"Left wing, LEFT WING!" I scream to Aster, before Parzival flies away with her. But it seems unlikely that she may have gotten it, so I turn to her husband who is now in human-form – after that power showcase. "Hey, husband, let's go protect the wife. I think she didn't hear me."
"When did the three of us marry as one, Tar?" Rusty asks.
"Can we concentrate, please?"
"Well, I…"
+
"Rustizen Villers! Do not go behind him, sit this one out! If he gets nearer to your gem, you won't have control over your own body. He reeks of Rahambose," Crystal-cave warns me.
"But Aster-"
"-She'll be fine. Because she isn't the only Sam alive. She can't be manipulated, unlike you… who has no full control over Max's powers."
"Well, Tar is asking for a mere ride."
"Then that is all you must do. Stay a big distance from Parzival Blesthe. He has become the very thing he and you swore he wasn't."
+
"I can't exactly fight."
"Can you transform? Because I for one still have a fight left. So take me there."
As Rusty transforms, I look at Max and exchange nods. And as I sit upon Rusty's back: Sam comes closer to me, holding onto her stomach, and hands me the stone-gem.
"Just a lucky charm… but who knows."
I signal to Rusty and he starts flying upwards, to the glass roof which Parzival and Aster had cracked open.
Line and Tony follow us in a heartbeat.
I feel that Rusty is smaller than before… sure must be. It felt like he could easily take around… half a dozen people on his back, before. But now… couldn't be sure on the count but… the exchange with Parzival had surely left a mark on the kid.
We see Parzival and Aster quarrelling at a far distance… boosting Rusty's stamina in an instant.
Tony reaches first and pulls Parzival by his horns. As Parzival tries to reach Tony with his sharp-ended tail… Line bites on part of the tail, as Parzival shakes his tail around.
"Above, and drop me off," I say.
"What?"
"Just do it. Trust me."
Rusty does that… taking us above the four… he just bends to the side.
I take a leap, while holding the spear in my hand. But right as I'm about to get to Parzival's neck… some kind of a red energy binds on my body. I try to move… but feel myself in a paralyzed state.
Line seems to breath fire out… as I see a fire pillar shoot out at the bottom.
Aster pushes forward, as Tony keeps pulling on Parzival's horns. And this way… even I, in some kind of bond with Parzival, get pulled along as everybody falls. And as we reach to the ground, Tony lets Parzival go and collects me.
"Did you break a bone or something?" Tony asks.
"Not yet. But that sure was some bind."
"I think he can only do it on one of us. So… keep doing what you're doing."
"And what makes you think I'll be bait?"
Parzival roars in the distance and swats Line down to the ground, using the tail which Line is gripping on, as if he were a fly.
"Uh… cause I need to take care of my kid. Alone, probably."
I grab onto Tony's neck, as Parzival starts scratching his rough claws towards Aster, while also swinging his wings to her eyes specifically. I swing with the momentum and he yet again holds me with this red energy thingy.
Tony bashes into me, while breaking the energy thingy, and I get the spear in contact with Parzival's head. The spear just slides off, making a sound, as if it is getting dragged on a rough surface.
I push the pole-tip at my end, towards his face again… and it smacks into his eye. Parzival doesn't seem to like that, and roars out… sending all of us out into the air, away from him.
I balance myself with the spear, and avoid falling to the ground.
At this moment, I see a little difference in the dark light resounding out of Parzival's chest. Not red, but a kind of pink… purple?
Parzival lifts his front limb, as if to slash towards me… even through this distance. My instincts kick-in; and I push myself sideways, while pushing the spear away. And as I look towards the spear… it cuts into halves, and falls to the ground. A kind of corrosion visible… of where it was CUT.
Parzival himself looks surprised, at his own hand. But he pushes the limb, back the way it has moved. A kind of a sickle-shaped purple-pink light shoots this way, and dissipates right in front of my face.
"Shit, what the hell?" Rusty asks, while standing a distance from me. "Tar… his gem."
I look towards his black aura… and something really was different about it. Of course, the colourful aura was because of the gem… so, evidently, there was a kind of slight change which could be made out… as if the gem were taking a very dark shade of purple now.
"Tarragon," Parzival says. "I killed Minerva. Please… quick, hurry. Kill me!"
"K-kid," I say to Rusty. "I need me a better weapon."
Rusty animates a transparent object in air, and I quickly grab it while changing my pace towards Parzival. He just stands there, as if he really had gotten his sanity back… begging me to kill him.
But as I get closer, Parzival's wings move without his body moving. The thorn-like nails move right at my face, and I evade its first attempt at me. I push the second strike with whatever weapon is in my hand.
