Mega Dragon: Harbinger of Death

DAWNING

*A few minutes earlier*

Ara and Zenon searched frantically for Jerome, but there were no signs of him. The entire ball had been thrown into a state of panic and Aroha had lost consciousness.

“I’ll take Aroha to the healers nest. She’ll be fine,” Vela offered. She waited for Ara to give a response but he was still in a state of shock. “Ara!” she beckoned one more time. She never called him by his name alone in a public gathering, but the seriousness of the situation forced her hand.

Vela’s voice sprang Ara back to focus. He hadn’t even realized how tightly he was holding on to Aroha. Right before he disappeared, Jerome had thrown Aroha to him. He was glad that he was able to do that much. Having to protect Aroha and fight off an enemy like Adamas at the same time would have been herculean. There was no telling what type of trap Adamas had in store for Jerome, but for some reason, Ara wasn’t so worried. He felt certain confidence that Jerome would be able to take care of himself.

“Pan, please accompany them as well,” Ara said. Pan had left the king to oversee the happenings of the ball on the king’s orders. And just as he feared, their enemies did not relent. Pan agreed without any question and he left with Zhiyi, Vela, and Aroha.

“Kiro, you’re with me,” Ara said. “Where’s Yeelva and San?” Ara berated. The accusation in his voice was clear for all to hear.

“We’re right here. Relax,” Yeelva said without a care in her voice. She was enjoying the show. However, if she could contribute to making things worse for them, she would have. But certainly not under the close watch of Zenon Lo. He had barely taken his eyes off either of them the whole night. San simply nodded his head to show his presence. There had been nothing suspicious about him the whole night, which in a way also felt suspicious.

“Good. Help me see the rest of the guests back to their quarters, will you?” As polite as that may have sounded, it was no request. Nonetheless, they all obliged without question. The guests were divided into groups of four. Each person was responsible for one group, while Kiro scouted through a more general area. The safety of the guests was paramount. If searched anything happened to them while they were in Croft kingdom, it would trigger an effect opposite to what the king was working towards. The entire capital was on high alert. Guards patrolled the streets in search of Adamas, who they were all certain they would never find. But they for him all the same.

It had only been a couple of minutes since Ara and the other three – Zenon, Yeelva, and San stood watch of the Croft Palace. Ara prayed that one of them was the target. There was a team that was in search of Jerome, but Ara wasn’t too worried for some reason. Jerome was the sorcerer supreme after all.

Kiro approached Ara. The same thought ran between his mind and Ara and Zenon. “We can’t all be pinned here,” he said.

He wasn’t wrong, but it was a slight oversight on his part. “Look at those two,” Ara said, indicating to San and Yeelva. “Do you trust them? I certainly don’t. While Adamas is certainly a big problem, if those two decide to betray us, it would pose an even bigger problem. I can’t have them patrolling cause they could slip from my watch, or even worse, team up with the enemy. And it also wouldn’t be wise to leave one of us to watch those two. Hence our situation.”

Ara did little to lower his voice. Yeelva and San would hear him anyway and even if they didn’t, he was certain they were aware of his true intentions. Not that he cared. He would expect the same treatment anywhere else on Maori save for Aae and Lo kingdoms. The Southern domain was a unified one after all. Some of the soldiers deployed were of Aae and Lo origins. The Croft kingdom’s military power was stronger than usual with their input and their reach was wider. But would it be enough?

Kiro was terse. Perhaps it was because he was new to all this that he did not understand the amount of distrust that lived within the kingdoms no matter how frivolous they might have seemed in the ball. With Yeelva, it was expected. He had seen enough of her to be wary. But San had shown no sign that he was a threat. Other than he was the fifth strongest person on Maori and he was not from their domain. But Kiro didn’t question Ara’s opinion. It was different from the time they met. At that time, he hated anything royalty and could not be bothered if they rose in power or they burned to crisps. But spending time with possibly some of the only few good ones that exist had given him a different perspective.

