Chapter 10: Missing Links
“What? You’ll really leave him?”
“Yeah. That’s what you want right? I still have shit to do and I don’t have time to babysit.” Relic said calmly as he walked off. “But make sure you keep your promise and don’t tell him.”
In truth, Relic just didn’t want to cause Daragon further pain. That was what Draken would want least and he did want to honor Draken’s passing. But he was speaking the truth when he said he had things he needed to do. Relic needed to find the cause behind the explosion. What Chi said had gotten to him.
After their brief exchange, Brandon went to see Daragon who was sitting on his bed, trying to clench his fists.
“You haven’t properly healed.” Brandon said casually before sitting next to Daragon.
“Yeah, I know.” Daragon spoke softly. “Next time I see him, I’m going to beat the crud out of him.”
“Yeah yeah. Well, your food is here.” Brandon said as he brought what seemed to be a tin can full of rice, beef and some salad at the side. It was plain but they needed to ration their food properly. “Now I know you don’t eat v-”
Before Brandon could utter another word, he saw Daragon wrapping his beef in the salad and eating it.
‘Did Daragon change his eating habits? He didn’t even complain.’ Brandon wondered to himself. He shrugged and went on. “You need to make sure to eat everything.”
“Yeah I will.” Daragon replied while eating slowly. A far cry from the Daragon who would stuff his mouth when he was smaller.
“You’ve really changed, haven’t you?” Brandon asked rhetorically.
“What do you mean? I’m still the same as I’ve always been.”
“I mean, you’re eating vegetables.”
“I’ve always eaten them. They’re good for me.” Daragon raised an eyebrow while eating more. Brandon simply sighed. “Alright I’m stuffed.”
Daragon put the box of food down and just looked up.
“You going to finish that?”
“Nah, you can have it if you want. I was going to throw it but I know you guys ration your food. I can’t throw food meant for the army.”
‘Throw it?’ Brandon asked himself. The Daragon he knew was completely different from the Daragon sitting beside him. “Oh yeah, I attended Thomas’ father’s funeral.”
“Sorry but, who’s Thomas?”
“Thomas? Thomas Pendragon? Dara, did that guy make your brain malfunction?”
“Should I know him?”
“He was our classmate!” Brandon shouted.
“Oh. I don’t really remember much from school. All I remembered was how cool you were in school.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Sir! I have an urgent report!” A soldier told Brandon.
“This better be really urgent.” Brandon said while standing up and buttoning his uniform.
“We found the members of the Worm cult. But there’s a problem.”
“Cut to the chase.”
“Well, they’re currently at our front gates.”
“They want a direct confrontation? When did they get so bold?”
The answer lies in the past…
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“Did we lose them?” Chi asked while panting. He was the least fit out of all of them by far. But he was still well trained.
“It looks like we did.” Fei Fei answered.
“You should really learn how to run faster Chi.” John laughed.
“Shut up. Also what’s that in your hand? It doesn’t look like your axe’s stick.” He pointed to the brute who was holding not an axe but a stick.
“Oh shit! This isn’t my axe!” John shouted and dropped the stick. “I thought it was lighter!”
“Just recall your axe you buffoon.”
“I know to recall my axe. You don’t have to treat me like an idiot.” John said as an axe forms in his hand. It then transforms into a stick. “But it felt like a Seguri so I grabbed it. That Relic knocked my axe away.”
“Felt like a Seguri?” Chi said as he walked up to pick up the stick and felt a sudden surge of energy. “Is this a part of Yggdrasil?”
“Should be.” John answered.
Out of the 3, only John had gotten a Seguri. After witnessing John’s Seguri first hand, Chi desperately wanted one so he researched all about it. Finding any book he could, it’s roots came back to the tree of Yggdrasil.
“Doesn’t that mean we can get a Seguri?” Fei Fei asked.
“Hey! I called dibs on the next one we found, remember? This is mine!” Chi hissed while holding the stick. A sudden loud sound buzzed into their ears. A tiny circular communication device. It displayed the name of who was calling. Chi threw it to the ground and covered himself. “Shit! It’s Spectre. Someone else, answer it.”
“Hello, John speaking. - Yes, we just came back from the explosion site. - Yes, I’m answering because Chi’s a pussy - No, we didn’t find his Seguri. - Actually yes, we did encounter someone with the name Eccel.”
“What do you think they’re talking about?” Chi asked Fei.
“Beats me. But they both seem to agree you’re a wuss.” Fei shrugged while keeping her arms crossed. Chi just shot a glare at Fei.
John hung up soon enough and turned to the two. “Spectre said we have to capture that Eccel kid.”
“Why?” Chi questioned.
Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
“He said to await further orders.”
“Will we be fine though? By the time we find them, Relic will be well rested. I doubt we could beat him.” Fei appealed.
“Well, maybe not. But our objective isn’t to beat him. It’s to capture the Eccel. But Spectre said he’ll be lending us his Seguri.”
“If we have his Seguri, it might be possible. Fei, you use it.” Chi issued.
“Me? Why?”
“Because I’m going to get my own!” Chi declared as he went away. “I need to meditate to do so.”
After Chi left, Fei looked at John.
“You picked it up on purpose, didn’t you? Relic never knocked anything away.”
“Yeah. You’re always so observant. But I guess that comes with your gift.” John sighed. “You know how much Chi had wanted a Seguri, don’t you? When I felt its aura, I knew that it was my chance.”
“You really like playing the part of the fool to Chi, don’t you?”
“It’s fun to see his reaction. He’s always so serious all the time. Our main character needs some comic relief.”
“There you go again with your main character spew. You’ve been looking out for him for a long time. You’re only two years older.”
“You’re only a year older than him and you’ve been looking out for him too. What kind of big brother would I be if I didn’t?”
“Yeah… a big brother.” Fei smiled. Though the three were not siblings by blood, they were by bond.
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“Hey, are you sure Relic left, Fei Fei?” John asked
“He is. If Fei Fei says so, then Relic must be gone.” Chi spoke. John nodded.
“You’ve grown quite cocky!” A voice shouted. It was Brandon. He stood on top of a wooden gate that was built to block entry. “What gives you the balls to come right to our doorstep to get arrested?”
“Relic left and your Commanding Officer isn’t here. You’re literally defenceless. Stop acting high and mighty.” Chi shouted back. “Give us the Eccel kid and we won’t make things difficult.”
“If you want him, then you’re out of luck. Men, take aim.” Brandon signalled. On top of the walls were a load of soldiers, putting their hands out. They all did the same signals and then said the words ‘[Delayed Fireball]’
About twenty or so balls of flame manifested. They were ready to fire at a moment’s notice. Delayed fireball was a spell invented to give a warning since the spell fireball simply shot a fireball. If they missed then it would waste time since they needed to do more handsigns to conjure the next. Delayed Fireball was an attack that created a fireball in the air. In order for it not to disappear, it needed mana to maintain. And since so much was going in, it had a chance of exploding so they needed to concentrate to keep the energy to a minimum.
“Too bad. We have this.” Fei explained as she raised her hand. It seemed to be a wand. “Do your thing.”
The wand shone as a wave was released. The fireballs all exploded or went flying in a random direction.
“That’s-”
“Yes. That was Spectre’s Seguri. Its first ability, at least, Disorder. Now then.” Fei said as the wand let out another wave. “Disorientate.”
Brandon felt himself losing balance. He couldn’t speak at all. Every time he tried to, his words were jumbled up.
‘Shi-aytsghcdjfdehygtreu’ Brandon’s thoughts became disorientated as he passed out.
“Okay John, go find him.”
“Alright.” John answered and dashed to find Daragon.
“Hey, Chi. Did the Seguri thing work out?”
“Not yet. It won’t even speak to me.”
“Alright then, let’s just focus on the mission at hand.”
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Meanwhile Daragon was in a black void. Lightning rained down before a giant bird made of electricity.
“Are you my Seguri?”
“What do you want?”
“How did you become my Seguri?”
“You bonded with me a long time ago. It seems your memory is locked.”
“Locked? What are you talking about? Why did you form a bond with me?”
“I liked the old you better. Barely asked questions, talked nicely. Your old man asked me to protect you. That’s it.”
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John checked every tent he could. Spectre did say he wanted the boy alive. So John couldn’t just wipe out the entire field and Chi would never forgive him if he killed someone.
Then he finally found him. Daragon, sitting there on the bed. However, Daragon’s eyes were closed instead. He didn’t seem to be paying attention. He was trying to connect to Vox Avem, his father’s Seguri. It was only when John went closer to pick him up did he react. John grabbed Daragon by the neck.
“Gah!” He yelled, trying to escape his grip. John pulled his hand back to knock Daragon out.
“Hey. Do your thing and protect me!” Daragon commanded but nothing happened. “Shit!”
“Who are you talking to?” John asked, confused.
“Seguri more like shi-” Daragon got slammed into the wall before he could finish his words. ‘Where the hell is Relic?’
“You’re probably thinking why we’re here.”
“I wasn’t actual-” Daragon was slammed again.
“The adult is talking. Anyway, it’s fine if you don’t want to know. I also don’t really know why our boss wants you but it’s probably important.” John rambled as he lifted Daragon away.
