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Chapter 21: A tiring return to home
In the middle of what was once nothing but grey and black rocks, Darkstalker stands with the dragon of ice and snow still sleeping at his side. Since the moment Kraydirn entered in his slumber, the nightwing has not moved to settle in another spot, staying there and enduring the diminishing pain left when he used so much of his power... What he did, however, is to turn his neck and head many time to satisfy his many thoughts and feelings.
While he does not have much to do, the young one kind of appreciates his situation. He sure is very far from "home", and will have to fly for hours to return, but being free from any expectations as none of the five great dragons are watching him is such a feeling... And with the sleeping giant near him, he does feel less alone as well, even if it sounds desperate, but the nightwing is not in the mood to deny a part of his heart...
Now slowly walking in circle, the seer tries to better feel the place. It was created from Kraydirn's essences, so it is not surprising to see them everywhere in that place, even in the tiniest of snowflakes. And realizing that, the young one starts to understand why he was not afraid of using almost all of his power, of his essences. Being around him, these are not inert, they can connect to the great dragon, as well as with him.
So you have unleashed your essences, but you are laying at the middle of your creation. I see… Your power isn't totally lost, it has "just" changed form and has been spread out. So as long as you stay here, you aren't completely powerless. Maybe you aren't such an angry fool after all.
But I wonder…
Pushed by an ounce of pride and ambition, Darkstalker desires for the ice bellow him to obey his will, ending up sort of melting the ice and partially returning it to raw essences. Calmly rising his front talon, the nightwing can see a cloud of white and light blue energy following behind his paw, bringing a pleasing, almost healing sensation to the partially burnt part of his body.
When he puts it down, the mass of power transform into ice again. To that result, the young ones smiles, beginning to like what he can do. Eager to explore new possibilities, the smaller one lets his own sun whisper what to do, starting to move more and more on the ice…
Gradually, essences accumulate around him as his own being creates a new flow for them, his body having an easier time connecting now that it dances and relaxes. And soon, a new wind come to be, a fresh one following Darkstalker and making bits of snow fly.
Finishing his act, the nightwing is surprised to feel less exhausted, like that physical effort helped him recover. Staring at his paw, he can see the little blue veins are very present, but their burnt aspect has faded a little more...
Looking back, the nightwing realizes Kraydirn's eyes are open and watching him, but the curled giant dragon still has not moved his body one bit, staying in his sleeping position like he does not mind, even if could stand up if he tried.
Approaching him, the young one finally lays in front of him before "melting" the ice with his talons, showing to the great one what he has recently discovered. In reaction, Kraydirn rises a talon and accumulates power in his own claws as ice diminishes around him. As the smaller one's paw faces his, a link forms.
But it does not stop there. As enough essences are involved, they start to flow around Darkstalker's body, adding to his power should he be ready to draw from them, and that is what he does. Feeling the new energy and his sun burning brighter, the young one, still tired, follows his instincts and opens his being, bringing a kind of satisfaction to the great dragon.
Beginning to absorb some of his essences, the nightwing feels like he is becoming more as the core of his being get filled… Still focused, the night dragon finds himself to be slightly drawn to the other's heart.
It is for now a more subtle desire, but the more he stares at the dragon of ice and snow and at his essences, the more he wants to be closer to everything he is…
Hesitating for a moment, Darkstalker takes a step closer to his belly, he already was close to him before, and felt comfortable with it, so there is no reason not to if he really wants that... Seeing the feathered giant is not against such closeness, the nightwing ends up putting a paw on his white and slightly blue belly surrounded by black feathers.
Now directly in contact with his cold scales, the young can feel a far stronger connection with the great dragon, and he can feel how empty of essences he really is compared to before. Still, even in this state, the enormous entity keeps that feeling of power, of greatness. He may be almost devoid of energy, but even that huge void where essences should be shows how grand of a dragon he is...
As time passes, the ice begins to disappear gently around the two dragons, being turned back into essences and gathering around their creator.
Staying at the center of the growing nexus, the night dragon feels the power becoming more and more intense as it condenses around him as well. Listening to his sun, the young one does a leap of faith and welcomes all of it, connecting as much as he can to Kraydirn and his flows of power.
