Not expecting sudden effect, Hiccup fell on his bum. He landed in a dark, open place. The place was unknown to him.
The boy was not sure what to make of it; it was rather hot in temperature, and there was a familiar, rumbling sound. It did not take him long to realise that he was in Dragon Island.
Hiccup did not have any light source. Instead, he used his Kinship Stone to provide one. The mechanical wing unfolded itself as the stone began to glow. The illumination brightened the place, as well as the inhabitant. The boy widened his eyes when he saw something in front of him.
It was a massive black dragon, looking like a Night Fury. The shape was ever-changing, almost chaotic. He could not see more since the dragon was curled on the ground, and the head was as big as the village.
There were dark, fluid-like tendrils moving around the chamber, as well as floating black orbs that looked like eyes. The dragon was obviously asleep.
Hiccup took a step back, which made a bit of noise. Yellow eyes snapped open and stared directly at him. The boy flinched when it suddenly pierced into his mind, going through them within seconds. Then, it began to move and stand from the ground. He panicked as he rushed to find a way out.
"Wait."
The boy stopped upon hearing that. The voice was familiar. He slowly looked up to the massive pair of yellow eyes. They were so far up above him. "... Furious?"
"Charcoal?" The eldritch-looking Night Fury responded. He was surprised to see him. "How are you..."
There was a pause as they stared at each other. Eventually, the giant dragon decided to speak. "You found the crystal." He spoke in his mind. "You discovered what happened."
Hiccup slowly regained his bearings. "... you lied to me." He whispered. "I was never your son."
Furious widened his eyes. That sentence felt hurt in his heart. He did not expect Hiccup to find out on his own. The fact that he found the crystal meant that he knew about himself for quite some time.
He knew this would happen. Furious knew Charcoal would find out; his foresight predicted it. He should have told him that secret all those years ago. It would have prevented this situation.
However, Furious was so afraid to lose him, he ignored his own advice. He had to think of something to salvage the situation. He could not lose another son.
"Charcoal, I am your father. You are my son, even if you are adopted." Furious seemed to retort. "I... didn't expect you to discover this so soon."
"You altered my mind and changed my identity." The boy searched around for a way out. "You made me believe I served under Merciless."
"You did serve under Merciless." Furious insisted. Hiccup could feel him searching for context in his mind. "The other mana circuit set in you was from my deceased son. You are my son; I want you to be my son. And my son used to serve under him."
Hiccup had no idea how to respond to that. He was still searching for a way out. "You took me from my home."
"I took you from your home, because you are a Lycanwing." The eldritch Night Fury retaliated. "How do you think I found you? I sensed you transforming in your room, having no mind of your own. Had I not taken you away, the Vikings would have killed you."
Hiccup paused as he stared at him. "Do you give your words for that?"
"I give you my words for it." Furious agreed. "If you don't trust me, I'll show you the memory."
The boy reached the telepathic connection the eldritch dragon made. He read and watched the memory he showed him.
Hiccup watched his younger self transforming into a Night Fury in the middle of the night. There was no scream, but had he been awake, he would feel the painful process.
When the transformation was done, the dragon was not of his own. He almost trashed the room, until Furious took control of his mind.
The dragon went completely still, before carefully putting everything back in place. The memory ended when he flew out from the house through the window, disappearing into the night.
When that memory ended, Hiccup simply faltered. Furious was telling the truth. However, that did not explain some other things. "But... why did you lied to me?"
"Because you were not ready." Furious answered.
Suddenly, Hiccup felt one of the tendrils stabbed his neck. Instead of blood, it melded itself into him. He could feel something blending with his mana; it passed through his circuits.
The boy felt his body limped as he was lifted off the ground. Hiccup kept going up and up, until he saw the eldritch Night Fury at eye level.
The boy grunted when he felt his body transform. He began to glow as he grew into quadruped dragon. At the same time, more black tendrils pierced into his growing body. When the light ended, Hiccup had become Charcoal. There were multiple tendrils attached to his body.
Two giant yellow eyes stared at the terrified Night Fury. "But I've waited long enough for this."
Charcoal gasped as he felt something from within. Furious was somehow altering him, forcing some sort of controlled mutation. He shut his eyes as something was ripped away from him. The young Night Fury felt pressure building up, before something finally popped out.
"Harr..." The young Night Fury felt immensely relieved. Opening his eyes, he saw a large bright white-purple, grape-like crystal. It was as big as his head, and it was attached to a tendril.
Charcoal recognised what it was. "The Lycanwing Crystal."
"We call them; Aberrant Stone." Furious whispered in his mind. "Do you know what they are for?"
"No?"
"Forcing controlled mutation." The eldritch Night Fury revealed. "You have mutated enough for me to pull them out. I have cured you from Lycanwing disease."
Charcoal did not know what to say. He felt both relieved and scared; relieved that he was finally cured from Lycanwing and remained as a dragon; scared of what Furious would do to the crystal. There were too many unknown things, and it scared him.
As expected, Charcoal felt something changed within. The crystal began to shrink and disappear as it was used. The young Night Fury limped as he began to change once more.
His body shimmered as he turned back and forth between forms, alternating between human and dragon. Eventually, it ended with Charcoal in his dragon form.
Furious looked pleased with himself. "There you go." He whispered in his mind. "Try it."
The young Night Fury regained some of his mobility. He looked at his paws; it turned almost humanoid, before turning into human hand, and turned back to his dragon claws.
Charcoal stared with wide-eyed expression. He could turn his body to become human or dragon, and something in between.
Charcoal did just that. His body shimmered as he began to shrink to humanoid shape. Instead of finishing the transformation, he stopped somewhere in the middle.
He could not properly see himself, but he could feel draconic hands and scales. His clothes were also humanoid.
"How do you feel?"
The humanoid dragon looked back at the giant yellow eyes. Charcoal did not know what to say. "I still want my answers."
Charcoal felt himself transforming back to his full dragon form. Then, he was lifted much higher up, before reaching a familiar-looking balcony.
It was the main entrance into Furious' lair. The tendrils slowly detached themselves from him, and once he landed at the bright balcony, they fully retreated into the darkness.
There was a moment where he heard something moving in the darkness. Not long after, the familiar figure of Greater Alpha Furious walked out from the darkness. His yellow eyes were incredibly saddened.
"Charcoal." Furious began. He did not know how to start the conversation. "I'm sorry."
It took Charcoal some time to process what happened. He did not expect the crystal to transport him there. "All this time..." The young dragon whispered. "You knew what I am."
The ancient black dragon knew that was coming. "Yes."
There was another pause. They did not know what to say. Charcoal did not expect him to be there. He had suspected that Furious had something to do with this, but hearing the full fact was a whole different matter.
Furious lowered his head. "I'm sorry for hiding this from you."
