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

Chapter 29 - Indecisive Complications

   Dachi's grip on Ren tightened as he looked up at his furious father, who was riding another dragon. Feeling a mix of fear and regret, Dachi buried his head in Ren's scales, hoping to disappear from his father's sight. How could he have underestimated his father's determination to find him? Dachi knew he was in deep trouble now. The thought of not making it back home alive loomed over him.
   "What the hell are you doing here?!" Takashi snapped at him. "What the hell were you thinking, Dachi?" Takashi furrowed his eyebrows as he stared down at his stubborn son. "How could you betray me and travel across the world with a dragon?"
   Dachi lowered his eyebrows. "Because the world is in danger and you aren't doing anything about it," he grumbled. "I'm tired of listening to your constant threats and taking your useless punishments!"
   "You are insane!" Takashi gasped.
   Ren's glare intensified as he growled at Takashi, fully agreeing with Dachi's assessment of the man's sanity. The idea of chasing Takashi deep into the forest, never to be seen again, appealed to Ren.
   However, something caught Ren's attention, diverting his gaze from Takashi. He noticed the black dragon beneath Dachi, avoiding eye contact as if afraid. Ren sensed that there was something peculiar about this dragon, but couldn't determine its exact type based on its black scales alone.
   Curiosity piqued, Ren leaned closer, attempting to catch a glimpse of the dragon's eyes, while Dachi and Takashi remained engrossed in their argument. Ren was intrigued by the strange energy emanating from the dragon and wanted to uncover its secrets.
   The dragon suddenly froze, a tense feeling washing over him. From the corner of his eye, he caught Ren trying to get a good look at him. The dragon turned to Ren, staring into his unique blue and purple eyes. The dragon curiously tilted its head, staring in awe at Ren’s multicolored eyes.
   Ren's heart sank as his eyes locked with the dark dragon's. Shock widened his eyes, and he felt a sinking sensation in his gut. Gasping, Ren took a step back, realizing the true nature of this dragon. It was a creature of darkness, one he hadn't encountered in a long time. The dragon's anxious and wrathful presence gripped Ren's soul, leaving him tense and unable to break eye contact.
   Just as Ren was consumed by the dragon's gaze, Dachi's voice snapped him back to reality. Dachi's gasp brought Ren back from the depths of the dragon's hold.
   "No!" Dachi snarled and looked up at Takashi. "You're insane! How could you hide so many lies from me for years?"
   Takashi flinched and then glared at Dachi. "What are you talking about?" He knew exactly what Dachi was talking about.
   "My mother!" Dachi wasted no time going off on his father. "My mother is a dragon. That would mean I'm a dragon too!"
   Dachi clenched his fists tightly, glaring into his father's shocked eyes. It really was true. Ren wasn't lying. His theory wasn't wrong. The horrified look on Takashi's face told Dachi everything about his life.
   "How could you lie to my face?" Dachi continued. "Even before the war, I didn't know any of this!"
   Takashi's tension grew as he averted his gaze, unable to meet his son's eyes. The betrayal and pain reflected in Dachi's eyes pierced Takashi's heart, causing an intense ache. He despised this feeling, wishing he could tear out his heart and crush it. The weight of his actions over the past two decades weighed heavily on him: the lies to Dachi, keeping Mateo hidden, and failing to bring happiness to Dachi's mother. It was all his fault.
   As Takashi sat atop Mateo in his dragon form, facing his son and the two other dragons, he realized the magnitude of his terrible mistakes. It took him over two decades, Dachi's entire life, to finally comprehend the gravity of his actions.
   "You can't even look at me anymore!" Dachi groaned.
   Dachi's gaze shifted to the dragon under Takashi's control. The dragon's eyes held a mixture of emotions—excitement, sadness, joy, and fear. Dachi couldn't shake the feeling of familiarity with this dragon, and it frightened him. What had Takashi done? How did he go from harming dragons to riding them? The sudden change left Dachi perplexed and concerned.
