~~~(Brooks)~~~
Flame and Tucker behaved themselves all through the briefing, once we arrived. That actually surprised me. They sat at the desks and appeared calm, and for Flame, that’s shocking. As soon as we’re released to the dorms, I approach them, surprised that they’re still calm.
“Everything alright?” I ask Flame as he sits on the edge of his bed.
“Yeah, why?” He asks, tilting his head to the side. “Are you not feeling well?”
“It’s you,” I say. “You’re not your usual hyper self.”
“I’m not always that way,” Flame yawns, and a chill runs down my spine when he says that.
“No, you’re not,” I mentally prepare myself to contact the rest of the Quartet.
“Caleb told me,” Flame looks at me, and I see the demon within him staring back at me. “To treat this like one of my jobs. It’s serious business, holding down the fort, even if it doesn’t do much other than act as a deterrent. They said it themselves that what we’ll really be doing most of the time is watching for monsters or just relaxing and doing whatever.”
I fail to see the connection between that and you treating this like one of your jobs.
How does Caleb know about that?
“And so you became serious?” I ask.
“Yes,” he says, his hair and eyes turning black and grey, and Tucker stares at him in shock.
This isn’t Flame I’m talking to, and nor is it Tobias.
ShitshitshitshitSHIT!
“Flame,” I say, and his lack of a reaction to that confirms for me that Flame’s asleep. “Please let Flame out.”
“No,” that one word is cold, it is merciless, and it is different. “Flame opened the door for me, and now, he’s sleeping.”
“What just happened?” Tucker asks. “What’s going on?”
“Flame,” I say. “Wake up. Now. Getting serious is okay, but this isn’t good.”
“He’s sleeping,” Blaze stands. “He’s let me out for this mission.”
“We’re not going to be fighting,” I say. “And most certainly not-”
“Use your draconic senses,” Blaze orders me. “Sense the environment. Something isn’t right, here. Caleb ordered Flame to let me out, if he felt it necessary. Flame will not be waking up until the threat has passed.”
Blaze leaves the room, and Tucker asks me what just happened.
“We come from a village,” I take a deep breath, then look at him. “Where we’re often born with differently-colored hair and eyes. Most of us are Elemental, if we’re born a Superhuman, and it usually relates to our color. Flame is rare, and able to change his colors. There are three distinct personalities Flame has.”
“I know Tobias and Flame,” Tucker says. “But they’re the same person, just with Flame letting out his sensitivity when he’s being Tobias. That was someone completely different.”
“Flame is an assassin from our village,” I say. “The full Quartet is. Each of us specializes in killing. Flame was too good, and it caused problems. Eventually, he was exiled for it.
“Blaze,” I continue. “Is the personality Flame took on whenever he performed a dangerous mission, a mission where he couldn’t get past his normal limits, the limits where most people would stop themselves. He’d turn his hair black and eyes grey, and push everything away, calling himself Blaze. Eventually, Blaze became an actual personality, and Flame would let him out anytime he had to do a job he couldn’t ordinarily do. One distinct difference between the two, other than Blaze not having Flame’s sense of self-preservation or subconscious limits, is his willingness to do anything.”
“Anything?”
“He has a twisted personality,” I nod. “He truly has no limits to what he’ll do. Blaze is not someone you want out for an extended period of time, and if Flame willingly released him for the duration of this mission, then we won’t be getting Flame back until after.”
Dammit, Caleb! Why would you do something like this?
Flame is only A-Rank, but when he awakens Blaze, he might as well be A-Rank of Special, putting him in an entirely different category from before.
Looking at Flame’s bed, I see his phone sitting there. It must have fallen out of his pocket. I walk over to it and pick it up, then go through his calls. He talked to Caleb just hours ago. The call lasted almost half an hour.
When did that happen? I’ve been near him almost the entire time since we got on the airship to make our way here.
I tap the number for Caleb and put the phone to my ear. All of the calls Flame has made were ignored, with every conversation occurring from when Caleb called him instead. He won’t answer for us.
“That was fast,” Caleb answers the phone.
“It’s Brooks.”
“I know.”
“What are you, psychic, now?”
“I told Flame not to call me until after the mission was over.”
“I’m calling on his phone.”
“Specifically because of that,” Caleb sighs. “Blaze is out.”
“Yes, he is,” I say. “Why did you tell him to let Blaze out, if he felt he needed to?”
“With your draconic senses,” Caleb says. “You’ll be able to sense things differently than usual. Flame has been utilizing those senses for years. I had a bad feeling, when he told me where you guys were headed, so I told him to be ready to release Blaze, should he feel the need to.”
“Why?”
“Because monsters don’t suddenly avoid that place,” Caleb says. “The fort sits over a pool of liquid magic. The bricks and wood it’s made out of conceal that, negating the radiating magics from the pool. However, monsters know it’s there, which is why they constantly attack it. For them to suddenly stop is suspicious, and Flame might need to lose his limits. I’m surprised he went so early.”
“Do you have any idea what you did?” I ask him. “Blaze isn’t someone you can control, Caleb!”
“Emma’s returning. Bye.”
The call dies, and I stare at the phone for several long moments before pocketing it. I’m about to call Cliff when he and Gale enter the dorm.
