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rafor · 4 months

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Chapter 81 - Goodbyes - The Glitch

Saying goodbye to Raphael felt like a heartbreak, even though our acquaintance was brief. He was my mirror image, only wiser and stronger. He was an archangel, as I should have been, but not anymore. Not after the deal that changed everything. I was something else now. A man, also a dragon, whom chose to stay in a foreign world instead of returning to his own. Who had endless opportunities to transform, evolve, begin anew, or continue his old path. Who could be a father, a king, a family member, and a peacemaker. But peace was still elusive in this world. The war had ended, but the problems remained. The dragons felt betrayed and oppressed by a hidden oligarchy that wielded too much power over them. And they were right, in a way. We were far superior to them in might and power. Aura, the leader of that oligarchy, was no more. Her death left a vacuum in her realm that others would soon try to fill. Novar, the dark lord who ruled the shadow lands for ages, had no heir either. And his people, the shadow dragons, were still shunned and feared by the rest. The guardians, the only ones who could have intervened, did nothing but reunite after their long separation. That was a relief, at least. They would have been our last hope if we had failed. But they were also part of the problem. They were seen as puppets of the oligarchy by many. And Zeno was gone again. He didn’t stay to face the consequences of recent events. He was the brother of Novar, the one who had killed him with Aura’s help. He was still a timelord, even after his fall from grace. He probably had more power than me, but not more than Raphael. Raphael told me to seek Zeno if I ever wanted to visit my original world again. He implied that Zeno could create portals between different worlds or universes. I didn’t understand how that worked, but I guessed that we were indeed in different universes. The laws of physics in my world didn’t allow for the manipulation of elements and energies like here. It was too improbable to be the same universe. I returned to the guardians with mixed news. I told them about Aura’s demise and the end of the enemy’s expansion. I told them that we had succeeded in our mission. They accepted the change with resignation and relief. They had not served Aura for decades anyway, ever since Cyrus and Sol vanished.

The city was in dire need of a new leader, one who could restore order and harmony after the war. The guardians had searched far and wide, but none of the candidates seemed worthy of the throne. Then Freya whispered in my ear, “You know you have a claim to the crown, don’t you?” I shook my head and said, “I don’t want it. I have everything I need with you. I can’t abandon our kingdom.” But she persisted, saying, “You won’t have to. I can manage things here. Vesper has been a great help too. Why don’t you consider their offer?” I looked at her incredulously and said, “You want me to rule over this other kingdom and its allies? How do you know they will accept me?” She smiled confidently and said, “Many of them still think you are the chosen one from the prophecy, the one who defeated the enemy leader. They will hail you as a hero.” I sighed, “They already do.” She nodded, “Exactly. You don’t need my permission, but you have it anyway. You will still be the king of our realm, but also of Aura’s. Maybe you can even give it a new name?” I hesitated, saying, “Alright, I’ll see if they really want me. I’ll discuss it with the guardians later, but first, I want to see our family again. Maybe take a day off.” She agreed, “Fair enough. Take your time. Let’s go home.” We used a portal in the temple to return to our kingdom and our loved ones. I also sought advice from Leo and met his wife by chance. She was a huge female wyvern, much larger than him, and she was feral, a wild one. But she respected me enough to not attack me. Everyone encouraged me to accept the offer. It was a new challenge, a vital one, and so I went back to the guardians and told them my decision. In no time, I was standing before a massive crowd of dragons, presenting myself as their new leader who would usher in a new era. I was ready to bring about major changes and use the technologies we had discovered in the kingdom of the Hidden Shadows to create a balance between the kingdoms.

Everything went according to plan, and I even had the chance to meet Zeno again on several occasions. He often visited the temple and offered to teach me how to wield the holy powers and more. I was filled with gratitude and optimism. This was a happy ending and a fresh beginning. But I was not alone in this journey. I had a family to support me. Even though I had missed the best years with them, it did not matter anymore. I could finally enjoy a proper honeymoon with Freya across multiple kingdoms. We had gained control over most of the world with our influence and power. The kingdom of the Crashing Thunder still needed our assistance, and it had become so reliant on us that it was practically a puppet state. The kingdom of the Frozen Crystal always coveted the lands of the Hidden Shadows, but we could not let them have their way. They deserved their independence and sovereignty. Besides, my daughters had fallen in love with the city of the Hidden Shadows when they visited it, and they expressed their desire to leave the palace and live there. We granted them their wish, as they were mature and skilled enough to protect themselves. They became so popular and influential that they were elected as the new leaders of the defeated kingdom when we suggested a new election. Our family had amassed even more power, and I realized that I had accomplished what my enemy had wanted to do. We had essentially conquered the world. What would come next? I hoped for peace and order, but I could not be certain. I could not see the future, but I prayed for our good fortune and everyone else’s and that no one would ever dare to oppose me again. I would give them a fitting punishment. A royal one, or perhaps a holy one. It would depend on the situation. Who knew if there were still other demons lurking around? There weren’t any, right? Right?

#chapter #dragon #dragons #elements #fantasy #literature #mystery #story #poetry #adventure #the_glitch #the rise and fall of raphael

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rafor · 4 months

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Chapter 80 - Final Mission #3 - The Glitch

“So you have finally chosen a side?” I said with a sigh, “I wish I never had to, but it was inevitable.” She had been waiting for this moment ever since she declared war on that kingdom. She knew their land well, but she never sent the guardians to attack them as long as they stayed on their island. But now they had crossed the line and invaded the mainland.

We arrived at the temple, which had been restored and prepared for our arrival. Luna and Juno had learned how to use a portal that connected the temple with our kingdom, and they often traveled back and forth for fun. They resumed some of their lessons with me, which I enjoyed as a refresher. I didn’t really need them, but it was good to keep my skills sharp.

Meanwhile, Aura Aetherius summoned the troops and broadcast a message to the world. Her vision connection power was so strong that she could communicate with everyone at the same time, even the Shadow dragons. There was no way to block her out of your head. She updated the world on the progress of our enemy and issued them an ultimatum: leave the mainland by the end of the week or face our wrath. We had managed to contain the invaders on our land, but they were growing in numbers and preparing for a new assault. They had technologies and weapons that our soldiers could not match. If we relied on our armies alone, it would be a bloodbath.

Raphael returned from his successful mission with Sol and Cyrus. I shared my concerns about the Shadow dragons with him, and he agreed. He had already devised a strategy that did not involve using our army for offense but only for defense. The main attackers would be me and him. Why? Because we had tested our immortality with some weapons that had been stolen from the kingdom of the Hidden Shadows. These weapons had a special ability to prevent healing and cause dissolution, a horrible way to die. But every time I and Raphael died from them, we found ourselves in the Bright City. Even after I killed a hundred Electric dragons, the barrier didn't stop me, and we met Zeno there again. We used the portal to return each time. There were no consequences. We were truly unbeatable foes. The guardians had a vital mission: to prevent the dark lord’s elemental freeze ability from spreading too far and affecting everyone. They knew the secret to counteracting his power, but they needed a group of strikers to assist them. That group included me and Raphael, as well as Aura Aetherius, who was always ready for action; Akira and Fyrenthos, a formidable duo; and Freya, my beloved but stubborn sweetheart. I feared for her safety, but she refused to stay behind, so we reluctantly agreed to let her join us. The plan was straightforward: sabotage the infrastructure, cut off communication between the mainland and the new expansion area, and locate and eliminate the dark lord. Zeno himself approved of our strategy. We said our farewells to everyone, knowing that there was no guarantee of success. We moved under the cover of night, heading straight to the Hidden Shadows territory and the city. Raphael had an idea of where the dark lord might have been, but Akira was stunned by the sight of the city. We had to disguise her as a shadow to avoid detection. She was too bright and white for this dark place. To our dismay, the dark lord was not where we expected him to be. Raphael quickly suggested a plan B. We made our way to the intelligence room, where he and I took the form of another Shadow dragon and gained access. Akira, Fyrenthos, and Freya stayed outside, hidden and vigilant, ready to secure our escape route. We used the trackers to map out each dragon’s location. The dark lord was nowhere to be found. He had outsmarted us and avoided wearing his own tracker. Our plan was falling apart. We wasted precious time searching for him, and Akira grew weary and impatient. She decided to use her vision connection and broke through the dark lord’s barrier. She saw his whereabouts and taunted him telepathically: “Hey swimmer, want to meet a Light dragon, sir?” He sensed her intrusion and did not respond verbally, but he took off in a hurry. He flew towards our direction, unaware that he was flying into a trap. We were waiting for him in his own domain.

We had been hunting him for a long time, and finally we cornered him in the city. He was surrounded by a few loyal soldiers and guards, but they were no match for us. We emerged from the shadows and attacked with swift and deadly force. Most of the Shadow dragons, both male and female, had left the city undefended. They had no idea what we were planning.

The dark lord saw us and realized he was doomed. He tossed a bracelet to Raphael and said, “Raphael, I think this belongs to you.” The bracelet was missing the dark crystal that powered it. Raphael caught it and frowned. “What is this supposed to mean?” he asked.

The dark lord did not answer. Instead, he tried to escape. He conjured a thick black smoke that obscured our vision, but Freya was ready for that. She summoned a gust of wind that blew the smoke away. We saw the dark lord running, but he did not use his shadow form to vanish. We wondered why he did not do that, but we did not waste time. We chased him and shot him with a bullet enchanted with a Light crystal. He fell to the ground, apparently defeated.

We approached him cautiously, but we soon discovered that he was not the real dark lord. He was a clone, a perfect replica of him. Raphael cursed. “No, the bastard tricked us. We have to get to the laboratory right now.” I asked him why, and he explained quickly. “If they managed to create a new living being—a clone like this—they broke another rule.”

We ran to the laboratory. It was not far from where they had interrogated me before. Akira took care of the scientists there. She held them hostage while Raphael used the machines. He found a computer and used it. He sighed in relief. “Oh, thank goodness, there was only one successful clone, the one we just killed.”

Akira locked the scientists in a room, where she tortured them with her Light element. She was so annoying to them that they begged us to kill them instead of listening to her voice for one more minute or feeling her Light burn their scaly skin. Of course, we did not grant their wishes, even though she was tempted to do so. Freya agreed with her, probably because she wanted revenge on me.

We seized the city with ease. The army’s communication lines, both radio and physical, were severed, forcing them to retreat. We divided our forces into two teams: Akira and Fyrenthos remained in the city to secure it, while Raphael and I, accompanied by Freya, pursued the dark lord on our own. The civilians offered no resistance, even though Raphael assured me they were capable of fighting. They had all been trained for combat, but for some reason they did not act. Perhaps they did not receive the command. Something was amiss in the city.

We had been searching for him, but he found us first. Out of nowhere, a cloud of smoke enveloped Freya, who stood in the center of our group. She struggled to break free, and we rushed to help her, but it was too late. He had turned her into one of his shadows, just like he had done to me before. We chased him as he fled in his smoky form, trying to land a hit on him, but he was elusive and fast. Finally, he touched down and revealed himself, holding Freya in his arms like a trophy. He threatened to kill her if we moved an inch, but I ignored his words and lunged at him. He was quicker than me, though. He slashed her throat with his claws, spilling her blood all over me as I caught her falling body. Then he felt my fist on his face, sending a jolt of Electricity through him. He recoiled and turned into smoke again, only to be met by Raphael’s blade. They engaged in a fierce duel while I tried to heal Freya with my powers. I could sense him trying to block my powers, but he couldn’t stop me completely. Akira had taught me how to resist his freezing spell, but I still felt his influence limiting my abilities. I hated him with every fiber of my being. I could feel Freya’s pain and fear, as well as my own guilt and despair. “You shouldn’t have come with us,” I whispered to her. “I knew this could happen.” She couldn’t answer me, only cough and gasp for air. I shifted into my Earth dragon form and tried to manually seal her wound. Then I saw something that made my blood run cold: a ring of dark magic around Raphael. It looked like a curse from hell itself. Red, black, and sinister. In an instant, Raphael was bound by chains of shadow that sprang from the ring. He struggled to free himself, but it was useless. I stared in horror and hastened to finish healing Freya. As soon as she was stable enough, I ran to Raphael’s aid. He yelled at me, “Break the circle!” I slammed my tail into the ring, shattering it like glass. The shards pierced my flesh and made me dizzy. My powers were weakening fast. I felt Raphael attempt to catch me as I stumbled, but the dark lord was already back on his feet. He struck me hard on the head, cracking my skull open. I would have blacked out if Raphael hadn’t kept me awake with his healing powers. I fought back with all my strength, but he was too strong for me now. He pushed me away and summoned another ring around me. Shadows grabbed me and wrapped around me like chains. I tried to scream, but no sound came out. I was paralyzed and healing slowly.

I was surprised by a sudden weight. Raphael had taken a hit and collapsed on top of me. The chains of shadow swiftly wrapped around him too, pinning him down. Across the field, Freya lay motionless, like a broken doll. Despair flooded my veins, but Raphael refused to give up. He shouted, “Give me your hand, share your power! I can free us.” I tried to move my hand and speak, but the chains held me tight. I reached out to him with my mind instead. “Take it; I can’t move it.” He answered, “Neither can I. Damnit.” The dark lord strode towards us with a smug grin. “You fought well for a fight that I never wanted. Now, shall we proceed?” Raphael spat at him. “Don’t you dare. A demon can’t defeat us.” The dark lord laughed. “Oh really? Look at yourself. I’m not even a true demon, and I’ve done it.” His taunts bought me some time to heal, and I was about to slip my hand to Raphael when the dark lord noticed. Another chain sprang up, locking my arms in place. He said, “I know what you’re trying to do. Don’t bother.” I squirmed in vain, feeling fear rise in my chest. The chains burned like fire on my skin. Raphael conjured a sword and slashed at the chains, breaking a few, but more took their place. I saw his struggle and attempted the same, but I was too weak and slow. The dark lord stepped into the circle and swung his hand. Black blades erupted from the ground and severed my limbs, leaving Raphael untouched. I screamed, “Motherfucker.” It was over. We had lost. I cried out, “Freya! Can you hear me? Please!” There was no answer. Tears streamed down my face for her and for everything. I felt ashamed that we had failed in a three-on-one battle. The clock was ticking. The pain became numbness. I hurled insults at him, but he ignored me. He just continued his dark ritual.

Just as we thought that all hope was lost, the final member of our team reappeared. We had completely forgotten about her. Aura Aetherius summoned a brilliant beam from the sky that struck all of us. It did not hurt us, but it shattered the ring that bound us to the dark lord. For a brief moment, his black form flickered to white, and so did ours. I felt a surge of light and energy coursing through me, while Raphael became the most radiant human I had ever seen. He cried out, “Now, give me your hand!” I regained control of my body and reached out to him. He grasped my hand, and I felt a jolt as he drained some of my power, but not all of it. He let go and sprang into action. “Now, it’s showtime!" he yelled at the dark lord, who was slowly regaining his darkness. He resumed his fierce combat with him while I staggered to my feet, still trapped in the shape of an Earth dragon. Aura came to my side and said, “Get back to the fight now!” I nodded and said, “Sure, sure, I’m on it. Of course.” She glanced at Freya, who was lying unconscious on the ground, and added, “I’ll take care of her; now go!” I nodded again and rejoined the battle.

We overwhelmed the dark lord with our combined attacks. I kept hurling fireballs and ice shards at him, supporting Raphael and making it harder for the dark lord to dodge or block. Raphael’s every move was precise and swift, and his sword left deep wounds on the opponent's body. But the dark lord had a way of healing himself with shadows. Whenever we cut off one of his wings or limbs, he would replace it with a dark appendage that soon regenerated into flesh and bone. Then Raphael shouted at me, “Hit him from the side.” I obeyed and distracted the dark lord for a moment. He turned his attention to me and slammed his head into mine. I felt a sharp pain in my skull and saw my horns fall to the ground. But Raphael seized the opportunity. He transformed his sword into a spear and thrust it through the dark lord’s chest, piercing his back legs as well. He said, “Straight to the core, enjoy your last moments, demon.”

