Mega Dragon: Harbinger of Death

CREEPERS

The day couldn’t have moved any slower for Aroha Renoff. So much had happened that morning and it was barely noon. The calm atmosphere only made it worse; she was bored. The sky-blue drapes swayed to the tune of the gentle breeze that crept its way into her room. It was the only thing that kept her company. That is of course if you excluded the furniture. The bedframe was silver-lined as was all the other furniture in the room. At one end of her room were her changing space and her wardrobe. It was filled with so many beautiful dresses. Beautiful dresses she would never wear. If Master Alex thought he could make her into a lady, he had no idea what he had coming. Luckily, she came with her own dress, and in time, she would don the healers’ outfit as well; a white robe all the way to the knee that is strapped on the forearms with black markings running through it. Beneath the robe is a pair of black tights with white markings running through them, and a pair of black boots to match. Originally, the healers wore only the white robes and it was long enough to be sufficient, but after the healers proved to be useful on the battlefield, courtesy of Gero and Miya Renoff, the outfit was remade to be suitable for battle. Just like how soldiers are always dressed in anticipation of a battle, so were the healers. And Aroha was glad she didn’t live through the years where the healers were regarded as monks. Although she would still have picked it over whatever lady-like life awaited her.

Amidst her wild thoughts running amok, Aroha ran her mind through everything that happened that day. She had spoken to people that weren’t her immediate family more times than she would have had in the previous year at Juza kingdom. But it was only the adrenaline from coming back to the capital. It was sure to wear off. Thankfully, she and Zhiyi had different rooms, but they were adjacent to each other. In this lonely capital, Zhiyi’s presence may not be so bad from time to time. But she certainly needed her space. Her mind ran through the room as it wandered to the people she met that day. In just one day, she had met four new people. Even though one of them was someone she still had a bone to pick with. She wondered what Vela and Ara were doing. Vela looked awesome and ridiculously strong. Ara on the other hand seemed to only be leeching off the rumors. He didn’t seem that strong. She bet she could take him on. Zenon on the other hand looked a little more intimidating. He held a sword so that meant he was deft at using it. Otherwise, she just might be able to take him on too. And boy was Zhiyi right. They definitely were both very…. Wait! What exactly was she about to let herself think? Heavens forbid that that rabid thought polluted her mind. She would rather turn to stone a thousand times than admit that they were attractive… but their eyes… their…

Knock knock

The knock on her door saved her from falling any deeper into her thoughts. Before she could beckon to the person to enter, Zhiyi kicked her door wide open. Ah, yes. Her nightmare had returned to haunt her at noon.

“What do you want?” Aroha asked without hiding her displeasure.

Zhiyi expected that of course. But it mattered not. She skipped heartily towards Aroha’s bed like she had some good news to deliver. “I just came to check on you,” she said gleefully.

“You were bored, weren’t you?” Aroha saw right through her.

“Well, yes. But I had something else on my mind. What did you think about the princes? Weren’t they dashing?” Zhiyi said in her usual flamboyant pose and excessive hand movements. She always did that in such situations.

“They were okay, I guess. They weren’t so hard to look at,” Aroha said. Somehow, she couldn’t bring herself to deny that they were attractive. But she would never admit it nonetheless.

“Well, I just came to remind you not to ruin this for me. We are going to be together for the longest so please, get along with them. Or I might have to visit you a little more regularly,” she grinned. That wasn’t just a statement. It was a threat in its own right.

That audacious child. Aroha frowned as Zhiyi left the door. She never wanted to be around them, but they were stuck with each other. At least until they became full-fledged healers. And that wasn’t going to be any time soon.

She dropped to her bed leaving a loud thud that would have been a cause of concern if it wasn’t for the bed. She was exhausted. In a few hours, they would have to meet with the king. She only had that much time to rest till then. So while her body wanted to sleep, her mind was still wide awake.

***

Zenon walked through the castle on his way to meet King Croft and Ara. He was aware that they were in the throne room and he wanted to use the opportunity to greet the king. He didn’t like being around so many formalities all the time. He was always quick in search of a way he could sharpen his skills. Be it a battle, or just training in a mana-condensed area, Zenon was mostly on the move and Ara was forced to accompany him a number of times. Mana-condensed zones were places that had a high concentration of druid mana; that was the mana of nature. Those places were difficult to stay in except for those with high mana resistance or control so they were usually uninhabited. Zenon had visited all the known ones and was always quick to visit any new one that was sited. He wasn’t born with the druid or the beast mana. He had only a fair amount which was the barest minimum the people of Maori possessed. So training that way was the only way he could keep with Ara. And even that might not be enough.

