“Mary is…”
“Father!” Hati suddenly jumped from her bed terrified. She looked around and could neither see nor feel him.
“Calm down, we should have some time.” Said Alen after she interrupted him.
“Old man. What do you mean?” She growled back at him with a raging face. “He is facing that monster right now. Father will be the first to reach his limit!” She yelled at him. Blinded by her rage she didn’t even notice the new faces around her.
“Your father is a hardy one, he won’t fall that easily. Or if you want it in other words. We can’t help him in our state.” Alen told her with a stern face.
Hati quickly swallowed her words, she remembered what happened to her mother when she intervened. Her father was the only one who could stand a chance against that dragon.
“Are they awake?” The door appeared and the cheerful voice of a woman called to them.
The moment Alen and Hati sensed her presence they jolted up. Alen quickly grabbed his staff while Hati took a fighting stance.
“And they energetic, Alice you have improved a lot!” Zaleria said with a smile. Pointing their weapons at her only looked cute in her eyes.
“Calm down, she is with us!” Sofia yelled at them before a fight could start.
“Who talked?” Hati finally noticed her. “Don’t joke like that!” Said Alen.
“She isn’t joking, that is her grandmother. Would you mind putting your weapons down?” Alice told them.
“And if we don’t?” Hati growled at her. She would die before trusting a dragon.
“Then you die!” A voice came from behind her. A cold knife was tickling her neck. A metallic wire strangled Alen’s neck.
Gracie captured both of them at blade edge. She has been silent all this time since didn’t think it was her place to speak up. But cleaning was her job.
“Don’t kill them-nya!” Selena gasped.
“Hati, calm down. It’s probably alright to trust them.” Alen said as he dropped his staff. Gracie didn’t release him.
“Malady, would mind releasing this old man’s neck?” He asked Gracie.
“Not until she calms down,” Gracie replied in a calm voice. Her calmness sent chills down Alen’s spine. It was as if she was indifferent to killing, she didn’t care whichever way things went.
“Fine, put your weapons down.” Hati relaxed back on the bed and Gracie released them both.
Zaleria put the unconscious Kenku down in the corner. He passed out from facing death at Zaleria’s hand. It was as if their race was doomed to be bullied by dragons, they never caught a win.
Both Hati and Alen refrained from bringing up the fact that a demon just walked inside behind a dragon. They didn’t want the maid to finish them off while they were still recovering.
Alen then explained what he knew to Hati as she seemed to have little trust in the girls.
…
“So, they are adventures from your guild at Furberg? And they came here to help.” Hati asked to confirm, she only caught the gist of what was happening.
“That pretty much sums it. The only thing you are missing is that their leader should have quite the talent. I only saw a little bit of what he could do, but I could say he has more than half my skill in magic.” Alen said with a proud face.
“That’s impressive considering how skilled you are,” Hati said.
“You are wrong on that point.” Out of all people, It was Kayden who spoke.
“I crossed blades with him. Calling him half your strength is insulting.” He somewhat looked angry. Nobody managed to understand what triggered him off.
“I have to agree with him, Cain is stronger than you old man.” Said Zaleria with a confident face. Hearing that coming from a dragon made it more believable. Alen hadn’t seen Cain fight first hand so he only gauged his strength based on what he felt at their first encounter.
Alen’s estimation was probably right. Cain was only Level 5 at the time when they last met.
“Cain is strong. Even now you’re resting in his magic.” Sofia said with pride. Alen had realized that the place was rich with Mana but never considered more. Now that Sofia mentioned it, he looked closer to realize they were in a pocket dimension.
Click! The door opened and Cain walked in. “Did you find anything?” Zaleria was the first one to ask.
“Yeah, I confirmed what that cult leader said. It seems that the earth dragon will last longer than the beast god. I would say it will take him less than a day to size victory.” Said Cain as he pulled a chair and sat on it. He seemed to be in deep thought, he would prefer to fight after evolving, but at this rate, he will be late.
“Are you saying that my father would die?” Hati yelled. Cain didn’t have the brain power to deal with her so he replied.
“I’m saying he will lose, not die. Who died there anyway and why?”
“That would be…” Alen hesitated to speak and looked at Hati.
“It was my mother, that dragon killed her.” Said Hati with anger boiling inside her. She was doing her best not to rush outside and fight.
“That dragon was after the Fenrir shard, the beast god seems to have been hiding it inside his wife. She was deathly sick and the shard kept her healthy.” Alen said.
“Fenrir shard? What are you talking about?” Cain asked in confusion. It was the first time he heard of such a thing.
Hearing Cain’s question, Alen’s face paled as he realized that something was off.
“What happened to the purgatory shard that was with that girl?” Alen pointed out Sofia.
“Don’t answer my question with a question. What is this shard and why are you bringing Sofia to this?” Cain stood up, he as well has started to feel that they missed something.
“Are you serious?” Alen looked at Cain with a terrified face. “Would it have been a better choice if I stayed?” He mumbled.
Zaleria noticed that Cain was getting impatient so she decided to interfere a bit. “Old man!” Alen looked at her as she called his name.
“I’m going tear you, that girl, this whole village, and burn the forest to the ground if you don’t speak. WHAT ARE THOSE SHARDS?” The intimidation and threat of a red dragon. She wasn’t joking.
Alen immediately started to speak, it was already too late to keep secrets or hope for a happy conclusion. The fact that Cain didn’t know what the shards were. It meant that he lost the purgatory shard.
“The shards, are the keys the dragons are looking for. I don’t know how many there are, but I know they shouldn’t fall into their hands.
The shards I know of are the purgatory shard. It takes the shape of a burning crimson flame that is scorching hot on the outside while freezing cold on the inside.
The World tree’s shard takes the shape of a fruit. It grows on Yggdrasil in the elvish kingdom. It said that only a person chosen by the tree can find it.
The Fenrir shard. It takes the shape of a broken piece of foggy glass that closely resemble a fang. It can keep whoever is pierced by it in a healthy condition.
The Cryo shard, which fell in hell with the legendary hero Silver in the past.
The devil shard, which is in the hand of the devil which Silver followed to hell.
I know of those fours. I just knew that Fenrir shard was here so I came here to warn the beast god.” Alen explained as fast as he could.
Cain tried to piece up what Alen said. The only thing he could piece from what Alen said was the World tree shard. In his past life, the dragons fought furiously, and even tried to trick Sylph’s father to sacrifice her in a weird ritual that used a fruit picked from the tree. At that time, Cain noticed that the ritual was going to use Sylph as a conduit to transfer some kind of power from the fruit to the dragon king.
With the spite and hatred, he had for him. Cain decided to tinker with the ritual and made it so Sylph would keep that power.
That might be one of the shards. Cain had also heard of the legendary hero silver and that he had an unknown power to control ice. Now that he thought about it, Alen said before that one of the king’s daughters had a problem controlling her ice magic. The hero’s bloodline stayed as royalty so she might be his descendant.
Other than that. Cain couldn’t find more at the top of his head. If he wanted to learn more about it, he needs to search in ancient libraries or ask arcane holders like elder elves, witches, and Great wyrm dragons that live for thousands of years(If they were up to a chat)
Probably the reason he failed in his past life was the lack of those shards.
Cain smiled. “I guess I found a lead, this time it’s going to be different.” He mumbled.