Crawling away limping, Slyr reaches the mountain's base and begins to climb over it. The dragon had continued to keep itself smaller to avoid being seen. The injuries sustained by Caleb left him crippled and unable to fly. As it reached the edge, it turned over its head to stare at the young boy who was being helped by his female companion; Slyr could feel a slight trace of Caleb moving away from him.

The contract between them allowed him to know the direction in which his partner was located. With a heavy sigh, the giant dragon slithered over the lifeless mountains and into the cavern he had dug when he arrived at these mountains. The damp and dark space felt snug and safe from the outside world. Slyr's final moments before entering hibernation were fond memories of Cassandra, the girl he helped raise for many years.

As the eyes closed, a soft grin appeared and twitched his lips. Muttering only a few words before slipping into deep sleep...

"He has your beautiful eyes, Cass..."

*

"Caleb! Oh, thank God you are safe. When you fell, I feared the worst!" Lukia gently hugged my head. Her warmth enveloped me in its cradle. I could still hardly move most of my body.

"Good to see you are well..." Each word was raspy and devoid of any energy.

As she turned to see my face, her eyes widened at the sudden sight of the curse had consumed a large portion of my body. "We need to get you to the temple now. Come on, I hitched the horse not far." Offering me her shoulder, she picks me up and carries me without issue. Dragging my feet behind me, I held onto her tightly. "Did you see what happened to Slyr? I didn't see a trace of him after you both fell down."

It had slowly turned dark in the sky before I knew it. Sense of time was lost and I figured the day was still going. Lukia huffed with each step till we reached the horse she had posted for the both of us.

"Slyr ran away after he recovered. He won't be bothering us or this mountain again."

Her eyes glanced toward the field before responding. "Did you fight him off? I heard the lightning as I was making my way down. I thought I was going to be too late."

Lying through my teeth, I simply said yes and didn't speak further. Lukia understood my reluctant behavior. She knew something wasn't right, yet she trusted me implicitly. After helping me up onto the saddle, she sat behind me and galloped the horse up the path. The flames from Slyr had eventually withered away, opening the path toward the final stretch of the mountain.

During the ride, I mulled over the information that I was told. Lukia tried her best not to pry, stopping herself every time she attempted to speak. I held onto her hands, wrapping my fingers around them to keep myself composed. Even if I had my assumptions about my mother and her bloodline, it wasn't easy knowing that I am a close descendant of the Demon King Raiden.

If anyone found out about that connection, I wouldn't have to worry about the Empire or the Church hunting me down; I could have the entire continent or more decide to come after me. Regardless of if I am a human, it wouldn't prevent disaster and certainly would cause a bigger conflict than what my father is facing.

Find this and other great novels on the author's preferred platform. Support original creators!

The implications were...terrifying.

"Hey, you've stopped shaking. Have you calmed down?" Lukia gently spoke into my ear. I gripped her hand tightly and nodded.

Moving at a slight jog in the dead of night, we approach a landmark carved into the mountain. Underneath it was a freshly scrapped message reading, "We will wait for you."

"Is this Gale's handwriting?" I said after seeing the awful penmanship. Lukia giggled and followed the path downwards into a slight incline that leveled out into a straight path.

"Hey! We're over here!" Yann shouts in the distance. The dark silhouettes of our companions and their mounts slowly came into view. Ivian smacked the back of Yann's head.

"Dumbass! What if you alerted the dragon here with your obsessive yelling?!"

"Do you hear anything other than the bugs?"

"No?"

"Then it should-"

"Alright, that's enough! Get everything ready; we leave immediately." Gale steps in with a hurried breath.

"Slyr is no longer a threat." Lukia stops the horse and gets off first.

"Did you two take it down?" Herk approached with water in his hand. Lukia swipes the canteen and drinks it for a few moments before helping me down.

"It ran away. Caleb says it fled out of the mountains. I think he is right."

Hearing the sudden news of the current situation, a heavy wave of stress was removed from everyone, Gale especially. Herk crafted a quick torch and lit it on fire. Illuminating the surrounding area, they looked around for any threats and then began to set up camp.

"Caleb's curse has worsened, Herk, if you can help him, please do it as soon as you can." Lukia took my hand and guided me to sit on a rock. Herk nodded in response and gave the torch to Ivian, who took after him. Coordinated, everyone did a proper sweep of the area before finishing camp.

The restorative healing given by Herk eased some of the tension and thoughts racking inside me. Gale turned and looked at me briefly before returning to his current task.

"Is that Caleb's mount? I thought it ran away." Lukia commented. Herk turned his head and nodded.

"I assumed that after the fight, it returned and followed the path until it met us. Lucky it did." Herk finished the rest of his incantations, which slightly reduced some of the curse. My body was still tingling and numb in most areas.

"Thanks again, Herk." I said meekly.

"Don't mention it, buddy. We wanted to return to help, but the fire would have spread to us if we didn't get out of there when we did. Gale was especially torn about it all.

"Gale is a good man." Lukia speaks without hesitation. I nodded in agreement. My strength was still frail, I tried to avoid talking or using much of my energy.

"Get some rest; it shouldn't be no more than four days until we leave these mountains and reach Barou." Herk stands up and motions everyone to return to the group.

"Now that this storm has passed us, we can sleep in peace for once." Ivian let out a yawn.

Yann approached the rest of the group and spoke after Ivian. "We should let the guild know once we reach Barou the reason so many adventurers had disappeared in these mountains. Let their families know."

"I agree." Gale says with a low tone. Something is off with him. I noticed it after we made it to the mountains and now.

"Gale, are you alright?" I said in the middle of the discussion. Everyone looks to their leader. A soft sweat dripped from their foreheads. Lukia begins to read the situation and looks to Gale.

"Is there something you like to say?" Lukia asked him directly.

"I... It isn't important right now." Avoiding the question, Gale turns away from the group. Everyone continues to look at him. The entire party began to show signs of discomfort all of a sudden. I reached for my sword but stopped midway. Gale noticed my defensive nature and placed his hand on his sword while facing me.

Lukia reacts to the hostile demeanor and stands between me and him with her hand on her sword. No one drew their weapons, but the tension was intense. "Gale! What the hell are you doing?"

Hesitant, Gale eases slightly but keeps a hand on his hilt. His eyes become serious, and he stares at mine. "Caleb... Is it true that you can use Demon magic..?"

His question left me stunned. With the sudden muttering of his words, Herk, Ivian, and Yann all stand to face me in a similar fashion. Lukia looks at the rest of them, her mouth wide open in shock. I sit there against the four piercing eyes of my fellow companions, awaiting my response...