Return of the Dragon (The Dragon's Champion Book 6) (23 page)

Erik watched for several more moments, and then the
Immortal Mystic unexpectedly closed the book.

The room shook terribly as every dragon in the chamber
roared with their might. Erik fell to the ground and barely managed to balance
upon all fours. When the roars ceased, the Immortal Mystic helped him to his
feet.

Erik then looked to the Immortal Mystic and pointed at
him. “You said ‘we’ when you spoke to me,” he said. “When you talked about
promising to guard the mortals of this realm, you didn’t say ‘them’ or
something else, you said ‘we’ like you were there.”

The Immortal Mystic turned and sighed. “I was among
them when the promise was made,” he said. “Can you not see it, Erik?”

Erik reached up and pulled the Eyes of Dowr off his
face. He wasn’t sure if it was the power in the room that aided him, or if he
was finally progressing in his abilities.  He could still see the other
dragons around him. He looked deep into the Immortal Mystic’s eyes and saw in
them a golden color that spoke of an unnatural depth and wisdom. It was then
that he broke through the mental barrier that had remained with him. He saw the
truth, not with his natural eyes, but with his heart. The man standing before
him was no man at all. It was a dragon, and not just any dragon, but an Ancient.

Erik dropped down to one knee and bowed his head.
“Hyasintar Kulai, the Father of the Ancients.”

The Immortal Mystic walked farther into the room. As
he did so, a golden light grew around him and he transformed into a mighty
dragon with golden scales. He stood proudly at the front of the chamber. He let
out a blast of fire in a deep, rumbling roar. The other dragons answered with
their own roars.

“I have kept my children safe here, in this palace,
since I discovered Tu’luh the Red’s treachery. It is here that I have sought to
discover all of the secrets of the universe. Chief among them was how to defeat
the four horsemen.”

Erik dared not look directly into the dragon’s eyes.
His body trembled slightly. His heart told him he was safe, but his body felt
fully aware of its insignificance before the dragons.

“The four horsemen destroyed my home,” Hyasintar Kulai
said. “When Icadion fashioned this world, I came to him with my family. We
sought refuge from the four horsemen, and a place to live in peace. In return
for allowing us to live upon Terramyr, we promised Icadion to guide his
children. We would strive to give wisdom to the children of the gods so they
might avoid the fate that doomed our home. It was Tu’luh, my own son, who
betrayed me in the end. He was disheartened by the growing corruption in the
world. After the War of the Gods, when the rainbow bridge was sealed off from
Terramyr and the Gods ceased working with their children upon Terramyr, there
was a rampant increase in corruption. After many eons, Tu’luh became convinced
that the only way to save the
world,
was to enslave
it. He would take freedom in order to secure the world’s future because he was
too afraid to fight the good fight and let people have their choices. This was
a path I forbad him to follow. He was exiled. For centuries there was no sign
of him. Then, he found Nagar. You know the rest.”

“How do I stop Nagar’s spell? What is it about Nagar’s
Secret that protects the book?”

“The blight will die when Nagar’s Secret is destroyed,
but to do that, you must have the power that Allun Rha created. For only when
you drop water on a flame will it
submit.
However, in
doing so, the water will too be destroyed as it turns to steam. In the end,
neither power will remain.”

“I understand,” Erik said. “I am willing to use the
power to destroy them both.”

“Are you?” Hyasintar Kulai asked. “For Allun Rha was
unable to do precisely that. He too
fell
victim to the
promise of power. Tu’luh and Nagar created a power that would corrupt the souls
of all living and enslave them to do their bidding. It would create mindless
monsters that would serve only them. However, Allun Rha created something very
similar, albeit on the opposite side of the spectrum. His magic would compel
all living to become as angels, never choosing corruption. They would still be
enslaved, though. Neither method leaves enough room for life as we know it.
Whether a mindless monster or mindless angel, both are robbed of
their individuality.
They are bereft of the very soul that makes them
unique.”

