From afar, the residents and visitors of the Salvatore School watched as the dragon and young man fell down amidst the woods, with branches and dust rising in the air as the gigantic body clashed against trees.
What the hell did I just see? Was Alaric Saltzman's thought, still trying to comprehend what he just witnessed.
His student — the same one he saw daily, the one always asking him and Dorian for help finding books in the library — had just done something beyond his comprehension
What he just witnessed was something completely different than anything he ever saw in his years living while knowing of the supernatural community.
He thought that seeing beings who lived millennia, who created entire worlds and even went against nature itself was the zenith of craziness in his life. But what he just saw was definitely the one which mostly created an impact on him. After all, as a normal human, he couldn't understand or sense certain aspects of these events.
But by seeing his student fight a dragon, one the size of a building, which breathed out fire to burn entire forests, he held his breath by every moment the fight unfold.
When the water and fire clashed, when the two fast beings clashed in the sky, or when the young man summoned lightning from the skies.
He never had seen a fight like this. No witch, werewolf or vampire ever fought like this.
While Alaric reminisced of the fight, from afar, he could see a silhouette coming out of the woods. One he was ever so familiar with.
He walked so normally. Just so commonly. As if nothing had just happened. He was acting just like he behaved all days.
Yet, despite himself, Alaric's feet remained rooted to the ground. A strange unease crawled up his spine, keeping him frozen in place.
While the mere thought of why of that was beginning to form in his mind, Alaric's senses could barely grasp the figure passing by his side, running towards the young man.
"John!" Hope shouted, her figure a blur.
John, who was looking forward, noticed her before she even shouted to call his attention. His lips reacted unconsciously to form a smile towards her. But when Hope's presence was near enough, his steps halted, his forming smile stagnating briefly.
With every step, Hope's emotions slammed into him—worry, anger, and a flick of raw terror, steadily eased by relief.
He could feel what she was feeling. His heart rate spiked slightly due to the terror, his vision tuned slightly, focusing only on her, and his muscles tensed a little.
The relief she felt, he felt, moving these sensations away. Calming down his heart and easing the tension in his muscles.
John, with some effort, retook control of his own body. The sensations he was experiencing through the emotions transmitted to him through his empathic powers went away as he returned to normality.
However, although John was capable of pushing away these emotions and sensations, he couldn't push away the thoughts in his mind. I should have prevented going into the fire to end things quickly. John thought, his eyes on the girl running towards him. I can just wonder what she thought when I went into the fire. That maybe I could possibly die just like her mother.
When Hope was just a few steps away from the young man, the latter resumed his walk, taking a few steps closer to her as well.
Hope stopped her steps only a small distance from him, with nothing more than a few centimeters separating him.
"Are you stupid?!" She shouted at him. "What the hell were you thinking, diving straight into that fire?!" Hope said these words in a harsh tone. However, her eyes moved over John's body, inspecting him with a frown.
"Sorry." John said in a low voice. "I let the excitement of the fight guide me…" He added, apologetically.
Looking up at him, Hope saw the expression in his face and knew he meant it. That he knew he made her worry without purpose.
"What did you say to me before?" Hope asked slowly, taking one of his hands.
After a brief silence, John replied. "That you would kill me if I hurt myself by doing something stupid."
"And what did you do?"
"Something stupid." John replied.
"Yes, you did." She said, caressing his hand. "When I sensed the fire engulfing you, I was scared. I thought that you probably got careless in the fight. I almost stopped channeling magic into the barrier at the moment. However…"
"Hm?"
"I thought: He may be doing something stupid, but he won't die from it. After all, he said only I can kill him." She said, her lips curling into a small but emotional smile. "And deep down, I knew you wouldn't die to something so cliche as a dragon."
"You are right." John nodded, pulling her closer to him. "I would never die knowing such a lady is waiting for my triumphant return." He said in a low voice, kissing the top of her head, a habit of his.
Hope smiled slightly at his words. But afterwards, she took back her initial expression. "But that doesn't mean I am not angry at you." She said, a little sternly. "I didn't like how you dealt with it. I know you can take on this kind of thing, but don't try it again, please. That scene… it was not the best to look at." Her tone in the end had a drop of sorrow, melancholy.
"Okay." John nodded, hugging her. "I love you." He said, just for the moment.
"Me too." She replied.
For a few moments, both didn't move an inch from the place, spending it just in the other's presence.
That lasted until they heard steps, someone approaching them.
