Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts, the Characters, or any Game, Movie, or TV Show content that are mentioned in this FanFiction story. They belong to their respective owners and I honor respect their great works.
Two days have passed since the Urgal ambush at Daret. The heroes escaped the violent creatures into the wilderness but were forced to avoid visiting any settlements as news of the attack would have spread far out in Alagaësia, thus making it even more difficult to evade Galbatorix' gaze, not to mention the Ra'zac, who were surely hot on their trail.
In the realm of unconsciousness, Eragon began experiencing more dreams and visions of Arya. These dreams owned him and were very vivid. First, he saw her lying on a stone table in a cold, hard cell under a beam of moonlight, which shone down through a barred window set high in the wall. She bent, gasped, and cried out in pain. Who was she? Why was he dreaming about her?
The day was bright and sunny as Eragon finally regains consciousness. He opens his eyes and finds himself laying on top of a cliff. The young rider rises up and felt a stinging sensation in his right-hand.
"My hand... It burns." Eragon says
Brom, who was sitting on a rock next to Eragon on his right, places his left-hand on his shoulder, telling him to take it easy.
"Slowly, slowly, slowly." Brom says
Steadily, Eragon sat upright and moaned as he felt an aching pain in his head.
"My head. I feel like I've been kicked by a horse. What happened?" Eragon asks
"Most new dragon riders take years to learn what you've just discovered by instinct." Brom says
"What's that?" Eragon asks
"Magic." Brom says
The young rider sat and stared in surprise and disbelief, not looking back at the old man.
"I was only reacting. How could I possibly have used magic? No one ever instructed me or taught me any spells." Eragon asks
"Magic comes from dragons. It flows through the rider who commands them, just as the Keyblade's magic flows through its chosen wielder, like Devon." Brom says
Upon hearing the mention of Devon's name, Eragon burst up onto his feet and looks out into the surrounding hills, wondering where he and Saphira were, and if they were safe.
"Devon? Saphira?" Eragon says
"Relax, they're fine. They flew off to scout the hills." Brom says
Eragon turns right and looks back at Brom as he continued to speak.
"Saphira sensed your fear as her own. Your bond with her is strong." Brom says
Eragon thought back to the ambush at Daret, and he remembered the Urgals that attacked them.
"Those were Urgals, weren't they?" Eragon asks
"Yes." Brom answers
"Did I kill them?" Eragon asks
"Yes. You should be proud. Few escape unscathed after their first Urgal kill, but death is nothing to celebrate. The manner in which you cast that spell was very dangerous. You were lucky you didn't destroy yourself and the town. Now, magic must be your last resort. It has rules. It has limitations, like the rest of the world. By your strength, the words you know, and your imagination. Break the rules and the penalty is death, with no exceptions. Before you can cast a spell, you must learn the Ancient Language of the elves." Brom says
Eragon remembers the word he shouted on the bridge. Was that a word spoken in Ancient Language? Perhaps he may have heard Brom utter it before to light the campfire, but how could he have known the word without ever using it?
"Brisingr?" Eragon says
"Brisingr means 'Fire', is fire. The thing is the word. Know the word and you control the thing. Before you can cast a spell, you must have the physical strength able to withstand it's effects." Brom says
Brom slowly paces around Eragon as he explains more about the effects of casting certain magic spells and the toll that they take on the user.
"Some spells can leave you weakened. Other spells, as you found out on the bridge, can leave you unconscious. And yet other spells, if you use them before you're ready..." Brom says
The old man turns and looks back at the young rider with a calm, yet serious expression.
"...will kill you. I can teach you the words of the Ancient Language, but the limits of your strength, you must learn for yourself." Brom says
Eragon stared at Brom with an astonished expression. Slowly, the idea, the revelation, wormed its way through his mind. He, Eragon, a farm boy of Palancar Valley, had used magic. Magic! Now, he was almost like Devon, though chances of him becoming as strong as the Keyblade Wielder were very, very slim, if not impossible. Thinking back to the spell he cast on the bridge, there was one thing that got Eragon wondering.
"Why was the fire blue? How come it did exactly what I wanted?" Eragon asks
"The color varies from person to person. It depends on who says the word. Why it did what you wanted, that's a matter of practice. Most beginners spell out exactly what they want to happen, but with more experience, it isn't necessary. Practice is more of an art than anything else." Brom says
Curious to learn more about the Ancient Language, Eragon walks up to a nearby tree and looks up at it, gesturing to the large plant with his left-hand.
"What's the word for tree?" Eragon asks
"Tree is Traevam." Brom says
Next, the young rider looks down at a stone by his feet, about the size of a baseball. He kneels down and picks up the stone, holding it up in his right-hand.
"A stone?" Eragon asks
"Stenr." Brom says
Eragon tosses the stone aside and grabs a branch from the ground next.
"And a branch?" Eragon asks
"Kvistir." Brom says
The teen repeats the word with a smile and enthusiasm.
"Kvistir." Eragon says
"And when a dragon and rider are truly one then they see as one, then that's... Skulblakas Ven." Brom says
Again, Eragon repeated the spell with much excitement.
