2 Chapter 2: Dragonborn

"Dragons, gods, magic, creatures you could only find in a fantasy story. A world where almost all myths are real. Power crazed elves collaborating with unknown forces in their war against all others for the fate of Valoren. And in the middle of all this is the one person who's got no clue about any of it.......Me"

Rhaegah thought to himself as he stared out the open window of the Ember Wing inn at the outskirts of Faireim. Nygel briefed Rhaegah about the world he had found himself in and had insisted they stop at the inn to meet with some friends before they head out to Legion. "Some friends? That crazy old bastard actually has friends?" Rhaegah muttered as he headed to the bathroom. "Dragon-born huh? This is gonna be a lot more fun than I expected" he added.

'SPLASH'

Drops of water trickled down his face as he looked into the mirror. Black hair running down in messy waves stopping short of the top of his shoulders with a few strings of hair hanging over the left side of his face over his eye. He ran his hand over the scales that rested under his eyes wondering if this was also because of him being this dragon-born. Deciding he'd leave self-discovery for later, he grabbed a cloth hanging on a nearby pail and dried his face.

"Just how long is this gonna take?"

"Depends on how long you intend to admire yourself" Nygel's voice teased from the room.

"I take it you're done? So where to next?" Rhaegah shot back, drying his hair as he walked towards Nygel.

"As luck would have it, we have one final destination" Nygel replied as he placed his hand on Rhaegah's chest, giving him some of his mana.

"What the-?" Rhaegah was cut short as they were warped through a realm of nothingness. His consciousness battling to remain stable as his mind struggled trying to process what was transpiring around him. The darkness illuminated by tiny balls of light scattered across the nigh infinite space in an explosion of colors as they were once again warped out to face the entrance of a cave.

"What.....What the hell was that?" Rhaegah asked, trying to keep his balance after the mind shattering experience he just had.

"My apologies.....You haven't experienced spatial magic have you?"

"Nope....I skipped that class" Rhaegah replied

"That is surprising…..I always believed earth was devoid of magic" Nygel stated, confusion obvious on his face.

"Oh no…..Cos you-....wait, Spatial magic?"

"Mastery of the direct influence and manipulation of the very space that exists around myself, or anywhere on any realm" Nygel replied. "And move through them of course, in the form of teleportation meaning I can teleport anywhere my mana has been placed" he added "But to teleport with someone else, either myself or my mana must in contact with them"

"So that's why you passed your magic power into me"

"Mana"

"What?" Rhaegah asked eyebrow raised

"Magic power is referred to as mana" Nygel replied

"Whatever....so we have to be connected by your mana or touch directly? And you can only teleport to places you've marked before"

"Precisely. So you DO know of this magic"

"Well let's just say I'm familiar with the concept" Rhaegah stated as he scanned the area which compared to the magical green which made up the forest of Faireim, was a more of a mountainous region with patches of dead trees spread about signifying that plant life was supported here. Turning around as his hair danced in the cold wind that blew passed his face, he could spot snow covered highlands in the distance in the same direction from which the wind blew.

"Where are we?"

"Well child, these are the mountain regions of Anenstead. Two weeks ride from Faireim"

"So just how far can you travel?"

"Like I stated earlier...Wherever my mana exists" Replied Nygel

"But only on one realm at a time. I can go anywhere my mana is on Valoren, but not on Earth" he added.

"Though if I were already on Earth then it would be the reverse"

"So very familiar" Rhaegah chuckled to himself

"We've wasted enough time.....follow me" Nygel said sternly

Into the cave they went, making their way deeper into the cave as Rhaegah made efforts to avoid touching the moss covered walls of the cave. After what seemed like a maze, they ended up facing a wall which Rhaegah by now was already aware of how wrong that thinking was. With a wave of his hand Nygel released mana onto the wall which then gave a low rumble as the shape of a door formed on the wall revealing what lay inside. Stepping through the door, Rhaegah was taken aback by the sheer size of what could be mistaken for the inside of a large castle.

They stepped into a large hall which was also the guild main hall connected to several hallways for easy navigation in the guild as well as being the location for any and all general guild meetings. Rhaegah couldn't help but stare in awe at the reality he was faced with as people rushed about in all directions like a military base preparing for an operation. A group of dwarves trotted by, grunting as they brushed passed him. Halflings who though were about the same height as the dwarves had a skinnier appearance that one could mistake them for children though this was far from the case because like the dwarves, the Halflings regained their small figures regardless of their age. The diversity of creatures in the same guild gave him a hint as to why the guild was named Legion. Still taking all this in, he was snapped back as he laid eyes on an elf in the distance strolling towards him. On seeing her he was again reminded of the encounter in that alley with the dark elves. Looking closely he realized that though she was an elf, there were a number of differences between this elf and the ones that attacked him.

Wood brown hair in waves not as messy as his but still nothing compared to the neat flow the dark elf had. Skin a fair brown shade and eyes a strong blend of chocolate and burnt umber compared to the dark grey skin and black soulless eyes of the dark elf.

"Wood elf, lovely bunch" Nygel noticing Rhaegah's questioning stare at the elf as she walked passed them, stated so as to clarify that not all the elves were evil.

