Author's Note: Yay! I finally updated! I know that took me forever, but I
was really busy with schoolwork and stuff.
Chapter 30
The heart of evil pulsed on, spreading its lifeblood of lies, deceit, and betrayal through the veins of the world.
Rayen could feel the sickening heart beat. The vile rhythm of it repulsed him. Malevolent portents were on the rise, that much he could tell. But why? Why could he feel it now? What had caused it come to him?
"Rayen, they're back. We need to give them their eggs before they start off for the first piece."
Rayen turned, and saw Shade looking at him with concern. He nodded and scooped up the football-sized glittering eggs. Shade held the sliding door open as the Red-Eye exited, his face still wearing a bemused expression. Shade stood at the door a long time before following.
Once he reached Dawn, Phil, and Kyra, he tossed each egg to their respective Dragoons. As soon as they reached the arms of their owners, the eggs began to glow with a faint light. Rayen was the only one who didn't seem surprised by this. In fact, he almost seemed like he was expecting it. He turned and lobbed the onyx egg to Shade.
"It's time," he said, in the same flat monotone he had been using for the past two days.
The radiance grew brighter. Tiny spider webs of cracks formed on the ruby surface of the egg. At the exact same moment, the eggs burst apart. The hatchlings were about the size of a small cat. Rayen noticed that the baby Dragons looked exactly like their elder counterparts, except smaller. However, the skin of the Dragon felt leathery in his arms. Obviously the nearly impenetrable scales had not formed yet.
The spiky purple Dragon in Kyra's arms reared its head back and sneezed, sending a shower of violet sparks arcing through the air. The Dragon in Rayen's grasp twisted its serpentine neck to regard him with the crimson eyes from which its name was derived.
"Drag... oon," the Dragon managed to choke out.
Phil stared at the Red-Eye youth with surprise. "They can talk at birth?"
"Apparently so," Rayen murmured, subdued.
Kyra spoke up next. "Well, this is wonderful and all, but we have a job to do. Let's get moving."
"Right. Come on, let's get moving, Rayen."
Shade beckoned to Rayen, who nodded and got up as they headed back to the RV.
"Do you want to drive, or shall I?"
"Go ahead," Rayen muttered.
"Are you alright, Rayen?"
"I'm fine, Shade," Rayen said in a totally unconvincing tone as he pulled open the passenger's door.
Shade, of course, knew better, but he let the matter drop. He inserted the key and revved up the engine. He shouted over the roar of the starting car.
"So, since we're taking the slower mode of transportation, we get the closest shard. Dawn told me it's somewhere in Shirley's Shrine."
"Shirley's Shrine? But that's a major landmark! It'll be crawling with people!"
"Not anymore. With all the Dragons and monsters running around people are afraid to leave their homes. All the tourist attractions have been closed down due to lack of traffic. Not good for the economy, to say the least."
"So there's nobody there? Not even attendants?"
"Nope."
Rayen leaned back in his seat, gazing down at the Dragon at his feet.
"What should we call you?"
"Make it good," the Dragon spoke up.
Rayen cracked a small grin, his first smile in days.
"Alright, I've got one. How about Balaeris?"
Shade raised an eyebrow, which caused it to disappear into his black hood. "What kind of name is that?"
"I like it," the Dragon replied.
"All right then, Balaeris it is."
Shade shook his head, but said nothing further. The Dark Dragon, which had been gliding around the cabin of the motorhome, suddenly stopped, hovering in midair, beating its bat-like wings to maintain altitude.
"What about me? What's my name?"
"Yeah, Shade. Let's see what your creative genius can come up with. Don't pick something stupid like Revenge."
"OK. Razeroth."
"What does it mean?"
"Vengeance."
Rayen groaned while Shade laughed.
"Trust a mutated ninja to come up with a name like that."
"What can I say? My horizons are pretty narrow."
"After what you've been through, you'd think it would be just the opposite."
Shade's face grew dark.
"Too true, my friend. Too true..."
Meanwhile, back at the BOA Corporation (the guys that are making the monsters, I know I haven't said the name of the company before now) Building in Lohan...
There was a knock at the door. As usual, Senior Executive Trega met this interruption with irritation.
