Upon settling into the chair for this important conversation, I knew I would tell him who I was; it was only a matter of time. I knew every word he said and every action he took well before he did them.
Yet, when it came time to articulate my thoughts in response, my voice faltered, and my hands betrayed me with their restless twitching.
"What's the matter? Do you all need me to repeat myself?"
"No... but... I..." Leon couldn't even form complete sentences as he fumbled over his words as if speaking a tongue twister.
"Thought that you had no family left? Why didn't I make the effort to seek you out sooner? Why didn't I leave some sign to tell you that you had someone out there secretly looking after you?" I questioned.
In return, he could only nod unsightly, almost like a twitch or a jerk.
Seeing him act like this, despite knowing he would, pierced my heart with profound sorrow. We should have never met like this. I should have been there for him, watching him slowly grow into a proud dragon warrior, one who would carry our legacy with honor. Yet, that's not what happened.
As a newborn, he was abandoned and left out in the wild. In his first moments, he was inside a cocoon of flame, which engulfed the forest he awoke in. This catastrophic event triggered a devastating wildfire that threatened numerous villages, towns, and agricultural fields and closed vital trade routes throughout the Kingdom of Astreaus.
The intensity of the fires in the affected region surged dramatically, and the difference in size was like that of a golf ball compared to a beach ball.
Furthermore, all Pathfinders on the lower end of their respective fire—and wind-based paths could not control the flames and smoke from the active fires in the affected areas.
The smoke and flames rampaged across the area, greatly affecting the climate and causing a record-breaking drought and temperatures that instantly boiled all moisture. Normal people, who didn't have the protection of mana and magic, suffered immensely as the water and blood in their bodies instantly boiled upon being affected by the heat, causing tremors and spasms.
That was the BEST case scenario. The worst was being burned alive from the inside out, as many of the affected were.
This made it impossible for the Non-Supernatural Emergency Execution Services(N.S.E.E.S) to respond, which was a group of non-mage personnel who handled normal occurring emergencies such as small-scale fires, medical treatments, law enforcement, evacuating civilians from a danger zone and various other emergencies that normal people can handle.
The kingdom raised its Kingdom Alert Level(K.A.L) to BLACK because this phenomenon was "an event that dangerously affects a portion of the kingdom's territory and has the possibility of spreading across the entire kingdom."
The Kingdom Of Astreaus National Alert System(K.O.A.N.A.S) warned citizens to avoid the region of Kendrich due to the possibility of spontaneous combustion.
Upon hearing this, mass panic occurred among the innocents, spreading like a deadly plague as they evacuated from the affected zones. It's well within reason to panic over such a thing possibly happening to you. Who would want to burn alive without being able to do anything about it?
Despite the mass panic, most people followed the strict clauses associated with evacuation efforts under the Astreaus Monarchal Constitution, made when the current reigning monarch, Rafphael Von Astrea The Third, took over the throne. All individuals of all statuses must follow all emergency clauses and assist in evacuating all residents within the danger zone.
During evacuation events, all locals must help out, lending all manner of mounts, carriages, aerial vehicles, terrain-based Pathfinders, information on recent changes in the nearby environment or ecosystem, food and water supplies, extra clothing and footwear, and medical supplies.
"Status does not matter when suffering from a crisis" was his motto for how the kingdom should handle emergencies, and I agree.
However, despite this, there is always unrest between the higher class and lower classes in terms of Priority Evacuation in which the higher taxpayers believe they have the right to evacuate their women, children, and elderly first instead of not having a class priority system.
This exact issue arose during Leon's disaster, but on a scale unlike anything seen in the kingdom's history. Some outside force, whatever it was, slightly agitated the ordinary minds to act irrationally, and what followed was horrific.
Fights broke out as everyone fought to be evacuated first, resulting in screams to be let loose, blood to be splattered on the stone floor, and cries of the young who couldn't understand what was going on to pollute the air.
The young and elderly watched helplessly as their family members became consumed by rage and struck their once-friendly neighbors. Friendships were destroyed, lovers were separated, and lives were lost as an overwhelming primal instinct for survival washed over everyone.
The kingdom of Astreaus has been and still is a relatively safe nation with an extremely low crime rate since Rafphael Von Astea The Third took the crown, enforcing the law equally to all subjects of Astreaus. So when this incident occurred, the crime rate reached a record-breaking high—the highest the kingdom has ever seen.
Such events where the N.S.E.S is unable to handle an emergency safely or is beyond their capabilities is when the Supernatural Emergency Execution Services(S.E.E.S) steps in to handle any normal or supernatural event that endangers a large portion of the kingdom's safety. They have the means of controlling rampaging crowds, swarms of deadly mana beasts, or calamitous natural disasters that threaten the lives of the innocent.