"I figured.....seeing as everyone's reacting normal to her" Rhaegah replied as he kept a close distance with Nygel as they made their way through the crowd and into a connecting hallway. Despite the commotion in the main hall, this corridor was in fact empty save for both of them as they took swift steps down the hallway. Rubbing his hand against the wall Rhaegah could tell this place was carefully crafted as it was a lot smoother than one would expect of a castle wall. At the end of the hallway stood two men guarding the only other door leading out of this hallway. On getting there Rhaegah's eyebrow shot up at the sight of one of the guards. He was mostly humanoid except for the horns on both sides his head, his dark skin, with his body resting firmly on his hind legs as he stood on guard next to the other guard who was in all appearance, human. They both bowed in greeting to Nygel and motioned to stop Rhaegah from going in.

"Harm one hair on his head and I'll make sure not even your mothers would remember you ever existed" Nygel's voice boomed from ahead not even looking their way.

The guards glanced at each other, then at Rhaegah, then at Nygel as he stepped into the room ahead, then back at Rhaegah.....stepping aside more quickly than Rhaegah thought possible as they motioned for him to enter. Rhaegah casually strolled passed them with a smirk on his face as a tail flashed in the corner of his eye as the door shut behind him.

"Was it just me or does that guy have a-"

"A tail? Yes he does....some demons do" Nygel cut in.

"I see" Rhaegah simply stated as he looked around the room. The room was significantly smaller than the main hall and at the same time too big for a personal room as shelves which housed dusty and worn out books were placed on opposite ends of the room. A large round table stood at the center of the room with a number of chairs round it.

"Symonne.....as promised I have brought hope back with me" Nygel shouted slapping the shoulder of a certain older man that seemed to be waiting for their arrival.

"Hmmm I have to admit.....He seems completely ordinary to me" Symonne replied offering Rhaegah a seat at the table.

"Water Lilies?" Rhaegah suddenly thought to himself right before a voice found its way into his very soul.

"He IS the one" the voice spoke as the door slammed shut. Crystal blue eyes rested on spotless ivory skin bringing about a certain glow to them. Silver white hair fell gracefully covering her head in a perfect stream of white but unable to cover the pointy ears that stuck out the side of her head. Auia walked towards him with steady steps as her navy blue attire with a sleeved formal shirt with silver buttons on the right side of the shirt, pants the same shade but a bit firmer than the top. Streams of white along the edges of the overall attire. The outfit which complemented her figure even with the overall appearance of a Count of some sort.

"His power will no doubt be almost impossible to sense as it has been masked by living energy itself making easy to mistake for the energy that flows around the world. It would seem someone went through a lot of trouble to keep his power hidden" Auia explained as she grabbed a seat opposite Rhaegah

"But it's different for me as I can distinguish even the faintest of mana sources. Which is why I was able to locate him on Earth" she added

"Wait....YOU'RE the banshee??!!"

"Banshee?" Nygel asked....."You mean you've seen her before today?"

"Well I thought it was a dream, but I was sure I saw a girl screaming in my room a few days ago cos I was just waking up so I felt it must have been a dream"

"That was you?" Rhaegah added turning towards Auia, eyes sparkling as he scanned the elf who stood in front of him.

"But on a more serious note.....You guys say I've got this power but I've never felt anything out of the ordinary"

Pointing to his scales he added..."These have always been there and at least there's been a way to explain it logically, but besides the drea-" Rhaegah paused as he now began to consider that his constant dreams especially with the addition of the dragon could be referring to all this. Looking up to see the confused faces of the three that stood before him he finally spoke. "Though everything's been pretty normal for me, I've been having this dream for as long as I can remember where I'm in the ruins of a castle. That could be nothing but in this case it's the same castle every time, the exact same castle"

"A castle?" Nygel asked with a spark in his eye as he grabbed unto Rhaegah shoulders. "Tell me was there a dragon in that castle?"

"Yeah there was.....Wait how do you know that?"

"You'll come to realize I know a great deal" Nygel stated as he turned to face Symonne

"It seems his powers truly were sealed but for some reason the power is trying to surface"... "You will have to bring forth the power yourself, at least learn to harness your mana as a dragon-born"

"But won't that take too long? The process of trying to harness newly awakened dragon-born powers is one that can take years of constant meditation" Symonne protested

"But that is the only option we have as there are no divines we can call to assist us" Nygel argued back

"But there must be something we can do to bring forth his powers as soon as we possibly can" Auia added

Rhaegah watched as all three argued with one another and sat on the floor legs crossed as he began to focus, closing his eyes and attempting to drown all the noise from his surroundings while the three kept arguing about what to do about him. Suddenly he found himself in a dark empty space with nothing besides himself present there. Trying to focus even harder he noticed an orb of light glowing rich gold as it hovered over him. He grabbed the orb and was immediately hurled through the dark nothingness till he came face to face with what had brought him here.....The dragon.

Dark red streams of light flowed violently from the dragon and everywhere around Rhaegah until the vast dark space was filled with the dark red mana of the dragon. The dragon then roared as Rhaegah was being drowned and consumed in a whirlpool of the dragon's mana. In the midst of the struggle, he once again saw the gold orb hovering within arm's reach in front of him. Using every ounce of his strength, he stretched forth and grabbed the orb. The orb then expanded and covered him completely, shielding him from the mana that consumed him. With nothing more than pure instincts, he then reached out again to touch the dark red mana that flowed around the orb. Upon contact with the dragon's mana, the orb morphed into what seemed like a funnel sucking all the exerted mana from the dragon into Rhaegah...the mana flowed directly into his chest with extreme force but not enough for Rhaegah to lose sight of what was happening. The mana then flowed into him more smoothly.....shutting his eyes as the dragon itself was absorbed into him.