At first, the situation is easy enough to manage, but it quickly changes as the flows accelerate, altering the ones of his being as well. And it continues like that until his own essences pour into the great dragons and essences of winter pour into him. It is at that moment as he clearly senses the heartbeat of Kraydirn as if his big heart is in his little body, that Darkstalker knows that something new is possible, something asking for the union of his sun and the other's winter…
Closing his eyes and taking a breath, the young one focuses under the watch of the great dragon who smiles, eager to see the act he knows the smaller one will attempt to do. As vast quantity of essences are involved, the night dragon absorbs them to mix these with what burns at his core… Now having enough, the young one free the mixture of power as bright spark and guides it from his paw to somewhere far above them…
Arriving at its destination, the star remains linked to its creator and is still being fed by the essences around the two dragons. Using the power he has over his star, Darkstalker continues to nourish it, bringing more essences that integrate into it, making it shine even brighter…
However, as time passes, the somewhat crude object morphs into something bigger and more concrete. Losing the majority of its light as the essences are forced to reorganize themselves, something takes shape... It is still spherical, but that pale light of silver tainted by blue…, it starts to look a bit like a moon…
The link breaks, shocking the young one instantly and making him fall to the ground.
Immediately, the feathered giant takes him in his paw to see if he is alright. With his senses as sharp as ever, he has no difficulty in seeing the smaller one's state. Standing up, the nightwing has no lasting damage nor any bad sensation, he is just a bit confused.
When both look at the celestial object, it has become more unstable. While it is still maintaining its own existence and stays spherical, everyone can see the essences flowing more chaotically and glowing aggressively, shattering the illusion that the sphere was something more than a crude accumulation of them.
Still on the titan's paw, the young one looks at Kraydirn, confused…
The great dragon thinks for a moment, not really having expected any of that… Then, an idea comes to his mind as he looks once again at the raw sphere of energy. Bringing Darkstalker to his back, the dragon of winter then stands up, his exhaustion not as intense as it was before.
Now on his body, the seer feels like he is closer to the returning nexus as Kraydirn unfolds his wings of cold and black feathers. Standing on his back talons only and extending his front ones, the great dragon begins to connect with the celestial object as he tightly connects with the young one who accepts it, recreating the link that was destroyed.
After a few minutes, the sphere of power totally falls into the control of the pair of dragons. Realizing that, the dragon of ice and snow starts to attract its essences, to bring it back to earth, to absorb it... Crashing the energetic mass, he puts the both of them in a bubble of essences that almost overwhelms them.
At that moment, the young feels himself being shaken by a force far beyond him, embracing his very being and doing far more as if he thrown in the sea, but holding on to Kraydirn's body and maintaining his connection, he starts to regain control of the situation with him, his determination being amplified by his inner being fed…
Filling his empty being filled with all the essences he can get, the dragon of winter makes great use of the forming synergy he has with Darkstalker, the nightwing's very being supporting him and mixing his power with his own, bringing more strength than he expected and making him recover enough so he could fly again.
Finishing to absorb the once celestial object, the great dragon looks one last time at the frozen land he created. And looking at his back to see the young one in good shape, Kraydirn then soars into the sky and fly toward home, the two having enough power together to return directly…
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Approaching the Pyramid enough, the pair begin to see it from far away, but a yellow shape approaches the two dragons... A moment later, they realize it is Xamirh, with worry all over his face as he comes to join the two, his mind on the verge of panic, no longer having patience nor structure.
- "Kraydirn!" Calls out the great dragon, not even doing an effort to mitigate his emotions.
- "Xamirh, ghyt heia mesita alj-alest. Zu kes Darkstalker surh vulnat masne kes yth muka almu yl mylmyl sif akvozu zait ythetias ultomshy." Replies the feathered one, his attitude contrasting greatly with his kin.
- "Oij tunis uthu ashek cuxt geska jyin yth moxon uthu surh feshur obemi dejont olmukara, jivun yihe uthu pemku muka wulen? Zu surh eiamasne kes Zu okutes ifyat, Zu kes Darkstalker okutes ifyat." Says the yellow great dragon, not calming down despite the other's words, his eyes gazing back and forth between the two dragons that should have been lost.
