Chapter 34 – Parzival (3)

"Klyne… he protected the weak. Always. Phoenix was just a baby… Fara. What a poor child, with such a curse. He put his life ahead, to protect her. Not because she was some Prophet, it was because he was such a man."

I just listen to this man, even with the urge to rip his heart out in an instant, while still weakly holding the broken sword.

"And I… of all people, weak?" Parzival scoffs. "But he knew… I needed a friend. I was weak that way. And he stood by me. And I… I couldn't do the same."

"Who?" I ask, losing patience.

"There is no point, Aster. Trust me. Because in the end… it really was me. He got struck in between what should've killed me. I should've driven off that cliff… not him."

"The dragons killed him?"

"No, Aster. I think more than them… it was me. I caused it. But the root of it was fear and anger. And that is not something which can be destroyed just like that. Nor can the people just be forgiven."

"Then what do I do? Is it all for nothing? His struggle..."

"It wasn't… your father helped me stay sane, for what it is worth. Maybe things will mess up eventually… but we need more people like Klyne. Or it'll all be instant uncontrollable chaos."

"Like the one you wrecked?" Tar asks, I turn behind to find him looking this way. "You know what you did, Parzival."

"And there is… it had to end here. That is why I'm here."

"And Minerva?"

Parzival's eyes fill up. "I couldn't protect her either. I have no excuse… I killed her. And I couldn't live with myself, with that."

"Please tell me you're lying."

"The other guy… he knew that if me being a dragon would be found out… he told me it was the only way. The only way…" Parzival says and thinks… tries to frame a sentence with all that is left of him. "I don't even know why I went with it, I'm sorry."

"No! You're lying!"

"I'm sorry… for falsely taking her from you. But I loved her dearly," Parzival says. "I loved them both… and destroyed them for the people who needed them. All for my own self. I even disappointed them… by being the very thing they didn't see in me."

Tar gets up, and comes this way. But Rusty holds him off, while crying himself. He calmly drags Tar away from here.

"You didn't kill her, did you?" Max asks, with barely any tears falling out. "What happened, Dad?"

"Esterine… she wanted to check if Minerva was a dragon… in a different way. And also if I was strong enough," Parzival tears up more. "So in the end… I lost both of them to an accident, Max. I couldn't protect them. I let it happen. I killed them."

"Y-you… did your best. A-always."

"I don't know if they'll forgive me. But do you think I can see them, one last time? I didn't get to say goodbye…" Parzival looks at us, with hope.

I nod continuously, unable to word it enough to soothe.

"Thank you. I think… in the end you just hope for one more moment with your loved ones. Everyone knows that it's not true… so there cometh the afterlife concept. Your father used to say that… Shakespeare would be mad too," Parzival says, and cracks a laugh through my tears.

As Parzival looks at me and Max, his eyes widen and he gasps hard… twice.

"M-Max," Parzival says, trying to search for Max with his hands.

Max goes ahead and kneels down, while putting his hands in Parzival's. "I'm here."

"Find Yjale. He'll listen. And I'm so sorry. For everything. Bury my body here… no one should ever find me, or we don't know what that can lead to."

"We'll give you a proper burial. I promise."

"I'm so sorry Max," Parzival bawls his eyes out, while sobbing. "I… was… so hard on you," he chokes on his words. "I didn't even… you are the best…" Parzival inhales hard… as his words fail to come out, he looks at me… with a kind of hope and a final request…

I nod, understanding, and looking at Max.

Parzival's lifted head falls to the ground, as a smile almost appears… knowing that his son would be fine, without him. This way… he lets go.

Max silently sits, and makes his dad sleep on his lap. He sobs, making slight whimpers of pain.

I knew the pain… but I had no cure to it. Max had after all lost both of them on the same day.

I look towards Line and Tony… as I ask them with my eyes, if they're fine… they nod. But scars and bruises couldn't be hidden.

I look far… towards Rusty hugging Tar… both of them fallen to the ground.

Had we won? Or was this just a taste of… what happens if Rahambose continues for longer?

The pain in my tummy, brings me back to life.

Line helps me, while holding Parzival tightly in his grip... yet knowing to show respect.

We make it back to the castle, in our own broken pieces… and Line drops Parzival's body, as if it were Tyle, right in front of Ivor.

