Chapter 74-Isolation
Nethial could sense something was off as she entered into Tamli's personal chamber, a feeling of dread clinging to her skin as the same coldness she had felt from Arxa seemed to linger in the space she called home as well. Remembering his final words to her, she approached a small groove between two rocks and felt inside until her fingers met soft fabric. After easing the object out, she gently carried it over to the bed she had slept in before he had breathed his last.
She laid it down on the soft sheets and took a deep breath before unwrapping the cloth to find the hilt of a gleaming opal sword protectively covered by the dark fabric. Her hands stroked the sheath lovingly as she noticed it gleamed with the same shimmer as Tamli's dragonic scales had once shown. It was a lasting treasure of his legacy but she was confused over who was to receive the beautiful weapon.
Glancing at her right hip, she fingered the hilt of her own sword that Tanui had made for her and reasoned that the hybrid wouldn't have left her the weapon. Her attention returned to the opal blade as she noticed its sheath seemed to have a spot darker than the pearled surface of the rest of it. Curious, she felt around the location and lifted up a crinkled piece of paper that had been wrapped around the section her eye had been drawn towards. Opening it, Nethial found herself staring at Tamli's own scribbled handwriting, the text laid out in their ancient language so to prevent but only a select few from understand what it meant upon reading the slightly faded words.
'My dearest Nethial, I wish I could be here to tell you everything there is to say about why I made this blade of my own dragonic scales but I chose the greater good by sacrificing my life for you. I know you have questions and I regret I cannot answer all of them at this time but know that I am aware of what Finca has done to you and will see to her getting repaid in kind. The sword in front of you is crafted of my own blood and will not shatter nor crumble to dust after time has past. This weapon is a true hybrid, a symbol of all I once stood for, and I hope you bless your sweet daughter with this gift when she is old enough to know the full reason behind why I left her this tool of violence in an age of peace. I shall always be yours, soul seeker.'
The letter brought tears to her eye as Nethial read it and set it back down beside the blade, running a hand over the own defensive armor of her former love as its crisp color shown like the first snowfall of winter against the dark cloth it had been wrapped it to hide it until the time was right. She could hardly believe that this was to be Ilma's weapon but knew her choice to make Tamli her daughter's father figure had been the right one even back when she thought she would die and leave the hybrid child all alone to be scorned by those that knew who its father had been.
"You will be proud of her," Nethial whispered into the still air around her as she gripped the sheath of her daughter's weapon. "I promise you that Ilma will be raised with the best of care, Tal."
"I would expect no less."
The voice alone had her turn in shock but as Nethial's eyes focused on Tamli, her legs seemed unable to support her and she fell to the ground on her hands and knees. She was crying before she knew it but he knelled before her and raised her head as he looked her in the eye. A paleness to his skin left it impossible to reason that he was alive but Nethial still sobbed against him for several minutes before she composed herself and leaned back to rest only on her knees as she collected her hands in her lap.
"I'm sorry," she confessed as Tamli squeezed her shoulders in comfort. "It's just hard to know you're gone and I can't-"
"I know, Net. The afterlife is cruel to those that still have loved ones that are alive but I am in a unique position due to my heritage . . ."
Nethial blinked, lifting a hand to touch his shoulder only to find her fingers slipped right through him. "Your hybrid blood makes that possible? If so, why can't you stay solid all the time?"
"It drains much of my strength to keep this form up for long periods of time. Rest assured that I am watching over you, Net, but I can't appear whenever I like without having a good reason for doing so. I knew you above all others would appreciate the gift I left for Ilma," Tamli murmured as he moved one hand to gently pressed against her cheek.
Leaning in, he kissed her forehead before his form rippled and burst apart, unable to handle the strain on his energy to cross into the living world from the afterlife. Filled with warmth from seeing her former love once more, Nethial sighed and got up off the floor. She retrieved the blade he had made for her daughter and wrapped it back up before leaving the room and going to get Ilma from the protective care of Aurelia.
Arxa was in a bad mood as she and Ilena returned from having looked all over the Compound in search of Nuri and had come back without the dragonet. Barely keeping her anger in check as they entered the chamber both had been hatched in, she softly growled and smacked her tailblade against the door frame as the gray dragoness behind her squealed in excitement. Glaring at the small hatchling she was starting to find irritating, her claws tapped impatiently against the floor as she sat down near where her egg had been.
