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

Chapter 25 - Undesired Reunion

   Soren's eyes slowly opened, revealing their amethyst hue. His pupils were as thin as razor blades. The weight of the water soaked through his obsidian body and wings, making them feel heavy. Yet, something carried his legs, making them feel light, as if he were floating.
   Looking around, all Soren could see was the deepening shade of blue. It dawned on him that he was underwater, with the water covering his wings and his entire body sinking. Surprisingly, he could still breathe freely, thanks to his water powers.
   As he descended further into the vast ocean, memories flooded back. His comrade, Thace, had betrayed him, using his powers to send Soren flying into the depths. The reason for Thace's betrayal remained a mystery, but Soren no longer cared. Thace held no importance in his cold heart anymore.
   Soren needed to escape the water and find out what happened while he was unconscious. He remembered chasing the speedy ice dragon, playing a wild game of tag. Despite his size, Soren was amazed at the ice dragon's agility. He growled at the memory of the dragon finding the chamber and potentially freeing the other dragons, especially the dangerous Ara'dos.
   Soren shifted his body, causing the water to move with him. He positioned himself with his head facing up towards the surface and his tail towards the ocean floor. With a powerful motion, he spread his massive wings wide and aimed for the surface. Flapping his wings with all his might, Soren launched himself out of the water and into the air. He soared higher, taking a moment to glance at the desolate wasteland of Belozersk. It remained as he had left it, but he still needed to confirm if the dragons had truly escaped. He had to find out.
   Soren clapped his wings to boost himself further into the air. Then he leaned down slightly and spread his wings out to glide across the cloudy and dark sky. As he got closer to the wasteland, he tilted his body down more. Once again, he flapped his wings hard, smacking them against his sides. Then he tucked his wings in and he began to shoot down to the wasteland like a shooting star. Just before he hit the ground, he spread his wings again and elegantly landed on the ground with his feet placed firmly in the sand.
   Then Soren turned his attention to the metal trapdoor a hundred feet away from him that he could see clearly. He glared at it and growled viciously. He didn't know whether to wait for it to open, stomp on it again, or look around for clues. He pondered on what he should do.

