Chapter 144: The Message (IV)
We stared at each other for a good minute, until Phil broke the silence. "Are you going to stay like that?"
"What do you want me to do? Leave? Or maybe come over there?"
Phil lips curled up on edge, making me feel very uncomfortable, "Maybe." He then started to walk over with a hint of mischief in his eyes.
"Wait, what are you doing?!" I shouted, backpedaling away one foot at a time, unsure what he wanted. Plus, seeing such heavenly artwork walking towards me made my heart flutter like a beating drum. My face flushed, thinking that the water was getting a lot hotter than usual.
Phil didn't answer. Instead, he took longer strides and eventually came towards me and stopped.
I froze, unsure what to do.
Should I bite him? Maybe head bump him? If he does something, I'll spit a fireball in his face! Such thoughts chaotically danced in my head as he came way too close in my personal space. Yes, that's exactly what I will do. A lump of fire started to churn in my stomach, ready to hurl at him if he took another step closer.
"Berry." Phil's voice was deep but sweet. Even though I conjured up the fire to spit out a fireball, his voice caused me to freeze. My mind went completely numb.
"Berry." He spoke again.
"Yes?" I squeaked. I felt like a coward, making me want to smack myself for being not like me at all.
Phil took a deep sigh, "Are you okay?"
"Yes?"
"I'm quite sure that it's getting a bit hot wrapped around your wings. It's like having a personal hot sauna inside the hot spring. You might faint, and I believe you don't want me to see you naked if you faint, right?"
I shook my head.
"Don't worry. I won't look." Phil winked, making me blush. His right hand came out of the water and reached up towards my head. Gently, he patted me. Something about the way he patted me was sincere. "Honestly, Berry. I missed you."
"Ehhhhh?!" I was stunned. Did I hear him right? I was sure he wasn't the type to say something like that at all. Especially now in a hot spring. "W-what did you say?!"
Phil shook his head at my over-exaggeration of my last words. He pulled my head into his chest and hugged me gently. I froze, unable to say or do anything but feel the stern muscle. I squealed in the inside of my head, but my body didn't do anything but act like a statue. We stood there like that for a while. All I could hear was the harsh beating of my heart, thumping so loudly that I thought it traveled up to my throat, making me unable to speak.
"I'm sorry." Phil's words were so soft that I barely caught what he said, making me unfreeze, unsure why he suddenly said that. "I promise I'll protect you." He mumbled into my hair, making it hard to hear what he said. When I looked up, all I could see was a hint of sadness and guilt. I was confused, wondering why he was acting so strangely.
"You're what?" I tilted my head, hoping he would give me an answer.
Phil didn't reply to my question. The hint of sadness and guilt disappeared as if it wasn't there, and the usual look that Phil had was present.
The mist was becoming heavier; eventually, making it difficult to see past my hands. I could see Phil not too far away from me, but that was it. Suddenly, I heard a soft whisper that danced in the air, calling my name.
My lips puckered, unsure if I heard things.
"Berry..." A feminine voice called out to me as I felt goosebumps started to appear on my skin. Searching for the voice, I snapped around.
"Berry? You okay?" Phil asked in concern at my sudden strange behavior that worried him.
"Yea…." I slowly started, creeped out by the sudden voice.
"Berry…." The voice whispered again, causing me to tighten up and look around once again. "I swear. I just heard my name."
Phil wasn't sure how to answer and stood there, unable to do anything. His hand slipped down towards my shoulder and glanced at me concerned.
"Berry..."
I felt a sudden tug of energy pulling me towards the direction of the statue that was behind Phil. Pulling away from Phil, I started to walk towards it. The closer I got, the larger the statue looked. It was a man that reminded me of the Divine race, standing half-naked next to a proud dragon. If I didn't know any better, it reminded me of those Greek statues made by a master craftsman. They didn't look like they were going to war, but were standing side-by-side as equals. The dragon had a soft feature, almost recognizable, but I couldn't put my fingers on where.
"Is that your father?" Phil came up from behind, staring up at the statue alongside me. He took a couple more steps forward, checking out the statue that loomed over both of us. It didn't hit me until a few seconds later in what he had said that it clinked in my mind. Taking a good look again, I could see the resemblance of my father.
"I….think so?"
Phil folded his arm in front of him, frowning. "It is, and that is your mother." He replied with confidence, making me wonder why my parents' statue was even here of all places. Also, I was surprised that Phil was able to guess who it was.
Power radiated from the statue, making my body tingle. Even the water around the statue got warmer, making me wonder if there was something special about it until it spoke.
"Berry, my child." the feminine voice spoke again, this time I knew exactly where the voice was coming from. My eyes became wide, stunned.
"I just heard that…" Phil looked around nervously, realizing finally what I had said. "You heard that voice, too?"
"Yea…" I shook my head furiously, confirming with him that we both weren't going crazy.