"You lied to me." Charcoal whispered. He remembered their conversation last year. "You told me it was your biggest secret."
"It is my biggest secret!" Furious insisted, before clarifying. "Just... one of my many big secrets."
The young dragon was about to argue when he realised something. While the secret did not seem that impactful, it was very much so to his life. At least before he knew who he was.
"It's not your biggest secret to me." The young dragon retaliated. His eyes glistened. "I trusted you to keep your promise. Why did you lie to me?"
There was a brief silence. The greater alpha dragon hesitated to answer that question. "Because I'm afraid."
"Afraid of what?"
"Afraid that I'll lose another son." Furious confessed. His wings slumped to the side. "... I thought I could tell you when you're ready."
"I have to find out everything about myself." Charcoal growled. "All by myself. You were never going to tell me!"
"And you think your human father is going to tell you?" The greater alpha dragon retaliated. Seeing his surprised expression, he continued speaking. "Your father knows what you are. He knew everything since he was very young. He was supposed to tell you long ago."
"What are you talking about?"
"Charcoal, you were never a human." Furious answered that question. "You're a pure, full-blooded Haddock Night Fury. You hatched from an egg!"
The young dragon took a step back. "I am born human!"
"Your mother is a Night Fury, cursed to be a human." The greater alpha dragon insisted. "Your father comes from a long line of Night Fury blood. Hiccup the First is a dragon. His dragon name is Marduk."
Charcoal could only stare. "How can I trust your word if all you did was lying to me?"
"I'm not lying. Please." Furious pleaded. "My mind is open to you."
The young dragon entered the mind of the greater alpha dragon once more. He did not trust a word Furious had told him. Instead, he searched and read the knowledge himself.
According to Furious' mind, Valka was a female Night Fury who immigrated out from Hidden World. She was roughly the same age as Stoick Horrendous Haddock. They met at the age of 15, where Stoick found her trapped inside a net. Instead of killing her, they became friends together.
Stoick wanted to become a deviant dragon hunter. It was partially why he spared her instead of killing her. Other than Gobber and Stoick's father, the village had no idea of their friendship. They only vaguely aware of his wish.
They also met Alexander Haddock, but he was too busy handling deviant crisis in Americas at the time. He refused to train them because of his schedule. As such, they had to train how to hunt by themselves.
For 10 years, Stoick and Valka went on adventure across Barbaric Archipelago. The region was relatively safe, meaning deviants were rare and weaker compared to the mainland. They hunted deviants that wished to harm the village.
However, it all came to an end. Valka was cursed by a witch to become human. They retired from the adventure and decided to live together at Berk. They eventually fell in love and married five years later.
Months later, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third was born. Valka gave birth to an egg, which hatched into a human.
Both Stoick and Valka knew about Furious. Valka was the one who told him everything about their lives. However, after she was kidnapped, Stoick started going for expedition to hunt him down. Furious had no choice but treat Berk like many other villages.
Stoick thought Furious had gone rogue and killed his wife.
Charcoal was in shock. "... you knew." He whispered. "All this time... you knew..."
Furious lowered his head. "Yes."
The young dragon continued reading his mind. He searched for explanation to his phenomenon. Furious was aware that Charcoal was an unusual case. It was related to his family history.
The Haddock family line was draconic.
Hiccup the First, the ancestor of Haddock family, was a Night Fury named Marduk. He was the human described in the Legend of Haddock. Long time ago, he sacrificed himself and became human to end the war between humans and dragons.
His dragon form was sealed, and he was to remain human. He was also cursed to only be attracted to humans. The curse and seal were passed on to his children, which would later formed the Haddock family.
For every generation, the dragon blood was diluted with human ones. When they discovered a way to break the seal, the true form had already become bipedal dragon with wings.
In 900s, only children born from first partner would retain their blood. In 1500s, it shrunk to only first born from first partner.
The family tree was very complicated.
Stoick was meant to be the last. However, the curse never stopped him from falling in love with Valka Haddock. They thought Hiccup would be born as human. They had accepted the fate of Haddock family.
When she gave birth to an egg, they realised they had found a loophole within. They inadvertently refreshed the dragon blood. Hiccup was born as full-blooded Night Fury without the curse. All that left was the seal.
Stoick knew about this, which was why he never told him about it.
However, that seal was partially broken when he became a Lycanwing.
Furious tried to break the seal, but the disease prevented him from doing so. For some reason, somehow, it had taken control of the seal. It was impossible to break them without killing him. He determined that Charcoal's mana circuit had to adapt in order to break that seal.
When Charcoal mutated and broken through Furious' False Mind, it had also broken the seal. Ironically, the Lycanwing disease had mutated and adapted itself within his body. It was how he was able to transform between human and dragon form at will.
What Furious did was extracting the Lycanwing disease. It was possible because the seal was broken. Then, he used the Aberrant Stone to integrate the transformation ability into his mana circuit. This resulted in a better, more flexible shape.
Furious was tracking his presence in his mind. "I tried my best to break your seal." He confessed, getting his attention. "I thought that breaking your seal would give you freedom that you want. I thought you could leave your village and stay with me as a dragon."
Charcoal narrowed his eyes. "You have no right to make that choice."
"You're right. I don't." The greater alpha dragon admitted. "But I know you don't belong in your village."
The young dragon wanted to argue. He wanted to retaliate. However, there was no argument he could use against that.
He remembered the time when Snotlout bullied him for being weaker. Astrid would taunt him whenever he made a mistake. Tuffnut and Ruffnut often pranked him. The only one that tolerated him was Fishlegs, but he was a coward that helped them bullying him.
There was also the fact that they stole things from him.
The village disliked him for being small. When he got bigger, they did not want to associate with him because he was different. Charcoal had come to terms with this after the failed Alatreon hunt. He stopped caring after reaching his own enlightenment.
His father, Stoick the Vast, was the only one who care for him. Despite his tough love and lack of emotional intelligence, he did his best to help him fit within the village.
Stoick was a flawed father who tried his best.
The biggest turning point was after he killed the giant Monstrous Nightmare. The village became largely neutral, and his father started to trust his judgment. The fact he trusted him to design ships and cannons was testament to that.
Gobber told him that he could be more than just that.
"Yes. I don't belong in my village." Charcoal answered, staring at the greater alpha in front of him. "Because I have outgrown them."
Furious was surprised to hear that. "Outgrown them?" He repeated. "Charcoal, they don't like you. I've seen what they did; what those children did; and your father. They shouldn't treat you like that."
"They shouldn't, but I endured." The young dragon straightened himself. "I was never one of them, because I've always been more than that. I was more than just a Viking. I am a dragonsmith and a deviant dragon hunter."
It was the conclusion he got when he achieved his enlightenment. He had always been different. For so long, he tried to adapt in the village. He tried to gain their acceptance by doing things he knew, such as making contraption. This only made things worse.
