"Oh, King Lithin: The Wise, is here. Is this serious or what?" Elena enters my room, and comments right after seeing me and Tyle.
"Elena," I sigh.
"This brother of yours is quite a ruckus. May I know you aren't him?"
Elena places her sword on my shoulder, and stares at me. Tyle simply glances between us, worried.
"You may not," I say, and the sword starts burning with red fire. "Even I'm unsure, at this point."
"Since when can you do that?" Elena asks, putting the sword away.
Tyle comes to me and puts off the fire, dancing lightly, from upon my coat.
"It is fine, the coat doesn't burn. I make sure to wear such a thing," I say, but Elena continues staring at me. "Since forever perhaps. The forever of a prison after Lithin became that, I mean. I just didn't accept it."
"Does that mean now you do? And you're one of those hundred?"
"Those rules don't apply to me and Lithin, I believe. We are something else. For others, Lithin has to dig a hole through their hearts. To me… he and I just aren't two separate souls, just bodies."
"Dig hole in their hearts?"
"Remember the survivors from Nightrale said that something dug a hole in others' hearts? A mere attempt to make Rahamboses. Whoever survives it… is one of the Hundred."
"And, how are we stopping this? Did you find anything on the Rahambose-killer, or that guy who poisoned Lithin's mind?"
I look at Tyle, and he also seems shook about Elena knowing both of those.
"Hate… he might be the… he's something Rahambose, surely. We aren't able to put our finger on it. If any weakness, all of them can be killed with the Rahambose-killer. Which is safe."
She wouldn't know about the Rahambose-killer properly… hopefully. Or it'd be dangerous. The Rahambose-Killer was infantile.
"Well, good." So she didn't know, I better hope: so doesn't Lithin. "Hate, you say. Is that another abbreviation or another dumb puzzle of a name?"
"I gave up on figuring those… but it seems your informant hasn't. So, why not let them know?"
"I'd rather keep that to myself. Better for my INFORMANT, to not have to deal with Hate. Even when the name isn't as spooky as Rahambose."
"Tyle informs me you have a plan."
"And? What do you think of that?"
I just nod. "Kids in safe hands, while we give one more shot. Bland but… something."
"How can you both be so okay to give up your lives?" Tyle finally speaks. "I'm confused… how can you just leave them to me?"
"Confused? Not as confused as me, on my wedding time," Elena scoffs. "And that's your answer, Tyle. You lost your arm, not your sanity. And I'm sure he'll spare you a chase."
"He seems interested in Spythun, so I doubt that."
"Then you better protect them," I say. "Maybe as a King… that'll be the last thing I'll ask of you."
"I'll dissipate the forest if I'll have to."
"Very well, that could buy the kids some time."
Tyle throws me a bow and walks out of the room.
"This is all my fault," I say, and collapse onto the bed. "I took… everything from him."
"He let go of everything, Wise. You just grabbed and made sure to protect those," Elena says, and sits besides me. "Was his job… but you felt responsible. Always."
"This is protecting? Elena… we both know, tonight our deaths await. How can you say that this is protecting?"
"All this time it was. And now I want to stand and protect, alongside you. So, let me."
"In that case… shall we toss a coin to see who goes for Hate, and who goes for Lithin?"
"No… I'll do Hate. I can't face Lithin."
"Alright. Then you better not die before I reach you."
Elena nods.
***
"General Tyle… is this okay?" I ask.
Tyle just looks at me like the kid I am. "For now… this should do, Spythun. If anything bad happens… we are safer here."
He was taking us to this place which was further away from Mom or Dad's room, and at the bottom of the castle. Closer to the soldiers.
"I thought you were interested in my arm."
"I am curious… but Leo said I'll only know when I'm old enough."
Tyle chuckles. "Well, the hand has already rotted away. But yes, the story will… stay. Etched to me."
"Does it… hurt… Dad?" Hailo asks.
"Now and then. But don't worry, honey. Every time you ask about it, it feels better and better."
Skyto joins us and I eye at him… his left cheek was a bit pinker than the right. This happened quite a lot.
Tyle doesn't question Skyto, and simply sits with us in this huge room. It wasn't grand… I never wished for things to be grand anyways, so I wasn't disappointed. But a worry sinks in me, that Dad and Mom weren't here either.
"Tonight… is a big night. Whatever happens, we need to be ready," Tyle warns us. "Stay with me, all of you, yes?"
"If I may ask a question…" Skyto says… which was quite… it sure felt weird. He was one with questions but… the tone was off.
"Sure, anything."
"A dragon… I mean, most of us don't have gems, or powers. There is a trigger for it right? How big… of a trigger is it?"
"That… it depends from person to person. Usually… some," Tyle clears his throat. "Some do it to save someone. Some kind of an hysterical strength or a wish of a moment. That does it."