Nygel suddenly felt a chill in the air as he turned towards Rhaegah eyes wide as a dark aura filled the room. Auia and Symonne feeling it soon after as they all turned to face Rhaegah...the source of this phenomenon as he sat on the floor, legs crossed and eyes closed as the aura took a dark red glow signifying his mana had manifested, constantly seeping out until it had filled the room rendering Symonne and Auia weakened to the knees and Nygel still standing in anticipation of what would happen next. The powerful aura then flowed out to the rest of the guild as everyone was either too weak to stand or had been rendered unconscious. The aura thickened to the extent it choked those not strong enough to stand this pressure.

Still in the room, sweat began to trickle down Nygel's face as he mumbled the words "Not you too" as all the mana that had seeped out started being absorbed into Rhaegah. Dead silence fell upon the entire guild, fear roaming freely in their minds yet unaware of what was going on in the inner hall. Three figures stood in anticipation...their steady gaze on the crouched figure before them as with a heavy sigh, Rhaegah opened his eyes. All three of them shocked as the normal black of his eyes were no more. Glowing red eyes burned into the minds of all three of them bringing a certain dark feeling of death but at the same time pulsing with sheer power as he stared straight at them.

"You.....what just happened?" Symonne's shaky voice came as he managed to get up.

"I believe you wanted him to harness his power" Nygel replied....."Well, there you have it" he added with the biggest grin Rhaegah had seen

"Such raw power...and just by releasing his aura to his surroundings" Auia gently said as she stared inquisitively at Rhaegah at the same time developing a certain level of fear of what he could do if he ever lost control of his power.

"Now that's more like it" Rhaegah beamed with excitement....."I feel so much power flowing in me" he added staring at his hands that seemed to ooze raw power

"So just what can i-" his words cut short as he dashed to the side with unimaginable speed just as a sword tore through where his head had been. Still on motion he doubled back, hitting the sword at the hilt sending it flying, catching it mid-air and pointing it at the throat of his attacker which he just realized was Auia still stretching her arm out to stab him.

"Never mind.....I think I get the general idea now" Rhaegah said, placing the sword in Auia's hand. "WAIT!! What if I couldn't dodge that?"

"Well congratulations, you did" Auia replied plainly, hiding her shaking hands from view as the fear she was feeling earlier was now certified.

"If I recall correctly-" Nygel began, looking towards Symonne

"None besides myself have ever disarmed Auia" Symonne finished the statement still in awe of what just happened.

"So what powers come with me being a dragon-born?"

"Dragon-born powers depend on the power of their soul" Symonne replied, taking curious steps towards Rhaegah.

"Their soul?" Rhaegah asked eyebrow raised.

"Dragon-born are the physical reincarnation of the great dragons of old. When a dragon is defeated, its soul is reborn with a different physical form but the soul remains the same" Nygel explained. "Therefore a dragon-born's power is based on the power the dragon itself had...The ember dragon-born of fire, the frost dragon-born of ice but in unique cases water, nature, gold-"

"I get it.....So what dragon-born am I then?"

"The dark dragon-born" Auia replied "Able to harness-"

"Whatever elemental power he chooses to master...as the dark dragon-born can adapt to another dragon's power once his power is awakened and takes a particular element as his own" Nygel interrupted, taking in Auia's questioning glare.

"So I choose whatever dragon power I want as my own core power?"

"You catch on fast" Symonne answered sharing a knowing glance with Nygel.

"But choose wisely as others have no choice of power which is something you do" Nygel added

A knock came on the door and with that a young man, much younger than Nygel and Symonne stepped in. The man was what you would call skinny with his skin tight trousers and slightly loose long sleeved shirt. Short brown hair with trimmed beards on his round face. A sword in hand and a pouch on his side. No sooner had he stepped in did the two guards follow suit.

Herke, the human guard observed the room while Neban, the demon simply kept his gaze on Rhaegah.

"Lorris my friend, what brings you here?" Symonne asked turning back to face Rhaegah

"The members are all wondering what is happening. They feel as though another attack is upon us" Lorris replied as he turned to Rhaegah. "Who is this child?" he asked

"Someone of no negative consequence I assure you" Nygel answered

"Negative consequence is exactly what your presence brings with it" Lorris stated crossly

"If he wasn't with us we would've never stood a chance during the last attack" Auia replied not even sparing him a glance

"My point exactly" Lorris muttered under his voice but not enough to escape Rhaegah's ears

"Thank you Lorris. That will be all" Symonne finally spoke, bringing the conversation to an end as Lorris left the room, shutting the door behind him. Herke and Neban remained in the room with their attention on Rhaegah as if already interrogating him with their eyes.

"He is the dragon-born we've been searching for" Symonne said, seeing the relaxation in their faces made the question in their minds obvious.

"So all of that was him?" Herke asked

"No doubt it was him....I could already feel the darkness in him when he walked passed me" Neban added, paying no attention to the questioning glare on Rhaegah's face. "I guess any other piece of information will reach our ears in due time" He stated again

"What?! I've got a lot of questions to ask hi-" was all Herke could blurt out as Neban dragged him out of the room throwing a knowing glance at Symonne.

