Chapter 15:

Breathing deeply, Hiccup looked at Black Ash, unmoving. "What? Surprised to see me again so soon?"Toothless growled angrily at Black Ash, but at that moment, Black Ash said, "Raht faram murca, traciam. Mieca!" At these words, Toothless' eyes flew open and he slumped against the floor, the green of his eyes slowly leaving them. "Toothless!" cried Hiccup, falling to his knees and putting his hand against Toothless' neck, hoping that there was still a heartbeat.

"You do not need to worry, Haddock: I would never harm a Night Fury. Your Dragon will live; that is, as long as you do as I say," growled Black Ash, just as he clicked his fingers. And at that moment, the door behind Hiccup closed shut. Hiccup looked up from Toothless' frozen body, and muttered, "How did you get here so fast?" Black Ash chuckled darkly, before walking up to Hiccup, and kneeing down until he was eye level with Hiccup: blood red eyes staring into green ones. "Having Dragon wings does have more than one advantage, Haddock. Speed, for example: I can travel the distance that would normally take two days by boat, takes me about...what, an hour?"

Standing up again, Black Ash asked, "Well, what are you waiting for? Next question." Hiccup had hundreds of questions flying around inside his head, but he could make his mouth form a few of them, including, "What are you?" After this question sunk in, the smirk started to fade off Black Ash's face, and was replaced by a low growl. But it stopped once Black Ash started to speak, "I am what your kind would call a 'bug'; a parasite: I latch onto any person that accidently wonders into my grasp, and I become one with them, by merging with them. Then, all I do is suck them dry of their emotions, and then, I search for my next meal."

Filled with rage, Hiccup blurted out, "Is that all we are to you? Just an appetiser?" At this insult, Black Ash looked Hiccup in the eye and whispered, "Remember, Haddock: your Dragons life hangs in the balance of your chosen words. I can easily end it...just like that." After making sure Hiccup wasn't going to talk back, Black Ash smiled evilly, and said, "And to answer your question, yes, most of your kind I think of as appetisers, but there are those rare few how I feel are...more special than the others."

Hiccup, who had calm down a bit said, "Like Marko?" At his name, Black Ash's left eye twitched, but it stopped once he started to speak in a harsh tone, "You could say that. But...but I've been hiding inside that waste of breath for too long. I've permanently become connected to him. This," he said, pointing a finger at the White Fury tattoo on his face, "is the sign that I've become one with my victim. With no way out. After he dies, I won't be long after."

Looking down at Hiccup, Black Ash asked, in an almost casual way, "Did Marko ever tell you about a prophecy? When he was on Molak, I mean?" Thinking it over in his head for a moment, Hiccup shook his head. Cocking his head slightly, Black Ash said, "Odd, I would have thought...Anyway, with the prophecy."

"The prophecy goes, 'A time will come when the Shadows of Death and the Light of Life will be forced to become one. Then, a day will come when the connection is destroyed by anger and rage. And when that time comes...Nether can live while the other dies.'" As Black Ash finished telling Hiccup about the prophecy, he was left with more questions than answers. "Don't you see?" shouted Black Ash unexpectedly, but Hiccup just shook his head. "'The Shadow of Death, the Light of Life'? That represents me and that waste of breath, Marko! 'Forced to become one,' that's when I attached to him for food. 'A day will come when the connection is destroyed,' that happened earlier, at that 'Fight' he was at. And..."

"'Nether can live while the other dies," finished Hiccup, his eyes widening at the reality of what that meant. "We both die or we both live. And I can't live knowing that the person who made my life a living hell is alive as well!" Black Ash was now almost pressed against Hiccup's. Hiccup then asked, "Why are you telling me all of this?" At this, Black Ash laughed darkly and, without warning, brought his knee into Hiccup's chin, causing the smaller boy to fall backwards because of the momentum. As he falls against the floor again, Hiccup felt blood dripping from his nose.

"Did you know, young Haddock," questioned Black Ash, as he kneeled down next to Hiccup, "that some Vikings, when digging underground, use little birds called 'Canaries' to see if it was safe for the brute of the tribe to come down." Hiccup was about to ask what that had to do with Black Ash being here when he answered his question for him. "Let me say this: I'm the Canary, and a rival tribe leader known as Alvin the Treacherous and his tribe are the brutes."

Hiccup, now realising what that meant, was about to say something, but Black Ash grabbed his throat, and whispered, "To put it so that even your petit mind can understand it: you...are...at...war!" Having finished, Black Ash punched Hiccup in the face, causing Hiccup to be struggle with staying conscious. Having let go of Hiccup, Black Ash stood up, and said, "Oh, and by the way, you won't remember any of the past conversation that we had. So, night-night, young Viking: for it is the last time you'll be able to have."

And with that, Hiccups vision started to fade, and with a final fuzzy image of Black Ash, Hiccups vision turned to complete darkness, and he could remember no more. Just the last, deadly image of Black Ash looking over him, an evil look written on his face.