Dragons. Destructive, but wise. The epitome of physical strength and fortitude. Flames strong enough to burn down castle walls in mere seconds. The color of a dragon's scales dictates how strong one is. The main colors are green, followed by yellow, blue, and brown.
Then, there are the special colors. Red, black, and white. Their destructive capabilities are even greater than those of the normal variants. There is one thing, however, that makes them considerably unique. These dragons are born with skills.
"You cursed Human."
The dragons' once brilliantly gold eyes have begun to fade. However, it maintains eye contact with Renkai.
"Out of all you filthy humans, a mere girl was the one who finished me. Little one, what is your name?"
Renkai hesitates. She never once thought she'd ever be face-to-face with a red dragon.
"Renkai. Renkai Elrod."
The dragon's eyes flicker, as if registering her name.
"Elrod? Would you perhaps be the descendant of Telaria Elrod?"
Renkai's face flashes with surprise.
"You know my mother?"
"Yes. Any dragon would know both of the heroes. The two who stopped the Mad Dragon, Gwencilious. The aftermath was quite unfortunate."
"What do you mean?"
The dragon gazes into Renkai's eyes, as if it were staring directly into her soul.
Renkai.
What is it, Iden?
The dragon has shifted its focus from regenerating to preserving itself as long as possible.
What? Why?
I don't know, but it seems intent on speaking with you.
"Little one. Were you not aware why your mother never returned home along with the other hero?"
"She never spoke of herself. We lived a simple life until..."
Renkai trails off, and the dragon realizes the implication.
"So, Telaria Elrod is dead. I apologize."
"It's alright. Would you tell me what you know of my mother?"
"In honor of your mother, of course. First, do you know why the two heroes were summoned?"
"Yes, Telaria and Altenio were summoned because of the prophecy with the Mad Dragon."
"Good, but did you know that only Altenio was meant to be summoned?"
"What? How is that possible?"
"I don't know the details, but in the prophecy, there was only meant to be one hero to combat the Mad Dragon. Despite that, Telaria had great potential with magic. Many believed that without her, Altenio may have lost. As everyone knows, when you learn one magic, it becomes harder to learn another. The difficulty becomes even greater the more you learn. Despite that, Telaria had many types under her command. So much so that no one knows if she was hiding even more."
"What about Altenio?"
"Altenio was a special case. As the target of the summoning, he was bestowed the skill 'Hero'." It allowed him to 'level up', learn skills, and techniques quickly. What would take a genius a year to learn, he could do it in a month. You couldn't tell if he truly had any potential due to his skill. However, he always aimed for the best results while keeping justice in mind."
"What do you mean by 'level up'?"
"I'm unsure as well, but I believe it's something only summoned ones can do. We can assume it's the reason they were able to end up the victors in their battle against the Mad Dragon."
"You mentioned something about the aftermath being unfortunate. What was it?"
"Right. After their victory, the mages of the kingdom revealed something devastating to the two heroes. The royal court mages only had enough mana to send one of them back."
Renkai's normally impassive face shifts. Before she can say anything, the dragon continues.
"Telaria decided herself that she would stay behind. At least, that is what the kingdom and the church say."
"I... never knew that. I had thought she simply lived in this world."
"It looks like that's exactly what she did, considering her descendant is directly in front of me. I apologize for asking this, but what happened to her? Why is a young girl such as yourself risking your life? I could have killed you."
"Yet, I remained on top."
"That, I cannot argue against. Though if it wasn't for that dwarf, you would have surely lost."
"No. I would have found a way."
The dragon's gaze pierces her once more.
"Quite the confidence for a girl who can barely wield her weapon."
"We've gotten sidetracked. You wanted to know what happened to my mother?"
"Yes. Before I perish, I would like to know what happened. As well as why a young girl like yourself is risking your life at such a tender age."
Renkai lets out a sigh as she reluctantly nods. She notices Daegon and Grey look at her as if she were insane. Nonetheless, they listen in on their conversation.
