Dragonlord

Ep 124. Do You Think Yourself Invincible? (2)

Ever after launching Raizel off into the distance, Ilias uncomfortably stood in her dragon form. Her massive wings were awkwardly shifting about, as if to hide something behind them.

“Ilias?...Are you okay?”

“…”

The red dragon meekly turned to answer the half girl beside her. But even as her mouth opened and closed, nothing escaped her maw save a coarse, screech-like noise.

Shocked by the lack of her own voice, Ilias hurriedly covered her mouth. She rushed to return to her usual, smaller self, thinking that it would allow her to regain her voice.

Unfortunately, even then no sensible sound escaped the red dragon’s lips. Her dizziness only grew stronger, and her neck began to itch.

As the youngling stumbled on nothing in particular, Light worriedly rushed to her side to support her.

“Ilias! What’s wrong?”

“…”

Forcing out a grin, Ilias shook her head to reassure her little sister. And truth be told, the youngling had no idea what was wrong with her, either.

The problem only became apparent when Light’s horrified eyes gazed upon the charred, blackened patches of skin covering the youngling’s neck. The numerous burns over the red dragon’s body seemed to further and further as if they were some sort of poison or disease.

But instead of saying anything, Light also forced herself to smile, gently pulling her sister down to the ground.

“L…listen, Ilias, why don’t you lie down for just a bit? You don’t have to talk, just…rest for a bit, okay? We can catch up to the others after…”

As Light gently lowered her to the ground, Ilias returned a weak nod in response. Despite her mind telling her to go after Raizel immediately, her body refused to cooperate.

‘That’s weird…why do I feel so tired? I only took the big form for a minute or two…’

As soon as Ilias’ head touched the ground, the youngling’s eyelids were quick to close.

And as soon as Light confirmed that the red dragon was sound asleep, the half girl rushed into the keep’s interior by herself. Frantic steps rapidly echoed throughout its hallways as she ran ahead.

“Please, please, please…if this is a war post, there has to be some herbs or medicine…there has to be…!”

✧ ✧ ✧

The blade of light drew a swift arc, burying itself deep into the surface of the rocky cliff.

“…”

Hathelon effortlessly pulled out his weapon from the mass of stone, slowly turning to face the dragon that had darted out of his weapon’s path.

“…How odd. You’re a dragon, and yet I continue to glimpse facets of a human soul within you. What are you, really?”

“...Dragonlord.”

“What?”

“You asked, did you not?”

After fixing her posture, Serenis warily locked eyes with her frowning assailant.

“My name is Serenis. If you’re so knowledgeable about our era, then surely you know who I am.”

“…”

After a long silence, Hathelon let out a derisive snort.

“I never knew madness could ail dragons as well.”

“Make of it what you will. I am speaking the truth.”

“A half-wit like you, the lord of dragons? You, who aren’t even fully dragonkin?”

“…”

Once again, Hathelon raised his blade. But this time, he took no action to close the distance between them.

“Even if you were, you are but a malformed spirit leeching on a poor human soul. Your existence itself is an illusion at best. You do not belong in this world, in this era.”

When Hathelon next swung his sword into the ground, the earth erupt forth in a deluge of wicked radiance to storm his enemy.

As waves of divine light came upon her, Serenis’ expression contorted at the familiar sight.

“…”

- ‘…How long will you wait?’

When Eden had asked her this question, Serenis hadn’t felt the need to answer her.

She’d thought the dragonkin were fine, just the way they were; she was perfectly content to live as she always had.

But when Arkrana had asked her the same question much later, more than a dozen dragonkin had already passed away to those who claimed themselves as heroes. The kin had become the sacrifice to their holy mission.

And still, she’d returned no answer. She merely thought it to be a passing phase, an unfortunate period in an otherwise peaceful era.

And finally, when Vulka had asked her this question, it was far too late to give a proper answer.

“Why…”

Serenis made no attempt to protect herself. She instead stepped forth, walking straight into the oncoming deluge.