"Skulblakas Ven." Eragon says
As Eragon absorbed this new knowledge about the Ancient Language, Brom turns and gazes out at the surrounding hills of trees.
"Well, since we've announced ourselves so spectacularly to the world, we're going to have to find another way through these hills. Of course, that would be a lot easier... if you were flying." Brom says
Then, as if on cue, Saphira flies up out of nowhere over the cliff with her wings spread out and lands infront of Brom and Eragon with Devon on her back, riding the blue dragoness on her new saddle, courtesy of Brom.
This saddle was made with brown leather sewn and stitched together, had intricate knots rigged in place of buckles, and straps made extra-long to ensure the saddle would still fit Saphira as she continued to grow. The main part of the saddle was assembled into three sections sewn together with padding between them. Attached to the front was a thick loop, while wide bands were sewn on either side around Saphira's belly and tied underneath. Stirrups hung down from both bands, which would hold her rider's legs in place. Finally, a long strap passed between Saphira's front legs, split in two, then came up behind to rejoin the saddle.
Saphira takes a few proud strides around Eragon and Brom and glances over at her rider.
"Did someone mention flying? Are you ready to try again, dragon rider?" Saphira asks
"I didn't do so well last time." Eragon says
Saphira crouches down and lowers herself for her rider to mount her.
"We didn't do so well." Saphira says
"Yeah. There was too much excitement back then. Too much panicking. Now, we're in control." Devon says
Eragon smiles and climbs up onto his dragon's back, situating himself onto the saddle infront of Devon so he could get used to flying her.
"You can thank Brom for the saddle." Saphira says
"And me for testing it out. This one's definitely much more comfortable with all the padding." Devon says
Once both riders were on her back, Saphira rises to her feet, turns to her left, and strides toward the edge of the cliff.
"Nah, it's not so bad up here." Eragon says
Upon reaching the cliff's edge, Saphira knocks over a rock with her left-paw. Eragon's face quickly turned into nervousness as he watched the rock fall into the canyon, which looked to be several feet high above the river down below. The sound of the rock hitting the cliffside echoes loudly. Brom saw the look on Eragon's face, and he laughs. Saphira glances back left at her rider with a smug.
"Not so bad at all." Saphira says
With a happy roar, Saphira jumps off the edge and dives down into the canyon while Devon and Eragon hold on.
"Whoa!" Eragon exclaims
"Whoo!" Devon exclaims
Just as they reach the bottom of the canyon, Saphira levels out and soars a few feet above the river. With her wings spread out, she flies smoothly and effortlessly through the canyon.
"Yeah!" Eragon exclaims
"Lean." Saphira says
Eragon leans his body to the left just as Saphira turns around a corner in the canyon. He was about to fall off when Devon catches him with his left-hand.
"Whoa, whoa! Eragon! Heh heh heh." Devon chuckles
"Not that much." Saphira says
Eragon straightens himself up on the saddle and laughs with Devon. Saphira soon flies out of the canyon and ascends higher into the air over the open plains. Brom follows the trio on his horse as they soar overhead.
"Feel how she moves, Eragon! How she turns, and when she accelerates!" Brom says
The young rider heard the old man's words and was eager to see how fast Saphira was in flight.
"C'mon! Let's see what you got!" Eragon says
Another smug forms on the blue dragoness' face. They really wanted her to go faster? If that's what her riders really wanted, then she would be more than happy to oblige.
"You want speed? Here we go!" Saphira says
Saphira spreads her wings to gain lift in the air, then folds them in as she descends into a steep dive. The increased speed makes Devon and Eragon fly off Saphira's back, but they both hang on to the saddle handles.
"Whoa!" Eragon and Devon exclaim in unison
"Hold on, boys!" Saphira says
The blue dragoness dives down towards the ground while the rider and Keyblade Wielder pull themselves back onto the saddle.
"You asked for it!" Saphira says
Brom was watching them from down below and he was having the time of his life, smiling and laughing.
"There you go! Ha ha ha!" Brom laughs
Saphira flies upwards again with a left spiral, rolling around completely. Devon and Eragon watched as the sky and clouds spun around in a dizzying circle until she levels out and flies smoothly. They were now soaring high above the plains, valleys, and rolling hills. The river, a wispy grey line beneath them. The trees below, no more than tiny specks.
"When we're truly one, you can fight from everywhere, even from the tail." Saphira says
"I want to try it!" Eragon says
"Maybe not yet." Saphira says glancing back at her rider for a brief second
Eragon carefully stands up and turns around towards Saphira's rear. Devon lowers down and leans against the blue dragoness' back as Eragon climbs over him, then slides up to the front of the saddle.
"I don't know, Eragon. Maybe you should listen to Saphira." Devon says
"Oh, it's easy. I can do this." Eragon says
The young rider stood in a crouched position, staring out at Saphira's tail as it whipped about in the air.
"Oh! Oh!" Eragon says
Eragon spreads out his arms to maintain his balance.
After a few seconds of hesitation, Eragon decides not to push his luck and lowers himself down on the saddle.
"Maybe not yet." Eragon says
"Maybe not yet." Saphira chuckles
"And he chickens out." Devon says
Despite failing in his attempt to stand out on Saphira's body, Eragon was encouraged to try something else: his new ability in magic.
