[THE ST. ROSEBURY, CABOOSE, ONE MINUTE BEFORE TAKEOFF]
The door hinge to the caboose door blew off with a spark of energy and clanked onto the floor. Jacender pushed the blue steel door open and stepped into the small standing space Alexander had said was the caboose. It was like a balcony, except that there was a slot in the wall where the end of a ladder could be seen just barely poking out. Below it was a small sapphire-shaped button.
"That's the emergency ladder," Alex said as he came out the door behind him. "It looks small, but it extends like crazy all the way to the bottom to allow those on board to get off."
He held it open for Aurora but let go of it as Aleximus tried to enter. Aleximus caught it right before it closed on him and slammed it against Alexander's shin, sending the boy tumbling over with a hellish roar.
"Hmph," Aleximus snorted. "Serves you right."
He and Jacender came to the balcony edge and peered over it all the way down to the dock. The ship rumbled beneath them, directing their attention to the exhaust vents beneath the ship that caused the water to boil with the Wyvern's heat.
Aurora stiffened as she approached the edge. "Aren't you two scared? What if you fall over?"
Neither brother turned to answer. They were too caught up with looking out over the streets where Aryeh was fast approaching. Other children their age might have been too struck with fear to move at all when faced with the towering height of the St.Rosebury, but not Jacender and Aleximus. They had been raised in the tallest tree in the world for most of their lives. This was nothing.
Jacender gripped the safety railing, his eyes vying desperately for a more pronounced view of the mark on the robed figure's back. It was more obvious now what it was: the golden dragon of Xastol and its burly hammers.
WHIIIIIIRRRRRR!!
The St.Rosebury's mechanical insides ground together, shifting the children's balance ever so slightly. Aleximus grabbed onto Jace's collar so he wouldn't go flying and grumbled something under his breath. He stared below at the bottom of the ship, slowly skirting along the terminal's edge as the St.Rosebury moved. Some of the seawater splashed along the docks, earning a stiff glance from Alexander.
"The ship's moving!" he shouted. He grabbed onto a railing for stability and winced as his eyes fell upon an almost unnoticeable small light dipping in and out above the caboose door's archway. Crap, he worried. That's gotta be a signal to the guards! They'll be here soon now that the ship's moving!
Aurora leaned against the railing and looked as far behind them as the space would allow. There, she caught the tail end of the wyvern's massive wings unfurling before the ship. Its jaws opened with a terrifying rumble, sending a wave of heat straight from its mouthpiece directly into the chains attached to it. The heat supercharged even stronger from there as it hit two strange metallic pillars of blinking red and orange connected to the St.Rosebury's main body by its top left and top right corners. It's done being powered up! She realized.
"KRRREEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAA!!!!" the Wyvern screeched as it floated forward. Its smaller legs uncurled beneath it and bubbled the water with its body heat. Along the terminal docks, Aleximus and Jacender faintly heard someone let out an astonished squeal.
"HEY!" a handler yelled through his helmet. He dove to the side, out of the way of a blur of red.
She's here! Jace jumped. Besides him, Leon snapped happily at the sight of his mother.
Other handlers ran forward to help the first one up. "That's dangerous!" they shouted to the person atop the lioness. "You could be killed!"
"Get away!" another yelled.
The stranger didn't listen and continued running along the docks. He'd be by the ship in a few more seconds, but the problem wasn't that. Aleximus knew the ship wouldn't be in the same spot thirty seconds from now. The St.Rosebury was gaining speed even quicker now. In another moment, it would be by the edge of the docks, and in a few moments after that, it would start to ascend into the air.
"Hey! We need to get back inside!" Aurora yelled. Her hood blew strongly in the air behind her. "It's too dangerous!"
"Not yet!" Jace screamed back through the air pressure. He pointed down at the stranger atop Aryeh and grinned. "Not until he gets on board!"
Alexander and Aurora staggered in unison. "What?!" they said together. "Are you insane?!"
Alexander rushed forward and grabbed Aleximus. "No, that isn't important. You know him?"
Aleximus pushed his hand away and glanced back at the rider. Then, he pointed in the air above them, at something nobody other than him and Jace had noticed before: a black owl soaring above Aryeh.
"That owl up there is Strix," he revealed. "She helps out the Council in Xastol City as a messenger every now and then. She's independent, so she doesn't like taking orders a lot, but she does listen to Mr.Ivan."
Though most of the terms and names flew over Alex's head, one in particular did stick out to him. "Wait—" he stammered. "You said Xastol?! The dwarf city? How do you—"
"That's not important!" Aleximus yelled. "What's important is that other than Mr.Ivan, Strix likes one other dwarf enough to help out with directions!"
The ship veered slightly to the right. The edge of the docks was in sight. They would be away from land in mere moments.
