"You have no idea the mistake you are making, Dornath…"
The entire crowd gasped in awe, for in the moments before the clash, they had been witnessing nothing short of a spectacle—two colossal powerhouses duking it out over the fate of one man. One man who had been deemed a monster by one and innocent by the other.
The atmosphere was still intense, for the guards lined around Egan began to shake with fear toward the presence that Ser was giving off. Each breath the Guildmaster made shook their spines.
Before Ser continued his argument, he turned toward Egan, his intense gaze and the sharp scar that stretched across his eye peering deep within his soul. Egan was a little taken aback because, in some weird selfish way, he was glad that the people he trusted would do so much for him.
But that quickly changed.
"Let us continue!" Hadrian demanded.
The entire crowd began to erupt into cheers, shouting with the intensity of a crashing building. Ser looked out toward the masses, shocked by their enthusiasm.
The favor of the Duke proved more to the people than the respect they held for a Ser. He gazed out, noticing Sarah—face twisted in a scarred expression as people's hands waved in front of her face. The two girls next to her were frantic too. Liz was screaming to Ser, her lips mouthing something.
It was hard to read over the blur of humans waving in front of her.
She mouthed one sentence, confident in her words:
"Egan… Save Egan!"
***
[Clank]
Ser quickly turned toward Egan, who was now bound once again by shackles placed by the guards surrounding him. Egan was beyond angry, but he trusted Ser would make things right. Any wild movement on Egan's part would make him out to be a villain, after all, so he decided his best course of action would be nothing at all.
The guards began to pin him down, forcing all their weight to bring the young dragon's head to the ground. With a crash, he fell, his nape exposed to the crowd as though displaying what was soon to be severed.
Ser turned around toward Hadrian, a huge, twisted smile plastered on his face. He was enjoying this. Too much.
"What are you to do now?! Oh, great Dornath Valegrim!"
"Any move you make now is a capital offense!"
Hadrian's mumbles were not audible to the crowd, but Ser heard them loud and clear. They were a taunt. This was a game. A twisted game involving the life of an innocent man. It infuriated Ser, for he knew what Hadrian was doing.
It was bait.
And he was about to take it.
'Foolish boy'
[One step shatters the crowd's chants. Another silences them.]
[A wave of essence pushes back all who are close]
His aura changed. One of calm began to shift into one of anger. It was heavy. The essence he was emitting sent the crowd deathly silent, like a dog with its tail between its legs.
Hadrian's smile grew wider.
Each step as Ser advanced filled him with ecstasy. This was exactly what he had wanted. For if Ser did anything foolish, he could deem him a traitor to Vanitinova. And better yet, he could have both of their heads roll.
'Pure bliss!'
The steps continued to ring out, tearing the air around them, twisting it into a blinding sound of shooting air. For the matter surrounding Ser was in his control. He branched closer.
His arm reached out—
Hadrian's smile grew wider.
'Senile old fool! Give my sister a hello when you finally see her again!'
Closer. His had got Closer.
Egan's eyes met Ser's. His vision was beyond intense. His eyes glowed a pristine white—a white light so bright it made the goddess of the sun cover her eyes.
Just how well did that taunt work?
***
[The concentration of ice coalesces at Egan's feet]
Within an instant, a massive wall of ice surrounded the stage, blocking it from view. The cold breeze sent a chill down the spines of all who resided in the mass. The crowd was upset, sighing and moaning as though a buffer had interrupted their favorite show. It sickened Liz to see the people she served act like this.
And she wouldn't stand for it any longer.
For Liz had promised Ser just a little bit ago that if things on the stage got violent, she'd shield the crowd from view.
'And from there—I shall conduct my business.'
Liz's wand shone brightly as it pointed in the air, sending out a cold, blue light. Her eyes were covered by her long blonde hair, for upon releasing the spell, her ponytail had come undone.
Both Sarah and Olivia were shocked—but impressed—by her courage.
Tiny ice crystals fell around Liz, pointing her out in the crowd. All those in the mass looked toward her. Eyes of disdain, but too afraid to do anything about it.
Cowards.
***
Hadrian looked out toward the ice wall, its pristine glow blocking the mass from view. His grin turned into one of hate. The switch in expression would make anyone looking at him cower in fear. It was as though he were merely putting the emotions on his face, not feeling them.
He truly was a monster.
A monster condemning another.
With a quick look over to Ser, Hadrian realized that his plan to bait the Ser into doing something rash had just crumbled before his eyes. And upon seeing Ser's face, he knew that was exactly what he had been waiting for.
Now, with a slight smirk on his face, he thought to himself, thanking the heavens above for such a trustworthy partner.