Even when she could feel the light chipping away at her skin, she merely took another step forward.

‘It must’ve hurt. Dying like this…’

And like a broken record, parroted the same phrase over and over into the air.

“Why?...”

When the light finally died away, mankind’s last remaining hero stood mere steps away from the tattered dragonlord.

His empty gaze was in stark contrast to the resentful, grieving eyes that glared back at him.

“…I don’t understand. What harm have we possibly incurred to your people? The First is gone, and mankind’s already emerged victorious. Why continue this madness?”

“Why continue, you ask?”

A brief pause ensued as Hathelon stared into the dragonlord’s resentful eyes.

He was still unsure whose eyes he was staring into. But the only thing he could ascertain that the individual before him, may not be all too different from himself.

“Tell me, then. Why should we accept the dragonkin when we can clean the world of demonkind’s last remains? There is no gain to be had in such practice – especially when your kin’s very existence threatens the wellbeing of countless others. You need but look at Akeia’s emperor, and all the blood he’d shed in his conquest using the dragonkin’s strength.”

“…You’d commit yourself to our extinction for that alone? Because your own people may use our strength to harm one another?”

“I would, yes. If it means facilitating mankind’s peace, your kind’s extinction is a small price to pay.”

“…You speak as if you’re innocent. You yourself wield a demonlord’s shell for your own ends.”

“I am well aware of my own sins. And for that, once the world is cleansed of your kind…I would gladly resign my soul to oblivion.”

Serenis grit her teeth. A deep frown crossed over her expression, her voice growing in volume.

“Do you not see the wrong in your actions?...Have you no respect for the dead?!”

“…To use what is usable, and to discard what is not…”

Hathelon flicked the gleaming weapon in hand, once again pointing its tip towards the dragonlord before him.

“That is the very principle that has allowed mankind to endure; living or dead, it matters little. And demonkind practiced much the same – they were worse, in fact.”

“WE WERE NOT!”

“No? Do you know how many the sylphs killed for their gains?”

“…The sylphs were always committed to their woods. They never harmed anyone outside their homes.”

“Perhaps. But the sylvan forest was not static, dragon. What do you suppose happened to the villages that their woods grew to encompass?”

“…”

“Not a single one was spared. They were burned, killed, tortured. Many were given to the leeches to be fed alive, their corpses thrown to the behemoths to serve as feed.”

Retracting his arm, a layer of light instantly covered Hathelon’s blade as it was swung sideways.

Serenis hurriedly erected a barrier before her. But when the blade clashed against the dragonlord’s spell, its divine light seemed to seep into the barrier of magic, contaminating its very structure.

As creases webbed through Serenis’ spell, Hathelon’s emotionless voice continued to stab at her ears.

“What justice was there to be found among your brethren?”

As the barrier finally shattered apart, Serenis retreated another few steps to avoid the swinging blade.

But Hathelon continued to chase after the retreating dragonlord, swinging his blade in succession.

“Was their justice in the warmongers that burnt everything in their path?

Serenis continued to erect barrier after barrier to deflect the oncoming strikes. But even as she cast her spells in rapid succession, Hathelon’s attacks began to overtake her casting speed.

“What of the landbeasts that feasted upon everything they could find? The dream leeches who drained us of our lives?”

“…We were different. The dragonkin never-”

“The dragonkin never harmed humans?”

With one final swing, Hathelon’s blade hacked through Serenis’ spell. His remaining hand began to glow in the same light covering his blade, instantly shooting forth to grasp the dragonlord by her neck and lift her into the air.

“Perhaps you’re right. But your kin offered little choice to those around you.”

“…What are you talking about?”

“Your nests rested on the hunting grounds of the behemoth tribe.”

Evident confusion settled in as Serenis struggled to understand her assailant’s words. She clawed against the grip holding her in the air, choking out her next answer.

“We defended our nest…always. We welcomed humans into our kin…! We protected them just the same!”

“And what of those that chose not to become dragonkin?”

