Chapter 19 – The Visitor (1)

Another day dawns in Ashville, a day where dragons could probably not have existed-in, if not for the truce with the humans.

But sure did feel empty this day. Line and Tony rarely joined us for breakfast, but, sure did feel empty without them soaring the skies.

Castle damaged. Injured dragons. Lost the two best dragons… Rahambose would be here, won't he?

"How many dragons came forward?" Rusty asks me.

"Well, a total of… forty-seven. Including you guys. And Fara. And myself."

"You make it sound not too important. That I'm not that good enough."

"No… just said it."

"Besides. You can't transform," Rusty says.

"I can-" Fara lifts her fork, and I smash it on the table. She just looks at me, dumbfounded of how fast I was.

"At least they won't just be our enemies. The dragons. Or Fara would have known."

"Yeah… experience of once. I can detect it." She slowly takes her fork away.

"I do guess we need more trainees since the sculpturization of your two great dragons," Tar says.

"Let's not call it that, its not even a word," Fara suggests.

"More like crystallization," Max suggests.

"I now see that you both are truly related," Sam sighs.

"Must not we try something else like using your flame on them?" Rusty asks me.

"After you tried the pickaxe and it and got thrown back, almost cutting Sam? I guess not, I choose life."

"Yeah. Say it if your… precognition or whatever shows it. Otherwise, we've tried enough. Knowing dragons… probably in a week, or a month, or a year; whatever happened will be undone or something," Fara says.

"You don't even have an proper idea of it…?" Tar asks.

"We barely know about dragons, we barely started 'research' on our own kind, harmlessly. After Dad became the leader, that is."

"And that is when?" Sam asks.

"The year nineteen thirty-three, when I was born," Fara says.

"And dragons exist since?" Max asks.

"From the… first century. That is as far as we got into the past of Fara. Barely a glimpse of some huge dude."

"I think that part was even forward. But yeah, the first century," Fara confirms.

"And you people never cared for knowing about yourself?" Tar asks, judging us.

"Yes… our, or their, technically, predecessors believed tests were done on animals. Didn't want it on themselves. They just trusted in the one and only me to theorize and know stuff about us."

"Your history is boring. History is boring because people were dumb, always," Tar says, and gets up. Only to keep his plate at the sink.

I get up too, feeling a signal from one of the dragons who had joined us yesterday.

"Somebody is coming," I say.

Everybody quits eating, and we go to our the door, where a teenager bows to me, as he finds me.

"Some helicopter. One. With one person," he quickly revises. His name… it was something funny. Ah, yes, Vyanah.

I do see one helicopter in the distance. It lands and Sam's father, Ivor, waves to us, and puts his hands up.

"I'm unarmed."

"Yes. Or you'd be seeing my brother first," Vyanah says.

He didn't have a sibling, what was he talking about?

"Vyanah-"

"-yes, one of the military leaders, I remember," Vyanah says, and I stare at him. "I'm sorry if that was rude. I shall leave you to it."

He sure was a good kid. But I was worried though… he was… pretty good for a kid.

Vyanah leaves, and I find Rusty facing Ivor. Basically glaring at him.

"Came to apologize? That is what you do."

"Well… actually something came up."

"Ah, then probably you'll apologize in a few years."

"Rust-"

"-just tell us what you came for."

Ivor looks at Rusty, then turns to me. "Something… or someone, we don't know. Wants to see you."

"Why?"

"Not like a higher-up. We actually don't know. Some THING showed up… near our house, even worse. And when we contacted it… well, just by being too loud there, this invisible thing asked for meeting the dragons. So here I am."

"An invisible thing?"

"Yes… and…" Ivor eyes at the… at Line and Tony. "I'm sorry for your loss. But beautiful how you made a sculptor already, for them. Wonderful piece of art. May their souls rest in peace."

"They are not dead," I sigh.

"It is then…. In that… form," Fara says.

"Esterine's bomb did that?"

"No they just got…" Tarragon giggles, and I sigh. "Sculpturized," even Ivor finished with him.

"You're kidding me," Sam sighs.

"See? Even Mr. Military's friend gets it."

"Just… Ivor is fine. And can we please go… like now? We don't know where all the invisible thing could get into."

"Yes. Tarragon, would you like to stay? You can lead the dragons and be on watch, if it is not too much to ask."

"Not a problem but… that's the worst decision. I suck at this… leading. Also, I need to protect Elena."

"Who's Elena?" Ivor asks.

"One week, Tar. Make a good use," Max sighs.

"You guys want to do any preparation?"

"I got my lucky charm right here," Sam says, taking out the stone-gem.

"You just carry that around?" Fara and I ask.

"What is that?"

"Well… it could be one of the reasons someone is here," I say and transform. "Lead the way, we will follow."

Rusty and Max transform too, and Tar, Sam and Fara get into the helicopter. This way, we reach the barren place which the Villers call home.

Truly, didn't look like there was anything. But few soldiers had took positions, some hidden, and some on a makeshift tower.

"You dragons are foolish. I hoped you would at least keep your secrecy, but you just made me come all the way here," a dreamy and unworldly voice announces itself.