"Maybe I can try this. Skulblakas ven!" Eragon says
As he uses the new spell, Eragon's vision blurred, his eyes changed color from brown to blue, and he found himself looking through Saphira's eyes.
"Fantastic!" Eragon says amazed
Eragon gazes around at the environment with complete amazement. Everything was disoriented. Colors had weird exotic tints. The blue in the sky was more vivid and prominent, while reds and greens of the trees and the ground were subdued.
"You always see like this?" Eragon asks spreading his arms out in gesture to the world around him
"That's nothing. Watch this." Saphira says
In an instant, Eragon's vision zoomed in, allowing him to see the mountain, the waterfall, and the forests far out in the distance, as though he was looking through binoculars.
"This is incredible!" Eragon says
"I know right?" Devon says
"I am glad you took pleasure in this." Saphira says
"I'm sorry I couldn't have flown with you more." Eragon apologizes
"You are forgiven. We will fly together more often now?" Saphira says
"Yes! Every chance we get!" Eragon says
"Good." Saphira says
While Devon, Eragon, and Saphira continued their flight together, Brom rode on his horse along the forest path further up ahead. Unknown to the old man, the Ra'zac were stalking him, hiding behind the trees as they watched him pass by, hissing and snarling. Remaining hidden in the trees, the two creatures ran in pursuit to intercept Brom and ambush him.
Back in the air, the trio were enjoying themselves until Eragon and Saphira see something in the forest ahead of them. There were three orange lights moving on the ground under the trees. Two of them on the left were close together, heading toward the other one on the right. These orange lights were actually warm body heat detected through Saphira's dragon senses, like a thermal imaging camera. Eragon could see them as well through her eyesight. Devon felt Saphira's growls as they vibrated through the saddle underneath him. An alarmed expression formed on his face. Something wasn't right. The Keyblade Wielder glances back at his fellow rider over his left-shoulder and saw a troubled look on his face.
"What's wrong?" Devon asks
"There's something down there." Eragon says
Now on high alert, the trio look onwards at the patch of forest ahead of them. Zooming in closer with their binocular vision, Saphira and Eragon could see the Ra'zacs running through the forest.
"Ra'zacs!" Saphira says
Looking over to the right, they saw that the two creatures were heading straight for Brom, who was further away from them. Eragon's eyes widened in shock.
"Brom!" Eragon exclaims
Saphira lets out a loud roar, ready to face the hellish creatures.
"Looks like they finally caught up with us." Devon says
"This time they die. Now go!" Eragon says
"With pleasure." Saphira says
Saphira dives down fast through the air and flies into an open space in the forest canopy.
On the forest path, Brom heard rustling coming from behind him and turns around. One of the Ra'zac leaps out onto the path and sets its gaze on the old man. Knowing he had to keep Devon, Eragon, and Saphira safe, Brom rides down the trail on his horse to draw the Ra'zac away, telling the trio to escape while they can.
"Eragon, Devon! Stay out of this!" Brom says
Flying through the trees, Devon, Eragon, and Saphira see Brom being chased by the Ra'zac on the forest path, and they move to assist him.
"Lower, Saphira! Lower!" Eragon says
As they followed the chase, Devon gazed down and noticed that only one of the Ra'zac was following Brom.
"Wait. Where's the other one?" Devon asks
Before they could figure it out, the second Ra'zac, who was clinging to a tree, jumps off and tackles into Devon and Eragon as they and Saphira pass underneath, knocking them both off the blue dragoness. Devon, Eragon, and the Ra'zac roll down a hill while Saphira smashes into a tree, injuring her left-wing. She crashes at the bottom of the hill with Devon while Eragon lands with the Ra'zac ontop of him. The hellish creature extends its blades and prepares to finish the young rider off. But before it could get the chance, Eragon extends his right-hand out toward the trees above him, casting one of his new magic spells.
"Kvistir!" Eragon yells
A bright green light shines forth from Eragon's hand and shoots up into the nearby tree. A branch comes to life and stretches down to the Ra'zac, grabbing it by its throat and lifting it up into the air. Eragon quickly gets up and watches as the creature was being strangled, then rushes down the slope to Devon and Saphira. The Ra'zac struggles with the branch for a few seconds, but it manages to cut itself free with its right knife. Still reeling from the crash landing, Devon rolls over on his back and onto all fours, groaning as he tried to recover. Lifting up his head, he saw the Ra'zac landing crouched down on the slope, setting its sights on Eragon, who had just reached the bottom of the hill. Devon gasps and yells out to his friend.
