12 | Time-Skip (2)|
"Not good." I muttered, noticing that Art's rampant mana is about to burst out.
Gramps could handle the explosion himself so I...
>BOOOOM!<
A deafening blast with Art being the source created a shockwave that would easily knocked everyone off their feet.
Gramps being the closest to the explosion was thrown back several meters.
[Ice Wall]
I conjured a thick Ice Wall to block the shockwave from getting to us. The spell successfully blocked the shockwave and Tess did not receive any injury.
"Shaaa~" I exhaled a misty breath before reinforcing my body and dashed towards Art.
I dashed past gramps who's getting up and appeared by Art's side before inspecting him.
Art is unconscious but I sense nothing life-threatening.
"He just fell unconscious, nothing to worry about." I said, loud enough for Gramps and Tess to hear.
.
.
.
[Arthur Leywin's PoV]
Waking up back in my bed, I sat up feeling surprisingly refreshed. Sitting to my side, laying her head down on my legs was Tess. Looking at her sleeping like this, it reminded me of when I had escorted her back home after saving her from the slave traders.
Looking to my left in the dimly lit room, I see Merl peeling an apple skillfully with a knife.
"You're awake. Have some" Merl suddenly said without looking up and threw me a slice of peeled apple.
I caught the slice with ease before Merl said,
"You must be feeling refreshed right?"
"Yeah. Surprisingly refreshed" I turned towards Merl and saw his eyes glowing purple hue. Merl once told me about him being able to see surrounding mana once he injected a tiny amount of mana into his eyes which is really helpful.
>Creak<
Grandpa walked in soon after and he sat down on the other side of the bed, not bothering to wake up his slumbering granddaughter.
"How do you feel brat?" His lips curl up into a half grin.
"I should be asking you that, Gramps. I saw you getting sent flying; Luckily Merl conjured Ice Wall and protected Tess."
He just let out an embarrassed chuckle. "I have to admit I wasn't expecting that great of a force. I know you probably have a good reason for not even telling me what kind of beast gave you its will but is I'll ask just one more time. What sort of beast gave you it's will?"
Scenes of my time with Sylvia ran through my mind, one of them being her telling me never to tell anyone I had met her. However, Virion and Merl was probably only the few people I could actually trust, and they had the right to know. If it wasn't for them, I probably wouldn't be alive.
"…Well, using her own word, it was what we called a dragon that had passed her will to me."
A thick silence had filled the room as Virion's face was frozen in the same stricken expression he had when I told him.
"Hah I knew it. So that stone you're holding on to must definitely be her egg." Merl broke the silence.
"What? Egg?" I was confused and doubtful at his word but there's a possibility of it being an egg.
Gramps began mumbling to himself, the only words I could make out being 'possible' and 'never happened'.
"D-dragon…" he managed to wheeze out, his eyes staring blankly at me.
"Dear lord… a D-dragon Tamer. In my life, I've never thought I'd be able to see the birth of a Dragon Tamer…I-I'm even the one that trained him! HAHAHA! A Dragon Tamer!"
"Is it that amazing?" Merl muttered and threw a slice of apple into his mouth,
Tess woke up from the now senile Virion and looked at him, confused.
He suddenly grabbed both my shoulders and looked at me intently. "You did right in keeping this a secret. Do not tell anyone else. This power of yours has to be kept a secret until you have the strength to protect yourself and those around you."
"I'm beginning to believe that more and more, Gramps," I responded seriously.
"Good! Although I would like to know the whole story, but I am more than satisfied with what you've told me for now." He smiled back.
"What is it Gramps? What did Art tell you? Uu…not fair, keeping secrets from me." Tess started pouting at this point.
"Hahaha, you'll know when the time is right little one. Arthur! Merlin! I have good news. The teleportation gate that is supposed to open in two years will be opening early. There is a tournament that will be held in the city of Xyrus in four months. This tournament will be a very important event for the future because both the dwarves and elves are sending youths as representatives for both the tournament and as a preliminary student to your human academy. During the tournament, we can sneak you back into Sapin without the humans knowing at that time," Gramps exclaimed with a smile on his sharp face.
