RYUGAEIA'S HISTORY PART II: CALL TO THE KING AND THE DAWN
The three students continued to observe the history of the third world Ryu was showing them.
"What did Ryu mean by this is the history of someone the three of us know very well?" Buern asked.
"Well, it took us a while to realize that the history of the previous world we observed was actually Master Ayu's history. This may be the history of another of our Masters" Harry reasoned.
"You may be right" Josec agreed.
The scene transitioned showing Reis, Kyla, Shin and Master Jin at breakfast. It appeared that they had just finished eating.
"It's time to leave. Reis, we are going to meet the Dragonlord so act respectfully. That goes double for you Shin!" Master Jin cautioned.
"I hear you" Shin said as he rubbed his ears.
Sometime later, they were walking along the streets. They walked through the town with Reis beginning to feel uncomfortable. He felt as though all eyes were on him. Soon, they arrived at the Northernmost part of the village. There was a huge Stone Temple in front of them. It was held up by massive stone pillars and surrounded by guards.
"This is the Rangers' Headquarters. It's where all decisions regarding the guild are made. It is also the abode of the Dragonlord" Master Jin informed Reis.
Reis stared at the Temple in awe. As the four companions approached the guards, the guards stepped aside. The captain of the guards walked towards them.
"The Dragonlord has been expecting you" he said as he motioned for them to follow him. They followed the captain into the Temple.
The Temple seemed to be bigger from the inside than from the outside. Reis stared around in awe. Dragon Rangers were training in the Temple. Seeing them use their individual elements in oneness made Reis feel determined to become stronger.
Soon, they reached a flight of stairs. They climbed the stairs and came to a corridor which was lighted with torches along the walls. Still they kept walking and soon arrived at another flight of stairs.
"How can this Temple be so huge?" Reis asked Kyla.
"I've never been able to understand it myself" Kyla answered.
At the top of the stairs was an even longer corridor. They turned right and kept walking straight and soon enough, they reached the end of the corridor. At the end of the corridor, there was a huge door. Above the door was a stone tablet with words imprinted on it. The words were in an unknown language. Reis narrowed his eyes as he tried to make meaning of the words. The captain noticed Reis' reaction.
"Don't bother, only the Dragonlord and the Dragons understand the language. It is an ancient dragon language that cannot be learnt or understood by the human mind" the captain said.
Reis ignored him. Somehow, the characters of the words and the language, seemed familiar to Reis. As Reis watched the words, in his eyes, they began to glow gold, then the words rearranged themselves and Reis smiled.
"The will of the heart is the key to destiny" he said aloud.
"Wh-what did you say?!" the captain as well as Master Jin, Kyla and Shin stared at him in shock.
"Well, that's what the words say. 'The will of the heart is the key to destiny'" Reis said with a smile.
"Y-you understand the language? How? Have you studied the language?" questions came from all directions.
"Nah, I just understand the language, that's all" Reis said with a nervous laugh.
"Who is this boy?" the captain wondered.
"Well, this is weird. First, Reis feels guilty about the dragon extinction, then the dragons call him Lord which they do not even refer to the Dragonlord as. Next, Reis uses the dragon parry technique and now he can understand the Dräkan language?" Kyla whispered to Shin and Master Jin without Reis noticing.
"Let's enter now" Master Jin said.
The captain looked at him and nodded. Then he took in a deep breath and opened the door. As the door opened, a bright flash of light flooded the corridor. They all stared in awe at the Dragonlord's chamber. It was bright white as though lit by an angelic presence. Reis looked up to the ceiling and noticed that it was painted with the colours of the sky.
"COME IN!" a stern voice ordered.
The captain stepped in first, followed by Master Jin, then Shin, then Kyla and finally Reis. As Reis stepped in, murmurs began to fill the hall. Reis looked around and noticed that it was filled with many dragon rangers, who wore similar uniforms as Kyla's, Shin's and Master Jin's. All eyes were on Reis and he soon began to feel uncomfortable. Reis looked ahead and saw that, at the foremost corner of the hall was a throne, and on it sat a considerably aged man cloaked in white and surrounded by the elements.
"Jin, Kyla, Shin…Reis, draw closer" the man called.
"H-How does he know my name?" Reis asked in surprise.
"He's the Dragonlord. He sees everything that happens to every Ranger" Kyla explained.
Master Jin, Kyla, Shin and Reis drew closer to the Dragonlord. When they were close enough, Master Jin, Kyla and Shin knelt before the Dragonlord. Reis remained standing. All he could do was stare in awe.
"Reis, kneel down for goodness sake! Do you wanna get into trouble or something?!" Kyla whispered harshly as she pulled Reis to his knees.
"Jeez! You're so rough for crying out loud!" Reis complained.
The Dragonlord watched them in amusement.
"Jin, deliver your report on your recent mission to the borders of Saggeese" the Dragonlord said.
Master Jin stood up.
"Yes my lord" Master Jin said. "It all began when we arrived at the borders of Saggeese" Master Jin narrated the events.
Aurora and Darak listened intently. Reis listened too with rapt attention. Kyla and Shin lowered their eyes in shame and sorrow.
"My team was sent to infiltrate Saggeese and gain intel regarding the security system of the Saggeesian Castle. We gained the intel we needed successfully and learnt that their security was not as impregnable as we suspected but it was all a trap" Master Jin continued to narrate the story.
"What do you mean and…and where is my brother, Jared?!" Aurora questioned.
Master Jin shut his eyes as though he was in great pain, then he opened his eyes and looked down sadly.
"When we returned to our rendezvous point…we found every last ranger…dead! They were murdered by Di Devilli's men!" Master Jin said suddenly.
"N-no way, you mean Jared is…NO! I WON'T BELIEVE IT! JARED CAN'T BE…!!!" Aurora cried.
"That idiot! How could he get himself killed like that!" Darak yelled angrily.
"This can't be true!" another person yelled.
Then suddenly, there was an uproar. Reis stepped back.
"Sh-Shin, K-Kyla, you went through all that…I'm sorry" Reis said sadly.
Kyla turned to look at him. There were tears in her eyes but she forced a smile.
"Don't be Reis, you saved us. If not for you, we wouldn't be alive now" Kyla said.