"Enter."
The sniveling assistant scampered into the office.
"What do you want? Make it quick, I'm a very busy man."
"Well, I just wanted to report that everything is moving ahead on schedule. The new waves of monster species have been released from our labs all over the world, and..."
"That's wonderful. Now explain to me exactly why you interrupted my important business just to tell me that things are going according to plan."
"Well, I would also like to inquire, on behalf of the research scientists, about Project..."
The timid man was cut off by Mr. Trega's hand slamming down on the expensive mahogany desk he treasured.
"Are you without any semblance of a brain? For Soa's sake, DO NOT speak of that project ANYWHERE outside of the labs. Walls really can have ears. Now get out."
The bewildered assistance quickly ducked out of the office. Trega thoroughly combed the office, and found a tiny recorder beneath the crystal ashtray on his desk. Smashing it between his fingers, he pulled a silver lighter from a drawer on his desk and lit a cigarette before returning to work.
Back with Rayen and Shade in the RV...
The motorhome sped down the spirals of the highway. The infant Dragons were dogfighting about the car, elated in their first experiences of flight. Shade was at the wheel, calmly navigating the vehicle through the sparse traffic. Had the Dark Dragon not been entirely focused on his driving he would have noticed his comrade's unusual behavior.
A harsh, incoherent, and nearly primordial yell jerked Shade from his concentration, sending the RV swerving off the road, drawing loud honks and rude gestures from the other drivers on the road. Rayen was staring ahead, his eyes wide, his breathing ragged, with sweat pouring down his face. Pure, blatant fear, an emotion Shade had never seen Rayen express before, marred his face.
"Shade, can you hear them? Do they call to you?"
"What the hell are you talking about? Snap out of it!"
"They want something, Shade! Something I have, but they don't say what!"
"Who is it? Who's calling?"
"I don't know..."
Author's Note: It looks like Rayen's finally gone off the deep end... and what is this mysterious project that has Mr. Trega so concerned about secrecy? What happened to the man who masterminded the Dragons' return? And what about the two Spirits without owners? All of these questions will be answered... eventually. -_-;
Chapter 30
The heart of evil pulsed on, spreading its lifeblood of lies, deceit, and betrayal through the veins of the world.
Rayen could feel the sickening heart beat. The vile rhythm of it repulsed him. Malevolent portents were on the rise, that much he could tell. But why? Why could he feel it now? What had caused it come to him?
"Rayen, they're back. We need to give them their eggs before they start off for the first piece."
Rayen turned, and saw Shade looking at him with concern. He nodded and scooped up the football-sized glittering eggs. Shade held the sliding door open as the Red-Eye exited, his face still wearing a bemused expression. Shade stood at the door a long time before following.
Once he reached Dawn, Phil, and Kyra, he tossed each egg to their respective Dragoons. As soon as they reached the arms of their owners, the eggs began to glow with a faint light. Rayen was the only one who didn't seem surprised by this. In fact, he almost seemed like he was expecting it. He turned and lobbed the onyx egg to Shade.
"It's time," he said, in the same flat monotone he had been using for the past two days.
The radiance grew brighter. Tiny spider webs of cracks formed on the ruby surface of the egg. At the exact same moment, the eggs burst apart. The hatchlings were about the size of a small cat. Rayen noticed that the baby Dragons looked exactly like their elder counterparts, except smaller. However, the skin of the Dragon felt leathery in his arms. Obviously the nearly impenetrable scales had not formed yet.
The spiky purple Dragon in Kyra's arms reared its head back and sneezed, sending a shower of violet sparks arcing through the air. The Dragon in Rayen's grasp twisted its serpentine neck to regard him with the crimson eyes from which its name was derived.
"Drag... oon," the Dragon managed to choke out.
Phil stared at the Red-Eye youth with surprise. "They can talk at birth?"
"Apparently so," Rayen murmured, subdued.
Kyra spoke up next. "Well, this is wonderful and all, but we have a job to do. Let's get moving."
"Right. Come on, let's get moving, Rayen."
Shade beckoned to Rayen, who nodded and got up as they headed back to the RV.
