The fourth one

Talim was not waking up. The body of the queen was still inanimate and cold, her arm was falling to the side. It seemed like there was nothing to do anymore for her. Ëmie tried to shake her, put more blood from the cup into her mouth, and she tried to place her arm directly to her lips. The only thing she managed to do was make a big mess of everything around and stain the couch, her dress, and Talim's dress with blood. 

"Why don't you come back? Please," Ëmie begged, but nothing happened. The little queen didn't hear her pleading and didn't answer. Ëmie sat on the floor and leaned her back against the couch, she was facing her failure, tears rolling down her cheeks, "I am so sorry!" She cried, burying her head in her hands.

Tarim, outside, opened his eyes and looked at Jäwell and Leïlana. Both of them were staring with a large smile but Tarim was confused. Jäwell was excited while Leïlana was relieved. She removed Jäwell's arm from her shoulder and collected herself, she coughed to clear her voice.

"How do you feel?" She asked as coldly as she could.

Tarim blinked a few times, he could barely move due to the extreme pain he felt in his limbs. The dragon was confused, "What happened?"

Jäwell was overjoyed, "You died when Talim passed, but you came back. Everything is fine now."

Tarim felt an overwhelming feeling, "She died?" He murmured to himself, realizing Talim's life ended without him being with her. His heart tightened, and a suffering even greater than the physical one invaded him. Tarim looked at the tower and unexpectedly rushed to its entrance. He demolished the front door in one headshot. When he passed his head inside the hole he made in the wall, he saw Talim lying with closed eyes and Ëmie sitting next to her, her head in her hands.

Tarim froze, Talim was dead in front of his very eyes. Her white hair was falling on her dress stained by the blood. It was a nightmare, he wanted to call for her but he could not anymore. The only sound coming out of his throat was a roar. The sound he emitted was so powerful that the world trembled once again. Pieces of the tower's walls fell, and shelves crumbled, as for Ëmie, she was knocked to the ground by the blow.

Jäwell and Leïlana didn't understand the situation, since Tarim awakened, they were naturally expecting that Talim would be transformed. Leïlana was first to rush inside to protect Ëmie. She placed herself in front of her and summoned the shadows as a shield. 

Tarim's despair was so intense that even Leïlana had issues standing in front of him. Jäwell joined shortly after and saw the body of the young queen still not reacting. She was dead and she remained a corpse. He looked at the scene in front of him and was stunned. Nobody could understand what happened. Never, the blood had failed to transform someone.

"Is it possible that Tarim received the blood instead of her?" Jäwell tried to ask Leïlana despite the earthquake and the terrific noise of the dragon screaming in agony his pain.

"Why not? It is magic after all, and he is a dragon. She was maybe too weak and only served as a transmitter." 

"Oh… I didn't plan that," Jäwell said while scratching the back of his head.

"Did you plan anything at all anyway?" 

Jäwell chuckled, Leïlana was right. It was not like he had a solid plan or studied anything, and all this mess was only happening because he wanted to take holidays as a mortal. 

The dragon turned to Jäwell after he heard him laughing. His despair turned to an intense rage.

"How do you dare to laugh?! What have you done?!"

"It seems that the life's bond to your sister has been broken by death and she didn't awaken at the same time as you. Well, we tried." Jäwell explained shortly and calmly, increasing, even more, the rage of the dragon.

"You tried?! That's all you have to say! My sister is dead! You said you would save her!"

"Oh, sorry about that. Turns out it didn't work, I could not have planned it, to be honest, but she would die anyway, you are the important one."

Lëilana saw Jäwell shrug his shoulders, she slapped her forehead in helplessness. Ëmie and Tarim were sure at this moment that Jäwell was purposely searching to anger the dragon. Leïlana let out a "Seriously?" She was exhausted to see him acting this way as she knew he was absolutely honest. Jäwell didn't change, even after all his years of living, he was still the same diplomatic person. 

Jäwell looked at her in an interrogative way, "What?! Isn't it true? He is alive, this is what I wanted, so technically, it worked?"

Tarim was so furious that he didn't listen anymore, he took a deep inspiration and was about to blow his fire. Leïlana summoned a shield around Ëmie and her. Jäwell laughed, "And me?" 

But she answered with a cold glare, "Manage yourself!"

"You don't love me enough."

"I have all faith in you. Take this dragon out of here!"

Jäwell didn't move from his spot, he didn't search for shelter or anything. His look bore into Tarim's eyes with a challenging glaze. Tarim lost his duel the last time they fought together and Jäwell was confident about the outcome of this conflict, especially as they were in Ombrae.

And especially that there was something Tarim didn't realize yet which he was about to discover in the hard way. Tarim blew his fire. The pressure of the breath was enough to push Leïlana and Ëmie, even if they were not harmed by the fire itself, the pressure he sent was destabilizing to the mage. 

The poor tower was ruined by it, windows and doors exploded, books were flying into ashes, and the past preparation Leïlana did in the wall after Zarkhaïm made a hole in the wall flew away like haye. "My tower!" She yelled angrily. 

Tarim closed his eyes to blow like he never did before, he projected his rage, his pain, and his distress in this fire, but when he opened his eyes. The realization of what he had become hit him like a hammer and he fell on his paws. 

His fire was not red anymore, it was black like the darkest night, once beautiful red fire was now made of shadows. The flames around him were devouring everything and the stone melted in some places, but his fire was black. 

Tarim suddenly looked at his paws and faced the terrible truth. His claws were silver. Jäwell was standing in front of him, unharmed. He took a step and placed his hand on the dragon's head. Tarim was panting, he gave everything he had and it was not enough. 

"I am the master of the shadows, the prince of the Ombrae. Together, we will do great things, believe me."

For the first time in his life, his fire was insufficient and he felt powerless. The dragon was speechless. Ëmie stood up, feeling Tarim's pain and the weight of what she had done. She cried loudly as the little girl she was and rain started to fall inside the tower. Jäwell looked at her and smiled. As a patriarch of a family, he patted the shoulder of Tarim and spoke solemnly. 

"I know you don't trust me right now. I promise you that one day, not soon, but one day, you will like this life. I will do everything for it. Now, go, bury your sister properly, return to your world with your new powers, and kill your former enemies. Massacre them in the name of your rage. Mourn as long as you need to, and come back when you are ready, my son."

Tarim looked at him in disbelief, there was nothing else to do. He held back his feelings and everything he wanted to yell at him. The dragon took the delicate body of Talim between his claws and flew away. Jäwell was content with the outcome of the situation but Leïlana was angry at him. She stepped front after pushing Ëmie a bit further in her back with one arm and she grabbed Jäwell's arm fiercely.

"How could you talk to him like that? He lost his sister! Don't you remember how you were when Miroïr died?!"

Jäwell placed a hand on hers and caressed her skin with his thumb, "I remember, this is exactly why I talked to him this way. Compassion and cries will not help him right now." 

The prince grabbed her waist and pulled her into his arms, whispering in her ear sensually, "My dear, when Miroïr died, the only thing that made me survive was to kill you. Let him handle his pain as he needs to."

Tarim flew over the ombrae with Talim's body in his claws. He flapped his wings strongly until his emotions exhausted him and he crashed into a forest. There, he laid down, embracing her strongly, incapable of moving or thinking anything.

The fourth son of Zarkhaïm's lineage was born.