“You already know,” Cliff says when he sees my face.
“Yeah,” I nod. “He was in here when he switched,” I fill him in on what Caleb said to me. “I have no fucking clue what he’s talking about.”
“Liquid magic?” Tucker says. “It’s… rare. Powerful. No one knows how to use it, or even how to put it in a container. It destroys anything it comes into contact with. Monsters, however, can feed off of its energies to become even more powerful. It’s dangerous. I’m not surprised there’s a fort over it, then.”
“What can you sense?” Cliff asks. “Caleb said to use your draconic senses, right?”
“Yeah,” I nod. “But I’ve never tried really doing it before, I get overwhelmed easily.”
“Can you try it now?” Cliff asks. “It could help us figure out why he thought Blaze might be needed, and why Flame was willing to let him out so early just in case.”
Nodding, I close my eyes, feeling for the dragon within me. It’s there, but it’s not, me, but something entirely different. It roars within me, wanting to be unleashed, and I tap into what little of its power I can handle.
When I do, I try to focus only on the senses. I’m assuming Caleb and Blaze both meant its magical senses, so I only draw on that one, not its five common senses.
As I do, the dragon roars again, and for a moment, I sense something filling the entire fort, as well as the woods and plains surrounding it. A darkness so overwhelming, I feel helpless, like there’s no point in life anymore.
The dragon begins to rage, and I scream as my body feels as if it’s being torn apart, and I quickly do my best to quiet it down, doing what I can to calm it and tuck it away again.
Something warm fills me, and the dragon settles down immediately.
What the hell was that?
----------------------------------------
~~~(Blaze)~~~
Brooks just tapped into his dragon’s magical senses, and sensed what I do. The moment he did, his inner dragon began to fight against him, wanting to break free and shred to pieces whatever is causing that feeling of hopelessness.
Closing my eyes, I focus on my brother, enveloping him with my fiery aura, careful not to burn him, feeling the wounds in his human body that stem from his rage. Frost calms, and I breathe a sigh of relief, allowing my flames to heal his human form.
He isn’t able to fully take over, and his personality hasn’t fully formed, yet. Flame willingly let me take in what I did, he purposely shaped me to be this way. He allowed his body to adapt to our true nature, once I was awoken within him.
Yes, he’s human, and yes, I am but a small aspect of his nature, but this power is far beyond what most humans can manage. I am both him, and not him. I am a part of him with my own sense of self.
And he was right to let me loose. Whatever is coming… it won’t bode well. My Burning Sight has shown the deaths of our brothers, and I cannot see the what. I cannot circumvent it.
Whatever it is, it starts here, of that, I am sure. All I can see are their graves, the timeframe before then clouded from me. Caleb says there is a force that oversees all psychic powers, but it exists outside this realm. If that is true, then I wish I could leave this realm and strangle it, because I really want to know how to keep our brothers from dying.
Caleb…
His draconic nature is terrifying. He hasn’t even begun to awaken it, yet can already harness a small portion of its power. We are only humans with a small drop of dragon’s blood within us, but our leader… is a little more than half-dragon, with that drop of dragon’s blood from his mother’s human side, and his father being a dragon.
If he were to fully awaken his dragon nature and adapt to it, he’d be able to tell exactly what is wrong, here. His senses would be far above any of ours.
As it is…
“Who are you?” One of the soldiers asks, and I turn around to face him, shifting my hair through a few colors before returning it to brown, causing him to stare at me in confusion, the gun he’s aimed at me forgotten. “What the?”
“It’s Flame,” I state. “I can change the color of my hair and eyes. I decided to go with this, because it fits the mood.”
The guard looks doubtful, so I flash him my cadet I.D., which has a note on it stating that my hair and eyes may be different colors. He accepts that, then reminds me that dinner will be in two hours. I nod, then he leaves.
… the soldiers here stink. Something is off about them – all of them. Could it be from being around the liquid magic? Caleb said he’s never been near it before, and Teacher wouldn’t tell him anything about it. What little he knows comes from what I’d heard from Tucker, which isn’t useful.
It might be from being around liquid magic, but I can’t know for sure.
Regardless…
Something about the soldiers, other than their stench, concerns me. They each have that sense of despair that I can detect permeating the surroundings, but they all seem friendly, apart from when they think a cadet infiltrated them.
They’re hiding something.
I reach under my shirt, feeling the fuuxar crystal Caleb turned into a necklace for me. One of the many gifts he gave me for Christmas. It’s purer than most – one of the ones from Teacher’s hoard, his note said. No trace of impurity at all, and the flame energies within it are purer than anything I’ve ever encountered before on any of my jobs, as well as from what our former village could find.
If I consume the crystal – and the flames within it – it will give me an immense boost. Temporary boost, but an immense one. I will not hesitate to bite into it and burn the forest down to destroy the monsters and the source of this unease.
I will burn the fort down as well, if it fills with monsters. The fire of a dragon will destroy liquid magic, so there won’t be a need for the fort if I burn it down, anyway.
I make my way to the exit at the forest, and the guards on the inside stop me.
“Cadets are to stay inside or with an escort if they leave,” the guards say. “We cannot risk you being harmed.”
