“I don’t like this, Wissn.”

“Then, does your smart brain have another answer, Vaardict?” Vayyu averted his gaze from his friend. “Besides, I have to take care of these seals,” he continued while staring at a giant crystal before him. A golden scaled dragon was encased within it.

The blood red dracconid stabbed his spear to the ground and growled, “You could’ve just done that without being sealed yourself.”

“And what about Drakko? Shivvar?” Vayyu snapped back, trying to ensure his own stance on the matter.

Kaisser gazed solemnly at the blue one, “I can, and will be the one taking the sins, Wissn.”

It was no wonder that the red dracconid would spew such words. It was not supposed to be a surprise. However, those words and burning determination on Kaisser’s eyes was enough to startle Vayyu, especially his own mind.

“Drakko will need it,” said the blue scaled one. “He will need you.”

Kaisser shook his head. “Letting you take such action, ’erasing’ Shivvar’s existence,” he said while snorting in fury. “Then I step forward to be the ‘hero’? What kind of madness is this?”

“I have my own selfish reasons, Vaardict,” Vayyu answered. It was amusing enough that it was his friend’s words that renewed his determination. “I need time to learn more about this power. I need to control it better, there won’t be anything like Zahhyun ever again.”

They fell silent for a moment. The air was filled with unspoken thoughts that was beginning to be understood by the two. “There will be time, Wissn, I believe. When unleashing you was the unmistakable choice. When this ‘hero’ called for help from ‘the villain’,” Kaisser said as he brandished his right fist.

He grinned, looking rather evil as usual, and continued, “By that time, make sure you have learned to control your power. Or else, I will not hesitate to give you a good beating.”

Vayyu cackled. With an evil grin, he replied, “If I have to be honest, there is nothing wrong with the glory you’re going to attain.” He connected his fist to his friend’s. “No matter how much of an expert I will be in controlling this vasavi, I could never defeat such annoying ordinary dragon like you.”

***

Twenty five years.

It was… rather surprising, even for Vayyu. He never realized how fast time had progressed. The realm of meditation was kind of absurd about the flow of time. He never knew whether he was delving in the past, entrapped in the present, or even caught a glimpse of the future.

If he took a little time to rethink about it, it was not as if the time flow was absurd. It just felt like time was nonexistent at all. Perhaps, such is the power of the mind.

The most amusing part is how in a such relatively short time for dracconids’ point of view, madness descended once more. All of those stupidity reminded the blue dragon about how he would love to slam his own face to the nearest tree trunk in embarrassment.

What kind of moronic insane dracconid would have the idea to gather Namsuh’s power?

Even though it has never been explained whether Namsuh was a mere legend or glorified history, Vayyu was overwhelmingly convinced such power must have been accompanied by whispers that can drive anyone into madness. Except Kaisser, perhaps. The red dragon couldn’t wield such power anyway.

Vayyu couldn’t even fathom how could someone, knowing how corruptive such power is, dared to use a primitive way to solve it? Behead the wielder, like really? That was just the same as breaking a flask containing miasma, the bad stuff would spread instead.

O’ Great Blue Heavens, everything has gone mad. Only for a moment Vayyu left everything be, and the world had turned like this. It was no wonder that Drakko and The Misbegotten Vaardict opted out to undo the crystal seal encasing Vayyu. They are definitely worried about more nonsense that could happened in mere moments.

Speaking of nonsense, there was something rather nonsensical that struck him in his concentrated meditation. Though, he was not exactly concentrating, but that was not the problem at hand.

He sensed something strange, other than the eerie feeling from westward. It was rather small and it came from south-southwest. It somehow gave an equally eerie feel, but not exactly the same like the gigantic ones coming from the west.

It felt rather… empty? Was it a void? But, there was a hint of both regret and determination.

Curious, Vayyu concentrated his mind to reach out towards the tiny source. Just like the western eerie aura, Vayyu knew he had felt this one before when he was sealed. Both had disturbedhis mind during that time. However, he couldn’t really recall when those happened. Did the void one came before or after?

If only he knew how to sort out the time passed during his sealing, he might discover some interesting relation between the two. Only if it was true that there was a connection between the two. He might be wrong, but the blue dracconid still couldn’t shake off how the two was somewhat similar.

Perhaps, his senses had started to dull. Thus, the more reason to focus his mind.

