The black dragon sneered at the two children. Matt and Kari recoiled in fear, the young man placing his body before the girl, in order of protecting her. Kari felt terribly guilty, they were going to die and all because of her stupidity. The dragon coughed, and Kari saw she had a very deep wound on her chest. It was bleeding profusely, staining her black scales with a deep crimson tonality.
"You are wounded!" Kari, in her nobility, exclaimed pointing at the dragon's chest.
"Well spotted girl, but I still have enough strength to kill you two!" the dragon's voice was weak, sharp and ragged.
"We might be able to help you!" Kari suggested staring at the dragon with true concern.
Matt shot her a disbelieving glance. Kari, in her infinite nobility, was unable to think darkness reigned a being completely. She never believed that about Ken, and she was right. Unfortunately, the boy had allowed his instincts to carry the most of him.
"Stupid girl! Don't feel pity for me!" Nigra laughed at the youth, yet her yellow eyes reflected some difference in the way they stared at the two children. "In fact, don't feel pity for anybody. I can assure you others (including me) wouldn't think twice about it before finishing you!" the dragon growled, throwing her anger to the sky.
"Why are you going after us?" Matt, inflating his chest valiantly, dared to comment.
"Me? Why would I care? It's a negotiation! I'm allowed to live, as long as I do what I'm told to!" the dragon shrugged, staring at the two children with some kind of pity.
"But you will not survive through that wound, why killing us now?" Matt clenched his fist and growled, almost inhumanly at the beast.
"The Shadebane did her work well. But if I let you go, Rakesh will know, and then he will punish my brother!" Nigra seemed tormented about that prospect, and glanced at the children with slight sympathy.
"Then you have feelings!" Kari commented with a gentle smile, taking a valiant step forward.
"Yes, I have feelings!" Nigra growled almost offended, "I don't like this job, ok? But I value my life, and overall, my brother's life!" the dragon sighed shaking her horned head.
"Well?" Nigra said after a few seconds of silence, "I've given you enough time to attack me, why don't you kill me?" she motioned at the two Digidestined.
"Why would we want to kill you?" Kari inquired alarmed.
"Because if you don't do it, I will kill you. And I really don't want to do that…" the dragon sighed smiling gently, "nobody has been so nice to me in ages, but really… I love my brother over all things!" she finished, shaking lightly with apprehension.
"But how could we kill you? We are nothing but… humans!" Matt exclaimed, staggering slightly on his words.
"Don't be silly!" Nigra laughed, coughing again, "you can do little to me, honestly." The female spat at Matt, "but sincerely girl, you could kill me with a single blow!" Nigra said almost proudly.
"How?" Kari began to feel uneasy at the thought of her inheritance, of her adoption.
"You don't know?" Nigra raised her wings lightly, and stiffened her neck in surprise.
"Know what?" Matt inquired suspiciously.
"I'm sorry…" the dragon sighed, "there is no time, Chosen Girl!" Nigra inflated her chest inhaling profusely, ready to throw her tongue of fire at the two children.
Throughout that, her yellow eyes pleaded forgiveness.
A roar boomed in the night. A red blur fell upon the black dragon. A fanged mouth gripped the dragon's neck strongly, and the copper dragon began shaking its own head rapidly, tearing flesh, releasing blood. Nigra shrieked with pain, but Kari swore she was smiling at her.
"NO!" the young girl yelled at the other dragon, raising a hand to stop the beast's attack.
Matt took a hold of Kari, and engulfed her in a tight hug. The girl buried her face on the boy's chest, and began sobbing, moistening the youth's shirt. She knew there was no other way, but she had given Matt a lesson. Darkness can't rule completely, there is always a spark of light waiting to ignite.
The copper coloured dragon raised the powerful head and glanced at the two children. Blood was dripping from the dark, scaly lips, and staining the animal's sharp fangs. The red mane was ruffled from the flight and the attack, and a pair of deep, black orbs glanced at the former digidestined with worry.
"Are you ok?" inquired a deep, gentle voice, as the animal hopped down from the deceased black dragon's body.
