly take a bite.
It seems a long time before dinner finally ends, and Shana volunteers to help Fa clear the table. The little girl seems to like the Light Dragoon.
Dart speaks to the mayor about the threat of the wolf Kamuy, and what the knights are going to do about it. Of course, he volunteers us to help. It seems that the monsters in the Evergreen Forest are growing savage. I wonder why that could be.
After a while, Dart climbs up the ladder and up onto the roof to study the Moon That Never Sets.
When night falls, Shana takes Fa upstairs to try and put her to sleep. Although I am downstairs, I can hear Shana humming a tune to the little girl. The lullaby is actually very nice.
Haschel, who had been half-asleep himself, snaps awake when he hears the tune, and walks up the stairs silently.
In a few minutes, he is back downstairs with Shana.
"Fa is asleep." Shana calls to the rest of us, even though it is only Albert, Haschel, Shana, and I in the room. The others are already sleeping or talking to the mayor in the guest room.
"Shana, where did you learn that tune?" Haschel asks, and I can detect a note of anxiousness in his voice.
"Isn't it a sweet tune? I learned this from Dart." Shana answers, smiling. "He said his late mother used to sing it to him as a baby."
"What?! It's impossible." Haschel mutters. "My daughter made that song...So, it wasn't a coincidence that I am here after all."
And the Claire Bridge wasn't a coincidence either. Dart is Haschel's grandson. But then...why does Dart look so much like Zieg, who in no way looks any bit like Haschel. I have to see what Claire looked like before I can understand any of this.
"Why? Is something wrong?" Shana asks.
"No. I just need to get some air." Haschel goes down the stairs outside.
"That reminds me." Albert speaks up. "Shana, Dart has been on the roof forever. Why don't you join him?"
The girl leaves the room, to admire the Moon That Never Sets. If only she knew what it actually was, she would not be admiring it. But she is only a Human, and not able to understand.
"So Dart is Haschel's grandson." Albert says. "Counting the ages, it is possible, but they don't anything alike."
I cut him off with a sharp motion of my hand. "I know. You said it before."
Dart looks so much like Zieg. Not at all like Haschel.
Not long after Shana has gone upstairs, Meru ducks out of the guest room and follows her, grinning.
Silly girl. As if watching others could make you understand love and romance. I watched others for thousands of years and I still don't understand it as much as I had before the Dragon Campaign.
Barely noticing that Albert is starting to nod off, my thoughts turn to my Dragon, Michael.
After the Dragon Campaign, only four of the fourteen members of the team had survived. None of the humans were left alive except for me, and the only Dragons left were Regole, Feyrbrand, and Michael.
I had been seriously rattled by the events of the war, and needed time away from everything to soul search. Michael had come with me, as a friend and as a bodyguard. He had protected me when I was too grief-stricken or unaware to help.
And then he had helped me when he found out the prophecy. For thousands of years, he fought by my side, helping me no matter what. And then...
No, don't think about that. I tell myself, forcing my mind to go blank.
I sit over by the window on the countertop, polishing my sword, cleaning the blood and fur off the blade. Albert is awake now, speaking about something, and I reply idly, barely listening.
There is a surge of power, and I snap my head up, looking outside. The darkened clouds that had been partially blocking the Moon That Never Sets have disappeared, and the Moon glows like a giant pearl in the sky, emanating power like never before.
A scream comes from the rooftop.
Albert jumps off the sofa, and I grab my sword, leaving the sheath behind, running to the stairs.
"Help!" Meru dash down the stairs.
Any other time I would have thought that she was crying 'help' because Dart and Shana were angry with her for spying. But I see the fear in her eyes, the worry and concern.
Not a second later, Dart rushes down the stairs with an unconscious Shana in his arms.
"What happened?" Albert asks, running over.
"I don't know! She fainted." Dart says.
I walk over and check the girl's pulse. "She's still breathing. Get her somewhere soft."
There was nothing wrong with the town when I observed it, except for that tinge of blood, but that was because of Kamuy. And Shana was on the roof, admiring the moon with Dart. What could possibly have happened to make her faint?
In the morning, Shana is fine, waking up and stretching as if nothing had happened.
"Are you sure you're okay?" Dart asks her during breakfast.
"Yes. I'm fine. I don't know what happened." Shana replies, but her spirits seem to be good, and she looks healthy.
After a short while of silence, Dart speaks, "Harris is expecting to help him hunt down Kamuy. We should leave soon."
Something changes in Fa's eyes but she remains speechless.
Thanking the mayor for everything, we take the boats to the far northern part of the town, where someone takes the boats back and we travel the journey on foot to the Evergreen Forest.
Mille Seseau is located on the northern part of Endiness, and is covered with snow. The ice makes the ground look like crystals, and the road has been carefully plowed through the forest. Of all the continents, perhaps this one is my favorite.
The Forest is large, with a winding maze of paths. I know where each and every one of these paths lead, but I allow Dart to wander around. He seems to know where he is going. But then again, he had lived here in Neet, his hometown that had been burned by the Black Monster eighteen years ago.
Finally we come to a clearing where a little boy of about ten stands.
"Hello." Dart calls. The little boy looks at him with frightened eyes. "Are you okay?" He starts forward, but before he can reach the boy, the bushes around us explode, and a wolf leaps out to stand protectively beside Teo.
It is not a normal wolf. It is large as two horses, with white and gray fur and glimmering yellow eyes with a savage light in them.
"Teo!" The resident knight Harris appears beside us. "Get away from Kamuy! He's different; you can't help him anymore!"
"No don't hurt him!" Teo yells. "Kamuy's good! He didn't attack Fa! He was trying to protect her! It was another monster that attacked Fa!"
"There's the wolf." The large knight with the giant axe growls.
"Everyone surround it!" Harris orders.
"No, don't hurt Kamuy!" Teo screams.
The wolf is already moving. He snarls at the knights, and moves in a swift fluid circle, knocking down those that get near to him. Bending down, he pushes his snout under Teo and flings the little boy onto his furry back.
Growling, Kamuy runs off with Teo hanging on.
"Come on, we have to follow it!" Harris rushes off after them.
At times like this, my adrenaline and bloodlust rises high, and I race after without even knowing or caring if the others are behind me.
After a few minutes, it is our group that finds Kamuy and Teo, in a small grove of large trees.
Teo notices us. "Go away!" he commands, determination in his young eyes.
"Teo, you have to go back. Fa's worried about you. She really cares about you." Shana says.
The little boy pauses. "Fa's worried about me?" he pauses and shakes his head. "But what about Kamuy? He's gonna be killed if I don't protect him!"
Harris apepars again. "Teo, leave Kamuy!"
The large knight starts forward, and glares at us. "You pretended not to be interested, but what you wanted was the reward, huh? Well, forget it! The five times reward is mine!"
Kamuy allows him to get close before flicking one snow-white paw and knocking the knight out.
Pathetic... I think.
We have no choice. We had to engage Kamuy in combat.
The fight was short but fierce. Kamuy was a large wolf with a lot of fight in him, but no match for seven Dragoons that had been through too much already.
I can't help but wonder why the animals have been getting savage. Monsters were usually stupid creatures that attacked for no reason, and with little skill as well.
After the fight, Teo knelt down by his pet wolf, crying. "Kamuy..." he moans, crying. His face is buried in the fur.
Shana shifts awkwardly. "Maybe I can help him." She says softly, brushing Teo aside gently to kneel beside the dying wolf. Holding her pendant high, she calls out in a sweet voice, "White Silver Dragon... Please, save... Kamuy!"
