1219-11-02
A:
It's been about a month since I last saw Zara.
I know my father, Loret, has been working with her.
There's a lot I want to ask. Too much. But none of it matters. I'm used to fighting. Soldiers. Nobles. Zara herself.
Without it, something feels missing.
Loret has been traveling to Gorento. I never go. I'm not invited. Not that I want to be. Walking into cities we once fought feels wrong.
Still, her words stay in my head.
What did she mean?
How much does she know?
I don't know if it comes from the other continents or something else. It doesn't matter.
All the nobles and major families of Ghar are invited to a banquet. It's meant to celebrate peace. It's hosted by a country I've never heard of.
Maranona.
A northern country.
I don't understand why they care about us. I only heard their name recently, and now they are rebuilding a city for us.
Miso.
The city where everything began.
My father never tells me how my grandfather died. He always says he will when I'm older. He keeps putting it off. After a while, I stopped asking.
Same with my mother.
He tells me she's from Tethambia, but I still don't know what that means.
I feel trapped.
I don't know the world. I don't know anything.
Kell brings me to Miso. It's good to see him. After my first Ijat with Zara, I thought he died. But he looks the same. Calm. Steady.
On the way, he talks.
Gorento. Other tribes. Cities made of white stone.
It feels like he's trying to pull me in. Trying to make me care.
I don't.
When we reach the city, I see them.
Loret and Zara stand outside, speaking quietly. As we approach, Zara goes silent. She looks away.
"I'll miss this," she says.
"Miss what?" I ask.
"Nothing," she replies. "Let's go."
Loret looks up at the building ahead.
Something shifts in his face.
Like he's been here before.
The city walls are worn down. Old damage. The main building still stands. Tall pillars hold it up. It looks strong, but it feels empty.
I grab his hand.
A small smile forms on his face.
"A," he says, "do you remember what I told you? About your name?"
"I do."
"I've told others before you," he says. "After this meeting with Maranona, it's time you know."
Part of me still feels unworthy.
I haven't proven myself.
But something else rises in me.
A warmth spreads through my chest. My soul stirs. It pulses, steady and alive.
Like it knows something is coming.
As we walk up the steps, I look at Zara.
She looks tense.
"The others are inside," she says. "The six families. Your clans. Twelve leaders in total."
We stop at the door. Zara looks at Kell then looks to me.
Kell steps forward.
"What are you doing?" I ask, my voice cold.
"I'm going in."
"Kell," I say, "you're alive. That's enough. You're not nobility. Go home."
"But…"
"GO HOME!"
"But…"
"That's an order!"
Kell turns away. I watch him run out of the city.
A small smile forms on my face.
Zara looks at me. I can't tell if it's shock or anger.
"Zara," I say, "is this the event you were talking about?"
"Yes."
"The certain future?"
She nods.
"And you expected me to tell Kell to leave?"
"Well, yes, but …"
"I'm sure the future can change."
Zara laughs. "Believe what you want."
Loret pushes the door open.
A loud creak echoes through the hall.
I step inside and look around.
Banners hang from the walls. I don't recognize them. Strange music plays in the background, low and dull under the noise of voices.
The room is full.
Clan heads stand together, talking with their families. Every one of them wears a purple taji, covered in dots. Hundreds. Some look like thousands.
Their families stand behind them, marked by different colors. Each clan has its own way. Each clan uses color to show rank. Soldiers, children, and others each wear a different color.
Zara's clan wear white taji to show they don't fight.
Food and drink cover the tables. Some leaders were already drunk. I can smell it from across the room.
"It's loud," I mutter.
"We're still waiting," Zara says.
"Waiting for who?"
"The Maris family. They rule Ghar, according to the World Court."
"World Court?" I laugh. "That sounds made up."
Tsk.
A sharp sound cuts through the room.
Silence follows.
The doors open again.
Guards step in first. Silver armor. Red cloth hanging from their sides. They look normal. Nothing special.
Then he walks in.
My body goes still.
Pale skin. Red eyes. They move slowly, scanning the room. Up. Down. Left. Right. Like he's not even looking at people, but through them.
His hair is bright blonde. Messy. Not like a noble. More like someone who doesn't care how he looks.
He's tall. Taller than anyone in the room.
Strong, but not bulky. Built like someone who fights often.
In his arms, he carries a girl.
Long blonde hair. Red eyes like his. She wears white, clean and royal. A red bow rests at her chest. Crimson gems glow faintly on her clothes.
