Chapter 36 – Far off Farr

"Hey me…" another me says to me, while sitting on a chair ahead of me.

I go to her side, but she doesn't turn. Just a vision, as usual.

"Weird life we have. Or well, I have. Not sure how that should be said. Honestly… I'm not sure about anything, nowadays," she scoffs, and a kind of dark mood sets on her. "I hope my request of a one-on-one of us here was accepted by you."

I feel a little nauseous hearing that. It was just myself, but, I felt a kind of… repellence from here. Was I in danger?

"If you're with someone, then I'm happy. Then… what I do isn't for a waste," she lowers her head. "I'm sorry."

I see tears fall onto the dark floor.

"It was the only way. Forgetting the past… it eases the pain, Fara. Please understand me. I KNOW what I'm doing. I know the pain. This pain which they give us. They HUNT us," she seems to search for words on the dark floor… and finally turns to me, exactly where I'm standing. "And I had to rid him from the curse."

I stumble backwards and fall to the floor… I see a thousand things run in front of me, images, memories… thousand turn to a million, and none of it makes sense. Perhaps the count goes to a billion, with most of them being pitch darkness. Yet none of them make actual sense.

"Dragons are just creatures with fear, like any," she maintains eye contact, with tears in her eyes. "Multiple lives of ours. They just LOVE taking the count out of us. Just because we are different, Fara. You need to understand."

She gets up from the chair, and comes towards me. I don't move. And she sits on the floor, right in front of me.

"It is hard being us. It is hard remembering each of our misery, pondering on it. And I know that… because of me… you'd have trusted the dragons again. But let them go. We need to live a different life for once."

She lifts one of her hands from the floor, and touches towards me… only to pass me just a little, but not missing where I am.

"Even if they protect us… we can't. We are no warrior. We are just us. The Prophet. No good for our own life. Before, at, or after Rahambose. All the same. So please live a little. For all us. For yourself. With a different kind of the same emotions on a lighter scale."

She smiles, as I stare at her. A drop of tear finally leaves my eye.

"Rahambose… we warned them about it," she says in a squeaky manner. "We can't fight. So let's leave for once. Before we blame ourselves for him happening. Before others do… because we are the two peas in the pod, him and us."

"That's ridiculous!" I say.

"It is ridiculous. I know that is how you'd phrase it. But if I know that… I also would surely know that someone out there will have such a reaction, right? Him being an idea. Us talking about him. It is like we GAVE the idea. They'd-They've! They've said that."

"We…? Us?" I ask.

She gets up and starts walking away.

"Then again. It is your choice. And this was mine. And I suppose if we got here… just forgetting wasn't enough. We are still here."

This Fara fades and another take her place, standing in front of me. Then another. Then another. Then another. Then another. Then another. Then another. Then another… until I lose track of the count. And the first one seems to appear again, without me realising… as it was barely differ-able.

"Looking back; none of those lives seem to be worth, to me. Not when we were slaves, this Prophet," she says and looks back at me. "We are not to be its slaves. We are capable of beating it. So when you've lived the life… you could try finding the Prophecy Heroes. We have found some things on them."

She turns to me again, and looks down at me with a strict face.

"But none of us were ever ready for it. So, do you think you are ready?"

***

"Everything alright?" Yjale asks.

I find it to be weird, but he seems to be saying that to Fara. And I realise why, when looking at her.

"Hey kid, something wrong? Why are you… crying?" I ask.

Fara just looks dazed and looks at our faces… she finally wipes her tears after properly measuring our faces, and inhales hard.

"Nothing. It's nothing," Fara says.

"Are you sure?" Yjale asks.

"Yes," Fara dryly smiles.

"Fara, which life are you on?" Ivor asks.

"What?"

"I mean… have you only met bad people?" Ivor asks, making confused faces look between the two. "You clearly… something is bothering you. You've always lived while keeping it all to yourself? I really hope not."

"I agree with him. Vote for the revelation from the Prophet?" I ask, lifting my hand. Everybody raises their hands too. "And The Imperfects perfectly come together for it. Go!"

"Imperfects? That's what we are calling ourselves now?" Aster asks.

"Do the math. It is perfect."

"It also seems to have our starting letters, don't you think?" Max asks.

Line carefully thinks and turns to Max. "Not mine!"

"Well, the Imperfects… we could add a tag-LINE, and you'd be in too."

"Alright, both your voices are pissing me off, shut up," Aster frustrated-ly says, and the two zip their mouth. "And you," Aster puts are finger towards Fara. "Speak."

Fara just awkwardly looks at us.

"I'm in pain, so make it quick. Can't stand here all day," Aster says.

"Let me go get the ship running," Shine says.

A flap of air hits my face, but I brace. And I hear wing-flapping sounds fading slowly.

"Did she leave?" Yjale asks. "All I… I just heard, so."

"She did," Fara says, and all of us lock our eyes on her – to which she flinches before opening her mouth again. "I… want to stay back."

"Like… you don't want us all to leave?" Sam asks.

"Not that… I… only I, want to stay here. Not the castle, but… here."

Nobody answers.

"I enjoyed all this. This time spent. And I will miss you guys… but I need to… go have a life… without the prophecy. Away from it. Even if for a while."

Still… nobod-

"Okay," Aster suddenly says, getting all the eyes fix onto her. "It's your choice, Fara."

"No…" Yjale says, getting eyes onto him now. "Don't get me wrong… but no more dragons. Even one of you staying back can be problematic. I can't… save you forever, from trouble. And taking your forms… you'll have people chasing your powers."

"Oh that won't be a problem. I can die a few times," Fara says, getting concerned glares. "Come on… I live to the end of time, right? Besides, they could never get my powers. Nor are mine any… forms. I'm just me. I could do no harm," she scoffs.

"Exactly," Rusty says.

"Come on, Rus."

"No, Fara. I… we can't leave you here. Not alone!"

"Hey, are you not considering me then?" I scoff with a smirk.

"Uncle Tar," Max wordlessly says, while shivering all of a sudden – making my heart sink.

"And me," Ivor says, and turns to Yjale. "I'm a gem-less dragon. No powers, no form. I rejected the Crystal-cave long back. So don't worry about me either."

"Dad, don't you fu-" Rusty says and stops. "You are family."

"But I'm only human," Ivor shrugs. "I doubt I or Tar would have chance to survive space. Nor is it unknown of how long. You know we are old, right?"

"Ouch, but I'm with his words."

"You know there'll be a way. There always is," Sam says, with teary eyes. "We have a freaking ship, even when dragons fly. There could be such a thing to help you… to be there."

"Would love to be a machine," I say. "But… we can't let the team split as one and everyone else. Three and everyone else sounds better."

"You don't have to…" Fara says.

"Missed the part where we could possibly not survive up there?" Ivor asks. "You either go with the ship, or be struck with these two old men. Your choice, dear. Totally up to you. But either of us sure promise to give you the life you wish to experience."

"Make that three," Yjale says, and everyone looks at him. "What, you think I'm going with the dragons? I only get to SEE the cool stuff. Besides, I'm only okay with this because neither of you three are really a dragon… but are. You couldn't harm anyone."

I scoff.

"Not the time, Tarragon," Yjale says.

"Yeah, sorry."

"So this is it," Line says. "All this…"

I go ahead to hug him and he melts within my grasp. Tony hugs us.

"One day… I'll be able to fly through space. You better remember me until then," Tony says.

"You promise?" I ask desperately.

"I can't fly, this is unfair," Sam says and hugs us too.

This way we all exchange hugs and look at each other's faces… to never forget. I do get a little glares making me think that maybe something is on my face… maybe just the charm.

And the inevitable moment arrives as the huge tower turns to a ship and fills the empty land which the military had vacated.

The dragons find whatever stuff they can, from the rubble, and make their way into the ship. We do the same… except all of us stand at the entrance.

"Go… before it runs out of fuel," I tell to Max, and he forces a smile.

"Farr… Far off Farr," Rusty says, holding Fara by her shoulders. "You take care."

Sam hugs Ivor one last time, and barely let's go… not until he repeats my dialogue.

And they too leave us, as the three… no, the four of us, stand there. Yjale too waves at them, while back away. The doors close, making it all a memory. Making it all… only part of Fara's prophecy.

I knew… one day, that too would come back. Because in the end… it is always Rahambose.

"Until then we can rest," Fara says, looking at me.

I nod. "You got information on the Prophecy Heroes right?"

"Yes."

"Good… let's find them. And prove that we really are ready."