Book 3: Chapter 30 — A Young Dragon

Book 3: Chapter 30 — A Young Dragon

Zax regarded the young dragon in front of him, arrogance and self confidence oozing from her demeanor.

“It is good to meet you, Vion,” Zax said, smiling pleasantly at the girl. He could definitely see the reflection of her mother in her visage. Though what he sensed underneath was certainly far more dragon than human. The thought made him smile just a little bit wider.

“Who are you?” She asked, looking at Zax.

“Vion, this is Zax, a guest of our kingdom,” the king said, stepping forward.

Zax glanced back, giving the man a quiet hint to remain where he was. It’d been some time since Zax had encountered a dragon, but if this was the girl’s first time... things were not going to be peaceful for long.

“We knew your parents. Powerful warriors, both of them. It delights us to see that you still carry their legacy,” Zax said.

Vion looked at Zax in surprise, before she glanced back towards the king.

“He knows.”

The girl looked back at Zax. “You know who I am— and you say you knew my parents. How?”

“We considered your father, something akin to a brother. And in truth, we were not that distantly related in blood ties as well. We’d be something of an uncertain to you,” Zax said, and Vion froze where she stood.

Her eyes scanned through Zax, tried to pry through his illusions and magic. She couldn’t. His spell was complete, and she was still a youngling, barely in her second century. And so Zax let a little bit slip, let the barest of hints peek through.

The reaction was immediate.

Vion jumped back, her own transformation slipping ever so slightly as her eyes narrowed into slits. Fire danced all around her as she let out a throaty growl, looking at him with raised hackles.

“You. You are lying,” she growled, fire dancing around her body as her red hair swirled with magic all around her. No, not quite fire, Zax noted.

Lava.

“We are not. You have grown away from your kin, and it has made you forget how things work. You have not yet learned how to control your instincts,” Zax said.

Vion had already stopped listening, as the ground around them began to boil, lava forming around her. Zax cast seven different spells within an instant, forming a barrier around the nearby group watching them, and hiding the entire location from any prying eyes.

The young dragon let a barrage of lava burst out towards Zax, which were blocked by a simple barrier, and the remnants of lava collected into balls that cooled down instantly forming obsidian spheres that floated in the air around Zax before sparkling into lightning.

Zax simply smiled at her, not a single singe on his body.

Vion looked at the dragon and her instincts made her feel threatened for the first time in her life.

She called upon Identify, but only found what she’d seen from the start.

[Lightning Mage - ????]

And yet, when she looked at him, her mind screamed at her to remove this threat from her territory. To eliminate all that stood in her path. Vion channeled her magic, lava forming all around her and rising into pillars. The air itself began to sizzle, heat rising within the confined barrier.

She would show him. It didn’t matter that he was an A-ranker. Halfblood though she may be, she was still a dragon.

For a moment her self-confidence was regained. That was right. She was a dragon, far stronger than anything or anyone around her. She spent her time fighting creatures a rank above her for fun, there was no way that the man in font of her could be a dragon like her.

He didn’t have any pride, didn’t have any of the weight that a dragon would. He talked so humbly.

Vion refused to believed it.

And yet, her body hesitated to move. She did not understand what she was feeling, there was a new emotion in her chest. Her muscles were... shivering?

She ignored them, letting her lava flood outwards. The mage moved fast, teleporting in the blink of an eye as he raised pillars of earth that blocked her surf of lava. Vion didn’t stop, she let her dragon blood burn, her body glowing as her veins ignited with lava flowing through her. Opening her mouth she shot a giant ball of fire. A beam of water appeared around the mage, equally as large as it flowed around her strike, cooling it down. Steam erupted everywhere, blinding her, and the man moved non-chalantly through the blazing heat, arriving next to her as he tapped her shoulder.

Vion turned, striking back but he blocked the attack with a silent cast of a barrier, smiling at her. She looked him in the eye and felt her breath spike. She was sweating, her chest felt heavy and her body felt paralyzed.

Just... what was happening?

“What magic are you using! Why... why am I paralyzed. The astral script said nothing,” she screamed at the mage, trying to punch him, only to find every strike she made intercepted before it even began.

“That is no magic. It is an emotion. One, even dragons feel,” Zax said, and with ease he closed in, grabbing her shoulder, as he looked her in the eye.

The two draconian pair of eyes met each other, and Vion finally understood what she was feeling.

Fear.

Words appeared in front of Vion.

Terror floods your body. Erase it. End it. Kill the source before it kills you.

Affliction level: III

Vion lost her senses. Her body changed, transforming, for the first time in her life, as something awakened inside of her. She roared, light erupting around her body as the figure of the young girl changed into a mighty dragon.

Obsidian scales that sizzled with heat covered her body, lava flowed in her veins, her eyes glowing with heat and energy. She swiped at her foe, all thoughts having left her mind, as the ground melted into a pool of lava underneath her feet. She spread her wings behind her, charging towards her enemy as lava filled her throat.