Ilena's squeak of surprise aggravated Arxa only minutes later and she snapped at the dragoness to hush, only to get corrected by a deep voice she instantly knew to be Geer even without her turning around to face him. When she did glance over her shoulder at him, she noticed he had lowered his head and was nuzzling the gray dragonet warmly, the sight filling her with further hatred towards the noisy little pest that wouldn't leave her alone.
'Why are you here, Geer?' Arxa hissed as she narrowed her eyes and reluctantly got up to walk over to him. 'We were unable to find Nuri and decided to discontinue our search for the time being and relax, given we are but newly hatched dragons . . .'
"Spare me the excuses," Geer growled in reply as he refused to acknowledge her approaching form. "You're sure you looked everywhere?"
'Yes, noble one,' she spat, coughing as a spark of her element got caught in the back of her throat. 'I searched every blasted inch of this place and found nothing of the black run- hatchling. If Nurus wishes to hide then he did it quite successfully in order to avoid my attentive gaze.'
Ilena squeaked in protest at the words and Arxa snarled softly at the hatchling, baring her teeth as she reluctantly sat down before the formerly blind dragon. Geer was the father figure to the annoying dragoness and her elusive brother like Raxmon had been to Sitedal, Jormundur, and Ryta before she had killed the golden scale-flier and left the three traumatized by what had happened. Shaking her head, a low snarl forced its way up from the back of her throat as she realized it would hurt Narssia to kill the dragon she had grown close to with her condition currently so poor.
'Ilena's element has manifested and she tracked me back here to show me. She takes after her mother . . .' Arxa felt her breath catch in her throat and tried to force away the thought that the gray dragoness would eventually turn into the same creature her former host was.
"What is your element, little one?" Geer questioned as he licked the side of Ilena's snout before lifting his head to give her some room.
The little dragonet seemed to light up at being asked to show what made her special and she closed her eyes and cloaked her right foreleg in shadows before sliding it into the floor beneath her. When Geer started to get worried and tensed, Ilena drew back her leg and showed him that it was perfectly fine. Arxa was less amused and barely concealed a growl of annoyance before being glared at by the mate of her former host.
"Did you provoke her into awakening her element this early?" He inquired with a low growl as Arxa scraped her tailblade across the floor, unwilling to meet his powerful gaze.
'I am not responsible for her element manifesting so soon after her hatching, runt,' she snapped as she stood and walked back over to where the few remains of her egg lay. 'Yet I fear there is one place we did not look when we searched for the black hatchling. Nurus might have reasoned that he needed the comfort of his mother and-' Her eyes seemed to stare off into the distance as she was briefly pulled into a mind link with Narssia to see the dragoness had lost control to Corruption and had attacked the small dragonet, leaving it trapped in a web of fear energy while she raged and struggled against the chains holding her captive.
Jolting back to her own awareness, Arxa snarled bitterly and turned to run towards the door, desperate to pull Narssia out of the control of the darkness she had been a part of not so long ago, when Geer stepped in front of her and prevented her from leaving. Ilena growled and playfully swatted at Arxa's tail but a low growl form the formerly blind dragon caused the hatchling to back up and stare at the floor in disappointment.
"Where are you going?" Geer snarled as Arxa tried to move past him, her every move blocked by his much larger frame.
'Don't ask me how but I know where Nurus is now. He found his way to the cell where Narssia is and she's . . . she's about to go primal and lose herself to the darkness. I don't know what you said to her before you left but whatever she heard is crushing her spirits and making it all too easy for Corruption to consume her.'
Geer snorted, lifting a foreleg in surprise as he briefly glanced at Ilena. "As much as I hate to say this, I agree with you that we must rescue Nuri. He is still young and many of Narssia's elements could do him extreme harm. Arxa come with me but I want Ilena to stay here so she will be safe."
Arxa knew how much it aggravated Geer to have to admit that she was right but she tried to keep her amusement to a minimum as they left the room together and headed for where Narssia was being kept prisoner. She wasn't thrilled with working with the formerly blind dragon but it was a sacrifice she would have to make in order for her to get to the black dragoness on time to stop her from doing something she would deeply regret.
"Arxa, is the condition where she lost control to the darkness called primal or did you just make that up to get me to let you pass?" Geer asked as they walked, his steps having to be matched by every two steps of hers due to her smaller size.
