《A Whole New World - Valoren Series Book 1》


 Chapter 1: A Whole New World

    Once again he found himself on those steps... And like before they formed a certain curve going down what was left of a castle which had been worn out by the hands of time. Reaching the end of these flight of steps led to a pair of seemingly thick curtains, their colors paled by years of neglect but still able to hide what was inside.


    He pushed the curtains aside, coughing as he passed through a cloud of dust to reveal a large throne room. Worn out drapes hung down over broken windows on each side of the hall leaving a lone window without its curtain as the only source of light for this room. The moonlight shone in, forcing its way through the darkness as it revealed what lay inside.


    Dirt covered walls which produced the four corners of the hall along with marble covered pillars so dark but glittered they could pass as black diamonds that ran along both sides of the room and stretched all the way to the seemingly never ending height of the ceiling on which hung numerous chandelier that had lost their use. The marble floor which had lost its reflective property as years of neglect had rendered most parts of the floor broken and other part completely covered in dirt.


    At the center of the hall was a round stage signifying an area secluded for performance and was just a bit lower than the rest of the room. The light was able to reflect off what was left of the pillars as it gave more clarity to what this room really entailed.


    Towards the end of the hall were two dragon statues on opposite ends of the room facing each other placed between two pillars on each side which stood on a slightly higher elevation than the rest of the room. At the very foot of the elevation was a small flight of stairs with just a few steps rising up to the very thing that had brought him here.


    Tearing through the wall of webs that had formed over time he made towards the majestic chair with wyvern heads at the end of the arm rests which connected to the main body that rested under the head of a dragon looming over the chair as if to show protection of whoever sat on it. The body was entirely made of tough dragon hide and scales that lay underneath the cushion that wore rich red silk that even brought out the scales as if to compliment the very power that rested within it. Connected over it was an arch that shielded it from any and almost all forms of light as it reached into the very darkness of the corner of the room.


    Though shielded from light, all features of the dragon throne were brought to life as the features were buried into his very consciousness giving out an aura of total and complete power of dominance.


    Though the throne itself was an image of power and the overall center of attraction, what caught his attention this time wasn''t the throne, but the glowing tiles that went from the foot of the stairs towards the throne, but goes around the throne entirely and stops behind the throne itself. It was completely out of place because every other thing was either extremely worn out or crumbling.


    These tiles on the other hand looked like they were just finished today. Curiosity finally got the better of him as he followed the tiles around the throne and was faced with a large door that still looked completely intact, something which conflicted with the condition of the rest of what he was sure was a castle. The door which had inscriptions in a foreign language over the arch of the door.


    The depiction of a dragon was over the center of the door. Even more peculiar was the fact that this door had no handles, only a hole where the mouth of the depicted dragon was. He just placed his hand in the hole without even thinking about it...almost like he set the lock himself.


    At first nothing happened and he wondered if he that was really how it would be opened. He was still in thought when the hole in the mouth glowed dark red, the light then spread to the eyes, then several lines of light ran along the body of the dragon bringing out the full detail of the dragon. The light flowed along all visible lines on the dragon accompanied by rumbling and an eerie hum that let a sense of unease sneak into his consciousness as it reverberated all over the room.


    The light then rested on a crystal on the head of the dragon after which all the light that glowed on the body finally stopped except for the crystal on the head. Then light ran down the middle of the door which signified where the door would part. He shut his eyes as the door finally glided open expecting a bright light or something of that nature. He was now questioning all logic because nothing but darkness could be seen inside.


    At this point he wanted to turn back as his survival instinct kicked in as he stared into the darkness that lay ahead. At the same time he couldn''t help but ponder the possibilities that lay ahead.....his mind lit up with confidence seeing as the door wasn''t made to be easily opened but in fact opened to him which could only mean he was to go inside.


    Curiosity finally won over reason and he went in though with extreme caution as darkness covered all that lay ahead of him. He finally got to a set of stairs leading down. He could see nothing but he felt like he was being drained of energy as he went further. Now starting to regret his decision he turns back only for the door to close behind him.


    He was now left with one option...keep going. Every step he took down the stairs felt like more and more was being drained from him as the air felt too thick to properly breathe in. The feeling of being crushed now started to settle in as the pressure became more intense as he went further down.


    On getting to the end of the stairs and which by now his legs could barely keep his body up as the pressure he felt was now extreme, he scanned the area to find the place even blacker than where he had begun. Just as he was calling for someone to help him.....he heard a rumble from the very ground...two glowing red orbs each much bigger than his entire being gleamed in the distance as if to let him know what the source of the rumbling was.


    On closer inspection even as his vision started to blur, he realized they were eyes. As if the fear in him had not already rendered him frozen, this just shattered whatever sanity he had left as the eyes began to come closer and closer till he was staring directly at whatever this creature was that had him almost mad with fear.


    A sudden glow emanated from the body of the creature and he instantly recognized the dragon depicted on the door he opened earlier. The dragon then straightened up, as if trying to further drown him in its dominating presence. This was when he realized just how enormous the dragon was as even its foot stood way taller than he was. The dragon spread its massive wings then gave off the most terrifying sound he had ever heard as the dragon''s roar shook everything from the very earth beneath his feet to the very space around him.


    He noticed a similar red glow from behind the dragon and traced the glow from the tail which seemed endless down to the legs that looked like formidable colossal pillars to the scales on the entire body even down to the claws on its feet....at the point he looked up to meet the gaze of the dragon again, the dragon charged at him mouth open to devour him whole....finally drowning him in complete nothingness.


    "AAAARRRRGGGHHH!!! NOOOOOOO!!!!!!" he screamed as the nightmare finally came to its brutal end. "Damn, I really should lay off the anime, these dreams are getting serious". Rhaegah sighed to himself.


    His eyes fully opened to reveal the realm of chaos and catastrophe he knew all too well.....his room.


    Rhaegah, even more organized than most was "apparently in a rebellious phase" as his guardian would always put it. After taking almost an hour preparing for school, Rhaegah set out still trying to make sense of his dream.


    Although he''d been having the same dream over and over, there were never any tiles or a hidden door in his previous dreams as the dream always ended when his eyes set on the dark throne.


    He pondered as he walked on to school the meaning of this additional content his mind provided him in his dreams. After finally giving up for the morning seeing as he had wasted most of his morning walking and thinking, he rushed on to school to catch whatever was left of his class.


    Rhaegah was a student of Legion High, the newly established island school that was just past the harbor. Gaining admission into this school was considered a great privilege as admission wasn''t even open to the general populace but only to the people of great influence who wanted their kids to attend so as to prove their status.


    Rhaegah had no such restrictions as he didn''t really answer to anyone besides his guardian that would always show up at ridiculous times to deliver insane news like the time he delivered Rhaegah his admission letter while hanging from the roof at 2am wearing only a loose shirt and a pair of socks with the happiest look on his face.


    Getting to school with only twenty minutes left of a two hours lecture he walks past the front gate not even sparing the guard a glance. He walks into the classroom, ignores the lecture going on and strolls to his seat stealing a glance at the board which had the words "Substitute Teacher" written on it and "Mr. Cooper" written directly under that. Mr. Cooper, enraged by the complete lack of respect finally yelled out..."BRAT!! Don''t know who the hell you are and i don''t really care, but that form of disrespect will not be tolerated in my class".


    Rhaegah said nothing and took his seat, staring out the window. A vein popped up on Cooper''s head realizing he''d been completely ignored. "Hmph...You know what? Since you''re so uninterested with what we''re doing here, how bout you help us end the class with a little pop quiz from the lecture today?" stated Cooper again, the wrinkled expression on his face clearly portraying his frustration.


    "Not sure that''s gonna happen" Rhaegah stated absent-mindedly


    "WHAT?!" Cooper''s mind screamed, constantly observing the looks of ridicule and jest the other students were starting to give. "Why you litt-"...


    "And it''s Rhaegah"


    Cooper stared in disbelief as this little shit rudely interrupted him, "What are yo-"


    "The name''s Rhaegah"


    "Impossible, this little shit is actually mocking me". "I need to do something quick or this little shit will have the whole class forever make a mockery of me" Cooper thought as his mind desperately tried to figure out a way to retain his reputation.


    His eyes then lit up with assured victory as he looked up at Rhaegah ton find him pointing to the wall behind him. Cooper turned to know what was being pointed to as the clock on the wall struck noon as the bell resounded through the halls signifying the end of the class rendering all of Cooper''s brain-storming useless. Without a word Mr. Cooper stormed out of the class.


    "Wasn''t that a bit too harsh, Rhae?" Kaneko, a Japanese exchange student and currently Rhaegah''s only friend asked from the seat behind. "You almost had him in tears...that''s not like you".


    Rhaegah spared a glance at Kaneko before turning to face the windows. "Not sure...I guess I didn''t like his tie".


    Kaneko, knowing this wasn''t the case decided not to press on it, "How bout another match after school?"


    Rhaegah always felt suspicious as to why Kaneko always wanted a match of tennis, table tennis in fact and no other game. "Sure, why not...could help clear my mind anyway".


    "So there is something on your mind. Girlfriend I don''t know about?"


    "Surely you jest"


    The two said nothing more as they made their way to their next class.


    Classes were finally over and as one would expect, Rhaegah had no reason to stick around and then decided to head home and make sense to his maze of a room. On walking past the stadium he saw Kaneko standing just at the entrance to the stairs that lead down to the sports center under the stadium.


    "Surely you didn''t forget about our match now did you?"


    "Course not!" He yelled back.


    "Your expression betrays you" Kaneko shot back, "Of course you forgot"


    "I guess I''m lucky this school isn''t finished" Rhaegah sighed "Who knows what ridiculous activities you''d force me into?"


    "You can thank whoever decided to admit students before all facilities were built"


    They both made their way down to the sports center and upon entering, they were greeted with the steady and exited eyes of all who were present.


    All the other students were always exited to watch these two play their supposed tennis as they always have since they first met at that same table. They both placed their bags down and without even changing into the sports attire provided for the students which they never seem to do anyway, and casually strolled to the table.


    Kaneko picked up the ball staring coldly at his opponent in front of him as he raised the bat. "Shall we?"


