Drake Helkar. That's the name of the only son of the family that raises and cares for me, while I, Zoe Reinhard, am his teacher and guardian. I'm the one who trains and takes care of him for his Augury, which is the name given to the trials you take when you turn 40 within our race.
Was what I did okay? I asked myself again, recalling the kiss I gave Drake a few days ago while he was unconscious.
No, it wasn't okay. But… it's what I wanted. I thought, quickly getting out of my bed, and then getting ready to leave. I'd better think about that and the answer I'll give after my trial later, because for now, I must focus on perfecting my new rune. After all, there are only a few days left until my own Augury.
It had been a week since that tragic night, marked by the silence and Drake's laments, as he felt guilty for everything that had happened. After consoling and advising him over and over again, he had finally managed to calm down a bit, leaving me more at ease to go train.
Due to the constant travels Kadian had undertaken these past two years, until now, he hadn't been able to grade my Augury, despite the fact that I'm already 41 years old today. So, after returning from the Central continent, he said he would grade me in a few days.
The trial determines if you're ready to move to an adult stage or not, as both the physical and mental strengths of the person are evaluated.
There were only a couple of days left before my Augury, so after being completely ready, I went out to train in the forest, near the mountains that were on the way to the cave of Mork and Ness. I had decided to train a bit far because I didn't want anyone to know about my new rune, to have some advantage in my Augury.
While there, I did several tests, determining the strengths and weaknesses of my new Rune, which I ended up naming Phantom Mirage because it created another invisible version of myself. During testing, I discovered that I could use any spell with Phantom Mirage, but I also discovered that with the mana I currently had, I could only use a few spells, as this Rune consumed an absurd amount of mana.
To activate it, I only had to send mana to the nape of my neck, thanks to the rune I had there, I could cast the spell with full power and efficiency without the need to say a full incantation aloud or in my mind. Additionally, thanks to Perception, the detection spell of the Helkar family, I could position my other version very far from where I was, since for Phantom Mirage to work I had to concentrate on a specific place within my reach, just like I did that night.
After exhausting almost all my mana, I decided to head back, but before I could set out on my journey, I encountered someone I didn't expect to see again.
"Hello Zoe, long time no see." Said that girl, the reason why Drake almost died a few days ago. "How did you find me Angelica?" I responded seriously, looking directly into her eyes.
"I was on my way to your house, but, being undecided about whether to continue or not, I stopped until I saw you walking away through the forest, so I decided to follow you."
Huh? She followed me? Distrusting her, I released half of the little mana I had left to create a slight layer of mana.
"I understand you're upset Zoe." She said, stepping slightly closer to where I was.
"What do you want?" I asked coldly, halting her steps toward me.
"Relax, Zoe, I just want you to help me with something." She said a bit nervously. "I want you to tell me when Drake will be alone because I want to say something to him before I leave the continent."
So, they'll be leaving soon, very quickly. I thought to myself, removing the layer of mana that covered me. "Why would I do that? You've already hurt him enough. Don't you think it's better to leave in silence?"
Lowering her head slightly, Angelica took a deep breath before looking me in the eyes. "You're right, but… I feel that if I leave without saying anything, it will be something I'll regret my whole life." She said in a choked voice, showing teary eyes.
"..."
"That's why Zoe, let me talk to him one more time, just one more time… please…."
Feeling a confused feeling inside me, I didn't know what to do. I wanted to tell her no, but I felt that if they didn't say goodbye to each other, Drake would be sad for the next few years, and that was something I didn't want and that wouldn't help his training because, after all, one without motivation never progresses.
"Alright Angelica, but remember, I'm only doing this for him." I said, watching as she tried to wipe away her tears. "You can come to my house in three days, at the third vigil, but, I'll only let you talk to him for about ten minutes." I finally said.
"Thank you, Zoe."
After giving her the specific time when she could come to our house, she slightly lowered her head, finally saying goodbye to me.
I wonder if I've done the right thing. I thought, still standing in the place where I trained.