Even as Hathelon’s grip tightened around her throat, Serenis’ own hands faltered upon hearing his words.

‘Those that chose not to become dragonkin?’

What answer was there to give? Serenis had never considered them. Or rather, she wasn’t even aware that such individuals existed.

And, as if he expected her silence, Hathelon continued in a low, emotionless tone.

“What choice did we have? It was either to become an honorary demon, or stay human and be consumed alive by the landbeasts. Your kin offered no protection to those who wouldn’t choose to become your kin.”

“…I…”

As Serenis failed to give a coherent answer, a hint of emotion crept upon Hathelon’s voice.

A tired, loathing voice stabbed at the dragonlord’s ears.

“You said you were Serenis herself. But dragonlord, the boundary you’d drawn protected those within, and alienated those outside. You never protected us; you merely tore mankind into two, forcing us to resent each other.”

“…”

“And the one who stepped over that boundary was not you, but your daughter. She was the only dragonkin to step out of the bounds you’d set to help those in need. You did nothing but oppose her.”

The skies churned in the ensuing silence. Thundering clouds split open before the mass of divine light forming above, shimmering into the shape of a gigantic sword that pointed itself towards the dragonlord.

But Serenis’ forlorn eyes failed to register the massive weapon above her. She returned no answer, or even a visible reaction to Hathelon’s words.

She only closed her eyes, once again reflecting on everything that had transpired in her previous life.

‘What was it all for?’

Everything she’d done as a dragonlord – none of it had been because she was a righteous individual.

Everything she’d done since her awakening – none of it had been because she actually sought to correct what was wrong.

Indeed, Rozerre had even shown her the answer before.

‘…This is but atonement to those who have long passed away. An act of late, selfish satisfaction.’

Just like how Hathelon had no noble cause to rid the star of her kin, Serenis, too, had no noble cause in eliminating the Twelve.

They just wanted to. That was all there was to it.

Her kin had never harmed mankind, and the Twelve had never harmed Serenis directly. But it was just how things were.

But even if their tale had no good or evil, it would nonetheless have a victor.

When Serenis finally opened her eyes, her pupils were stretched into a thin strand of black, her sharpened gaze focusing on the enemy that held her.

“…So what?”

“…?”

“Perhaps I did tear mankind into two. Perhaps I did oppose my daughter, and perhaps it’s even my fault that she’s passed away. But so what? If I knelt and pleaded for death, would that bring her back to life?”

‘…If only it would.’

Instead of clawing at Hathelon’s grip as before, Serenis lightly touched on his forearm with her fingertips.

And, as if on cue, her assailant’s gripping arm was swallowed in a burst of prismatic light.

Hathelon instantly jerked back his arm, holding it in pain. And as her assailant backed away from the sudden magic, Serenis lightly stepped onto the ground once more, her gaze fixed upwards – towards the giant weapon descending upon her.

‘It does not matter that demonkind has lost. As long as I draw breath…the dragonkin will live on.’

If she were alone, perhaps she would’ve chosen to die here. If all others would be happier with her gone, then she may have accepted death.

But if she were to back down here, then Raizel and Ilias would be next. After them, it’d be everyone at the dragonkin’s valley.

Their nightmarish days would repeat. Once again, the dragons would wage war against heroes – and this time, it wouldn’t end until they were extinct.

“…You seek to judge me of my sins? Then I will gladly serve as your antagonist. Just like you, I will not rest until the Twelve are erased from my star. But remember this, hero.”

Serenis grazed her foot onto the ground. In the darkening skies that followed, only the glimmers of distant stars illuminated her surroundings.

And as the dragonlord willed, rays of starlight would rain down upon the massive weapon, disintegrating it to dust before ever reaching the dragonlord below.

“…”

As Hathelon stared into the jarring display, Serenis’ eyes fixed onto him with an adamant, unforgiving gaze.

“Not every tale will end in your victory.”

A/N:

Felicir is munching on popcorns in the background.