"HOOO!" Strix shrieked to the rider below. In one more burst of speed, Aryeh took off, the dwarf on her back almost flying off if not for their stubborn grip on her nape. Their hood blasted off their head, then, as a small cloud of dust was kicked up by Aryeh's legs. None of them could see the dwarf's face, but the twins didn't care. They knew of only one person stubborn and foolish enough to try to race a Wyvern Ship with hopes of boarding. To try to come out so far… Aleximus smiled, a bead of sweat on his temple. Jace took his side, his smile growing even wider as the traveler and the lioness emerged from the dust cloud below. It could only be you!
DHOOOOOM!!
Hidemi Murong burst forward on Aryeh's back, his short hair flying freely in the air as a crazed grin stared up at both Jacender and Aleximus.
"HIDEMI!" Jace shouted as loud as he could down to his friend. Due to the size of the ship, the wind pressure would have made such words unintelligible, but nothing like that had ever stopped his friend before. All that mattered was that Hidemi had seen them. Aleximus was pleased to see that the half-dwarf boy's eyes were still as resolute as always.
"OOOOWWAAAA!!!" Hidemi bellowed with a wide wave.
He's a dwarf! Aurora realized. But I thought dwarves didn't like to leave Xastol! These two sound like they know him, but how in the world did they meet?!
Alexander shared a similar sentiment. He looked on at the brothers with a wonder he'd never thought possible and chuckled in disbelief.
These two… they're amazing! By their words, they seem to be his friends — even that gloomy Aleximus's mood changed the moment he saw that kid's face. To think they would risk their lives like this to help a friend… whether they know the consequences or not, I can't help but admire them!!
"Look!" Jace gestured at Strix. The bird landed by Hidemi's side and wrapped her beak around a long strip of thick, iron rope affixed to his waist. She soared back into the sky and mounted the Wyvern ship's caboose.
"Hoot! Hoot!" the owl screeched, beckoning one of them to come forward. Aleximus did as instructed and approached, grabbing onto the hook as Strix tossed it and quickly tied it around the ship's railing. Strix dove back down to Hidemi, grabbed the other end of the rope, and tied it to Aryeh's saddle, where a clip struck out.
"Rrr!" Leon whimpered. He feared his mother wouldn't be able to move fast enough while connected to the ship from down there. The moment land ran out, she'd be flung into the air behind the ship and down into the water below.
"We have to help them!" Aleximus barked. Jace nodded, exhilaration flooding his veins. He never expected to see Hidemi again, not after they hadn't had a chance to say goodbye, especially not so soon.
Jace jumped atop the railing, his legs staggering for a moment before he found a consistent balance.
"A-Are you insane?!" Aurora yelled. She rushed forward, saying, "You'll fall—"
"Stay right there, Aurora!" Jace ordered.
She froze at the command and looked to Alexander for backup. The orange-haired boy merely shook his head. It was no use trying to stop them from doing this, he thought. They'd made up their minds the second they'd seen the lion by the observation deck.
"Are you all crazy?" Aurora huffed. She stepped back, away from the railing, and glared at Aleximus. "How could you let your own brother do this? What if he falls, you demon!" Aleximus turned to her with a dark scowl.
"Shut up," he said flatly. "You don't know anything."
Before she opened her mouth to respond, Jacender grabbed hold of the rope below and started climbing down with no regard for the enormous fall below him.
"Listen, Aurora!" he said with a swift turn of his head. "We won't fall! I'm confident in it! But we need your help, got it?!"
Below him, Hidemi brought his feet up on Aryeh's back and slowly rose until he was capable of standing on both legs. Unlike Jacender, he was much more afraid. Nevertheless, the look in his eye didn't change. "Owa!" he told Aryeh.
He grunted as he grabbed hold of the rope and climbed up just as Jace did.
He's fearless! Alexander thought with shock. Either that or he has unwavering faith that these two will catch him!
He glanced around his surroundings. Less than ten seconds to go before that lioness runs out of running space. I've got to find some way to help out!
"Aleximus!" he said, spinning to the dark-haired boy. He nodded quickly towards Jace: a signal for him to follow his brother. Aleximus barely gave him a nod before he dove over the railing and grabbed hold of the rope. Alexander knew the boy didn't trust anyone other than his brother, so for him to entrust him with securing the rope up here and making sure it didn't fall… that spoke volumes as to the connection between the twins and Hidemi.
NWWWWRRRRRRRR!!!!!
The St.Rosebury had gained enough speed. In four more seconds, it would be away from the port. Leon stared down, worried about what his mother would do.
"GRWWWWWL!!!" Aryeh roared. The sound sent a reverberation through the line that turned Hidemi's head. He took in a sharp breath and nodded. Then, from his waistband, he removed a piece of dark red wood and tore at the rope behind him.
Ashtree wood! Aleximus realized. It must be one of the few pieces we left to the Council!
Unfortunately for Hidemi, despite Ashtree wood's properties, it wasn't strong enough to tear through such a sturdy rope. Aryeh seemed to know that, so instead of waiting for Hidemi to finish tearing the rope, she accelerated the process with a release of her own Sanctum Energy. A spiral of flame surged from her body and traveled upward, burning the rope apart and splitting her from Hidemi within a second.
SKRRTTTTT!