“Those are not official orders for our mission,” I say. “And nor is it the standard policy of this fort class. Allow me to leave.”
“Not permitted.”
“I am an S-A Superhuman capable of burning this fort to the ground with a thought,” I say. “I will heal from virtually any injury you can deliver unto me. The monster activity outside is less than normal, and odds of me being attacked are slim-to-none. You will let me leave, or I will consume both of you.”
My bloodlust is enough to send chills down their spines, and for a brief moment, something flashes in their eyes. Something inhuman.
Leaving the fort, I wonder what that look was. It passed too quickly for me to catch, but they definitely wanted to fight me.
Something definitely isn’t right. And I’m going to get to the root of the cause, regardless of where it lays.
----------------------------------------
~~~(Kieran)~~~
They… left me behind. The Quartet went on a training mission, and Jared went to vacation. And then there’s Caleb, doing… whatever it is he’s doing.
No one told me my team was leaving, so I’m kind of upset right now. Because I’m upset, I’m going through criminal files to see if there’s any I could take on while waiting for someone to return. Caleb would probably get upset with me if I didn’t at least try to fight some criminals while I’ve got nothing else to do.
That, or get stronger, but it isn’t easy when I’m already as strong as I am.
A file gives me pause. It’s about two years old, and the figure in it has jet-black hair and steel-grey eyes. It’s a security camera shot.
Identity: Unknown
Powers: Possibly Superhuman, Fire Elemental – S-Rank minimum
Minimum? An ordinary Superhuman can’t go beyond S-Rank.
Age: Unknown (possibly 10 or 11 in photo, 12 or 13 now)
Sex: Male
Crimes: Assassination, mass murder
Details: The attached photo is the only shot we’ve ever had of this kid. He’s powerful, he’s dangerous, and his Abilities are beyond any Fire Elemental we’ve ever seen before. He’s ripped people apart from a distance, killed people with a glare, their bodies burning from the inside out. Confirmed kills: ninety-eight high-profile politicians and criminals across the globe, more than three hundred guards, workers, and various other criminals, either involved or separate. Killed four S-Rank Superhumans and an S-B Superhuman with relative ease in a fight against all five.
It goes on to list various other crimes, all of which involved assassinations that are possibly attributed to him, though some of them also state that it’s mere speculation, due to the fact that he has only been spotted a couple of times, and the only real link is the use of a Fire Ability mixed with something different.
Notes: Possibly Cadet Flame Hansen of the GSDF, currently in-training at the GSDF youth training facility – is capable of changing minor details about his appearance, and facial analysis matches the two. Proper age. Has been known to have a bloodthirsty side, notably when he took out the Kisan Cartel’s main headquarters – performed by himself, wielding a fire that burned with the same energy as Unknown’s. Cadet Hansen’s background is unknown, as well as the background of his brothers. Further observation needed.
Notes 2: Cadet Hansen confirmed to change appearance into Unknown’s on current training mission to learn how to guard a fort. Personality shifted entirely. Possibly a split personality. Will send troops to detain Hansen, once Council has given authorization to bring in the Nevlars Force.
The Nevlars Force…
The Council tried recruiting me into that, some years ago. A force even more dangerous than the group that tried to arrest Jared and Caleb at BT, and they don’t need to use anti-Gift or anti-Magic weapons of old.
It’s a force of A-Rank Specials with deadly combat ability. Currently has ten members, the team has never, not once, lost a mission. They take on powerful forces, criminals, monsters, and such that no one else can.
And they’re sending them after Flame… if he really is this ‘Unknown’ criminal, things will get disastrous. The Nevlars Force is called, damage is expected.
Pulling out my cell, I dial the number I was given years ago, for if I wanted to join the Nevlars Force. Flame will kill them, if he’s this other foe, and doesn’t want to go. The moment they attempt to fight him or force him to go with them, they will lose their lives.
“Colonel Rivers,” the General responds. “I never thought I’d see your number. Did you change your mind about the Nevlars Force?”
“Have they been approved to apprehend Flame Hansen yet?” I ask.
“They left ten minutes ago,” he answers. “We were about to update the file on him and the suspected alter-”
“Order them to retreat,” I say.
“Pardon?” He asks. “Colonel Rivers, I should remind you-”
“Flame Hansen,” I say. “Isn’t just a Gift, General. Flame has awakened the trace of dragon heritage within him. That is his strange magic. It can’t be neutralized, and it can’t be guarded against by Gift or Magicians. It will burn through anything they throw at him. If Flame and this other guy are the same, and they are two different personalities, and he’s in the other personality right now, he will simply kill the Nevlars Force. There are only three people who could possibly stop him. I’m one of them, because of my power over perception itself – but even that might not be enough. I haven’t tried using it on him when he’s using his draconic powers. The other two? You’ve basically alienated them. They’re Caleb and his Teacher – the two most powerful Gifted and magicians in the world. Caleb could simply create a Reality Marble around them that would neutralize the draconic powers in Flame. If the Nevlars Force goes, they will die.”
“I’m sorry, Kieran,” the General responds. “However, this is not up to you. If Flame is this other person, then he is a criminal of one of the highest calibers. He must be detained. The Nevlars Force can handle anything thrown their way.”