"THE SAGGEESIANS MUST PAY! ALL OF THEM! THEY ARE NOTHING BUT SPINELESS COWARDS!!!" one ranger yelled angrily.
Reis turned in shock. The Dragonlord narrowed his eyes.
"The Saggeesians are not to be blamed. They are as much victims as we are. In fact, they may be in a worse situation than we are!" Master Jin defended.
"Stop talking nonsense! It's as much their fault as it is Di Devilli's, they support him or they would never obey him! If they didn't want him as their leader, they would have fought back! They are also trash!" another dragon ranger yelled.
Reis tightened his fist. Kyla, Shin and the Dragonlord noticed this.
"By what we saw, the Saggeesians are being oppressed by Erikkus Di Devilli. They never chose him as their king. He manipulated his way to the monarchy!" Master Jin argued defensively.
"How can we be sure that your team did not betray their comrades?! You were the only ones to return alive and not even one of you was killed or captured!" another dragon ranger yelled.
The statement silenced Master Jin, Kyla and Shin. The Dragonlord was about to silence the angry rangers when Reis threw his fist forward.
"They are alive because they were saved by a Saggeesian…ME!!!" Reis yelled.
At this, angry roars arose from the crowd.
"R-Reis…"Kyla muttered in surprise.
"You shouldn't have…Reis. Now your life here might become unbearable" Shin said.
"Who cares about a happy life when his friends…no…when his family are being mistrusted by their own comrades…their own family!" Reis yelled angrily.
"Reis…" Shin and Kyla stared at him in shock.
"Honestly, when I first came here, I was glad. When I heard of the Dragon Rangers, I wanted to be one…but now…I am honestly disappointed!" Reis yelled.
"Who cares if you are disappointed in us! We never asked for your opinion and we never asked you to join us!" another ranger yelled.
"You should care! How dare you?! How dare you call yourselves Dragon Rangers when you treat your own comrades as though they are traitors! If the Dragons trusted each other so much to unite their spirits and create the Dragonheart, so much that their trust led to their extinction then…HOW DARE YOU NAME YOURSELVES AFTER THE DRAGONS?! WITHOUT THEIR SACRIFICE, THERE WOULDN'T BE A SAGGEESE OR NOVATIO!!!" Reis roared angrily.
This was enough to silence the Dragon Rangers. They all stared at Reis in shock.
"And don't act so innocent! The current state of Saggeese is your fault Novatians! But I don't blame you, and I hold no grudge, you haven't known the past like…I have" Reis said.
"Boy…who are you? Who are you to know such things?" an elderly dragon ranger asked.
"The name is…Reis Dragonhaärt!" Reis declared fearlessly.
At this, there were murmurs from the crowd.
"You are right about everything you just said Reis. Forgive them, they are not always like this. Understand that a tragedy like this can change a person's state of mind. You of all people should understand" the Dragonlord said.
"I do, Sir" Reis said.
Then the Dragonlord stood up.
"I know this tragedy is too much to handle. It has created an irreparable wound in our hearts. We have lost people close to us, brothers, sisters, comrades…and friends. It may all be too much. But as Dragon Rangers, it is our duty…no, our destiny, to rise above the losses and triumph against the greater evil! It may take some time but we must move on! We owe that to our fallen comrades!" the Dragonlord said as a bright flash of light illuminated the Temple.
When the light disappeared, they found themselves in a clearing in a large forest.
"Let's honour our comrades by creating a memorial monument for them in this Forest Of Awakening, home of the surviving dragons!" the Dragonlord said.
"As a Dragon Ranger,
I will be an enforcer of Light!"
The dragon rangers called as they used their abilities to raise a huge mountain.
"I will be a protector of Dragons,
And follow the teachings of the Dragon Knights"
They recited as they used their fire abilities to melt the sides of the mountain.
"I will protect the weak and free the oppressed,
I will obey the Dragonlord!"
They recited as they shaped the mountain with their wind and psychic abilities.
"For I am a Dragon Ranger,
And a Dragon Ranger forever!"
As they recited the final part of the Dragon Ranger pledge, they bombarded the mountain with all their elements and when they had ended, in place of the mountain stood a rainbow coloured dragon statue monument.
"Well done Rangers! With this, let us all soar from this loss. When we lose something, we gain something new. We've lost our comrades but the God of the Heart has given us a new comrade. Consider this a blessing and treat him as one of us, for in times of great darkness, we will look to him for light" the Dragonlord advised.
The Dragon Rangers seemed to be ashamed of themselves.
"Jin, Kyla, Shin, we're sorry, but this is just…too much for us to handle and for a moment, we forgot you experienced this personally," one Dragon Ranger apologized.
Reis looked around and saw Aurora and Darak with their master. Aurora was weeping uncontrollably. Darak had a serious frown on his face as though he was blaming himself. Reis felt their pain and walked towards them. It wasn't his intention to but some unseen force seemed to draw him closer to them. He stopped when he reached them.
"H-Hi Aurora, Darak. I can tell you're going through a lot. I just want you to know I'm sorry…about Jared, I never knew him but then again, I never knew any of the rangers that… I just want you guys to…" Reis was saying when Aurora suddenly slapped him.
Reis looked shocked, he had just been slapped by someone he hardly knew.
"Don't you dare talk about Jared as if you knew him you Saggeesian jerk!" Aurora yelled angrily. "A Saggeesian like you can never understand how it feels like to lose someone you love because…you Saggeesians know no love!" Aurora insulted.
Reis opened his eyes in shock. He had never thought that the Novatians hated the Saggeesians with such intensity. Reis wanted to say something but he couldn't speak. Aurora took out all her pain and bitterness on Reis until her master laid a silencing hand on her shoulder. Aurora turned to face her. She shook her head with a disapproving smile.
"Don't let your anger lead you to hurt an innocent person, because you may never know when you might need him" she said.
Aurora lowered her head sadly.
"Please forgive her for her attitude young Saggeesian" Aurora and Darak's master who happened to be a woman in presumably her late twenties said.
Reis clenched his jaw and then he turned around and took to his heels. He didn't care where he was running to but he just kept running.
