The remaining dragons had gathered at the Eternal Dragon Temple. It was a sacred place that floated in the skies of Ryugaeia however it was so high up in the sky and protected by a holy barrier so it could not be seen. It was the place where the dragons usually met to reminisce about the past and talk about the future. It was also the resting place for Alpha, the Sovereign Dragon Lord Of Light. The Dragons were excited because Alpha who had remained asleep since the death of Jinrai the Lightning Blade, was beginning to awaken.
"What is going on Draco? Why were we summoned?" Marina asked.
"Is it true that HE has finally began to awaken after all these years?" Inferno asked.
"That's not quite right Inferno. Alpha hasn't began to awaken. HE HAS ALREADY AWAKENED!" Draco declared.
There were murmurs among the dragons.
"What does this mean? Why has he chosen this time to awaken? It just doesn't make sense" Terra said worriedly.
"I understand your worries my loyal subjects and I do admit that I've awakened prematurely. It was my intention and fate to awaken in the next two years however…I had a vision of a terrifying future. It is a vision so dreadful that I had no choice but to awaken now and avert it" a powerful voice said as Alpha the Sovereign Dragon Lord Of Light walked down the stairs that led from the holiest chamber of the Temple.
"What was this vision O Great Alpha"
"Tell us your majesty" the Dragons asked anxiously.
"It was a vision in which the Dragonhaӓrt…was destroyed and we ceased to exist" Alpha said solemnly.
The other dragons gasped in horror.
Meanwhile, in the Kira residence, Aurora had finished setting the table for breakfast. She called Darak and Mistress Kira down to eat. As they sat down to eat, Mistress Kira asked Aurora about her plans for the day.
"It is Alpha's day, the day of truth. If you've got any questions to ask anybody, I suggest you do it today" Mistress Kira said.
"Do you really believe in the power of each day?" Darak asked.
"Terra's day was the day of hope and that was the day you and Reis renewed our hope in the future so how can you not believe?" Mistress Kira questioned Darak.
"I do believe. I did ever since I noticed that I always felt more courageous on Dragnarӧk's day" Darak admitted.
"How are you feeling today Darak?" Aurora asked.
"Yesterday I thought you were just being cruel but today I feel way better. Thanks for asking" Darak said.
"I'm planning to visit Reis right after breakfast. It was really thoughtless of me not to visit him yesterday. I hope he isn't offended" Aurora said worriedly.
"Actually, I doubt it has even crossed his mind yet" Darak said with a slight chuckle.
"So how are things between you and Erasa?" Darak asked.
"She has already apologized and I think I've forgiven her" Aurora said.
"Think? That's not very encouraging" Darak sighed.
"Well what can I say, she really hurt my feelings" Aurora said as she stood up.
"Darak, could you please clear the table for me. I'll be leaving now with your permission Mistress Kira" Aurora said.
"Jeez, you sound so formal. How many times have I told you to call me 'Aunt' or even 'Elder sis'. It gets so tiring to constantly hear you call me 'Mistress'" Mistress Kira sighed.
"I think Captain will do" Darak suggested.
"That's better. You have my permission to leave Aurora but be back before lunch okay?" Mistress Kira said.
"Aurora, I might come by later" Darak said.
"But first, you will finish your assignments. I'm sure Aurora's finished hers already right Aurora?" Mistress Kira questioned.
"Yes, I have" Aurora said.
"What makes you think I haven't done my assignments?" Darak complained.
"I know you Darak. You prioritize your training over your assignments. When will you understand that both are equally important?" Mistress Kira said seriously.
"She caught me. Anyways, it will be easy to do my assignments now that Aurora's completed hers. I just have to use my ultimate secret technique and it doesn't even require a sword. I call it…THE PHOTOMEMORIC EYES DARAK ULTRA DELUXE COPYCAT TECHNIQUE!" Darak thought with an evil glare in his eyes.
"Oh and don't even dream of copying Aurora's work" Mistress Kira threatened.
"You knew?!" Darak said with a disappointed look on his face.
Aurora laughed and walked away. As she walked along the road that led past Dragon High to the Ayenhayze residence, she began to think about Sir Jinrai and her promise.
"It's been so long and I've never even met Jinrai's son. I wonder if I'll ever be able to meet him. And even if I do meet him, what am I going to do?" Aurora asked herself.
As she thought of all this, she came across Old Lady Kamikaze trying to lift a heavy load.
"Can I help you with that?" Aurora offered.
"Oh no no no. I could never ask you to lift something as heavy as this. If you ended up hurting yourself, Reis would never forgive me" Old Lady Kamikaze said worriedly.
"Why do you say that?" Aurora asked.
"I see how he looks at you. Those are definitely the eyes of someone in love and you look at him in the same way" Old Lady Kamikaze said.
"You must be mistaken Madam Kamikaze" Aurora said respectfully.
"You can't deny it. Your lips say one thing, your eyes say another and it's obvious to me which is the one capable of telling lies. A word of advice to you Aurora, denying your true feelings will bring nothing but a lifetime of regret" Old Lady Kamikaze said.
Aurora seemed to think deeply on her words.
"I insist on helping you" Aurora said as she struggled to lift the load.
"I guess I can't refuse your help. Our destination is Kamikaze Restaurant. Be careful not to drop the crate. It contains breakables" Old Lady Kamikaze cautioned.
Soon, they arrived at Kamikaze restaurant. Aurora was really tired but she tried her best not to drop the crate. When they entered the restaurant, Diane came to relieve her of the crate. Aurora sighed and sat down on one of the tables.
"I see you've totally exhausted your energy. How do you wish to be rewarded for your kindness?" Old Lady Kamikaze questioned her.
"I don't want anything in return but thanks for asking really" Aurora said earnestly.
Old Lady Kamikaze smiled.
"I know just how to reward you. How would you like it if I foretold your future?" Old Lady Kamikaze said with a happy laugh.
"Can you really do that?" Aurora asked in surprise.
"Of course I can. In fact, the Dragonlord asks me for advice before making any important decisions" Old Lady Kamikaze said proudly.
"I'd really like to know my fortune" Aurora said excitedly.
"Then follow me to the back room" Old Lady Kamikaze instructed.
When they were in the back room, Old Lady Kamikaze instructed Aurora to sit down.
"So Aurora, tell me, which aspect of your future do you want me to foretell?" Old Lady Kamikaze asked.
"There is just one thing I need to know. I used to know a certain man. He was really kind. He protected me from an evil warlord called Galigaos when I was only a child. He asked me to look after his son but…I've never met his son. To make matters worse…I feel like I've betrayed him because…I've fallen in love with someone else" Aurora said with a look of guilt on her face.
"So you want me to locate this man's son? That's quite easy. Just shut your eyes. All I need to do is find your memories of this man and link them to his son" Old Lady Kamikaze instructed.
Aurora nodded and shut her eyes.
Old Lady Kamikaze placed her hands on Aurora's head and shut her eyes. Memories of Aurora's past began to fill her mind. She saw young Aurora travelling with a man with silver hair and blue eyes. She paused her memory scanning technique and tried to peer into the man's mind. That was her special ability. She could look into the mind of any person within another's memories. When she tried to access the man's memories, instead of seeing the past, her mind travelled to the future. She saw an army of creatures that looked like dragons assaulting the Rangers' guild. She saw an evil man she recognized. He wore crimson armour and had sparkling blonde hair with evil crimson eyes. As she watched the scene, the evil man was soon engaged in a battle with a teenage boy. She identified the boy as Reis. As they fought, the evil man clashed blades with Reis and stabbed him through the heart.
"REIS!" she heard Aurora's desperate scream.
Then she saw the sky darken and saw all the remaining dragons explode in a burst of flame. The last dragon to die was Alpha. Old Lady Kamikaze saw the Rangers' Guild in ruins. Everyone was wiped out including herself. Aurora was stabbed by the evil swordsman.
"Finally, no one stands in the way of lord Devilli" the evil man said.
Aurora struggled to crawl over to where Reis lay. Reis was dead. Aurora crawled over to him and placed her head on his chest.
"I'm sorry Reis. I never got the chance to tell you how much…I loved you. And to think I lost you just when I discovered that you were the one I've always been searching for…Jinrai's son. Reis…I love you" Aurora struggled to say.
As Old Lady Kamikaze watched, black energy shot out from Reis' body and assumed the form of a massive black dragon.
"Finally! After centuries of being sealed! I'm free to have my vengeance! It's a pity Aurora that you didn't live to see my glory!" the Dragon said.
"Armageddon!" Aurora exclaimed in fear.
The black dragon opened its mouth.
"Turn to dust Aurora Saggeese!" the dragon roared and blasted her with intense flames.
She held unto Reis' hand until the very end.
Old Lady Kamikaze opened her eyes in shock and fear. Aurora opened her eyes and stared at her.
"What did you see?" she asked.
"Horror! Oh the awful horror! It's the end of the world! Aurora, the person you seek is closer than you think! You must protect him! If he dies, the world will be destroyed. Aurora, don't hide your true feelings or you won't live to regret it" Lady Kamikaze said.
Aurora stared at her in fear.
"I need to see the Dragonlord. Aurora, you can leave now" Old Lady Kamikaze said firmly.
Meanwhile in the Ayenhayze residence, Reis and Shin were already up.
