Bab 36: Black and white
Tian Jie froze. His claws still hurt somewhat, he could also feel them tingling and without a doubt, he would be sporting a bruise or two on his wrists in his human form. Truth be told, at that time, he even feared for a split second that his bones would be broken but luckily, his dragonling body was sturdier than he had thought. It was the first time someone, a human child nonetheless, gave him such a strong blow. This strength was no joke and totally at odds with the seemingly frail body of the Absolute Source. The gap was so wide, Tian Jie even had a hard time accepting it. He had thought that the kid was weak and needed protection. He felt so ashamed for being conceited, thinking the boy was more fragile than his useless self even after he had witnessed the kicks that had opened a hole in the thick wall of the black dragon's chambers.
He was still in his dragonling form, hovering well above the tree tops. He could see the hole in the dark foliage where the Absolute Source fell. He couldn't believe that the boy had disappeared in the blink of an eye. It just seemed impossible and unreal. He didn't even have the time and opportunity to react. Of course, as he was wary of the huge black dragon in front of him, which displayed such an imposing aura and threatening pressure, he wouldn't dare move first in any case.
A few moments ago, the other dragon had been so menacing and he had seemed so powerful, but right now, he just gave off a confused and bewildered air. Tian Jie had traveled his fair share after leaving Lysania, and had met with all kinds of people and beasts. However, he would never have suspected that the only Absolute Source he had ever seen, moreover one with such a pure and abundant magic, his core overflowing with the most exquisite magic elements, wouldn't be able to fly when falling to his death. Sure enough, Tian Jie had had his first flight not too long ago, however he had always assumed that with enough magic anyone would find it easy to use the simplest flying spell.
He could easily infer that the black dragon was as puzzled as him concerning the missing Absolute Source. All the more since the legendary dragons from the Infinite Forest rarely left their den and had always been loathe to meet with lesser beings. Of course, except for the babies, every single of the magical beings that were in contact with the almighty dragons were able to fly. How could they retain their pride otherwise, when compared to their lords dragons ? Tian Jie had been despised and bullied because of his white color and as a consequence of the ill-treatments, he hadn't managed to grow up and fly when he had stayed in Lysania. He had just recently reached the dragonling stage and still had a long way to go before being a real dragon, powerful enough to rival the black dragon in front of him.
But right now, the Absolute Source was missing and the dragon facing him was an enemy far above his level. How would the small dragonling be able to keep his life ? Tian Jie was having difficulties to fly. He was shaking from fear and desperately trying to conceal it. In the dragon world, the cowards, the weak and the pitiful were looked down upon. He knew that all too well and also the dangers when dealing with powerful and temperamental beings.
However, in a split second, the legendary dragon turned his back to Tian Jie and nosedived toward the forest below at high speed. When reaching the dark green foliage, he smoothly transformed to human form so as to shrink his size while using a flying spell. Just like Tian Jie who created a white garment resembling his white scales when transforming in his human form, the clothes of the man entering the forest were jet black, smooth and slightly shining. His strikingly handsome features and elegant clothes were magnificent beyond belief. Even Tian Jie felt a pang of envy as he followed him in the forest. He, too, wanted to see what had happened to the Absolute Source.
Tian Jie in his human form couldn't really use a flying spell to land on the ground. He knew some of them from his studies in Lysania, however, he hadn't been able to practice due to lack of magic and wasn't confident in his proficiency. So he kept his dragonling form to fly. He wasn't all that big, to begin with. Even absorbing the magic elements from the Absolute Source had not been enough to reach the next stage of his growth.
However, he kept his distance from the other man and landed lightly on a branch, supposedly out of range of any physical attack from his enemy. He was still on edge as a magic spell would reach him without a doubt. However, curiosity and worry got the best of him. He couldn't help but stay and observe, lying in wait, hoping to snatch the Absolute Source from under the other dragon's nose, instead of fleeing for his life. Its magic elements were truly wonderful and highly addictive. Tian had never been so eager to find someone and reunite with the exquisite feeling of absorbing the Absolute Source's magic elements. Now that he had tasted the real deal, giving it up seemed almost impossible.
The black-clothed man was observing the ground that looked slightly caved-in. There were no trace of a corpse and no blood either. Tian Jie raised one eyebrow, even though it was not visible in his dragonling form, and waited. He was pretty intrigued. The kid had survived such a great fall from the sky and had already disappeared. Tian Jie didn't know any detection spell but his dragon senses were quite sharp and, in turn, he tried to locate the missing boy. Any suspicious noise or movement could give him a clue, even in this unfamiliar place.