"Parzival!" Parzival groans out… probably the other one, trying to take control.
I push the bladed-tip of the weapon in my hand, towards the third strike from the wing. Pushing the wing away, this way, I push the other edge of the weapon while twisting my body backwards and pushing the edge to my front… towards the other wing, while jumping up.
This way, I find myself hanging on a makeshift pole - edged into both of Parzival's wings. Looking right at his demon-ish face, roaring at me.
I swing myself on this pole, to kick at that face. But I simply keep swinging, my legs couldn't reach him. So, I take a complete swing and pounce to the eye… only for the red energy thing to shoot at me, and send me back the way I came… crashing into the invisible weapon, and falling onto the ground.
"Tar!" I hear everyone screaming, but I feel like falling deeper into my unconscious slumber.
+
Tar gets pushed back the way he swings, by the red lightning thing.
"Tar!" all of us scream, as he falls at the ground.
Rusty seems far from wanting to fight… could it be that Crystal-cave? That thing was always controlling his every move.
I signal to Line, while getting up.
Line and I breath fire out, and Parzival simply turns at us and breaths out too… looking as if it were not fire, but smoke. The smoke… we barely hold it off with our own flame. Even this smoke was wrapping a little in purple… what was with all this?
I and Line simply stop with the fire, and the smoke covers us… the fire, it was real fire. A lot stronger than ours, surely. But Parzival stops, realising that it couldn't do anything to us.
"What, no burnt dragon stew?" I ask.
"Look at you, living up to your father's stage. Joking even at the face of danger."
I push forward, as Parzival just waits for me. We bash our heads into each other's, but he's the one who groans. Tar's attack had dismantled the nail-like thorn on his wing… at least one of it. So, I hold the space with my claws.
"You may hurt me. Even your father could have. But he knew he couldn't win. And you're nothing like him!"
"My father never fought you, only because he thought of you as a friend. And yes, I really am nothing like him."
Dragon wings don't heal.
I grab the wing closer this way, and Parzival tries to push me away. Red lightning bolts cover my body, trying to poke through my scales. Parzival shoots another one of the purple arcs, now at me… and it hits on my chest – the gem, turning me back to my human-form.
"But you will die too."
I realise how huge he is… as his leg comes towards me. But Line holds it, before it stomps on me. And Tony seems to have gotten upon his back.
"Left wing," I hear a whisper at this moment, and look at Tar – struggling to get his words out. "Harmed left wing, back at the forest."
Parzival roars, spreading his wings. As he lifts off, with the two still holding onto him… I grab his leg, going along with them.
But with pain in my tummy, and that attack on my gem… it seems impossible for me to transform at such a moment. So, I tag along: on Parzival's leg, as the three take the fight to the sky.
***
"No!" I involuntarily scream, scaring both the injured Sam and the operating doctor.
I control my gasping, while trying to organise my thoughts.
"What happened?" Sam asks.
"You may not like the context," I sigh.
"Aster? Anything wrong?"
"I… think that she is hurt. I'm not sure," I say and look at Sam. "Maybe a red dragon thing?"
"There is no such thing," Fara says.
"Care read the room?" I sigh.
"Go… they may need help," Sam says.
"Parzival… your dad, he is the strongest."
"Okay… but I can't feel my…" I say, and whisper out, "freaking chest. I can't possibly transform."
"I'll come with you, we can help them together," Mr. Villers says.
"I don't think I myself could fly, Mr. Villers. I couldn't possibly take you with me."
"Well, I meant we could just go. If you can't transform, how could you even fly?"
"Transformation isn't the only power of a dragon. And some fly without it. Dragons can use parts of their powers, in their human-form," the doctor says, operating on Sam.
So this way, I and Fara leave Sam in the care of the doctor and Mr. Villers – and I sit at the window frame of L+T+F+A+M+R+S+Tar room, facing outside.
"What, I just fly as a human? That doesn't make sense."
"Well, if it fails… I'll catch you."
"Do you even know how much I weigh?"
"Well, do you know how much the situation does?"
"Fine," I sigh. "Have your hands ready, because I really don't think I can activate my powers."
Fara groans in annoyance. "Just do it before our friend dies."
"Promise you'll catch me."
"Fine…"
"Say it. Word it out. Form a sentence."
"Wow, that is what you learnt from the degree," Fara says, making me glare at her. "I promise I'll catch you."
So I take a deep breath and jump… but as I fall, I only feel a little failed attempt at catching me.
"You promised!" I scream, as I fall.