Chapter 24

Hide quickly jumped into a battle position, low to the ground, his flowing tail looking sharp and focused as it raised in the air to face Arison.

"I see you've learned at least one battle position. How adorable. You're nowhere near as smart as my Tsuki here. She's a master in medicine and combat. My darling, we could use you on my army. You could replace one of the halfwits I left behind." Arison offered.

Tsuki's eyes had begun watering. She looked down at the sand below her.

"I waited for two years. Eight hundred and thirty-five days. I've met new dragonets. I've fallen in love. You really think I'm going to give up these dragonets, just because you realized you adopted a warrior bird?" Tsuki asked, rage building up in her eyes.

Hide looked down at his talon, noticing the dark beige sand color rippling up his scales. He soon found Arison staring at him, confusion in his eyes. Hide slowly began moving, his tail covering up his prints in the sand, as he made his way closer. He crouched in front of Arison for a moment, as he scanned the den.

Takashi and Suna both looked at Hide, as they knew his fatal flaw. Hide didn't make the ground below him, and himself the same color. To a stranger's eye, it looked the same, but Hide's color was off by a tad. They knew, and saw.

Hide quickly lunged at Arison, his Prussian blue ripping through the dark beige. Hide's sclera turned black, his light blue eyes heavily contrasting his body. A blinding light came from Hide's mouth, as he readied himself for the blast.

In a flash, something heavy hit him in the head, and he fell off Arison, and into the sand. Hide's eyelids felt heavy, and everyone's legs seemed to bleed together. He heard Tsuki, and Takashi's muffled voices, and their faces as they came to his aid. He felt Suna's radiant warmth from behind. He heard muffled grunts, the clangs of metal, and the sound of chains being opened. Everything else went black.

When Hide awoke, he found himself in a library. The colors were dark and ominous. He was sleeping on a comfortable pad, that he recognized. The red and gold velvet pillow with tassels on the corners. Hide examined the room further, and realized where he was. The Royal Library in the Kingdom Of Night had a large window for a ceiling. Hide looked up, and sure enough, the window was there. It was dark out, the moon high above him, like a spotlight. The dusty library made him sneeze. Hide's ears flicked forwards, to the doors, as he heard the locks on them unlatch.

"Hide!" Queen Kastra called.

Hide looked up sharply. His mother was looking at him with tears in her eyes. Her eyes shot to the scratches and bruises on his body from the adventure. Her wings fell, as she ran to her son.

"Oh, Hide. Where have you been? Arison told me he found you in the Sand Kingdom with those brutish Sand'Tails. Is it true?" She asked.

Hide nodded, remembering back to the others in a flash.

"Where's Takashi? And Suna, where are they? Oh! And Tsuki! Where are my friends?" Hide demanded, frantically trying to stand.

" Hide, rest now. Your friends are in their respective Kingdoms. I put the big red one in the Kingdom Of Flame. The Yellow one stayed in the Kingdom Of Sand, and Tsuki and Kira came back with us." Queen Kastra replied, setting Hide down, with one talon.

Hide swatted her talon away with his tail. His eyes screamed anger, but he said nothing.

"Hide, we're doing what's best for you. You had me and Arison worried sick." She said, resting beside him.

Hide swiftly stood to his talons, walking away. He soon found himself being tugged back. Hide looked behind him, as he realized his back leg was chained to a tall pillar, holding up a bookshelf.

"Mother." Hide barked.

"It's a safety measure. I need to make sure you're safe. Looking at your injuries, you seem like you need some care from our medical team. I recently promoted Tsuki to the medicine unit, and onto Arison's squad as general. She's being taken care of. I'll personally assign her to you for your care, so she won't have to visit only during the visiting hours." Queen Kastra said, a smile on her face as she got up to leave.

"I'll get her into your room as fast as possible." She said as she walked out.

As Hide watched his mother leave, he realized that he could visit the library's restricted section. Maybe he could learn how to control his curse or learn more about the prophecy. Even though he wasn't in the most documented Kingdom in the world, the palace that he was born to rule was going to need him one day. Today was not that day, nor tomorrow. Or ten years from now. Hide wanted to explore. He wanted to learn and document his findings.

Hide realized now why he wanted to explore the continent of Solia, or maybe even the world before he had to become a king, a prophet, a husband, and a father. He wanted to make his coming kingdom smart and well-documented. He would make his gates open to any dragon, and dragonet. He would set aside land, and decorate it to look like the continent Solia. His different friends would all pitch in if they pleased. They would make his city a place worth living. He'd teach all the different dragonets about his Kingdom. About other Kingdoms. Hide knew now what he wanted, more than ever. He wanted peace. If he had to kill a demigod, or two in order to do so, then so be it.

"If I have to kill, and create wars to make this Kingdom what it should have been, then I'll do it. If I have to Kill my own friends for sacrifice, I'll have to do it. I'm building my empire, and no one is going to stop me. I'm creating a peaceful world for everyone. I'll be in the center of it, the new god, that will be worshipped far and wide, as the peacemaker. No one will take that from me."