   "Father," Dachi spoke again. "Who is that?"
   Takashi flinched and sighed shakily. "You should know who he is," he mumbled.
   "Right, I should know," Dachi said. "So tell me who that is!"
   "Mateo," the black dragon suddenly spoke.
   Dachi's eyes widened. He tensed up and covered his mouth with his hands to hide his dropping jaw. How could this be? How did he not know this either? What else could Takashi possibly be hiding from him?
   Dachi's gaze met Mateo's eyes, and he noticed a flicker of emotion within them. Mateo's wide eyes and dilated pupils revealed a deep sense of anxiety. Dachi couldn't help but feel sorry for him. It was hard to believe that Mateo had been confined to the role of a courtier for years, when he should have been soaring through the skies with his dragon companions.
   Given the ongoing war, being in the major city might be the safest option for Mateo. Dachi now understood why Takashi treated Mateo poorly, yet Mateo remained unaffected. His true self had been concealed all this time.
   "I can't believe this," Dachi uttered. He growled and looked at his father. "Mateo's a dragon? And you kept him away from the world! That's why he was so emotionless. Because you broke him!"
   Before Takashi could say anything else, another voice echoed through the sky. "Ren! Where are you?"
   Ren perked up, his pupils turning thin and then wide again. He looked around, trying to find where the voice was coming from.
   Dachi gasped, "who was that?" He also looked around.
   "Siveth..." Ren smiled brightly. "Siveth!" he called out louder. "Siveth, we're over here!"
   Ren's call for Siveth turned out to be a grave mistake. The horrifying sound of a furious roar echoed behind them, causing Ren's heart to sink. He swiftly turned his head, expecting to see Dachi's comforting blue eyes, but instead, he was met with a pair of intense purple eyes. These eyes belonged to the aggressive and enraged black creature emerging from the water. Glaring at the dragons and Ren, it let out another thunderous roar.
   "Oh, gods," Ren gasped. "He's going to attack again!"
   "Ren!" another voice called out close to him.
   Ren's ears twitched. He looked over and perked up when he saw Sora running over to him. "Sora!" he cheered.
   "Come on, we need to—" Sora started until she glanced at the second black dragon, Mateo. She froze up, her eyes widening. "Mateo?"
   Mateo swiftly looked at Sora, their eyes locking. They stare wide-eyed at each other like they were in some dream.
   "Mateo?"
   Dachi raised an eyebrow, but he shook his head, deciding to question them later.
   "Um, guys," Dachi began. "Angry dragon snarling at us!" he reminded all of them as he pointed to the ocean surrounding the terrorizing monster.
   Sora shook her head. "Right. Come—"
   She suddenly shrieked when she felt a water rope wrap around her leg. She growled and quickly jerked her head down, blasting air at the water rope to snap it off.
   "Go on!" she called to the other dragons. "Get away from the water. The water gives him a big advantage."
   "Okay, then let's move," Ren growled as he bolted off past the dragons.
   Soren's snarl didn't faze Sora. She snarled back, warning him with a roar. But Soren remained unfazed, growling in response. He unleashed another roar and thrashed about in the water, sending water ropes shooting towards Sora.
   Quick on her feet, Sora leaped into the air, narrowly avoiding the water ropes. However, to her surprise, the water ropes redirected towards Mateo, ensnaring him. With a roar of surprise, Mateo fought back, unleashing his dark fire to free himself from the water's grip. Soren hissed in anger and launched another attack, commanding the water ropes to surge towards Mateo once more.
   Mateo's body was ensnared by the freezing grip of the icy water. Helplessly trapped, the ice constricted his legs, wings, chest, and stomach, leaving him unable to move. With his head held in place by the icy prison, Mateo whimpered in desperation, his attempts to break free proving futile. He felt a sense of helplessness, unsure of what steps to take next.