    "Bring it"


    Kaneko finally swung down and struck the ball with a force as if to destroy it, surprisingly the ball was still intact as it was sent flying towards Rhaegah who gave a swift backhand to return the ball as it flew towards the corner of the table....it bounced off the table and was heading over for Rhaegah''s win when it was struck again at a speed not many could follow as the ball was once again sent back to Rhaegah with near blinding speed.


    For the average person this would have been impossible to deflect but for Rhaegah who had become used to this fast paced game had enough time to process the environment and determined that Kaneko would be unable to block at his right due to his leaning too much on the left to pick the corner ball.


    Rhaegah smiled as he pulled off one of his many skills as he swung at the ball with the notion to hit it towards the same direction Kaneko was, only to swiftly change the placement of the bat on his palm and redirect the motion of his arm as he now struck towards the right with a force that rendered most people blind as they could not follow the ball''s movement. Kaneko''s face was of pure confusion as Rhaegah stated "don''t think it will be as easy this time".


    Just as the ball bounced off the table to give Rhae his first point, Kaneko suddenly spun rapidly only balancing on his pivot foot to end up backing Rhae as he smashed the ball while not even facing it, "aren''t you underestimating me a little?" was Kaneko''s reply as he smiled at Rhae who dashed for the ball only to miss it slightly granting Kaneko the first point.


    Time passed with the scores now four to five in a game of seven in Rhae''s favor and the two were now fully heated up for the match as they had completely drowned out all other noise and were in their own realm entirely due to the immense concentration on the game.


    Rhaegah swung at the ball at an even greater force and speed than before as it flew passed the net and was sent back by Kaneko even without it bouncing on the table first only to be struck downwards towards Kaneko''s left side which seemed open, but Kaneko dropped almost as fast as the ball was moving and swiftly scooped it back towards Rhaegah''s left side.


    Anticipating this move he took a step back, processing the situation all in a split second and scanning in the entire area around them to figure out where to strike the ball to.


    After predicting that Kaneko would rush back up to protect his center after that last strike left him open, Rhaegah then motions to strike the ball to the right but before contact with the ball redirects the position of his wrist which also drives his hand and then the rest of his arm to strike the ball back to the left where Kaneko was coming from which threw him off balance as he could only watch the ball fly towards the other end to grant Rhaegah another point. Kaneko who had already fallen for Rhaegah''s misdirection could only watch as the ball shot towards the other end of the table beyond his reach.


    Rhaegah was already celebrating at his point as the ball shot past him at a speed even he couldn''t counter. On looking back at Kaneko he could only stare in disbelief as to what he saw in front of him.


    Kaneko seeing as he couldn''t stop his movement and return to where the ball was heading towards rapidly spun while going down and tossed the bat at a position where it flipped and hit the ball at just the right angle to send the ball tearing through the air and passing by Rhaegah to score his fifth point in the game.


    All the other students were completely silent as though. The last strike by Kaneko only made the crowd watching go wild with sheer excitement as these two had given them yet another spectacle to watch.


    Now the match was about to reach its climax as the two were swinging back and forth. Kaneko pulling of his twin strike as he called it where he hits the ball with just the right side of the bat and before the ball leaves the bat he hits it again with the left side giving one strike the sound of two as well as slightly re-adjusting the direction of the ball although towards the same direction unlike Rhaegah''s misdirection which changes the direction of the ball completely.


    This strike was one of the most troublesome of Kaneko''s skills as it was extremely difficult to determine the extent at which the ball''s path would be altered. Rhaegah, deciding to not waste time thinking about it followed his first instinct and swung down hard at the ball only to realize his error as the ball started to deviate from the path he predicted and he was going to miss the ball.


    The ball was just on the verge of going out and Kaneko had already turned to the crowd to entertain the spectators even more when Rhaegah suddenly remembered how Kaneko tossed his bat at the ball to hit it back earlier and with a clear vision in his mind, he flicked his wrist and the bat flipped so slightly and struck the ball which sent it flying upwards towards Kaneko.


    "Didn''t see that coming did ya?" Rhaegah thought as he smiled to himself while relishing the thought of victory.


    "I have to say.....I AM impressed" was Kaneko replied as Rhaegah looked up to see Kaneko in the air with his arm raised to deliver the final strike on him. Kaneko at that moment gave off a feeling of extreme domination and pressure that inflicted a certain fear like the scene from Rhaegah''s dream.


    Rhaegah''s expression went from what seemed like complete focus to extreme fear as the feeling he felt in the castle was brought back, but as fast as the fear fell on him, he was able to shake it off as his vision cleared to see Kaneko smash down with a thundering force as the ball zoomed past Rhaegah to grant Kaneko his sixth point.


    Kaneko landed softly, eyes fixed on Rhaegah who was now moving to get a towel to rub over his face as the fear he saw on Rhaegah''s face was now a clear image in his mind. Now Kaneko was even more curious as to what was going on with his friend as fear was a foreign sentiment to Rhaegah.


    Rhaegah finally dropped the towel and without a word made his way towards the table with the same steps he took in the lair of the dragon.


    Each step bringing back the very aura of the dragon to memory as he made his way to the table, picking up his bat from the floor along the way.


    Rhaegah cursed himself for even feeling fear of this magnitude as fear was something he had never felt.


    Kaneko could feel a great sense of unease as he watched Rhaegah walk up to the table, picking up a new ball as the old one had bounced off elsewhere. He finally decided to say something but the feeling of unease only grew with each step Rhaegah made towards the table.


    "Oi Rhae, what''s u-"


    Rhaegah finally looked up with cold dead eyes as he raised his hand to serve.


    On reaching the point to strike the ball, Rhaegah was the very image of the dragon that caused his rage, motioning towards the ball with the intent to devour...swinging his arm even more viciously than before as he forced every fiber in his body to follow suit as if trying to smash all the sense of fear he was feeling.


    Kaneko froze, not sure what he was feeling as sweat trickled down the side of his face and even the chill he felt went up his spine not down. His heart pumped so loud he was afraid the people watching would hear it.


    All those feelings were still entwined and rendered him speechless until he was brought out of it by the sound of the ball breaking apart on hitting the floor.


    Kaneko stared at the destroyed ball on the floor and then turned his attention back to Rhaegah who was also shocked as to what happened.


    "Probably best we leave it as a tie...don''t you agree?" Kaneko asked trying to ease the tense aura that was still in the air.


    "Uh.....yeah sure"


    They only just realized it but the entire hall was dead silent...students still trying to make sense of what they just witnessed. Some already calling them monsters and others just shocked speechless.


    "You gotta admit though.....I almost had you. Too bad you quit on me" Kaneko teased as they made their way out.


    "You''re the one who insisted on a tie"


    Kaneko, finally relieved that Rhaegah''s mood was somewhat lifted jabbed at Rhaegah.


    "WOAH!! Shit...I''ll never understand that skin of yours"This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    Rhaegah was born with abnormally hard skin that was tough even to the point of not getting any injuries when hit or his skin being punctured only when enough force that could probably snap a person in two was directed at him would he finally succumb to minor injuries.


    Even that was not Rhaegah''s unique trait...That would be the marks under his eyes which very much looked like scales. This, if not the main reason played a major part as to why Rhaegah didn''t really have friends as people were mostly freaked out while others were plain scared of this scaled freak.


    "That''s rich coming from you" Rhaegah replied as he glanced at the boy with two different colored eyes. "Cos heterochromia is just your everyday birthmark huh?".


    Kaneko had been born with heterochromia. His right eye being a mixed shade of gold and hazel but which the gold was more prominent. His left being a magical shade of blue that many have referred to him as having the eye of the sea.


    "Girls love my eyes, but I''m not sure about your condition though, cos not all that''s hard is great.....just saying" Kaneko stated with arms raised and a dubious grin on his face.


    On getting back to the gate he sees his guardian standing by the gate while leaning on the lamp post on the side-walk.


    "What do you want this time Walter?" Rhaegah asked not even stopping to face him.


    "I hear you almost made a teacher cry today.....Oh and nice game by the way, but try to keep it down ok? you know your benefactor doesn''t like unwanted attention".


    Looking at Walter now Rhaegah remembered how this man though a complete idiot at times was formerly in the us special ops squad and was in charge of all of Rhaegah''s extra-curricular activities. Extra-curricular meaning the constant training he''d receive everyday as Walter always tried to push Rhaegah past his limits with a variety of training exercises ranging from martial arts to tactical missions training.


    These thoughts flashed through Rhaegah''s mind as he once again coldly stated, "Not like I know who the hell that is. Sometimes I feel this is all just some sick joke that''ll reveal itself eventually".


    "Oh it''s real alright. Don''t worry.....you''ll meet in due time" Walter replied as he followed Rhaegah out of the premises.


    "Need a ride home?"


    "Maybe next time" Rhaegah replied as he strapped his backpack firmly and began walking down the long road to the harbor.


    "Next time huh?"....."Like that''ll ever happen" Walter scoffed


    Finally in town Rhaegah made his way through the alleyways he was used to as this provided a shorter means of getting home. This trip home was particularly different because at every turn he made Rhaegah couldn''t shake the feeling that he was being watched. At first he dismissed the thought but he would always hear the tap and tap of steps following his every turn.


    "Who''s there?" he asked calmly not wanting to seem like he was scared. On hearing nothing he continued walking down the alley.


    At random intervals he would turn back suddenly so as to attempt to catch who was following him off-guard but he didn''t see anyone at all. He decided to keep going with the theory that if anyone was following him they would show themselves eventually.


    The feeling, all intensified now was really starting to freak him out as the steps got louder. He paused facing the direction the steps were coming from as he grabbed a thin and long piece of metal leaning on a trash can nearby.


    "I said who is there" he demanded again raising the metal rod in anticipation that whoever attacked him would have a sorry tale for their friends later. He prepared himself as the steps got even louder signifying that the source was now really close.


    "CLANG"...a noise came from the adjacent street as he stood his ground only for a cat to run past him not even acknowledging his presence at all.


    He gave a sigh of relief. "Kaneko would never shut up about this if he ever finds out I got freaked out by a random cat running down the alley"


    With that the sound of steps could no longer being heard, he still couldn''t shake that feeling of being watched. He finally shrugs it off as he came to his front door. He pauses to look round so as to clear his suspicion. Seeing as nothing was out of the ordinary, he went into his apartment just as the cat ran across the street into the alley and stared inquisitively at the figure that stood there quietly observing as Rhaegah went into the apartment and shut the door.