Shin saw Reis ran away from the monument and he followed close behind. Shin kept chasing Reis though Reis seemed to be quite far-off.
"Reis! Wait up!" Shin called but Reis ignored Shin's calls and he kept running.
They ran out of the forest with Shin behind Reis. Reis could feel warm tears flowing down his face but he didn't stop. He heard Shin calling desperately for him to stop but he ignored Shin's calls. They eventually ran out of the forest. They were now in the town, still Reis didn't stop. Shin caught up to him and pulled him down. They both fell on the ground and rolled a distance. When they finally stopped rolling, Shin stood up. Reis remained on the ground.
"I saw what happened, Reis, and I don't want to say I told you so but hey, I told you so" Shin attempted to cheer Reis up.
"Why? Why do the Novatians hate the Saggeesians so much when the Saggeesians have done nothing to hurt them? Why can't anyone accept me without judging me? In Saggeese, I was treated like a dark plague for no reason, I never had any friends…and just when I thought I'd found a family, this happens. It's worse here than in Saggeese!" Reis said as he wiped his tears.
"I think I understand how you feel. You want to be acknowledged for your own strength, you want to find a place where you belong…but everyone keeps telling you you're not needed" Shin said.
Reis opened his eyes in surprise. Shin had just summarized how he felt.
"Reis, if you think you're without purpose, then find a purpose! When people tell you you're not welcome and you don't belong…just prove them wrong! Face your fear and show them that you have the strength to forge your own path! For you too are a dragon ranger…and a dragon ranger forever!" Shin declared as he stretched out his hand to help Reis to his feet.
Reis grabbed his hand and stood up.
"You don't have to do this alone, you've got me, and Kyla, Master Jin and even the Dragonlord. But of course, you can count on Darak and Aurora to make your life miserable" Shin said.
Reis laughed.
"I know you'll overcome all your challenges and one day, just one day, you will be the light of all Dragon Rangers, no, the world, and everyone will say, let me tell you of the great Reis Dragonhaärt, who changed the fate of Ryugaeia" Shin prophesied.
"Well, if you're saying it, I guess I can count on it to come to pass" Reis said.
Meanwhile, at the monument, the Dragonlord approached Master Jin.
"Jin, I need to speak with you in private" the Dragonlord said.
Kyla walked away from them. She stood quite a distance away and watched them. The Dragonlord spoke to Master Jin, who seemed surprised by what he said. Then Master Jin seemed to disagree with the Dragonlord but he eventually gave in.
"If Reis passes the written test, I will immediately initiate him as a Dragon Student and he will have his first field mission" the Dragonlord said.
"But Reis doesn't have a Dragon partner yet" Master Jin said worriedly.
"You and I both know that Reis does not need a Dragon partner, but I understand your worries, when the time comes, we will see what must be done" the Dragonlord said.
"Agreed" Master Jin gave his consent.
"Due to this incident, the Dräkan Tournament will be postponed till further notice" the Dragonlord said.
"That is a very wise decision Dragonlord" Master Jin agreed.
It was already sunset. Reis and Shin had returned to the monument.
"Where have you guys been until now?" Kyla asked worriedly.
"Well, Reis had this little problem with Aurora. Actually…it was a big problem and it hurt him so bad that he ran away and I had to bring him back, see?" Shin summarized the events that had taken place.
"Oh Reis, you must be feeling really depressed right now" Kyla tried to comfort Reis.
"I'm okay Kyla. You don't need to worry about me" Reis said.
"That Aurora! Who does she think she is, treating you like dirt! I'm going to give her a piece of my mind!" Kyla said angrily.
"Kyla, stop, there's no need. I don't blame her and nothing you say can change the fact that she hates me. But it's okay, I've got you guys" Reis said.
At that moment, Master Jin walked up to them.
"It's getting really dark, let's go home" he said as he led them away from the monument.
They walked on in silence.
"H-Hey Master Jin, what did the Dragonlord want to talk about?" Kyla asked.
"Curious as always aren't you Kyla?" Master Jin laughed.
"Won't you tell us?" Shin asked.
"I'll tell you when we get home" Master Jin promised.
So they walked on till they reached their house. Master Jin unlocked the door and they went in.
"Okay, we're home now Master Jin so what's the big secret?" Kyla asked.
"Take your bath and eat first" Master Jin instructed.
After taking their baths, everyone assembled at the dining table. They prayed and ate silently. After eating, Kyla questioned Master Jin once again.
"Okay, I guess I can tell you now" Master Jin said.
"Alright!" Shin cheered.
"Reis, tomorrow, you'll be writing a Dräkan promotional exam and if you pass, you'll immediately be promoted to Dragon Student" Master Jin said.
"Really?!" Reis exclaimed in joy.
"No fair!" Kyla and Shin protested.
"But Reis, if you fail…then you can forget about becoming a Dragon Ranger!" Master Jin said grimly.
"WHAT?!" Reis and Kyla exclaimed in shock.
"I should have known a condition like this was attached to this seeming blessing" Shin said in a bored, angry tone.
"After you have written your paper, it will be marked immediately and your results will be released the following day in front of all Dragon Rangers. If you pass, you will be initiated into the Ranger's Guild…but if you fail…it's back to Saggeese for you" Master Jin said.
Reis clenched his teeth.
"Reis" Kyla called worriedly.
Reis stood up.
"Then I will not fail. I'll pass this exam and become a Dragon Ranger. I promised the people of Tyron that I will free them from their bondage. This is the only way I can become stronger. I will definitely…definitely pass!" Reis declared with determination.
In the next scene, Reis appeared to be asleep. The memory of the day's events played within his mind.
"You Saggeesians can never know how it feels to lose a loved one because…you Saggeesians know no love!" Aurora's voice kept echoing in Reis' head.
Suddenly, Reis found himself floating in empty space.
"Reis Dragonhaärt, this is just the beginning of the trials you are about to face but remember, you must never lose heart for it will be by your strength that Ryugaeia will be 'dragon earth' again!" the omniscient voice said.
"Who are you? How can I find you?" Reis asked.
"You will find me…soon, very soon. You and I will be one and the path to your true destiny will open" the omniscient voice said.