"I see…"
"I-I would say…" Wyrom says, and as everyone looks at him: he flinches and goes silent. Turning away, he continues, "a trigger is just a trigger. More situation than age. The necessity."
I see Skyto smile with assurance… I look at Wyrom and give him an impressed look.
"Yes. That is accurate," Tyle concludes. "You have quite the knowledge for the silent type."
"I just prefer not to be a bother."
"You aren't," Hailo says.
As the silence extends, all of us feel a little creeped out.
"Can we know what happened, Dad?" Leo asks. "You said you wouldn't hide it if we get involved."
Tyle gives a worried expression before starting to fill the silence.
***
"What do you mean?" Wise asks me.
"He's just gone. I told you that shady character was… shady. And now Lithin just… his own wedding," I say.
"Tyle… Elena would be heartbroken. First her parents. And now this…"
"I know. I know. And Mom and Dad have gone off to put out Psychon's… this is all bad."
"We should have told them. Right when this character appeared."
"I did tell them. They just… they were struck onto this… Psychon. They asked me to deal with this because Lithin is my friend and…"
"Then let's go," Wise says, already walking away. "Let's deal with this."
The search was fruitful in less than an hour. But it was already almost time for the wedding.
"Lithin!" Wise calls out.
The hooded figure just starts walking away, and I quickly go grab him.
"Tyle, please let go of my friend."
"Friend. What kind of a friend… what does he even do to influence you? Always in that shady cloth of his."
"I'm hideous," the hooded-friend of Lithin says.
"Like I give a fuck. Go fuck with someone else's mind!"
As I push him to the ground, Hate breaths-in quite loudly.
"Hate!" Lithin says, and goes to the man on the ground.
"It's okay, Lithin," Hate says. "He doesn't understand. That's okay… he just needs to."
I see a blinding light as a red sabre of energy cuts into my arm.
"Tyle!" Lithin says.
+
Seeing Tyle in pain…
Being helpless, even when possessing a gem…
My own friend…
He was right.
No amount of power can stop pain. Hate always had its way.
I channel this rage through me. I don't blink my eyes, and stare at my fallen friend.
What if I could be stronger? I surely could have prevented this…
Bound by a blur, I find myself at the entrance of the Crystal-cave.
"Lithin, son of Rustizen Villers and Caroline Aster," Crystal-cave says. "What are you doing here?"
"Where is my Dad?" I ask, and stand there without receiving an answer. "I know you have answers! I know he came to meet you… more than he ever met me. Now tell me!"
"I can't find him…" Crystal-cave bluntly tells. "But his gem… I'm afraid it is in my possession. So, it might just be late."
I get pushed deeper and find a glowing brown-gem ahead on the pile of gems. It was Dad's, clearly.
"If you've come here… it only meets with my doubts. You indeed are the true successor to Rustizen Villers."
"I am?"
"Sure… it might be quite hard to walk the steps of the man who collected Rahambose. Bur… I deem you to be worthy."
"You… are right, I see it," I say, and walk forward.
"Yes… accept your second gift from me. The true heir to the first dragon, Lithi-"
"But you're wrong," I say, and the brown-gem gets tossed across the space in front of me. "My father went nowhere near Rahambose. He was scared… of the real power."
Drawing veins out of my hands, I grab towards the shining red-gem… the one with deeper red-lightning shooting its insides. The blur takes me, but I feel the touch of the gem… and it accepts me.
+
Lithin moves and lifts Hate with one hand.
"Oh my god," Hate blurts out.
As I watch his lifted back… something pierces from the back… a hand covered in flames. And as the hand leaves the body, I see a hole… and a familiar person standing behind it.
The hole recovers… and the hooded figure turns into… something…
Something really hideous.
***
"Hate poisoned his mind… and in the end, succeeded on his plans," I say to the kids… avoiding the gore from the story. "Lithin and Hate cheated the laws of the Crystal-cave, that day. And Wise and Elena… cheated the laws of Crystal-crash."
"The laws of Crystal-crash?" Drego asks.
"That ceremony which brought me to life. Only true love can call for it," I say, and think back in time. "In a way… Elena saw Lithin in Wise… and Wise saw Elena in Elena, as himself. It worked. And… then there were six lives which changed that day."
"Six?" someone asks, but I don't reply.
Lithin became Rahambose, and became most powerful unlike how he was born. Elena married Wise, instead of Lithin. Wise married the love of his life, becoming Lithin: The Wise. Hate's plans got fulfilled and he became even more hideous. I lost my arm, and became unable to use my powers.
Spythun and Skyto… one growing with the wrong father, and another born because… I lied about stopping the Crystal-crash.
That's seven… why did I even say six?