by Virlyce
“You couldn’t have known, matriarch,” Lindyss said while shaking her head. The crystal in her right hand stopped glowing, and she picked up another one. “Awakening amongst elves can take hundreds of years; I’ve never even heard of a human awakening after being imprinted. It’s possible that his awakening is related to the large quantity of fruits he’s eaten from the elves’ tree.”
Sera sighed again and closed her eyes. “You’re right. Perhaps I’m the only one to blame since I imprinted him,” she said. The cave was silent except for the low hum of the crystals as they emitted light. Sera opened her eyes and blew a puff of smoke at Lindyss through her nostrils. “Guide him with your dreams. Now that he’s awakened, he can’t continue playing around without thinking of the consequences. Let him know that his actions affect everyone around him. Help him mature.”
Lindyss clenched her jaw and shivered as goosebumps rose on her skin. “I will.”
***
Vur was standing in a clear meadow with the sun shining directly above him. He shielded his eyes with his hand and squinted, looking around. The meadow extended past his range of sight in every direction. Where am I? He closed his eyes frowned. Why can’t I remember anything?
“Vur?” A voice from behind him asked.
Vur’s eyes snapped open, and he whipped his head around. Tafel was standing behind him, her head tilted to one side. “Are you okay?” she asked. “You said you needed to pee, but it’s been over an hour so I came to find you.”
Vur stared at Tafel and knit his eyebrows together. Tafel was holding her skirt with one hand, surrounded by foliage and trees that weren’t there a few seconds ago. Her other hand held two round, white objects. He turned around and saw more trees. The meadow he was standing in had disappeared, replaced by a rainforest. He lowered his head and saw a body lying underneath his feet.
“What’s that?” Tafel asked, pointing at the corpse underneath Vur. Vur shook his head and squatted next to the body. He flipped it over and gasped. Lindyss’ face stared at him with empty eye sockets. Black blood flowed from the corner of her mouth. Vur’s chest tightened as he dropped to his knees.
“Auntie!” he shouted and shook her body. He bit his lower lip and put both hands on her chest. Green orbs of light floated around his body and gathered onto his hands. His hands trembled as the light flowed around Lindyss before dispersing, unable to enter her body. “Why won’t it work!?”
Vur’s body shuddered, and black orbs of light flowed from the ground into his hands. They circled around the corpse before entering it. A low groan escaped from Lindyss’ mouth as she sat up. Her empty eyes continued to stare at Vur, her body unmoving. “Auntie,” Vur said as he grabbed her hands. He gritted his teeth and waved his hand in front of her face. “Why aren’t you saying anything? Why?” Tears formed in the corners of his eyes. “Tafel,” Vur said as he raised his head. “Help me. She’s not—” Vur froze as his gaze locked onto the objects in Tafel’s hands.
“I know,” Tafel said as she smiled, rolling the objects around. A pair of purple pupils revealed themselves to Vur as the objects twirled in her hands. “Because I did it.”
Vur’s mind blanked as his jaw fell open. His mouth closed and opened a few more times as he tried to speak. Finally, he choked out, “But why?”
Tafel didn’t say anything as she grinned at him. “You can’t hurt me, remember?” She asked. Her grin widened. “You promised.”
Kill. Vur’s body tensed, and a black aura in the shape of a dragon crawled out of his back. What’s the matter? Kill her. The voice of a dragon whispered in his head.
Vur shook his head. “I can’t.”
Can’t? Or won’t? She disrespected you. She disrespected US. You’re just going to watch your things being taken from you? If you won’t, then I will. The dragon’s body coiled around his head and slowly sank into his face.
“Stop!” Vur shouted. His body shuddered as a white-hot pain wracked his head. “Who are you!?”
I am you. You are me. We are one, the voice rang out in his head. Embrace me and we will be strong. A real dragon. Unstoppable.
Vur’s vision went black. When his vision returned, he was lying on his back, the clear-blue sky was all he saw, cloudless. Vur groaned and sat up. The ground was wet, and a body lay by his feet. He looked down. Pools of blood stained the ground, originating from the corpse. “Tafel?” Vur asked with a trembling voice as he reached his hand forward. His fingers were red and dripping. “Tafel. Please.” His hand touched her shoulder, but her body disintegrated on contact.
