by Unknown
"I was angry that you knocked over my table," the fortune-teller sobbed. "I-I recognized her from the news and her magic confirmed it. Everyone has been talking about how dangerous you dragons are. I wanted you to see what humans were capable of! I didn't know you took stubbed toes so seriously!"
He raised an eyebrow in confusion. “Stubbed...toe...”
"It's a misfortune spell!" the fortune-teller elaborated. "It makes bad things happen. You lose a wallet or stub a toe. Stuff like that."
It took a moment, but Rexajon slowly understood. This woman was not a caster or all-powerful sorceress. She was human. A human that happened to know a spell. A human whose magical abilities far surpassed her magical intelligence. And he was pretty sure he knew why. He would have to talk to Solana about it later. He let go of her hand. "Tell me," he said with a sigh. "Have your...visions of the future gotten stronger over the last couple of days?"
The fortune-teller paused to think back but nodded. "Yes, they have," she admitted. "More vivid and intense. I used to only see visions in my dreams, but now I can see them whenever I want."
He sighed. “You wouldn't happen to know how to break the curse, would you?” The fortune-teller shook her head. "You can't undo a stubbed toe!"
Rexajon groaned and pinched the bridge between his eyes. He could not kill this woman, nor could she help him in any way. He needed to find another way to cure Solana.
My magic is strong enough to find Kuri and defeat this enemy! I know all the right spells. I could override their spells!
It hit him like a ton of bricks.
Of course! Even with their improve magical abilities, any average dragon was strong than one hundred humans combined. Solana could break the curse herself. All they had to do was cultivate the Mauna Loa orb like they originally planned. The difference—there was no way Solana would last through the hike. They needed to get there within the next couple of hours, regardless of the consequences. With his constant teleportation for Solana's sake, their location was probably already compromised anyway.
He glared at the fortune teller. “No more curses!” he warned before he teleported away.
He returned to the hotel room and rushed to Solana's side. Despite the cold towel pressed to her forehead, she was still burning up. “Hold on, Princess,” he whispered.
He pulled her up by her arms and grunted as he settled her onto his back. Once he securely picked her up, he yelled the spell, “Yeourtian!” He teleported again.
They reappeared in the hotel lobby. “Yeourtian!” He teleported again.
He continued to short-range teleport. Each spell left him with less and less energy, but it got him closer and closer to the top of the volcano.
“Yeourtian!”
“Yeourtian!”
“Yeourtian!”
“Yeourtian!”
He teleported again and again until he came to the summit of the volcano. Once there, he sighed and collapsed with exhaustion. He laid Solana on the ground beside him. No, get up. He came too far to quit here.
With a grunt, he stood again and dragged Solana to a nearby rock to prop her up. Solana groaned and opened her eyes weakly to meet his. She was disoriented, he could tell just by looking at her eyes.
“Rexajon...”
“Hold on, Princess,” he whispered. “I'll get you better soon.”
Before he could go, she grabbed his shirt. “No, you said...it has to be me.”
“You're in no condition,” Rexajon said softly. “We'll just hope that my power is enough.”
“If it isn't...,” she said, her voice weaker with every word. “We lose our chance to save your mom.
Save Wizteria.”
“The orb is in lava,” Rexajon said. “If you don't coordinate it directly, you will burn and die. You can't even see straight right now.”
“At least I can...say I tried.”
“No!” Rexajon boomed. He did not mean to lose his temper, but here they were. “Princess, it is my job to keep you safe.” He searched her eyes, desperate for any sign that she understood.
Solana sighed and lowered her eyes. “I'm sorry,” she said softly. Rexajon sighed in relief. “Thank you for understanding, Princess.”
"Wintaeshepem!" she shouted. She sent an energy blast to his midsection that was so powerful that it sent him backward. Taking advantage of the time that he was stunned, she clumsily scrambled to her feet and ran to the edge of the volcano. She jumped inside.
Rexajon grunted and gripped his stomach in pain. He winced at her magical sucker punch.
“Princess!” he called in horror after her. He slowly stood up again and ran to the edge, looking for any sign of her. “Princess! Solana! Please! Princess!”
He was met with silence.
He cursed himself. How could he let her do such a thing? How could he let his guard down so much that a mortally sick girl could overpower him and jump into a volcano? Being exhausted from the teleporting was not an excuse! He could have done something! He should have done something!
“Princess...,” he said, defeated. “My princess...”
There was silence again.
That is until a powerful wind blew from the volcano's mouth. At the speed of a jet, an orange dragon shot out of the lava and raced into the air.
Rexajon looked up at the dragon in awe. She stretched, showing an impressive wingspan and her scales that reflected gold when the light hit them. She chuckled and her amber eyes sparkle with liveliness. “You called?”
Rexajon smirked and wiped away the tears that he would deny ever formed later. “Show off.”
In a flash, she turned to her human form and safely landed on the ground. She took a second to brush the excess lava off her skin.
He smiled. She no longer burned. She could control her transformation at will. She was truly a dragon. She fought to have her powers back and won. He bowed respectfully. “Princess Solana of Wizteria,” he said. “I am at your service.”
