Twilight of a Hybrid

by Ryan Johnson

  “Teutates,” Valverno firmly said. “I didn’t expect to see you in the Northern Region. What are you doing here?”

  “I might as well be asking you the same question.” Teutates and Valverno engaging talking turned into a staring context. Both people were exchanging deathly glares, if they were ready to attack each other. So much for making a bad first impression.

  Orinù stepped forward closer to Teutates’s and Valverno’s eyeing context. “This man is here because he wanted to be here.”

  Teutates and Valverno had turned away from each other and stared at Orinù. Orinù looked at both of them, knowing he could have become a prime target of interrupting their staring context. “He wanted to talk about a possible alliance with the northern clans, which may now prove difficult.”

  Valverno blinked. Teutates was in the Northern Region to negotiate an alliance with the Northern Clans? This was going to make things simpler than he trying to fly to Isla Maeli.

  “Since you happen to come by and the three clans living close by already owned you our loyalty,” said Orinù. “We didn’t want to talk to any outsiders without you. But when he said he was a White Knight—”

  “Wait? What? A White Knight?” Valverno was surprised at this news: Teutates was a White Knight?

  “Did I hear that correctly? A White Knight?”

  “Why, yes,” said Orinù.

  Valverno gave a surprising glare at Teutates. The man he wanted to have an alliance with was a White Knight. First, Sora is a White Knight. Second, Geraldus is a White Knight. Now he was hearing Teutates was a White Knight. He knew Charity and Loyalty, but what was Teutates’s virtue: Strength or Trust?

  “Since when were you a White Knight?” asked Valverno.

  Teutates just stared at Valverno.

  “I might as well guess you have been a White Knight all your life. But what virtue do you stand for?”

  “Why would you want to know?” asked Teutates. “So you can pass big information to your king?”

  “King Uragiru is not my king!” said Valverno. His voice was hard and firm he made it sound final. “I am not following King Uragiru. Not to mention he joined an alliance with Lusìvar. Or have you known that all your life, Teutates?”

  Teutates nodded.

  “Then is that why your ancestor rebelled against his brother: Uragiru’s ancestor swore loyalty to the Shadow King some centuries ago? And his brother tried to stop and kill him but was defeated in the end?”

  Teutates nodded again.

  Valverno was starting to know Teutates was a man of few words. He had a few answers of what he was thinking. Teutates’s ancestor rebelled against his brother, who was Uragiru’s ancestor, and tried to cast him away. He also knew Teutates could be the ally he needed instead of Uragiru, but Teutates hates the creatures. If Teutates takes the throne in the capital city, he surely would banish them from Shimabellia.

  “It is about time you figured out of what was going on with the distant bloodline,” said Teutates. “I’ve been living on Isla Maeli for many years, as did my ancestors. We tried to live like it was Shimabellia, but it was never the same. It is living the low-life of a peasant. The entire island is covered in swamps, endless valleys, and too many ruined fortresses.”

  “I assume once you take the throne, you would banish those who were wrong from the beginning?”

  “Humans and creatures do not belong in the same world, and it would be better for everyone if different species kept to themselves instead of supporting each other, otherwise too many will grow some special to others. Look at yourself.”

  Valverno looked at his body, as did the three clan leaders. His scales of his dragon legs and his wings stood out from his half-human, upper body. He knew Teutates would surely banish the creatures, not for supporting him but have different species trying to hook up with each other.

  “What do you know of Belverda and Ralenskrit?” asked Valverno.

  “Your misbehaved parents? The witch and the dragon scientists conducted some rumored experiments on dead animals?”

  “I take that as a yes,” said Valverno. Then Valverno signaled a hand and Sora came walking to his side. She strolled past the three leaders and Teutates. She came walking with the book in hand, back to its regular size.

  “Who is she?” asked Kelda.

  “I’d never seen her before,” said Bjorg.

  “Everyone, meet Sora, also a White Knight.”

  They all gasped to see another White Knight as Sora handed the book to Valverno. Valverno flipped through the pages as he said, “She’s the White Knight of Charity, and she’s not just any White Knight: she is the first and original White Knight of Charity. She was, along with four others, born in the ancient land of Pangaea.”

