The Dragon's Message

This world… is quite troublesome.

I dare say the author doesn’t think about how this world works.

******

…

"…" Scias emptily stared.

"Scias... what's wrong?" Nina asked.

"I’m just wondering… is it actually okay if you use two elixirs in the same time?" he asked slowly.

Utter silence.

Marco then reopens the conversation, "Scias... you knew about the elixir's effect, right...?"

"A-Ah... I k-know that, Marco," Scias showed a slight tremble as he spoke. His face remains expressionless, though.

"A single elixir should've been enough to recover one person entirely from damages and also restoring their mana energy back to the max! Talking about twice the amount… the output might be ‘explosive’…”

"Oh, I s-see… ah… shite,” Scias replied disappointedly.

“Huh? What’s wrong, dude?” Marco wondered.

“Oh, no, it’s just t-that…” Scias pauses nervously. “I guess I overused those ‘items’ on Aily…” he then looked away.

The theme turned completely blank. Nina then shatters the atmosphere,

“WHY? Why’d you do that, Scias?” Nina asked loudly.

“Talking about that… the first elixir used on y-your sister was… ineffective. I thought it might take effect after s-some time… but turns out to be null… so I proceeded on using the second one,” so said Scias slightly sweating.

“That’s unbelievable, man! An ineffective elixir?” Marco roused up his voice.

“T-That’s what I was wondering earlier…” said Scias.

"How come? One elixir costs you ten freaking grands o' zennies, j'know? It's too expensive to be sold a reject," Marco replied. Aily got stunned after hearing the cost.

"I know. A-Ah, d-don't worry, Aily. I won't charge you with money… or the need to feel owing me ten grands," Scias scrolled his eyes upon Aily, she looked limp from hearing ten grands.

“Whoops, I shouldn't say the cost earlier, my bad,” Marco stated in his mind.

"Y-You guys t-talked about an expensive item l-like it was nothing...” said Aily trembling. “I m-m-mean, if each of us had one elixir, and I'm taking two... that means—

"Forty grands. That's right," Scias replied Aily right away.

"*GRGH* H-How r-rich you guys were...?" Aily got limped even more.

"Hm? Oh, it's not like that,” Marco replicated Aily’s words. “You know… it's just that... uh... how am I supposed to say—

"Souvenirs," Scias cut short. “Yes, exactly as what Scias said, hehe,” Marco confirmed grinningly.

"Elixirs as souvenirs... *heheheheh* you guys... are... insane..." Nina and Aily together said in a rather unbelieving tone.

“But that’s kinda odd, is it not?” Nina asked again. “It’s been two months, why did it react now?” Nina added wondrously.

“Oh… haven’t you heard, Nina?” asked Marco, “Overdosed elixir had that ‘side effect’ activated after some time depending on the person’s magical affinity,” he explained casually.

“Uh,” Scias nodded, “the longer it takes effect, the greater that p-person’s magical affinity…”

"Aw… what are we gonna do? I mean, it's just a couple days left before the test, right?" Nina worried.

"Y-Yeah..." Aily added a saddened tone.

"About that, eh? Don't worry, I'll see what I can do," Marco grinned a little, he seems confident in this.

"Ueeh? I d-d-don't want to b-b-burden you with my—ahh...!" Aily turned away, her face blushed. "A-Aily...!" Nina sustained her head on her shoulders.

"Aily?" Marco had no idea what she’s doing.

"Ah-no-no-no, nothing, it's just that..."

Aily turned at Marco slowly, she dissipated her blushed face. A few moments later, she gently turned her face back at Marco.

"O-O-Okay... i-i-it's just... please help me train, M-Marco..." Aily showed a kind-hearted thankful expression.

"Righty-o! You got it, Aily, I'll get ya fixed up in no time *psst, Scias!* you better help me on this one."

"Eh... I t-thought you c-could do it solo," Scias nagged in a stone-face expression.

"Ahahahah, please take care of my sister, Marco, Scias. I'll do my best to support her, too" Nina smiled adorably.

"Hm! Leave it to me, Nina," Marco confidently said.

"U-Uh..." Scias nodded.

…

..

.

Ten minutes earlier...

In the Sea of Carba, north of Areda.

Queaz paddled his boat slowly while looking into the skies where many seagulls can be seen. He's not far from the shore. "It's too boring in that island, honestly. I couldn't do anything except watching many folks going by and around me," Queaz grumbled relentlessly.

"Even these so-called 'harsh waters' weren't so harsh after all. It's about a hundred meters from the shore and I couldn't find anything entertaining,” he added his pique.

The blue-skinned man took off his shoes and patted it upside down. "Unlike snow... sands aren't friendly to footwear... sigh..."

Queaz releases a bunch of sighs in boredom. His vexation is immeasurable, there’s nothing entertaining for him to do anymore.