Ivor checks for Parzival's pulse, before tears roll down his cheek. He hugs the dead body tightly… hoping the heat could bring his friend back.

"I'm sorry," Ivor whispers.

Sam somehow finds a bunch of orange chrysanthemum flowers and puts it in Parzival's dead grasp.

Tar still tries to ignore as if Parzival isn't there, and gets pulled by Sam… who somehow calms him down.

+

"You knew, didn't you, Sam?" Tar asks me. "Fara's full vision about Parzival being Rahambose."

"Tar I-"

"-I'm not mad, Sam. The prophecy is maddening… but I just want to know… I saw…" Tar's eyes fill-up. "Minerva. The vision had Minerva. And Max-it doesn't make sense."

I use my powers to almost freeze time. "Because it isn't our story, Tar," I say, while pressing his hand in mine. "I promise… and I'm sorry."

"Then Minerva…"

I shake my head, as much as I can.

"How can that be? That doesn't make sense… I was holding the sword and Parzival was there… I knew it as if… as if I knew that had happened."

"What you saw is of the very past… before EVERYTHING. I thought that maybe if you held that stone… I thought it'd be the only way Rahambose stops."

"No… Sam. Maybe that past me… which wasn't me… maybe that was the one who was worthy. Not me," Tar says, and breaths in. "Not me."

"And the one who killed her… wasn't Mr. Blesthe. Tar. I hope you know that."

"But that bastard gave in… just like in his past," Tar says, making me speechless. "But he is gone too… but Saturn is still out there."

+

"Everyone needs us, let's go, leader," Tar throws a smirk at me.

"Need a hand?" a familiar voice freezes us, and makes me sigh.

"Esterine," I say and look at her, pointing a gun at us… at me, actually.

"Sending Parzival first was the right thing. Everyone believed he'd be the end, but his end was what was near," Esterine scoffs. "He seems to have done enough damage. Good."

"And you can go up ranks by being the one who ends it? Quite a plan."

"Right? But it is quite sad… I at least thought he'd kill Tarragon. But look at him… still in one piece."

"What can I say? Seems my purpose is still to be fulfilled, with you standing right in front of me."

"Always a romantic, I'm charmed."

"It's more charming than you can think of," Ivor sneaks up on her, without even me noticing, and knocks on Esterine's head with his gun.

"Because charms are just distractions," Tar and Ivor say.

"Did you get summoned by the Crystal-cave? How did you do that?" Tar asks.

But I sense a presence… with the movement of air, beyond the balcony. There was a dragon… at least one we couldn't see.

"It is just quite weird that she didn't notice."

"Yeah… almost like somebody did that," Fara says, looking over the balcony too.

"What exactly?" Ivor asks.

Gunshots hit the railings, making all of us duck and move towards the wall.

"Let's move out first," Fara says.

"It's Alta," Line says.

Tar looks at Esterine… while making an unknown face of anger. I grab him, and a bullet hits behind the spot he was it.

"Ah, fuck," Ivor says, as he gets shot at his shoulder, and drops the gun from his hand.

"Dad!"

"Get the kids, we need to move!" I order.

As we move towards the opposite side, to the other set of stairs… Ivor looks back towards Esterine. "This might haunt us later."

"Tarragon duck," Rusty says.

As Tar does, a bullet misses him again. Esterine had already woken up and shooting towards us. We duck and make haste towards the stairs.

"I don't understand what's more scary," Tar says.

"Just knowing that my son has kinetic powers," Ivor, who was literally looking towards Esterine and unknown to her movement, says.

"Actually it's psychic, sir, not kinetic," Line says.

"Oh yes right, thanks, Esterine's guy."

"Excuse me, he's actually my guy," Tony grumpily claims.

"Right-right Esterine guy's girl."

"Is that better or worse?"

"Little less focus on puns," I suggest.

"Aren't you all dragons? Why are we running? Just… turn."

"As Esterine said… we are hurt enough. Our powers are limited in a way now," Tony explains.

"And each of us are mentally and physically harmed," I add.

We reach the door and freeze at the sight. Blood and war again… how could this be avoided this time?

"It can't be," Esterine says, and a gunshot resounds out… hitting towards us.

This means… the end of dragons. If I could only change this from happening… what part would I change from?

And with that question, I feel nauseous.