I do not own Legend of Dragoon or any of the characters.
New Threat
Cade rested his head in his hands in silence. It had been days since they got to Deningrad, three total since he'd seen Rose, and that pit of worry for her, for no real reason, was so bad he could barely walk, and hadn't been able to eat for a week. The dread that had come with his theory about her reason for being the Black Monster had not abated either. He doubted it would any time soon, though hopefully hearing Rose's explanation of her journey would help.
The door opened and he looked up, expecting it to be Shana checking up on him, as she had been periodically the last few days, but instead, it was Rose who was silhouetted in the doorway.
"Rose!" he cheered, forming his wings and flying across the room before she could even close the door, grabbing her in a hug and spinning, kicking the door closed as he did. He held her tightly, and after her moment of surprise, she responded in kind, tucking her face into his shoulder. "I missed you."
"I was only gone for two days," Rose said, still holding him as tightly as he was holding her.
"Three days," he corrected her. "And that doesn't matter. I was still worried about you. I've had an awful feeling of dread for days, and it made me start worrying about you."
"Well, I'm here now," Rose smiled. "So you can stop worrying."
He smiled and nodded, then frowned. "Can you tell me about your journey, now? We never got around to it after we got to Furni."
Rose nodded. "Do you mind if we sit down? And also, what made you think of it suddenly?"
He nodded and they sat on the bed together, Rose slipping her left hand into his right, interlacing their fingers. "We talked to the bishop at the church and the librarian here, and they both said that the Moon that Never Sets is the physical form of the gods, and that during the Dragon Campaign, the Winglies subjugated the gods until humanity freed them. But the bishop also said that the Winglies created signets to protect the last fruit, the one hundred eighth and stop the end of the world, but the one hundred eighth fruit never bore life. And then, you've had to be the Black Monster every one hundred eight years to kill the Moon Child who's supposed to awaken the god who is the Moon that Never Sets. Thanks to my mother, I know the Signets are called Signet Spheres, and they created five, but one was destroyed during the Dragon Campaign, leaving four. There are also four smaller moons orbiting the Moon that Never Sets."
Rose stared at him in silence for a long while before speaking. "I sometimes forget how sharp you can be. The one hundred eighth fruit of the Divine Tree would have birthed the God of Destruction, a being known as the Virage Embryo."
"Virage?" Cade asked.
"They're part of the one hundred eighth fruit," Rose nodded. "The Winglies, though I don't know how, found out that the God of Destruction would be born from the fruit, so they used a powerful seal known as the Crystal Sphere to remove its soul from its body and trap it. The body of the God of Destruction became the Moon that Never Sets. During the Wingly subjugation of the other races, Melbu Frahma, leader of the Winglies and one of the two most powerful, drew from the God of Destruction's power within the Crystal Sphere, and in doing so, gained the ability to summon Virage from the Moon that Never Sets to do his bidding, and by extension, the bidding of all Winglies. If I had to guess, Virage are living weapons that the God of Destruction would use to destroy the world if it were to ever be born. At some point before the Dragon Campaign, the power drawn from the Crystal Sphere began to weaken, though I don't know why. If I had to guess, I'd say you're right about the Signet Spheres. During the Dragon Campaign, there were five moons around the Moon that Never Sets. During the final battle of the war, at the Wingly Royal Capital of Kadessa, the former Red-Eye Dragoon, Zieg, my fiancé, battled Melbu Frahma to the death, and they both died. However, in doing so, they crashed into one of the Signet Spheres and destroyed it. The explosion also destroyed the Crystal Sphere. With it destroyed, the war ended, but later on, a Wingly who had sought peace came to me, as the last Dragoon, and told me the truth of the Crystal Sphere and the God of Destruction. She told me that she'd had a vision that the God of Destruction's soul would be born into a human host every one hundred eight years, and that if that child was allowed to reach the Moon that Never Sets, the god would be born. I agreed to help stop it, and to allow me to live long enough, the Wingly made me my choker. Then, every one hundred eight years, they would tell me who the child would be and I would go and kill them. However, because of the God of Destruction's power, anyone who came into contact with it would become an Evangelist for the God of Destruction, so I had to kill anyone who had been around them too."
