As Harlan flew through the Underworld, he felt his dragon blowing smoke rings out of nervousness. Harlan made a growling sound from the back of his throat and his little dragon was calmed. Don't worry, Drexel. It'll be fine He said. As he flew, he cringed in disgust at the slime which grew along the walls. What disgusted him to the core was the Monoeyes. To him, they were random eyeballs with strings attatched to them. When he found the savior he would have to ask what the rest of the world really was.
Koriel and Hades had told him that the Underworld was a paradise and the Overworld was really bugs waiting to be squashed- and what they said about Skyworld- they said the angels were the true demons- they said such horrid things about Pit that Harlan wished more than anything to un-hear them. Although they tried to convince him of these things, something inside of him said it wasn't true. Maybe it was the knowledge his mum had given him before he was real- when he was just a hope. Technically, Palutena wasn't his mother- Koriel was, but he didn't want to think about that. He hated the Goddess, and he swore that he would restore his mum to her former glory.
"Harlan, get down here this instant!" A voice shouted from below. The dragon-winged boy looked down to see Hades and Koriel staring at him. Tons of flying monsters were being sent his way- some Underworld freaks, some the monsters Palutena's army had become. Drexel crawled into Harlan's hair and clung tightly, growling into his master's ear. "I know. I'm going to have to hurt them." Harlan said as his pupils changed from their usual round shape to reptilian slits and back again. Drexel pounced off of Harlan's head, and into the boy's outstretched hand. Immediately, the green dragon began to shimmer and glow. He launched himself off of his master's hand, and grew in size. "Don't hurt the angels bad, Drexel." Harlan said calmly as he perched on a stone column, much like a dragon would. Harlan could feel the souls of the trapped angels inside of their grotesquely changed bodies
Soon, Drexel was the size of a dragon most would picture in their fantasies. Drexel threw fire at the charging Underworld monsters and whipped aside the changed angels with a large claw or his tail. "Where did Harlan get the dragon?" Koriel asked Hades, who's eyes were burning (literally) with anger. "While you created him, you let his spirit wander! He merged his soul with what remained of Rin-Tai's light side! You created a Dragon God! He called the dragon to his aid! What were you thinking, you fool of a Goddess?" Hades snapped. Koriel's jaw dropped as she watched the last of her forces fall to the ground. Evil never wins Drexel said to Hades and Koriel before he shrank back to his normal size. Drexel flew back to his master, leaving the two Underworld rulers awestruck and furious.
xXx
"So where are we going?" Pit asked. The group had changed their attire to that of the average citizen, and were making their way to the edge of the city, when Acero stopped dead in his tracks. Everyone turned to look at him. His eyes opened wide in horror and he buried his face in his hands, letting out a mournful "Oh!" Everyone ran to him and started talking all at once. "Shut up!" Lina said to everyone as she pushed through to the tall angel. "Acero, what's wrong?" She asked, placing a hand on his arm. He flinched, but didn't say anything. Lina had reminded him of his daughter right there and then- he had missed Kiara so much. Come on; just tell me Lina said telepathically to the distressed angel. Underneath her shirt, the golden feathers of her wings ruffled. She could tell something was up- whether Acero said so or not.
Finally, Acero looked at her and sighed. "I guess you could call this a status update on Palutena," He said sadly, "Hades has her in the Underworld- he's feeding off of her power." Pit's eyes opened wide with horror and grief. "Scratch that- he fed off of her power- he has reduced her to a mortal." Acero said, almost as grief stricken as Pit. Celina stared wide eyed at her friend. She had only seen him cry once before and it had hurt to see it. She tried to choke back tears and wrapped her arms around Pit in a tight hug. Instead of shying away, he hugged her back. This surprised Celina, but she enjoyed the hug anyway.
"But we can't let this get to us- we have to find a way to the Underworld- we can't open any portals in this world- we don't have enough power- not even I could do it- and I'm pretty much raw power." Acero said as he continued walking. The others followed, all teary eyed- aside from Pittoo- who had his arm around Lina, comforting her.