Around her neck is a small white dragon.
It watches everything.
A scar cuts across its face. Deep. Clean. Like a blade did it.
No one moves.
The room parts as he walks forward.
The doors slam shut behind him. A lock clicks.
I glance at Zara.
She looks calm.
I look at Loret.
He looks tense.
The man walks to the center. Everyone steps aside.
"They're the reason Ahk and Tobe don't invade," Zara says quietly.
The man stops.
"Hello everyone," he says. His voice is lighter than I expected.
He smiles.
"I hope you've all enjoyed the food."
Voices fill the room. Low at first, then louder. Some agree. Some smile like nothing is wrong.
Milton looks at all of us.
"I know hat you're thinking," he says. "Why bring you here now? Ghar finally has peace after all these years."
He stands and places the girl on the throne.
"This is my daughter, Amelia."
His voice stays light, but something feels off. I step back. Slow. Careful. I reach the door.
Locked.
"And that peace," he continues, "exists because of your leaders."
His tone shifts. Still smiling, but colder now.
I look at Amelia. Her red eyes meet mine. They're sharp. Heavy. Filled with something I can't name. Pain. Anger. Something deeper. I don't look away fast enough.
The small dragon around her neck watches me. Still. Waiting.
Waiting for a command.
Milton stands and walks to a table draped in a lion cloth. He pours wine like this is normal. Like none of this matters.
"I have questions," he says. "My name is Milton. Milton Maris. I own Ghar. I've protected it from threats you've never seen."
The room goes quiet.
"Maranona values dragons," he says. "I hear one was killed here. Why?"
People start talking.
"It was Loret."
"His family are dragon slayers."
"Look at his Taji."
Milton looks at us.
"Is that true?"
My father answers. "Yes. We killed it. Dragons destroy everything here. There's no end to it."
"Did you try to make peace with them?" Milton asks.
"There is no peace with dragons," Zara says. "They kill. They take. They fear nothing."
"Then you threaten Maranona," Milton replies. "And that's a problem."
I step forward.
"What do you know about us?" I say. "You don't know our fights. Our wars. Most of us didn't even know you existed."
He sips his wine.
"You're right," he says. "I protect you from things you don't see. Pirates. Assassins. Ahk."
My mind stalls.
Ahk? Assassins? Pirates?
I don't even know the names of the lands around us.
"And yet," he continues, "Ghar gives me nothing. When Addo led, he sent shipments. Ance. Soldiers. Respect."
The room feels smaller.
Like we never owned it at all.
"Ghar has given me nothing in return," Milton repeats.
"Mathew," my father whispers.
"Exactly," Milton says. "You knew him? That soldier betrayed me and has since past."
My father steps forward. "Are you saying Addo served you?"
Milton smiles. "You can call it that. He was a good vassal. Every move he made served me. Then your people killed him."
"That's not true," my father snaps.
Milton turns to him. "Oh?"
"My father was not yours," he says. "If this is true, why send soldiers? Why attack us?"
Milton exhales, almost bored. "Ghar needed an enemy. Your father agreed to staged battles. It kept your people united. Focused."
The room shifts.
"But you ruined it," Milton continues. "You monkeys saw it as weakness. You killed Addo, hoping we'd never return."
My father starts to shake. I grab his hand. He pulls away.
"That can't be true," he says. "Too many died."
"You offer nothing," Milton says. "Years of protection, and you give me nothing. No Ance. No people. Nothing of value."
He looks around the room.
"So this ends now!"
Silence.
"With the deaths of the thirteen main families, Ghar falls. The world courts already know. Ahk. Tobe. Wara. Khiz. They all get their chance at what remains."
Gasps fill the room. Children cry. Hands reach for weapons that aren't there.
Milton raises a hand.
"I'll give you a choice. Bow to me. Become my slaves. I'll grant you pacts. Power. Protection."
He smiles wider.
"Or die. And your people become slaves anyway."
"I refuse," my father says. His voice cuts through the noise. "As Addo's son… no. As the son of the man who made the Seventh Law. I refuse you."
Milton sighs. "A shame."
"You're not scared?" my father asks. "We outnumber you."
"Twenty monkeys don't threaten one man," Milton says, walking back to his seat.
He looks at his daughter.
She stands.
Her eyes glow. A red sigil burns on her hand. A dragon swallowed by a fish.
"As a service," Milton says, "you all die."
The room freezes.
"Do you know how dragons grow stronger?" he asks.
No one answers.