The dark lord froze in place, gasping for air. He tried to vanish into a shadow, but the spear in his chest glowed brighter and thwarted his escape. A white liquid oozed from his wound. It looked nothing like blood. I wondered aloud, “Is this another clone?” But the dark lord snarled, “No, this time no.” He was defeated. He began to dissolve slowly into white smoke. I said, “Yeah, it’s just like what happened to me, multiple times, eheh.” He said, “You don’t joke about that. It’s terrible to die slowly.” Raphael said, “We can make it faster if you want.” He raised another light spear and moved closer. But Aura stopped him and said, “If you harm him more, he’ll turn into a cloud and free himself involuntarily.” The dark lord didn’t know that. He tried to hurt himself more, a masochistic but desperate move. Aura stared at the dark lord’s eyes and said, “Freya is alive, I think. Keep him still.” She added, “I told you to stop before it was too late, Zeno’s brother.” He shouted, “Don’t say that name! You don’t deserve to.” She said, “Ahah, you still don’t accept being the cause of his death? Murderer!” He said, “You were part of it too, Aetherius!” And for the first time, I saw a tear fall from his eye. Then another. Aura twisted the knife by saying, “You should have never attempted that stupid experiment. You convinced me to do it. You failed. You pay the consequences.” I yelled, “Enough! Are you a demon too, or what? Just let him die in peace.” She said to me, “I’d be ashamed too if I were you. Freya was more dead than alive because of you. I hope you enjoy bringing pain to your beloved more than necessary, don’t you?” I was speechless.

Raphael’s voice was urgent and stern. “Aura… Get away from the dark lord, please.” But she ignored his plea and moved closer to the fallen enemy. Raphael’s eyes widened in alarm. “Don’t think that I didn’t notice what you’re doing. I said. Get away!” He reached for her, but she shrugged him off.

I was confused and scared. “What’s going on?” I asked.

The dark lord groaned in pain and fear. “She’s absorbing my powers!” he rasped.

Aura’s face twisted into a cruel smile. “Yeah, so? This power can’t go to waste, should it?” She pressed her hand against his chest, where the spear was embedded in his flesh.

Raphael shook his head in disbelief. “Aura Aetherius, it’s prohibited to absorb the powers of someone without prior agreement. Stop immediately.” He sounded like he was reciting a law but also like he cared for her.

She laughed mockingly. “Nah, you did the same with Nox. What makes this different than that?” She glanced at me with a sneer.

I felt a surge of anger. “I agreed on that. You’re stealing it instead, I guess.” I remembered how Raphael had shared his power with me, how he had trusted me and helped me, and I did the same.

Raphael gave Aura a last warning. “Aura, please. Don’t do this. You don’t know what you’re unleashing.”

She snorted. “Force me then.” She challenged him with a defiant look.

He had no choice. He attacked her, kicking her away from the dark lord, then shouted, “Stop absorbing his powers!” She fought back, changing her form into a human-like demon with horns, wings, and claws. She slashed at Raphael, drawing blood from his chin.

I watched in horror as they fought. I didn’t know what to do. Then I heard Raphael's voice again. “Nox, break the spear!” He sounded desperate.

I didn’t hesitate. I broke the spear and pulled it out of the dark lord's body. He collapsed on the ground, too weak to stand up. But as soon as the spear was removed, his wounds started healing and his body started to regenerate. He looked at me with a mix of gratitude and regret.

“Call me a demon, but she’s too.” He said. “Do something then. Redeem yourself.” I urged him.

He shook his head sadly. “I can’t anymore. It’s too late.” He surrendered, lying on the ground. He looked at Aura and Raphael, who were still fighting fiercely. He said, “Finish me, take my powers, and help your friend, for the good of everyone. You just woke up the devil. Defeat her before she defeats you.”

I listened to him, but I couldn’t bring myself to kill him. I shouted instead, “Raphael!” He was already wounded and tired. The demon had made a second deep cut on his chin.

I joined the fray and touched Raphael, borrowing his powers to transform into my original Nox form. I resumed my support role, harassing Aura from a distance like a pesky insect. But she was cunning and tried to finish off the dark lord by herself, hoping to complete the ritual. I intervened and blocked her path. She attempted to dissolve into a beam of light, but I conjured a blade of shadow and slashed through it. She reformed unscathed, and Raphael shouted, “Nox, call Akira and Fyrenthos here now!” I obeyed and contacted them through a vision connection, telling them to meet us here.

As I did so, I glanced at the horizon and saw a huge ring of dragons, all of them shadowy, some wounded and some not. They were watching the battle with keen interest. Aura landed a blow on Raphael and pushed him back. She summoned a circle of electricity, incredibly powerful, that nearly reached the dragons in the distance and certainly hit the Dark Lord and Freya. I ran to help the latter. I heard her gasp, still alive. I healed her and said, “I’m here. You’re fine. Please don't stop breathing." She tried to speak: “She... Aura... took my element.” I said, “Don’t worry, I’ll get it back for you once we defeat her, okay?” She nodded and lay on the ground, exhausted.

Then I turned to the dark lord and asked, “Is your offer for your powers still valid?” He snorted and said, “Shake my hand. Take them. There's not much left after Aura drained most of them. Use them wisely.” I shook his hand and felt a surge of strength. Not as weak as before, but not as strong either. I said, “This is not against the rules, right?” He replied, “I don’t think so since I agreed to it. Now shut up and fight that traitor.”

I plunged into the fray once more. My abilities allowed me to become a shadow, but I still lacked any light power. That didn’t matter now, as Akira and Fyrenthos finally arrived and yelled, “Aura! What are you doing?!”

She snapped back, “No time to explain. Help me defeat these two humans and a half. They’re protecting the dark lord.”

I protested, “We’re not. He doesn’t even have his powers now! You absorbed them!” I knew I was only partly telling the truth. I had taken what remained of his powers, but she had gotten a good share of them too.

Akira shook her head. “My sources say otherwise, dear Aura. And your appearance confirms that.” She was right. Aura looked like a demon. Akira joined the fight, and Fyrenthos aided her. In a flash, the battle was over, and Aura was chained, unable to free herself. She screamed, “You will never defeat me. I’ll always be back. I’ll hunt you. The wrath of the caelestis will get you.”

Raphael replied calmly, “We’re the caelestis, Aura. You already met that.” He moved on to finish her off, and as he did so, the dark lord started coughing violently and spitting blood.

I said, “Raphael, I think the ring is hurting him too.”

Akira asked, “Shall we finish him?”

Raphael said, “It’s because his powers are trying to get back to him, but he can’t control them anymore. Help him if you want.”

I hesitated. “Are you sure? What if we fall back into another fight with him?”

Raphael chuckled. “He’d lose again. We’re four now, or five if Freya stops playing dead.”

I glanced at Freya. She was finally trying to stand up. She said softly, “Lovely wind, I feel it again.”

I smiled. “I’m glad that you do. Now, shall I help him or let him die?”

She looked at him with contempt and said, “I wouldn’t touch him if I were you. He lived long enough and did enough.”

Akira agreed. “Yeah, a lot longer than he deserved.”

Without asking for help, the dark lord uttered in a weak and joyful voice, “Brother... I can see you.” I followed his gaze but saw no one. Raphael, who was holding Aura captive, sneered and said, “Oh, hi Zeno, I see you too.” I exclaimed, “What? I don’t see him!” Raphael said, “He’s not in the first realm. Of course you can’t.” I was confused and turned to Akira. “Can you see him?” I asked. She shook her head. “No, I can’t either.” Then a swirl of white and black smoke materialized near the dark lord, and Zeno emerged from it. The dark lord said, “Brother, I... I am so happy to see you.” Zeno sighed and said, “Yeah, I’m glad you’re. Dark lord.” He looked at him with sadness and added, “But I think this is the end for you, isn’t it?” The dark lord nodded. “It seems so. I’m sorry.” He coughed up blood and said, “Please forgive me before I draw my last breath. For everything.” Zeno said, “I forgive you, brother. Actually, I thank you for proving to the Light dragons that a Shadow dragon could be one of them. You made me who I am today. Even if you killed me.” The dark lord smiled faintly and said, “You’re welcome then, I guess. Sorry about that.” Some Shadow dragons approached us while Aura was fading away in Raphael’s grip, screaming and cursing. I wished she would be quiet already. A Shadow dragon reached the dark lord and said, “Please step aside and let us help him.” Akira protested, “No, don’t you dare. He’s too dangerous to live.” I interrupted her and said, “I don’t think he is anymore. I have some of his powers now. Besides, he wouldn’t be dying if he had them all back. Or no, wait... he would be dying even faster; please ignore that.”

Some Shadow dragons tended to his wounds with their technology. He stopped coughing blood, but then Aura vanished in silence. Raphael said, “Finally, that was one hell of a pink demon. Alright, everyone, back off. Now.” They hesitated, so Akira stepped in and yelled, “You heard him. Move away, or I’ll make you.” He brandished the light sword. They reluctantly obeyed, and Raphael faced him, saying, “So, are you a demon too?” He answered, “I don’t know. I thought I was a Shadow dragon, not a demon.” But Zeno said, “Brother, after you killed me with Aura, she turned your soul into a demon’s. I’m sorry, but you’re” He interrupted, “I guess I am then. Sigh.” Raphael said, “I’m sorry, but I can’t let you stay here. All demons must be either destroyed or banished to the second realm. This is not your place.” He reached for me, grabbed my hand, and drained all my powers. I said, “Hey, what are you doing?” He said, “Don’t worry, I’ll give them back to you later if you want.” The dark lord looked at Zeno and then at me and said, “I already made a deal with Nox. Give him my powers. They’ll be safer with him. I don’t deserve them. Wait, Zeno, do you want your powers back?” Zeno looked puzzled and said, “Not really. I have new powers now. I don’t need them. You can keep them or give them to Nox. I'm ok with that.” The dark lord said, “Nox, do you accept my powers as a gift? Consider it an apology for trying to take yours.” I asked Raphael, “Should I accept?” He replied, “I don’t see any harm in that. It’s your choice. And maybe you can return them to him someday if you wish.” I said, “Alright, I accept your gift, Dark Lord.” He said, “Very well, let’s shake on it. By the way, I have a name. It’s Novar.” Everyone gasped. A Shadow dragon said, “The dark lord never revealed his true name. It’s an honor to know it, my lord.” He said, “Thank you, but I’m afraid it won’t matter soon. I’ll be exiled from existence. I’m sorry.” We completed the deal, and I felt his powers surge through me. They were similar to what I had before. I asked Raphael, “You mentioned these powers. How are they different from yours?” He said, “I’m glad you asked. Well, first of all, mine are holy powers, and you still have a trace of them that I’d like to reclaim someday. His powers are not holy.” The dark lord said, “Zeno has something to add to that.” Zeno explained, “I had some holy powers too. So now Nox has them too. I could teach you how to use them, maybe.” The dark lord added, “Not only that, but my powers were enhanced over time by many deals I made with other dragons.” I said, “Great, thank you then. Even if that sounds awful.” He said, “You’re welcome, Nox. Nah, they knew what they were getting into.” Zeno said, “You’re quite polite for being the dark lord Novar.” He said, “I’ve changed a lot, brother. I’m not the same as you remember me. Not much is left of that.”.

A shadow dragon took a couple of steps forward and said, “We’ll miss you, dark lord.” Many others echoed the same sentiment. Raphael nodded and said, “All right, Novar. Please get up. I’ll let you give a final speech to your people if you wish. Then I’ll send you to the second realm.” Zeno asked, “Does this mean that he’ll have to go through the barrier?” Raphael shook his head. “No, I can transport him to the second realm without killing him directly. I know he won’t survive the barrier.” The dark lord asked, “What does the second realm look like?” Raphael said, “We need to talk about that privately. Please, let’s go somewhere else.”

We left the bloody field and reached the city. Then me, Raphael, Zeno, and the dark lord went into a room where no one could hear us. Raphael said, “Let me tell you about the second realm. It’s similar to this one, but empty. You’ll be able to see the living beings of the first realm, but you won’t be able to interact with them or be seen by them. Except for some rare instances, like before when you saw Zeno," the dark lord said, “So I’ll be like an invisible ghost, won’t I?” Raphael said, “Kind of. It’s still better than being trapped behind the barrier or being definitively annihilated by it, and then maybe being sent to a final judgment and condemned. You don’t really deserve this, but I’m kind enough to give you this option.” The dark lord said, “If you say so, then thank you, Raphael. Really.” Raphael said, “Don’t thank me. Thank them for forgiving you. If they didn’t, you would have been sent directly to final judgment like Aura.”

We ended the discussion there. The dark lord prepared his speech for his people with our help. A speech of farewell and hope. He told them not to hide anymore and to take responsibility for their actions as shadow dragons. He also apologized for his mistakes and asked for their forgiveness. He delivered the speech with sincerity and emotion. Everyone listened in silence and accepted his words. It felt like attending a funeral, but some had different reactions. They seemed happy to see him go. Clearly, there were two opposing opinions about the dark lord among his people.

Then Raphael proceeded to send him to the second realm in front of everyone. He turned to me and said, “I think you still have something that belongs to me.” I said, “What makes you think that it’s yours and not mine? You said before that I had the biggest chunk of powers.” He said, “You’re not wrong. Of course, do you know how to use them?” I said, “Eh, not really.” He said, “Then what about the new ones that you got now? Do you know how to use them?” I said, “I think so.” He said, “Then are you going to feel different because of that? Also, if you give them back to me, I’ll be able to return to our world, and you won’t have to leave your family. You’ll stay here and live a beautiful and happy life for as long as you wish.” I said, “All right. Take them.” I gave him my hand, and we shook hands as usual. I didn’t feel any different after that.

I asked him, “What do you mean by ‘as long as you wish’?” Zeno replied, “He’s talking about the small amount of holy powers that you have now. You have immortality and can live as long as you want.” I said, “Oh wow. That sounds great.” Raphael said, “Immortality can be both great and terrible because, unfortunately, after a while you may go insane.” I didn’t know how to reply to that. That made me wonder why he would say that, but I was probably overthinking it or getting paranoid.

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rafor · 4 months

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Chapter 79 - Final Mission #2 - The Glitch

With a determined look on his face, Raphael declared, “I’m going to free the other guardians. If I don’t return within a week, then you should start praying, because something must have gone terribly wrong.”

I felt a surge of worry and asked, “Do you want me to come with you?”

He shook his head and said, “No, Cyrus and Sol are beyond your reach. You don’t know how to shield your powers from the dark lord’s influence on his lands. You wouldn’t stand a chance there.”

Akira spoke up and said, “I can help him with that. I can teach him how to resist the dark lord’s freezing spell. Just give me a couple of days, and he’ll master it.”

But Raphael was adamant. “I’m not willing to waste any time. I’m going alone. You have another task: gather the other guardians and bring them back to the kingdom of Aura Aetherius. That’s where you’ll find me and the ones I’m rescuing.”

Akira looked confused and asked, “So you’re not coming back here?”

He rolled his eyes and said, “Did you not hear what I just said?”

She apologized and said, “Sorry, right, we’ll see you there then.”

Kryo then asked, “Where are Cyrus and Sol? Are they really still alive?”

Raphael explained, “As I already told you, they’re alive but imprisoned. I know their location and how to free them. I just hope they haven’t moved them in the last decade and that they’re still sane. But I have faith in them.”

