Chapter 3
Dart walked down the long dirt road seeing nothing more of the man that looked identical to him. Three days ago he had killed one of his closest friends; Rose had died on his sword, cursing him with her dieing breath. In one hand, Dart held his sword, still stained dull red with Rose's blood; in the other, he carried the small bag which held the eight dragoon spirit gems. All of them but his own glowed fiercely, as if to announce to him that they were holding a grudge against him for having them in his possession.
"I did not kill my friends." He said to himself. Memories of his friends came flowing into his mind. He missed them; he loved them, each and every one of them. And even though he had no real evidents that they were indeed dead, the very thought of it made him sick. Dart sank to his knees and held up the bag of gems, deeply hoping that he would see them though the dragoon spirits. As much as he was hoping for a glimpse of his friends, it shocked him to actually see them in the spirit gems. There they were! All of them sitting very comfortably in a space where each would find ideal. Albert sat on a large throne, a red carpet rolled out for him, and all the luxuries of kingship followed and waited on him. He was happy where he was. Kongle was walking among his own people again, talking with childhood friends up in the mountain range where his village had stood. Miranda was hiking on a forest path, enjoying being alone and surrounded by such beauty. Meru was dancing, surrounded by people and winglys who were listening intently to her stories of her adventures as a dragoon. Hashel was in a rocking chair, in a sea-side cabin, carefully holding his grown daughter in his arms and speaking to her of her life. Zeig, appeared in the red dragoon gem, he was wearing the red dragoon armor, reliving his greatest battles. By his side was Rose. She was smiling, happy to be with her lost lover. Everyone was happy. except. in Rose's dark dragoon spirit, a storm raged, a terrible display of raw power that threatened to destroy the orb which held it. Everyone but Rose was content with their station.
"Are they all settled in?"
Dart's trance with the dragoon spirits was broken. His mirror image stood before him. He poised his sword to attack.
"Oh, no, this meeting is not one to check your fighting skills Dart, we did that already."
Dart lowered his weapon. Something about how the man had said that was disarming enough. "Besides", Dart thought "he isn't wearing a sword, or even armor, what could he do to me?"
"Have they all settled in?"
Dart looked at the gems. "You. you killed my friends, didn't you." He stated without emotion in his countenance or voice. "That is why Rose thought it was me. Am I right?"
"Yes."
".Why?"
"To exult you."
". I don't understand."
"You will, but Rose needs to calm down first. The others did quite quickly, but you know Rose, this may take a while."
"Yes, it could." Dart said. He was smiling to himself now. In his mind was confusion. "Why am I acting this way?" he thought to himself. "Why do I feel as if this man were my best friend? Have I been enchanted?" An odd sense of calm swept through his spirit, it was refreshing, he hadn't felt this was in a very long time.
"You get along with me so well because I am you, as you are me."
"Stop that! That doesn't make any sense!" the contempt feeling was gone. The calming spell that was over Dart was broken. His duplicate was obviously displeased at this. A sword materialized in his hand, and he readied it at Dart's chest.
"You broke my spell. I was going to make this easy on you, let you go peacefully, but I guess that's not going to happen now is it?"
"Absolutely not. You killed my friends!" Dart yelled as he charged the man.
"What. are. friends Dart? Just pawns. to be. used when. convenient." The man in the black cloak said between breaths and blows.
"Friends are a persons life. what are. you. without friends?"
"You are invincible."
"No. I'll prove. you wrong on that point." Dart parried a strike, then countered, leaving a thin line of red liquid across the man's abdomen. His opponent quickly placed his hand over the wound, and it was healed, the man just grinned. Dart stood in a fixed awe for a moment, then said. "Humph, well, I guess in that case, I'll just have to take off your head!"
"Try." The duplicate sneered back, and the entangle resumed. Until Dart had his opponent cornered. The aim was perfect, the timing was perfect, the momentum was perfect. everything was in order to take the man's head off of his shoulders. But it didn't. He had vanished mid-way though Dart's moon-strike. Dart glared at the spot that should have beheld a corpse.
"I'll kill you. Sooner or later, I'll find you, and I'll kill you.
****up in the heavens****
"Is he ready?" Shana asked, placing a hand on Dart's duplicate's shoulder.
"No." he replied though clenched teeth. "He hasn't learned to hate yet."