Especially with Ara. He had grown to trust him more than anyone else. His pure, selfless nature, despite his tact to seem otherwise, had made him respect Ara to no ends. So, he simply nodded in response.

Ara, however, did not disregard his opinion. “Can you do something for me, Kiro?” Ara asked.

“What is it, master?”

“I need you to go on a special patrol around the capital. Wherever your guts lead you to.”

“What am I searching for?” Kiro asked.

“Anything that’s out of place,” Ara replied sternly.

Without another word, Kiro was on his way, just as Ara instructed. Zenon looked a bit wary. He wasn’t as convinced as Ara to send Kiro on his own. After all, Ara had spent more time with Kiro and was a better judge, but he was yet to see the signs that would convince him that Kiro was ready for such a task.

“Are you sure about this? He could get into serious trouble,” Zenon said. But all through that time, his eyes remained fixed on Yeelva and San. Yeelva, in her usual ecstatic self, smiled back cheekily.

“Oh, I’m sure. He’s become quite dependable lately,” Ara replied proudly. Kiro was his student after all. There was a sense of accomplishment seeing his student become so reliable. But deep down, he worried a bit. A teacher’s concern perhaps. One that wasn’t hidden from the keen eyes of Zenon Lo.

***

Kiro raced to Pan’s quarters first. Pan had not carried any weapon into the ball and as such, was guarding Aroha unarmed. Many a time, beast humans would fight unarmed. Their sheer strength and speed were enough. Ara, being such a mix-breed trained Kiro that way as well. But many carried weapons like Pan. He would be able to hold his own unarmed, but he certainly was a more formidable foe with his trusty swords. Kiro was sure why he felt that way, but there was a certain urge for him to retrieve them for Pan. Perhaps it was the intuition that Ara spoke of, or he was simply worried about Aroha… and Zhiyi of course. The girl he was starting to get attracted to. He couldn’t stay with them, but he could do his bit to make sure they were alright.

He got to them as quickly as he could. He had little trouble with the guards. Being prince Ara’s student had its benefits. Even though his destination was the healers nest, he watched his surroundings as keenly as he could, just in case he stumbled upon something. But all he could see were guards patrolling the width of the capital. He found it hard to understand how someone could stay hidden with that amount of scrutiny. Even the other wizards who were certainly not as powerful as Jerome were tracing whatever magic they could find. The enemy might have long since left the capital after the stunt he pulled. But he knew better than to let his guard down. Adamas was a tricky foe, but even more tricky was his friend, Ray.

A feeling of guilt crept within him as he hated not telling Ara about Ray. They would have to face each other eventually and it would be no easy task. Other than the people he met – Ara and co, Ray was the only other person he could call a friend. Even after spending years in the market, he had more customers than acquaintances much fewer friends. And he rarely ever had customers! He sparsely spoke with anyone. He troubled no one and in exchange, no one troubled him. Except for the entitled royals who always felt they had everyone hooked at their necks. But not him. He cared little for their approval or disapproval. Their pleasure or displeasure. And as such, he had been punished many times but never broken. That happened years ago and Ray was a part of it. To see him again, knowing that they would have to cross swords with each other hit Kiro hard. But his allegiance was with Ara and now maybe Zhiyi as well – both of whose interests align with that of Croft kingdom. In other words, Ray was his enemy.

The journey to the healers nest was an uneventful one. Kiro noticed nothing that was out of place. That is not to say that nothing was. Once he dropped the sword with Pan, he would scrutinize every nook and cranny of the capital. Thanks to Ara’s training of running around the capital, there were very few places he didn’t know and those places would be the homes of the noblemen which he was sure was secure at the moment. But to his surprise, Pan was not with them. From what he heard, Pan was an inflexible man. Ara was very specific when he told him to stay with the healers. What could have been so urgent that he left?

