Chapter 12: Chapter 12 - Welcomes to a dragon
[Tessia Eralith POV]
It's been a while since Luz woke up from his beauty sleep that lasted 2 weeks. We were all very worried about him, but Art always said that he was fine and that it must be just a tiny stumbling block for them. I really didn't understand, how could he be so calm? Is this... is this normal for humans?
Anyway, after he woke up, he went straight to train with one of our mentors, Alea, and apparently something really wrong happened. Everytime it was our moment for workouts, she asked Luz and I not to stay in the same room, in addition to that he was put on an intense training regimen that made him have only 2 regular meals: breakfast at 5 am and dinner at 11 pm.
When I managed to find him in the hallways, he was always accompanied by Alea, and whenever I wanted to ask how his training was going, she just said it was a surprise. Which made my curiosity intensify a lot. But that curiosity was slightly pushed aside when my grandfather said that tomorrow was Art's ceremony day. So I slept very early thinking about how I would wake him up this time.
That morning I managed to wake up early enough to meet Luz before his training.
"Heeeeey B i g B r o. How are things going?" I said in a very happy way to be able to see him without my grandfather or someone else around.
"They're doing well. Even though it's only been for a week, my special training is working wonders. And what are you doing up at this hour?"
"Oh. Grandpa said I should wake Art up early today for his ceremony."
"Geez... I hope his explosion isn't as strong as mine, if you want I'll be there to protect you." He said scratching the back of his neck.
"Will BigSis Alea let you?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Given the situation... I think she allows it... Well, go wake up my brother, I'll check with her about it." He said approaching me, giving my hair a light pat and then walking in the opposite direction I was going.
Already in Arthur's room, I entered, seeing him there, sleeping like a log. I got closer and took his arm, squeezing him tightly between my legs and I start pulling as if to dislodge his whole arm, but he can handle it, he's too strong as ever.
"Hey, Art! Hurry up! We're going to be late!!"
"AAAAAAGGHHHH! Tess! Stop! I give! I GIVE!" he cried out.
So I let go of his arm and got off his bed. He kept looking at me, irritated and massaging his own shoulder. He stared at me so much I could feel my cheeks getting slightly red, but I ignored it.
"Couldn't you at least find a kinder way to wake me up?" He said still massaging his own shoulder.
"It's getting harder and harder to wake you up in the morning! I have to do something, right? Besides, you should be grateful such a pretty lady is waking you up every morning." I said with a smile in my face.
"I find the maids here plenty pretty, thank you very much." When I heard him say that in a low voice, my eyes went wild and I started squeezing his cheek quite hard.
"Where did the Shy Tess that was too scared to sleep alone in the tent go; the sweet Tess that begged me not to go? Bring her back!! I liked her better!!"I heard him say that as I pinched his cheek, leaving my face as red as a strawberry, as I was now squeezing both his cheeks tightly, rocking him nonstop.
After a few minutes and endless excuses from him, we were walking down the hall, with him walking right in front of me. I saw my grandfather having tea in the garden and talking to Art, I couldn't hear what they were saying, so I just watched them, curious. But I noticed something, Luz wasn't there, which made me upset, he said he would try to come and ask for Alea a permission to this.
As I listened to their boring explanation, I could feel someone touching my shoulder, and when I went to see it, it was my big brother Luz. I hugged him tight around the waist and he asked not to go hard. He arrived in time to see Arthur's ceremony.
Grandpa looked at us. "Are ready?" Luz and I nodded in agreement, but soon I felt him holding me tight, making me stand up. "Eh??" That was the only sound I could make.
As the ceremony began, Luz was holding tight to my waist as his eyes turned red, blue and green. A sphere of green flame appeared in his hand, which made my eyes widen in surprise.
"I summon these mana! I summon you, great allies of the elves, betray them for a second, and let me use you! Flower Domain!"
He recited those words and flowers appeared from the ground, heading towards the strange flame he carried, soon the whole ground around us becomes flowery and large vines appear, thus creating a kind of dome full of petals of different colors, with the only lighting in there being the green flame.
