He chuckled. “We still dueled once in a while during the Dragon War. It was just not as serious. The only thing that added on after the Dragon War was the killing intent — more so from his side than mine.”
“That doesn’t sound nice,” I said.
“That is because it was not,” the Dragon replied.
A streak of light passed through the sky, piercing the glowing jewels. A shooting star. My eyes widened. However, I made no wish upon the streaking object. It was not that I had none, but that I did not want to depend on a star for them to become reality, even if it was just for jest.
I stood up, and dusted sand from my pants before turning around. The Volcanic Forest Bears stood where they had been, about twenty yards from the edge. I wasn’t sure if the cliff scared them or it was Acnologia’s presence at the edge.
It’s probably Acnologia, I grinned.
I quickly made my way to my resurrected beasts and mounted one of them, riding them back to where Irmeia was. It took about ten minutes to reach the curtain of creepers.
Irmeia sat behind the wall of green, her back resting against a tree trunk. Our four unconscious companions lay on the ground before her. I’d hoped Freya would have at least woken up by now, but that didn’t seem to be the case.
“Shouldn’t we try to heal them?” Nyx asked.
Heal them how? I frowned. They haven’t lost any health. The only thing that happened to them was they were thrown around, against trees and rocks. Their unconscious state doesn’t have anything to do with their health, so potions won’t heal them. We’ll just have to wait.
I dropped down from the Volcanic Forest Bear and made my way to Irmeia. The Eternal’s green eyes looked at me, shining eerily in the darkness.
“You’re back,” she said, her voice a whisper.
“Yeah,” I said, shuffling up to her, careful not to step on the people lying on the ground.
“Did you resurrect all the bears?” she asked as I sat myself down beside her.
I nodded. “Got three of them,” I said. “The other two were fine in the first place, so a few healing potions were more than enough.”
“That is good,” she said. “When must we leave for our next location?’
“Well, we’ll have to wait till everyone else wakes up. Everyone but Oris. I can just plop him up behind me worst case scenario.”
She laughed. “That would be an amusing sight. Where is this place we must head to? I don’t think I ever asked you.”
“Ah,” I blinked. Acnologia? I asked.
“It is a third of the way between the river and this cliff,” the Dragon said. “Just as Elizah said. However, the specifics are something I can’t explain that well. Trust me — once we get to the location, I will be able to lead you to the right path.”
I looked at the Eternal. “It is a third the way between the river and the cliff.”
“So it is on the way we had originally intended to travel.
“Sounds like it.”
Irmeia shifted a bit, and moved closer to me. The next thing I knew, her head was resting on my shoulder. I stiffened, but did not say anything. She exhaled and stuck closer to me.
She seems pretty tired, I thought.
“Sure,” Nyx said. “Tired.”
What? I blinked.
“Nothing,” he chuckled.
My eyes narrowed. There’s definitely something.
Nevertheless, I did not bother with it and sat as we were. My head tilted up, and watched the dense collection of leaves above. Tiny specks of light shone through a few gaps, and created the illusion of a jeweled tree.
“What do you think is going to happen?” Irmeia asked.
I turned my attention her. “What do you mean?
“All of…this,” she said. “Dragons and Wars and time travel and memory loss and everything else. There’s so much that’s going on.”
A smile curled onto my face, recognizing the confusion she was going through. For it was something I myself had felt quite recently, just a few months ago. “That’s something you’re going to think about for a while,” I said. “Handling memory loss is not an easy thing. Even after you regain your memories, you’ll question everything that you know. For one, your memories may contradict everything you thought you knew about yourself. Or sometimes, your memories may completely destroy your image of who you thought you were.”
“Ouch,” Nyx said. “Way to be encouraging, Diablo.”
I went on, unhindered by the spirit’s snarky dialogue. “There isn’t much you can do to stop all that, Irmeia,” I said. “Time is the best healer. You will need time to process every single thing that you remember. You’ll try to go through every memory you regain, wondering whether this is an actual memory, or if some weird glitch in your brain is causing you to think it is. You’ll spend hours debating if you are real or if your memories are, wondering which part of the contradiction is the truth.”
The Eternal stayed silent. She grabbed my hand, lacing our fingers together. I froze, and felt the warmth from her palms seep into mine.
“Thank you, Zoran,” she smiled.
“I am glad,” I grinned, and turned to the skies. “They’re beautiful, aren’t they?” I asked. The Eternal lifted her head off my shoulder, and I glanced at her as she did.
She gazed at me, and her eyes of mysterious green looked into mine, glistening in the darkness.
“They are.” Her voice was but a whisper.
“Oh umm…thanks?” I said, awkwardly.
“You have beautiful eyes,” Irmeia moved closer, her warm breath flush on my cheeks, her lips embarrassingly close to mine. “As if the very stars are alive within them.”
“You two seem to be having a good time,” a voice spoke.
Freya stood a mere foot in front of us, hands on her waist and a stern look in her eyes. We’d been completely ignorant of her presence.
I pulled my hand from Irmeia. “Hi?”
“Raffyr and Viola are up as well,” the elf said. “I suggest you both stop cuddling up and help us get a move on.”
