CHAPTER 4 – NOVA DRAGON
LYSANDER FARADEISS
"Head's up. We will have to fight our way through here." Johnny said.
Johnny's words hung in the air, a tense warning that crackled with urgency. The metallic clinks reverberated as all of us, skysoldiers skilled in the art of war, unholstered our pistols and unsheathed our swords. The Dragon's Fortress loomed, a foreboding maze we had infiltrated, yet challenges lay ahead. We braced ourselves for the battles that awaited, our eyes reflecting determination.
A skysoldier, his brows furrowed in confusion, voiced the question lingering on all our minds. "Our goal is to take Erudite Lysander to the Regression Magic Site, right?" His voice quivered slightly. "Where is the site again?"
"In the ruined cathedral," I replied, my voice barely a whisper amidst the tension. "The magical circle formula for the time magic is buried beneath the church they call Cathedral Exa."
Johnny's eyes scanned the surroundings, his gaze steely and focused. "Let's move," he commanded, his tone cutting through the mounting anxiety. "Keep your head low and don't do anything stupid."
The unspoken understanding hung between us, heavy as the air before a storm, and we moved forward, each step echoing the gravity of our mission.
Under Johnny's command, he strode forward, his revolver held with an air of authority. Behind him, we skysoldiers formed a silent procession, stepping cautiously along the periphery of what had once been the Dragon Knight Academy, now transformed into the foreboding Dragon's Fortress.
For this perilous operation, the sky would be denied to us. Our Wings of Light, our trademark, would remain folded and dormant to evade detection. The inky shroud of night masked our movements, granting us an advantage against the ever-watchful dragonoids.
I clutched the map, my fingers tracing its contours as if I'd etched them into my very soul. The responsibility of guiding my comrades toward salvation had been thrust upon me, for I was an Erudite—a supposed beacon of knowledge. The weight of saving the world bore down on me, and my usual aloof and cool demeanor gave way to a gnawing tension.
The Dragon Knight Academy, now the Dragon's Fortress, held dark secrets of the past, a strategic bastion of the dragonoids before the cataclysmic holocaust that had purged humanity. When the floating island had fallen, most of the edifices had crumbled, but the formidable walls endured, silent sentinels of a history steeped in conflict.
Fifteen grueling minutes of navigating through the treacherous terrain, obscured by rubble and thick foliage, brought us to a sight that had stood silent for millennia: an ancient bell tower, its timeworn silhouette reaching skyward. As we drew closer, it became clear that this was the destination we had been relentlessly pursuing—the long-forgotten cathedral.
The cathedral, however, bore the scars of time and devastation. Its once-proud spire now slanted, an unintended consequence of the floating island's fall years prior. The structure was a fragile husk, teetering on the brink of collapse. Twisting vines clung to its frail walls, a fragile embrace that might relinquish its grip at the slightest tremor. Yet, amidst the ruin, the colossal wooden entrance still stood, resolute in keeping the secrets within, warding off the outside world.
We, the skysoldiers, fanned out to guard the cathedral's entrance. They aimed their weapons at the ominous threshold, ready to defend our fragile foothold. It fell to me to lead the way, to grasp the timeworn handle and step into the abyss beyond. But just as I reached for it, a heavy hand descended upon my left shoulder, arresting my progress. Johnny, his eyes filled with both urgency and concern, vigorously shook his head.
"Don't," he admonished, his voice a quiet but resolute command. "You're the linchpin of this operation. If we lose you, humanity loses its last hope."
In silent acknowledgement, I yielded to the weight of our shared responsibility and stepped aside, allowing our de facto leader, Johnny, to assume the vanguard. With his revolver poised, finger tense on the trigger, he advanced cautiously toward the cathedral's imposing entrance. His grip on the ancient door handle, aged and rusted, sent shivers down our collective spine as it groaned and creaked in protest, its eerie protest echoing through the stillness.
As we ventured into the cathedral's depths, an oppressive darkness enveloped us, an inky void that seemed to swallow our very presence. We teetered on the brink of employing Flash magic to illuminate our surroundings, but just as we contemplated this, an eerie transformation began. One by one, torches adorning the sides of the walls burst to life, casting a flickering, amber glow that unveiled the hidden wonders within.
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In this newfound illumination, the cathedral's interior was gradually unveiled: pews worn by time, walls enshrouded by relentless vines, and the once-vibrant stained glass windows, their colors now dulled by age. A haunting surprise awaited us, as the organ's keys came to life, producing a spectral melody that sent shivers racing down our spines.
The world of the cathedral, equal parts enchanting and ominous, played out before us, evoking an unsettling chorus of goosebumps that raised the hairs on our arms.