John didn't need to look up to recognize Alaric and Dorian approaching them, the expression of the latter displaying a more worried semblance while Alaric was more serious.
"Are you okay?" Dorian asked, getting close to the couple.
"As fine as I could be." John replied. Hope moved to his side, facing the man too.
"That's good." Alaric commented, taking a look around. "It seems we will have to do some extra work." He said, looking at the destruction the fight of the two beings brought to the environment.
Uprooted trees, burned ground, stone shards to all sides and craters in the land.
"Sorry about that." John said.
"Well, you're fine, so everything is fine as well. We can set things here with the help of a few witches." Alaric said, his eyes setting on the boy. "What about the…"
"The dragon?" John completed the phrase, getting a nod from the Headmaster. "I dealt with it." He replied, purposefully leaving the answer uncertain of meaning for now.
Everyone took a look at John, everyone wishing for a more explained reply. However, Alaric, after looking at his student for a moment, nodded his head and decided to leave it like that for now. "Okay. Let's go back to the school. You must be tired after what happened." Alaric said, turning his head and taking a look at the school. More specifically, to all the students who watched everything today, his forehead frowning slightly. "And I will be as well soon." He tiredly muttered, walking back to the school.
Everyone silently agreed, with them going back to the school. Barely knowing what the events of today would unfold into.
…
Under the constant falling droplets of cold water, John rubbed his body, the small heat he felt from the fight being washed away by the flowing water.
Looking at himself, unfazed by the water passing over his eyes, John clenched his fists slightly, that sentiment briefly coming back to him.
"It felt so good." He muttered, reminiscing of those moments from just ago.
The heat of the fire, the pressure of the wind against his skin, the pleasure from using his strength freely. Those short but vivid moments replayed through his mind and body, the sensation from then taking him by now.
John clenched his fists, trying to will the same rush back into his veins. But no matter how perfectly John could remember what just happened and try to experience it again, it felt different. There was something lacking.
As his thoughts progressed, they started to play the scene following him walking out of the woods. Remembering that flood of emotions, the previous building excitement he was feeling dispersed out of his mind.
Letting his arms fall to his side, John extended one of them and turned off the shower, leaving the toilet without a towel.
As John walked out of the bathroom, small strands of steam appeared over his skin, a sign of him using the surrounding heat to get himself dry.
Near his bed, John put on the clothes he would use for the rest of the day. A simple white t-shirt, a pair of black shorts and his flip-flops.
When done changing, John walked out of his room, and took only a few steps to reach his destination. Entering Hope's room without any previous alert.
Inside, John could already see Hope on her bed, and sat down. An indication that his bathing took longer than normally.
After closing the door behind him, John proceeded to the bed, where he sat down on it as well. "What two long days, hm?" He said, starting the conversation.
"Don't even tell me." She replied, a mild tired expression on her face. "A surprise after the other."
"Yeah." John agreed. "Things in the school will probably get a little complicated with today's events."
"Do you think by how much?" Hope seeked John's opinion.
"It will depend on how much the news of a dragon existing affects the supernatural community." John said. "Everyone saw it, some even recorded it. By now, a few covens must be aware of what happened here." Throughout, and principally, after the fight, John noticed the actions of those who observed the fight from afar.
"A dragon…" Hope muttered, her eyes a little vague. "Sincerely, I myself don't know how to react regarding the discovery of something like this. Even to our "world's standards", this is too crazy."
"I can understand your point of view." John said.
"It's just… Dragons are too different from witches, werewolves, vampires and everything else we knew until now." Hope commented, putting out her thoughts. "But that dragon, it just seemed different. Even in that human form, it was just…"
"Like it wasn't human?" John finished.
Looking up at him, Hope accented with her head in affirmation.
"Yes, that makes sense." John said. "Witches, vampires, werewolves — Each one of these groups can be said to be a different species, that they are not human. But at the same time, they can be categorized as a subspecies of humanity. After all, their roots are traced back to humanity. Even saying that they are human with certain perks can be said. However, that dragon seemed completely detached from humanity. Like it never belonged to it."
"I have that same impression." Hope nodded. "But, then how did it have a human form?"
"Magic." John replied.
"Can it use magic?" Hope asked, surprised.
"Yes. Although not in the same way as us, apparently. But I am certain I felt it using magic to change its form. Or, in this case, possibly return to what it originally looked like." John explained. "It's like it can naturally change… its form…" Suddenly, John had a thoughtful expression on his face, like he discovered something. And when his brow furrowed, it was like he discovered something very obvious.