  “Charity? The first White Knight of Charity? And she is with you? What does that make you?” Kelda spoke with a confusing tone.

  “Someone you’d never expected me to be,” said Valverno. Valverno strolled over to the altar and placed the book he was holding on altar. “Have a look, Teutates, for the rumor creations you heard of Belverda and Ralenskrit, as well with the clan leaders. This is shocking news you really need to hear.”

  Orinù, Bjorg, and Kelda were the first to have come forward as to what Valverno had to show them; Teutates stayed in the back of how he wasn’t curious as to see what was in the book of experiments.

  Valverno flipped through the pages and shown the three clan leaders the undead monsters: monsters Belverda and Ralenskrit. He told them he didn’t know why the two scientists were trying to do in bringing dead back to life and with different body parts sewed into one ugly, disgusting form. And at the end of each page there would be a Project Failure.

  Valverno mentioned Ralenskrit and Belverda using a strong power source to bring the dead to life and in hopes of mind-controlling the beasts. In the end, each beast proved too resistant to be controlled and started over with a new one.

  For half an hour, Valverno showed the clan leaders and Teutates, who was still in the back, the monsters created from multiple body parts from those of giant Dragons, horned Minotaurs, lion-headed Chimeras, horns of Unicorns, wings of Pegasi, snake tails of Basilisks, and horse bodies of Centaurs.

  “What was this source power?” asked Bjorg.

  “That is where I come in,” answered Valverno. “And you won’t like it.”

  Then Valverno pulled the back cover to view and gave the clan leaders something to look at and something that would be very too shocking for them to handle: the page said Project Vaeludar. The picture looking like him but without the horns on his head and scales on his chest: just the plain human body with dragon wings and legs.

  “Is that you?” asked Kelda.

  “Yes,” answered Valverno. “I’d learned Belverda the witch and Ralenskrit the Dragon were never my true parents, and I was the power source: an embryo sin a jar.” He went to explain Belverda and Ralenskrit said they found Valverno (as an unborn embryo form) in a dark chamber, and they used his DNA blood to bring the dead mutants to life.

  This news made the three leaders gasp even harder than before. They now heard the name Vaeludar was the name of a science project, and it was never Valverno’s true name. They now wondered who he truly is. Even Teutates lit a small hint of curiosity.

  “In the end, I was never Vaeludar. I was a science project Belverda tried to control and use as a weapon for Lusìvar as he would see fit. In the end, those two were never my parents. In the end, I went by a different name and a different person no one would expect they would meet. I am Valve…”

  There was a sudden loud roar coming from the sky. The Dragon King came soaring down with his elite dragon bodyguards. A Griffin with several Griffins and Flarefur followed behind the Dragons. The Unicorn King was trotting with a small squad of Unicorns, along with a small band of Centaurs. A few Fairies were soaring over the Unicorns.

  Basically, the rulers of the creatures had come to the village of the Northern Region or they just happened to b
e there.

  Alongside the rulers were three human figures. They stood tall with ball heads and thin faces. They wore orange robes that hung from their bald heads. Their pale skin didn’t look like very human but very grey rock-like, and they looked like triplets.

  “So thiss isss the hybrid we have heard about?” the three people hissed.

  They spoke at the same time their tone didn’t sound like they were human. The three humans easily crept Valverno out, as to who they are and why they speak like snakes. He was suddenly suspicious of them.

  “Ahem,” said Bjorg. The fat man was trying to get Valverno’s attention.

  “Who are those three people?” asked Valverno. “They don’t look human.”

  “They have no names; they only go by the Council of Three. They are the leaders of the Snake Clan. They are mysterious to us. Even the people of the Snake Clan are mysterious and very suspicious. We think they could be working for the Shadow King, but we don’t have any prove they could be working for him.”

  “If they are the leaders of the Snake Clan, what is the fifth and final clan, and who is their leader?”

