The Legend of The Ara'dos - BOOK 1: Human's Draconic Ascension

Chapter 22 - Awakening

   Siveth's eyes slowly fluttered open, expecting darkness but instead finding a dimly lit space. The metal walls and rough floor came into focus, and the cries of imprisoned dragons filled the air. Siveth's senses awakened, her ears twitching and pupils shrinking as she remembered where she was.
   Determination surged through her veins as she realized she had to escape and lead the dragons to safety. Growling, she struggled against the chains, but they held her tight, restricting her movements. Her wings were partially spread, her tail wrapped around her body, and her paws trapped. She couldn't give up though, she had to keep fighting.
   The flames flickered weakly as Siveth tested her fiery breath against the unyielding chains. It was a futile attempt, as she soon discovered that these chains were unlike any she had encountered before. They were dragon-proof, designed to withstand the mightiest of dragon powers. Siveth's heart sank as she realized that her powers, her most potent weapon, was rendered useless in this predicament.
   Frustration surged through her veins, fueling her determination to break free. As the leader of all dragons and one of the most powerful beings in the world, Siveth couldn't accept defeat. She strained against the chains, muscles rippling under her scaly skin, but they held firm, unyielding to her immense strength.
   Just as despair threatened to consume her, a rumble reverberated through the dungeon floor. The cacophony of dragon roars gradually quieted, replaced by the piercing shrieks of terrified humans. Siveth's ears twitched, her attention drawn to the closed door in front of her. A sputtering noise followed by a sudden whoosh reached her ears, though the sounds of what seemed to be fire were muffled by a thunderous stomp and a deafening roar. The air was filled with the shattering of glass and the thump of objects hitting the ground.
   Curiosity mingled with hope as Siveth's eyes locked onto the door, anticipation coursing through her veins. Something extraordinary was happening beyond that barrier, and she couldn't help but wonder if it held the key to her escape.
   But wait a minute. That deafening roar that Siveth heard; that she recognized. She knew who it was. It was so familiar to her. Sora was right. Of course, she was right. Ren's here. Ren's come for them.
   "Ren?!" Siveth exclaimed. She felt her heart beat fast and heard it pound in her ears. "Ren!" she shouted. "Ren, I'm here!"
   Siveth was panting heavily, her body tense as she braced herself for what was to come. Suddenly, another ear-splitting roar reverberated through the chamber, followed by a resounding shattering sound that echoed even louder than before. It clicked in Siveth's mind - Ren was an ice dragon, and that shattering sound must have been the work of their icy powers.
   The silence that followed felt like an eternity, each passing second amplifying the sound of Siveth's heavy breathing and the rapid thumping of her heart. The absence of noise was suffocating, making her feel as if time itself had frozen. She longed for any sign of what was happening outside, desperate for answers.
   The thought of calling out for Ren crossed her mind, but uncertainty held her back. She didn't know who or what awaited her beyond those walls, or if Ren was even there to rescue her. It was a risky move, and she couldn't decide if it was the best course of action.
   However, just as the silence threatened to consume her, the resounding roars of the captured dragons pierced through the dungeon once more. It was only a brief moment of silence, but Siveth couldn't help but release a heavy sigh. Whether it was relief or grief, she couldn't quite discern, but hearing the familiar dragon roars brought a mix of emotions flooding through her.
   "Ren?" Siveth mumbled. "Ren?" she said again.
   She could barely hear herself over the sounds of the dragons roaring. She twitched and furrowed her brows. She knew the dragons were in pain but they weren't going to get out of here if this continued.
   Siveth had to listen for Ren, but the other dragons' roars weren't helping. Siveth tensed up and took a deep breath, filling her lungs to the brim. With her lips curled and teeth clenched, she tilted her head back and unleashed a powerful, thunderous roar that echoed for what felt like an eternity.
   As the roar subsided, Siveth closed her mouth, silencing herself. The cries of the other dragons fell silent, leaving only a ringing in her ears. After catching her breath, Siveth could hear the faint sound of footsteps approaching. Her head perked up, her gaze fixed on the metal door, hoping it would open.
   The stomping grew louder, quick and heavy. Siveth's eyes lit up, and her body relaxed. She squirmed, trying to break free from the chains. She just knew it in her soul - he was here.
   "Ren!" Siveth shouted with a roar. "Ren! It's me, Ren! I'm in here!"