“Hey!” I protested. “We weren’t—”
She shot a look at me, and I instantly shut up.
“Not a good idea, Diablo,” Nyx said.
“Very well, Freya.” Irmeia’s voice was firm. “We shall leave immediately. Zoran seems to have found a place we can go to for help.”
“Well, it’s about time.” She walked away, and helped Raffyr and Viola as they stood up.
She does NOT seem happy. I frowned.
“You don’t say,” Nyx chuckled.
Irmeia put her hand on my shoulder. “Thank you for talking to me tonight, Diablo,” she smiled.
“It was nothing.” I returned the expression. “Don’t hesitate to talk to me if you ever feel like this again.”
“I will.” She planted a quick kiss on my cheek and got up. I stared at her as she walked away. Just what is going on in that mind of hers?
“Earth to Zoran?” Nyx said. “Are you still in there?”
“The wonders of youth require time to savor, spirit,” Acnologia chuckled.
I rolled my eyes. I’m older than all of you, I said. I got up and helped everyone else as well.
Soon we were all ready to make our way back out. No one seemed to have any problems when we told them we were heading to another Dragon’s home. I could sense a bit of tension but they seemed to calm down when I told them this would be strictly for knowledge purposes.
Which was a straight up lie, since even Acnologia didn’t know how this would turn out. But I couldn’t tell them that, now could I?
“You know, I could just fly you to the place,” Acnologia said. “Six people is a stretch, but I can do it.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Nyx said. “Remember when Elizah went into the forest? It was as clear as day where he was. If any Dragon sees you flying through the skies, we don’t know who might come to you searching for a battle.”
“I can travel th
rough the forest as well if that’s an issue.”
“Are you sure?”
Let’s just take the bears, I said. If something weird happens and you’re automatically summoned back into the familiar storage space for some reason, we’re pretty much stranded.
“That’s true,” Nyx said.
“Very well then,” the Dragon said. “I will follow you on foot.”
There were no objections to using the Volcanic Forest Bears for this part of our journey. So we all mounted our steeds quickly, and made our way through the forest. We stuck to a path that kept us a few yards in from the edge, and my eyes kept a lookout for the slope I’d seen before. It was the only one close by that seemed like we could descend it, and I definitely didn’t want to miss it.
Irmeia rode her bear alongside me, with Freya on the one behind us, and Raffyr and Viola both on the one beside her. Oris lay slumped at the back of my bear, still unconscious from however he’d gotten knocked out.
Freya hadn’t spoken a word to me since she had regained consciousness, and her silence worried me. It certainly didn’t help that Nyx and Acnologia were having their own fun with the whole ordeal. I didn’t understand how those two thought at times. I really didn’t.
About twenty minutes had passed when I saw the slope I’d been searching for. An incline of hardened mud and stray stones lay attached to the edge, and reached all the way down to the forest beneath.
“We’re going to have to go down there,” I said, pointing to it. Everyone nodded in accordance. The incline was pretty steep, but I was certain our bears could manage the descend.
They’re climbing creatures after all, I thought.
Our cohort turned into a single line and I led it, riding my bear down the steep slope. Though I’d anticipated the sharpness of the descent, what I’d forgotten to realize was the length. The incline was about a mile long, even though it was steep. That was how high up we were in the first place.
It took another half an hour for all of us to traverse the pathway, but at the end of it all, we were safe on the ground, and that’s all that mattered. Acnologia on the other hand simply glided down the incline, and folded his wings up as he landed beside us.
“Well that was easier than I’d expected,” he chuckled.
I sighed. Yes, I know, it would have been easier to ride you, I said. You don’t have to rub it in.
“I was teasing, Diablo.”
I know, I sighed. Now which way to Polaris’ place?
“Head toward the river. I will be able to sense his home when we are closer.”
Very well, I said.
I led the group forward, and pushed through the forest as we headed toward the river. Silence lay thick in the air, and the black of nightfall surrounded us. It helped that the Volcanic Bears had flames of their own. They were bright enough to light up the path a few feet ahead of us, and dull enough to still keep us hidden from any enemies scoping us out from afar.
We traveled in silence, with no one speaking a word as we made our way through the trees. I couldn’t tell if people were tired, or if there was a greater unease that had spread through them. Either way, it was not a favorable situation.
“Maybe they’re just keeping quiet because they don’t want to attract attention,” Nyx said.
Yeah, but some of them have also not spoken since they woke up, I said.
He chuckled. “You’re talking about Freya, aren’t you?”
Why do you always assume that? I asked. I could have been talking about Viola.
“You definitely meant Freya.”
“Stop it you two.” Acnologia’s voice was stern. “Eternal, we seem to be on the right path.”
Good, I said and kept our course. We traveled for another three hours, and not a single beast had come our way in all that time. At first, I was perplexed, wondering what this miraculous luck was, and then I noticed the odd shadowy form dart away the moment we stepped toward it.
They’re running away because of the Dragon, I realized.
They were Apex predators in this time and age. It made sense that no bears or vultures were coming out to attack us when Acnologia’s presence was so close by.
