3 Chapter 2

"You did well young mortal." A voice said. I opened my eyes to see a gate taller than a three-story house was in front of me. Behind the gate I saw two multi-color shining orbs looking at me. "Am I speaking common tongue?" the voice asked.

"You are speaking English, yes." I said as I walked up to the gate. "Am I dead?" I asked it.

"Not mortal, you are not." The voice said. "You are currently inside the sword known to you mortals as: Bliamar. I am the being that was killed to make it, I am the dragon known as Walmigaka, or in the tongue of humans, Earth Mother. Who are you to wield me?" Walmigaka asked.

"My name is Alexander Lirap, son of Klein Lirap and Hamilta, brother of Gwendolyn Lirap." I said. "My mother, Hamilta, you past wielder passed the sword down to me." I bowed to the dragon. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Earth Mother."

"Rise mortal. But this Hamilta you speak of, was not my past wielder. The last person to wield me was a man named Manklios Klienka. Now there was a strong mortal." Walmigaka said. "He was the last person to properly wield me in 400 years."

"But my father said that my mother owned your sword." I said. "Can you be wielded improperly?" I asked.

"I can, but the sword would just be a normal blade, not sharp enough to pierce the hides of my kin." The dragon said. "Only those of great destiny can wield me and communicate with me by spirit."

"So that's what we're doing now?" I asked. "Communicating by spirit?"

"Indeed young Alexander. Right now I am controlling your body, to help you drive the invaders from your home." Walmigaka said as a crystal orb appeared in front of me. "You were dying, but when I took control I forced magic into your body, healing you as much as I could." The orb showed me, covered in blood and wounds killing bandits, but my normally brown eyes were a swirl of color, emanating power. The closer I looked at myself I saw a scale like pattern covering my body, barely noticeable, but there.

"Thank you so much Earth Mother, I owe you." I said as I looked the opposite way of the gate. "What's down there?"

"By walking that way, you will reach into your own soul, you will find out who you truly are." The dragon said. "But I would not."

"What?" I asked before looking at the Earth Mother. "Why not?"

"By going into your soul, you reject your humanity and become empowered, however in doing so you are forced to ward off all contact from living creatures and are forced to live with the undead." Walmigaka said as she moved closer to the gate. Her dark brown scales and razor-sharp teeth coming into the light of the torches that lined the walls. "That, Alexander, is how the living dead thrive, by empowering themselves. Now, some mortal races do succeed, but then they become Necromancers, and follow the paths of my son, Glimotish, Death Shadow in common tongue."

"Why would you name your son Death Shadow?" I asked. The mighty dragon just sighed.

"If you were to learn Dargothol, or, Dragon's tongue, his name would mean something else entirely. Only dragons and their soul counter can speak our tongue." Walmigaka said as she laid down her head. "Humans name us differently than how my kin do, you name us on our magic, how we were first seen, and our actions."

"Then how were you named?" I asked, sitting down and facing the dragon. "Because the name "Earth Mother" sounds like a good name."

"That is a story for another time, young mortal, now you must continue fighting to protect your kin. Your family is facing a foe they cannot beat, hurry to them, and you may save them." Walmigaka said as she raised her head and brought it to the gate. "To return here, just whisper my name in the tongue of dragons when you sleep. Now, place your hand on my scales."

"It was nice to talk with you, Walmigaka." I said as I put my hand on her scales. When I did, the hall collapsed and I awoke inside of a tavern, sword in hand, and the shield I grabbed before in the other. I looked to where the arrow pierced my leg and the rest of my wounds, only to find small scars that looked like they had been there for years. I slowly stood up and looked around the tavern, seeing the windows boarded up and the door barricaded. I could faintly hear the sound of fighting outside and the sounds of a thunderstorm.

I quickly pulled down the table blocking the door and rushed outside. I looked around to see the town in shambles, with heavy rain putting out the fires. I remembered what Walmigaka said and started to run home, praying to whatever deities may watch to allow me to make it. As I did, I felt as if I could run faster than an arrow for years without stop. Slowly the house came into view as I saw a storm tear through our fields, uprooting the apple trees, ripping the barn from the ground. I jumped over some of the fence that was still in my way and went in the direction of clashing metal.

"ALEX!" Gwen called out as she ran to me. "Dad and Larissa are fighting in the center of the storm!" She shouted over the sound of the storm. "They sent me to find you and run!"

"I'm not leaving them!" I shouted back as I ran to the eye. "Go to town! Find shelter!" I shouted back.

