A Spark Of Defiance

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Alright lads, same rule as always: If you see something, say something. Any mistakes at all just say it and I'll correct it.

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Tears rolled down my face as I sobbed with joy, hugging Scola's head as she froze in shock. As both of us joyfully celebrated for different reasons, a frail looking hand clenched into a fist behind closed silver doors.

…

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POV: Tyvelia

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I had felt it the moment it happened, a massive burst of magic. It wasn't someone wielding the elements, but shifting the laws of the world. Feeling the tinge of enlightening magic, I hesitated for a moment, however there is nothing worse to a dragon than having something stolen from them.

To lose an Irn without giving it up is like having a piece of yourself forcefully taken. Your strength is instantly regressed from what it once was, leaving one with permanent damage to their soul, magic veins, or worse.

'I will not be humiliated by some underhanded light wielder!'

I could feel my face distort into a snarl before all feeling faded away. My body began to meld with the shadows as they rushed forward, my vision accompanying this roaring wave of darkness. I strongly tethered my consciousness onto the gloom I had left with him, searching the room for the assailant before my physical body arrived.

However with what I found, I slowed my approach as I arrived behind the door. As my body reformed against the door, I created a sliver of an opening and connected with the remaining shadows within the room. The caverns were now completely under my control, with every silhouette and shadow becoming an avenue for my surveillance.

This was all in spite of the fact that I was focusing mainly on Deus. Once again, he was emitting a strange glow. This time, it was blue, and was accompanied by a stream of magic. This magic stream was exactly what had caught my attention initially before it began to reach out beyond anything that was within my margin of freedom. The moment its connection reached towards the infinite void, I decided to cut it off. Tainting the stream of light with a dark shadow, I cut off the connections it was attempting to establish. However this was not before it could reach out towards Victaya. I then watched as the wavering, flame-like image of the boy grasped onto Scola, crying tears of joy into the young maid who was struggling to find some form of mental purchase and respond to him in kind.

Under normal circumstances I would have simply walked in and either demanded or drawn out an explanation for him.

Such was the right of one's master or ruler.

But I already had a fairly good idea of what happened. He had always been eager to leave from the moment I brought him here. I had time and time again dissuaded him from having such thoughts, whether through intimidation or a simple show of force.

'But now he has an idea of where to go.'

That is what I assumed, he had either contacted or found where he belonged. My thoughts wandered to simply permanent breaking his physique, shattering his body and rendering him incapable of movement. It was a solid plan, however I still wasn't sure how his magic worked despite its similarities to the magic I knew of. And disrupting his magic veins to prevent him from healing himself could kill him.

So while it was solid for a temporary plan, it wasn't practical in the long term.

And so, with a number of questions whirling in my mind, I decided to hold off on doing anything.

I closed back the silver doors, coating the hinges with shadows to prevent any creaking as I took my leave.

Now I slowly walked towards my den, the bone white wavering outlines of the stillness around me accompanying my thoughts as I returned.

…

It had been the one thing I had been hoping for. A reason to press on and move forward. I was jumping up and down as I bounded over to the shelf.

Maria was at the very least alive and I knew her location! And whatever this new ability was, it had shown me where. This meant that if I could control it, perhaps I could consistently find her and more with ease.

I picked out several books from the shelf, feeling more excited than I ever had in this ridiculously cruel world. Finally I had some kind of lead!

After picking out about seven promising tome sized guides on magic, geography, ecology, dragons, and biology, I began planning out my next couple moves.

Knowing where Maria was is one thing, getting to her is another. Given how massive the world in my vision I had seen in my vision was, I was completely out of element. From woodland wilds to empty plains of obsidian and devastation. The environment around me was insane.

First thing I would have to learn is magic. As of now, I knew that she was in victaya, but I don't want to lose track of her in the time it would take to reach her. So with that in mind I'll learn to control my power and see if there was anything else I could do. I would also have to train my body. I wasn't unfit, but I also wasn't prepared for a multi continental journey. Then, only then, once I have done those things will I thoroughly research the environments that I will have to cross to reach Victaya. I have a feeling that I will lose a lot of confidence just by learning about the Ironwood Forest so getting in shape and then perfecting said shape would probably be wise.

I flopped back into the bed, my sudden burst of energy tiring me out. Even so, I had a massive grin on my face. I suddenly felt a heavy weight plop itself on my chest. Scola's inky black eyes stared into my own as she rested her head on my chest. Smiling, I placed my hand on Scola's head and began to pet it.

An almost chittering purr was emitted from deep within her throat as her mouth-parts clicked and clacked.

It was almost unreal. I had been thrown into this whole mess about a week ago. About a week ago I had little to nothing. No power, no weapons, no tools, and no hope.

And now I had a single thread of hope to tether the little sanity I had together. And despite my excitement, I knew that the moment it disappeared, I would lose it.

My smile dulled as slowly but surely, reality set in. If perhaps it was just me and Scola, this journey might have been possible. However there was a literal minor world power down the hall from me. And she doesn't seem like the type to let her things out of her sight. On top of that, even if I asked her to go get Maria, I have no idea what her response would be.

I am apparently extraordinarily "intoxicating" in her own words, and yet I was thrown around like a rag doll for thinking about escaping.

The idea of me looking for someone else might make Tyvelia go out of her way to find and kill Maria.

I couldn't let that happen.

Otherwise any effort I ever make might be for nothing.