At the very heart of the cathedral, a desiccated fountain stood as a pedestal for a gnarled and withered tree. Moonlight, streaming through a gaping chasm in the cathedral's ceiling, bathed this skeletal arboreal relic in its silvery glow. Beside the forlorn fountain, an antique organ exhaled eerie notes, each key a whisper from the past. It was tended by a colossal figure, an enigmatic presence with dark, leathery skin, silver tresses cascading like a river of moonlight, and clad in inky-blue knight's armor. The unmistakable horns that protruded from his head and the sinuous tail curling behind him marked him as a dragonoid.
At the base of the withered tree knelt a woman, her ethereal form wrapped in a pristine, revealing oracle robe that accentuated her exquisite figure. Her golden tresses, flowing down to her knees, shimmered like strands of spun gold, catching the moon's celestial radiance. Her eyes, the color of gold, sparkled in the silvery light. The delicate tips of her elven ears twitched, as if attuned to our presence, and her gaze met mine.
In that captivating moment, my eyes widened in astonishment, for before me stood a vision of breathtaking beauty, a paradox of purity and sensuality. She acknowledged our arrival with a slight bow, and then turned to face us, her gaze fixated on me.
The oracle shut her eyes, a touch of disappointment painting her expression. "So, you have come... the last sage of mankind."
The haunting melody from the organ instantly ceased, the dragonoid pianist now standing alongside the oracle, his massive buster sword gleaming ominously in his grasp, poised for confrontation.
My hand quivered, not from the impending threat of the dragonoid poised to strike us down, but from the revelation that had left me shaken. It wasn't the sight of the dragonoid that sent shivers down my spine, but the enchanting oracle herself. She was someone I had known, or at least seen, ten years ago. I could never mistake her for anyone else.
"Hiraya," I whispered her name, my voice trembling with a mix of fear and recognition.
The oracle, whose name was Hiraya, responded with a gentle smile, as though delighted that I remembered her. "Lysander," she murmured my name in return.
I couldn't help but be taken aback, for we had shared no significant interaction back then. Yet, the fact that she remembered me was almost as astonishing as the strange circumstances that had brought us together again.
Johnny's brow furrowed in confusion, the weight of the situation bearing down on him. "You know Daybreaker of the Six Dragon Lords?" he inquired, seeking clarity.
I nodded, a sense of detachment permeating my voice. "Yeah. But we were never friends. We were never acquaintances. We were never enemies. We just knew each other back then."
Johnny's decision came swiftly, his pistol aligning with the ethereal oracle elf. "Damn. So, it is alright to kill her, then."
I squared my shoulders, sword ready and resolve unwavering. "Be my guest. Our objective is still the same," I replied, my voice tinged with a steely determination.
The other skysoldiers assumed their firing positions, aware of the gravity of facing one of the Dragon Lords. The elven oracle, known as the Daybreaker, was no ordinary foe. Rumors had it that she held the power of the sun itself within her grasp.
"Fire!" Johnny's command pierced the charged atmosphere, and the air crackled with the unleashed force of their combined firepower.
In the blink of an eye, a barrage of bullets hurtled toward the elven oracle, who was poised to defend herself. Yet, time itself seemed to bend within the cathedral's confines, and a tall, dark dragonoid surged forward, positioning himself as a formidable shield for the oracle. It was a startling display of loyalty.
Even as the bullets closed in, I noticed the oracle's lips moving, her voice carrying a gentle yet resolute tone that reverberated throughout the crumbling expanse of Cathedral Exa.
"Activating Vesryn Pulse!"
An explosive burst, radiant as the sun, erupted from the dragonoid at the center, the sheer force of it rippling outward like a cosmic shockwave. Its brilliance was so blinding that it refracted the trajectory of our bullets, causing them to veer wildly off course. The searing light rendered us momentarily helpless, and we instinctively shielded our eyes from the overwhelming radiance.
As we cautiously reopened our eyes, a nightmarish visage loomed before us, a monstrous colossus that defied all reason. This behemoth stood ten meters tall, its formidable frame encased in spiky, dark blue armor. Leathery wings, reminiscent of a bat's, stretched out, while a spiny tail, reminiscent of a stegosaurus, lashed menacingly behind it. Fiery blue scales adorned its body, radiating a searing heat akin to that of a dwarf star, and its red eyes bore into us with a malevolent intent.
Perched atop this terrifying creature was the oracle, astride the dragon's head, her staff raised to conjure a miniature sun that bathed the cathedral in a brilliant radiance. With an air of self-assuredness, she began her grandiloquent soliloquy.
"This is the power of the Dragon Lord. I am Daybreaker of the Six. And this is my beloved knight and consort, the Nova Dragon!"