"End you!? What does that mean?"

"If worse comes to worse, you will save this world, but from me."

"I, I don't understand. Why? What's going to happen anyway?"

Gram, whose thoughts are bursting out the scene, truly is puzzled.

What does he mean? Why would he want that kind of ending for him? No one truly knows. This is not the time for asking anyway.

"I know you tried your best, I did too, but this is just too great of a hurdle to continue on like this."

Fafnir turns around, slowly walking in his general direction, fists clenches, calm and collected.

Gram's legs instinctively move, but he halts himself before he could attempt to reach out to him. Why? There's nothing stopping him from that. He could still convince him to fight, thinking that deep inside, there's a way to combat this with the two of them, but nothing comes to mind...

As Fafnir walks, his speaks to himself in a low audible tone. A stern one to say the least, as if chiding a crying child.

"I know who I am, rather, what I am. My past still remains a mystery, and maybe it will remain one for all eternity. You, the dormant beast that resides within me, show yourself. I know that you slumber from inside me, for we are one in the same. You've known that for a long time, but I didn't."

... Now, show yourself, and awaken so that we may be as one just as the past wanted.

A flux of flames emerges from Fafnir, enveloping him in a captivating blue array of flames that are reminiscent of an aurora in the night snowy sky.

Gram could do nothing but watch in awe as the awakening takes place.

The purple sky is overshadowed by Fafnir's majestic blue flames, replacing the very world with his own power.

Even before the odd against him, he continues walking towards the edge of the floating stone island, ignoring the ball of energy that is nearly the size of a planet above them.

Uriel looks down, anxiety begins to well up from inside him, as if an omen to something.

He sees Fafnir walking towards the edge, perplexed and confused, he continues strengthening the ball of power that he wields, putting his worries behind him for now.

Meanwhile, Gram on the other hand speaks to his blade, convening.

-Do you know what Fafnir intends to do?

-Nothing comes to mind. I don't think he has any more power stored inside him, but he looks as if though he has a plan. We can do nothing, so the best thing to do is depend on him, whatever he will attempt.

-I will trust your words, friend.

Begrudgingly accepting that he can do nothing, Gram still resolves to put his guard up, preparing to help his ally if the opportunity ever arises.

... I am the son of Arakthur, the first dragon of existence. I am the true Fafnir, and now I shall take the reins. You have done as much as I could have ever hoped for, but now you can rest. Leave everything else to me for now, and slumber for as long as you can.

The realm begins to quake, an earth shattering roar could be heard, its strength beats and etches itself unto your very souls.

As Fafnir reaches the edge, he closes his eyes, leaping off into the void of nothingness.

Gram moves reflexively, running to the same edge where Fafnir leaped off of.

Once he reaches the edge, he is greeted by an ascending scaly back emerges, flying up from the same place where Fafnir stood, a tremor of beating wings follows, a very myth from the books.

Golden scaled, blue eyed, and gargantuan, that is what faces Gram as he sits on the ground comprehending what had just happened as he stares at the flying figure front of him.

Unable to speak, unable to move, he is petrified by shock and awe as the wind from its wings beat towards him.

Roaring defiantly, the dragon faces the sphere in front of it.

As it opens its mouth, a purple, vivid stream can be seen flowing towards the dragon's mouth.

With that, the sphere grows smaller faster than it could grow larger.

Uriel holds his surprise to a minimum, not at all fazed by the sudden transformation that had occurred before him.

"So you've finally come to your senses? Good, I've been waiting patiently for this. The time for reckoning has come."

Uriel retreats, severing his ties with the sphere as it all goes towards the dragon.

In the blink of an eye, the dragon shrouds itself in flames of blue, jetting towards Uriel, slamming onto him in every angle, relentlessly flying, dominating the skies, as the daemon is unable to do anything.

The dragon grabs Uriel with its lengthy tail, whipping him to the ground where the spire stands.

The daemon lord, seeing that he will be impaled, warps time with his words, blinking side to side until he warps himself behind the dragon.

Thinking that he had the upper hand by having the dragon lose sight of him, he channels forth a wave of energy as he extends his hands.

With a fluid and agile movement, the dragon barrels to the sky in an arc, circling towards Uriel, who cancels his spell only to defend himself as the dragon lets loose a fierce blue ball of flame from its mouth, squarely hitting Uriel dead center.

As smoke forms and dissipates, it shows that the daemon had survived, fanning the smoke away.

"Dragons are truly feared in the skies. It is a disappointment that you're the very last of them."

Uriel reaches his hand out to the air, manipulating the darkness that surrounds the void, thus creating a massive greatsword out of thin air.

He practices, cleaving at nothing, making only sounds of the air being cut.

"Come, I shall test your might just as I have promised."

The both move at the same time, the dragon using his claws as blades to attack and counter Uriel's.