Almost immediately, a symbol of light appeared above Reis. Reis shielded his eyes for the symbol was really bright. Suddenly, there was a flash of light and Reis opened his eyes.
"Reis! Reis! Are you okay?" Shin looked down at Reis.
"Did something happen?" Reis asked with a yawn.
"You were screaming like crazy. Did you have a nightmare?" Shin asked.
"Well, part of it was a nightmare about yesterday but the other part was plain weird" Reis said.
"I think Master Jin needs to know about this" Shin suggested.
MINUTES LATER...
"And it told me not to lose heart for it will be by my strength that Ryugaeia will be dragon earth again" Reis narrated his dream to Master Jin and Kyla at the dining table.
"Isn't it just weird?" Shin said.
"I must agree with Shin on this one" Kyla said.
"Reis, from what you've just told us, I think the voice from your dreams is a dragon that is trying to reach you" Master Jin said.
"A dragon? Really?" Reis questioned.
"And the persistence of this dream shows that the dragon is very serious with its words. I don't know what it means by 'it is by your strength that Ryugaeia will be dragon earth again' but I can tell that you have a great destiny" Master Jin said.
"Hey, wait a minute, aren't we forgetting something important?" Kyla asked.
"Like what?!" Shin snapped at her.
"Like Reis' exams!" Kyla exclaimed.
"Oh no! I'm late!" Reis exclaimed as he ran to his room. He opened his wardrobe and took out his new satchel.
He had packed all he needed for the exams the previous night. He checked to see if everything was intact, then he hanged his satchel on his shoulders and ran down the stairs.
"Reis, we'll escort you" Kyla said.
"Thanks a lot but I'm late so I think I'll be faster if I go alone" Reis said.
"Oh really? Do you even remember where HQ is?" Kyla asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Ha ha, I guess not" Reis laughed sheepishly.
"I thought so. Besides you're not that late. You've got about fifteen minutes left. Enough time to make it to HQ" Kyla said.
"What a time freak" Shin and Reis muttered under their breaths.
"Did you say something?!" Kyla glared at them.
Shin quickly hid behind Reis.
"N-no, I just said l-let's go" Reis lied.
"Well then, let's be off" Kyla laughed.
"H-He actually fooled Kyla?! Sheesh, Kyla sure has grown soft these past few days" Shin thought to himself.
"Shin, are you alright?" Reis asked.
"Seriously Reis, what other talents do you have?" Shin asked.
"What do you mean?" Reis asked as he walked out the door. "Goodbye Master Jin!" he waved.
"Goodbye Reis!" Master Jin waved back.
"Well you've done a lot of amazing things since we met you and now you actually have the ability to fool Kyla? You've got to teach me!" Shin whispered with a sinister smile.
"You want me to teach you how to lie?" Reis asked, a bit surprised by Shin's request.
"Well yeah!" Shin said with wicked pleasure.
"I can't teach you something like that" Reis said.
"Why not?!" Shin asked.
By then, they were halfway to the Ranger's HQ.
"What are you guys talking about?" Kyla asked inquisitively.
"Nothing that concerns you Kyla!" Shin said rudely.
Reis shook his hands to signal to Kyla not to be offended.
Kyla turned away.
"Hmm, I was just thinking of preparing Chicken Light Soup with Fufu this evening. It's a Novatian delicacy. What a shame, I guess we'll go with Tuo Zaafi instead" Kyla pretended to be regretful.
"Huh?! HUH?! AAAANNNNHHH?!!! FUFU?! Why didn't you say so earlier Kyla! Come on and join in our conversation" Shin's attitude suddenly changed.
"Got him! Shin's a sucker for fufu" Kyla whispered to Reis.
"Fufu? Tuo Zaafi? What weird names for food" Reis said.
(Shut up Reis! I'm trying to make you more Ghanaian!)
"Hey, did you guys just hear that?" Reis asked.
"AAAHHH!!! He can hear the author's thoughts as well!" Kyla and Shin screamed.
(Pretty cool huh? That is just by the way).
Soon, they reached the Rangers' HQ. There were guards all around the Temple. The captain of the guards approached them.
"Only Reis Dragonhaärt can proceed from here" the captain said.
"How do you know my name?" Reis asked.
"There's no dragon ranger in this guild that does not know your name" the captain said.
"Jeez, how could you forget? You announced it to all the dragon rangers" Kyla said with a bored look on her face.
"The name is…Reis Dragonhaärt!" Reis recalled his declaration.
"You're right, I remember" Reis said with a nervous laugh.
"Anyway, we'll wait for you Reis" Shin said.
"Good luck Reis. I know you'll pass" Kyla said.
"If you don't pass, then I've seen everything in this world" Shin joked.
Reis laughed and walked away with the captain. Kyla and Shin watched as Reis disappeared into the Temple.
"Shin, you'll wait here, right?" Kyla asked.
"Are you going somewhere?" Shin asked.
"I'm going to borrow money from Master Jin to buy the ingredients for the food, it's been quite a while since we ate fufu and we've run out of supplies" Kyla said.
"Great! I wish I could escort you but someone has to be here when Reis comes out" Shin said.
"Okay, thanks for the thought though" Kyla said as she left.
"Hu-Huh? D-Did Kyla just thank me? Being around Reis sure is good luck" Shin said as he turned to face the temple.
"Reis, you must definitely pass" Shin said.
Reis meanwhile, was being led to an examination room. When they reached the door that led to the examination hall the captain opened the doors and led Reis inside.
"Take a seat" the captain instructed.
Reis took out his pen and other instruments. Then, he took his satchel outside.
"What are you doing?" the captain asked.
"Making sure I don't cheat" Reis answered.
"What a strange boy; he hasn't yet learned anything, yet he doesn't want to cheat, I like people like him" the captain thought silently.
"Wait here Reis, the Dragonlord himself decided to present you with your papers, he'll be here soon" the captain said.
Reis took a seat.
There was silence for a while.
"E-excuse me but I was just curious, how different is a guard from a dragon ranger?" Reis asked.
The captain smiled.
Not many dragon rangers seemed interested in his work like Reis was.
"It's not really different. Not many dragon rangers your age know this but the guards are another elite class of dragon rangers whose mission is to protect the Dragonlord as well as all dragon rangers" the captain said.
