Sky City Draconis (I)

<Zero>

Nov. 1, 2054. Saturday. 9:11 AM

Zero logged back in the game, still stuck in the spiritual dimension. What was strange, though, was that he felt the sharp draw of his soul being pulled toward the center of a white room. Then, a beam of light hit him, causing him to go temporarily blind. When he opened his eyes, he was inside the physical realm, but what startled him was that he was inside the final boss room in the physical side of the dimension.

Looking around, he noticed all the other teammates appearing next to him one by one, confused by the streak of lights. He saw Zeraph and Anu off in the distance, whispering among each other. When he was about to get up to walk towards him, Agnis was called out to him.

"Zero?" said Agnis. She was next to him when he had awoken.

"Yea?"

"What's going on?"

"I'm not sure...."

Since the time that they came back from last night's adventure, everything that happened just made Zero's head dizzy. Angel and the other teachers did not explain anything and congratulated them for succeeding in their mission. All they did was give them a pat on the back and a three-day pass to take a vacation outside the Academy. Other than that, they needed to be more knowledgeable.

Even the reward of Black Magic they had gotten from the Devil Quest disappeared right after they completed the Angel Quest. Zero couldn't help but wonder what kind of black magic it was, but then again, he felt that the black magic he was given was dangerous.

They did not have time to grieve for Tonia, who had disappeared under the wings of the scientist. Instead, they were instructed to go back into the game when they woke up, leaving them frustrated.

Looking around, Zero knew that they were on the final boss level of the Pyramid of Light.

Unfortunately, not even a single boss appeared, confusing everyone logged on.

"Isn't there supposed to be a boss here?" Valiant asked. His black dragon head was sniffing around to find a clue. "I'm not complaining; it's just a bit weird…."

"Yea…" Sekka replied. Her gold scales glimmered like gold every time she took a step. "Is this normal?"

"No," Zero replied. He, too, was waiting for the final trap to be sprung, but nothing happened. He felt confused and lost. The thought of fighting the Black Dragon in real life last night was a complete shock to him; it felt so unbelievable that he thought he had hit his head. But the reassurance of all his teammates made it that much more real that it was hard to ignore.

Anu walked up toward the crowd of dragons and companions. He bowed toward the group. "I am sorry to inform you, but this was all just a test to get you to this level. No king sleeps in this last room, but you all did spectacularly. Your leader had thwarted the black dragon and dispelled the curse."

"What?!" The others cried out in disbelief. They were having a hard time believing that something this outrageous had happened. Everyone knew that the last fight with the boss was something they were looking forward to, but being suddenly told that they weren't was just weird. Not only that, the information that their leader had thwarted the black dragon was unheard of.

Zero's face twitched when he heard Anu speak those words. Even Agnis and Zeraph frowned deeply at what Anu had spoken but kept quiet. They did not even know where to begin explaining the outrageous event they had gone through.

The voices of others were confused by Anu's words.

"Who killed the black dragon?"

"Wait, was there even one here?"

"I'm so lost."

"You and me both."

"Though the king's will is still sleeping in this room." Anu broke into a grin. "Now my job is done. I bid you farewell." Then, with a snap of his finger, Anu disappeared.

Zero couldn't help but wonder what Zeraph and Anu were talking about among each other. He had a feeling that Zeraph was hiding something big, but he knew that this was not the time for him to ask. All he could do was wait for him to tell him. He was different from the type to pry into other people's business, but he wondered what Zeraph had to do with the Pyramid of Light.

Everyone was dumbfounded by Anu's words. Not a single question was answered, and they were left alone.

"Captain. What did Anu mean you thwarted the black dragon? When did you do that?"

Zero head hurted. He didn't know how to explain. He felt his life was in danger if he told everyone about what had happened. But, at the same time, he knew that the others wouldn't believe him. It was just so insane that he felt like last night was just a dream.

"It was just a simple deliverance quest. I brought in a relic to stop the black dragon from coming in." He quickly made up a lie.

"Really? Can we see it?"

Zero groaned. "Well, about that… it broke when we entered. So the effect was used."

"Oh…"

The others were disappointed.

He felt bad that he had lied to everyone, but this explanation was much more believable than the things he had gone through last night. Even Agnis did not refute what he had said and stood quiet. Zeraph, on the other hand, did not seem to care and instead watched the whole thing play out.

With a rumble, the ground started to move, and nine pedestals appeared from the ground. Eight pedestals with orbs surrounded one pedestal in the middle. Zero and the others watched with curiosity at the strange appearance of the pedestal and went to examine the one in the middle. He noticed that it was an O.M. crystal ball.

The moment he touched the O.M., a bright light erupted outwards, and a large-scale scene played before them.

"Your majesty." A white dragon was next to the majestic golden dragon. His small body dwarfed compared to the gold dragon as he bowed elegantly.

