Rango lifts his head and looks me deep into my eyes, this fucking kid, the lizardman thinks to himself.
I slowly make my way towards Mother's body, Rango flinches as I approach closer, however, the only person I can focus on was my mother. The woman that has taught me everything I need to know to move on in this world. The first person that I laid eyes on since coming to the new and strange place. Whatever punishment you fear will not be enough to satisfy this anger and hatred I feel toward this creature.
As I reached my mother's bleeding body, I kneel and check her pulse, It's faint, that's a good sign.
I stood up and turn my attention to the one who caused this pain. I could tell by the look on his face that he regretted nothing and intended to leave this battlefield alive. However, he didn't consider exactly who he was dealing with.
"Stasis Dash," I whisper and in that exact moment, time freezes around me, and I walked towards the man. Before I release the chamber, I figured I should make him suffer, just a bit.
One would consider it a cheap way of fighting, but I did just witness a traumatic event, I have no mercy for this vile sack of scales. In this state of frozen time, I can move around and interact with the frozen environment. Whatever I do touch, won't be affected unless I release the chamber, or if I bring the target inside the chamber.
To give him a taste of all the pain he and his men have cause, I threw multiple punches and kicks, scratching and tearing of scale. It was truly a horrific sight.
As I came to, I took a deep breath and looked down at the frozen Lizardman.
Pathetic.
I blinked and time resumed as I placed my hand on Rango's shoulder before whispering, "Chamber".
We vanish, while Minerva tends to Jade and Mother's wounds; Monspeed and Meliodas try to assist Iniko.
Inside the Stasis Chamber
I release my grip from Rango's shoulder, leaving a small bruise. Each blow I dealt to him before bringing him in my domain landed at the same time. It was almost unexplainable how his body contorted from each delayed attack. I take full advantage of my current circumstances and blend into the bushes.
"Where the hell are you," Rango yells out. "I can't see anything!"
Rango looks around, all while coughing up blood and vomit.
I take care not to make any noise while in this state, as if I were a lion hunting a ghazal, grazing the tall African grass. I position myself to be seen, and the emotions that I currently feel are rage and, oddly enough, excitement, as if I were preemptively preparing myself for this moment my entire life, and past life included.
Rango looked toward my direction, the once deranged look in his eyes quickly switched to that of complete and utter despair. "Please, don't do this," he begs, "I'll give you anything, jewels, food, land, slaves-"
The mere mention of the word causes an involuntary reaction of complete disgust.
"Truly pathetic... You're a complete waste of life energy..."
This clearly struck a nerve with him, and he tries to stand up, "Th-this is a level of d-disrespect that no man should have to suffer," Rango stutters. "Brat, mark my words... You will die by my hands..."
I have no expression to give this creature aside from repulsion. "Rather audacious of you to make such a statement, considering you're getting bodied by a seven-year-old..."
The man snapped, it was like I saw any sense of logic and rational just up and left his person; he essentially turned into a husk of rage. I found this to be quite odd, considering he was just coughing up blood.
Rango charges toward me, flailing his whip around, does he think he has control of this fight?
With each mindless attack he made, I carefully and swiftly dodge it, as if I saw the attack moments prior.
What was that attack combo called again? I tried to think of the attack my father used when I was younger; Rango continues to flail his whip around. I remember sand coming up and stabbing that lady, but what was the attack called again?
Rango finally comes to his senses and reaches for his saber.
"That's it! I was called," I lifted my hand toward Rango, and my entire demeanor shifted, as if another person completely took over my body, "Dismantle!"
I lift my right hand in the air and bawl it into a fist, Rango looks up
and stops his sporadic attack; a massive shadow looms over us. "But I'd like to spruce it up a bit... Add Control, Equals..."
Rango looks up and sees an enormous wave of sand hovering over me; he gulps, understanding there is no way he can dodge such an overwhelming attack.
"SAND TSUNAMI!"
With a raise of my hand, the massive wave of sand comes crashing into Rango, and with one swift motion, I stick my fingers in the air, causing small and extremely pillars of sand shoots sprout out of the ground toward Rango; the attack managed to rip Rango's right forearm off.
Rango's point of view grows hazy, and he begins to drift off.
There is no mistaking it... I was set up... That white-haired man knew these kids were dangerous... Rango thinks to himself.
"Kid, there's more to this world than you know," Rango hisses, trying to catch his breath. "Be mindful of who is really on your side..."
"Your voice is annoying..." I lift my fist one last time with a void of darkness in my eyes. "Not that this even matters, but if you, by the grace of Our Dear Mother, somehow manage to survive this next attack, you'll certainly wish you had been. This dimension is toxic to those I deem a threat…"
With a quick release of my fist, another wave of sand crashes towards Rango, causing severe damage to the trees and foliage in the forest. However, the once fearless leader of the Lizardmen was left utterly pathetic, all that remained of him was a torso with his limbs obliterated.
The runes on my body begin to flicker, making me dizzy. "If you're still alive, I should warn you, that this space we're in emits a deadly poison that only targets those I deem as my enemy. It should be kicking in soon-"
Suddenly, and as cliché as this may sound, but I spotted two tails waving in the bushes, one white and the other black and red. What's going on now?!