"I see," Cade nodded. "And Princess Louvia was the last, right? That Ghost ship was the last place you attacked?"
"Yes," Rose nodded. "For the next century or so, we shouldn't have to worry about it."
"Somehow, I don't think that's quite accurate," Cade said. "This journey we're all on, it feels like the God of Destruction is getting closer to being born."
Rose frowned thoughtfully.
"How many times?" Cade asked after a few moments of silence.
"I don't know," Rose said, shaking her head. "I lost sense of time for thousands of years. I didn't keep track of how many."
Cade nodded, then turned, laying down and holding his arms up. Rose smiled and lay down long his side, laying one arm across him as he wrapped both around her.
"From now on, I'll handle the killing," Cade said, Rose looking up at him. "You talk to your Wingly friend and find out where they are, and I'll do the dirty work. You've done enough."
Rose smiled, then shook her head, kissing him. "I'm not letting you suffer that all on your own. We'll do it together, as we agreed."
"I don't remember you ever actually agreeing," Cade smiled. "But we'll decide in about a hundred years."
Rose smiled, nodding, then set her head down. Cade gently stroked his hand up and down her back, then looked around. His feeling of dread was still present, but his worry for her was gone, and the pit from not knowing the truth about the Moon that Never Sets was gone. He decided to try and lighten the mood.
"You know what still bugs me?" Cade asked.
Rose pushed herself up a bit, looking down at him expectantly, though he paused to stare at her beauty with her hair falling to one side and her eyes catching the light just right to sparkle. "What?"
"I still don't have a goddamn Dragoon Spirit," Cade said after a moment.
Rose laughed, shaking her head. "You're still complaining about that?"
"Yes!" Cade said. "I wanna be a Dragoon too! It's obviously not because I'm a Wingly, since both Lenus and Meru are Dragoons."
Rose rolled her eyes. "You don't even need one. You're strong enough as you are."
"Oh, you and I both know that you all are several times stronger than me," Cade said. "That's just how it is. Dragoons are stronger. They had all the power of a Dragon mixed with the intelligence of a human. They all just haven't come to terms with their power fully, and you don't go all out. I learned to use my power since I was little and they've had theirs a few months. But if we had to fight to the death in a contest of power, I'd lose. Beside, I like the armor."
Rose laughed, setting her head on his chest for a moment before lifting it and nodding. "There it is. I knew it was something to do with looking good, Mister Poncho."
"Hey, I looked damn good in a poncho," Cade said.
Rose shook her head. "Knowing you, you probably like Shana's armor the best."
"I would if you were the one wearing it," Cade smirked. "I'd love to see you fly around in a mini skirt and a belly shirt."
Rose slapped him playfully. "You're terrible!" she laughed, then shook her head. "What am I going to do with you?"
Cade hummed thoughtfully. "I might have a couple of ideas."
Rose opened her mouth to respond, but he cut her off with a kiss. Rose sighed, settling on top of him again, their tongues beginning to dance. After a little while, Rose pulled away, tucking her head into his chest, his chin resting on top of her head. Both smiled, closing their eyes, and simply enjoyed holding the other.
"I missed you," Cade said quietly.
Rose hummed an acknowledgement, squeezing him gently before settling back in, Cade doing the same. Just as Cade was beginning to drift off, however, his entire body suddenly came alive with a cold chill, making him jerk and wake Rose. His senses all but screamed danger, and he could feel something horrifyingly powerful approaching the city faster than he'd ever seen anyone travel. He jumped up, pulling his boots and armor on before sprinting out of the room, Rose following.
"What is it?" Rose asked urgently. "What is this feeling?"