“Enough of that,” Solana said with a chuckle. She pulled him back up. “We still have two more orbs to go. Our next stop is Laos. Come on! I feel great! We can be there in no time!”
"Before that," Rexajon stopped her before she could go too far. "I think it's time for you to address the press as you planned."
Solana frowned. “Why now?”
"The person that cursed you was human," Rexajon explained. "When we cultivated the Stonehenge orb, some humans obtained abilities. My guess is now that the second orb is cultivated, that number of humans is going to increase."
Solana nodded in understanding. “We need to get ahead of the problem before it becomes a problem.”
“Exactly.”
Solana took a deep breath. Her eyes lowered to the ground as she thought.
Once she formulated a plan in her mind, she looked back at Rexajon. “Alright,” she agreed. “I know what to do.” She took his hand and teleported them both back to their home in Wisconsin.
* * *
Once they made it back home, she let go of his hand. She took another brave deep breath and
offered a smile to Rexajon. She had this.
She walked to the front door and opened it.
As soon as she did, the reporters that were sitting scrambled to their feet. Those that were standing, stepped closer to the barrier. She knew that if the barrier was down, they would have flooded into the house by now.
She looked over them all, then spoke. “I'll answer your questions,” she promised. “I'll hold a press conference right here at nine tomorrow morning.”
“Princess! Princess!” Some of the reporters tried to get their questions out while she was still outside for them to see.
“Tomorrow,” she repeated. With that, she walked back into her house and closed the door.
Chapter Seven
“In three, two, one...” the cameraman cued for the reporter to start talking.
She gave the camera a bright smile. “Today, I'm standing in front of the Wisconsin Dragon Hou
se, where dragons Princess Solana Perplio and Rexajon Gener live. Their powers have been confirmed as seen in this barrier created to keep the press out and the video that went viral earlier this week that showed Gener transforming into a dragon on camera. Today, Princess Solana has promised a press conference that is set to start at nine o'clock. We will be covering the entire conference here at WATV-9. Stay tuned.”
“And we're clear!”
All the reporters made similar intros, all waiting with bated breath for the scoops they came so far to get. Everyone wanted to know all about the dragons.
By the minute, more people showed up, until the whole street was flooded with those wanting to attend Solana's press conference.
Solana watched with a racing heart and a nervous stomach from the window. “Was this a good idea?” she asked Rexajon anxiously.
Rexajon nodded, straightening her shirt and smoothing her hair so she could look her best on national television. “I believe so,” he replied. “I feel without it, our mission will get harder and harder to accomplish.”
She sighed. “Alright,” she said softly. “It's time. Let down the barrier.” “Yes, Princess.”
At her command, the barrier fell. The reporters clamored with excitement outside, all trying to get a spot closer to the front door. Solana closed the curtain and looked at Rexajon. “And you'll stay by my side the entire time? You won't let me say anything stupid?”
Rexajon chuckled. “You have my word, Princess. Although, I doubt you'll need my help.” Solana smiled a half-smile. Rexajon opened the door for her and they both stepped out.
As soon as they caught sight of them, the reporters asked question after question, talking over each other. Solana's eyes widened. Now that she was out here, it all seemed terrifyingly overwhelming. She gulped. She glanced backward at Rexajon.
His smile was enough to calm her down. She was the daughter of King Rulland, the greatest Dragon King in history. She was the daughter of Queen Stellaria, the Sun Goddess herself. She was the Wizterian Sun Rose of Grace. She could handle this with ease.
And so, she did. She raised a hand to stop their flood of questions. “First, I want to explain, then I will answer as many questions as I can. Please.”
The reporters slowly quieted and eventually gave her the floor.
Solana smiled softly as any doubt she had about having this press conference faded. At that moment, she was no longer the petulant teen she had the luxury of being before. Now, she was a diplomat, a princess in her own right.
She explained everything. She explained why they were on Earth, to begin with. She explained her home, Wizteria. She explained how they lived in hiding for fourteen years until Kuri's kidnapping. She explained why they were now traveling the world to find the magical poles to restore her powers and save the people important to her. She explained the new powers that some people may experience as a result.
“And, I guess that's it,” she concluded. “Are there any questions?”
Of course, there were questions. They each called her name, trying to get their pressing question answered before anyone else. Solana looked over the crowd and pointed to one of them. "Princess Solana," the reporter started. "Is Wizteria a different planet?"
“Yes,” she replied. She frowned. “I mean, no. At least, you can't reach it on a rocket ship. You can only get there by portal. It's a different realm, found on another dimensional plane from Earth. There are multiple realms, and Wizteria is one of them.”
She pointed at another reporter. “Princess, you mentioned your caretaker's name is Kuri. Is Kuri a
dragon, too?”
Solana nodded. “She is. She's Rexajon's mother.”
“How did an all-powerful dragon get kidnapped?”
“Well, dragons are powerful, but not all-powerful,” Solana explained. “And at this time, we don't know who kidnapped Kuri. We doubt it was a human. We're not sure what we're dealing with at the moment. Next question, please?”
She pointed to another reporter. “How do you respond to the viral video that shows Rexajon saving you from a long fall but allowing a human to die?”
