Chapter 39: Bringer of Ruin

Yoshiki Miki returned to his gathered allies with wounds still open and bleeding. They closed by the time he was close enough to hear them, but even the sealing spell silk couldn't hide what was seen already. The others had seen his defeat. They had seen that he had lost and before they said a word he growled and showed his teeth. Yuzuko looked at him with a question in her eyes, and he pulled back the sneer just enough to say it wasn't for her. He turned to their guest and didn't hide his furrow.

"What the hell is that scarlet-eyed girl?" He barked.

"I don't know." The strange specter replied.

"You don't know?" Miki growled. "Then why were you so concerned about her! Why was it so important for me to kill her!"

Ayaka touched his shoulder, easing his fury more than he wanted to admit. Her eyes were gentle and patient, and the longer their gazes met the less he could be mad. He sighed, and she spoke.

"Was she strong?"

"No, but my Viral Chord didn't work on her."

The specter's brow moved, reminiscent of a raised eyebrow. "Is this a great matter?"

Miki hissed. "Viral Chord works on things humans and elves. Even Jade Wardens are vulnerable." Though their vulnerability was different. "Only things like other demons and dragons can shake it off, but that girl was unaffected."

Yuzuko nodded. "Which means that despite how she looks, maybe she's not just human."

The Specter seemed to think on that for a moment but shook its head still.

"I think she is." It said, "But those scarlet-eyed children are different by a measure."

"Enough!" Miki barked. "We went out of the Triumvirate to help you manifest. We deserve answers about who and what you are."

"I can't object. Giving you the full story is the least I can do. To start, I was once called Rocwen. This was not my birth name but it is the one that came to define me. If you want to check your history text, Rocwen is the name you should look for."

"Why would you be in the history books?"

"Because, at a time in the Age of the Serpent Dynasty, I served an important role."

Miki looked at Ayaka.

"How long ago did the dynasty fall?"

Without a pause, she replied, "1,700 years ago."

Rocwen paused, however, taken aback. "I knew that it became your Triumvirate, but I did not expect so long a time." It breathed as if its breath caught in its throat; as if choking back a sob.

"There were some factions that tried to maintain it, but there were more that wanted to seize power. They eventually endured to the Age of Conquest, only falling then." Ayaka continued like a chosen student.

Rocwen sighed. "And one such faction is the ones you now call Jade Wardens. I cannot help but think my failure played a role."

"Explain." Miki said.

This time, it was Rocwen who looked at Ayaka.

"Do you know how the Dynasty came to power?"

"It started with a royal line turning to a demon serpent to stop a war. It was the first time in recorded history that a demon granted humans power."

"And what followed was at least 2,000 years of their rule." Rocwen smiled. "I appeared in this world in the 1,919th year of the Dynasty. In that time, those like me had also taken up residence in your land and had become great assets. The military valued us, because unlike the demonically empowered, we could not be easily bested by the Jade Wardens and their tools. When powerful Wardens arose, we were tasked with their disposal and were rewarded for it. My skill put me in a prosperous and high ranking position."

Yuzuko nodded. "Which explains why you know so much about Demonic Metamorphosis but…"

"Not the scarlet-eyed girl." Miki glared.

"Yes, right." Rocwen looked past them as if it could see back through time. "It was in the 2,005th year that I first encountered one of those children. My kin and I saw the promise in the Dynasty, we thought it might be able to rule the world. Until one of us fell, that is. It was not to a Jade Warden, though we thought so at first. We focused our efforts on them to find the threat, but after multiple losses, the only thing we found was a foreigner. He bore dark skin and seemed to be about twenty or so. He did not ally himself with the Wardens, simply followed their warband. The eyes didn't seem to matter at first, but one of my kin—who had stood for 500 years was quick to warn us of those scarlet eyes."

"It's a popular theory in the Dark Lands that in some cases, eye color relates to inherent magical power" Ayaka noted.

"That girl did use scarlet flames." Miki hissed.

"And that boy used weapons born of scarlet light. Many of our kin fell to him. Even the Dynasty's demon warriors met trouble. It was like he was born to battle, and my elder kinsman stressed the need to kill him."

Yuzuko interrupted. "Beyond his strength, why would one boy require so much focus? I imagine that let the Wardens act freely."

"It did, but the matter could not be dropped. My kinsman said that it was no coincidence this boy appeared during the Dynasty's greatest era. As we appeared to push their empire forward, the wicked children appear to bring it to an end."

"Is it a Destiny Spell?" Ayaka gasped.

"I cannot say for certain. Indeed, scholars searched for prophecies but found nothing."