Aryeh reeled, throwing her front legs forward and digging into the ground as strongly as she could. The sudden impact cut her speed in half right by the border of the docks and nearly sent her tumbling into the shallow water below. If it wasn't for Strix diving down at the right moment and pulling at her tail, she'd have fallen.
Leon jumped up and down, overjoyed that she'd made it. "Graaauuuu!!!" he wailed, trying his best attempt at a roar. The feeble sound reached his mother's ears as she rose back to her feet. She bared her fangs at him and screamed back: one final goodbye to her son.
I don't get it! Aurora choked. What's so important about these two?! Why would he risk his life for them like this?!
It was a given, of course, that she wouldn't know Hidemi's attachment to the two. Even Alexander — who had an inkling of their relationship judging by how they acted — was perplexed.
Only Hidemi, who scaled the flappy rope, held the answers. He thought back with a smile, a few hours prior to arriving there, to shortly after Hisagi had spoken to him about chasing his goals.
Hidemi thought back to Xastol.
-------🅰🆂🅷🅵🅸🅴🅻🅳-----—
[XASTOL CITY, DRAGONS BREATH TOWER, TOP FLOOR — FOUR HOURS EARLIER]
Hidemi, accompanied by Hisagi, snuck into the seemingly empty Councilroom. Each step Hisagi took was windful on the wooden floors, though they didn't crack. He'd never done something so brazen before, so of course, he was afraid.
Hidemi, on the other hand, ran to his father's desk and sifted through a drawer filled with parchment paper, paintbrushes, and an assortment of other materials. By the balcony, Strix watched them with a hoot and shook her head.
"Shh, you foul creature!" Hisagi said, his heart nearly leaping out of his chest.
"Ahn!" Hidemi whispered, throwing whatever he could find from the drawer to the floor. Finally, his eyes came across what he was looking for. He wrapped his arms around the handles and took them out as Hisagi came to his side.
"Your hammers..!" he murmured with a smile. "So that's what you were looking for."
Hidemi read his lips and nodded, fondly running his fingers along the soft leather wrappings. He hadn't touched them since the Dwanivit. He remembered how he had created them with Oscar and the other forest dwarves in the Weeping Forest and knew that he would need these more than ever on his journey.
With them so caught up in the slight nostalgia the hammer brought, neither of them had noticed someone enter the room.
"And where do you think you're going?" Ivan called. Hisagi jumped, leading Hidemi to flinch in turn as they both faced the Councelor. To their surprise, Ivan stood in the doorway of the Councilroom with his arms crossed behind his back, something in his hands out of view. His eyes were more serious than Hidemi had ever known them to be.
"U-Uncle," Hisagi started with a gulp. "I can explain!"
Ivan raised his hand and cut him off. "There's nothing to explain. I understand what's going on here." He extended his hands expectingly and beckoned to his son. "You were trying to leave Xastol, right? Come here."
Hidemi lowered his head and approached. Hisagi's brow creased with nervousness, assuming that he'd be at fault for Hidemi's soon-to-come berating. He, after all, was the one who gave Hidemi the idea to pursue what he wanted. "Uncle, if I may," he started again, finding the courage to speak out. He wouldn't let his cousin's dreams be crushed as his once were. Not again. "I understand your concern about Hidemi leaving Xastol, but it is his choice! You can't stop him!"
Ivan didn't respond until Hidemi reached him. He waited for a moment for Hidemi to do something, but instead of a frown, scowl, or an expression of sadness, Hidemi placed both hammers into one of his hands and stuck out his other one towards his father. A smile crept on Ivan's face as Hidemi put his hand into the air and then brought it down onto his. A high-five?! Hisagi jumped.
Hidemi smiled and looked at Ivan, his eyes defiant. He knew what he was going to do and wasn't going to doubt himself in doing it. It was a lesson he'd long since learned from Jacender and Aleximus.
Wait, Hisagi slumped his shoulders forward and gave them both an incredulous look. No matter how you look at it, that was definitely a high five, right?
"Attaboy!" Ivan grinned. He dropped whatever was in his hands and pulled Hidemi in for a tight hug. Hisagi scanned it and was stunned at the realization that it was clothes. Not only clothes, but an old, sealed bag with what he only assumed was also some money and a piece of wood.
"You mean… You aren't here to stop him?" Hisagi asked with a raised brow. Ivan perked up and shook his head.
"No, no, no! I knew since he ran out of here earlier when the Arch-Bishops came that this would happen. I just wanted him to be absolutely sure he wanted to do it before he did."
Hidemi smiled, happy with the fact that his father knew him better than ever, and dropped his hammers to hug him back. It was an earnest embrace, long and tender.
Once Ivan let go, he reached for the fallen back of clothes and handed them to his son. Hidemi responded with a smile and accepted it graciously. On the cover of the bag was a golden leaf, and underneath it was the letter G.
"Your mother left this behind for you when we first learned she was pregnant," Ivan said. A melancholic smile played on his lips. "She'd gotten it packaged straight from her homeland before we came to Xastol. It was meant for your eighteenth birthday, but because we had to leave, the tailors had to rush it and make it smaller. She said 'His thirteenth birthday will have to do'."