Dart walked down the long dirt road seeing nothing more of the man that looked identical to him. Three days ago he had killed one of his closest friends; Rose had died on his sword, cursing him with her dieing breath. In one hand, Dart held his sword, still stained dull red with Rose's blood; in the other, he carried the small bag which held the eight dragoon spirit gems. All of them but his own glowed fiercely, as if to announce to him that they were holding a grudge against him for having them in his possession.
"I did not kill my friends." He said to himself. Memories of his friends came flowing into his mind. He missed them; he loved them, each and every one of them. And even though he had no real evidents that they were indeed dead, the very thought of it made him sick. Dart sank to his knees and held up the bag of gems, deeply hoping that he would see them though the dragoon spirits. As much as he was hoping for a glimpse of his friends, it shocked him to actually see them in the spirit gems. There they were! All of them sitting very comfortably in a space where each would find ideal. Albert sat on a large throne, a red carpet rolled out for him, and all the luxuries of kingship followed and waited on him. He was happy where he was. Kongle was walking among his own people again, talking with childhood friends up in the mountain range where his village had stood. Miranda was hiking on a forest path, enjoying being alone and surrounded by such beauty. Meru was dancing, surrounded by people and winglys who were listening intently to her stories of her adventures as a dragoon. Hashel was in a rocking chair, in a sea-side cabin, carefully holding his grown daughter in his arms and speaking to her of her life. Zeig, appeared in the red dragoon gem, he was wearing the red dragoon armor, reliving his greatest battles. By his side was Rose. She was smiling, happy to be with her lost lover. Everyone was happy. except. in Rose's dark dragoon spirit, a storm raged, a terrible display of raw power that threatened to destroy the orb which held it. Everyone but Rose was content with their station.
"Are they all settled in?"
Dart's trance with the dragoon spirits was broken. His mirror image stood before him. He poised his sword to attack.
"Oh, no, this meeting is not one to check your fighting skills Dart, we did that already."
Dart lowered his weapon. Something about how the man had said that was disarming enough. "Besides", Dart thought "he isn't wearing a sword, or even armor, what could he do to me?"
"Have they all settled in?"
Dart looked at the gems. "You. you killed my friends, didn't you." He stated without emotion in his countenance or voice. "That is why Rose thought it was me. Am I right?"
"Yes."
".Why?"
"To exult you."
". I don't understand."
"You will, but Rose needs to calm down first. The others did quite quickly, but you know Rose, this may take a while."
"Yes, it could." Dart said. He was smiling to himself now. In his mind was confusion. "Why am I acting this way?" he thought to himself. "Why do I feel as if this man were my best friend? Have I been enchanted?" An odd sense of calm swept through his spirit, it was refreshing, he hadn't felt this was in a very long time.
"You get along with me so well because I am you, as you are me."
"Stop that! That doesn't make any sense!" the contempt feeling was gone. The calming spell that was over Dart was broken. His duplicate was obviously displeased at this. A sword materialized in his hand, and he readied it at Dart's chest.
"You broke my spell. I was going to make this easy on you, let you go peacefully, but I guess that's not going to happen now is it?"
"Absolutely not. You killed my friends!" Dart yelled as he charged the man.
"What. are. friends Dart? Just pawns. to be. used when. convenient." The man in the black cloak said between breaths and blows.
"Friends are a persons life. what are. you. without friends?"
"You are invincible."
"No. I'll prove. you wrong on that point." Dart parried a strike, then countered, leaving a thin line of red liquid across the man's abdomen. His opponent quickly placed his hand over the wound, and it was healed, the man just grinned. Dart stood in a fixed awe for a moment, then said. "Humph, well, I guess in that case, I'll just have to take off your head!"
"Try." The duplicate sneered back, and the entangle resumed. Until Dart had his opponent cornered. The aim was perfect, the timing was perfect, the momentum was perfect. everything was in order to take the man's head off of his shoulders. But it didn't. He had vanished mid-way though Dart's moon-strike. Dart glared at the spot that should have beheld a corpse.
"I'll kill you. Sooner or later, I'll find you, and I'll kill you.
****up in the heavens****
"Is he ready?" Shana asked, placing a hand on Dart's duplicate's shoulder.
"No." he replied though clenched teeth. "He hasn't learned to hate yet."