'In this I know what it is called, runt,' she snarled harshly before softening her tone. 'Corruption's darkness was once and still is a feral bloodlust that can sweep over even the most strong-willed dragons and make them but tools to the malicious blackness. I know all of this because it is what I once was not that long ago, Geer. The term for how Narssia is now with that crystal in the back of her neck is indeed called primal, based upon the instinctual bloodlust it creates for the individual it consumes. This state will not get better over time but will only become more frequent as she starts to give up hope that she can be saved from the pain and the misery. One important thing to remember is that the gem in her neck is never removed by force, not only because of the damage it could do to her but because the object was formed from hatred and rage itself to give Corruption a foothold in controlling Narssia.'
Geer was quiet for a few minutes as they continued to walk until he finally sighed and lowered his head. "I know about the crystal already. I . . . I tried to remove it and she nearly froze me with a blizzard."
'She attacked you upon you trying to remove the gem . . . Most interesting. In the past, those that tried to loosen the stone were instantly killed by the one the dark magic had bonded to as pain clouded their minds. It seems Narssia may be more of a fighter than I expected.' Arxa was impressed with how much Geer was telling her but she knew most of it from her lingering mind-bond with Narssia. Even with the link still connecting her to her former host, it was good to hear the events from the perspective of another.
As they entered into the area of the Compound that housed the jails, Geer seemed to tense and Arxa noticed the air around him was quickly charging with excess electricity. It must have been difficult for him to return to the dragoness he had just walked away from, she silently mused as she let herself fall behind a little to take a quick glance at how Nuri was doing through the eyes of Narssia. Extending her senses out towards the location of the chained dragoness, she found that she was blocked for some odd reason and realized she had gone primal faster than anticipated.
Breaking into a run, Arxa leapt past Geer and slid to a stop right before the cell she could feel Narssia in as darkness rolled from the area with enough power to make even her feel uncomfortable. Noticing the room had a massive steel beam acting as a lock, she snarled and lifted her maw to breath her green fire upon it. The metal heated fast than she expected and she jumped back as it violently exploded, sending shards of broken steel out into the hallway as she extended and lifted a wing to cover her eyes. Once certain the debris had started to calm down, she lowered her outstretched wing and entered, seeing Nuri over in a corner of the room with a mass of fear energy swirling around him.
Arxa heard Geer walk up behind her but ignored him as she attention turned to Narssia to see the chained she-dragon's eyes were murky white and her horns shimmered with enough dark energy to make them look almost blood red instead of the ivory white they actually were. A feral snarl rose from her throat as the dark dragoness turned its attention to her and bared its teeth in recognition of who she was, the sight only causing her anger to spike when it would have terrified a normal hatchling. Without saying anything, the blue dragon seemed to notice where Nurus lay and went over to the dragonet, extending his wings and placing them protectively around the youngling as if to shield it from the monster its mother had become.
"We meet again," the deep raspy voice bore no trace of the dragoness she had warped and Arxa knew that deep down as she took a step forward and shadows flickered up around her legs in response to her rising emotions. "What took you so long, dark one? I was wondering when you would show up and you know that I despise waiting."
'Save your breath, malice,' Arxa snapped as she motioned for Geer to get Nuri out of the cell while she kept Corruption-controlled Narssia bus, unfolding her other wing to make herself appear larger. 'Let her go!'
Rushing forward, Arxa's claws shimmered black and her whole body sank into the shadows as she lunged at Narssia and smashed into the chained dragoness, biting the dark scale-flier's neck. Smacking her former host across the middle with her tail, she was rewarded with a sharp hiss and increased the pressure of her bite. The blood filling her mouth tasted clean so she was comforted to know further control had not happened yet but she still hit the chained creature again to elicit the same response and felt the chains shake.
'Narssia, listen to me. You need to fight against Corruption. I can't do all of this on my own if I want to save you from becoming something much worse than what you are right now. Just focus on the sound of my voice and drown out everything else You need to cast off the darkness . . . make it leave your mind so I can help you further. It knows that I'm here and it's trying to interfere. I know you want to fight against it, I can feel it in you even though I can't reach your mind,' Arxa growled as a few flickers of her element surged up her throat but she quelled them and had to loosen her grip to cough.
The shadows coating Narssia seemed to flicker and then fade as she blinked and stared at Arxa with a pained expression, her yellow irises a welcome sight to the dark spirit. Narssia growled wearily in confusion as Arxa realized she had tapped into the darkness of her creation and used it without going primal herself and sighed in relief as she let the power fade and stepped back onto the stone floor. With her former host's mind now free of the dark taint for now, she was able to scan the exhausted she-dragon's thoughts and tapped her tailblade against the floor in uncertainty of what to do.
