Born of Fire: The Dawn of Legend (100 page)

Feeling the rage burn inside her, DiNiya tried to ignite her flame again but was surprised to feel it not responding the way it had mere moments ago. “What’s happening to me?” she asked, for rather than experiencing the full force of her power, she felt it slip away like before, but this time not of her own volition.

“Don’t strain yourself,” he said, grinning. “Those chains are made of the same material as this tower, only unlike the rest of it, they are connected to raw CarNite, which I feel I should mention has been built into this structure for the sole purpose of absorbing and redistributing the red flame.”

“What?” she gasped.

“Right now this entire tower is drawing power from you. Still, you are not powerful enough to give it the amount it needs. But don’t worry. Someone is coming that will more than make up the difference.”

“Rex,” DiNiya said. “He’ll never let you use him that way! He’ll fight you! We all will! Do you hear me, DayKar?”

DayKar turned and walked over to his mate, who was still beside herself with shock.

“DayKar,” she spoke in an almost breathless voice. “This is getting out of hand! Now there are two…”

“Fear not, my love,” he said, caressing the side of her face. “Stay by my side and I will show you wonders beyond anything you have ever dreamed.”

“You know I will, but I’m just worried that we are once again tampering with forces that nearly destroyed us once already. That, and this entire plan is riding on a mere child.”

“Oh, not just her,” he said, glancing back at DiNiya, who still was unable to move. “The Doom Bringer will be here soon.”

“How can you be certain?” she asked, surprised by how matter of fact he sounded.

“You see, he and I share a special connection. One forged out of the same power that has resurrected us from the ashes. As a result, I have felt him…his anger, his fear. Now he is nearly upon us and must be allowed to reach her.”

“But will their combined flames truly be enough to reopen the rift between VoLera and EeNara?” she asked, sounding uncertain.

“It must,” he replied earnestly. “Or else we have all waited ten thousand years in vain.”

“DayKar, this power you now wield…it’s not natural,” she said. “It’s sorcery. How will this look in the eyes of the Nova Queen?” She saw something come over him, turning him briefly into someone she had never seen before.

“Unlike you, I had not the luxury of so many years of slumber. Mine was the fate of having to come back to life as opposed to merely being reawakened.” With a snarl, he bared his teeth and brought his face uncomfortably close to hers. “If the Holy Mother has a problem with my methods, then she can come down here and get her own hands dirty for once.”

It was then that VorTak landed with a heavy thud, with PeroDay slung over his shoulder. Slowly, he allowed for him to slide off and gently rested him on the ground. “My lord,” he called to DayKar. “We successfully made contact with the Doom Bringer as you ordered. However…”

“You discovered that he was more than a match for either of you,” DayKar said as he walked up to the still body of his brother and knelt down beside him. “PeroDay, can you hear me?”

His brother slowly opened his eyes, which widened slightly when he realized where he was. “Brother…”

“Don’t,” DayKar said calmly as he placed a hand on him. “You need to regain your strength.” Looking up at VorTak, he said, “Thank you for bringing him back to me. This act of valor will not be forgotten, I assure you.”

“But the mission, sir?” VorTak replied uneasily.

“Was a complete success. Your goal was only to antagonize the Doom Bringer, not kill him. Besides, you have seen the cost of merely getting in his way.”

“But that’s just it, sir! It was I who did battle with him, not your brother!”

DayKar snapped his neck up and looked at VorTak in surprise before rising to his full height. “You fought him?”

“That’s right, and while, yes, he was indeed exceedingly more powerful than I expected, I managed to escape mostly unscathed.”

“Then what happened to him?” LemaRes asked, looking down at PeroDay.

“It was ones of those who traveled with him. The gold and lavender flame—it was they who nearly killed your brother, my lord!”

“Is that so?” DayKar replied, stroking his chin and gazing down at his brother, who had once again fallen unconscious. “How very interesting.”