Unfortunately, on the day Leon awoke, all four divisions were on missions scattered throughout the continent that housed the Kingdom of Astreaus, so they couldn't come to resolve the rising tide of conflict. Fortunately, my son Samuel, whom I sent to handle it, was overqualified.
Even at the age of eight, Samuel was extremely powerful due to his numerous innate mana techniques.
With his special eyes, the Eyes of Another World, he can see any and all intangible, higher-dimensional, invisible, barrier-hidden objects/people and ethereal things. Whatever is within his eyesight is within reach of his weapons and magical arsenal; that is the power his eyes hold. This means that all defenses are useless in front of his heavenly eyes, something that even godlings are jealous of.
Pair that with his countless sword stances, techniques, magic-based attacks, Pathway abilities, and Authorities, which made him an absolute monster in combat, ranking him as one of the strongest mortals even as a child.
With his immense skill with swords, Samuel severed the connection to the outside world with a swipe of his weapon as easily as cutting the air. After each cut, citizens momentarily lost bodily control, freezing as their muscles and tendons locked up. Their state of being was similar to sleep paralysis in which only their eyes worked while the rest of their body remained unresponsive. using this to his advantage, Samuel safely knocked out each citizen, single-handedly knocking out and moving over 100,000 people in five seconds, easily resolving the issue.
After handling this, Samuel went to the heart of the flames and smoke to confront whatever danger he might encounter, ready to strike down anything that moved. However, to his surprise, a small flaming cocoon was in the epicenter.
"Huh? A cocoon? Is a butterfly going to fly out?" he said confusingly as he scratched his cheek.
Samuel poked at it with his sword, unaffected by the flames and smoke surrounding him like a coffin. Electrical singing could be heard as small red sparks floated around him, nullifying the dangers.
"Doesn't seem too dangerous. Maybe I can pick it up?" he wondered as he stored his sword away and reached down onto the scorched ground, picked up the incredibly hot pill-shaped cocoon of flame, and held it like a trophy.
"Not even warm, it's cold. Why is everyone panicking?" Samuel said in a confusing tone as he carried the cocoon away. Afterward, I would direct Samuel to take the the cocoon to King Rafphael Von Astrea and Queen Gloria Von Astrea, who would soon discover more about what the cocoon of flame was.
Returning to the present, Leon cleared his throat three times in a somewhat successful attempt to clear his mind. After doing so, he straightened his posture and bowed respectfully as he thanked me. As for why he thanked me, I am not too sure, but I took it with a nod until I realized he had a smidge of jealously and sadness in his voice.
Catching onto this, I raised my hands and gestured to the four others sitting at the table. My words, however, despite knowing they would hurt me to say, I continued to forcefully spit them out, "Why do you sound like that? You already have a family who loves you deeply, and it only grows by the day. I am not so important that you require my love, attention, or affection. Me giving you all of that would only put you in danger. You would be used against me, further hurting my already shattered heart..." I paused as I raised my left hand and rested it like a shade cover above my left eye.
My lips trembled slightly as my words struck deep at my heart, reminding me that I lost all that I cared for. Tyrus, my beloved husband, was gone and left this world entirely. My children, who are my lovable war machines, were reduced to nothing. Just thinking about having someone used against me felt like a million spears were puncturing my heart. The remainder of this was unbearable as I commanded the chairs to move backward so that my guests could leave before they saw me break down into a pathetic mess.
"I'm sorry, but I want to stop here for now. Please use your manner however you like until you make a decision. Just exercise caution and steer clear of the... chained door and the 'pictures.' " A soft sniffle escaped as I concluded my words.
The invisible hand that held my heart in a chokehold tightened even more than before, only being held back by my pride as a queen. I waited for my guests to respectfully leave before the dam that was holding back my emotions broke, letting lose a sea of emotions, cries, sniffles, and hiccups.
My eyes let loose a river of tears, dripping heavily down my face with the coldness of steel, causing my cheeks to tremble and shake under the weight of the tears. They irritated my skin, and the feeling of ants crawling onto my face caused me to wipe away my tears. Each one touched down on the stone floor beneath my feet, creating a small puddle of water beneath my chair.
Sniffles filled the air as snot began to fight against both gravity and me sucking in air. Clumps of snot began to build up in my nose as my mental state plummeted at the speed of light. My breathing became ragged and heavy, as if I had pneumonia. Heavy breathing filled the air as I gasped and groaned like a wounded animal, waiting for death to catch up to me. In between my gasps for a clear breath and my sobs, I hiccuped periodically as my head slumped down as I rested my head against the cool wooden tabletop.