For a moment I am in awe. The silvery-white light fills and surrounds both the wolf and Shana. In the illumination, her eyes closed and her sweet face locked in prayer, she looks so much like an angel. I do not think that even Shirley, with all her grace and beauty, ever looked like this.
When the light fades away, Kamuy is the size of a puppy, frisking about Teo's ankles and yipping.
"Kamuy's back to normal again!" Teo cries joyfully, picking up his pet.
Shana smiles and walks back to us.
Harris scratches his head. "Well, I suppose that since Kamuy no longer poses a threat, we don't have to kill him. Let's return to the town, Teo. Fa's worried."
On his way past us, Harris nods gratefully. "Thank you for your help."
"We should head for the next town here." Dart says. "It's the capital of Mille Seseau, Deningrad."
I follow at the end of the party with Dart leading to the capital city. Along the way, Haschel pauses and stares at another pathway, with a knight guarding it. "Dart, what's that way?"
Our leader stops and turns around. "I dunno. I just remember that we were never allowed through there."
"It's the Mountain of the Mortal Dragon. It's dangerous there." I say a bit quickly. "Let's continue to Deningrad."
But as we head down the sloping snow-covered path, Meru slows her pace and tries to sneak into the undergrowth.
Dart, of course, notices. "Meru? What are you doing?"
The platinum beauty pauses and turns around. "I just remembered I needed to do something. You guys go ahead."
"What do you have to do?"
"I want to see my parents."
"Oh, well why didn't you say that?" Haschel asks. "I will miss you, Meru."
"I won't be gone too long." Meru replies without missing a beat. It is almost comical how they speak to each other, with the difference in their ages.
But while the party continues on, I pause on a path that I recognize.
Dart turns back. "Rose? What's up?"
"Please go on. I remember I have some errand to do." I speak the half-truth. "I'll catch up with you soon. Look for Lloyd in the meantime."
Not wanting them to ask me what my errand is, as they had done to Meru, I slide halfway down a canyon wall and then leap onto the path on the other side.
I can hear Haschel speaking as I walk off, "She is mysterious, as always."
I walk through the snow fields without shivering.
I need to do this. To see.
I stop when I reach my destination. The stench of acrid long-gone smoke and burnt bodies still lingers in the air, and no one has bothered to clean up the town.
The burned village of Neet.
The buildings are all destroyed, long since crumbled, piles of rubble and metal and stone everywhere. A lampost is halfway to falling. It seems more of a garbage heap than a town. But no one has lived here for eighteen years.
Nothing has changed.
I begin to move past the entrance gate, but pause.
Am I hesitating? I chide myself. It's silly. There is a reality I must face.
Steeling myself, I move forward past the rubble to see what has happened. I need to see all the devastation.
"Mother..."
???? I pause, my hand gripping my sword.
But the voice had been gentle, lamenting. I remove my hand from the hilt of my sword, and walk further on.
There is a woman kneeling with her back to me in the snow, barely older than I am. She is dressed in baggy violet pants and a cropped black shirt. Her black shoes look like an elf's and her hair is dark under the violet veil that she has around her head. Next to her stands a younger girl, with blonde hair in braids under a blue cap, and wide eyes. Around them stand three guards as bodyguards.
I listen to the dark-haired woman speak to the tombstone in front of her. I know that the tombstone has the names of everyone that had been lost in Neet carved on it. This girl must be here to pay her respects.
"Mother, it's been a while. Since the tragic day I lost my sight. I am able to see today thanks to the love of people like Setie here. May the Divine Tree bless all the victims of the tragedy."
Silently I move forward.
Although I had made no sound, the dark-haired woman spins on one knee. "Who is it?" She demands, crying out.
Her eyes are blue-lavender, and empty and blank. She is blind.
The three knights run forward, all pointing their swords at me.
I hold my hands palms outward.
"I didn't mean to surprise you. I am just a traveler, please don't be surprised."
Although she is blind, the dark-haired woman seems to know exactly where I am. "There are people here of Neet. Are you here to visit someone?"
Her question makes me squirm internally. "I guess."
"Then you know about Neet?" The woman asks. "My mother was killed in the accident. I was spared for some reason. It is a miracle that I survived. It is probably because I am blind."
I remember...whoever that didn't see what happened needn't die. So... there was another survivor other than Dart. I wonder if he will be pleased or depressed to hear this news?
"I am Luanna, second Sacred Sister of Mille Seseau." The woman introduces herself. "And this is Setie, the fourth Sister."
I remember that Mille Seseau has four Sacred Sister to assist the Queen Theresa. All of them are loyal and have their own talents. They are also very beautiful, and are obeyed like princesses, although their job is to teach love and kindness, almost like a priestess. The Sister Wink that I had seen so briefly in Donau had been one of them.
"I still remember that day eighteen years ago…" Luanna says quietly. "I was blind. I could not see. I felt my mother taking my hand, dragging me to the barn. We hid in the hay, but the Black Monster still found us. He asked my mother where Princess Louvia had gone. My mother was crying, but she was brave. She demanded to know what the Black Monster was so evil. The Black Monster then threatened to kill me. My mother gave in, and told him that the Princess was heading for the coast.
"The Black Monster said that all who had seen the Moon Child as she passed through needed to be killed. It was so hot…I felt my skin burning. And then my mother's hand went limp. I remember groping for her, screaming. And then I felt the Black Monster leave, and there was silence."
"I see. So you survived."
The young woman shakes her head. "It is a miracle. But the gods have bestowed upon me a different gift."
"Sister Luanna may not be able to see with her eyes, but she can see into people's souls!" Setie says excitedly. She is a pretty girl, dressed in the colorful clothes of the royalty of Mille Seseau, but young. "And because of that, Sister Luanna suffers from other people's suffering."
Immediately I block my mind so that she cannot read it.
"I heal people's souls." Luanna says modestly. "If you need help healing the pain in your heart, I can help."
I turn my face for a moment. "No thank you." Nothing could ever heal this pain that I carry within me.
"Are you done here?" I ask.
"Yes, I am returning to Deningrad."
"May I join? I know you have knights but the monsters in the Forest are tough. You will need protection."
The knights glare at me.
"Thank you for your help." With Setie's hand on her arm, Luanna walks past me out of Neet. The guards follow.
I was right. They did need my help.
The knights were good fighters, but not good enough. Growling my rage, I slash away a Moss Dresser, and in the meanwhile am attacked by a Wounded Bear. Years ago I could have handled them with ease. Now it is different, and the monsters are much stronger. Part of me fills with bloodlust, anxious for a good battle. Another part of me is mildly surprised at how strong these monsters have gotten.
"You are hurt." Luanna says, her empty eyes turned toward me. It is because of her powers of the mind that she can know exactly where I am, and my condition as well.
"It is nothing. It will heal." I reply, but I accept when she offers to bandage the wound on my arm for me, kneeling down next to her.
Luanna's hands are gentle as she winds the white guaze around the gash in my forearm.
When she finishes, she looks at me with those blank blue-lavender eyes. "You suffer, Rose, very greatly."
For a moment I am afraid that she knows. "Does not everyone?" I say, standing up again, shielding my mind.
"Yes." She answers gravely. "Let us be on our way."
When we get to the capital city, I pause for a moment to absorb its awe.
Deningrad is perhaps the most beautiful city on the entire planet of Endiness. The streets are carefully paved with cobblestone, very clean. The houses are made of wood and painted very nicely. The snow on the roofs and streets give it a cozy look. The giant building on the right is the temple, and the even larger building on the left is the National Library that is reknowned all through the world. No doubt Albert, with his lust for knowledge, had been very excited to see it.