- "Murkunilt ythe leikun iole ufyl ythe gretij?" Asks Kraydirn, still relaxed in a way about the situation.
- "Yth… Yth kotuf, ikul ghyt heia sif taomes zeitoz jyin ythe esfim." Answers Xamirh, seeming to agree with the feathered one, but expecting proper explanations later.
- "Yth eiuf heia." Says simply the black and white giant.
Ending their discussion, the two great ones with Darkstalker continue to fly in silence to their home, and during that time, the seer does not hesitate to watch their mind…
It makes sense Xamirh is worried about him, even with my help Kraydirn remains with only a fraction of his full strength and essences. But it is still strange how much he is worried for him, as if he feared his kin might die, as if he feared the demise of someone he loves...
Arriving on the Pyramid's floor, the two giant land perfectly while being watched by a dark blue dragoness who comes closer.
Inspecting the weakened dragon of winter, a nod from the yellow one confirms her suspicion. And as the young one climbs down the feathered titan, Akhanta stares at him and his ripped clothes.
- "Darkstalker… Ignum yth."
Hearing these few words, the nightwing understands he has to follow her, and does so without complaints. Leaving Xamirh taking care of Kraydirn behind, the dark blue giant descends the gigantic building with the night dragon, bringing him to her room... During the march through the many corridors, the seer easily makes out of her mind a feeling of urgency who pushes her to act faster.
I wasn't pushed to my limits like Kraydirn was after he unleashed all of his power, I still had more than enough essences. I know being lost in the middle of nowhere, so far from home is a reasonable thing to worry about, but...
Why does you worry like I am similar? What kind of risk were we both facing?
Opening the two giant doors, Akhanta enters and settles her giant form in the pool without wasting time. And quickly turning to face the young one, she scrutinizes him, appearing more serious than ever…
After an intense moment of being stared at by a stressed and giant dragoness, Darkstalker is grabbed without his consent, his worthless dress taken off, before being brought to the water. Laying down, the head of the dark blue dragoness is now on the same level as him, partially submerged in the pool.
Opening her mouth, Akhanta breathes raw essences into him, filling his core for a few minutes by engulfing him in a mystical mist and healing what wounds and injuries are left on his body... Once it is done, the dark blue giant takes him out of the water and stands up, appearing far more imposing with her head so above the young one.
- "Iole soumvu ashek Darkstalker, exuvo uthu." Says the great dragoness in a firmer voice as she points at a tablet for him to use.
Having no choice and stressing at the idea his caretaker might cease to be one, the nightwing tries to make something to give a good answer to her.
Starting to draw but failing and not knowing what to depict, the night dragon switches to writing his ideas and recent memories in priority before doing anything else. But as he organizes his answer, the nightwing realizes he will not be able to draw in details what happened on a soft tablet nor can he say it when he is still so ignorant of their tongue…
Feeling his heart beating faster, the young one finds himself curling up a bit, like he is afraid of what the dark blue giant will do when she discovers his incompetence. He does not even try to look at her in the eyes, but that just makes her more suspicious as she leans her head.
Finally, Akhanta understands she will not get her answer, and so she takes the tablet from Darkstalker's claws and puts it down, not even bothering to glance at it. The nightwing reacts immediately, instinctively shocked by such an intrusion in his small private space. Feeling obligated to look at her, he does so with a kind of defeated and stressed mood.
Not missing anything of the young one's behaviour, the dark blue dragoness stops in her track to give him a break from her firm stance and show him some compassion.
"Darkstalker, ghyt heia ashek alj-iuminu ust yth, uthu heia khutey ghyt astutomer upist, iole ajek muvol iole yth surh tiulm mesitae." Says Akhanta with affection in her slower voice, pushing the very strong worry his recent situation with Kraydirn evokes in the back of her mind.
Seeing the nightwing getting better, the huge dragoness slowly leaves the room, with him following behind after a short moment... Walking through the long corridors, the seer is still afraid deep inside himself.
It wasn't even an action of mine that led to this, all of that was Kraydirn's decision...