"Indeed...I will explain everything soon enough" Symonne replied with a smile as Neban's complete trust in him was something he never fully understood

"I apologize on his behalf...Lorris means well" Symonne said turning to Rhaegah.

"He's been on edge since the attack on our last guild building"

"Yeah...cos he probably planned it" Rhaegah stated under his voice

"What was that?" Nygel asked with a curious stare at Rhaegah

"Nothing...It was nothing. So how do I develop these powers you guys were talking about?"

"Hmmm.....I see" Nygel threw a curious glance at him almost as if he knew exactly what he said. "Now child, that depends on the person. But I don't expect it to be that long with your power level" Nygel added

"But first we must depart for a while"

"Where the hell are you taking me this time?" Rhaegah asked, frustration obvious on his face

"Not you.....Symonne, we must move with haste. I trust Auia will help train our young dragon while we're away?" Nygel asked with his hand placed on Symonne's shoulder with which after she gave a nod of agreement, both he and Symonne were instantly warped out of the room.

"We will proceed to the guild master's training hall. Herke! Neban! You shall accompany us too" Auia ordered as they made their way out of the meeting room into the hall. Halfway down the hall she flipped a small sculpture which then opened a doorway. Down the stairs they came to a large room big enough to fit a basketball court but was round as balls of lights hovered round the room illuminating the stack of weapons that hung at one end of the room and a sort of center stage that stood at a higher elevation than the rest of the room.

"Before we go into your magical powers which is the only thing you seem to be interested in.....I would like to test your skill with a blade...If it's not too much trouble" Auia stated as she motioned for him to pick a weapon from the rack. Taking a good long look at the weapons before him, Rhaegah decides to go for a one-handed long sword. He turns around to face Auia who gestures for him to get on the stage as she also took to the stage. Now on the stage, Rhaegah swings the sword around a bit to take its weight in and keeping a steady gaze on Auia who simply stood there, sword sheathed with her hands behind her declaring a sense of superiority as Herke and Neban watched them from a safe distance.

"This looks exactly like when you were bent on sparring with her when you first joined us" Herke teased Neban who ignored him completely

"Are you done playing with the sword?" Auia asked plainly

"Pretty much cos-"Rhaegah's statement was cut short as Auia charged at him with blinding speed and her hand stretched out to give a direct hit at his chest. The attack pushed him a few feet back as Auia then smirked, looking closely to see his arm raised over his chest to take the attack.

"Not bad...I did not expect you to see that attack" Auia smirked as she charged again even faster than the previous attempt. Rhaegah as if reacting to her actions swung the sword in a downward arc just as Auia got to him but right before it came in contact with her, she stomped her foot to the right which then changed her course and propelled her towards the left and drove her elbow to his side. The pain shot through his body...his ribs feeling as though they would break from the hit. Auia, still on the attack crouched low and with a sharp spin and with a strike to his legs took him off the ground before she then followed with a kick to his gut sending him off the stage.

"URGH!" Rhaegah landed with a thud as Auia stood over him with the most condescending the proud smile on her face.

"I take it you're still upset about it huh?" Rhaegah said with a challenging smile on his face.

"You were lucky.....A fact which I will carve into you" Auia replied sharply

"Why so serious? Looking for revenge that bad?" Rhaegah asked as he got back up and motioned for her to follow him up the stage once more.

They stood facing each other as Rhaegah focused on his mana and as soon as he felt a reaction in his body he charged at Auia, sword in hand as he swung hard only for her to deflect the blade with her hand. Not slowing in momentum he simply passed the sword to his left hand and spun round to strike lower this time but was again thwarted as she took a step back to let the blade swing passed her, dashing forward once again to strike his wrist sending the sword flying out of his hand.

"Just how long to you plan to take it easy on me? Cos I strongly advice against it" Rhaegah said calmly, stepping off the stage to the weapons rack where he then picked up two short twin swords and without hesitation stepped onto the stage. Auia suddenly felt a chill in the air as Rhaegah's stance was even more intimidating and his breathing became steady as he stared at her with cold eyes.

Dark red aura seemed to flash right before Rhaegah charged at her so fast it appeared as though he had teleported to where she was standing. With a swift swing of his sword he struck down at her as the impact sent objects around them flying away from the stage raising dust around the room. Herke was eyes wide with shock while Neban said nothing. The dust cleared to show Auia's sword raised to block the attack. Kicking back, she pushed back at Rhaegah, the clangs of metal against metal resounding as their sword play doubled in speed.

This back and forth swing of the sword with strikes to mislead your opponent reminded Rhaegah of his many tennis matches with Kaneko and was currently thankful that Kaneko was such a monster as their super-fast paced matches had somewhat helped strengthen his senses. A powerful clash of their swords pushed them apart giving enough space for him to catch his breath as sweat rolled down his face unlike his opponent who seemed to have too much stamina to spare.

"You're wearing yourself out with those forced movements"

"Lemme guess....I've gotta be one with my sword and stuff right?" Rhaegah teased

"You react well but you make unnecessary movements which drain your stamina" Auia replied as she closed the distance in a moment met with Rhaegah's sword to block her advance.

"Each step, movement, gesture and even your breathing must be deadly and precise with intent to devour your opponent" she added as she spun round and swung low but was blocked again as Rhaegah swiftly blocked with his right blade before her sword reached him. Tightening his grip on his swords he burst forth pushing Auia back as he advanced towards her with near blinding speed, now within range of his sword Rhaegah swung as hard as he could and Auia stood her ground to take the attack head-on.