And then of course, there was the Crystal Palace, where the Queen lived.
The Crystal Palace was made entirely of a rare shimmering blue-green jewel, carved in the shape of several pinnacles stretching up to the sky. The very sight of it was breathtaking, even for me, I who have seen almost everything in the world in my 11,000 years.
"It is beautiful, isn't it?" Luanna asks softly.
"Yes, it is." I reply, and then feel slightly guilty, an emotion familiar and yet unfamiliar to me. "I am sorry."
"It is no matter. Setie has described it to me. As long as I can live in it, I do not care what it looks like. It is my home." The woman answers.
"Rose!" Someone yells my name.
I turn to see Dart and the others, even Meru, running toward us. I must have taken longer than I had expected to. It seems that around Luanna, my senses seem toyed with.
I nod once in acknowledgement to him. "Did you find out anything about Lloyd?"
"No, nothing important." Dart's eyes shift to the others, the two women and the three knights.
"Rose, who are they? Do you know them?"
I turn slightly. "I just happened to...meet them... This is Luanna and Setie, two of the Sacred Sisters of Mille Seseau."
Setie smiles and Luanna bows slightly. "Excuse me, but you have gone through some recent changes in your body."
Dart frowns at her. "What do you mean?"
"Sister Luanna!" A villager runs up behind us. "Thank you, Sister Luanna. Thanks to you, I can go outside again."
Luanna smiles. "That is what we, the Sacred Sisters, are for. You don't need to thank me."
Albert walks up to the dark-haired Sister. "I would like to speak to you. Is there somewhere we can talk?"
After a few minutes, we are settled in a waiting room of the inn.
"Do you remember anything at all?" Dart asks Luanna.
"All I remember is the sound of terror." Luanna responds. "I'm sorry. I cannot help you."
"That's all right. Just knowing that there is another survivor brings me hope that one day my journey will lead to the Black Monster."
"Um…Sister Luanna…" Setie speaks up. "What about Mr. Dart's health?"
"That's right." Luanna turns her sightless eyes toward Dart. "I feel that you people have incredible power. Beyond the power of Humans. But…there is also a stronger entity, one that has influence over your power." She smiles. "I'm apologize if I only confused you further."
Dart puts his head in his hands. For a moment, I believe that he has a headache, because he does not want to be reminded that he is not fully human. But I realize that his face is twisted in pain.
A slight nudging appears in the back of my mind as well. I frown at it. The nudging bursts into an agonizing pain, and I stumble once, leaning against the wall to seem as if nothing is wrong.
I hear voices in my head.
War is not in human nature. Humans fight by making themselves enter insanity.
These words seem familiar.
It is...the same for revenge. This is a tool to amplify the insanity. And this insanity is the source of the power of Dragoons, the Dragon Knight.
Someday something will happen, and is you cannot chasten your insanity I wonder if you will be able to endure it given the meagerness of your spirit?
I had said these words to Dart, on the Queen Fury.
Dart straightens, lifting his head and blinking several times. "I'm sorry. I didn't feel well for a moment."
"I felt something too." Luanna confirms. "Something...strange. Something full of hate."
"Luanna, what did you mean about the unusualness of my body?" Dart asks the dark woman sitting on the sofa.
"I sense that there is something strange about you, all of you. You carry around a power than normal humans do not have."
"That's right." Dart holds up his pendant, and it glows fire-red. All seven Dragoons will on the power, and the room lights up with the different colors. When Dart puts his away, as do the rest of us.
"What was that?" Setie breathes in awe, staring at each one of us.
"The power of Dragoons." Dart answers. "The Dragon Knights from the Dragon Campaign. We were not alive back then, but we inherited the powers."
Maybe you had not been alive then, Dart, but I sure was.
"That is the power that I felt from you." Luanna says. Her blank eyes seem even more far off than before.
The ground begins to shake. A vase on the little table next to me rattles off the edge and breaks to pieces on the polished wooden floor. The paintings on the walls tremble, and the people are thrown around.
A shadow passes outside the window, and the shaking stops, or at least lessens.
"What happened?" Luanna is saying again and again. Setie helps her to her feet.
Unsheathing my sword, I race out the door, and tilt my head upward to see the long slender grayness of a Dragon.
Oh no!
The Divine Dragon. The King of the Dragons has broken out of the chains that the Winglies had set it in thousands of years ago. But...that's not possible. The Divine Dragon has been resting peacefully up until now, and the chains were strong. Someone must have interfered, cast a spell to anger the Dragon and weaken the chains somehow. But who would be as foolish as that? Who would be that stupid?
"What is that thing?" Shana yells, gesturing up as if anyone could have missed it. The Dragon is larger than a cloud, but much faster. It drifts over Deningrad with a strong wind that knocks over loose objects and strews rubble around.
When everything quiets down, the people of Deningrad is screaming and whispering at the same time, running around as if to search for shelter too late.
"What was that?" Dart asks with a strange tone in his voice, sheathing his sword. "I thought all the Dragons were dead."
"The seven elemental ones are dead." I answer carefully, gripping the hilt of my sword tighter. "But there is still the Divine Dragon, the king of dragons. There is a prophecy that goes with it. 'One who glares through seven diabolical eyes and who crosses the sky with seven wings. The king of Dragons sealed by the long gone Winglies rests in the ground of Mille Seseau. Once it awakens again, it shall bring terror to the world.' It had been sealed in the Mountain of the Mortal Dragon, but it must have broken loose."
"I...I think I felt it arrive." Dart says, putting one hand to his forehead. "I...felt something back in the room."
"As did I." I answer.
Albert turns from studying the sky. "I think I did too."
"We have to tell Queen Theresa about this." Luanna says, turning and stumbling. Setie is there immediately, steadying her. "Follow me to the Crystal Palace."
Luanna and Setie led us to the throne room, where the Queen sits. The Crystal Palace is just as beautiful on the inside as it is on the outside. The outer rooms' walls are still carved of the crystals, and the furniture and carpeting are of the very best, decorated in the finest silks and wool. But it is not gaudy, as most royalty tend to have their castles or palaces decorated in gold and silver. The Crystal Palace holds a sheer elegance and serenity that makes me feel almost calm and at peace.
Almost.
"Wow..." Shana breathes, as she looks around the hallways and corridors. Meru's eyes are wide, but she cannot find any words. It is not surprising that they are amazed.
"Sister Wink!" Setie exclaims, running up to embrace another woman.
This woman is older than her, but still young and beautiful. She is wearing a dark ruby skirt, straight and long to her ankles, and a dark navy cardigan. The darkness in her clothing harmonizes with her pale creamy skin. Her fine hair is the exact color of yellow, not one shade darker or lighter. Her eyes are wide and brown, and she is smiling. She seems to carry peace and love with her. "Hello, Setie. Luanna." Her voice is melodious. "Who are these people?"
Luanna introduces us. "They are here to help us fight the Dragon."
Wink stares at each one of us with wide eyes. "You are all very brave. I would never have the courage to even dream of fighting the Dragon."
Setie starts speaking rapidly. "Sister Wink was attacked by bandits a few weeks ago, and she was saved. Now she's in love with her savior, even though she doesn't know where he lives or even his name."
"I know his name." Wink retorts, color rising to her cheeks.
"Then what is it?"
Wink blushes even deeper. "I can't tell you. It's a beautiful name though."
