Dragons Heart
I drifted above a cavern, underneath stood an alter. On the alter a single sword laid embraced by rings of fire, water, wind, earth and life particles. The blade looked rustic and ancient. Its hilt worn out from years of use and neglect. Its blade dull, from many years of battle. Strapped around the pommel of the sword, five ornate gems dangled lackluster against the stone alter. Its brilliance dulled by the dust collected through many years of confinement. Nine intricate ancient number runes ran down the fuller of the blade. Etched on the guard of the blade was a single rune. It was the rune for Solomon. I realized for the first time that this blade was somehow related to the swords of Solomon. That's when I woke from my slumber.
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The hooting of an owl echoed in the night air. It was night time already. I had been unconscious for a whole day maybe more. I could not tell exactly how much time had passed. My stomach started to growl. I felt really hungry. I realized I haven't had anything to eat since the night Master Kohl woke me up in the middle of the night and took me away from Sappon.
My stomach hurt from the extended time of hunger. My mouth felt really dry, I hadn't drunk anything either for a while. This was no good. If this continues, I would be dehydrated in no time. I quickly rummaged through masters medicinal pouch. There at the bottom, a metallic bottle laid against a few vials of potions. I shook it, there was water inside.
Uncapping the bottle, I downed the water. As it went down my throat, I felt my thirst starting to wane. This water was not any simple water. It was a special batch of water my master usually kept around. He uses a special potion that helps to hydrate faster and mixes it in with the water. The potion does not make the water taste any differently, but it was a life saver. With the water alone, it can help a person regain much of his lost energy. I felt my stomach settling and my throat regaining its moistness as the water settled in. I capped the bottle back up and placed it back into the pouch. Then I placed the pouch back inside the cauldron. The cauldron was a neat storage unit.
Standing up, I looked up toward the night sky. Stars glistened in the distance, the moon glowed behind the dark clouds. I needed to find food. This was not going to last. The water can restore energy, but it was still only just water. I needed real food. I desired real food. I was a fully-grown man after all. We needed our nourishment's. These past few nights have really been taxing on my body, mind and soul.
I had hunted many times before when master and I traveled from town to town. We sometimes spent months in the wilderness, so we couldn't exactly buy food from a shop in the middle of no where, could we? The wilderness was full of animals and vegetation's that could be consumed. It was the perfect place to hone one's skills at hunting and identifying eatable plants.
I spotted a rabbit in the distance. It's life spark flickered within my senses. I used my new found magic and used Mix to conceal and blend my aurora with my surroundings. The rabbit did not notice me at all. I slowly approached the rabbit. Just as the rabbit lifted its head, I swept my hands down and snatched it over the ears. The rabbit tried to struggle but I knocked it unconscious.
This was so much easier than before. Life magic sure was useful. With it hunting was ten times easier than before. I realized now why Master Kohl was so much better at hunting than me. He had used life magic all theses years to hunt, while I struggled at it like any normal person would. I remembered the smirk on Masters face whenever I took hours preparing for a hunt, while he just walks up to a deer and smacks it over the head and pulls it back into camp. I got a little angry with the master. Why didn't he just do all the hunting back then, instead of making me do all the work? I sighed, I knew the answer to that. He wanted me to learn things through the normal process first, so if later on I gained magic, I would not take it for granted. Master was a kind person after all.
I created a fire with materials found in masters pouch. Then roasted the rabbit over the fire with tools I carved from wood. The rabbit tasted good. I felt so full as I laid there against a tree with my legs crossed at the ankles. I rubbed my belly; the rabbit did taste pretty nice. Of course, my cooking skills weren't exactly top chef quality. This was enough for me. I wasn't going to complain about it like master would each time I cooked for him. He would always say that my cooking skills were atrocious even though I cooked for him every day.
I looked into the distance and suddenly something shimmered deep in the forest grounds. I squinted my eyes at it. What could that be? Could it be some kind of animal? Some animals did have glowing eyes at night. I honed in on it with my senses. It held a small trace of life particles, but it was clearly not alive. At least not anymore.
Getting back to my feet, I extinguished the fire and gathered some of the cooking tools. I placed them into masters pouch within the pendant and started walking toward the glimmering thing in the distance. When I started to get closer to the shiny object, I realized it was in a spot within the forest that was destroyed. Then I realized this was the spot where I had fought the demon before. This mess was actually my fault. I stopped before a large crater. This was the spot where Iustitia pierced into the earth and destroyed the surrounding grounds. This huge crater was the cause of this huge mess.