"However, you still seem wary." Yuzuko met Rocwen's golden eyes.

"I am, because of what this boy said to me when he struck me down. I demanded to know why he fought so hard when he didn't even believe the Wardens were right."

Miki roared, "Are you telling me he didn't even try to join them!?"

Somehow, this infuriated him the most. Somehow, hearing that the Wardens endured so long by chance was worse than if that boy had fought beside them. The Jade Wardens, who had been nightmares at a time in his life were just the byproduct of strange fate. Somehow, this enraged him more than being set ablaze.

Ayaka touched his shoulder again. Yuzuko encouraged Rocwen to continue.

"What did he say?"

"He said he saw the world the Serpent Dynasty would make and didn't like it. He fought simply because he didn't believe their rule was right."

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"And this is what all those scarlet-eyed people are like?"

"Yes. If my kinsman is to be believed. We arise to make kingdoms stand tall. The Wicked Children arise to dismantle their foundation." Rocwen continued staring into space for a moment. "How did he phrase it…? Scarlet eyes mark the Bringers of Ruin."

"But that girl seemed oblivious." Miki objected. "She could ignore Viral Chord but Malignant Chord took her down. If it wasn't for that Spirit Medium, they'd be dead. She was just annoying."

Rocwen considered that.

"Then let's hope she remains that way. I still think we should take care of the problem, but maybe she is different from her like."

Miki sneered. "We'll get the chance. I think they'll be back."

Yuzuko turned to their disciples. "Which means story time is over. Bring out Saheed's Well."

Several of them stepped forward, producing pieces of an arcane contraption.

Rocwen looked at them, and then at Miki.

"It seems I was not the only reason you all left home."

Miki shrugged. "You're the reason we came this far and started working under the Harrabaren's nose. If things go bad, don't think this is just our fault."

"Miki." Yuzuko shot a cold warning.

"No, he speaks fairly." Rocwen shook his head. "And I wonder… Is it the Yoshiki Theocracy those scarlet eyes hunt, or is the Harrabaren a sign they see a different empire?"

Miki huffed. "You seem confident about this for someone who doesn't think there's a Destiny Spell in play."

"Destiny and Fate are sibling forces. While one often sleeps the other stays in constant motion. I have learned not to underestimate the whims of fate, Yoshiki Miki. Even now, they are surely toying with the future."

⊛⨁⊛

Elsewhere, as the Traveler's house moved closer to the resort, the tension inside grew no thinner. Kiara had expected a conversation about their plan, but beyond Danson writing a message in his wanderer's notebook, no one seemed willing to break the silence. There was just the rattling of the building, Arrowhead's feet on the dirt, and the clinks and clanks of the things inside. She had to admit it made her feel somewhat awkward, especially being the reason they went to the domain in the first place. A pointless sorry sat on her tongue, but before the tension got too dense to bear, Shuraat called out to her.

"Kiara, right?" He said in an almost whisper. She nodded as she turned to him, and he spent a moment considering his words. "You don't know what a Dragonfire Sage is, right?"

She smiled. "I don't. I'm not from around…" What? Rial? The Dragon Dens? Where could she say other than the world itself? Should she even hesitate to say it?

"But you bear a dragon's flame!" Shuraat continued, not noticing the pause.

"You can tell?" Her eyes widened.

"Yes! I can feel it. This is strange. The only time non-dragons bear our flames is when they intentionally seek them out."

"Well, mine was kind of given to me." She thought about Morduunal's torrent. "I didn't even know I had it at first."

Shuraat seemed to think about that. A moment later, he asked, "Whose flame is it?"

"Morduunal's."

His jaw dropped. "The Endless Dragon King!?"

That seemed to kill the tension, as Kiara felt eyes turn her way.

"I guess?" She replied. "Does that mean you know him?"

"Not personally, of course. But it would be impossible not to know Morduunal!" Shuraat smiled, eyes bright with excitement. "He's the oldest of our kin, so much so that he was old when Master Nohyr was young. Morduunal is said to be the first dragon who ventured out to see the world!"

"Why'd you call him the Endless Dragon King?"

"It is the name the non-dragons of the Dark Lands gave him. Long ago, he mastered his flame and used it to fight his way to the center of Darshaln. There, the power that forged the Ruling Abominations sat, and his flames destroyed it."

"What does mastering his flame mean?"

Shuraat pondered that. "I think I could say Dragons are very different from non-dragons for the most part." He started. "Our flames aren't just fire, they're our life force. With Sage Training you can make them burn other things than air. You could burn away wounds, infection, exhaustion, whatever you hypothetically desire. Mastering your flame is when you learn to do that—when you've mastered your life force."