“It means that we greatly underestimated the power of all the AmaRanthine,” VoRon said as he landed beside LemaRes and gave a quick bow to VorTak, who nodded in turn. “We had been operating under the assumption that the Doom Bringer, despite being much weaker in his current state, was the only of these relic flames that posed any real threat. Now it would appear that the others have also inherited some degree of power from their former selves. Grand Marshal, if I may, I would strongly consider abandoning this post and scattering our forces to several of the other remaining outposts.  Templar ZarMor has been overseeing one just north of here that we could reach by dawn if we leave now.”

“But what of our plan?” LemaRes asked. “If it does not succeed, we are all as good as dead!”

“I’m not saying we abandon it, but rather postpone it until we know we can safely carry it out. We have the girl, after all, which means half of the power needed to reopen the rift. The Doom Bringer will still have to come to us, but this way we can—”

“No!” DayKar interrupted. “Nothing changes! We settle this now!”

“But my lord!”

“Your concern is noted and appreciated. Still, I and I alone, have lived amongst them all these years, and believe me when I say they will not tolerate our presence in this world. Now that we have revealed ourselves to them, the longer we wait without the others, the greater the odds of each of us meeting our end at the jaws of those beasts.”

VoRon looked down and sighed. “Very well, my lord. Of course we are yours to command.”

“Don’t worry, old friend,” DayKar said, putting a hand on the old DraGon’s shoulder. “I have not waited patiently for hundreds of years just to lose it all now. I will see this through, one way or another.”

With that he turned back to LemaRes, who looked into his eyes, the very same that had stolen her heart a lifetime ago. “Very well,” she conceded, still stricken by his earlier words that sounded now less like salvation and more like heresy. “Tell me what you would have me do.”

“Take a squad to the city east of here. There you will find the Doom Bringer and those he leads. Attack them on sight. Burn everything around the TyRanx to the ground. I want that monster seething with rage when he gets here. I want his power at its absolute maximum! Then…we can release the others from limbo and purge this world of the vile postulants that plague it once and for all. Then, my love, we can at last have what we’ve always dreamed. A world under a living sky.”

LemaRes felt her body tingle and almost go numb at the thought. Oh, how she loved this DraGon who had waited for her all these years. How she dreamed of seeing his face, staring into his beautiful golden eyes and feeling his touch again. Now she had all three. Still, they would never be free to live the life they wanted until they had a world of their own to call home. This world. And the only way to achieve it was to take it from those who would deny them the happiness she knew they so rightfully deserved. “I’ll gather the knights and depart immediately,” she said before eyeing DiNiya with a narrowed gaze. “Will you be all right without me?”

“I survived this long without you, my love,” he replied, stroking the side of her face. “I can survive a few more hours.” The two embraced before she turned and proceeded to the edge, before DayKar calling out her name made her turn. “I told you a long time ago that I would give you the world. That is a promise I intend to keep.”

She smiled and said, “I will you hold you to your word, Grand Marshal.” With that, she spread her wings and took off.

DayKar watched as she descended half the length of the tower and began gathering others. He worried every time he watched her fly off that it might be the last time he saw her. The moment his memory of her had returned had been like a wildfire set loose in his heart. One that had been the greatest source of joy and pain he had experienced through the years since he came back into being as an AmaRanthine. Remembering that there was someone in existence that he loved so dearly but could not be with made him walk through this new life feeling incomplete. Like there was a piece of him that had been forcibly torn from him and left behind, a wound that hurt and bled continuously. The day she had awakened from her slumber and fell into his arms was like waking from a dream and having it follow him into reality. She was real, and she was with him once again. He swore to himself that day he would not lose her again, and that he would render this world incapable of keeping them from being apart. “Never again.”

