Chapter 4; Arthur; Hemhir 32nd, 329SR; 6:45

With the tips of his fingers, he rubbed Reiu’s smooth silver scales. The tiny dragon bit Arthur's hand but didn't lock its jaw. He continued to scratch the bottom of its chin, but he felt its blue teeth lightly prick his skin. Arthur stopped petting, the dragon released its jaw, and then he proceeded. Its horns and teeth were also made of a blue crystal with a bright blue glow deep within. The small white dragon wasn't nearly as mighty as the black dragon, Balakin. However, Arthur didn't mind. He was reading an encyclopedia, and the small dragon Reiu curiously scanned the pages on its own. There was a sketch of a sword on the page, as well as a metal golem. The figure was very blocky, and it had a barred hatch in its stomach where books were being stored.

… when compared to Hirian gifts, they display extremely fascinating differences. Hirian gifts are much more distributed across their population, a staggering forty five percent of all Hirians possess Celestial gifts. This is with a population at least ten times the size of Helios. One might assume this makes Hirian gifts inherently better, but the higher number results in a lack of variance when it comes to form and capability. The gifts of the angels are much more variable in this regard.

While gifts have been categorized by their distinct forms: tools, powers, spirits. They should not be defined by them, there still remains the chance of overlapping or multitudes of abilities. For example: Mistress Fost’s Cleric Golem, a gift bestowed in 134 SR, at Vrarus, capital city of Vrankria. The spirit with an aptitude for electrical work, is a special gift belonging to members of House Fost, a small bipedal golem made of metal, capable of discharging a barrier over a perimeter, also possesses a storage unit built into its torso, which users have used to store important tools. This gift alone already displays a much more advanced level compared to anything seen from the Hirian peoples.

The most advanced gift by comparison that we are aware of, would belong to the natives of Dorad. Their gifts, the teeth of the Celestial beast Ginpa, are only bestowed upon women of the clan. The tooth of Ginpa is already an unbreakable sword, with the power to create spatial rifts in thin air. On top of this, their arms and face will appear to have blue scars that are easily mistaken for tattoos. However, these symbols always appear on the right side of their body, and when they glow, imbue the user with a strength unlike anything else. Their muscular strength increases over tenfold while retaining size and shape, they only need to hold the sword for this power to activate.

Arthur nuzzled the dragon. ‘Vrankria? I’ve never heard of that place…’A knock echoed from down the stairs of the tower, the sound pulled Arthur out of his book. ‘What the? Visitors this early, please don’t tell me it’s Angela…’

"Arthur, who is that?" Shinra yelled from somewhere up the tower.

"Hold on," Arthur shook his head as he shifted off of the sofa and continued to pay attention to the book. “I haven’t even had time to get to the door and he’s asking me who it is…”

Shinra was at the upper floors of the tower, the sounds of his footsteps hastened as he got changed. Arthur yawned, he was annoyed with the sudden end of his relaxation. He took a sip of coffee he made, the bitter taste dancing across his tongue and giving him a slight kick. He set the glass down as he stretched his arms and took a deep breath. The knock came on the door again, a bit faster this time. The orange light from the rising sun washed over the two cups of coffee, casting two long shadows over the wooden table. Arthur set the book down and rubbed his eyes. He walked out of the living room, and entered the tower stairwell. The knock came again.

"I’m on the way…" Arthur groaned with an annoyed voice.

Arthur sighed as he took hold of the handle, and opened the door, only to find two royal guards, and Lawrence Lightbringer on the other side. ‘Huh…’ His golden blonde hair was tied back into a ponytail, but it was a little unkempt. He wore a black and white mantle over his white shirt, it covered half of the Lightbringers emblem on his chest. He looked down at Arthur with lazy eyes, then took a deep breath. The guards behind him wore the infamous gold masks with two oval shaped holes for eyes

“Hey…” Arthur greeted them with a look of confusion.

“Arthur,” Lawrence nodded, his eyes glanced over to the right, toward the stairwell. “Where is your father…”

“He’s… Getting dressed? I know, I know… Must be rather late for him to be getting dressed…” Arthur laughed.