“He said he sensed something,” Zhiyi said. She looked less distraught than before. It said a lot about Aroha’s condition.

“I’ll go check it out then. He might need this after all,” Kiro said, waving pans sword in his hand.

“Wait,” Zhiyi said, holding Kiro’s sleeve. He was yet to remove his jacket. It wasn’t because there was no time to change to a more comfortable outfit, he simply relished it. And he had no problems moving it as well. Kiro turned to look at Zhiyi. Her usual gleeful self buried somewhere underneath her sadness. He hated seeing her that way.

“Be careful,” she said.

“You know me. I never get myself into fixes that are beyond me,” he paused. “Well, except for when I struck prince Ara. But he made me do it. And with Aroha. I now know that I was not a match at all. Well, at the time, of course. And maybe…”

“Kiro!” Zhiyi snapped. “Be safe. I don’t want another person I care about hurt,” she added.

“Care about as a friend? Or maybe…?”

“What? What is wrong with you? How is this the right time to talk about any of this?” Zhiyi scolded.

“Fine. When I return, maybe?”

“In one piece, of course,” Zhiyi teased.

“I guess I have more of a reason to return then,” Kiro chuckled.

“Weren’t you planning on returning?”

“Well… of course. But it’s something prince Ara would say. I’ve been learning other things as well.”

“I noticed.”

“How?”

“Kiro!”

“Fine, fine. I’ll be on my way now.”

Kiro ran to the area Zhiyi mentioned they split from Pan. There wasn’t anything out of the ordinary but there was an eerie feeling he couldn’t get rid of. It was faint but traceable, and Kiro did just that. As he got closer, he could detect the faint presence of Pan and shockingly, Yeelva and San! Weren’t they supposed to be at the palace with Zenon and Ara? Did something happen between the time he left and now? Certainly, they couldn’t have overpowered those two. Neither could they have escaped their watch. Kiro didn’t need to think hard to know how all that was possible. How Yeelva and San could be at two places at the same time without people like Ara and Zenon noticing something was amiss. He knew something they didn’t, someone they did not know existed. Kiro’s friend, Ray.

***

The rest of the guests came in one after the other. Vela wore a long black velvet gown accompanied by Zenon, whose jacket was blue with gold embroidery. It took a lot of convincing from Vela to make sure he didn’t wear his usual outfit under the guise of being ‘battle ready’. Jerome and Pan came in with the king who looked exquisite. Pan wore his ceremonial outfit which was full-body armor with a cape – the type of battle-ready outfit Zenon wanted to wear. Jerome wore a plain purple robe while the king donned a golden jacket over his black tunic and dark pants.

Yeelva looks stunning as well, in her red gown. Her red lips which matched her gown made many heads turn. Ara was glad they had eyes on her. Unfortunately, they would have to spend the bulk of the ball doing just that – watching her.

Yeelva noticed as well. As natural as Zenon tried to circle around her, it was blatantly obvious to her. Although they weren’t trying to hide it from her, just everyone else. In fact, it was better if she knew. That way she would be more cautious. They certainly didn’t want her to make a scene.

Vela ran over as soon as she saw the girls. “Oh my God. You two look amazing,” she exclaimed. “And Kiro, who knew you could pull off such a decent look,” she added joyfully.

“Ara,” she said plainly.

“Wait, wait, wait. No compliment for me?”

“Not when Zenon is looking better than you,” she teased. Zenon followed in her footsteps to meet them, only a little slower. They exchanged pleasantries like they hadn’t seen each other in years.

“So, the mighty prince Zenon didn’t find a date,” Kiro teased. Most times, he did this innocently. His ignorance forced them to excuse him every time, but this time, everyone was certain he knew exactly what he was doing. At least the smirk on his face said that much. An expression that was yet to truly settle on his face. It did appear quite strange. Funny even. And maybe because of that, the joke was a lot funnier than it was supposed to be. So much so that Ara ruined Aroha’s dress with the wine that was in his mouth. He couldn’t help it. And almost as every time Kiro opens his mouth, the air got a lot awkward, this time though he was merely a catalyst than the culprit.

