Akai's Reunion

A red gauntlet smashed onto the wooden desk. Akai stood up in response to the news that Captain Halido was killed at Kyte Village. Miura sat by in the corner drinking some tea, while Captain Leo gave the sorrowful news.

"What do you mean he was killed!?" Akai shouted in a rough voice while still wearing his full set of armor hiding his face.

Captain Leo froze for a second, but maintained his composure.

"There was a dragon hiding in Kyte Village. Somehow, this dragon was able to overwhelm Captain Halido."

He paused for a moment to catch his breath and continued, "Captain Halido's blade and head were cut off. This dragon might have been in human form using a sword of some kind, but it's strength simply overwhelmed him."

Akai sat back down in mourning. The man who convinced him to join the dragonslayers was gone. He knew that Halido was going to die before he did. Halido was already one step in the grave, but it still hurt Akai. The last 30 years felt so much longer than the 200 years before that. Beside him during those 30 years, there was Captain Halido and Miura beside him as they hunted down the threat of dragons such as himself. However, compared to the witch, Captain Halido was a far better soul, Akai thought.

Akai's mourning turned to rage.

"I want this dragon found. Do you understand me, captain?," Akai ordered.

"Yes, sir. I have already gathered the villagers from there to interrogate," Leo replied.

Upon hearing this, Akai's eyes widened. Miura stopped drinking her tea as she could feel the dragon's anxiety.

"Among them... is there a woman named Nera?" he asked.

Captain Leo replied, "Yes. As I recall, there was a woman we captured with that name."

Akai's memories of his time at Kyte village flooded back. How he spent his days in the care of a young girl named Nera. Her soft hands examining his wounds. Her warm and innocent smile as he told stories of his adventures as a roaming monster hunter. Even as a human, she wasn't afraid of a dragon like himself. Everything about her gave a feeling of nostalgia and warmth to his chest. Then, the memory of Nera running away from him. How she reacted to finding out that he was a dragonslayer. And how he never chased her to explain why he became one. Back then, he realized that his purpose was needed and to this day, he still believed that. He could still sense dragons and the future that he witnessed will still happen unless he changes it, himself. Nobody else could do it, he thought.

Miura could vaguely remember Kyte Village. It was a homely place, but she was not fond of it. The witch never showed that malicious side of her, though. She knew that the villagers were helping Akai heal, and they didn't mind that he was a dragon. If it was any other kind of village, she would have needed to threaten them to heal the dragon. She was grateful that she didn't need to waste the breath. She continued to sip the tea.

Captain Leo stood in silence. Akai looked at Leo and said, "Put the villagers in the holding cells below. I will decide what to do with them, later. However, I want you to bring Nera to me, here."

"Yes, sir. I'll do that at once," he replied with a bow. Captain Leo left the room to bring in the prisoners while Akai sat at his desk seemingly unnerved.

"What are you thinking about, Akai?" Miura asked.

Akai sat in silence, but then he stood up and looked at the witch.

"Leave the room and make sure nobody, but Nera enters. Also, make sure nobody else listens or looks," he commanded.

As he did so, the markings on Miura glowed and she stood up with a sigh. She hoped that Akai wouldn't abandon her. She still needed the dragon's power to accomplish their united goal. Her future visions were still set on having the dragons destroying all life on the world. She began walking away towards the door. For a moment, she regretted of having casted slave markings on herself, but it was the only way that she could see to getting the black dragon's trust. She left the room.

Silence filled the room as Akai was alone with his thoughts.

Moments later, the door opened. Only a mature woman covered in dirt and chains entered as Miura stood guard. The witch gave one last look into the room and closed the door behind the woman.

She was looking down and clearly tired as bags rolled down her eyes. She was not a young girl anymore, but Akai could easily recognize her behind all of the dirt. He began to take off his helmet.

"Nera..." Akai said in a comforting tone as his voice became lighter; his rougher voice being a facade behind the enchanted helmet.

Upon hearing his voice, the woman's tired eyes opened with new energy. She looked up and saw the man dressed in red and black armor. The same armor that the dragon that she knew 30 years ago wore. It was still the same. His helmet covered his face, but Nera also knew who it was. His voice hasn't changed at all.

