Mega Dragon: Harbinger of Death

MASTER

The girls ran as fast as their feet permitted them to. The skies were filled with even more wyverns this time. It confirmed their worst fears. Zenon had fallen. And amidst all the wyverns that roamed the skies was one that she remembered all too well – the wyvern that spoke to her! It was strange, but its presence brought a sense of calm. Amidst the rancor around her, that was most the most soothing moment. For her alone, however. Zhiyi was still quite a mess.

“What are you doing here, my lady? It is still too early for you to be here,” the wyvern said. But like last time, only Aroha heard it. Its words were even more puzzling this time. The entire atmosphere was puzzling. They were running heedlessly with no certainty that safety lied ahead of them. But they ran nonetheless. This was no time for riddles. Aroha had enough on her plate, but a royal wyvern was not the type of creature you would throw a tantrum at.

So, she spoke calmly. “I don’t understand,” was the only thing she could utter that was not fueled by anger. Only desperation.

“For all our sakes, I hope you never do,” the wyvern said. And like their previous encounter, it left Aroha with a mystery she had no hope of solving.

That moment of solace only lasted a few seconds. The moment the royal wyvern took off, the other wyverns resumed their chase. The girls had nothing in them to run. Not that they were exhausted but that they were exhausted. Of trying to run, of leaving everyone behind to save themselves, of everything that was around them.

“Aroha,” Zhiyi called out to her sister for what might be the last time. It sounded so distant even though she was right in front of her. Tears trickled down Aroha’s face as she held Zhiyi tight to her chest. The wyverns circled around them as though it was some form of worship. They could snap at the girls whenever they wished but they chose to take their time.

“Aroha,” Zhiyi called out once more. It sounded closer, but almost like an echo. “Aroha. Aroha.” Each call was louder than the last. Until it became unbearable.

“What!” Aroha snapped as she jolted from her sleep. She stared at Zhiyi’s concerned eyes for a moment before taking cognizance of her surroundings. This wasn’t the world she was in a moment ago. That was her bedroom at the Renoff manor. She sighed for what was a mixture of irritation and relief. It had all been a dream. And it was morning.

“Nightmare again?” Zhiyi asked. Her expression was a complete contrast to the frightened character she portrayed in Aroha’s dream. The reality was a lot clearer to Aroha at that time. Zhiyi surely wasn’t the bravest but never was she that timid. It baffled Aroha even more so how she failed to realize it all through the dream.

Aroha simply nodded in response. She was exhausted. Her sleep had the opposite effect. “I saw him again,” she uttered bringing Zhiyi’s distracted self back to her focus.

“Saw who?”

“The wyvern. The same one we saw on our way to the capital.”

Zhiyi chuckled. There were way too many wyverns to be able to discern between them. Even worse was that they all looked the same. “You do know that---”

“I’m sure it was him. Spoke to me again. But only for a moment,” she added.

Zhiyi could see the grim on Aroha’s face. It was serious to her. “I think we should see Vela. I sent a letter to father the night we came and he said the same thing.”

“You told him already? I thought we agreed to wait till we know more?” Aroha moaned. She felt betrayed.

“Well, it’s a lot more serious than we are taking it. And with your dream too. Maybe we should seek help early. Father wanted to journey to the capital but I wrote to him last night not to bother. We are in capable hands after all. Hopefully, he listens,” Zhiyi said.

Aroha cringed at the thought of her father journeying to the capital because of her. It had barely been two days since they left home. No one had to bother about Zhiyi so much. She never caused so much trouble. She didn’t want her parents to worry and now Zhiyi had blown her cover.

“Before you do something like that, talk to me… please. I don’t want them worrying about us. I’m sure they are worried plenty already.”

Zhiyi jumped on Aroha’s bed and wrapped her hand around Aroha’s shoulder. “I know. But you come first. If it looks anything like an emergency, I’ll have to notify them. But other than that, I’ll let you know. Okay?” Zhiyi said. Her face was warm, unlike the dreaded look, it carried within Aroha’s dreams. It brought her comfort. Comfort that would only last a few moments before she did something annoying again but it was worth it while it lasted. Aroha nodded in response. She settled into Zhiyi’s warm embrace for what felt like forever. Until the magic faded and Aroha was back to her senses.

“What the hell!” Aroha cried as she jolted out of Zhiyi’s arms much to Zhiyi’s delight. Oh, the horrors!

“What? You seemed quite at peace,” Zhiyi teased. “Maybe the most peaceful I’ve seen you in a while.” Her words added further salt to injury. Aroha cringed even further as she grasped her ever so tightly.

“The door,” Aroha murmured.

“What?” Zhiyi asked knowing fully well what Aroha meant.

“The door!”

“Alright. I’ve heard you. Be dressed on time. We are to begin training today,” Zhiyi said before she left.