“If you are done with the meditation…”

Vayyu almost forgotten. Unlike during the time he was sealed, there was a greater disturbance at play in the present. The female’s voice broke his concentration. When Vayyu tried to focus again, the tiny source of emptiness disappeared.

Such a ‘pleasant’ coincidence.

“... How about lending a claw or two?” Asked the pygmean amber scaled dracconid. Vayyu opened his eyes and saw how Vermillion rolled sideways to avoid the fist of an angry giant golem.

It has been few days since they started travelling westwards, and Vayyu had realized how hard it was to meditate in such condition. The female was rather snarky and sensitive with every tiniest word or action that Vayyu did. One example was happening right there, how she was rather impolite to disturb Vayyu’s meditation.

Meditating was rather important to figure out what was currently at play. Of course, it won’t be that important if Vermillion was cooperative.

All these days, she barely gave out any information and only talk to bark commands or sinister words. Whenever Vayyu tried to ask about Rignil and Rahnuc, her reaction was worse. Most of the time she acted as if she didn’t hear Vayyu’s question. Was she suffering from memory loss due to her traumatic past? Or perhaps, Rahnuc’s magic?

A little thought in his mind suggested that Vayyu might not be in a proper situation to ask many details. Whether he liked it or not, Vermillion is definitely on a higher position than him in the current situation.

He was a supposedly notorious criminal. Barring Kaisser, Shivvar, and Drakko, every dracconid must have thought of him as an insane dragon that was powerful enough to rampage and destroy the previous empire. Though the story was not completely wrong, but at least he was not insane. Perhaps.

Alas, it was no wonder how the tiny dracconid was rather reluctant to interact or share information. Maybe, Vayyu was the one who needs to share information. Especially if he considered how sensitive the female dracconid was.

Vayyu couldn’t recall if female dracconids were that sensitive. Things must have changed in the last twenty five years.

Nevertheless, perhaps Vayyu could spew some ‘help’. The beautifully scaled dracconid was still in her struggle against the golem. The thing was not that hard to take down, but it apparently rose up again and again. It was rather unusual for a giant golem that acted alone without being controlled by anyone to actually keep on rising up.

Vayyu blinked several times to switch how his vision perceived the world. Thus, he saw them. The cursed energies that swelled right at the chest of the misbegotten golem. Right on top of it, at the blue heavens, there was a crossing of several magical strings. Both the energies at the core and the strings at the blue heavens were dark purple in color.

“Use the flame from your sword to stab its chest,” Vayyu said as he concluded the findings in his mind.

Roaring blue flames answered Vayyu’s word as Vermillion tried to use the saber on her left hand.

“Oh dear,” Vayyu snorted in a huge disappointment. “I said sword! Not a freaking saber!” He was rather annoyed at how much of an imbecile a dracconid could be to not be able to differ the weapons she actually wield.

Vayyu was trying to be kind to give an information, a help. He was also trying to give a hint on how suspicious the blades used by Vermillion are. In which, he guessed that Vermillion knows nothing about her own weapons.

Considering how she mistook Vayyu’s directions, that was not a farfetched guess.

The tiny one shot a rather angry stare at Vayyu for a short while before she shouted, “Combust, O’ Holy Flames, Aggni!” She dashed forward and stabbed the correct blade right at the chest of the golem.

As he had predicted, ‘the holy flame’ pierced right at the core for the chaotic energy and cleansed it. Thus, chaotic energy changed into a rather stable and not dangerous type. A small spark of the ‘holy’ energy dashed towards the sky and hit right at the intersection of the chaotic energy strings.

“Guide me, Varana Mokhsa!” Vayyu performed a half circular motion with his right arm, summoning his bow right on the grab of his left hand. He released a quick shot right at the same intersection and thus purifying some of the misbegotten strings of chaotic energy.

As Vayyu returned to sit cross-legged, the giant golem fell into debris. Nature was once again calm and peaceful, so perfect for trying to concentrate someone’s mind. The problem was solved.

Supposedly.

The tip of Aggni was already threatening Vayyu’s neck. Vermillion stared suspiciously at Vayyu. Vayyu was not sure what was happening with the tiny amber scaled dracconid. He already answered the call for aid. Did he do something that offended the sensitive female?

As her amber scales burning bright with fury, Sarvati Vermillion barked, “Explain!”