   The footsteps stopped for a moment. Then, they continued again. They got louder and louder until they sounded like whoever was out there was about to walk through the door.
   Then they paused again. Then Siveth's ears twitched as she listened to the sniffing at the bottom of the door.
   "Ren!" She yelled again.
   The sniffing stopped. There was a long pause until a voice uttered, "Siveth?"
   Siveth's breath caught in her throat. She recognized that voice instantly. It was Ren, her brother. Her body jerked with excitement, but the chains held her back. She let out a soft whimper as the chains dug into her scales. Panting heavily, she continued to struggle, determined to sit up.
   "Ren! Oh, my gods!" Siveth smiled brightly as tears ran down her cheeks. "You're actually here! You're okay!"
   "Of course I am!" Ren laughed. "You're okay too!" He sighed with relief. "Okay, okay. How do I open this door?"
   "I think there's a button," Siveth told him. "It's right next to the door."
   Ren glanced over. He raised his eyebrows, surprised by how easy this was. "Oh, I see." He pressed one of the two buttons next to the door.
   Then, Siveth's door shot up with a loud clang. Ren flinched and quickly stepped over. His eyes widened when he saw his sister tangled up in chains. Ren gasped and rushed over to his sister.
   "Siveth!" Ren cried as he leaned his head down and nuzzled her. "Oh my gods, Siveth!"
   He could feel tears spilling down his cheeks like waterfalls. It's like he could finally feel his heart beating normally again. But something about his heartbeat was still off.
   "Ren," Siveth whimpered softly. "Oh, gods. How I've missed you, Ren. I'm so happy you're okay." Siveth rubbed her face against Ren's. "I'm so happy you came for me."
    "Of course I did!" Ren quickly said as he lifted his head, allowing Siveth to see his tears. Siveth could see Ren's tears as well. Ren smiled and then looked at the chains. "Let's get you out of these chains."
   "They're dragon-proof," Siveth sighed. "I've tried to get out of them but I can't even move without them hurting me, Ren."
   "It's okay. I'm going to get you out of these chains," Ren reassured her.
   Ren carefully examined the chains, searching for a weak spot. He moved closer to Siveth's head and noticed a dragon's vain arrow on the floor. It must have been what hit Siveth. Ren frowned and gently kicked the dart away. Then, he gently slid Siveth forward, relieving her from being pressed against the wall. Siveth grunted in response to being moved.
   "I'm sorry," Ren quickly said.
   "It's okay. Don't worry," Siveth said calmly. "But you must hurry. Sora is here too."
   Ren's eyes widened. "She is?" He looked down at Siveth's head. Siveth nodded. "Oh my gods," Ren gasped softly. "Okay, okay." He looked back down at the chains. "Um... Oh, here!" Ren immediately announced when he found a lock on the chains pressing on the back of Siveth's neck. "I found the lock!"
   "Is the lock dragon-proof?" Siveth asked.
   "I don't think so," Ren mumbled. "It doesn't seem that way. Let's find out."
   Ren took a deep breath and blasted ice onto the lock, freezing it solid. With a swift strike of his paw, the frozen lock shattered, freeing Siveth from the chains. Siveth gasped in amazement, feeling a surge of energy welling up inside her. She sprang to her feet, shaking her body like a wet dog. Fluttering her wings, she tucked them neatly over her back. She glanced down at her paws and excitedly jumped up and down.
   "Oh, my stars! You did it, Ren!" Siveth cheered. She spun around and quickly jumped up on Ren, pulling him into a tight hug.
   As much as a hugger Ren was and as much as he wanted to hug back his sister, he had to pull away from Siveth. Siveth stumbled back and then shook her head. She looked at Ren and frowned.
   "What's wrong?" she asked.
   "I'm sorry," Ren muttered. "I can't hug you right now. I... I have someone on my back. And I think you might know him based on what he's told me."
   Siveth raised her brows. She felt her mind rush as Ren began to turn around. Siveth did little hops so she could see over Ren's wings that were stuck up. Then, lowered his wings to reveal Dachi laying on his back, continuing to be motionless.
   Siveth's jaw dropped as she stared at Dachi. She then quickly nodded her head. "Yes, I've seen him before. He saved your life. I could feel your spiritual energy when he helped you out of the snow."