"What is it?" Hope asked, noticing the obvious shift in his expression.
"Me connecting the obvious clues I had. A dragon, speaking Old Welsh, and with the ability to shape-shift? We are dealing with a celtic dragon." John said, his eyes glowing with realization.
"Okay…" Hope nodded, understanding he grabbed something. "How does this information help us?"
"Plenty. It helps us in case more come."
"More?" Hope asked, but more out of instinct. Thinking a little more, she knew why there would be more. "She didn't retrieve what she was sent for. The dagger, right?"
"Right." John agreed, nodding.
Remembering the words transmitted to her by the young man during the earlier confrontation, Hope was thoughtful, thinking about them and reviewing their meaning.
"A dagger that, if retrieved, can free her kind. Then, that means more dragons." Hope muttered these words. "How can a dagger help her achieve such a thing? And why now of all times?" Hope raised the question present in her mind.
And John, seeing the opportunity, decided to share more knowledge with her. "I have a few ideas."
"Then tell me." Hope rushed.
"Do you know why our fight started?" The young man asked, with the girl shaking her head at him as a reply. "When you received my signal and started to make everyone retreat, she noticed it. By then, I had already spent a few questions to buy time for you all so I asked about one of the things that attracted my attention the most."
"Which was?" Hope asked, not even letting the young man finish.
"There was something influencing its mind, commanding it to come here and seek the dagger." John said, his words getting a reaction out of Hope. "When I mentioned it, this presence in her mind reacted. She said I alerted it, and it probably ordered her to attack me as that was what she did right after. And not only that, she said the following words: 'For my kind as well'. Do you know what this means?"
"That someone or something was controlling a dragon and using it to retrieve a supposed dagger that might help her free her kind." Hope said, resuming the knowledge. "The dragon might need the dagger, but the one behind her is the one really after it."
"And if it can send a dragon our way, what stops them from sending more?" John asked, letting out a breath in the end as Hope didn't reply. "We have to discard all our preceding knowledge of the world we live in. If one dragon like that exists, nothing stops more of them from existing."
John's words were directed at Hope, and at himself. Because the dragon he fought today was nothing more than a surprise to him as well as all the others in the school.
A celtic dragon… Hm, this makes me remember some places I wish to go. John remarked off-handedly, his thoughts deriving from the conversation for a moment.
For the brief moment John's mind was somewhere else, Hope took a look around and rose up from the bed.
"What are you doing?" John asked.
"I will contact my family." Hope said, grabbing her phone placed on her desk. "They brag so much about being alive for a thousand years and know everything, I want to see if that knowledge matches what we learned today." She said, quickly making her call as she made her way back to the bed.
When she sat down by John's side, with the phone on speaker, one of the receiving end of the call accepted it.
"Hello, Hope?" A female voice with a British accent came from the other side.
"Aunt Rebekah."
"What is it? It's not common for you to call." Rebekah said. "Not that I find it bothering. I am always happy for my niece remembering her old aunt."
"I will tell you in a minute. Let's wait for uncle Kol and aunt Freya to join us as well."
"Okay…" Rebekah said, noticing a serene tone in her niece's voice, but a little bit of mischievousness within it as well.
Soon after, Freya joined them, with Kol taking a little long to also take part in the call.
"So, what is that our niece wishes to tell us? Are you getting married to your boyfriend? Oh, maybe planning to skip school and do a world travel. I support that." Kol said, his voice and words always the jovial and youthful ones.
If only you knew. John thought.
"What I want to talk to you is about something else." Hope said.
"What is it, dear?" Freya asked.
"Something happened in the school today. Something that may soon be reaching your ears."
"And what is it?"
"Well, what all of you know about dragons?" Hope said, her tone carrying a little of mischief.
[Scene Break]
"Fuck…" Muttered Alaric Saltzman, reaching his hand towards a glass cup.
The window wall behind, leading to a beautiful view of the school's garden was darkened by the night, with no apparent visible light.
The only light in his office came from a small table lamp, casting a warm glow over the old books and scattered pages on his desk.
Drinking from the whisky filling his cup, Alaric returned his sight to the documents, all displaying images of scaled beasts or written in languages rarely spoken nowadays.
Knock!
"Ric, it's me." Dorian's voice came from behind the door. "I brought him."
"Come in." Alaric said, not bothering to put away the whisky bottle on the table.