"Hn!" Hidemi smiled. He brushed his hand along the package and opened it. The main color of the jacket was a rich, umber-brown. It had a short, unfolded stand-up collar, frog-button closures, and a relaxed, yet structured drape. It had full-length sleeves with a slight tapering towards the wrists, accented with obsidian black by the inner lining, the cuffs, and the hem trim. On the left sleeve, near his elbow, Xastol's golden dragon was embroidered along his upper to lower arm with an aged matte gold colored gleam that caught light at certain angles. Like autumn leaves in the wind, scattered green leaves drifted in a minimalist pattern across the right shoulder blade to the mid-back, extending lightly across the left side of the chest. They had burnished golden-black gradients that gave the impression of ink pressed on parchment.
For an undershirt, Ivan handed Hidemi a black long undershirt that peeked beneath the brown overlayer, adding a subtle contrast to the jacket. Hidemi could tell with just a look that what he held in his hands was the last physical remnant of his mother — of her love for him. He cherished that thought.
Unabashedly, he tore off his clothes and slipped into the outfit his father had given him. He fixed the collar, showing it off to Hisagi, who stuck up his thumbs at the look. It was like a fusion of Murong's traditional garb — the hanfu — and the modern clothing he'd seen Jacender and Aleximus wear when he'd visited Hidemi's home.
Ivan picked up the bag and held it close to his chest for a moment. "I needed to wait until the Arch-Bishops had left to give you a window to leave. The only problem now is finding you a means of transportation. Unfortunately, we don't have any horses or Floaters. What to do…"
It was then that Strix hooted, drawing both Ivan and Hisagi's attention. The owl rose into the air and spun in circles before flying into the room with them. Ivan moved out of the way just as the owl made for the Councilroom door. Hidemi followed its hollering and opened it to reveal Captain Upo, who was barreling down the hallway to them.
"M-Master Ivan!" the Captain heaved. Ivan noticed the buckets of sweat pouring from the Sentry's head that seeped into his clothing.
He must have run all the way here, Ivan thought. But why?
"What is it?" he asked Upo aloud. Upo averted his gaze before looking at Hidemi and bowed.
"By the gates, sir!" Ivan's eyes widened as Upo continued. "Before the gates… a lion came running from the Weeping Forest! She's been roaring and circling the same spot for almost fifteen minutes!"
"What?!" Ivan flinched.
Hidemi's brow furrowed as he thought back to his short time in the forest. The only lion he knew, other than Jace's cub Leon, was Aryeh. He put two and two together immediately.
"Owa!" he said to Ivan excitedly. "Owa!!"
Ivan looked at his son as he signed with his fingers. "Hidemi..? What are you…—" he caught his breath halfway as he finished his son's sentence. "The Lord Of The Weeping Forest? You're saying he sent her?!"
Hidemi nodded aggressively. He knew that for Aryeh to have been out of the Weeping Forest, Nahasch would have sent her.
Ivan's expression shifted to one of resolution. "Go, then!" he said with a point to the door. "Captain Upo will escort you to the gates. I imagine you'll want to say goodbye to Shao, Huin, Gido, and everyone else. Make sure to stop by home and pick up whatever else you need as you do."
"Mn!" Hidemi smiled. He turned, ready to take off, but Ivan grabbed him, spun Hidemi around so he'd face him, and embraced him one last time. Hisagi watched on with a silent smile and then looked away with embarrassment. He found it impossible not to think about his own father, of what a relationship like this would have been like with him.
Ivan's chin shook slightly as a tear ran down his face. Before he could fully sob, he choked back the rest of his feelings and buried his face in Hidemi's hair. His son's arms coiled around him strongly. Neither one's feelings had to be said aloud, and for that, Ivan was grateful. He pulled back and kissed Hidemi's head, earning him an embarrassed look from his son.
"I know, I know," Ivan mumbled as Hidemi tried to let go. "But this is the last time I'm going to see you for quite some time, young man. I deserve a little hug at the very least."
Despite not being able to read his father's lips with his head buried in his chest, Hidemi slowly calmed down and nodded. He, too, knew that once he left, he wouldn't see his father again for a long time. Maybe not even at all.
Tears welled in Hidemi's eyes, but Ivan knew that, unlike him, his son wouldn't be able to hold it back as well as he had. He let him go and wiped Hidemi's eyes for him.
"To think I just got you back," he grumbled tenderly.
He gently pushed Hidemi towards the door and glanced at Hisagi to accompany him. Captain Upo waited by the door..
"But they'll hate him."
Ivan thought back to his own words — the ones he'd shared with Gwentyn before she passed. I'd believed it impossible to change the fate the dwarves had subjected us to, he thought.
"People -- they hate what they don't understand. But you know deep, deep down that it's not entirely their fault. You have to teach Hidemi to understand that, okay? No matter what happens, he's got to grow up loved and capable of loving others. He will be good because you are good. That is how you'll prove them wrong."