Pure instincts drove her, all rational thought having left her mind. There was a single purpose in her mind now.

To kill the threat. To kill the thing which made her feel this way. To be free of this emotion.

Zax watched the girl, moving deftly as she swiped at him, and the world burned around him. He glanced back for a brief moment to the group behind him, before focusing back on the task at hand.

The girl had finally touched upon her true nature. Now, it was his job to reel her in.

The dragon muttered a silent incantation under his breath, and his human form dissolved into light.

She growled.

“Lady Vion, I know that this is difficult for you, but if you can truly learn how to master your gifts, our kingdom will forever be complete,” Averos said, walking closer.

Vion glared at the man. “That’s all you guys care about isn’t it? This kingdom and it’s legacy and what not.”

“We care about you Vion. Stop acting like a child,” the king said, raising his voice. “You know you must learn. You are simply shaken by the experience. But it is something that will empower you. The fact that you are resisting so much is precisely why we do not let you leave the palace.”

“You’d never let me leave anyway. The risk is too high and what not,” Vion shot back.

“But especially not if you cannot show that you can be trusted to stay composed. To be in control, and to not lose yourself should an enemy far beyond you were to appear and push you to the limits,” Zax said.

Vion didn’t reply.

The dragon’s expression softened. “Have you visited your father’s grave?”

“Once. From the outside. I didn’t want to go in,” Vion replied, much more quieter now.

“It may be grim, but that is his legacy. And... that heart belongs to you, more than anyone else. But if you do not prove yourself worthy, you will never truly be able to inherit what he has left behind for you.”

“I... don’t know. Do I really need to? I don’t even know them. And... what if he didn’t really want me?” Vion asked.

“There are many dragon bloods. But the soul of a dragon can only be inherited under special circumstances. Why would he have gone to such lengths to make sure you would survive, had he not loved you?” Zax asked.

Vion looked at Zax. She opened her mouth, as if to protest, but then closed it once more. “Okay,” she whispered.

“What was that? I couldn’t hear you,” The king asked.

“I said okay!” Vion shouted, and the group smiled.

Zax nodded at her words.

“Noah, and Aurelia. For the two of you specifically, there are a few things Vion can do. She is a fire dragon. For Aurelia, there can be no better person to train with or enhance her magic through. For Noah, she is the daughter of the greatest warrior we ever knew. Do not look at her level and make the mistake of thinking she is on par with you. She is still a dragon, levels are a poor measure for her strength, just as they are for you,” Zax said, glancing at the two of them.

“And for you, Vion. From Noah you can learn how to fight till the very end, to persevere, and to keep going even when you are the weaker opponent. From Aurelia you can learn how to control your flames, to bottle your fury. And to tame your instincts,” Zax said.

“What about me?” Kaelan asked.

“You are already a proficient warrior, Kaelan. We will be relying on you to keep these three in check, but we have some other plans for you as well,” Zax said, and the draconian nodded.

“Plans?” Noah asked.

“Indeed. We’ll be leaving the three of you upon the Wyvern cliffs. Your task would be to survive the wilds and to defeat and bring the heart of an adult wyvern within one hundred days. Kaelan will visit there every few days to train with and to watch over you, but he will not interfere, only guide and train with you. We will not interfere regardless of circumstances.”

“What’s the point of this?” Vion asked.

“To prepare you for the trial. And them,” Zax said.

“Are you fine with this?” Vion said, looking at the king. “Him just barging in and demanding all this.”

The king looked at Vion, and nodded. “It is for your own good.”

“Why do you guys get to decide that?” she spat, heat rising around her body.

“Are you afraid?” Zax asked.

“What?” Vion snapped back.

“Do not compensate for your fear, Vion. You are a dragon. Fear is not something you are used to. But that is precisely why you must learn this. Learn this from them, from people who live so much closer to death than we do, and yet fight back anyway,” Zax said, glancing at Noah and Aurelia. “But if you wish to back out now, we will not force you. We do not teach cowards.”

“You—” she burned with fury. Vion turned towards the wyvern cliffs.

“Watch me. I’ll be out of there in a week.”

“Do the two of you have any objections?” Zax said.

Noah glanced at Aurelia. “Well, I was gonna go there anyway,” he said.

“I don’t have any problems. We need to train for the trial, where we do that doesn’t matter too much,” Aurelia said.

“And that settles it then,” Zax said.

New Quest obtained!

Quest: A Wyvern’s Heart

Obtain the heart of an adult wyvern before the 100 day time limit for your test.

Difficulty: Hard

Reward: Unknown

Noah smiled as he looked at the quest.

“Then, let us depart,” Zax said.

“Wait, right now?” Noah said, but before he had any time to protest, wind magic gathered around all of them.

“Hold on tight!” Zax said, and with a trailing scream from Vion, the group was off into the skies.