She deserved it. The black dragon crawled out of his stomach.
“No!” Vur shouted. “Why did you do this?”
Me? It was you. The dragon hissed and images of Tafel flashed through Vur’s head. She screamed and trembled as Vur tore her apart limb by limb. “You promised,” she wailed over and over.
Vur clutched his head and yelled, “Make it stop!”
A chuckle echoed through his head. What are you crying about? That was just the start. Look around you.
Vur shuddered as his head rose against his will. Sera lay on the ground, gasping for breath as blood gushed out of her stomach. Grimmy’s decapitated head stared at him with accusing eyes. Snuffles lay on his back, unmoving.
Isn’t being a dragon great? Anyone who questions your authority will die. Anyone who even thinks of hurting you will die. You are a king!
“Why?” Vur asked as his hands dropped to his sides.
You asked me to, the dragon said as it curled around Vur’s body.
“I didn’t.” Vur shook his head.
But you did. Every time you feel angry, you ask for my help. The dragon’s tongue flickered in front of Vur’s face. Don’t you understand? You need me.
“No,” Vur mumbled as he shook his head.
But you do.
“No!” Vur growled as he grabbed the dragon by the neck and flung it off his body. “No.”
Then prove it. Prove to me that you’re stronger than me, the dragon said and laughed. I’ll bring them all back to life if you win. If you fail, however… The dragon grinned.
Vur took in a deep breath. Mana surged through his body, but there was no golden glow in his eyes. “I’ll show you,” he said and lunged forwards.
***
Ten Years Later
Wind blew Lindyss’ hair to the side as Grimmy landed beside her. Lindyss was sitting next to Vur in an open meadow surrounded by trees made of glowing blue crystals. His body was soaking in a tub of crystal-clear liquid taken from the Fountain of Youth. “How is he?” Grimmy asked as he lowered a basket of crystals next to Vur’s body. Vur had grown considerable taller and his hair reached down past his waist.
“I purified the last portion of aura nearly a year ago,” Lindyss said as she took crystals out of the basket and rearranged them around the tub. “He should be waking up soon.” She reached for another crystal, but a skeletal hand popped out of the basket, followed by a skull. The skeleton stood up and grinned as crystals rolled off its body. It saluted Lindyss before handing her a scroll. Lindyss sighed as she unrolled the paper and read through its contents. Her eyebrows furrowed, and the scroll burst into flames as she tossed it over her shoulder.
Grimmy studied Lindyss’ expression and asked, “Anything wrong?”
Lindyss shook her head. “People are disappearing a lot more frequently. The humans and demons are formally requesting our presence to guard their villages and cities. A whole village disappeared overnight.” Lindyss sighed. “That crazy fairy, I wish she would just show herself. She kidnapped nearly five thousand people over the last decade.”
Grimmy nodded. “What do you think she’s doing?”
Lindyss shrugged. “I know she absorbs all the mana in an area and then moves on. My skeletons found multiple areas with traces of fairies having been there, but everything is dead or dying.” She frowned. “I hope Vur would wake up sooner so I can go out there myself.”
Grimmy arched his bac
k and stuck out his front claws. He yawned and lowered himself onto the floor. “You’re finally healed?”
Lindyss smiled and nodded. “It only took what? Eight centuries?” she asked as she splayed her fingers out in front of herself.
The ground rumbled as Grimmy chuckled. “Give or take a hundred years,” he said and raised an eyebrow. “Was it worth it? Do you ever regret it?”
“I can’t even tell you how many times I’ve regretted listening to you,” Lindyss said as she stuck out her tongue at him. She lowered her head. “But I think it was worth it.” She raised her head and stared Grimmy in the eyes. “Don’t think I’m letting you stick another soul inside me ever again though. Seven times was enough.”
Grimmy’s teeth shone in the sun as he smiled. “You sure? I’ve acquired a lot more in the two hundred years you spent at the fountain.”
“No.”
“But look,” Grimmy said as he stuck out his front claw. A white fireball sprang into existence and hovered in the air. A golden halo revolved inside of the fire. “It belonged to one of those blessed heroes of light that the humans are so proud of.”
Lindyss sucked in her breath. “Where did you get that?”