‘Shit. Why aren’t you working?’ Daragon thought to himself. There was only one thing left he could do. Call out for help. “Brandon! Relic! Anyone!”
“Relic isn’t helping you. He left this place. We don’t know if he’s coming back but based on the conversation we picked up from that doctor friend of yours, he’s not.”
“What conversation?”
“Let’s not get into that right now.” John answered coldly. John overheard the conversation perfectly. He knew Daragon was still a kid. And he was already causing him enough pain so he didn’t see the need to add fuel to the fire.
‘Think Daragon. How do I get out of this situation? Why isn’t my Seguri working? What did I do wrong?’ Daragon thought to himself. Then it hit him. The words Relic told him and what his Seguri said to him.
Seguris are not tools. They’re partners. Daragon breathed in.
“Sorry.” He muttered as lightning shocked John. He instinctively let Daragon go. “And thanks, Vox.”
Daragon looked at his dagger. He remembered the name said in the vision he saw. That should have been his father and he talked to his Seguri by calling him Vox.
“So you do have a Seguri! But I’m not in the mood for games.” John commented only to hear clashing from a distance. He turned around to see Fei and Chi fighting a man. “Shit! It’s their commanding officer!”
The man in question was named Colonel Kai. He was sent to patrol the area because he was the only one available. Chi was knocked to the ground. It wasn’t surprising since Chi was the weakest of them physically and an easy target.
“Focus here.” Daragon growled as he conjured lightning on his blade and slashed at John. John raised his barrier of mana to protect himself and sprinted to his comrades. Daragon chased after him. With his Seguri’s enhanced powers, he felt as light as a feather.
John got in between Kai and Fei as he knocked him away.
“Now!” He shouted. Fei raised the wand and used it. A wave was sent out. Kai found his body not moving the way he ordered it to and collapsed.
They all exhaled a sigh of relief before lightning struck them. Daragon was behind them and he didn’t seem affected by the wave. Chi blocked his lightning by holding his hands out.
“Shit! I didn’t think he was this fast.” John admitted. “But it’s 3 against 1. He can’t win.”
A fireball soon shot at John. John dodged it only for the ball to curve. It was Brandon who was standing up. The soldiers were grunting but none of them could stand up.
“Dara! I figured it out…” He said with a bated breath. “Their Seguri has a range. That’s why they’re unaffected. And why you were too. We just gotta stay close to them. Only you can destroy their wand.”
“Why me?” Daragon wondered before John cut him off with a punch. Daragon blocked it using his blade.
“Because only a Seguri can destroy another one. And you’re currently using your father’s lightning seguri, right?” Brandon continued. He was panting and slowly recovering. While researching the Eccel family, he read up all about Daragon’s parents.
Daragon kept John at bay while Brandon occupied Fei from the wand. Chi was out of order from Kai.
‘I need to get this kid off me. I need to get to him somehow.’ John wasn’t a fighter like Chi. While Chi analysed his opponent, John reacted on Instinct. When it came down to it, Chi created openings while John waited for one. It was too bad that Daragon, who moved like a machine, had no obvious opening. “Hey! You know why Relic left?”
Brandon instantly turned his head to John. He quickly shouted while pointing a finger gun. “[Shoot]!”
Yet another modified spell, Brandon quickly fired a fireball. Fei lifted the wand and disorientated Brandon.
‘Fu-asdfyhguuwegriu’ Brandon fell to the ground immediately. Fortunately Daragon would also be in the protected radius. But that meant Daragon just had to stall.
Fei could use Disorientate on both Daragon and John but she refused to. She knew the adverse effects it could lead to. She witnessed it herself when it caused everlasting effects on Spectre’s opponent, making them unable to walk forever. She couldn’t risk it happening to John.
Daragon ignored John. Instead, he focused on trying to slice up John and keep himself closer to Fei.
‘Sorry kid. I have to do this.’ John convinced himself. “It was because that man killed your parents!”
Daragon continued striking at John, unfazed.
“Aren’t you going to say something?” John became flustered. He revealed something and Daragon didn’t even flinch.
“I’m not listening to a bunch of cultists.” Daragon said. It wasn’t that Daragon didn’t care. He didn’t believe them.
“Damn it! We don’t have time. Fei, just use the wand! It’s going to be alright!” John roared. Fei hesitated.
That was her mistake. Hesitation. The wand was sliced instantly as a cloaked figure appeared. He lifted his cloak to reveal his red hair. Relic. However, his hair had been shorter and his face was shavened. He had look younger than before.
https://i.imgur.com/pyMd7uh.png
“I got the shit I needed to know.” Relic said.