I grimace with my face but smile with my mind. I understand what it is like to be in love, and Wink was just like I had been 11,000 years ago. But hopefully, her love will succeed.
Telling us that we must hurry, Luanna leads us further along the throne room.
As we approach the throne room, I can hear yelling.
"Basing your strategy on an assumption of the enemy?! You would expose your men to such danger?!" There is a slapping sound, and as I reach the top of the stairs, I see a knight fall to his back. "You are dismissed, captain of the knights."
The knight gets up. "Yes, ma'am!" he ducks past us.
"You are too harsh, Miranda." The Queen says. She is dressed in green ceremonial robes, with a plain but beautiful headpiece over her dark hair. Her skin seems to be almost...blue-tinged, and her eyes are a deep violet.
"He was incompetent." The woman who had slapped the guard replies.
She is tall and very pretty, with waving blonde hair falling softly around her shoulders. She wears thigh high brown leather boots and white shorts that look like a skirt. A long sleeved white tunic with a brown leather vest. She seems almost medieval, and her outfit is almost identical to mine. On her back is a quiver of arrows, and in her right hand is a silver bow. She looks just like any modern-day woman, almost gentle, but she is fierce and harsh.
"That is Miranda, the First Sacred Sister of Mille Seseau." Setie whispers. "She's tough."
"Luanna, Setie, you have returned." Queen Theresa says, and we walk into the throne room. "But who are these?"
Luanna introduces us one by one.
"You are warriors. The bloodstained armor tells it all." The Queen says quietly.
Dart replies, "We are here to help you against the Divine Dragon."
Miranda smirks. "You seven would help us against the Dragon?" She seems to be a fighter, and with an attitude.
Ignoring her, I turn back to the Queen.
She is regarding the seven of us with deep eyes that stretch on forever. "I feel that there is more to you warriors than meets the eye. What are you?"
"We're not regular humans." Dart says.
Making the story sound captivating, the other six Dragoons take turns telling the tale of what has happened, how each one of us is a Dragoon and the Dragons that we have faced before. They tell her everything from when Dart rescued Shana from Hellena Prison, to Lavitz being killed, to stopping Kamuy and then ending up here.
"I see. So you are the legendary Dragoons of the past." The queen says softly.
They were not the original ones. Dragoon Spirits find new masters. I am the only original one here. But I cannot tell the others that.
Finally Dart sums it up, "We will help if you will have us."
"We are grateful for your help." Queen Theresa says. "Do you know what is going on?"
I step forward. "The Divine Dragon broke out of the Mountain of the Mortal Dragon, after 11,000 years of sleep. No wonder he is cranky."
"It is very powerful."
"It is the King of Dragons. But there was no way to destroy it, so the Winglies sealed it up in the Mountain of the Mortal Dragon, where they hoped that it would stay for the rest of eternity. But it appears that after thousands of years, the Divine Dragon has woken up."
"You mean that there is no way to stop it?"
I pause. "It is said that Winglies made weapons to kill Dragons."
There is a gasping sound, and I turn around. Meru has taken a step back, her hand flying to her mouth. Her liquid brown eyes are wide. "W-what? How do you know about that, Rose?" She pauses, as if realizing a mistake. She looks around and then drops her head. "Oops. I didn't say anything."
"May we ask for your help to stop the Dragon?" Queen Theresa asks.
Dart bows slightly. "You are free to ask."
"What are the weapons that can stop the Dragon?"
"There are two weapons." I say, turning the subject back to how to stop the Divine Dragon. "One is the Dragon Buster, which can kill Dragons. But that weapon is currently in the hands of someone else. So we have no other choice but to rely on the other weapon. The Dragon Block Staff, which blocks Dragons' powers."
"Where is it?" the Queen asks me.
"I was going to ask you," I shrug. "But it seems one of us already knew about it. Meru?" I turn around to look at her.
The dancer steps back again. "W-What are you talking about?"
"You seem to know what is going on. Do you know where the Dragon Block Staff is?"
She squirms under everyone's gaze. "I'm not saying anything...but, I have a feeling...I think...I think it might be in the Forest of Winglies!" She blurts out, almost painfully.
"Forest of Winglies?" Everyone echoes.
"It's in Evergreen Forest. I can show you the way." Meru seems resigned and tired, as if she is admitting defeat to something.
"I will come with you." Miranda declares firmly, leaving no room for argument. "I must make sure that everything goes correctly." Her right foot is tapping impatiently, and she has one hand on her hip, eager to start.
"Please return quickly." The queen says, standing up and nodding formally in thanks.
It is when the party reaches the entrance that Albert pauses. "Please wait. I don't see Shana."
Dart stops and looks around. Indeed the brown-haired girl is missing. "Where did she go?"
"Oh great." Miranda says sarcastically. "Now we have to waste time looking for her. Let's go. Hurry up." She brushes past us back to the throne room.
Albert and Haschel laugh. "She's a lot like you, Rose."
I am insulted; I do not like the blonde woman. "How?"
"You two are like mirror images of each other! You're both very harsh, and look, you're even practically dressed alike, only you're darkness, and she's more of a light."
Ignoring them, I walk back to the throne room. I really don't like Miranda.
Shana is in a room adjoining to the throne room, kneeling, her hands clasped together, her eyes closed. A white light thrums through the room, although it does not come from her. She seems to almost be asleep.
"Shana?" Dart calls.
The girl does not move.
"Shana? Shana!" Dart kneels down in front of her and shakes her until she awakens. Her eyes snap open and she gasps.
"Dart? Where am I?" Shana asks, looking around. "How did I get here?"
"We were going to ask you."
"I don't know. When I woke up I was here."
"Miranda," Dart gestures. "What is this room used for?"
The blonde woman steps forward. "I heard that this Palace used to be a fort for Winglies. This room was used to seal something."
"Perhaps that is why the Divine Dragon is attacking Deningrad." I say. "He is trying to work off some of the hatred he feels for humans."
"Ah..." Shana groans, crouching slightly, her hands over her ears. "Ahh...my body...it's burning..." she wails.
"Shana?!"
"I can't..."
With a surge of power, the silver-white pendant lifts off her neck and rises high into the air with a shrilling whistle, and lowers itself around the pale throat of the First Sacred Sister, Miranda.
Well that was quick.
But I frown. Dragoon Spirits only leave their masters on three accounts: if their master is dead, or if they feel that the master is unworthy, or if they have found a better master.
"What?!" Miranda sounds enraged. "What is this?"
"I cannot manage it. I don't feel the power of the Light Dragon anymore." Shana whispers.
"You're a Dragoon too?" Dart asks Miranda.
"Me?! I'm a Dragoon now? One of you?"
"Dragoon Spirits manipulate Fate." I muse. "Hmm..."
Shana swoons, groaning. Without a sound, her legs crumble beneath her, and she faints. Dart manages to catch her before her head hits the marble floor. Worried and slightly angry, he carries her to a guest bedroom.
Shana wakes up in a few minutes.
"Are you okay?" Dart asks her.
"Yes," She replies, and hesitates. "But...I don't think...I can go with you anymore. I want to...stay here and...rest."
"Good. Get some rest." Dart smoothes the hair on her forehead. "We'll defeat the Dragon."
The party starts out of the room, and I hear Shana calling for Miranda, saying, "Miranda...please take care of the rest."
"I will."
As we leave Deningrad, I think about what has happened.
I am not sure whether or not I want Miranda to be one of us. She is more powerful than Shana is, and no doubt will be a better Dragoon, but...I somehow dislike her. Not distrust, but... I have never thought about it before, when the others join, but this time I don't like her. She is annoying in her forthright criticizing way, and she carries herself with a dangerous aura. She obviously does not like me either. Just as well.