When he took off his helmet completely, his young bright face was revealed. Akai's face hasn't changed at all. His black hair still the same. His skin didn't show his scales as his illusive ring hid that.

"Akai, is that really you?" Nera asked shockingly. She had hoped that one day she would reunite with the black dragon who told her about the outside world. And now, there he was.

They locked eyes. Nera's shook while Akai's were steady.

Akai hurried over to Nera and hugged her.

"I'm sorry that they dragged you here. Did they hurt you? I never wanted this to happen. Especially to you," he said while wiping away dirt from her face and hair.

Nera's tongue was tied. She had no idea how to respond.

Akai knew that her journey must have been rough and wanted to comfort her the same way that she comforted him when he was injured.

Akai smiled and proceeded to take off the chains.

"Let's get these things off of you."

"Captain Halido told me that you were given a name. I had hoped that you weren't with them any more."

Akai froze, but then continued to take the chains off in silence.

When he finished, they both looked at each other as if they were back at Kyte Village 30 years ago. Before killing Kytlmyne. Before being fully committed as a dragonslayer.

"You never did say why you were with them. I was a fool to run away when you only wanted to explain. I still regret that."

"No. I was a fool for not catching up to you. I wanted to explain, but... well, you were too fast," Akai said with a smile.

For the first time in a while, Nera began to smile again. She laughed and so did Akai. Their laughter was only for a brief moment, but it felt so good for the both of them. Akai hasn't made a joke for a long time.

Nera caressed Akai's smooth face and put her fingers between his black hair.

"Show me your real face," she said.

Akai knew what she meant. His eyes checked whether the door was fully closed and it was.

He closed his eyes and removed his illusive ring.

The scales on his body appeared. The black scales showed on his neck and sides of his face. His smooth face became rough and there was a scar underneath his left eye and on top of his lip.

Nera touched the scar as he closed his eyes, embarrassed of himself. He didn't feel any sense of pain from the scars, but they were still there. His scales were there, as well. He grew out his black tail and wings. There was some rips on the wings, but they were still usable. The tip of his tail had been cut off, but has grown back since then, leaving a scar showing where it was cut.

"What happened?"

Akai opened his eyes and gave a reassuring smile.

"I can tell the story for another time."

He looked towards the door, afraid of somebody barging in. The windows were covered, although some light peered through the cracks. The flickering candles lit up the room.

He retracted his wings and tail, but he didn't put the illusive ring on, yet.

Akai looked at Nera's eyes. They looked no different than before, but he needed to know what happened at Kyte Village. He knew that a dragon killed Captain Halido, but he needed details.

"Captain Halido. He was killed in your village. Did you know that?"

Nera looked away and replied, "I'm sorry about your friend."

Akai calmly asked, "Do you know who did it?"

"He offered to take me to you. He seemed like a decent person. I had hoped that we meet again, but under different circumstances."

Akai asked again trying to be calm, but came off as slightly menacing as his body loomed over hers, "Do you know who killed him?"

Nera looked at him trying to move the conversation away, "You never did explain why you became a dragonslayer. It's not a job that I would expect somebody like you to be in. Why are you still with them?"

Akai realized that he needed to tell her about why he was a dragonslayer.

He took a deep breath preparing himself.

"I'm going to tell you the truth. Something that I wanted to tell you 30 years ago, but never got the chance to. Since then, I never had the courage to come back and tell you."

He paused and looked at Nera. He still saw her as that sweet little girl.

"Not all dragons want to do harm. Some do and some don't, just like humans. Unlike people, one dragon could do so much damage if it wanted to. I'm a dragonslayer because I want to stop those dragons. It's that simple."

Nera breathed a sigh of relief. She believed that Akai wouldn't be a dragonslayer without a good reason. Although, in her mind, something about his reasons didn't add up.

Akai held her arms tightly and pleaded, "Please, Nera. I need to find who killed Halido. He was a good friend of mine. Do you know who killed her?"

Nera had no time to think about it, but even so, she would never give up Nia even if she did know where she went. She knew that the little dragon didn't mean to harm him. Nia was just scared, she thought.

