The Dragon's Scale (COMPLETE, EDITING)

18.3 || Unrestful Night

The boy sniffled and peeled his face away from Josh's back. "I don't... I don't know anything. I just woke up here, and then that reaper was chasing me. I don't even know how I know what it's called."

Something about the wording raised a question Josh couldn't quite grasp. He pursed his lips and kneeled. "Get down and behind us. We will"—another crash shook the dome—"protect you."

The boy did slip off Josh's back, but instead of going behind them, he stepped in front of them. "No. Just let it have me. It doesn't want you guys."

Josh ruffled what little hair the boy had. "Hey, playing hero is our job."

"And we don't know it wouldn't come after us. It's a monster, and this one has a thirst for violence," Cale said. He shoved up to his feet. Although unsteady, he remained standing. "We know its potential weakness. We fight, we win, and if we don't... No sacrifices."

Josh couldn't tell in the dark, but it looked like Mara flinched.

The next attack by the reaper broke a spot in the dome. The detached rock hit the sand near Josh's foot.

"That won't work," the boy whispered. He whimpered and clenched his head. "That won't work," he repeated, louder.

"Hey." Mara took a half step toward the boy. "Are you okay?"

"We have to get away," he continued. "It will kill us if we don't."

"We cannot run away from it forever—"

Cale cut off with a yelp. A light flashed to life around the boy's hands. Josh winced against the sudden brightness and shielded his eyes.

Mara whispered to the boy, but whatever she said was lost in the reaper's next collision. More rock fell, a piece nicking Josh. The light expanded, enveloping everything in the dome.

"Samara!" Cale called, and Josh heard the sand crunching with movement.

The reaper wailed, the sound growing louder and louder—

Silence.

Josh stumbled. The sand under his feet no longer gave as easily. It almost felt solid.

The light started to fade, but flares danced in Josh's vision. He blinked and rubbed at his eyes. He didn't hear the reaper, but another, unexpected sound met his ears: rustling leaves.

As his sight cleared, he found the source. A small group of trees waved in the wind.

And behind those trees, a vast expanse of broken buildings peered down at them from over a crumbled wall.

"Kid, what did you do?" Cale asked.

"I don't..." He cut off and sighed. He shakily lowered to the ground and wrapped himself into a small ball.

"What do you know?" Mara asked. She spoke in a quiet, knowing tone. And the resigned expression on her face when he answered proved she had guessed right.

"Nothing," the boy said. He stared at the ground, a few tears trailing his dusty cheeks. "I just woke up in the desert, and I couldn't remember anything. But when that monster showed up, I recognized it as a reaper."

"Why would an amnesiac kid be in a temple?" Cale didn't direct the question at anyone. He dropped his head back to look at the stars, and Josh had the distinct impression the other Paladin wanted to yell at them for answers. "Do you maybe remember a name at least?"

The boy opened his mouth, the pain in his expression providing the answer before he could say anything. He paused, and his eyes widened. "Actually... I do." He looked at each of them in turn, and a small smile lit up his face. "My name is Aharon."

The name jolted through Josh, and he turned to meet Mara's eyes. They carried the same shock he felt.

"What?" Cale demanded.

Josh gulped. This was just a boy with no memory, and the Paladin who sacrificed himself to seal Sheol would have been a man upon his death. The name couldn't be a coincidence though, not in the temple that required the scale of Aharon's dragon to enter.

"Caleb," Mara said, "I don't think we can just hope for help anymore."

Fun Fact: Because we got so much Cale awesomeness this chapter, random Cale fact xD His birthday is September 1st :D 

Man, Cale's earth dome is the MVP for right now xD Crushing louse and keeping them mostly safe from a reaper. A reaper that doesn't want to go down. Wonder how one defeats that 👀 Also, Aharon has appeared! Or at least, a kid named Aharon... Surely that name is just a coincidence, right?

Let me know your thoughts on the chapter down below, and if you enjoyed it, don't forget to vote and comment. Or even join my Patron, which can be found in my bio. The lowest tier only costs $1 a month and gives you access to my discord, where you can get chapter previews and other perks detailed in Now That You're Caught Up.