'BOOM'

The impact shook the very room as the two locked swords, Auia now slightly impressed by the raw strength Rhaegah possessed. A drop of sweat trickled down her face as she realized he was going to win this battle of strength. Both swords pressed on Auia's blade he pushed down on her with intent to break her sword if possible. He then raised one sword to strike just as Auia's mana shot out and flowed around her sword giving her the strength to push him back. She pushed his sword and dashed forward, driving her sword to his neck. Rhaegah, now in control of his mana had his senses heightened to scary proportions as he watched the sword come straight for his neck.

He dashed towards Auia's sword showing intent to take the attack head on. The sword was but a hair's breadth from his face when he channeled his mana to his feet as he stomped the floor and was gone from sight. Auia simply stepped forward and drove her fist straight through the empty space in front of her and with a punch to his chest Auia halted his high speed movements and sent Rhaegah steps away, granting her the time and space to attack as she swung her sword straight for his arm.

Rhaegah seeing this attack parried swiftly, sparks flying about to show the force behind each swing. Rhaegah then swung hard with his left arm in an outward arc towards her neck but was foiled as she stepped back then forward so fast the blade seemed to phase through her as she attacked again giving Rhaegah no time to collect his thoughts. Realizing he was getting cornered, Rhaegah then leapt over her, landing on the other end of the stage with his back to her.

Rhaegah took a deep breath, eyes closed as he let his senses acclimate till he could perceive everything that was occurring around him from Auia's impatient breathing to Herke and Neban's curious stares were etched into his mind as he turned swiftly and threw the sword in his right hand straight at Auia as he began charging towards her. Auia shut her eyes and gave a disappointed sigh realizing that this boy was underestimating her. She opened her eyes to see Rhaegah within breathing space with his sword raised as his body was covered in dark red mana. Too shocked to process this, she simply raised her sword to block the incoming attack. With a smirk Rhaegah all but vanished from sight with blinding speed as his mana greatly boosted his agility. Auia still shocked from Rhaegah's sudden appearance was made to simply watch as Rhaegah's sword which he threw initially was now merely a few centimeters from her neck at which at the same time Rhaegah appeared behind her and made to strike from behind, giving her no time to react as he stepped forward with mana covered fists to deliver the final blow.

"This does not bode well" Neban finally spoke

"Yeah...Auia seems to have met more than she can handle" Herke replied with pure excitement in his eyes

"You misunderstand.....The boy seems to have riled her up" Neban replied as he watched the fight with cautious eyes as both Rhaegah and the sword he threw were sent flying off the stage away from Auia.

A gush of water burst out from a magic circle under Auia's feet and seemed to form another layer of armor over her clothes. Her sword now glowing with power as her mana flowed into it. Rhaegah struggled to get up as he looked to the stage as Auia simply stood there and with a slight shift of her foot, she was suddenly standing over Rhaegah just as the force of her movement sent a rush of wind in all directions. Her sword tip resting on Rhaegah's neck, he looked up to see the anger in her eyes.

"Fine.....You win" Rhaegah surrendered with arms raised

"Wise" She coldly replied

The layer of water dissipated as she sheathed her sword and helped him up. She stared at him as he dusted himself up. It had been a while since she'd been forced to use her mana cloak.

"It would seem you at least have some skill with a sword" she praised him with a new found respect

"Where did you learn to fight with a blade?" She asked as they made their way towards Herke and Neban

"Long story...And you probably won't believe me even if I told you" He replied "I guess magic circles are a thing here huh?" He added

"Those magic circles are called Mandalas. Spells need to be cast individually but when mages need to cast multiple spells at once the sequences are all brought together by a mandala" Auia explained

"It would seem your battle skills have dulled for the boy to back you into a corner and even make you use a Tier 2 magic spell" Herke teased

"Then perhaps you would be happy to prove my inferiority by sparring with said boy" Auia replied him as Herke then took a glance at Rhaegah and then to Neban who only shook his head.

"You know what? Maybe next time as the boy seems to be exhausted and will not put up much of a fight"

"Oh c'mon Herke.....I've got lots of strength to spare" Rhaegah smiled mockingly

"You just want to hear me say it huh? I don't intend to lose my life so early. My lady would be torn by grief" Herke finally submitted as he stepped through the door leading out of the training room. Neban shut the door and turned to speak with Rhaegah when his attention was suddenly drawn towards the stage, his gaze steady on the figures that stepped down from the stage.

"Your senses are indeed worthy of one from the demon race" Lorris stepped down from the stage and gestured towards the figures behind him as they then revealed themselves. Elves...numbering six in total stepped in front of him facing the three that stood against them, worry apparent on their faces as Auia made for the door only to find that the door had been sealed with mandalas as well as the rest of the room preventing escape.

"Lorris, behind you!!!" Auia exclaimed

"Get away from them quickly, their magic is dangerous" Auia stated again as Rhaegah watched her closely noticing that she had not seen the obvious reason Lorris was with the elves. Normally one would want to let them know and get this over with, but Rhaegah decided against it as he pondered several strategies to take the enemy out when the obvious battle begins.