Grimmy laughed and the flame disappeared. “Get what?” he asked with twinkling eyes. “I’m not sure what you’re talking about.”
Lindyss snorted and turned back to watch Vur. A few moments passed as Grimmy hummed behind her. “Maybe just one more,” she mumbled.
Grimmy’s smile widened as he cupped his claw next to his face. “What was that?” he asked. “I couldn’t hear you over a fickle person talking.”
Lindyss pouted and whirled herself around to face Grimmy. She opened her mouth to speak, but a white flame smacked her in the face and entered her body before she could react. “You!” Lindyss coughed and spluttered. “Couldn’t you have at least waited until after Vur woke up?” She clutched her chest and gritted her teeth as her body broke out in sweat.
Grimmy chuckled. “Don’t worry,” he said. “I can control dreams too. See?” He lifted his claw and poked Vur in the forehead. Black lines appeared on Vur’s head and wriggled underneath Grimmy’s claw. He lifted his claw into the air, and the lines spread out, crawling along Vur’s skin. Vur’s body spasmed and floated above the ground. “Hmm….” Grimmy scratched the scales on his chin. “Was that soul too strong?”
Lindyss exhaled through clenched teeth. “Sera’s going to kill both you and me if anything happens to Vur,” she said as Vur’s body trembled and twitched. His muscles expanded and shrank, pulsing in time with his heart.
Smoke puffed out of Grimmy’s nostrils. “You worry too much,” he said. “You think I would intentionally harm him? Don’t forget; I helped raised him.”
Lindyss shuddered and closed her eyes. “That’s why I’m worried.”
***
Vur stood with his arms across his chest, staring at the dragon sitting across from him. The dragon aura sat on its haunches with its head lowered. You did well, it said with its eyes downcast. I suppose I wouldn’t mind letting you take control.
Vur nodded. “I’ve seen everything you can do, learned all your movements,” he said. Just like Auntie taught me.
The dragon nodded and shrank its body down to half of Vur’s size. It shook its head and sighed as it trudged in front of Vur with its head lowered. As Vur reached down to lift its body up, a black bolt of lightning appeared from the clear sky and struck the aura. It shrieked and shuddered as Vur leapt back and armed himself with Lust.
The dragon growled as solid, black scales grew around its body. A pair of red pupils appeared in its once pitch-black eyes, and multiple rows of white teeth sprouted inside of its mouth. Its body expanded, and a second pair of wings grew out of its lower back while the tip of its tail curled upwards and flattened into a blade. It stopped trembling once its body grew to the same size as Vur.
Vur gazed into the dragon’s red pupils and widened his eyes. The dragon disappeared. Vur whirled around while slashing with Lust at the same time. The bladed tail struck against the dagger’s edge, and Vur’s body was sent flying into a tree. He clenched his teeth and let out a hiss as he stood back up, circulating mana through his body.
The dragon disappeared and reappeared in front of Vur, its claw slashing towards his chest. Vur stomped on the ground and earthen spikes shot upwards, impaling the claw and halting its movements. A line of black fire appeared in front of Vur and shot towards the dragon as he swung his arm outwards, mimicking the cerberus’ attack from the nagas’ arena.
The dragon’s tail flickered and smashed against the line of fire, dispersing it. It grinned and lunged at Vur with its free claw. Vur inhaled deeply and exhaled a gray cloud of dust as the claw was about to reach his face. The dragon’s grin vanished as its body disappeared and reappeared a few meters away. The gray cloud fell to the ground. When it made contact with the grass, the green blades turned to stone. Vur’s mind raced as he sifted through the multitude of blue magic skills he had. He stared at the dragon, a wry smile appearing on his lips once he found a suitable skill.
The dragon crept in a circle around Vur, its body poised to strike. Vur roared and a giant roulette wheel appeared above his head with an image of himself and the dragon on it. The dragon shivered and pounced towards Vur while the wheel spun. Vur crossed his arms in front of his body, encasing himself in a sheen of light. The dragon let loose a barrage of attacks and multiple cuts appeared on Vur’s body, but he remained unmoving. He smiled as the wheel slowed. When it stopped, the needle landed on the image of the dragon.