Matt glanced up rapidly. His bright blue eyes stared at the enormous creature. It was then that he realized something curious about the newcomer, something that differed this dragon from their new friend's beast. The neck was thicker, not so slim and similar to a swan's. The head was also larger, and the muzzle was shorter, as well as having a shorter mane, with a deeper red colour. The beast, overall, was larger than Koe.
"Izzy?" Matt's words echoed in the darkness.
The dragon grinned lightly and nodded with his head, licking the blood away from his lips.
"It's nice to see you, but how?" Izzy's roar thundered in the devastated clearing, the inquiry left floating in the air.
A moan filled the woodlands, a profound whimper of pure pain. Matt turned his head to look at the darkness in which such horrible premonition bloomed. Izzy and Kari also turned to glance into the darkness.
"I'm afraid that story will have to wait!" Matt said glancing at the dragon seriously.
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Yolei's horse galloped at full speed, escaping the flying danger which was lurking behind her, the shadows from her fearing mind. The animal snorted and stood on her hind legs, stomping several times on the ground, and ending the journey. The shaded beast shook her head, pulling at the reins.
"Come on!" Yolei urged the horse on, pressing and kicking on the animal's sides.
The horse snorted again, shaking the head wildly, and lowering it such that she was pulling on the reins. Yolei leaned over the animal rather dangerously, threatening to fall down.
"Please… the dragon will reach us!" Yolei whimpered, tears were falling down her cheeks.
The girl placed her hand inside her pocket, and dragged out her digital device. She glanced at it with nostalgia, willing so deeply to be able to use it, and to have her faithful Hawkmon with her.
"I can't go on…" said a voice in the woodlands.
Yolei leapt from her position over the animal's back, and glanced around apprehensively, fearful. Everything in this world was so different, so alien, and this time there was no Izzy to guide her.
"The dragon will not reach you, he is far away!" a gentle, soft voice floated from the darkness.
The young girl was on her nerves already. She turned around, focusing on the source of the sound, her movement was abrupt and quick. By act of instinct, the woman aimed at the newcomer with her digital device. A warmth spread from her arm, to the tips of her fingers. It was somewhat comforting, yet also rather exhausting for some reason. The touch with the digital device came rougher, perhaps because her hand was damaged slightly from the contact with the leather reins.
A ball of fire erupted from the place where her hand was situated. It illuminated the woodlands, and the frightened, gentle face of a young man. Fortunately, the youth collapsed on the ground, and was fortunate enough as to evade the attack. Several sparks, the glimmer of various ignitions, and a few minuscule flames illuminated the woodlands.
"Ah… mage!" the youth said with a gasp, standing to a sitting position, "Should have thought about it twice before introducing myself to a mage." The man commented shrugging, as if the attack lacked importance.
"I am not a mage…" Yolei gasped, shaking her head weakly, barely a slight tremble.
"No, of course not. That's why you are carrying a staff!" the young man pointed at the woman's hand.
"Staff? This it not… any…" Yolei's voice faded into the nightly wind.
Indeed, there, resting placidly, was a wooden object. It was long, and looked like a rather thick twig. The head was finished on a spiral, and it had a blazing orb, illuminating the area with a pure, bluish light. The staff was long, being metre and half big. With a yelp, the girl let the staff fall down to the ground. The light flickered and faded, drowning the place back into the darkness of the shadows.
"Curious…" commented the mysterious youth, glancing at the place where the staff had fallen with curiosity.
"What was that? Why don't you shut your mouth and leave me alone?" yelled the young female, pointing at the darkness with an accusing finger.
"Relax! I'd love to go, you see? But I'm a little bit wounded and I will not be able to walk." The man answered shrugging, and leaning calmly against a tree.
"How do I know you aren't here to try and kill me?" Yolei was the less trusting person ever, and this stranger would not make an exception.
"Kill a mage? How crazy do you think I am?" the youth commented shrugging, and a shadow of a smile appeared in his lips.
"I am not a mage!" Yolei snapped rather sharply, glaring at the shadow form.
"Come on, I saw the…" the youth's protest died in the night. "How peculiar!" the newcomer commented in a soft voice.