Hidemi, Hisagi, and Upo ran down the hall, their silhouettes becoming less pronounced the further they went. Despite that, Ivan wasn't alone. It was a strange sensation, but… he could feel the presence of his late wife in the dwarven Councilroom.
He blinked, a new tear sliding down his cheek. That boy of ours changed us, just like you said he would, didn't he, dear?
Ivan could sense Gwentyn's spirit standing next to him as he sent off his son. "I was… such a fool, wasn't I?" he asked bitterly.
Gwentyn rested her head on his shoulders and smiled. "No, dear," she responded.
"You were a father."
-------🅰🆂🅷🅵🅸🅴🅻🅳-------
[XASTOL CITY GATES — AN HOUR LATER]
"Hidemi, wait!" Hisagi called with a pant.
His cousin had already mounted his strange ride — a ferocious, red lion with rear legs larger than his entire body. Next to Hidemi, standing sheepishly, stood Captain Upo, who prepared the young master's saddle and tucked in his hammers underneath a robe of brown and gold.
Hidemi, who'd already been facing the walls, turned to Hisagi with his brow raised. "Ahn?"
He measured a long look at his cousin. Not only was Hisagi's hair disheveled, but his clothes were ruffled and wrinkly, like they'd been exposed to an absurd amount of heat. Hidemi had wondered where Hisagi had taken off to after he'd gone off to say his final goodbyes to everyone.
"What's the matter?" Hisagi signed.
"Take this!" Hisagi yelled as Hidemi caught what he'd thrown into the air. Whatever it was, it was wrapped in a familiar cloth. Hisagi smiled and blew on his cracked fingernails like they were hot. "Remember this? You gave it to me earlier, before those two left."
Hidemi slowly unwrapped the paper and felt a chill run through his veins. It was the object his father had been working on for years. He remembered handing it to Hisagi a few short hours ago with the hopes of working together and completing it. The arrival of the Archbishops had caused him to completely forget about the project. Until now.
It was sleeker than before and not quite as finished as he'd hoped they could make it, but Hisagi had somehow upgraded it. The curved ends were shaved down enough to be round and fit around a wrist, and the diamond-shaped center's tiny silver gem had an even tinier piece of metal in its core.
Hisagi stepped closer to Aryeh and tapped the bracelet in his cousin's hand. "Looks familiar, right? It's a leftover piece from your old black reading tablet. It took a while to find it, but I was able to incorporate it into the bracelet's center. It's the best translator for Dwul runes after all. It'll only work once, but hopefully it'll make the little present I bonded it with work better for you."
Hidemi's eyes widened as he noted the small red and gold energy wisps engraved into the ornament's sides near the initials of him and his mother. He understood immediately what it was that Hisagi had added to the bracelet and jumped off the saddle.
Hisagi flinched, a derpy expression coming onto his face. "Ah! What are you— Let go of—" he fussed. Hidemi grabbed hold of him and pulled him in for a strong hug. Though Hisagi was almost a full head taller, he felt as if, in that moment, Hidemi was the older one. The hug was just that resolute — that final.
Hisagi's body loosened. I wonder, he smiled, hugging Hidemi back, …if this is what a real goodbye hug feels like. He felt his cousin's tears press against his hanfu and put his hand over his head. Father… I wish I could have… No, he stopped himself. He pulled back and let Hidemi go. This is all that matters, isn't it, cousin?
Hidemi looked at him, his lip curled up in an attempt to stop himself from crying. He and Hisgi both knew that the time for tears was over. Tears would just prolong the inevitable and extend stagnation. They both had to move on — to chase their dreams. No read words needed to be spoken. Hidemi's watering eyes told him that these feelings would last for some time, no matter how much of it passed.
Hisagi stood straight and assumed his normal regal composure. "Ahem," he coughed, "You better not embarrass us when you go, cousin. You represent all dwarves once you leave those gates, Hidemi Murong. Am I understood?"
But you're a true dwarf… You'd never embarrass us, would you? Hisagi smiled. He thought all the times he'd helped in putting his cousin down; all the times he'd bullied him. A part of him would always regret not having enough time to make up for his actions, but the answer was clear: to accept it and do better every day from now would be how he'd honor Hidemi's love.
Captain Upo cleared his throat and gave the lion a fake pat. Aryeh snarled at him. "Your check is complete," the captain backed away. "You're ready to go, young master Hidemi."
Hidemi grinned at the captain with a nod that turned Upo's face several shades redder. He averted his eyes and hung his head in shame. "And… uh… ahem… I'd like to thank you for your kindness towards me and the other sentries…" Upo added. "I am not deserving of it, but I pray that one day you can forgive my son, Esi, too. He's a good boy who had a bad father as a role model. Please take it easy on him."
Hidemi stuck out his hand to him and formed a fist. "Ahn!"
"What?" Upo winced with surprise.
"He wants you to fist-bump him," Hisagi said. Hidemi nodded in agreement and wagged his fist in front of the captain. Upo looked away and gave his tiny hand a pump.
