Chapter 17: The Defeat Of Kuravana!

A holler from above the crater resounded as the old man shouted.

“What!?”

Kuravana could not believe his eyes, the old man was actually still alive, meaning he was not sacrificed in the vow. His eyes frantically switched over to Teus’ menacing smirk.

“Dragons find worth in souls because they can feed off the essence of them. And they will respect you more if you offer the soul that means more to you because you’ve shown your resolve. So I thought, what if I was willing to give up my life?”

“...You’re insane!”

“Turns out, Galmarion was more than willing to take me up on that deal! And I was granted just enough time to take you with me!”

Kuravana could barely fathom what he was hearing right now.

“A human…sacrificed their own soul!?”

Teus strengthened his clutch on Kuravana as his grin spread.

“That’s not even the best part…”

He gestured to his scarf that was flailing erratically in the wind.

“...I made this scarf my sealed weapon. And I’ve been pumping it with Galmarion’s energy this entire time. I figured that even with this new power a few punches and kicks wouldn’t be enough to beat you, since you can crack your bones in and out of place and everything. So soon, it’ll explode any minute now. And this time, I’ll be sure to leave no trace of you left!”

Kuravana felt as though death was finally on the horizon. He could only stumble through his sentence as he stared at the raging child in his hollow eyes.

“W-what is wrong with you!?”

Teus continued undeterred.

“Me, you, this scarf…we’re all gonna get blown sky high! Pretty neat send off right?”

A sudden burst of energy erupted from Teus’ body as the aura began to cover both him and Kuravana in an overwhelming light. It appeared as though blue flames had enveloped them and constantly got more zealous. The pressure from the blaze was so strong that it began to push clouds of dust from off the ground as they whisked away from the center of the action. 

Kuravana cried out.

“Why would you do this!? You’re an idiot! A fool! A madman! You’re crazy!”

The flames bit at him even more, ripping away larger and larger pieces of his skin. Teus grit his teeth and clenched his fists even tighter, crushing more of Kuravana’s throat. Blood began to aggressively fall from his nose and his mouth. Teus grunted trying to not focus on the pain. He held on his face a manic grin that soon softened into a genuinely relieved smile.

“Yeah, I know…” A single tear fell from his eye as the energy began to crackle more violently around them. “...But this way, the old man doesn’t have to die.”

Galmarion’s voice thundered down to Teus.

“Are you sure you’re ready?”

Teus grinned.

“Yup, You can have whatever you want Galmarion! Whatever’s mine is your’s now!”

A hearty laugh erupted from Galmarion as he watched Teus with a devilish grin.

“You are well and worthy to be…my master!”

Kuravana desperately put his claws on Teus' shoulders, begging for mercy.

“Stop this, now! Please!”

The flames grew hotter. Teus coughed blood from out his mouth before dropping to one knee. But never loosened his grasp on Kuravana. He did not even bother to answer the dragon. Speaking seemed to be too difficult at the moment.

Thoughts of regret and pain resurfaced Kuravana’s mind.

“Crap! I can’t escape…The pressure…is too much!”

Kuravana tried begging once again.

“Stop it you suicidal maniac!”

Galmarion’s voice bellowed a countdown, that only Teus could hear.

“Three…”

Teus grunted again as he grinned. The cracks burned more fiercely.

“Not a chance! It’s not fair that the old man dies after everything he’s done for me!”

Kuravana continued to sweat as the dread of the situation increased. He watched Teus struggle as his scarf almost seemed to sear his neck. The cracks along his body flashing brighter than ever now.

“Don’t try to smile through the pain! Just let me go! What if this doesn’t even kill me!?”

Galmarion’s voice grew in intensity and anticipation.

“Two…”

The heat got worse…

Kuravana yelled at the top of his lungs.

“Stop! It’s not worth it!”

Teus slammed the dragon’s head against the ground once again. Before his other knee gave out. On both knees he hovered over the dragon with his hand still firmly clasped on his neck and parts of his skin flying in the air before going up in a blaze. He was now wheezing for any semblance of air he could get within the heated enclosure. Blood and sweat rolled down his forehead as he yelled.

“I decide what’s worth it! And if morals are what you value the most, then I want the old man to live more than me…!” The tears Teus held back began to roll down his cheeks again without reservation as he gave a final smile. “...Because he’s my friend!”

Galmarion’s grin grew, as he triumphantly said the last number.