  Orinù, Bjorg, and Kelda stared at each other, unknowing how to answer his question. Seeing what kind of answer they were hiding, it must have meant it was someone Valverno wasn’t going to like.

  “Well, speak up. It’s not like I’m a tyrant losing his patience and wanted to execute someone not willing to take.”

  “The fifth clan is the Lion Clan, known for their strength and large number of soldiers they have at their disposal,” said Orinù. “But their leader is not who you thought would be.”

  Then Orinù, Bjorg, and Kelda turned their heads and eyes towards the one man not standing near them: Teutates.

  Valverno looked at Teutates, who was giving a small smirk on his face. Not only was Teutates a secret White Knight, if Valverno could believe that at all, but he was a leader of one of the five clans.

  “I’m having a hard time wrapping my head around you. You are the leader of one of the five clans. You’re a distant relative of King Uragiru. You manage to sneak get here in a matter of short time on my wedding day, so the only way to get up here fast was for you to ride on a Dragon. Yet what surprises me most was the fact you decided to come to my wedding day. I want to know: why?”

  “Because when I see an opportunity to see the hybrid singlehandedly taking down a Dragon I thought to have been a Titan, I seize it.”

  “You were here, weren’t you? You saw me take down the Five-Headed Dragon?”

  Teutates nodded his head.

  “You are a strange man to be around. I wonder if you are even human.”

  “And I wonder if you are a demigod I keep hearing rumors about?”

  Valverno and Teutates stared at each other.

  “You sound a lot like Hector, the original White Knight of Strength. And you must be the White Knight of Strength and why you would be the leader of the Lion Clan. Hector was such a friend and a rival at that, he would always try to rival against me. And that would be why I have named him a White—”

  “Sorry for interrupting,” said Sora. “But those creatures seemed to be waiting for you to gather together. I don’t know what for, but it looks like they want to start a meeting.”

  Valverno looked at the Dragon King, who was walking close to the altar with his other ruling friends. Valverno had to assume they must have heard of his possible betrayal to King Uragiru.

  “There he is,” said a Unicorn. The Unicorn didn’t sound happy of seeing Valverno at first sight.

  And Valverno did seem right: King Uragiru must have told them Valverno had betrayed or tried to kill the king. But if King Uragiru had told them about Valverno, how could have they have travel to the Northern Region from the capital city. It could have taken the Dragons a few hours, but the creatures walking on the ground to take days to the village.

  Valverno proceeded to walk to the Dragon King, the Unicorn King, the Griffin King, the Centaur King, and the Fairy Queen. The rulers of each species came walking to him, and the demigod could feel some negative energy in the creatures approaching him.

  “You! Vaeludar!” said the large Dragon. “What have you done? King Uragiru sent a magical message to everyone around the island you tried to kill him, in his own home. You have made yourself an enemy of the island.”

  “How would you know of this?” asked Valverno.

  The Dragon King held out a forepaw and a large, white, glowing crystal ball came into view. There was a small purple mist dimming within the crystal ball. Then images of Valverno, King Uragiru, and Geraldus appeared in the clouds, showing Geraldus and Valverno attacking the king. Thereafter, the images suddenly faded and the Dragon King removed his paw and glared at Valverno.

  “I thought you were a hybrid of special magnificence, but you turned out to be a traitor. Killing the Minotaur to protect human lives is what you famous. But now the island is naming you a traitor and a disgrace for being alive.”

  “I beg to differ,” said Valverno. He placed a finger on his forehead and the claw on his index finger sank into his hair. He quickly pulled out a long, watery liquid from his head. He spat on it and it shot toward the open space centered between him and the ruling creatures that were walking to him.

  A large cloud appeared from the liquid Valverno spat at. It grew to be large as the Dragon King and his dragon bodyguards.

  “Let me show you my side of the story before someone delivers the final judgment,” said Valverno. He waved a hand and the memory of his fight with King Uragiru was shown. It showed the real fight with him, Sora, Marina, and Geraldus fighting the king and Belverda. Suddenly, Valverno made a fist stop and the images stopped and zoomed in on Belverda’s image.