   "Dammit, Mateo!" Takashi scolded him. "You need to get away from the ocean you idiot." Takashi started to bang at the ice with his sword, trying to break it.
   Soren's grin widened as he witnessed Mateo's struggle against the icy prison. He relished in the opportunity to prove Mateo's weakness, comparing him to a mere hatchling. The anticipation of ending a dark dragon, similar to his former comrade, filled Soren with a powerful sense of pleasure.
   Flames ignited within him once more, fueling his strength. With an orange and red glow emanating from the depths of his throat, Soren unleashed a lightning-fast blast, relishing in the terrified expressions on the faces of the dark dragon and the human. Victory burned within him, fueling his satisfaction.
   Sora's quick reflexes saved the day as she deflected the fireball back at Soren with a powerful swing of her tail. The explosion caught Soren off guard, leaving him gasping for air amidst the smoke. He struggled to regain his balance, feeling the effects of the blast.
   Meanwhile, Sora landed gracefully and immediately rushed to Mateo's aid. Despite his reputation, Mateo appeared lost and confused, in need of help. Sora understood his plight and was determined to lend a hand to her long lost friend.
   Sora rushed over to Mateo while Soren remained dizzy. She used her tail to quickly break the ice off of Mateo, freeing him. Mateo perked up and shook his wings. He paused and then glanced at Sora.
   "Thank you," he mumbled, giving Sora a smile.
   "You're welcome." Sora smiled back. "Now come on!" Sora rushed off. Mateo flinched and followed her.
   "Was that the ancient gemstone?" Takashi gasped as he looked back at Soren who was now recovering from the attack Sora performed.
   "Yes, it was," Sora told him. "That was originally a human. He was the one who stole the ancient gemstone."
   "Holy—" Takashi flinched when he heard a roar from Soren. He growled and lowered his head. "I can't believe this! That is really the ancient gemstone? That thing turned a human into... that?!" He pointed back at the ocean.
   "Yes," Sora said again. "He's trying to kill us all and destroy the world with it."
   "Gah, this is messed up," Takashi grumbled. "What the hell am I thinking? I'm working alongside dragons over the ancient gemstone?"
   "To save the world, yes," Sora answered him. Takashi flinched hard and looked at Sora in shock. "You don't have much of a choice," Sora added with a growl.
   Takashi's heart weighed heavy with regret as he looked back on his past actions. The dragons had unleashed their fury upon his city, causing chaos and harm to innocent lives. In his desperation to protect his people, Takashi had become consumed by a sense of duty, neglecting the ones who mattered most to him.
   His wife, entangled with the dragons, and now his only child, Dachi, unknowingly walking a dangerous path alongside them.
   It was a painful realization for Takashi that his efforts to safeguard his community had inadvertently torn his family apart, leaving them resentful and distant. The lines between right and wrong blurred in his mind, as he grappled with the consequences of his choices.
   The dragons, once seen as enemies, now seemed to hold a special connection with Dachi, particularly the ice dragon who displayed a fervent protectiveness towards him. Takashi's understanding of his role as a protector had become muddled, leaving him questioning his own motivations and the unintended consequences of his actions.
   "Siveth!" Sora gasped as she approached from behind Ren just after he stopped in front of Siveth.
   "Sora, you're—"
   Siveth's voice trailed off abruptly as she glanced upwards, her eyes widening in fear as the second black dragon approached with a human rider. She involuntarily took a step back, her body trembling with a mix of shock and apprehension.
   Mateo, noticing Siveth's distress, frowned and lowered his head, realizing that his presence was unsettling her. Although he had heard of the second Ara'dos, he didn't have much knowledge about Siveth, not knowing that is was her who was the current Ara'dos.
   Dachi sighed heavily. "So the human on top of this dragon is my father."
   Siveth's eyes widened. "Your father!" she exclaimed.
   "And the dragon is his courtier. Since he's the High King," Dachi explained. "Speaking of which." He growled and looked up at Takashi. "Why are you out here still?"