"Eragon, watch out!" Devon exclaims
Quickly rising to his feet, Devon summons his Keyblade: Soul Calibur into his right-hand and leaps up high into the air. At the same time, the Ra'zac leaps up and descends down towards Eragon. Everything was now moving in slow motion. Devon pulls his Soul Calibur back and hurls it with a diagonal toss. Blue flames engulf the crystal Keyblade as it spins through the air towards its target. Eragon turns around to his right and faces the Ra'zac as it descends down on him with both its dual knives extended from its sleeves. But before the humanoid creature could reach him, Soul Calibur strikes into the Ra'zac, knocking it away from Eragon and saving him. Devon lands crouched down on the ground on his left-knee and catches his crystal Keyblade as it returns to his right-hand. Then, he stands up and faces the Ra'zac as it stood on its right-knee infront of him. The fiery strike from the Keyblade had burned and disintegrated the Ra'zac's cloak, revealing its hellish appearance before the heroes. Devon and Eragon's eyes widened in shock as they got a good look at the creature, seeing the colony of bugs that crawled all over it. The Ra'zac snarled and spoke to the Keyblade Wielder with a smooth, sibilant, feminine voice.
"We have sssearched far for you, Keyblade Wielder. You have caused much grief for our king. I will tassste your flesh, drink your blood, and I will sssavor every moment as you die." The Ra'zac says
Devon narrows his eyes at the Ra'zac with a serious expression and he clenches his left-hand into a fist. His grip on Soul Calibur grew tighter.
"You want a taste?" Devon says
The young teen spins his Keyblade around and brings it over to his right-side.
"Come get it!" Devon says
Devon rushes forward and swings Soul Calibur with a quick left slash, but misses as the Ra'zac jumps back a bit. The monstrous assassin counters with her right knife, swinging it with an uppercut slash. Devon leans his body to the right, dodging the knife. The Ra'zac comes at Devon with three stabs aimed for his head, but the Keyblade Wielder moves his head left and right. Then, the creature goes for a slice at Devon's neck, only to miss him by mere inches as he leans back to dodge. Ducking down away from the knife, Devon strikes back at the Ra'zac with a right slash to the its stomach, a rising uppercut slash up along its body, and a spinning left-kick to its chest, knocking the assassin back.
Snarling in anger, the Ra'zac attacks Devon with more slashes from its dual knives while he blocks them with Soul Calibur. Eventually, Devon strikes back with a left downward slash, a right slash, and a leaping roundhouse kick, but the Ra'zac dodges his attacks. The assassin swings her right knife, going for a slice at Devon's face, but he quickly ducks down and counters the attack with a backflip kick, striking the Ra'zac head and knocking her back a few feet away. Landing on his feet, Devon spins his Keyblade around and holds it horizontally infront of him.
"I heard you guys aren't big fans of light. Well, guess what? I'm your worst nightmare!" Devon says
Sparkles and streaks of light appear and swirl around Soul Calibur, which slowly starts to glow with its benevolent light until it illuminates the area, causing the Ra'zac to shriek in pain and shield its eyes. The Keyblade shines brightly for a couple of seconds before its light dims down, revealing its new form. It was another Formchange: a Crystal Bow.
This bow was made of translucent blue crystal, shaped and fashioned like a recurve bow, approximately 66 inches in length. Its bow string was one made of a bright blue light. On the thick limbs of the bow were white glowing runic glyphs and symbols. The tips of the limbs were four-tipped crystalline wings, both with a single small crystal orb floating within a circular opening in their bases. In the center of the riser was a black grip with a small rectangular gray arrow rest on the left side. And the crystal orb floats disembodied within a circular space on the upper limb near the center of the bow.
Devon gazes upon the crystal bow in his right-hand, flipping it around twice, then switches it into his left-hand for better grip. He then faces the Ra'zac with a confident grin.
"Oh yeah. Now you're in trouble." Devon says
Holding his bow overhand and diagonally to the right, the Keyblade Wielder grabs the bow string with his right-hand and a white arrow of light appears out of thin air on the string. Devon grabs the arrow's end with his thumb, index, and middle finger, pulls back on the bow string, lines his right-eye up along the arrow's shaft, and draws his shot. To help with his aim, a fiery blue-white holographic reflex sight appears on the left side of the riser, projected from the crystal orb on the upper limb with a simple blue dot in the center.
With the Ra'zac in his sights, Devon releases the arrow and it flies through the air with high velocity, hitting the hellish creature in the upper left part of its chest, leaving behind a hole. The Ra'zac howled in pain as the arrow pierced its body, but the hole was soon covered and filled up by the bugs. Gazing back at the Keyblade Wielder, the Ra'zac hisses angrily and narrows her eyes. Deftly, Devon fits another light arrow to the string and shoots it. Two more arrows followed an instant later. The assassin leaps away to right with inhuman swiftness, dodging the first arrow, then dashes forward at Devon, running past the other two arrows.
Once it reaches him, the Ra'zac swings both her dual knives at Devon, who quickly held up his crystal bow in defense and blocked the attack. The Ra'zac continues its assault with several quick slashes, swinging her knives left, right, up and down. Devon parries the blows with his bow, matching the Ra'zac's speed. On the fourth blow, Devon counters with a left-kick to the creature's stomach, causing it to lurch forward, then follows up with an uppercut strike from his bow, a cartwheel kick, and a jumping right-kick. The Ra'zac tries to stab Devon with a lunging strike using the knife in her right-hand, but Devon jumps to the right and counters with a swing of his bow using both hands to the creature's head. He immediately follows up with four swift blows to the Ra'zac's body, using his bow like a Bo Staff and knocking chunks of bugs off. Next, he slams his bow down on the creature's head, and delivers an uppercut strike afterwards. Then, he runs up along the Ra'zac's body and jumps off with a backflip, kicking with both legs. Devon lands crouched down on the ground and immediately draws his bow. Three light arrows appear in Devon's grip as he pulls the string back far. Soon, he releases, and the arrows fly straight towards the monstrous assassin, homing in on their target like missiles. Within moments, they hit the Ra'zac at high velocity. One pierces her left-rib, the second hits her right-shoulder, and the third goes through her stomach. With each shot, the creature lets out loud, pained shrieks.
Weakened by the light-based attacks, the Ra'zac falls down on her right-knee with three holes in her body. Lifting her head up, the Ra'zac gives Devon a menacing stare and a hiss. The assassin hated to admit it, but she was no match for the Keyblade Wielder's magic. With a wild cry, the smaller Ra'zac leaps into the air and dives down, disappearing into the earth below as it fled, kicking up a bunch of dirt and leaves.
With the Ra'zac gone, Devon turns around and goes to check on Eragon and Saphira. He noticed that the blue dragoness had injured her wing in the crash and his face became full of concern.
"Saphira! Your wing! Are you alright?!" Devon exclaims
"Devon, above you!" Saphira exclaims
The second Ra'zac, this one a male taller than the other one, stands up high on a rocky ledge and extends his dual knives. He jumps down and confronts the trio. Devon quickly moved infront of Eragon and Saphira, ready to defend them. The Ra'zac snarled and hisses menacingly at Devon, speaking in a deep, moist voice.
"You are ssstrong, Keyblade Wielder, but not nearly assss powerful as our king. He will dessstroy you and your friendsss. That is, if I don't destroy you first!" The Ra'zac says
Before either side could do anything, Brom jumps in with his sword, Zar'roc, in hand and attacks.
"Come on!" Brom yells
Brom swings his sword with a right slash at the Ra'zac, who blocks with his left knife and counters with a quick slice at the old man's head using his right knife. Brom ducks down and dodges the knife as it swoops overhead. The Ra'zac advances on Brom with more slashes while he continues to parry and defend himself. The old man leans his body away, dodging two slices thrown at him, and counters with a slice across the creature's right-arm, causing it to shriek in pain. The Ra'zac swings both its knives down at Brom, putting the two in a blade lock. Brom manages to hold off against the assassin's strength for a bit, but the Ra'zac quickly gains the upper hand with its superior strength and knocks the old man to the ground. Eragon's eyes widened in shock. Standing over him, the monstrous creature swings his knives down at Brom, who blocks with Zar'roc, putting them in another struggle. The Ra'zac slowly pushes his strength down on Brom, getting the better of him.
Suddenly, Brom was saved by a light arrow shot by Devon, which pierces the Ra'zac's left-shoulder, causing it to stagger backwards. Devon runs up and uses his crystal bow to launch himself forward at the Ra'zac, delivering a lunging right-kick to his chest. He then spins around to right, smacking the hellish creature twice before delivering an uppercut strike and a left strike, knocking the Ra'zac further away. Devon draws his bow, holds it vertically, and quickly nocks another light arrow. He pulls back on the string and releases. The arrow flies through the air and pierces the Ra'zac through his lower left stomach while it shrieks out loudly in pain.
The hellish creature looks down at his stomach to see a good chunk of it was missing. He then glances back at Devon with his red eyes, hissing at him menacingly as he admits defeat.
"Argh! Curssse you, Keyblade Wielder! Do not think thisss is over! You have not seen the last of usss!" The Ra'zac hisses
Having said that, the Ra'zac leaps into the air and dives down into the earth, fleeing from the area, sending up dirt and leaves. Eragon and Saphira stared at in amazement. Even Brom was amazed as he sat up. Devon, a Keyblade Wielder, had single-handedly defeated both the Ra'zac, the king's deadliest assassin, on his own. Devon sighs and turns back to his friends as Soul Calibur glows brightly with its dazzling light, making him look even more heroic.
After fending off the Ra'zacs, the group moves deeper into the forest and finds a place to rest near a stream. Devon tends to Saphira's wounded wing as she laid down for him while Brom and Eragon stood and watched behind him. Devon knelt down infront of the blue dragoness and stretched out his right-hand toward her wing with his eyes closed in concentration using the Power of Healing to mend the injury. Blue light emits from his open palm, and it glows brightly with pure energy, shining down onto the dragoness' wing. A soothing wave washes over into Saphira and she growls softly. As Devon worked on healing Saphira, Brom scolds Eragon for his disobedience and recklessness.
"Protect your dragon. Your irresponsibility nearly cost Saphira her life." Brom says
Saphira speaks to her rider in his mind, drawing his attention for a moment, assuring him that she was alright.
"Don't worry. I'm stronger than he thinks." Saphira says
Soon, the healing process was completed. The light fades away and Devon lowers his hand with a sigh.
"There. Should be better now." Devon says
"Thank you, Devon." Saphira says gratefully
Devon nods his head and smiles, patting the dragoness's wing twice with his right-hand. Brom, however, held a cross look on his face as he turns to Eragon, placing his hands at his waist.
