153 Chapter 153: Mercury and Zyl

Chapter 153: Mercury and Zyl

"Hey Zyl," Mercury said.

For a moment, the dragon felt his heart drop. He just sat there, mouth agape, staring at the mopaaw in his doorframe. Leon flashed a bright smile.

"I'll leave you two to reunite. Be back in a moment," the butler said, then headed off, perhaps to find a vase.

Mercury was holding flowers after all. A whole bouquet of them. Zyl's eyes simply slowly drifted over the cat.

"Um, sorry for the sudden visit. I hope this isn't too awkward. I uh… brought you a gift?" Mercury suggested, and the bundle of fire roses floated a little closer to the bed.

Zyl's hand was trembling as he reached out and took them, pulling them close to his chest. Then he stared at Mercury a little more. "You're… alive," he whispered, barely loud enough to hear.

"Yeah," Mercury nodded. "I made it back. I promised, after all," he added with a cheeky smile.

"I- I thought you were dead."

"It got pretty close a few times. But I'm here now. Safe. You okay?" Mercury asked, taking a couple steps closer to the bed.

Zyl chuckled weakly, tears forming in his eyes. "Am I okay you ask," he said, shaking his head. "No, I'm not just okay. I'm happy and relieved and glad and angry all at the same time. I feel like I must be dreaming." He stared down at his hands.

Mercury hopped onto the bed besides the dragon, putting a paw on his leg. "Well, you aren't. I'd know, I'm kind of an expert on it," he said with a small smile. "I'm here Zyl. Not going anywhere, take your time."

For a few seconds, the dragon sat silently, then slowly ran a hand through Mercury's fur. He rasped out half a meow in response, but accepted the gesture. It felt like someone was running their fingers through his hair if he had to compare it to a human sensation. He was fine with it since Zyl was the one doing it.

Then, a few moments later, the dragon wrapped both his hands around the mopaaw and hugged him to his chest. Mercury felt a few wet drops land on his fur as Zyl nestled his face in it. He snuggled a little closer to the dragon. "It's alright. I'm here," he said.

Zyl cried. For a good while, a few minutes straight, he hugged Mercury and cried. They hadn't known each other for long, and yet, they'd connected. He hadn't lost someone again. No one had died because of him.

Somehow, despite the fact he'd fucked up, things worked out. It felt foreign to Zyl. New. Like so many things did with this ball of fur in his arms. He smiled and shook his head. "Thank you," he said, pressing Mercury tightly to him, "for making it back."

"Always," the mopaaw promised.

For a little while the two remained like that, until eventually, Zyl took a deep breath and let Mercury go. In response, the mopaaw pressed his snout up against the dragon's arm in affection for a moment, before pulling back. He was a smidge wet, but it was nothing a bit of cleaning couldn't solve. He'd pick up a cleanse spell soon, hopefully.

As the two sat together, Zyl picked up the bouquet again, smelling the flowers. He smiled. "They're wonderful, Mercury. Thanks for bringing them."

Just then, Leon came in, placing down a vase for Zyl to place the flowers into and receiving a thanks from both other men before leaving again, his cane rasping across the floor in search of obstacles.

"No problem. I thought you might want an apology after I disappeared for so long," Mercury said, somewhat tempted to stick his tongue out at the dragon.

Zyl laughed. It was a light, bright sound, with a pearly quality It brought a smile to Mercury's face as well. "Stop being silly! You owe me nothing," he laughed, patting Mercury's head.

Then they sat quietly for a bit, just enjoying each other's company. Zyl just grinned as he let himself get lost in the starry expanse of Mercury's eyes. It took him a couple minutes to even comment on it.

"You look different," he said.

"Sure do. I picked up an evolution after I got back."

"Oh? What level did you evolve at?"

"30," Mercury admitted.

Zyl nodded. "That's good. Very good, even. It takes most humans years to reach that point, though for them it would be their first evolution. I'm sure yours is a bit more special though, it sure doesn't look like anything I'd seen."

"Ah, right. That might be because my last evolution was already unique, so most of my paths now seem to diverge from the general mopaaw line. I just couldn't help myself," he smirked.

"Gotcha. Yeah, that would give you an edge on just about anyone in your tier. You'll also have stronger Skill than anyone born in tier four."

"Tier four?"

"Right, you wouldn't know that. You remember how you evolved at level thirty? We call those the tiers. Tier one evolves at level ten, tier two at level twenty, tier three at level thirty. There are obviously tiers below that, since even insects can use the system, and higher tiers don't always scale linearly. Things start getting weird from tier five onward," he explained and Mercury nodded.

"At any rate, that's that and this is this," the dragon continued. "Wanna tell me a bit about your new species? Or just generally about what you've been doing?"