"Foolish child, you will fall here this time as those irritating duo have ventured elsewhere" Lorris stated noticing the grim expression form on Auia's face. "So how about we start this anew but with your certain demise" He added

An explosive wave of mana swarmed the room with Auia at its center, a deadly gaze set on Lorris. Vicious mana flowed violently round the room as Auia stepped towards Lorris, the intense rage evident on her face as Lorris took a step back in fear of what was making its way towards him. "All those deaths" Auia stated in a lowly voice as the sound of several voices of friends in the wind made their way to her mind "YOU KILLED THEM!!!" She screamed with rage as the elves rushed forward to attack her.

"We'll take care of them...Go ahead" Neban calmly stated with trained eyes on the elves as Auia zoomed passed them to face Lorris. Now merely inches from his face Auia sliced down at him raising dust into the air as her sword made contact. Two of the dark elves had dashed to protect Lorris by blocking the attack, pushing her back to create some distance between them. The four remaining elves rushed towards Neban who stood his ground appearing unmovable as he reached out instinctively and grabbed one of the elves instantly halting his advance and tossing him to the side with inhuman strength which sent him crashing into the wall leaving three still dashing towards him.

The three dark elves charged at Neban daggers drawn, taking a step back he stretched his right arm and a mandala appeared and a spear materialized in his hand which he then used to parry their attacks, all three moving faster than the eyes could see. The clash ended with Neban holding his lance to block a double attack from the two elves turning their fight into a battle of strength.

Seeing as Neban was busy trying to fend off the two elves, the third rushed for his back to deliver a fatal blow on Neban. He braced for the blow when Rhaegah instantly appeared and deflected the attack

"I assume I don't have to hold back against them huh?" Rhaegah's grin widened as sweat trickled down the elf's fear ridden face.

"Yeah...wreak havoc" Neban replied now focused on the two in front of him. He pushed them back, turning to see dark aura mixed with blood red mana burst out from Rhaegah, a mad grin appeared on his face as he lunged forward stretching his hand and grabbing the elf's face hurling him across the room. Stopping short of the wall he flung the elf towards the wall knocking him out in the process. Now deciding to go help Auia he made his way around Neban who seemed to have things down on his end and was rushing to Auia when a dagger tore through the air towards him at a deadly speed to the precise spot his head would be in a split second.

At an insane speed he put all the pressure into his leg, causing him to divert from his initial direction and sent him dashing towards the left now facing the dagger as he raised his sword and deflected the dagger. Looking up to where the dagger had been thrown from, he recognized the elf that Neban had tossed to the side initially when all four charged at Neban.

"I figured you'd be out cold from the impact" Rhaegah said with a mocking smile on his face as the elf charged at him. The elf ran across the room so fast he was within breathing distance from Rhaegah in a mere moment, plunging the dagger straight for Rhaegah's neck.

Blood dropped to the floor as Rhaegah stood with shock evident on his face. The elf's grip tightened on the dagger as Rhaegah continued to bleed.

"Hehe.....And he continues to amaze" Neban thought to himself as he looked over to Rhaegah who had his hand around the blade of the dagger stopping it a hair's breadth from his neck. Squeezing the blade in his hand Rhaegah felt the blade crack from the pressure he applied on it. The elf drove his foot to hit him which Rhaegah dodged by pushing back on the dagger sending the elf a few feet back. Staring at his bleeding hand Rhaegah realized this was the first time he had actually seen his blood due to injury which contrary to what people would think actually excited him because he was now sure he was at least human...even if he only half.

Over where Auia was hell bent on having Lorris head, she stood faced with two elves proving to be the wall she had to break down to get to him.

"If you have built enough resolve to die for him, then humbly accept my wrath"

"Water Tendrils"

Auia's cold eyes revealed her killing intent as a mandala formed around her and with it came a burst of water which seemed to swirl around her but steadily settled as tendrils anchored at her feet. Dashing forward the elves made to stop her advance when the tendrils as if having a will of their own shot out towards the elves leaving them no choice but to defend themselves. The tendrils lashed out at the elves as they struggled to keep up with the speed the tendrils moved. Dodging them the elves struck at the tendrils only to have their attacks slip through them but still retaining their form. A tendril shot at one of the elves who moved with unbelievable reflexes as he jumped towards a nearby wall then off to the stage in an attempt to throw the tendril off but it was relentless in its attack as it simply flowed back and forth following the elf in whatever direction he took.

Seeing no other way to avoid it the elf slammed his palm on the ground and a wall of earth rose to block the incoming attack but was quickly shown the error in his decision when the tendril suddenly split going around the wall both ways to strike its stunned prey. The tendril finally made contact sending the elf flying and then caught in another approaching tendril keeping him in place. The other elf wasn't having a better time as all remaining seven tendrils shot straight at him leaving him no place to run to.

Stretching his arms wide he focused as seven mandalas formed around him sending balls of fire hurling towards each of the tendrils. The impact caused an explosion raising steam and dust into the air. The dust cleared to show seven tendrils still rushing at him completely covered in ice but still retaining their flexible trait. Unrelenting in their attacks the tendrils lashed out at him as he struggled to fend them off slashing and deflecting from all angles until one pierced his shoulder pinning him to the wall behind him. Auia had lunged at Lorris sword drawn to run it through his chest.

"AUIA.....WATCH OUT HE-!" Neban's warning came too late as she was suddenly stuck in place unable to move. Looking up at Lorris he had his hand stretched towards her with a mandala the color she recognized all too well...The dark violet mana of demon magic. She stumbled to her knees as her mana was being absorbed by Lorris.