Then he ignored our further questions and left, vanishing into thin air on his mission.

Akira looked at me with a determined expression. “We have to find the other guardians and bring them back to the temple, right?” she asked. I nodded. “Do you have any better plans?” I countered. She shook her head and sighed. “I wish I could teach you something new, like I used to do when I was your mentor.” She smiled wistfully. “Maybe we can go back to the waterfalls someday.” I chuckled. “That sounds nice. But for now, we have a mission to complete.” I turned to Fyrenthos, who was watching us with amusement. “Are you ready to go?” I asked him. He nodded. “Sure thing, king. But what about Kryo? Is he coming with us?” Kryo, who had been standing quietly in the corner, spoke up. “Of course I am. Just let me inform the council of our situation.” He walked away, leaving us to prepare for the portal. When he returned, we followed him to the Kingdom of the Crashing Thunder.

The gates of the kingdom were guarded by the same soldiers who had welcomed us years ago. They recognized me and saluted. “King Nox, welcome back to our land. King Zain will be delighted to see you again.” I wondered if they had tried to overthrow him while I was gone, but it seemed they had not. They let us in and escorted us to the palace, where we met Zain. After exchanging some polite and boring pleasantries, I got to the point. “We need to see Taranis. Our guardian Kryo here has some important news for him.” Zain nodded and led us to Taranis’s quarters. As soon as Taranis saw Kryo, he exclaimed, “Kryo! What are you doing here?” Kryo smiled and said, “My friend, the world needs our help once more.” Taranis did not hesitate. “If it’s about the shadow dragons, count me in.” Kryo clapped him on the shoulder. “I knew you would say that. Come on, let’s go. We still have to find Erebus.” He turned to me and winked. He had just persuaded the guardian for us in a second. He obviously knew him better than I did. We thanked Zain and asked him where the portal was. He pretended to be confused. “What portal?” he asked innocently. I rolled my eyes. “The one you used to visit my kingdom. Don’t play dumb with me.” He laughed and said, “All right, all right. Follow me.” He and his guards took us to another portal, different from the one Akira had shown us before.

After a long journey, we finally arrived at an outpost on the outskirts of the kingdom. A few guards greeted us and escorted us to the portal that would take us back to the jungle. As we stepped through the shimmering gateway, we felt a surge of heat and humidity. The jungle looked even more lush and wild than I remembered. It had been ten years since I last set foot in this place, and I wondered how much it had changed.

We didn’t have much time to admire the scenery, though. Suddenly, we heard a loud roar and saw a dark shape darting through the trees. It was a Shadow dragon, and he was running for his life. We quickly hid behind some thick bushes and watched as four other dragons chased him. They were Siveth and her brothers, along with a Water dragon I didn’t recognize right away. What a coincidence to run into them at this moment. They were about to kill someone, and we were about to witness it.

I whispered to my companions, “Let’s follow them from a safe distance. I want to see what they’ll do with the Shadow dragon.” I used my shadow element to turn us into shadows and trail behind them. The Shadow dragon looked panicked as he lost sight of his pursuers. He tried to fly away through the canopy, but then Vexus appeared on a branch above him. He lunged at him and bit him hard, poisoning him and preventing him from turning into a shadow. They both fell to the ground with a thud. The Shadow dragon was still alive, but barely. He had no visible wounds, except for the effects of Vexus’s venom.

“Got him!” Vexus shouted triumphantly.

“Good job, Vexus!” Siveth praised him.

“Good catch!” Caine added.

Siveth approached the Shadow dragon and looked at him with contempt. “Let’s bring this guy to Erebus,” she said coldly. It was exactly what she had told me years ago. They still followed the same orders.

We trailed them stealthily all the way to the village, where they had taken the captive Shadow dragon. Then we decided to make our presence known. The Shadow dragon caught a glimpse of us and attempted to utter something, but Siveth and the others turned around in shock. Siveth exclaimed, “Whaaat?” Vexus greeted me casually, “Hi Nox,” and Caine echoed him. Then Caine asked, “Ehm, how long have you been following us?” I said, “Since you were trying to capture that Shadow dragon,” he said, “Oh, does that bring back any memories?” I replied sarcastically, “Yeah, but he was luckier than me, I see.” She bombarded me with questions about everything and everyone who was with me, but we soon reached the village, where Erebus spotted them with the Shadow dragon. Then the other guardians noticed them too, and almost ignoring everyone else, he asked, “What brings you here, Taranis and Kryo?” They explained briefly, “We’re heading back to the temple. Son and Cyrus will be back soon, hopefully.” Erebus gasped in disbelief, “Really? No way. How?” I interjected, “Hi Erebus, I’m back too. I’ll fill you in on everything in a moment.”

I proceeded to tell Erebus the whole story, the plan, and my second self, while the others interrogated the Shadow dragon for information. Akira had a formidable weapon to threaten him with: the light sword. He probably knew what it could do to him. I could hear a lot of heated arguments. When I finished explaining everything to Erebus, we joined the conversation with the Shadow dragon.

After extracting the information from the Shadow dragon, Siveth turned to me and asked, “What do we do with him now?” The captive dragon pleaded, “Please, I don’t know anything else. Let me go. Spare me!” I shook my head sadly. “We can’t let you go. You’ve seen us already. I’m sorry.” He fell silent for a moment, then desperately offered, “I’ll do anything. Please.” Siveth decided to intimidate him further. She said, “He looks so vulnerable. I could kill him in a second.” He wrapped his coils around the Shadow dragon, who screamed, “No, please, I swear. I’ll say nothing.” Erebus intervened and suggested, “Let’s reset his memory and let him go.” The Shadow dragon protested, “Reset my memory? There must be another solution, right?” I said, “Well, I’d accept that if I were you. The other solution would be being executed by the same dragon that’s keeping you in his coils or running without your wings while bleeding with only a few minutes of advantage and then being chased by them again. The choice is yours.” He looked up at the sky, as if saying goodbye to his life, and said, “A memory reset sounds better. I’m sorry. I was just lost.” We proceeded with the memory reset, and Erebus prepared the spell. The Shadow dragon was paralyzed and watched as the spell took effect. He then lost consciousness, and we carried him away down the river after the waterfall and left him there. But before that, I noticed that he had a tracker on him, which I took and used.

Back at Erebus’s place, we convinced him to leave with us. Siveth, on the other hand, was officially living with the Water dragon. Sometimes she visited the kingdom of the Water dragons, but she spent most of her time here with him. The male Water dragon asked me, “Are you aware, dear King, that Hydra is still searching for you?” I replied, “Yeah, we’ve sent some water dragons in search of her, so she’ll hopefully stop.” Then Siveth said to him, “Maybe we could search for her together. What do you think?” He smiled and said, “Sounds good to me.” She was talking to him, not to us. Then she turned to Erebus and said, “I hope you don’t mind if we leave the village for some time again.” Erebus shrugged and said, “Do whatever you want. It looks like I’m leaving too.” Vexus and Caine asked in unison, “So we’re the only ones staying here?” Erebus nodded and said, “You should stay here and keep an eye on the area. If you find any other shadow dragons, bring them to the portal and to me at the kingdom of Aura. I’ll make sure to give you a safe path there.” They agreed, and we left.

We reached the portal, which was again covered by vegetation and dirt. This time, Vexus, Caine, and Siveth did the dirty work for me and Fyrenthos. Then we activated the portal and got to the kingdom of Aura Aetherius.

#chapter #dragon #dragons #elements #fantasy #literature #mystery #story #poetry #adventure #the_glitch #the rise and fall of raphael

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rafor · 4 months

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Chapter 78 - Final Mission - The Glitch

I announced to everyone that Raphael’s location was the kingdom of the Frozen Crystal. We could reach it swiftly by using the portal in the palace. The journey seemed smooth until Raphael and I got into a heated debate. He repeated his grim warning: “Even if we manage to pull this off, they will hunt us down and they will not tolerate our coexistence. They will force us to merge into one being again.” I tried to calm him down: “I know, we’ve been over this before, but let’s deal with it later, alright?” He insisted: “We need to decide now who will get to live, and you need to prepare yourself to say goodbye to your family.” His words angered me, and I snapped back: “They will have to pry me away from them. Maybe if you cooperate, we can fight them off?” He shook his head and said, “No chance. It’s hopeless, especially in this state. One of us will fall, and the other soon after.” I suggested a terrible solution: “Then maybe we should settle this ourselves. Maybe we should have a duel?” He smirked and said, “You are no match for me. You don’t know how to harness your full potential. Even if I have only a fraction of your power, you would still lose, so I wouldn’t risk it.” I challenged him: “You brought this on yourself, and I won’t back down. Raphael versus Raphael, one on one, nothing lethal, just to see who comes out on top.” Freya intervened: “Nox, please don’t do this.” I reassured her: “I’ll be fine, don’t worry,” but Raphael added: “You are definitely not going to be fine, and sadly, I never turn down a duel. I’ll show you what I’m capable of.”

We arrived at the arena, a glacial ring not far from the kingdom. As we made our way there, some curious onlookers followed us, eager to witness the spectacle. Soon enough, the word spread like wildfire, and the entire council showed up, including Kryo. He pleaded with us, “Please stop. This is foolish and pointless. You don’t have to duel each other.” But I dismissed him, saying, “We’re just testing our skills for the sake of the future. No one will die today. Sit back and enjoy the show.” We took our positions on opposite sides of the arena, dragon versus human. I taunted him, “Come on, I can’t wait to see what it feels like to fight a human as a dragon.” He didn’t rise to the bait but asked me solemnly, “Are you really sure you want to do this?” I retorted, “We’re already here. What are you waiting for?” There was a long pause. He hesitated to make the first move, so I did. I unleashed a blast of fire that melted the ice beneath him, but he dodged it nimbly. I followed up with a barrage of ice shards and a flash of light to blind him, but he turned into a shadow and escaped swiftly. He waited for another opening. I mocked him, saying, “Fight back, coward.” He replied coldly, “If you insist.” He conjured a simple sword and said, “I hate doing this, Nox. You know that, right?” Then he vanished. I scanned the arena for any sign of him. He reappeared in front of me with his sword at my throat. Instinctively, I kicked him away and shattered the ice between us. Then I summoned a wall of ice to shield myself. I took off and moved to a new spot. He shouted from behind me, “Now you’re the one running away, coward!” His voice was close. He could move without making a sound. He could turn invisible at will. I didn’t know how he did that. He didn’t need to become a shadow or a beam of light to evade my attacks. I tried to hit him with a spike from my tail while flying, but he caught it. He sliced my wing with his sword and made me lose balance. As he did that, I grabbed him and slammed him to the ground. He didn’t break free right away but said, “Good catch, but that’s still nothing.” Then he disappeared again. An arrow flew from above and grazed me. He was in the air, aiming at me with his bow. Another arrow followed, an enchanted one that shone like a star. It almost hit me in the head. I summoned a storm of ice shards and black smoke to obscure his vision and bring him down. My plan worked, and I spotted him in the midst of the dark cloud. In a split second, I struck him on his shoulders and broke both of his wings. But he fought back fiercely and sliced me with his sword again before plunging it deep into my chest.

He slipped, and his sword flew out of his hand. I pulled the blade from my chest, feeling a surge of pain and blood. I cauterized the wound with my fire, but the damage was done. Raphael vanished into thin air, only to reappear moments later with a smirk on his face. A massive circle of arcane symbols and chains materialized beneath me, binding me in place. I tried to shift into a shadow or a cloud of light, but nothing worked. The circle nullified my abilities, leaving me helpless. My wing, which had begun to heal, regressed to its broken state. My chest bled anew, staining the ground red. Raphael reclaimed his sword and taunted me. “I told you. You don’t even know a holy spell, Nox.” I struggled to free myself, but I had no clue how to break the circle. He approached me, his sword glowing with holy light. He stabbed me again in the same spot, twisting the blade cruelly. He whispered in my ear, “We could just end this now, you know? I could take over your role, kill that bastard, and return to our world. What do you say?” I gasped for air, barely managing to say, “You have nothing to lose, but I do.” I surrendered to his mercy. He looked around at the spectators, then at my family. They were terrified for me, ready to intervene and stop the duel. He raised his voice and asked them, “Shall we spare his life and give King Nox, as he calls himself, another chance to change the world? Or should I finish him off and take matters into my own hands? I promise you that the dark lord will be gone in a matter of days.” The crowd was divided and confused. They didn’t know me well, but they didn’t trust him either. Chaos erupted among them. Then Zephyrion ran towards me and pleaded with Raphael. “Let him go, please. He’s my father. Don’t kill him.” Raphael smirked and said, “Would you die for him? Little prince?” Zephyrion nodded and said, “He sacrificed himself for me more than once. I would do the same for him.” He stood in front of me, shielding me from Raphael’s sword. He was brave, but foolish. Raphael was not evil, but he was ruthless. He felt a pang of sympathy for Zephyrion and released the circle. He said, “Fine, save him. But don’t you ever dare challenge me again. I want to end this war as soon as possible, and nothing will stand in my way. Not even my other half.” Zephyrion healed me as best as he could, and then Raphael added, “You’re lucky, Nox. I’ll never tire of saying that. Remember, I won’t hesitate to kill you if you lose your will to help in this cause. Understood?” I shouted back, “I never said I would oppose your cause. I’ll do everything in my power to help in this war. Until my end.” Zephyrion said softly, “Be careful, dad, please. We don’t want to lose you again.” Raphael snorted and said, “He can’t guarantee that. But as long as he follows me, he’ll be fine.” That day marked a turning point in my life. From feeling equal or superior to Raphael to feeling inferior and ignorant. I was a student who knew nothing about his powers but was told that he had great potential to unlock them. I became a pawn again.

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Chapter 77 - Reveals - The Glitch

I was proud of her reaction. “No way, this is a masterpiece crafted by the greatest goldsmith ever known. It’s from the kingdom of the Frozen Crystal, isn't it?” She said, and I handed it to her. “Yes, and it’s yours. I hope you like it.” She smiled radiantly and clasped it around her neck. “I love it!” she exclaimed. “I’m so happy you love it. I’m sorry I couldn’t bring you more. I wish I had returned sooner.” I apologized. She shook her head and hugged me. She didn’t mind. She was too overjoyed to see me again.

Later, I had a chance to talk with my son and her soulmate. I was curious about the wyvern he had befriended, and when they both came to greet me, I introduced myself. “Good day, I’m Nox. What is your name?” I asked politely. She seemed shy, but Zephyrion reassured her. “It’s okay. He’s my father. You can trust him.” She nodded and said softly, “Sorry, your highness, I’m Icelyn the wyvern.” Zephyrion added proudly, “She’s the one I told you about years ago. We’ve been living together ever since.” I smiled and said, “You make a lovely couple, even if you’re a dragon and a wyvern.” Zephyrion teased me, “I thought you were the expert on interspecies relationships, dad.” I chuckled and said, “Sorry, I didn’t mean to pry. You know I’m a shapeshifter.” He then said seriously, “You know, we’ve been waiting for a long time, and we’ve decided that we want to get married, but since you were away and mom wasn’t very supportive, we postponed it.” I said warmly, “That’s a very important decision. If you’re sure about it, I’d be happy to give you my blessing.” Icelyn’s eyes widened with joy, and she looked at Zephyrion with love. He said tenderly, “I told you he would agree.” I added, “I think Freya will agree too.” Freya was listening from the next room, and she shouted, “Agreed!” Zephyrion said excitedly, “Then it’s official. When can we celebrate this?” I said, “How about a week from now? We’ll need some time to prepare everything. Since you’re the prince, there will be many guests.” Icelyn asked hesitantly, “Is it alright if I invite some wyverns? My family, for example.” I said kindly, “Of course you can invite anyone you want, even your father.” Then I wondered to myself, “Where are the SunFlares and Solara? I haven’t seen them yet.” But then I focused on them again. Icelyn said gratefully, “Thank you, King Nox.” I said gently, “Oh, please, there’s no need to call me King. Just Nox will do.” She said softly, “Alright, thank you, Nox.” She seemed more comfortable talking to me now.