  “Is that Belverda?”

  “Yes,” said Valverno. “You want to know what she had been doing listen to what she has to say about me and the experiments she and Ralenskrit were making.” Valverno waved his hand again and her voice spoke out as to why she herself tried to make the experiments: she wanted to have the powers of a god through using the DNA strands of Valverno’s embryo.

  Valverno used his other hand to use a windy power to pull the book from the altar to his hand. Then he flung the book to the Dragon King and the other animal rulers. Again he used his hand to use an air-wind power to flip through the pages as he quickly explained Belverda tried to play the role of god and tried to make undead animals made from multiple body parts from mythical creatures, and Valverno’s embryo was a power source into bringing the dead to life.

  He also showed them the entire talk of her and King Uragiru joining Lusìvar in the cloud of memories. He mentioned the most important thing he never would have expected to learn in his seventeen-year life: “She was never my mother, and Ralenskrit was never my father.”

  Valverno explained he was found in a cave as an embryo by the two scientists he, and the other creatures and Geraldus, had thought to be his parents.

  From there, they used his embryo to withdraw his DNA strands believing to have godly power to bring the dead animals to life. Belverda was the one who wanted the power, but he didn’t knew what Ralenskrit’s goals were.

  Then came to the last few pages of the book came into view and the one page Valverno found about his true self: Project Vaeludar.

  Then a curious Centaur strolled to the book and picked it up. Outload, the half man horse read through the lines and great shock came in his eyes.

  The other creatures had shocked looked in their eyes as the Centaur was reading to them. They now knew what powers Valverno had possessed. The last few lines the Centaur read would even bring them to more shock than ever: Vaeludar was Valverno, the ancient demigod chosen by the Crystal Dragon to be the gods’ weapon against Lusìvar.

  “Did I hear that right again?” asked Orinù.

  “That is right, clan leader Orinù of the Eagle Clan. My name was never Vaeludar, and it never will be. My real name is, as of this moment, Valverno!”

 
There were many gasps. Teutates raised an eyebrow. The gathered leaders all gasped from a great shock of what the hybrid had just told them. It seemed they all have heard of the ancient legends of the Demigod but never expected it to be the hybrid standing there in front of them all.

  “Did you just say what I think you said? The name of a legend?” asked the Dragon King.

  Valverno stomped his feet hard into the ground. “You all heard me loud and clear. I. AM. VALVERNO! The demigod of the ancient world of Pangaea and leader of the White Knights. Son the celestial witch Celestreá la Mùne and the dragon god, the Crystal Dragon. The one who brought humanity from living under stone to living over stone.”

  “Impossssible! He isss no demigod. Hiss isss lying! Vaeludar is no demigod! Don’t lissten to the traitor. He iss nothing more but a lair.” The Council of Three was not convinced and they wanted to say otherwise.

  Valverno’s patience was being pushed to the ultimate limit. The fuel from the darkness he has from the Pool of Shadows was starting to grow. He stood while his eyes had closed. His wings were thinly widened and the palms of his heads faced upward, if he was trying to balance two different items in both hands.

  Then his wings, legs, and tail popped from their disguised form and showed them his demonic form. He wiped his face with both hands and revealed his true figure: his yellow-sclera, red-iris, and green-pupil eyes.

  Then he felt his entire body sinking into the ground if he was standing over quicksand. His was letting out his divinity to the ground, if he was calling out to spirits in the deep and coming forward to move the soil and started an earthquake.

  The earthquake was happening! The ground beneath them was shaking and the statue behind began to rubble back-and-forth. Every human and the creatures, including the rulers, were moving side-to-side, unable to maintain their balance.

  “What sssorcery is thisss?” exclaimed the Council of Three.

  “Not sorcery, Council of Three, it is the power of a demigod, the hybrid chosen by the gods!”

  Then Valverno folded his wings and walked forward, as the cloud disappeared into the ground. The Dragon King looked frightful for his life suddenly. His entire body felt like it melted into the ground, completely paralyzed by fear and by the sudden power that came from the hybrid standing in front of him.