"Who are you? And why do you care?" I speak in a loud voice too, surprising the military and even Ivor.

"Let us get off this dusted planet, and talk up there, dragon to dragon."

Something rises from the woods. Something green. A huge green dragon.

"Don't fire!" Ivor screams.

The dragon looks straight at me, and continues rising above.

It was larger than Rusty. More than twice of him.

A ship appears in the sky. A large airship which could carry a couple thousand of people. And the dragon moves through the open door of it.

I spy a bit of fear in everyone's eyes. But Tar was just in a wonder. And Ivor just glared above.

"Was the airship there before?" Tar asks.

"No we did not see it before… strange," Fara says.

"So who was that guy however?" Ivor asks. "Some old nemesis, who stole your ship and now, wants revenge, or something? He truly is quite massive than any of you. Looks villain."

"We didn't even look at him properly, we don't know him," Fara declares.

"Are you sure though? You don't even transform as a dragon, I doubt that you would even know," Ivor folds his hands and squint his eyes on Fara.

"She can't," I say to Ivor and take-in a long breath. "But is one of our greatest assets, and has lived for many centuries now. And even if she dies right now, will outlive all of us and be present, maybe, even at the end of time."

"End of time, is too much, but yes, pretty much," Fara says and looks towards Ivor, who is surprised now, finally.

"Wow," Ivor stares, speechlessly, at Fara.

"Let's go. I can carry you, Mr. Villers," Max says.

"Why doesn't Sam transform though?"

"Don't really feel like it."

"She fell down the first time she tried. She is too small. Just very fast. Not the reason she can't fly, but just saying," Rusty revises.

"Fell down?"

"And I'm a human so can't fly anyway," Tar says.

"Parzival told me that you of all people can never be a dragon, so I already know," Ivor says, without looking at Tar.

Tar just smiles, looking defeated.

Rusty takes Sam and Tar, I take Fara, and Max takes Ivor. Hitting on our accelerator-of-wings, we get off the ground. Towards the airship we go, something so futuristic, now that I observe, as I lead the two.

A girl, in green robes, waves at us, shyly, and offers us to get inside the airship. And we do, going right to her side.

Without metamorphosing back, I look at the girl. "You were that huge dragon?"

"She is shorter than me, and gets to be a bigger dragon than me? That's unfair."

"You are a yellow dragon, due to your quirky nature," the girl says, surprising us, with her soft-touch voice. "You are still a great dragon, irrespective of your size. So don't judge it, please. And it was my master, whom you witnessed. He wishes to meet you. If you may please follow me."

The girl starts walking. This polite girl who forgot to even introduce herself. She looks back at us, confirming that we are following, and we do.

+

"Hey Elena, so you guys saw like a big dragon or something?" I ask to Max, while everyone including Ivor go ahead.

"Yes, didn't you?"

"So that is what Sam meant. And everyone of you saw something before the airship. I was wondering how you people didn't see the airship before me. So there was another area of interest… for all of you."

"Uncle Tar, what are you saying?"

"I'll make it make sense soon. Let's go. And remember I can't see it, nephew. So help me out."

+

"Mr. Villers," I say, catching up to Ivor. "Can I have a word with you?"

"Yes, of course dear…"

"Aster."

"Yes. Sorry. Didn't get your name earlier with all the… our-fault-of-a-war."

"We are past that. I actually had a weird question because… it just is bugging me, just a bit."

"Do go ahead. Those kind of questions are bad for the head," he giggles.

"Max… not like it matters much but… his last name. I keep forgetting, is it Blasthe or… Blesthe? It just could be awkward one day… so just making sure that doesn't happen."

"I understand. There are both those, in the same town even," Ivor laughs at the thing which had caused me the confusion in the first place. "Blasthe. I remember it this way… A-class military Parzival. You could remember as A-class military Parzival's son."

"Haha, that must help. Thank you."

"No biggie. Part of the truce," we both laugh at that… maybe even he was fake-laughing like me.

Parzival… Blasthe. That's good.

We reach what seems to be another huge door… so behind this lies that dragon.

Could we take it on, if we had to?

The girl simply pushes the door open, and we see the huge green dragon lying on the floor. It lifts his head, to look at us, and tilts it's head a bit lower, as if it suggest that it means no harm.

The girl invites us to sit at the chairs available on the dragon's sides. All of us take to the seats on the left.

The dragons stands on its two front legs, while majestically lifting up its huge body. The room was pretty spacious for such an act.

"And you can start talking," Fara says.

Always her first step. To see what the situation was.

"You do have my respect having such great powers. But do not dare oppose me as I'm not one who you'd want to… mess around with, Fara."

"You know me?"

"Forgive them master, they have little knowledge of you or even their own kind," the young-girl says.

"Alright, that is more reasonable for their impoliteness. And yes I do know you, Lady Fara."

"So then why haven't we seen you anytime? Or never even have you appeared in Fara's visions."

"I said I knew her. Not the other way around. I've sure heard quite a lot from a fan. Myself Maison. And this is an ally of mine, Mally. It is finally good to meet you officially, dragons of Earth."