The two tails retract back into the bushes and two small creatures, one dragon-like and the other demon-like step out walking toward me. This is too much for me to handle right now...
Before you go, we must give you an important message... one of the small creatures calls out. You're a part of an elaborate plan, and you must choose the appropriate path to overcome the trials laid out before.
"What are you talking about?"
Out of nowhere, my head began to throb uncontrollably, I've only ever felt this way after I had too many drinks in my past life.
Face it, he can't focus, it's taking too much out of him just to stay awake, the small devil creature remarks. For now, I'll leave you with a little memento, so you don't forget about us.
The creature approaches me with a devious grin, while the tiny dragon tackles me to the ground, if I wasn't so tired, I'd do something about this... The two imps grab a lock of my hair and wave their hands across the strand of hair, changing its color from a deep blackish purple to platinum blond.
Next time we meet, we'll talk about this prophecy, the small dragon huffs.
My vision continued to grow more and more blurry before I ultimately pass out due over exhaustion from the last fight. What was that and who were those two, and what did they do to my hair? My Stasis Chamber dissipates, and I find myself in front of my family.
Meliodas and Monspeed run towards me to catch me; I briefly open my eyes and see Minerva and Iniko crying over Mother's body.
"W-what's g-going on," was the only words I could manage to get out before blacking out for good.
The Next Morning
Where am I? I quickly opened my eyes to check my surroundings. I was in some sort of hospital room. Jade walks into the room holding clean sheets and sees me sitting up; she drops the laundry and rushes over to me, hugging me as tight as she can.
"Blessed Dragoness, Dear Mother of Monsters, you're awake," Jade cries out.
I look around and can't seem to find anyone.
W-where is everyone?
Jade took a moment before answering me.
"MyrMyr, this is going to be difficult to hear," she starts.
Jade takes my hand and guides me outside the room; we make our way outside the hospital into its garden. Jade motions sit on a bench in front of a fountain; it was here when she told me of tragedy that happened yesterday.
Some Moments Later
After she told me the grim news of my mother's near fatal injury, all I could think was how I was responsible somehow. Like, it was somehow my fault that she's suffering and can no longer use magic.
"Where is she?"
Jade took a moment before answering, "Your father came and took your mother's back to the manor," she responds. "He was notified by Rubella's neuro-monitoring signature, and upon his arrival, he brought with him a rage and fury that the gods couldn't even rival."
I observed the admiration Jade displayed for my father; seeing that she not only respected him but also feared his power.
"I assume Father want us to return home?"
She shook her head, much to my surprise, "Absolutely not," she stands to her feet. "Lord Chronos wishes for all of you to attend Caliburn as soon as possible, that includes Iniko as well."
Iniko, that was the boy with Mother and Jade... This was too much; we were on our way to Caliburn for our first year... Well, at least we have one hell of a story to tell...
I tried to stand up but ended up stumbling over.
Elsewhere in the Hospital
I walked into the hospital playroom, where Iniko sits and play alone. The boy looks a bit skittish, but that is understandable, he did just witness a ridiculous battle.
"Iniko, right?"
The boy's ears twitches once his name is said.
"Myr-lin," Iniko asked.
We exchanged a nervous expression.
"You're that lady's son, right," he asked. "She told me a lot about you..."
Thinking back on the conversation I had with Jade moments ago; that's right, Mother did adopt this child, he's probably never talked to anyone that was his age. She mentioned that he's roughly around my age and has a similar Mana Presence as me and my siblings.
"That lady, was our mother..."
Iniko gazes with a surprised expression.
"I'm not blaming you, but just remember, that's our mother... She sacrificed her safety and magic to make sure we stayed alive..."
Iniko looks down and like the natural 'Big Brother' that I am, I lift his head and flash him a reassuring smile.
He reaches out and gives me a tight hug, afterwards we started chatting with each other, learning more about one another.
Jade stands outside the room the listening in on our conversation with a faint smile. She sheds a single tear as she reminisces her time with Father and Mother in their Golden Hourglass party.
She snaps out of her daze and approaches the two of us.
"Boys, we don't have much time," Jade barks. "Get your things so we can leave."
We exchange a confused look, why is she in such a hurry?
She mentioned that you all were on a tight schedule before you woke up... Iniko states telepathically.
I snapped my attention to Iniko, who seemed extremely at ease knowing he just so casually read my mind. This is the second time my thoughts were heard by someone else.
"Ummm... Shouldn't we be healing?"
"Absolutely not," Jade shakes her head. "The enrollment deadline is this afternoon!"
My eyes bulge out of my skull and I quickly jump up.
"Why would you wait until now to say something?!"
"Seems irresponsible if you ask me," chimed Iniko.
I knew from that smart-ass remark that I would get along with his kid.
Mother did have the best judgement.
"It's a good thing we don't have to go very far," Jade comments. "This hospital is located in a small village under Avalon's jurisdiction. So, we should have a safe passage from this point on."
"But how long will that take?"
"Normally, it'll take a day and a half," she laments. "However, I have a spell that'll have us there in under a minute..."