Mercury smiled. "Of course, Zyl. Anytime."

And Mercury launched into yet another retelling of his escapades.

- - -

Once he was done, however, Zyl did not seem calmer. In fact, the dragon seemed more angry than before. Furious, even. His fists were clenched tightly underneath the blankets, though his eyes looked at Mercury with nothing but remorse.

"I'm very sorry that happened to you, Mercury," he said.

"What're you sorry for? It's not like this is your fault."

"It is, though," Zyl answered. "Those assassins were sent by my family, Mercury. My brother! Just to make me suffer." He smacked the bed lightly, leaning against the wall of pillows supporting his back.

Mercury stared for a few moments, then swallowed. "I'm so sorry, Zyl."

"What? You're sorry?! What for? Meeting me? Talking to me? Becoming friends?!"

Softly, Mercury shook his head. "No, Zyl. I'm sorry you had to go through all that." He pressed his head up against the other man's chest. "I'm sorry you have such a crappy brother. I'm sorry your family isn't treating you the way you deserve. I'm sorry that I wasn't here with you this entire time. I'm sorry I worried you."

"I- no, what? Mercury, my family tried to kill you! You didn't worry me, they did!"

"It's okay, Zyl. I'm here. I'll always be," Mercury said, cuddling even closer. "Your family won't keep me from you. No matter what happens, I'll live through it, and I'll come back to you. I'm sorry I took so long, but I'm stronger now. Next time, I'll be back in a flash." He smiled.

Zyl stared at him in confusion. "What?" he asked. "No, no, this is so wrong. You shouldn't- please, don't apologize." There were tears running down his cheeks. "You did nothing wrong. I'm- you just… Mercury, I'm not safe for you. You shouldn't want to be with me at all!"

"But I do, Zyl," he replied softly. "I want to be with you. I know we haven't known each other for long, but you've been way kinder to me than I ever deserved. You humor me even when I'm being stupid, and you've shown more patience than you really should have. I don't care what your family does, Zyl. Because to me, you've been a good person. And I'm trying to date you, not your brother," he said.

Once again, the dragon just stared at him wordlessly, then ran a shaky hand through his fur. He blinked away a few stray tears, and his mouth fell open and closed.

"You don't have to say anything," Mercury assured him. "I'm happy you cared that I was gone. But don't hold yourself responsible for what your family did. Please, Zyl. I want to be with you. If that means becoming strong enough to fight off a few dozen assassins, then so be it." He smiled.

A long moment of silence hung between them, until Zyl gave a slow, shaky nod. "Okay," he said. "Yeah. I'll… I'll try."

"That's all I'd ever ask," Mercury assured the other man, then leaned into another embrace.

Truthfully, he was of course a bit shocked that Zyl's family had sent the assassins. But then again, he had never been on the best terms with his own parents either. Mercury knew that family was hard. That it could be as much of a curse as a blessing.

He'd never hold that against Zyl.

All it meant was that he now had something to work towards. If he was targeted again, then surely, there would be much greater threats at play. Then again, he was much stronger now.

Still. Zyl was a dragon. If there was anything fantasy books had taught him, it was not to mess with dragons. It always ended poorly. But now, he was already doing so, and he doubted someone who sent assassins after a person just to get at their brother would ignore him very easily.

So, Mercury made up his mind. He'd just have to get strong enough to never need to worry about Zyl's family. He smiled and shook his head, fur brushing up against Zyl. Did all his wishes have to be "become strong enough for x thing"?

Eventually, after a few long, long minutes, Zyl took a deep breath. "Thanks," he muttered. "Thanks Mercury, I really appreciate it."

"Anytime, Zyl. Is there anything else I should still know?"

In response, the dragon sighed. "Yeah. There… There probably is. I haven't told you a whole lot about my family yet, have I?"

Mercury shook his head. "No, not yet. But please only tell me if you're ready. You can take your time."

Zyl snorted. "They're trying to kill you, Mercury. If now isn't the time, when would it be?"

"When you're ready," the cat said, smiling.

"Fine then. I'm ready now, you dummy. Thanks," he ruffled the fur on Mercury's head again, making the latter shake himself, and putting a grin on Zyl's face. "Alright. My family. So, I have one older brother, and one younger sister. I also have a mother and a father. If they even deserve those monikers," he said and scoffed.

"At any rate. My brother is a coward. My sister is violent. My mother is power-hungry. My father is lazy. That just about sums up my family," he explained. "The thing is that each of those makes them scary. Prone to action. Berthorn, my brother, isn't just a coward, but paranoid. He's terrified of me, and those connected to me, and will try to do everything in his power to eliminate any thread. Would a sane person send twenty assassins after a mopaaw?"