Rex had been feeling unsettled ever since learning the tragic history of the friend he had come to believe as being his anchor in this world.
We’re of the same flame, but I’m supposed to be the one who’s damaged…broken
. The reality that DiNiya had a seemingly more difficult life than his was an unnerving one. Then again, what had made his so hard after all, he wondered? While not having come from the most luxurious upbringing, he had always had what he needed: food, shelter, and someone looking out for him who loved him very much. And while not having the use of his flame either, he was at least fortunate enough to be ignorant of its existence, thus making it so he did not know what he was missing. DiNiya had to live and grow up in a world filled with reminders that there was something drastically wrong with her…
incomplete
. In retrospect, he had been the lucky one.
Maybe I’m not the only one with monsters in their head.

So lost in contemplative thought was he that he drifted silently into sleep without noticing that everyone else had done so well before him. The blackness of his mind now encompassed him, and he felt himself floating weightless, until he suddenly felt solid ground beneath his feet. Where once he would have been disoriented, even frightened, he was overcome by a sense of purpose by being back in the void.

“All right, where are you?
”
he said. “Come on, I know you’re here somewhere.”

“Rex,” came EliCia’s voice. “I am here.”

“Not you,” Rex said. “Him. Show yourself.”

“Rex, please. I understand how you—”

“You don’t understand a damn thing about me or what I’m thinking, feeling,” he said resolutely. “How could you, after all? You’re just a voice in my head.”

“I know that is what I must seem like to you, but I assure you I’m much more than…” She froze, remaining silent for a time being before letting out a small, bemused laugh.

“Care to share?” Rex asked, cocking his head to the side.

“Oh, it is nothing you would find terribly amusing, but I suppose that’s exactly what I am now—a mere voice in your head. So strange it is how things change.” She trailed off and remained silent for a moment. “Why do you seek him now, Rex?” she asked, sounding concerned.

“Because he’s the only one who can make me strong enough to kill DayKar,” he replied stoically.

“Why do you believe this to be true?”

“Because he’s always there when I feel this way. He’s always been there when they’ve pushed and pushed. Always the one I can feel when words fail me and there is no one by my side to fight with me. He’s the only one who can make me terrible enough to make them as afraid of me as the world is of them.”

“Do you truly believe that to be true, Rex?”

Rex nodded. “He’s the only one who has ever made me more afraid of myself than the world is.” He turned and gazed up into the blackness as if seeing something invisible to the naked eye. Then suddenly, the two gleaming red eyes appeared above him. “You’ve always wanted me to fight. Always wanted me to push myself harder and further. Up until now I was always afraid to, just reacting to everything that came at me, but not anymore. Now I’m making a choice:
the
choice. I want to fight and defeat everything that tries to manipulate my life for its own ambition because they want something and think I can’t stop them from taking it. I want them to suffer most from the shame of knowing just how wrong they were, and know what it feels like to have their whole world shattered. Then…I want them to burn.”

The two eyes came down to his level and seemingly pierced right through him. However, this time he did not give in to weakness or fear, instead choosing to stand his ground and stare back at the most terrifying thing he had ever been confronted with.

“Rex,” came EliCia. “Be true to yourself, and ask if this is indeed what you want, for the path you are choosing is one of darkness.”

“So be it,” he said, not taking his eyes off the great-unseen beast standing before him. “Besides, I’m more cut out for this role, anyway.”

“Very well,” she said, conceding. “But heed my words, warrior, for your understanding of them may truly be the only thing that will save the people you love. Power is not always what you believe it to be.” With that, her presence in the void vanished, leaving only Rex and the menacing force he felt pouring a fury so tangibly rich into him that he could barely distinguish between it and his own sense of self.

“All right then,” he said, stepping forward. “No more running. No more hiding. No more dreaming.” He took a deep breath. “Kill all that I’m not and bring to life all that I am!”

A pair of fiery red jaws opened before him and unleashed a roar that seemed to span the whole of time and space. What followed was beyond painful; it was as if his very being was being torn apart, a sensation beyond explanation. Parts of him were being destroyed into nothingness while others were coming to life in blazing red glory. His flame now felt more alive, burned so much hotter than he had ever felt it do before. Memories that once brought pain now seemed small and so far beneath him. Faces that once stirred feelings of anger and resentment now felt small and insignificant, as if their very presence was an insult to the titan of power and ferocity growing within him.