"He forgave Esi a long time ago." Hisagi laughed.
Upo heard snickering coming from above the wall and spun his head. His men stood up there, looking down while holding their bellies and mouths as they snickered.
"W-WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT?!" Upo snapped. "GET TO WORK YOU FOOLS! OPEN THE GATES! I'M COMING UP THERE RIGHT NOW!"
The men hurried to do as they were told, but that didn't stop the laughter in the slightest. Upo grew more and more embarrassed with every wheeze.
"Ngrrr!" Aryeh growled. Hidemi jumped on top of her and threw his hood over his head. Above him, Strix circled them both, ready to take off.
He gave one last look at Dragon's Breath Tower behind the gate's doors and smiled melancholically.
"Owa!" he said to Aryeh, and before he knew it, he was off, struggling to hold on tight, and made his way to the town of Zenica.
He blew past the Weeping Forest and waved despite seeing no one. He knew that Nahasch was watching from wherever he was. And he was right. From the darkness, the lord smiled softly as he watched the half-dwarf go off. He chuckled to himself and returned to the inner forest. "Best of luck, young Murong," he whispered. "You've overcome the flux."
On the road ahead, Hidemi thought about the faces of his first true friends, Jacender and Aleximus. A wide grin stretched across his face as Aryeh's speed increased. He couldn't wait to see them again.
"Ha!"
-------🅰🆂🅷🅵🅸🅴🅻🅳-------
[THE ST. ROSEBURY — OBSERVATION DECK CABOOSE — PRESENT]
The Wyvern Ship had gained enough speed in its ascent now. Aleximus struggled to hold onto the flapping rope as the pressurized winds nipped at his ears.
"The Wyvern's stabilizing!" he screamed to Jace, who climbed down the rope ahead. His brother looked back, wincing as he nodded to Aleximus. It was a miracle the rope hadn't yet slammed against the bottom of the ship and flattened them into paste. They didn't have much time left.
Jace looked back at Hidemi and screamed as loud as he could so the dwarf boy would read his lips. "Hurry! If the ship gets into the sky, you'll die!"
Hidemi held onto the swinging rope with one hand and raised his other so Jace could clearly see. The white-haired boy watched his friend sign something in the air that widened his eyes with shock. "Are you sure?!" he asked.
Hidemi nodded with another crazed smile. He was willing to risk it.
Above on the caboose, Aurora gulped hard as she heard the yelling and looked around. Alexander held onto the tightened rope and was there to stop it from untying. The twins had gone ahead on what she deemed a suicide mission in climbing off a Wyvern Ship. There was nothing for her to do to help, despite every nerve in her body telling her not to.
Crap! she worried. If only I had my wand, then maybe I could do something, but even then… She remembered her terrible use of magic against Aleximus and Alexander when they cornered her and shuddered to think of how much worse she would make it if she used it now.
Wait… she froze. The weight of her thoughts was slowly beginning to crush her. Why am I helping these guys? I just met them today. I don't owe them anything. So why? Why am I—
"AURORA!" Jace screamed from below. She snapped back into focus and looked over with shaking hands. Jacender didn't look back, but she could see his legs shaking too. He's scared, she thought. More scared than me, even. But he's still down there risking his life…
"Can you use your wind powers?!" Jace yelled. Her legs began to quake.
"I-I can't! Not without my wand! But even then—"
Aleximus pursed his lips together and roared, "Alexander!", cutting her off.
Aurora turned to see Alex toss her wand, untouched and just as she'd left it. "H-How did you?"
"Aleximus picked it up earlier!" Alex yelled. "But that doesn't matter! They need your help before the guards come!" Fear consumed her.
"But I can't control my powers yet! The force could kill you!"
"Then do it!" Jace said. "We're gonna need you to lift us into the air!"
Aurora staggered at the sound of their plan. They want to get blasted even higher?!
"I trust you!"
Aleximus and Jacender both smirked in sync and let go of the rope, leaving her with no time to think. They plummeted in the blink of an eye, and before Alexander knew it, they were eye-level with Hidemi.
TWWWWWWWW!!!!!
In an instant, Aurora raised her arm above her shoulder and extended it down towards the brothers and the half-dwarf. A stream of wind erupted from its tip like a cyclone and struck the space directly under them all before the twins could fall further. Hidemi let go in that exact moment and grabbed onto Jacender's hand. Jacender grabbed onto Aleximus's, and Aleximus grabbed onto Hidemi's, forming a locked circle.
BRMMMWWWWWWW!!!!!!!
The cyclone's Sanctum Energy swirled around them all and lifted them into the air. The rope tore from the wind pressure and snapped in half.
"Hidemi!" Jace grit his teeth. The wind ripped at all of their skins, threatening to slice them to ribbons. Red surged from Aleximus's mouth as he summoned his Sanctum Energy to protect them. Jacender did the same and coated his body in his aura to alleviate some of the pain.