"Hoh... maybe I SHOULD leave this island, nothing seems to be—" He halted his self-chattering because of an in-depth force he felt.

"Hm?" Queaz looked at the shore. "Hoh... what's this? Mana energy...?" he then noticed that it’s the same energy from the other day before.

Shortly, his hat-covered eyes caught sight of a sudden burst of wind coming out from the mountain summit. "That wind elementalist… hohoh… that's one powerful blow. That’s a lot of mana energy released. It's quite powerful until its mana caused a shockwave to my mana sensors..."

*RRROOOOAAAAAAAAARRRR!!!

"Hm? Now, what?" Queaz looked around him. He heard a roar, it is pretty close.

*BBRRRRRMMMMM!!! *SPLAASH!

A wind burst slammed the water surface, causing a big splash that made Queaz' suit wet. The splash itself caused quite a mist.

"Seriously, now...?" he piqued.

*SHHIIINNE!*

In the mist, a bright shine glowed. It showed a silhouette of a dragon shifting its form into a humanoid form.

"You could've used a less 'sprinkly' way to come near me... Zeugen," said Queaz frowningly.

Zeugen is a tall man that has a long pink punch hair. There’s a pair of long spiky dragon horns sticking out from his forehead, his eyebrows are thick and followed the color of his hair and his eyelashes. He wears a lavished red full armor adorned with brass ornaments.

He stood on the water without falling over. He glared at Queaz with his golden pupil in his eyes.

"A ‘dramatisch’ performance ist at play, Herr Queaz," he said flamboyantly.

Queaz didn't give a comment, he just simply stared him coldly.

"A-Ach... AHEM! Thou rode a boat 'ere?" The humanoid dragon trembled a bit because of Queaz's dull reaction.

"What do you think I'm riding?" Queaz replied coldly.

"Za boat, of course,"

"Then that's it. End of the line,"

"Bleargh, so cold of zee," Zeugen gets himself aboard the boat.

"Zen? Vat is it dost thou need?"

"Testify, about the incomers," Queaz stated with a rather cringe tone.

"Beh! Zat ist unkind. Mein name mayest mean 'testify', but it ist not in thy liberty to sayest zat," Zeugen complained.

"Hoh..." the hat man replied carelessly.

"But very vell! I shalt zestify!" said Zeugen boldly.

Zeugen lifts his left leg onto the other. "There ist a massive fleet of invaders, coming directly here'th onto zat island," Zeugen speaks with his unique accent. But this caused Queaz to stumble himself in a rather confusion.

"Invaders, huh?" said Queaz as he resumed paddling the boat ashore.

"Aye. It looks like a bad omen. Zey art using warships, tens of them," said Zeugen surely.

"Where did you spot those folks?"

"Ayayayay! I dost not retain such memories. But their arrival might take around four to five days to reach here," Zeugen grinned.

"Hoh..."

Queaz stopped paddling. He drowns himself in the sea of thoughts.

"That... doesn't sound too good..."

Queaz took off his right hand from the paddle and put it on his right ear.

“Contact,”

A tiny red magic circle appeared between his ear and his hand.

"Contact received," A man's voice is heard coming from the magic circle.

Zeugen took his eyes onto the mountain. He noticed something different, he wanted to tell Queaz but he's deep in conversation with 'someone'. Zeugen then decided to use his skill.

“Mana Perception: Zoom In!” *ZOOOOOOOOMMM!*

"M-Muh! V-Vat in za wooorld?!" Zeugen raged surprisingly at what he saw.

"Hush down, will ya?" Queaz silenced Zeugen's scream.

"O-Oh... mein bad, ehehehey," Zeugen scratched his not-itchy head. Zeugen then continued looking at the mountain.

"M-Mein tree! Mein small tree ist a goner! NO!" Zeugen loudly commented.

"You're one vociferous, man, huh?" Queaz sounded disappointed at Zeugen’s relentless scream.

"Mrrgh! Herr Queaz, mein tree 'hat' disappeared!"

"Hat? (Oh... he must've meant 'has' huh?) So, what? Do I have to care about your silly tree?" Queaz coldly stated.

"Ugh... I planted zat tree a few months ago... what kind of insolent creature that wiped it out of the face of the earth... huhuhu~" Zeugen felt saddened.

"Stop moaning will ya? You made the impression of the dragon race look bad," Queaz stopped Zeugen's cry.

"MAH! Even though I am undoubtedly a dragon, it dost not mean for me to stop acting like mein own self!" Zeugen retorted.

Zeugen is, in fact, a part of the dragon race, namely, Dragonia. He houses the element of the wind.

Queaz looked down at him and soon turned around, "hoh, yeah... you 'do' have a point," the hat man proceeds with his conversation with the unknown person.

Who could it be?