“I will not fail,” Erik said. “I will destroy both
spells, and vanquish the knowledge that would threaten the realm.”

“But you are not the chosen champion,” Hyasintar Kulai
said forcefully. “I have seen the visions myself. You are the son of a
shadowfiend, born with a corrupt soul that will succumb to the lure of power.
In the visions fate showed me, and the other dragons present today, you have
ever been identified as one who would steal Nagar’s Secret as well as any
powers you could before submerging our world in an endless night.”

“If it was power that I sought,” Erik began. “Then I
would not have given you the Infinium.”

The golden dragon laughed and set the book on the
floor. With a single talon he slid it across the glass to rest at Erik’s feet.
“Go on,” he said. “Take it.”

“What good would it do to lose myself in madness?”
Erik said. “I don’t seek power, I seek answers.” He pushed the tome back toward
the dragon with his foot. “You said you will find the answers to the four
horsemen. Just promise to tell me how I can help after you find the answer.”

“But what of the power of Allun Rha?” the dragon
asked. “You saw the peace in the village before you came here.”

Erik shook his head. “I saw only slaves. I saw shells
of people. I saw no lasting happiness.” Erik stood firm and held his hands
relaxed at his side. “Give me the Exalted Test of Arophim,” he said. “Let me
prove that I will not succumb to the allure of power.”

Hyasintar Kulai extended his other foreleg and when he
lifted it there was a golden book sitting upon the glass floor. “This is the
Illumination,” he said. “This is the power that Allun Rha created.”

“What about the test?” Erik asked.

“Pick up the book, and the test will begin. However,
before you do so, let me warn you that this temple not only protects us all
from the effects of Nagar’s Secret, it also guards against the Illumination.
Should you succumb to its power, we will destroy you.”

Erik nodded. He looked down to the golden book and
took in a deep breath. Doubts began to swirl in his mind. What if he failed?
Then he thought back to Tatev and the others. No. He wasn’t going to fail. He
could not let them down.

Erik stepped forward and bent down to take hold of the
book. The binding was thick, yet soft leather. He opened the cover and felt an
immense heat as a golden light poured out from the book. He began to read the
words silently, sliding his right index finger along the page.

A strength
flowed out into
him. He hardly noticed the blue light extending out from the wall to wrap
around his body, mixing with the golden light from the book. He didn’t notice
the heat surrounding him, nor the change in air pressure. He continued to read
the words until all at once a force leapt out from the page and slammed into
his forehead. His skin held firm, but the sensations of thousands of needles
pierced through into his mind. His whole body trembled and he cried out in agony.
He closed his eyes, but the light around him was so bright that his eyelids
offered no protection. It was as if he stood inches away from the sun. The heat
and brightness were so intense that he fell backward to land on the floor. That
was when the sharp sensations rippled like pulsing spikes through his veins to
every part of his body.

He writhed on the ground in terrible pain for a long
time. Sweat poured out from his skin. Blood coursed out from his nostrils. His
toes and fingers felt fat and swollen, as though they would soon explode. His
stomach twisted and turned and his heart felt as though a great vice had set
upon it.

Then a singular pain stabbed him in the chest.

“Erik, let it go,” Hyasintar Kulai said. “You are not
strong enough.”

“No!” Erik shouted back. “I can do this!”

“Why force it, Erik?” the dragon asked.

“They need me,” Erik said. “They’re counting on me.
I…I have to help them.”

The pain in his chest grew hotter and Erik cried out
in hellish agony. His tears dried upon his skin only a second after they fell
from his eyes. The blood from his nose dried and cracked, breaking into reddish
brown flakes and lifting away as a column of invisible fire began to ravage
Erik’s body. He could smell his hair melting and burning. His lungs began to
fail, drawing in only half-breaths every few seconds then expelling it quickly
as the heat scarred the inside of his body. Then it was as if a giant boulder
fell upon his stomach. His torso was flattened to the ground and he had neither
breath nor strength left. His eyes shot wide open, bulging from their sockets.