I was about to rejoin Freya when Luno and Juno blocked my way. “We need to talk to you in private,” they said urgently. “It’s important.” I nodded and asked, “Ok, uhm, where?” Juno said, “Follow us.” They transformed us all into shadows and whisked us away to another room. There we resumed our normal shapes, and they looked at me with curiosity and concern. “Where have you been all these years?” they asked. “We couldn’t see you through our vision connection. It was as if you had vanished from existence.” I sighed and said, “That’s because I did. There’s a long story behind that, but I think we should share it with Freya and the others. It’s complicated.” Juno said, “We thought there was something wrong with our vision connection. But that’s not the only thing we wanted to tell you.” I listened attentively, and Luna continued, “Our kind has emerged from the shadows again, and we had a vision.” I gasped and said, “What? A vision?” They nodded and said, “Yes, we saw the shadow dragons invading new lands and exploiting them. They had weapons and machines we had never seen before. We only got a glimpse of them from Akira and Fyrenthos, who went to investigate and confirmed that the vision was already happening.” I said, “I didn’t know that shadow dragons could have visions.” Juno said, “Neither did we, until now. And it was not a pleasant experience.” Luna added, “We lost our forms and were trapped as shadows in the vision. It was horrible.” I said, “I’m sorry you had to go through that. But I’m glad you warned me. I already knew about this threat, and I was planning to do something about it.” Luna frowned and said, “Are you sure you want to do that? They are far away from here. We don’t have to deal with them.” I said firmly, “I have a personal score to settle with the dark lord. He has become my enemy.” Luna asked, “Why? What did he do to you?” I said, “He is the reason why I disappeared for so long. He tried to kill me and another one like me, a friend.” Juno asked, “Another one like you?” I said, “Yes, there is another human shapeshifter. He is just like me, and he saved my life once. He is in the Kingdom of the Frozen Crystal now. He didn’t come with me here.” I explained more about him, and then they asked me sadly, “Does this mean that your days are numbered, dad?” I said sadly, “I’m afraid so. I’m sorry.”.

It was a glorious afternoon when I reunited with all my old friends and announced my triumphant return. Solara spotted the gathering and swooped down to join us. She saw me and exclaimed joyfully, “King Nox is back!” I felt a surge of pride and gratitude. The day was filled with excitement and joy. I barely had a moment to catch myself. Everyone wanted to share their stories and hear mine. And in the evening, we soared together in the sky, the whole family, along with Akira and Fyrenthos. As we flew, I recounted my adventures to them. We agreed that I should look for Hydra, who was still searching for me. Then we returned to the palace, and for the first time in decades, the Royal Chamber welcomed the royal couple once again. Before we drifted off to sleep, Freya whispered to me, “Can you turn into an Earth Dragon again? I want to feel you close, like in the jungle.” I smiled and said, “You really missed me, didn’t you?” She snuggled up to me and said, “More than you can imagine.” She slept and used me as a bed for the whole night. I missed her too, and I loved having her close. She still loved me even after all these years of absence.

#chapter #dragon #dragons #elements #fantasy #literature #mystery #story #poetry #adventure #the_glitch #the rise and fall of raphael

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rafor · 5 months

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Chapter 76 - I'm back, again! - The Glitch

Portals still terrify me. Every time I step into one, I fear that I might be afflicted by the glitch again. "How far is it from my kingdom to this place?" I wondered aloud. A council member who was guiding me to the portal answered, “It’s quite a distance, but it’s worth the risk of using the portal. Besides, you can always peek through it first, see if you’re okay on the other side, and then walk through it fully instead of jumping in blindly.” I glanced back at Raphael and said, “Shall we go then?” He shook his head and said, “I think I’ll stay here. It will be easier for you to explain things to your family. If I need you, I’ll just use the portal.” I asked him again, “Are you sure?” He nodded and said, “I am. Thank you. Now go, and good luck with your wife.” I realized that I had nothing to offer her as a gift—something that might appease her anger. I muttered, “Damn, I don’t even have anything to bring her as a token of my apology.” The council member said, “Are you talking about Queen Freya?” I said, “Yes, do you have any suggestions?” He said, “Wait here. I think I know what she would love as a gift and also as proof of your journey.” He left me and Raphael alone.

Raphael was sitting in a corner, lost in thought. I asked him, “Is something wrong?” He sighed and said, “I wish I had a family too. Maybe someone who is waiting for my return after all these years. You’re very lucky, you know?” I said, “I’m sorry, I don’t know if it was luck. Maybe it was fate.” He said, “A fortunate fate, like a fairy tale. One piece of advice from the wise: never let her go.” I said, “I won’t,” but he added, “Even if you’ll be forced to sooner or later. We have to go back to our world. Michael and Gabriel won’t let us stay away for more than a century. They might decide to terminate me or you. That sounds awful, doesn’t it?” Scared, I said, “Why would they terminate us? Are we enemies?” He explained, “I should have told you before, but your powers and mine are the same, just divided unevenly between us. Our power should not be shared by multiple beings. We could be defeated, and we can’t allow that. The worst part is that you’re different from me and don't have my memories. You barely know anything about heaven. And you have the larger portion of my powers. Please be careful with them.” I was stunned by what he was saying, and I fell silent. Then I said, “I’ll try to be ready for that. How long do we have? Sixty more years?” He said, “It depends if we merge or not. It could be less than that. But I don’t know how we could do that.” I tried to sound confident. Half of what he was saying made no sense to me, and I said, “We’ll do the right thing. I’m sure of it.” The council member returned with a gift and said, “King Nox, please accept this as a gift from us. It’s a necklace specially made for you. You said you've been to the ocean, so we customized it to suit you better. Freya always loved that kind of item we heard.” I thanked him and said, "Wow, this is beautiful. I love it.” He added, “She’ll love it too. Now hurry up and get back to your family.”

My gaze shifted from Raphael to the necklace. It was a splendid piece of craftsmanship, forged from gold and elemental crystals of ice. The crystals formed pearls and a seashell, each one engraved with a delicate snowflake. The seashell had a faint reddish hue, as if the crystals had been infused with some color. I wondered how they had achieved such a feat.

I stepped forward to enter the portal. I followed the instructions carefully: head first, then hand. Everything seemed normal. But as I looked around, I felt a pang of confusion. The portal was not in some remote location but inside a familiar building. A room that resembled my palace, yet I could not place it. I crossed the portal and found myself at home. There was another portal in front of me, ready to transport me back. I exited the room and looked for clues. I spotted some stairs that led to a trapdoor. I opened it and emerged into a chamber adjacent to the throne room.

I heard voices. Vesper was speaking to someone, acting as the king in my absence. Freya was nowhere to be seen. I walked in casually and said, “Greetings, Vesper. I would like to speak with the Queen, if you don’t mind.” He did not look at me and said curtly, “The Queen is currently not accepting visits. You will have to wait.” He probably expected me to leave, but I stayed put and did not thank him. He glanced down, and his eyes widened. He recognized me. He froze for several seconds, holding his breath. Then he left the throne and approached me tentatively. He reached out his hand, as if to make sure I was not a ghost. He whispered incredulously, “Is this real or am I dreaming?” I said softly, “It’s real, Vesper.” I stroked his head gently, reassuring him that I was alive and well. Tears welled up in my eyes, and he embraced me with a fierce hug, stronger than any I had ever felt, even from Siveth. His voice trembled as he said, “I can’t believe it. You’re alive!” I hugged him back and said, “I couldn’t leave you and our family. Death was not an option for me.”

He was silent for a long time. Then he pulled away from our embrace and looked at me with urgency. “We have to tell mom right away. And Juno, Luna, and Zephyrion. They need to see you.” I nodded. “Of course. Where is Freya now?” He sighed. “She’s locked herself in her room. She hasn’t come out since you disappeared. Not even Solara could persuade her.” I frowned. “That’s not good. I’ll try to talk to her.” We made our way to her room—not the royal chambers, but a smaller one she preferred. I knocked on the door and called out, “Hey, is this the beautiful Queen Freya of the Whispering Wind? I have someone here who would love to see you.” There was no answer, no sound at all. I decided to use my shadow element to slip inside the room unnoticed. I saw her lying on the bed, asleep. I approached her quietly and took on my normal form again. I leaned over her and whispered, “Freya, please wake up.” She groaned and turned away from me. I tried again. “I have a gift for you. I hope you’ll forgive me.” She opened her eyes and saw me. Her expression was priceless. She blinked several times, as if she couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Then she closed her eyes again and tried to ignore me. I said softly, “This is not a dream, dear Queen Freya.” She opened her eyes again and then lunged at me. She bit my neck hard and didn’t let go. She wrapped her arms around me and slammed us both against the wall behind me. I didn’t say anything. She was still biting me, and it hurt like hell. Blood was dripping from the wound, but she was licking it up. It felt strange and pleasant at the same time, but it was just her way of reacting. I hugged her back and said, “It would be nicer if you didn’t pierce me with your jaws, maybe, Freya.” She didn’t stop, and then she started crying too. I said, “Don’t cry, or I’ll cry too. I’m back, finally.” She drained too much blood from me. The bite was too deep, and I couldn’t stand up anymore. I felt dizzy, but she held me in place until I blacked out. For some reason, my blood didn’t turn into white smoke as quickly as usual.

I woke up with her still holding me near the bed and the door open. All my children were there, watching me as I came back to life. Freya had stopped biting me and was nuzzling my neck instead. I looked at them and said, “Hi, Zephyrion, Luna, and Juno.” As soon as I said that, a new face appeared from outside the room. The head of a young female wyvern peeked in shyly. I knew right away who she was: “And you must be the soulmate of my son, aren’t you? Nice to meet you, I’m Nox.” She blushed and hid outside again. Then everyone joined the hug except for Vesper, who had already had his share earlier. Luna said through a vision connection that Juno also shared, “I thought you were dead, dad. I can’t believe you’re still here. The vision connections stopped working after you left.” They had all grown up so much. Zephyrion looked almost like a full-grown adult now. Luna and Juno were more like teenagers than children. I said aloud to everyone, “I missed you all so much. I’m sorry for everything. I’m glad to be alive for you. And again, I’m sorry.” Freya finally spoke and said with a trembling voice, “Don’t apologize, please.” A cry of joy escaped my lips. I couldn’t hold it back any longer. It was the most powerful emotion ever to be reunited with my family. They still loved me after all this time. I felt like a legend who had returned from the dead. A feeling that words could not describe.

#chapter #dragon #dragons #elements #fantasy #literature #mystery #story #poetry #adventure #the_glitch #the rise and fall of raphael

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rafor · 5 months

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Chapter 75 - Frozen Crystal - The Glitch

“Could you please explain it to me once more?” I asked, feeling uncertain about the plan. There was a brief silence before Raphael answered. “We have to meet with the council and act as if nothing is wrong. Then Kryo will lead us to the crystal, fix ourselves, and then we can leave.” I nodded, trying to sound confident. “All right, let’s go see the council then.” We followed Kryo, who took us to the rooms of ice, a vast hall where the council members were waiting for us. They were supposed to confirm my identity as Nox, the king of the kingdom of the Whispering Wind. Some of the ice dragons recognized me from their previous visits to my kingdom or by accidentally seeing me in the Kingdom of Aura, but there were others who had never seen me before. The Kingdom of the Frozen Crystal had no king anymore. It was ruled by an oligarchy of elders who were elected by their peers. Kryo introduced us to them with a formal tone. “Honorable council members, I present to you Raphael and King Nox, who have come to our kingdom seeking our assistance.” One of the elders spoke up. “Nox? Is that really you?” Another one echoed the question, so I decided to play along. “I am King Nox of the Whispering Wind. I have come out of hiding after many years to ask for your help.” The council looked at me with curiosity and suspicion. They turned their attention to Raphael, who was standing next to me. “And who is this other creature with you?” Kryo explained quickly. “He is Nox’s original form. Nox is a shapeshifter, and his true name is Raphael. They are both part of a prophecy that foretells the defeat of the dark lord, who is growing stronger by the day.” Another elder nodded and said “Thank you for the clarification, Kryo. But may we hear from him directly?” I nudged Raphael gently and said, “This is your chance to tell them something about yourself, if you want.” He looked at me with a puzzled expression and then asked the council. “Are you sure you want to know more about me? Great council of the ice dragons?” They replied in unison. “Yes, we do. Please speak.” He hesitated for a moment and then said, “All right, but promise me that you won’t harm me or Nox for what I’m about to reveal. It’s something that only I know, and it’s very important.”

Raphael began to recount his tale: how he came from the land of the Hidden Shadows, where he tried to lead a normal life despite his extraordinary powers. How he lost his abilities multiple times for reasons unknown to him. How he faced the dark lord in a "friendly conversation". How he tested my immortality and betrayed the dark lord’s trust, and how he rescued me at the last moment when he recognized me. As he narrated, I filled in some gaps. He did not know what brought me to his land, so I told him, "I was searching for the Kraken with the Water dragons when our expedition went awry. I transformed into a fire eagle by choice and flew away from a secluded island. I landed in a strange territory that turned out to be the land of the Hidden Shadows, where my powers failed me and have not returned since." The council listened to our story with interest and admiration. “You have shown great courage and integrity,” they said. “We respect your values, and we wish to help you restore your frozen powers. We suspect that they have something to do with the dark lord’s influence.” I asked them, “How do you know that? If I may inquire.” They explained, “The dark lord has the power to freeze the abilities of others on his domain. Only we, and the SunFlares, have dared to explore his lands and learned how to unlock our elemental powers from his grasp.” They seemed to know a lot. More than I did, certainly, but perhaps not more than Raphael, who appeared to be well-versed in the secrets of those lands and their inhabitants. The council then made us an offer: “We will grant you access to the Frozen Crystal. It can unfreeze your powers, but only if you are worthy of them. Otherwise, you will be turned into a statue of ice by the crystal. Are you willing to take the risk, King Nox and Raphael?” I hesitated. Becoming a statue of ice sounded like a horrible fate, and even without my powers, I still had a life to live and a family to reunite with after many years. I expressed my doubts to Raphael, who reassured me: “Don’t worry, we’ll be fine. Both of us. We are protected by the prophecy of Kryo.” I said, “It’s not the prophecy of Kryo. Akira saw it and told it to him.” He replied, “I know that. The dark lord told me about her too. She’s dangerous, that one. She has been causing trouble in our land. Luckily, she never found our cities.”

We followed Kryo to another chamber, where a staircase descended into a subterranean wonderland. Sculptures of ice adorned the walls and the floor, reflecting the colors and patterns of the frozen water. The architecture was stunning and original, unlike anything I had ever seen. We reached a large gate that radiated a soft blue light. The council members halted, and Kryo stepped forward.

“The crystal is on the other side of these doors. Please follow me.” He said, touching the gate. It unlocked with a click and swung open by itself.

We entered a circular room with a high ceiling. In the center, there was a gigantic crystal that shone like a star. I gasped at its beauty and power. Raphael whispered in awe, “It’s like the core of heaven.”

I looked at him curiously. “The what?”

He shook his head. “Nothing! Sorry.” He seemed embarrassed.

I decided to let it go. Kryo cleared his throat. “I can’t go any closer than this. This is your moment. We aren’t forcing you to use the crystal. It’s dangerous, but we hope that it will help you. You just need to get close to it and touch it. Don’t try stealing it; otherwise, it will turn you into a statue of ice for sure.”