°°°
The days went by, and finally, my Augury had arrived.
Thanks to Phantom Mirage and my preparation over all these years, I managed to pass the first four trials with little difficulty, but the last one truly put me in a bind.
"So Zoe, locked here, with no one else able to hear you except me and Irisha, tell me. What do you decide? Which path have you chosen?" Asked Kadian, seated on a grand chair, as if he were once again the ruler of a nation.
What do I decide? I thought deeply, as several happy memories I had with my parents on the continent of Clifland came to mind, only to be followed by the last moments I had with both of them, and then the dream I had of my father saying goodbye to me. Now that I have the chance, I can be free, I can decide whatever I want, whatever I want...
"What I decide is…" I said, pausing for a moment to think about what had once again brought happiness into my life. "It's to follow my family's legacy, serving Drake Helkar for the rest of my life."
"Seeing that your desire is to serve my son, I, Kadian Helkar, recognize you as an adult within our race." He said before placing a scroll on my left arm, then infusing a great amount of mana into it, causing the special ink it contained to adhere to my skin, granting me a new rune.
"Thank you, Father."
°°°
After my appointment, I went to rest due to the various injuries I had on my body from the trials, but with a feeling of personal fulfillment.
The next morning, Kadian set off on another journey, searching for information about some acquaintances he had in the southern region of the Dunumese kingdom. A couple of hours later, Irisha also left, leaving me alone with Drake once again.
While walking around the house, I found him leaning on the balcony, his gaze lost among the trees surrounding our garden.
"How are you feeling?" I asked, subtly moving to his side. "So-so…" He replied in a low voice.
"Are you still having nightmares?" I asked again, trying to get closer to him to catch his attention. "Yes…"
"Drake, I have something to tell you." "Huh?" He asked, puzzled. "But before that, I just want you to know that I will always be by your side, wanting only your happiness."
"I don't understand, Zoe, what are you trying to tell me?" He asked, confused, turning his gaze to meet my eyes.
"Listen, Drake. Father and Mother don't know about this, so I want you to keep it a secret. Angelica will come to our house today to talk to you."
Drake Helkar's point of view
It's all my fault… Those were my thoughts as I stared out from the balcony of my house. Because I stayed silent, knowing what was going to happen, Paul died.
Since that tragic night, something inside me had changed. The feeling of losing someone in that way was something that pierced through the false image I had of this fantasy world.
I've already cried, regretted, and lamented for more than a week, and even so, this feeling doesn't want to leave me. Although, I guess this hand doesn't help either, as it's a constant reminder of the mistakes I made that night. I thought, glancing slightly at my right arm, covered in horrible scars.
"How are you feeling?" Asked Zoe, moving closer to where I was. "So-so…" I replied, disheartened. "Are you still having nightmares?" She asked again, confusing me as I didn't know her intentions.
"Yes…"
"Drake, I have something to tell you." "Huh?"
"But before that, I just want you to know that I will always be by your side, wanting only your happiness." Wait, wait. What is she trying now?
"I don't understand, Zoe, what are you trying to tell me?" I asked, confused by her sudden and puzzling words.
"Listen, Drake. Father and Mother don't know about this, so I want you to keep it a secret. Angelica will come to our house today to talk to you."
"What? A-are you serious!?" I responded, surprised. Will she come?
"That's right. A few days ago, I met her, and she told me she wanted to talk to you, so I coordinated with her to come today during the third vigil." Yes! She will come!!
"But don't get too excited because you'll only be able to talk to her for 10 minutes. I won't let you speak for longer due to the reasons you already know." She emphasized, looking directly into my eyes.
10 minutes? That's perfect! I didn't expect to talk to her again so soon; in fact, I thought it wouldn't be until a year later. I thought cheerfully.
"That's fine, Zoe. That's how it will be!" I replied, more animated.
°°°
What time could it be? I wondered later, as I checked my hair for the eighth time. I think I'll go crazy if I keep stressing myself out like this. It's best to calm down and think about something else.