“Let it go Erik!” Hyasintar Kulai roared. “Let it go!”

The weight was too much. Erik couldn’t respond. Still,
he would not give up the fight. His mind refused to surrender. He passed out
only to wake again with a terrible heat upon his face. His lips and mouth dried
and cracked. He closed his eyes again, but the heat pried its way in. He could
hear the dragons all shouting at him now to give up, but he would not heed
their warnings.

Then it was over.

Erik rose to his feet. He wasn’t gasping. There was no
pain. It was as if it had never happened at all. He looked back to Hyasintar
Kulai and smiled. “Am I ready now?” he asked.

“You are dead,” the dragon replied. A single, golden
talon pointed to the floor behind the young man. Erik turned around and to his
horror saw the grotesque remains of his body. As he studied every wound, cut,
crack, and mark he recalled with devastating clarity the pain each moment had
brought him.

“But, I am the champion,” Erik said. “I
am
the
champion.”

“I tried to tell you that you were not,” Hyasintar
Kulai said sorrowfully.

“No, this is a trick. You are showing me an illusion,”
Erik said.

The dragon slowly shook its head. “I am afraid not.
The Exalted Test of Arophim destroyed your body.”

“But…” Erik stared down at the floor and dropped down
to his knees. He wanted to cry, but he couldn’t.

“Tears are a part of a mortal body,” the dragon
commented. “They serve no purpose to spirits.”

Erik shook his head. “But my friends,” he began. “They
need my help.”

Hyasintar Kulai lowered his massive head and moved in
close. “I am sorry, Erik, but this is the end of your story.”

Erik reached out to place a hand on the dragon in
order to steady himself. His hand went through the golden scales and he felt
nothing. It was then that Erik realized he was in fact dead. He was nothing
more than a spirit.

“I am sorry,” Hyasintar Kulai said. “I had hoped to
give you the power. Truly, I did.”

Erik shook his head and rose up to his feet. “No,” he
said. “This isn’t over.”

“You can’t have the power now,” Hyasintar Kulai said.
“You have no way of using the magic without a body.”

Erik shook his head and held up his slightly
transparent hand. “I don’t need to use it,” he said. “You said I was not the
one from your visions. So tell me who you
did
see. You and the other dragons may be trapped here by
Nagar’s magic, but I am not. I am a human spirit. He cannot lay claim to me.
Send me out to get the real Champion of Truth. Tell me who it is.”

Hyasintar Kulai raised his head and stared down at
Erik for a moment. “Erik, I can help you with that, but it will be more painful
than dying was.”

Erik stared confused.
“But how?
I can’t feel anything right now. You tell me where to go, and I will just go.
It’s that simple.”

“No,” the dragon said. “Now that you have begun the
Exalted Test of Arophim, you are bound to this palace. To leave the walls will
most certainly destroy your very soul.”

“You mean I can die again?” Erik asked.

The dragon nodded slowly. “Only this time you will be
destroyed altogether. There will be no remainder of you or your spirit. It will
be as if you never existed at all.”

“But we are running out of time,” Erik said. “Let me
try.”

“Perhaps we could send Jaleal,” the dragon spoke. “I
can tell him what I know of the prophesied champion and the gnome can go and
fetch him.”

Erik shook his head. “It would take months to reach
anyone not inside the eastern wilds. I am faster as a spirit right?”

The dragon nodded. “You could be there in the space of
a single thought, but you will not survive. I am sorry.”

“What about Tatev?” Erik asked. “Or Master Orres, or
my father, they could go.”

Hyasintar Kulai shook his head. “I cannot summon them
here. I have no connection to them. I was only able to grant rare visions to
Marlin and others at Valtuu Temple because I created a magical connection
before I fled to this palace for safety. You yourself saw how fragile that
connection was. Tu’luh was able to sneak into the temple and usurp the order
for his own bidding while I am a prisoner here. I cannot summon any of them.”