"I don't think they would," Mercury answered.

"Exactly. My sister would lash out at anyone she finds fun to play with, to the point of death, sometimes. My mother would consume anything and everything in her path in pursuit of greater power. And disturb my father's rest, or even drag out the work he has to do, and he will go overboard in retaliation."

"And I really, really wish they'd just let me have my freedom. Yet, in doing so, my brother fears me, my sister loses a toy, my mother wants my power, and my father needs to work. So they are not exactly pleased by me. The simple fact that I do not work for them is more than enough for them to hate me."

"Then again, they would anyway. See, Mercury, in the past I did something that was rash, and maybe stupid, and I don't regret in the slightest. There are artefacts all dragons agree to share, because they're valuable enough that we'd tear each others' throats out over them otherwise. And I broke one of them."

"It's a rather complicated story, but my mother was planning on misusing it so I stole it, broke it, and then ran away. Again. It was not the first time I left home against the will of my parents, but it was the last. Ever since then, they were of the belief that I owe them something, a spark, and have been trying to coerce me into giving it to them. They succeeded, using you as a hostage, which is how I ended up bedridden. Then, Berthorn decided he would have you killed anyway."

He spat the last bits of the speech, the long-grown dislike clear in his words.

"I'm sorry you had to go through all that," Mercury said, once again leaning up against the other man.

Zyl wrapped an arm around the mopaaw, "It's alright. I've gotten a lot of distance. This recent encounter just… made a lot of old wounds flare up. I'm so upset with them, you know?"

Mercury nodded a bit. "I get it. It's alright. Leon told me a bit about your situation right now. You're bedridden?"

"Ah, yeah, that." Zyl shivered lightly, and pulled the blanket higher. "See, dragons have their own magic. I, essentially, have very strong, fire attuned, core mana. It's what might be called my flame, and it's what gives me life. And the other dragons wanted a piece of it, which they got. A spark, it's called. I gave it, but the process is highly taxing. Fully recovering might take much longer, and there might even be a permanent injury with it." He grimaced.

Mercury's face fell a bit. "You gave that up… for me?"

"Yeah." Zyl smiled. "I'd do it again in a heartbeat."

It gave Mercury butterflies in his stomach, then he shook himself. "No, Zyl, you really shouldn't do that."

The dragon just smirked at that. "Oh really now? Says the guy who wants to stay with me at the threat of death?"

Mercury blushed a bit. "No, look, that's not…"

Zyl kissed his forehead. "It's fine. You're fine. I'm old enough to make my own decisions," he said, grinning slightly, then squeezed Mercury a bit. "Now, come here you big ball of fur and tell me all about your time since coming back!"

He smiled. "Alright, Zyl. Whatever you wish."

After cuddling a little closer, the two talked until the sun set.

- - - - - -

The mopaaw was alive.

Berthorn found out the same day that he arrived in Unbar, the city Zyl's mansion was in.

One of his spies among the guard told him. Of course he had spies there, this was his brother he was talking about, one of the most dangerous men on the continent. He had spies watching anyone he deemed dangerous, which meant most people of tier five or above.

But how?! How was that beast still alive? Was it that much more powerful than he thought? Maybe not all his assassins had died in the blood eclipse. Had it called it down just to obscure what was happening from him?!

Berthorn began biting his nails. He was beginning to spiral into paranoia again.

What if the mopaaw had been the one in control of the eclipse this entire time. Was his first encounter with it at Treyno perhaps planned? Had he been feeding it? Was he its servant or its master?!

If the monster controlled the eclipse, he needed to be even more wary. How many assassins would it take to kill it? No, maybe assassins wouldn't be enough. Would he have to hire help? Perhaps the skinshifters would be willing to take on this contract? What could he sell them?

His fist smacked against the windowsill hard enough to crack the stone. The noise and mild pain drew him back. His eyes cleared, and he stopped pacing, sitting down on the open gate, and taking a deep breath.

Right he'd gotten too absorbed with his thoughts. Whatever made the little creature so special, he'd find out. He could send spies to tail it, figure out its weaknesses and allegiances.

There were enough people of those capabilities right under his thumb. No need to barter or call in favours. How many should he send as contingencies, though? Would three be enough? Five? More?

But where to get those resources? He was already busy staging a coup among the dragons, and overthrow the leader of his clan. And now, some little beastie popped up?

Yet, that creature was so resistant to death. So he needed to send spies. Perhaps he could take one from each of his family members? Would a simple 49 people watching his mother still suffice? They would have to.

Four spies. That was what he would delegate to the beast. They would have to suffice. At least, if they came from his family members, they would be excellent at their job. Surely, the little monster wouldn't cause him even more trouble?