“Ah that is not going to come off any time soon, is it?” Kiro said. This time with his usual dose of obliviousness.

Aroha was inches away from throwing a fit. She was so furious, that dousing her with water seemed the only probable way of quenching the fire raging within her. But any merely averagely witted person would know that fire quenching techniques were the last thing to try. Well, everyone except Yeelva. How could she waste such a chance at ruining Aroha’s night? They had been apart for so long that it just felt right.

Ara, however, was given a chance to redeem himself. Before Yeelva could drench Aroha with water from the jug she held, he shielded her and ended up getting drenched himself. The entire ball was already a mess and the king was even yet to address his guests. Yeelva had surely outdone herself. But it happened so quickly that very few saw what truly transpired. Yeelva and Ara were two of the quickest people on Maori. Save for the likes of Zenon who was paying attention to them, no one saw a thing until it had ended. The others however were certain that Yeelva was at work, even though the jug was nowhere near her at that moment. The crowd gasped in surprise to see the mess that had been made.

Swiftly, the cleaners came to tidy the place. Yeelva’s face could barely contain her delighted grin and it only made them more furious. Unsurprisingly, king Reagan and king Rauf Lo – Zenon’s father, as well as some other prominent guests walked towards them to ask what happened, but no one uttered a word. King Reagan knew well that it was Yeelva, and so did King Rauf surprisingly. People would say that Zenon inherited his wits, and there were a few who even believed that the king of the Lo kingdom was by far smarter. Pan stared down an unrepentant Yeelva who knew that under those circumstances, there was nothing they could do.

“I’m so sorry. Are you okay?” Yeelva feigned concern. She needed to put up a face. It made confrontation a lot harder since barely anyone saw what happened.

“It’s alright. It was an accident,” Ara said in a bid to pacify things. Even the oblivious Kiro was aware of what was happening.

Yeelva offered a hand to help Aroha up as she fell when the water splashed. Without any hesitation, she shoved her hand away. If the king weren’t before her at the time, she would have hit her too. But she had too much respect for him. Plus, his aura made it hard for her to do something he would be mad about. Ara helped Aroha out of the hall. Yeelva could feel the sting from the eyes of her friends. They certainly were not hiding their displeasure.

The king stood on a podium to deliver his address. It was a shame that his son would miss it, but the ball had to go on. “I apologize for the ruckus that just happened. An ‘accident’ it would seem,” he said with his sight fully on Yeelva.

“Today will mark a step further at reuniting what was once whole. I hope that it only gets bigger and bigger. Maybe next time, Galan could host us all. Or Solan. The time we needed to be at odds with each other is long behind us. Maori is only Maori when a whole. And I do hope that you all envision the dream that I tried to display today. Do enjoy the rest of the night,” the king toasted. A hearty round of applause followed. Not because they believed in what he said or was working towards – at least some did, but simply out of courtesy. Most of them honored the invitation for obvious selfish reasons. Some to scale Croft and the other kingdoms, others to form alliances, and some other reasons that were best known to themselves. Some, however, to cause trouble.

***

Ara accompanied a furious Aroha back to the manor. The rest opted to follow, but Ara signaled against it. For all they knew, it might be a ploy by Yeelva to get them off her tail. Plus he wanted some alone time with Aroha. The accident afforded him that much.

“This is my fault. I’m really---”

“You don’t need to be. I know it was an accident. It could have gotten a lot worse if you didn’t get between me and her. Thank you for that,” Aroha said.

Ara was somewhat surprised at the calm way with which Aroha handled the situation. A part of him wasn’t sure whether to be delighted or worried. But time would tell.

“I’ll leave you to change into new clothes then,” he said.

“I’m not going,” Aroha replied sharply.