"It spoke through me," Narssia whispered as she let her head hang, her body shaking in exhaustion as the chains wrapped around her clicked with even the slightest movement. "It knew you and spoke. Why would you be the one it addressed? I don't understand why . . ."
Arxa balanced herself on her backs legs and tail as she folded her wings back against her side and lifted up to grab the chains on Narssia's chest. 'Because I was once a part of it, dear one. My freedom came as I got my own body and because of that, it loathes me for turning away from the power I had once held when I was a part of the dark magic you know now as Corruption. I noticed you were more willing to break free this time when I entered yet why couldn't I reach your mind as I came to get Nuri to safety?'
"I don't know but I do remember my neck hurting for a while until you entered in a maddened frenzy. Nice job blowing up the door by the way, it was a good distraction." Even with her exhaustion, Narssia still had the energy to comment on things Arxa found trivial but it caused a low hum to rise from her throat as the dark spirit softly chuckled.
'I am proud that you feel that way, Naris. You don't know how relieved I am to see your eyes staring back at me-'
Narssia blinked, shaking the chains as she leaned forward to be closer to Arxa. "Naris? What's that about? You've never called me that before . . . Was it something Vanz used to say to only Corruption alone concerning me?"
Realizing her error in saying something she shouldn't have, Arxa cleared her throat before gripping the chains a little tighter and dragging her claws against the scales of her former host. 'Vanz would occasionally call you that in the darkness of his thoughts. I know now that it was a term of endearment but, back then, I thought he hated you as humans had grown to have an instinctual fear of dragons. He was quite fond of you, little one.'
"He showed me what the darkness could do long before I even knew that its very power flowed through my veins. To think I treated him horribly . . . It's all my fault." Narssia managed to hold herself together well while speaking but started to sob as she finished, Arxa's steady pressure on her the only thing keeping her aware of her actions.
Keeping a firm grip on the chains, Arxa felt the darkness inside Narssia flicker with expectancy and snarled softly in protest. She was unable to do much more but she had to make sure her former mind partner had enough of a grip on reality to not slip back under the moment she left to see how Nuri was doing. It worried her to leave the fragile dragoness in this state but she knew Geer would be expecting her back soon and she wanted to avoid getting him irritated at her too much until the condition of her former host showed signs of improvement.
"Go and see Nuri, Arxa. I can tell you're worried about him. Why he has such a hold on you I don't know but take care of him, please. I can't stand the thought of losing another child . . . especially after what I heard Aurelia discussing with Geer . . ."
'So you know then. I was worried you had overheard that conversation. It doesn't mean Geer has rejected you-'
Shadows flickered along the chain links as Narssia hissed, although in pain or in bitter remembrance of what she had done Arxa was uncertain, and a tremor ran through her body. Feeling Corruption's energy swirl inside her, the dark spirit closed her eyes and spat a burst of green fire at the floor beside the captive dragoness. The dark embers blazed to life and formed a circle around Narssia as Arxa felt her relax and knew she had gotten what she had wanted this time from her element.
"How could Geer do that to me and then leave me?" Narssia growled mournfully as Arxa slowly realized she had started to cry again. "I wanted to have a life with him and now I can't even give him what he wants from me . . . Why is my life nothing but misery?"
'Narssia, Geer wants you to get better and so do I. Listen to me, reign in your emotions. Corruption feeds off them to make you feel more miserable than you are and to encourage you to start doubting and cause your self-confidence to crumble. You have to stay strong for the both of us, promise me.'
The exhausted eyes of Narssia focused on Arxa as the chained dragoness lifted her head slightly to better see the dark spirit. "I will try but I feel so lost here. In the matter of just a split second I had nearly froze Geer to death after breaking one of his forelimbs. I'm a monster, Arxa!"
'You are not a monster, gentle one. I see in you nothing but warmth and hope and that is far from the attitude of one who has given everything to the darkness,' Arxa growled as she lifted her snout and brushed the end of it against the bottom of Narssia's jaw in encouragement. 'I am the monster here and those that know of what has been done recognize this. Upon my hatching, I was nearly beaten against a wall to death by Nethial . . . You cannot begin to imagine the ways I wanted to get back at her but I realize now that you are my priority, Narssia. A dark spirit redeemed . . . that's what I hope can be said about me after time has past.'
"Redeemed from what? Corruption is no longer a part of you," Narssia rasped as she tried to understand what Arxa was saying.
'I am not sure yet but I fear a time may come when you are to be the one to save me. As of now the feeling just has me uneasy but I'm worried worse is on the way . . .'
