Nero: The Last Dragon

Halfway Point

We travelled quickly and made it to the mid-point in 55 minutes. I checked the perimeter to make sure no one was around. Nothing but trees surrounded us, but there was a big enough clearance for us to rest for the night. The skies were covered in stars, making it brighter than it would have been any other night. “What did you do to them?” Blanche asked. I turned around. “The soldiers.” She clarified. “Glamour.” I answered as I sat my bag on the ground. “I thought only vampires could do that?” Blanche walked around me and sat on a rock. “Vampires?” I asked. Blanche nodded. “What are those?” I asked. Her eyes widened in shock. “I thought vampires existed when you were younger?” She said more to herself than me. “They are undead creatures that drink blood, glamour, and have insane amounts of speed. Their teeth are always elongated, and they hiss when they feel threatened. They’re grey and sickly looking. The only ones that aren’t ghoulish looking are the royals. But no one has seen them in person to know how true that is.” I looked at her questionably. An undead creature?

“I know what it sounds like, but they exist. They try to kill anyone and anything in their way. They also drink each other. It’s best to stay away from Night Walkers.” We sat in silence as the idea of this strange creature registered in my mind. “Tell me something.” I looked at Blanche “Yes?” Blanche responded. “How did you find me?” I asked. “I could say that it was a prophecy, but the reality is, it was my life’s goal to find you.” She twisted her hair nervously. “I was raised by a very old group of witches and dragons that taught me about someone significant to the rise of Dermesus. And that I would be appointed to him to be his guardian of the ‘New World.’” She scoffed. “I don’t know why they would want ME to do this, but I don’t want to let down generations of people.” She sighed. I understood. I was born to do the same, but some things did not add up to me. “My guardian?” I raised an eyebrow. “I am not only a witch, but I am also a hybrid.” That would explain her hair color. Her hair was the color of moonlight. That was not a color of any witch I saw. “I am also of the Goddess.” She spoke. Confusion took over my features and she continued.

“The Goddess is my mother. I was born half witch, half goddess. My father was one of the strongest warlocks in existence. They made me. Someone who would never have been accepted. But I believe there is a bigger purpose.” She said with determination. I thought so too. There has been this feeling of lack since she got me out of my prison. “What other creatures are there?” I asked. “The better question is what aren’t there these days.” She mumbled. “Vampires, Lycans, witches, elves, and fae.” She explained. “How did they come to be?” I asked her. “They were created from us more or less.” She replied. I sat on the ground as she spoke. “We were created into something unnatural. We were already powerful and possessed magic. We were not supposed to lose that essence of ourselves. Dragon is in our DNA. When people were stripped of their wings, some people only had dark magic to turn to. It drove them insane to find what could fight back. Hence, the creatures.” A grim look crossed her features. She had gone through a lot; I just know it. Something in me felt the need to protect her. “We should sleep.” I grabbed some material to make a small underground shelter for the night. “Take it.” I pointed to the warmer side of the shelter. “No, it’s okay.” Blanche protested. My eyes glowed. “Okay.” She resigned with a sigh and laid in the shelter. She dosed off

BLANCHE’S POV

I woke up this morning, only to find Nero sitting awake near the entrance to the shelter. “What are you doing awake so early?” I squinted my eyes. The sun wasn’t up, but you could see the yellow and orange peeking over the horizon. It was just bright enough to cause light to seep through the spaces between the branches on the trees. “I never went to sleep.” He responded. He stood and stretched while I took him in. He was extremely tall, but muscular. He dressed from head to toe, only allowing me to see his face when necessary. He truly was an enigma. There was something about him, I can’t put my finger on it... But he is very important to the survival of all the witches. “I need some things explained to me.” He spoke. I sighed internally. I knew a lot, but I couldn’t give him all the answers he needed right now. He’s done well for someone who was locked away for thousands of years. Still, I feel like he should know more. “Okay, what is it?” I asked. “I need to know what is different about this world. What don’t I know?” He asked.

“There is a lot. Right now, I can only explain what helps us get through to Shineti.” He narrowed his golden eyes as I tried my best not to fall under the dominance he exuded. “So, there has been several wars between the last two thousand years alone. A lot of civilizations perished. A lot of creatures were brought to extinction in these areas. Of course, some got away. But they were always hunted down.” I explained. “By the Rogue King?” He asked. “No. Once the Rogue King got things out of the way for himself, other more violent creatures were born. We call them Slayers. They hunt for sport, and they have supernatural abilities. They’re extremely hard to kill. Not even vampires can kill them and vampires are almost at the top of the supernatural food chain due to them being blood suckers. Slayers train their entire lives to become faster and stronger than every creature.” I could see Nero becoming more alert the more I speak. “How big is their clan?” Nero asked. “5.” Tension filled the air after I spoke. Nero stopped walking and looked me in the eye, showing his entire face.

“Did you just say 5 of these creatures slaughtered entire species?” His eyes slitted as his dragon started to surface. “You and Shiari are examples of how strong creatures can truly be.” I treaded carefully, speaking evenly. Dragons are the most temperamental creatures. One wrong move and their dragon comes out ready to fight. That was not an issue either of us needed. “Who is the strongest?” Nero asked. “Vic” I answered. “He is the King of Slayers. He is the only reason why the Slayers now only hunt evil creatures. But they also hunt for sport.” I added. We continued to walk as I spoke about the surroundings. “We do have to worry about rogues, but they are not in packs, so we still have time to fight them before other rogues catch up just in case.” I spoke. “The lands are not stable in some areas. Certain parts of the world have snow or intense heat due to failed magic. And some places are nonexistent. Just... Vanished.” I spoke. “I will explain more, but we have to make it there so we can go back to Dermesus. We sped through the second half of our journey, unaware of what lied just ahead of us. I wish we could’ve turned back.