The dazzling sight of power keeps Gram's eyes glued, unable to tear away his sight from it, except a two voices, one being familiar.

"Gram! Over here!"

Doing as he is told, he turns around, much to his surprise, he is greeted by his friend, Luke, and his so called father beside him, emerging from the door that they first came from.

Both have worn out looks and tattered armor, but they seem too lively to be even dead as Gram considers that they may be ghosts that have come from the afterlife.

"What is that in the air?"

Samael asks, shifting his head left to right, looking for someone specifically.

Unable to answer right away as he cannot find the right words to even begin with, Gram casts his eyes down, then everywhere else, avoiding their gazes as he tries to find the right thing to say.

The two, amazed by the marvel that battles in the air, one being a divine being, more commonly called a dragon, and one is warrior clad in dark armor, wielding a sword that looks to be made from the very depths of a dark pit.

"This is quite the spectacle. What has happened here?"

Samael continues his questioning as Luke's eyes are captivated by the display of power before him.

Samael, keeps his voice to a minimum as the clashing of blades and booming sound of explosions block out his voice.

Explaining at his own pace, stuttering and struggling to find the words to say, Gram manages to convey enough for Samael to understand the gist of the situation

"So it has finally come to this, eh? Uriel did not plan for this, that much I am sure of. But for this to happen, and now?"

Samael goes dead silent, his head is cast down, clenching his fists in clear aggravation.

"I have failed him. Even though I promised that I wouldn't let this come, I was careless."

"What are you hiding, Samael? Please tell me. something feels lacking, but I can't tell what."

Gram asks as this empty feeling, a void of some sort fills his mind, making space for a piece of the puzzle that is not on the board, but can be given to him.

"... A curse. His existence is a curse."

"What do you mean?"

"Only the Gods know of this, and of course, his foster father, the very one who tried to prevent the curse from being lifted, opposite to what Uriel and the daemon's wanted. Born to this world only to be made a vessel, discarded and forgotten in the end. That is his fate."

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

The battle ensues as they speak, the massive tremors and magnitudes that their attacks cause nearly breaks the very plane of hell, shaking its boundaries.

"Soon, that power will become mine. Only then will the heavens know true fear."

Uriel cleaves and defends, dueling the great epic that floats before him, spewing flames and clawing at the air as to cut it to shreds.

"What moved you to awaken? The fear? The maddening desperation? Or is it, because you've realized your purpose as a mortal?"

"Silence! I will not allow a mockery to be made to my vessel! This is not between the two of you anymore, but against us, the ones that will tip the scales of balance."

The dragon speaks linguistically, its loud and omnipotent voice shattering the sky. 

... There once was one boy that lived unknowingly toyed by fate as he went on with his life. He did not know that his future was already created, and the only thing left for him to do, was to walk the very path dictated to him. 

... And that he did. But before that, he was given a gift, a friend. He forgot all about him in his sleep, but that was for the best. His friend thought to himself. "It is not yet the time for me, but soon, we shall meet again, my friend."

... And so the story moved as the pages turned. He went on to become a legend, only to become mortal as the end drew near. For what was the purpose he lived? he often asked himself as he grew.

"He lived a lie. It was a pity he was even born. Dying would have been a Godsend to him. If only he knew, but it was too late for that now."

"... I, I didn't know. And I thought I did."

"No one can blame you for that now. There's no reason to. It's all up to him to finish all this now. There's no turning back, his fate is sealed the moment he awakened."

"Is there anything we can do to help him? There has to be a way, right?"

"... There's nothing. I wish there was, but to this world, even fate does not favor divine beings."

"But, aren't you a daemon? shouldn't you be supporting Uriel's cause?"

"I had promised a friend that I would protect him. I had doubts, that much I was sure of. Heck, I even thought of betraying him at one point, giving him away to Uriel instead, just to save me the trouble. But he grew on me, it seems that he gave me the humanity I never deserved."

The dragon roars, forcing the warrior back as he flies towards him with a blazing rage in its eyes. 

In a waltz of flames, a decadence of blades, the two once again collides.

Though both are covered in scars and wounds that would be enough to make one drop dead, they continue, desperate to end the curse, desperate to end the torment, each with his own desire to fulfill.

Soon, they stop opposite of each other, breathing raggedly, but their stares remain. 

Gram prepares his sword, gripping the hilt as tightly as he could, channeling all of his remaining strength to it, supporting the dragon.

Luke and Samael do the same, conjuring a powerful gleam on their hands, ready to bring about devastation, to end this farce once and for all, this might be their final chance.

Forcing its limits, the dragon moves as fast as it can, surprising the three below, barreling through the air towards Uriel in a worn-out, ragged fashion that would have a high chance of missing with even the slightest of mistakes.

