Zodiac Circle

Chapter 6: The Tale of Blood Dragon

Tamie's cheeks flushed with embarrassment and worry - ugh, what had she done?! She had just called a man she barely knew! How awkward!

"Tamie, you there?"

She sighed - there was no turning back now... 

"Um... Hey there, Erik!" she greeted him, sweating at the same time, and thanking the stars Erik couldn't see her awkward state right now, but could just hear her voice.

"Haha! I'm glad you called!" Erik's voice happily sounded from the gadget, "Oh, wait... Do you perchance need my help, Tamie?"

"Ah, no, nothing like it!" Tamie grinned, even shaking her hands as if Erik were actually there. "I... I called you accidentally... I hope I didn't disturb you from some serious work?"

"Haha, no worries, Tamie, I've been doing nothing. I've got a meeting in three hours so in these three hours of leisure I'm actually quite bored. I'm happy you called. Um... might it be you were about to call someone important? In that case, I can turn off the call..."

"Oh, no, no, don't do! It is fine. I was going to call my mom, but I've already talked to her earlier, so I guess I'll just call her later tonight," Tamie smiled awkwardly again and shook her hands. 

"Haha, then it's settled - we can have a little chat. So how's it going? Have you already joined Rose Cruce?"

"Ugh, yes..." Tamie rolled eyes, "I met my brother..." she added with her voice turning soft and loving, but then she got upset again, "I've got quite annoying neighbours, though... and the Magister is really weird..."

Erik laughed hard:

"You mean, Edmund Jaeger? But he's a Libra too, isn't he? How come you think he's weird?"

Tamie giggled too.

"I know he's a Libra, but we Libra rarely get along with each other... I especially can't understand Libra boys. They seem way too weird to me. Sometimes I can't even believe we're the same sign".

"Yeah, I'd agree on that - Libra men and women are quite different... Libra men are generally losers. That doesn't apply to Edmund, however. Don't underestimate that guy, Tamie. He's got quite some tricks up his sleeve".

"Well, that's nice if he's not a complete weakling, or else I'd seriously start worrying I've joined a wrong order".

"Nay, no worries - Rose Cruce Order is one of the strongest. Stick to it! After all, my rival's there too," he chuckled boastingly, "I don't choose my rivals blindly. Only those who are worthy can rival me".

Tamie laughed at such a half-joke of his. 

"Hehe... Well, he's my brother, after all," she boastingly answered back. Both of them let out a laugh. But then, Tamie turned gloomy again: "Say, Erik, um, as your signal shows... you're a Dragon spirit, right?"

"Oh... Yeah. Why asking?"

"You know... Since I'm a lefty, I asked these guys to let me wear my ring on my left hand..."

"Oh, haha, you're a lefty too? Awesome! Fellow lefty here, yo!"

At such a positive response, Tamie couldn't help but giggle.

"It is cool... But then Edmund talked about some Blood Dragon guy who was also a lefty and had worn his ring on the left hand, and then he massacred his whole order. So, I wondered... since you're a Dragon too and even a lefty, do you know anything about this guy?"

Silence fell for some minutes. Erik's voice didn't call out for long.

"I know that story... But it's not like because he wore his ring on his left hand he turned berserk. That's just superstitions and gossips of some uneducated righties. Blood Dragon had his motives for turning his back on his order, as all people have their own reasons for doing things".

"So you know about Blood Dragon?" Tamie widened eyes and clutched her gadget, getting excited, "W... What was the true story, then? Do you know?"

Silence fell again, and Erik's grim tone quietly spoke afterwards:

"Blood Dragon belonged to Crimson Flame Order, the same as I..."

"No way, so you knew him in person?!"

"Yes, I did. We were the only lefties in the whole order. However, I wore my ring on my right hand as was the tradition. Anyway, Blood Dragon was never a cheerful guy, at least not when in our order. We didn't know a thing about him. He only did his jobs and that was it. At that time, the Sun Celestial Lord was, of course, another guy, because I was then still too small. It was an old man, Merlinn Goldreich. He was the Overlord of Crimson Flame Order, where the majority was fire signs. Blood Dragon and I, too, were fire signs. Then one day, when we grew and got stronger, Blood Dragon indeed went berserk all of a sudden and massacred the whole order... But I am sure his hatred was long sowed and grown. So don't worry about such tales. No one goes crazy just by wearing some ring on a different hand than the majority does," he laughed.

Tamie was dumbfounded - so Erik was actually from the same order as that murderer?! But if Blood Dragon massacred the whole order, how come Erik came out alive?

"So, you were the only survivor from your order? I... I'm so sorry, Erik..."

"Nah, don't worry about that. That was long ago. Many winters have passed since then," Erik bitterly chuckled. "You enjoy your time in that order". 

Tamie smiled, but then fearfully asked:

"So then... Erik, do you know where that Blood Dragon is now?"

"I was the one who defeated him back then, but he fled. Stars know where he might be now... Don't tell me you're worried!" Erik laughed.

"Of course I'm not!"

After some time, Tamie and Erik finished talking, and Tamie fell back unto her bed, flying into her thoughts - this Blood Dragon story was still such a mystery... But then she decided to forget about it and go to bed, for tomorrow she would be taking her first job as a Zodiac Master.

I must be ready for tomorrow...