"My dear, what am I going to do? Why did you leave me, Tyrus? You said we would be together for all of eternity. I'm... alone," I sobbed as heart-wrenching cries escaped my lips.
I clawed at the luxurious wooden table, my nails scraping against it and adding to the numerous claw marks I've added over time. A nasty screeching sound rang in the air as my fingers got punctured by the splinters coming from the table, drawing golden-colored blood from my weakened body.
Amid my agony, a voice reached my ears and momentarily stopped my sobs.
"I believe you all understand who I am and why I am me. I wanted the simple joys that most people take for granted, yet they remained just out of reach for me. I couldn't have a loving mother who would read me bedtime stories while I drifted asleep or a father who would play ball with me. I didn't have anything until I met you all," the voice stated.
"I'm grateful for Mason, who has shown me the joy of embracing my inner child; for Arnold, who taught me how to balance enjoyment and responsibility; and for Sam, who taught me to be honest with women. If I didn't have you all, I'm unsure where I would be now."
'Who is talking?' I wondered.
"I couldn't imagine a life without my dumb, duty-bound, and woman-crazy brothers that I have. I'm thankful to you all and to the love of my life. I love you with all of my being. You are my family, and that NEVER change. But despite this, I still want more, even seeing the consequences of my poorly judged actions. If Christina is family to Sam, then she's my family as well. I want to get to know my mysterious grandmother and show her that she still has family. She has US: four helpless brothers who can't function without each other, a wonderful woman who will make the perfect mother and a knowledgeable and well-kept woman who is nicer than she appears...
You all heard Christina. She's not that much different from us; in fact, she's more human than most of us," the voice confidently stated.
'He's talking about... me and Sam, my son? Why is he talking about my son?' I thought.
"Hearing her cry like that destroyed me for wanting more, but even still, I want it. I sound selfish, but I am for a different reason. Now, I want more for someone else. I want to give her what she doesn't have anymore: a loving family. I want to be there for her when she wants someone to laugh with. I want to be there for her when she's sick and can't get out of bed if that's even possible for a dragon. I want to be her shoulder to cry on when she needs it.
The point is that I want to join her. She was honest during the entire conversation, answering all possible questions without putting us in danger. Sure, she could be lying, but that's not what I got from her. What I got from her is that she's just a lonely woman with no one coming back to her. How could I not say yes to those eyes? In fact, who wouldn't say yes?"
'He's talking about me... crying? Me? I'm crying?' I thought as I lifted my head and looked down at myself and the table to see the pooling of tears. I wiped my face clean of the tears and blew my snot away with wind mana. Sucking in the last bit of snot, I looked at the voice and saw Leon looking me in my eyes a distance away with a raised hand.
Seeing him brimming with a confident light shining down on him like an angel descending from heaven and the kind twinkle in his eyes cleared my mind and emotions. At that moment, I saw Tyrus within Leon, causing me to reach out to him instinctually.
"Tyrus, is that you? You look a thousand years younger... am I dreaming? Why do you look like that? Is something wrong? Why aren't you answering me?!? Tyrus! Why did you leave me all alone?!? PLEASE ANSWER ME!" I pleaded, but I got no response or indication that anyone heard me. This brought back the tears and sniffles as I pounded my fists into the table.
"TYRUS MY DEAR! WHY ARE YOU IGNORING ME!!!" I screamed as my blood began to boil as the table violently shook, creaking under the force of my fists. However, what I heard next stopped me from breaking the table entirely.
"I will be joining her side, believing in her, the woman who earned the respect of my father, mother-in-law, and brother Sam. They are people worthy of standing next to, people who I will stake my life on. If they believe in her, then I will believe in the them that believes in her," the man voiced.
"You believe... in me? Of course you would; you're my wonderful husband," I gave a distorted snort.
I looked up and blinked away whatever tears remained as I studied the beautiful murals that perfectly encapsulated my past. I saw many places, people, and things that sent a wave of nostalgia through my body like an ocean current.
Places with a mystical beauty like my old homeworld |_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _| which was filled with heaven-reaching rock formations or a kaleidoscope-colored forest named |_ _ _| |_ _ _ _ _ _ _| |_ _ _ _ _ _|.
People with charming and loving hearts, like my brothers, sisters, children, and grandchildren, enjoy themselves without a care.
