-VI-
Maybe if I thought real hard... maybe I could keep myself like this, forever.
***
I crashed back into reality. My eyes opened slowly. Darkness all around - wait not darkness... stars. A blade of grass swayed against my cheek as the wind blew. I was outside... Then, suddenly I was aware of a great amount pain. Running a finger along a large gaping wound on my side I groaned loudly.
"You're alive..." someone said, startled. I turned my head wearily. Nina was sitting in the grass staring at me in obvious disbelief. "I couldn't feel you anymore. I tried to search for you, over and over, but you..."
"What," I said clenching my teeth to the pain from my side.
"You know," she said pointing to her head, "in here. You weren't there anymore."
"What happened?"
"You... are the missing link to the Brood, Ryu," she didn't seem happy about it. "I heard you when you cried out to Alec. I saw everything. I saw how you saved Alec in the woods that day after school. I saw how you saved him from joining the army. I saw how you saved your parents' only child. I saw that you were human. Then... you changed. Hair white like I'd never seen, red eyes, scales... You literally turned into a Brood, Ryu." All I could do was stare at her.
"Am I like that," I winced again in pain, "now?"
Shaking her head she said, "No, you're the same as you were before. Aludrad, he tried to control you..."
"Control me? How could he control me?"
"Aludrad and I are the same. My job was to control the people who used Verotoxin, just to keep them under control, without me they'd go berserk and kill everything. Aludrad can do that too. The thing is that we have to use the drug to enhance our power enough to force ourselves onto them. That is what he did to... you. You were killing so many of them... But Aludrad..." I was in shock. Not only could they read minds, they could control them. Aludrad was a very dangerous man. Looking around, I noticed we were alone. "You were dead, Ryu. Aludrad left without you."
"Why are you here?"
"I stayed behind, because what he did was wrong. I saw what happened to you after you saw Alec. I guess, I'm just questioning myself. I told him that I would catch up to them." She looked at me and smiled. "I was collecting rocks to bury you," she pointed over to a large pile of small stones.
"Are you going to take me back to them?" She shook her head.
"You're dead now." I didn't know what to think. I had changed into a Dragon? I tried to remember what happened, but couldn't. I felt dizzy, I had probably lost a lot of blood.
"I need to get to a hospital." She nodded.
"I will help you get there, but then I need to go back..." She stood and helped me to my feet, clenching my teeth the whole time. I wrapped my arm around her neck for support.
"What about my brother," I said as I looked over at the ruins of Wyndia. I started to walk that way, but Nina stopped me.
"Aludrad. He took your brother." What? Why would Aludrad take Alec? "Because, he thinks you are related, he said that you were too dangerous for us to take and so he took your brother's body."
"What is he going to do.." Nina looked at me, but didn't say anything. "Afetorum galleto atena fomen," I said in prayer for Alec.
"Afetorum galleto atena fomen," Nina repeated. We bowed our heads and then continued back toward Wiava along the road.
Maybe if I thought real hard... maybe I could keep myself like this, forever.
***
I crashed back into reality. My eyes opened slowly. Darkness all around - wait not darkness... stars. A blade of grass swayed against my cheek as the wind blew. I was outside... Then, suddenly I was aware of a great amount pain. Running a finger along a large gaping wound on my side I groaned loudly.
"You're alive..." someone said, startled. I turned my head wearily. Nina was sitting in the grass staring at me in obvious disbelief. "I couldn't feel you anymore. I tried to search for you, over and over, but you..."
"What," I said clenching my teeth to the pain from my side.
"You know," she said pointing to her head, "in here. You weren't there anymore."
"What happened?"
"You... are the missing link to the Brood, Ryu," she didn't seem happy about it. "I heard you when you cried out to Alec. I saw everything. I saw how you saved Alec in the woods that day after school. I saw how you saved him from joining the army. I saw how you saved your parents' only child. I saw that you were human. Then... you changed. Hair white like I'd never seen, red eyes, scales... You literally turned into a Brood, Ryu." All I could do was stare at her.
"Am I like that," I winced again in pain, "now?"
Shaking her head she said, "No, you're the same as you were before. Aludrad, he tried to control you..."
"Control me? How could he control me?"
"Aludrad and I are the same. My job was to control the people who used Verotoxin, just to keep them under control, without me they'd go berserk and kill everything. Aludrad can do that too. The thing is that we have to use the drug to enhance our power enough to force ourselves onto them. That is what he did to... you. You were killing so many of them... But Aludrad..." I was in shock. Not only could they read minds, they could control them. Aludrad was a very dangerous man. Looking around, I noticed we were alone. "You were dead, Ryu. Aludrad left without you."
"Why are you here?"
"I stayed behind, because what he did was wrong. I saw what happened to you after you saw Alec. I guess, I'm just questioning myself. I told him that I would catch up to them." She looked at me and smiled. "I was collecting rocks to bury you," she pointed over to a large pile of small stones.
"Are you going to take me back to them?" She shook her head.
"You're dead now." I didn't know what to think. I had changed into a Dragon? I tried to remember what happened, but couldn't. I felt dizzy, I had probably lost a lot of blood.
"I need to get to a hospital." She nodded.
"I will help you get there, but then I need to go back..." She stood and helped me to my feet, clenching my teeth the whole time. I wrapped my arm around her neck for support.
"What about my brother," I said as I looked over at the ruins of Wyndia. I started to walk that way, but Nina stopped me.
"Aludrad. He took your brother." What? Why would Aludrad take Alec? "Because, he thinks you are related, he said that you were too dangerous for us to take and so he took your brother's body."
"What is he going to do.." Nina looked at me, but didn't say anything. "Afetorum galleto atena fomen," I said in prayer for Alec.
"Afetorum galleto atena fomen," Nina repeated. We bowed our heads and then continued back toward Wiava along the road.