“Could they handle Caleb Rivers?” I ask, and he’s silent. “No, they couldn’t. That only proves they’re not infallible. And Caleb doesn’t have access to his draconic nature.”
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
“I’m not even sure what that is about,” the General says. “But-”
“Some people,” I interrupt him. “Have a slight trace of draconic heritage within them. It sleeps within them, dormant. Flame has had access to that draconic side for years. Brooks awoke it while they were in the Enchanted Forest, then later, awoke it in Jared when they were on that mission that chased Caleb off, after revealing his real Gift was focused on ice, not water.”
And I just realized why Caleb is refusing to rejoin, even though he knows things are different now, and that he probably won’t be treated like that again. The real reason.
The brat.
“It is a powerful force,” I say. “The power of dragons. Flame has only a slight touch of this draconic power, and he can kill S-Rank people – including a B-Rank Special. That was the Gegar Incident, wasn’t it? Details were sealed about that. General Jung was an Ice Elemental Gifted, General – Flame killed him when he was only eleven, if this is him. You cannot send the Nevlar Force after him.”
“There is no negotiation on this,” the General says, and the call ends.
I stare at the phone. I did all that talking, and it resulted in nothing changing. This is why I don’t talk much.
Though I have been talking more, recently, with the team…
Or concerning the team. I stare at the file, then try Caleb’s phone. It doesn’t even finish the first ring before it goes to voicemail.
“Excuse me,” I say. “I know you did not just send me to voicemail. This is urgent, Caleb – they believe Flame is a high-profile criminal they’ve been hunting, due to something that happened on his current mission. They’ve authorized the Nevlars Force to go after him.”
I hang up the phone and call Flame, and it picks up immediately.
“Flame-”
“Brooks,” Brooks corrects me. “I’ve got his phone. What’s up?”
“Where’s Flame right now?”
“Sleeping.”
Something about that makes me suspicious.
“Sleeping,” I say. “As in dormant while an alternate personality is active?”
Silence.
“There’s been an authorization to send the Nevlars Force after him,” I say. “Due to having confirmed that he’s probably this criminal. They’re aware it’s an alternate personality.”
“Is there any way you can call them off?” Brooks suddenly sounds scared. “Blaze will kill them without hesitation if they try to stop him.”
“Blaze?”
“The alternate personality,” Brooks responds, and I’m pretty sure he’s nodding. “He taps into the draconic side of his nature as Blaze. He’s a completely different person. According to both of them, Caleb authorized him to do this, because he got a bad feeling about the fort. The moment Flame confirmed something was off with his draconic senses, he let Blaze take over. Kieran – whatever it is that’s off, it’s bothering me, too. When I reach out with my draconic senses, I sense something bad. It’s sadness and hopelessness and danger. It overwhelmed me. Blaze is investigating in the forest right now. I’m not going to lie to you, Kieran – I’m scared, and I wish you, Jared, and especially Caleb were all here.”
“Caleb sent me to voicemail.”
“Did you just pout?”
“Maybe.”
“Do you know when they’ll arrive?”
“Probably in a few hours,” I answer, looking at Blaze’s file again. “I’ll try to stall them. Whatever is off there, you have until they get past me to figure it out and take care of it.”
I hang up, and am about to convert myself to shadows when a sense of dread fills me.
It’s not from here, though…
The fort. Something is off about the fort. I can perceive that.
I convert myself to shadows and – as quickly as I possibly can – make my way to the fort, putting on extra haste. If needed, I will breach that barrier to S-S with my Perception Gift to stop the Nevars Force.
The fort looms in front of me, and my Perception freaks out. Whatever it is, it isn’t outside of the fort – it’s inside of it.
I explore every mote within the fort, and immediately scream into the perceptions of the cadets to get out of there.
The soldiers…
Are monsters. The monsters killed the soldiers and took over their bodies. I have no doubt in my mind they’re trying to find the liquid magic hidden deep beneath the fort. It wasn’t made with Teacher’s power, which means that they will, eventually, discover it.
No wonder they reported Flame quickly – they probably see him, and his draconic nature, as a major threat to them.
As they should. He’s an S-Rank Gift who thinks he’s only A-Rank, and, sensing him now, in the woods, I can tell that Blaze is even stronger. S-A, minimum.
“Colonel Rivers!” A voice says from behind me, and I turn around to face the ten members of the Nelvars Force. “We were instructed to arrest you, if you attempted to interfere with this.”
“Blaze,” I say. “Isn’t the threat right now. The soldiers within the fort are monsters. The cadets inside are in danger, and the moment they sense a powerful force nearby, they will probably act.”
“Sure,” he says. “Just like you’re here to sell us cookies.”
One of them crafts a staff of glowing blue energy, spinning it once before aiming it at me.
“Colonel Rivers,” the agent with the staff says. “We request that you stand down peacefully. If you don’t-”
“Don’t attack him,” the one who spoke original, Marcus Wight, orders. “Kieran is able to mess with people’s perceptions. You’re new to the crew, and probably haven’t encountered him. He’s one of those forces we’d be summoned to deal with, if he ever started causing problems.”