"My mother and I lived in the now ruined town of Tremanio. She spent the majority of her time raising me and training my mana."
"So you learned magic from her?"
"No. When she told me I could awaken magic as opposed to learning it, I refused to learn any. I still feel that way. Instead, I learned how to hone my mana to its fullest."
The dragon lets out a laugh.
"Learning how to control mana without any magic at your disposal. You humans always surprise me. Continue."
"The day before my seventh birthday, the town was destroyed. That day, I was in the library studying. Before I could even see a single book fall, the entire library collapsed. I escaped the remains of it and saw a single view. The entire town was in ruins. Puddles of blood, despite no bodies visible. I ran home. There was only one thing on my mind. My mother. She lay there, against the only wall left of our home."
The dragon stays silent, completely intent on listening to her fully.
"I hugged her the moment I got close. The moment I turned my back, waiting for her to get up, I heard a gasp and rubble falling. When I turned to face her, a pair of demonic claws pierced through her stomach."
"A demon."
"Yes. The demonic claws retracted, and I rushed to my mother's side. I shook her as much as possible. I never got a response. A pair of footsteps began to round the wall. A tall, masculine figure dressed in blue with obsidian-like horns appears. He grabbed me by the neck and raised me to face level before I could even blink. He was surprised that a young girl was the last one alive. He brought out some sort of fruit, broke half of it, and forced it down my throat."
The dragon's eyes widen.
"He fed you a Devulia."
"Why did he feed it to me?"
"Normally, when a human eats a Devulia, they become a mix of a zombie and a demon. It's a way for them to create an army of strong, mindless soldiers. What I don't understand is why he only fed you half of it. A human needs to consume a full Devulia for it to have any effect. Please, continue."
"He raised his other hand, ready to do something with it, until his hands were cut clean off. Before I hit the floor, a pair of arms catches me. A stern middle-aged man had saved me and began running off. He holds me over his shoulder, and I watch as the demon simply stands there and regenerates his limbs. At the top of his lungs, he declares that he is a commander of the Demon King's army and will return for me nine years from now. When the man brought me to safety, he saw only one thing on my face. Utter hatred."
Renkai, it doesn't have much time left.
Renkai looks up at the dragon, gazing into its faded eyes. Before she can say anything, the dragon simply nods.
"I know. Just answer one last thing for me. Then I have something to tell you as well."
"Of course."
"How old are you currently?"
She pauses for merely a moment.
"Fifteen."
The dragon stays silent once more before speaking up.
"When do you turn sixteen?"
Renkai pauses once more.
Tell it, Renkai. The dragon doesn't have much time anyway.
"Six days from now."
The dragon is silent. It doesn't say anything for a good while. Then, it raises itself, reopening the wound it had once more. It lets out a ferocious draconic roar, scaring both Daegon and Grey.
"Renkai Elrod! My name is Artelia Novieko! From this point on, I have a request for you. Take a scale from my deceased corpse and head north. Before a great mountain, there lies a small hill hiding a dungeon. I may not be able to help you, but I will support you through the information I wield."
"Why go through all this? I'm the reason you're going to die. Why are you telling me this?"
Artelia looks down at Renkai with an honorable, faded gaze.
"I will not allow the daughter of the honorable Telaria to fall. Now, excuse me for what I'm about to do."
Before Renkai can ask, she watches as Artelia moves her head to her own. Artelia gazes into her eyes once more. This time, it's different. Renkai can feel something.
"I cannot bestow you my skill, but I can tell you what you're missing."
The feeling Renkai feels is intensifying. A mix between pain and relaxation. Then, it stops. Artelia moves herself back, and Renkai watches as her eyes are almost completely gone. But, they carry confidence in themselves nonetheless.
"Don't rely on your spirit. Your own eyes are special. You have yet to realize it. Maybe not now, not anytime soon, but eventually you will learn. Now, it's time for me to go, little one. I will be watching over you. My spirit will be wishing you good luck."
With those final words, Artelia Novieko's head falls to the floor.
Renkai Elrod has slain the red dragon, Artelia Novieko.