A little part of my mind snickers at me. She's just like you.
Silently, Meru leads the party through the paths of the Evergreen Forest. But instead of following the plowed-out dirt roads, she skims through the forest, making the others struggle to keep up.
Miranda does not complain. She pushes her way past the branches that drop into her face, snarling curses. Her pride is important to her.
Meru seems to be nervous about something, and at last she leads us to a dark clearing with a dead end. The trees' leaves are so thickly woven that no sunshine filters through.
"Meru, is this a dead end?" Dart asks, brushing the leaves off his red armor.
"Here we are at the entrance to the Forest of Winglies. Maybe I'll be kicked out again." The dancer shakes her head.
"Where is the entrance? I can't see anything." Dart complains.
"There's a magical boundary between the two worlds. Some of the Winglies are still angry about the Dragon Campaign so they locked themselves up." Meru takes a deep breath.
With a sound like a blade slashing into the night, Meru's shoulder blades enlargen into shimmering crystal wings, like shafts of moonlight.
"Meru!" Dart is standing shocked. "Are you a..."
"Yep." Meru nods, grinning, as if relieved that her secret is told. "I'm a Wingly."
Of course, the platinum hair, the personal pity toward Lenus, the strange energy signature.
Meru stands in front of the dead end, arms akimbo. She seems to be summoning up her power. And with it, the dead end suddenly flares to life, and the wall of trees is now a portal of a sort, shimmering blue.
She turns around to smile at us, shyly and nervously. "In you go."
"Why didn't you tell us?" Miranda asks, not harshly.
Meru looks at us all with a straight face, none of her usual perkiness or joking in her eyes. "Would you believe me if I told you? Would you still consider me a friend?"
Dart makes a gesture with his hands. "It doesn't matter. Meru is Meru, right? …Now let's go into the Forest of Winglies. We are dealing with serious stuff now."
Only now do you realize it. I say in my mind.
Meru leaps through the portal, and we all follow. It feels like walking through a waterfall.
On the other side is a quiet forest, with stone pathways and a giant wooden house, where the Winglies probably are. I guess that there are only about fifteen to twenty Winglies in this village.
It is actually a nice place. I suppose that after 11,000 years, the Winglies get to do some redecorating. Somehow sunlight lightens the village, and there is an open sky above, but I know that if I transformed to Dragoon mode and flew above, I would not be able to see it.
The three guards at the entrance stand up. "What?! Humans!?"
"I'll go warn the Ancestor." The third one flies off, the wings like shafts of light.
"Meru! How dare you return here with humans!" The second guard has something in his hands, a shining sphere of an pale blue color. An energy sphere, a weapon. It does not attack physically; it leaves no wound except maybe a burn mark, but it attacks the body's reserved energies, draining you weaker until you finally die. The ancient Winglies had had the exact same weapon. I remember being struck by one. I had screamed at the pain, and had to temporarily withdraw out of battle so that Shirley could heal me.
And if a human got struck by one, it would be instant death. But...we are...not humans anymore, are we?
"Wait!" Meru holds up her hands, waving them frantically in protest. She is obviously unwelcome here, probably because she left the village, which is against their rules. "Don't shoot! They are my friends!"
"We don't want to fight!" Dart yells. "We only want to borrow the Dragon Block Staff!"
"What? How did you know about the Dragon Block Staff?"
Miranda walks up to Dart. "Should we break through?"
He turns to her with a stern face, as he often did to me when I was going to kill someone. "No we should not." He replies through clenched teeth. No doubt having one impulsive bloodlust female on his team was enough. Now he has to deal with two who are obviously not friends.
"The Dragon is awake! We have to stop it or everything will be destroyed! Including the Forest of Winglies!"
"What can Humans do if they have no magic?"
The third Wingly flies back. "Everyone hold on! The Ancestor says that he will see the humans."
The other two Winglies grumble, but they allow us to pass through to the teleporter that will take us further in.
It is a small round circle, and when I am transported, it makes all the blood rush to my head and make me momentarily dizzy. It only teleports one or two people at a time. I had been on a teleporter pod only several times in my past, but that had been thousands of years ago.
As we walk into the village, many of the Winglies stop what they are doing to stare at us. Some of them shy away in fear, some of them growl in anger, and some stare in open awe. But none of them attack us, as the Ancestor himself has said he will see us.
"Some of the Winglies hate humans after the Dragon Campaign," Meru whispers. "And some of them are afraid of Humans. But some of them want to go out into the world again. That's what I did. They don't like me anymore, cuz leaving the village is against their dumb laws."
A younger Wingly stands at the base of the wooden house. The entrance is about twenty meters up. There is no way to jump up there; Winglies get in by their wings.
"You will need to get up there." The Wingly says. "Do you want me to carry you?"
"Yes please." Dart answers.
One by one the Wingly brings us up. It feels strange to float up in the air without beating my own wings. It feels almost like levitation.
Out of politeness and slight bewilderment, I thank the Wingly, and duck into the house.
Inside is illuminated in pale green glow. Meru leads the way again, into a section where an older male and female Wingly stand.
"Mother! Father! I'm home!" She says.
"Meru!" Her mother seems surprised, and starts to move forward before the male speaks.
"Meru, do you realize what you are doing?" he asks angrily, and then notices us. "So these are the Humans who have deluded you."
"Don't talk badly about my friends!" Meru exclaims. "I want to save the Forest my own way! With Dart and his friends!"
The female speaks to her husband. "The Ancestor trusts them and is letting them through the border. You should trust your own daughter as well."
Meru looks crushed. "Father, humans aren't as horrible as everyone says. There are some bad humans, but that doesn't mean that all humans are bad! These are my friends."
Her father turns away, and I cannot help but notice wetness gathering in Meru's eyes.
"Meru, your father acts as if he is not happy to see you healthy and well, but he is indeed happy to see your face." Her mother embraces her.
"Humans over there." Meru's father says. "Dragons are your allies. Why do you fight with us, the Winglies who you once fought?"
Dart shakes his head tiredly. "The Dragon Campaign has been over for more than 10,000 years. Besides, if the Divine Dragon is not stopped, both Humans and Winglies will be destroyed."
"Please take care of Meru." The woman says.
"I have been taking care of them!" Meru says indignantly.
More likely the other way around.
As Meru begins to leave, her father speaks without looking at her. "Your mother is right. I am happy to see your face. You've changed a lot. You've grown."
"Of course I have, Father. I am your only daughter. I...I think a lot!" Meru giggles. "I have to speak with the Ancestor."
When she leaves that section, she directs us toward another teleporter pod that leads up into a room with several Winglies fussing over something electronical.
Without speaking, the platinum-haired Wingly of our team jumps onto another teleporter, and we follow her to a small dark room with a table and two bookshelves and a Wingly sulking at a cabinet.
The Wingly male turns around and a smile lights his face. He is a male around the age of Meru, and he seems friendly. He, like all the other Winglies, is dressed in a gray robe with a scarlet cap over his platinum hair. His eyes are liquid brown and they hold a strange emotion as he looks at Meru.
"Meru, I knew it! You are coming back to me!" His eyes shift quickly to the rest of us and he takes a step back. "You are Humans! …So you are the friends Meru has?"
"That's right." Meru nods pointedly, as if this is an old argument. "This is Guaraha, a friend of mine."
"You said I am just your friend?!" Guaraha echoes in disbelief.
"Um…we grew up together?"