   "Destroy the ancient gemstone?" Sora gasped as she stared at Siveth with wide eyes. "Siveth, that gemstone is a very precious artifact! Even you would be in so much trouble for breaking it."
   "I know," Siveth growled. "But I would rather be in trouble and face the consequences of my actions than to face the consequences on the end of the world."
   "My sister is right, Sora," Ren spoke up. "We don't have any other choice. If we destroy the ancient gemstone, then Soren won't have the power anymore and he'll be stoppable!"
   Sora's face twisted with worry, her brows furrowing in nervousness. She let out a shaky sigh, her gaze shifting away from the weight of her thoughts. The world held immense significance, she knew that. But deep down, she also understood that there was something even more crucial at stake.
   Her eyes fluttered closed as she delved into her own thoughts, contemplating the weight of her own existence. She realized that if she wanted to prevent the world from meeting its untimely demise, sacrifices would have to be made. The echoes of her closest partner's wise words resonated within her mind, guiding her through the tumultuous sea of uncertainty.
   There is no change without sacrifice. Sacrifice is a part of life; it's supposed to be. It's not something to regret. It's something to aspire to. One day, you will look back on the great changes you made and the remembrance of sacrifice will no longer be filled with guilt but with pride and happiness.
   Sora sighed once more. She knew this was the best option. Destroying the ancient gemstone was the only thing they were able to do. Even if Sora knew there would be consequences to their actions, the world would be saved. That's all that mattered.
   "Okay," she said. "We will sacrifice the ancient gemstone to protect our world."
   Siveth formed a bright smile on her face. She sighed and put her wings around Sora to hug her. "Oh, thank you, Sora. I know it's a hard thing to do but if it's for the world, anything will be done."
   "I understand," Sora told her. She let out a less shaky breath and she stood up. "Let's do this. Let's save the world and our people."
   Ren's face lit up with joy, a wide smile stretching across his face. He couldn't help but feel a surge of happiness as he realized how far they had come in their mission to save Siveth, Sora, and their entire population. Now, united, they stood ready to restore peace to the world and rekindle the bond between humans and dragons.
   As Ren locked eyes with Dachi, a sense of pride washed over them both. Their smiles mirrored each other, a testament to the hard work and dedication they had poured into reaching this pivotal moment. They knew deep down that they had been each other's pillars of strength throughout this journey. Ren reminded himself once again that without Dachi by his side, none of this would have been possible.
   With determination shining in their eyes, Ren and Dachi understood that this was the final stretch, the last steps towards restoring the world to its former state of harmony. They were ready to usher in an era of peace, where humans and dragons would once again befriend each other. Together, they would make it happen.
   "Let's go," Ren announced as he stood up. Siveth and Dachi stood up with him. "Wherever Soren is, we're going to stop him."
   Dachi's anxiety grew, surpassing his previous nervousness. He felt a wave of terror wash over him, causing his hands to tremble uncontrollably. Summoning every ounce of courage, he mustered the strength to step out of the chamber and venture into the depths of the dungeon. Being by Ren's side provided some comfort, but he couldn't shake the impending confrontation with someone from his past. Soren's anger towards him would surely ignite further violence once he discovered Dachi's presence.
   Siveth's face twisted with concern as she hurried past the chambers. She couldn't bear to leave the dragons behind in such a state. Determined to keep her promise, she knew she had to return to them and explain the situation. They deserved to know what was happening.
   Coming to a sudden halt, Siveth's fellow dragons took a moment to register the change before stopping as well. Their gazes fixed on her, a mix of confusion and nervousness evident in their expressions.
   "What's the hold-up?" Ren asked.
   "I need to tell these dragons what's happening," Siveth said. "So they don't panic again. So they know that they're going to be saved."
   "That's a good idea, Siveth," Sora told her. "That's thoughtful of you." She nodded. "Go ahead.
   Siveth smiled. "Thank you, Sora."
   Siveth dimmed her smile and looked around. She stood in the middle of the dungeon, chambers surrounding her from both sides. She lowered her head and sighed, getting ready for her announcement. When she felt ready, she slowly closed her eyes and formed words in her mind. With the power of mind connecting that all dragons shared, Siveth made her announcement.
   "Dragons, it is your leader Siveth, the Ara'dos," she began. "I would like you to know that Sora and I have escaped. My brother and his friend who is a fellow dragon managed to find us and set us free."
   Siveth paused for a moment. She heard gasps and whines echo through the dungeon.
   She continued, "although I wish to set you free, I'm afraid to say that I am unable to at this moment. There is great danger outside of these chambers and in the outside world. I do not want to let you out into danger. I understand you want to help us get rid of the danger but it is far too risky and that would be considered a sacrifice. Though, when all of this is over, I promise that I will set you all free and we will be able to go back home."
   With her last words, Siveth lifted her head and opened her eyes, still speaking through her mind. Her eyes softened and then she lowered her eyebrows.
   "The war is coming to an end!"
   As she finished, roars erupted through the dungeon. The roars hinted that the dragons got Siveth's message and they agreed upon her actions. Then the roaring quieted down as Siveth sighed and turned to the others.
   "I'm done," she told them. "Let's go and finish this."
   "Together," Sora said with a small smile. "We won't fail."
   Siveth returned the smile. "Of course not." Her smile faded and then she sighed heavily. "Let's head out."
   The four dragons gathered back around and rushed through the dungeon together until they immediately slowed down when they reached the stairs. Dachi looked up at the trapdoor. This was it, finally. He didn't know if Soren was still out there but there was a great chance he was.
   "We can't do this slowly," Sora explained. "If Soren sees us peaking out of the dungeon, I'm assuming his anger will grow and there will be no way for us to get out."
   "Right," Dachi nodded. "I'll go first."
   "No!" Ren gasped and pulled him back.
   Dachi almost fell down the stairs until he caught himself. He glared at Ren but Ren wasn't afraid to glare at him back.
   "You're not going first," Ren growled. "You're smaller than the rest of us. And if it wasn't obvious enough, we're all more dragon than you right now."
   Dachi groaned, "I haven't figured that part out yet! Besides, Soren won't see me right away. I can find out where he is and then you guys can all rush out."
   Ren tried to protest but Sora went first.
   "I agree," she said.
   Ren flinched. "What?" he gasped.
   "I doubt Soren will see Dachi right away. He's small and obsidian dragons are massive. Dachi will seem like a leaf to Soren."
   Ren sighed heavily. "Okay, fine. Go! Stop wasting time."
   "You're the one that stopped me," Dachi growled.
   Ren let out an exasperated groan and rolled his eyes at Dachi's antics. His frown deepened with anxiety as he observed Dachi ascending the steps. Holding his breath, Ren watched intently as Dachi reached the top and wasted no time in opening the trapdoor.
   As Dachi emerged, his eyes darted around in a panic, searching for any sign of danger. Thankfully, there was no immediate roar to be heard, prompting a relieved sigh from Dachi. He continued scanning the surroundings, but Soren was nowhere to be found. Dachi checked by the ocean, the remnants of the temple, the towers, and even ventured further, but Soren remained elusive.
   "I don't see him," Dachi told the other dragons as he turned to them
   "What?" Ren gasped. "What are you talking about?"
   "I told you. I don't—" Dachi started again but he was interrupted by a loud thump. Then, he began to hear low and deep growling.
   Dachi felt his heart drop into the sand and turn into grains. He swallowed hard and forced himself to turn around. He felt his heart jump back up and a scream escaped his lips as his body froze in place.
   Dachi's heart sank as he felt like he was experiencing death once more, his blue eyes meeting the piercing gaze of dark purple eyes. Overwhelmed with fear, he instinctively took a step back, tilting his head upward to meet the intimidating eyes of the monstrous creature before him.
   His wide eyes locked onto the black-scaled beast, causing his nose to scrunch up, revealing its razor-sharp teeth. Shocked and horrified, he covered his mouth with one hand and clutched his stomach with the other. It was unbelievable. This couldn't be happening. How could he have allowed this to occur?
   "I have finally found you, coward," Soren snarled deeply as he lifted his head to look down upon Dachi's puny size. "How do you like me now? You think my powers before were dangerous?"
   "Dachi!" Ren gasped sharply as he emerged from the chamber.
   "Ren, no!" Siveth tried to pull him back but she was too late.
   Siveth's heart sank as Ren quickly positioned himself between Soren and Dachi. With a fierce snarl, Siveth's lips curled in determination. She couldn't bear the thought of leaving the two of them alone with Soren.
   Without hesitation, she darted out of the chamber, her urgency evident. Sora flinched as she witnessed Siveth's sudden movement, but her resolve was unwavering. Growling with determination, she leaped out alongside Siveth, refusing to be left behind. She wouldn't stand idly by and miss out on a fight, even though she was an air dragon.
   Soren roared with surprise as he gazed at the dragons. "How? Impossible!" he growled. "The Ara'dos and her guide. How could you do this?!"
   With a deafening roar, Soren unleashed his fury, causing the dragons to snap into action. Ren, Dachi, Siveth, and Sora stood united, ready to face the challenge ahead. The fate of the world now rested in their hands. There was no doubt in their minds about how it would end. They were determined to see it through, no matter what.