"Wow, you guys are like modern day Dragon Knights! I wonder if you knew my father" Reis asked sadly.
"Your father was a Dragon Knight? Who is he?" the captain asked.
"I don't know. My gramps told me my father died three months before my birth and my mother died at my birth, I don't even know their names" Reis said sadly.
"I don't remember anyone by the name of Dragonhaärt but I think I can guess how you feel" the captain said.
"Do you have a son?" Reis asked.
"A daughter, she's your age but right now she's on a mission to one of the Novatian villages. The village has been overrun by treacherous bandits who strangely seem to have Dragon abilities" the captain said.
"I hope she comes back safe" Reis said.
"But you don't even know her, how can you hope for her well-being?" the captain asked.
"That's because it's my wish to see everyone happy. I hated seeing sad faces yesterday, that's why I want to become a dragon ranger. To make sure that everyone has smiles on their faces" Reis said.
Unknown to them both, the Dragonlord had been standing behind the door, listening to their conversation. He smiled when he heard Reis' ambition and stepped into the examination hall.
"I see you're quite taken in by our young Reis" the Dragonlord said.
"S-sorry sir, I-I mean my Lord" the captain said nervously.
"It's okay Captain Hiru, it's good to forget about work sometimes, anyway, Reis, if you're that ambitious, then prove your determination by passing this exam" the Dragonlord said with a sly smile.
"Hiru, step back, these questions are for Reis' eyes only, at least for now" the Dragonlord said.
Captain Hiru stepped away from Reis' desk.
"Here are your papers Reis. You haven't learnt anything yet and there is no one else here so there's no need to talk of cheating. You've only got forty minutes to answer these questions. Don't worry, they are quite few, you can see for yourself" the Dragonlord said.
Reis turned the papers. He counted five pages in total.
"Seventy five objective questions and five theory questions in forty minutes…that's…that's…" Reis looked at the papers in surprise.
"What?! Dragonlord sir, you can't be serious!" Captain Hiru exclaimed.
"It's…it's much less than I expected" Reis sighed.
"Oh?" the Dragonlord said in amusement.
"What is wrong with this boy, average students, even masters would have trouble beating the time!" Captain Hiru said in shock.
"Okay, it's thirty past nine right now, you'll stop at exactly ten-fifteen. Reis Dragonhaärt, you are hereby ordered to start work!" the Dragonlord ordered.
Reis looked at the first question. It was about the elemental balance. Reis answered it easily. The second question was no problem too. It turned out that the first fifteen questions were about the elemental balance. The next fifteen questions were about the various ranger classes. Kyla had taught him about the dragon ranger classes the previous night and he could still recall her briefing the first time he arrived at the rangers' guild. He cleared those questions with little difficulty. Then suddenly at the thirty first question, the language of the questions changed radically. The questions were now in the Dräkan language but Reis strangely enough could read the Dräkan language just as easily as he could read the Saggeesian and Novatian languages. The next twenty questions were about the names of the dragons.
"Number 31, Fire dragon, its name is Dragnarök. 32, Psychic Dragon, Draco. 33, wind dragon, Ehum. 34, water dragon, Marina. 35, good dark dragon, Sum-Kebi. 36, Lightning dragon Saanyigre. 37, Earth Dragon, Terra. 38, a group of earth dragon are called Kusibe. 39, Light Dragon, Alpha" Reis murmured as he answered the questions.
"Hmm, it seems our young drake is doing better than I expected" the Dragonlord said.
"Dragonlord Sir, you are so considerate, giving the boy such easy questions" Captain Hiru said in admiration.
"Don't be deceived Hiru, he should have been stuck long ago" the Dragonlord said seriously.
"Just what questions did you give him?" Captain Hiru wondered.
"50, Ice Dragon, its name is Ayes" Reis murmured.
He looked at the next set of questions. The last twenty five questions were about the tragic legend. Reis' grandfather had told him all his life about the tragic legend. Reis answered those questions easily.
"Number 75, the dark dragon that waged war against the humans is called Armageddon" Reis sighed. "Phew, I finally cleared the objectives. Now, it's left with the theory. I've only got thirty five minutes left" Reis said as he turned the page.
To his utter shock, all the theory questions were about the tragic legend. In twenty minutes, Reis had answered four of the questions. He looked at the final question and was saddened by it.
"Who was to blame for the Great Extinction that occurred after the sealing of Armageddon (three lines)?" the question stated.
Reis looked at the question and began to feel guilty. It hurt him a lot but he didn't know why. Reis took his pen and began to write.
"As much as we want to blame Armageddon, he was not responsible for the Dragon Extinction, the Dragonhaärt was. Only the Dragonhaärt is to blame for the great extinction" Reis wrote, unaware that he had misspelled Dragonheart and instead written his name.
He had unconsciously accused himself of being responsible for the Dragon Extinction. Reis sighed sadly and arranged his papers. He knew he had to look through his work but he didn't want to see that question again. So it remained, Dragonhaärt is to be blamed.
"I'm done" Reis said.
"You can't be serious!" Captain Hiru said doubtfully.
Reis handed his papers to the Dragonlord.
"Can I leave now?" Reis asked.
The Dragonlord nodded. Reis walked out of the room. The Dragonlord looked through his papers. Then he looked ahead.
"He really is done" the Dragonlord said grimly.
Reis walked through the corridors of the Temple and eventually reached the hall of the temple.
"I'm closer to the outside" Reis said as he came out of the Temple.
Shin was sitting outside drawing pictures in the sand.
"Shin, I'm done" Reis said as he approached Shin.
Shin stood up.
"You've finished already? I thought you'd use at least an hour and forty five minutes to complete your paper" Shin said.
"Why?" Reis asked.
"Isn't it obvious? That's the standard time for Dragon Rangers to complete their papers" Shin explained.
"Really? That's weird because the Dragonlord only gave me forty minutes to complete my paper" Reis said.
"Then I guess the old guy was considerate and gave you less questions?" Shin asked.
"Yeah, the questions did seem kinda less. I only got seventy five objective questions and five theory questions" Reis said.
"WHAAAAT?!!!" Shin exclaimed in shock.
