Mega Dragon: Harbinger of Death

ESTRANGED

Ara escorted Yeelva back to the palace. She had to see the king before staying in the capital. Ara had already sent a messenger ahead to announce her presence. Normally, when someone that powerful shows in a place unannounced, the people are thrown into a panic. Yeelva had witnessed this many times. She relished in it. It was for her, a way of asserting her dominance. She enjoyed seeing the nobles shiver, unaware of what her intentions were. Everything was a game to her and everyone was a pawn. Everyone except Ara Croft. Croft kingdom was the only kingdom that never panicked, regardless of the threat. They had Maori's most powerful individual amongst them after all. Even when he was absent, Croft kingdom never wavered. They had a stubborn king that would never bend to anyone. And even though he was not ranked amongst the top five, it would be foolish to underestimate him.

“That girl will be more powerful than us,” Yeelva said. She gave it extra thought. “Maybe not stronger than you, but everyone else,” she added.

“She has potential, but I think you’re exaggerating,” Ara said. His eyes were grim, as they had been since Yeelva arrived. They weren't always at odds – Yeelva and Ara. There was a time when they were actually friends, along with San Loku. But it was not known to many, only a handful of people.

They said nothing after that. Zenon caught up with them a few seconds later. Seeing how awkward the atmosphere was, he wished he had just stayed with Aroha and the rest.

“Take it from the strongest druid human ever,” Yeelva said.

Ara stared at her with contempt. “We both know who the strongest druid human ever is,” Ara riposted.

“Oh really. So why is the Croft kingdom so secretive about her existence?” she asked. She searched Ara’s eyes as though they held the answer. He was the prince and friends with Vela – who knew almost everything there was about druid humans and a particular family; the Renoffs. As much as Yeelva hated to admit it, the one they spoke of was a Renoff. Which was why she never considered her to be the strongest. If she were that powerful, she would have made it to the top five list. Croft kingdom would never have been silent about her existence. She achieved the remarkable feat of taking down the mad wizard on her own. Many might believe it was a fluke, some do not even believe that it was true, but Yeelva knew very well that it was true. Raya Renoff defeated the man thought to be the strongest on Maori at the time, even though it was at the expense of her own life.

So why was there so little about her? Very few knew her story in-depth. She doubted if even the Renoff girls – Aroha and Zhiyi knew how powerful their aunt was. Yeelva certainly did. And even though she never met Raya, she could feel how similar Aroha was to her. If what she knew was true, Raya would give off a similar aura at that age as Aroha was. And yet again, the Croft kingdom was saying nothing about it. It did not look as though any of them had realized it. Not Ara, not Zenon and not even Vela. Was Croft kingdom so bias towards beast humans? She could imagine how adorned Kiro would be in the future from the rumors she heard on her way to them. Certainly, he was impressive, but by Yeelva’s standard, he wasn’t even as impressive as Zhiyi, much less Aroha. If it weren’t for Gero and Miya that changed the fate of druid humans, they would have been stuck as healers. Their stance in the Croft kingdom forced other kingdoms to see the potential in druid humans.

She should be grateful to them. They were the reason she got the opportunity to explore her powers and reach the very top. But she loathed them instead. Why did they give up on reaching their potential? Why was Miya’s sister, Raya never recognized? And why didn’t Miya speak up for her? They could have taken the druid humans to the top of the food chain, far above the beast humans. But as their druid predecessors, they sought a peaceful life and gave up that chance. That was how Yeelva made up her mind to uphold the responsibility that Gero and Miya Renoff abandoned. It was a tough path. And the more she trod it, the more she saw the discrimination within her own kind. And as such, she hated the privileged druid humans even more – the Renoffs now top of the list. To see one of their children possess the same gift, the risk that she could uphold the responsibility that her parents failed to uphold, the same responsibility she fought so hard to be able to take on herself made her seethe inside.

Zenon’s voice snapped her back to reality before she fell deeper into her self-absorbed hatred. “Why do you look so pale?” Zenon said with his usual smile. Unlike Ara, he had nothing against Yeelva. Simply because he never trusted her in the first place. They had met Yeelva on their training journey, so unlike with San Loku who they only met out of duty, they had a personal relationship with Yeelva. Zenon was nowhere near as naïve as Ara who truly believed that Yeelva had become their friend. But when push came to shove, she bent towards her loyalty to her kingdom – Galan kingdom. She believed Ara and Zenon would understand her decision. After all, it was only natural for one to put their kingdom first over all things. But Ara saw things differently. He and the king were possibly the only ones who saw Maori as one empire. So when Yeelva attacked them, he felt betrayed. He wasn’t hurt as usual, but a deep scar was borne deep in his heart. Zenon was able to react quickly to the situation to avoid bloodshed, for as he would say if he hadn’t taken Ara out of there, not a single soul would have lived to tell the tale that day. And Ara might have gone down a path that he would never be able to pull himself out of.