The gold dragon's beautiful feathered wings were tucked tightly on his back. His slender neck

and lean body glistened with power. He gazed off into the distance, and he closed his eyes, letting out a breath and a sigh.

"Your majesty, why would you separate your son from the other children? I do not understand; would it not be more beneficial for him to be with the other children inside the protection of the golden egg?" The white dragon's head bobbed. "The safety of your bloodline is a priority to live on towards the next generation so he may lead his people."

"That is correct."

"But then why?"

Gently opening his golden eyes, the king glanced down upon the white dragon. His gaze made the white dragon shudder and inch backward from fear. "The golden egg can not be opened without the blood of a king and the queen. Together, we have made this our binding, so our kind may rest till the young prince awakens to fulfill his duty." The king transformed into his human self; his hands were wrapped around with light magic. His golden hair flowed gracefully behind him as his white and gold clothes formed, covering his body.

"Then what about his brother, your highness? Will he be able to awaken the others?"

"Do not speak of him anymore." Then, with an angered voice, the king glared downwards at the white dragon, who cringed at his gaze.

"Yes, your majesty."

The king's anger dissipated. In the king's hand, a black and gold speckled dragon egg appeared before the king. His right hand grew with power and slowly focused on the tip of his fingers. Then, with careful hands, he started to embroil the egg with a smiley face. "May you always smile with great fortune?" The last line was drawn when he finished a sizzling hot heat of gold power glowed brightly, and then it faded into black.

With steady hands, the king brought the smiley face egg towards a pedestal in front of him. He gently placed it on the pedestals, and seconds later, a soft hum of energy shot out from the egg, protecting it with gold energy. Two large goldish-red dragon salamanders appeared around the egg, carefully guarding it with vigor.

"Your majesty, please. This barrier is not strong enough. Anyone can waltz in this area without much trouble; what if a demon waltzed in here and destroyed the egg?" exclaimed the white dragon in worry. "Such thoughts terrify me."

"Do not worry, my old friend. No demon can sniff out this place." The king said with a gruff voice. "I am looking forward to the thought that someone will come in and find the prince."

"What?!?!" The white dragon was flabbergasted. His eyes widened, and he stared at the king in complete disbelief. "Your majesty? D-did I hear you correctly? You want someone to find him?"

"Yes, but that would be in another thousand years, my old friend. By then, the world had forgotten our kind, and the demons would be at bay. So let us not waste our time here. My son will be just fine." The king turned his back onto the small egg that stood on the pedestal like a special trophy. He then walked away with the white dragon trailing behind him with a frown plastered to his face. With one last look, the king turned his head over his shoulder to see the small egg guarded by two dragon salamanders.

Even to see his child sitting on the pedestal like a prize, he could not help but feel himself waver in sadness. Then, with a quick intake of breath, he steeled his heart and left, leaving behind his legacy. Time passed, and the cave's interior grew many different types of plants. For a thousand years, the dark-lit room was peaceful and quiet.

One day, a bright white light peeked through the side of the entrance door. Quick footsteps charged through as a team of six people came running in, all wearing cloaked brown hoods. Their swords were drawn and brimming with magic, and they cast their magical energy at the two dragon salamanders.

With a hiss, the two dragon salamanders spat out large balls of fire while molten lava spewed from its back. The six spread out and quickly ambushed the dragon salamanders in seconds without hurting anyone.

The tallest person in the group walked over to the pedestal where the dragon egg stood. "My. My. What do we have here?" A charming low voice spoke out with glee. His hands grabbed hold of the dragon egg and picked it up.

"A smiley face? Is this normal?" A young girl's voice spoke out beside him. "Are you sure it's not a dud?"

"I don't think so; the egg even had a high-level Dragon Salamander guarding it. Of course, people who don't have enough power or the strength to fight against them would've died in seconds, but the six of us are a different story." The young man arrogantly said. "Either way, let's take this and see what would hatch from it. Who knows, we might get an awesome pet for a companion."

"No. We should sell it." A gruff voice from the back of the man holding the egg spoke. "I've got a very bad feeling coming from that egg. If we keep it with us, there will be trouble, not even the ordinary kind."

"Calm down; your superstition is getting a bit out of hand."

"Yea, we got something good. Let's go."

The short man that spoke out with discomfort kept his mouth shut and glanced at his teammate with worry. They continued on their path until they all came out deep from the mountain canyons and into the bright sunlight. For days, the egg traveled through different terrains as the group fought many rampaging monsters in their travel.

Late at night, shadows moved around in the camp when everyone was sleeping alone. A dangerous glint of the shadow's dagger gleamed underneath the crescent moon. In seconds, the shadow leaped through each sleeping bed and quietly slit all five out of six members' throats in cold sleep. The last one was able to wake up and move out of harm's way, but the heavy toxins in his body made it difficult for him to move.