The dragon howled as a spectral grim reaper appeared above its head. The dragon disappeared and reappeared repeatedly, getting further and further away with each successive teleport. The grim reaper stayed in place and raised its bony arm. A suction force yanked the dragon towards the ghastly figure. The dragon whimpered as it struggled in the air, flapping its wings and clawing at the clouds, trying to get away, but it was futile. The reaper waved its scythe once before disappearing. The dragon fell to the ground as its scales fell away and its red pupils disappeared. Its body shrank as the wings on its lower back receded and returned to how it looked before.
Vur walked up to the dragon and grabbed it by its neck. He closed his eyes as a burning sensation ran through his arm and into his body as the dragon faded away. A few moments passed in silence as the dragon’s body became more and more transparent.
Vur opened his eyes.
“I told you not to worry,” a familiar voice said.
Lindyss snorted. “Welcome back.”
“Auntie?” Vur whispered. His voice cracked, and he let out a dry cough. He swept his tongue through his mouth, trying to moisten it. He struggled to get up, but Lindyss poked his forehead with her finger and he fell back into the tub.
“Drink,” Lindyss said and placed a goblet against Vur’s lips. His Adam’s apple bobbed up and down as the liquid flowed down his throat. His torso heated up, and his body tingled as warmth rushed through his limbs.
“Thank you,” Vur said. Tears formed in the corner of his eyes as he smiled.
“What?” Lindyss asked as her brow creased.
“I’m happy you’re alive,” Vur said as he sat up and hugged her, pulling her against the side of the tub. Lindyss’ body stiffened and she blinked a few times before placing her hand on his back.
“Did you shrink, Auntie?” Vur asked as he broke the embrace and held Lindyss’ shoulders away at arm’s length.
Lindyss snorted and flicked his forehead. “Who shrank? You just grew up,” she said and brushed his hands off her shoulders. “And don’t call me Auntie anymore. It’s weird hearing it from someone taller than me.”
Vur’s brow wrinkled. “Grandma?”
Lindyss smiled at him, and a purple fireball appeared in her hand.
Grimmy laughed before blowing out the flame in her palm. “Now, now,” he said as his tail swished. “You shouldn’t injure the patient the moment he wakes up.
And you are old enough to be a grandma, you know? It’s just that your personality hasn’t let you get married yet.”
Lindyss threw a thunderbolt at Grimmy’s face. He ducked and chuckled. “Should you really be throwing spells around with that soul rampaging inside of you?”
Lindyss’ face paled as she trembled. She clenched her teeth as sweat formed on her brow.
“Are you alright, Aun—, Grand—, Lindyss?” Vur asked, correcting his words as Lindyss glared at him.
“She’s fine,” Grimmy replied. “More importantly, how do you feel?” His eyes twinkled as he inspected Vur. He leaned forward and sniffed Vur’s body.
“Sore,” Vur said as he looked down. “And hungry.”
“Let’s hunt,” Grimmy said and nodded. “Your ribs are showing. We need to fatten you up a bit.”
Vur nodded and scrambled up Grimmy’s back while Lindyss protested as Grimmy picked her up and placed her on his head.
30
“Tafel’s gotten really strong, huh?” Tina asked. She was sitting with four other members of Swirling Wind at a booth in a restaurant.
One of the members, Ruji, sighed as she slashed apart the crab on top of the table with her sword. “It’s ridiculous. I get that she has ten horns and all, but it’s not fair that she’s so good at swordsmanship too,” she said and shook her head. “She actually beat me in a fight before she left yesterday.”
Delphina patted Ruji’s back. “Doesn’t that just mean you did a good job as a teacher?” she asked as she grabbed a crab leg.
Ruji made a face as she chomped on her food. “I should’ve been a time mage subclass too. I wouldn’t have lost then.”
Another member of Swirling Wind snorted. “You don’t know how taxing it is to cast time magic,” she said as she ran her fingers through her silver hair. “Tafel can do it to support herself because of her abnormally large mana pool.” She sighed and looked up at the ceiling. “Too bad she didn’t pick it as her main class. I could have taught her so much more.”
“I just never thought the day would come when she would get stronger than me, you know?” Ruji rolled her eyes. “She was such a tiny little thing. I wish I had half her determination.”