    "Finally, at long last...I''ve found you"


    Rhaegah even after turning off the lights in his apartment did not sleep right away as he instinctively went towards the window and shifted the curtain only slightly to get a view of the street. He scanned the area and managed to catch a glimpse of someone standing just opposite his apartment in the dark alley.


    He looked back quickly to confirm what he saw but by the time his eyes landed on that spot, there was no one there.


    "I guess even I can see weird stuff when I''m tired". With that he turned in for the night


    Across the street in the alley a figure could be seen dashing through the darkness moving so swiftly and silently he could put ninjas to shame. Kicking off the wall and using a dumpster to propel himself even more he landed on a nearby rooftop as he never slowed in momentum. Avoiding obstacles as he made his way from rooftop to rooftop then back to the ground until he came to a wall at the end of the alley he was on.


    Anyone watching would think he missed a turn in his parkour event and ended up at a dead end, but all was going to plan with whoever this was.


    Looking around to make sure no one was around to witness what was about to happen, he took out a glowing object and began writing as glyphs and magic runes began forming on the wall as it followed his every gesture until he had drawn a complete magic circle which then pulsated as if coming to life.


    The symbols all merged to open up a portal where the circle was drawn. Without hesitation he went through the portal and the circle of light vanished without a trace leaving not a single mark on the wall.


    The portal opened and the hooded figure jumped out and landed softly once again looking around as the portal suddenly diminished in size and vanished behind him.


    "Now that''s a face I haven''t seen in a while". A voice said from behind him causing him to stop in his tracks.


    The hooded figure, recognizing the voice looked up to see a man in fully covered robes. The color being rich gold except for the sash which was black and had the the engraving of the sun at the middle. A long black cloak rested over the robes with gold lines running down the edges. Looking up to see the man''s bearded face and hair so blonde it seemed to glow when just little enough light is shown on it. He turned fully to be face to face with his master Nygel.


    "How can you even tell? The hood was meant to-"


    "I raised you didn''t I?" Nygel replied almost laughing at the same time.


    "I know you didn''t come back just to see me...your too stubborn for that. So what brings you back?" Nygel added as his countenance became more serious.


    "I found him"


    "WHAT?!"......"Are you sure?" Nygel asked again.


    "Yes...I have seen him"


    "Excellent work child, you have done well"


    Nygel thought for a while as he strolled out of the room they were in and walked down a long hall.


    "Where did you find him?"


    "On Earth...just as you suspected".


    With this Nygel smiled again as he turned to face the boy standing behind him. "Go back and continue to watch him...and by no means should you attempt to communicate with him"


    "Will do"


    "His whereabouts must be kept secret for now"


    With that a portal opened up and the hooded figure went through it leaving Nygel walking towards the balcony. On reaching it he gave a sigh of relief as he looked out to see the Giant eagles that flew in the distance, dancing through the skies with the aid of the men who rode them as they flew around one of the many floating cities in the distance. A vast land of green could be seen filled with gigantic majestic trees which made up Faireim, the land which fairies called home. He looked over the forest of trees and watched the fairies rush about as their individual glows could be seen from the balcony Nygel stood on. Towns could be seen on hilltops which stood above the magical forest adding to the beauty of the scenery. A cool breeze blew towards Nygel as he closed his eyes to hear the cheerful chatter of the fairies down below as they went about their business, the chirps of the birds that lived on the trees and the sound of leaves rustling as the branches danced in the wind.


    "Finally" He said as he opened his eyes.


    "All is not lost for this world".


    VORFALLS.


    A small farming town east of Faireim. Vorfalls was a town that rarely had visitors as the inhabitants were always away to sell their produce. Located at the outskirts of the town was a guild building hidden amongst the trees in the woods,


    Sunlight tore through the trees around and rested on two people walking towards the guild building with rapid steps.


    "And you''re sure you can do it?"


    "Symonne, I thought our time together would''ve made you realize that I don''t make inaccurate remarks"


    "You know I do not doubt you...I''m more concerned on whether or not you can handle it. It will not be an easy task Auia"


    "And it is for that very reason that I should be the one to do it"


    "Very well Auia...not like we have another elf to help us"


    "Exactly my point" Auia replies as she walks through the doors but not before looking up at the word inscribed onto the foreside of the building.


    "LEGION" The word meant more than just the name of the guild as this was the one place she called home.


    Symonne and Auia make their way down the halls of this seemingly run-down building until they get to a carving of a wolf with a serpent curled around it on the wall right in the middle of the hallway. Symonne placed his hand on it and fed some magic into it as the wall opened to reveal a flight of stairs leading down. They go down the stairs and are met by three guards who greet them as they push on without even stopping to reply them.


    They got to the main guild hall which was quite large given the structure of the building overhead. People of different races rushing back and forth as these two made their way across the room. They then head to the guild meeting room on the lower level of the underground structure. They meet the two guards stationed there and give only a nod of acknowledgement as they proceed into the room.


    "Will this do?" Symonne asked as he shut the doors behind them.


    "I should be able to sense him clearly now" Auia replied sitting with legs crossed as she closes her eyes to focus.


    An aura of mana became visible around her as she continued to focus on trying to keep her mana flowing around her and not fading away. She is rushed with a throbbing pain in her head as everything around her comes into view even with her eyes closed. She looks around to see trails of different colored lights flowing around. Following one of them, she traces it until her eyes rest on Symonne.


    "I see trails of energy moving around us"


    With eyes wide Symonne replied "Then it''s true.....with this power you can find him"


    "I see something, it''s faint and it''s not like the others"


    "Could it be-?"


    "It HAS to be.....but I don''t understand this. There are little pieces of it everywhere and at the same time it''s not here at all"


    Symonne tries to think about what that could mean. "It would appear the dragon-born of myth will not be found so easily I presu-"


    "AAAARRRRGGHHHH!!!!" Auia screamed as the pain in her head intensified and was now spreading to the rest of her body as the pale blue aura had turned a dark and cold blue on the verge of going out of control.


    The aura disperses as she falls into Symonne''s arms. "AUIA! Are you alright?"


    "I''m fine.....but there''s something very wrong here" her voice still shaken as the pain had not fully left her.


    "It''s just..."


    "It''s not just about being able to find him.....it''s like he exists here and doesn''t at the same time"


    "What in the world could that mean" Symonne replied even more confused than the girl in his arms.


    "It means he is in a different plane of existence" A voice came from the corner of the room.


    With a reach for his dagger Symonne turned to find the source of the voice keeping his eyes on the other end of the room where the voice had come from. He could only keep his eyes on the corner of the room as Auia was still weak in his arms.


    "Calm yourself Symonne" The voice came again as a robed figure stepped out of the shadows and removed the hood that was over his head.


    "NYGEL?! You crazed devil. Would you stop doing that? I could have killed you"


    "It would seem fear has halted your ability to reason to think you can kill me" Nygel shot back holding a laugh.


    "What''s this about a different plane of existence?" Auia''s voice interrupted


    "You could sense only traces of his energy here but there would be no way to locate the source as his body resides elsewhere". "At least not with your level" Nygel stated as he helped Auia to her feet.


    "But perhaps I can help with that" he says and places his fingers on her forehead and motions for her to try again.


    She tries to focus again but finds no difficulty as a surge of mana rushes through her body and manifests as an aura of a large golden orb of mana forms around her. She sees the faint energy again but this time as she focuses on the pieces, they then form a single trail that seemed to dangle in front of her as if teasing her. She steps forward to touch it and after taking a few steps turns back and to her surprise sees herself still standing in place where Nygel had his hand on her.


    Looking at herself now she was completely glowing and at the same time she seemed ghostlike. Deciding not to think too hard on it she reaches out and grabs the dark trail of energy and was hurled through the ceiling the through the roof of the main building so fast she didn''t have time to process the things that swooped passed her. The thick line of mana then drew her through the clouds and through the very fabrics of space and finally warped into a different world.


    "Where.....where is this place?" she thought to herself before she was again hurled through strange looking buildings and roads with various types of machines running on them. People dressed in weird attires walking around with some sort of object they placed on the side of their heads.


    She was now wondering just what was going on when she was brought to a particularly small house at the corner of the street facing a dark alley. She paused, not sure what to expect as the trail of mana was going through the door of this house.


    She walks up the small flight of stairs and goes through the door revealing a small living area which was empty besides the long chair and a slim box which hung on the wall. Looking around she sees the trail going into a different room as she takes cautious steps forgetting she was not physically there.


    She go to the room and walked in to see a boy lying on some sort of bed. Focusing on the trail of mana she had been following, she found that the end of the trail rested on this boy.


    "So this is where you''re hiding" she though, looking at the boy as he lay there. She reached out to touch him just as dense dark mana pooled out of him making her jump back in shock. She watched closely as the dense aura of mana swirled around him as if to shield him. Looking at this she was starting to feel uneasy as she stood there. The mana pouring out gave off an eerie feeling as though coming in contact with it would mean your demise. Looking into the cloud of dark energy in an effort to see the boy, eyes glowed through the dark energy as the mana started to take the form of a dragon''s head. At this point she was completely overcome with fear as she backed up but hit a wall behind her. Knowing fully well that nothing physical could touch her right now, she turned to find that the mana oozing from the boy had formed a wall around the room trapping her with whatever this monster was.


    She fell to her knees as the fear rendered her incapable of standing anymore. The dragon head whose size just about filled most of the room and seemed to keep on increasing in size. She tried to speak but the words could not be found. Never in a million years would she have expected this turnout as she was wrapped in a shroud of mana and brought towards the dragon''s head. She was now only a breath away from its eyes as she looked through it to the still sleeping boy oblivious to what was happening. She found her voice as the dragon gave out a roar in an attempt to shatter her consciousness. She screamed just as the boy suddenly shot up and turned to her. It was then that she was hurled back and warped back to her body.


    She woke up to find Symonne and Nygel staring at her with worried faces. "Child, are you alright?" Nygel asked.


    "What happened?" She asked


    "You went silent for a while, then you just began screaming and struggling until you collapsed" Symonne replied her, worry still evident on his face.


    "Did you see him?" Nygel calmly asked


    "Yes, he is on the world called Earth"


    "Earth?!" Symonne bellowed. "How do you know of Earth?"


    "I...just do" she replied massaging her forehead.


    "So he was right" Nygel murmured to himself.