“...One!”

The old man yelled one last time. But it was already too late…

“Teus, no!”

BWOOSH!

A magnificent ball of light flared up from where Teus and Kuravana were in the crater. With a violent sizzle the ground erupted into a gigantic explosion that pierced into the deep night sky. Within a heartbeat, the edges of the explosion sent a violent shockwave that rippled throughout Thorinhil. The force that the burst emitted caused the land not just to quake, but to tremble. It caused the glass on the nearby buildings not just to burst, but to shatter as it raged.

The old man hung on tightly to the hilt of his sword that was thrust deeply into the ground. The rest of his body moved like a ragdoll in  a storm. His eyes snapped open at the chaos, he watched in awe.

“It’s as though we were hit by a shooting star!”

He instinctively looked upward to find that the stars of the night shone brightly. The blast had punctured through the veil of the clouds above. Forcing them to depart from aloft Thorinhil.

“You gotta be kidding me…” The old man muttered aloud.

Lantern posts had folded almost in half. The wind stripped the already fallen trees of their leaves, causing them to dance in the breeze. Debris flew in all directions as large clouds of fog billowed upwards, exiting the crater.

Soon, the explosion had begun to die down. The old man could not help but stare, his body now back on solid ground. Though something caught the attention of his nose. He smelled a heavy scent of smoke. He looked downward to see that all the land inside the crater was charred. The fumes wafted, spilling from the seams of the crater.

The old man groaned.

“Well…No one is going to be able to plant here again anytime soon…The soil is so thoroughly scorched so bad...”

He laid there in a moment of silence, watching as the smoke and dust slowly cleared away from the area. From afar the sun began to rise over the horizon. Dawn was slowly approaching, and it helped the old man see just a little bit clearer.

He felt a soft fabric fall on the top of his head. His eyes looked upward again only to meet a sight that made his heart nearly split in two.

The old man grit his teeth.

“Look at all this…” 

Strands of Teus’ destroyed scarf tumbled in the wind, as they gently rained down on the town, being spread out to every corner and street. 

The original vibrance of its color purple had been long replaced with the stains of crimson blood, and now nothing remained except for the burnt black remains that floated down from the sky. 

“...No matter where I go, I always end up losing the ones I love to those monsters… Nothing’s changed from back then… It appears that I’m just as useless as before…”

The old man redirected his gaze to the crater, looking for Teus’ body. The search was difficult as the dust was still covering his view. While his eyes combed through the battlefield, he continued to be lost in thought.

“...Teus, you should have sacrificed me…”

A large sigh left his body as he continued to search.

“...At least he took the dragon with him as he went. You went out like a true warrior, my friend.”

Nothing could be heard but the sound of the howling breeze as it washed over the old man. His eyes steadily examined the torn up crater until, through the haze, he stumbled across a sight that made his skin crawl. 

“...Oh, no…”

His jaw dropped to the ground. He quickly pushed himself off the dirt leaning against his sword to halfway stand, before coughing his realization.

“...It’s impossible! A curse among curses!”

From deep inside the center of the crater, Teus laid there motionless. He observed the pieces of his scarf scatter in the air as they dispersed themselves over Thorinhil. He lacked the strength to muster up a laugh but he managed a smile.

“It kept me warm until the very end…”

A faint sound of sizzling was heard from the back of Teus’ neck, then a searing pain followed in that concentrated area. All the cracks from before seemed to retract themselves into that one spot. Teus groaned in pain. A deep voice called out to him as he saw Galmarion’s smiling face as he hovered above.

“You belong to me now, human…”

A soft sigh escaped through Teus’ mouth.

“That was the deal, thanks for your help Galmarion. I couldn’t have done it without you.”

The dragon flinched in shock. He sensed nothing but immense gratitude from the child. He looked relieved.

“Did he really just thank a dragon…? I almost feel bad for what I’m about to do to him…Almost!”

The pain endured on Teus’ neck as a soft glow, finally it emitted itself, something was beginning to form. The mark that existed on the dragon core in the shape of an ember was now seared onto the back of Teus’ nape. Galmarion continued.

“I have now branded you with my seal at the back of your neck. Everytime you will use my power, it will come from there. You can recover from most injuries that are sustained but my knowledge on human anatomy is not the best so don’t abuse it. Keep in mind that your power stems from the neck so if you ever get your head cut off, I won’t be able to revive you.”