“A Perception?” The agent with the staff looks confused. “We can handle-”
“He has two Abilities,” Wight says. “He’s an S-Rank Elemental who can manipulate light and shadows, and an S-A Perception.”
“Dual-Abilities isn’t possible.”
“Tell that to him,” Wight gestures to me, then looks at me again. “Rivers – please stand down, and back off.”
“Cliff!” I perceive something. “Gale! No!”
A powerful sense of danger, like they’re about to die.
Then, from the woods…
A roar. A pure, raw, primal roar filled with sadness, horror, and rage. A roar that shakes every fiber of my being – as well as the forest and fort itself. A second roar fills the air.
So this is the power of a dragon. It’s so strong, so overwhelming…
“Two cadets are dead,” I say coldly as I stare at the fort, knowing that Blaze has already reached inside. “Fight the soldiers, not Blaze.”
Memorizing the powers of the dragons, I take in a deep breath, then let it out, perceiving that power within me, then waking it.
A dragon with two powers roars within me. The first, the power of light and shadows. The second, with the power of perception itself.
I’m about to rain hell upon the monsters within the fort when reality ripples around me. Without my power of Perception, I wouldn’t even notice it.
Caleb’s here.
“In this Reality,” Caleb’s voice rings out, filling the air with authority and a power that terrifies even the dragon I just woke. “My allies live forever, and monsters burn in the light of day.”
Half of the monsters burn up instantly, turning to dust. Cliff and Gale are still dead, though…
“In this Reality,” Caleb’s voice rings out again, and I finally perceive his location, as he descends from the sky, landing in the field in front of us, facing us. “Monsters burn in the light of a dragon.”
He knows.
Channeling the dragon coiling within me, I radiate a light that penetrates the walls of the fort, filling it with my power. Each of the remaining monsters within die.
“In this Reality,” he lists another rule. “Abilities do not work.”
The moment he says that, I feel the connection to my Gift vanish, and he stares past me pointedly. The staff vanishes as well.
“You can contact your superiors from within this Reality,” Caleb states. “Do so. Inform them that both Flame and his alternate personality, Blaze, are under my protection.”
“I don’t know who you are, but-”
“I don’t care,” Caleb says, and I turn to face Wight. “In this Reality, I am supreme above all others. Flame is an asset to my team. Inform them that Caleb Rivers has forbid any legal action against them. Flame has just lost two brothers, because of how long it took me to arrive. I am not in the mood for negotiations. This is your final opportunity. Continue to resist, and I will permanently strip you of your Abilities.”
“I thought Teacher wouldn’t teach you how to do that?” I ask.
“Teacher is a giant, fire-breathing dragon,” Caleb states. “If I fail on my first attempt to do that, I’ll just call him up and tell him that a member of my team is being arrested for crimes he hasn’t committed in over a year, ever since he joined the people who fight against those types of people. You can bet your butt that either he or the Sage will then approach the Council directly.”
I thought they were the same person?
Wight pulls out his phone and dials a number.
“Councilman Reitar,” he says. “We have a bit of a complication. A Creator-”
I use my Perception to listen in on the interruption.
“Rivers is there?”
“Colonel Rivers is, yes,” Wight says. “However-”
“I meant Caleb,” Reitar says. “Wait – Kieran’s there? I thought you were going after one of the unidentified criminals?”
They weren’t briefed on the situation…
I flick my hand, and his phone jumps into it. Wight looks absolutely confused.
“Reitar,” I say. “It’s Kieran. The unidentified criminal is an alternate personality of Flame Hansen.”
Silence. From the subtle click, I think he put me on mute. A few moments pass, then it clicks again.
“Caleb is there?” He asks.
“Indeed.”
“I take it he will not allow Hansen to be arrested?”
“He’s created a powerful Reality Marble that neutralizes Abilities,” I state. “Flame is a valuable member of his team, and has already been through enough. The fact that he has joined the GSDF – and now the GMDF – has proven that he wishes to change away from that. From my understanding, he only even let his alternate personality out because of a perceived threat.”
“Which was?”
“The soldiers in the fort had been killed,” I state. “And monsters were masquerading as them. Had Caleb not acted, it would have required Flame’s alternate personality – the assassin in him – to kill the monsters.”
“Phone,” Caleb holds his hand out, and I hold out the phone for him. He puts it to his ear. “This is Rivers. I am destroying the liquid magic as we speak. Cliff and Gale Hansen have been killed by the monsters. Flame and Brooks Hansen are currently grieving. There will be no further action taken against my team. Failure to comply will result in the unleashing of a dragon no one wants to mess with.”
Pretty sure he only thinks it’s Teacher he’s referring to.
“Teacher is a dragon,” Caleb states plainly. “If my team is acted against negatively, I will invoke the Ancient Law.”
The what?
Caleb is silent, and when I try to listen in with my draconic ears, I hear nothing more than breathing. Long, slow breathing. The Councilman has been given pause. There are others there, actually. Is he in a meeting with the rest of the Council right now?
“Which part?” The Councilman finally asks. “Of the Ancient Law would you be invoking?”