   Ren perked up. He felt his cheeks turn hot, feeling as if he was about to melt. "Really? So he was right." Ren smiled softly. "I did find my person." He then slowly frowned when he remembered.
   Siveth noticed Ren's sudden sadness. She lowered her head and stepped closer to Ren.
   "What happened?" she asked him. "I sense something about your new friend is troubling you."
   Ren whimpered and turned his head away. He covered Dachi with his wings again. "Siveth, he..." Ren choked on his incoming tears. He closed his eyes and sighed shakily. "He's dead, Siveth."
   Siveth was completely taken aback. Her eyes widened like saucers as she froze in place, her heart skipping a beat before racing even faster. Her eyebrows shot up in surprise as she stared at Ren, a look of sheer horror etched across her face.
   "He's dead?" Siveth mumbled.
   Ren slowly nodded. "There was an explosion that happened outside. You can't hear anything going on outside from in here, from what I discovered."
   He paused to sniffle. Then he continued. "Everything fell apart. The major city was destroyed, Siveth. Dachi and I were inside a tower and it started to fall apart. The exit was blocked and..." Ren whimpered and shot up one front paw to cover his face.
   He sighed shakily. "He protected me from the falling tower. He saved my life and died in the process," he managed to get out through his tears.
   Siveth walked up to Ren's side and gently leaned up against him. "I'm so sorry, Ren. I know how much he's helped you through your journey to find me."
   Ren paused and then lifted his head to look at Siveth with his glistening eyes. "I brought him to you because I thought there would be a way for you to bring him back to life."
   Siveth paused as she glanced back over at Dachi over Ren's wings. She stared at him for a long moment and then slowly shook her head.
   "I can't," she whispered.
   Ren's eyes widened. He felt his heart immediately shatter like ice. "You can't?"
   "But I know who can!" Siveth quickly added. "Sora." She gasped, "we must save Sora!"
   Ren flinched as his eyes sparked with hope. "Sora. Yes, of course!" He nodded. "Where is she?"
   "She's at the chamber next to mine," Siveth told him. Then she ran out of the chamber, bringing Ren with her. "You get the button. It's the one under mine I believe."
   Siveth cut around the corner as she exited the chamber. She ran over to the large metal door. She jumped up and pounded her paws against the door, hoping she could get Sora's attention.
   "Sora?" Siveth called out. "Sora, it's us! Ren and Siveth. Ren helped me escape!"
   Siveth held her breath, desperate to hear her guide's voice again but there was nothing. Siveth whined and scratched at the door.
   "You said you were okay, Sora!" Siveth cried. "Answer me!"
   The door swung open after Ren pressed the button. Siveth stumbled forward but caught herself just in time. As she peered into the chamber, her body tensed with worry. Sora was entangled in chains, in an even worse state than Siveth had been. Sora let out a quiet groan, her eyes closed and her body almost motionless. It seemed like she wasn't even breathing.
   "Sora!" Siveth ran over to her. "Oh, gods."
   She examined Sora's motionless body. She paused and held her breath, keeping herself as still as she could to make sure Sora was breathing. When she saw Sora's body rise slowly and then go back down, Siveth relaxed and sighed heavily.
   "Sora?" Ren gasped as he went into the chamber. "Aw, Sora," he whined sadly. "She must have a dragon's vain arrow still stuck in her."
   "I can tell she's trying to wake up," Siveth said. She circled Sora in search of the dart. "When we get the dart out, I will use my spiritual energy to wake her up."
   Ren nodded. "Yes, do that."
   Ren circled Sora with Siveth. They examined Sora for the dragon's vain arrow until Ren landed his eyes on the dart. The dart was stuck into Sora's neck. Ren frowned.
   "It's in her neck," he told Siveth.
   "I guess that's why it has such a strong effect on her," Siveth sighed. "Take it out and cover the wound with your ice. Then we need to get her out of the chains. I will awaken her after."
   Ren nodded. He carefully rose a front paw and gently grabbed the dart with his claws. He pulled it out and then tossed it aside. Ren leaned down and breathed on the wound until a small patch of ice formed. He lifted his head and looked at Siveth.
   "Do you see the lock?" he asked his twin.
   "I do," Siveth pointed at it. "I don't want to use my powers in case I hurt her."
   Ren nodded. "Right."
