Mega Dragon: Harbinger of Death

Training Camp

The day ended and Aroha was not able to pass the test. Vela wasn’t willing to keep Zhiyi back because of Aroha so she was going to let Zhiyi progress to the next phase before Aroha was able to grasp it. Aroha didn’t object. The only thing she would hate more than being able to keep up with Zhiyi was holding her back. Zhiyi was more than willing to wait, but everyone else advised her otherwise. There were not always going to go through the same stages at the same pace.

“Could you stay with me, Zenon?” Aroha asked. You would think she would avoid him after what happened with Zhiyi earlier, but Zhiyi was past all that.

“You don’t need to push yourself too hard. Sometimes, what you need is a good night's rest and, in the morning---” Zenon started but Aroha cut him short.

“Will you help me or not?” Aroha reiterated.

Zenon could see the fire in her eyes. How could he say no to that? “Do you mind, Vela?” he asked. She was the one in charge of them after all.

“You have yourselves the floor. But make sure she returns to the Renoff manor. Tomorrow will be just as long,” Vela said.

“Why don’t we start staying in the Healers Nest then?” Zhiyi asked. “There certainly is space for us, right?”

Vela turned to Aroha for confirmation. “I concur,” she said.

“Well it’s about time,” Vela grinned.

Zhiyi stretched rather vigorously as she awoke. There were aches in places she didn’t know she had places. Every part of her body was sore. To top it all off, it was only the beginning of their training. How much longer did they have to go? Even amidst the difficulties, Zhiyi relished in the adrenaline rush. It certainly was exhilarating. She felt bad that Aroha was finding it difficult to keep up, but she was certain her sister would get a hang of it eventually. She wasn’t the type to back down from a challenge. And unfortunately, she was also the type to needlessly enter challenges.

It was the first night she spent in the Healers Nest. Alex had sent someone for them when they had not returned before Vela delivered the message. She was certain that Alex was furious at them, but mostly at Vela. He certainly didn’t like her and he would blame her for this as well. But it was entirely their decision. When they had their time-off, she would surely make that clear to him. But at that moment, she had to focus on the day’s task – another herculean round of training.

She woke up a few minutes than she ought to. That lost her time that she would have used to have her bath and her breakfast without rushing, but now she had to. She was done in thirty minutes and ran straight to the training ground before she remembered that she forgot to check on Aroha’s room. What if she slept off because of how exhausted she was? She stayed up later than she was to practice the previous day’s test.

However, the sounds she heard from the not-so-distant training ground sounded like she already was there. Perhaps she woke up earlier to continue practicing. That would explain why she didn’t check on her first, even though she forgot to do the same as well.

Zenon and Vela were already at the training ground as well. “You made it on time. Was just about sending someone to get you,” Vela said.

Zhiyi frowned awkwardly. The situation made it look like she was the only one not taking the training seriously. Even Zenon who was only helping out for the time being was already there helping out Aroha. It was the same test as the previous day and Aroha finally got a hang of it! She was catching the water bubbles seamlessly, at last, only occasionally missing a few. But she looked a mess. Did she skip having a bath? Aroha was fond of that back at Juza village though seldomly.

“I think that’s enough. You have two hours of sleep then we move to the training camp,” Vela said. That was when Zhiyi realized that Aroha had spent the entire night practicing with Zenon. That was ludicrous!

“Also, I’ll be participating in the contest as well,” Vela finally said. Zhiyi was surprised. Just as Kiro thought, was it fair to be pit against a vice-grand healer?

But Aroha grinned. She was excited. The thought of facing Vela made her heart race. “Looks like I’ll get to face you sooner than I thought,” she said.

“At your current level, you still don’t stand a chance. Do well to learn as much as you can so you don’t disappoint me,” Vela goaded.

“Do well to not lose before you face me. I’m sure you won’t be the only big shot there,” Aroha riposted.

“Get some rest while you still can. You have a long say ahead of you. You too, Zhiyi. You can relax. You still have time,” Vela said.

Zhiyi simply nodded back. She was still amazed by Aroha’s tenacity. She wasn’t letting up and she surely wouldn’t either. Aroha wasn’t joking when she labeled her a rival. And she would reciprocate by giving it her all as well.

***

Kiro on the other hand had already started his day. It was just like the previous day, but this time his chasers were a few soldiers from the capital – specially handpicked by Ara for their speed. You would think it got easier for him. Certainly was better than Ara chasing you. Maybe except Zenon. But that was far from the case. This time, he had to carry Ara on his back as he ran, and whenever he showed signs of slowing down, Ara would hit him – if the soldiers didn’t hit him first. The residents of the capital were more amused than they were the previous day. It was the first time they had seen anything like it. Where did Ara get that idea from? If Zenon were present, he would have known. The commander of the Croft Army; Commander Pan certainly did not train him that way. He was the prince after all. It was something he picked up on his training journey with Zenon. He only added the soldiers to give it a bit more spice. Zenon and Ara would take turns in running with the other at his back – whose responsibilities were to add weight and to hit the runner if he went below a certain speed. That way, they built that strength, speed, and stamina to an inordinate level.