"Visions? Odd dreams? Anything you know can be of help, Arxa. I would never forgive myself if you lost who you are just to save me. Just stay strong to make you know is right in your heart," Narssia whispered as she drew back her head and hissed under her breath as the gem in her neck shimmered briefly.
Loosening her hold on the chains around Narssia's chest, Arxa dropped back onto the stone floor and balanced herself before tapping the end of her tailblade sharply to refocus Narssia who had started to close her eyes. 'Nothing like that for now but I will keep you informed. I must go to Nuri but I promise I will be back to check on you. Such a strong dragon like yourself won't fall prey to the darkness I knew if I can do anything to prevent it.'
Slowly turning around, Arxa walked to the cell's entrance but stopped just before leaving and glanced back at her weary former host. Narssia was silent with her eyes closed and head lowered as far as she could but she trembled every now and then. Worried about the mental state of the dragoness she was starting to be protective over given its condition, her gaze flickered to the room's opening before snorting and returning to Narssia's side.
'Nar, let me soothe your racing thoughts. I know the very nature of the darkness and realize you're worried over how much time you have between primal urges. Corruption only seizes upon an opportunity when its host is well enough to fight so your state of current exhaustion leaves you safe for now from its dark powers.' Arxa paused for a moment, lifting her right foreleg to grab the chains at Narssia's left leg. 'I know you're scared of using the shadow element after what has happened so far but I can assure you that Corruption is acting of its own accord and not through a power you already possess and understand how to use.'
Narssia trembled more violently and Arxa sighed, knowing her feeble attempt to make the dragoness feel better had done nothing to boost her spirits. Her former mind partner was still very much alone in her isolation and Geer's rejection had only worsened things. She knew from experience how too much time spent alone ravaged an individual's mind and made it easy for Corruption to take control with little effort.
Unsure of what to do with Narssia still asleep, Arxa slid her tail around beside her and glanced into the dimming embers of her green fire to noticed her tailblade had a metallic look to it. Closer examination caused her to realize that it was the reason behind Ilena's fascination with it due to the metal-like qualities it possessed. In normal light it looked as black as the rest of her scales but under elemental light it shown like polished silver. Softly humming under her breath at the thought that it made her look even more like the shadow dragons of old, she ran a foreclaw over the tapered end of her tail.
"Stay . . ." The voice, while barely audible and extremely strained, drew Arxa's attention back to Narssia to see the dragoness had seemed to relax and ease the tremors which racked her frame.
'You wish of me to stay? Young one, you need rest-' Arxa started but took a step back as a pained whimper from Narssia caught her off guard.
"Stay . . ." Narssia pleaded again, her weariness making her words muddled as Arxa saw the gem in her neck gleam brightly.
Hesitant, the dark spirit glanced at her forelegs to see shadows swirl around them lightly, a sign that Corruption wished to accept her back into its embrace even though she now had her own body. 'I cannot,' she remarked after a moment, letting smoke drift freely from her nostrils. 'Being here puts me at risk of slipping into the darkness. I refuse to let everything you have done for me be wiped away by my own selfishness. You know I care deeply for you, Nar, but I- I would give up my very existence for you to be happy and safe.'
Arxa knew her voice cracked with emotion as tears threatened to flow freely and she hissed, restraining herself as she drew back a few steps. She had grown to feel connected to Narssia but had never realized why she cared about the dragoness so deeply until now. Her former mind partner was going through the darkest time of her life with no one to guide her and help pull her away from the raging flood that threatened to sweep over her and drown the scale-flier in misery and despair.
'Rest and leave the fight to me, gentle one. I will do everything in my power to ensure you never become what I used to be. You saved me from being nothing and gave me a purpose so now it's only fair that I return the favor,' Arxa growled tenderly as she closed her eyes and searched through her memory to find something that would give her other half encouragement and hope when there seemed to be none. 'Let light flood your soul and be purified by the warmth of truth . . . I know it seems hard to bare right now but hold on just a little longer until I can make this right. I will free you from this final vengeance by Corruption before you lose everything you held most precious in this life.'
Choosing to leave as to give Narssia some peace and see how Nuri was doing, Arxa left the room with a heavy heart. She wanted to stay by the side of her former mind partner but knew it was better to figure out how she would help her deal with what would come. Unaware of the presence of two spirits entering as she left, she was unable to hear the conversation between the kindred souls Tamli and Finca concerning her and the fate of young Nurus.