Lawrence’s expression didn’t even move, Arthur gulped as he smiled awkwardly. ‘He’s only a year or two older than me… But even when he was a kid he walked around acting like an adult… Well, it's better than his siblings though… Those two are genuinely awful…’

“Uh… How’s Leanne and Laris?” Arthur continued trying to make small talk.

“House Pendragon has received direct orders from the king, please see to it that Shinra gets this letter,” said Lawrence.

Lawrence opened his palm, and one of the guards handed him a beige envelope. A yellow wax sealed it, shaped like the Lightbringer’s symbol. A double helix sword, with an eye at the cross between the blade and the guard. Lawrence handed him the letter, and then turned around. The guards with golden masks followed him. Arthur reared his head back. ‘Couldn’t you just… Drop it in the mailbox or something?’ Arthur closed the door behind him, then jogged up the steps of the tower. He walked back into the living room, and picked up his coffee. A few creeks came from his fathers room higher in the tower, a door closed, followed by the growing sound of steps down the stairs.

“Who was at the door?” Shinra walked in quickly with an undone collar, and his uniform hanging over his shoulder.

“Lawrence Lightbringer… And two guards…” said Arthur.

Shinra lifted the coffee Arthur had made him, and was about to take a sip, but upon hearing that, he stopped. Arthur placed the beige envelope on the table, the light from outside reflected off gold sparkles in the wax. Shinra set the coffee down, its shadow casted over one half of the eye on the symbol. He slowly picked under the wax, and peeled it off. He scanned the letter quickly, his eyes darting back and forth as he read. Arthur noticed his eyes stop, he was about to speak up, before his fathers eyes started moving again, this time much slower.

“They told me to give you this letter, he said it's something about an assignment for House Pendragon, it's coming straight from the king,” Arthur explained, a hint of curiosity in his voice.

“Yes… They want me to assist in Welis, chemical weaponry was deployed on the rises north of the jungles… By the Celestial, there are villages there… Who would do such a thing…” his father sounded short of breath.

"You're being called to serve in a civil conflict?" Arthur asked with a concerned tone.

"It… It seems so…" Shinra answered slowly. “I'll be leaving for Hiria… Tonight…"

"Tonight? So soon?" Arthur asked. "For how long?"

Shinra stared at the letter with wide eyes.

"Who's going to run the hospital while you're away?" Arthur shook his head, ‘This is ridiculous?!’

"The lieutenants of House Pendragon will also be joining me… This seems very serious…" said Shinra.

Shinra closed the letter and passed Arthur, he hurried up the stairs quickly. Arthur looked down at the ground, it was a lot to suddenly take in. He turned and followed his father.

"But, hold on," Arthur stuttered as he ran up the steps.

He turned into his father's home office, his eyes drawing to the bright red rug in the middle. The room was the same size as the others, but felt larger due to the tidiness of the space. In the left corner was a table and shelf with an assortment of glass containers and flasks, the only part Arthur recognized was the pestle and mortar. Along the wall were paintings or posters with medical information on it. On the right side of the room was a fireplace with two sofas and a table set up in front of it, with bookshelves and cabinets to either side. Arthur watched as Shinra stacked up some documents, and then left them inside of a table drawer on the other side of the room. The vase on the table shook as he slammed it quickly.

"Will the hospital be fine without you?" Arthur asked.

Shinra took a deep breath as he leaned over the table. "I want you to look after the hospital while I am away, Arthur."

"Huh…"

Arthur shook his head back at the sudden decision, he squinted as he felt a strange tension in the air.

"M- Me? Are… You sure- I mean, I remember everything you told me, and I think I can do it… But…"

"Good, I've trained the practitioners there to operate with or without me, so they'll assist you if necessary…"

Arthur blinked repeatedly, he had never been so confused before. Shinra was in a hurry, quickly pacing back and forth through the room. He shoved papers into drawers, and others into files.

"Don't trust just your own judgement, get second opinions, consult experts, never assume the answers, ask for help if you need it," Shinra dropped a page, he quickly crouched for it, struggling to get a grip under the page on the floor. "And, and…"

"Slow down…" said Arthur.

Shinra looked up at Arthur, his expression was hard to read. He looked concerned, afraid, and stressed all at the same time.

"If you leave, what about that kid? He doesn't really respond to anyone but you…" Arthur asked.