    "You knew?"......"You knew where he was and didn''t see it fit to tell me?!!" Symonne screamed out.


    "I only just found out recently from Larcell that the dragon-born was on earth"


    "Larcell? he''s on earth? How is the lad?" Symonne asked still tending to Auia


    "Hard to say.....he didn''t really stay for too long"


    "Guild master!!!" Herke one of the guards outside the meeting room screamed as he burst into the room. "They''ve found us!!" he exclaimed again.


    "That''s not possible....how could this happen?!!!" Symonne asked with an enraged tone in his voice. "Stay with Auia, I''m going"


    "Sir you must leave, they''ve gotten even more powerful than before". "Those were Trina''s last words to me" Replied Herke


    "Trina''s dead?!" Symonne burst with anger as the ground began crumbling at the sudden release of mana that shunted out of him.


    "Get whoever is left and leave this place" Nygel said as he placed his hand on Symonne''s shoulder in an attempt to calm him. "I shall go and retrieve our missing piece" Nygel said again as he left the room to stand face to face with three dark elves.


    Dark elves were known to have dark skin colors with varying color of eyes. These ones however had black soul less eyes and rune markings on their bodies as they stared blankly at Nygel before they dashed at him.


    Just as the elves were about to hit him, he seemed to flicker for a moment and then vanished from sight as two of the elves were sent flying into a nearby wall leaving a lone elf both confused and filled with fear as all this happened in a split second.


    "No.....Yo- You weren''t supposed to be here!" Screamed the elf as he scurried away as fast as he could looking back to see a glow of magic around Nygel''s hand.


    "WHAM!" The elf fell back wondering what he ran into only to see Nygel standing there.


    Nygel then waved his hand over the elf as the glow got even brighter. "Shatter"


    The space around the elf began to warp and bend until everything around and inside the space shattered leaving a small crater where the elf was. At this he turned to Symonne and with a reassuring smile said..."I shall bring him here, you have my word". With that Nygel vanished from sight as Symonne fought his way out of the guild building.


    Rhaegah woke up looking around in shock as to what just happened. "Who was that girl?" he thought to himself getting up to take a shower as the image of a terrified girl had him wondering just what was going on with him.


    "Great, first a freaking dragon and now I''m seeing banshees? Ok I really need to lay off anime for a while" he says staring into his laptop screen to hear a low voice mummur "I am the bone of my sword".


    "Yep, and i''m the bane of my life......wanna switch?", he says as he turns it off.


    He gets dressed and heads out to meet up with Kaneko. Still thinking back to the dreams he''d been having, he opened the door to reveal a man in brightly colored robes with the widest smile he had seen. "Hello child, I am Nygel"


    "Ok? what does that mean? And what are you doing outside my apartment?"


    "Wait...did Walter send you? Cos I''ve got nothing so say to him"


    "Calm yourself child, I mean you no harm"


    "And is it not customary to let guests in?" he added


    "Depends.......I''m not interested in letting a homeless dude into my house just cause he asked" Rhaegah spat back.


    "Oh I have a home alright, and it is in grave danger" he sighed as he walked passed Rhaegah into the apartment.


    "Look man I''ve got stuff to do so could you maybe GET THA FU-"


    "I''ve come from a plane of existence quite different from this one" Nygel interrupted as the image of the cosmos seemed to manifest from his hands.


    Rhaegah''s eyes lit up as the image then morphed into a single planet while Nygel simply continued his explanation. "My world exists on said plane. Peaceful and beautiful".


    "But now it is on the verge of destruction by an army so evil they will stop at nothing until all of Valoren is plunged back to the age of darkness. It is for this reason that I have come to find you as we need your power to help prevent this"


    "My power?" Rhaegah''s eyebrow arched up as he massaged his forehead. "I''m not even gonna pretend to believe you but still......my power?"


    "Yes child, to defeat the dark elves and their demon lord we need the power of the dragon-born"


    "Wait a sec. dark elves, dragon bor-? Alright......you can get the hell outta my house now" Rhaegah snapped


    "All I ask is that you reflect on what I have told you. We really do need your help and there''s not much time to waste"


    "I shall return in two days to hear your reply" "Oh and do be careful" Nygel added and with that he walked off into the street putting a hood over his head.


    "My life''s a complete joke now....from dragon dreams to banshees and now the ancient one actually comes to my front door?" he vents out, going through his alley route to meet up with Kaneko.


    Still in deep thought on his way to meet his friend, his cell phone rings bringing him back to reality. He turned back to head home on seeing the caller ID "Kaneko", he answers the call.


    "Rhae uhmm, I''m not gonna be able to make it today.......how bout tomorrow?"


    "I figured.....tomorrow''s fine"


    With that he strolled back through the maze of streets and alleyways still trying to process all what the old guy told him.


    Once again he felt eyes on him but this time there was an ominous feeling to it. Stopping to focus on his surroundings he picks up a rustle in the wind just in time to duck, dodging a straight attack from a masked man judging from the build.


    Sticking his leg out he tripped the man and leapt off the ground towards the falling figure, he was right over the masked man as he placed a palm on his back to further increase the impact he''d make on the ground.


    "BOOM!" They landed with Rhaegah on the back of the now unconscious man as he tilted his head to the left just as an arm drove passed his face, wind rushing passed his cheek as he turned swiftly to be met by a boot to his chest.


    Rhaegah coughed up air as he was launched through the air and crashed into a nearby dumpster. He shot back up just in time to dodge another attack from a smaller masked figure...a female this time.


    "Just who the fuck are you guys?!" He asked as he beamed towards the female reaching for the face only to merely scratch the mask as he landed behind her


    Looking back he was dumbfounded as he couldn''t believe what he was looking at. Long black hair flowing dow across smoothly across the face of a girl whose beauty would put every girl he knew into the grave. Even this was not what caught his attention. Sticking out the sides of her head were long pointy ears that had a type of jewel hanging on them that glowed in sync with several markings on her skin.


    "ELF!......You''re a FREAKING ELF!" He yelled as the elf rushed at him taking advantage of his shock to close their distance and struck him in the gut.


    Wincing due to the pain but refusing to go down, Rhaegah attempts to escape but is surrounded by three more elves.


    He shut his eyes in anticipation as the elves rushed at him just as he felt a rumble around him. Now wondering why he hadn''t been hit, he opened his eyes to see four elves on the ground quite the distance from him. The elves got up but this time had their attention not on Rhaegah but something behind him. Turning quickly he looks up to see Nygel about 5 feet in the air and his body covered in a bright gold glow.


    Nygel looked at the elves as the mana around him became even more prominent. "Mana Chain" he muttered as the mana around him spread out like massive glowing tentacles that headed straight for the elves who simply dodged as the chains curled back to maintain pursuit not giving them any chance to breathe as they tried desperately to avoid getting caught.


    "Collapse" his voice sounded again and the area around him fell to bits throwing the elves in all directions as one fell into a dumpster, another crashing into a nearby building and the rest simply knocked out by the impact on the ground.


    "Maybe it''s just me but don''t you think two days is a long time?" Rhaegah said as he got to his feet.


    "I can guarantee that more will follow....all the more reason why you have to come with me"


    "Urghh! might as well......you saved me, I guess I could here you out"


    Nygel stood facing the wall of a nearby building and motioned for Rhaegah to come over. Placing his palm on the wall he fed mana into it as a large magic circle appeared on the wall signifying that the portal was opened. Rhaegah looked up at the portal as a smile appeared on his face.


    "Most people unfarmiliar with magic would either be terrified or overcome with doubt on what they really DO know......but yet, you smile instead?"


    "Let''s just say I have a feeling that a lot of things will finally make sense to me now"


    With that they both went through the portal leaving five unconscious elves and a whole lot of destruction behind.


    Stepping out as the portal opened up, Rhaegah was met with the glowing lights of tiny humanoid creatures as they flew passed in various directions, grass so green and soft to the touch, the breeze bringing with it the scent of flowers that danced in the wind. Trees stood tall and flocks of the most beautiful birds he had ever seen flew above them as the sky came into view with a shade of blue and just a hint of purple with clouds gliding gracefully above. Even more fascinating were the floating structures hidden in the clouds with giant orbs of light around them. All these rushed into his subconscious as his mind struggled to grasp the wonders of this whole new world. Nygel seeing the amazement in Rhaegah''s eyes patted his shoulder and with pride in his voice.


    "Welcome to Valoren"

 Chapter 2: Dragonborn

    "Dragons, gods, magic, creatures you could only find in a fantasy story. A world where almost all myths are real. Power crazed elves collaborating with unknown forces in their war against all others for the fate of Valoren. And in the middle of all this is the one person who''s got no clue about any of it..........Me"


    Rhaegah thought to himself as he stared out the open window of the Ember Wing inn at the outskirts of Faireim. Nygel briefed Rhaegah about the world he had found himself in and had insisted they stop at the inn to meet with some friends before they head out to Legion. "Some friends? That crazy old bastard actually has friends?" Rhaegah muttered as he headed to the bathroom. "Dragon-born huh? This is gonna be a lot more fun than I expected" he added.


    ''SPLASH''


    Drops of water trickled down his face as he looked into the mirror. Black hair running down in messy waves stopping short of the top of his shoulders with a few strings of hair hanging over the left side of his face over his eye. He ran his hand over the scales that rested under his eyes wondering if this was also because of him being this dragon-born. Deciding he''d leave self-discovery for later, he grabbed a cloth hanging on a nearby pail and dried his face.


    "Just how long is this gonna take?"


    "Depends on how long you intend to admire yourself" Nygel''s voice teased from the room.


    "I take it you''re done? So where to next?" Rhaegah shot back, drying his hair as he walked towards Nygel.


    "As luck would have it, we have one final destination" Nygel replied as he placed his hand on Rhaegah''s chest, giving him some of his mana.


    "What the-?" Rhaegah was cut short as they were warped through a realm of nothingness. His consciousness battling to remain stable as his mind struggled trying to process what was transpiring around him. The darkness illuminated by tiny balls of light scattered across the nigh infinite space in an explosion of colors as they were once again warped out to face the entrance of a cave.


    "What.....What the hell was that?" Rhaegah asked, trying to keep his balance after the mind shattering experience he just had.


    "My apologies.....You haven''t experienced spatial magic have you?"