"They kill the weak. Humans. Goats. Animals. It doesn't matter."
"Why do we have to die?" someone whispers.
"So they can grow, so she can grow. My perfect daughter." Milton says.
He repeats it. Calm. Certain.
"You all must die."
Amelia lifts her hand. She smiles.
A child. About my age.
About to kill us.
I step forward.
A roar cuts through the room.
The small dragon opens its mouth.
The cold spreads fast. Heavy. Crushing.
Something I've never felt.
Everyone stops. Frozen in place from fear.
My chest pounds.
The dragon opens its mouth. Light builds inside. Bright white, then it shifts to silver.
I move.
I grab Zara and slam her against the ground as the light grows.
Ice explodes from the dragon.
Not one shape. Not one form.
Spikes shoot across the room. Blocks crash into bodies. Thin shards cut through the air. Frost spreads over skin, over armor, over breath itself. The cold sinks deep. It doesn't stop at the surface. It takes your lungs. Your blood. Your will to move.
Everything slows.
Everything stops.
Beat.
BEAT.
BEAT.
My heart keeps going.
I push. I try to hold Zara below me. Ice takes her anyway. It crawls over her arms, her face, her eyes. It takes me next. My body locks. My eyes stay open.
I watch.
Milton walks through the frozen room like it's nothing. Amelia follows. Calm. Silent.
He cuts them down.
One by one.
Frozen bodies shatter. Ice cracks. Blood stains the floor beneath the frost. The dragon drinks the blood.
My father falls.
His body hits me. The impact cracks the ice around my chest. Zara shifts too. The ice fractures, but not enough.
My breath shortens.
My father's head rolls beside me.
I try to scream.
Nothing comes out.
I try to move.
Nothing.
I try to cry.
NOTHING.
Milton walks past us. He knocks on the door in a pattern.
The doors open.
Soldiers flood in. Fire spreads fast. Wood burns. Clothes burn. Bodies burn.
Smoke fills the room.
Amelia looks at me.
I meet her eyes.
I want to look away. Her form obscured by the ice.
I can't.
There's something there. Not pride. Not joy.
Something broken.
I hear ships. Movement. They're leaving.
Time passes.
I hate this.
I hate being …..
We were all meant to die here.
NO.
I refuse.
Heat presses in. Smoke chokes me. Ice cuts into my skin.
I REFUSE.
I feel my fingers.
I feel my heart.
I feel something deeper.
I REFUSE.
I close my eyes.
I REFUSE TO DIE..
Something moves inside me. My soul. My spirit. It rises with each beat.
I REFUSE TO DIE HERE.
Power surges.
White energy cracks through the dark.
Words form.
Not learned.
Not taught.
But mine.
"In mirrored steps, the world bends true,
No power held is yours, but new.
"One form, yet many, across all tides,
A ghost unfading, where truth divides.
Edict: Reflected Pride
The ice bends to me.
It doesn't break. It moves. It twists. It flows fast, like it's alive.
I ran to my father.
I already know.
His head is gone.
I look at the blood. I look at the floor.
Something tears out of me. A sound I don't recognize. Wind bursts from my body, pushing everything away.
I turn.
Zara.
I ran to her. I stop right in front of her frozen form.
For a moment, I hesitate.
She wanted this. She chose this. She was ready to die.
So why save her?
I stare at her face. Still. Frozen.
All I feel is how empty everything is.
How quiet it will be without her.
Kell might still be alive. But it doesn't matter. No one lasts long here. Not in Ghar.
I don't want to be alone.
Even if she hates me.
Even if she despises me.
I need someone.
Maybe it's selfish. Maybe it's guilt. Maybe I don't want to carry her death too.
I reached out.
The ice falls.
Slow.
Careful.
It falls away from her skin.
She doesn't move.
I touch her face.
Cold.
Gone.
My chest tightens.
"I killed you," I whisper.
The words break.
"I'll KILL you," I say again. Louder now.
"I'll kill YOU!"
It repeats. Over and over. Faster. Sharper. Until it's all I hear.
"I'LL KILL YOU!"
My voice cracks.
My hands shake.
"I'll kill you, AMELIA!"
I hear it.
A breath.
Small. Faint.
I freeze.
Then it hits me.
She's alive.
My chest breaks. Air rushes in. My legs give out as I drop beside her.
Tears fall before I can stop them.
"Thank you," I whisper.
Again.
"Thank you."
I press my forehead against hers, shaking.
"Thank you… thank you… thank you…"