Some of the murals depicted things that amazed my old heart, like the ingenuity of mankind. It blew my mind how fast Mortalkind was advancing medically, technologically, culturally, morally, ethically, and intellectually. Watching how mortalkind grew in all aspects of life intrigued me, showing me the smallest glimpse into what |_ _ _ _| sees in them.
Re-experiencing my greatest moments, my story as a dragon, gave me a sense of warmth I've missed in ages. However, it was short-lived the further I looked, noticing the gradual degrading of the craftsmanship of the murals. The sorrow and depression that consumed me as I made them after Tyrus left broke me and left me in shambles.
The realization that I was alone again took over me, but it wasn't as extreme this time.
"Wait... no, that's right. You are gone. You did leave me. That man isn't you. But I see you in him. Is this a sign from the beyond? That you are still looking after me years after your death? If so, tell me what I should do! I don't know anything anymore! The loneliness is deafening! I can't do this alone anymore! The pain... it's too much. Tyrus, if you truly are watching over me from beyond the grave like you promised, tell me what to do," I cried as I began to claw at the table once more.
Tears ran rampant down my face as heart-wrenching, stomach-churning, hair-raising sobs escaped me. The tears that weren't there moments before flowed down with the intensity of an ocean current, drenching me in salty tears.
Suddenly, a change in the air made me stop as I raised my head to what it was. Looking around from my chair, I saw nothing new but the extravagant view of the infinite flower bed and waterfall beneath the gazebo. Despite not seeing anything new, I sensed it.
"What is tha-" my voice got cut off by a presence I hadn't sensed in a long time.
"Tyrus?" I called out.
A gentle breeze flowed behind me as a pair of arms gently wrapped around me. These arms held me closely, wrapping around my neck, and were slim but firm, tan but not too dark, and only slightly hairy. Immediately upon absorbing the finest details of them, I knew the owner of the arms.
"Tyrus my-" I called out, about to turn around when the arms held me tightly in place as to not let me turn around.
"I am already gone, but my legacy lives on," Tyrus's right hand lifted in the air, stopping directly next to my right eye, pointing towards Leon who still had his hand open, beckoning me to grab on. Time around my distant guests stopped, freezing them into place by the entrance of my home.
"You must help this young and unprepared boy through his journey in this unfair world, one that is against his every move. To ensure that theres a future, he must be trained into a proper warrior worthy of his blood. You heard him just now, he has the resolve to fight for a brighter future. Now it's just up to you to shape him into someone who can see it with his own eyes."
"I dont care about him or the future, I just want to see you again even if it's only once more! Please! Let me see your face my love!" I pleaded.
"My little angel, looking at what's left of me would only destroy you more and thats something i dont want. When I died all those years ago, I left a small part of my spirit with you, about the size of a grain of sand. I've always watched over you, listening to your heart wrenching cries, soul shattering screams, uncontrollable waves of anger and rage, and watched the depression that has slowly gained control over you. Seeing you, my little angel, like this has destroyed whats left of me. The part of me that's left is fading away into nothingness as a result of it. It's time for you to move on from me and focus on your future, one where you will be happy and free from my loss," Tyrus said in a bittersweet tone.
Hearing Tyrus my beloved saying something like that sent me down and spiral of unadulterated anger.
"How could you say such things?!? You said you've seen me be consumed by my depression yet tell me to forget about you?!? What manner of madness has come over you?!?" I screamed into the air.
"Thats what needs to happen for you to be at peace. Dont let the dead hold you back on striving forward. Im not telling you to completely forget about me, but you need to let me stay dead. My time has past and gone, and now you must put your focus to not me who is long gone but to what is in store for you in the future," Tyrus took a deep breath and continued speaking. Even withojt turning around, i knew he had a child like smile on his face.
"This might be cheesy so say to a grown woman, but just know that I will always be by your side until the end of time. I will never die as long as you, the person who loves me the most, lives on with the memories of who I was. Spread the name Tyrus, with my permission of course, so that my name never dies. If you live to spread the good i had in me, instead of the bad and ugly, then you'll find that its not so bad to live without me," his arms untangled themselves from my neck as i felt a slight push, causing me to stumble forward.
"Now go, my little angel. You dont have time to grieve. Focus on yourself and what will happen to the future if you dont succeed in stopping Black," holding onto the table so that i can regain my footing, I spun around to catch the glimpse of my late husband fading away.
"Tyrus... you..." My brain was unable to properly cope with what my eyes saw, throwing my mind into disarray once more.
I should have listened and to have not turned around, but I let my longing for my beloved to get the better of me and now I was suffering the consequences.
Tyrus's spirit showed his last moments, and it was mortifying. No one should ever look like this or experience something so horrible in their last moments alive.
His body was covered in gastly