I swallowed hard and hesitated. Raphael, however, didn’t waste any time. He walked towards the crystal, leaving a trail of snow behind him as he approached it. I shouted, “Be careful!”

He gave me an okay sign and reached out his hand to touch the crystal. As soon as he did, the crystal activated with a flash of light that blinded me for a moment. When I could see again, he was standing there with his wings, looking fine.

He smiled at me. “Don’t worry, it’s nothing exceptional. Just touch the crystal, and don’t be afraid. You’ll feel nothing. It’s just a bit cold.”

I stared at the crystal, feeling nervous. Then I gathered my courage and started walking towards it. With each step, the floor felt colder under my feet. I felt as if the crystal was trying to freeze me to the ground, and the snow trail followed me too, swirling around my neck with a chilly breeze. I reached out my hand and touched the crystal.

The same thing happened: a bright light that burned my eyes, then nothing. I didn’t feel different psychologically, but I felt relief and power. I transformed into a cloud of light, and then I moved away from the crystal.

I felt a surge of joy as my powers returned to me. I quickly resumed my original form and exclaimed, “It works!” I turned to Kryo with a radiant smile, like a child who had just made a wonderful discovery and wanted to share it with his parents. “Thank you, Kryo, thank you so much. How can I ever repay you and the others for this?” He chuckled and said, “You already know what you have to do.” I tilted my head and said, “I’m not sure I do. What is it?” He looked at me with a serious expression and said, “You have to stop the one who tried to kill you. What else?” I said, “That sounds like revenge.” Raphael chimed in, “Revenge is never a good motive, but I agree that we need to stop him. Kryo, can we speak with you and the rest of the council again? I want to know how the Dark Lord is progressing. He should have reached the main continent by now, right?” Kryo nodded and said, “They have. They’re not hiding anymore.”

Raphael was skilled at gathering information and analyzing it with his existing knowledge. He had helped the shadow dragons with their expansion plans, and he knew what their next moves would be. He revealed them to us: more and more invasions, a race for resources, and then the creation of hybrid dragons and machines, like something out of a sci-fi movie. This world was no match for such technology, even with magic. It was doomed to be conquered. Raphael also said, “The Dark Lord never intended to wipe out the other dragons. He only wanted to strip them of their elemental powers. And he has the means to do it, as we have seen.” I said, “But we have the frozen crystal, don’t we?” A council member said, “Don’t get too confident. Not everyone can wield it. You’re fortunate to be worthy of it. Others would just become frozen statues, like we warned you.” I glanced at an ice statue of a dragon, a king, and asked, “Like that one?” He said, “Exactly.” I was surprised and asked, “Was that a real dragon or just a sculpture?” Kryo said, “That was the tyrant who ruled this kingdom for centuries and a distant relative of mine. Unfortunately.” I said, “That’s unfortunate indeed. So he wasn’t worthy of the crystal, huh?” He said, “Apparently he tried to steal the crystal and take it away from the kingdom. That’s what he got for his greed.” I thought that was a tragic fate and a remarkable council. They had treated me and Raphael very well. Before we left, I asked, “Can this crystal also restore your powers after a portal glitch?” Kryo asked, “A portal what? How do you know about that?” I said, “I thought I told you that I experienced it once.” He said, “Oh right. Well, yes, it should work for that too. It has never failed.”

#chapter #dragon #dragons #elements #fantasy #literature #mystery #story #poetry #adventure #the_glitch #the rise and fall of raphael

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rafor · 5 months

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Chapter 74 - Kryo - The Glitch

As I opened my eyes, a faint glow seeped through the cracks in the wall. I nudged Raphael, who was still asleep beside me. He groaned and turned away, reluctant to leave the warmth of our makeshift bed. “Do you see that?” I whispered, pointing at the light. He mumbled something unintelligible and said, “Yeah, I see.” I strained my ears and noticed something else. “Do you hear that?” I asked him. He frowned and looked at me with suspicion. “I can’t hear anything. What’s wrong?” he said. I smiled and said, “The silence. The storm is over.” His eyes widened, and he sprang to his feet. “Great, then we can get moving,” he said, still keeping the blanket. We climbed to the top of the tower outside and scanned the horizon. I said, “We came from that direction. Maybe we could move that way.” But then I stopped. There was something in the distance that caught my attention. Raphael followed my gaze and gasped. “Is that another building?” he said. I squinted and saw a faint outline of spires and walls. “It looks like a kingdom,” I said. He said, “Should we try to reach it?” I thought about that for a moment, then shook my head. I looked at myself and felt a pang of sadness. “They don’t know me. They’re going to think that I’m a Shadow dragon. We can’t,” I said. He was about to say something, but then we heard a sound. Someone opened the door downstairs. I said in a low tone, “Someone is here. We must leave.” He nodded and climbed on my back. I glided down the tower, hoping to escape unnoticed. As I did so, I tried to flap my wings, but something was still wrong with them. I landed softly, not even fifty meters away. But we were too late. The visitor had reached the top and spotted us. “Hey you! Stop right there!” he shouted. I cursed under my breath. This was the last thing we needed. Raphael was still weak and vulnerable, and I shielded him with my body, ready to face our pursuer. A blast of cold air hit us, and I saw an Ice dragon flying towards us. An Ice dragon that I had believed I would never see again. It was Kryo.

He caught sight of Raphael behind me, and his eyes widened in recognition. “Get away from the human! Shadow dragon!” he commanded. I obeyed without hesitation and whispered to Raphael, “You’ll be fine. Do what he says. His name is Kryo.” Raphael nodded and waited nervously. Kryo landed in front of him and said, “Let me touch you. I can’t believe my eyes.” He reached out a claw and gently stroked Raphael’s face. “Good day, Kryo. I’m glad to see you,” Raphael said politely.

Kryo’s voice rose in volume as he asked, “Where are your wings? Oh, sorry, where have you been all these years?” Raphael told him what he knew about me. I tried to sneak away quietly, but Kryo noticed and snapped, “Don’t move. I’m not done with you.” I said, “I’m not a threat, Guardian Kryo. Please.” He said, “How do you know my name? Did he tell you?” I said, “It’s complicated. I know you won’t believe this, but we’re the same person, I think.” He said, “No, Raphael is not a dragon. You are not.” I didn’t reply but hung my head in shame.

He turned to Raphael and said, “Wait here. I’ll be right back.” He walked towards me and summoned ice from the ground, trapping my legs. I struggled to break free, but it was useless. I shouted, “Wait, I swear, I’m Raphael too. Please let me explain.” He conjured a spear of ice like the ones I used to wield. I said, “Maybe you know me by another name. What about Nox?” He said, “You’re in the wrong place. Shut up, liar.” Raphael came to my defense and said, “Please, Kryo, he isn’t lying. He is Raphael too.” Kryo accused me, “Are you controlling his mind or something?” I said, “I’m not controlling his mind. My powers are frozen.” He paused and then said, “Oh, now I understand why you didn’t turn into a shadow. Well, too bad.” He pointed the spear at my head and asked, “So, let’s see, how did you get here?” I said, “I have no idea.” Then Raphael said, “I brought him here by accident. Please don’t harm him. He saved my life during the storm.” He considered that and said, “Did you really help a human?” I said, “Yeah, what else could I do? Let my twin freeze to death? Anyway, I’m happy to see you again, Kryo.” He said, “Stop talking to me like that. I don’t know you.”

“I repeat to you that I’m Raphael and also King Nox. How can I prove that to you?” I challenged him.

He smirked and said, “Let’s see about that. If you answer correctly, maybe I’ll believe you. If you don’t, I’ll use this.” He flashed his ice spear like the prized weapon of an executioner.

I swallowed hard and said, “Okay, I’m in. Even if it has been decades ago, let’s see what I remember.”

He began his interrogation. “What’s the name of the governor of the kingdom where Raphael appeared?”

“Aura Aetherius, a pink dragon,” I answered without hesitation.

He nodded and asked, “What’s the name of the Light dragon, if there’s one?”

“The name of the Light dragon is Akira. And she was also my mentor. Did you know that she also visited my kingdom? She has a son now and lives with Fyrenthos. They’re so happy together.” I added with a smile.

He widened his eyes and said, “I didn’t know that. Anyway, correct. I believe you, hi Raphael.”

I sighed in relief and said, “Thank you, finally! Hi Kryo. Now, could you please unfreeze my legs? The ice is burning me.”

He snapped his fingers, and the ice shattered. He looked at me and the other Raphael with curiosity and said, “How the hell are there two of you now? I don’t understand.”

I shrugged and said, “I don’t know. We met recently. I didn’t know there were two of us until now. Anyway, I’m the Raphael that you know better. He is me, but like this.” I gestured to his human form.

We walked in silence for a while, and then the other Raphael said, “It’s better if we don’t talk about my previous job. Anyway, I’m still freezing. Could we move back to the tower or somewhere warmer, please?”

Kryo ignored his request and said, “I heard of a king by the name of Nox, so it was you all this time?”

I nodded and said, “I was, and I’m proud of it.”

He sighed and said with a sad tone, “King Nox disappeared a decade ago.”

I frowned and said, “Maybe you’re confusing me with another Nox. I didn’t leave the kingdom for even a month.” But he asked, “Are you King Nox from the kingdom of the Whispering Wind?”

I confirmed, “Correct, I am.”

He shook his head and said, “Then I wasn’t mistaken. You’ve disappeared for years. About ten years, I think.”

Then the other Raphael gasped and said with wide open eyes and a trembling voice, “Damnit, I made a mess.”

I asked him, “What do you mean?”

He explained, “I think that I may have brought us ten years ahead of time. We’ve been dead for a decade. That’d explain the time gap he is talking about.”

I stared at them in disbelief and said, “Is this a joke? Right? Right?”

Kryo looked surprised, and the other Raphael hung his head and said, “No, it isn’t. Sorry.”

I felt a surge of panic and said, “Oh no. Ten years? How?” I paused and then added in a whisper, “No, no, no! It can’t be. I need to get back! Even if… I’m not sure if I should. Freya is going to kill me.”

Kryo spoke in a grave tone. “Some say that a band of Water dragons is still searching for you. And Queen Freya... she has never left the palace since her king vanished.” His words pierced my heart like icicles. I broke down in tears and sobbed. “Oh, how I miss them all. My daughters, my son, everyone. I failed to keep my promise.” Kryo looked at me with curiosity. “What promise?” he asked. I felt a surge of embarrassment and wiped my eyes. “It’s nothing, really. I just told my son I would be back in a few months. I think he wanted to introduce me to his soulmate.” Kryo nodded. “I heard that Prince Zephyrion has formed a bond with an Ice wyvern,” he said. I stared at him in disbelief. “How do you know that? How can you know so much about my kingdom yet not recognize its king and attack me?” He chuckled and shook his head. “I never met the king. You were a stranger to me. I’m sorry.” I sighed and looked away. I was ashamed of myself. I had been too reckless. Then I asked him, “Can you take us back home?” He shook his head again. “Not now, but I’ll try to help you with that. In the meantime, would you like to visit our kingdom?” He pointed to the horizon, where a glittering city of ice and snow stood. I asked him, “That’s the kingdom of the Frozen Crystal?” He nodded and said, “Yes, that’s the name. Why do you ask?” Raphael, who had been silent until then, spoke up. “Is it true that there’s a magic crystal there with the power of a thousand ice dragons and multiple elements?” He sounded eager and hopeful. Kryo hesitated and said, “I can’t confirm or deny that.” He glanced at Raphael and said, “Come on, let’s go to the kingdom. We’ll talk more there.” Then he turned to me and asked, “Can you carry Raphael there?” I nodded and said, “Sure, we’ll be there soon.” Kryo smiled and said, “See you at the gates.” He flew away, announcing our arrival at the gates. We followed him on foot, with Raphael riding on my back like a lazy passenger. I was glad to help him, but damn, he felt heavy. And I was still weak. And my wings were useless. I wished they would heal soon.

#chapter #dragon #dragons #elements #fantasy #literature #mystery #story #poetry #adventure #the_glitch #the rise and fall of raphael

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rafor · 5 months

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Chapter 73 - Lands of ice - The Glitch

I blinked at the dazzling light, whiter than snow and brighter than the sun. Snow? Where was I? I felt a poke on my side and heard a voice. “Wake up! We’ve got to move.”

I opened my eyes and saw a man standing over me. He looked anxious and impatient. I realized I was lying on the ground in my dragon form. “Who are you?” I croaked.

“I’m Raphael, but that doesn’t matter right now. We’ve got to move.” He repeated, pulling at my wing.

I groaned and tried to get up. Every inch of me hurt. I looked around and saw nothing but ice and fog. A bitter wind cut through my scales. It was freezing.

“I can’t move.” I said weakly.

“What? Really?” He sounded incredulous.

I pushed myself up with difficulty. I felt heavy and sluggish. Standing on my legs was a struggle. I swayed, and he steadied me.

“Good, let’s walk. We can’t stay here long.” He urged me.

I nodded and took a step forward. Then another. Then I collapsed again, landing hard on the snow. A tear escaped my eye and froze on my cheek.

“Don’t surrender now. Try again.” He said, his voice softer.

I tried and failed again. “It’s no use. I can’t. I need to rest.” I whispered.

“We can’t rest now. We’ll freeze! Do you understand? Come on, get up!” He shouted with desperation in his tone.

I looked at him and felt sorry for him. He had somehow saved me. Then he lowered his head and said in a low voice, “You’ve just survived. You can’t stop now. I used all the power that I still had to save you, and I don’t know if I’ll ever get it back. Please don’t waste it.”

He gave me a glimmer of hope. I tried to get up again. I took a few steps, carefully and slowly. It was like learning to walk again. I reached his side and said, “Thank you. Let’s move. Raphael.”

He didn’t answer. He was suddenly motionless and silent. Then he fell to the ground.

“Raphael, hey! Get up! Please.” I cried, nudging him with my nose.

He was shivering and cold as ice. He was freezing too. More than me. We were in the coldest place I had ever seen, and I couldn’t change my form. I wished for something to shield us from the cold. My powers didn’t work, except for one thing: I could still breathe fire.

I curled around him and wrapped my wings over us, blocking the wind. Then I breathed fire into the air, creating a warm bubble around us. I kept doing so while resting my head on his chest. Hoping that he would survive.

I felt a surge of gratitude for being alive, even though I barely knew him. He bore a striking resemblance to me and to the other shadow in my dream who had saved me. He was my clone. Fragments of memories from heaven flashed in my mind. I tried to make sense of them, but something was missing. He had no wings. He was just a normal human, and now I had to return the favor and save him after he had risked his life for me. I waited for him to regain consciousness, watching his chest rise and fall. After what seemed like an eternity, he opened his eyes and looked around. He said nothing, but he noticed me sheltering him with my wings, trying to keep him warm and safe. He looked puzzled and grateful at the same time. He finally spoke: “Thank you. I guess.” I smiled and said, “You’re welcome. Thank you too.” He frowned and said, “We have to get out of here.” I asked, “Do you know which way to go?” He shrugged: “Any direction is better than staying here.” I spread my wings, and a gust of wind hit him. He shivered and moved closer to me. He exclaimed, “Damn, it’s freezing.” I nodded and said, “Yeah, it’s brutal. Let’s go.” We began to walk in a random direction, hoping to find some shelter. But after half an hour, he couldn’t go on. He was hypothermic and numb. He asked, “Can’t we just fly or something?” I glanced at my wings. They looked intact, but they felt heavy and stiff. I tried to flap them, but I couldn’t lift off the ground. The storm was too strong, and I was too weak. He saw me struggling and failing. He said, “I guess that’s a no.” I apologized: “I’m sorry. I can’t.” He said, “And I can’t walk anymore. I can’t feel my legs.” I said, “We have to keep moving. We don’t know when it will get dark. It will only get worse.” He started to laugh hysterically, as if he had lost his mind. I said, “Focus, Raphael, please, focus.” He didn’t answer, but he stopped laughing. I said, “I’ll carry you. Get on my back.” He said, “I can’t move. Help me.” I bent down next to him, as low as I could go. He stumbled towards me and managed to climb on my back. I said, “Okay, let’s go now.” And I resumed walking.