I jumped down into the crater and slowly walked down toward the glimmering object. I stopped as I reached the it. It looked old, it's glow dulled through the passage of time. Most of it's body was encased in hard rock. The only part that was not encased in hard rock was a tiny gem like object. It glimmered in the moonlight as I picked it up. Using a small knife, I carved the hard rock away from the gem. As the rocks fell away, the gem revealed itself. It was a big clear crystal of some sort. The crystal was the size of my fist and it was kind of heavy. It must be worth a lot of coins. Crystals can fetch a fair amount of coins. This was perfect, with all the things that's happened to me in the past few nights, this would be a great help for me. I was broke now without the master and his mysterious source of money. I needed something to help me along. This Crystal was definitely the item for the job.
I decided to put it into the cauldron and was about to place it away when suddenly I cut my finger on one of the sharp edges of the crystal. My blood dripped onto the crystal. The moment my blood touched the Crystal it got absorbed into the crystal. I stared at the thing perplexed. How did my blood get absorbed by this crystal? Was there a crack in the Crystal? I held up the crystal and examined it. No, it was perfectly undamaged. Then what happened?
Just as I started to give up, a slight breeze came out from the crystal. I looked down at the thing in astonishment. Was this thing a magic stone? But it did not look like one. Magic stones were Rocks made with the infusion of certain types of elements. They were never made with crystals. Crystals had other uses in magic. Yes, magic can be stored in crystals, but they generally don't last long in crystals. They dissipate much faster than compared to normal magic stones. Of course, if certain spells were to be used on them, magic can stay inside the crystals. Was this one of those kinds of crystals?
The breeze slowly grew stronger and stronger. Soon the breeze became so strong that a whirl wind formed around me. I wanted to throw the crystal away at this point but found my hand stuck to the crystal. "What the Heck?" I yelled. "Damn it, why is everything I touch something magic" I hollered. This was getting out of hand. Yes, I loved magic but I did not want to get involved in too many things all at once. I had enough to deal already.
Suddenly a clear silhouette slipped out from the crystal and joined the whirlwind around me. My eye brows furrowed, what now? The wind around me continued to spin faster and faster until finally it became a raging tornado. Trees started to rip from the ground and rocks and dirt started to spiral into the air. I covered my eyes in disbelief with my free hand. Holy Cow, its happening again. Is this something else or could it be the demon returning back from the dead? I just couldn't deal with this anymore.
I looked up into the tornado and saw the silhouette soaring within the winds. It did not look like a demon. It had four legs and a pair of huge wings. A large spiky tail wiggled behind the large creature as it glided around the tornado. From my point of view, it somehow resembled a large lizard with wings. What could it be? But one thing was for sure, it was not alive. I could feel no life spark coming from it. The creature rolled its eyes and looked directly at me. Then it spiraled around the tornado, gaining speed as it started to rise upwards. Suddenly it burst out from the winds and started descending toward me.
Finally, I could see the creature more clearly. My jaws dropped when I realized what I was seeing. This creature was a dragon. A dead one, but never the less a real dragon. It glided down to the ground and landed right in front of me. I could clearly see right through it. It was a spirit for sure. A dragon spirit that is.
The dragon was dark red in color, its wings were leathery. Dark glistening scales covered its body. I could tell when it was alive this dragon was quite the looker. It was magnificent. Two large horns curved backwards from the dragon's forehead. It starred down at me with its yellow pupils. The dragon snorted, and wind came rushing down at me. I lost balance and fell on my butt.
"Human child what is your name?" the dragon asked. His voice echoing inside the eye of the tornado. The dragon was clearly male. His voice was deep and unlike the demon he sounded just like a young man. If one closed their eyes and listened to the dragon speak, one would never know that it was a dragon speaking.
"I'm... I'm Logan, why are you here?" I asked getting back on my feet. Most people these days know dragons only through myths and legends. They did not exist in the world no more. No real dragon has been seen in the world for over 10, 000 years. They were stuffs of old legends. Older than even the five kingdoms described in the Book of Divine. The Book of Divine did mention them though. It described the dragons as a proud race. They were once one of the Five great races of the world. It was written in the book that the Dragons had all vanished 4000 years before the founding of the five kingdoms. During the time of the dragons, humans along with the other 3 great races lived along with the dragons. But all was not well during those times. War often broke out between the races. But mysteriously they along with the other 3 great races disappeared one day leaving only the humans behind in this world.