While pacing around the living room, trying to clear my head, a silly thought crossed my mind. If everything I dreamed of that night. Back when I was just a baby, is going to come true. Then that means someone will tell me they're in love with me. Right?
Yes. It must be that. And the only one I know who would say something like that is Angelica! I thought with a goofy smile. Completely forgetting how awful I had felt just hours ago.
…
Yes!! She's close! I thought excitedly after sensing her mana a few meters from my house. Alright, let's go over the plan one last time before she gets here.
First, I'll greet her and apologize for everything that happened. Second, I'll tell her I won't be able to see her for a couple of years since I'll be grounded. But that it doesn't matter much. Because when we see each other again, I'd like to be even closer to her. As something more than friends. I thought optimistically.
And lastly, with those final sweet words. I'll tell her I really like her. And that through everything that happened, I realized she's the only thing that truly matters to me. I thought, blushing slightly. Calm down, Drake! I have to sound as confident as possible. And I can't forget to stay positive because she's probably still sad about everything that happened.
Luckily, Zoe coordinated this moment. She must have done it because she didn't want to see us separated. Thank you so much, Zoe! I swear I'll repay you later.
Still caught up in my racing thoughts. The sound of the door startled me. Making me even more nervous than I already was.
It's time! I thought, taking a deep breath before heading to the door. Come on, Drake, this is your moment to make things right.
I opened the door, and there she was. Angelica, looking a little shy but beautifully dressed. Wow!! It's just like that time. It's like an angel fell from the heavens! But an even cooler angel than before!
"Hi Drake, I came to talk to you." She said in a slightly somber tone.
Of course, we need to. I thought excitedly to myself.
"You're right, please come in." I said, stepping aside from the entrance. Without hesitation, she walked in without saying another word and sat on a couch in the living room. Still feeling incredibly nervous, I followed her in silence, saying nothing.
"You look nice, Angelica." I said finally, trying to break the silence in the room.
"Huh? Thanks." She replied, continuing to stare at the floor.
How strange. She's sadder than I thought she'd be. I believed she'd be a little happier and more relaxed to see me again. I thought before sitting down next to her.
"Drake, I only came because I have something to tell you." She said, clenching her fists before looking me directly in the eyes. "I…" "Wait!" I shouted, making her look at me a bit surprised. Damn it, I didn't expect her to try and talk about us so quickly.
"Angelica, before you say anything, please let me speak." "Drake?" She said, completely confused.
"That night, I was trying to look cool in front of you, but… because of my stupidity, that happened. Honestly, from the bottom of my heart, I can tell you I gave it my all to make things go well. But… they didn't. I couldn't do more." I said, bowing my head slightly. "I'm sorry, sorry for being so weak."
"Drake… please stop—" "And now." I said again, cutting her off. "And now, I won't be able to see you for at least a year. But I want you to know that during that battle, I understood that the most important thing to me is you. Because the idea of saving you was what gave me the most strength in that moment."
"..."
"That's why I want us to be closer than we are now after this time. Much closer, because I… I…" "Drake, please, don't con—" "I'm in love with you!" I said finally, my mind going blank and my face burning red at that moment.
"Drake…" She said again, her voice so low it was hard to hear, as tears began to fall from her eyes. Huh? What happened?
To my surprise, Angelica began crying uncontrollably. Confusing my thoughts and feelings to the point where I couldn't think straight. Wh-What's going on?
After a couple of minutes, Angelica finally calmed down a bit. Enough to look at me again and say something while small tears still streamed from her golden eyes.
"Dr-Drake, I came to tell you… to tell you that my family is moving to another continent tomorrow. And they wouldn't tell me where we're going until we leave Flok." She said through tears, as I listened in complete silence. Trying to process her unbelievable words. "But… but with your last words… you're making this even harder."
No, no, no, no….
"This will be our goodbye, Drake." She said, clouding my thoughts entirely. "But I want to believe that someday fate will bring us together again at some point in our long lives." She continued, trying to smile despite her tears, before standing up from the couch we were sitting on to take something out of her pocket.