He watched as some of the soldiers sparred on the training grounds. They were some of the new recruits and they showed great promise. Zenon smiled in response to their greetings as they took 0cognizance of his presence. Many soldiers have begged for Zenon to train them but he always refused. He had never once accepted any offer. He was usually too busy training himself, but he complained about one thing; they lacked the potential to truly be among the best. He had no interest in training anyone who wouldn’t surpass him in the future. And that was a big ask of anyone. There were a few who were outstanding in their own rights, but none could be compared to Zenon with the sword. With any weapon in fact.

Zenon was well aware of the fact that those soldiers weren’t training there by coincidence. They were showcasing their skills in hopes that Zenon might pick interest in one of them. But as usual, he smiled back and passed. They failed to catch his eye. But he had other reasons to be at the palace, and a student wasn’t one of them.

The guard at the gate announced Zenon’s presence before admitting him into the throne room. Ara was alone with his father; the king. He seemed to have a grim expression on his face and whatever they were talking about before he came had to be very serious. Quickly, they wore welcoming smiles towards Zenon but nothing could escape his eagle eye. He could tell that he was intruding.

“I could come back another time,” Zenon said but the king gestured for him to come forward. He was a large man, significantly larger than Ara; who prided himself for his well-built stature. He was well renowned for his strength and other than those who have witnessed Ara’s devastating strength, many believe that the rumors about Ara’s prowess are a result of his father’s accomplishments and not his. He had brown hair as well and a full beard. His gaze was firm as Zenon walked towards him and even though he had met him so many times, the aura he gave off put Zenon on the edge. His warrior’s instinct deprived him of being so relax around such a menacing being. For some reason, Ara didn’t give off such a menacing vibe. Maybe in time, he would too. If the time when people could sense Ara’s full strength ever came, the only one that might be able to stand around him would probably be Zenon.

“Is there something you need Zenon? You don’t seem very relaxed,” the king said. His voice bellowed through the room even though he spoke softly.

“My apologies, your highness. My mind simply occupied these days,” he lied. The king hated being reminded of his aura. Most people couldn’t stay around him because of it.

“Ah. Are you looking for a wife? I hear the Renoff girls are around. If you haven’t found one in the capital yet, you might want to consider one of them. They used to be such sweet girls. And they come from a very strong family,” the king added.

“Ha! Sweet? Maybe Zhiyi, but Aroha? She’s more of a thug than a lady if you ask me,” Ara goaded.

“I agree,” Zenon said to the surprise of Ara and the king.

“You have met them already?” the king asked.

“Yes, in the eastern market. They were in some trouble so I escorted them back. They should come to see you by evening,” Zenon said.

“I see. Did you investigate the matter? I want those involved to be severely punished,” the king said, but the sharpness of his gaze did not change.

“Well, it wasn’t serious. Just a minor misunderstanding. It has already been resolved.”

“That’s good then.”

***

“Minor misunderstanding? Who did that thug threaten in the market?” Ara asked as soon as they left the throne room. He knew Zenon wasn’t being completely honest. The king could probably tell as well, but he never spoke against anything Zenon said. He gave him that much respect and Zenon was always grateful for it. The meeting with the king took longer than he thought it would but at least, he wouldn’t need to come there any time soon.

“Let me see. They stole a horse, beat up the city guards, a number of soldiers, and went on to threaten a blacksmith for not helping them. I think that was about everything,” Zenon said casually.

Ara’s face couldn’t hide his surprise. How did they get into so much trouble already? The capital was certainly in for a ride. “That’s a whole lot. So, what did you want to see me for?” Ara asked.

“I never said I wanted to see you.”

“Come off it, Zenon. I know you better than anyone else. What is it?”

“I just might have found you a disciple.”

***

The streets of the capital were buzzing as usual. News of the annual tournament was making the rounds as expected. Warriors from the Croft and Lo kingdom would face off in a one-on-one duel until a winner was found. Winners were not allowed into the contests anymore, so Ara and Zenon were long made ineligible for the contest. Ara won it when he was no more than eleven years of age. He beat Zenon before getting to the finals, but everyone knew that would have made a better final match than the actual one. Zenon won it the next year and since then, the two princes have been nothing but spectators. Even though the king wished otherwise, neither of them was yet to take on a disciple. The king always felt that the knowledge they possessed would be better shared, but they often argued otherwise. In the Eastern market, amidst the buzzing crowd, a notable figure takes interest in Kiro’s shed. He is shrouded in a dark robe and a hood over his head that completely hides his appearance. “So, that is the one he spoke of,” he said.