“Go now,” came a new voice, deep and proud, “and show this world once again who it trembles before.”

“REEEEEX,” a voice cut right through the void. His eyes shot open and immediately he saw EeNox nudging him forcefully as well as heard the sounds of countless voices crying outside. “I thought you were dead for a moment there! Come on, you need to get up!”

“What’s wrong?” Rex asked as he sprang to his feet.

“Something’s happening outside! We heard explosions! I think the city is under attack!”

“Attack?” he asked surprised. “By who?”

“Who do you think?” LyCora replied with a sideways glance.

Outside, the citizens of Bloodstone were in a state of panic and terror as DraGons rained fire down from the skies. The scene was hauntingly like that of the night that struck KaNar and brought with it a rush of unsettling memories for the five teens who were hiding away at the bottom of a ship.

“We can’t stay here any longer,” said ShinGaru. “If we were planning on leaving, we should do it now!”

“But what about all those people out there?” asked a panic-stricken AnaSaya. “We can’t just leave them for the DraGons!”

“It’s us they’re after, remember?” LyCora exclaimed. “If we leave they’ll eventually realize we’re not here and do the same!”

“After killing how many?” the other girl protested in a display of anger that they were unaccustomed to seeing from her.

LyCora looked as if she was about to say something but refrained. What could she say? She too did not want anyone to die, but it seemed unavoidable. In fact, by the way things sounded outside, she would be surprised if the streets were not already littered with the dead or dying. “I don’t want anyone to die, but if we go out there and confront them in the heart of the city, then we’ll be bringing a fight into it that will no doubt get people killed.”

“Sounds like it’s already happening,” EeNox said, craning his head up at the sound of several shrill cries.

“Perhaps if we allow ourselves to be seen we can lure them out of the city?” ShinGaru suggested.

“Or we can just stop them here and now,” Rex said, stepping forward and blasting an opening in the side of the ship.

“What do you mean, stop them?” asked LyCora.

“I mean kill them.” With that, he stepped through the hole and was instantly bombarded by the concussive blast of a fireball that exploded no more than twenty meters from him. Rex was sent sailing back through the hole and crashed out the other side of the ship.

“Rex, are you all right?” EeNox shouted over to him.

Lifting his head up from where he was laying awkwardly on his back, he saw the large winged outline of a DraGon swooping down and back up again into the smoky sky. Following the DraGon’s movements carefully, he shot a blast, which struck it just at the base of the neck. The beast shrieked in pain as it tumbled out of the sky and crashed into several buildings, sending up a plume of dust.

Rising quickly to his feet, Rex ran through the newly created opening he had only moments ago been sent sailing through, and out the other, stopping only to call back to the others. “Now’s our chance! Let’s go!” The others exchanged quick glances and took off after him.

They ran through the throngs of people who had taken to the streets in fight or flight, all the while being careful not to be trampled by the larger DyVorians. They continued on deeper into the heart of the city, prompting EeNox to run up alongside Rex. “Hey, shouldn’t we be heading west to get out of the city?”

“We’re not leaving yet,” Rex replied as he made a sharp right turn, skidding a meter or so as he did so.

“What do you mean ‘we’re not leaving’?” he asked, surprised, but soon had his answer when he heard the shrill wail of a DraGon. “Oh, don’t tell me…”

From out of the dust and haze came the shape of the DraGon Rex had shot down. The beast turned and twisted its long neck in all directions as if trying to regain its bearings.

“Look,” Rex said enthusiastically. “He’s still disoriented! Let’s finish him!” Suddenly the DraGon shifted his gaze in their direction and blew a torrent of gold fire directly at them.

“Look out!” ShinGaru cried as he pushed AnaSaya off to the right, while everyone else jumped to the left. They had just barely managed to get clear of the deadly path of fire as it came rocketing past them. Recovering quickly, they immediately began jumping and dodging fireballs that exploded all around them. Rex saw the DraGon rear its head back as it seemed to gather all of its flame for a concentrated attack before sending out a pulse that immediately burned all the dust in the air, giving them a clear view of one another.

