With the god form leaving, Aldrich ran over and looked at the destruction wrought by the god form. The entire hillside that the god form was on was dug out. Retreating from the side of that were the soldiers and militia members from Lord Sinclair’s army. Surrounded by elite looking troops was Lord Sinclair himself. He was grievously wounded, missing his left arm, parts of his legs, and a very much destroyed body. He was still alive, if not barely.

Aldrich ran down to meet them. Healers were using what they could without magic to heal and sustain the lord. Potions, bandages, syringes, anything they had, they tried, all the while they were trying to retreat to the dragon roost.

Aldrich came upon him, some of the soldiers giving way to the small dragon. Approaching the lord, Aldrich caught his eye. He coughs before raspy calling out,

“Lord… Aldrich. I have… failed.”

Aldrich walks up next to him as busy doctors and medics busily move about.

“The village is in ruin… the dragon roost… damaged… many of… my soldiers lay dead… and my children… taken.”

Coming close enough to him, the lord stretched his one remaining hand to him. Aldrich took it in hand.

“Please… rescue them.”

With that the stretcher that the lord was on and the doctors with him moved on. Aldrich could only feel his own powerlessness. Dozens of other injured or even fallen soldiers followed behind in other stretchers, carried by the soldiers who remained mostly intact.

Aldrich didn’t even know where to begin to think. If Lord Sinclair failed then now what? He asked him to save his children, but what can he even do? The soldiers look like they knew what they were doing, most likely from training or from instructions from remaining leaders. The doctors were focused on saving the lives of the injured. The villagers were fleeing with Lady Sinclair and the other village leaders were following her command.

What about him though? No one commanded him to do anything other than Lord Sinclair and all he had in the first place was ad hoc plans and actions based on procedures. Now what will he do? The villagers looked up to him, expecting him to save the village, that much he knew but what they expected and what he could do right now was vastly different.

Just as he thought that, Gaelia landed next to him, shaking the ground with her large dragon body. Aldrich looked at her and then looked for the god form. It was off in the distance. Gaelia looked at her son before bowing her head slightly to him. Knowing this to be the ritual of thought sharing, one that dragons did with their children, just as his grandfather and grandmother had done before his own mother, Aldrich repeated her actions and together they touched heads.

The moment they touched Aldrich was brought into a blank and black world. He looked around. It was similar in feeling but different from the environment from when he was but an egg. The last time he was here, he remembered his mother taking him through her memories, guiding him and letting him feel how she felt, saw, and heard in that exact moment how Gaelia saw it. Dragons did this with their children in order to directly teach them about the world they lived in, the beauty and the horrors of it. This time however, nothing was here.

“I’ve blocked off my memories.”

Gaelia’s voice echoed in Aldrich’s head.

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“I see.”

Aldrich questioned this. Why did she ask to meet like this then? Surely it was to share information, or to at least give him an order. Silence filled the black space before Gaelia spoke again.

“Do you hate me?”

It was a strange question. One that greatly confused Aldrich. Surely there were other topics more important.

“No.”

He could tell that she was reading into his memories and emotions, both in the past and in the present. He had never hated his mother, but it was lonely without her. Some days she’ll come home at the end of it, but others will see her gone for days or even weeks. Even when she was home they never grew a close bond. He understood that she was working for them and the hardships they faced was a result of her trying to find them a place to call home.

“Will you ever hate me?”

He replied,

“No. Though I wish you were around more. I won’t hate you.”

She stayed silence a bit more before asking,

“What do you know about our situation?”

The question was quite out of the blue. Surely she could tell from his memories.

“It is dire. Lord Sinclair is gravely injured, the World Tree is partially hurt, the god form is still out there. Villagers all throughout the village are hurt and many are dead. I know that the South and the West sides of the village have fallen or have fallen, but I don’t have any knowledge on the North or the East. My own friends, the children of the lord, have also been captured.”

“Then what is it that you want to do?”

Thinking for a bit, Aldrich responded,

“I want to save my friends and the village.”

“Do you think that’s possible?”

“I don-”

“It’s not.”

With a delayed pause, Gaelia spoke again.

“In our way stands a being of great power, one with more than you and I can handle. You yourself have injuries that must be looked to. Even your wings are gone. The other guardians are missing and cannot be contacted. Your friends lie in the depths of the enemy army, and yet still you wish to fight? Only your death awaits you.”

Aldrich contemplated this. She spoke true after all. He was not in a state to rescue anyone. If he went, he'd only die a dog’s death. Even if he somehow did reach his friends, how would he rescue them and how would he escape? He ran through his memories for an answer. From his birth, the faces of many people he met so far, the joyous and unfortunate adventures of him and his friends, the stories of each and every person. The memories fluttered through his thoughts until it fell upon the latest ones. Memories of those he failed to save and of those he did. One particular scene played out. A cat-kin child, extending her hand, saying “Help. Mr. Dragon. Help.” With renewed vigor, he spoke.

“I am still a dragon. I have not taken the Dragon Guardian oath to protect this village, but I still bind myself to that oath as you do. The people here look up to us and plenty more that are looking to us. They are our people and I would never leave them to die while I still drew breathe.”

Gaelia stayed quiet for a while. Then suddenly the mental space dissipates and Aldrich is brought back to reality. The last verges of the realm however, revealed a small part of his mother’s thoughts and feelings. It was full of anguish. His mother straightens herself in front of him, stoic and emotionless. She extends her claw out to Aldrich.

“Aldrich Elden Agnis, son of Gaelia Sage Valerian, speak and respond. Upon my authority as Dragon Guardian of the Ordell Village, I command you to fight the god form alongside myself. What do you say?”

Despite her intimidating stance, he could tell something was wrong in her eyes. It was something he couldn’t tell for sure, but her eyes betrayed her usual behavior. It was like she wished deep down that he would refuse, that he would run, that he would save himself.

“I accept, Gaelia Sage Valerian.”

Something changed in her eyes, falling into place like peace… no it was more like… resignation.

“Then climb aboard.”

He quickly runs up her arm and climbs on her large back before she flaps her wings and launches into the sky.