"My child. It is good to see you alive." The voice rang clear, a feeling of nostalgia overwhelmed my senses as I instantly knew who this voice was. It was my mother who had passed away.
"Mom?" I called out, pushing through the water, and eventually coming at the feet of the large dragon that seem to send out waves of calming energy. Tears started to form under my eyes, making it difficult to see.
"You have finally grown." She replied with a gentle voice that made me feel like I was back in my childhood days. "To be able to leave behind a small portion of my will as I rest deep inside this mountain, where my body rests." Her voice trailed off softly.
"So, why is it now that you call out my name?" I asked, hoping that she could give me the answer that I longed for. The thought of having a mother here in this world was a possibility that I had known, especially back on Earth, where my mother passed away. To hear that the same thing happened made me feel like the world was against the idea of me having a mother figure anywhere.
"Because you are now a fully grown adult, able to hear my remaining thoughts and power in what I have left behind."
"Wait, I'm an adult now?" This whole time I thought I was an adult from the beginning. Even if my mentally was in human years, it still wasn't a teenagers mentality for sure. "I thought I was one already."
"No. The moment you come into this sacred space, your body undergoes its last change into adulthood. I do not have much power and must leave you with heavy words." She replied solemnly. "My sister has contracted with a demonic being, wishing to take your place as a dragon maiden. She had summoned up her own group of anti-heroes to combat your heroes."
I frowned, not liking it one bit in what I was hearing. To hear my aunt having her own army against my friends was something that I didn't like. The only thought was that she was aiming to kill them to replace them.
"Does she really want to be a dragon maiden that badly?"
"Yes, it is now more for revenge and the hatred against me. Which has transferred over to you. I'm afraid this is all I can do, but to keep you hidden and safe from my sister's eyes. Now that you have grown, my powers will vanish completely."
"Wait, you're saying you're the one that set up this castle?"
"Your father and I had hidden you away here since you were a child; after we heard about the plans that my sister was going to do, we knew that you were in danger. We built this castle in the hopes of keeping you safe, inside the Forgotten Forest. Now, I am unable to keep you hidden any longer. This is all I can leave you with for that I am truly sorry." Her voice was filled with sadness at the things I have to go through. "If I was only alive, you would not have to go through so much pain."
"No," I replied to her reassuringly. "You did what you can." There was only so much my mother could do. She was no god, and I didn't fault her for that.
"Thank you." Her words were soft but filled with pain that she couldn't do much. "There is one more thing that I have to warn you about."
"That is?"
"The awakening of the legendary creatures are all pre-planned. This was not supposed to be so many in one given period."
"It was pre-planned?! By who?" To hear my aunt creating her own anti-heroes was shocking, but to hear that the legendary monsters were being summoned one after another was crazy in itself. The question came down to who was summoning them and why.
Suddenly, I felt the power around the statue start to waver as her power slowly started to ebb away. I glanced up, noticing the light glow started to dim and knew instantly that she wasn't going to be able to stay for any longer.
"Wait!" I called out, rushing towards the statue. My right hand touched the base of the statue, unsure what to do. "Don't go!"
"I'm sorry…." Her voice started to trail off into silence. "This is all I can do for you…"
"But, I still have so many other questions!" There were just too many things to ask. Where was my aunt? What other goals did she have? Who were the anti-heroes? Which demon did she contracted with, and so many more?
"I'm…..so...rr...y." In a matter of moments, her voice disappeared, leaving me alone.
The only sound was the sloshing of water as my body flopped back in, slouching my shoulders at what I had just learned.
"That was quite an eye-opener." Phil's voice rang clear over my head, surprising me. I had forgotten all about him that my wings tightened around me as I jumped in surprise. "She didn't tell you much, did she?"
"No…"
"I didn't expect to hear about your aunt like this." Phil sighed, shaking his head at what he just heard. "I knew about your aunt, but to go out of her way to set up such a force to counter the heroes is crazy."
I completely agreed with him, knowing full well that what he said was true. I didn't understand my aunt's mentality, nor did I want to.
"What are you going to do?" He asked, watching me for an answer.
"I'm not sure yet."
I couldn't let my friends get hurt or allow the legendary creatures to run havoc in this world. Being a dragon maiden now had more weight on it, making me realize that there was a lot more at stake. People could die from the decisions that I make, and any false move could spell death to hundreds, possibly millions. Now that my aunt was aiming to take my place, who knew what else she would do to spell disaster on us all.
"Don't overthink about it now," Phil replied. He came closer and placed his hand on my shoulders. "You're going to stress out if you do."
Stress was something I knew too well, but at the same time, it was hard, not too. "It's not as easy as you say."
"I know." Phil nodded, understanding me full well. "So, let's go." His hand scooped up from behind, tucking under my but. I flailed around, my wings coming half undone. I was surprised at the sudden princess carry as I squeaked in alarm.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone