Are you done? asked Mithrir to Akira. He had filled up his pockets with coins that dangled everyone he spoke. She looked at him with concern rather than disgust. Yes, she replied touching her own skin to see if she was really awake. Here! Mithrir tossed a coin at her. She held it. "Have you ever dreamt of coins?" he asked her. "No," she replied. Then let us go, he said to her. They walked through the town and towards the caves. As they neared the caves, they were welcomed to a new sight. There was light everywhere. The caves illuminated and Akira could not help but walk towards it. Mithrir could not care less. He actually sighed at the sight.
Akira looked at the dwarf. Even this does not give you any happiness? She asked him. Why would it give me happiness? asked the dwarf as he adjusted his pants. After all we have endured, the light is going to take the pain away? he asked her. But you did not suffer like the rest, she said to him. Neither did you, he replied.
He looked at her. Yet! you are here. Feeling joyful in our happiness. Yes, she replied. The same way you should, she said. After all they are your kind. My kind is the one who values money over joy. He looked at her and for the first time in his life he accepted who he was, a dwarf. His eyes flamed with burning yellow! And only because of that I could put a roof over my family. That is the reason i could ensure my children lived in a world that was not so harsh, he said. And there, he pointed at the dwarves. They believe in joy and sharing and equality. All the words that are good in this world. Yet they cannot exist. We have to look out for ourselves, don't we? he asked her.
You are not the enemy, he said to her. You are simply the truth. A truth that is universal, the dwarf spoke with wisdom. But Akira either did not understand what he spoke or did not care to understand. The fittest win now, soon the richest will win! he uttered as his face turned sinister. Akira and Mithrir entered the caves as the faces of the humans greeted them. New faces such as Plato and Constantine showed up. Hello, they greeted her. Except the private. He wanted to hit her, yet he was afraid of her at the same time. Those eyes! he murmured and turned away.
There was some noise on top. Hylin! murmured Aurokin and ran atop the caves along with the arched back dwarf. But there was no one there. But
Thud….
They were flown to the ground. The cloak of Tanndibus, said Aurokin. But how, asked the arched back dwarf. Thronir went to check what had happened. As Aurokin tried to summon his Kien, he could not yet locate the hylin.
Again thud…..
All three of them went flying. Thronir now tried to summon his Kien as the arched back dwarf tried to conjure up kaze. The wind caused a big enough stir to keep the hylin from closing down on them while Kien was trying to locate the hylin. But he could not, yet! The cloak is too powerful they said as the wind was almost pushing them too!
Got them….
Said Thronir as he threw a fist at them. There were only three hylins. Looks like they are here to check out the cloak, said Aurokin. They are hit so hard that they had to run away! Cowards, he said as they ran away. The powerful use them as pawns, said Aurokin to Thronir. Now that Zeus is gone, they have found another one, said Aurokin.
But why? asked Archimedes. Why do they hunt and keep us down? he asked. Because we hunted them, and kept them down at one point of time, replied Thronir. And Zeus turned to their side because our king embarrassed him once. A lifetime ago, he said. The gods never forgive, said Aurokin. They remember it for millennia, he added.
He gave them power and look what had happened, they have turned into a monster. Far worse than what we did to them, added Aurokin. They are scared, said Thronir as he looked at each and every one of them. They are scared that once they let go of their power, they go back to being what they once were, Powerless! he added. A pity, said Thronir.
He looked at everyone. But Zeus is not dead. He remains alive. We must be prepared for the worst, he warned. Next time he will not survive, replied Seronn. That time everyone got a tingle in their spines. And still everyone was scared of him, except one person. Whose touch she loved. Whose words she cherished and kept it in her heart. She looked at him from the corner of the caves. He looked at her and she whispered something only he could hear. At that moment, he wanted to give her the world. If she wanted him to be god. He would.
She smiled at him and he wanted to crush the head of Zeus and his sons and bring it her feet. The same air that caressed her, caressed him. The world was a better place to him in that instant.
"He will take care of Zeus" said Archimedes pointing at Seronn. That moment Seronn almost broke down. He almost fell in his knees. He looked at Archimedes with such respect. I have always done things for my selfish reasons, he thought. And here is a man who had no reason to be here, almost dying in an unknown planet. These people were not his, yet he fought for them more than their own did. What drives such a man? he wondered. Arienne stood next to Akira and gazed upon Archimedes.
"Those tireless eyes" she said. It never showed strength nor weakness nor malice. It was ethereal, she said. Yes, replied Akira reminded of Seronn's eyes. He does not want anything nor avenge anything, she said. Akira knew who she was taking about. Some people are just good, they are heroes, she said. They don't want anything, they only fight justice, she said. Akira looked up at the skies and at that moment everyone did. Except Archimedes.
And everyone was thinking the same thing. They fight gods, bad people, they fight for the righteous and the weak. For no particular reason. They just do what is right. At that moment, a dragon came flying down from the skies. It was Reya. She came flying down as the dwarves Ilkir, Buskar and ilvandir watched her gliding down. At last she is here, they said.
But she was not alone, with her riding on her back was Philippe. "Philippe" said Archimedes. What are you doing here? he asked. I could not sit on a throne, that did not belong to me, he replied. This place is not safe, he said. A man of such pedigree does not belong here, said Archimedes.
But a hero does! he replied. Reya chuckled. All the women dwarves looked at the handsome man with the royal cloak. Even in that darkness, his face gleamed. He had such grace. Now what ? he said and turned towards Archimedes as his eyes turned red.