I trudged on through the blizzard, feeling his weight on my back. He clung to me as tightly as he could, seeking warmth from my body. He shivered uncontrollably, his teeth chattering. Every now and then, I would ask him, “Are you still alive?” and he would answer weakly, “I’m still alive, for now.” I didn’t stop moving. We had been walking for hours, and the storm showed no signs of letting up. Then I saw it: a faint silhouette of a tower in the distance. I thought I was imagining things, so I turned to him and said, “Do you see that, Raphael?” He squinted and said, “A building?” I nodded. “Yeah, a building.” We made our way towards it. It was indeed a tower, made of stone and standing tall in the frozen wasteland. The door was strangely open, as if inviting us in. We entered the tower, grateful to be out of the wind’s fury. It was still cold inside, but not as bad as outside. On the floor, there was a thick and cozy carpet that looked dry enough to lie on. There were also some ladders leading to higher levels. Raphael stayed on the ground floor, too exhausted to climb. I decided to explore the tower and see if there was anything useful. I climbed up the ladders and reached another floor, which was empty except for some wooden furniture and a trapdoor on the ceiling. I opened the trapdoor and poked my head out. I was on the roof of the tower, but I couldn’t see anything beyond the swirling snow. I quickly went back inside and closed the trapdoor behind me. Raphael called out to me from below, “Look what I found!” He had discovered some blankets hidden behind the stairs, large enough to cover a dragon. I said, “Good job!” and took one of them. Then I said, “You know, the second floor is better than this one. Maybe we could go there.” He said, “I don’t think I can make it up the stairs.” I said, “I’ll carry you up if you want.” He agreed, so I gathered all the blankets and sheets we could find and went up again. I spread some of them on the floor to make a soft bed for us, then laid down and wrapped myself in more blankets. Raphael hesitated at first, but then he crawled next to me and snuggled against my chest. I asked him, “Are you still freezing?” He said, “Yeah, can you do your thing again with fire?” I said, “Get closer. We’ll keep each other warm.” He pressed himself against me, and I felt his cold skin. Then I ignited my inner fire and radiated heat like a furnace. He sighed in relief and soon fell asleep. I followed him shortly after. We had made it through another day. For now.

#chapter #dragon #dragons #elements #fantasy #literature #mystery #story #poetry #adventure #the_glitch #the rise and fall of raphael

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Chapter 72 - Lands of the Hidden Shadows - The Glitch

Nox soared through the sky as an eagle, feeling the wind on his feathers and the sun on his back. He had been flying for hours, but he had no idea where he was. He had strayed into the lands of the Hidden Shadows, a dangerous territory guarded by ruthless shadow dragons. He didn’t notice them until they shouted at him from below.

“Stop, get down immediately.”

Nox panicked and flew higher and faster, hoping to escape their sight. But they were trained to hunt down intruders like him, and they quickly caught up with him. They fired electric guns at him, and Nox felt a jolt of pain in his wing. He tried to use his powers to transform back into a cloud of flames, but nothing happened. He was stuck as an eagle, and he was vulnerable.

He looked for a place to hide in the forest below, but before he could reach it, he was hit again. This time, a net followed the shot, and he was ensnared. He plummeted to the ground like a wounded animal, trapped and helpless.

Nox didn’t utter a word during the whole ordeal. He didn’t want them to discover his true identity. He knew they were Shadow dragons, and everyone always described them as powerful enemies. He had to pretend to be a normal eagle, even if it meant risking his life.

The older scout approached him and said, “Stop moving, giant bird. You’ll just hurt yourself. We don’t want to harm you.”

The second scout said, “Sir, why are you talking to an animal? It can’t understand you.”

The older scout replied, “This is not just any animal. This is a giant fire eagle. They’re smart and should be able to understand us. Don’t you?” He looked at Nox with a piercing gaze.

Nox tried to act as if he didn’t understand, but the scout said, “I’m sure you can understand me. Do you know what this is?” He showed him another gun and said, “This is a weapon that could kill you with one single hit, straight to your head. But I won’t do it. You’re too rare to go to waste. Still, I don’t understand. What are you doing here all alone?”

Nox didn’t reply but showed a frustrated look and lowered his head to the ground, surrendering.

The second scout asked, “What do we do with him?”

The older scout said, “We’ll bring him to the containment zone.”

With ropes around his beak and wings and his claws severed, the giant bird was rendered harmless. The older scout, who was also a chief, spoke to him in a stern voice, “Follow us. Obey our commands and you will be spared, understand?” Nox nodded and trailed behind. He was led to an old containment zone that had lain essentially dormant for years. Inside, he was forced onto an iron table by the scout and his assistants. The room was designed for interrogation and was adaptable to any creature of any size. It even had aquariums for aquatic beings. Bound to the table and immobilized, he faced a glaring light. The scout began his questioning with a classic, “Who do you work for?” No answer. “Who are you?” Silence. The scout grew impatient after the first two queries met with no response. He threatened, “If you refuse to cooperate, we will resort to other means.” Nox uttered a birdlike sound. The scout caught that and asked, “You can’t speak, can you?” Nox blinked his eyes. The scout nodded and said, “We’ll find a way. In the meantime...”. A scientist was busy documenting every detail about the creature.

The scout hurried away, looking for someone who could decipher the language of such a strange beast. He returned with Raphael, a winged human, but right then he was a Shadow dragon who could shape-shift. Raphael took one look at the captive and asked, “What do we have here?”

The scientist answered, “It’s a male, healthy, of unknown origin, a giant elemental fire eagle. But for some reason, he can’t use his element here.”

Raphael nodded. “That’s normal. If he’s not from this continent, his element won’t work here. But why did you bring me here?”

The scout explained, “We want to know if he was sent by someone. If he’s a spy, we need to extract information from him.”

Raphael frowned. “And what do you want me to do? Talk to him?”

The scout nodded. “Yes, please. He seems unable to speak. He’s a wild eagle, but I’m sure he can understand us.”

Raphael shrugged. “Alright, let’s see.” He turned to the eagle and asked, “What’s your name, giant elemental eagle?”

Nox stared at them with wide eyes but said nothing. He didn’t recognize Raphael, nor did Raphael recognize him. They had not crossed paths in a long time, especially in those forms.

Raphael asked again, “Do you want them to leave? Will you talk if they do?”

Nox nodded. It didn’t make much difference to him, but he hoped to gain some sympathy from the dragon.

He said in a sad voice, “I don’t have a name, unfortunately.”

Raphael asked, “Why not? Didn’t anyone give you one?”

Nox lied: “I never met my parents. Everyone always just called me Eagle.”

Raphael pondered his words, then asked, “They suspect you’re a spy. You better tell the truth now. Otherwise, they might hurt you.”

Nox felt a surge of fear. He said quickly, “I’m not a spy. I don’t even know this place. I got lost in the ocean, and this was the first land I found.”

Raphael wanted to believe him. He said softly, “So you’re here by accident?”

Nox nodded eagerly. “Yes. And I need to get back to the main continent. I don’t belong here. I’m lost.”

Raphael paused and then said, “Alright, I believe you. But we can’t let you go. You’ve seen too much already. I’m sorry.”

Nox didn’t protest. He knew that if he revealed more details about himself or his mission, they would think he had connections with someone important.

He just pleaded, “Please, let me go home. I won’t survive here. There’s no prey for me, and I’ll starve.”

Raphael replied, “I thought you hunted dragons. There are plenty of them here.”

Nox shook his head. “No, I don’t hunt dragons. I hunt stupid prey, not smart ones. Unless you’re a stupid dragon who kills himself, then I might make an exception.”

Raphael grimaced. “That sounds terrible. But come on, let’s move somewhere else. The interrogation is over for today.” He was about to free Nox from his bonds when he added, “Please don’t try to fly away now. Your wings are still tied, but I won’t tie your beak. I hope I can trust you.”

Nox replied sincerely, “Alright, then I won’t.”

With Raphael and the scientist as his guides, he was led to a different area, a vast space enclosed by iron nets that cracked with electricity on every side, even above. Raphael spoke to him in a solemn tone. “This is where you will stay until we complete our investigation. It shouldn’t take too long, hopefully.” Nox looked around with dismay. “So I’m trapped in this cage? For how long?” Raphael shrugged. “Maybe a month, at most. You will have to answer all our questions,” he said, before turning away. Nox approached the nets cautiously but recoiled when he felt a jolt of pain. He decided to keep his distance from them.

Raphael was soon joined by the dark lord, who eyed him with curiosity. “Who is this new creature on our lands?” he asked. Raphael shook his head. “I don’t know yet. I’ll try to find out.” The dark lord nodded. “I’ll give you some time to finish your investigation. In the meantime, I think I have an idea who this eagle is. Maybe I’ll have a chat with it too.” Raphael frowned. “Do what you want. Just don’t harm it. It’s one of the few left of its kind. I’d rather not cause another species to go extinct.” The dark lord smiled thinly. “Don’t worry, I won’t harm it.”

He had lied to himself. The dark lord had been tracking Nox all along, and as soon as he caught up with him, Nox felt a surge of dread. He recognized the dragon from his nightmare and tried to keep a safe distance, but he remained silent. He still hoped that his identity was unknown. The dark lord wasted no time and greeted him with a mocking tone. “Hello, Nox. I hope you’re enjoying your stay in our lands.” Nox stared at him with feigned confusion, pretending not to know the name he had uttered, but the dark lord continued. “Don’t look at me like that. I know you didn’t want to come here. I’m not here to harm you. On the contrary, I want to apologize for that dream. I almost died too, you know?” Nox retorted, “What? It was just a dream. It wasn’t real.” But the dark lord explained, “It was a glimpse of reality. If either of us had perished, there would have been repercussions in the real world as well. It’s a complex psychological phenomenon. Anyway, I’m glad to see you alive and well, but why aren’t you shapeshifting and fleeing?” The dark lord didn’t need to ask. He knew perfectly well why Nox couldn’t. It was because he had control over the elements on the entire continent, but Nox said, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” The dark lord smirked and said, “Really? Then let’s test your elemental abilities. This shouldn’t hurt you.” He conjured a thin arrow and shot it with his hand at the eagle, who was hit in the chest. Nox panicked and tried to run away, but the dark lord said, “See? It doesn’t work. That wouldn’t have hit you if your elements were functioning properly. Something is wrong with them.” Nox, terrified, said, “Stay away,” and pulled out the arrow that pierced him. He felt blood dripping from his feathers, and the dark lord said, “Sorry, I just had to prove it to you. Come here, let me heal you, just like you do.” Nox gathered his courage. He feared that if the dark lord touched him, he would die instantly, but he reluctantly approached him. The dark lord healed him with his powers, and then Nox said, “Thank you, I guess.”

The dark lord smiled and said, “You’re welcome. But tell me, would you like me to fix your elements as well? I have a better method than Erebus’s. It won’t cause you any pain, I promise.”

Nox shook his head and said, “I don’t know. I’d rather live with this curse than endure another dark magic spell.”

The dark lord persisted and said, “Are you sure? It’s a simple procedure. I’ll let you go after that. I only want to help you.”

But Nox looked away and said, “You’re still the dark lord. I can’t trust you.”

The dark lord frowned and said, “Don’t be afraid. You were once a Shadow dragon too, and yet you were accepted. Your people respect you in your kingdom. Your lovely queen adores you. And your daughters are living a normal life.”

Nox narrowed his eyes and said, “Wait, how do you know that?”

The dark lord shrugged and said, “I know many things about you. Forgive me for that. It’s beyond my control.”

The dark lord persuaded Nox to follow him to a secluded chamber. He ushered him into an empty room and said with a false smile, “Stay here and relax. It won’t hurt at all. Everything is fine. If you feel any discomfort, just let me know and we’ll stop, alright?” Nox nodded innocently and remained in the room as the dark lord exited and sealed the door behind him. A door that blended with the wall. The room was soon filled with shadows, similar to the ones that Erebus had used on him but with a different purpose.

Raphael was looking for the dark lord. He was searching for the eagle, and he was curious about his whereabouts. He asked some of the scientists in the area, and they pointed him to the chamber. He approached it and said, “What’s going on here?” The dark lord answered, “I’m fixing the eagle’s elements. Something is wrong with them.” Raphael said, “Really? That’s good to hear. Can I see?” The dark lord hesitated, but then said, “Fine, stay here and watch,” and resumed the process.

The shadows began to dissolve Nox’s body, and the room grew darker and darker. Nox felt a sharp pain and a surge of fear. He tried to tell the dark lord, but he ignored him. He knew what was happening, and he enjoyed it. It was all part of his plan. Nox begged for mercy, pleading for his life. He saw his flesh disappearing, and he coughed up blood. Raphael noticed that and said, “Is that normal, sir?” The dark lord said, “Yes, it’s a painful process, but he’ll be fine,” but Nox thought otherwise and screamed, “Make it stop! Please!” Raphael felt uneasy, but he did not intervene.

Then Nox closed his eyes and suddenly transformed into his Shadow dragon form. Raphael gasped and said, “Wait, is that Nox?” The dark lord said, “It might be. Why do you ask?” Raphael said, “What are you doing to him? Are you killing him?” The dark lord said, “No, I’m just helping him,” but his eyes betrayed his true feelings: he was proud of his work and eager to finish it. He increased the power of the shadows and smiled wickedly. Raphael said, “But did he consent to this?” He said, “Yes, he did,” but Nox kept shouting, “Please, stop! I have a family! I want to live!” Raphael said, “I don’t think he consented to this. Can you listen to him and stop?” The dark lord said, “Listen to me. I’m taking his powers to give them back to you. I’m doing us both a favor. To you by restoring what’s rightfully yours, and to me by eliminating this anomaly, as you also called it.” Raphael was afraid and said, “But will he die?” He said, “I’m afraid that’s the only way to do this.”

Raphael did not want his anomaly to die. He saw him as a part of himself that deserved to live. Nox pressed his hands against the glass wall of the chamber, leaving a trail of blood behind. Raphael moved closer and placed one hand on the glass too, as if he wanted to reach him but did not know how. Then Nox closed his eyes again and lost his dragon form. He took the shape of a human: Raphael’s human form with wings. When Raphael saw him crying with a mutilated face, he yelled, “Stop it now! This is wrong!” But the dark lord said, “Sorry, it’s too late. The process can’t be stopped now.” But Raphael thought differently, and when Nox sobbed and whispered with a dying breath, “Please,” he turned into his human form too. Nox saw him and shouted, “You! I know you! Help! Please!” Raphael said, “I will.” The dark lord heard him and said in disbelief, “You will what?” Raphael went through the glass wall like a ghost, and as soon as he touched Nox, a bright light erupted from them, and they vanished.

The dark lord scanned the scene with a furious gaze, unable to comprehend the sudden turn of events. “Raphael?!” he called out, but only silence answered him. He raised his voice to a roar. “Raphael!” But his fake ally was gone. All that remained was a bracelet on the ground. He snatched it up and examined it closely, then put it on one of his horns. He did not know if Raphael had perished or escaped to another realm. Something about the sight stirred a familiar ache in his chest, and for an instant, he saw his brother’s face. The light that enveloped him was the same as the one that had torn them apart. The Fall of Zeno.