   He circled Sora where the lock of the chains was. He inhaled and then spat ice on the lock, freezing it. Then he slammed his paw down on the lock, shattering it and letting the chains come loose.
   "Okay," Siveth sighed. "I must do this quick," she mumbled. "Give Sora a little time to recover before she heals your friend."
   Ren frowned. There wasn't a lot of time but he knew Siveth was right. He sighed and nodded once more. "Okay."
   Siveth gently laid down in front of Sora, spreading her wings and wrapping them protectively around her. With closed eyes, Siveth began to relax, feeling the energy within her come alive. The energy swirled and pulsed like a heartbeat, as if it wanted to transfer from Siveth to Sora.
   In just a few moments, Siveth's aura started to glow, outlining her body in a vibrant purple. The glow then connected with Sora's body, also enveloping her in a purple outline. Ren stood beside Siveth, watching in awe.
   Siveth let out a soft sigh, allowing her body to relax as she felt the energy flowing out from her. The energy traveled from her heart to her wings, spilling out and being drawn towards Sora. Suddenly, Sora's body twitched, and a low growl escaped her. Siveth couldn't contain her excitement, but she tried her best not to show it, knowing that it could disrupt the process.
   As Siveth poured all her energy into Sora, Sora's breathing started to return to normal and her heartbeat picked up. Sora let out a groan as her body shifted, stretching out her legs and slowly raising her wings. Ren watched with wide-eyed excitement as Sora began to wake up.
   Finally, Sora opened her eyes, groaned, and lifted her head. She shook her head and immediately stood up on her feet.
   Siveth gasped, retracting her wings, and opened her eyes, looking up at Sora, the majestic air dragon now sitting upright in front of her. Siveth's face lit up with a bright smile as she jumped to her feet.
   "Sora! You're okay! I did it," Siveth sighed with relief.
   "Siveth," Sora spoke softly as she looked down at Siveth. She instantly smiled with tired eyes. "You did it, Siveth."
   "Sora!" Ren quickly went over in front of her. He smiled and bowed down to her.
   Sora gasped and turned her body to face Ren. "Oh, Ren. I knew you would make it."
   "He saved us, Sora!" Siveth told her. "He came all this way to save us."
   "That's incredible, Ren," Sora said with another smile.
   "I couldn't have done it without my friend," Ren mumbled. He frowned and lowered his head. "But my friend he..."
   Sora paused and then frowned. She lowered her head down to Ren. "What happened to your friend?" she asked.
   "He died," Ren stuttered. "He died protecting me from a falling tower."
   Sora's eyes widened and her eyebrows angled up. "Oh, Ren. I'm so sorry."
   Ren sniffled. He felt his eyes tense and water from his bottom eyelid. He inhaled and then looked back up at Sora with shiny eyes. "Can you save him?"
   Sora's eyes softened. She laid back down and lowered her head. "I can do my best. Please set him down."
   Ren tensed up. He felt his heart pound in his chest as if it were begging to be let out. He let out a shaky breath and slowly laid down in front of Sora. He used his tail to carefully grab Dachi and then set him down on his back on the floor between them.
   Sora wrapped her wings around Dachi. She paused and then she glanced up at Ren. "You know I can only do this once every century."
   "I know," Ren whimpered. "I know I'm being selfish but you have to save him, please!" He whined as tears spilled down his cheeks. "I don't care if I've only met him for a few days I just— I've never gotten attached to someone so fast."
   Sora slowly nodded. She understood Ren's feelings toward Dachi. She would do anything for Ren. That would include bringing his friend back to life.
   "Okay," Sora said. "I will start the process." She stared down at Dachi for a couple of seconds. "And Ren..."
   "What?" Ren asked.
   "I'm not sure if this will work," Sora said honestly.
   "What?!" Ren growled.. He paused as Sora flinched. Ren whined and looked back down. "I'm sorry, Sora. Please forgive me. I just want him back."
   "I forgive you," Sora told him. "I understand, Ren. I will do my best."
   Sora wrapped her wings around Dachi, closing her eyes and relaxing, mirroring Siveth's actions. Ren rested his head on the ground in front of Dachi, gazing at him with a sad frown. He hoped that Sora's efforts would bring Dachi back. Ren had never felt such a strong attachment to someone before, even though they had only known each other for a few days. His feelings for Dachi were deep.
   Ren really liked Dachi.
   Ren loved Dachi.