Mega Dragon: Harbinger of Death

THE CHALLENGE (2)

“Well, I guess if you’re already a vice grand healer, I could be one too in no time,” Aroha gloated. Even though Zhiyi was rumored to be the more talented of the sisters, Aroha was extremely confident in her abilities.

“Oh, is this what I think it is? You’re looking down on me because I’m not a Renoff?” the vice grand healer; Vela teased. She was used to it. being looked down on because she was young and she wasn’t a Renoff. As if Renoffs were the only ones that could be talented healers. It was a growing concern in the capital. Healers that were not Renoffs were treated poorly. Not by the royal family, but by the citizens themselves!

A lot of Renoffs were fooled by this fact as well. They rode on the coattails of being Renoffs and never took training seriously. And because of that, they were mostly average healers. That was the key reason why Gero and Miya were in support of the girls moving to the capital. If they were going to achieve their potential, they needed the training and the exposure as well. And the grand healer was an even better teacher than they were. They learned a whole lot from her.

Most of the Renoffs now focused on politics, however. They had a high standing in Croft kingdom and they would live a far more comfortable life that way. That was one of the reasons that Gero Renoff moved. He hated the idea of becoming an aristocrat. If he wasn’t in the field, he would rather just relax somewhere quiet and enjoy the bliss of nature. Miya too. Along with all the Renoffs that followed them. The king tried hard to convince them to stay but their mind was already made up and eventually, even he had to respect that.

“Of course not. I would look down on you regardless of whether you were a Renoff or not? It’s all the same for me?” Aroha goaded. Aroha on the other hand never judges people that way. Her statement came from the confidence in her abilities rather than looking down on Vela, the vice grand healer.

“Is that a challenge then? If so, I wholeheartedly accept it, Aroha Renoff,” Vela replied with a teasing grin. The girls may not know, but they were idols to Vela. As someone who grew up watching Gero and Miya Renoff; Aroha and Zhiyi’s parents, it was a fantasy come to life to be able to train their children. Their manipulation of the druid energies to be able to do unfathomable things made them the best healers of all time. And Vela was certain that the girls would have picked up a thing or two from their parents, hence their confidence. Or was it just condescending?

“I’m sure you know healing goes far beyond just healing people, right? You can even heal plants, things and if necessary, you can destroy them as well,” Vela said as she circled around Aroha. It was an attempt at intimidating her. Maybe she would back off. But it was an attempt that was far from being successful.

“We’re not allowed to use that technique except in dire situations,” Aroha retorted. She had a stern look about her. Gero was very specific when he taught them. Normally, he wouldn’t have. It was an ability he created so that Renoffs could fight in the war, but only a few of the purebloods could pull it off. This was because it required the highest level of control of the druid mana. And not many could manage it. He only taught it to them when he found them attempting it on various occasions. Had it been only Aroha, he wouldn’t have bothered. She was very far from pulling it off on her own. Zhiyi however was close. She had better control. After failing to stop them from trying it, after all, he couldn’t watch them all the time, he decided to teach them. It was safer than allowing them to try it and hurt themselves in the process.

“Oh, you can use it. The Death Palm. You are already more than qualified to be professional healers then. Or should I say warriors in this case?” Vela exclaimed. The Death palm was the polar opposite of healing. It caused decay. Before Gero and Miya Renoff, healers were taught various types of self-defense. Even with those, whenever they were serious outbreaks, the healers were of little help. As non-combatants on the battlefield, they always proved to be extra liabilities once the pressure became too much. They were also too precious to leave behind. So Gero created the Death palm to give them an extra edge. A weapon that only they could wield. And it gave Croft kingdom an extra edge as well.

“I can. But the surprise is how you, a non-Renoff can,” Aroha replied. The grand healer never used it because she was against the idea. Whether she could or not was debatable, but it was assumed that she could. She had more than the control required. That being said, only Renoffs had been recorded to be able to use it. But that was when Gero and Miya were still in the capital. Vela was a prodigy that surpassed all the Renoffs that were still in the capital. If she were a Renoff, she might have been rumored to be even better than both Miya and Gero. For someone that didn’t live through the war as they did, it was a remarkable feat.

“Oh, I thought you didn’t judge based on family. I’m a little disappointed there,” Vela said. With a touch of her finger on the grass beneath them, every single blade wilted away in an instant. Aroha and Zhiyi almost jumped out of their skins. That was the fastest anyone had ever performed the Death palm. Well, Gero always tried to tone his down. And as Vela pulled back her finger, all the grasses were rejuvenated as if nothing ever happened.