“Hello, Zenon. What’s your deal with the Renoffs?” Yeelva said promptly.

“If you want to stay in this kingdom peacefully, then take your eyes off them,” Zenon replied sternly. His smile had withered into a frown. He meant every word he said, even if it came out as a threat. He didn’t care if she was ranked ahead of him in strength. If the need arose, he would take her out without any hesitation. It was better he did than Ara. Ara was sure to win but if he went on a rampage after that, it would be disastrous. It happened once during their training expedition before they met Yeelva. They were in a midst of wyverns and Zenon got hurt. The aftermath was something Zenon never spoke a word of to anyone, not even Ara who had no memory of what he had done. Chaos reincarnate was what it was. Ara never knew, but it was for that reason that no wyvern dared to defy him. The terror that struck them after realizing that a royal beast had been born again into the world was great. And as a testament to his strength, he singlehandedly killed a horde of wyverns. There were at least fifty of them and he killed every single one of them. Since only Zenon knew the full story, they didn’t know whether the wyverns were unable to run or if they simply refused to. Although the latter seemed improbable. Wyverns like every other creature knew when they were beaten. If they didn’t run away to save themselves, then maybe to bring reinforcements. But to rush in and all get slaughtered was ludicrous. But Zenon knew exactly why they couldn’t run. It was simply because they couldn’t. Ara’s aura ran so deep that it paralyzed everything in that area. Not a single wyvern could move a muscle. And before they could break free, Ara was done with them.

It was after that incident that Zenon advised Ara to learn to suppress his aura under the guise of being different from his father. Ara, who had also been worried about not being able to mix with people quickly obliged. As tough as it was, his present self was proof that he was able to achieve it. However, Yeelva was such a troublesome presence that Zenon feared that Ara might lose control again.

“Wow. Everyone is rushing to her rescue. That’s beautiful to see, but I’m worried about something. So, why don’t you get out of your own head and see that Aroha might be harboring something dangerous,” Yeelva said, taking no heed to Zenon’s threat.

“For your sake, listen to Zenon. Or he’ll not be the only one you’ll be answering to,” Ara snapped.

A threat from Ara was a completely different ball game. Yeelva knew to take it seriously. She had only that chance to get his attention. “I’ve been researching on the Nether,” she blurted out.

Ara and Zenon stared at her. Their faces were ridden with bewilderment.

“And I know that mana when I see it. Allow me to test it. I’m not harming her in any way. I just feel like she might have some connection to the Nether.”

“Because her aunt did? Is this what this is about? You’re using this as an excuse to go after her!” Ara snapped. Even Zenon was beginning to worry as Ara’s stiffening mana began to spread.

“I swear I’m not. Just give me a chance and you’ll see what I’m saying,” she said in a bid to convince him, but Ara didn’t budge. “Zenon?” she was hoping she could reach Ara through Zenon instead.

“I don’t like this one bit. But if you’re saying the truth, it might be worth looking into. However, I don’t need to remind you of the consequence if you’re wrong,” Zenon said.

She felt a mixture of fear and relief. “Let’s go then.”

***

It was a long walk back to the Healers Nest. They would have to return to the Renoff manor a few days before the ball so they had to relish in the time they had away from it. They did not miss the manor in any way.

In a way, Zhiyi was glad that Yeelva was present in the capital. With someone as powerful and perceptive as she was, the enemy was more unlikely to make a move. And if they did, they had a better chance of dealing with them once and for all. It was a win-win. Perhaps that was what king Reagan Croft was aiming for. He might not just be a stubborn king after all.

She wished their parents would attend the ball but she was certain they wouldn’t. There had been many balls in the capital all the time they were in Juza village and their parents never once attended. They might see it as a chance to visit their children or they might be worried that it was too soon to be coming to see them. She was certain that Aroha would act out if they came. It was looking bleaker the more she thought about it.

As they walked, Aroha caught a whiff of something that made her choke. Before she knew it a memory ran through her head again. It was a memory she had hoped to forget. While she relived this dreadful moment, well aware that it was a dream, Aroha clutched her chest as she fell to the ground. All attempts to call her passed over her head.

“Aroha! Aroha!” Vela and Zhiyi beckoned at Aroha. They had no idea what triggered her condition, or what it was in the first place.

Ara and Zenon watched beside a fulfilled Yeelva. “I guess I was right after all,” she said.