“With the truth,” Solana answered easily. “The person seen in the video is not a human, but a golem sent to assassinate me. We suspect it was sent by the same person that kidnapped Kuri. It was made of mud and clay. It was never alive. We have not and will not kill anyone. We're peaceful.”
She pointed to the most-left reporter. “Princess, what powers do you have?”
“Well, we don't want to get into detail on that for our safety,” Solana replied. “But I will tell you that we have the power to cast spells and transform into our dragon forms. The level of skill and strength varies from dragon to dragon.”
“Is that your real face, Princess?!”
These questions were getting silly. She chuckled. "Yes, this is my real face. All dragons have a human form to help us blend in when we travel to different realms. It is an evolutionary trait."
“Are all dragons attractive?!”
Solana blushed a little and joked, “You think I'm attractive?” That triggered laughter in the crowd.
Laughter was good. She was winning them over.
“What is your response to reports that you were in Hawaii yesterday?”
Solana nodded. “We were there,” she admitted. “During our search for the magical pole.”
“Where are the magical poles you mentioned earlier?”
"We'd rather not say. We are actively working against the clock and a faceless enemy, so we don't want to lose all of our advantages."
“Princess Solana! Are there other magical creatures living on Earth? Who are they?!”
“I don't know,” Solana replied honestly. “And even if I did, I would not say. They deserve to live in peace. Disclosing who they are and what they were is an invasion of privacy.”
“Princess Solana, how long do you plan to stay on Earth?”
She frowned. That was a question Solana did not know the answer to. She always knew she would return to Wizteria and save it, but no one ever told her when, or what to do after that. Would she stay in Wizteria or return to the only home she ever knew? “I...I...”
Rexajon sensed her hesitation and intervened. “That is all the questions the princess is taking for now. Thank you for your time.” Without another word, he ushered Solana back inside the house, despite the press's objections.
A moment later, the barrier materialized again, pushing them all five feet away from the house. In the safety of her home, Solana sighed. “I messed up.”
“You did a great job,” Rexajon reassured her. “I'm very proud of you. I bet Mother would be, too.”
Solana smiled a little. “Thank you.”
“And to celebrate, I have something for you. Close your eyes and hold out your hands.”
Solana's smile widened. She did as he commanded and closed her eyes. She outstretched her hands excitedly to receive the gift. She frowned when she felt something a slightly heavy and leathery object in them.
“Alright. You can open your eyes now.”
She did. She looked down to see what it was. She let out a soft gasp, then looked at Rexajon.
“Kuri's grimoire?”
Rexajon nodded. "You are far more worthy to have it than me," he explained. "You are as strong as
the average dragon now. You have more potential than anyone. You should learn the ancient spells so that when you cultivate the last two orbs, you are unstoppable."
Solana smiled and captured him in a tight hug. “I'll study them nonstop.”
Rexajon chuckled and hugged her back. “Good,” he said. “You have the rest of the day to do so.
Our flight to Laos leaves tomorrow.”
Solana nodded. “I'll get straight to work,” she promised. She broke the hug, and with an excited grin on her face, she ran to her room to practice the new spells and brush up on her ancient Wizterian.
Chapter Eight
Solana locked herself in he
r book with the grimoire in hand. She sat in on the ground, then sat in front of it. Her heart raced. She waited so long to even be in the same room as this book, and now, she was alone with it, ready to learn all its secrets.
She flipped it open, breathing in the scent of the aged pages. She ran her fingers over the ancient words, for a moment, wondering the best way to start studying this beast of a book. “Just like eating an elephant,” she mumbled to herself. “One bite at a time.”
She flipped through the pages, skimming before she read in great detail. She flipped page after page until she reached the end. Then, she flipped through it again.
This time, she stopped to read her favorite spells. The past viewing spell Rexajon used before. An advanced spell to absorb energy from things around her. A time slowing spell.
She raised an eyebrow. Now, that got her attention. She read through the spell aloud, “Creates a bubble around the caster in which time moves at a different speed... Interesting...” Interesting, indeed.
Deciding to use that spell to help in her study efforts, she took a moment to gather her magic.
"Rewasirt meleorn," she used the spell. She reached her hands above her head as the spell dictated. A soft orange bubble appeared around her and enveloped her until it closed above her hands.
She frowned. Although the bubble was around her, she did not feel any different. Did it work?
She pulled her phone out of her pocket. 10:43. She peered outside the bubble to see her alarm clock on her nightstand. It read 10:43, as well. She watched it, waiting for it to change, but it never did. She looked at her phone again. 10:45. Alright. She was convinced. It worked.
And so, she returned to her spot on the floor beside the grimoire and began to read. It was a slow trek.
Solana's ancient Wizterian was mediocre at best. Still, she pushed through. She read and practiced the hand movements of each spell silently.
The hand movements were her favorite part. She made a game of guessing what the movements would be for each spell. Most of the time, she was correct, or at least close.
Her reading speed and comprehension gradually improved, as well. She recognized words after seeing them for the third and fourth time, and soon, they became second nature. 'Reanss' meant up. 'Asdifact'