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I looked up at the dragon. If this was truly a dragon then it must be over 10, 000 years old. How did its spirit survive this long? Then I remembered a verse in the book. Dragons have a heart made of crystal. If ever a dragon dies, it leaves behind its heart. They do this because they have an ancient ritual that allows them to be reborn again from their hearts. But only few can withstand the passage of time, because not all dragons can survive the years trapped inside their heart. Most vanish through the turning of the ages.
"Young human I am here because you hold in your hands my heart." He said confirming my suspicions.
I looked down at the crystal. This thing was a dragon's heart. I still could not really believe it. I was holding something that was over 10, 000 years old. Then I remembered an old legend about dragon's hearts. In the old times when dragons roamed the world. Mages would often slay dragons just to get at their hearts. When they gained a dragon's heart. They can absorb the dragons magic and make it their own. But not without a price that is. The price often outweighed the magic gained. Of course, I had no idea what the price was because the old legends did not say what it was. It just said the price often out weighed the gain.
"Now that you know what you hold in your hands. What will you do human? Will you take my hearts magic and take it for your own?" he asked his tone blank.
I starred up at the dragon. I did think about it for split second, but the warning made me hesitate. What was the price in taking dragons heart? I decided against it. I had magic of my own. Plus, I already hold in my hands the strongest magic the world has ever seen. The Divine Arts. It really beats any old dragons heart any day.
"I think I'll just return the heart to you." I said holding out the dragon's heart.
The dragon looked down at me with a perplexed expression. "You are one odd human. Why not take my powers? With it you can gain the abilities of flight, breath attacks, your skin will be impenetrable, my magic type would be passed on to you. Your level of magic would grow exponentially. Your body would heal so much faster that no number of wounds can harm you. Your life expectancy would be that of a dragon. One hundred years is just child's play to us. You can live for thousands of years, perhaps even tens of thousands of years. " He explained. "Now that you know the full benefits of absorbing my heart, do you regret your decision?" he asked pointing his claws at me.
I continued to hold out the heart. "I don't want it. This is power that is not mine. I only want power that I gain myself." I said.
The dragon laughed. "I see. If that is what you wish, then so be it. But your blood has already touched my heart. It can not be returned. Even if you don't absorb my hearts powers. My heart has created a link with you already. I can help you with if you like. I can help you create a power that is similar to mine but not mine at the same time." he said.
I eyed the dragon. His eyes were a little shifty as if he was hiding something from me. "What do you mean?" I asked concentrating on the expressions of the dragon.
"I can help you form a wind magic orb within your magic core. That would entirely be yours. " he said not looking me straight in the eyes.
My heart skipped at the suggestion. But I stayed calm. The dragon was hiding something from me. I couldn't trust him just like that. I did really want to form a second magic orb. If I did, I would be able to summon more of the swords of Solomon. That was the requirement for the fourth sword of Solomon. Of course, I had only recently succeeded in summoning the first sword. It was never a bad idea to plan ahead. The swords were clearly a strong power I could use against the organization that was after me.
"What's the catch. You're not trying trick me, are you? " I asked skeptical.
The dragon chuckled bemusedly. "Young human. If you had attempted to absorb my dragons heart. I would have tried everything in my power to stop you. But now that you are willing to not take my dragons heart. I feel a sense of gratitude against you. So, I just whole heartedly want to help you that's all." he said trying to form a grin on his face.
It was not a nice thing to see. A dragon grinning looked so unreal that shivers ran up my spine. I examined the dragon. What was his real motive? Did I have something he wanted?
The dragon sighed at my continued silence. "Alright, I'll come out and say it. You don't trust me." he said.
I gave the dragon a thumbs up "Of course I don't trust you. Would you if someone suddenly comes out and say they would help you create a magic orb without gaining anything else in return?" I said.
The dragon shook his head. "No, I wouldn't either. Okay I'll tell you what I want in return." he said breathing out a fresh batch of wind.
I was nearly knocked off my feet once again. Luckily, I was ready for the wind. I used life magic to artfully dodge the in coming wind. It missed me by mere inches. I looked up at the dragon he was smiling at my dilemma. "Okay what do you want in return?" I asked him not happy with his sudden outbreak of air.
"I need your life magic." he said.
"You need what?" I said perplexed. Did he want to take my life magic away from me? If that's what he wanted, he was not going to get it. I prepared myself for battle.
The dragon held up his front claws and made a cross with them while shaking his head. "No you got the wrong idea. I just need you to put life magic into my Dragons heart. I'm not trying to steal your life magic. I can't even if I wanted to. I'm a spirit you know." he said eyeing me as if I was talking nonsense.