In his effort to adapt, he had forgotten the milestone he made throughout his journey. He knew many different languages, when the village barely knew how to read. He surpassed his mentors within few years, when it took them decades and centuries to learn.
He accomplished so much in pursuit of acceptance he barely got.
The greater alpha dragon probed his mind through their connection. Charcoal allowed him to see his enlightenment. It took him few minutes to understand what he meant by that.
Furious found himself impressed and relived by the conclusion. He did not have to convince him to leave his village behind. "I understand." He whispered as he closed his eyes. "... what do you want to do now?"
"I want to migrate to Hidden World." Charcoal answered. "There's nothing for me and my family to gain here. The surface is getting too dangerous."
The greater alpha dragon wanted to stop him. He did not want Charcoal to leave the region altogether. However, he was reminded of his discovery yesterday. The Northern Alliance had set their target to the Isle of Berk, and he knew what they want.
The faction was not to be underestimated. They were in possession of a deviant greater alpha dragon.
Unless he negotiated something with Merciless, he could not guarantee Charcoal's protection in the region. At least until Northern Alliance had been eradicated. Charcoal and his family would be safer in Hidden World under Wodensfang.
Charcoal caught Furious' thoughts. "Northern Alliance planning something?"
It was when Furious remember that he was still in his mind. "Charcoal-"
"No." The young dragon interrupted. "I want to see this."
Charcoal searched his mind for any knowledge about his concern. He discovered that Furious had done his investigation on the recent deviant incursion. It was connected to different anomalies that occurred within Isle of Berk.
According to Furious' research, the Northern Alliance was looking for powerful dragon species to be turned into a deviant. They knew about Haddock Night Fury, which made the island their prime target. The incursion that happened in the past 15 years were all their doing.
Ascal the deviant spy had been at Berk for decades. The Northern Alliance sent him there when they heard about Hiccup being born from an egg. It was unknown how they knew, but they sent a spy to observe. They wanted to know if Hiccup was worth kidnapping.
They were responsible for the Lycanwing attack all those years ago.
When Hiccup was old enough, during the treaty signing, they sent a deviant Monstrous Nightmare to test him. They knew Alexander Haddock would be there to bail him out. Just like many other Vikings, Ascal was there to observe.
They accelerated their plan when the deviant meant for Spain was killed in Barbaric Archipelago. Hiccup was considered responsible for this. Even Furious thought Hiccup did it to limit their influence in Europe.
At the same time, the Northern Alliance lost their spy.
Furious used Psychic-Force to read the Vikings' minds about the latest incursion. What he found was short of amazement and alarming. He saw the result of draconic cannon. He was impressed.
Regardless, the greater alpha dragon had concluded that they were there to capture Stoick the Vast. It was why they tasked Ascal to lead the incursion. The setbacks had changed their plan.
They were getting desperate.
Valka Haddock was kidnapped 14 years ago. The dragon raid was unscheduled, meaning it was planned by the Northern Alliance to take her away. It was unknown if she was alive, or if they managed to break the curse.
However, since they made an attempt to take Stoick away, Furious believed the former. He had to ask Merciless for information regarding her. That was yesterday.
According to Merciless, Valka Haddock was alive.
"Hrrk!" Charcoal took a step back as Furious kicked him out from his mind. Staring at the terrified yellow eyes, the young dragon whispered. "My mom is alive..."
"Charcoal. I just found out about this yesterday." Furious carefully spoke. He knew what he was thinking. "I don't want you to go to Greater Archipelago. Remember your arrest warrant."
The young dragon pondered what he just discovered. He could not believe what he found. "It was all their plot." Charcoal whispered. "They want Night Furies on their side."
"Charcoal!" The greater alpha dragon snapped, getting his attention. "I don't want you looking into it. I will handle this."
"How can I trust you to handle this if all you ever did is lying to me?!" Charcoal demanded. He was angry at the response. "They did this! They want powerful dragons!"
"They are desperate!" Furious roared back. He took a deep breath to calm himself. "Charcoal, please. It was a mistake for me to think about it. You're not supposed to know."
"What are you going to do about it then?" The young dragon demanded once more. "This is my family!"
Furious was angry. He knew Charcoal still considered Stoick his father. He should have never thought of that with Charcoal in his mind. It angered him that he wanted to charge head first for someone that neglected him.
Worse, he wanted to see someone that was never involved in his life.
"Stoick is not your family!" Furious roared. "I am!"
Silence. Charcoal stared with wide eyed expression. The greater alpha dragon was shaking with anger. "You're telling me that a man who barely care about you..." He whispered. "... is your father?"
The young dragon quietened. "He raised me."
"No. I raised you." Furious hissed his voice. "Ever since you have Lycanwing, I did the job that your father supposed to do. He was supposed to break your seal ten years ago, just like his father does. He was supposed to tell you everything ten years ago, just like his father does!"
Charcoal fell silent. The greater alpha dragon continued speaking. "I made sure you can survive as a dragon. For five years, I made sure you're safe from harm. I trained you with everything I know, while I searched for your cure. Is that not enough father for you?!"
The young dragon did not answer. He looked away, avoiding his stare.
Furious really did consider him his son. The sacrifice he made could not be ignored. For Charcoal, he did many things considered on par with Stoick the Vast.
That was the problem. Despite being a flawed father, Stoick did care for him. He did his best to protect him from harm. Despite his questionable method, he tried to help him adapt. It was the effort that mattered.
Furious was far from perfect. He had his own struggle to push through. They had problems with trust in their father-son relationship. The current situation was testament for that. Despite all this, they knew they meant well in their actions.
Charcoal realised he had to make a choice.
The young dragon pushed Furious out from his mind. "You've been a father to me." He admitted. Forest green eyes met the yellow ones. "But I can't ignore my birth father."
"Blood is not always thicker than water, Charcoal." Furious patiently explained. He sounded bitter. "My brother and I were raised by Gronckles, and we weren't even related by blood. My birth parents abandoned me because they couldn't be bothered sending me to the Imperial Egg Storage!"
Charcoal did not know what to say. "I still can't ignore him."
"Your father doesn't want you to know that you're a dragon." The greater alpha dragon further explained. "Your father was supposed to tell you everything. Your ancestors, including Stoick the Vast, were told about their heritage when they turned 5-year-old. Why not you?"
"I don't know!" The young dragon was frustrated. "He's probably afraid of what will happen next."
"And you think that's a good trait for a father?"
"I don't know." Charcoal sounded sarcastic. "Is it a good trait to maintain a never-ending war because they're afraid of what will happen next?"
There was a pause. Furious did not expect that answer. His anger died down as he thought of a response. "That's fair." He admitted. "But Charcoal-"
"No." The young dragon interrupted. He felt headache brewing in his head. "Just... let me think about this. I need some time alone."