"Something terrible!" Cade said, just as they stepped outside.
Suddenly, it was there. A massive dragon with white plating over its body, broken chains hanging from it, Seven massive wings, two long, blade-like claws per foot, a neck and tail both as long as the Queen Fury, spikes bristling from the end of its tail, six glowing orange eyes in a line above its mouth, jagged, pointed teeth and a single, massive eye as tall as Cade was with a turquoise iris and a vertical orange slit for a pupil. Cade's gut dropped. It could only be one dragon, as powerful as it was. His mother had told him about it once. The Divine Dragon. The king of all Dragons. It was so powerful the humans couldn't control it, and the Winglies couldn't kill it, so they sealed it away instead. And now it was free, and they were standing in the middle of a Wingly City.
It flew low over the city and the tail wind alone was enough to begin ripping buildings apart and scattering debris into the air and across the city. It flew low over the top of the crystal palace and the tips of the crystals broke free and fell to the city below before it flew low over the city again. People were screaming, but the screaming tailwind blowing through the city still was drowning them out. It made several more passes before finally flying away. Cade let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding and fell to his knees, holding a hand to his gut as the pit of dread there spiked several times before finally easing back an fading. Rose knelt beside him, setting a hand on his shoulder.
"I'm alright," Cade said. "But this is really, really bad. We need to find the others."
"They're this way," Rose said, helping him up before running through the city, Cade following.
"Anger or animosity toward humans or all things," a girl with dark grey hair, milky white eyes, a dark grey shirt that left her midriff exposed, and a pale violet full-length skirt was saying as they reached the others.
"Heeeey!" Meru's voice shouted as she sprinted over suddenly. "Buuudies!"
"There you are!" Cade said. "You're late."
"Ohmigod!" Meru panted. "Ohmigod! Could it be!?"
"The arrival of the one who glares through seven diabolical eyes, and who crosses the sky with seven wings," Rose said. "It's trouble. It's the King of Dragons. The Divine Dragon."
"The legend was true," the girl with grey hair said. "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."
"Again, we are facing a Dragon," Albert said.
"What are you people?" the girl asked.
"We are the Dragoons," Dart said. "We are the Dragon Knights who have the power to rule Dragons."
"Dragoons!" the girl gasped. "The Legendary Dragon Knights! That is the reason why I feel a strong power in you! But, did the Dragoons come to this country? Is it because of that Dragon?"
"No," Dart said. "We came to pursue a man. He is a sneaky and dangerous man, even for those with the strength of us Dragoons, or our friend." He gestured at Cade and Luanna frowned.
"What is he, if not a Dragoon?" the girl asked. "I can see his power as well."
"Smooth," Cade said. "Well, I'm a half-blood Wingly. My name's Cade."
"Half-blood?" the girl asked.
"My father was human," Cade said.
"Oh, I see," the girl nodded. "I am the Second Sacred Sister of Mille Seseau, Luanna."
"It's an honor to meet you," Cade bowed.
"What did the man you are searching for do?" Luanna asked.
"He engaged in secret maneuvers during the Serdian War, and formed a conspiracy for a coup d'état in Tiberoa," Albert said.
"He also murdered our friend, stole something precious from both countries, and somehow managed to use two different Dragons to serve his own goals of distracting us and everyone else from what he was doing," Cade added.
"And now he is going to bring evil to Mille Seseau," Luanna guessed. "Oh! Is that evil the Divine Dragon!?"
"I doubt it," Cade said. "From everything I was told about it, it would never serve anyone."
Luanna nodded for a moment before speaking again. "Please see Queen Theresa. It seems we need the power of you Dragoons and the half-Wingly."
"For the sake of making it easy, you can just call me a Wingly," Cade said.
Luanna nodded. "Please allow me to show you the way."
The others all nodded, and as they walked, Cade and Rose walked over to Dart, as the unofficial leader of the group, to talk strategy.