Nera looked away from Akai and replied, "Even if I knew where she went, she's not an evil dragon. What she did was an accident."

"Accident!?" Akai yelled while tightening his grip, "This dragon killed my friend. If she was not a threat, then she wouldn't have done that!"

Pain flowed through Nera's body as her arms were being crushed. Akai's eyes turned yellow. They were cold and distant. Nera couldn't recognize the monster in front of her, anymore. Akai's eyes reverted back as he loosened his grip. Then, she remembered what didn't sit right in her mind.

"If you only hunted dragons that did harm, then why did you allow the other dragonslayers to slaughter all of the forest dragons. They were all innocent. Our village was never attacked while they were right next to us."

Akai's eyes widened and took a step back. His lie was caught, but he composed himself.

Nera remembered Nia's recurring nightmares about that massacre. She remembered seeing the piles of corpses as if there was a bloody battle between dragonslayers and dragons.

"Were you there when they killed the forest dragons near my village?"

Akai didn't give a response. It was so long ago, but he vaguely remembered it.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he lied and Nera knew it. Nera stared at him with hostility. Akai could no longer see her as that sweet little girl. He saw that she really had matured into a strong woman.

He chuckled to himself and said, "You have grown into a beautiful, strong, brave, and smart woman."

Akai's eyes turned yellow as he took a step closer to her. Nera took a step back in fear. His aura overshadowed everything else in the room.

"I vaguely remember the attack on the forest dragons, but I do remember it. I slaughtered them all. Well, all but one, anyways. I should have known if one escaped, it would have been at your village."

Nera couldn't recognize the dragon in front of her anymore. It wasn't the same dragon that told her stories back at Kyte village. It was something else.

Akai took another step forward, and Nera took one back as sweat poured out of her body.

"I killed the dragons because they are all dangerous. Every single one of them. If I don't stop it, then nobody else can or will. They're all destined to become the destroyers of this world, even if they aren't now. Only I can prevent a world of ash. Only I."

As he took another step, his vision blurred and the next moment, he was seeing the wasteland of ashes. Dragons still overhead as they burned down what little remained.

Slap! A hard slap to the face woke him from his vision.

He rubbed his eyes, and came back to his senses. His yellow eyes gone as he looked back at Nera's surprised face. He realized what he has just happened, but he didn't take any of what he said back. He believed it to be completely true.

"I'm sorry. I should explain it in more detail, so that you actually understand."

"No. I've heard enough. You may have only aged slightly, but I'm not that naive girl," Nera said as she regained her composure, but she couldn't stop her legs from shivering, "You think by killing all of the dragons, you can essentially save the world. But what about the innocent? The ones who will never burn down cities or attack villages. What about them? What about you?"

"There are no innocents. Maybe not today or tomorrow, but eventually every dragon will revert back to an animal. And I don't regret what I did. To those forest dragons. To the water dragons. To the mountain dragons. To any of them."

Akai paused and looked down. The only thing that he regretted was that he didn't kill Jezeboyah sooner before the red dragon could lose his mind. He looked back up to Nera.

"And when this is all over, I'll put a sword through my heart. That way, there will still be a world to live in because even I will lose control over myself eventually," he said.

A long silence filled the air. Nera couldn't believe what she was hearing. She was completely wrong about Akai. Tears flowed down her eyes, but she didn't cry. There was only silence among the two.

Akai sighed and put his illusive ring back on. He picked up his helmet and put it on. His voice became deep.

With a calm but deep voice, Akai said, "I knew that you wouldn't understand. I still care for you, and even now I have fallen for you. But I can't be distracted."

Nera didn't hear any of that as her mind still couldn't comprehend how wrong she was about Akai. How much time she wasted thinking about how she would meet him again, she thought. Her entire world broke apart.

Akai knew that he wasn't going to get any more information out of Nera. He walked past the shocked woman and knocked on the door.

Miura opened it.

"You definitely made sure that nobody was listening?" Akai asked quietly.

Miura nodded with a pleasant smile. "Yep. Nobody could hear a thing, and my crows haven't spotted anybody peering in."

"Good. Good. You no longer need to uphold those previous orders."