"Th-that can't be possible. But you answered them all right?" Shin asked.
"Yeah, all of 'em" Reis said.
"So they were easy right?" Shin asked.
"The first thirty were really easy. They were based on the elemental balance and Ranger classes. The rest…well…I pretty much guessed" Reis said with a nervous laugh.
"Let's go home, Master Jin must hear about this" Shin said and they left.
Reis followed him. They walked half of the way and saw Kyla in the grocery shop.
"Hey, that's Kyla! Come on Reis" Shin said as he pulled Reis into the shop.
Kyla had bought plantains, cassava, chicken, tomatoes and a lot of pepper.
"Great! You guys are here. I was beginning to wonder how I was going to carry all of this home by myself" Kyla said.
"You really were serious about the fufu" Shin said in surprise.
"So you see, you really would have regretted had you not changed your nasty attitude" Kyla said.
"Kyla, you're the best!" Shin complimented.
The things Kyla was holding dropped to the ground.
"D-Did Shin just compliment me? Being around Reis surely brings good luck" Kyla thought to herself.
Reis and Shin picked up the items which were in four baskets.
"Don't worry yourself with any load Kyla, that's what I'm here for" Shin said with a laugh.
"Being around Reis is good luck indeed" Kyla thought with certainty.
Soon they had arrived home. Kyla took the groceries to the kitchen. Master Jin arrived a few minutes later.
"You're back early Master Jin" Kyla said.
"Yes, I heard that Reis had completed his exam so I took permission from the Dragonlord to leave early. So, anyone want to eat lunch out today?" Master Jin asked.
"Sure! I'm in!" Shin said with joy.
"I'm in too" Kyla said.
"Reis?" they all asked in a chorus.
"Well, I've never eaten out before. Sure! I'm in too!" Reis said with a nervous laugh.
"Great!" Master Jin said with satisfaction.
"H-uh-um, Master Jin, there's someone I'd like to invite" Reis said nervously.
"Sure, just say the name and we'll invite him!" Master Jin said happily.
"It's Captain Hiru" Reis said.
"I see, so you're already friends with Hiru" Master Jin said happily.
"He's a really close friend of the family" Kyla whispered.
"Not many people understand Hiru. It's good to see that he has a new friend" Master Jin said with a happy smile.
So they walked back to the Rangers' HQ. Captain Hiru was standing guard as usual.
"You need to take a break Hiru" Master Jin suggested.
"I wish I could take a break but even if I did, I'd be lonely without my family" Captain Hiru said.
"Your daughter is still on that mission with your wife, Ethan and Effuien?" Master Jin asked.
There's not a day I don't worry for them" Captain Hiru said.
"You need to have fun. We came to invite you out to eat. It was Reis' idea though" Master Jin said.
"Thank you for remembering me Reis. Your concern earlier on was genuine. Wait here while I ask permission from the Dragonlord" Captain Hiru said.
Master Jin and the others waited patiently for Captain Hiru. Soon, he came out looking joyful.
"The Dragonlord agreed to give me the day off. He said I've done enough work for the day" Captain Hiru said as they began to walk away.
They walked halfway down the road and turned right. They kept walking straight till they reached a classy restaurant called 'Kamikaze Restaurant'. They walked into the restaurant and had a seat. A waitress came to them.
"Do you desire anything?" she asked.
"I'll have some coconut juice please!" Shin ordered first.
"I'll have some orange juice" Kyla ordered next.
"Pineapple juice please" Reis requested.
"I'll have some beer, the best you have" Master Jin ordered.
"Same as he" Captain Hiru said plainly as he pointed to Master Jin.
The waitress took their orders busily. She was gone in an instant and faster than she went, she returned with their orders.
"Whoa! You're really quick Miss…uh…" Reis tried to guess her name.
"My name is Diane" the waitress said as she handed them the menu.
Shin ordered for the Great Aponkye Kakra (Goat Light Soup) with fufu. Kyla ordered for Chicken sauce with Fried Rice and for Reis, he ordered for Kaiser Wolf meat, the Saggeesian delicacy. It took a while but the food was soon before them.
"What a brave meal you've ordered" Captain Hiru praised Reis.
"We were rather unfortunate to encounter a Saggeesian Kaiser wolf on our recent mission and I tell you, they are very unlike our Novatian Kaiser wolves. Reis defeated it single-handedly when even I couldn't" Master Jin said proudly.
"Whoa-ho! You must be really strong to manage such a feat without a dragon ability" Captain Hiru said.
Reis washed his hands. He broke off part of the Kaiser wolf meat and was about to eat it when he noticed that Aurora, Darak and their Master had just walked into the restaurant. Aurora was looking at him disdainfully and he was beginning to get angry. Suddenly, he felt an uncontrollable urge to annoy Aurora and ate the meat like a hungry lion, tearing it wildly with his canines and ripping it with his fingers. Kyla, Master Jin and Captain Hiru watched him in surprise.
"T-take it easy Reis, no one's chasing you" Kyla said nervously.
Shin noticed Aurora's presence and smiled a mischievous smile.
"Hah-huh! I think I know why Reis is acting all crazy" Shin said with wicked pleasure.
In less than fifteen seconds, Reis had eaten every bit of the Kaiser Wolf meat, bones and all.
"Hmmph! Some people can be really uncivilized" Aurora said disdainfully.
Reis was hurt by her statement but he ignored her. Darak glared angrily at Reis too.
"If you have time to eat like a wild boar, shouldn't you be packing?! I'm sure by tomorrow, your results will be out with a big fail! I'd love to see the look on your face then!" Aurora said rudely, loud enough for Reis to hear.
Reis didn't respond.
Kyla was burning with rage. Reis noticed that Kyla wanted to say something very hurtful to Aurora so he stopped her.
"Don't worry Kyla, it's okay" he said calmly.
"Hey Kyla, are you going to eat that?" he asked with the intention of calming the infernal mood.
"No, I just lost my appetite" Kyla said as she folded her arms angrily.
Reis took Kyla's plate and placed it in front of him, she hadn't eaten much. Everyone was annoyed by Aurora's behaviour and Reis wanted them to forget about it so he came up with an idea.