What was that...? Is he using plant mana? This was the surprise Alea spoke about...?
My mind got out of those thougs as I felt a strong impulse hitting the vine dome, but it didn't seem to be affected. Soon the dome disappeared and we saw Grandpa lying on the lawn, far away from where Art was, he wore that dark form of his, apparently it made him not take as much damage, but it didn't stop him from being thrown.
"Virion! Are you okay there?" Luz said undoing the green flame and running towards Arthur.
I saw grandpa simply holding up one arm, with the thumbs up, as Luz carried his brother, taking him inside the castle, where he could be tended to. I spent as much time as possible close to Art, from him leaving the garden to him being taken to bed, even though I had seen before Luz suffer something much worse and leave without any injuries, seeing Arthur like this made me sad, angry, worried.
I felt a tremendous urge to stay with him, my heart always beating faster and faster with anxiety. I think the others noticed this, because I didn't even have to ask for permission and they let me make this request of mine.
Why was I feeling this way? Why?... I know very well the answer to that. He was one of my first real friends, he was someone I really cared about, my heart couldn't take to see him suffering.
I don't know how long it took, but after I fell asleep with my head lying next to the person I cared about the most, I was woken up by my grandfather who was screaming and exclaiming in excitement, making me look at him confused. I saw him grabbing Art by the shoulders and moving him around a lot.
"HAHAHA! A Dragon Tamer! You did right in keeping this a secret. Don't tell anyone else. This power of yours has to be kept a secret until you have the strength to protect yourself and those around you." Gramps said for him.
"I'm beginning to believe that more and more, Gramps." Art replied, noticing me awake, he gave me a light pat.
"Good! Although I would like to know the whole story, but I am more than satisfied with what you've told me for now." My Gramps was giving him a big smile.
"What is it Gramps? What did Art tell you? Uu... not fair, keeping secrets from me." I tried to act my best sleep voice yet, as I'd heard them say it was top secret, I really didn't want to get involved in problems, so feign ignorance.
"Hahaha, you'll know when the time is right little one. Arthur! I have good news. The teleportation gate that is supposed to open in two years will be opening early. There is a tournament that will be held in the city of Xyrus in four months. This tournament will be a very important event for future because both the dwarves and elves are sending youths as representatives for the tournament and as a preliminary student to your human academy. During the tournament, we can sneak you back into Sapin without the humans knowing at that time." Gramps exclaimed with a smile on his sharp face.
"Y-you're going to be leaving soon, Art?" I said as I was about to crying.
"Yep, we need to meet our family soon, don't worry sis. We'll visit you again. Or maybe we have chances to find ourselves if you want to start studying in the Xyrus Academy." Who said that was neither of them, I turned to the door and saw that it was Luz who had said that.
The possibility of meeting them again if I went to study there... I think I could really use that as an excuse for us to interact more in the future... But I want to enjoy they being with me, NOW!
"We still have four months, Arthur and Luz! Until the day the teleportation gates open, I expect you to train harder than before, brats! You two didn't develop your mana core in these three years! Remember, your Beasts' wills are trump cards! Understood?"
"Yes, Elder Virion!" The two Leywins said in unison, making my grandfather laught, but I'm still a little sad.
"Tess! Cheer up okay? We'll still be around for a few more months, and remember what Luz said, there is a chance for you to find us if you be one of the representatives in Xyrus Academy." He gave me a sincere and thigh hug.
"Eeeep! W-What are you-" I could feel my whole body heating up like a fireplace.
I know I care about him... b-but I'm not ready for that! I pushed him away and ran out of the room, noticing Luz looking at me with a sly smile.
"You still can't do that right?" my considerate brother said watching me.
"I-I don't know what're you talking about!" I said in panic.
"Relax, if you want some help, I could make no other girl be near him. What do you think about this?" He said patting my shoulder.
He really would make this for me? REALLY? Well... he can create that wall with flowers... So I think that's a good point.