"Where were you last night? You came home really late. Kyla and Master Jin nearly fried the house in anger" Reis asked curiously.
"Hee hee hee" Shin laughed slyly.
"I hope you didn't do anything ridiculous" Reis said.
"You can't guess what happened to me yesterday" Shin said happily.
"What happened? Lemme guess, Erasa found out the truth and fell in love with you is that it?" Reis wondered.
"Even better! She was in love with me before I even told her the truth" Shin said.
"That's great! Come here boy! You sly devil!" Reis teased as he caught Shin's head under his armpits and rubbed his hair.
"Okay Okay I get it, I'm a lucky guy. How are things between you and Aurora?" Shin asked.
"I confessed my feelings to her but…she…well…she seems to like me but…I'm not sure she feels the same way" Reis said sadly.
"Don't worry Reis. If Aurora doesn't end up falling in love with you then nothing in this world will surprise me anymore. Just be patient, I had to wait five years for Erasa to finally notice me" Shin said.
"Thanks Shin, I'll wait for her" Reis said.
Meanwhile in the Kira Residence, Darak was struggling with his homework.
"Of all the useless, ridiculous, overrated, sentimental crap…WHY THE HELL DO I HAVE TO COMPOSE A LOVE POEM?!" he roared angrily.
"Remember Darak, just let your feelings flow" he recalled Mistress Kira's hint.
"Okay, let's see…let my feelings flow…okay…I'm getting something…yes…it's coming…it's coming…oh crap! I lost it!" he complained. "Damn! This is overly ridiculous! Can you imagine me…a ninja! A whole Vung-jya spirit of flame composing a love poem?! Not only is it ridiculous, it's degrading!" he roared and shut his book. "I have two choices, I either attempt to copy Aurora's homework or sneak out of the house" he murmured. "Sheesh! Why should I even bother with homework, I'll sneak out" he said as he looked at the window.
He walked to the window and saw Mistress Kira training.
"Damn! She's training right outside my window that sly fox!" he muttered.
"Alright, if she wants to corner me that way, I have no choice but to sneak into Aurora's room and copy her homework" Darak said as he walked out of his room to Aurora's door and attempted to open it but the door was locked.
"She locked the door now did she? Well I'll just have to pick the lock" he chuckled slightly and removed a hairpin from his pocket.
He placed the pin in the lock and smiled.
"Haha! I've got it!" he said as the lock clicked.
Darak turned the knob and sighed.
"If I know that sly fox really well, she's probably sprung a trap for me in Aurora's room. I'll have to be cautious" Darak gulped and opened the door fully but boy was a surprise waiting for him or what?
"Hello Darak, I suspected you'd try to copy Aurora's homework…I'll just have to teach you a lesson" Mistress Kira said with a sly smile as she cracked her knuckles.
"Ba-ba-ba-but how are you here? You were outside my window" Darak stammered.
"Take a good guess" Mistress Kira said with a frightening look as she approached Darak.
Darak gulped.
"Is she going to give me…the 'fist from heaven?'" he wondered.
Then he noticed the open window behind her.
"If I can evade her…I'll be able to make it to the window and escape" he thought desperately.
"Well…Darak…are you ready to receive…" Mistress Kira was saying as she squeezed her fist tightly.
"Not now…I must look for the right moment" Darak thought.
"The fist…"
"Not now" Darak thought.
"…from"
"Not now"
"Heaven?" Mistress Kira said as she raised her arm.
"NOW!" Darak screamed as he ducked under Mistress Kira's raised arm and dived through the window.
"DARAK IGNIS! GET YOURSELF BACK HERE OR THERE'LL BE CONSEQUENCES!" Mistress Kira roared angrily.
"I'll take my chances!" Darak yelled back as he summoned Dragnarӧk and flew away.
"I don't think it's such a good idea to make Kira angry" Dragnarӧk advised.
"Shut up Dragnarӧk. That's what she gets for being an overbearing mother" Darak said with a smile.
"Where to Darak?" Dragnarӧk asked.
"Where else? To my eternal rival of course!" Darak said.
"Darak, I hope you're not thinking of fighting. I haven't fully recovered from my share of wounds and it's too early to fight. Besides, Alpha's day is a Holy Day. It's the day God defeated the king of lies" Dragnarӧk said.
"You mean Armageddon?" Darak asked.
"Yes, you should respect this day" Dragnarӧk said.
"Fine, I won't fight today" Darak gave up the idea.
Meanwhile Reis was in the bathroom taking a cool shower.
"Ah, I feel much better. That Darak sure is annoying. All he thinks about is surpassing me. Why is it so important to him? I'd say he's already as strong as I am" Reis said.
Almost immediately after he had said that, he heard a knock.