The greater alpha dragon wanted to stop him. He mentally restrained himself from pushing it. "Okay." Furious took a step back. "Don't tell anyone. Please."
"I won't." Charcoal whispered, before walking out from the lair.
The young dragon did not fly away. He remained at the front of Furious' lair. Charcoal rested himself at the edge of the lava pool. He was massaging his ear nubs to ease the headache.
"Hrr..." Charcoal grumbled. 'Why is everyone hiding things about me?'
It had been his irritation for so long. Furious had plenty of secrets related to him. While he expected that from him, he did not expect them from Stoick. Charcoal wondered what his human father was thinking when he decided to keep everything secret from him.
Worst of all, the Northern Alliance knew about them. Charcoal wondered what he should do. The plan they orchestrated was incredibly deep. They were looking to obtain Night Furies and they were desperate for them. He must do something to foil that plan.
'They're looking to capture my father. If they have him, they can use him to capture my mother.' Charcoal pondered. 'They know how to break the seal. They're looking to breed Night Furies of their own. They'll have dragons that can match the arch alpha. If that happens, even Hidden World will not be safe.'
He wondered what he should do in that situation. He could always tell him about it, but that might lead to Stoick charging forward to Greater Archipelago. It would make him easier to capture, and thus, accelerated their plan.
Charcoal could always stay at Berk to protect him. However, there was no telling what they would do next. Worse case scenario, they might learn about his family. He must take action to mitigate this situation.
Preferably before Furious does.
"Charcoal?"
The young Night Fury blinked. He stood from the ground and turned to face the newcomer. It was Nemo the titan wing Deadly Nadder. "Hey, Nemo."
The dragon general was confused. "What are you wearing?"
Charcoal realised he was still wearing his draconic armour. He quickly thought of something. "I... started training to become a deviant hunter." The young dragon explained. "One of my friend introduced me to someone in Wodensfang's army. They gave me this outfit."
"I assume Henry set you up?" Nemo raised his brows. "You don't look comfortable in that outfit."
"I just have a headache. That's all." Charcoal gave him a smile.
"If you want, I have something to help numb the pain." The Deadly Nadder tapped the ground. A tiny sickly, purplish-green, thornless cactus flesh appeared on the ground in front of him. "Dewberry cactus flesh. The cactus grows delicious berries, but the flesh is a great head pain reliever. I have some in case I have to deal with Grosvenor."
The young dragon moved to eat the cactus flesh. He grabbed it with his tongue and gulped down the vegetable. Charcoal felt his headache numbed after few seconds. "Thanks, Nemo."
"It was no problem." Nemo fluttered his wings a bit. "How was your deviant hunter training?"
"Not much." Charcoal shrugged his wings. "We just did some theory work. There's no action yet."
"I heard you get paid a lot to work as deviant hunter under Wodensfang." The dragon general commented. "I'm thinking about retiring and work on something else. I need to look for something with higher salary."
The young dragon was confused. "I'm surprised you got paid. Furious never paid me."
Nemo let out a sigh. "This region doesn't really generate scales for everyone. Only quarter of my army got paid for their service." He expressed his complaint. "Couple Nature Shards and low grade Amethyst Scales aren't enough to raise 20 hatchlings, even if you hunt your own food."
Charcoal pitied the dragon general. He knew how he feel, since he had six hyperactive Night Fury hatchlings to raise. He could imagine what raising 20 hatchlings would look like.
It also reminded him of Nemo's mate. Agatha the Deadly Nadder. She must be incredibly exhausted dealing with them.
That made him wonder. "Has Agatha ever been paid for her service?"
"No. The army you commanded was a penal division. Exoneration is the payment." Nemo answered. He looked sad, presumably from remembering that day. "We're not supposed to tell you that."
"Harr..." The young dragon was annoyed. He did not like thinking about it. Charcoal tapped his claws as six Amethyst Scales appeared in front of him. "Here. Give these to Agatha."
Nemo stared at the purple, octahedral-shaped crystals with awe. It was slowly pulsing with power, which indicate extremely high quality. "How did you..." He whispered. "Those are A grade scales."
"Yes."
"And you're giving them to me?"
"They're for Agatha. Consider them her long-awaited salary." Charcoal remarked. The amount was more than enough to build a comfortable nest to raise 20 hatchlings for years. "Tell her that her former general had gotten her salary from Furious."
The Deadly Nadder carefully approached. He moved his claws to pull the Amethyst Scales into his mana pool. The crystals disappeared in yellow yellow flame. "I'll be sure to tell her."
"Go on now, before Furious change his mind."
"I will." Nemo nodded, before moving to fly away. However, he remembered the reason why he was there. "By the way, did you see a Scuttleclaw on your way here?"
"Scuttleclaw?" Charcoal repeated. "I've never seen that dragon before."
"Imagine a Nadder that look like a Zippleback with one head." The dragon general described. "I'm looking for a male purple-blue Scuttleclaw. He's a rogue from Caldera."
The young dragon found that strange. It was rare for rogue dragons to reach the surface. "What did he do?"
"He killed his own father to protect his siblings." Nemo answered, before realising what he had described. "That's what the report says. Did you see any dragon with that description?"
"I don't see any purple-blue Scuttleclaw on my way here." Charcoal answered. "I'll be sure to report them when I see one."
"That's all I ask." Nemo nodded, before taking off into the sky. He went up into the open sky above volcano, then turned to fly toward his destination.
After he left, Charcoal rested himself once more. He continued his brooding. 'Killed his own father, huh.'
That was when he felt the headache returning. It was significantly less than before. He found it difficult to think. 'Great. I might need more dewberry cactus.' He grumbled. 'I might need to ask Nemo for more later.'
He wondered why the Scuttleclaw killed his own father. From how Nemo said it, he was biased to the side of the rogue. It was most likely that the father was abusive to them. Otherwise, the father did something that prompted them to attack.
It reminded him of his own situation.
'... I can't believe I'm thinking about it.' Charcoal thought. He was surprised with himself. 'It should never be an option. What am I thinking?'
If Stoick died, the Northern Alliance must look for another candidate. This would paint a target on his back. However, if they fled to Hidden World before they learned about his death, they would be under Wodensfang's protection. It might save them from kidnapping attempt.
However, the thought of killing his human father made him anxious. Granted, it was common in different Viking tribes, but Hairy Hooligan tribe stopped doing that centuries ago. Additionally, Charcoal did care of his father.
'I don't want to make a choice. I don't want to choose between my family and dragonkind.' The young dragon thought. 'Why does my life have to be this complicated?'
Charcoal reached his mind to talk with Toothless. Unfortunately, she was asleep. Gryphon was asleep as well. He cursed under his breath. They were supposed to be awake. However, considering they had to deal with the hatchlings, he could not hold it against them.