    "Nope.......I skipped that class" Rhaegah replied


    "That is surprising.....I always believed earth was devoid of magic" Nygel stated, confusion obvious on his face.


    "Oh no.....Cos you-....wait, Spatial magic?"


    "Mastery of the direct influence and manipulation of the very space that exists around myself, or anywhere on any realm" Nygel replied. "And move through them of course, in the form of teleportation meaning I can teleport anywhere my mana has been placed" he added "But to teleport with someone else, either myself or my mana must in contact with them"


    "So that''s why you passed your magic power into me"


    "Mana"


    "What?" Rhaegah asked eyebrow raised


    "Magic power is referred to as mana" Nygel replied


    "Whatever....so we have to be connected by your mana or touch directly? And you can only teleport to places you''ve marked before"


    "Precisely. So you DO know of this magic"


    "Well let''s just say I''m familiar with the concept" Rhaegah stated as he scanned the area which compared to the magical green which made up the forest of Faireim, was a more of a mountainous region with patches of dead trees spread about signifying that plant life was supported here. Turning around as his hair danced in the cold wind that blew passed his face, he could spot snow covered highlands in the distance in the same direction from which the wind blew.


    "Where are we?"


    "Well child, these are the mountain regions of Anenstead. Two weeks ride from Faireim"


    "So just how far can you travel?"


    "Like I stated earlier...Wherever my mana exists" Replied Nygel


    "But only on one realm at a time. I can go anywhere my mana is on Valoren, but not on Earth" he added.


    "Though if I were already on Earth then it would be the reverse"


    "So very familiar" Rhaegah chuckled to himself


    "We''ve wasted enough time.....follow me" Nygel said sternly


    Into the cave they went, making their way deeper into the cave as Rhaegah made efforts to avoid touching the moss covered walls of the cave. After what seemed like a maze, they ended up facing a wall which Rhaegah by now was already aware of how wrong that thinking was. With a wave of his hand Nygel released mana onto the wall which then gave a low rumble as the shape of a door formed on the wall revealing what lay inside. Stepping through the door, Rhaegah was taken aback by the sheer size of what could be mistaken for the inside of a large castle.


    They stepped into a large hall which was also the guild main hall connected to several hallways for easy navigation in the guild as well as being the location for any and all general guild meetings. Rhaegah couldn''t help but stare in awe at the reality he was faced with as people rushed about in all directions like a military base preparing for an operation. A group of dwarves trotted by, grunting as they brushed passed him. Halflings who though were about the same height as the dwarves had a skinnier appearance that one could mistake them for children though this was far from the case because like the dwarves, the Halflings regained their small figures regardless of their age. The diversity of creatures in the same guild gave him a hint as to why the guild was named Legion. Still taking all this in, he was snapped back as he laid eyes on an elf in the distance strolling towards him. On seeing her he was again reminded of the encounter in that alley with the dark elves. Looking closely he realized that though she was an elf, there were a number of differences between this elf and the ones that attacked him.


    Wood brown hair in waves not as messy as his but still nothing compared to the neat flow the dark elf had. Skin a fair brown shade and eyes a strong blend of chocolate and burnt umber compared to the dark grey skin and black soulless eyes of the dark elf.


    "Wood elf, lovely bunch" Nygel noticing Rhaegah''s questioning stare at the elf as she walked passed them, stated so as to clarify that not all the elves were evil.


    "I figured.....seeing as everyone''s reacting normal to her" Rhaegah replied as he kept a close distance with Nygel as they made their way through the crowd and into a connecting hallway. Despite the commotion in the main hall, this corridor was in fact empty save for both of them as they took swift steps down the hallway. Rubbing his hand against the wall Rhaegah could tell this place was carefully crafted as it was a lot smoother than one would expect of a castle wall. At the end of the hallway stood two men guarding the only other door leading out of this hallway. On getting there Rhaegah''s eyebrow shot up at the sight of one of the guards. He was mostly humanoid except for the horns on both sides his head, his dark skin, with his body resting firmly on his hind legs as he stood on guard next to the other guard who was in all appearance, human. They both bowed in greeting to Nygel and motioned to stop Rhaegah from going in.


    "Harm one hair on his head and I''ll make sure not even your mothers would remember you ever existed" Nygel''s voice boomed from ahead not even looking their way.


    The guards glanced at each other, then at Rhaegah, then at Nygel as he stepped into the room ahead, then back at Rhaegah.....stepping aside more quickly than Rhaegah thought possible as they motioned for him to enter. Rhaegah casually strolled passed them with a smirk on his face as a tail flashed in the corner of his eye as the door shut behind him.


    "Was it just me or does that guy have a-"


    "A tail? Yes he does.......some demons do" Nygel cut in.


    "I see" Rhaegah simply stated as he looked around the room. The room was significantly smaller than the main hall and at the same time too big for a personal room as shelves which housed dusty and worn out books were placed on opposite ends of the room. A large round table stood at the center of the room with a number of chairs round it.


    "Symonne.....as promised I have brought hope back with me" Nygel shouted slapping the shoulder of a certain older man that seemed to be waiting for their arrival.


    "Hmmm I have to admit.....He seems completely ordinary to me" Symonne replied offering Rhaegah a seat at the table.


    "Water Lilies?" Rhaegah suddenly thought to himself right before a voice found its way into his very soul.


    "He IS the one" the voice spoke as the door slammed shut. Crystal blue eyes rested on spotless ivory skin bringing about a certain glow to them. Silver white hair fell gracefully covering her head in a perfect stream of white but unable to cover the pointy ears that stuck out the side of her head. Auia walked towards him with steady steps as her navy blue attire with a sleeved formal shirt with silver buttons on the right side of the shirt, pants the same shade but a bit firmer than the top. Streams of white along the edges of the overall attire. The outfit which complemented her figure even with the overall appearance of a Count of some sort.


    "His power will no doubt be almost impossible to sense as it has been masked by living energy itself making easy to mistake for the energy that flows around the world. It would seem someone went through a lot of trouble to keep his power hidden" Auia explained as she grabbed a seat opposite Rhaegah


    "But it''s different for me as I can distinguish even the faintest of mana sources. Which is why I was able to locate him on Earth" she added


    "Wait.......YOU''RE the banshee??!!"


    "Banshee?" Nygel asked....."You mean you''ve seen her before today?"


    "Well I thought it was a dream, but I was sure I saw a girl screaming in my room a few days ago cos I was just waking up so I felt it must have been a dream"


    "That was you?" Rhaegah added turning towards Auia, eyes sparkling as he scanned the elf who stood in front of him.


    "But on a more serious note.....You guys say I''ve got this power but I''ve never felt anything out of the ordinary"


    Pointing to his scales he added..."These have always been there and at least there''s been a way to explain it logically, but besides the drea-" Rhaegah paused as he now began to consider that his constant dreams especially with the addition of the dragon could be referring to all this. Looking up to see the confused faces of the three that stood before him he finally spoke. "Though everything''s been pretty normal for me, I''ve been having this dream for as long as I can remember where I''m in the ruins of a castle. That could be nothing but in this case it''s the same castle every time, the exact same castle"


    "A castle?" Nygel asked with a spark in his eye as he grabbed unto Rhaegah shoulders. "Tell me was there a dragon in that castle?"


    "Yeah there was.....Wait how do you know that?"


    "You''ll come to realize I know a great deal" Nygel stated as he turned to face Symonne


    "It seems his powers truly were sealed but for some reason the power is trying to surface"... "You will have to bring forth the power yourself, at least learn to harness your mana as a dragon-born"


    "But won''t that take too long? The process of trying to harness newly awakened dragon-born powers is one that can take years of constant meditation" Symonne protested


    "But that is the only option we have as there are no divines we can call to assist us" Nygel argued back


    "But there must be something we can do to bring forth his powers as soon as we possibly can" Auia added


    Rhaegah watched as all three argued with one another and sat on the floor legs crossed as he began to focus, closing his eyes and attempting to drown all the noise from his surroundings while the three kept arguing about what to do about him. Suddenly he found himself in a dark empty space with nothing besides himself present there. Trying to focus even harder he noticed an orb of light glowing rich gold as it hovered over him. He grabbed the orb and was immediately hurled through the dark nothingness till he came face to face with what had brought him here.....The dragon.


    Dark red streams of light flowed violently from the dragon and everywhere around Rhaegah until the vast dark space was filled with the dark red mana of the dragon. The dragon then roared as Rhaegah was being drowned and consumed in a whirlpool of the dragon''s mana. In the midst of the struggle, he once again saw the gold orb hovering within arm''s reach in front of him. Using every ounce of his strength, he stretched forth and grabbed the orb. The orb then expanded and covered him completely, shielding him from the mana that consumed him. With nothing more than pure instincts, he then reached out again to touch the dark red mana that flowed around the orb. Upon contact with the dragon''s mana, the orb morphed into what seemed like a funnel sucking all the exerted mana from the dragon into Rhaegah...the mana flowed directly into his chest with extreme force but not enough for Rhaegah to lose sight of what was happening. The mana then flowed into him more smoothly.....shutting his eyes as the dragon itself was absorbed into him.


    Nygel suddenly felt a chill in the air as he turned towards Rhaegah eyes wide as a dark aura filled the room. Auia and Symonne feeling it soon after as they all turned to face Rhaegah...the source of this phenomenon as he sat on the floor, legs crossed and eyes closed as the aura took a dark red glow signifying his mana had manifested, constantly seeping out until it had filled the room rendering Symonne and Auia weakened to the knees and Nygel still standing in anticipation of what would happen next. The powerful aura then flowed out to the rest of the guild as everyone was either too weak to stand or had been rendered unconscious. The aura thickened to the extent it choked those not strong enough to stand this pressure.


    Still in the room, sweat began to trickle down Nygel''s face as he mumbled the words "Not you too" as all the mana that had seeped out started being absorbed into Rhaegah. Dead silence fell upon the entire guild, fear roaming freely in their minds yet unaware of what was going on in the inner hall. Three figures stood in anticipation...their steady gaze on the crouched figure before them as with a heavy sigh, Rhaegah opened his eyes. All three of them shocked as the normal black of his eyes were no more. Glowing red eyes burned into the minds of all three of them bringing a certain dark feeling of death but at the same time pulsing with sheer power as he stared straight at them.


    "You.....what just happened?" Symonne''s shaky voice came as he managed to get up.