"If you think we're facing this one on level ground, you're nuts," Cade said. "We need to go to where the Winglies live in order to get a specific item that will help us fight the Divine Dragon without dying."
Meru tugged his sleeve, making him lean in so she could whisper. "We can't get the sword, it's gone."
"I'm not talking about the sword," Cade whispered back. "Lloyd has that."
"What!?" Meru shrieked, Cade grimacing and holding a hand to his ear. "Sorry. But are you sure?"
"I'm sure," Cade nodded.
"Sure of what?" Dart asked.
"I was telling Meru about Lloyd's sword, the Dragon Buster, and how I wish we could find him to take it," Cade said. "In absence of that, there's another option. The Dragon Block Staff. It's the sister weapon to the Dragon Buster, and will weaken the Divine Dragon. But it's also a double-edged sword, because it'll weaken your Dragoon Forms as well."
"Then why would we use it?" Dart asked.
"Because without it, that dragon would blow us away in an instant," Rose said.
"We'll discuss it later," Dart said. "We're here."
"I'm telling you that whatever that monster is, with the force of the Holy Knights, nothing can stand against us!" the apparent commander of Mille Seseau's Holy Knights was saying as they walked into the throne room.
"Have you even seen the monster?" a blonde wearing a white shirt, black pants, leather armor, and a bow and quiver asked.
"According to the briefing by my man, it's bigger than a cloud and faster than our horses!" the commander said. "It's impossible for such a creature to exist!"
"Where does your confidence come from!?" the blonde snapped.
"It is impossible for such a creature to exist," the commander said resolutely.
"You idiot!" the blonde shouted, punching him and knocking him onto his ass. "Talking about the enemy based on mere assumptions! Are you going to expose your men to such danger!? You are dismissed, Commander of Knights!"
"Yes Ma'am!" the knight said, standing and bowing before turning to leave.
As he did, the blonde punched a wall in frustration.
"Calm down Miranda, you are in front of guests," Queen Theresa said. "Luanna, Setie, I'm glad to see you came back safe."
"You haven't changed, Miranda," Luanna smiled.
"He doesn't understand the current situation," Miranda said flatly.
"Obviously," Cade said. "I hope not all of your commanders are like that."
"They're not," Miranda said, then narrowed her eyes at him. "Who are these people?"
"I brought them in order to save Mille Seseau from the threat," Luanna said.
"Did you just say save?" Miranda asked, raising an eyebrow.
Luanna nodded. "If we do not take action, it will attack us again. And next time, it might attack us directly."
"Do you know anything about the monster?" Queen Theresa asked.
"It is the Divine Dragon awakened from the long rest he was forced into," Rose said. "It's no wonder he's cranky."
"Divine Dragon!?" Queen Theresa gasped, then stood, walking forward. "You are...talking about...that monster sealed in the Mountain of Mortal Dragon."
"Yes," Luanna nodded. "The King of Dragons sealed by the ancient Winglies. The Divine Dragon came back to life."
"Are you sure of that!?" Miranda asked.
"Can you think of any other big, white, flying monsters the size of a dozen carriages, plus a neck and tail, which has seven eyes and wings and enough magic power to shake the ground just by flying past?" Cade asked.
"Please relax, Miranda," Queen Theresa said, walking down the steps before her throne. "You said...you will save this country. Is it possible for us humans to defeat a dragon?"
"We don't know yet," Dart said. "However, we might be able to stop it."
"What confidence you have," Miranda said flatly.
"Six of us are Dragoons," Cade said, Miranda and Queen Theresa both staring at him. "And I'm a Wingly. If anyone can stop that thing, it's us."
"Are you trying to say that you're the heroes from the Dragon Campaign!?" Miranda scoffed. "Those Dragoons?"
"Different generation, same type of warrior," Cade said.
"I was surprised, too, but I don't see any falsehood in their hearts," Luanna said.
"That means...may we request your help in vanquishing the Divine Dragon?" Queen Theresa asked.