Aroha and Zhiyi were astounded. And so were the rest of the party. Except for Ara. He had seen it a couple of times. It was a trick Vela used to impress people. “How did you do that? Teach me, please!” Zhiyi beckoned as she grabbed a hold of Vela’s hand. Aroha was too ashamed to admit defeat. There was no way she could match what Vela had just done. It was incredible, to say the least.

“Sure thing, Zhiyi. So, Aroha, what were you saying again?” Vela teased. She knew she had won. Aroha’s face said that much. It would have been frightening if she was able to replicate that move. It was a show of their promise that they could use the Death palm, no matter how little. But they still had a long way to go.

“Hmmm. You were just lucky. I’ll let you take this win,” Aroha teased. But she knew the truth. Vela was amused by her answer. What an interesting girl Aroha was.

“Alright then, let’s get on with why we came out here in the first place,” Ara said. It was somewhat fun to watch the display but it was one-sided. He expected Aroha to put up more of a fight but apparently, even she knew when she was beaten.

They hadn’t walked too far than the manor's head caught up to them. You would think he was the king from the number of guards that escorted him. He was finely dressed in a red silk tunic and red leather boots. He let his long purple hair flow behind in such a neat manner that girls could only hope to achieve. He clearly spent a lot of time tending to his hair. It was his pride, after all, his identity. A proof that he was indeed special, and as he would like to say, more special than everyone else.

“Lord Alex,” Ara gave a low bow in greetings to the manor's head.

“Price Ara,” Alex Renoff reciprocated Ara’s greetings. “I apologize for the inconvenience. The girls were not supposed to be out yet. I was supposed to escort them later in the day but they sneaked out of the manor. They haven’t even had breakfast yet. Do you mind if they come with me?” he asked. Alex was in fact Miya’s cousin. After Gero left, he was chosen unanimously as the next head. He was the most talented of the Renoffs after those two. But after the armistice, he gave up on healing and focused more on politics. He was enjoying the life of an aristocrat.

“Is that so? We were not informed of their coming to the capital and apparently, even the vice grand healer here was surprised herself not to be informed. Care to explain?” Ara asked. He was never a fan of Alex. He wasn’t a fan of most Renoffs actually. A lot of them believed themselves to be more worthy of being the true royal family than the Crofts. Before Gero and Miya, the Renoffs were not regarded as highly. But those two’s immense talent, as well as their strong relationship with king Croft rose their status immensely. In less than a decade, they had settled into the noble life and most of them became bullies. While most people couldn’t dare to say it, they hated the Renoffs. But Ara could. He was the prince after all. Asides from the courtesy that was demanded, Alex answered him. Everyone asides the king and queen answered to him except the king gave an opposing order which was rare.

Alex fought back the frown that crept on his face. The prince’s words always left him with an irate feeling. A boiling rage that only seemed to add up on one another. “I thought I’d let the girls settle in before they decided to move to the Healers Nest. Not permanently of course. Once they got a taste of the capital, they might just decide to pick something else,” Alex said in a condescending tone. He stared down Vela as he spoke. It was his belief that healing was now beneath the Renoffs when healing was what got them to where they were in the first place. He focused on teaching the Death palm instead but only a minority could learn it. The Renoff clam was slowly losing its pride as the best healers.

“Wait, you mean you didn’t send our letters? Then why did you send for us?” Zhiyi moaned. Alex was supposed to be the middle man between them and the Healers Nest when they were still at Juza. They sent the letters to him and he took care of the application and enrolment and whatnot. But he had sent for them when in fact he had not done any of that. That was why the Healers Nest were not expecting their arrival.

“You’ve been blinded by that village. I might not be able to convince those old heads but you, young ones, you have too much in front of you to waste it there, or even at the Healers Nest. You’re the highest of the purebloods. Gero and Miya’s children. You deserve so much more,” Alex said.

“More what? Their parents were the best healers this empire has ever seen. And they still are. You would say that knowing the history of your family?” Vela snapped. She knew it would only amount to trouble but she couldn’t stand watch as someone tried to sully the names of her idols. It didn’t matter who they were. It was simply unacceptable.

“And who do you think you are to speak to me. Vice grand healer may be a very high post but you’re not a Renoff so, know your place girl,” Alex riposted.

There it was. The discrimination that Vela had to ignore for not being a Renoff. It didn’t matter what she achieved. There would always be people like Alex that would never acknowledge her.

“Uncle Alex, we’re on our way to somewhere. You don’t mind us coming home on our own, do you?” Aroha asked as politely as she could. It was difficult, but anything less would fail to ease the tension in the air.

“Well, you girls are free to do as you like. Don’t take too long,” Alex said as he left. He bit his lips as he stormed through the streets. “Don’t you worry, it’ll all be over soon,” he cursed.