"Dark Pit, what do you want most in the world?" Lina asked. Pittoo stared ahead and thought about his answer. No one had asked him anything like this before. No one had cared enough to ask. "I want a friend." He finally replied. Lina looked at him and smiled. "You have tons of friends around you, silly." She said. "No, I mean, a friend like Kiara- I- I miss her." Pittoo said quietly. He had never spoken so openly about his feelings before. "I am Kiara- and I'm still your friend." Lina said as she cuddled into the dark angel. Pittoo smiled and walked on.
xXx
Finally, after hours of searching, Harlan found a portal to the Overworld. He looked about, and realized he was in the middle of a grassy field dotted with yellow dandelions, like a green canvas with yellow splotches of paint. Little did he know, this was where Pit had seen Lina- and embarked on the journey which would change his life- and the lives of all others- forever. Harlan sat in the field and toyed with his hair until Drexel jumped out, and 'hrr'ed in annoyance. Harlan looked up at the sun- it was setting, and it would soon be dark. "I wish I could have lived my life from the beginning." Harlan said to himself as he curled up near a bush. Drexel grew slightly in size and curled up behind the dragon boy. Drexel brought his tail around Harlan protectively, and the both fell into a peaceful sleep.
Meanwhile, the group of angels had made it out of the city. The five angels walked through the forest, attempting to find a natural portal. They could have flown, but Pit still hadn't gotten his wings back. "You know, it's kind of humiliating to not be able to fly," Pit said in a huff. "At least you knew you were an angel before yesterday." Lina countered. "Point made," Pit said as he walked ahead of the group. Celina looked up at the sky to see a red hue making its way in order to mark the arrival of the night. "Maybe we should turn back- it isn't safe out here- besides, we have no supplies whatsoever." Lina said, sounding slightly nervous. "Relax, there's a huge amount of bushes and trees that bear fruit- we'll be fine." Celina said to Lina to try and comfort her anxious friend. "And besides, I'll be here to keep you safe." Pittoo said to Lina, who looked down at her shoes, blushing.
"Guys, be quiet!" Pit snapped. He was standing over by a bush pointing to something. The others walked over to see a boy- probably around the age of fourteen- sleeping under a bush. Behind him sat a dragon, which was now awake and alert, and spewing sparks at the intruders. "Run!" Pit screeched as the bush caught fire. Pit ran off to the middle of the field with the others, when Lina stopped and remembered the boy. "He's under the bush!" She cried as she turned around and ran to save him. "Lina, don't! You'll get hurt!" Pittoo said as she wriggled out of his grasp. "Lina, please, don't hurt yourself!" Acero pleaded, but she had already run back to the bush. "Come on kid, move!" Lina cried as she grabbed his arms. The dragon roared in anger and made the flames grow. The heat was beginning to sear Lina's face. "Kid, wake up, please!" Lina cried, when she did something she never thought she would do. She made a low growling noise using the back of her throat. She had no idea what it meant, but she felt that she should. Almost immediately, the boy woke up. He looked at Lina, his green eyes filled with wonder and fear, when he noticed the bush was on fire.
"Help, get me out of here!" He cried as he struggled to crawl out from under the bush, Lina pulling to try and help. The dragon roared and jumped from behind the boy, and landed behind Lina. It prepared to pounce, when the boy made a low hrr sound from the back of his throat. The dragon froze and lay down on its side like a dog. The boy crawled out from under the bush and scrambled away from it. The boy thanked Lina, and brushed himself off. "Lina, are you okay?" Pittoo shouted as he ran over, the others trailing behind. Acero had a look of pure shock and worry on his face. He ran over to Lina and inspected her for burns. "Lina, are you okay? Did you get hurt?" Acero was acting like a paranoid parent. "I'm fine, Da- I mean, Acero." Lina said, her cheeks turning red. "Who's the kid?" Celina asked, gesturing to the boy who Lina had just saved. "I'm Harlan," The boy said after he had whispered something to the dragon. Pit looked Harlan up and down. Harlan looked fourteen, but in reality, he was only a couple hours old. He was short for his age, but was still reasonably tall. As Harlan stood up, the dragon absorbed the fire from the bush, leaving a burnt skeleton of what was once a plant.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Harlan. I'm Lina, and these are my friends," Lina said, addressing Harlan and the group of angels now huddled behind her, staring warily at the dragon. Lina addressed each of her friends in turn, and then looked nervously at the dragon. When Harlan saw the angels staring at the dragon, he sucked in sharply, making a shrill whistling noise. The dragon jumped behind him and Harlan's eyes opened wide. "You weren't supposed to see him," Harlan said, more to himself than to the angels. "Don't worry, we know about dragons." Acero said, a faraway look in his eyes. "We're angels." Pittoo said flatly. Pit elbowed him in the ribs, along with Celina. "Oww- oww! Would you two stop doing that to me?" Pittoo snapped. "Excuse my friend here- he needs to learn to shut up when he's not asked to speak." Lina said, addressing Pittoo.