"O-Okay, but don't exaggerate or make it too obvious... I don't want him tense or sad about our promise." I said stuttering and kind of low so no one could hear.
"Of course, I wasn't going to literally leave him trapped in a dome of plants. Silly sis."He said giving me a wink and showing the tip of his tongue.
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[Luz Leywin POV]
I was still chuckling over it, not only were we going home early, but my little sister Tess bestowed me the honor of being her cupid on my brother. That was really unexpected and sweet of her.
"Aaah! Makes you want to pinch that elf's cheek- " This thought of mine was interrupted by a loud noise that made me kneel and hold my hands over my ears.
One of the maids saw this and approached. "Hey, Is everything okay with you?"
"W-What? Didn't you hear tha-" I was interrupted again, with a voice I knew well repeating in my mind.
"Take good care of little Grey and my little child. I know he will protect her, but that will make him not take care of himself. Please..."
It was that Sylvia's message again... But why? Wait... That high sound, Sylvia what did you put in my brain?!?
I started to run towards Arthur's room, as it was kind of far away, I used a wind magic to propel me with each step, reaching the door, before opening the handle, I could hear a noise repeating a lot "Kyu~!"
A few tears streamed down my face, but they weren't mine, they seemed to be Sylvia's and.. other thing...? She must have spent so much time talking to me in my mental world that some of her wants passed on to me. Maybe those tears were from her wanting to see her child.
I took a deep breath to contain myself and then knocked on the door. "Arthur, I want to talk to you."
"A-ah?? Luz? What is it?" He said in a very worried voice, the classic voice that something has happened and he doesn't want anyone to see it.
"Okay. I'm coming in" I said out of the blue, and I saw him all nervous with a big blanket over him, and something moving under that.
"Luz! Privacy please!" My brother said with a nervous smile and I close the door, locking it.
"Where's Sylvia's kid?" When I said that, he was kind of amazed, but soon took the cover off, showing a being that resembled a black kitten with some scales.
Seeing that it didn't look so much like Sylvia, in fact the essence of it seemed to be half dragon and half reptilian... I stared at that little being for a while, trying to remember what kind of reptilian had an essence like that... but there is other thing... Why am I feeling connected with it? Maybe this is Sylvia's fault again...
"H-How did you know...? It just cracked" Arthur looked at me still surprised.
"Sylvia talked to me a lot in my mind at that time, I already knew that what you had received was not a gem... but apparently she set me an alarm that told me when she would hatch. What a cautious woman." I said that still analyzing the creature.
"She?" He looked at me with his head turned slightly.
"Yes, it is a female dragon." I said approaching them, but not so much to scare that baby.
I saw that new being climbing up my brother's arm and licking it.
"Ah!" I saw my brother giving a slight scream with his arm glowing a black light, blinding me a little, but when the glow faded, we could see a kind of magic rune next to his shoulder. No... wait, it wasn't quite a rune, it looked more like a tattoo of a single open wing.
"You even completed eight years and now has a tattoo... What a rebel." I said smirking.
He was going to say something, but suddenly he looked at the baby dragon there, he looked super confused. But he dropped the sentence. "I guess I'm your mother. But I'm a boy so you should call me papa."
"Tattoo and a child? Boy, you are a fcking rebel, uhn?" I said again smirking.
Apparently that baby dragon could speak telepathically with my brother. Maybe it was because of his Beast' Will, or it had more to do with the mark on his arm than anything else.
"Hmmm. I'll call you Sylvie." he said looking at the baby who seemed to like the name and was rubbing in his 'papa' all over the place. "That's right! Your name is Sylvie."
"That's the cutest thing..." I approach both of them and look at Sylvie, she looks at me a little and lowers her head as if asking for affection, and I give her a light pat.
"Must be what I said, Sylvia must have left some of her essence in my mind, and so the baby automatically recognized me as family." I said this looking at Art, explaining him how Sylvie got so close to me almost instantly.
"I'm your uncle, do you understand cute thing?" I said it in the most childish way possible, I'm sure any old friend of mine would laugh in my face and any of the girls I loved would find it cute of me.
"Oh, she said 'uncl'." Art warned me, making me smile and melt all my personality, now I just wanted to squeeze and hug that little dragon.
"Okay Sylvie! I need to wash now. Do you want to come with me?" my brother said making her tilt her head while looking at him. She gave a "Kyu?" like she was asking him what "wash" was. We laughed and took her for his bathroom.
I let her near the waterfall that every bathroom has in this castle and she seemed to cry out "KYUUUU!!"
"I guess you don't like water that much, do you Sylvie?" Art chuckled and I went out of the bathroom with her, sitting in my brother's bed while patting Sylvie's head.
He went back to us, using his pijamas, as I saw in the window, it's already night. I gave him the idea of using Sylvia's feather to hide his new 'tattoo', and it seemed to be a good option.
I said goodbye for them and went back to my room for sleep. What a day...
The day had barely begun when I heard the classic screams that came from my brother's room and acted as my personal alarm. Making me sit on the bed, but I soon realized, that wasn't my brother's, it was Tessia's.
"She must have seen Sylvie... I'd better have taken her with me... not really, I'm the uncle, not the father." I said that to myself, knowing that there was no one in the room.
As Alea and Virion asked, I should now use plant magic for some everyday things, to get used to it as if it were part of my body. I activated my first phase, with my eyes glowing in the 3 colors of the elements, with the exception of earth, starting to conjure my moss green fire and move it in my hand.
A few vines and flowers appeared on the walls, with some of them appearing inside my closet, and taking my clothes to the bed. Leave it there and I went to the bathroom to clean up, still with the green fire floating next to me. A few drops from the shower seemed to hit the fire, but it didn't put it out.
I soon put on my clothes, put on my elven beret and leave the room, just to confirm what I imagined, my brother's bedroom door was open and I could see Tessia petting Sylvie as Arthur asked her to come out and leave so hi could get dressed.
"Hey Tess, come here, let's go have breakfast!" I called her attention to help my brother, when she was leaving his room, I could see him giving me a thumbs up, and I just raised my hand as if to say 'it was nothing'.
Arriving at the table to have breakfast with the king, queen and my mentor, I could see Tessia talking to them madly about Arthur having a pet, everyone was finding it bizarre and Virion even laughed a little thinking she was a little crazy.
However, after having just me and Virion at the table while we had tea, we saw my brother coming towards us, the servants were in shock seeing what was on top of his head. Virion sipped his tea trying to reason what he was seeing while I started to laugh a lot.
"YOUR HAIR TURNED INTO A DRAGON'S NEST!! HAHAHAHA!!" That's what I wanted to say, but obviously it would be really bad to say it... People around us noticing that Art has a dragon as pet would give a lot of problems.
Grandpa Virion dropped the glass, but luckily, I still had my Corrupt's Will active and made vines hold the glass before it broke into the ground.
"T-that's..." he continues to stutter something incomprehensible. "What is that?" he finally managed to ask, his eyes never leaving the top of Art's head.
"For what I know... She's a dragon" He said a little low, because he didn't want to other people know about it too. Tess came again into the room and saw us, she was practically bouncing up and down like a crazy kid that received the best birthday gift ever.
"You said it's a dragon? But it's so cute! Art! Can I hold her? Can I? Can I?" she begged, eyes sparkling.
"Grrr~" Sylvie started hissing at her new rival of Arthur's attencion as her claws started stabbing into my brother scalp.
"AH ow ow OWOW! Sylvie, your claws!" he seemed to try peeling her off his head but she wouldn't budge.
Virion seemed to be in extreme doubt as to how Arthur had a dragon, I had to explain to him that we found the egg in the Mana Beast's home that gave Arthur that will, and that it was possibly cracked because he managed to complete Assimilation.
The Elder seems to have accepted that, and took it so well that he said the most normal thing for us.
"Good! Let's go to the garden to spar!" he instructed with a confident smirk on his face.
Yes... I said that was the most normal thing... for us.
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