#chapter #dragon #dragons #elements #fantasy #literature #mystery #story #poetry #adventure #the_glitch #the rise and fall of raphael

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Chapter 71 - It's always a portal - The Glitch

I called out their names, but no one answered. “Hydra!” Silence. “Siveth!” Nothing. I felt a surge of panic as I scanned the barren island. How did I end up here?

It was the portal’s fault. It always was. We were exploring the underwater realms, moving from one area to another. I followed them closely, never straying too far. We entered a deep cave that led to a different place. I asked, “Did we just go through a portal?” She said, “Yes, and we’re about to go through another one.” We reached another tunnel, and she shouted, “Stay close!” But it was too late. A powerful current swept me away from them, dragging me into the abyss. The next thing I saw? I was flying out of the water, propelled by the portal’s force. I landed hard on this rocky island. I must have been unconscious for hours because I was completely dry.

I was lost, but I could see land in the distance. Maybe there was hope. I decided to explore it, but first I made a vision connection with Hydra. “Hydra, it’s Nox. I’m alive. Are you okay?” She replied, “I’m fine; I'm glad you're too, but where are you?” I said, “I don’t know. I’m on an island. A stone island.” I tried to see through her eyes, but I didn’t recognize anything either. She said, “There are many islands like that. Can you describe it better?” I said, “It’s not far from the land. There are sandy beaches.” She said, “I think I know where you are. There’s a place like that near the jungle.” I said, “Maybe that’s it. Can we meet at the river?” She said, “Sure. It shouldn’t be too far if you go right after the island when you face the land. Got it?” I said, “Got it. Thank you. See you there.”

Using my shapeshifting ability, I transformed into a giant fire eagle and soared into the sky. I had hoped to find the jungle that I had already seen in the past and also been told about now, but it eluded me. I was not even sure which continent I was on, and Hydra’s guidance was vague at best. But I felt a thrill of adventure as I flew over the vast landscape, searching for signs of life. I spotted forests on the horizon and headed towards them, but they were silent and empty. No animals stirred among the trees, and no birds sang in the air. Only plains, woods, and a lone mountain greeted me. I realized then that I had stumbled upon a new and unknown land, potentially one that had not been mapped or explored by anyone. Curious and hopeful, I continued my flight, hoping to encounter someone or something.

But my hope turned to fear when I saw two dark shapes in the sky behind me. They were Shadow dragons, armed with deadly weapons that crackled with electricity. They had spotted me and were closing in fast. I panicked and flew higher, trying to reach the cover of the clouds. But they were faster and smarter than me. They vanished from my sight, only to reappear moments later on my tail. They fired their weapons at me, sending jolts of pain through my body. I refused to fall. I sped up and looked for a place to hide or escape. I thought I had lost them when they stopped firing and disappeared again. I breathed a sigh of relief and tried to change back into my original dragon form. Maybe I could blend in better with the environment that way.

But to my horror, nothing happened. My shapeshifting powers were gone. I had no idea why or how, but it was not because of the portal. I had changed into this eagle form willingly after crossing it. Something else was blocking my powers. Confused and scared, I decided to leave this place as soon as possible. I turned around and headed for the sea, hoping to find another land that was safer and friendlier.

But it was too late. The two Shadow dragons reappeared without warning and shot at me again. This time, they hit me with a net of energy that wrapped around me and immobilized me. I struggled and squirmed, trying to break free or turn into a cloud of flames. But nothing worked. My powers were completely suppressed. I was trapped and helpless.

I hated this feeling more than anything. It reminded me of how powerless I had been before the lessons with the guardians and Freya. It made me feel like an animal caught in a snare, waiting for its doom.

I surrendered to my fate.

#chapter #dragon #dragons #elements #fantasy #literature #mystery #story #poetry #adventure #the_glitch #the rise and fall of raphael

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Chapter 70 - Under the waterfall - The Glitch

Siveth recalled the hidden cave under the waterfall down the river. It was different from the one near the lake, where we were. She shared her discovery with them, hoping they would be interested. Most of them had never heard of such a place, but Hydra perked up. “I’ve heard some legends about a secret chamber beneath the falls. Maybe it’s the same one you found. We should check it out.” She looked at me for approval, and I nodded. Before we left the lake, I bid farewell to Erebus and apologized for our earlier misunderstanding. He waved it off and wished me good luck.

We followed the river until we reached the fork and the waterfalls. I plunged into the water first, signaling for the others to follow. Once they were all in, I said, “Follow me. It’s at the bottom of the waterfall, really deep, and there’s a tunnel that leads to a cave. You can’t miss it.” Siveth hesitated and said, “Um... could you give me some air like before?” I looked around and asked, “Is anyone willing to share some oxygen with her? Don’t worry, she won’t bite.” A male water dragon volunteered eagerly. “I’ll do it,” he said, swimming closer to Siveth. She frowned and said, “But I wanted it from Nox.” I rolled my eyes and said, “You’ve had enough from me. Come on, he’s nice. Look how happy he is to help you.” She eyed him warily and said, “Are you sure you can do this?” He smiled confidently and said, “Of course. I’ve done this before. I can help you.” She sighed and said, “Whatever you say. Fine then, let’s go,” and we dived deeper into the water. I stayed close to Siveth, watching her struggle to keep up and eventually run out of breath. The Water dragon reached her in time and gave her some air through his mouth. She flinched at first, but the second time he did it, she blushed. So did he. Maybe she was starting to like him after all.

We finally reached our destination and ventured into the cave once more, marveling at the carvings and symbols on the walls. The water dragons examined them with curiosity and awe, and one of them turned to me and asked, “You’ve been here before?” I nodded and said, “Yeah, we have.” She smiled and said, “It’s beautiful. Thank you for bringing us here.” Then someone pointed out the drawings of the Earth and Water dragons together. One of them was the male water dragon who had just helped Siveth breathe underwater for me, and he remarked, “So what I did was nothing new.”

Then Hydra spotted something and exclaimed, “Guys, you have to see this.” There was a drawing of a Water dragon that glowed when she approached it. I asked, “Is that reacting to you?” She shrugged and said, “I don’t know. It just glows when I get close.” It did the same with each of us. We studied the glowing drawing more closely. It showed a Water dragon next to an Earth dragon, touching it under one of her wings. Siveth wondered aloud, “What does it mean? Why is the Earth dragon glowing?” Hydra said, “I think it has something to do with the contact between the Earth and the Water dragon.” Siveth looked at it and opened her ridicolous wing, then said, “I don’t understand.” I said, “Is it me, or are there no scales in that spot?” She said, “There are. They’re just thin.” A water dragon said politely, “Can I please see something?” Siveth hesitated and asked, “What do you want to do?” The water dragon positioned himself next to her like in the picture, then said, “Just checking,” and touched under her wing. Siveth began to glow faintly and said, “Oh, it tickles, and wow, I’m glowing!” The water dragon stopped touching her, and the glow faded. She said eagerly, “Do it again.” This time, he stroked the area gently, and she glowed again. She said blissfully, “This feels so good. And cool at the same time.” Of course, of all the Water dragons, the one who stroked her had to be the same male Water dragon who had just given her oxygen underwater. Hydra asked concernedly, “Siveth, are you okay?” She replied happily, “Yeah, I’m fine. It’s just so good.” I added jokingly, “It’s like watching an owner petting his animal. It’s so cute.” She said contentedly, “I don’t care. Keep going. I love it.” The male Water dragon started whispering softly to her.

I pointed to the drawing with the Kraken and said to Hydra, “Look at that. It’s the legend of the Kraken.” She nodded and said, “I know. I’ve heard stories about it, but I’ve never seen it in person.” She studied its markings and asked me, “Is that like one of your marks?” I said, “It seems so.” She said, “There’s an old tale that says whoever bears the mark of the Kraken can communicate with it and command it. Could you be the one?” I shrugged and said, “I doubt it. I’m not even a true Water dragon.” She sighed and looked at my hand. “You’re not the only one with that mark,” she said, showing me hers. I gasped and said, “No way, it’s identical. Maybe you’re the chosen one.” She said, “I don’t know about that, but I’ve never found the Kraken. I don’t even know if it’s real.” I said, “We’ll find it someday.” The other Water dragons, except for Siveth and his little sweetheart, said, “We’ll help you find the Kraken.” Hydra smiled and said, “Thank you. Then let’s go and search for it.” She was about to leave when Siveth said, “Wait, what about me?” The male Water dragon said, “You can come with us.” She said, “But I can’t breathe underwater. It’s impossible.” He said, “But I’m here, sweetie. I can help you.” I sensed something was wrong. It’s over. He loves her, but she doesn’t seem to love him back. She said, “Yeah, but I can’t rely on someone else’s air all the time. There’s a limit to that.” He said, “Don’t tell me you didn’t enjoy that. I could feel it, Mistress.” After he said that, I whispered to Hydra, “Maybe we should give them some privacy.” She agreed, and we left while he was trying to persuade her.

We swam out, through the underwater tunnel, and then surfaced next to the waterfall. The sound of rushing water filled our ears as we waited for the others to join us. After half an hour, they finally arrived: Siveth and her new companion. They were nuzzling and playing with each other like two smitten lovers. I couldn’t help but tease them a little.

“So it’s official then? Are you two soulmates?” I asked with a grin.

She blushed and nodded. “You could say that.”

He jumped on her back and said, “I never thought I would meet such a wonderful Earth dragon. She’s amazing.”

I rolled my eyes. “Whatever you say. Hydra, what are your plans now?”

She looked at him and then at me. “We’re going back to the ocean and then start searching for the Kraken in unexplored territories. We want to find out the truth about this legend.”

I felt a surge of excitement. “That sounds awesome! I can’t wait to join you.”

She raised an eyebrow. “My king, are you sure you can afford that? I mean, this could take months. What about your kingdom?”

I waved dismissively. “Don’t worry about that. I have everything under control. Come on, let’s go.”

We said goodbye to the waterfall and headed back to the river. We followed it until we reached the sea, then we turned southwest, away from my domain, and into unknown waters. We stayed underwater most of the time, except for when Siveth needed to breathe. She had forgotten to tell Erebus about her departure, so I made a vision connection to inform him. He was shocked.

“Did she really fall in love with a Water dragon? I can’t believe it. It’s like the old times.” He said.

"I hoped she would tell her brothers too. They might miss her a bit. Or maybe not.".

Siveth never left her soulmate’s side, and gradually, she learned to hold her breath longer and longer until she could manage fifteen minutes without any trouble while swimming. That also meant that she got kissed by him more often, and I tried to ignore that. It was still gross, but if they were happy, who was I to judge? It was their thing. I had nothing to do with that.

#chapter #dragon #dragons #elements #fantasy #literature #mystery #story #poetry #adventure #the_glitch #the rise and fall of raphael

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Chapter 69 - Evolve - The Glitch

The Water dragons never seemed to tire of swimming for hours on end, day after day. They had an innate sense of direction and a series of resting spots along the way. I was the newcomer in their group, filling in for a missing male. My role was to guard the rear and ensure that no one lagged behind or got attacked. The waters were more perilous than I had imagined. We encountered colossal creatures, some of them hostile, and I had to intervene more than once.

One time, a huge shark-like fish, a savage predator, pursued one of our “sisters” until she took refuge in a narrow underwater cave. The others were helpless, but I acted swiftly. I shifted into an Earth dragon and sneaked up behind the beast. It had spines on its back, sharp and hard to see. They blended in with its skin and looked almost transparent, like glass. I avoided them carefully and grabbed it by the neck. It didn’t stand a chance against an Earth dragon, and it didn’t even notice me until it was too late.

I asked the others if they wanted a piece of the shark since it seemed wasteful to leave it there, but they all declined. So I claimed it for myself. That meant I had to stay in my Earth dragon form for a while, but I didn’t mind. In fact, I saw it as an opportunity. I modified myself to suit the aquatic environment better. Even though I could produce my own oxygen, it felt unnatural to me. So I added gills to my neck and head, concealed by membranes, and streamlined my body for underwater movement. My head resembled that of a Water dragon, only larger. As for the rest of me, I kept the size of an Earth dragon and the colors of a Water dragon. I even altered my tail to make it more like that of a shark. I looked formidable, and I was proud of that.

One of our checkpoints was the river in the jungle and the lake that I had visited before. I contacted Siveth through a vision connection and told her that I was coming as a surprise. I also asked her to tell Erebus to join us. I owed him an apology for leaving without notice, and I had to tell him about Taranis. After a few days, we reached our first destination: the lake.

I let the Water dragons relax in the lake while I seized the opportunity to rest on the shore. I was enjoying the sun on my scales when Vexus approached me and exclaimed, “What in the world are you?” I smirked and said, “Haven’t you seen the offspring of an Earth dragon and a Water dragon before?” Recognizing my voice, he gasped, “No way! Is that you, Nox?” I nodded. “Glad you still recognize my voice.” He stammered, “How did you learn to transform like this?” I shrugged and said, “I picked it up along the way. It’s quite handy.” He backed away and said, “I have to tell Siveth about this. She won’t believe her eyes.” I assured him, “Don’t worry, I’m not a threat. And she’ll know it’s me.” He yelled, “She’s coming!” and I saw her head emerge from the water at the other end of the lake. I waved and shouted, “Hi Siveth!” She frowned and asked, “Who are you?” I said, “Siveth, that’s your name, right?” She said, “How do you know my name?” I said, “I know you very well, haha.” She didn’t appreciate my humor and failed to recognize me. In an instant, she was charging at me with fury, mistaking me for some abomination. I had a blast dodging her attacks. I was so agile, and she was so clumsy. Well, relatively clumsy. The Water dragons tried to calm her down, but she ignored them and behaved like she didn’t hear them saying, “Please don’t hurt him.” Soon enough, the tables turned. I found myself trapped in a corner, but I didn’t give up. I fought back with such force that she got frightened. For the first time, I saw Siveth flee, but it was all a ruse. She lured me into an underwater cave, then dragged me through a tunnel and vanished from sight. Then, out of the blue, she reappeared and bit me hard, attempting to tear me apart. But I changed my scales and skin to resist her assault. She couldn’t pierce me with her teeth, but she still managed to inject me with her venom. While she did so, I grabbed her and held her tight. I knew she couldn’t stay submerged for too long without air, and when she ran out of breath, I whispered in her ear, “They were telling the truth. It’s me, Nox.” She couldn’t speak underwater but looked at me with a different expression. Then she noticed the mark on my neck and panicked. She realized that she had been chasing me all along and that she was also running out of air in the middle of a labyrinth underwater. She gestured for help. I said coldly, “Sorry, not this time.” I was big enough to carry her out of there even while poisoned, so I moved on, looking for an exit, but I was lost, and she became a burden.

I was disoriented and desperate. I had to stop and resuscitate her mouth-to-mouth, praying that she could lead us to the exit. She came to me with a start and muttered something incomprehensible. I shook my head and said, “Save your breath. Just get us out of here.” She scanned the murky surroundings and picked a direction. I trailed behind her, but we soon hit another dead end. The water felt colder, a sign that we were going deeper instead of closer to the surface. I decided to activate another modification of my body. I made my skin emit a faint glow, illuminating our path a little better. Combined with the enhanced underwater vision of a water dragon’s eyes, it was like switching from night to day. Siveth ran out of air again. I gave her another breath. She didn’t try anything funny, probably because she knew I could easily overpower her if she did. We continued like this for what felt like an eternity. I wondered why no one came looking for us or at least called out to us. Were we forgotten? Abandoned? Then we saw it: a patch of air above the water. We surfaced and found ourselves in a vast underground cavern, empty and silent. I wanted to dive back in and search for another way, but Siveth insisted on exploring the cave. She hoped to find an alternative route out of this labyrinth. I doubted there was one, but I couldn’t persuade her otherwise. So we ventured into another maze of tunnels, some of them damp and slippery. I lost my footing and fell hard, snapping my horn in the process. I healed it quickly, but not before Siveth burst into laughter. I snapped, “Damn it, it’s slippery.” She said, “Haha, watch your step. Look where you’re going.” I said, “How can I? It’s too dark to see anything. I’m trying.”