"You...where did you get that power?" Auia's question was met with only a sinister chuckle from Lorris who had victory evident in his eyes.

"Where you say? Let's just say hanging around them has its many advantages" Lorris finally replied looking towards the two elves who were now free of the tendrils as the drain Auia was too much to keep them active. With water dripping from both and blood dripping from one, they made their way towards Auia who was already too weak to move.

"So even your 3rd tier magic is useless against this power.....Lord Mazarel has truly discovered something wonderful" Lorris rejoiced as two elves came crashing beside him.

"I'd like to hear all about it when I'm done with you" Neban stated, taking steady steps towards Lorris whose wide grin was now replaced with a large frown. Stretching his other hand towards the elves who stood between him and Neban, a mandala formed in his hand. The markings on the bodies of the elves glowed in response as their eyes turned white leaving a doll-like expression on all four of them as they made their way towards Neban. They moved like puppets without strings in their staggering steps and even the elf who had been injured by Auia's magic completely ignored the bleeding shoulder and made clumsy steps towards him.

"This is bad" Neban thought cos as one from the demon race he was familiar with the magic which would imbue one with power but since the power was too much for the average person their minds would have to be sacrificed as the price for using such power. A dark violet aura now seeped from all four elves as they charged him at nerve wrecking speed which took all he could to fend off their attacks. Spinning his spear around as he deflected their daggers and then struck when an opening could be found. Their relentless attacks pushed him back as the force from their attacks had grown exponentially making this fight even more of a challenge than the initial battle. Stabbing his spear into the ground burying the blade he spun around the shaft and landed on the tip of the shaft, mandalas forming in his hands as he waved his hands forming a spell.

"Get him! Whatever you do...STOP THAT SPELL!" Lorris screamed knowing what Neban was planning to do. The elves dashed at him in an attempt to stop whatever spell was going to be cast. They leapt off the ground and were inches away from Neban right as his hands came together as all the lights in the room suddenly died.

"Obscuris"

The elves struck at Neban but only cut through a shadow left behind as the room was now in darkness. Rhaegah who stood with an unconscious elf in his hand looked back to see four elves staggering about and a fear crazed man behind them. With a smile on his face Rhaegah looked around at the figure moving at an incredible speed through the mist. "This just keeps getting interesting" He tossed the elf in his hand towards Lorris and took off after it in the same direction. The unconscious elf landed with a loud thud next to Lorris who shakily took a few steps back in fear.

"Where are you? Show yourself you demon!" Lorris screamed in fear as Rhaegah appeared in front of one of the elves and with a mana charged fist punched so hard the force sent the elf across the room crashing into the pile of weapons knocking him out.

"Get that one.....Kill him!" Lorris commanded the elves who immediately rushed at him daggers in hand as Rhaegah looked up at them with a mocking smile on his face.

"You DO realize I'm not alone" Rhaegah stated as a blade flashed by, severing the heads of two of the elves leaving one elf still rushing at Rhaegah. The elf stopped in his tracks and looked down at his body to see a sword sticking out of his gut.

"You ungrateful scum.....I believe I was to take your head" Auia's voice came from behind the elf. Dragging her sword out she made her way towards Lorris with slow steps each reassuring him he was going to die. He took a step back but bumped into something behind him as Neban placed a knife at his throat.

"NEVER!!!.....NOT LIKE THIS!!? Lorris screamed as his entire body burst with dark mana pushing all three back and clearing the dark mist in the process. "Even if it costs me my life...I WILL KILL YOU!? He screamed again as a broad-sword materialized in his hand that glowed in response to the mana that oozed from him. He slammed his sword on the ground as three large mandalas formed under the three dead elves that lay in front of him.

"Undead Guardians" He muttered as the elves were covered in dark violet mana and were consumed by the mana until three hulking figures stood in their place. Black blood dripping from them as they gave out a deadly roar and rushed towards Auia and Rhaegah, the ground shaking with each step they took. One of them threw a fist at Rhaegah who stopped the attack with his hand, dust rising up behind him showing the force the brute hit him with. Sending a punch straight for its face, the creature swiftly blocked his punch like its hulking figure was of no hindrance to its movements. It wrapped its hand around Rhaegah's and tossed him to the side with so much force he was sent flying towards the door crashing into it as he grit his teeth from the impact. Auia wasn't faring better either as the other two were relentless in their attacks leaving her to fend off their attacks with her sword alone due to Lorris absorbing her mana.

"HAHAHAHA! Yes.....Slaughter them all" Lorris yelled as his face began to crack from the power he was forcing his body to handle just as a figure flashed in the corner of his eye. Neban lunged at him knife in hand but was stopped in his tracks when Lorris simply raised his hand and grabbed him by the neck.

"You are an irritation I would like to destroy, but my lord will be pleased if I present him with a demon this powerful" Lorris said as a portal opened up beside him and hands so rotten it was as though the dead were coming forth reached out and grabbed Neban and pulled him into the portal closing it in the process.

"NOOOOOO!!!" Auia screamed as the portal closed just as an undead guardian rammed her with his fore arm sending her into the wall. Rhaegah dashed to her side but was too concerned for her safety to notice the brute that appeared right beside him. Realizing he couldn't stop his movements he spun to attack the guardian but his punch was blocked as he had used an inadequate amount of force rendering the punch useless against the guardian. The guardian then grabbed on to him with its fore arm pressed against his throat cutting off his oxygen and leaving him struggling to get free. His vision began to blur making him realize he was really going to die here.