NO!! I can't understand it! Why!? Why is this happening…? If, according to my vision, she… she…
"Angelica…" I said softly, looking at the ground, overwhelmed by how I felt at that moment.
"Drake, I want you to have this. I want you to keep it to remember me. To remember that I liked you too."
Lost in the whirlwind of thoughts in my head, I didn't catch her words. Leaving me confused as I noticed something in my hands that she had placed there. What...? What did she say? What is this…?
Focusing my eyes, I saw it was a hair ornament made in a demonic style. With two black feathers and a pair of green and red stones.
I don't understand anything. What is this? I thought weakly. Is this her way of saying we'll never see each other again?
"I see you won't say anything..." She said, letting go of my hands. "I hoped you'd at least say goodbye properly."
Giving me one last look, she turned to head for the door. Is this the end of everything I dreamed of all these years? Of everything I dreamed of with her…
Unexpectedly, she didn't walk to the main door. Instead, she turned to look at me one more time before shouting loudly.
"Ahh!! I can't deceive myself! I can't leave without doing this!" Shouted Angelica, before quickly returning to where I was and lifting my stupid and pathetic face to give me a kiss that regained all my senses in one go.
Huh? Is this…? I thought as I felt her breath so close that it made me doubt reality. Is this a dream?
"Drake." She said clearly, after slowly separating her lips from mine. "I'm doing this to show you that I was serious when I told you that I liked you too." What did she like? When did she say that!?
"Angelica…" I said quietly, before she closed my mouth with her hand. "Shh… let me finish. Do you remember our promise to go see the Tree of Beginnings together? Because I want you to not forget it, since what we talked about that day is still valid."
That's true, we promised that a few years ago. I thought clumsily.
"I'll be waiting for you in the central square of the capital of Alum in 17 years, because by then you'll be 42, and finally we'll both be free, free to do whatever we want."
Whatever we want?
After what she said, I dared to speak again with her, for the last two minutes we had left, before we finally said goodbye with one last kiss, promising to see each other again in a few years.
Wow, it's been decades since I've felt this way… I had forgotten what this feeling was like. I thought with a slight mental smile after she left.
When Zoe returned, for some reason, she was furious, going straight to her room without speaking to me. Huh? What got into her now? What happened? Did she run into a monster?
°°°
The next morning, I began thinking again about Angelica, recalling with joy the last moments with her. Feeling happy, I stood in front of the small mirror in my room, and with some difficulty, I put on the accessory Angelica had given me.
I think she ended up giving me more things than I gave her. I thought, before remembering something important I had meant to return to her for a few days, but that with everything that had happened, I had completely forgotten.
Ahh!! That's right! I didn't return the converter she gave me! I thought while grabbing my head. Damn, with everything that happened, it was impossible for me to remember it.
Feeling guilty about it, I took it out from my sword and placed it in a magical bracelet I had stored, to later wear it on my left hand.
I'll keep it with me until I can return it when we meet again. I thought, looking at it after lying down in my bed. Although, I wonder how much mana it currently has.
Finally tired, I began to fall deeply asleep, thinking about the uncertain future I would have in a few years. Living so many years makes things more complicated.
…
"Drake, do you think we're on the right path?" said an older Zoe than I remembered, while the snow buried us up to our knees.
Huh? What's going on? Why is there snow? I thought, a little scared, while feeling the cold breezes of air coming from the distant mountains.
"Yes, because if not, we wouldn't see the Tree of Beginnings." I said, pointing to a tree so absurdly big it surpassed the clouds by far.
But what— I thought, before the space deformed and the world spun 360 degrees. This… this must be a dream. Right?
By the time the world stabilized, the scene completely changed. No, this isn't a dream. Don't tell me this is another vision? But why? Or what—
"The people of Skipton are very strange, because despite being so close to danger, they do nothing to leave…" I said, before the world lost color, and slowly turned dark until it was completely black.
