Nero: The Last Dragon

Shineti

NERO POV (CONT.)

“Oreshes?” Blanche asked in amazement. “That is supposed to be gone forever.” Blanche continued. “Well, we don’t know if it is or not yet. She knows something about it the city. But I can’t find out yet.” I walked with her on my shoulder as if she weighed nothing. She practically did weigh nothing. “Why?” Blanche asked. “Because my dragon tried to singe her brain cells.” I rolled my eyes. Noxin caused a low rumble to emit from me. Watch it, Nero. Noxin warned. I love you too, big ball of anger. I laughed as he snorted in mock disgust. “Everything okay?” Blanche asked. “Yes, I just have a temperamental dragon on my hands.” I laughed.

Blanche looked at me with amusement before she focused on the path in front of us. We journeyed in silence until we reached a thick path filled with vines and flowers I had never seen before. “Just up there is Shineti.” Blanche pointed. Right past the thick foliage, we saw castles and waterfalls. I stood there looking at the scenery wondering... “What happened to this place?” I asked. “Wars, famine, lack of clean supplies. They died off a long time ago. Two hundred years to be exact.” Blanche sighed and kept walking strategically so she didn’t slip down the hill. As we got down the hill, we noticed flowers growing from angles they shouldn’t be. They were eerily still even when the winds blew. The round leafed plants were a vibrant orange with green roots and the orange seemed to fade into yellow towards the ends. “Why are the flowers so close to the ground and yet the roots are growing above the ground?” I asked.

“I--I don’t know. I’ve never seen this before.” Blanche stammered. We continued to walk through the path towards the castle. This was more of a ruin than a castle, but there were parts that weren’t completely damaged. The skies were almost completely covered by clouds—a stark contrast from the clear skies we saw moments ago. The winds weren’t strong, but they were very noticeable. Vines wrapped around everything, creating a type of barrier around the forest line. The castle seemed to be old for a modern civilization. “Why does this castle seem so old?” I asked. “The castle has been kept the same because they were an ancient group of creatures.” Blanche reached out and touched the walls. “There’s a lot of magic here.” Blanche’s voice echoed softly across the castle. We continued to walk, not knowing what we were looking for but knowing this was a great direction.

“What happened earlier?” I asked Blanche. “What made you freeze?” She sighed. “I had a friend who was a fae. She was one of the most inspirational people I had ever met. She inspired other fae to become good and started a revolution.” Sadness swept across Blanche’s face. “So, what happened?” I asked. “A group of fae caught her and stole her wings. She never recovered.” Blanche said. “You know... I haven’t asked you much about your life. Have you been in this area before?” Blanche asked. “Never. We never left beyond the castle walls.” I lied. Blanche looked at me with one eyebrow raised but didn’t ask any more questions. We continued to walk through the castle, our footsteps echoing softly through the hallways as we walked down. “Wait.” I stopped. Blanche came to a halt right behind me. “Something changed.” We turned around and saw nothing.

“Wha--” Blanche started as the fae moved on my shoulder. “I forgot she was here.” I said as I threw her off my shoulder. She landed on the ground with a loud thud as she woke up fully. “Damn it!” She hissed. “Princess of Fae.” Noxin spat. She started to speak before her eyes grew wide. “Where are we?” She asked full of fear. “Shineti.” Blanche responded. The fae paled. “No... No, we have to leave!” She pleaded. She turned to run and hit a wall. She frantically searched for something, to no avail. “s**t!” She swore as her chest rose and fell heavily. “What is it?” Blanche asked. “Do you have any idea where we are?!” Her high pitch voice had everyone alert.

“What do you mean?” I asked. “There is a reason Shineti is in ruin! We’re all going to die!” She cried. “There isn’t anyone here though?” Blanche said, confused. We both looked through the halls and saw no one. “Who said it was a person?” The fae asked in a deeper tone. We turned around to see a shadow behind her. Her eyes were pitch black and her teeth were borne to us. “Oh--” Blanche started. “Shit.” I finished. The shadow lifted its arm and flung us across the castle. We tried to steady our feet, but the shadow flung us into the air. We flew for 100 meters before we hit the wall. We both hit the ground in a sickening thud. As dust flew into the air, I looked through blurred vision to see the fae coming close. “You brought a fae for me?” The deep voice spoke in admiration. “I’ll have her as a starter meal.” I could feel the shadow smiling. I struggled to stand as the shadow towered me. It stood at about 10 feet and looked like a pile of smoke.

“What the hell are you?” I choked. “Me? There isn’t a word for what I am.” The shadow cooed. “Are you just a shadow?” I asked. I needed to buy time. “No.” The shadow shifted into a woman made of smoke. “Does that appease to you, stranger?” The shadow venomously asked. “No.” I simply said. The shadw seemed to grow angrier. “My food is getting cold.” The shadow lifted its arm, and I was flung into the air. The shadow flung its arm down and I hit the ground with a loud thud. It lifted me and squeezed its hand. Air slowly started to leave me as I struggled to fight against it. “You are strong. I love when my meals can fight back. It’s been a very long time.” The shadow smirked. Noxin. I wheezed. My eyes glowed and I sliced through the shadow’s grip with my wings. “A dragon?!” The shadow shrieked as my nails elongated and sliced through its arm.

The arm singed until there was nothing left. The shadow looked at me venomously. “I will KILL YOU!” The shadow screeched as it threw its only arm into the air and controlled the fae to throw orbs at me. I dodged, but one orb sliced my arm. It singed my coat and sliced my arm. I controlled the scream that was about to come out and held my arm as it burned through slowly. I slung my wings and pointed the tips towards the shadow. The shadow shrieked and jumped back, slamming its fist down. I dropped to the ground as the fae threw more orbs at me. I dodged and staggered as they came towards me. As I got on my feet and ran, the shadow grabbed me and squeezed me until I couldn’t breathe. “You are mine, little dragon.” She smiled.