Capítulo 7: Chapter 7: A Golden Horizon
A tingling sensation passed over Hongjoong's body as they dove beneath the surface. He remained dry and he kept breathing normally as if there was no water. Was there actually any water? Hongjoong was suddenly reached by a strange feeling. The arm holding him started to shift and grow around him. The soft hand on him grew into a large, clawed, talon-like hand. The chest which he was held against tightly, shifted likewise. Clothes faded and skin turned into scales. The sound of beating wings deepened proving that the wing had grown into something much larger than what it had been previously.
Hongjoong looked up. At first his eyes rested on a green crystal near his face. It was large. Nearly the size of his head. It glowed softly, pulsating with a regular rhythm. His eyes moved on, following the long neck before resting on the head at the end. A smokey grey eye looked ahead with determination. And as if sensing Hongjoong's gaze it looked down at him. The two of them held the eye contact whilst soaring through the sky. Then, a voice spoke to Hongjoong. It sounded as if it came from all directions. All around him. But at the same time it also sounded like it came from within his mind.
SH: "Are you doing alright?"
The voice was amplified and slightly deeper. A new sense of regality seemed to enrich it as well.
HJ: "Yes..."
His mind felt mostly clear, but his body was almost completely limp.
HJ: "Are we in the underworld?"
SH: "Mmmhm."
The dragon hummed in response. Hongjoong felt the arm holding him adjust. His body was turned so he could look across the wide spans of land around them. The sky was grayish-blue and an orange light covered the horizon. It looked like a very early sunrise. The terrain below looked miserably desolate. Most plantation looked dead. Lonely shrubs and trees rose nakedly out of the dusty ground. Empty canyons laid agape and dried out depressions were nothing but ghosts of their former selves.
Aside from the cold and barren landscape were some fires that burnt brightly, their red and yellow flames visible from afar. These fires were the only factor revealing that there was actually life in this world. Hongjoong eyed them curiously. He could see movement by the light but he was too far away to see them clearly.
HJ: "Who lives here? Zombies?"
SH: "We have many types of undead."
HJ: "Are there any living creatures here?"
SH: "There are a number of species. My bloodline for example. Our type of demon are categorized as living beings. But we are far from any sort of mortal. As you already know. We age slowly and we do not die of age. Ever."
HJ: "When you were with me in my world, you looked human. Besides your magic powers, were there any other things that made you less human."
SH: "Extraterrestrial forces alter our appearance and bodies when we go to a world in which we do not belong. In your world I had a normal heart, I breathed, and blood flowed through my body."
HJ: "You don't have a heart?!"
The dragon's chest vibrated softly and a melodic chuckle sounded in Hongjoong's mind.
SH: "I do have a heart right now, but not like yours. In fact, you have already seen my heart."
Hongjoong returned his eyes to the green crystal in the dragon.
SH: "That is the closest you can come to a heart. It does not move blood like your heart does, but it does keep me alive."
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Hongjoong felt enthralled by the soft glow of the crystal. He was starting to space out when the arm holding him tightened and held him even closer than before.
???: "Your majesty! You have returned."
The sound of a smaller flying creature approached them.
SH: "What do you want?"
???: "We cannot wait much longer. You must do something. Our realm is becoming more and more unstable. Do you want to see our world bathed in light?"
SH: "I do not. But I am in the middle of something important right now."
???: "More important than our whole realm? Lord. This is crucial. I know you are young but you cannot keep fooling around like this."
SH: "I said I am busy. Our realm will not fall. Have faith in me!"
Seonghwa's voice seemed to multiply as he put more force into his last words.
???: "My sincerest apologies."
SH: "No offense taken. Now return to your patrol."
???: "Yes sir!"
???: "By the way. What are you holding on to?"
Hongjoong felt Seonghwa turn his head. A deep sneer sounded from within his throat.
???: "Right. None of my business."
As the foreign speaker departed Hongjoong finally caught a glimpse of it. It was a smaller dragon. Rough scales in a muddy color covered it's body. It had wings, hind legs and a spiky tail but lacked front legs. Like a wyvern.
HJ: "Who was that?"
SH: "A unit sent out to patrol these lands."
HJ: "By whom?"
SH: "The royal family."
HJ: "Did he not call you your majesty?"
SH: "We have arrived."
──── ⋅ ────
A large black castle entered Hongjoong's field of vision. It was so black that he couldn't even make out what material it was made of. Intricate spires and overhangs stuck out here and there. The overall shape was pyramidal. Shorter at the edges with the tallest towers at the center. As they came closer Hongjoong realized the castle was less like a castle but more like a huge mountainous structure. Seonghwa tipped forwards and they decended towards an opening in the side.
Seonghwa glided gracefully into an enormous hall. Words could not describe the sheer size of the spacious room. It was quite dark but a blue light at one end came to Hongjoong's attention. Two tall torches stood with blue flames blazing atop of them. They were placed on either side of a grand throne. It wasn't big, but the way it had been carved from the raw cliffside-wall behind made it seem much larger and more intimidating.
Memories of Seonghwa and Hongjoong hanging out in his little apartment flooded Hongjoong's mind. What he had described back then had been the truth. There really was a hall as large as a mansion. There really was a throne. But where was the king? Who was the king? He closed his eyes and recollected. What would life be if both of them were normal humans. Would they be able to grow closer? Would they stick together? Maybe they could even get together. Live together. And spend many days by each other's side. A normal human life.
SH: "Hongjoong."
He imagined being woken up by Seonghwa. How nice would that be? Maybe he'd even prepare breakfast for the two of them. The image was so clear he could almost hear it.
SH: "Hongjoong!"
Hongjoong was roughly shaken awake. His mind had suddenly started to become clouded again but from the hard and cold surface beneath him, he gathered that he was no longer being carried. The blue lights from the flames burned brightly somewhere above him. He was lying right by the throne.
Seonghwa.
He wanted to say something but his body was failing him.
The large head of the black dragon came into view and it reached all the way down to Hongjoong and gently nuzzled him with it's snout.
SH: "This is it. If this fails I will loose you forever."
Deep pain resonated in his voice. Hongjoong was too weak to give him any sort of answer. He felt a large jaw close around him softly, sharp fangs poking into him but causing no harm. He was lifted up and felt himself be placed on the throne.
A foreign type of energy surged through him from the throne. It hurt. It hurt a lot. If he could, he would probably have cried out. His breathing hitched as the pain increased.
And then it stopped.
The whole world seemed to slow down. His breathing slowed. His blood flow slowed. His heart slowed.
Three words reached him from afar. They echoed distantly in his head.
"I love you."
Then. Everything slowed to a halt.
He was dead.
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