"Meru, you are my fiancée!"
Dart smiles slightly. "I didn't know you have a fiancé, Meru."
"There is more to you than I thought, Meru." Haschel says.
"Wow! What are you talking about?" Meru waves her hands frantically.
"I thought she was just a kid." Miranda comments, drawing the attention to her. She has that effect on people. Staying quiet for a while, and then speaking so that every head turns toward her. "Hmm. It must be true that the Winglies have a long life and they are not as young as they look."
"What are you analyzing me for?!" Meru screeches.
"What kind of relationship do you have with Meru?!" Guaraha demands, stepping forward menacingly.
"Relationship?" Dart echoes with a hint of a laugh. "We are just friends."
"At first she insisted on following us." Haschel informs.
"Is that so?" Miranda asks, purring.
"We have no time to talk about that!" Meru says quickly. "Guaraha, why are you cooping yourself up in here!? There are awful things going on outside!!"
"As the Ancestor told us the Divine Dragon has come back to life, hasn't it?" Guaraha says dejectedly.
"Why aren't you defending the forest?" Meru demands.
"The other day I let you in the forest, Meru. I'm on probation now. Of course I would defend the forest if I could." Guaraha says wistfully. Anyone can see that he really does love Meru.
"Whatever!!" Meru says. "We are going to see he Ancestor. You just stay here and be gloomy!"
"Meru, you have changed."
"You can be changed too if you go outside, Guaraha."
Guaraha looks down at the floor. "I…there is a commandment for us Winglies. We cannot do what you want us to do, Meru."
"Yes you can." Meru says sharply. She has spoken of this to him before.
"…"
We leave Guaraha's room, back to where the other Winglies were observing a machine. This visit no doubt has an emotional effect on Meru, but she is trying very honorably not to show it. Perhaps she is not the empty-headed little ditz I thought she was.
"This one." Meru points to another teleporter.
"Is this the way to the Ancestor?" Dart asks, walking onto it.
"No. I'm taking you on a tour first. Get on."
This teleporter leads to a small room with a locked door at the end. Meru walks up to it and places her hand on it. The door slides open to reveal a woman with six wings and six hands, dressed in a modest beige toga, with a golden circlet adorning her brown hair. Her eyes are closed, and she seems to be in hibernation.
"That's the Archangel." Meru explains. "She's like someone who the Winglies worship. A goddess...I think."
"Don't you worship her, Meru?" Albert asks.
Meru shrugs. "I dunno. All right, tour's over! Let's go see the Ancestor!"
Finally she leads us through a series of teleporters and we end up in a small circular room with a pale rosy glow. The walls have a pattern of strange ridges, and there is another teleporter at the end of the room.
"Humans are not welcome here!" A new voice declares angrily, and a Wingly appears, teleporting, appearing out of nowhere. They had been able to do that in the past, but now their powers are fading.
"Bardel!" Meru yells. "Are you here to make trouble?"
"Meru, how dare you come back here after what you have done?" The Wingly accuses. "You left the village of your own accord. You are not welcome here anymore! Because of you my baby sister was killed!"
"What?! Bardel-"
"You were always like a role model to her. She followed you everywhere. When she heard that you left the village, she did the same. She went into the humans' world, and they killed her. It was because of you that she was killed!"
"Oh my God! I didn't know. Bardel, I'm sorry."
"Sorry doesn't bring my baby sister back! Because of what happened, I vowed that I would get rid of the humans. That one day I would go into the human world and annihilate them all! I will show them the true strength of the Winglies!"
How old-fashioned. Maybe 11,000 years ago that would have frightened me, but not now. You lost the war, Wingly, and you can't change that.
Flipping my hair over my shoulder, I walk up to him, to where he hovers in the air. My voice is harsh and condescending. "You are strong, huh? Don't make me laugh. I wonder if you have noticed that you are declining because you cling to the glory of the past? You can barely fly and that's about it, right?"
Bardel is obviously very angry with me. "Maybe you won't think so after this!"
Although his words were aimed at me, the energy sphere he created in his hands was launched at Dart.
Quick as thought, the Fire Dragoon transformed, and raised his arms to block. The energy sphere collided harmlessly with the legendary armor, not leaving a mark.
Bardel's jaw drops open. "Is this...is this the power of the legendary Dragoon?!" his wings fail him, shrinking back inside his shoulder blades, and he crumbles to the ground, shaking. He wants something so bad that he can almost taste it and yet not receive it, and still wants it. "It's impossible..."
Meru's voice is gentle and sincere. "Bardel, when everything is over, they I will come back and resolve the issue of your sister. But please trust us for now."
I have a severe distaste for these Winglies. Meru and Guaraha and the Wingly who carried me up to the wooden house are acceptable, but in initial reaction, I hate the Winglies with a loathing deep within me. But then again, of course. I had fought the greatest war against them 11,000 years ago, and it was them who had killed my friends, Human and Dragon alike. It was their emperor, Melbu Frahma, that had torn Zieg from me forever.
"The ones who flaunt their power disappear when the truly powerful appear." I tell Bardel icily. "I am going ahead." I step onto the teleporter without waiting for the others.
After a few minutes, they appear. We are now standing in a room made of gray slats of metal, for once not flooded with light of some color. On the left is a revolving door made of copper, and on the far side of the room is a chair, almost a throne. In front of us in a small pool.
Dart walks up to the water and puts his hand in. "I feel my vitals being refreshed."
"I wonder if it is an apology for the discourtesy?" I say aloud.
There is a sound like two blades rubbing against each other, and then an old Wingly appears on the chair. His hair is whiter than platinum, and his face is covered with many lines.
"Welcome. I am Blano, Ancestor of the Winglies." he says courteously.
Miranda, having been raised in polite society, drops to one knee respectfully. "I am the First Sacred Sister of Mille Seseau, Miranda. Please forgive our sudden visit."
"Please listen to us." Dart says. "The Divine Dragon is…"
The Ancestor nods. "I know. The Divine Dragon came back to life in the Mountain of the Mortal Dragon and there are Dragoons that have come to us. It seems that the times won't leave us alone. The messenger from the Crystal Palace, and the people who were fated to come here… Our opponent is so enormous. We have to combine each of our strengths or none of us will survive. Neither the Crystal Palace nor our forest."
"You mean…"
"Let us put the power of the Dragoons and our wisdom together."
"You will let us borrow your Dragon Block Staff?" Miranda asks anxiously, stepping forward.
The Ancestor looks at her. "We don't have the Dragon Buster now. So the Dragon Block Staff is our last resort. We no longer have the power to master that, however, if you who rule the Dragons can use it, we can fight against the Divine Dragon."
"I appreciate your kindness!" Miranda says, relieved.
"However we cannot participate in the battle. We are all that remain. We cannot become extinct." Ancestor Blano says.
"I'm going!!" Meru protests
"I know." Dart smiles. "You are a Dragoon too, Meru."
"Go inside." The Ancestor points to the teleporter. "I will show you where the Dragon Block Staff is."
When I step through the teleporter, we are outside, standing on stone platforms. To the right is a large teleporter at the top of a staircase. The Ancestor explains that this is the one who leads to the Forbidden Land.
The seven of us step onto the teleporter and the Ancestor works his magic. The world shrinks up into a shimmering green sphere, and I feel my very being moving without my consent.
It seems as if I end up in a different world. The time seems to be eternally sunset, and in front of us lies a castle, an ancient Wingly fort from the Dragon Campaign. It was once populated by Winglies, but now no one is allowed here and it is in ruins. The Forbidden Land is one of the five places sacred to the Winglies. The other four...
The Forbidden Land…back in the Dragon Campaign it was the Royal Capital of the Winglies, Kadessa. This…this was where the final battle took place. This was where Zieg and Melbu Frahma had battled to the death.
I shake my head to clear my thoughts.
Meru is sitting on the ground, quivering. Is she crying?
"Meru, are you all right?" Dart asks. "You are shaking."
"It's just that…I can hear the outcries of the people who died here." the Wingly female stands up, her legs twitching slightly.
"You can wait in the forest." Dart offers her kindly.
Meru shakes her head firmly. "No. I won't be able to help you defeat the journey if I cannot conquer such a little thing! Come on, let's go."
Even Meru does not know the way through the Forbidden Land's twists and turns of a giant maze. We spent the entire day wandering before we decided to rest. It was eternally sunset here, but we were tired, and did not care what time it was.
I pull one of my gloves off to turn my wrist at different angles and loosen it before slipping the glove back on.
"Kongol lost." The Giganto declares.
"We're all lost." Miranda says, but not harshly.
"Meru, you don't know the way?" Albert asks. "You're sure?"
The Wingly nods. "No one is allowed here. That's why it's called the Forbidden Land."
We spend the rest of the time discussing which way to go, until we finally just decide to pick a path and hope for the best. Albert had transformed to Dragoon and flew up in the air to try and figure out the path, but when he came down, he claimed that he could not find out.
Albert and Haschel talk idly about Rouge and its arts and its people. Kongol stares around observing everything. He is not the type for idle chitchat. Miranda glares around her with narrowed brown eyes like a wildcat. I can tell she is watching as I practice with my sword, and I wonder defiantly if she wants to duel. That would take my mind off a lot of things.
I decide that I liked Shana better than Miranda. Shana was weaker in battle, but she was kind and thoughtful. And the fact that Miranda knows how to fight seems to enrage me even further.
And the next day when she transformed involuntarily to fight a Spinninghead, she looks more like the Light Dragoon than Shana ever did. She is not nearly as graceful as Shirley, but the golden hair and the silver armor compliment each other and she looks dignified and powerful and beautiful at the same time.
Darkness is always the opposite of Light, and that is probably why I argue with her and dislike her so much. I had done so with Shana in the beginning. But that doesn't make sense. Shirley had been my good friend, and she was a Light Dragoon.
Maybe it's just the fact that Haschel is right; Miranda is a lot like me.
"Where is Dart?"
I take my gaze away from the fire and look up at Kongol's gigantic frame, shrugging. "I think he's over there, practicing with his sword."
The Giganto nods and walks to where I am pointing.
Intrigued, I follow.
"Kongol has question."
Dart stops practicing thrusts and sheathes his sword. "What's your question, Kongol?"
"Dart say Kongol is friend. What is friend?"
Dart frowns at this question and seems to consider it. "Well," he says thoughtfully. "Let me put it this way. Maybe a friend is a companion who walks on the same road. Someone who travels with you, but does not lead. I think that is a friend."
"Oh." Kongol tilts his massive head. "Kongol is friend?"
"Yeah. We're all friends here."
Not me. I think. Never me.
"I still can't figure out the path." Albert complains as he demorphs from the Wind Dragoon.
"Kongol has headache." Kongol says, landing with a loud thump, awakening a Gnome, which Dart quickly kills.
"I know that the Dragon Block Staff is somewhere over there." The King of Serdio points to the northeast. "And there's several teleporters placed everything, but I can't find the path that leads to it."
"Smash through." Kongol says without looking up.
"What?"
"You know, he's right." Miranda says. "Why don't we just smash our way through? You know, just head for the northeast, and if we come to a wall, just break through."
Dart considers this. "Isn't is a little disrespectful?"
"If we don't get the Dragon Block Staff in time, the world will be in ruin." I point out. "That would be disrespectful."
"Meru, would the Ancestor mind?" Dart asks.
The dancer shrugs, stopping her pirouette. "No one comes here anyway."
Dart still looks doubtful, but when even Haschel agrees, our leader can do nothing but give in.
After a few hours, we finally reach the temple, leaving behind us a trail of crumbled walls, conveniently demolished by Kongol's giant axe.
Inside the temple is a sand pit with seats set in circular patterns all around it.
"There's blood here." I announce.
"Blood and many seats." Dart murmurs. "That means that this place is a..."
"Yeah." Meru says dejectedly. "This place used to be used as a coliseum." She turns to observe the arena. "There are two types of Winglies. One type was the kind that loved this coliseum. They would throw the lesser races together and make them fight to the death. Monsters, humans, Minintos, even Gigantos." Meru puts her head in her hands. "I am a descendant of that kind of Wingly."
Yes, I remember seeing this coliseum before.
"That is all in the past." Dart reassures her. "There is grief and sorrow here, but it is not our grief and sorrow. It is in the past, and we can't help it. The only thing we can help is to find the Dragon Block Staff as quickly as possible."
"Yeah. Thanks, Dart."
In the next room, there are two teleporters. Picking one randomly, Dart leads us through the paths of the eastern one.
At the bottom, we come to a dead end, the pathway stopping in front of a large wall.
"There's nothing here." Dart declares. "Let's go back and try the other one."
I frown.
That outline...the arm...
"Wait!" I call. "This is a Virage!"
The others stop, watching as I walk to the end of the walkway and stare up at the "wall", which in actuality was a Virage.
I twist my head sideways to observe the Virage with deep interest. The cratering line along its side... "And...and this scar! This is the Virage that killed Belzac!"
Dart walks up beside me. "You say this is a Virage?"
"What are you talking about?" Miranda demands.
"Virages were destructive creatures used throughout the Dragon Campaign with the Winglies." Albert explains. "Although some still remain."
"This one looks different from the one before." Meru comments.
"It's one of their subspecies. And judging from its shape, this is probably one of the Super Virages from the legends."
"Anyhow, it is not a pretty sight." Dart remarks.
I fall out of my excited anger, calming myself to the dark stone maiden once again. "But there is nothing to see anymore. Let's go." Squeezing past the cluttered others, I stand on the teleporter.
Dart stares at the Virage, and then turns to follow.
The Virage moves.
It is so large that it causes the entire room to shake, and then it falls into battle position, facing us.
Why did it awaken? Shana is not with us. Unless the last two Virage were not awakened by Shana.
"Maybe they react to the power of the Dragoons." Dart says, as if reading my mind.
That would explain things. They are probably still hungry for revenge after being defeated by humans and Dragoons in the Dragon Campaign.
It is difficult to defeat a Super Virage, almost impossible. The last Super Virage I had seen killed was when Kanzas sacrificed himself.
I race off the teleporter to stand at Dart's side, my right arm stretched out with the blade pointing in front of me, my sword stance. It is always Dart and I in the front of the battles, the two most skilled warriors.
All seven of the Dragoons fight in this battle; no one sits out. We need all the help we can get. But still, three of us collapse, and the others have to guard and heal more constantly than we attack.
The Super Virage has several powerful attacks. One of which is that it creates a tongue of earth, picking up one member of the team and slamming them into the ground.
"Does this thing even die?" Miranda yells.
The Super Virage readies for its ultimate attack.
This is the attack that killed Belzac. I think with utmost certainty. I remember watching it, and then Shirley...
White energy gathers at the tip of the long arm of the Super Virage, and its faceless head turns slightly. The energy focuses.
"Everyone, guard!" Dart yells.
The Virage falls to pieces, dead.