“Law Seven,” Caleb states. “There is only one known dragon, so unless you can find another one willing to back a mortal council over a half-dragon, you will be dealing with Teacher. But know that there is a good chance that the other dragon you find is my biological father. He will back me over a mortal council, and that is only reinforced if Teacher makes his presence known, being half-Dragon of Creation. Do I make myself clear? My team is off-limits for past crimes.”
“One moment, Caleb,” the click occurs again, and Caleb looks annoyed.
“It’s a simple thing,” he says to me. “Just say ‘understood’ and hang up the damn phone.”
“Shouldn’t we be going to Flame and Brooks?” I ask.
“Give them a few minutes,” Caleb says. “They’re currently crying. Cliff and Gale were killed as soon as you guys were sensed, from what I can tell. Then Flame noticed it, and then Brooks realized it from Flame’s roar. I’m mad at you.”
“Why?” I ask.
“You awoke the dragon within before me,” he pouts. “Call returning.”
There’s another click.
“The Council accepts,” Reitar says. “The bounty on your teammate has been lifted, and the file sealed. His identity is now clear. If, however, he acts against the law now, he will be prosecuted. You cannot demand the Council to allow you free reign over us.”
“Flame is a soldier of the GMDF,” Caleb says. “He will not break the law. He will, however, request to go home, to bury his brothers. Since I have you on the phone, I want you to expedite the request, and have it authorized immediately.”
“Done,” Reitar says. “Flame and Brooks will be allowed leave for bury their brothers.”
“And the rest of my team as well,” Caleb states. “To ensure that they don’t give up. They will need our support.”
“Done,” Reitar says. “Caleb, we do apologize for the misunderstanding with-”
“I’m not returning,” Caleb says. “You can’t buy me back. I’ve been training.”
In warm places.
“We need emergency transport for my team,” Caleb states. “As well as the other cadets present. We will debrief once we are secured. The liquid magic has been eliminated.”
“How did you eliminate it?” Reitar asks. “We’ve never been able to do anything with it.”
“It was easy,” Caleb answers. “I just started burning it with my magic. I’m curious to know why Teacher didn’t want me having anything to do with it, though. It’s not like I’d try drinking it or something. That would be stupid.”
Actually… drinking it might make you even stronger, Caleb. Monsters get stronger by drawing on its energies, and you’re half-dragon.
I wonder…
Would that remove the limits you have on you? Unbind your powers that have been bound since back then?
“I’m giving the phone back to its owner,” Caleb states. “Goodbye.”
He throws the phone to Wight, who listens as Wight gives him their new orders, and I look at Caleb.
He’s gotten tan…
Caleb looks at me.
“I’m returning to where I was,” he says. “Let Flame and Brooks know that if they don’t return to training after two weeks simply because they can’t go on, I’ll drag them out of Rainbow Village myself.”
Caleb flies up into the sky, and I’m left wondering where the hell he’s referring to. Rainbow Village? I’ve never heard of that before.
----------------------------------------
~~~(Jared)~~~
“Hey, Caleb,” I greet him on the restaurant patio. “No Emma?”
“She’s in the bathroom,” he looks at me. “Why are you bothering me?’
“Did you fly off the island earlier,” I ask. “Then fly back on?”
“Yeah.”
“Carrying coconuts.”
“Yeah.”
“You flew off the island to collect coconuts?”
“I flew off the island to kill a bunch of monsters that killed Cliff and Gale,” Caleb says. “Kieran’s handling things, though. I made sure the Council didn’t let the Nevars Force didn’t try to bring Flame in.”
“Cliff and Gale are dead?” I ask, shocked.
“Yeah,” Caleb answers. “The monsters pretending to be soldiers killed them when they sensed Kieran and the Nevlars force as they argued about the arrest of Flame. Then I stepped in and killed the monsters, along with Kieran, who awoke his dragon. I’m so mad at you guys. I’m the half-dragon, and I don’t have access to my draconic powers.”
I think Caleb just wants to see if he can transform into a dragon.
“Are the brothers returning to base?” I ask. “We should-”
“They’ll be returning home in the next couple of days,” Caleb answers. “I’ll give them two weeks to finish their mourning there. Life doesn’t stop because someone died.”
That’s harsh, Caleb.
Normally, I’d agree with him, but these are the brothers of our team, and they felt like teammates to me. Normally, I’d just say ‘get over it’ and move on, but dealing with Caleb has changed the way I view about things.
Hearing him say that is harsh, and I’m about to tell him that he needs to be more sensitive, especially for Flame, when I remember what he’s been through.
He lost his entirely family. Hundreds of people he called family, dead – and he watched them die in what is the worst massacre in recorded history. He’s been through a lot, getting over what happened to them and him back then. Even now, he’s still affected by it, and his eyes show that as he stares at me, willing me to go away.
He recently had to kill one who survived, and spent a long time mourning him. It hit him hard. But he realized that life does move on, even if he doesn’t want to. So he’s going to make sure Flame and Brooks don’t do the same thing he did, and basically shut down after.
There are other people we can help, people we can help prevent the deaths of. This is a reason for us to grow stronger.
“Plus,” Caleb sighs, looking back to the ocean as he stands and makes his way the railing to the balcony that overlooks the beach. “I gave them their brothers’ legacies. They’ll never forget them, every time they use their power.”