"Why do you want me to do that?" I asked unsure about his weird request. "What was the use of pushing life particles into this dead dragon's heart? It's not like doing so would make you come back to life?" I mumbled to myself. Then the verse from the book and my outburst clicked together like a piece of puzzle finally clicking in place.
The dragon nodded his head, "That is exactly what's going to happen. We dragons like the Pheonixes can be reborn. Of course, we aren't Pheonixes. So, we can't be reborn from our ashes. We can be reborn through restoring life magic back into our hearts. That is why we leave our hearts behind when we die and our spirits to of course." he explained.
"If this is the only case, why aren't any of you still around anymore?" I asked. If all it took was restoring life magic into their hearts. Shouldn't more of them be back from the dead?
The dragon sighed "Of course we should, but life mages and us aren't the best of friends. Well during the time of the great Chaos anyways. We dragons also had some dragons that had life magic once to, but during the great Chaos they too all perished. I'm not sure what happened to the rest of my race, but I was one of the ones to perish during the Great Chaos" he said,
"The great Chaos?" What the heck was that? Was this a part of history that we humans have no records of?
"Never mind that. Will you be willing to help me or not?" he asked.
I took in a deep breath, "I can, but only if you agree to put this into an oath and promise to form a partnership contract with me when you are reborn. Only if you agree to these terms will I help you. I don't want you killing me or betraying me when I go through the trouble of restoring you back to life" I said.
The dragon pondered on the terms. He looked down at me and furrowed his eyes. He walked circles around me and thought intensely. I started getting dizzy just following his movements. Finally, after a whole fifteen minutes of thinking it through, the dragon nodded his head. "I agree to your terms. What type of oath would you like to use. I have many I can suggest" he said grinning down at me.
I looked at the dragon strangely. This fella probably had someway of finding a loop hole to slip out of the contract. I was not going to let this opportunity slip away from me like this. Having a dragon under a partnership contract was a once in a life time opportunity. No one in the world had one, of course that was because this here was the only dragon in the world. But still even if dragons were still around partnership contracts between races were rare.
Partnership contracts allowed two individuals to share their magics with each other. When a contract is established the two sides could decide on who would be the main contract holder and who would be the tenant. The main holder could freely use all of the tenant's magic, while the tenant required permission from the holder to use their shared magic. In some instances, these contracts can even be slave contracts if done properly. Of course, equal contracts also exist, but those where even rarer than normal partnership contracts.
"I think I know what oath to use," I said summoning the book of Divine from the cauldron. I opened the book to the fourth section and flipped through the pages until I found the spell for oath magic. I located the strongest oath magic which was called the 'Lusiurandum est Magicae'. I read through the instructions, making sure that I understood the spell and processes involved. After I thought I had gotten the spell down pat, I started pushing life particles out from my life orb. The life particles flowed up into the air and I grabbed them and reshaped them into chains of runes. Slowly a magic circle started to form from the chains of runes. Within a minute an intricate magic circle surrounded us.
The dragon's eyes bulged. "You.... You... How do you know the "Lusiurandum est Magicae"?!" he shouted in disbelief! "This.... This... How is this possible? This is from the Sacris Fuu. How could you possibly know such an ancient spell? Not even we dragons know the full spell. What is that book?" He screamed attempting to grab the book.
The spell activated just as he reached out with his front claws. Chains appeared out of thin air and started to bind the dragon as his claws stopped just inches from the book of Divine "The spell has been enacted. You either agree to the terms or we both dismiss all of this all together." I said grinning. This was a good opportunity to gain a very helpful underling. With an ancient dragon I can gain knowledge that even the book may not contain. This is definitely the opportunity of a life time.
"Damn it, you tricked me human! This is more than just a magical oath. This is a contract that can bind even my soul." he yelled.
"You are the one that suggested this. What? Were you not going to honor your side of the bargain by slipping in something, so you can cheat me?" I said my grin widening.
"You..." the dragon stuttered, his voice sounding defeated.
I looked up at him. I knew this old thing had something up his claws. Luckily for me I can also be sneaky and cunning. Old thing don't think you can trick me that easily. I laughed inside.
The dragon sighed a breath of defeat. "Alright, I admit defeat. Let's sign this thing and get on with life." he said.
"Okay let's do this" I said activating the rune in the middle of the circle. The spell glowed bright white and suddenly I felt my soul being pulled out from my body. We drifted upwards toward the sky. Soon we arrived at a gate. The gate opened, and a giant pair of eyes greeted us.