Chapter 33 – Black dragon of the forest (2)

The three go higher and higher. Parzival didn't know that Line and Tony's domain was this. Yet… Line and Tony just seem to be distracting him, and keeping his attention from me.

I see uneven attempts of those purple arcs, but the two seem to be evading it pretty well. Looking at Parzival's sloppiness on it… it must've been new found – along with his imminent yet slow evolution into a purple.

Couldn't let that happen.

So I pull my heavy body with all the extra strength I could generate on my hands. Right as I grab onto Parzival's back, he starts gliding and going backwards, making me lose my grip. I end up at his feet again, the sharp back of his feet – barely holding on.

Tony bashes onto him from above, making me finally lose my grip and start falling. But as I gasp and brace, trying to transform… something holds my hand instead… someone.

I see one wing, flapping mightily, at the back of the altered face I manage to recognise.

"Max?" I ask, unsure. "What happened?"

He was still looking like a human… but with a scaly cheek and neck. Both his hands seem to have pointy claws. But only one hand looks bigger and almost of a dragon.

I couldn't see his legs, but they must be in the same condition.

And finally, a radiant red glow pierces my eye – making my eyes sting a little. The source was Max's chest.

"Not sure of how this happened or how I knew you were in danger… but here we are. Need a hand?"

"Yeah, you already are giving me one."

"Oh right, of course. But one wing – so – little more effort, shall we?"

I hold his hand properly and pull myself up. Max holds me by my waist and balances himself.

So this was the guy for me… according to the prophecy.

I feel a little ringing in my ear, as this wing… which barely looks like a wing, flaps in one swoosh. The two of us reach higher than the three, and I push Max a bit, while falling onto Parzival's back.

"You again."

"Throw me again, and you drop off… to a massive height, down. I counted, trust me, just let's have a jolly ride. Technically you are my friend too, right? Well, here's your gift."

As I stand up, on his moving back… Parzival's body… moves in a way, almost making me slip. And I now stand on Parzival's belly, as he stares right at me.

"Let's see how well you can digest my gift."

Parzival takes a breath in, and I brace…

No, fire couldn't possibly… but with my gem damaged, who knew.

As the fire shoots towards me… I see black. The black shirt on Max's body. The smoky fire spreads out in front of him. But eventually, the fire circles around him…

This was familiar.

"Dad…" Max says, while controlling the circling fire this time, for longer.

Maybe last time when it shot at me… maybe it was intentional, who knew? I did piss him off.

"Look at you Max," Parzival says.

Where did Line and Tony go?

I see them grasped in the red lightning thingy, and struggling to get out.

"Dragons… are abominations. And you've become one too. Like me."

"No, dragons are humans. And the only reason you became an abomination is because you thought otherwise."

"Human?" Parzival scoffs. "Human and dragon are far off, Max."

"They are the same. They are supposed to stay allies."

"Allies? That'll only bring harm, Max."

"Only because of people like you and Esterine," I say.

"Why do you think your mother died, Aster?" Parzival asks, shutting me up. "Or now that I think of it, Ivor's wife… human and dragon were never meant to be together. Biology warns us, screams at us about it."

"Many animals such as dogs can be harmful. Yet they are our pets. Friends," Line says.

"And that is how people will see you all, Line. As pets. Play things."

"And what is your solution to that?" I ask.

Parzival freezes to think. "Punishment for sins."

"Then we can work on that together," I say.

I take the sword out from near Max's waist and poke it onto Parzival's right wing, instead of his wounded left… and it obviously doesn't pierce.

"There is nothing stronger than me. Your father tried."

"And he told me one red dragon trick," I say, as the sword seems to move into the wing – ever so slightly.

My gem shines, as I summon fire through my hands. I was barely used to doing this… and it feels harder with my current state.

Max releases the fire he is holding off… right at me, to the sword. It heats up so much as to making me release my hand from the handle. But as the sword starts sinking slowly into the hard skin, I hold the handle and race forward while slashing all the way.

As I fall, I let the sword go – with a burn mark on my hand.

Max falls towards me, as I look up. Line and Tony move towards Parzival's other wing while he is in pain, right as they are released.

As Max grabs on me, I hear a little cracking sound which his body makes. Even when trying to flap his wings, we fall to the ground. Rolling on the ground together, we finally come to a halt on the rough ground.

Sizzling through pain, I feel pain all over my body… but my tummy barely hurts. Max's wing fades away from above my lower part.

"Max! You alright?"

"Yeah…" Max says and spits blood out. "I can bear a lot more stab wounds."

