The baleful mist blew over my face as the group and I tried to navigate through the thick smog. Emovi coughed as the wind blew into her face. She started to complain about it, and Aylin started to point out that the mist wasn't normal.
I looked out into the horizon but couldn't see anything due to the mist. The spark of Dexterity emerged from my cheek again and it was as if Devina was encouraging me to head to the capital as quickly as possible. Not only was it Devina who was telling me to go there but also the Aeon of Freedom itself inside of me was fluctuating when I thought of heading towards the capital Fukviyu.
There was something fishy going on. Both the Aeon of Dexterity and Freedom were reacting heavily when this mist came. Aylin suddenly pulled on my shirt and told me that there was something strange on the horizon. As we peered into the vast sea, we saw the silhouettes of thousands of ships approaching the coast.
"Ships?" I said confusedly.
"Why are there so many ships…?" Aylin asked.
And then that's when one of the loudest sounds I have ever heard in the world erupted in front of us.
All the mist in the area was swept away by a massive pressure wave. Emovi's and Aylin's eardrums ruptured and started bleeding as the pressure wave crashed against us. We crashed into a wall of stones and that's when I saw what caused it. In the ocean were thousands of ships carrying thousands of Dragons. My ears rang as I stumbled up from the rubble and saw the scene in front of me.
A silver sword the size of a whole city had been thrown right into the ships. The swing alone from that sword managed to create such a powerful shockwave… but if that sword was to shatter then…
I hurriedly activated the Aeon of Freedom and covered Emovi and Aylin in a protective shell made out of the black goo. Emovi was shaking and tearing up as she tried to read Aylin's lips.
"I wish for recovery."
All of us got healed and then came the moment I had been scared of.
I could see through the barrier and saw how the dragons tried to jump off their ships trying to avoid what was coming next but up in the sky riding his silverblade stood the silver saint with his arm stretched out.
There was only one ship that was heading away from the coast.
Isadora screamed out towards her fellow dragons. But her screams were drowned out by the waves. She reached out with her hand trying to do something. She unhurled her wings and tried to fly towards the silver saint.
"DON'T!"
Glei grabbed onto her leg and pulled her back before she could fly away doing something reckless.
"DON'T GO!" Isadora screeched towards the ships still closing in on the silver sword.
All of her crewmates tried to pull her back and they eventually subdued her. They held her down on the deck but Isadora's eyes never left that silver sword.
As her despondent eyes floated up into the sky she saw the silver saint plunge down his hand.
"You creatures shouldn't be allowed to exist, causing endless human suffering just from existing," the silver saint said.
"Now die. SHATTER!"
Cracks in the sword filled with light as the sword plunged deeper into the ocean bed.
The cracks grew larger and outer pieces of the sword fell into the ocean freezing it. But what remained was a holy sword made out of the purest silver. It illuminated the entirety of the night sky. The dragons covered their eyes as the blinding light pierced through.
"SILVER SAINT!!!" Isadora screamed as her subordinates held onto her.
The sword was slowly lifted into the sky. It was as if witnessing the birth of a star. But then the sword started to gain momentum as it swung. As it did, massive winds blew towards Isadora and she felt how her boat floated further and further away.
As it swung the surrounding waters and the ships it touched exploded. Isadora watched as an entire fleet of dragons was utterly decimated and erased from existence. Not even their boats or corpses remained as everything had been shattered into billions of silver shards.
A giant tsunami started to form from the energy released. The waves swallowed everything that had escaped the initial blast and not a single dragon was left alive.
The silver saint turned his head towards the direction of the capital.
"Next."
He went full throttle towards the capital and disappeared into the mountains.
Everyone on Isadora's ship stood still and couldn't understand what they had just witnessed. All of them were shaking and horror filled their eyes.
"This… isn't something we can beat," Glei collapsed onto her knees.
Other dragons started to contemplate whether this war was worth it. There was no way that they could beat the Silver Saint.
"No, we still have Nale our supreme commander and our king on our side, this is too early to give up," one subordinate said.