Unable to anticipate this, the daemon lord moves later than he wanted, the dragon's tail grabs hold of him.

Uriel almost breaks free as he struggles with his arms, taking advantage of the weakness in the dragon's tail.

The dragon's eyes shine brighter than any star in the night sky, giving him strength to pull through with his goal.

Finally, the dragon grasps the daemon's body with its own, they shadow each other, the dragon being the one at the back, holding Uriel in place using its arms.

 It roars out from the top of its lungs, "Gram! End this, now! Impale your sword through Uriel!"

The words come clear as day, but to Gram, it comes a surprise just waiting to happen, and that it did.

"Move then! You'll be impaled along with him."

As the two converses from a distance, Uriel moves, urging his body the break free, "You don't have the will to see that task through, mortal. And do you think that this is the end for me? I won't let this be the last. 

"There's no time! Hurry! This is what your brother wants, what the world desires."

The dragon bellows, its arms begins showing a tremble in it, almost letting the daemon loose.

Uriel grunts and heaves as it continues to burst free from his prison.

"I can't do it. I'm sorry, but I won't do it. I can't kill you, you might be my brother."

"It won't matter if the world is gone by tomorrow! Only your sword is capable of banishing Uriel, now stop hesitating, and finish it!"

With a pause before his final words, the dragon inhales, screaming its heart out.

Gram casts his eyes down, clasping his sword's hilt with his two shaking hands, all his companions can do is look in silence, as they have no say in this any longer.

Gram's sword glows, blinking into a weak beat, then slowly pulsating into full bloom.

-Leave me with him, and I will ensure his safety in the afterlife. You can do this, Gram, you were always destined for greatness, I had always thought about that, ever since you first wielded me.

-Wait, not you too. Why? You don't have to leave, right?

-You can choose. It will be your decision on how all this plays out. You are the master of the future now. 

Gram walks slowly, his armor exhumes light, surrounding him, bathing the darkness in his wake.

"I am Siegfried, the judge of the light... I have come to end this trial by my own decree. You, daemon who toys with fate, will be punished. Feel the power of the light, the power of all the souls that you have taken victim, all of the torment and pain that you have caused, you shall bear the weight of all those for all eternity!"

He runs, shouting loudly to contain his rage in a way that he can do without tears.

Along with his shout is a brightness that far exceed his previous one. His sword sympathizes with his wielder's emotions, conveying it to those that can see it, and possibly, those who warrant revenge, those who are trapped in the far reaches of darkness, unable to find redemption.

With this light that can reach the deepest of darkness, they can be purified, cleansed, and finally, be freed.

Gram leaps to the air, retreating his sword to his side, ready to thrust at just the right moment, his sword extends to a sharp shard of light, long enough to be called a lance, but wide enough to be called an axe.

He grits his teeth, shifting his head the other way, unable to bear the pain of killing someone who might just be his brother. 

He feels a weight pushing him back, as if having collided with metal. 

At that moment, Gram feels a warm presensce over his hand, guiding him. That warmth is familiar. He's known it for a long long time, but rather, he can't move himself to believe it is who he thinks it is.

With that newfound belief, he continues on, unimpeded, thrusting his sword forth, as if being urged by someone from behind. 

He turns to see Luke and Samael behind him, both with different expressions.

Luke wears an adamant and stern one, whereas his father, Samael, shouts along with Luke pouring all his emotions, near the edge of tearing up.

Gram unable to hold his own, lets a tear escape. He hides this by ending it pouring all the energy he has taken from the sword back to it.

Uriel and the dragon howls in pain at the same time, the dragon's being more overbearing than his captive.

-Goodbye, my friend. Keep him safe, please.

-With my entire being, I swear this. I enjoyed every moment that I had aided you, not as a weapon, but as a friend. You might just be more interesting than my last wielder.

His friend snickers a laugh before turning around and walking away, slowly fading from inside Gram's mind.

Gram lets go, leaving his body to the care of Samael and Luke as they carry him in the air.

The dragon coughs up blood, leaving a noticeable trace on its mouth. A faint veil of light wraps around Fafnir and Uriel, scattering stardust around the void.

It looks down on Gram, speaking not only to him, but to his closest friend, Samael, in the voice they are most familiar with.

"Thank you, both of you. I always wanted to be a hero when I was bedridden. Don't you remember those times, brother? I truly enjoyed those stories of yours. They always made my day"

Gram's eyes open in clear surprise; the unexpected words wake him from his fatigue.

"Are you saying that, you remember?"

"I do, but I had stored them away. I now know the reason to all that. Who knew it would end up like this?"

The dragon laughs wryly as they descend to the ritual grounds, the dragon still holds the silent Uriel in place with its weak arms.

"I don't understand anything. Tell me, what happened to you?"