    "I believe you wanted him to harness his power" Nygel replied....."Well, there you have it" he added with the biggest grin Rhaegah had seen


    "Such raw power...and just by releasing his aura to his surroundings" Auia gently said as she stared inquisitively at Rhaegah at the same time developing a certain level of fear of what he could do if he ever lost control of his power.


    "Now that''s more like it" Rhaegah beamed with excitement....."I feel so much power flowing in me" he added staring at his hands that seemed to ooze raw power


    "So just what can i-" his words cut short as he dashed to the side with unimaginable speed just as a sword tore through where his head had been. Still on motion he doubled back, hitting the sword at the hilt sending it flying, catching it mid-air and pointing it at the throat of his attacker which he just realized was Auia still stretching her arm out to stab him.


    "Never mind.....I think I get the general idea now" Rhaegah said, placing the sword in Auia''s hand. "WAIT!! What if I couldn''t dodge that?"


    "Well congratulations, you did" Auia replied plainly, hiding her shaking hands from view as the fear she was feeling earlier was now certified.


    "If I recall correctly-" Nygel began, looking towards Symonne


    "None besides myself have ever disarmed Auia" Symonne finished the statement still in awe of what just happened.


    "So what powers come with me being a dragon-born?"


    "Dragon-born powers depend on the power of their soul" Symonne replied, taking curious steps towards Rhaegah.


    "Their soul?" Rhaegah asked eyebrow raised.


    "Dragon-born are the physical reincarnation of the great dragons of old. When a dragon is defeated, its soul is reborn with a different physical form but the soul remains the same" Nygel explained. "Therefore a dragon-born''s power is based on the power the dragon itself had...The ember dragon-born of fire, the frost dragon-born of ice but in unique cases water, nature, gold-"


    "I get it.....So what dragon-born am I then?"


    "The dark dragon-born" Auia replied "Able to harness-"


    "Whatever elemental power he chooses to master...as the dark dragon-born can adapt to another dragon''s power once his power is awakened and takes a particular element as his own" Nygel interrupted, taking in Auia''s questioning glare.


    "So I choose whatever dragon power I want as my own core power?"


    "You catch on fast" Symonne answered sharing a knowing glance with Nygel.


    "But choose wisely as others have no choice of power which is something you do" Nygel added


    A knock came on the door and with that a young man, much younger than Nygel and Symonne stepped in. The man was what you would call skinny with his skin tight trousers and slightly loose long sleeved shirt. Short brown hair with trimmed beards on his round face. A sword in hand and a pouch on his side. No sooner had he stepped in did the two guards follow suit.


    Herke, the human guard observed the room while Neban, the demon simply kept his gaze on Rhaegah.


    "Lorris my friend, what brings you here?" Symonne asked turning back to face Rhaegah


    "The members are all wondering what is happening. They feel as though another attack is upon us" Lorris replied as he turned to Rhaegah. "Who is this child?" he asked


    "Someone of no negative consequence I assure you" Nygel answered


    "Negative consequence is exactly what your presence brings with it" Lorris stated crossly


    "If he wasn''t with us we would''ve never stood a chance during the last attack" Auia replied not even sparing him a glance


    "My point exactly" Lorris muttered under his voice but not enough to escape Rhaegah''s ears


    "Thank you Lorris. That will be all" Symonne finally spoke, bringing the conversation to an end as Lorris left the room, shutting the door behind him. Herke and Neban remained in the room with their attention on Rhaegah as if already interrogating him with their eyes.


    "He is the dragon-born we''ve been searching for" Symonne said, seeing the relaxation in their faces made the question in their minds obvious.


    "So all of that was him?" Herke asked


    "No doubt it was him....I could already feel the darkness in him when he walked passed me" Neban added, paying no attention to the questioning glare on Rhaegah''s face. "I guess any other piece of information will reach our ears in due time" He stated again


    "What?! I''ve got a lot of questions to ask hi-" was all Herke could blurt out as Neban dragged him out of the room throwing a knowing glance at Symonne.


    "Indeed...I will explain everything soon enough" Symonne replied with a smile as Neban''s complete trust in him was something he never fully understood


    "I apologize on his behalf...Lorris means well" Symonne said turning to Rhaegah.


    "He''s been on edge since the attack on our last guild building"


    "Yeah...cos he probably planned it" Rhaegah stated under his voice


    "What was that?" Nygel asked with a curious stare at Rhaegah


    "Nothing...It was nothing. So how do I develop these powers you guys were talking about?"


    "Hmmm.....I see" Nygel threw a curious glance at him almost as if he knew exactly what he said. "Now child, that depends on the person. But I don''t expect it to be that long with your power level" Nygel added


    "But first we must depart for a while"


    "Where the hell are you taking me this time?" Rhaegah asked, frustration obvious on his face


    "Not you.....Symonne, we must move with haste. I trust Auia will help train our young dragon while we''re away?" Nygel asked with his hand placed on Symonne''s shoulder with which after she gave a nod of agreement, both he and Symonne were instantly warped out of the room.


    "We will proceed to the guild master''s training hall. Herke! Neban! You shall accompany us too" Auia ordered as they made their way out of the meeting room into the hall. Halfway down the hall she flipped a small sculpture which then opened a doorway. Down the stairs they came to a large room big enough to fit a basketball court but was round as balls of lights hovered round the room illuminating the stack of weapons that hung at one end of the room and a sort of center stage that stood at a higher elevation than the rest of the room.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    "Before we go into your magical powers which is the only thing you seem to be interested in.....I would like to test your skill with a blade...If it''s not too much trouble" Auia stated as she motioned for him to pick a weapon from the rack. Taking a good long look at the weapons before him, Rhaegah decides to go for a one-handed long sword. He turns around to face Auia who gestures for him to get on the stage as she also took to the stage. Now on the stage, Rhaegah swings the sword around a bit to take its weight in and keeping a steady gaze on Auia who simply stood there, sword sheathed with her hands behind her declaring a sense of superiority as Herke and Neban watched them from a safe distance.


    "This looks exactly like when you were bent on sparring with her when you first joined us" Herke teased Neban who ignored him completely


    "Are you done playing with the sword?" Auia asked plainly


    "Pretty much cos-"Rhaegah''s statement was cut short as Auia charged at him with blinding speed and her hand stretched out to give a direct hit at his chest. The attack pushed him a few feet back as Auia then smirked, looking closely to see his arm raised over his chest to take the attack.


    "Not bad...I did not expect you to see that attack" Auia smirked as she charged again even faster than the previous attempt. Rhaegah as if reacting to her actions swung the sword in a downward arc just as Auia got to him but right before it came in contact with her, she stomped her foot to the right which then changed her course and propelled her towards the left and drove her elbow to his side. The pain shot through his body...his ribs feeling as though they would break from the hit. Auia, still on the attack crouched low and with a sharp spin and with a strike to his legs took him off the ground before she then followed with a kick to his gut sending him off the stage.


    "URGH!" Rhaegah landed with a thud as Auia stood over him with the most condescending the proud smile on her face.


    "I take it you''re still upset about it huh?" Rhaegah said with a challenging smile on his face.


    "You were lucky.....A fact which I will carve into you" Auia replied sharply


    "Why so serious? Looking for revenge that bad?" Rhaegah asked as he got back up and motioned for her to follow him up the stage once more.


    They stood facing each other as Rhaegah focused on his mana and as soon as he felt a reaction in his body he charged at Auia, sword in hand as he swung hard only for her to deflect the blade with her hand. Not slowing in momentum he simply passed the sword to his left hand and spun round to strike lower this time but was again thwarted as she took a step back to let the blade swing passed her, dashing forward once again to strike his wrist sending the sword flying out of his hand.


    "Just how long to you plan to take it easy on me? Cos I strongly advice against it" Rhaegah said calmly, stepping off the stage to the weapons rack where he then picked up two short twin swords and without hesitation stepped onto the stage. Auia suddenly felt a chill in the air as Rhaegah''s stance was even more intimidating and his breathing became steady as he stared at her with cold eyes.


    Dark red aura seemed to flash right before Rhaegah charged at her so fast it appeared as though he had teleported to where she was standing. With a swift swing of his sword he struck down at her as the impact sent objects around them flying away from the stage raising dust around the room. Herke was eyes wide with shock while Neban said nothing. The dust cleared to show Auia''s sword raised to block the attack. Kicking back, she pushed back at Rhaegah, the clangs of metal against metal resounding as their sword play doubled in speed.


    This back and forth swing of the sword with strikes to mislead your opponent reminded Rhaegah of his many tennis matches with Kaneko and was currently thankful that Kaneko was such a monster as their super-fast paced matches had somewhat helped strengthen his senses. A powerful clash of their swords pushed them apart giving enough space for him to catch his breath as sweat rolled down his face unlike his opponent who seemed to have too much stamina to spare.


    "You''re wearing yourself out with those forced movements"


    "Lemme guess....I''ve gotta be one with my sword and stuff right?" Rhaegah teased


    "You react well but you make unnecessary movements which drain your stamina" Auia replied as she closed the distance in a moment met with Rhaegah''s sword to block her advance.


    "Each step, movement, gesture and even your breathing must be deadly and precise with intent to devour your opponent" she added as she spun round and swung low but was blocked again as Rhaegah swiftly blocked with his right blade before her sword reached him. Tightening his grip on his swords he burst forth pushing Auia back as he advanced towards her with near blinding speed, now within range of his sword Rhaegah swung as hard as he could and Auia stood her ground to take the attack head-on.


    ''BOOM''


    The impact shook the very room as the two locked swords, Auia now slightly impressed by the raw strength Rhaegah possessed. A drop of sweat trickled down her face as she realized he was going to win this battle of strength. Both swords pressed on Auia''s blade he pushed down on her with intent to break her sword if possible. He then raised one sword to strike just as Auia''s mana shot out and flowed around her sword giving her the strength to push him back. She pushed his sword and dashed forward, driving her sword to his neck. Rhaegah, now in control of his mana had his senses heightened to scary proportions as he watched the sword come straight for his neck.


    He dashed towards Auia''s sword showing intent to take the attack head on. The sword was but a hair''s breadth from his face when he channeled his mana to his feet as he stomped the floor and was gone from sight. Auia simply stepped forward and drove her fist straight through the empty space in front of her and with a punch to his chest Auia halted his high speed movements and sent Rhaegah steps away, granting her the time and space to attack as she swung her sword straight for his arm.