He must do what was right.
"Sir Charcoal the Night Fury?"
The young dragon blinked. He turned to face the newcomer. It was a young Light Fury with leather backpack strapped on his body. "That's me."
The white dragon straightened himself. "I have a package for you." He opened his backpack and pulled out a package. It was something wrapped in thick cloth and hemp string. "Here you go."
Charcoal stood from the ground. He accepted the package. "Thanks." He expressed his gratitude. "Who sent them?"
"I don't know. It's a scheduled package from the Imperial Postal Service." The messenger dragon answered the question. He was apologetic. "There's no sender name or return address."
The black dragon inspected the package. It felt like a large book. "Any idea what's inside?"
"Classified by Arbitrator authorities. We're not allowed to know."
That was strange. "When was it sent?"
"About 400 years ago."
Charcoal was surprised. "That's a very long time."
"There's no limit on how far you can set the schedule for a package." The Light Fury elaborated. "The Imperial Postal Service simply make sure that the package arrives on time."
The Night Fury was confused to hear that. It was a package sent four centuries ago; he was not even born yet! He wondered how they knew he would be there. "Okay. Thanks for the package."
The messenger dragon bowed, before taking off into the air. He disappeared into the caverns above.
Charcoal cut the hemp string with his claws, before unfurling the thick cloth. It revealed some sort of red dragon-scaled book. The Night Fury knew what it was. The package was an original volume of 'Mana: Principles, Techniques and Tools'.
The embroidered golden scales had a carving of a snake. Opening the book, Charcoal noted that it was the 7th volume. It was genuine. There was a folded paper note slipped in there. "What the Hel...?"
Suddenly, the young dragon felt someone approaching. He quickly pulled the dragon book into his storage mana. It disappeared in blue flame.
Right after it was gone, Furious appeared from his lair entrance. "Charcoal?" He carefully called out. "Are you feeling okay?"
"Just a bit of headache." Charcoal approached the greater alpha dragon. "I need some fresh air to think."
"Harr..." Furious exhaled his breath. He must have been too quick when explaining the situation. "Do you plan to leave for Hidden World?"
"Yes, but not through Caldera. I'm currently wanted in Greater Archipelago." The young dragon answered. "We're planning to fly through the mainland to Arabian Peninsula. There's a Hidden World entrance there. Toothless said the arch alpha is friendly with Longfin Empire."
The greater alpha dragon frowned at that. "The Arabian Peninsula is under control of the Ottoman Empire." He explained what he knew. "Despite having dragons, they're not friendly with Arch Alpha Mukhtaar el-Yasin and his dragons. The caliphate and dragon authority has been at odds since 11th century. Try to avoid landing while in their surface territory."
"I'll keep that in mind." Charcoal nodded. He decided to bring up the previous topic. "Do you have a plan to deal with Northern Alliance in the region?"
"Not at the moment, no." Furious admitted.
"I see."
There was a long, awkward pause. They did not know what else to say. Charcoal turned around to leave. "I guess I'll go now." He decided. "Good bye, Furious."
For some reason, Furious knew something was wrong. However, considering he said his name instead of calling him 'father', he decided it was best not to press the matter. "Good bye, Charcoal."
The young dragon took off into the air. He flew out from the volcano, heading to the fog beyond.
The Helheim's Gate was a foggy sea with plenty of rocks and sea stacks. The thick fog darkened even the brightest days, which made them incredibly difficult to navigate.
Sailors typically avoided the place, mainly because of the dragons, and because not many had ever survived the venture. At least without rupturing their hull.
However, dragons had no problem navigating the place. Most usually flew through the fog, but few could avoid the fog by flying above them.
That was exactly what Charcoal was doing. Flying above the fog, the Night Fury felt conflicted. He had to take action; the fate of humans and dragonkind depended on it. At the same time, he did not have the heart to do it.
Charcoal could feel his eyes watering. 'How am I supposed to do this?' He thought. 'I can't kill my own father.'
It was then he understood the meaning of doing the right thing instead of the easy one. Stoick the Vast was his father. Remembering their moments, despite what the village did, he was the one that truly cared for him.
The mere thought of killing his father brought ache in his heart. Charcoal remembered their time together; the Viking who cared and saved his life. He was the one who had faith in him, despite everyone rejecting who he was.
Boom! Boom!
Charcoal snapped out from his thoughts. There were flashes of light at the fog, indicating its location. There were familiar shouts and roars, as if dragon raid was happening inside.
The young dragon shuddered his breath. The headache persisted for reasons unknown. Regardless, he steeled his will as he prepared himself. Once he numbed his emotion, Charcoal dove into the fog.
While the fog was thick, the Night Fury could see them. There were three longships in total, and they look heavily damaged. Dragons were retreating since the longships were sailing out. Charcoal would have to be the one to finish the job.
'If the ships are destroyed, they would assume that the expedition had failed.' Charcoal thought, slowing down and preparing his claws. '... I just need to take my father. No one else.'
The Vikings on the ship seemed to be cautious. That was expected, considering the attack had suddenly stopped. The Night Fury waved his claws as blue wires sprung out from them.
It shot through the ships and wrapped itself around them. Vikings were quick to move and crawl out of the way. They did not know what was happening.
Suddenly, they heard some sort of metallic clang. Two of the ships were suddenly sliced into hundreds of pieces.
Woods, leathers and metals flew everywhere as the blue wires cut them like hot knife on butter. The Vikings fell into water. There was no blood in the air, since Charcoal avoided killing them.
The third ship was the last one Charcoal needed. He detached the blue wires from his claws, and they attached itself to the ground.
The longship immediately halted to a stop, as the wires pressed them into the sea below. While the ship was not sinking, that prevented them from going anywhere.
Stoick the Vast was on that ship. Charcoal watched as his father gave commands to his Vikings. Some of the Vikings were in the water, crawling up onto any surface they could find. The chief saw someone he needed to get, before jumping down into the water.
That was the opportunity Charcoal needed. Before Stoick even touched the water, he was snatched midair by the black dragon. The chief struggled under his grip. The Night Fury held onto his back, before throwing him onto a large rock formation.
Stoick rolled around the platform, before pulling his axe and slammed them to the ground. It stopped him right at the corner - there was only fog, rocks and water below. Once everything calmed down, he stood from the ground and pulled out his axe.
Charcoal transformed as he landed on the platform. He took on humanoid shape, but not quite his human form. The black dragon had turned humanoid. He was still wearing his clothes, but his head was that of a Night Fury.
Charcoal did not want his father to recognise him. It was better if he looked like a deviant.