The door opened, revealing the figure of Dorian. Following him right after was John, his eyes seemingly glowing in the dim-lighted environment.
"It seems I am not the only one with the habit of staying up late." John said, seeing the dark forming under Alaric's eyes.
"The difference is that you don't suffer from it." Alaric commented, pressing his hand on his forehead. "Sit up, please."
John nodded, sitting down into one of the chairs in front of Alaric's desk. Dorian took the seat beside him.
"I guess I know the reason for why you called me so early that even the sun hasn't risen yet. But…" John opened his arm in Alaric's direction, gesturing to him to say what he wanted.
Letting out a breath, Alaric followed. "A fucking dragon." He said, almost growled actually. "Tell me you know something about it." He asked forwardly.
Seeing the straightforwardness of Alaric, John also didn't play around and laid his back on the chair, finding himself comfortable as he prepared to tell what he knew. "The resume of everything is that, apparently, I fought a celtic dragon, which sought a dagger in the school's possession. However, the dragon's action wasn't fully out of its will. Something was ordering it to do it." In few words, John explained the situation. "Basically, the dragon was acting as a proxy for something or someone else."
"Shit…" Alaric muttered, taking a slow sip of his drink.
Dorian, however, who was sitting nearby John on the other chair, asked him questions. "'Was' meaning it is not anymore controlling it because it's dead? Or because it's alive and you dealt with the outside influence?"
"Alive." John replied. "Right now, it's lying in the forest, contained by my spells. It's not a threat as it is right now. And with me here, it will not be a problem."
"Keeping it alive to get more answers out of it?" Alaric asked.
"Mostly." John nodded, not explaining his reasons completely. "However, the process was not easy per se. I'm not experienced in removing external influences from a dragon's mind. So, for now, the dragon is out of commission for a talk."
"Any idea what we are dealing with?" Dorian asked.
"No. I just know it's not simple. When I began the process to remove it from the Dragon's mind, I could sense a little of its presence. It felt dense, complex."
"Care to elaborate?" Alaric asked, the headmaster's expression growing severe as time passed, despite the alcohol.
"It's strong, but it is not as simple as that. The best way to describe it would be that it is closer to me and Hope than to other Supernatural species, if you get me." John replied.
"Great." Alaric said, letting out a sigh. "Something else?"
John nodded. "Me and Hope contacted her family."
"Why?" Dorian interrupted.
"Because what better source of information than 1.000 years-old vampires?" John explained, getting an acknowledgement nod from both men. "Unfortunately, we also didn't acquire any useful information from them."
"So no help from their side."
"Actually, this information is already helpful." John said, once again getting curious stares from his headmaster. But as during all the conversation, he replied slowly. "Knowing the Originals never saw a dragon in their lives could mean certain scenarios. For example: If we take into consideration what the dragon and you, Dr. Saltzman, said, then her kind, dragons, are locked somewhere else, correct?"
Alaric nodded slowly, pressing his lips together in thought.
"That means that once they were free, and in this world apparently since they can speak Old Welsh. But if that's the case, then that most probably means they were locked before the Originals. Or at least before the time of vampires." John explained, emphasizing the important words among the ones he said.
Listening to him, Alaric understood what was transmitted to him. "That makes sense." He said, lying down on the back of his chair.
"And if we think more thoroughly, we can consider this event of dragons getting locked happening a certain decades before the rise of vampires." Dorian said, the words said by John bringing a certain clarity to hja thoughts. "Because if the dragons were locked at the same year the Originals emerged, they could still hear rumors of dragons from someone."
"You are correct." John said, nodding. After a certain pause among the three, with no one else adding anything to this topic, John decided to end it. "About the dragon, I think that's basically what I learned from the situation."
"But I guess you don't want to leave right now." Alaric said.
To that, the young man smiled. "I told you what I know. Now it's your turn." John said.
With a quick look at his now empty glass. After a brief moment, he let out a sigh between his lips, as while rubbing his eyes. "I guess you must already know the information of a dragon must have spread." He said, tiredly.
"Yes." John nodded. "My question is, what covens will take action or respond to what happened today?"
"Some already responded. And as we talk, some must be on their way to the school." Alaric answered. His eyes were nearer to being closed than opened, a clear indication of his tiredness. "One thing was their… cautiousness towards you when the students of the school told their respective covens about a boy who can fly, have the physical attributes of a vampire and can use magic."
"Sorry about that." John interrupted, forcing a smile.