"That's right… THAT'S RIGHT! WE STILL GOT NALE AND KING URYO!" Another person said.
"They are gonna put that silver saint in his place and show him what it means to be a dragon. Right?! Isn't that right Captain?" They turned towards Isadora.
Isadora sat with her eyes still staring at the pile of silver.
"No…"
Her subordinates went silent.
"No… can't this just stop! We are just wasting lives!" That was what she wanted to say but all that could leave her mouth was the sound of incoherent muttering.
"Captain?"
The words of her friends shot through her. She remembered the day she got assigned as the time monarch by King Uryo. After the ceremony, she remembered how Glei and Wolte told her that if she ever needed help she could always rely on them. But looking to her side right now, she saw the hopelessness in Glei's eyes. Then she remembered Wolte's charred body, she relied too much on them and now both of them had been seriously injured because of her.
Because of her, almost all her subordinates lost their lives, and because of her, the raid on Nautilus killed thousands of innocent people. Because of her, hundreds of children were massacred without even knowing why. Because of her, the blood of her people spilt onto the beaches of Nautilus. Because of…
She couldn't even think anymore, she just wanted to lose all her responsibility and jump into the ocean and sink… sink… until she reached the bottom of the ocean where no one could help her anymore. She just wanted to be alone and not think anymore. It was all her fault, her fault for being born with such an ability yet the inability to lead her people to prosperity with it. If only she hadn't been born at all then maybe all these people would have lived long and peaceful lives.
That's when she felt someone's hand on her head.
"Having those thoughts again now are my Queen?"
Her eyes lit with a shine as she saw Wolte standing before her.
"Those doctors back on the islands are pretty good," Wolte said as he swung around his arm.
He suddenly shifted his gaze back onto Isadora and saw that she was close to breaking apart.
Everyone on the ship was equally confused by the arrival of Wolte.
Glei asked him if he had really flown all the way here.
"Sure did, what about it?"
"You are really a dutz you know… flying for hours instead of taking a ship."
"Hey hey, don't insult the electro dragon Wolte, leading general of the time monarch."
Glei scoffed at his title and told him to get Isadora into her room to rest while she thinks of some way to communicate with Nale about the Silver Saint.
Without hesitation, Wolte scoops up Isadora in front of all her subordinates and carries her in his arms. Her face turned red as he carried her towards her room.
"Put me down! I can walk myself!" Isadora started to hit Wolte's chest.
But he just ignored her and continued to carry her. They finally reach her bed and he gently puts her down.
The flush on her face vanished as she got to see his face for another time.
"What's wrong now my Queen?"
She remained silent and stared at her bedsheets.
Wolte knew immediately what she was thinking about as he observed her somber expression.
He sat down by her bedside and stroked away the strands on her cheek.
"You can't be doubting yourself right now my Queen."
"Stop calling me, my Queen," Isadora sternly told Wolte.
"Then look at me Isadora, look into my eyes and tell me what is wrong."
It was as if Isadora wasn't listening to what Wolte was saying.
He pulled Isadora's face towards him only for her to pull her face away avoiding even looking at him.
Wolte stood up and told her that he was going to go ask Glei about the situation and he would be there if she needed him.
He then waved at her and closed the door behind him.
"I don't want you guys to be a part of that war, I don't want you guys to die because of me." She started to sob as she remembered all that had happened. She wiped away her tears with her bedsheets but no matter how many times she did it, more tears would just pour out of her eyes. She couldn't hold it back anymore and she started to sob uncontrollably. Standing right outside the door, Wolte stood there listening to Isadora crying but then he left her alone.
He knew it would be better to leave her to collect her thoughts for a moment before trying to talk to her again.
In a private room, Glei sat there explaining everything that had happened so far to Wolte. About the invasion of Nautilus, Allegrano and most importantly the Silver Saint.
As he heard the name, his fists clenched in rage. But then he tried to calm himself, trying to hear Glei out first.
"So the Silver Saint is currently heading towards the capital city where Nale the frost monarch is currently invading. We want Nale to be prepared for the Silver Saint so we need a way to communicate with him."