Switching his mode back to one of intensity, he looked down at the slumped figure that was Egan, along with the horde of guards surrounding him. As he towered over them, a chilling pressure loomed in the atmosphere. The guards stopped. Their grip on Egan had dwindled—if only a little. One of the guards still hadn't noticed Ser yet. But with another blast of essence, he slowly turned, gazing up at the monstrous form of a man above him. The guard's face twisted into an awkward, fearful smile.
A commanding voice bellowed from the bottom of Ser's soul:
"Move."
Without hesitation, the guard leapt from his post, his entire body shaking. He had never felt such animosity in his life. The other guards stayed their ground, still holding onto the young dragon—not out of respect for their job, but out of fear that if they moved...
They might get smashed into oblivion.
With a strong and commanding hand, Ser grabbed the young dragon, lifting him and tearing off his chains. The guards, unable to restrain him now, all backed off. Now fully on his feet, Egan just looked at Ser, his eyes full of awe and pride.
For he had truly found an excellent companion.
All Hadrian could do was look forward, with eyes of contempt, eyes of hate, and eyes that were constructing something. Something he viewed as a rightful punishment.
Not just for Egan, but for Ser as well.
With a wave of her hand, Liz melted the ice wall, the surrounding water splashing the first row of people, drenching them. The crowd, now seeing the fully free Egan, grew to fear.
Because of that, some of them screamed. Others tried to run. And some froze with fear.
For how could the Guildmaster betray them?
Some of those who believed in the Ser's will stayed—most of them begging others to do the same. With a clearing of his throat, Ser began to speak.
"Fair people of Vanitinova, I beg for your forgiveness!"
The crowd stopped their retreat, all looking over at the Guildmaster. His head was now bowed, his hand forcing Egan to do the same.
"I may be selfish, but I beg for you to give me a chance to explain the misunderstanding. For the man you see before you is not the cause of your suffering. If anything, he has done his best to soothe that pain and bring relief to the families that he saved. Yet such is life—disasters happen, and not everyone is lucky enough to be spared. I have had my eye on this specimen since the moment he arrived in Vanitinova. He is honorable and hardworking, doing his best to keep our town and surroundings safe from those who seek to do you harm! And he fulfilled that promise during the catastrophe, for he was one of the first people to leap into action after witnessing the explosion."
Egan looked around, gazing out at the crowd now awestruck by the words spoken by Ser. He looked at their faces. They were torn—torn between the Duke's declaration and the Guildmaster's sincerity. He spotted one person in the crowd.
It wasn't Sarah or Liz.
It wasn't Olivia.
It was a boy. A familiar boy. One he had met not so long ago.
The boy was crying, tears flowing from his eyes as his mother held him. His eyes were pinpointed on Egan—not out of fear, but out of happiness. For he was radiating a most gentle and happy smile.
For this was the boy that Egan had saved last night.
So grateful he was to see the man who saved him yet again, and in the arms of his mother.
And in return, Egan smiled back. A soft, gentle smile. One of comfort. One that said one thing:
"Thank you."
Ser continued his speech.
"I have witnessed countless people come and go from within these walls, and out of all of them, I have never seen someone with as much promise as he. Now, as Ser Dornath Valegrim of House Valegrim, I ask for your forgiveness. Forgive the sins that I have made. And forgive the man before you, who wishes nothing but to help the people of this city prosper. And from this moment onward, I shall be personally taking this man under my wing. Guiding him toward the right path. For the scream you heard that shook you to your cores was one of sorrow. So do not fear, for I shall look out for him. Guide him. Protect him. Teach him. So that one day, he can stand back on this stage not as a monster, but as someone who you can count on to bring real monsters down."
"Now I ask you to help me. Help me teach him to save you!"
"For if I don't deliver, and this man is truly the monster you fair citizens believe him to be… then on my title as one of the nine sovereigns—
You can take my head too!"
"…"
The crowd was silent.
"…"
[Clap]
[Clap]
[A roaring of claps rings out across the masses]
For the crowd had now fully recognized the man in front of them. The one known as Ser Dornath Valegrim had won the hearts of the people. But not all of them. Ser looked back, noticing Hadrian still standing there, watching them, clapping. But his claps were not ones of pride or acceptance, but ones of pity and mockery.
His face was still smirking with a condescending grin, before saying something to the beloved Guildmaster:
"Old age really has dwindled your intellect, hasn't it, Dornath?"
Ser just looked at him, then looked away, wrapping his arm around Egan.
"That may be, Hadrian… But we can let the people be the judge of that."
As Ser and Egan stepped off the stage and headed out into the crowd, Hadrian stood there, his eyes pinpointed on Egan, furious. He then gazed toward the girls they were walking toward. His green eyes fixated on them, studying them.
And with another twisted smile—
"You senile old fool,
You have no idea the mistake you have made!"