"The boy… The boy from…" Shinra paused as his hands lowered, he took another deep breath. "It’s fine, I've taken care of that."

Stolen novel; please report.

"What? You found his parents?" Arthur asked with a concerned tone.

Shinra stared at Arthur for a moment. Arthur tilted his head once more at his fathers uncanny behavior.

"Don’t worry, the boy… His parents-" Shinra stuttered. “His parents showed up. You don’t need to worry about him…”

Arthur turned as he held his head, his thoughts were racing. He noticed the white book on the table and froze. ‘Huh… Wasn’t that…’ Shinra walked toward the table in the corner of his office, grabbed the white book and placed it in the drawer. Crackles from the fireplace came to a sudden stop as a strong wind whistled through the cracks in the window.

“Arthur, go get dressed… I don’t have much time today, and I have much to show you before I go… Get dressed, now!” Shinra ordered in a strict tone.

Arthur stepped back, a little intimidated by how serious his father sounded. He quickly hurried out of the room, up the stairs, and then into his room. He looked left at the bookshelf on the left side of his room, and then toward the closet on the right. Arthur quickly grabbed his white dress shirt and black pants, then made his way over to his bed and set it down.

"Why is he so stressed…" Arthur asked himself.

‘The title of that white book… I’ve read that before… The Legend of Ragnarok… But… That one seems different from the one I read…’

***

Arthur held his forehead as he tried to think back on the things his father told him. "What more do we need…" He asked himself for the fourth time. The head office of the hospital was lit by a single lamp next to the desk. Arthur gazed out the window, seeing other angels his age training, then looked forward at the two chairs in front of his desk. His eyes slowly drifted, but he shook his head back. He looked at the calendar, it had been fourteen days since his father left.

"Ah!" Arthur slapped his head with both hands. "Focus!"

'What more do we need… Everything should be covered, but… I hope I'm not forgetting something…' Arthur pondered, but feeling the breeze from outside sent a lonesome chill down his back. 'Ah! It's so hard to-' The sound of a horn echoed from outside. 'Huh…'

"Arthur, Arthur!" a woman shouted from down the hall.

"Yeah, I heard it, Yuria!" Arthur felt a wave of relief come over him.

'Father has returned!' Arthur stood up and walked out of his office. He made his way through the hall, turned into the stairwell and ran down all the way down. He turned right as he got to the first floor, then ran straight out of the building. The wind soared past his ears as he ran, the orange sky slowly becoming a gloomy blue as the night approached. Arthur crossed the plaza in front of the hospital, and walked up the stairs onto the overpass. He followed it until he reached the road to the port, then turned and followed it straight to the north side of inner Helios. As he got closer and closer, the road started to angle downward, and he got a better view of the sea past the tops of the buildings. The boat had already docked. Arthur started to run as he heard the cheers of people. He reached the docks and finally broke the focused silence of his thoughts. ‘Huh…’ It was only two weeks, but it felt like a lifetime had passed. The ramp of the boat dropped, sailors threw rope down as the anchor splashed into the water.

The first to step off the boat was Leia, she didn't look at the citizens cheering and clapping for her. Oliver followed her, his expression seemed calm, but the intense look in his eyes said otherwise. Ako was about to walk down, but suddenly held the railing of the ship. She seemed to curl up, holding her own face with her other hand. 'What happened?' Arthur asked himself as he expected to see his father next. There was a podium built on the docks. It was made of a dark brown wood, similar to the hull of the ships.

The hospital staff hurried to greet them, however Leia shook her head. The hospital staff stopped, they looked to one another with concern. Leia's vivid red eyes widened as she saw Arthur, she looked down quickly. 'Huh…' A platoon of injured angels slowly made their way down the ramp. Arthur slowly walked forward, 'Where is father? Maybe… Leia should know… Right?'

Oliver still looked bothered, his expression was filled with negativity. As he saw Arthur approach, that look softened into one much more remorseful. Oliver nudged Ako, causing her to turn as well. Her eyes widened, her expression terrified. Leia quickly walked past the hospital staff and hurried toward Arthur.

"Arthur…" Leia let out a deep breath.

"Leia… Leia, where is my father…" Arthur asked hesitantly.

