4 Chapter 4: Separation

Dark wings lined with bright purple linings with each wing spanning two meters.

Draconic horns that look like demons' horns, sharp and pointy.

Each hand is covered with black scales with purple lines at each gap to his elbow. His fingers were pointy and deadly, like a dragon's claws, and the same for his feet.

On his forehead, a dark flame dances along the wind. His pupils darkish purple with a slit, like that of Zagarot's.

His teeth were sharp, his fangs ready to tear even the hardest metals. His tail is hard and pointy, waiting to pierce his enemy.

That's how Ethan looks in his Dragon Form... If he weren't currently bloody.

"Damn it." Ethan cursed as he dug himself out of the crater that formed upon his crashing against the earth.

Looking up, Ethan could see Zagarot smirking while looking at him.

"Got enough, brat?!" Zagarot taunted.

"Far from it! Today, I'll make sure to knock you down!" Ethan shouted.

Ethan took to the skies with a leap, his injuries recovering quickly.

He appeared directly above Zagarot's head with a flap of his wings.

Destruction Dragon's Annihilation Fist!

His clenched fist is covered in hot black flames, as he brings down his destruction-filled fist towards Zagarot's head.

"Take this!" He shouted.

"Little tricks!" Zagarot snorted.

Much to Ethan's surprise, he was slapped flying down the barren earth again before his fist could connect 

Like the sound of a whistle before a devastating explosion, Ethan was again sent flying down. Crashing to barren earth, creating a five-meter deep feet crater.

"Not focused enough! Did you forget my tail, brat?! I always told you not to charge in without any plan and always pay attention to your surroundings!" Zagarot lectured, swinging his tail, taunting Ethan, pissing him more.

"You damn cheater! Fight me head-on!" Ethan once again dug himself out, cursing at the big bully.

"Head on? Brat, you're too small to be facing me head-on." Zagarot mocked.

"Grr. Godamn it!" Ethan was pissed off.

Pissed off, Ethan started gathering a massive amount of magic energy mixed with draconic magic and his own.

Destruction Dragon's Extermination Roar!

Ethan roared, a stream of black and purple energy, five meters in diameter took form, heading towards the bully, wanting to swallow its enemy and turn it to ashes.

Zagarot smirked, "You never learn, brat!"

As the stream of energy neared, Zagarot opened his mouth and swallowed everything.

"Burp. Brat, can you send more? It's not nearly enough to fill my stomach." Once again mocking Ethan.

Ethan's figure appeared at Zagarot's side as the Dragon relished the tasty snack.

"Gotcha! Take this, you shitty lizard!"

Destruction Dragon's Piercing Fangs!

Not expecting Ethan to use his Roar as bait for a surprise attack, Zagarot was surprised.

Zagarot wanted to dodge because he knew that Ethan's incoming attack would surely hurt, but the surprise attack didn't fail.

With his hands clenched at his back and black-hot flames dancing, Ethan's draconic fist sent unimaginable destruction, hitting Zagarot cleanly at his chin.

Boom*

An explosion rang out.

Black flames exploded, and anything touched by the black flames of destruction turned to nothing.

But Zagarot's scales were immune to such things. But the force of the attack sent his mind buzzing as his body tumbled into the sky, like a broken kite.

Ethan didn't let go of the opportunity, with a flap of his wings, he grabbed hold of Zagarot's tail.

Swing swing swing.

Ethan spun while holding Zagarot's tail.

Zagarot couldn't fight back. The attack proved to have hit him hard as his mind continued buzzing.

"Orya!" Ethan with his powerful strength sent Zagarot down the ground, giving him a taste of how Ethan felt when he got sent down to kiss the dried earth. Breaking a mountain in the process.

Bam* Bang*

"Guhaa!" Zagarot couldn't help but let out a painful grunt.

Zagarot got pissed. 'Damn brat knows how to hit hard.' He praised.

As the dust cloud cleared. Zagarot stood up with a roar, eyeing Ethan who was relishing his first accomplishment, hitting Zagarot hard that is.

Zagarot's magic flared.

Ethan who was happy mid-air felt shivers down his spine.

Feeling the massive amount of magical energy Zagarot was releasing frightened him.

Gulp.

Ethan started sweating. "Uh, eh. Hehe. Zagarot, let's call it a day." He proposed. He knew he fucked up.

If Zagarot doesn't calm down, he might need to lay down for a whole month or more after taking Zagarot's impending beating... again.

"Prepare yourself, you damned brat!" Zagarot roared and in the blink of an eye, his massive claws were upon Ethan.