Glei tapped her chin trying to come up with a way to get the message to Nale quickly enough and that's when her eyes locked onto Wolte.
A grin emerged on her face as she stared at Wolte.
"Why the fuck are you looking at me like that?"
"Oh proud electro dragon and leading general of the time monarch, I beseech you."
Wolte's face filled with cringe as those words left Glei's lips.
Sighing heavily Wolte asked if she wanted him to deliver the information to Nale before the silver saint.
Glei put her hands together and begged him to do it.
"How much are you paying me?"
"How about two hamburgers when we get home?"
"Sounds good enough."
Wolte went back towards Isadora's room and knocked on her door before opening it.
He saw Isadora standing by the window and staring into the ocean.
"You really like the sea don't you?"
Isadora turned around surprised by Wolte's arrival.
"Wolte?"
"I will be going out on a mission for a little bit."
Wolte turned around but before he could leave Isadora called out his name.
"Please… don't go."
"But this is a really important mission."
"Please…"
Isadora grabbed his hand with a firm grip not letting it go.
"I don't want you to go out there, I don't want you to get hurt again…"
Without warning, Wolte extended his hand and started to headpat Isadora.
"We are Dragons, we are meant to follow our king and do what benefits him. It is in our blood to follow our king's steps of guilt."
"But.. what if we just… cast away our responsibility and forget what is in our blood?" Isadora said with her hand shaking.
Wolte grabbed Isadora's hand and placed it onto his chest.
"Can you hear my heart?"
Isadora nodded and asked him why.
"The guilt which makes King Uryo into the Aeon of Guilt is inside of you. The guilt you are feeling inside your heart is what makes you a dragon."
Isadora's eye lights up as his words pierce through her.
"You are the time monarch because you carry the pain of every memory that comes with time. You are not the weakest monarch out there, you have been bearing the pain of memory for all the dragons all by yourself."
Isadora's grip loosened and her arms fell limp.
"I know this because I have always been by your side. You are the kindest person to exist, yet you bear the heaviest burden of all the dragons. So please… rely on us, Isadora."
Isadora turned away from Wolte and started to walk back towards her window.
"Wolte, I honestly don't know anymore."
She interlaced her hands behind her back.
"My shadow holds so many bloody hands. I have been responsible for so many lives lost. I could have held out if it were the souls of people I didn't know but when it comes to my people, I don't know if I could ever forgive myself if your name was just a "past". After hearing what you said, I think I don't regret becoming the time monarch, it was just my responsibility and guilt as a dragon but what I had to do afterwards, bearing all the souls that followed with me. I carry the guilt of the dead and I'm just too weak to continue."
She felt two pairs of hands wrapped around her waist.
"Then let me carry the weight of the dead with you."
She turned around with a light smile.
"And how are you planning on doing that?" She smacked his head barely reaching it while standing on her tiptoes.
"By always being here for when you need me, my name is always yours."
"Wolte."
He looked down at her but she was hiding her face in his chest.
"Wolte."
"Wolte."
"Why are you just repeating my name over and over?"
"You said that your name is mine. So I am gonna use it as many times as I want so I don't ever let you go."
That's when he saw the soft expression on her face. Her eyes were red from crying, her lips were shaking from sobbing and her hair was all over the place. But she still had this endearing look on her face, a look showing that she was satisfied.
"You better now?"
She nodded and wiped the remaining tears off her face before bringing her face close to his chest again. She listened to his heartbeat and just repeated his name over and over again in her head.
"I gotta go now, before it is too late."
A sad expression grew on Isadora as Wolte started to head out. It was his responsibility as a dragon to do this. But Isadora still couldn't shake off the feeling that he might put himself in danger.
"Wait!"
Wolte stopped and turned around and that's when Isadora ran at him and grabbed his head and pulled it down towards her before giving a light kiss on his cheek.
"Good luck Wolte, please return safely."
He rubbed his cheek where she had just kissed and smiled blushing a little bit before turning into sparks of lightning and dashing across the ocean racing against the silver saint.