"Don't you listen to anything I tell you?" Brom asks in a stern manner
"Better to ask forgiveness than permission." Eragon says
Brom looks toward Eragon in slight surprise. Was he actually using his own words against him?
Later on, the heroes settle down by a gentle stream in an open patch of the forest. Brom kneels down and washes his hands in the cool water while Devon and Eragon stood behind him.
"Your duty is to reach the Varden alive!" Brom says glancing back up over his left-shoulder at Eragon
"Let's talk about the truth before we talk about duty." Eragon says
Brom shakes his hands dry from the water and rises up on his feet, turning around to face Eragon.
"What are you talking about?" Brom asks
Eragon grabs Brom's right-hand, takes out a dagger, and cuts off the piece of black cloth that covered his palm.
"I thought we agreed... not... to lie to one another." Eragon says
On Brom's palm was the same mark that Eragon had on his hand. The young rider looks up at the old man with a smile on his face. This could mean only one thing...
"Dragon Rider." Eragon says
"Of course." Saphira says
Brom sadly shook his head.
"Not anymore." Brom says
The old man turns and walks away from the boys.
"Where's your dragon, Brom?" Devon asks
Brom stops in his tracks and turns around for a brief moment, telling him the fate of his dragon with just one word.
"Dead." Brom says
Devon and Eragon stared silently at Brom with slight shock, then they looked over at Saphira, thinking all kinds of horrible fates that could've happened to Brom's dragon.
"I... I'm sorry. What happened?" Devon says
Brom walks over to his horse as he explained.
"She was murdered by another rider with this sword." Brom says
The old man reaches for his sword, which was on his black horse, and takes it out from its leather sheath, revealing its crimson blood-red blade.
"Zar'roc." Brom says
Saphira growls and she backs away slightly from the weapon, drawing the attention of the three humans.
"That sword is a dragon killer." Saphira says
Devon and Eragon look back at Brom as he continued.
"The rider's name... was Morzan. I was once friends with him until Galbatorix won him over and he betrayed us. I fought Morzan in the Battle of Doru Araeba for the defense of Vroengard against our masters' wishes. And while she was trying to protect me, my dragon was killed." Brom says
Saphira spoke up again, gaining the attention of Devon and Eragon for a moment.
"Better we than our riders." Saphira says
"So, I set out to find Morzan. And I found him. I took his sword and I drove it through his heart." Brom says
The old rider held up Zar'roc as he told his story and stabs the blade into the ground as though he were stabbing Morzan himself.
"And as he died, so did his dragon. The last..." Brom says
Brom looks up at Saphira on his left.
"...except for the king's dragon, Shruikan." Brom says
The old rider turns back to the boys and looks down with shameful expression.
"So, I hid out in Carvahall... for the shame I rightly deserved. Because of me, the days of the riders were over." Brom says
Then, Brom looks up at Devon and Eragon with a smile and a face full of renewed hope. He reaches out and places a hand on both their shoulders.
"Then you came. You both came." Brom says
Saphira straightens out her posture and stands proudly.
"And now... the days of the riders has come again." Saphira says
Devon and Eragon both smile as they looked up at Saphira. Brom gazed up at the blue dragoness as well, but then his face became calm and serious as he turns to the boys.
"There's more that you two should know. There is a war raging in Alagaësia between the Varden and the Empire. Their conflict reaches far beyond any incidental armed clashes. They are locked in a titanic power struggle... centered around you. Both of you." Brom says
Devon and Eragon shared glances with each other, then looks back at Brom.
"Us?" Eragon asks
Brom nods his head and directs his gaze at Eragon first.
"Your very existence is the focus of their battles. The Varden and the Empire aren't fighting to control this land or it's people. Their goal is to control the next generation of Riders, of whom, Eragon, you are the first." Brom says
The old rider shifts his gaze to Devon next.
"And there's no doubt that they seek to control the newest Keyblade Wielder ever to arrive in Alagaësia. Whoever controls these Riders and Keyblade Wielders will become the undisputed master of Alagaësia." Brom says
"But all the Riders were killed, except for the Forsworn, who joined Galbatorix. As far as what you told us, they're now dead. And you said in Carvahall that no one knows if there are still dragons in Alagaësia." Eragon says
"I lied about the dragons. Even though the Riders are gone, there are still three dragon eggs left, all of them in Galbatorix' possession." Brom says
Devon and Eragon stared at Brom in surprise. There were other dragon eggs? Other dragons besides Saphira and Shruikan?
"Are you saying that Saphira was one of those three eggs that Galbatorix had with him?" Devon asks
"Yes. And now, he has two. He salvaged the three eggs during his last great battle with the Riders and the Keyblade Wielders." Brom says
"So, there may be two new Riders, both loyal to the king?" Eragon asks
"Exactly. There is a desperate race in progress. Galbatorix kept the eggs in his possession to find people for whom they will hatch. Fortunately for us, his attempts have been unsuccessful. Meanwhile, the Varden employs every means to kill his candidates or steal the eggs." Brom says
"But where did Saphira's egg come from?" Eragon asks
"And how could anyone have gotten it away from Galbatorix? I'm sure he must've put up some serious defenses to protect the eggs." Devon asks
"There is another chapter to all of this, one that took place years before neither of you were born. Back then, I was a bit younger, though not as wise. I despised the Empire and wanted to damage it any way I could. My fervor led me to a scholar named Jeod, a good friend of mine, who claimed to have discovered a book that revealed a secret passageway into Galbatorix' castle. I eagerly brought Jeod to the Varden and we arranged to steal the eggs, only..." Brom says
"Only something went wrong." Devon says
The old rider nodded his head.
