Two Identities

There was a fire of dedication in her.

The soul of Adam had despised Fathom. And this hatred was now being passed on to her.

Crystal's ice soul did very little to weaken it. Her soul was naturally sorrowful, and adding sorrow to this would only increase the fuel of rage.

Crystal was more angry than ever. She hated Fate and Destiny. She hated how she was Destined to have no friends. She was angry that the Fate of Dragons was to be alone.

Adam had told of some of the curses of Fate and Destiny and how they slew and killed his friends. When two dragons meet, do not kill each other, and slowly become friends, Fate and Destiny are forced to slay one.

Crystal turned towards Mattia and knew that the death of Genghis was also the work of Fate and Destiny.

She knew that Mattia was in despair. She had made a friend but knew that they would die if this was the case.

But the wrath of her soul, which carried a portion of Adam's will, made her more decided.

"I won't lose friends! I won't give them to Fate and Destiny! Everything that they despise me to have, I shall form!" Crystal vowed.

"Mattia! Please don't die! The soul of Adam hides me from Fate and Destiny. Even now, it doesn't see me as a dragon! So you are left alone. This means Fate and Destiny will not try to kill you!"

"The seeds of Fate and Destiny are still here, child. I will be attacked by those Five."

"No! I will definitely try to save you! I despise the coldness in me! It brings me sadness. But now… I was sad because I was always alone! I was sad and powerless to do so. But now! I will not be alone!"

"How can you save me, Little Empress? The foes that we face could even threaten the Dragon Emperor. And now that he is even weakened, the masters of those Five, the ones they made their vows, could easily crush him." Mattia answered.

"I don't need to fight them to save you." Crystal smiled.

The twin swords appeared.

"If word of a warrior that can draw out twin sabers in thin air would appear, then the Five will seek for the one wielding it. They won't spare time to attack you with this weapon being carried by another. I will also try to leak out everything I know about those weapons to make it sound like several people are carrying them. I will disguise myself as a man and make several appearances."

Mattia was startled at Crystal's declaration.

"That will draw them away… But you are in danger of being found!"

"I can manage. I will adapt two different identities. A Flame master and a Frost wielder. I will reveal my fire abilities and return home as a Frost mage and Beast Tamer. I tamed a Raptor suffering from a mysterious illness of being born of the great fire. I know that conditions like this happen among the mutations of monsters if exposed to the right mana."

"Two identities… Fire and Ice. That is indeed an interesting plan…" Mattia praised.

"I have some understanding of how Phatom works… The seeds are here, but this curse has been weakened since your husband died. As you said, all that remains is the seeds. If I work to scatter these seeds, you will be safe. But you must do your part, Mattia." Crystal gave Mattia a severe look.

"It is not within the Fate and Destiny of dragons to have kind friends. The mere act of finding a mate already goes against Fate. And yet, here I am, a friend of the Little Empress. If you wish to defy Fate and Destiny and keep me as your friend, I will defy it with you!"

Crystal smiled.

"Mattia… Thank you for sparing me and giving me this gift. I will go no to fulfill what I promised you. And… I also have my own mission. My family needs me, too. But I promise you, I will help you."

"A dragon's word is her vow. If you spoke such a promise, then I shall cling to it. I await your aid, Little Empress."

Crystal stood up, and her thoughts became clear. The weight of her chest increased.

"I have to go then. I initially came here to find a way to quickly head over to Riverbed." Crystal spoke.

"You speak of the hume-town to the west. You should reach there in a few hours.

"Few hours?!"

"Do not underestimate my daughter. Born in the body of a Hunter Raptor, she can pounce and leap with great strength. But her great strength also allows her to make blurring dashes. She could be as fast as the Raptor kin, the Velociraptor, the fastest of their kind."

Crystal was amazed and turned to Wintress.

"Then I have to go! Forgive me, Mattia. But I need to take care of a lot of things. I'll always keep you in mind and try to help you as much as I can."

"I shall stay here and vow to wait for your help. Wintress..." Mattia smiled and gave one last look to her daughter.

"The road ahead of you will be dangerous. But dragons were born for danger. This is our Fate and our Destiny. But now, you have a chance, dear daughter… You can challenge Fathom. Support your master with all your might. Let she be your pride. Let her victories be yours. Let your strength be hers." Mattia drew close, and the two cuddled lovingly with each other.

Crystal felt Mattia's sorrow in her decision to send her daughter away.

But this sorrow was replaced with determination as Crystal vowed to keep Wintress safe.

"Go. Both of you. Go and challenge the life that seeks to slay you!"

Wintress rushed towards Crystal, and it was as if Crystal felt that Wintress was a part of her body. She leaped off and perfectly landed on Wintress as they hurried to leave the hidden temple.

Mattia watched as they vanished and gazed over at her husband's petrified body.

"It seems that I won't be alone in the end…" She laughed.