"They're crazy!" Alexander laughed. "But I guess I am too!" He glanced around, knowing that they didn't have much time, and pulled at the piece of rope attached to the railing. He tied the loose bit around his foot and stood atop the railing with his arms open wide.
The moment they go above us, I'll catch them, I swear! A knight doesn't let people die on his watch!
"I trust you!" Jace's words rang in his ears. The words weren't just for Aurora, but for him as well. Though with that, and the prospect of three possible deaths on her conscience, Aurora had no choice but to focus. She heard a familiar voice whisper orders in her ear — the voice of her master.
"Visualize the energy as a straight line," the voice commanded. The stream from her wand lessened slightly and thinned, like a tree branch. "Imagine yourself as the wand, Aurora. You are the master of the wind. It can not control you any more than you can control it. You must become one. Feel it!"
A jolt of pain ran through her shoulders and down her fingers, erupting in a spray of blood through her fingertip. She groaned in pain but didn't let go of the wand. The cyclone was rising now.
"Vikhrovaya Ruka!" she roared, naming the blast. An eruption ensued as the wind bloomed into an explosion, sending the trio below above the St.Rosebury and into the sunlight where she, Leon, and Alexander could no longer see them.
KAFOOSH!
"NICE WORK!" Jace laughed as the whirlwind disappeared. He spun to his brother in the same breath and said, "Aleximus! You're up!"
Aleximus tucked his shoulders in and dove through the air between the three of them as they free-fell. Though they were above the ship now, it was moving forward; they would need a sudden acceleration to reach the caboose as they came down.
"Hold on to me!" Aleximus ordered. Jacender and Hidemi grabbed onto the back of his sweater as they fell and braced for impact. A dark, black, and red tinge of Sanctum Energy flooded from Aleximus's body and amassed inside his palm. He twisted his body in midair and pointed the orb in the opposite direction of the ship before discharging it. The sudden blow sent the three of them falling as far back as he could, towards the caboose at a downward acceleration. Now, they only needed to stabilize their landing.
"AHN!" Hidemi screamed. He took center stage as he faced the ship. With Aleximus's acceleration, he had a direct sightline to it and wouldn't waste a single moment. He thrust his right arm forward and exposed the bracelet Hisagi had made for him.
"It took a while to find it, but I was able to incorporate it into the bracelet's center. It's the best translator for Dwul runes after all. It'll only work once, but hopefully it'll make the little present I bonded it with work better for you."
Hidemi released his own Sanctum Energy. The clear golden surge flew down his arm and hit the bracelet, charging its center for one decisive move.
LRNNNNNNNNNN!!!!!
He had no doubt that this was the moment Hisagi's gift would come in the most handy. And if its functions were what he knew his cousin had been alluding to, then…
DWM
Hidemi's energy dissipated, and in the same instant, the acceleration stopped. "OWA!" he bellowed with one furious punch to the air.
FAAAA—ZOOOM!!!!
A circle formed behind the three of them, reading with a single, golden letter: "傳送"
What happened next, none of them had been ready for — not even Hidemi. From within the letter, Aurora's cyclone returned again and blasted them, striking Aleximus into Jacender, and Jacender into Hidemi.
None of the three could even scream with surprise before they tackled Alexander, who caught them all, and crashed onto the St.Rosebury's caboose a moment after.
The destructive cyclone behind them lashed out angrily — more angrily than before, and came down upon them again.
"C-Crap!" Aurora winced with her wand raised. "I-I can't stop it!"
The boys all moved to jump up, but the landing had disoriented them beyond words. They could only brace themselves for death.
At least, that was what they had thought.
YUUUIIIIIIIII!!!!!
The wind exploded, clashing against itself and returning to nothingness. Aleximus jumped up and looked around. "What the—"
"Owa!!!" Hidemi noised from underneath his feet. Aleximus flinched, realizing that he'd stomped on him, and stepped aside, leaving the matter of the cyclone for now.
Jace cradled his head and groaned. Then, he locked eyes with Hidemi. "Oh! Oh! Ohhhh!!!!!" he squealed. Hidemi let loose a similar sound and jumped into his arms. He'd at least gotten to hold his best friend again.
Alexander started to rise, but thought against it. He had taken the brunt of the force of the fall and decided to just lean against the door instead. Aleximus slumped down against the railing opposite him and hid a soft smile of gratitude. Both of them heaved heavily from exhaustion.
Despite all odds, they had come together and made it. They had finally made it.
Aurora stepped forward with a shy look, but her eyes burned stronger than they ever had before. "We—" she panted, "We did it!"
She grinned, amazed that she had been able to control her cyclone in such a way, and stared at her bloodied fingertips. It was a small price to pay for such a major achievement.
Alexander smiled at her and nodded, a similar feeling welling up in his chest. He'd been entrusted with someone's life and was able to save them! It was an indescribable feeling.
"Haha," he chuckled slowly. "We did do it, didn't we? Hehe!"
Soon, his laughter became louder and more hearty, like someone had told him a funny joke. "HAHAHA!"