"Yes, and our thief acquired only one egg. For some reason he fled with it and didn't return to the Varden. Jeod and I were sent to find him and bring the egg back. It was the start of one of the greatest searches in history. We raced against the Ra'zac and Morzan, last of the Forsworn and the king's finest servant." Brom says
"You mean the one who betrayed the Riders to Galbatorix? But wasn't that years ago?" Devon asks
"Yes, he was old, but strong and cruel. He was one of the king's first followers and by far his most loyal. The hunt for the egg turned into a personal battle. When it was located in Gil'ead, I rushed there and fought Morzan. It was a terrible conflict, but in the end, I slew him. I got separated from Jeod and I had no time to search for him, so I took the egg and bore it to the Varden. They asked me to train whoever became the new Rider. I agreed and decided to hide in Carvahall until the Varden contacted me. I was never summoned." Brom says
"Then how did Saphira's egg appear in the Spine? Was another one stolen from the king?" Eragon asks
"Small chance of that. The two remaining eggs are now guarded so thoroughly that another attempt to steal them would be suicide. No, Saphira was taken from the Varden, and I think I know how. To protect the egg, it's guardian must've tried to send it to me with magic. The Varden hadn't contacted me to explain how the egg was lost, so I suspect their runners were intercepted by the Empire and the Ra'zac were sent in their place." Brom says
"Then the Ra'zac didn't know about me when they arrived in Carvahall." Eragon says in wonder
"Right. If that fool, Sloan, had only kept his mouth shut, things would have been different. In a way, I have you two to thank for my life. If the Ra'zac hadn't been preoccupied with finding you, they might have caught me unaware, and that would be the end of Brom the Storyteller. They would have drugged me during the night, then questioned about Saphira's egg." Brom says
"You sent a message to the Varden, telling them about us?" Devon asks
"Yes. And I'm sure they'll want me to bring you both to them as soon as possible." Brom says
"Then we'd best get to the Varden quick before we run into any more surprises." Devon says
Eragon nods his head in agreement, as does Saphira.
"Right. We may have driven the Ra'zac away, but that doesn't mean we're in the clear. News of their second failure will surely have reached the king and his servant, Durza. Which means they'll be more desperate than ever." Brom says
Later that night, the heroes made camp and settled around a fire. Devon and Eragon sat together with Saphira curled around behind them while Brom sat across on the other side of the fire. As he stared at the old man, Devon couldn't help but wonder more about him. First, he was an old storyteller from Carvahall. And now, he was one of the few surviving Dragon Riders from a forgotten age. But there was one thing he didn't understand. How could Brom know so much about the Keyblade? He couldn't have learned about it through just stories. There had to have been experiences. Did he meet any friends who were Keyblade Wielders in his time? Someone must've shared their knowledge of the Keyblade to Brom. He just had to know.
"You know, Brom, it's an odd coincidence that you happened to be hiding in Carvahall when Saphira's egg was found. You're a Dragon Rider who knows much about dragonlore, but I can't help but wonder: How do you know so much about the Keyblade?" Devon asks
Brom's eyes glanced down at the ground, and he let out a sigh before looking back up at Devon and Eragon.
"As I explained in our first, earliest conversation, the Keyblade Wielders were world-renowned even before the Dragon Riders. Tales of them had been passed down through generations. I was friends with a Keyblade Wielder once during my time as a rider. A man named Eraqus." Brom says
Devon's eyes widened when he heard Brom mention Master Eraqus.
"Eraqus? You knew him?" Devon asks
"As do you, I see." Brom says
"He was once a mentor to my three missing friends. But how is it you know him?" Devon says
"He came to our world, same as you did, fighting darkness around every turn. He saved many people from Urgals who threatened and tortured them, and even supported the Varden and the Riders, fighting alongside them against Galbatorix. Eraqus had a strong sense of justice against the king's tyranny and was a great inspiration to the rebels in the resistance. Last I saw him was during the Battle of Doru Araeba. He fought alongside me and my dragon against Morzan, and he helped comfort me when my dragon was killed. Although he did not share in my quest for vengeance, Eraqus told me that the days of the Riders and Keyblade Wielders would return, and to always believe in the light. After that, he left to tend to his duties and train the next generation of Keyblade Wielders." Brom says
Saphira hummed as she felt inspired by Eraqus' deeds. Even Eragon felt inspired.
"This Master Eraqus sounds to be a man of great virtue." Saphira says
"To bad he's probably dead now. Alagaësia needs more people like him and Devon." Eragon says
Devon stared at the fire for a moment, mesmerized by the dancing flames until he thought more about Master Eraqus. If he was fighting against the darkness same as him, then he must've known about The Dark Lord of the Shadows and Lord Thanatos. Maybe he was fighting them too.