"I'm in here!" he called out.
"Reis you have a visitor!" he heard Kyla's voice call out to him.
"It's Aurora" Kyla said.
"Aurora? Tell her I'll be with her soon and please don't mention the fact that I'm in here" Reis pleaded.
"Okay, if you say so" Kyla said as she went downstairs.
Reis quickly turned off the shower and towelled himself, then he teleported to his room. In a flash, he was clothed in a red T-shirt and dark grey baggy trousers.
"Aurora huh? This is the first time she has visited me. I wonder why she came here?" Reis said as he tried to comb his hair in order to look good but he eventually decided that his best look was his everyday look.
He rushed out of the room but he didn't want to seem to be in a hurry to see Aurora so he took his time walking down the stairs. When he entered the hall, he saw Aurora sitting on a chair and nervously fidgeting with her handkerchief.
"Aurora" he called gently.
She turned around quickly. She seemed jumpy. She stared at Reis in surprise. She had never seen him dressed so casually. She had only seen him either in Ranger uniform or in his tattered clothes. It began to dawn on her that she had not really taken the time to notice how handsome Reis was. She stared unblinkingly at him and actually began to blush.
"Aurora, are you alright?" Reis asked worriedly and approached her slowly.
She moved backwards in surprise and nearly stumbled.
Aurora looked away.
"I'm really sorry Reis" she said.
"For what?" he asked her.
"I'm sure you really felt bad yesterday. After your battle with Darak, you could barely speak or move. I should have visited you yesterday" Aurora apologized.
"You don't need to feel guilty. Kyla really took care of my wounds" Reis said with a nervous laugh.
"Oh she did, didn't she?" Aurora said.
There was a trace of jealousy in her voice.
"Yeah she did. It was really painful. I'm glad you weren't here yesterday" Reis said.
"Oh you are, aren't you?" Aurora's jealousy was becoming plain.
"You'd have heard me cry like a sissy. Kyla's a really great sis" Reis said innocently.
"And you only see her as a sister?" Aurora said in an attempt to hide her jealousy.
"What else do you think I'd see her as? We're like really close siblings" Reis said.
Aurora sighed in relief.
"Aurora would you like a glass of water?" Reis asked worriedly.
He noticed Aurora's uneasiness.
"Yes thank you" Aurora said.
Reis rushed to the kitchen and fetched a glass of water for Aurora. He returned to her and handed the glass to her. She picked it from the tray and drank it hurriedly. Reis laughed at how quickly she emptied the glass. Aurora felt irritated. She didn't like the idea of Reis laughing at her.
"Why are you laughing?" she glared at him angrily.
Reis noticed her glare and stopped laughing.
"I just remembered the day I performed that reckless eating trick in the restaurant and nearly choked. You saved my life that day with a glass of water. I knew from that day that…I'd never love any girl…as much as I love you" Reis said gently.
Aurora tried to conceal her joy but her smile was like a light that could not be hidden.
"Uh…um Kyla? Would you mind sparring with me today? I haven't had any serious training since our last mission" Shin said.
Kyla knew what Shin was getting at so she agreed and they left Aurora and Reis alone.
"Aurora, you're not saying anything" Reis felt uncomfortable with her silence.
"I-I don't know what to say" Aurora said shyly.
"Let's take a walk. It wouldn't be right to remain alone with you in this place" Reis said with a nervous laugh.
Aurora agreed so they left the Ayenhayze residence. They walked for a while in silence, each one feeling strangely shy to speak with the other. Reis held Aurora's hand. She glanced at his hand but said nothing.
"Aurora, don't hide your true feelings or you won't live to regret it" Aurora recalled Old Lady Kamikaze's words.
"Aurora…is there any special reason you chose to visit me today? It's a bit uncharacteristic of you" Reis asked.
"I was worried about you" Aurora said.
She turned away from Reis so that he couldn't see how hard she was struggling with herself.
"Aurora…I told you everything about myself but I know almost nothing about you" Reis said.
Aurora stopped walking and turned to face Reis. There were tears in her eyes. Reis was worried.
"I'm sorry if I offended you Aurora. I'll never ask about your past again" Reis said.
Aurora smiled.
"Don't worry, it's about time I told someone about my past" she said.
"Don't feel like you have to. If you don't wish to tell me…I won't bother you" Reis said sincerely.
"I want you to know who I am. I want you to know everything about me…the real me" Aurora said.
"I'm listening" Reis said.
"I am Aurora Saggeese, daughter of King Hiram Saggeese and heiress to the Saggeesian throne by the will of my father" Aurora confessed.
Reis stared at her in shock.
"What are you saying Aurora? That would make you…the long lost Saggeesian Princess" Reis said in surprise.