Boom*

Ethan was slapped by the massive claws.

Forget a few mountains, Ethan didn't know how many he went through, how long his body slid on the dried earth leaving his trace and only to be sent flying again.

Again and again and again.

Ethan's painful begging voice was all that was left after the sound of destruction.

- - -

"Ney, Zagarot. I was wondering. Can you tell me just where the hell are we?" Ethan asked.

He had been wondering why he had never seen any other Humans not to mention Dragons, not even their shadow.

He had tried exploring the surroundings before but no matter how far he flew, walked, and ran, everything was the same, dried hot dead ground, everything barren.

Wondering just where Zagarot took the animals from.

Nine years have passed since Ethan and Zagarot met.

His hair was long and unkempt. If not for the occasional cutting of his hair, it might have reached an unknown length.

Zagarot didn't respond. He didn't know what to say. He was stumped.

Looking at the leaning Ethan on his scaly side, he sighed.

"Do you know the place you said you climbed out from?" Zagarot decided not to lie.

He knew lying now would do Ethan nothing good because the day would eventually come for Ethan to know everything. The time is near, and Zagarot cannot stop it.

Hearing the seriousness of Zagarot's voice, he looked at Zagarot's eyes, "Never mind."

Ethan didn't want to hear it. He didn't want what he thought at passing and just suddenly asked.

Zagarot could tell that Ethan understood something.

Zagarot looked at the now crimson cloud-filled skies and sighed.

"It was long ago... Hundreds? No, it should be at least a thousand years."

Zagarot's eyes were filled with sadness and sorrow from remembering what happened back in the day.

"Long ago, many races roamed the land; There were us, Dragon, Elves, Dwarves, Humans, and so many more."

"We fought each other, for supremacy, for years. But it was good, we fought but we never intended to annihilate each other.

For our Dragon race, we saw it as fun."

Zagarot closed his eyes.

"With that, we kept the balance of races and continued being so for hundreds of years."

Zagarot stopped, gripping his draconic claws tight, cracking the earth underneath.

"But! But it was all suddenly, abruptly stopped!

The balance was broken. It was broken when those damnable Devils and Demons alike started appearing. They started massacring anything they saw!

First was the dwarves who didn't have any means to kill those damnable things.

But we dragons learned of it quickly and quickly assisted those damnable but lovely little muscle-filled brain ones and fought them back.

But we were too late!

When we arrived, there were only a few of them left alive.

The elves also came, to assist. And so did the Humans.

Their threat was far-reaching.

Before we knew it, the world was plunged into chaos. Those damnable Devils were hard to kill. They came like a tide, unending. 

But it was then that the human intellect with other races' help, invented a magic capable of killing Devils and Demons alike. We called it Devil Slaying Magic, but only the humans and selected elves were able to wield it without being consumed by it and turning into a Devil themselves.

It was a long war. So many races yet so many races also lost.

Only a few hundred years ago did we learn where they came from.

After so many lives were lost we did.

And that is the place where you came out from.

We call it the Abyss."

Ethan looked down, taking all that Zagarot said.

Ethan gritted his teeth. "T, then why? Why are you here?" His voice is soft but hurt. Ethan understood, he understood.

But understanding and taking it in are both different things.

Zagarot could feel Ethan's trembling body against his. "Upon finding out at that time, I decided to come and guard this place, using most of my strength to stop the Devils and Demons invasion and Sealing Magic with too many sacrifices taken to complete and separate this dimension from the Realm of the Living.

Zagarot took a breath and continued, "Many wanted to be the one to take my place, but they didn't have the means and strength to control the seal to slowly close the abyss, preventing the Demons and Devils from continuing their invasion. Only I could do it.

I didn't want to see my race continue suffering, so for the others.

As the First Dragon, and the strongest alive at that time, and only being able to control, suppress, and stop the invasion...

As you can see, I am still here.

But soon, maybe in a few years, the Abyss will finally close."

Zagarot knew. He knew that when the Abyss closed, and so he would.

Ethan didn't need to ask twice. He understood.

So that is why I have never seen anything other than the both of us.

"T, then. Can you tell me what this place is called?" Ethan's voice was low.

Zagarot looked up, at the same old crimson sky with an occasional blue, and sighed.

"I don't know what this place is called, but I called it the Realm of the Damned."

"Realm of the Damned?" Ethan looked up at the crimson skies.

Zagarot nodded, "That's right. This is the place where the Devils and Demons must go through before reaching the Realm of the Living. But they haven't been successful in any of their attempts for hundreds of years, and soon the Abyss will fully close."