"Brom? Did Master Eraqus mention anything about a Dark Keyblade Master named Lord Thanatos? Or a Dark Lord named Teridax?" Devon asks
"Hmm... Now that you mention it, he did. During one time when we were together with the Varden, Eraqus did speak of two incredibly powerful beings who were allies with Galbatorix and Morzan, and warned us that they would one day return to bring about another Keyblade War and conquer the Universe." Brom says
"Well, he's right. They're back. And this time, they plan to settle the score once and for all." Devon says
Far to the north, in the capital city of Urû'baen, the tyrant king of Alagaësia, Galbatorix, stood infront of the large curtain map in his lair with his hands behind his back, staring up at it and contemplating over recent news regarding Eragon, the new Dragon Rider, and Devon, the Keyblade Wielder. He had heard reports of their presence in Daret from a few Urgals, who survived their encounter with the heroes, and was very disappointed in their failure to kill them. He was even more disappointed in the Ra'zac. Not even his deadliest assassins could destroy them. It seemed these boys were stronger than he originally thought, and every day that passes they'll grow stronger, and brings them evermore closer to his enemies. If they joined forces with the Varden, it would cause some serious trouble for him. The king would have to rethink his strategy for dealing with the boys. He'll have to leave that task to his servant, Durza, while he focuses on finding the Resistance.
However, now that he thought about it, there was one way he could turn this situation to his advantage. He knew the Varden had hidden themselves within the Beor Mountains, but he did not know where. The Dwarves dwelled in the mountains and were close allies of the Varden. Knowing them, they would've hidden the rebels well from his gaze, deep within the many mountains. Any one of them could be a base for the resistance. There was a distinct possibility that the Varden was stationed at Tronjheim, the Dwarvish capital within the mountain of Farthen Dûr, but he was still unsure. If the boys were in Daret, then it was likely they're heading for Varden. Perhaps they could lead him to the rebels. Then, he can destroy them all in one stroke.
As Galbatorix gazed upon his curtain map, a voice spoke out from the darkness of his cavernous lair and echoed all around him. It was a deep, dark, demonic voice.
"GALBATORIX." The voice says
The tyrant king wasn't startled at all by the sudden voice. He didn't even turn away from the map. A smile formed on his face as he knew the voice, and who it belonged to. Someone who Galbatorix had not seen in a long time since he became king of Alagaësia. The only one person who he had considered a closest ally other than Durza or even Morzan.
"It has been a too long... friend." Galbatorix says
Galbatorix turns around and looks off into the darkest part of his throne room where the voice seemed to originate. Out from the shadows steps a dark cloaked figure with glowing red eyes visible from underneath the hood. After taking five strides toward the king, the figure stops and folds back his hood, revealing himself. It was Lord Thanatos, the Dark Keyblade Master.
"YES... IT HAS." Lord Thanatos says
"I was wondering when you would return since your last visit all those years ago." Galbatorix says
"MUCH OF THE UNIVERSE HAS CHANGED SINCE THE KEYBLADE WAR. MOST OF IT VERY LESS AMUSING." Lord Thanatos says
"I see." Galbatorix says
"YOU HAVE A KEYBLADE WIELDER IN YOUR MIDST, ROAMING ABOUT YOUR KINGDOM LIKE AN UNWANTED PEST." Lord Thanatos says
From the shadows behind Lord Thanatos steps out another cloaked figure. It was his evil apprentice, Lord Drazor, the Dark Knight, whose eclectic breathing echoed within the cavernous room. He takes five strides forward and stands alongside his master on his right. Galbatorix looked over at the Dark Keyblade Wielder with much intrigue.
"ALLOW US TO ASSIST YOU IN REMOVING HIM FROM YOUR DOMAIN." Lord Thanatos says
Lord Thanatos' fiery eyes dart over to his right as he looks over slightly at his apprentice. Lord Drazor nods his head in acknowledgment and disappears into a dark corridor, which opens up behind him, leaving the dark being alone with the tyrant king.
"WE HAVE MUCH TO DISCUSS." Lord Thanatos says
Galbatorix nods his head in agreement.
"Yes. I believe we do." Galbatorix says
As the two villains begin their secret meeting, a deep growl echoes loudly throughout the room.
Author's Note: It's that most wonderful time of year again, not to mention very, very, very busy! Sorry it's been so long, but a lot has been happening. Over the past month and a half, I've been surrounded by death. First, my mother's niece dies, then a couple weeks later, two of my mother's friends die from we believe is a fatal drug injection at their home, still not sure on the details, and just recently the day after Thanksgiving one of my two small dogs, a cute little Papillon, died from a heart condition overnight. It's just been one thing after another. Aside from that depressing note... a short summary! Devon and Eragon enjoy a flight with Saphira until they're ambushed by the Ra'zac. Devon discovers a new Formchange. And watch out! Lord Thanatos and Lord Drazor are finally here in Alagaësia! Things just got a lot worse! Much worse! Let me know what you guys think. No flames please. Hope you guys like and don't forget to review!