As Teus listened to the dragon give rules and instructions, his forehead creased out of confusion.

“Wait a minute! You’re talking right now like you want me to live. I thought you were going to eat my soul?”

Galmarion chuckled. He continued to give Teus a villainous grin. 

“It looks like you still don’t understand what’s happening…If I remember correctly, you said I can have whatever I want! So, I’m doing just that. I’m claiming more than just your soul, more than just your body…I’m going to make you into my vessel. Your days as a human are now over…From here on out, you are a dragon disciple!”

A few seconds went by as Teus stared at the dragon blankly.

“What is that?”

The jaw of Galmarion dropped.

“Y- you really had no idea!?”

“None at all.”

The dragon rolled his eyes.

“You really are a peasant, you have no education at all!”

“Hey! That’s mean!”

The dragon began to crease his forehead out of frustration as he bellowed.

“Nothing I’m doing here is kind, you fool! This should be something that instills fear within your heart! This is a fate worse than death itself!”

“Worse? Wait, so I really am not dying!?”

The child’s jubilated voice continued to frustrate the dragon. An annoyed sigh left his nostrils before he continued.

“...Just forget it. You’ll find out later, but to answer your question, child. Yes, you still get to live…”

Teus’ eyes glimmered as a smile stretched from ear to ear.

“Really!? You’re the best dragon ever, Galmarion! If I could still move, and you weren’t a ghost-thingy or whatever you are, I would hug you right now!”

“You really wouldn’t…”

“I totally would! You just saved my life, you silly dragon!”

Galmarion clenched his fangs out of anger.

“Silly dragon!?” 

While Teus was laughing at Galmarion’s expression, the dragon continued with a sly grin.

“Do as you will, human…For it’s only a matter of time before you and everyone you love will realize… that you’ve become my vessel for reincarnation… and by then it will be too late…”

Teus made a confused face. His laughter made him miss the dragon’s words.

“Wait, what was that last part you mentioned? It sounded really important…”

Galmarion decided to ignore him and let his next words be firm with Teus.

“...You really shouldn’t be happy about this, human. But it’s fine, you’ll have plenty of time to lament your actions when I explain it to you later. After you deal with the aftermath of this situation, that is…”

Teus raised an eyebrow out of befuddlement.

“Aftermath…?”

A large shadow loomed over Teus’ mangled body. Ooze of dark purple began to drip onto the ground as the creature approached.

The top half of the bloodied body of Kuravana tried to crawl its way toward Teus. He watched with his jaw dropped as the blood quickly exited the dragon’s body and pooled onto the floor. The face of Kuravana looked melted, as though with a bit more time it was bound to fall off. The dragon was barely stringing together sentences in its pitiful state. 

“I..said you would never defeat me! Teusssss!”

Teus flinched, before yelling at Galmarion.

“I take it back! You’re the worst dragon ever! Kuravana is still alive!?”

Galmarion kissed his teeth out of irritation.

“Relax, he can’t do anything to harm you in this state. Just let him throw his fit while you recover, after that finish him off.”

Teus winced at the sight of the destroyed dragon.

Kuravana vomited blood on the ground as he tried to use his claws in an attempt to pull himself closer to Teus.

“You…will…pay!”

Inch by inch the dragon strived to pull nearer.

The haunting image did not last long in Teus’ view as in a split second a white flash of like lightning came thundering down. Attacking Kuravana by the back of the neck. The bolt was powerful and fast, sending the head of Kuravana falling down, decapitating the dragon.

Teus watched in awe as he saw Kuravana’s head bounce across the ground before it rolled away from his now deceased body, that also lifelessly plopped to the dirt after a brief pause.

His mind flooded with thoughts.

“What the hell? What was that just now?”

Then he saw a pair of long strapped boots touch the ground before him. A tattered cloak that billowed in the wind majestically, carrying the insignia of the nation. A shine of a magnificently crafted sword that reflected the slowly arriving sunrise. With that faint unmistakable glow that Teus was able to recognize instantly. This was the one Beast Breaker with a dragon core.

Beyond a shadow of a doubt, this was the captain, the real captain.

Teus’ eyes widened as he saw the captain speak into a device held in his hand that was foreign from anything he had ever seen before. He watched the captain click twice before speaking into the black sphere.

“Attention all units. When you are done tending to each other's wounds and injuries, meet me at the centre of the town. The dragon has been eliminated. I repeat Kuravana is now dead.”