Skipton? But why am I here? I thought nervously. Alright… alright… This is getting weirder than the last time, but I need to stay calm.
"Drake! Open your eyes! This is incredible!" Zoe shouted excitedly, amidst so much noise that I could barely hear her, even though I was right next to her.
The dark world regained life when I opened my eyes, and after focusing them, I saw a massive and imposing electrical storm approaching across the great beach in front of us, filling me with fear just by looking at it.
It's as absurdly big and dangerous as I imagined. I thought, before snapping back to reality.
Damn! All of this is very confusing and senseless. I said to myself, before once again closing my eyes and the scene changing to another one.
"Don't do it!!" I shouted with all my might at someone who was about to commit suicide by jumping off a huge cliff into the ocean. I must save him!
Taking two steps to stop them, my right foot sank as if the floor had turned into liquid, confusing me until I regained my senses and realized I was kneeling, in a reverent position.
When I looked up again, that person had disappeared, and everyone else around me was kneeling, with their eyes on the ground, including Zoe, who was still by my side.
Why is even Zoe kneeling? I thought, scared, before looking ahead again and being blinded by an intense light that completely blinded me.
Huh? After a few seconds, the light faded, showing the ceiling of my room as I woke up and opened my eyes again.
We'll see each other later, new Dragon God. A feminine voice said that resonated in my head, until when I abruptly stood up from the bed, I saw in the mirror that there was a light coming from my eyes, with several blue parts forming a liquid pattern over my iris.
Wait! What did she say!? I asked myself with an indescribable fear, similar to the one I felt when I first saw Bernal. D... Did she call me new Dragon God?
Looking around, I saw that there was no one else in my room, which helped calm me down a bit. After breathing deeply for a couple of seconds, I realized I was soaked in my own sweat.
Ahh!! Damn! What was that!? Who was that voice!? Does she know me!? Does she know who I am right now!? With many doubts in my mind, it took me a while to calm down completely.
Ahhhh... I exhaled deeply before sitting on my bed and thinking about what had happened. In the previous vision, all the scenes I saw ended up coming true, right?
If that's the case, that means this one will come true too...?
Worried, I decided to go take a bath to clean the sweat that was covering me. It frustrates me not knowing almost anything about Bernal's fragments, the divine sparks, and everything else. Bernal said that if I followed the path he laid out for me, I'd find the answers to my questions, but... I probably haven't found anything yet because I've gone off track...
After showering, I made the firm decision to train every day from that moment on, with the intention of honing my skills and spells.
I must push myself harder, even if this tries to stop me. I thought, looking at my left arm which I could barely move slightly. I can still make myself much stronger, because I still have 15 years until my Omen.
Although now that I think about it, in this last vision I had, Zoe was with me. Does that mean she'll accompany me on my journey? I thought, remembering her words before Angelica came. "I just want you to know that I'll always be by your side, wanting only your happiness."
She's a great sister, just like the one I had in my previous life. I thought again in my room. I need to push myself, at least so I won't always depend on her.
Feeling that I was starting a new stage in my life, I got ready, preparing to go train in the garden.
I have a lot of things to work on, because I still remember the feeling I had when I saw Paul die, that rage and intensity I felt, it was similar to when I was falling in the bus before coming to this world. I thought, jumping through my window.
So I need to prepare myself physically and mentally, because I'm scared that feeling might be a part of me I still don't know. I thought, covering myself with a dense layer of mana.
But well, I'll discover that little by little, because after all, I'm just at the beginning of my long life.
Next chapter: Chapter 18.5 Where are you, Brother?
Joshua_Goose: Thank you very much for staying with me until this point of my story, this is the last chapter of the main story, it really has been hard to write all of this, but it was achieved thanks to the support I received.
The second volume will be released soon, and it will focus on the journey that will take place across the world, I hope you'll like it too :D
I'd also like to tell you that a new website will be available soon, which I'm creating with other authors, where you'll be able to read this amazing title, and many others!
See you in two weeks! <3