To that, Alaric chuckled weakly. "No problem. You just learned about your powers, it's okay for you to brag about them." Alaric said, remembering a little the calls of a few parents who wished to ask about the new student. "Fortunately, you presented yourself as someone good before the students, and with the goodwill I still have and the fact your background was not revealed entirely, I did manage everything easily. The problem is… with what you revealed yesterday. I don't know if this will be enough to stop the covens from prying into your life during their time here."
Hearing that, John nodded silently, a little thoughtful.
That was one of the harms his upfront introduction to the school brought to him. The curiosity and interest of factions, but principally from the witches.
Witch covens called themselves servants of nature, with the role of keeping the balance in it.
The role itself is not a problem, some might even call it an honorable role in life. However, when you might be the one to tip this balance or in their sight, it might not look so much.
And when they learn about a new possible immortal species rising in the world, one they are not aware of or haven't noticed the ramifications of its emergence in Nature, they can get a little annoyed on their part.
And that's what happened when John spread information around the school about himself. The covens learned about him through younger members who attended the school. And when they heard about someone like him, the covens naturally got interested in John, to the point they wished to make their way to the school and see him for themselves. Fortunately, as stated, Alaric used the goodwill he has accumulated as Headmaster to stop them.
The problem now is that with the apparent revelation of a dragon, the covens have a good excuse to ask and pry about him now that they are gonna be present in the school.
"Any chance they will back off considering my relationship with the Mikaelsons?" John asked. His relationship with Hope was not a secret.
"They are probably already not being so stubborn because of them." Alaric said, smirking lightly. "But it's that thing again, not everyone will back off because of the Mikaelson Family, some might even be… not so courteous with you since, you know."
To that, John nodded, understanding him. "I understand. I will try to be courteous to them and not try to raise problems when they arrive." He said, trying to put his Headmaster at easy.
"Thanks." Alaric said, smiling to show his gratitude. "As I was saying, one thing is the covens accepting your existence. You might be different, but you still present as human and didn't cause any problems. Another is a dragon that deliberately attacked the school where their children study. No matter what I said, they insisted on paying a visit to the school and seeing things with their own eyes."
"How many are coming?"
"More than I'd like, way more." Was Alaric's response, closing his eyes for a moment to rest them. When he opened them, Alaric perceived the thin rays of sunlight peeking from the window behind him, illuminating the office slightly.
Pushing the chord of the lamp on his table, Alaric let the natural light take charge of illuminating his office from now on. "I think we discussed everything necessary here, John. If you want, you may go."
Taking a look at Alaric, John nodded. Although he wished to know exactly who would come, he wouldn't bother his headmaster much more. Dark circles clung under Alaric's eyes, and his movements were sluggish, evidence of the time he had spent sleepless.
"Okay. I will see if I can find anything more about our dragon problem." John said, approaching the office's door. "Luckily, we will be able to communicate with the dragon soon."
"I am counting on you." Alaric said, with Dragon accenting with his head to tell the same.
With the door opened, John left the room, waving to his two professors as he closed the door behind him.
Alone with his thoughts, John walked away from the office, his steps echoing through the lonely corridor.
But his destination was not his or Hope's room or even the school's library. Right now, his feet were leading him to the place he needed to go the most. The kitchen.
All this situation about covens, dragons and everything left me hungry. John thought.
As he walked there, the smell of a hundred ingredients reached his nostrils. However, that didn't get a reaction from him. What almost did was the sight of Landon almost spitting the coffee he prepared when he saw John.
"Good morning." John said impassively.
"Good… morning." Landon replied, a little lost in how to behave.
As for John, he walked past Landon, going to the fridge to get what he needed to make breakfast.
Grabbing all ingredients he needed and throwing them over the kitchen's stone table, John started to prepare his breakfast. But obviously, he wouldn't do it quietly. "So, Landon, right? How have you been going these last 2 days?" John asked, his eyes not deviating from the ingredient in front of him.
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Finally got to finish this chapter. As I have said, I couldn't post much the past few weeks because of a few things, but these past few weeks were also good because I could think of what I wished to do in this universe. What I wish to make out of this world. And well, I got to say, I am kind of excited to write these things I thought. Principally about Malivore, Monsters and Gods, since they are the main new aspects added to this universe in Legacies, at least I think so. Anyway, here is the chapter for today. I hope you enjoy it and please comment here what you think of it, every comment helps me a little. See you soon - Author.