"What?" Yolei was now curious, as well as startled by the boy's reaction.
"Look at that! Your staff became some odd device!" the boy was marvelled by the discovery.
"My Digital Device!" Yolei leapt down the mare and knelt on the floor to hold the precious object.
"Your what?" the boy inquired oddly, tilting his head.
"Oh… it really is a long story… and I don't think you will understand it." The girl argued with a pleaser smile.
"Well, let's light a fire to heat up, you can tell me!" the man suggested, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips.
"Wait!" Yolei snapped severely, "I still don't trust you!" the girl hissed carefully.
"Oh, get a grip!" the man was exasperated now, "Pyros!" he commanded to nobody in special, extending his hand before the ground.
A spark began to glow gently. Soon, a flame was flickering into a warm and comforting substitute for a room and a bed. The young boy smiled proudly at the girl, and Yolei's heart skipped a beat with surprise. The youth was slim, slender yet with musculature. His face was thin, with childish features, the pure skin of a baby, pale and soft like silk. The lips were not too thin, nor too fleshy, making his grin as sweet and gentle as a caramel cream. The youth's eyes sparkled blue, so bright and pure they glanced at the girl with great knowledge, yet great wisdom. His ears were oddly shaped, pointed at the end. Strands of golden hair fell upon the strong back and shoulders, and shorter strands framed his face. There was somewhat a silver glaze upon the boy's silky and soft mane.
"Heat up. I won't go any near if you don't want me to." The boy shrugged, pointing at the wide flame licking some logs, which had magically appeared.
"Are you a mage?" Yolei kneeled before the fire, and extended one hand over it, while the other one guarded the digital device back in her pocket.
"Me? Oh not, definitely not!" the boy looked almost offended.
"Then what are you?" the girl looked at the boy up and down, slim figure, pointy ears and golden hair.
"I'm an elf!" the boy inflated his chest proudly, and smiled at the girl, "my name is Silven!" the boy smiled.
"I'm Yolei…" the girl said more tranquil, while motioning at the boy to come and join her.
With a grateful smile, the young elf limped until he reached the flame. Hungrily, he devoured the heat, trying to warm up his frozen body. Yolei observed that the boy's left leg was broken, and there were various scratches and gashes here and there. They had stopped bleeding, but stains of crimson damped his white shirt and forest green pants.
"What happened to you?" the girl asked rather concerned.
"I saw the dragon, but my horse saw it before I did. Lets say I was thrown off violently." The boy tried not to enter in details about such shameful damage. "Anyways, tell me about yourself!" the boy questioned changing topic abruptly.
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Koe was laying painfully on the ground. Her chest was sore, the scales had fallen off revealing a crimson red skin below. It was badly burnt, and her breathing was laboured. The large male moaned, and began nudging at her head. Koe emitted a soft whimper and touched the male's muzzle with her own, humid nose. With a shriek, her head fell again, and a fit of coughs attacked her to increase her suffering.
"Koe…" grumbled the large male.
"The black attacked us, Izzy." Jag explained, relating the battle in quick words.
"Izzy? You knew him? You knew we were looking for him and you didn't say anything!" Matt spat at the Noa Kyre offended, and angered.
Jag stepped back, while the large dragon observed them cautiously. The Noa Kyre seemed attacked, as if she had been caught in the act.
"There is an explanation to all this!" the female wolf stuttered, wagging her tail nervously.
"Well, you better begin!" growled Matt in a guttural, animalistic sound.
"Matt!" barked the large dragon, standing stronger and prouder than he had ever been.
The boy seemed intimidated by the much stronger presence of the beast. Hence, he relaxed and calmed down, acting civilised enough to listen.
"Listen… I lied to you, but only because I wanted to protect you!" whimpered the Noa Kyre fearfully, looking at the children with sincerity. "There is a prophecy!"
AN: OK, there comes another chapter. This is taking shape finally. Well, are you liking it? Are you not? I hope to continue this from now on. Now that I have finished several of my projects, one of which was a very dedicated one. Well, please review, and thank you to my faithful readers!