Jacender and even Hidemi — who'd never met Alex until this moment — couldn't help but laugh as well. What they had done was reckless, yes, but it had been worth it. Such was the bond shared by those who defied death.
An uncharacteristically large grin appeared on even Aleximus's face. "Idiots," he mumbled. "I'm surrounded by idiots."
He looked over his shoulder at the long-faded town of Zenica in the distance and turned back to Hidemi. "That bracelet," he said, eyeing it. "It's what you showed to us and Hisagi back in Xastol, right?"
Hidemi nodded. He held it up and showed it to him. The center charge had been filled with his Sanctum Energy, but was now fritzing out. Like Hisagi had said, it would only be useful for one charge.
"Who'd have thought something so crazy would be so small," Jace joked. "That thing almost killed us."
Aleximus shook his head and sighed. "It's not the bracelet itself. It's what's inside of it. Don't you remember what happened in the Dwanivit? There's only one ore capable of replicating and enhancing something's attributes with only one charge."
Jace's eyes widened as he thought back to Hisagi's creation during the Dwanivit: his transcription scale. It could only be powered by Dwul runes, which broke down Sanctum Essence in objects or energy and turned it into language capable of being translated by the user's Sanctum Energy. Though Jacender didn't know that the center of the bracelet was forged from Hidemi's old black table, which specialized in translating Sanctum Energy, he understood that whatever it was could only power the ore Hisagi had used back then: a Qyik.
"You mean that thing has Hisagi's Qyik in it?!" Jace jumped. "No wonder it could amplify Aurora's wind in exchange for one punch!"
He knew then how extraordinary the object around Hidemi's wrist was. Because of it, their lives had been saved.
"Not only that," Aleximus added. "Remember how hard it was for Hisagi to build his scale with the Qyik? It's complicated — basically a portable extraction scale. If it's in Hidemi's bracelet, then that means…" He scoffed and thought of Hisagi's haughty attitude. "It means that Hisagi destroyed his own transcription scale to build Hidemi's bracelet with the Qyik."
Hidemi smiled proudly at the object in his hand and nodded. He'd figured as much when Hisagi didn't elaborate on what it was exactly. As ironic as it was, Hidemi had no words to describe how grateful he was to his cousin.
"You'll chase your dream out there, and I will chase mine up there." Hisagi had said to him once. "We'll both become dwarves deserving of not only Arsaes' legacy, but our own. And when you finally get back… We'll decide once and for all which of us is the better Sanctum-Smith, got it?"
He clenched his fist and looked out to the sky. He couldn't wait to keep that promise. "W-Wait a minute!" Aurora realized. "Even if this kid is your friend, he doesn't have a Barnabas ticket! They'll ban him the moment we get to Pendragon—"
Aleximus dug in his pocket and tossed the trinket to Hidemi. "That's already been handled." Jacender squinted his eyes and recognized it as the extra ticket his brother had purchased when they'd been in Rumba's Plaza.
"...Just in case," his brother had whispered. The line replayed in his mind like a bad joke. He grinned and looked at his brother, who tried his hardest not to meet his.
"So you had a feeling since back then, huh?" Jace said happily. "A feeling that Hidemi would get over here?" Aleximus didn't respond, but his silent smile was all Jacender needed as proof of his intuition.
You're amazing, 'Lex. You really are.
Aleximus looked above at the waxing moon that had slowly begun to envelop the sun. So much time has passed now. He lowered his gaze and took in a deep breath. His hair blew in the breeze with an odd sense of catharsis taking him over. Finally, he thought, …We're close, Uncle Matsuda.Pendragon… I'll make sure we get there.
In his pupil's reflection, Aleximus could feel Hatagi's pearl eyes taunt him. He let it sit for a moment before blinking and dispelling any thoughts of him.
But for now… It's good to have peace—
BMDK!
The door behind Alexander's back swung, knocking him into a railing and disrupting Aleximus's hopes of silence. Each of the children stared up to see three guards standing in the doorway with stern expressions aimed their way.
"C-Crap!" Aurora flinched. We're busted! We're busted! They're gonna kick us off!
The guards stepped to the side and let someone behind them through. Alexander groaned as he rose and opened his mouth to complain. "Hey! Watch where you're—"
He stopped himself, making out the familiar blue vest and grey pants the woman before them wore. She stared at them with the look of a tired mother and held on her waist the keys Alexander had accidentally knocked off her when they'd first boarded the ship.
Now that she was closer, Aleximus also recognized her. He quickly put together that she was someone of importance and got to his feet.
"What would you like to do with them, Aviator Bodil?" one of the guards asked.
Aurora, Jacender, Aleximus, and Alexander's hearts all thudded so loudly, one would've assumed that they'd dropped dead right then and there.
A-AVIATOR BODIL?! They thought in unison.
You mean the lady I helped out earlier was the captain of the ship? The Illmari Bodil?! Alexander felt his legs give out from under him. He knew he was in a world of trouble. For more than one reason.
Aviator Bodil gave a long, measured look to each of them and shook her head. "Well."
[CONVERGENCE [II] ]