"Hey you guys, want to see an eating technique I developed in Saggeese?" Reis asked.
"Sure!" everyone exclaimed.
"First, let's flip a coin. Heads say I'll win, tails say I'll lose" Reis said.
"I'll do it" Captain Hiru said as he removed a golden coin from his pocket.
He flipped it and caught it in his palms and opened his palms to reveal it.
"Tails, you're going to lose" Shin said confidently.
Reis sat down.
"Wanna bet?!" Reis challenged as he stomped the ground.
His foot bounced from the ground as if propelled by an invisible force and his knee hit the tip of the table-top hard. The table top rolled into the air like a flipped coin throwing the various foods from their plate. Reis concentrated and time seemed to slow down for him. He quickly swallowed all of Kyla's food, placed the table-top on its legs and arranged the various spilled foods in their plates in a pattern. Then he gradually slowed his movement to return time to normal. He then caught the various foods and shuffled them on the table. When time returned to normal, the table-top was spinning really fast much to the surprise of everyone and when it eventually stopped spinning, the food was lined up in front of everyone with the exception of Kyla's plate which was completely empty. The food before them formed the words "GOTCHA!"
"A-Amazing!" Shin exclaimed in shock.
The waiters and waitresses at the counter as well as everyone in the restaurant began to applaud him.
"See? You've just got to know how to come back with style" Reis said and the others laughed.
"Hmmph! Show off!" Aurora scoffed.
"H-He just downed all of Kyla's food in just one gulp! What an insanely weird talent!" Darak acknowledged.
Reis made a thumbs up and bowed.
"Thank you everybody" he said politely.
"Hmm, weird, the Novatian G has never lied before" Shin wondered.
The applause began to get to Reis' head and he laughed proudly.
"Heh heh heh! It was nothing EKKKHHH!!! COUGH! COUGH! COUGH!" Reis began to cough and wheeze uncontrollably.
"Heh heh! Told ya the Novatian G never lies!" Shin laughed wickedly.
"Reis! Drink some juice!" Kyla ordered worriedly.
Reis picked up his glass but it was empty.
"COUGH! Kyla…no juice!" Reis struggled to say.
Everyone else had finished their drinks.
"Waitress! Some water please!" Captain Hiru ordered.
"Jeez! What a reckless thing to do" Darak said as he struggled to stifle a laugh.
Aurora watched Reis. He seemed to be in a lot of pain.
"Serves him right" she thought to herself but now, Reis was clutching his chest.
Without thinking, she grabbed her glass of water and rushed to Reis' side.
"Here, drink this!" she ordered as she handed him the glass.
Reis gulped the water quickly.
"Hhhaaaahhh, thank goodness. Thank you Aurora, I owe you my life" Reis said as he regained his composure.
Aurora giggled.
"Next time, think twice before you pull a crazy stunt like that because next time…" Aurora suddenly stopped laughing and became serious, "…even if I'm there, I won't help you!" she said rudely and walked back to her table.
"Sheesh, how cold can you get?" Reis muttered under his breath.
"My point exactly" Shin agreed.
Reis and his new family had such a great time that they were quite oblivious to the passing time. It was already evening. As they sat enjoying themselves, a guard from the Rangers' HQ arrived and whispered something to Captain Hiru, then, he left. Captain Hiru looked serious.
"Reis, the Dragonlord has finished marking your papers. Tomorrow, your results will be announced at Dragon High. That's the school for Dragon Students" Captain Hiru informed them. Reis looked sad. Kyla noticed this.
"Don't tell me you think you've failed" Kyla said with concern.
"It's not that" Reis said.
"Then can you tell us what is bothering you?" Kyla asked.
"It's nothing much" Reis said.
Kyla sighed.
"You still feel guilty for the Great Extinction, don't you?" Shin asked seriously.
"Reis told us in Saggeese that he felt guilty for the Dragon Extinction but he did not know why" Shin said.
Kyla nodded.
"Well, that's true. The last question I answered asked who was to blame for the Dragon Extinction" Reis informed them.
"And you said it was Armageddon right? Everyone knows Armageddon was to be blamed" Captain Hiru said.
"No, I said it was the…the…don't tell me?!" Reis suddenly exclaimed.
"What?" Kyla and Shin asked.
"I wanted to write the Dragonheart is to be blamed but I spelled Dragonheart wrongly. Instead of h-e-a-r-t, I spelled it h-a-a-r-t, I wrote my name instead" Reis exclaimed.
"Th-that's bad!" Shin exclaimed in shock.
"What on Ryugaeia possessed you to accuse the Dragonheart of the Great Extinction?! Are you mad or did your grandfather tell you a different version of the tragic legend?!" Kyla yelled angrily.
"No, but that is just how I feel" Reis said.
By that time, it was 6:00pm in the evening and Captain Hiru took leave. Master Jin paid the bills and they left. It didn't take them long to reach the house.
"Shin, I'm sorry I can't keep my promise, it's late and I'm tired. But tomorrow, I'll make the fufu extra special" Kyla apologized.
"What are you apologizing for Kyla, I had a nice time and tonight's meal was the last thing on my mind. Take your time and rest easy" Shin said.
"Thanks Shin, goodnight guys" Kyla said as she walked upstairs.
"Goodnight Kyla" Reis, Shin and Master Jin answered in a chorus.
Soon, Reis and Shin were in bed.
"I told ya the Novatian G never lies, you lost!" Shin laughed.
"We-ell, you could call that losing, or you could call it cunning!" Reis said with a cunning smile.
"What do you mean?" Shin asked.
"I lost on purpose to create humour plus Aurora was kinda nice to me, so I call that a double win" Reis said with a laugh.
"You sly devil. So the Novatian G really did fail. Well, it's not like I believed in luck anyways" Shin said as he covered himself with his blanket.
"Goodnight Reis" Shin said.
Goodnight Shin" Reis responded.
He stared at the roof for a while and finally fell asleep.
The following morning came and Kyla was in the room banging silver pan lids. Reis and Shin fell from their beds.
"Sheesh you are so loud Kyla!" Shin yelled angrily.
"I've got to admit that was really annoying!" Reis yelled angrily.
"If you think I'm being annoying, look out the window!" Kyla defended herself.