Zenon found it harder to adapt. He was a human after all, but he would be cross with Ara whenever he went easy on him because of it. He wanted to be treated as Ara’s equal. He trained harder than anyone else to be able to stand on the same platform as Ara. This made him achieve feats that were normally beyond that of a human.

After two years of training together, they finally parted ways to train themselves. Ara spent a year further while Zenon spent three. Although he would come and go intermittently. Ara did that too, but sparsely.

Kiro cursed heavily under his breath, but that was the only thing he could do. Several times, he considered throwing Ara off his back and making a run for it. Or maybe even pretend it was a mistake. But where would he go to? Ara would catch up to him in an instant. Besides, he was holding on pretty tightly. It was almost as if he was expecting Kiro to try to throw him off.

In truth, he was expecting Kiro to try to throw him off, at the very least by accident. It happened a lot when he and Zenon used to train together. It was safe to say that Ara was well informed of all the hazards that could arise from that training regimen. He was more than prepared to see it through to the end.

Luckily for Kiro, the Capital’s horn blowers brought a quick end to his training, albeit temporary. The horn was a signal that Croft’s military was entering the capital. Ara stopped Kiro from running who was delighted to take a break no matter how short it was. Ara had a strong idea of who it was. He could smell them in the air, just as he remembered.

“Let’s head to the palace. Andreus here will show you to your quarters. Freshen up quickly and meet me at the meeting room,” Ara said. Andreus; one of the soldiers present acknowledged Ara’s instructions.

“Wait, this is a lot to take in. I have a quarter in the palace? And what will I do in the meeting room anyway? I’m not even supposed to bet there,” Kiro said. It was one of the few times that he trembled. Not for fear of the responsibility being placed on his shoulders, but that Ara might have found out about his interaction with Ray and he was being interrogated.

“Relax. You’re with me and you can go wherever I say you can go within this kingdom. Alright?”

Kiro simply nodded. Hopefully, that was all there was to it.

***

The streets were filled with soldiers and an entourage that welcomed the heroes of Croft. The citizens wondered who those might be and they came out in large numbers to witness it. They were delighted to see Delilah, the grand healer and Pan, the head of the Royal guards return after a long time. Delilah looked a lot older than she used to. It must have been a difficult one. Many condemned Vela for letting an old woman take on such a mission, grand healer or not. But Delilah had personally requested that Vela stayed behind. Vela was the future. As was Ara. It was for that reason that the older healers partook in this mission as opposed to the younger ones. It was the same reason that Pan accompanied them as well instead of Ara. Although in Pan’s case, Ara was the sole heir to Croft’s throne.

Vela went with Aroha and Zhiyi to welcome Delilah. It was a delight to see her again and she felt that way. “You came with the little ones,” was the first thing that Delilah said when she noticed them. She was in her early eighties but she had the strength of a forty-year-old woman. She stood firm as opposed to her mates who were all hunching. Some couldn’t work properly. Others had lost most of their vision or hearing. The war was tough on the older generation. They had to live with the consequences in their later years. But perhaps because of her druid mana, Delilah was able to preserve herself despite her appearance betraying her. Her gray hair was a mess. On a normal day, it shone as though it was silver. Had she been a Renoff, she would not have had to deal with grey hair – a pure-blood Renoff at least.

They exchanged pleasantries and quickly let them freshen up. Pan was glad to see the girls as well. He was a big fan of their parents - Gero and Miya Renoff. Kiro and Ara had gone to wait for them at the palace. They had just returned from training and they knew that the king would waste no time in receiving a report on the outcome of their mission. It was of top priority, especially with the latest developments within the capital. Zenon had gone to meet up with them as well.

“I don’t see prince Ara. I expected that he would come to see me immediately,” Pan said. He looked displeased as he was worn out.

“He must have returned to the palace to await your return. He was occupied all through the morning,” Vela said in Ara’s defense.

“Occupied this early? It’s still morning. I presume the Laboratorium then?” Pan asked.

“No. He was training his student across the capital,” Vela said.

“Student?!” Delilah and Pan chorused. Of course, they didn’t know. So much had happened in their absence but Ara having a student might have just been the biggest surprise of them all.

“Ara has a student? Interesting. I look forward to meeting him,” Pan grinned.

Poor Kiro.