    Rhaegah seeing this attack parried swiftly, sparks flying about to show the force behind each swing. Rhaegah then swung hard with his left arm in an outward arc towards her neck but was foiled as she stepped back then forward so fast the blade seemed to phase through her as she attacked again giving Rhaegah no time to collect his thoughts. Realizing he was getting cornered, Rhaegah then leapt over her, landing on the other end of the stage with his back to her.


    Rhaegah took a deep breath, eyes closed as he let his senses acclimate till he could perceive everything that was occurring around him from Auia''s impatient breathing to Herke and Neban''s curious stares were etched into his mind as he turned swiftly and threw the sword in his right hand straight at Auia as he began charging towards her. Auia shut her eyes and gave a disappointed sigh realizing that this boy was underestimating her. She opened her eyes to see Rhaegah within breathing space with his sword raised as his body was covered in dark red mana. Too shocked to process this, she simply raised her sword to block the incoming attack. With a smirk Rhaegah all but vanished from sight with blinding speed as his mana greatly boosted his agility. Auia still shocked from Rhaegah''s sudden appearance was made to simply watch as Rhaegah''s sword which he threw initially was now merely a few centimeters from her neck at which at the same time Rhaegah appeared behind her and made to strike from behind, giving her no time to react as he stepped forward with mana covered fists to deliver the final blow.


    "This does not bode well" Neban finally spoke


    "Yeah...Auia seems to have met more than she can handle" Herke replied with pure excitement in his eyes


    "You misunderstand.....The boy seems to have riled her up" Neban replied as he watched the fight with cautious eyes as both Rhaegah and the sword he threw were sent flying off the stage away from Auia.


    A gush of water burst out from a magic circle under Auia''s feet and seemed to form another layer of armor over her clothes. Her sword now glowing with power as her mana flowed into it. Rhaegah struggled to get up as he looked to the stage as Auia simply stood there and with a slight shift of her foot, she was suddenly standing over Rhaegah just as the force of her movement sent a rush of wind in all directions. Her sword tip resting on Rhaegah''s neck, he looked up to see the anger in her eyes.


    "Fine.....You win" Rhaegah surrendered with arms raised


    "Wise" She coldly replied


    The layer of water dissipated as she sheathed her sword and helped him up. She stared at him as he dusted himself up. It had been a while since she''d been forced to use her mana cloak.


    "It would seem you at least have some skill with a sword" she praised him with a new found respect


    "Where did you learn to fight with a blade?" She asked as they made their way towards Herke and Neban


    "Long story......And you probably won''t believe me even if I told you" He replied "I guess magic circles are a thing here huh?" He added


    "Those magic circles are called Mandalas. Spells need to be cast individually but when mages need to cast multiple spells at once the sequences are all brought together by a mandala" Auia explained


    "It would seem your battle skills have dulled for the boy to back you into a corner and even make you use a Tier 2 magic spell" Herke teased


    "Then perhaps you would be happy to prove my inferiority by sparring with said boy" Auia replied him as Herke then took a glance at Rhaegah and then to Neban who only shook his head.


    "You know what? Maybe next time as the boy seems to be exhausted and will not put up much of a fight"


    "Oh c''mon Herke.....I''ve got lots of strength to spare" Rhaegah smiled mockingly


    "You just want to hear me say it huh? I don''t intend to lose my life so early. My lady would be torn by grief" Herke finally submitted as he stepped through the door leading out of the training room. Neban shut the door and turned to speak with Rhaegah when his attention was suddenly drawn towards the stage, his gaze steady on the figures that stepped down from the stage.


    "Your senses are indeed worthy of one from the demon race" Lorris stepped down from the stage and gestured towards the figures behind him as they then revealed themselves. Elves...numbering six in total stepped in front of him facing the three that stood against them, worry apparent on their faces as Auia made for the door only to find that the door had been sealed with mandalas as well as the rest of the room preventing escape.


    "Lorris, behind you!!!" Auia exclaimed


    "Get away from them quickly, their magic is dangerous" Auia stated again as Rhaegah watched her closely noticing that she had not seen the obvious reason Lorris was with the elves. Normally one would want to let them know and get this over with, but Rhaegah decided against it as he pondered several strategies to take the enemy out when the obvious battle begins.


    "Foolish child, you will fall here this time as those irritating duo have ventured elsewhere" Lorris stated noticing the grim expression form on Auia''s face. "So how about we start this anew but with your certain demise" He added


    An explosive wave of mana swarmed the room with Auia at its center, a deadly gaze set on Lorris. Vicious mana flowed violently round the room as Auia stepped towards Lorris, the intense rage evident on her face as Lorris took a step back in fear of what was making its way towards him. "All those deaths" Auia stated in a lowly voice as the sound of several voices of friends in the wind made their way to her mind "YOU KILLED THEM!!!" She screamed with rage as the elves rushed forward to attack her.


    "We''ll take care of them...Go ahead" Neban calmly stated with trained eyes on the elves as Auia zoomed passed them to face Lorris. Now merely inches from his face Auia sliced down at him raising dust into the air as her sword made contact. Two of the dark elves had dashed to protect Lorris by blocking the attack, pushing her back to create some distance between them. The four remaining elves rushed towards Neban who stood his ground appearing unmovable as he reached out instinctively and grabbed one of the elves instantly halting his advance and tossing him to the side with inhuman strength which sent him crashing into the wall leaving three still dashing towards him.


    The three dark elves charged at Neban daggers drawn, taking a step back he stretched his right arm and a mandala appeared and a spear materialized in his hand which he then used to parry their attacks, all three moving faster than the eyes could see. The clash ended with Neban holding his lance to block a double attack from the two elves turning their fight into a battle of strength.


    Seeing as Neban was busy trying to fend off the two elves, the third rushed for his back to deliver a fatal blow on Neban. He braced for the blow when Rhaegah instantly appeared and deflected the attack


    "I assume I don''t have to hold back against them huh?" Rhaegah''s grin widened as sweat trickled down the elf''s fear ridden face.


    "Yeah...wreak havoc" Neban replied now focused on the two in front of him. He pushed them back, turning to see dark aura mixed with blood red mana burst out from Rhaegah, a mad grin appeared on his face as he lunged forward stretching his hand and grabbing the elf''s face hurling him across the room. Stopping short of the wall he flung the elf towards the wall knocking him out in the process. Now deciding to go help Auia he made his way around Neban who seemed to have things down on his end and was rushing to Auia when a dagger tore through the air towards him at a deadly speed to the precise spot his head would be in a split second.


    At an insane speed he put all the pressure into his leg, causing him to divert from his initial direction and sent him dashing towards the left now facing the dagger as he raised his sword and deflected the dagger. Looking up to where the dagger had been thrown from, he recognized the elf that Neban had tossed to the side initially when all four charged at Neban.


    "I figured you''d be out cold from the impact" Rhaegah said with a mocking smile on his face as the elf charged at him. The elf ran across the room so fast he was within breathing distance from Rhaegah in a mere moment, plunging the dagger straight for Rhaegah''s neck.


    Blood dropped to the floor as Rhaegah stood with shock evident on his face. The elf''s grip tightened on the dagger as Rhaegah continued to bleed.


    "Hehe.....And he continues to amaze" Neban thought to himself as he looked over to Rhaegah who had his hand around the blade of the dagger stopping it a hair''s breadth from his neck. Squeezing the blade in his hand Rhaegah felt the blade crack from the pressure he applied on it. The elf drove his foot to hit him which Rhaegah dodged by pushing back on the dagger sending the elf a few feet back. Staring at his bleeding hand Rhaegah realized this was the first time he had actually seen his blood due to injury which contrary to what people would think actually excited him because he was now sure he was at least human...even if he only half.


    Over where Auia was hell bent on having Lorris head, she stood faced with two elves proving to be the wall she had to break down to get to him.


    "If you have built enough resolve to die for him, then humbly accept my wrath"


    "Water Tendrils"


    Auia''s cold eyes revealed her killing intent as a mandala formed around her and with it came a burst of water which seemed to swirl around her but steadily settled as tendrils anchored at her feet. Dashing forward the elves made to stop her advance when the tendrils as if having a will of their own shot out towards the elves leaving them no choice but to defend themselves. The tendrils lashed out at the elves as they struggled to keep up with the speed the tendrils moved. Dodging them the elves struck at the tendrils only to have their attacks slip through them but still retaining their form. A tendril shot at one of the elves who moved with unbelievable reflexes as he jumped towards a nearby wall then off to the stage in an attempt to throw the tendril off but it was relentless in its attack as it simply flowed back and forth following the elf in whatever direction he took.


    Seeing no other way to avoid it the elf slammed his palm on the ground and a wall of earth rose to block the incoming attack but was quickly shown the error in his decision when the tendril suddenly split going around the wall both ways to strike its stunned prey. The tendril finally made contact sending the elf flying and then caught in another approaching tendril keeping him in place. The other elf wasn''t having a better time as all remaining seven tendrils shot straight at him leaving him no place to run to.


    Stretching his arms wide he focused as seven mandalas formed around him sending balls of fire hurling towards each of the tendrils. The impact caused an explosion raising steam and dust into the air. The dust cleared to show seven tendrils still rushing at him completely covered in ice but still retaining their flexible trait. Unrelenting in their attacks the tendrils lashed out at him as he struggled to fend them off slashing and deflecting from all angles until one pierced his shoulder pinning him to the wall behind him. Auia had lunged at Lorris sword drawn to run it through his chest.


    "AUIA.....WATCH OUT HE-!" Neban''s warning came too late as she was suddenly stuck in place unable to move. Looking up at Lorris he had his hand stretched towards her with a mandala the color she recognized all too well...The dark violet mana of demon magic. She stumbled to her knees as her mana was being absorbed by Lorris.


    "You...where did you get that power?" Auia''s question was met with only a sinister chuckle from Lorris who had victory evident in his eyes.


    "Where you say? Let''s just say hanging around them has its many advantages" Lorris finally replied looking towards the two elves who were now free of the tendrils as the drain Auia was too much to keep them active. With water dripping from both and blood dripping from one, they made their way towards Auia who was already too weak to move.


    "So even your 3rd tier magic is useless against this power.....Lord Mazarel has truly discovered something wonderful" Lorris rejoiced as two elves came crashing beside him.