"I remember. That time when I was taken from mother and father. I myself couldn't do anything, and in the process, I was taken. I remember what I had done in the past, who I was, but now, unfortunately I will end up forgetting them once more."

"What do you mean?"

"I will remain here forever, to keep Uriel's soul here, and to never come back. My soul will have moved on by then."

"No, it can't be. After you just realized everything, you're going to disappear? We can bring you back, there's a way, I know it."

"Hush, Gram. This shouldn't be how an older brother acts. Be strong, for this will only be a brief farewell, and not an eternal goodbye. Soon, we will meet each other, along with mother and father. Together we will be a family once more... But for now, you will have to live one in my stead. I won't ever forget you, Gram. Those times that we spent together in our youth will always remain with me. Forever..."

Uttering his words of farewell, the realm begins to shake, shattering and falling apart.

"We have to leave, the realm of existence that Uriel created is now crumbling along with his life. If we do not get out of here, we will fade with the void as well!"

Samael explains in a stuttering, but forceful tone. He adds, "Luke, carry Gram away from here. Once you exit the door, there should be a portal awaiting you there. Enter it, and it will lead you to the outskirts of the volcano."

"What will you be doing then, old man?"

"This is no time for witty remarks. I'm not that old. I'm just going to say goodbye to my old friend..."

Without any other words, Luke reverts to his normal stern expression, nods and leaves, carrying a weak Gram in his arms, slowly reaching out to the dying dragon that he can barely look at as his eyes become heavier and heavier. 

Now they are alone, besides the slowly dying daemon lord in between the two.

"So, this is where is all ends, huh?"

"I am afraid so."

"I, I uh, uhm I enjoyed traveling with you. I won't ever forget that."

Samael, unable to convey his words in decency as his lip trembles.

"The same goes for me, Samael."

"I'm sorry for letting it get to this. I promised Marchosias you know? That I would keep you safe? You can see that I clearly failed at that."

"... You tried your best. You are only one, I cannot ever bring myself to blame you for any wrong you've brought."

"Stop being so benevolent! Be angry with me! I failed, and you died as a result. I'm a demon, but I sure as hell have emotions. I, it just won't be the same anymore. Those short moments that we spent traveling... You made me realize what it felt like to be human, even though you protected a dragon form within you, you lived half your life as a human would. Thank you."

"... No, thank you Samael. I never felt alone as I did in the past when we ventured together. Though the hardships came, we overcame that. Thank you for creating memories with me when I forgot my own."

The dragon's head slowly drops, but halts a few inches from the ground.

"Forgive me, I feel very weak now. Go, before you are trapped in here with me. Become a good father to your son. I know what it feels like to have lost your family. But he still has you, so don't disappear anymore, for his sake and yours."

Samael turns around to dash for the exit without a second thought, but hesitates on the first step. He turns around one last time to look at his friend, and to engrave his image into his mind. 

He sees a daemon lord and a dragon, impaled through the chest with a dimly glowing sword. The dragon's head lies on the ground, tired and heavy, bloodied and battered.

Its wings begin to move, covering itself and its captive under it as the plane of existence that is the ritual grounds crumbles continuously. 

With one last weak look, the dragon seems to smile at Samael, and beside it, is what looks to be Fafnir, but in a brighter form, like that of a ghost, smiling brightly, something that no one has seen him do before his quest for power.

His eyes open wide, and he attempts to approach it, but is stopped by him. 

He understands what he has to do. He painfully knows all too well, and that he does.

Just like how the skies roar, the clouds rupture with thunder and lighting, this devoid ritual ground is set to turn to ruin. As loud as the loudest of thunder clap, the surrounding shatters like a glass on a window pane, breaking and falling into nothingness.

Samael reaches the door, looking back. He sees Fafnir waving goodbye with an upbeat expression, then slowly fading away like dust to the wind. 

-I am sorry for waking you, only to lose your life afterwards.

-You are my friend. I am sorry for taking your past away from you when you needed it the most.

-It's alright. We're past that now. We can't do anything else. besides, you needed it to survive, right?

-Still, I owe you my eternal thanks.

-Don't be like that, we can play as much as went want from now on. 

-You'd like that, won't you?

-Oh, how I've dreamed of that. I felt really tired, but now, I feel like I could run forever!

-Well, what are you waiting for? Come, take my hand and we shall go together, they're waiting for you.

"Welcome back, my son. I'm proud of you. We've been waiting for so long to see you once more."

"My, look at you. You've grown so much!"

"Father! Mother!"

What should have been reality will sometimes be kept secret.

When the time comes that what you are fighting for is ever challenged and under danger. Fight for it, for when no one else will emerge, you will be a hero, no matter the outcome.

What should be an ending, can be turned into another chapter in life. There was no end, merely another part waiting to be added to a book, a book that will be read and told for a new generation to come and rise above, protecting what their predecessors have fought for. 

~Fin