“Ahh, that’s better,” the DraGon said, filling his lungs with air and then unleashing another concentrated stream of fire.

With incredible speed, Rex and EeNox slid underneath while the other three hastily leaped over it.

“Not bad,” the DraGon said. “But let’s see how well you do when your attention is divided!” He reared back on his hind legs and shot out golden electricity from his hands. With looks of panic, they desperately did their best to dodge each electrical strike.

“ShinGaru, do something!” Rex roared.

“Like what?” ShinGaru called back, narrowly dodging an electric strike to his midsection.

“I don’t know! But he’s got the same power as you!”

“So what? It doesn’t make me any more resistant to it!”

With a sudden loud crack, EeNox was sent hurtling into the side of a building by one of the DraGon-made lightning strikes.

“EeNox!” LyCora cried out, altering her course and running over to him. “Are you all right?”

“Splendid,” he replied sarcastically as he stood up, but dropped to one leg, reeling from the terrible pain where he had been struck. “This one isn’t pulling any punches.”

Rex roared angrily and leaped high into the air, took aim, and fired off another blast from his mouth, just as several savage bolts of electricity struck him down. The DraGon, however, took the full brunt of his flame to the face, which sent him rearing back with an agonizing wail.

Rex hit the ground and shrieked as a sharp pain shot through his back from the impact, while his underside felt like it had been singed. Baring his teeth, he rose to his feet just in time to see the horrific sight of the DraGon’s horribly burnt face emerging from a cloud of smoke.

“You little bastard!” the DraGon roared. “I’m going to split you open and burn out your insides!”

“You’ll do no such thing.”

Both Rex and the DraGon craned their heads upward to see LemaRes and nine other armored DraGons hovering thirty meters above.

“The Grand Marshal has need of this one.”

“But look what he did to my face!” the other DraGon bellowed angrily. “You cannot deny me vengeance!” LemaRes fired a blast at his feet, startling him. “Are you mad?”

“Not as mad as you for thinking you can speak to your captain in such a way,” she roared back down, firing another shot that sent him scrambling backwards. “Then again, I would be the least of your problems when the Grand Marshal learns that you killed the very thing that all our fates hinge upon.”

He regarded her for a moment, then Rex, his face racked with indecision. Rex could tell he wanted to clear the distance between them and carry out his threat, but also seemed fearful of what the DraGon above had said. With a frustrated cry, the DraGon knight reared his head back and blew a torrent of fire before subsiding. With a single heavy flap, his wings were engulfed in his flame and carried him slowly up to the other DraGons.

“Wise choice,” LemaRes said, eyeing him sternly.

He looked away angrily, furious that he had been denied revenge for his disfigurement.

“Oh, don’t be that way,” she teased. “It’s not like it won’t heal on its own in time.”

“That’s not the point,” he snapped back. “That filthy DyVorian marred me. Do you have any idea how shameful that is?”

“As a matter of fact, I do,” she said venomously, getting in his face and holding him in her gaze until he looked away once more. Now, refocusing her attention on the five below, she spoke in a booming voice that could be heard by all. “Hear me, Doom Bringer, or, as you are known now, Rex. As you know, your presence has been ordered to the tower to the west of here.”

“Yes, I know,” Rex replied angrily. “You also said we had five days to get there!”

“And this would be the fifth day,” she replied, crossing her arms.

“But it just started, damn it! We should at least have until sundown!”

“He’s right,” LyCora said as she and EeNox walked up next to Rex. “The full five-day period granted to us is technically not up until the end of the fifth day! Try and kill us now and you’ll be breaking our agreement!”

“Silence,” she hissed, firing a blast directly in front of them. “You will not tell me what I can and cannot do! Is that understood, you little bitch?”

LyCora’s eyes went wide. “Call me that again and see what I can do!”