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Chapter 7: A first light coming from the strange but great dragoness
- "Darkstalker, what are you doing at this hour? You should rest like any dragonet of your age."
- "Yeah… But the future I saw deserves my time, if I look close enough at it, I may uncover a way to get our happy ending."
- "You foolish little one, always dreaming so big no matter how silly it looks."
- "Hey! With all the powers I have, I'm the one most likely to accomplish my dreams."
- "King Darkstalker..., you realize how much you'll have to do even if you succeed?"
- "Well… yes."
- "My sweat little dragonet, look at yourself… I won't forbid you from finding comfort in it, you are still too young for that…"
"Right? It's just all fun and happy, that's why you chose that future?"
- "…"
- "I understand, but don't hold on to it, if not you will hate it when fate inevitably surprises you."
- "Sister…"
- "Yes shining brother?"
- "I was thinking about the future and… What destiny do you think is the best for all of us?"
- "There are so many stars to choose from… I don't know Darkstalker, I'm lost like you in the middle of the ocean."
- "Do you think I have a duty to save everyone, to bring the best future with all that I have?"
- "Maybe, but be careful brother, being a lone sun is your greatest enemy in this realm of ascension. I just hope we stay together…"
- "I hope as well."
- "Darkstalker, your magic is your greatest enemy, never forget that."
- "Easy to say it when you never used it since years ago. How can you even call yourself an animus today?"
- "Darkstalker! Cease that behaviour, you must not let your emotions and ignorance take the better of you."
- "As if you had anything new to say to me."
- "That's not funny, nightwing! I thought I was in control my magic, that I could use it at a time when I deemed it most necessary, but in a moment of panic I made a terrible mistake, one that still hunts me to this day."
- "Like I would feel sorry for you... If you want that I hear your words, just be a good father."
- "You don't deserve one, but I tell you that because that's what I can do to stop terrible mistakes from happening. Who know how many dragons might be saved because of one more warning to a dragon bearing the curse."
- "If you think you can make me give up my powers, then you're wrong father. I can see their value while you don't. In fact, I see the potential of magic far more than anyone else!"
- "I won't ever convince you, will I? Still, I will continue to warn you whatever you want it or not."
- "You will try… You will..."
- "Darkstalker, I need to talk to you."
- "Yes Clearsight?"
- "It's about the future."
- "Again, don't you ever stop from worrying?"
- "Darkstalker, now is not the moment to relax. I need you to listen, to focus on my warnings so we can avoid the worst."
- "Avoid the worst, you always say that. How many more warnings have you in stock?"
- "Darkstalker, it's important."
- "It's always important with you! When will we start to enjoy our happy life together? How many years do we have to wait before we can get to the good part!"
- "It doesn't work like that and you know it! We have to be careful, Pyrrhia's futures are darker than ever..."
- "Then why don't you let me use more of my magic? It could really solve our situation..."
- "I've already said it, the less you use your magic, the better."
- "How can you be so sure of that every time? It's like you know everything of the futures where I use my powers, despite how much you tell me you can't see everything."
- "I'm not absolutely certain, but the probability is so high."
- "And what if there is a hidden element at play, something so distant that makes me go down a dark path when I cast a spell. If we can spot that thing, then I could use the full extent of my powers without creating a terrible future, right?"
- "Darkstalker, this is ridiculous, and even if such a factor exist, where do you want to search for it?"
- "I don't know."
- "Then restrain yourself."
- "…"
- "It's the Darkstalker, he is in our school!"
- "Yeah, they say he was spawned by the icewing prince to be his little soldier, ready to defend him and follow the icewings' cause."
- "It could be, queen Vigilance is glad to have his magic for our tribe, but what if he was loyal to the enemy? The icewings would gain all of our powers."
- "True, he could be a traitor, he has his blood and father from the icewings after all."
- "Some say he desires to overthrow the queen to impose a puppet regime led by Diamond."
- "I mean, he could with all his powers. Mind reading, future sight and magic, what could not go wrong?"
- "Even if he doesn't bring victory to our enemies, he can still be evil, and as time passes his soul will show his true colours."
- "They should have put him in a cage, or better yet, kill him like the skywings do with their animi, that's the only way to avoid something like the royal seawing massacre."
- "What about that seawing prince, Fathom? He survived and vowed to never use his magic again. Can we trust him?"
- "No, never trust a stranger, no matter what face he wears. Beside, it may be a matter of time before he becomes like Albatross as our tribe learned. Queen Pearl should kill him, it's not like his magic will be of use for the tribe, so he is more of a burden and a disgrace to it than anything."
- "And Whiteout?"
- "Apparently, she is more shy and weird than anything, but don't let yourself be fooled. It may be a ruse to hide her true loyalty. She shares the same blood and father with Darkstalker, she is corrupted by the icewings."
- "What about her powers, she doesn't have any, at least until now."
- "She may be hiding them very well, or maybe her brother will give her some. In any case, never trust anyone of that family..."
Such a wonderful dragonethood, such wonderful teachings, no wonder it's my fault for being seduced by ambitions and selfishness, for choosing to be a bad dragon! Because only bad dragons feel anger, and good dragons never say anything mean, no matter how dirty the words they hear are!
In frustration, the nightwing strikes the ground with his paw, only to scream at the pain he now feel which brings his back to reality.