I was following Siveth through the dark cave, trying to keep up with her swift pace. She had warned me to watch my step, but I was too distracted by the strange sounds and sights around me. Suddenly, I felt a sharp pain in my rear leg as it plunged into a hidden hole. Cold water and jagged rocks greeted me at the bottom of the pit, slicing through my flesh like knives. I gasped and tried to pull my leg out, but it was stuck. I felt helpless and foolish.

Siveth turned around and asked, “Why did you stop?” I whimpered, “My leg, help.” She came closer and saw the blood seeping into the water. She frowned and said, “I told you to look at where you were walking.” I apologized, “Sorry, now I know. Please help me. I think it’s bleeding.” I was sure of it because the pain was throbbing and the water felt warmer around my wound. But maybe it was just my body heat, as I hoped.

She shook her head and said, “Oh no, this is going to be a mess.” I asked, “It’s so bad?” She explained, “Your leg is cut open.” I twisted my neck and saw the gash for myself. I panicked and said, “Quick, help me get it out before it heals between the rocks. It’s going to be even more painful after that.” She nodded and said, “I’m on it.”

She tried to lift my back with her body, while I pushed with my other leg and my strength. But it felt like my leg was tearing apart. I screamed, “Stop, stop! It’s not coming out.” She stopped and said, “Oof, couldn’t you just shapeshift to another form, maybe smaller?” I replied, “I can’t. Look at my belly.” She glanced at it and said, “So? Just change the size of your leg. You can do that, can’t you?” I replied, “Not while it’s wounded. I can’t.”

She then gave me two terrible options: “Then, maybe we should cut the leg, or you should heal it and then change its size later.” Afraid, I replied, “No, I won’t cut my leg. Let me try healing it.” And I tried to focus on healing it, but it was useless. It kept bleeding. Then something bit me.

There was something under the water, and it made me jerk involuntarily. That sudden movement freed my leg and revealed a huge, luminous leech attached to it. It was covered in cuts and about to burst from sucking my blood. Somehow, that little bastard accidentally helped me get free.

Siveth’s reaction was immediate: “That’s so gross! That’s the biggest leech I’ve ever seen.” I said, “Instead of talking, could you help me remove it? It’s still biting.” And I started to pry it off with my claws.

She leaned in and whispered, “Let me do this for you.” Before I could protest, she wrapped her lips around the leech that was attached to my leg. I felt a surge of disgust and horror as she sucked on the slimy creature, inching closer to my wound. “Are you seriously eating that thing? That’s disgusting!” I exclaimed, trying to pull away. She ignored me and continued her bizarre feast until she reached the end of my leg. The leech finally released its grip, and so did she. She swallowed it whole and smiled. “Those are a delicacy, you know?” she said casually.

I stared at her in disbelief. “I’d rather not think of it that way. I’m still bleeding!” I pointed out, looking at the blood dripping from my leg. The damn thing had teeth. She shrugged and said, “I see. Do you want me to help with that too?” She moved closer to me, as if to lick my wound. I recoiled and said, “No thanks. Don’t touch it. I’ll deal with it myself. Thanks anyway.” I crawled away from her and focused on healing my leg. I muttered, “Why does everything have to be so painful? Damnit!” She followed me and said, “Because you aren’t careful and should be instead. You’re lucky to have that power to heal yourself. Otherwise, you’d keep that.” I didn’t reply. She wasn’t wrong.

We resumed our journey, treading cautiously through the labyrinthine passages. It felt like an eternity before we finally emerged from the maze. A cascade of water greeted us, plunging us into a subterranean river. I gasped, “Where are we?” She looked around with a grim expression. “Oh no, I know this place.” I said, “Good, then let’s find our way back.” She shook her head. “We can’t. The river is guarded by a clan of Earth dragons.” I said, “No problem. I’ll turn us into shadows, and we’ll slip past them.” She eyed me skeptically. “You can do that even with that?” She pointed at my underbelly, where a little wound was still healing, and it was also visible that I ate something before reaching the lake. I said, “It’s almost done. How far is it?” She said, “About fifteen minutes from here, downstream. Maybe you should get rid of it first.” I said, “We need to wait. I think another half an hour and I should be ready.” She nodded. “Then let’s move slowly,” and we submerged ourselves in the river. She surfaced only occasionally to breathe. She seemed anxious to avoid the clan, and I didn’t press her for details. If she had attacked me when I looked like this, who knows what other Earth dragons would do? We reached a dam, the barrier that marked the village of the clan. She whispered urgently, “We need to get past this undetected.” I glanced at myself and said, “Say no more. We can do it now.” I transformed both of us into a mist of smoke and shadows and swiftly floated over the dam. Then, back underwater, I snapped us back to our normal forms. She panicked and gestured for me to turn back into shadows, so I obliged without question. We continued our stealthy escape. Even in that form, the current helped us along. Then we passed another dam. After that, the river seemed clear, and we reverted to our original shapes. She exclaimed, “That’s so cool! And suffocating, but still cool!” I said, “Glad that you like it. But can we get back now?” She grinned. “Sure, the last one to reach the lake gets a kiss from me!” I joked, “Oh, I’ll wait then.” She said, “Really? If you wanted a kiss, you could have just asked.” I replied with disgust, “No, I was joking. Sorry, but I don’t want it. Only Freya can kiss me.” And with that, I swam as fast as I could in the water, leaving her behind.

She darted towards me, but I was faster. I reached the lake and plunged into the water, barely missing a Water dragon that lurked below the surface. I collided with Hydra, who was submerged deeper. I flailed my arms to push her aside, but we were both sinking fast and heading towards the bottom of the lake. It was littered with rocks, some jagged and menacing, others smooth and blunt. I positioned myself to shield her from the impact and felt a jolt of pain as my back slammed against the lakebed. Nothing seemed to be broken, but I gasped and choked on the water. Hydra looked at me with concern. “Nox! Oh no, are you hurt?” she asked. I shook my head. “No, I’m fine. Don’t worry. How about you?” I said. “I’m okay, but you... look at your tail!” she exclaimed. I felt a tug on my tail and saw a stalactite-shaped rock that had pierced through it. I groaned. “Oh fucking hell! I just healed! Again?!” My tail was trapped in an awkward position, my head was pointing upwards, and I was upside down. The rock had a wider tip than base, and my tail had slid all the way through it. Siveth arrived and saw me in distress. She didn’t hesitate to free me, carefully pulling out the rock and avoiding further damage. I emerged from the water and healed myself on the shore. Everyone stared at my wound, but no one said anything. Hydra asked me, “Where have you been all this time?” Siveth answered for me: “Stuck in an underwater dungeon, then a cave.” I added, “Yeah, we got lost in there.” Hydra said, “Do you mean the underwater cave under the waterfall of the lake?” I nodded. “Yeah, that one.” She said, “I see. I’m glad you made it out. We lost one of our brothers down there once, sadly.” I winced. “I wish you hadn’t told me that. I’m sorry for your loss. My condolences.” Me and Siveth felt a surge of gratitude and pride for surviving the ordeal, even though we probably could have lived there since we had water, I didn’t need to eat, and she could have hunted other leeches. She seemed to enjoy them. I shuddered at the thought of them. Those things were like nightmares come to life.

#chapter #dragon #dragons #elements #fantasy #literature #mystery #story #poetry #adventure #the_glitch #the rise and fall of raphael

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Chapter 68 - Departure - The Glitch

“Please don’t go! We’re all here for you. We’ll miss you too much.” Freya’s voice was choked with emotion as she hugged me tightly. I tried to soothe her. “Hey, don’t worry, I’m not leaving forever. I’ll be back, I promise.” She looked up at me with tearful eyes and said, “I hope so, really. Please come back sooner rather than later.” I smiled and caressed her neck. “Again, don’t worry. I’ll be right back. Besides, you can always ask Akira to make a vision connection with me, so we can talk if you want.”

Akira, who was standing nearby, snorted. “I’m not a tool! Don’t treat me like that.” Fyrenthos, who was holding her hand, tried to calm her down. “Akira, please.” She glared at him and said, “What? I need respect.” I apologized. “I was just asking for a favor, nothing more. Sorry if that really bothers you so much.” She huffed and pulled Fyrenthos away. “Come on, let’s go. I don’t want to see this.” Fyrenthos looked at us apologetically and said, “I’m sorry, I’ll take care of her,” before following her out.

Zephyrion was the only one left with us. He cleared his throat and said, “I know that maybe this isn’t the best moment to tell you this, but... will you be back within a couple of months?” I raised an eyebrow and said, “I think so. Why?” He shifted nervously and said, “Well... I met someone nice, and I think that I’ll need your approval for something important.” I felt a surge of curiosity and asked, “Who did you meet? Are you engaged?” He blushed and said, “Well, maybe. We’re still getting to know each other, but yeah, I might be.”

Freya gasped and exclaimed, “Oh, I can’t believe this. My son, Zephyrion, the prince, is seeing someone. It’s a wind dragoness, isn’t it?” He shook his head and said, “Actually... I’m not sure if she’s a dragon.” I frowned and said, “What do you mean? Is she a shapeshifter? Nah. Impossible.” He bit his lip and said, “She’s a wyvern.” I stared at him in disbelief and said, “What?!” My eyes widened as I took in his words. Then I said, “I have to meet her before I leave. I’m curious. I didn’t even know there was a female wyvern around. Wait… She is female, right?” He nodded sheepishly and said, “Yes. She’s my age too.” I was stunned and exclaimed to myself, “Where the hell did this come from?” He heard me and asked, “Sorry... Is something wrong, dad?” I shook my head quickly and said, “No... no... nothing’s wrong. I’m happy for you. I’ll give you some space.” I headed outside. But Freya stopped me and asked Zephyrion one more question. “Who are the parents of this wyvern?” He hesitated and then said, “I don’t know her mother, but her father might be your friend Leo.” I dropped everything and shouted, “WHAT?!” Then I turned into a shadow and flew off in search of Leo.

It was a shock to me when I learned that he had encountered a wyvern and fathered a child with her. He had never mentioned it to me, nor had I ever suspected it. I stumbled upon this revelation when I visited him at his place. I called out his name as I entered. “Leo!”

He emerged from behind a stack of books, looking alarmed and breathless. “Nox, what is it? Is something wrong? Are they hunting me?”

I greeted him with a smile and a question. “Hey! When did you become a dad?”

He froze in his tracks, his eyes wide with fear and guilt. He wished he could disappear or rewind time. He stammered, “How…how did you find out?”

I raised an eyebrow and asked, “Do you have any idea who your daughter is dating?”

He nodded slowly, his expression grim. “I do. It’s your son, right?”

I confirmed his guess and pressed on. “Exactly. How long have you had a daughter? I didn’t even know you had met another female wyvern. I thought they were extinct.”

He shook his head and said, “Not all wyverns are registered or have IDs. There are still some females out there, one of whom is my soulmate.”

I felt a surge of curiosity and asked, “Can you introduce me to her someday? And where is your daughter? I’ve never seen her around.”

He sighed and said, “She doesn’t live in the city. She prefers to stay outside with her mother or your son. I hardly ever see her.”

I frowned and said, “I don’t understand. Where do they live?”

He looked at me with a pleading gaze and said, “If you promise not to imprison me or them for this, I’ll tell you.”

I gave him my word. “You have nothing to fear from me. I won’t use this as an excuse to arrest you. I promise.”

He seemed reassured and said, “All right then. They live outside the city limits. They’re a bit wilder than us, but they’ve made their home in the forbidden city, my old home.”

I gasped and said, “No way! That’s why you kept leaving, then. You were chasing her.”

He shook his head again and said, “No, I leave the city often to travel to the kingdom of Aura. I met this wyvern years ago, and I was surprised to learn that your son was actually dating my daughter. I thought they were just friends.”

I nodded and said, “I see. He’s trying to figure out if they’re meant for each other. I think he loves her.” I added, “I really want to meet the mother of my son’s girlfriend. I’m so curious. Where are they?”

He shrugged and said, “I’m sorry, but I don’t know. We could go and look for them together, maybe.”

I agreed enthusiastically, but then I remembered that I had an appointment with the Water dragons before dusk, and it was already late afternoon. I cursed and said, “Damn it! I almost forgot! I have to meet the water dragons soon! Maybe we can do this another day. Sorry for disturbing you.”

He smiled and said, “No problem. I’ll keep an eye on this for you. Maybe I’ll persuade her to move to the city with me.”

I wished him good luck and said goodbye. “See you soon! Have a good afternoon!” And then I left.

As I made my way to the gates, I felt a flutter of wings behind me. It was Freya, who had been flying around in search of me. She called out to me, “Wait, don’t leave yet,” but I ignored her and quickened my pace. I wanted to avoid a scene in front of my daughters, who were waiting for me at the gate. They greeted me with cheerful smiles and said, “Hi dad, so you’re leaving?” I hugged them and said, “I’ll be away for some time. I’ll be back soon. Don’t worry.”

Suddenly, I felt a thud on my back and a pair of arms around my neck. Freya had crash-landed on me, knocking me off balance. I groaned and said, “What the hell are you doing? Don’t hurt me now that I’ve got to leave.” She whispered in my ear, “That was the intention, actually.” She sounded desperate and angry. I knew she hated the idea of me leaving her and the kids for this mission.

I turned into a cloud of shadows and slipped out of her grasp. I reformed in front of her and said, “Please don’t be afraid. We’ll keep in contact, okay?” Juno, heard that and said, “Contact? Do you need help with that?” She had inherited my ability to make vision connections with anyone I wanted; of course she could help. Freya looked at her and said, “Hunt your father. Convince him to not leave, please.” Juno shook her head and said, “Sorry, mom, I still can’t do that. I can only talk to him while he’s away.”

I smiled at her and said, “That is really nice. Juno and Luna, please contact me for your mother if she ever wants to talk. You’re allowed to make vision connections with me.” Luna nodded and said, “Yeah, this’s going to be really nice. I can’t wait.” She was always optimistic and cheerful. Freya tried to calm down a bit. She didn’t like to look like a mad mother in front of them. She gave me a weak smile and kissed me goodbye.

I finally managed to leave the gates and head for the kingdoms of the Water dragons. I reached the meeting point, the so-called “Twin Domes”, and shapeshifted into a Water dragon. Hydra was already there, waiting with the others. Leader of the group. She greeted me and said, “Greetings, King Nox. I see you've arrived. Are you ready? Can we go now?” I replied, “Sounds good. Ready for a long swim?” She said, “I was born ready,” and we moved on by beginning our journey.

I was full of hope for this mission. I was going to understand them even better. It was so exciting that it made me accept the distance from my family and almost forget about my son's new development.

I remembered that I forgot to say goodbye to Vesper before I left, so I corrected the mistake and made a vision connection with him. I said, “Hi Vesper, I’m your stepdad, Nox. I’m already on my way with the Water dragons. Sorry for not telling you goodbye before. I hope I didn't upset you.” He replied, “No problem, dad, I forgot about that too. Otherwise, I’d have been there for your departure.” He sounded sincere and friendly.

I replied, “Right, you had to see how mad your mother was, ahah.” He laughed and said, “I can imagine. Good luck anyway. Have a nice trip. And a little tip: Come back with something for Freya. She’ll love that.” and interrupted the vision connection.

That was the last thing that I had to do. Now I was really free from everything. My new journey was about to start.

#chapter #dragon #dragons #elements #fantasy #literature #mystery #story #poetry #adventure #the_glitch #the rise and fall of raphael

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