Dragonlord

Ep 177. Get to Work. (6)

Ep 177. Get to Work. (6)

“Here...be careful, elder.”

“Mm…thank you, young lady. Quite the trouble I must be.”

“N, no! Not at all…”

As Aymeia gently led Ardion into his nest, the elder dragon limped over to his bedside. His hands firmly held unto Aymeia’s for support as he seated himself down.

After a relieved sigh, the elder dragon beamed at her once more.

“There’s no need for modesty. I’m well aware of how much trouble I am. After all…you’ve just seen how tired my own son’s grown of me.”

“Your son? Then, the dragon earlier was…?”

“Har. Yes, Xerun is my son.”

“…Oh. Um...I’m…sorry to hear that.”

Watching Aymeia’s apologetic gaze falling to the floor, Ardion shook his head in reassurance.

“No, the fault is mine…a punishment for ruining mine own kin.”

“Ruin?...Why would you say such a thing?”

“…Har.”

Even though Ardion had clearly heard the question, a beaming smile was the only answer he gave.

And, soon after, the elder dragon changed the topic altogether.

“Ah, that’s right. I’ve yet to ask for your name, young lady.”

“Oh. It’s…Aymeia.”

“…Hm?”

The elder’s eyes visibly widened as the former deity spoke her name. Beneath the dragon’s grinning guise, his posture had immediately grown more rigid than before.

“A peculiar name, that. You possess the Twelve’s name.”

“You…know about the Twelve?”

“Why, of course. I’ve been alive almost as long as they have.”

“…? But, that would mean your age is…”

“Har…I’m afraid I’ve long forgotten the count of my passing years.”

“…”

Aymeia had always known dragons lived a long time. In fact, anyone who knew what dragons were knew that the kin possessed an extraordinary lifespan: most lived over half a millennium, and some even to 700 or 800.

But as long as that was, the Twelve had maintained their rule for the entirety of their era: a thousand years following the era of demons. For any living entity to have lived as long as they had was unheard of.

But before Aymeia could even fully process the elder’s age, another question would cut her thoughts short.

“I wonder…is it mere coincidence that you happen to possess the Twelve’s name?”

“Um, well…actually…”

“Hm?”

Aymeia uncomfortably fidgeted in place, her lips hesitating to speak the truth.

Ever since she’d been dethroned from her status as deity, it’d felt as if the past thousand years had all been a dream: she neither felt old, nor special. It was almost as if Serenis had taken away the entire time she’d spent as a deity, leaving an unremarkable human individual: a lost human girl with too heavy a title to bear.

Alas, there was no point hiding the truth from the elder before her. Whatever lies she told, the dragonlord could unveil it at any point.

“I’ve lost my divinity now, but…I am the Aymeia you know. Of the Twelve.”

“…Hmm?”

“…”

Aymeia cautiously looked up to study Ardion’s expression. As friendly as the elder had been, it was far beyond the former deity to know what sort of reaction they’d have.

But contrary to all expectation, the reaction she received was…

“I see.”

Nothing.

Ardion remained still in place with closed eyes, seemingly mulling over what he’d been just told. Nowhere on the elder’s face could Aymeia find any hints of surprise or anger – it even seemed like it was expected to an extent.

When the elder’s eyes opened once more, a gentle gaze fell upon the girl before him.

“Then, Aymeia. Could this old brood ask a favor of you?”

“Uh? O, of course!”

“I shan’t resist what lies ahead. But I ask that you leave our children be.”

“…Huh?”

While the former deity blinked in confusion, Ardion continued in a gentle, apologetic tone.

“They’ve trapped themselves in the confines of our nest…all because of a nagging old brood. Surely, that’s enough punishment for them.”

“W, wait. That’s not why I’m-”

“I…”

With his trembling legs, Ardion arose from his bedside, this time without Aymeia help – only for his knees to buckle unto the floor.

But soon, the rest of the elder’s body followed as he prostrated before the former deity.

“…Beg of you.”

“E, Elder Ardion, please get up! That’s not why I’m here!”

Panicking, Aymeia rushed to her feet to help the elder dragon back up. But her efforts proved fruitless as the elder remained on the floor, his body unmoving.