The two men stared at each other. Stoick was prepared to fight, while Charcoal braced himself to attack. The humanoid dragon pulled out his long sword. It refused to ignite its flame. Regardless, Charcoal took a deep breath, before rushing to attack.
Clang!
The axe and sword clashed together in a deadly dance. Charcoal swung his long sword down, which redirected to the side, then spun his sword following the momentum. Stoick used his shield and axe to block the swing, which pushed him to the side, away from the cliff behind him.
The humanoid dragon continued his advance. He swung from the side, but Stoick parried with his shield. The chief rushed to attack; he dashed with shield at the front, axe ready to swing.
Just as he did, Charcoal retreated and swung his sword. There was just enough distance for him to slice the axe handle into two.
The axe head flew across the platform, before sliding off the cliff, falling into the abyss. The two men paused as they realised Stoick had been disarmed. The chief dropped the handle, before pulling out his broad sword. They stared at each other, waiting for the first strike.
Eventually, Charcoal did. He swung his sword, blocked by the shield, narrowly dodged a stab, and repositioned himself. He swung and parried a low swing, redirected a stab, before spinning forward to elbow the helmet.
Stoick saw this coming; his shield blocked his arm, dropping his sword, he punched the humanoid dragon with his free hand.
Charcoal flinched back when the fist struck his jaw. Stoick stomped the hilt of the sword, sending it flying, before catching the handle midair.
The humanoid dragon recovered just enough to fight again. The chief moved for a swing, avoiding sword to his head, and bashed his shield to push him back. They put distance from each other, before readying themselves once more.
At that point, it was obvious to them that they were evenly matched. They were equal in strength and skill. Charcoal steeled his resolve as he changed his stance. He could not bottle the emotion for long. He needed to make it quick.
This time, Stoick was the one to attack. He ducked under a high swing, before retaliating with a low one. Charcoal read the movement, swung downward and parried the blow. However, he stomped the broad side of the sword, forcing Stoick to let go, before moving for a wide swing.
The chief used his shield but tilted them enough for the sword to hit the arm grip, making them stuck. Stoick threw the sword away, loosened his shield, before moving to bash Charcoal with it.
The humanoid dragon used his gauntlet to block the hit. He pushed them aside, before moving for a punch.
Stoick caught them in time, but Charcoal was prepared. He charged his mana and slammed his free hand to his chest. The chief grunted as he stumbled back. The impact had ignored his armour and went straight to his body.
Seeing clear opening, the humanoid dragon took the opportunity to pull out his dagger and rushed forward.
'He is your family.'
Charcoal hesitated at that thought. He stumbled forward, which delayed his rush. Stoick pulled out his own dagger and moved for a thrust. The humanoid dragon did not dodge nor stop his momentum. He crashed onto the chief.
The dagger pierced through his heart.
Then, silence.
The fight had finally ended. Charcoal dropped his dagger, before sliding away from the chief. He collapsed on the ground, accepting his fate. He could not kill his own family, even to save others.
Looking down, he touched the dagger embedded into him. It felt fitting to be killed by someone defending themselves.
Stoick moved to pick up his own sword. The fight was over, but it exhausted him. Standing up, he carefully moved to the down humanoid dragon. He needed to finish the fight. The chief stared at the forest green eyes. He was confused to see him silently crying.
Regardless, he raised his sword-
Suddenly, Charcoal's Kinship Stone activated itself. The mechanical wings unfolded, and the blue stone began to shimmer. Stoick completely stopped upon seeing them. He recognised the stone; it was the same one he gave to his son. The outfit and the sword - they were the same as his son.
The humanoid dragon looked like his son.
That was when it struck him. Stoick realised who he had been fighting. "... Hiccup?"
Shame.
His father recognised him.
Charcoal shuddered his breath. "Dad..." He whispered. "... I'm sorry."
The father threw the sword away. He moved to check everything; the mechanical sling, the Kinship Stone, the eyes - it was definitely Hiccup. Stoick felt tears dropping from his eyes. "No, no, no." He whispered. "Hiccup. Why..."
Charcoal choked as he felt blood in his mouth. "... I guess I wasn't even good as a dragon." He whispered as he stared to the sky. "I should've looked for other ways first..."
"Hiccup, why." Stoick whispered, almost demanded. "Why?!"
There was no answer. Charcoal had gone completely still.
Realising that was the end, the father simply cried. He pulled his son into a hug, wondering how they reached that point. Everything was forgotten as he grieved for his son. He did not know what to think.
For the second time in his life, Stoick had lost his family.
Meanwhile, Toothless was at the nest.
The mother dragon had recently woken up from her sleep. After checking and gathering her hatchlings, as well as waking up Gryphon, she checked her circuit bond with Charcoal.
When that failed, Gryphon made her attempt. They felt alarm when that failed as well. It usually worked even when they were unconscious. Something happened to him.
The last thing she remembered was Charcoal sneaking into Stoick's room. Something must have happened while they were asleep.
Which was why they were preparing to leave. The hatchlings decided to hold onto their mother this time. After preparing themselves, the two dragons went outside the nest. The sky was bright that day; no cloud was on sight. Toothless considered it the best weather to fly.
However, they were dragons on a mission. They needed to find Charcoal.
"Toothless!"
The two female dragons looked up.
Amber the Light Fury had returned! Toothless was ecstatic. "Amber!"
The white dragon landed at the balcony. "Did you miss me?"
"Skies above, I thought I'd never see you again." Toothless expressed her relief. However, she noticed something different with her best friend.
Amber was much bigger; roughly the same as her. Given her shape and posture, the white dragoness looked just as strong. Toothless saw her muscular figure and realised that she had gotten much stronger than before. It looked as if she had gotten a second puberty.
"Amber." The black dragoness slowly started. "What happened?"
"They accidentally mixed me up with a dragon candidate. Suddenly, I grew bigger and know how t fight." The Light Fury flexed her large strong wings. "It's very easy to escape Révélation after that. I even got the information back."
Toothless was impressed. "How do you feel?"
"Amazing. I can fly much faster now." Amber smirked as she posed her body. The white dragoness was showing off at this point. "I think I have to stay away from Caldera for a while. They didn't bother pursuing me to the surface after I escaped."
"They can't declare you rogue without revealing Révélation. My dad most likely exiled you." Toothless guessed. She seemed rather distracted."Anyway, did you see Charcoal on your way here?"
"No. Why do you ask?"
"I can't find him anywhere." The mother dragon explained. "I tried to use our circuit bond - It's a thing for us to communicate from long range. But it doesn't work."
That concerned Amber. "Maybe he's sleeping?"
"I can read his mind even when he's asleep." Toothless further explained. "Something happened with him. We need to find him."
"Where do you think he could be?" The Light Fury questioned.
"Berk. Isle of Berk." The mother dragon answered. She was concerned. "That's where he was before."
Amber looked at the silver dragon. "And who's this?"