Jade gives us a devious grin and in return, we give her worried smile that eventually turns into uncontrollable laughter.
"Mrs. Mother was right, you're awesome!" Iniko states with a beaming smile.
I usually get compliments from the maids and other servants in the manor, but something about Iniko's words made me feel validated.
"You're cool too!"
Minerva and our siblings rushed into the room with their bags in hand.
"Jade! Is it time to go!?" Minerva whines. "We've been here since last night and it smells like liche in here!"
Jade erupts in laughter and she guides the other children out of the room.
Moments Later outside the Hospital
Lilac and Father came by the hospital to give us a new pair of clothes and to officially adopt Iniko into the family. He seemed on edge, which was a natural response, considering the circumstances. Before they left, Father did let us know that the culture of Avalon is vastly different than what we are used to; he mentioned the extreme level of prejudice we may encounter.
See, in hTraè, every being that draws life, has sentience, all came from one person. She had many names, Our Dear Mother, Reality Queen, Mother of Monsters, but one fact remained, every creature in this world draws breath because of her. However, with a number of different races this world has, you're bound to have some sort of racial supremacy in the mix, and Avalon is no stranger to that. Since me and my siblings are all half demon and half dragon, we're pretty much walking targets.
Jade opens the carriage door and has lets us inside the stagecoach one by one before she closes the door and mounts the front.
"Hold on to your seats kiddos!" She yells out.
Jade closes her eyes and begins scribe her name in the air.
"Aspect of Momentum: Speed Signature: STAMPEDE!" She yells out and her whip emit to red light as she whips the bicorns. They neigh and whine, however as they pull the carriage, the speed increases.
The stagecoach suddenly stops; most of us held onto the walls of the carriage and kept our eyes shut, Minerva, kept one eye open to peek at our surroundings. She opens her eyes and inhales softly; she slowly opens the window of the stagecoach and is completely enamored at the sight of the city.
"MyrMyr, come look at this," she pulls me over.
I open my eyes and walked towards the window, the other children, excluding a sleeping Boudica, each open their eyes to view the city in the far off distance.
The city of Avalon is a coastal market city that known for its vast imports and various cultures. Speaking of cultures, my uncle was telling me about some of the different cultures that we may encounter. I'm pretty familiar with Jigoku and Demon culture, and what is left of dragon culture. Apparently, the continent of ShanGri-La was once known as Dragon Country, but after some ancient war, majority of the dragons were practically wiped from existence.
This place is like a dream…
We reached the port and docked the faerie that led to the city's entrance. Monspeed and Meliodas ran to the edge of the boat to stare in awe at the distance bodies of land. South of ShanGri-La is the Beastmen continent of Besteria, it's made up of three countries, Fangalor, Bestahlagro, and EMZ (Extreme Mana Zone): South. To the east of Dragon Country, there is the Elven continent of Dartaania, they have about three settlements and a central capital city called Kaynta. Lastly, north of Dartaania is the Sorcerous Continent of Sidhe, formerly known as Fairy Country, according to Uncle Aether.
The faerie docks at the entrance to the city's mainland, and a dense forest appeared from seemingly nowhere. It turned out that the city has a natural camouflage due to the mixture of cultures and "potential shady underground world".
Jade didn't seem bothered by this and gathered us all up and proceeded to the city's true main gate. Unsurprisingly, we had a quick and smooth journey, about ten minutes from when we initially landed.
As we approached the city's gates, I noticed that there is an arch with a swirling interior about twenty feet from the gate. It was being guarded by several heavily armored knights.
Looks important… Minerva states telepathically.
I'm sure we'll have some lecture on it…
We finally made our to the gates and we were stopped by two guards.
"Permit," one of the guards asked Jade. She flashed him a smile and handed him a stack of papers. Surprised, the guard clumsily tried to catch the documents; the second guard noticed the struggle bolted to assist his comrade. Jade chuckles and dismounts the carriage to help the two. After the guards collected and verified our permits, they allowed us to enter the city.
Minerva opened the window and each of us were completely in awe at the sight of of this ethereal and futuristic-like city. There were weapons shops, taverns, clothing stores, cafes, there's even a train! Avalon was more than what Uncle Aether, no Father and Mother led us to believe. This is literally something you see in dreams, or in fantasy novels.
The carriage abruptly slows down and the driver window slid open, "Welcome, to the City of Avalon," Jade yelled from the outside of the carriage, the younger kids squealed in excitement, much to Jade's amusement.
"We're not here to gawk, we spent one more day needed to make this trip, and we just barely made it," Jade huffs. "I need to take you all to the Institute before the deadline or Lord Chronos is going to kill me!"
Elsewhere at The Caliburn Institute
A woman with olive skin, cat-like ears and a platinum-blonde bob sits at her desk and looks Jade's group head toward the school from a magic mirror. The woman smiles and directs her attention to a little girl that bears a striking resemblance to her.
"My dear, it seems Lord Chronos' children have arrived," the woman states.
The little girl's face stays obscure in the shadows as she nods her head. Lady Eos, the woman, gives the girl a gentle smile.
To be Continued...