When Darkstalker comes out of his thoughts, he realizes Akhanta is not around him anymore. Looking in the room, he easily spots her near a window she has opened, creating an entrance big enough for her to pass. Approaching the giant dragoness, the young one stays to her side and looks in the same direction as her, the Pyramid.
Her thoughts confirms his doubts, it is the same building he and the two great dragons came to before, and it houses the five great ones as he deduced. But diving deeper in her mind, there is one important thing he can make out, the strong focus of the five dragons on him, the many discussion they had together.
That means they must have informed each others when I was unconscious. And they must have assigned the task of caring for me to Akhanta here, but strange of them to not just bring me in their home, why would only her get to be with me and far from that place?
Feeling the potent flame inside of him, the night dragon wonders about his own flesh. That burning sensation… It is in a way similar to the what he felt when he was banished from Pyrrhia but far less intense, a sort of magical remnant, making him filled with some magic despite having cast away his own. And that makes Darkstalker smiles just a bit.
Maybe all my magic is not lost, and with their help I am sure it's possible to get it back. I just have to… live and work with them. His smile falls...
Finally turning to face the young nightwing, Akhanta shows no surprise as she speaks a single word.
- "Surik."
In an instant, the great dragoness jumps from the room and falls until she unfolds her majestic wings, marking the beginning of her flight... Watching attentively, the night dragon is about to jump as well when he suddenly stops, the doubt gaining his mind as he observes his own wings.
What if my body is still too frail to stand the stress of flying? I may not feel any pain nor did I had any difficulty moving until now, but if my wings fail…
Seeing that the nightwing is still on the tower, Akhanta begins to circle around it and gains enough altitude to be on same level as him. And in the loudest voice Darkstalker ever heard, the mystical being tells him to come.
- "Surik! Heij ajek feshur konles uthu? Lieju ajek iumin?"
- "Huko!" Replies the nightwing instinctively, emptying his lungs so his response will not be missed.
Understanding the situation, the great dragoness ascends to be one stage above the young one before coming at him, slowing down as she gets closer until she lands peacefully in front of him, but not without shaking a little the whole a place with her giant body.
Without hesitation, Akhanta grabs the small hybrid in her talons and holds him tightly against her belly before jumping into the air again. Now together, nothing will stop the two dragons from travelling to their destination, despite one not having a say in the matter...
Stuck for the rest of the journey in Akhanta's claws, Darkstalker appears to not be in a good mood, especially when it was a decision he could not protest, but despite that, he is not too unsatisfied. The young one feared not being able to fly on his own, so being held tightly by a giant dragoness is a great solution, and dare he also allows himself to feel safe now that he is so close to such a powerful being.
But it is not just that, there something else in the dark blue one that makes it even more difficult for the little one to be angry at her. Her behaviour, the feelings colouring her mind, the way she holds him against her chest to protect him, Darkstalker would be lying to himself if he thought Akhanta does not share similarities with the thing he craves the most, his mother.
Which makes him think of how much he misses her. Since she fell under Diamond's claws, he has been more alone and unhappy than ever. Clearsight and Fathom would always shows worries for him as the war worsened, Indigo was hostile and would never respect him once. Only Whiteout, his sister, would show him love and not judge him despite how terrible things had gotten. As for his father, being the only parent left amplified how unstable and damaged he was, both in mind and in soul.
And that fact is longer surprising for him. Arctic lost like him the dragon he loved, and it is even worst as the icewing had no one else, not loving his children enough to have something worth fighting for, and being in a tribe that dislikes him.
No wonder you became desperate and took your mother's offer, it was a chance for you to regain some of the things you had lost when you had nothing. You didn't even cared about your daughter nor about your own well-being anymore, the ice kingdom would still be a prison and you went straight into it.
How truly pitiful and… sad all of that is? No, I won't feel sorry for you! Each day you could have chosen to look and find happiness in us, each day you could have prepared yourself for the future to come, each day you could have used your power, your magic to make your life and the one of your love better. But you didn't, you didn't do any of that…
Trying not to focus too much on negative feelings, the night dragon decides to let other feelings take place in his mind. Being so close to Akhanta, he would be hugging her if he could trust her enough. The great dragoness really has this motherly side in her, Darkstalker can see it clearly as he sees in her mind the images of exotic young ones surrounding her, and his situation really calls for a parental figure to help him, to bring him out of this mess. And he would not refuse, because after months of isolation, of not being listened to when his heart screamed with raw emotions that tainted his soul, he knows more than anyone else he needs it.
Feeling the wind and the mystical one's warmth, the nightwing finally opens to her, it will not hurt to try after all, and maybe for now, he can trust a great dragon despite how strange and suspicious each of them is...
After a few moments, his feeling of loneliness loses its intensity as he silently listen to the great dragoness' heartbeat and her focused mind. He even finds himself wishing for that closeness to last, despite how silly and desperate it sounds to already see Akhanta as a mother figure. But such a peaceful and pleasant moment is not something he will waste now that he has it.
It is a moments like that he needs more than anything for what is to come. The pyramid is already a lot closer than before, with the light of its beacon more intense than that of any tower in these lands of nothing. And when both will arrive, the young one should better be in good shape as he will have to face the four kins of the one who holds him, their sizes and powers rivalling that of the majestic dark blue dragoness named Akhanta...