Chapter 51 – Seventh

I lose Leo and come under the sight of a canyon, with a beautiful river flowing in between the huge gorge – called Vritiyu. A couple huge green dragons could be sighted at the green sides and parts of the walls of the hills. The hills were called Diacore.

At the sight of me, one of the dragon jumps and glides down here, while flapping his wings to make a harmless landing – for me.

"You are back, daughter of-"

"-don't say that," I interrupt him.

"Agusth. Daughter of Agusth. You made clear that you do not like our previous title. I improvised, just for you. Still don't like it? You lot are so unsatisfied and wanting all."

"Are you done?" I ask.

The dragon stares down at me, and presses his feet into the ground below him – and the ground below me dogs down a feet or two.

"Do not mistake my tolerance for more tolerance to come. Rage comes after a limit, I'll have you been warned."

"I merely asked if I can say what I came to say."

"Apologies then," he says, and picks me out of here – delicately. "A private talk?"

"Not necessarily, but an important request."

"For the six?"

"Well, there are nine of them, but yes."

"The nine who brought this Rainbow to the Crystal-cave."

"Will it effect all of you?"

"Eventually," he lowers his face to the ground. "But what is serious is the new Prophecy."

"A new Prophecy?"

"This Rainbow declared one."

"A false deity. Another lame Prophecy."

"I'm aware of your alignment with anything not said by Fara herself, but the Crystal-cave yet holds prowess. Over the entirety of Meteor PLANET."

"Are we to find Poseidon, then?"

"Could be easier… but I'm afraid that wouldn't be possible. No Prophecy has declared his whereabouts."

"Then… what can be done?"

"Ask your guests to take down Rahambose. You are the only one who could guide them the best – if you wish to."

"You know when my help would expire."

"Indeed. But aren't we glad that you are not even a Shrouder? What would you even do?"

"They have lost their powers quite a bit. I could easily lead them to misery."

"But you wouldn't," he smiles.

I nod strictly.

"Anything else?"

"I would rather you don't give them your opinion about my alignment with Rahambose."

"Are you saying that it should be considered as false, or a secret?"

"A request."

"Could be considered if you can stop this… Rainbow, especially."

I just nod and walk away. I find Leo wandering this way… but I just walk past him to make him follow me.

Agusth… to her the only threat was Leo. She knew that if Leo ever were to lose his mind… even she, the strongest of them, couldn't do anything.

Not alone.

But… he'd be the only one who could face Trinity. I saw it.

"Did you talk to them?" Leo asks for the second time. "That is why you went, right?"

"We are almost back to the place, let's continue there."

"Agusth," Leo grabs my hand.

I instantly break away from his grip.

"I may not own a gem, but don't think I'm weak."

"I never said that…"

"Oh I'm sure you should be feeling so proud of your powers now. Being the strongest."

"I do not feel that," Leo raises both his hands to his shoulder level, close to his face. "Besides… I don't really have much of my powers."

I scoff. "Then you won't be of any use, you oh so high on your throne of having those powers."

"What's your deal?"

"My deal is…" I say and look at him directly… but I feel myself flinch a little. "You have my help, as long as you do not bother me."

"What I said… long back, that is not how I meant it."

Why was I… my mind is a mess. What am I thinking? How did my guilt suddenly turn to anger? Which… oh.

I sign my palm to Leo, as if asking to stop him – or just notice me. And he does. And then he looks at me, understanding the urgency in my face.

'Something,' I mouth, 'is here.'

'Who?' Leo mouths back.

Well… we'll soon find out.

I wait for it to pounce out… but only feel my stomach twists. Leo seems to shake something away from his head too.

I take a breath in and close my eyes to hear it… I hear the forest. The silence enveloped throughout it, with a small stream somewhere nearby. Some buzzing… some insect which you wouldn't want to be stung by.

"Nothing," I say, opening my eyes. "It's gone."

"It?" Leo asks, confusion and attention shrouding his face.

"Something… I only heard about it. It has been on and around here since two days ago, I heard."

"Some dragon? Thought the forest was-"

"-it is. No dragon would venture here… so I don't think it is an ordinary one."

"Rahambose?"

"Maybe one I haven't heard of. Or something entirely different…"

"And what could that be?"

"A good guess would be a ghost. Or something of similar effects. Something sly," I say, but Leo just had his same posture of alert on him. "We should go back. This forest is no adventure to be curious for. Both boring and dangerous for us."

Leo and I go out path again, and reach back to the house. The house which I had built.

"You guys get lost?" Skyto asks, as we arrive back.

I place my sword on the rack, its usual spot at home.

"Where the heck was that sword hidden?" Leo asks.

"You think I'd go out there without a sword?"

"Is it not safe out there? Thought you brought us to a place without danger," Tyle says, while looking up from a book… what was he reading, or writing?

"We are on The Empire, General Tyle. Danger is all over everyone's chest."

"Hmm," Tyle says, putting his books away. "Let's start with that… how did you lose your gem?"

I realise that everyone's looking at me. "That night… Trinity broke through my gem, with her crescent attack."

"Is that even possible?" Wyrom asks.

"I also broke my gem because of losing my hand…" Type says, and I nod. "But I stIll have mine."

"I believe…" I say. "That night both of Agusth's forms separated from her. The gem died, while the Primevel-me, lived on."

Everyone stays silent, and I let it wander off around us this way. Enveloping the whole roo-

"But you are her," Tony says, walking into the room while furiously rubbing her hairs with a towel. "I'm going back for round two, soon enough. But I just wanted to ask… if you remember me."

"I don't think I have ever met you," I pitch my answer almost instantly.

"And why do you think that is?"

"Tony, what are you getting at?" Skyto sighs.

"That I'm a spy who has watched all around, all this time. But you know what sucks? With all due respect, powerful people like Drego."

"Hey, I take the compliment," Drego shrugs.

"People who shapeshift. And this Rainbow is one. And now he… is a Crystal-cave? How do we know that you aren't just… a shapeshifter?"

#Agusth… her lineage helped build a lot around The Empire. And she had such special prowess… to build things. And her last wish when she saw that she would be torn apart was… to build herself. But she was yet broken. Broken into the one standing here, Raigo.#

Blood drops on the wood, giving a kind of mixed smell. My hot blood barely about making a little part of the wood: smoke.

"There are at least three ways you can test it with this. One, I didn't instantly change forms. Two, I don't heal as fast as any of you. Three, you can let Hailo check my DNA or something if she has learnt it, and I still have retained Agusth's DNA somehow. Oh, or four, Spythun could maybe look for imprints on that letter you got from… written by Agusth once, and check my fingerprints maybe. Also, five, if I still somehow can deceive you… I would have already made it simplest when we met."

Tony looks at Hailo, and she comes to me and works on my cut. I realise that it was the best acceptance I could get from Tony, who just stares at me – before leaving for round two.

#Turns out… Agusth had a lot more to her story, even when dead. Turns out she couldn't stop fighting.#