"I can tell you're no ordinary human," Acero said to Harlan. "You're correct," Harlan said with a smile. He sighed and unfurled his wings. Everyone's jaws dropped, and the dragon poked its head out from behind Harlan. It had now shrunken down to its original size, and scurried up Harlan's side to rest on his shoulder. "You're a dragon?" Lina asked. "Close- I'm part angel, part dragon- you could say." Harlan said with a smile. He ruffled his green hair and turned away. Harlan started walking towards a sheltered part of the forest, and beckoned for the others to follow. No one moved. "If you want shelter, and a fire to keep you warm tonight, I suggest you follow me." Harlan said. Hesitantly, the angels followed, slowly exposing their wings- aside from Pit- who still had none.
The six huddled by the firelight, feasting on a variety of sweet berries and nuts. Each in turn told their stories, but Harlan's was the most captivating. "So, Lady Palutena has a son- a Dragon God as a son- to be exact?" Acero asked. "Well, technically Koriel is my mum, but I was born of Lady Palutena's thoughts." Harlan said as he toyed with the small dragon in his hands. "Harlan, you never did tell us the name of your Dragon. What's his name? He's adorable!" Lina asked, cooing over the dragon. The dragon immediately stopped and flared his nostrils. "Hrr!" I am not adorable! It said. Harlan laughed and set the dragon down. "This is Drexel. He helped me escape the Underworld- he's stuck with me since." Harlan said as he looked up at his newfound friends. Eventually, his gaze settled on Pit, who was drawing shapes in the dirt with his foot. "Pit, I'm sorry that you can't fly," Harlan said. Pit looked up and shook his head. "Don't be. It's not your fault-" Pit was cut off by Celina. "It's my fault. I messed up my magic- now he has to wait for his wings to grow back." Celina said. She sighed and stared into the fire.
Harlan thought about what he could do to help his friends. After all, they were the reason why he hadn't burned to death. He was still a Demi-God. He wasn't full grown; he wasn't like his Mum yet- immortal. Harlan stood up and walked over to Pit. He sat down beside the wingless angel and pulled a pocketknife out of his pocket. "Harlan, what are you doing?" Pit asked, staring at the knife. "Don't worry, I have no intention of harming you." Harlan said.
He brought the knife to Pit's back, and cut slits in his shirt, exposing his wing buds. He put the knife away and put his hands together. As he pulled them apart, two blue orbs of energy flew from his palms. "Consider this a gift to thank you for coming to my aid." Harlan said as the orb landed on Pit's wing nubs. Everyone gasped as in their place two feathered wings emerged from Pit's back. Pit spread his wings wide. Each feather was white at the bottom and slowly faded to a blue at the tip. Pit smiled and tucked his wings in. "Thanks, Harlan." Pit said happily. His wings were now large enough and strong enough to support him in flight.
"And Celina, take this." Harlan said as he pulled a silver chain out of his pocket. Dangling from the chain was a ruby carved into the shape of a sleeping dragon. "I found it while I was looking for a place for us to set up camp. It's the least I could do to thank you." Harlan said. He walked over to Celina and slipped the chain around her neck. He fastened the two ends together, and stood back. Celina fingered the charm, and felt a jolt of energy run through her. "Harlan, you just gave us a Savior's Charm, thank you so much!" Celina said to the Dragon God. He blushed slightly and said 'It was no big deal'.
That night, when everyone was asleep, Lina sat awake by the fire, a blanket materialized by Celina draped over her shoulders. "Lina, what do you want most in the world?" Pittoo asked as he sat down beside her. "I want a friend." Lina said with a smile. "But you have plenty of friends," Pittoo said as he leaned in towards her. "I want a friend who will stay with me forever," Lina said. "Well you've got one now." Pittoo said as he stroked Lina's cheek with his thumb. The two leaned closer and closer together, until what they both wanted happened. They kissed.