“But we need to go back.”

“Stay with me,” she said.

A tempting offer it was. One that ordinarily he would have jumped at in a heartbeat. But they both had a duty to fulfill. And if they stayed down as Yeelva wanted, then she won. Ara certainly would not have that.

“As much as I would love to, we left some people at the ball. They’ll be worried,” Ara said. He knew that reminding her of their duty would do little to convince her, so he took that approach instead.

“Why would anyone worry when I’m with the strongest man on Maori? There’s nowhere safer,” she teased. The slur in her voice prompted Ara that Aroha had gotten drunk.

“Wait, how are you drunk so early? Is this your first time taking alcohol?” he asked.

“It’s Zhiyi’s first time too. I bet she’ll have a hard time walking without Kiro too,” she chuckled in a slur.

It was somewhat amusing to Ara seeing her like that, but also quite unfortunate. He would never take advantage of her in that state. He wouldn’t be able to face her afterward if he did.

“I didn’t know the Renoffs were such lightweights,” Ara said. And then he realized that even though she was drunk, he could barely perceive any wine on her. Barely enough to make a lightweight tipsy.

He checked her pupils and to his dismay, they were dilated. An enchantment! Her drink was spiked! But that should be impossible. To use magic without Jerome’s notice. Except that there was one that was capable of such – Adamas.

Ara turned to rush back to the ball to alert them, but Aroha held his sleeve.

“Stay,” she said. Her eyes were dreamy. A lot, unlike Aroha’s usual fiery look. But it was tempting. Tempting enough to distract Ara for a second, but that was just about it.

“I’ll be back before you even notice,” he said.

It was the first time that Ara focused his energy within himself. His skin hardened and fur protruded slightly from the surface of his arm. His eyes were slit like that of a beast. It was the lowest level of his partial transformation.

He laid her to rest, but before her head touched her pillow, Ara wrote a note, ran to the ball, delivered the note to Zenon, who received it just as swiftly and returned to Aroha. An astonishing feat it was. While a few of the guests present could tell from the draft of wind that followed Ara that it was his doing, Yeelva, Zenon and San saw him vividly. Yeelva frowned as she noticed the note in Zenon’s hand. Things certainly weren’t going as she hoped.

“Yay, you’re back,” she cheered. It was still weird seeing her that way, but it would pass. “By the way, what did you write?” she asked.

Ara was stunned. How did she see him? There were only a handful of people who could and she certainly was not one of them. “You could see me move?” he asked to be sure she wasn’t just blabbing. It would be an awkward coincidence.

“Of course. I was going to ask what you were looking for, but you left so fast.”

Ara had no words in response. But a thought came to his mind. They needed to take her to Jerome. The enchantment might have had some enhancing effects on her.

“Do you want to see a magic trick?” she asked out of the blue.

“Okay,” Ara responded. What surprise did she have in store for him this time?

“See!” she exclaimed. She waved her hand, channeling the wine stain and the water away from herself and Ara and onto a cup. An ability that should have died down a long time ago. An ability that only one druid human had ever successfully pulled off since the demise of the divine creatures – nature manipulation! In this case, it was the water element.

“Aroha, how did you do that?” Ara exclaimed. The only other person who could do that was Yeelva!

“I saw Yeelva manipulate the air to evade Zhiyi’s attack before I passed out. Wasn’t too sure how she did it, but somehow, I think I do now,” she said.

“Okay, I definitely need to take you to Jerome now,” Ara said.

“I’ll beat you to it,” she dared.

It was the first time anyone other than Zenon had challenged him in a long time. She jumped to her feet. Her dress was as good as new, although the same couldn’t be said about her face. It wasn’t a mess. She was. And by default, she gave off the vibe of a drunk.

“You’re not scared, are you?” she goaded.

Ara grinned. “I love a challenge. Don’t disappoint me,” he grinned.

“In three, two, one!”