“Their legacies?” I think back to him mentioning that he has taken on Thomas’s legacy. “Their powers?”
“I gave Brooks Cliff’s,” Caleb says. “And Flame Gale’s.”
“Gave?” I ask, then think about Kieran.
Caleb did something, back in the massacre, that caused Kieran’s brother’s powers to enter him, making him a dual-Ability Superhuman.
“You mean,” I say after realizing this. “You did the same thing to them that you did to Kieran?”
“Yeah,” he answers. “They’re brothers, so I knew it would work. I gave them all of their powers – their magic, their Abilities, and their draconic heritage. The two dragons fused the moment I did that, forming dragons of not one, but two elements. I can’t believe Kieran awakened his, too. I wonder if there’s a way to bind them back up?”
I don’t think he meant for me to hear that.
I start to walk back inside, so that Caleb and Emma can have some peace, and pass Emma on my way in.
“Hey, Jared,” she stops me, then glances at Caleb for a moment before looking at me. “I have a question.”
“Shoot.”
“Caleb disappeared for awhile earlier,” she says. “And when he returned, he seemed kind of… moody. Since you two are friends, I was wondering if you knew what happened, and if there was something I could do to cheer him up. His smile and laugh are too good to leave like this.”
“A couple of our teammates’ brothers just passed away,” I respond, and she looks horrified. “They’ll be leaving to their village soon, to bury their brothers. He’s dealt with a lot death in his life. To cheer him up… ask him about his turtles again, or about his family.”
“His family?”
“They died when he was younger,” I say. “But if you can get him talking about them – which you probably can, as he’s probably thinking about them right now, and he’s completely infatuated with you to the point where that probably wouldn’t have made a difference – his face will light up as he remembers pranks and stuff that he pulled with or on some of them or the staff.”
“He… likes me?” She asks, looking surprised.
“He was attracted to you,” I say. “Because of your aura. Then he got to talking with you, and began to like you for your personality.”
“Oh,” she says, then laughs nervously. “That explains a few things, since we met. Thanks, Jared. I’ll see if he’ll talk about his family. I’d like to hear about these pranks.”
“Ask him about the frogs,” I tell her, then return inside and find a table to sit at, Owen joining me after a few minutes.
“Thought we were eating outside?” He asks.
“Caleb’s out there,” I look out the window. “And he’s in a funky mood. I’ll tell you when we return, if they don’t announce it while we’re here.”
----------------------------------------
~~~(???)~~~
Flame, a dragon of fire, now merged with the power of air.
Brooks, a dragon of ice and water, now merged with the power of stone.
Jared, a dragon of steel and stone.
Kieran, a dragon of light, shadows, and perception itself.
I can only pray to my father that my son does not awaken the dragon within him. Our particular species is far different from other species… dragons of pure magic are not something many want around. It bends to our will, shaping as we wish it.
His Ability should have alerted me to his draconic heritage. Every Territory has at least twenty percent of their blood as draconic in nature. A Creator is at least forty-five percent. Caleb is sixty percent, gaining ten percent from his mother, if she is who I think she is, and fifty percent from me – half of each.
To fuse people with draconic heritages’ powers together is extraordinary, and already a testament to just how much of my power he really has. That’s one of the more difficult ones, and I am grateful he can only manage it when casting a Reality Marble with his Ability.
For now.
“You prayed?” Father appears on the beach in front of me.
“Is there any chance of Caleb ever awakening the dragon sleeping within him?” I ask, choosing to ignore the fact that he said it’s nearly impossible for even they Dragons of Creation to enter this realm right now. “If so, how likely is it?”
“Unlikely,” Father responds. “Despite the fact that he has far more dragon in him, he strangely doesn’t have access to it, outside of the innate access.”
Little touches, things he probably isn’t aware are a result of his power, such as the ability to burn liquid magic away. I’m grateful he didn’t try drinking it… that son of mine would do something like that, just to see what it would do, under the assumption that his draconic nature would protect him. Only draconic powers can affect liquid magic.
“How unlikely?”
“He’d have to enter the Temple of the Dragon King to awaken his dragon,” Father answers. “Which, as you know, is almost impossible to enter, without a very specific set of requirements being met.”
“Good,” I say. “That place isn’t due to spawn for awhile yet, and it’s doubtful he’ll be there. And Father?”
“Yes?”
“Why are you in swim trunks?”
“What?” He looks down at his trunks, then back at me. “I’m on a beach, I might as well fit in.”
“You’re a dragon,” I say. “In dragon form. If you were in your human form, that would be a different matter, but you’re not.”
Father transforms to human form, and I sigh.
“Sunglasses and a shark’s tooth necklace on a hemp cord?” I ask.
“It’s what the cool kids wear.”
“You’re just a kid.”
“I’m a kid who helped create existence,” he adjusts his glasses, taking on a ‘cool’ stance.
“I have a question for you,” I say.
“Beyond your previous questions?”
“I tried contacting the Domain Deities recently,” I say. “After determining that their power is, in fact, weaker than it should be. None of them responded.”