"Really Gramps? I can go home soon?" I shot out of bed.
I would finally be able to see my parents again! I had been sending messages to my parents every once in awhile through Elder Rinia but after seeing them through the water divination technique, I wasn't able to see them again.
"Y-you're going to be leaving soon, Art? Merl?" Tessia asked, her face crestfallen.
"Yeah. I have to meet my family soon. Don't worry though! I'll visit you again! And maybe you can come visit me in Sapin!" I said, hoping to cheer her up.
"To the human Kingdom...it does sound tempting! What about this tournament! I want to join! ORAAAA! I'm excited!" Merlin cheered.
There he goes, Merlin went crazy again.
"We still have four months, Arthur! Until the day the teleportation gates open, I expect you to train harder than before, brat! Your mana core hasn't developed at all these past three years from the assimilation you had to do, look at Merlin he's already at 'Solid Yellow stage' a prodigy among prodigies. Don't focus on only training your beast's will. That should only be used as a trump card. Understood?"
He was right. Although I have yet to activate even the Acquire phase of my dragon will, I knew that using it would only bring unwanted attention. I shouldn't use my beast's will if possible.
Continuing, Grandpa slapped my back and said, "Now! Take a bath and then rest. You reek of something rotten, brat. Little one, let's leave Arthur alone so he can recuperate."
I noticed Tess still looking depressed by the sudden news of my leaving. Growing up and living with her for three years had given us a bond that was as close to siblings and while she was only nine years old, the fact that she was already showing signs of blossoming into a beautiful woman did make me feel a twinge of regret that I wouldn't be here with her as she grew up.
"Tess! Cheer up okay? We'll still be around for a few more months and even after I leave, it's not going to permanent. I hope you can someday come and meet my parents too." I gave her a sincere hug.
"Eeep! W-what are you?" I can almost see the steam coming out of her head as she turned bright red. Suddenly, she pushed me away and ran out.
"Ah! Youth! Haha, sleep well, brat!" he chuckled, shaking his head while closing the door behind him.
Was Tess going through puberty already?
I hopped back into bed, feeling too lazy to take a shower right now.
"I'll just lay down for a little and then take shower." I muttered aloud.
"...Eww~"
"Shut it Merl."
*Rustle* *Rustle*
"Merl, I'm trying to sleep!"
*Rustle*
"...Merl please"
*Crack*
"...Art?" Merl called.
I sat up and looked around, only to see Merl holding the stone on the chair.
*Crack* *Crack*
I turned my gaze towards the stone in his hand and saw it cracking.
"Kyu~ Kyu~"
Kyu?
*Crack! *
"Kyu~!"
The stone is actually an EGG?!
I jumped out of my bed and approached Merl who's holding the cracked stone that Sylvia entrusted me with.
"H-haha…Holy shit…" I breathed out as I fell back on my butt, staring at what used to be the rainbow-colored gem.
"Kyu~!"
And what used to be an egg was now something that I couldn't put into one word.
The first thing that had come into mind was that it was a dragon. It looked sort of like a dragon to me, but at the same time, it didn't. It was all black. It kind of reminded me of a small kitten but with scales. It was sitting on all fours, studying at me with its head tilted to one side. The sclera that would usually be white in the human's eyes was black, like Grandpa Virion when he uses his second form, except its irises were a bright red instead of yellow. The pupils were sharp slits that would normally make it look menacing, but with the body of something akin to a small feline animal, it just looked adorable. The most noticeable difference between a dragon like Sylvia and this little… thing was that it had two horns on its head. The horns looked identical to the illusion that Sylvia had been before she revealed to me that she was a dragon. It curved outward around its head and then, sharpening into a point in the front.
Its head was shaped like a cat's but the snout was a just a little bit more pointed, otherwise the same. The tail, though, looked exactly like Sylvia's tail. It was a reptilian tail that had two red spikes at the end. Along the spine of this hatchling were also small red spikes that matched the color of its eyes. It didn't have wings but where the wings should be located were, instead, two small bumps.
***
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