Leia's expression overflowed with pain, she suddenly walked forward and wrapped her arms around Arthur. ‘Where…’ She held him tightly, then he heard a sniffle. Her unsteady breath and the whimpers in her tone made his hope slowly shatter. A pair of footsteps on the wooden podium broke the silence. Arthur immediately turned away from Leia and looked up as he saw Lucifer Lightbringer.

The blonde king in white robes looked down at Arthur, he seemed calm. His hair was long and straight, on his back was a white mantle. 'Lord… Lightbringer…' Arthur gulped. He adjusted the mantle, covering the golden shawl under it a bit more. He took the crown off and set it down on the podium. Behind him, two angels with gold masks held a black spear. The spear of Balakin. The king closed his eyes, and then looked forward confidently to the crowd.

"Shinra Pendragon has died in combat, killed off the coast of Welis," Lucifer stated.

'Huh…' The white robes flapped in the wind, but Arthur couldn't hear it. A wave of water smashed into the port, a thin wall of water rose over the crowd, the beads of water rained over the ground. Lucifer's yellow eyes were locked on Arthur’s. The crowd of angels gathered at the port mostly silent, some of them gasping at the revelation.

"A noble… Has died?" Someone in the crowd broke the silence.

"I'm afraid this news has been difficult to tackle… For all of us," Lord Lightbringer gulped as he took a deep breath. "Shinra was a good friend of mine, and a mentor. I have known him since I was a boy. Please, allow me the honor of saying the final words of one of my most dearest friends."

Arthur still looked at the boat. For some reason, he still felt like there was a chance his father would step down that ramp. 'It can't be…' Lucifer Lightbringer held up a white sheet of paper.

"If you are reading this, I, Shinra Pendragon, have passed away," Lucifer read the first line.

Arthur’s heart started to pound, his thoughts raced back and forth rapidly. 'How… Why… What happened… Father is… Dead?' Arthur took sharp breaths, Leia grimaced as she watched him. He didn't notice the strength in his legs fade, his knees slammed onto the grey stone of the port. Some of the hospital staff nearby noticed Arthur, their concern written over their faces. Lucifer looked up as he noticed Arthur fall, but his gaze returned to the page and he continued to read.

"As one of the forefathers of Helios and the hybrid alliance, I often tackled with my thoughts about life's finiteness. Especially my own. House Pendragon's generations of effort have ended the ravenous plagues of diseases, reversed seemingly irreversible injuries, and expanded the lives of angels, prolonging our undying servitude to our great Celestial," Lucifer read aloud.

Arthur twitched slightly.

"But, I knew, one day it'd be my time to pass on the torch. I anticipated my end would come, which is why I trained the great and helpful staff within House Pendragon, to reach medical expertise like mine," Lucifer spoke slowly, taking long pauses between sentences.

'Huh…’ Arthur twitched slightly once again.

"And this is especially true for my beloved son. Arthur Pendragon, whom I want to take my place, as Noble of House Pendragon."

Lucifer closed the letter, he pursed his lips and looked down for a moment. The only sound came from the movement of the waves. The sky was grey, Arthur looked down to the stone port and only saw more. Leia approached Arthur hesitantly. ‘That didn’t sound like my father…’

"Arthur…" Leia approached.

Arthur looked up at Leia, his expression didn't change.

"Leia… What happened… Who… Why…" Arthur croaked as his throat tightened.

Leia covered her mouth as she struggled to contain her tears. She walked forward quickly and crouched to Arthur, pulling him into her chest and tightly hugging him. She exhaled sharply, Arthur felt her teardrops against the top of his head.

"Arthur, I am so sorry," Leia sobbed.

Arthur felt a teardrop roll down his eye. It rolled down his nose, and dropped onto the silver amulet hanging from his neck.

"Arthur, please come forward," Lucifer called.

Arthur looked up to the podium, before separating from Leia, he wiped the one tear that fell from his eye. Leia looked up at him on her knees. She turned to Lucifer and then back to Arthur, her concern was embedded into her eyes. Arthur took a deep breath, the crowd watched him. He stepped forward, and to his surprise, it felt like just that. Another step forward, just like all the others.