    "I''d like to hear all about it when I''m done with you" Neban stated, taking steady steps towards Lorris whose wide grin was now replaced with a large frown. Stretching his other hand towards the elves who stood between him and Neban, a mandala formed in his hand. The markings on the bodies of the elves glowed in response as their eyes turned white leaving a doll-like expression on all four of them as they made their way towards Neban. They moved like puppets without strings in their staggering steps and even the elf who had been injured by Auia''s magic completely ignored the bleeding shoulder and made clumsy steps towards him.


    "This is bad" Neban thought cos as one from the demon race he was familiar with the magic which would imbue one with power but since the power was too much for the average person their minds would have to be sacrificed as the price for using such power. A dark violet aura now seeped from all four elves as they charged him at nerve wrecking speed which took all he could to fend off their attacks. Spinning his spear around as he deflected their daggers and then struck when an opening could be found. Their relentless attacks pushed him back as the force from their attacks had grown exponentially making this fight even more of a challenge than the initial battle. Stabbing his spear into the ground burying the blade he spun around the shaft and landed on the tip of the shaft, mandalas forming in his hands as he waved his hands forming a spell.


    "Get him! Whatever you do...STOP THAT SPELL!" Lorris screamed knowing what Neban was planning to do. The elves dashed at him in an attempt to stop whatever spell was going to be cast. They leapt off the ground and were inches away from Neban right as his hands came together as all the lights in the room suddenly died.


    "Obscuris"


    The elves struck at Neban but only cut through a shadow left behind as the room was now in darkness. Rhaegah who stood with an unconscious elf in his hand looked back to see four elves staggering about and a fear crazed man behind them. With a smile on his face Rhaegah looked around at the figure moving at an incredible speed through the mist. "This just keeps getting interesting" He tossed the elf in his hand towards Lorris and took off after it in the same direction. The unconscious elf landed with a loud thud next to Lorris who shakily took a few steps back in fear.


    "Where are you? Show yourself you demon!" Lorris screamed in fear as Rhaegah appeared in front of one of the elves and with a mana charged fist punched so hard the force sent the elf across the room crashing into the pile of weapons knocking him out.


    "Get that one.....Kill him!" Lorris commanded the elves who immediately rushed at him daggers in hand as Rhaegah looked up at them with a mocking smile on his face.


    "You DO realize I''m not alone" Rhaegah stated as a blade flashed by, severing the heads of two of the elves leaving one elf still rushing at Rhaegah. The elf stopped in his tracks and looked down at his body to see a sword sticking out of his gut.


    "You ungrateful scum.....I believe I was to take your head" Auia''s voice came from behind the elf. Dragging her sword out she made her way towards Lorris with slow steps each reassuring him he was going to die. He took a step back but bumped into something behind him as Neban placed a knife at his throat.


    "NEVER!!!.....NOT LIKE THIS!!? Lorris screamed as his entire body burst with dark mana pushing all three back and clearing the dark mist in the process. "Even if it costs me my life...I WILL KILL YOU!? He screamed again as a broad-sword materialized in his hand that glowed in response to the mana that oozed from him. He slammed his sword on the ground as three large mandalas formed under the three dead elves that lay in front of him.


    "Undead Guardians" He muttered as the elves were covered in dark violet mana and were consumed by the mana until three hulking figures stood in their place. Black blood dripping from them as they gave out a deadly roar and rushed towards Auia and Rhaegah, the ground shaking with each step they took. One of them threw a fist at Rhaegah who stopped the attack with his hand, dust rising up behind him showing the force the brute hit him with. Sending a punch straight for its face, the creature swiftly blocked his punch like its hulking figure was of no hindrance to its movements. It wrapped its hand around Rhaegah''s and tossed him to the side with so much force he was sent flying towards the door crashing into it as he grit his teeth from the impact. Auia wasn''t faring better either as the other two were relentless in their attacks leaving her to fend off their attacks with her sword alone due to Lorris absorbing her mana.


    "HAHAHAHA! Yes.....Slaughter them all" Lorris yelled as his face began to crack from the power he was forcing his body to handle just as a figure flashed in the corner of his eye. Neban lunged at him knife in hand but was stopped in his tracks when Lorris simply raised his hand and grabbed him by the neck.


    "You are an irritation I would like to destroy, but my lord will be pleased if I present him with a demon this powerful" Lorris said as a portal opened up beside him and hands so rotten it was as though the dead were coming forth reached out and grabbed Neban and pulled him into the portal closing it in the process.


    "NOOOOOO!!!" Auia screamed as the portal closed just as an undead guardian rammed her with his fore arm sending her into the wall. Rhaegah dashed to her side but was too concerned for her safety to notice the brute that appeared right beside him. Realizing he couldn''t stop his movements he spun to attack the guardian but his punch was blocked as he had used an inadequate amount of force rendering the punch useless against the guardian. The guardian then grabbed on to him with its fore arm pressed against his throat cutting off his oxygen and leaving him struggling to get free. His vision began to blur making him realize he was really going to die here.


    "So this is where inexperience gets you"


    "What was I even thinking when I followed that old fart anyway?"


    "Shit I''m gonna black out.....Damn this"


    "Am I really gonna die here with so many unanswered questions? When I''ve relied on stupidity and come all the way here?"


    These thoughts ran through his mind then he looked over to Auia who was now at the mercy of two undead guardians. Lorris then came to view and made his way towards Rhaegah, arm stretched to grab him.


    "No.....I can''t be defeated here.....I just can''t die here...not now"


    "I wonder why Symonne is so interested in you anyway.....But it is evident that you hold dangerous power" Lorris stated as he grabbed Rhaegah.


    Rhaegah struggled to stay conscious but his strength had deserted him as he gave one final struggle before finally collapsing, his eyes shut as he lost all consciousness.


    "My lord will be most impressed with what I will presen-"


    A loud boom was heard as powerful mana burst in an explosion with Rhaegah at its center. Dark red mana so visible rushed out in all directions sending those nearby flying from the force bringing with it a feeling of death as Lorris looked upon the figure causing this phenomenon. Lightning as black as night erupted from all around him and bursting out in loud crackles almost deafening those in the room. Looking at him now Auia could no longer recognize the irritable boy she had met a while ago as what stood in his place was a being covered in an aura so dark only the glowing red of its eyes could be seen, giving off the kind of mana pressure made even the undead guardians cower in fear of the sheer power that resided in him. Rhaegah turned his head slowly to face the two undead at Auia''s side, his figure flickering in the dark aura that had cloaked him when suddenly the two undead guardians crumbled to ashes with Rhaegah standing where they were. Lorris looked towards Auia and then back to where Rhaegah was standing a moment ago only to realize what he had been staring at was only Rhaegah''s afterimage. The last undead still being crushed by fear began to stagger away from Rhaegah as glowing red orbs looked to its direction just as it began to cry out in pain as the glowing red eyes were now mere inches from it with Rhaegah''s hand dug into its chest and flooding its insides with massive bolts of pitch black lightning as the final undead guardian died with a massive explosion leaving a weakened Auia and a terrified Lorris who had now realized why Symonne risked it all for this boy.


    "D..DRA..DRAGON-BORN!!! YOU CAN''T BE!!.....IT''S IMPOSSIBLE!!" Lorris screamed as realization dawned on him. "You will fall here.....Even if my life be paid in return! YOU WILL FALL HERE!" Lorris screamed again before charging at Rhaegah sword drawn as the crack on his face began to spread due to the immense power he was attempting to control forcefully.


    "AAAAARRRRRGGGGGHHHHHH!!!" Lorris cried out as he slashed down at Rhaegah with all the might in his arms with the mana exploding on contact with Rhaegah as the sword hit. The force from the explosion sent everything around them flying and crashing all about. Auia used her arms to shield herself from the throwback force sending her to the far corner of the room.


    The dust cleared to show Lorris standing with the face of one who had seen the reaper himself. His sword still stretched forward and Rhaegah''s hand around the blade of the sword as the attack had not harmed him in the slightest. He tightened his grip on the blade, shattering all but the hilt of the sword. Lorris fell to the ground as fear had rendered him unable to stay on is feet leaving him lying on the floor with majority of his body beginning to crumble. Rhaegah picked him up by the neck until he was face to face with him. Those cold red eyes dug into his soul and rendered all defiance useless. With a low growl Rhaegah released his grip on Lorris leaving his body suspended in the air as massive currents began to bore their way out of him tearing him apart until a final explosion signified the end of Lorris. Looking round the room Rhaegah then gave off a deadly roar that shook the very room shattering the spell that kept them trapped in the room, the walls cracking from the roar. Auia could only stare as she could think of nothing she could do to bring Rhaegah back to his normal self. The roar finally stopped and the dark aura began to dissipate along with the nerve wrecking bolts of lightning that seemed to curl around him as though they were alive. The figure now rested on the hilt of a sword with his back to Auia. She got up and slowly made her way towards the panting figure just as the figure looked back with red eyes glowing like tiny red fireballs were implanted into his head. He said nothing but Auia was sure he looked her over from head to toe as if searching for something and right after he was done his eyes returned to their regular crimson red color as he lost his balance and collapsed but was caught before he hit the ground.


    "You''re ok huh? Awesome" The words escaped his lips as he looked over at Auia to be sure she was alright and the moment the words left him.....his consciousness faded as he passed out.


    "Take him to the healer.....he must not die Herke" Auia ordered as Herke looked at the unconscious boy in his arms.


    "What happened her-?"


    "Herke! Now!!" Auia''s tone rose drastically, the rage evident in her voice as Herke picked him up and dashed out of the room as Auia took staggering steps towards the door when one of the unconscious elves got up and dashed after her when a flash of light passed his eyes as his head fell and his body followed after.


    "What in the name of the gods happened here!?" Symonne''s voice boomed from behind her as he wiped his dagger.


    "Rhaegah...he-" Her reply was cut short when Symonne dashed towards her and placed both hands on her shoulders.


    "Are you alright?"


    "I''m fine Symonne, but Rhaegah is-"


    "What monster could have done this much damage to this place?" Nygel asked himself as he took in the amount of destruction that had befallen a place that could not be damaged by any means.


    "Rhaegah" Auia replied "Rhaegah did"


    Symonne''s grip tightened as he looked straight at Auia as he finally spoke


    "What exactly happened here?"