"Do you want to drive, or shall I?"
"Go ahead," Rayen muttered.
"Are you alright, Rayen?"
"I'm fine, Shade," Rayen said in a totally unconvincing tone as he pulled open the passenger's door.
Shade, of course, knew better, but he let the matter drop. He inserted the key and revved up the engine. He shouted over the roar of the starting car.
"So, since we're taking the slower mode of transportation, we get the closest shard. Dawn told me it's somewhere in Shirley's Shrine."
"Shirley's Shrine? But that's a major landmark! It'll be crawling with people!"
"Not anymore. With all the Dragons and monsters running around people are afraid to leave their homes. All the tourist attractions have been closed down due to lack of traffic. Not good for the economy, to say the least."
"So there's nobody there? Not even attendants?"
"Nope."
Rayen leaned back in his seat, gazing down at the Dragon at his feet.
"What should we call you?"
"Make it good," the Dragon spoke up.
Rayen cracked a small grin, his first smile in days.
"Alright, I've got one. How about Balaeris?"
Shade raised an eyebrow, which caused it to disappear into his black hood. "What kind of name is that?"
"I like it," the Dragon replied.
"All right then, Balaeris it is."
Shade shook his head, but said nothing further. The Dark Dragon, which had been gliding around the cabin of the motorhome, suddenly stopped, hovering in midair, beating its bat-like wings to maintain altitude.
"What about me? What's my name?"
"Yeah, Shade. Let's see what your creative genius can come up with. Don't pick something stupid like Revenge."
"OK. Razeroth."
"What does it mean?"
"Vengeance."
Rayen groaned while Shade laughed.
"Trust a mutated ninja to come up with a name like that."
"What can I say? My horizons are pretty narrow."
"After what you've been through, you'd think it would be just the opposite."
Shade's face grew dark.
"Too true, my friend. Too true..."
Meanwhile, back at the BOA Corporation (the guys that are making the monsters, I know I haven't said the name of the company before now) Building in Lohan...
There was a knock at the door. As usual, Senior Executive Trega met this interruption with irritation.
"Enter."
The sniveling assistant scampered into the office.
"What do you want? Make it quick, I'm a very busy man."
"Well, I just wanted to report that everything is moving ahead on schedule. The new waves of monster species have been released from our labs all over the world, and..."
"That's wonderful. Now explain to me exactly why you interrupted my important business just to tell me that things are going according to plan."
"Well, I would also like to inquire, on behalf of the research scientists, about Project..."
The timid man was cut off by Mr. Trega's hand slamming down on the expensive mahogany desk he treasured.
"Are you without any semblance of a brain? For Soa's sake, DO NOT speak of that project ANYWHERE outside of the labs. Walls really can have ears. Now get out."
The bewildered assistance quickly ducked out of the office. Trega thoroughly combed the office, and found a tiny recorder beneath the crystal ashtray on his desk. Smashing it between his fingers, he pulled a silver lighter from a drawer on his desk and lit a cigarette before returning to work.
Back with Rayen and Shade in the RV...
The motorhome sped down the spirals of the highway. The infant Dragons were dogfighting about the car, elated in their first experiences of flight. Shade was at the wheel, calmly navigating the vehicle through the sparse traffic. Had the Dark Dragon not been entirely focused on his driving he would have noticed his comrade's unusual behavior.
A harsh, incoherent, and nearly primordial yell jerked Shade from his concentration, sending the RV swerving off the road, drawing loud honks and rude gestures from the other drivers on the road. Rayen was staring ahead, his eyes wide, his breathing ragged, with sweat pouring down his face. Pure, blatant fear, an emotion Shade had never seen Rayen express before, marred his face.
"Shade, can you hear them? Do they call to you?"
"What the hell are you talking about? Snap out of it!"
"They want something, Shade! Something I have, but they don't say what!"
"Who is it? Who's calling?"
"I don't know..."
Author's Note: It looks like Rayen's finally gone off the deep end... and what is this mysterious project that has Mr. Trega so concerned about secrecy? What happened to the man who masterminded the Dragons' return? And what about the two Spirits without owners? All of these questions will be answered... eventually. -_-;