Mega Dragon: Harbinger of Death

OMEN

The feast was glorious. The merry around could make one believe that Kerra was completely safe from the threat of the mega dragons. Or maybe the Elites won the battle against the said mega dragons – neither of which was the case. They celebrated this way every time and Chief Halland was always at the center of the feast with his trusted barrel of rum. No one could best him in drinking, or they feared the consequence if they did. Whatever the case, he laughed heartedly as he watched his fellow drunks-in-arms fall one by one until he was the last one standing. Lilian watched in disgust. She had no interest in such games but as the daughter of the chief, she was forced to watch by his side. Luckily for her, she could leave for Atlan once they were done. Oftentimes, the food was untouched as a large number of the people passed out from excessive drinking. So, they had learned to roast meat only over time. If they didn’t eat it then, they could always eat it another time.

Unsurprisingly, the Elites also joined in the drinking albeit Atlan and Harold, both for personal reasons. In the beginning, they had all agreed that two would have to sacrifice by not drinking so that the city was not left completely defenseless. The guards also took shifts as the festivals came and went. However, Hakuris do not drink, hence Harold’s abstinence. Atlan on the other hand had little interest in drinking as well. For reasons he termed as ‘personal’. So, the other four were free to enjoy themselves as they liked. And Atlan and Harold chuckled as the rest of the group made fools of themselves while Lilian frowned from being forced to watch from such close range.

Luckily for Lilian, she was free from the shackles of her father’s side quicker than she thought. He must have been exhausted to have dropped down already. And as usual, he was the last one. He was an unusually large man, considerably larger than Rickon – who was the largest of the Elites. And he had a thick auburn-colored beard to match his auburn hair. He was Lilian’s father after all. A potbelly resided where his well-shaped abs resided in the past. His fighting days were long gone, if they were truly anything more than stories he told when he was drunk… or sober.

She ran into Atlan’s embrace. He chuckled as she heaved a huge sigh of relief. “God, when will this t*****e end!” she exclaimed.

“When we get married, maybe,” Atlan said.

Lilian rolled over to see his face. She was already on his legs before he spoke. Atlan wasn’t the type to joke about things like that. It was also the first time he said something like that. Of course, she had those thoughts too. Who wouldn’t want to marry Atlan Deharas? But she never expected it to be so quick, which made her worry even more. Was this one of those parting promises? Was Atlan considering undertaking the mission now? And even worse, were the chances of success that slim?

“Atlan,” she barely said. Atlan got the message. The sadness in her eyes was loud enough. He chuckled and then he leaned in for a kiss but stopped midway.

“I’m not leaving you,” he said.

Somehow, it comforted Lilian, but she knew all too well the weight of Atlan’s destiny. The world needed him, even more than she did. But that didn’t mean that she was going to give him up for the world. Certainly not.

“That is not what I ask. Wherever you have to go, take me along. Don’t treat me like a burden,” she said.

“You’re not a burden. You’re treasure. And a man does not go to war with treasure,” Atlan said.

As smooth as that sounded to Lilian, it only reminded her that she could still not go on missions with him. Atlan could the disappointment in her eyes. He pulled back and she finally sat straight on his legs.

“Look at the group, the Elites. Is there any one of us who cannot wield a bow, or a sword? Yet, everyone sticks to the task they’re given. When the time for you to act comes, I won't hold you back. That much I can promise,” Atlan said.

Lilian stared deep into his eyes, as though she was looking for something. He kissed her for what seemed like an eternity. Especially to Harold who happened to be watching them. Everyone else was pretty wasted.

“Let’s walk,” Atlan said as he noticed Harold’s piercing gaze.

The streets of the town were quiet. A lot quieter than usual and certainly quieter than the town hall. Atlan was sure that they would probably be heard two towns away. There weren’t many towns around Kerra and the few were not so close as well. Even so, Atlan could feel a dangerous presence in one of their neighboring town. His sudden halt prompted Lilian to that something was wrong.

“Should I summon the others?” Lilian asked.

“No need. They already know. Tell Harold to cover the town and send two to our eastern neighbors. I’ll go south,” Atlan said.

One of the guards came running towards Atlan. “Sir, we have a message from Draka…”

“I know. I’m on my way now.”

“Alone?” he asked. But Atlan’s expression forced him to retract his words. Atlan was more than enough alone for whatever threat their neighbors faced. They have had issues like that in the past. They needed to protect their neighbors. In a way, they acted as a defensive cover. When Kerra was formed, there were no other towns around. But after they began to prosper, many towns began to settle around, but not close for fear that Kerra might swallow them. So, whenever there was a threat, they often met one of these towns first and Kerra would always respond. Protecting them also meant protecting themselves, as well as strengthening their alliance.

“One more thing, tell him to keep an eye on Gin. I have a bad feeling about this,” Atlan said before he ran off to suit up. Whatever threat that laid ahead would fall before the mighty Atlan Deharas.

And that was exactly what they planned.