In a dark cave, beside a raging hot white flame that refuses to die down, a group of five stood there deciding their next move. With Ariellia rescued from the clutches of his father's henchmen everyone can now take a breather to deliberate. Returning to the battlefield with an incapacitated person in tow sounds ridiculous to anyone with a sound mind but leaving her in the hands of others is equally impossible.
Ideally, the best thing to do is to take her back to the duke's castle where Miranda and the rest of her retainers can watch over her behind a barrier. However, nothing has been ideal as of late and nowhere feels safe anymore. The thought of being separated from her again is a risk Rei isn't willing to take. Deep down, he knows right now the safest place is beside his mysterious uncle. Jasper has also made it clear he intends to return to the battlefield to aid David, so in the end that is where they too must go.
"You don't have to fret nephew, be careful not to ruin that perfect hairline of yours. Your bride might not want you if it recedes like that of an old man. Since you know what you are now, I have nothing to hide from you anymore. You can keep our precious gem safe at the rear while I defeat that overgrown earth worm with David at the front." Jasper knows his dilemma without needing to be told, having experienced it once before himself.
"Why did you hide it from me before?" Rei asks.
"If I told you that you come from a long line of dragons, would you have believed me? I tried to hint at our history, and you practically scoffed at me."
"I didn't scoff at you…but you're right I wouldn't have believed you."
"Exactly. Besides, I wasn't sure you'd inherited the gift to transcend your mortal limits."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Not everyone can awaken their bloodline, unless you were born from the union of two full-fledged dragons an inheritance is not guaranteed. Take your father for instance; despite growing up with me, he can't awaken his bloodline."
"Why can you but not him, aren't you brothers?"
"Half-brothers. It's a bit complicated but the short version of the story is that I was born from the union of two full-fledged dragons while he was not. I tried several times to enrage him just to see if he could awaken it but in the end he never could."
Rei frowns, recalling this past month. Every second in the presence of his uncle had been maddening, almost like he'd been baiting him to get angry. Now it makes sense, he'd been trying to goad him into awakening his bloodline the whole time.
"And this, could this be my father trying to anger me into awakening as well?"
Jasper shakes his head. "Not likely, there's a bottom line you don't cross with our tribe and that's our A'lieto. He may not have inherited the gift, but he still grew up in the tribe, he should know better than to break such rules. Haven't you heard the tales of entire kingdoms being burned to the ground for causing harm or death to a dragon's bride. Then again, he might not have known what she really means to you. As I told you before, a dragon can be intimate with many, but there's only one destined partner. It's sheer dumb luck that you managed to find yours so quick."
"I see." Taking his uncle's words to heart, Rei can't help but frown at how close he's been to losing her several times already.
"Enough talk, we need to head back to my partner's side now." Sensing something isn't right, the elder Bastian doesn't hesitate to teleport the entire group back to the battlefield by the north gate. It's more chaotic now than when they left with monsters and knights scattered in several deadly struggles. The ground is littered with both riches and death at the same time. You can't take five steps without stumbling over monster loot or a body. In this hellscape, Jasper desperately tries to catch sight of David. He looks for the duke's banner bearer, knowing the other is likely to stick close to the duke.
In the far distance he spots him, in a heated struggle with the giant wyrm. The beast appeared to be battered and dazed, its hard iron like scales were dented in places while its reptilian skin profusely bleeds from several open wounds. Even while being cornered and gravely injured, the evil beast wouldn't quit. At times it would strike out with its many rows of sharp teeth, catching a knight unaware and swallowing him whole in seconds without warning. David was clearly the one taking charge of the fight, landing most of the heavy blows while Neilos distracts the beast's attention. The two spearmen appeared to be in perfect harmony.
Yet, Jasper couldn't help but feel a sense of dread building in his gut. He saw it too late, just when Neilos thought he successfully evaded an attack from the beast's heavy claws and let down his guard a spiked tail came out from nowhere, aimed at his back. The inexperienced youth couldn't change its trajectory in time. It would be a clear hit, stabbing him clean through the heart. At the last moment when all seemed to be certain of his demise David selflessly stepped in the way, taking the hit in his stead.
"Noo!"
Everything froze, the entire noisy battlefield became eerily quiet. No one dared to even breathe as a massive pressure seemed to press them all to the ground. At its core, an enraged Jasper threw back his head and roared up to the dark sky. Heavy thunder clouds rumbled back as rain began to fall. In his anger he gave up all pretense of being human, his body enlarging and contorting before their very eyes. Soon in place of a man stood a gigantic red dragon with majestic wings spanning across entire fields. Monsters and elves alike cowered at the sight of his brilliant glimmering scales. After taking a deep breath, two large eyes snapped open, a pair of gold serpentine orbs glaring at the puny worm that dared to harm his most precious gem.
"You insignificant worm, you dare to take what is mine from me!"
On the outside it was a dragon's roar but internally no one needed a translator to know what the great being said. His true voice echoed in their minds with such sharp intent some ended up bleeding from their nose. Jasper still had enough sanity to cushion the mental assault for the elves and beastmen under David's command, but he made no such effort for the monsters, many of which burst into flames on the spot. They died miserably screaming and clawing at their skin, unable to put out the dragon flame.
Jasper paid them no mind, his gaze solely focused on the shivering worm before him. As prey, the wrym realized its mistake the moment a dragon appeared on the battlefield. Without warning, Jasper's large head swung over, biting off the wrym's tail and secured David's body. Despite the massive size of his head, he managed to carefully place the elf lord on the ground beside his nephew. Even though he knows it's futile, he still casts a healing barrier over the group to delay David's departure.
"You will not die peacefully."
The wrym knowing its time had come still spitefully lashed out, trying to take as many down with it as possible. Using its weighty body to trample many as it rolled on the ground, trying to get away from the bigger threat before it. Unwilling to waste the little bit of time he had left with David, Jasper quickly pinned its hind limbs with his claws, before clamping down with his razor-sharp teeth, demonstrating the power of his sturdy jaw as he proceeded to literally rip the earth wrym apart limb by limb till there was nothing left but a disembodied hunk of meat. Only once this was done did he pull back, releasing a steady stream of hot red flames from his throat, burning the last of it to ashes.
It's no surprise that with their leader gone, the few monsters left behind spread out and ran back into the forest. They hid in fear, cowering at the thought of the great dragon descending upon them as well. But Jasper didn't attempt to pursue them, instead confining his true form back to that of a mortal body, before returning to their group. Distressed, he pulls out the wrym's spiked tail from his lover's body but it's too late. David's heart had been shredded to bits, even the best healer would be unable to piece it back together.
"Why! A'lieto why do you have to be so good all the time! You should have just let him die, why did you have to take his place!" The potent grief in his anguished cries put everyone else to shame. They had failed to protect the duke, they had failed their lord.
"What's wrong with my father?"
…
No one dared to answer.