Unfortunately, the man on the ground was making too much noise, fussing over the tiniest blade of grass while searching for a footprint or traces of magic. Tian Jie didn't dare complain, and scolding the powerful dragon was obviously out of the question. With a small sigh, he stopped his search and diverted his attention toward this insufferable man. He was slightly surprised when he heard the older man muttering something about spending so much time chasing after a puny unruly kid, even though it was an Absolute Source, or that it was not worth his efforts. But most of all, Tian Jie felt an unpleasant pang of worry when he heard the man saying that the boy was proficient in high speed flight and had given the mighty dragon a hard time before being caught. The difficulties just increased by the minute.
Tian Jie wanted to frown, however it was impossible with the scales on his forehead. A human face was much more expressive than a dragon head. Dragons couldn't even speak through their maws and were always using telepathy or even magic when they needed to address a group. It sure was spectacular for normal people, without magic, but Tian Jie only felt it was really inconvenient. His imaginary frown deepened when he saw the man sit down on the ground, his back against a tree, thankfully not the one chosen by Tian Jie.
The dragonling had thought for a moment that the man had given up on finding the missing Absolute Source, however, that was not the case at all. It seemed that the black dragon had invested too much on finding and capturing the only Absolute Source available, he wasn't ready to cut the losses yet and let him go. This stubbornness was quite problematic for Tian Jie, but somehow he decided to bid his time and keep on following the black dragon. The seated man closed his eyes, not minding Tian Jie's presence in the least. Far from being upset, the small dragonling only felt relieved. It was convenient to be looked down upon, from time to time. In this case, it only meant that he could stay or leave as he pleased, which suited Tian Jie just fine.
The dragonling landed at the foot of his own tree and squinted his eyes. The man wouldn't just waste his time and take a nap here, would he ? The forest fell unusually silent and quiet, the atmosphere was eerie and was starting to creep Tian Jie out. He had always been weak, even his dragonling form was not all that powerful, therefore he made a point of being overly cautious most of the time. He was usually highly sensitive to any kind of threat. He didn't like being called a coward but couldn't really refute the mockery.
A split second later, a deep voice resounding in his mind made him jump with fright. The black dragon was in his human form a few steps away from him. Why on earth would he use telepathy instead of speaking normally ? Moreover, why would Tian Jie bother guarding the sleeping man, as requested through telepathy ? But somehow, he could only comply. However, even obeying happened to be quite challenging as he couldn't move an inch and began to shake again, just like he did when they were flying and facing each other after the boy's escape. The black dragon's presence was overwhelming even without spreading any aggressive aura.
Tian Jie felt imaginary cold sweat trickle on his forehead and his back. He was sure his hands would be moist and shaking, had they been human hands instead of dragon claws. He was glad that his dragon form was helping him retain a bit of dignity, even if it was just a sliver. He was bitterly regretting coming down from his somewhat safer perch. And he regretted even more not fleeing for all he was worth when he had the opportunity, instead of giving in to his curiosity and greed.
He was close to berating himself for his stupid behavior, already lamenting over his fate, and without notice, his heart skipped a beat in fear when the man suddenly opened his eyes and a triumphant, albeit scary and cruel, smile lit his face. The white dragonling almost fainted and felt his legs turn to jelly.
"Found you !"
In a snap, Tian Jie bolted out of this dangerous place and took refuge at the top of a tree as far away from the man as he could. He wasn't petrified anymore, this feeling of fear went far beyond, and his surviving instincts had taken over, overcoming his spellbound state - whether it had been real, Tian Jie couldn't really say. Even then, his shaking didn't subside after a few minutes. He was a dragonling but he had even fled, as fast as possible, as if he was still a measly small snake. He had just followed his deeply ingrained self-protection reflexes.
Then, reality struck him hard. He really felt like a fool. What kind of crazy impulse had made him try to steal the Absolute Source from the black dragon and his wife ? He was truly courting death and now he could finally realize it, now that the intoxicating power of the Absolute Source had been purged from his body.
Tian Jie was still cowering in terror at the unbelievable danger he had been facing ever since he had left his prison with the Absolute Source, when he saw a ray of light shooting past the foliage and in the sky, before transforming into the huge black dragon. The chase was starting again and Tian Jie was glad that he didn't take part in this game of hide-and-go-seek in any way. He was no match for the other contenders to become the Absolute Source's owner.
He felt pitiful and gloomy, and curled up on his branch to settle his mind and heart. However, he was starting to yearn for the magic elements of the Absolute Source more than ever. It felt like withdrawal symptoms, since the wonderful and fulfilling feelings had disappeared. An Absolute Source was really addictive and dangerous. Unable to give up and loathed to waste any more time, Tian Jie took flight in the same direction as the black dragon. Luckily, with the size of the black dragon, he could spot him easily and follow from far away without losing his way. He didn't really know how he had managed to muster enough courage but he could only go on and hope everything would turn out for the best. In truth, the only other option he could think of was to sink deeper into depression and let himself starve and die. This was unacceptable for a lot of reasons and most of all, he still wished to take revenge over the Lysanian royal family, his own family.
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone