Kan had shown his brothers the new paradise he had found while away for a long time. His brothers almost believed such a place didn't exist on earth but after stepping out of the paradise and returning the same way a few times, they were made to believe.
Kan explained that the spitting lava and uninhabitable first area at the edge of the territory was his work. He told them how he had spat out fire and created such a toxic environment that in turn not only drove away intruders from approaching but made sure their food in animals never had a reason to migrate elsewhere.
It was a cruel tactic but it worked just fine and being the king of all the land that the eye could possibly see, no one questioned kan's decision.
But even after revealing how he had done most of these deeds, it only ended up igniting curiosity in his brothers, Tan and Lan.
They demanded to know just how their once ordinary brother now had the power to turn into a great once thought to be a mythical beast at will. It always felt to them like a dream each time kan took that form. He would leave them powerless and simply, human-like.
After so many times of transformation, kan realized there was a problem and even his brothers acknowledged this too.
Each time kan would transform, it required immense energy just to get to that state. Kan was unintentionally drawing from their life force just from them being around him. They were simply being used as fuel to sustain himself.
Tan and Lan with the knowledge of this became more impatient with kan's antics. They demanded kan showed them the source of his great power. They wanted to be just like kan. They desired to have such power at their disposal at all times.
Kan's power was intoxicating as it was dangerous. The more time they spent with kan the more they discovered they aged quicker. And it hadn't been a long time since they had reunited but they had aged quite a lot whereas kan remained ever vibrant.
Kan never aged neither did kan tire. Kan was perfect all-round but not his brothers nor their wives remained the same. They were suffering from just being around kan and typically every other thing.
The whole paradise appeared to be built for kan and his likes. Unimaginable creatures like himself were the only ones that could thrive here. Kan wasn't willing to accept this.
But kan knew he had held out too long and was losing both the love and respect he saw in the eyes of his family.
Instead of respect, they feared him now. And this broke kan's heart. They didn't love him like they used to anymore and it didn't take any of his dragon senses to tell him that. Kan saw through their actions that they made deliberate attempts to avoid him.
Kan had seen enough. He realized keeping it all secret was doing more harm than good to him. So kan called on his brothers, Lan and Tan in the absence of their wives.
Kan made this a bloodline issue that needed to be resolved. Kan told them he had kept it all from them to protect them. Kan told them about how not only they were the ones who suffered. He explained how he missed his old body that used less energy.
He went on to tell them just how it was a burden that his mere presence even without transforming was constantly drawing up life essence from beings around him.
Kan talked about how unhappy he was that his presence alone frightened the once friendly animals with whom he interacted. Kan ended by saying it was all a curse.
But all this didn't deter his brothers. They were adamant that they wanted to know how he had gotten his powers. They convinced kan that he would no longer have to hold the weight of the burden alone.
Tan and Lan wanted to have the same power as kan. They wanted to be dragons that inspired fear and respect just like kan.
Kan was not surprised. He had seen that this would be the outcome should he reveal too much. Kan regretted the decision to have transformed in their presence. But in his defence, he had done it to gain back their trust that seemed unsure due to his long absence.
But with all the cautions, Tan and Lan were not having any of it. They demanded to be just like kan. They went as far as to call kan selfish and wicked.
They proposed that kan was holding out on them. They said kan wanted to be the centre of it all. They lamented that they were dying by just being around him and he ought to do something about it.
Kan couldn't withstand the brewing hatred threatening to tear apart what he struggled to keep together. At all costs, kan was willing to sacrifice anything to keep his little family together. Kan would finally concede to their demands.
Kan took them on his back to the peak of a mountain. The top was cold and unbearable for the two with kan. But kan was just fine. The cold never worried him. His scales were thicker than any rock they could find.
Tan being the second oldest was outspoken about his feelings. He aired out his suspicions that kan had brought them out to die. Lan on the other hand wasn't one to talk but it certainly didn't mean he didn't conceive such thoughts as well. He was the one who kept his thoughts to himself amongst the three.
Kan led his brothers down into the mountain through a tunnel. They walked for so long that they believed their feet would fall off at any given time.
Kan explained that he had brought what they sought to this place for a reason. He explained that in his absence the two would most likely never have made it that far. He had to keep the source of his powers a secret from other men and brought it deep into the mountain.
But they were where they needed to be now. In a hollow spaced out area of the cave, very little light was allowed in but that didn't pose as a problem as there was another light source.
Three crystals stayed afloat in the air giving off a bright light. There was a red crystal, a golden crystal and one other that was a fusion of both colours, a red and golden crystal.
The red crystal spun in the air with bright lights emanating from it. So did the golden crystal which spun and gave off bright lights. But the fused crystal which had both colours of red and golden colour gave off no light. Its interior which could be seen like glass was dull.
"The heart of the gods" kan called them.
His brothers were in awe. The aura from the two shining crystals was overwhelming for them. Kan explained that the golden-red crystal had given him his power. And hence, transferred all its energy into him leaving the crystal bland.
But the other two still held light in them. Kan warned them that the effects of the crystals were permanent and advised them to rethink their choices.
But then Tan was already gone. Tan was lost in a trance. The crystal sought his weakness and exploited it. The golden crystal called out to Tan and he obeyed. Seeing Tan on the move, Lan too was poised to be just as good as his two older brothers.
He went in and grabbed the red crystal which surged with immense power the moment he laid hands on it.
....
..
"That's it?!...." Finn asked.
"Your time is up. You must go back now" an angelic feminine voice said to him.
"You know this is being wicked right?" Finn asked.
"I do not understand" the voice replied.
"After each day of me rewatching my thousand death footage which is the only thing deemed as a reward by that thing the gods call a blessing, I think I deserve more than this wickedness from you. At least finish the story!!"
"No..." The voice replied.
"Then don't ever come back here again, you hear me!!. This is my dream we are in and you just walk into it whenever you want to tell a story I didn't even ask for. And then chase me out of MY DREAM without ending the story. What kind of wickedness do you practice?.." Finn began to rant.
"You must now leave my presence, you foul-mouthed mortal!!" the voice echoed but with a slightly different tone almost like the person that was speaking was angry.
"Wait, what did you call me? If I'm mortal, aren't you also..." Finn was going to say before he felt his body being flung off the ground and the light slowly being engulfed by darkness.
***#*#$$#$*###**
Shameless Author's tears ....
Gift meeee...
Abuse me with your gifts...
Finish me with your golden ticketssssss....
my life depends on it