"So this is where inexperience gets you"

"What was I even thinking when I followed that old fart anyway?"

"Shit I'm gonna black out.....Damn this"

"Am I really gonna die here with so many unanswered questions? When I've relied on stupidity and come all the way here?"

These thoughts ran through his mind then he looked over to Auia who was now at the mercy of two undead guardians. Lorris then came to view and made his way towards Rhaegah, arm stretched to grab him.

"No.....I can't be defeated here.....I just can't die here...not now"

"I wonder why Symonne is so interested in you anyway.....But it is evident that you hold dangerous power" Lorris stated as he grabbed Rhaegah.

Rhaegah struggled to stay conscious but his strength had deserted him as he gave one final struggle before finally collapsing, his eyes shut as he lost all consciousness.

"My lord will be most impressed with what I will presen-"

A loud boom was heard as powerful mana burst in an explosion with Rhaegah at its center. Dark red mana so visible rushed out in all directions sending those nearby flying from the force bringing with it a feeling of death as Lorris looked upon the figure causing this phenomenon. Lightning as black as night erupted from all around him and bursting out in loud crackles almost deafening those in the room. Looking at him now Auia could no longer recognize the irritable boy she had met a while ago as what stood in his place was a being covered in an aura so dark only the glowing red of its eyes could be seen, giving off the kind of mana pressure made even the undead guardians cower in fear of the sheer power that resided in him. Rhaegah turned his head slowly to face the two undead at Auia's side, his figure flickering in the dark aura that had cloaked him when suddenly the two undead guardians crumbled to ashes with Rhaegah standing where they were. Lorris looked towards Auia and then back to where Rhaegah was standing a moment ago only to realize what he had been staring at was only Rhaegah's afterimage. The last undead still being crushed by fear began to stagger away from Rhaegah as glowing red orbs looked to its direction just as it began to cry out in pain as the glowing red eyes were now mere inches from it with Rhaegah's hand dug into its chest and flooding its insides with massive bolts of pitch black lightning as the final undead guardian died with a massive explosion leaving a weakened Auia and a terrified Lorris who had now realized why Symonne risked it all for this boy.

"D..DRA..DRAGON-BORN!!! YOU CAN'T BE!!.....IT'S IMPOSSIBLE!!" Lorris screamed as realization dawned on him. "You will fall here.....Even if my life be paid in return! YOU WILL FALL HERE!" Lorris screamed again before charging at Rhaegah sword drawn as the crack on his face began to spread due to the immense power he was attempting to control forcefully.

"AAAAARRRRRGGGGGHHHHHH!!!" Lorris cried out as he slashed down at Rhaegah with all the might in his arms with the mana exploding on contact with Rhaegah as the sword hit. The force from the explosion sent everything around them flying and crashing all about. Auia used her arms to shield herself from the throwback force sending her to the far corner of the room.

The dust cleared to show Lorris standing with the face of one who had seen the reaper himself. His sword still stretched forward and Rhaegah's hand around the blade of the sword as the attack had not harmed him in the slightest. He tightened his grip on the blade, shattering all but the hilt of the sword. Lorris fell to the ground as fear had rendered him unable to stay on is feet leaving him lying on the floor with majority of his body beginning to crumble. Rhaegah picked him up by the neck until he was face to face with him. Those cold red eyes dug into his soul and rendered all defiance useless. With a low growl Rhaegah released his grip on Lorris leaving his body suspended in the air as massive currents began to bore their way out of him tearing him apart until a final explosion signified the end of Lorris. Looking round the room Rhaegah then gave off a deadly roar that shook the very room shattering the spell that kept them trapped in the room, the walls cracking from the roar. Auia could only stare as she could think of nothing she could do to bring Rhaegah back to his normal self. The roar finally stopped and the dark aura began to dissipate along with the nerve wrecking bolts of lightning that seemed to curl around him as though they were alive. The figure now rested on the hilt of a sword with his back to Auia. She got up and slowly made her way towards the panting figure just as the figure looked back with red eyes glowing like tiny red fireballs were implanted into his head. He said nothing but Auia was sure he looked her over from head to toe as if searching for something and right after he was done his eyes returned to their regular crimson red color as he lost his balance and collapsed but was caught before he hit the ground.

"You're ok huh? Awesome" The words escaped his lips as he looked over at Auia to be sure she was alright and the moment the words left him.....his consciousness faded as he passed out.

"Take him to the healer.....he must not die Herke" Auia ordered as Herke looked at the unconscious boy in his arms.

"What happened her-?"

"Herke! Now!!" Auia's tone rose drastically, the rage evident in her voice as Herke picked him up and dashed out of the room as Auia took staggering steps towards the door when one of the unconscious elves got up and dashed after her when a flash of light passed his eyes as his head fell and his body followed after.

"What in the name of the gods happened here!?" Symonne's voice boomed from behind her as he wiped his dagger.

"Rhaegah...he-" Her reply was cut short when Symonne dashed towards her and placed both hands on her shoulders.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine Symonne, but Rhaegah is-"

"What monster could have done this much damage to this place?" Nygel asked himself as he took in the amount of destruction that had befallen a place that could not be damaged by any means.

"Rhaegah" Auia replied "Rhaegah did"

Symonne's grip tightened as he looked straight at Auia as he finally spoke

"What exactly happened here?"