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

Chapter 24 - A New Plan

   Ren's heart raced within his chest, its thunderous rhythm drowning out his own cries. Tremors coursed through his body as he clung tightly to Dachi, his front paws embracing him with an unwavering grip. It was as if Ren feared that releasing his hold would mean losing Dachi forever.
   "Ren?" Dachi whispered as he sat up some more. "What happened?"
   Dachi yet didn't have enough energy to look around, unaware of Siveth and Sora around him as well. His vision was a bit blurry and his breathing was shaking. But his heart beat at a normal pace.
   "Dachi, you—" Ren inhaled shakily before he managed to breathe out again. "You saved my life over yours," he choked out.
   "What?" Dachi asked.
   He slowly lifted his head so he could look at Ren. As he managed to focus his eyes on Ren's, his vision became clear. He saw Ren's glistening eyes that spilled tears down his cheeks.
   Dachi blinked slowly. "I did?" he asked.
   "Yes, you did," Ren told him. "You saved me from the explosion and the falling tower." He formed a big smile on his face. "You protected me."
   Dachi paused and then he smiled softly. "Of course I did. Your life is much more important than mine."
   Ren flinched and his smile faded. "No, it's—" He wanted to say more but nothing came out.
   Dachi was right. They both knew he was right. But that doesn't mean Dachi didn't have any importance to the world.
   "You're important to me," Ren said softly. "Even if we've known each other for just a few days. This isn't the first time you saved my life. And you helped me get all the way over here!" Ren smiled once more as more tears threatened to spill out of his eyes. "We did it, Dachi. We saved Siveth and Sora!"
   Dachi slowly raised his eyebrows. "We did?" he asked.
   "Yes, look!" Ren told him and looked at Siveth and Sora.
   Dachi hesitated, his head tilting as he averted his gaze from Ren. When he looked up, his heart flinched at the sight of the two dragons looming above him. Dachi couldn't decipher their feelings towards him. But there, amidst them, was an air dragon. What in the world was an air dragon doing in this place? Ren always spoke of air dragons as the most peaceful creatures, steering clear of wars. How did someone manage to acquire an air dragon?
   And then a majestic purple dragon. Dachi's eyes were drawn to her unique feature - mismatched eyes, one light blue and the other purple, just like Ren's. In an instant, Dachi knew who she was. She was Siveth! That meant the air dragon had to be Sora.
   Dachi blinked tiredly and then held his hands out to the dragons. "Hey, I'm Dachi."
   Dachi couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement coursing through him. He found himself in the presence of the legendary Ara'dos and her guide. It was an absolutely extraordinary experience. However, Dachi's weariness from his awakening weighed heavily on him, making it difficult to tap into the depths of his energy.
   Sora smiled. She stood up and then bowed to Dachi. "Hello, Dachi. I'm sure Ren has told you that I am Sora."
   Dachi nodded as he took back his hand. "Yes, he has."
   "I'm Siveth," the other dragon said. Dachi looked at her and watched as she stood up. She smiled and bowed to Dachi. "Thank you for saving us."
   "Oh, me?" Dachi chuckled lightly. "That was all Ren."
   "You helped!" Ren told him. "You helped in so many ways, more than I can count."
   "Of course," Dachi whispered. "I would do anything for the dragons."
   "You have a kind heart," Sora told him. "Something about you is special, Dachi."
   Dachi raised an eyebrow. "Is that a thing dragons say? Ren told me that a lot."
   Ren felt his cheeks turn hot. He glanced at Sora who laughed lightly.
   "I guess so," she said. "But there really is something about you."
   "As human as you look, I can tell you're a dragon," Siveth said. She looked at Sora. "I've connected spiritually with him when I was trying to find Ren."
   Sora gasped. "Really?"
   "Dachi thought he was human. Apparently his father keeps secrets from him about his lost mother who's supposedly a dragon," Ren explained. "I came up with this theory because Dachi has had lightning powers ever since he was born and his mother disappeared just a few days after the war started."
   Sora and Siveth gave a nod of agreement as they listened to Ren's explanation. Being dragons themselves, it all made perfect sense to them.
   But what really confirmed Dachi's dragon status to them was the fact that they had met him before.
   Dachi's mother used to be the Queen of Dhiashrir, the richest city of them all, and the closest one to the Forbidden Hillslide. Siveth and Sora were quite familiar with Dachi's mother, as they had known her for a really long time, ever since Dachi was just a little baby. Those lightning blue eyes of his were unmistakable to Siveth and Sora, which is how they knew exactly who Dachi was and that he was indeed a dragon.
   Dachi let out a sigh, feeling his tiredness slowly dissipating as his body became more awake and aware. He rubbed his eyes and sat up, straightening his posture. His gaze shifted to Ren, who was still holding him. As their eyes met, Ren flinched and quickly let go of Dachi, grumbling and looking away.
   Dachi couldn't help but smile, but then his expression turned into a frown as he looked down at the floor. Everything that had happened was still hard for him to fully grasp. He rubbed his head, feeling the lingering pain and wondering if it would ever go away. He tried to piece together what had happened after he woke up in this place.