Why Kraydirn? Why did you do that? Putting yourself in danger and going against the interest of your own kins…
What were you thinking?
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Getting closer to their destination, Darkstalker does not take too long to recognize who is present there, such essences and a mind so focused on them can only be Ayirn.
I suppose it is time to confront that…
Approaching the pair of titanic doors depicting the dragon god, the nightwing remembers where they are and what room it is.
So it is that training room again...
Opening the Doors, Akhanta and the young one enter, marching steadily and almost surprising the magical dragoness of blue and green in the middle of her intricate dance. Getting back on her four talons and folding her magnificent wings, as well as dropping the tremendous masses of essences she held gracefully with the different part of her body, Ayirn approaches the newcomers with a bit of doubt for the nightwing.
And while the dark blue dragoness sees no problem with this reunion, being confident as she brings the smaller one closer to her kin, he himself retains some hostility toward the dragoness of magic that he can not totally hide, though it is fear that gains the battle in his mind...
Stopping before the two visitors, Ayirn acts like she has not seen the night dragon's shift in expression, but keeps his behaviour in a corner of her mind. Realizing that, Darkstalker tries to do the same while Akhanta attempts to execute the plan she has for the nightwing.
- "Ayirn, yth hute surik sif oxtup prita ifyat. Darkstalker khutey teneij aqost arkystar nestoq Kraydirn kes yth kasarh tho sif akvozu ijefuy moneist yl temnyl tozakaru tho linf muka." Asks the dark blue dragoness, needing the help of her kin, her slightly faster voice reflecting her worry.
- "Yth gynhim yl retuhiun." Answers Ayirn simply before focusing on the young one, lowering her head and extending a talon to incite him to come.
But the nightwing stays on his guard, reluctant to get any closer to the green and blue dragoness, his mind dominated by memories of her awful act still very vivid in the moment, and also something else...
"Darkstalker, surik inzul." Says the great dragoness, genuinely wanting to help him despite her not trusting him that much, nor really knowing him.
But the young one does not make any step, his mistrust and even some guilt blocking his action, making it appear to others like he is frozen in place. Seeing the nightwing repeating such panicking reaction, Akhanta silently curls her tail behind him while Ayirn simply analyses him for now, doing what she can despite the distance put between the two.
Really needing for the nightwing to come closer, the mystical dragoness leans to him progressively, trying not to make him react further with her giant body. But in the end, it does not work as he can not handle to face her that closely.
Recoiling, Darkstalker finds out he can not distance himself more from the great dragoness as he feels Akhanta's tail against his own, stopping him in his track. To that, the nightwing's frustration grows and he starts to look around him more frantically this time, trying to think of an escape plan with time pressing…
As the situation worsen and each of the three dragons has a similar idea of what is going to happen, Ayirn bluntly takes a step back.
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"Estid yth heia tunis defmul, yth eiuf kion snuveo yth tunis toijyl." Says Ayirn, knowing the young one will not understand her, but her kin will. As for her mind, it shows disappointment and is tainted by some regrets.
With these final words, the magical dragoness goes to another corner of the room and begins to train and dance again, the two potential witness she interacted with before not affecting her performance at all…
Looking back, Darkstalker stares at the dark blue dragoness, feeling relieved but also confused by Ayirn suddenly leaving. In reaction, Akhanta sighs, no longer hiding her moderate fatigue and slight annoyance. Going back to the giant entrance, she is followed by the nightwing without her ordering him to do so...
Leaving the room and walking back through the immense Pyramid, the two return to the dragoness' room in silence... Entering the personal place, the dark blue giant skips the central pool and directly seeks in the shelves to return with some fabrics. Unrolling one big sheet on the cold and stony ground, Akhanta expects the young one to come over it, and he does so in no time.
Content to at least have something soft to settle on, the nightwing looks at the great dragoness watching him, who comes to the pool and positions herself well to suppress her frustration.
- "Uthu tunis votale Darkstalker." Says the dark blue giant beginning to rest and relax in the water, her voice a bit tired.
Not looking away from the great dragoness, the young one begins to lay down completely, relaxing all of his stressed parts and starting to rest on the more comfortable surface, his mind still full of thoughts...