Aroha stuffed her face with her sheets to cover her embarrassment. But it was nice to be back in a world that wasn’t covered in flames. Flames that she feared awaited them in the future.

***

Kiro groaned as he awoke to what was a continuation of his nightmare – his life. There was no resting place for him, in his dreams or in reality. But before him, lied an even bigger problem, one of them being the source of his pains; prince Ara and prince Zenon.

Kiro screamed as he took cognizance of them. How long had they been there and why was prince Ara wearing such a creepy smile?

“Good morning, my beloved student,” Ara said confidently. He shone so brightly, unlike everything in Kiro’s life. It was best to avoid him. Such bright lights cast immensely large shadows. And Kiro did not want to be caught up in it.

“Why are you here? Don’t you have some princely duties to attend to?” Kiro asked before he noticed the frown on Ara’s face. Had he gone too far? “Your highness?” he added in hopes that the prince would forget about the casual nature with which he just addressed him.

“I see. Getting all comfortable, are we?” Ara said with a husky tone. If the atmosphere weren’t so serious, Kiro would have guessed him to be acting. He raised his shoulders in an attempt to look bigger than he was and had a face that even though looked serious, could never be taken seriously. Kiro shrugged at the scolding that awaited him.

“I love it!” Ara exclaimed much to Kiro’s surprised. Zenon wore a smile all through.

Kiro was baffled. He hated nobles and royals alike. But even amongst them all, there were two people he dared not to disrespect, prince Ara and the King. It was not for their status, but for his beast instinct. He knew well how much superior they were to him. He had the grace of seeing the King once. The King didn’t go out much because of his intimidating aura. He was a lot scarier than prince Ara which made it hard for him to understand why it was believed that he was stronger than the king. Stronger than everyone else on Maori in fact.

While Kiro once believed it was a way of inflating the prince’s ego, he knew better after ruining his arm from punching the prince’s belly – what was supposed to be a soft spot. But something scared him even more. When he hit the prince for the last time, he felt an aura that broke him more than the pain did. There was a depth that his mind could not fathom. Power that even the fables could not accurately describe. If truly Ara was the strongest on Maori, it would be for the best, because he could not imagine anything more powerful than what he felt. It would truly spell doom for them all.

“How’s your arm?” Zenon asked.

Kiro sighed. Finally, some concern. But it felt strange to receive such from royals. Nonetheless, he remained courteous. Or tried to be.

Not as good as before I met you two, but I’ll, he wanted to say, but he dared not to. “A lot better, thank you,” he said instead.

Ara chuckled as he squared his face to Kiro’s. “You were just about to complain, weren’t you?” Ara teased forcing Kiro to be a lot more conscious of himself.

“Of course not my prince,” Kiro said as disgust flowed through his spine. He irked at the thought of what he sounded like.

“Relax. I know you hate royals. I heard that much from Zenon,” Ara said. For a moment, Kiro looked surprised, before a flicker of sadness flashed through his eyes.

“To be honest, I’m not too interested as to why you hate royals. I hate most of them myself. Just a bunch of cocky individuals if I may say,” Ara teased.

Kiro couldn’t tell whether Ara was being serious or baiting him. It was a trap he had no intention of falling into. There was certainly no harm in playing dumb. But Zenon knew better. Just like Aroha and Zhiyi, Ara hated his family. Or at least what they had become. Arrogant and oppressive. Ara grew up with the slogan that the Croft family was the sword of the Croft kingdom and that the Renoffs were the shield. But in recent times, neither of the two families did anything for the kingdom. They were a shell of their former glorious selves. Even the old ones who fought for the kingdom had quickly gone corrupted. Only a handful didn’t live off the entitlement that they owned the kingdom. He swore to be anything but that. That was why he left the kingdom with Zenon when they were younger. To become stronger than anyone else so that he could reshape Croft kingdom with his own hands. And even before he becomes king, he was already involved in so many things within the kingdom – the Laboratorium being the most notable of them all.

“Address me as you wish. I allow it,” Ara said.

“Thank you, my prince,” Kiro said before he noticed Ara’s frown. “Thank you,” he adjusted his sentence.

“Do you why I chose you? Why Zenon even thought to recommend you?” Ara asked, but Kiro’s puzzled face was enough of an answer. “It’s not because you have more potential than anyone I’ve come across even though your potential is enormous. It’s because we are alike in more ways than you know. I see a lot of myself in you. This phase you’re going through, I understand it. Even better than you do,” Ara said. His tone was suddenly serious.

“Although I went through this at a much younger age. But that is only because of how truly awesome I am,” he goaded. “So, what do you say, Kiro Ner? I can shape you up to be the most powerful version of yourself. Whatever your past is, leave it behind. I offer you a new future,” Ara said with his hand outstretched.

Kiro wasn’t sure whether to grab it but with the passing second, he became convinced. He grabbed hold of Ara’s hand with a smile that he had long forgotten his face could make.

“I look forward to it, Master Ara.”