Ethan, upon hearing such words was stumped. "Living Realm? W, what do you mean by that?!"

Zagarot gently stroked Ethan's head, his eyes full of love. "In this place, we are neither dead or alive. As I said, I was the only one capable of doing this upon those powerful, watching the Abyss over."

A sudden realization struck Ethan. "No! No, no, no. Just no! Do you mean that I am also not dead but at the same time not alive?!"

Zagarot sighed.

"No. You are indeed alive but as for me, I'm only in my Astral Form."

Ethan was shocked. "ASTRAL?! Then, then what? No. No, I understand."

"I see that you got it." Zagarot smiled. 

Ethan stood up. His fist clenched, his teeth grinding. "No! I will not accept this! I WILL NOT!"

Zagarot smiled weakly. Looking at Ethan's downed crying figure.

"No! Zagarot! You wouldn't! I will not forgive you!"

Zagarot felt hurt. "Ethan. You must. This is the only way. There's nothing I can do."

Ethan stood up.

His eyes were full of hatred. "No! I will hunt them. I will! I promise!"

"I will hunt them and release you!"

Zagarot's eyes stared at Ethan lovingly.

"You don't have to do that, child." His tone soft. Zagarot was glad, he was happy that Ethan came before the end of his life.

Ethan cried. Even with his mature age, he couldn't help himself.

Thinking about the years they had spent.

Zagarot watching over him. Feeding him. He, Zagarot was a father Ethan had never had.

He was loved.

He was taught.

No matter what.

The years they had spent together were something that Ethan had never felt before.

- - -

Ethan's eyes became like that of a dead, no light, nothing. "Zagarot. Can I call you father?"

Zagarot stared at Ethan, although Ethan's head was down, he could feel that the brat took him as so.

"I ain't dying anytime soon, brat!"

Zagarot roared! Shaking everything.

"I, Zagarot, the First Dragon, the Dragon of Destruction and Creation, I who create dimensions, hereby take you, Ethan, as my child!!!"

Ethan cried. "I will not disappoint you." He promised.

- - -

Three years passed...

Zagarot lay weakly on the ground, in front of the Abyss hole.

"Ethan." His voice was hardly heard.

"Zagarot." Ethan standing beside him spoke.

"The Abyss must be closed. And I have to stay. This place will also completely disappear along the Abyss, to make sure no Demons and Devils come through the Abyss again." Zagarot said.

Looking at the dark hole slowly closing, and so does Zagarot's body fading, Ethan couldn't help but clench his fist.

"I was glad. I am happy. I thank you for, my child for coming to my life and inheriting what I have left." Zagarot said weakly.

"I hate to say this but, farewell. My child."

Ethan stood beside Zagarot's slowly disappearing figure.

His tears rain down.

Zagarot took one last look at Ethan. Smiling.

"Ethan. This is my last gift to you. Son."

Before Ethan's eyes, a massive Dragon appeared, its length easily surpasses the hundreds. Vitality was endless. Magical energy within endless.

"You!" Ethan's eyes widened.

"Accept it. It is my true Dragon Form. With this, you wouldn't become a wandering soul within the Realm of the Living."

"This is my gift to you. My child."

Zagarot's voice ended.

"No! No! I don't want this! Zagarot! Old man! No!"

But despite Ethan's protest, his body was dragged towards the real body of Zagarot.

Zagarot activated something with his magic and the magic circle at Ethan's heart spun at an unprecedented rate. 

'It's good that I was able to add this without you knowing.' Zagarot thought.

The magic circle enveloped Ethan's body completely.

Soon.

Ethan's body stood atop Zagarot's True Body.

Despite Ethan's cry, the magic circle at his heart continued to spin, faster and faster.

A globe of purple and black light enveloped Ethan's body and the True Body of Zagarot.

Zagarot's fading figure stared.

I hope you live a long and happy life, my child.

As his final thoughts.

Crack*

Crack*

Swoosh*

Like nothing. There was no sound of an explosion or any other, just silence, pure silence.

But.

"Zagarot!!!"

Ethan's voice reverberated.

And with a swoosh. His body disappeared along the place he spent years in.

- - -

Dark.

"Where am I?"

"Ahh!!!

Ahhh!!

Stop!

It hurts!

It hurts!"

"Za... Zagarot!"

"It hurts!

Where are you?!"

Ahhh!!!

No!

Don't do this!

Don't!

It hurts!

Help me!

No!

No! I don't like this!

"Zagarot!!!"

- - -