After several seconds of silence, we straighten. I pull my arms away from my head.
The Virage is lying on the bottom of the pit, dead.
"What happened?" Dart asks, peering over the edge.
Defiantly, Miranda braces herself and launches an arrow down into the hide of the Virage. It doesn't move.
"It's dead." She announces.
"Maybe..." I say thoughtfully. "Maybe after 11,000 years of rest, it did not have enough stamina to use its ultimate attack."
Dart shrugs. "It is not our problem anymore. Let's go to the Dragon Block Staff."
Back in the main room, we choose the teleporter to the north this time, and it leads us down into a dark dank room with something hanging from above. The far side has another teleporter which will take us out of the Forbidden Land.
"There it is!" Meru exclaims, pointing to the thing hanging from the ceiling.
It looks like a rod, or a scepter that a royalty would use. There is a cluster of jewels at the end, but it is not anything extraordinary.
"That is the Dragon Block Staff? It is not so impressive. Something that small can stand against the power of the Dragoons?" Miranda asks in disgusted disbelief. "Can it actually defeat the Divine Dragon?"
"It is impossible to judge the power of a magical object by the size of the object." I say. "That is indeed the Dragon Block Staff."
"So we get the staff, fight the Dragon, and go home." Miranda says.
"That is not how it is. It will not be easy. The Divine Dragon is unlike other Dragons. Even with the power of Dragoons and the Dragon Block Staff, we will still have reason for thanks if we manage to seal it back in." I say.
Albert speaks quietly. "I wonder if Lloyd is going to get the next Divine Moon Object?"
Miranda takes a step back. "How did you know about that?"
"Mille Seseau has one too, doesn't it? An object with the power of the Moon?" Albert asks.
Miranda turns her back to him. "I don't want to talk about it." She says firmly. The subject obviously does not appeal to her.
"Let's just get the Staff." Dart says.
"I'm getting it." Meru volunteers, and then wings come from her back.
Sprouting from her shoulders blades, aiming downward, they are indeed Wingly wings. Like shafts of moonlight, almost transparent. She does not need to flap them, only think about it, and then she rises into the air, a natural Wingly.
She pulls on the Staff, but it doesn't move. Frowning, she braces her feet against the ceiling, and tugs hard.
Falling with the Dragon Block Staff comes the ceiling.
No, not the entire ceiling. Some part of the ceiling, more of a large chunk of a monster. A guardian for the Dragon Block Staff, perhaps, making sure that it never left the temple.
The monster is the most hideous one I have seen yet, a floating sphere in shape, but it is bloated and ugly, covered in organic pipes of some sort. Three glowing yellow orbs glitter at equal points around its head. It has no face, and I cannot feel its brain, but it is most definitely alive.
The Dragon Block Staff rests on the crown of its head. The Staff is like a scepter, about three or four feet long, with a red handhold and a golden knob at the top, shimmering with jewels and stored magical energy.
"The Ancestor never said anything about a guardian!" Meru yelps, skipping back from the monster, her wings disappearing as she takes up her hammer.
The monster seems powerful. I will need to transform.
Calling on the power of the darkness Dragon, I summon up the energy within me, trying to conjure the deep violet armor and the red jewels and the longer heavier sword.
But I do not move. Nothing works. Frowning, I try again, harder, but it doesn't work.
I remember the feeling of not being able to transform from 11,000 years ago. I had stayed away from the Wingly carrying the Staff, but once I was too slow, and I was within its range. The sheer depletion of power had stunned me to the point of almost crying.
Now, as I look around, I see the others, furious or frightened that they cannot transform. Already they know when to transform and how to withstand and control the power. Even Miranda, who has not been here long. Somewhere under the contempt I feel for her, there is a grudging respect.
"The Dragon Block Staff obviously blocks against us, too." I say. "We will have to defeat it the old-fashioned way."
The Grand Jewel monster had high defense, and the Staff in its possession, but it did not attack frequently. Sometimes all seven of us could attack before it would counter with an attack item such as Gushing Magma or Spectral Flash.
Miranda is stronger than Shana was, her poise sturdier, her courage braver. But I could sense that she carried within her a hate and lack of emotion for most things. Something had happened to her, and I wonder why the Queen Theresa bothers to keep Miranda at her side. The Sacred Sisters are supposed to preach love and kindness, but it seems Miranda has none of either.
When the Grand Jewel falls, she glares at it with obvious distaste, tossing her head back so that her shoulder-length golden hair swivels around her neck.
The Grand Jewel howls and screeches with a voicebox that I cannot see, wailing on high and low frequencies, so that the party covers their ears, watching as it dissipates unlike the other monsters. They simply seem to fade into the ground from which they were born. The molecules that form this monster seem to disappear one by one, until the Grand Jewel grows slowly smaller and smaller, until its very existence is no more, with no trace that it ever lived in any life.
Dart picks up the Dragon Block Staff. "We have what we came here for. We better get back."
It is much easier to find the way back than it was to get to the Staff. On the way back, we just followed the path of demolished walls until we reached the entrance again.
I keep my eyes on the ground as I walk, sulking internally.
The dirt in front of me grows darker, and the sun is blocked out. Hissing a warning, I grab my sword and look up.
The rattling of scales sounds, and a long slender gray body slithers through the air, growling and roaring. Seven wings beat against the air, and its very presence causes the ground to shake. I stumble, trying to keep my balance.
"The Divine Dragon!" I yell
Miranda snaps at me. "Don't be silly! It's too early!"
But the long shadow that passes over us in unmistakable.
"Oh no!" Miranda gasps. "Deningrad! We have to get back!"
Without waiting for Dart's consent, the tall woman rushes forward, through the destroyed paths and out the temple door.
If the Divine Dragon attacks Deningrad for real this time...everyone there will be killed. Queen Theresa, Wink, Setie, Luanna, even Shana. Gods, I never thought I would care.
We follow Miranda through the teleporter, and end up back at the stone platforms outside the Forest of Winglies.
Ancestor Blano is there, age-wrinkled eyes widened. "Quickly. The Divine Dragon has appeared. You must get to Deningrad. I will teleport you there with my powers. Get on." he points to the giant teleporter that we had seen on the top of the stone pyramid.
The seven members of the party dash up the stairs, clambering onto the teleporter.
The ancient Wingly stands in front of us, hovering in the air, his hands clasped and eyes closed in concentration. I know he is trying to work the teleporter to take us directly to Deningrad.
The world fades slowly to green, and we seem to be trapped in an orb, flying up. I feel my body being tossed around, but when one teleports, she cannot see what is going on.
It is only after my body's feet touch the ground that I realize I am not standing among the snowy coziness of Deningrad, but the barren rocks of the Forbidden Land. Ancestor Blano has failed.
He is still there, trying again, harder.
"Ancestor Blano!" Meru screams. "He doesn't have enough power!" She slams on the side of the glowing green orb we are standing in with the palm of her hand. "Ancestor!"
"Ancestor Blano!" A voice echoes Meru's, and then two Winglies appear, their shaft-of-light wings beating as they hover next to the older Wingly. "Let us help you!"
"Mother! Father!" Meru yells.
"We believe in Meru! And her friends who Meru believe in too!"
"I want to see the future that Meru and her friends create!"
And then another Wingly appears, right next to the orb. His hands are clasped and he is trying to help too. The green energy flows from all around us, being drawn into our little teleport area. Meru looks at the new Wingly. "Guaraha?!"
With the combined power of four Winglies, the teleporter gives an awful lurch, and then we are back in Deningrad.
"No! We're too late!"