Reis and Shin looked out the window. Dragon Rangers in full uniform were walking on the streets.
"See? They're all headed to Dragon High for the declaration of your results and you two lazy bums are still sleeping, go take your baths, and then get dressed. Reis you're wearing your Ranger uniform today, now hustle, before I get annoyed"
In less than a second, Reis had taken his bath, dressed in his ranger uniform and was standing in front of Kyla.
"I'm done" Reis said.
"Great! So now you're a speed freak as well" Kyla said.
"Kyla, can you leave now, Shin's done as well and he'll be entering the room any moment now" Reis said.
Kyla left the room.
No sooner was she down the stairs than she heard Shin's voice as he walked out of the bathroom.
"Great, he's psychic as well" Kyla said as though she wasn't surprised.
Shin entered the room and stared at Reis in his new uniform. It was a leather vest with a bronze breastplate. There was a sheath that fitted his sword attached to the back of his vest. The vest itself was sleeveless. It was light grey in colour. Reis' trousers on the other hand were dark grey in colour. It was also made of leather. There were two black belts made of leather that crossed Reis abdomen in an X pattern.
"You look great Reis" Shin said looking at Reis from head to foot.
Reis was wearing grey leather boots that matched his trousers.
"So how do you feel in your uniform?!" Shin asked.
"It's not yet complete, all it needs is…this" Reis said as he removed his father's sword from the wardrobe. He spun it around and placed it in the sheath at his back.
"Hey Reis, your dragon scar is showing" Shin informed Reis.
"I nearly forgot. I can't let anybody else see it" Reis said as he searched the wardrobe.
He removed red bandana.
"Got it" he said as he tied the red bandana around his scar.
His scar was completely hidden by the bandana.
"It fits perfectly" Reis said.
"Are you guys ready?" Kyla's voice sounded from downstairs.
"We'll be down in a second" Shin said as he led Reis downstairs.
When Kyla saw Reis in his uniform, she couldn't believe her eyes.
"Wow Reis, you look great I could almost fall for you" Kyla said with a laugh.
"Thanks" Reis said rubbing the back of his head nervously.
Master Jin descended the stairs in his uniform and they ate breakfast.
After breakfast, they left for Dragon High. Dragon High was at the Eastern most point of the township so they walked quite a distance. After about thirty minutes of walking, they saw a tall white building in front of them. It had a huge field around it and it was fenced around by a wall. They could only see the inner field because they were far off.
"That's Dragon High" Kyla whispered to Reis.
"It's amazing!" Reis exclaimed in awe.
Soon they were inside the school compound. They followed the other Dragon Rangers into the school building and were soon in the Assembly Hall. After a minute of searching, Master Jin found them front row seats. They sat down quietly and waited for the Dragonlord. After thirty minutes of waiting, many Dragon guards entered the hall with the Dragonlord in their midst. The Dragonlord walked up to the stage and handed many papers to the Dragon Guards.
"These papers are going to be distributed to every Dragon Ranger but none of you must look at the words on it now" the Dragonlord said.
The Dragon Guards shared the papers among the Dragon Rangers. After they had finished distributing the papers, the Dragon Guards formed a perimeter around the stage.
"You are all aware of the event that took place yesterday. Reis Dragonhaärt join me on stage" the Dragonlord said.
Reis walked nervously to the stage and climbed it.
"Young Reis Dragonhaärt here wrote the promotional exam yesterday to decide whether he will become one of us or not and he…" the Dragonlord paused as he looked around for the Rangers' reaction.
They seemed indifferent except for Master Jin's team who seemed anxious.
"He passed with a percentage of one-hundred!" the Dragonlord declared.
"HE DID IT!" Kyla and Shin jumped from their seats in joy.
"You can't be serious! Unless the questions given him were for Drakes!" one ranger who still didn't like Reis yelled.
"Hmm…I was expecting this but if you think I was soft on Reis…you can all turn the papers you received" the Dragonlord said.
All the rangers turned the papers and looked at the questions. For a while there was no reaction but when they reached the thirty-first question, there were exclamations of shock.
"IT CAN'T BE! Thirty of these questions are in simple Novatian but the rest are in the Dräkan language!" one ranger exclaimed in shock.
"D-Dragonlord! Don't tell me these questions were set to purposely fail Reis!" Master Jin exclaimed in shock and anger.
"Precisely" the Dragonlord said grimly.
"It isn't possible! These questions, even we, Dragon Masters can't answer all of them" Aurora and Darak's mistress exclaimed.
"Don't fool yourself Kira. These questions, even if you could understand them, not even the Dragon Knights could answer them all correctly" the Dragonlord said grimly.
"You can't be serious!" Aurora exclaimed.
"I've never been more serious young Aurora" the Dragonlord said seriously.
"The questions weren't even set by me. They were set by the dragons. It is still unclear why but Reis' presence has gotten them excited and without a doubt, I know you all agree that Reis deserves to become a dragon ranger" the Dragonlord said.
There was silence.
"Reis, raise your right hand and repeat after me" the Dragonlord said.
Reis placed his left hand on his chest and raised his right hand. The Dragonlord smiled slightly so that even Reis couldn't notice.
"As a Dragon Ranger,
I will be an enforcer of light
I will be a protector of dragons
And follow the teachings of the Dragon Knights.
I will protect the weak and free the oppressed
I will obey the Dragonlord
For I am a Dragon Ranger
And a Dragon Ranger forever"
Reis repeated the Dragon Ranger pledge after the Dragonlord.
"Now kneel Reis Dragonhaärt!" the Dragonlord ordered.
Reis knelt on one knee. The Dragonlord conjured up a rainbow coloured flame.
"By the holiness of this aurora flame, before the God Of The Heart and man, by the power vested in me as Dragonlord, I name you Reis Dragonhaärt, Dragon Ranger of Ryugaeia" the Dragonlord declared.
There was applause and Reis bowed his head in honour.
"Rise now Reis Dragonhaärt, a new destiny awaits you" the Dragonlord said.
Reis stood up and looked at the crowd. Kyla, Shin and Master Jin were cheering for him. Reis raised his eyes.
"Dad I did it, I'm a Dragon Ranger like you" Reis said happily.