'Why did my father have to die…' Lucifer's mouth hung open slightly as he noticed Arthur's expression. 'Why did you order him to go…' He looked away from Lucifer and walked to the right of the stand. 'Why… Why-' Arthur stopped in front of the king of the angels, he looked up at him with wide eyes. Lucifer looked away briefly, cleared his throat, and then turned to the noble of House Lightbringer by his side, Arid.

"As the new noble of House Pendragon, the ancient gift, blessed upon the first noble of House Pendragon, Siba, who led the pursuit of knowledge in Ymir's time, is rightfully yours," Lucifer explained with his back turned.

The king turned back to Arthur. The black spear rested under a loose white cloth, held by Lucifer. Arthur got down on one knee, lowered his head, and raised his open palms to his lord. Arthur closed his eyes. The cloth unraveled, falling gently by the king's feet. 'Father only ever helped people…' The black spear entered Arthur's grasp, the moment it did, the weapon started to shake.

"Rgh!" Arthur grit his teeth as the spear shook violently in his hand.

Lucifer took a step back. The tip of the spear lifted upward toward the sky. A red light flashed from the ground, and a long snake-like dragon materialized through it. Arthur grit his teeth, he pulled the spear down and grasped it with his other hand. The dragon's twisting body continued to coil upward. The black dragon spread its wings and arms, letting out a painfully loud roar. Arthur's eyes widened as a red light glowed from behind its razor sharp teeth.

"Hrah!" the dragon let out a vicious roar.

"Arthur! Calm the beast, what are you doing!" Arid scolded.

Arthur continued to stare at its red eyes. ‘Balakin…’ The dragon's red eyes quivered. He could feel part of the dragon's rage. It hissed at the crowd, flying upward and then roaring once more toward the podium. 'He’s grieving…' Balakin let out another vicious roar, before spreading its jaws open wide. A ball of red energy collected, and darkened around the edges. The orb spiraled in the dragon's maw, growing in size by the second, and waiting to be released.

"Everyone! Clear the port! Get as far away as you can!" Arid shouted.

"Reiu…" Arthur chanted, his voice wasn’t loud enough for anyone to hear.

Arid and Lucifer squinted at Arthur as they witnessed his pendant come to life. Balakin reared his head back to fire. ‘Barrier…’ Arthur raised his palm, the silver dragon’s blue eyes flashed, and a pearlescent orb formed around Balakin and trapped him inside. The dragon released the blast, only to take the brunt of the explosion point blank. The orb filled with smoke as the black scales pressed against the surface. The crowd shielded their eyes when the red and white light lit the port. Arthur released the barrier, and Balakin fell from the sky, smoldering from the heat of its own breath.

Balakin crashed into the stone port, a quake from the impact knocked citizens off their feet. Dust rose from where he fell, Arthur walked through it with eyes devoid of emotion. Balakin opened its eyes, it grit its teeth at Arthur, it almost looked like it was grinning. The dragon flipped its head over, and lowered his head to Arthur's level, the heat from its maw drew sweat from his skin. Arthur didn't look away from its eyes, several veins bulging around its pupil. The dragon snorted, the humid air knocked Arthur's hair back, but he remained steadfast as he tightened his grip on the spear.

"Grah!" Balakin roared right in front of Arthur.

Arthur stood still, barely being phased by the ear popping roar. “You can’t take the fact he’s gone either… That makes two of us…”

The dragon closed its maw as Arthur spoke to it, it slowly approached. The dragon sniffed the silver pendant, and its eyes widened. The dragon lowered its head and looked up at Arthur, gazing at him for several seconds. The angels that ran all stopped to turn, they looked up in awe as Arthur stepped onto the dragon's head. Balakin rose up into the air, Lucifer squinted as he watched. Arthur peered down at the crowd of angels. He tightened his grip on the polearm, then lifted it into the air.

“The…” Lucifer uttered in shock. “The new noble of House Pendragon!”

The people whispered in shock amongst themselves. He listened to them as Balakin slowly turned, peering down at the king. The black dragon let out a low grumble as it gazed down at the king. Oliver, Ako, and Leia looked up in awe, but no one clapped or cheered. The black dragon lowered its head to the ground, then disappeared as Arthur stepped off and onto the stage. He looked up at the sky, and watched as the sun set. ‘It’s not fair…’