Nero: The Last Dragon

What now?

I stared at Blanche, not knowing whether I should believe her or not. "I knew Shiari." Blanche spoke up. I searched her eyes for lies and saw none. "How old are you, Blanche?" I asked. "I am 5500 years old." She responded. "Shiari... Survived?" I let my back hit the wall, the air whooshing out of me. "She did. She saved us all. That is why we still exist." Blanche stated. "What happened to the Rogue King?" Anger grew in me. My sister survived and had to live without me. He did this.

"The Rogue King's job was to make you take the bait. He was never short of rogues. He even had people on the inside of the castle. Shiari explained this to all the clans before you both went to war with the Rogue clan." She spoke. "The stories of rogues were passed down to us all. We felt like they were crucial to our survival. Knowing who our enemies were so we didn't fall into traps and get k***ed. A lot of us still did, though." Blanche said sadly. "It's how Shiari died. She gave her life to save us." Tears filled Blanche's eyes. I understood her.

Shiari was the kind of person to give everything to others. She was the reason for so many peace treaties and why people were able to save crops while also distributing evenly so no one ran out. "No word about Shiari once we leave this room. I will ask questions later." I said as I walked into the bathroom. I miss her, Nero. Noxin linked. I sighed. Me too. I quickly dressed and Blanche and I both stood outside and waited for the soldiers. "Please, follow us." A young solider said. We followed them about a mile to a small building. "Good evening, young soldiers." A boisterous older woman called out. "Good morning, ma'am. We have two Historians looking to brush up on their history." The young soldier stated.

"What did I tell you about calling me ma'am, Zore?" The older woman placed her hand on her hip and looked at him expectantly. "I apologize, Raisha." The young soldier blushed. "Well come on in!" She ushered us in. "I got them, dear." She held her hands to the soldiers to prevent them from coming inside. "But we--" She held her hand up to stop him. "I can manage. If it helps, wait here. You know Historians speak in private, no matter the suspicion." Raisha said. She closed the door and turned to us. "Come." Her cascading back length amethyst/grey hair bounced gently as she walked towards the back. "Well come over this way." She motioned to the worn bookshelf.

Her store reminded me of my father's old study. The ceiling-high bookshelves were an antique brown, and the stone floors made the room look much bigger than it actually was. "What have you two learned so far?" She asked. "Well about 4000 years ago, the city of Haniah was filled with massive towers filled with witches. They were the tech group of individuals who had advanced material in abundance. But when the Rogue King wanted to export their goods, they refused. They were eradicated in 6 days. The only fled survivors were put into labor and eventually died. The castle was burned down, and they thought it was erased from history." Blanche explained.

"The city of Oreshe was a beautiful utopia city that had fairy like people there. Their city was filled with colorful lights and bright scenery. They had earthy homes that expanded to underground tunnels. They were great at making fields of the rarest white Poliarys Nismus. They were spiral shaped flowers that had long, green stems. The flowers were so rare because there was a small sac inside the flower that glowed a pale-yellow color when the summer solstice happened. They would collect the core of the flower to heal people. The flower core could not be stored, only harvested with a special knife. This was also used to resurrect the lives of dragons." Blanche continued. "So, what happened to the Oreshes?" Raisha asked.

"Rumor has it, their land was flooded. They now live underwater. That land is completely covered with water. This happened after the last dragon clan was completely eradicated." Sadness swept over Blanche's face. I hadn't been around for the last 7000 years, but she had been around for most of that time. Raisha sat for a moment before she spoke. "And you, what do you know of Dermesus 10,000 years ago?" She looked at me, her silver eyes glistening in amusement as she stared at my empty hood. "10,000 years ago, Dermesus didn't exist. Elasius did. It was a small clan of 1,000 dragons that lived in a valley. They foraged and created their own materials to survive. The reason why they were able to survive was because of a dragon named Mashia." I stated matter of fact.

"And how did they do that?" Raisha asked. I hesitated, my body tensing up slightly. This was the last thing I wanted to talk about, and it could blow my cover before I could get what I came here for. "They were rare dragons. Not many dragons had the ability to conjure magic, but the entire clan was able to conjure magic when Mashia was able to do it. She was one of the lower ranked dragons meant to grow crops. When the crops wilted from a drought, she brought them back, plus restored all of the damaged land from years of bad weather and no water." A look crossed her face as I spoke. She quickly hid it before I could question it. "You both know a lot. But that is to be expected." She drew out.

I elongated my claws, immediately at alert. "Calm down, you don't want to blow your cover. Everyone here thinks Historians are fictional. Nothing they hear is real here. The only history is theirs and even then, they don't care to tell the correct story. Every generation, there is a new story, but never a new King." Blanche and I looked at each other incredulously and back at Raisha. Why would she tell us this? Blanche linked. She knows something important. I linked back. "What do you know?" I asked, feeling guarded and alert.

"What I know is that you are here and that puts you and everyone else in danger. You shouldn't have come back here." She warned. "Why?" Blanche asked. "Because the King... He isn't what you think he is." She tried to explain. I could hear her heart beating erratically. She put a hand up before I could take a step to help her sit. "Dermesus has been here for over 7000 years. You both know this. What you don't know is how we became extinct. We don't have enough time to talk about this because they are about to come to the door. But you need to leave as soon as possible. You won't like the outcome if you choose to stay." It sounded like a plea, not a demand. Still, I couldn't help this nagging feeling that she knew something.

"What do you know?" I lowly asked. I knew my power. I knew I could demand her to talk. But I won't. She needs to tell me. "I know why you are here." I felt as though the floor fell from beneath me. "What are you talking about?" I snapped. She gave a sorrowful smile. "I have been here for a very long time. I have seen your face more times than I can say. I know who you are, Nero." My golden eyes glowed as she spoke my name. "You don't know." I whispered harshly. "I know exactly why you are here, and I am telling you, this place..." She pointed around. "... Is a mirage. This isn't the kingdom you once knew. This is hell." Her heartbeat was out of control.

She was telling me something, but she spoke in riddles. What is it about this place? I can't leave until I get what I came here for. "Please, Nero." Raisha touched my hand and I got glimpses of something. A tree. Fire. A person. War. Pestilence. Shiny scales. Bodies... So many bodies... I saw myself dying. I gasped for air as she let me go. "What the hell was that?!" I recoiled from her. "Please, do not stay." She wheezed out. The soldiers came in and took us away. "Wait!" I yelled as they dragged us out.