Episode 14

The Floating Plains of Gildora was a beautiful place teeming with vibrant life. In this wonderful sanctuary, spectacular flora and animals thrived, while towering ancient trees soared to the heavens, their branches intertwined. Crystal-clear streams meandered through its lands, nourishing exotic flowers that bloomed in a kaleidoscope of colors, emanating delightful scents.

However, what distinguished Gildora from other natural sanctuaries among the nine realms were its floating islands that float in the sky. It was crowned with glittering waterfalls that dumped rain on the regions below, reflecting rainbows everywhere it goes. 

These ethereal islands became home to a plethora of unique and colorful birds, while the earth below became home to a variety of different species.

Above one of Gildora's islands, a rip in the sky materialized, and from it descended two figures—a male and a small female child.

It was Theon and Scarlet.

When Scarlet emerged through the portal with Theon, she hadn't anticipated their sudden descent from the sky. Instead of stepping onto solid ground, they found themselves falling through the air. 

Caught off guard, Scarlet couldn't suppress a scream, her young voice filled with fear.

Theon's jaw clenched, realizing he had made an error. 

He knew he had lost concentration for a moment, resulting in their current predicament. 

He didn't offer excuses for his mistake; it had been too long since he had last used magical items, and he felt out of touch.

"Hold on!" he shouted, swiftly pulling Scarlet into his arms as they hurtled towards a floating island. Their impact was imminent, and he needed to minimize the force to ensure their survival.

With Scarlet's small frame nestled securely in his embrace, Theon tapped into every ounce of remaining mana he had. He formed a barrier around them, thick enough to cushion their fall. The barrier absorbed the impact as they passed through branches and leaves, gradually slowing their descent. They continued to plummet, and with each impact, the barrier weakened.

Theon cursed when the integrity of his barrier had reached its limit. Twisting his body, he shielded Scarlet with his back just as the barrier dissipated. 

Crack! Bam! BAM! Theon landed flat on his back. He groaned, pain coursing through his body. It was undoubtedly a discomforting experience, but it would have been far worse if he hadn't cast the protective barrier. 

Birds in the vicinity squawked and took flight, disturbed by the disruption they did to their habitat.

Scarlet--- who had her eyes shut during the entire descent--- now cautiously opened her eyes. Feeling that they had landed on solid ground, she felt relief wash over her when she saw that they indeed were on solid ground, alive and in one piece. Rising onto her elbows, she looked at Theon when he groaned in pain.

"Sorry," she muttered apologetically, wincing as she quickly moved off of him to give him space.

Theon grunted as he sat up, brushing away dirt and leaves from his robe, his discomfort apparent. Their landing was rough, but at least they were alive and Scarlet didn't have a scratch on her tiny body.

On the other hand, Scarlet couldn't help but gaze around the forest of Gildora with a sense of awe and wonder. Every direction she turned revealed breathtaking beauty, filled with vibrant colors and abundant plant life. The air itself felt invigorating as she took slow, deliberate breaths, relishing the freshness that surpassed any she had experienced in her previous life. The air in this place was clearly far superior to the polluted air she had once known.

Suddenly, Scarlet heard a loud roar, and the floating islands trembled at the intensity of its anger. Before she could think, Scarlet ran to the edge of the floating island, letting her instincts lead her there; and as if rewarding her, Scarlet's instincts led her to witness a very rare sight.

Not far from their island, a majestic white dragon was swiping it's tail to the side, destroying a small island in its anger. After that, the mighty beast opened its mouth, and the inside of its throat started to glow. 

"Step back!" Theon appeared by her side, covering her with his body, as a red glow climbed up to the white dragon's neck, and when it reached its mouth, crimson fire came out, destroying everything it touched, engulfing it in flames.

Scarlet and Theon witnessed the destruction the crazed dragon had made, as it continued to trash around, searching for something amongst the islands. There was floating dust and large stones everywhere, numerous islands now scarred by its destruction. Good thing it was not an inhabited island, as there weren't creatures coming out, trying to escape the Dragon's wrath.

"We have to leave." Theon took her hand. "Let's go."

Scarlet nodded, following him as they ran. 

Sensing movement on a neighbouring island, the dragon stopped thrashing, its nostrils flared, smelling the scent of intruders. 

Scarlet looked back at the dragon and goosebumps rose on her skin as the Dragon's large scaly head was turned towards their direction, its reptilian yellow eyes looking at them in new found fury.

"Shit!" Scarlet cursed when the dragon was coming after them. "Theon, we have a problem." she yelled.

Theon looked over his shoulder, and saw the dragon starting to pursue them. "Dammit!" He cursed. 

The guardian dragon of Gildora was supposed to be a peace loving dragon who protected this place. He never heard of it going berserk like this, which meant that something was wrong. Something must have triggered the dragon to go wild in its territory. And as to what it was, Theon didn't know.

Theon and Scarlet ran as fast as they could, but the dragon was gaining on them. Scarlet's legs burned, and she was starting to gasp for breath, as her body wasn't built for running away from a dragon. Her small legs were already taking two steps at a time, trying to catch up with Theon's long strides. Any longer than this and she'll trip on her own feet.

Seeing the dragon was not that far away, it will catch up to them in no time, Theon predicted. 

He could easily defeat the dragon all by himself, if not for his powers being depleted at the moment. The only way he could do is to escape and run away with Scarlet, but the plan was futile because the dragon was already in front of them.

The white dragon roared then drew its breath.

"Oh no!" Scarlet's eyes widened in fear as the beast was about to unleash another fire breath 

Theon's shadow covered her as he shielded her from the upcoming attack. There was no running away from this now. If he still had a portion of his magic, he can try consuming the Dragon's fire to charge his mana.

Scarlet was about to scream when suddenly...

"Hiyaaaah!" 

A beautiful woman, with white silver hair, wolf ears and a fluffy silver tail suddenly appeared and flew past them like a missile. She came in like a shooting star and her feet landed straight to the dragon's head, stopping it before it could unleash its fire breath. The dragon roared as it was thrown back by the force of the woman's kick. It crashed violently on one of the floating islands.