"So, to master Mordunaal's flame, I'd have to master his life force?"

"Not quite. You see, Master Nohyr is different than other masters. With him, you aren't granted a flame, he just burns away the limit on yours. My flamebuilding pilgrimage is about learning what I want my flames to burn. For other masters though, you follow the usual tradition. You take their flame inside of you, changing your life force to burn like theirs."

Kiara frowned. "That sounds tough."

Shuraat nodded. "It is. It's normally dangerous too. Our life force burns with our lives, the older a dragon is, the more dangerous it is to take on their flames. Bonfires still dance to this day from dragons who have come and returned to Akyramo, and around them you can find mounds of ashes. Even we dragons, normally fireproof, can't carelessly approach another's flame. If you're not ready, you lose your life."

Kiara gulped at the thought. Could she say she was ready? Could she say she became ready as her journey went on? She couldn't so much as sneeze those strange blue flames, and yet Mordunaal had not hesitated to give them. She shuddered. Surely there was a trick she was missing?

"Can living dragons control the fire so it doesn't burn people?" That had to be it. He definitely spared her because she knew Doltess.

"No." The dragon boy shook his head. "The flame will burn. It takes a strong will to reduce it to an ember."

She shivered. Was her will strong, or was it that she had somehow gotten lucky? Maybe Doltess put a spell on her?

"What does his fire burn?" Danson asked.

"Mordunaal's flames burn magic."

Kiara's mouth flattened.

The elf continued. "Has no one else learned to wield it?"

"Some of the Dark Land Scions are said to have been his sages, but they were rare. A human did come to him once, but Mordunaal burned the limits of his magic away instead. Nohyr has told us that a master knows when a person can wield their flame. They are always cautious of mistakes."

Kiara asked, "So, he knew I'd be able then?" He knew, she supposed, that she was more capable than she ever thought. But then, should she even be surprised? When you could see the tangled webs of a person's fate, what would stop you from knowing what they could do? Mordunaal's knowledge wasn't the real question, so she offered a different one instead.

"Why me?" Why the girl from another world? Was there no one better on Magdalea?

Shuraat shook his head. "I don't know." He stared hard for a minute as if there was something else to see. "Nohyr says that when you reach a certain point in life, you can see a person's life force in different ways."

"Like threads of fate?"

"Yes!" He nodded emphatically. "It's like seeing a life force and all the lives it can eventually touch. I can't see them though." He glanced aside in defeat. "But Mordunaal would! If I had to guess, based on what elder dragons have shared in their stories, you're like his torch now. With his flames, you show the world that he is watching."

"That sounds like a big deal." Kiara's eyes widened.

"It is." Danson nodded. "If we just think about what's happened in the past twenty years alone, an ancient dragon sending a message to the world is telling. There are elven tales that can't paint something of that magnitude. Stars, I don't even know any that speak of Mordunaal."

"What does that mean for me?"

"It means you're on a flame building pilgrimage too!" Shuraat exclaimed.

Danson laughed, "Based on what you said about them, she definitely is."

Kiara let her eyes roam to him for a moment, letting him know she heard him and refused to respond. He grinned back, and she returned to Shuraat.

"What happens when I complete my pilgrimage? How do I know it's done?"

"What happens?" Shuraat pinched his chin. "I'm not sure. When I first went to Nohyr, he told my class that the pilgrimage isn't just about the flame, it's about finding where it burns brightest. Some dragons leave the dens and don't come back. Those of us who don't become sages remain. When Nohyr set off on his pilgrimage, he came back because he saw how important it was to inspire us to leave." He seemed to be thinking aloud, for he closed his eyes, trying to catch the thread. "I guess you'll know when you're happy with how your flame burns." He opened them and nodded, not fully satisfied but confident in the answer. He smiled excitedly next. "As for when it's done, that's simple. You'll be able to do amazing things. Not just breathe fire, but reforge yourself. I don't know what that's like for non-dragons, but Nohyr says it's when we are most connected to Akyramo."

"What's Akyramo exactly? You said it twice now."

"The Dragon Holy land. It is said to be where all dragons come from and where we return when our inner flame burns out."

Between that and being reforged, Kiara's mind was swimming with questions. She didn't know where to start, and the slow stop of the traveler's house told her she'd just have to wait. There would be a chance to ask more inside the resort, but the traveler's house had to be the site for something else. Danson led her and Shuraat toward the building, and her eyes lingered for a moment on the two that lagged behind. Whatever they had to say was just for them, and she could only hope that good words were involved…

[Chapter 39 ends…]