Instead, the nest’s entrance would move instead, revealing another familiar gold-horned dragon at the gate.

“…What is going on in here?”

With panicked eyes, Aymeia slowly turned her head to face the individual that had just walked in.

Xerun stood at the nest’s entrance, his face just as stern as it was during the dragonlord’s questioning.

But as he took notice of his father prostrating on the floor, his stern expression quickly contorted further.

“Wait, it’s not what it looks like! I just-“

“Unbelievable.”

Aymeia’s panic only intensified as the dragon’s infuriated eyes glared down at her.

“…This is how humans repay their hosts, then.”

As Xerun stepped forth with crunching footsteps, Ardion slowly raised his gaze.

Realizing what was happening, the elder dragon hurriedly struggled to rise, desperate voice seeking to calm his son. He gripped Aymeia by her ankle, pulling her behind himself to place himself between the former deity and his son.

“At ease, Xerun!”

“Haven’t I told you, father? We never should’ve tolerated these outsiders.”

Xerun’s words were quickly followed by a thundering step.

Streaks of golden lightning veiled Xerun’s figure as he approached Aymeia. He pushed his father aside with ease, raising his crackling claws into the air.

“Humans have always hungered for our blood. Clearly, the lives they’ve claimed a hundred years ago were insufficient.”

“You have it all wrong! Please…!”

Aymeia lifted her trembling hand, only to be reminded once more that the flame within her had disappeared.

As Xerun’s thundering claws descended unbarred, the former deity shut her eyes in anticipation.

Thud!

An earth-shattering sound soon followed the strike.

…And a few seconds quickly slipped past afterwards.

‘…Huh?’

Aymeia slowly opened her eyes, confused by the absence of pain.

And, much to her surprise, the dragon before her was no longer Xerun. And they certainly weren’t in their reduced, human-like form.

Instead, an enormous dragon was standing before Aymeia, fully clad in golden scales. Their backs were crushing through the ceiling, the nest’s interior clearly too small for their proper form.

And beneath their feet was Xerun, struggling against the talons crushing him beneath.

“Father! What are you…!“

“At ease, Xerun.”

“Khh…for what reason are you defending this girl?! All your life, you’ve told us to remain wary of outsiders!”

“…”

Instead of a proper answer, the elder dragon let out a long, rumbling sigh.

Then, he soon turned his head towards the girl behind him, his narrowed eyes brimming with regret.

“Har…forgive me. For centuries, I’ve been nothing but a fool. In my haste to hide our wounds, I’ve blinded my own son.”

“…”

Aymeia remained in place, far too dazed to move. She slumped against the elder’s broken bedside, barely managing to meet Ardion’s gaze.

“…Elder…you-“

“Hmpf…!”

Following a pained cry, Ardion uncomfortably shifted in place, removing the claws that were trampling his son underfoot. He instead reached towards his heaving chest, powerlessly collapsing unto the floor.

But ironically, as soon as he was freed from his father’s claws, the first thing Xerun did was rush to their side.

“Father!”

The dragon worriedly examined his heaving father. Ardion’s eyes were shut in pain, every breath growing spread and sparse.

Scowling, Xerun spared only a momentary glance towards Aymeia.

“…Consider yourself fortunate.  There won’t be a second time.”

Not bothering to wait for the girl’s reply, Xerun quickly spared another glance towards Ardion.

“Bear it for just a moment, father. I’ll return with others shortly.”

As Xerun stormed back outside, Aymeia was once again left alone with Ardion – though this time, the elder dragon was in his proper form, and in a much worse shape than before.

Finally finding her strength, Aymeia slowly rose to her feet. Slow steps delivered her towards the heaving elder, who no longer seemed capable of answering the former deity.

But even so, she reached out with her hand towards the dragon’s golden scales – just as her body told her to.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

“…Elder...”

Before today, Aymeia had never met Ardion before – which made the pangs of nostalgia all the more confusing.

She had no memory of doing this, yet it felt as if she’d known this dragon for centuries; his golden scales felt all too familiar, as if she’d seen them all her life.

Faint traces of another’s bygone days brushed against the tip of her tongue.

“Ardion. You’re…”