"Hey." Gryphon raised her claw. "I'm Gryphon. My dad adopted me last year."
Amber was about to respond when they heard flaps of wings. Looking up, they saw several dragons flying around the place. Toothless recognised one of them - General Nemo, mate of Agatha. The large Deadly Nadder was flying down to land at the balcony.
Upon arriving there, the Deadly Nadder looked at Toothless. He looked serious. "Toothless, where's Charcoal?"
"I don't know." The mother dragon answered, preparing for a flight. "I was just about to look for him."
"No. Something just happened." General Nemo stopped her. He looked urgent. "We need you to come with us. It's for your safety."
The mother dragon felt dread. Something must have happened to Charcoal. "Okay."
"Wait." Gryphon stopped her. The Valstrax was suspicious. She focused on the dragon general. "Where are you taking us?"
"Dragon Island." General Nemo was getting impatient. "We need to move to safety. Now."
"Come on." Toothless prepared to take off. "Let's go."
Instead of following, Gryphon cast something powerful. The dark blue barrier of anti-mana spell pulsed out from her, striking every dragon around them. It disrupted every persistent spell within the area, revealing what they truly were.
Most of the dragons around them were revealed to have some abnormalities, such as extra pair of eyes and limbs. They had persistent spells hiding their deviance, which were dispelled when Valstrax cast the spell.
It was obvious what they were.
Worst of all, they surrounded them.
Toothless was shocked. The feeling of wrongness was unmistakable. "Nemo?" She whispered. "You're a deviant?!"
The Deadly Nadder general knew the ruse was up. "I'm sorry, Toothless." He apologised. "We need your hatchlings."
General Nemo took off into the sky. Dragons gave them some distance as he turned around to face the island. Suddenly, his body was surrounded by fire, before being engulfed by them. The ball of fire grew bigger and larger. It became as big as the island itself.
When the fire dissipated, General Nemo had become an enormous Deadly Nadder. His wings fully covered the sun and sky, and his spikes were the size of Viking houses. He even had three pair of eyes on his head. He had become an enormous, deviant titan-wing Deadly Nadder.
The giant blue dragon reared as he charged his flame. Toothless rushed into the nest. "INSIDE!"
Gryphon and Amber barely just entered the nest when Toothless fired an ice bolt, blocking the entrance with large ice block.
FWOOOOOOOOOMM!
Huge magnesium flame enveloped the whole island. The cliff island was literally melting from the heat. It looked like heaven itself decided to rid of its existence. None of the flame went inside, since it was blocked by a thick chunk of flaming ice.
Inside the nest, the place was heating up. Gryphon felt fear. Amber panicked. "What do we do?"
"Follow me!" Toothless roared, before flying down to the ground floor.
The three dragons rushed down and entered the hot spring. The hot air was literally boiling the water. Toothless ignored them and went to the corner, which had large pile of rocks blocking something.
She pointed her claws at them. Blue wires sprung up and wrapped themselves around the rock. Toothless swung them aside, throwing the rocks away. This revealed a hidden spiral cave path going downward.
Amber had to gape. "Toothless, how-"
"No time." Toothless rushed into the previously hidden cave path. "Let's go!"
The three dragons headed down into much lower area. Given the temperature, it must be underground in the sea. They kept running until they find a large clearing.
It was the emergency escape path. Toothless and Charcoal built them in case of an attack. They had a plan to hold back the attack for their escape.
While the first part was not entirely done, the escape part was ready.
There was a certain sea scooter parked on a large pond of water. It had a large flooded cave path underneath, leading into the deep open sea. The contraption had been modified to allow their hatchlings inside. There were even glasses for them to see outside.
Toothless flipped the latches and opened the inner room. She opened her wings, before moving her hatchlings into it. "Come on. Come on."
While being moved, the hatchlings were afraid. "Mom?" Amelia asked. "What's going on?"
"Don't worry. You'll be safe." Toothless soothed, before pushing her into the sea scooter. "We're getting out of here."
Amber was quick to help. She held the latch open. "Inside. Hurry!"
Gryphon realised her plan and its flaw. They most likely had water dragons patrolling the ocean. The Valstrax quickly thought of something. She noticed large barrels of gunpowder scattered around the place. It was then she realised what to do.
Meanwhile, Toothless was busy. While the hatchlings were being moved, the heat was creeping in. The place was getting brighter. Amber looked back to see melted stones slowly pouring down from the entrance. "Toothless?"
The mother dragon ignored her. Once the hatchlings were inside - all six of them, thankfully - she closed and locked the inner room. Toothless moved to mount the sea scooter; her body pressed onto the dull white crystal.
Toothless connected her mana circuit to the crystal, taking control of the sea scooter. "Amber, move on top!"
The Light Fury carefully mounted on top of her best friend. When she did, blue wires wrapped around them both, securing them to the sea scooter. Toothless did not want to take any chances. "We're going underwater- Gryphon, what are you doing?"
The Valstrax had stacked gunpowder barrels in one place. Gryphon looked back at her. "They have water dragons." She explained. "I'll distract them while you swim away."
"Gryphon-"
Amber tried to jump out. "Wait, I can help-"
"No! They want the hatchlings!" Gryphon interrupted. "Keep my siblings safe! Go!"
Toothless quickly went to work. The propeller began to whir as they went into the water. Cold water touched their scales, but their head remained relatively dry. There was an air bubble spell around their head.
After they left the place, the Valstrax went to prepare. She cast an illusion spell on herself; six Night Fury hatchlings suddenly appeared in her pockets. The deviants might notice her deception, but that chance would be extremely low in a chase.
Gryphon swiped a trail of gunpowder on the ground, which created a spark. The makeshift fuse burned and headed straight to the barrels. She charged her thrusters in preparation for a launch.
The Valstrax launched herself just as the barrels exploded.
BOOOOMMM!
The explosion was enough to blow a large hole. Gryphon shot through the hole right as water began to flood. She kept going up, before finally reaching surface. The Valstrax intensified her thruster-wings to reach the sky.
Dragons saw the hatchling illusions and moved to follow her. The deviant titan-wing Deadly Nadder was after her. They were somehow able to keep up! Realising danger, Gryphon abandoned her idea. She stopped climbing for altitude, and instead rushed for speed.
"Stop!" Nemo roared. "We just want the hatchlings!"
The Valstrax did not respond. She saw something at distance, and she knew what she had to do. Gryphon made hard turn to another direction while maintaining her speed. The silver dragoness intensified her thruster-wings, putting strain on her rapidly depleting mana.
FWOOOOOOSH!
Gryphon glanced back. The deviant titan wing Deadly Nadder and his army were still following her. Reaching for pockets in her outfit, she pulled out an iron sword, before letting go.