Miura's markings on her neck glowed in response. Akai shouted past Miura, "Captain Leo, I need you with two others!"

Leo stood up and saluted, "Yes, Crimson Black Knight!"

Leo had no time to mourn. He thought that doing his job would be what Captain Halido would want.

Captain Leo hurried over with a couple of other dragonslayers.

The Crimson Black Knight walked over to his desk ignoring Nera. She remembered Nia and reminded herself that as long as she was safe, then everything was fine. She had hoped Nia would hide somewhere, but knew that the dragon would try to save her. She looked up to the sky and quietly prayed to any god for the other villagers' and especially Nia's safety.

Akai looked back at Nera and then to Captain Leo. The Crimson Black Knight looked at the couple of dragonslayers that followed and ordered, "You two, take the girl down to the dungeons. Do not hurt or interrogate her. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir!" "Yes, boss!" they said in unison. The two grabbed Nera and dragged her away.

Miura walked into the room as the other two dragonslayers dragged Nera away. From the corner of Nera's eye, she looked at the same woman who was with Akai when she patched him. For only a split second, the pale witch gave a sinister smile so that only Nera would notice. Nera didn't understand why Miura smiled like that and thought that she was just too tired to see properly.

In the room, the Crimson Black Knight, Captain Leo, and the witch Miura stood side by side. Captain Leo and Miura awaited instructions.

The Crimson Black Knight said, "I have obtained all of the information that I could gather from Nera, althought it is very little. All I was able to get is that we are looking for a female forest dragon. One that has survived and hid at Kyte village for 30 years."

Captain Leo exclaimed, "As expected of you, Akai - I mean Crimson Black Knight."

The Crimson Black Knight didn't care which name was used and continued, "For 30 years, the villagers there have been willingly hiding her. It is safe to assume that the dragon may feel indebted."

Captain Leo was confused and asked, "The villagers willingly hid the dragon?"

"The people of Kyte village have a sense of trust between the dragons, since they personally never got attacked by one. Nonetheless, whatever they believe in matters not. Since the dragon was kept safe there for 30 years, she may try to come here to King's City to rescue her so-called caregivers."

Miura and Captain Leo listened attentively while Akai continued, "According to your report, Captain Leo, the dragon was able to cut through Halido's blade and struck his head. All of our blades are made of dragon scales. One of the strongest materials in the world. That means that this dragon is strong and dangerous. But since we are holding this dragon's caregivers as hostages, she wouldn't try to burn down this whole city before rescuing them. Captain Leo, I want you to form groups of dragonslayers to patrol the inside and outside the city. I want your men to find any suspicious people, men or women, who may be a dragon in human form."

"Yes, sir," Captain Leo replied.

Akai hesitated to say this, but given that Captain Halido may have been attacked without any warning, the dragon might be wearing an illusive ring like himself, so he continued, "Even if they don't show any scales, if you suspect them to be hiding something, bring them to me or Miura. Either one of us should be able to determine whether they are using magic to hide their appearance."

Captain Leo understood. He knew that Akai was a dragon, but never told it to anyone. Not even to Akai, himself.

Miura watched apathetically as he saluted and walked out, closing the door behind him.

"So, what do you want me to do, Akai?" she asked with a pleasant smile.

"Continue using your crows to look for dragons. This time, however, concentrate your search to this city, and nearby. Watch every entrance to this place."

Her markings glowed and she bowed her head.

As she was about to turn around, she stopped as Akai ordered, "Interrogate the other villagers. They may be hiding more information about the dragon. But under no circumstances do you hurt Nera. Do not harm Nera."

Miura markings glowed once more. She nodded her head and turned around hiding a vicious smile as she headed towards the exit.

Akai continued, "I will personally order no other dragonslayer to enter the dungeons. I don't want any of them to take it upon themselves to hurt them."

As Miura left the room and closed the door behind her, Akai was left alone. He sat down behind his desk and took off his helmet. Akai looked down on his desk and covered his eyes hiding away his tears. Akai bit his lower lip as blood popped out and flowed down his chin from his bite mark.

Akai muttered under his breath alone in the empty room, "Today, I lost two people I cared for."