A few minutes later the Dragon spoke once again. “Toward the left.”
I nodded and directed everyone the same way. They all followed, without a single question coming from their lips. Well, they’re all being super obedient, aren’t they? I grinned. We kept moving till we reached a small opening in the forest.
An arch of solid crystal stood embedded into the ground. Jewels of green were studded into the structure, and creepers curled around the base, blossoming with flowers that appeared to be roses.
“Is this it?” Irmeia asked.
“I believe so,” I said.
Acnologia walked up to the arch, and tapped the topmost jewel with his head. The green glass-like objects lit up, as though a fire now burned deep inside them. A dull hum slithered into the air, and a translucent wall of white light shone in the gap under the arch.
“A portal,” I realized.
Acnologia sighed. “Polaris always went overboard.”
“Alright,” I said, turning around to everyone else. “We’re heading through this portal.”
They all nodded, yet again voicing no concerns. It was as though they had all placed their entire trust in me for the moment. Was that a good thing? I wondered.
I turned my attention back to the portal. Ready? I asked.
Acnologia nodded.
Polaris won’t try to kill us on sight, right? I asked.
The Shadow Dragon stayed silent for a moment, and then he spoke.
“No guarantees.”
***
CHAPTER TWELVE
My Volcanic Forest Bear moved toward the arch of glowing jewels, and the sound of humming turned louder with every step my steed took. My breathing hastened as we came within mere inches of the wall of light under.
I turned around. “Follow me,” I said to everyone else. “Let’s keep close.”
“Understood,” Irmeia said.
I looked further behind the Eternal, at Raffyr and Viola on one bear, and then at Freya at the very end. The elven assassin’s eyes stared right at me, but she didn’t react to my words. I sighed quietly and turned back to face the arch.
Acnologia stood beside it, and looked at the same wall of light I was gazing at. “I do not know how long this will remain open,” he said, and tapped one of the jewels with his head once more.
Fine, I said. Let’s head in.
I tapped the neck of my Volcanic Forest Bear and the beast quickly stepped forward. It hesitated for a moment right in front of the wall, but pushed through when I tapped its neck again. A dull glow of silver bathed my body as I headed under the arch.
A heat passed through me, and rose up my neck. One moment we were in the Alpinian forest. And the next, we weren’t.
I found myself at the mouth of a cavern, with a small shore sand in front of me, and a body of clear, blue water past it. The entrance stood tall and wide, with many creepers and vines hanging from the top. The water in front of me seemed endless, as though I had stumbled upon an ocean or sea. Pillars of rock stood from random spots within the blood, with moss and vines sticking to them as well. The breeze carried the fresh scent of salt, and sprayed moisture against my face as it passed by.
“Just as I remember it,” Acnologia spoke.
The big beast walked out of wall of light similar to the one on the other side, only this one didn’t have an arch around it.
“The others will follow,” the Shadow Dragon said, and I nodded. I turned to the sights before me once again, and this time focused on what route we’d have to take to get out of here. I pushed forward, but my Volcanic Forest Bear stood still, unwilling to budge an inch.
Does it not like all the moisture in here? I dropped from its back and walked myself to where the land met water. I could see more pillars as my vision widened. The structures were made of all shapes and
heights, with no concrete purpose displayed.
I looked above me, past the top of the cavern entrance. This place was embedded in a cliff as well, and top rose half a mile above sea level. Moss and creepers decorated the grey surface, covering the stone with greenery.
In a few more seconds, everyone else had made their way through the portal as well. I smiled as their eyes widened at the sight before us.
“What is this place?” Freya asked as she rode her bear to the edge of the land.
Well, that Bear clearly isn’t afraid of the water, I pouted, and looked at my bear stand yards from the edge.
“This is Polaris’ home,” Acnologia said, and I relayed the information to everyone else, acting as the Shadow Dragon’s muse.
“Who exactly is this Dragon?” Raffyr asked. “I don’t recall hearing his name in the Ancient Scriptures.”
“Polaris’ is a Dragon who is motivated by knowledge and its pursuit,” Acnologia said. “Hence, he wanted a place for himself where no one else would bother him. This is the result of that desire.”
“What is this place called?” Raffyr asked.
“Keliora,” the Dragon said, with me still acting as a muse. “It is an island that is far off from any of these lands. Even I do not know where exactly it is. And I doubt Polaris’ himself knows either. From what I heard, the Dragon found this place by teleporting randomly enough times, and then set up a portal so he could come here whenever he wished to.”
“Seems counter-productive to set up a portal anyone can access if he wanted to be alone,” Irmeia said.
“The portal was not always accessible to everyone,” Acnologia said. “Do not forget what time we are in. During the Eternal Dragon War, every Dragon played a crucial part in the battle. Though Polaris hated being distracted from his pursuit of knowledge, even he had to push away his ways of living in order to properly help the Dragon Clan.”
“So, the Dragon is in here right now?”
“I cannot tell,” Acnologia said. “However, I have been here many times before, so I believe I can guide us around this place.”
The Eternal: A Boxed Set (World of Ga'em Book 6) Page 60