The sword narrowly missed the deviant dragon. Given the speed, that could have punctured through his wing membranes. Nemo responded by firing giant stream of magnesium fire at her.
The Valstrax manoeuvred just enough to dodge them. The deviant titan wing Deadly Nadder stopped, before roaring. "We can do this all day until you exhaust yourself!"
The Valstrax focused on the thing at distance. It was a forest island; she was close enough to where she wanted to be. There were dragons at the island. "HEEEEELP!"
BOOOOOOOMMM!
Suddenly, massive purple plasma blast struck the deviant titan wing Deadly Nadder. It blew the wing off his body. "GROOOAAAAA!"
Gryphon looked back to see something extremely fast flying by. "Thank the skies!"
SPLASH!
Having just one wing left, Nemo the deviant titan wing Deadly Nadder eventually crashed into the ocean. He looked up to see the offender, only to hear the angry roar of an unfamiliar black dragon. "KRAAAAA!"
BOOOOOOOMMM!
This time, the plasma blast struck his head. It blew a chunk of his skull, killing him instantly. The deviant dragon was finally dead.
The deviant dragon army saw this. They realised they had crossed over the Greater Archipelago border. When they turned around to leave, they saw a huge flock of dragon army at their rear. Those were part of Merciless' army.
"GROAAAAA!" The dragon army roared, before charging to attack the deviants.
Not expecting them, the deviant dragons quickly scattered. Merciless' dragons were quick to rid of them from the sky. "GRAAA!"
Meanwhile, Gryphon had finally reached for safety. Her thruster-wings died just as she landed on the island beach. She ran out of mana; the thrusters had eaten half of her stamina. The Valstrax collapsed out of exhaustion.
The illusion ended just as she went down. Looking up to the battle in the sky, the dragoness was glad that was over.
The first dragon to see her was her saviour. The dragon gracefully landed in front of her. He was a large acidic green-eyed Night Fury. The identity was unmistakable, considering she had intentionally crossed the border. "Greater Alpha Merciless..."
"You sure made a lot of mess, nephew." Merciless commented, staring at her. "It was smart for you to cross the border."
"Kar..." Gryphon chuckled a bit. She realised the greater alpha probably knew about Charcoal. "Are you going to ransom me for my dad?"
"I'd rather know whatever shitshow my sister got herself into." Merciless grunted, before moving to help Gryphon up. "Come on. Let's get you treated."
Meanwhile, the sea scooter was deep in the open sea.
Everything seemed calm when they got out from the flooded cave. Toothless and Amber saw Gryphon shooting out from the cavern and up into the sky. This pulled away the water dragons from the area, allowing them to escape.
Gryphon made her sacrifice to save them.
The sea scooter kept going straight for quite some time. The two dragons had been silent. Their mind was still processing what just happened. They were glad that they were safe.
"Skies above..." Amber whispered. Her voice did not echo, as if absorbed by the water. "That was... what was..."
"Hk..."
The Light Fury heard something. Glancing down, Amber realised Toothless was sobbing. "Toothless?" She softly asked. "Are you crying?"
"Dragons don't cry." The mother dragon whispered her voice.
Despite what she said, Toothless was crying. Her heart strongly ached as she thought about her situation.
Charcoal was missing. Their home was destroyed. Gryphon sacrificed herself to save her. It was so sudden and abrupt, she did not know what to do next.
Amber exhaled her breath. "... it's okay to cry." She whispered back.
"I-" Toothless seemed to sob. "... I don't know how we got here. I... skies above..."
They fell silent once more. The sea scooter propeller began to slow down, before finally stopping. Having been pushed to full power, the Amethyst Scale inside finally run out. They slowly sink underwater.
The Light Fury seemed to grimace. "Toothless." She whispered. "The thing just stopped."
The mother dragon blinked. She pushed her mana to the crystal under her. The sea scooter sprung up to life as it began draining her mana. The acceleration was slow, mostly because Toothless limited the flow. She did not feed them much of her mana.
"I'm sorry." Toothless whispered back. "I... I had to involve you in this."
"Hey, it's okay. I'm here to help." Amber gave her response. "It's not like I left for vacation. I was doing some work for you."
"We... we found out who the youngest mana circuits set belongs to." The mother dragon began to explain. "It was... Hiccup the Third. My Precious Thing."
The Light Fury widened her eyes. "Your Precious Thing is Charcoal?"
"We didn't even know he was Charcoal this whole time." Toothless answered. Her voice was shaky. "He had this... disease called Lycanwing that made him turn into dragon. I..."
"Toothless, it's okay. You can tell me everything later." Amber carefully interrupted. She was soft on her voice. "You said he could be at Isle of Berk?"
"Yes."
"Then let's go there." The Light Fury instructed. "We'll find him there and figure this out, okay? I have the Book Stone on his circuit's identity. We'll find out more when we get there."
"Okay. Okay." Toothless shuddered her breath as she steered the sea scooter. "Isle of Berk. We're going there..."
Author Note
So, the identity of the deviant spy has been revealed. Nemo was the deviant all along. He orchestrated a plan to get the Night Fury hatchlings, and he almost succeed. Thanks to proper planning and assessment, the plan was foiled.
Does that mean Charcoal (Hiccup) died? Well, the story is about 32 chapters long. There's still about 10 chapters left in the queue. Whatever happens, Charcoal is still around. It'll take more than a stab into his heart to actually kill him.
Now, I tried my best to make it clear that Nemo had influenced Charcoal in some way. From feeding him that plant and the headache, as well as Furious noticing something was wrong; I want to make it less obvious for Charcoal, but kind of obvious for anyone reading this chapter.
Personally, the problem is Nemo himself. When I plan for the rewrite, there's no hint about Nemo being the traitor whatsoever. However, after re-reading them several times, I noticed that the reveal feels a bit sudden. It just doesn't feel right that everything was just... suddenly there.
And so, I added some hints. The Light Fury detectives found out about it first; they suspected a deviant spy amongst Furious' ranks. But then, after the deviant incursion, Grosvenor was the second one to find out.
Furious suspected something, but he was more inclined to believe incompetence than actual malice. He had a gut feeling that something was wrong with Charcoal, but ignored it to avoid straining their relationship even more.
All of this was leading up to the plot that Nemo the deviant Deadly Nadder concocted.
The Betrayal.
What about Agatha? The 20 hatchlings? They'll definitely come up in future chapters.
Now, for the past part. Other than being a segway to the next part, the whole section was sort of dedicated to show just how dangerous Northern Alliance actually is. The faction was primarily active in Greater Archipelago, so they can't really do much except for couple skirmishes and espionage.
The fact Grosvenor suspected something just now meant that Nemo did something risky. Nemo's full blown attempt implied how desperate they had become. Now that everything's out in the open, it's a matter of what each party would do in this situation.