"You are free to ask," Rose said. "In any case, we have to meet him. However, we cannot go as we are. We are not prepared. We need to acquire a specific weapon first."
"What is that?" Queen Theresa asked.
"The ancient Winglies created two weapons for dealing with Dragons," Cade said. "A sword known as the Dragon Buster, and a staff known as the Dragon Block Staff. The sword is in the possession of a man named Lloyd, who used it to kill our friend. As such, it's out of our reach. We'll have to rely on the staff instead, but it will take time to acquire."
"How much time?" Queen Theresa asked.
"Quite a bit," Cade said. "We likely won't be able to stop the dragon before it attacks the city in earnest. Not to mention the fact that it will take time for us to reach the Mountain of Mortal Dragon as well."
"I understand," Queen Theresa nodded. "We will begin evacuating then. Even if the city is destroyed, it can be rebuilt so long as the people live."
"Queen Theresa, I'm going with these people to borrow the Dragon Block Staff," Miranda said.
"You want to come?" Dart asked.
"Of course!" Miranda snapped. "The problem is too big to just leave to you! Besides..." she looked around at them all. "I want to see how far you Dragoons can go. If you really have the power described in legend."
"I beg you people," Queen Theresa said. "Please save Mille Seseau from the Divine Dragon."
Everyone nodded and Miranda walked toward the stairs leading out of the throne room. Everyone followed, but after a few minutes, Cade stopped, doing a headcount.
"Dart, where's Shana?" Cade asked.
"What great timing," Miranda growled. "Let's hurry and find her."
They all headed back up to the throne room and Setie told them Shana ran into the Chamber of the Signet after they left. When they reached the room, they found Shana sitting on her knees, staring at the shining orb of light situated in the center of three round metal arms in the distance. Cade could sense the magic literally shining from it and shook his head. The amount of power in that sphere was about equal to what the Divine Dragon possessed.
"Shana!" Dart said worriedly, kneeling in front of her. "Are you alright!?"
Shana blinked slowly before looking around, frowning. "Where...Where am I? When...did I come here?"
"What happened?" Dart asked.
"I don't know," Shana said, then glanced at the Signet Sphere. "But...that brought me here."
"Miranda, what is this room for?" Dart asked.
"This castle used to be a fort for Winglies," Miranda said. "I heard that this room used to be a chamber for a ceremony to seal something, but it was more than eleven thousand years ago."
"Is that the reason the Divine Dragon made a raid on the Crystal Palace?" Albert asked.
"Possibly," Cade nodded. "What you're looking at is one of the Winglies' Signet Spheres, judging by the insane amount of magic that thing's got in it. The Divine Dragon probably sensed the Wingly Magic in that thing like a beacon, and it's acting out of hatred for them."
"Why did you come to this room alone?" Dart was asking Shana. "Were you called again, like the time with the Virage?"
"No, it was different this time," Shana said. "I woke up and I was here." She groaned suddenly, clutching at her head. "I feel hot. It's gone. My..." she trailed off just as her Dragoon Spirit appeared over her and shot into the air, then floated back down to Miranda.
"You've got to be joking," Cade said.
"What's this?" Miranda asked.
"I cannot manage it anymore," Shana said. "I don't feel the power of the White-Silver Dragon."
"You...You are a Dragoon, too!?" Dart gasped.
"Me!?" Miranda gasped.
"Dragoon Spirits manipulate fate," Rose said, humming thoughtfully.
"I can...no longer..." Shana fell to her knees and Dart spun to her instantly, catching her as she began to fall.
"Hey!" Miranda said. "What's going on!? What is this stone!?"
"It's your new Dragoon Spirit," Cade said, Miranda staring at him. "You're one of us, now."
Miranda stared at it before slipping it into her pocket. "Pick her up. She can rest here in the castle."
Dart nodded, lifting her, then followed Miranda out of the room, the others all following after.
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