"Alex!" was all she could say before I ran through the storm wall surrounding the eye. I saw Larissa using a curved blade to fight against a man in dark armor who wielded a glowing spear, while my dad rested against a wall, his twin scimitars lying beside him as he bled out.

"Dad!" I cried as I ran to him. "What happened, can you move?"

Klein coughed out blood as he answered me. "Alexander Kloshin Lirap, I sent your sister to find you and get out of here!"

"I'm not leaving you dad!" I said as I picked him up. "We are leaving here together!"

Dad pushed himself off of me. "You idiot, I'm dying, and nothing can change that! Now go!" I looked at dad as my eyes filled with tears. "Don't cry, everyone dies at some point in their life, and this is mine, not yours. Go, go and protect your sister, live on and explore the world for what it is." I kneeled down and hugged my dad, letting my tears flow. "I love both of you, but you can't die here. Go, go and live your life, don't let your sadness and rage consume you, but fuel your desire to protect those around you, go and find your mother. She is alive, and out there, waiting for you to find her."

"I will dad, I will." I said, as my father closed his eyes and took his final breath, a smile adorning his face. I stood up, and faced the armored figure currently beating Larissa. "I will protect those around me dad, and I will fight those who seek to end the life of my family and friends AND DESTROY THEM!" I shouted as I ran up behind the figure, and swung at them, but they heard my shout and raised a sword to block my swing.

"Such a young lad, too young." Armored man said as he punched me in the gut. "You should be tending to the animals, not fighting a king of war."

"Your no king of war." I said as I stood up. "You are just a murderer." I stepped forward and bashed my shield at him and followed up with a swing, as Larissa started to attack him with a glaive, spinning, stabbing, and slashing at the man, as I tried to stab him while he fended off Larissa. "You are a false King!" I shouted at him, only to receive a kick to the chest that sent me into the broken remains of my family's home.

"You know nothing of the world boy!" He shouted as he cut Larissa across the stomach. "You are but a mouse among giants! An ant compared to the world you have been sheltered from! I am a KING! And you are nothing but a peasant!" the king of war shouted as he stomped over to me and picked me up by the throat. "You can't beat someone who has never lost! Someone who is destined to never lose to any mortal!" Upon shouting these words, he threw me across the center of the storm.

I groaned as I felt a pair of hands pick me up. "You dumbass." They said as I looked up to see my sister. "Dad told us to run." She said. I looked away in shame, not wanting to face her. "But when did we ever listen when he was in trouble?" I looked at my sister as she held dad's scimitars in each hand, and a look of pure wrath upon her face. "Let's show this bastard who we are!"

I grinned as I stabbed the blade into the ground and braced myself. "He is strong Sis, don't underestimate him." She just nodded as we charged forward, seeking to end this false king's life. If Larissa saw us charge forward or not, I don't know, but when we reached her, we all swung at the same time, but he blocked all three blades with his spear.

"So another has joined the fray. This has become bothersome." He said as he blasted us away with a mysterious force. "Two amateurs and a dying old woman. Pathetic, I've had better bar fights than what you are putting up." I struggled to stand up as the king of war loomed over me. "I was told to bring you and the girl back alive, but I can see that you are just going to cause me trouble." I closed my eyes as he raised his spear over my head, and as I whispered the name of the Earth Mother, and prayed to her to save me, I felt a rush travel along my body that made me feel stronger than I ever was.

I snapped my eyes open and I rolled out of the way of the spear, causing it to bury into the ground where my head used to lay. I looked at the darkly armored man standing before me as he pulled the spear from the ground. Every inch of my skin felt like it was on fire as I swung my sword at the dark knight's head, only to miss as they blocked with their spear. My arm moved in a blur as I kept striking the same spot on the spear, noticing that the spear would chip each time I struck it. It seemed after a second, that the knight noticed this too, and quickly kicked me in the chest, harder than before, as I felt my chest cave in a small amount.

As I lay on the ground, I felt the world slowly blur out as the storm started to vanish. Gwen was shouting something. What was she saying? I don't know. I feel like sleeping. My eyes closed as I found myself in front of the Earth Mother again. We both stayed silent, neither of us talking. She seemed to understand my emotions well enough to know I wasn't up for talking. It felt like hours, no days past as I stared at the black, shadowy floor, tears flowing like a creek

"Your body has almost finished healing. When you return, we begin our lessons."

"Lessons?" I asked hoarsely.

"If you want to take up on your vow, then yes, I must teach you how to use Triklin, Dragon magic. But now you must awaken, and learn the ways of the mortal swords."

Not even a second later I was jolted awake by something cold.