“That’s because they’re all missing,” he answers. “Well, the big ones. Sun and Moon aren’t around, and Earth is weak. A Second Great Calamity is on its way.”
A Second Great Calamity… exactly as I thought. The same sequence of events happened back then. The world will shift and roil once more.
“Any idea on how to stop it?” I ask. “The Domains wouldn’t tell me what happened to them, and they’ve been weak ever since.”
“Caleb will stop it,” Father answers, walking to the beach and wading into the water. “Oh! Your water’s the perfect temperature! That’s cool!”
You’re an ancient being who helped create existence, Father. Please, control yourself.
“How will he stop it?” I ask.
“I don’t know,” he answers. “But that’s what we managed to divine. Caleb will stop the Second Great Calamity. It appears he already has a quest to do so, though he doesn’t know it’s going to happen.”
“How did he gain that?” I ask as Father flips on his back and starts doing a backstroke around the shallows. “Father?”
“The Moon gave it to him last year,” he answers.
“Will it screw up this realm even more?” I ask. “It’s already difficult for you to enter, and pretty much impossible to-”
“No,” he answers. “We figured out what happened. They’re two separate events, they just happened to coincide.”
“The Great Calamity and the binding of the realm?” I ask.
“Yes,” Father answers, diving under water, and remaining there for several moments before surfacing. I stare at him, and he sighs, talking after after several minutes. “Basically, during the Great Calamity, a Creator claimed Tulm as his Reality. That’s about all the information we can find. It wasn’t intentional, and he’s sleeping. That’s all we know. We can’t track him down, though we’ll try again. Looking into Tulm isn’t easy, even knowing this.”
Knowing that it’s a Reality Marble, I now think I know how to leave this realm, and on the first attempt, find myself in my actual realm. Father appears in front of me, wearing pants, boots, a sweater, and a parka, along with a beanie and earmuffs, a scarf, and…
“That’s overkill.”
“I went from a beach to here.”
Inwardly, I sigh and roll my eyes. My father can be dramatic sometimes.
“Passage is now easier,” I comment. “Though it felt… odd. It wasn’t like it was a Reality Marble.”
“Because it’s not.”
“You said it was.”
“No,” he says. “I said that someone claimed Tulm as their Reality. It isn’t a Reality Marble coating the realm – the realm itself was turned into a Reality Marble. As such, it’s still reality.”
“How is Caleb able to pass in and out of it?” I ask. “He doesn’t seem to have an issue.”
“You mean him freezing hell?”
I’m still trying to figure that one out. Did he really freeze hell, or is that just a joke my Father is continuing?
A moment later, I’m standing in hell, and can now confirm that hell is frozen-over. There aren’t many demons about, but I’m not surprised by that – most of them were probably frozen when Caleb hit it. How did he freeze the realm, though? He shouldn’t have the power for this kind of feat, with his power being bound.
“How has it not thawed yet?” I ask Father.
“Are you forgetting who Caleb’s descended of?” He snorts. “His ice doesn’t thaw when he doesn’t want it to. He wasn’t thinking, so it just won’t thaw. You’re going from subject to subject, and if you don’t stop, I’m leaving.”
“Do you know how to find the Creator who put Tulm in that state?”
“Do you think you’d still be in that state if I did?” Father asks in a very sarcastic voice. “Son,” that sounds weird coming out of the mouth of a kid who looks younger than me. “We’re doing the best we can, but we honestly have no idea how to fix this. The guy who did that is sleeping – has been since he hit Tulm with that. We don’t even know how he’s supplying it with power, to sustain that state.”
An ungodly mortal scream rings out, and I look in the direction that came from.
“There are still plenty of demons to torture the souls of the damned,” Father states. “I sometimes come here when I’m bored.”
I return to my island on Earth, and sit in a beach chair, thinking about the things I just learned.
Caleb can only awaken his draconic side if he enters the Temple of the Dragon King, and he is the only person who can stop or end the coming Great Calamity. I sacrificed a lot to end the first one and bind up the demons responsible for it the first time around. Caleb really did freeze hell over, and Tulm was somehow claimed as the Reality of someone who has been in a slumber since, and not even the Dragon of Creation of Knowledge can see who it is or how they did or how to wake them.
I really wish Father didn’t show up after that prayer. Now, I’m only concerned for the future. What will happen if that person dies without releasing his Reality? Will this realm begin to fall apart? Even the power of the Dragons of Creation likely won’t be enough to save it.
What will happen if Caleb does awaken his draconic nature? He can definitely take on the form of a dragon – which is the only reason he wants to awaken that part of his nature, the fool – but he will be so much more dangerous.
The first time he freaks out about something… would spell disaster for all. He’s already gone through so much in his thirteen years, and times will only grow darker for him. Not only that, but if what Father said last time is true, and Caleb really is the Bringer of Light and Darkness…
The world itself would be much, much better off, when he draws to the side of darkness, if he does not have his draconic nature.
But what is the event that spurs him that way? Right now, he is firmly on the side of good, and will do whatever it takes to protect his friends and allies. Yes, he acts in a chaotic sense, but he does it to protect.
What will happen to turn him to evil?
“My son,” I close my eyes. “So long as I live, I will make sure you never fall to evil.”