I scoff, understanding that reference. He was playing Julius Caesar, he did boast about that. The teacher had complimented on his physique, even when he wasn't as bulk as Rusty.

"Aster! Max!" Rusty says, arriving in his dragon-form and transforming back. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," he says, in tears.

"You just missed a hell of a fight," the two of us say.

Max barely has his eyes open while looking around. "Where is Uncle Tar?"

+

As I open my eyes I find Parzival's wing getting torn, and Aster falling from the sky. A one-winged person falls with her.

"Rusty," I say.

Rusty leaves in a swoosh, and I calmly stretch my back on the support he had made for me. He could make all these… but didn't want to go towards Parzival after the first time.

The broken sharp nail from Parzival's wing lays at a distance from me.

Rusty couldn't possibly fear Parzival, Rusty himself was strong… something sure must be up.

Lowering my head, I find Sam's lucky charm, in my temporary possession again. Grabbing it, I do what I had done for many years… but something seems off.

There was a gap here…

As I fiddle at it, the piece comes loose - making a gap again. As I could tell, it really wasn't a real part of the gem.

When I hold the little piece of gem up… a right fit of the gap; I see a yellow tint to it. Sam's? But…

I look at both the piece of gem and the fallen nail.

What was I to do with these?

Line and Tony tear the left wing from Parzival, and as he falls – he holds them, to fall together. Even Tony seems to lose her balance, and these three hit the ground… with Parzival falling onto the two of them.

Line and Tony transform back, under the weight of Parzival. And he looks at the two, striking a memory in me.

"Parzival!" I scream, drawing his attention.

Parzival looks at me, knowing well the kind of tick I had gotten. I see a kind of grin on his face… weak now, yet he could be seen to be possessed completely by Rahambose.

"What was the kid's name, Tarragon? I never got to ask," Parzival scoffs.

"Ask his brother," I say under my breath.

Parzival shivers, while lifting his hand up. As he clutches his claw… a kind of a shivering purple arc forms right in front of it.

Time freezes, as the arc shoots towards me. I stretch my body while jumping, and pick the nail with the same hand I hold the piece.

As I stand up straight and look towards the purple arc, it merely has moved ahead by a metre or two. As I aim the nail, the arc slowly progresses towards me.

I feel my heartbeat declining…

The arc passes ourmidpoint, then more… and finally as it is just a distance away, I throw the nail, right at it. And as it leaves my hand, time turns normal and the arc shoots towards Parzival, alongside the nail... faster than it had arrived.

Parzival takes a few steps back, as black dust slowly takes his whole body… until only the cruel human vessel remains there.

I feel a sword in my grasp, and walk forward – ever so slowly. Knowing well, that I had to… and he couldn't run away, even if he wanted to.

With each step, my feet get heavier. And right as I reach nearer… I hear a thud below my own body, my legs had given up. But my teary eyes stay fixated at Parzival.

+

Even in pain, we reach the scene.

The person who had screamed the name of the man who took his loved one… stays defeated on the ground, kneeling down and crying in silence.

The guardians of the castle, scars all over… check the other.

And finally, the man… the man who had caused this… silently looks at the sky, facing away from us. A radiant glow… barely differ-able as black or any other nearer tint of purple… shines at the sky.

Finally, after a moment or two to take in, the man in tatters… kneels to the ground himself. And then he falls, while looking at us. His gem, the darkest of all… was nowhere on his bare chest.

In his dragon form; I heard he hid his gem inside his very body. But… he was too tired here. His gem was gone for good. It was over.

"Is that it?" Max asks as a first question, on his dad's condition. "Where did his gem go?"

+

"Where did his gem go?" I ask to Crystal-cave.

"I wouldn't know," it blandly replies.

"You're THE Crystal-cave," I remind it.

"And I've done my best to live up to it."

My eyes get attentive to red sparks from the top-most (red) on the pile of gems.

"You trapped it? There?"

"It has worked before… on trapping such demons. And I wish it works. But I couldn't call his gem back… I can't find it, anywhere."

"Is that bad?"

"You tell me. Rahambose has been trapped, and separated from Parzival Blesthe. What happens if the gem alone finds another such person?"

I nod, than answer.

+

"Is that… common?" Rusty asks.

I just simply walk forward, with my own questions. Grabbing Tony's sword, now broken, I hold it against the defenceless man at the ground.

"Why did you kill him?" I ask, and hot tears flow down my face. "Yet… come here to meet your own death."

Parzival looks at me, with a blank face… and finally parts his lips. "I miss him."