   "Because I'm trying to get you back home!" Takashi told him.
   "Well, now that you're here, you caught yourself in this mess and you're going to help us fight Soren," Dachi said, referring to the roaring dragon who remained in the water.
   Takashi flinched from the surprise he just received. "Woah!" he gasped. "That dragon is Soren? How is that even possible?!"
   "Because he has multiple elements and he stole the ancient gemstone. He figured out how to use it and he plans to rule the world," Dachi quickly explained. "Now we need to continue this fight!"
   "You're right," Siveth said. "Though, I'm unsure of what Soren is doing."
   They all looked at Soren. Soren was eyeing both Dachi and Siveth. He glared at them, his eyes almost burning holes in their heads. He growled and continued to stomp around in the water.
   "He knows we won't give up," Sora said. "He's staying in the water so we'll lose patience. He's out of range right now so that's why he's not attacking. It seems that in order to attack with his water powers, he needs to be directly in the water."
   "He likes to use his water powers a lot, I've noticed," Ren noted. "We could attack from here but it won't be effective and Soren can easily block our attacks since our attacks are coming from so far away and it's not really a surprise."
   Dachi nodded in agreement. "Right. We need to get him out of the water somehow."
   "I may know what to do," Mateo suddenly spoke.
   Takashi flinched. "What?! Are you insane?"
   Mateo looked back at Takashi and glared at him. "Maybe I am. But not as insane as you."
   He then shook his body like a wet dog, making Takashi fall off of him and land in the sand with a grunt.
   Dachi winced at the sight. Though, he couldn't help but smile a little. He paused and looked up at Mateo.
   "What's the plan?" he asked Mateo.
   "During the night, as it is right now," Mateo started. "I'm able to turn invisible. So I'll be able to sneak up behind Soren and blast him out of the water."
   Siveth perked up. "And once he's out of the water, I can use my sand control to sink him into the sand and then tangle him up in vines!"
   Sora gasped and smiled. "Great idea, Siveth."
   "Wait, do you think your dark powers are strong enough to destroy the ancient gemstone in itself?" Dachi asked.
   Mateo didn't know the response to that but Siveth did.
   She shook her head. "No. The ancient gemstone can only be harmed when multiple elements hit it at once."
   "Ah, I see why we attack all at once now," Dachi mumbled.
   "Go on," Sora told Mateo. "We don't have a lot of time. Soren will lose his patience."
   "Quickly," Dachi added.
   Takashi groaned as he got up, rubbing his face. He spat out some sand and shook his head, getting the sand out of his hair. He looked up at Mateo and watched as he suddenly disappeared out of thin air right in front of his eyes.
   "What the hell?" Takashi growled as he got up. "What is he doing?"
   "Doing what any smart man should do and help us," Ren mumbled.
   Takashi glanced at Ren and lowered his eyebrows. "You're the one who took my son, aren't you?"
   "Actually, he took me," Ren said.
   Dachi nodded. "I did because I knew he would be the only one to listen to me."
   Takashi paused and then he frowned, feeling an aching pain in his heart. "I just wanted to protect you, Dachi."
   Dachi clenched his fists and glared at Takashi, resisting the urge to punch him so hard in the face he would knock out and wake up with common sense. He sighed heavily and turned his back to his father.
   "Well, everything you did only put me in danger. Your protection was never good enough for me. You divided our family."
   Takashi flinched and clenched his shirt above his chest to try and stop his burning heart. "I was protecting our people!"
   "And you lost your family in the process," Dachi reminded him. "Does that really make you feel like a hero?"
   Takashi's heart shattered as his son's words pierced through him. The pain was unbearable, leaving him feeling like a terrible person. He was lost, unsure of what to do next. Dachi's forgiveness seemed out of reach, and he feared his wife may never return. As the war drew to a close, Takashi wondered how his people would perceive him.