Ancient Cardos: The Knight Life

Chapter 12: Nightmares.

I woke up in my home at Faldin. I wore my battle armor, I had a sword clenched in my hand and my dragon shield in the other. I don't even remember making it. That wasn't the worst.

It was still night out and everything was on fire, smoke in the air, with high flames swallowing everything.

I cut my wall down to get out and the sight was worst. The mountain's trees were in flames as well and the dragon Cyrus was standing on a building raging flames into the sky.

I stood out of sight and crept along to Darwin's place. It was nearby and the best knight I knew.

I tried to ignore the burnt up bodies with the screaming faces they made before they became ash statues. It was hard to ignore when I knew these people. I had to stop at one statue.

It was Oliver standing still, he had his hand on his shield, even the shield was ash. It was still on his back. He must have been trying to grab it to block the fire.

I left him behind and arrived at Darwin's still intact. I opened his door and walked around for a bit. I found Darwin in his room. Darwin was laying in his bed with a knife stabbed into his chest. I quickly left the room. I got back outside and my body went numb again.

I fell over onto my back and stared at the burning sky. That hooded man had returned and stood over me. I couldn't see his face. "I said I would play some games with you, didn't I." He said.

I tried to lift my sword and I couldn't. "Look at the world, changed by your own kind. Let me give you some information. Your father was a dark mage. Your mother was a dark mage. Even your own brother is a dark mage."

"I don't have a brother." I said. I still couldn't get up. He wasn't making sense. If my father was a dark mage, why would he wipe them out?

"Well this is where the mind games begin." He walked away from me and grabbed a chair from Darwin's house. He placed it near me and sat down. He looked around the area and took in the ashy scene.

"So yes, your mother, your father, a happy couple they were, but also hated by the ones that knew that they were dark mages. They did everything and even became heroes."

I tried to speak, but he moved his hand and my mouth shut tight.

"Your mother, fed everyone, helped everyone, cared for everyone, even when they hated her. Some of them accepted it, some didn't.

Your father, you already know. Slayer of three dragons, a blacksmith to all. Making whatever they wanted. They tried to blend in, but they were hated.

They decided to have children. A pair of twins. The female knight, Claire and the dark mage, dragon tamer, Christopher. That would be me." The hooded man finished and took off his hood. I couldn't speak. If what he says is true. My brother was trying to kill me.

He murdered our parents, burnt down my home village and now is giving me nightmares and playing with my head. Not even blood makes him a brother.

"I'm sorry sis, but I will end you." Christopher stood up and looked back at me. "Call me Chris, please." He walked away and Cyrus landed by me. He held his head over mine with his mouth wide open.

I started thinking of Soralis. the dragon I stabbed through the mouth. I've been in this situation before.

The flames began to climb through the mouth of the dragon and out towards me. Right before it hit me, I woke up back at the Darwin's hideout. It was still night out and I was sweating like crazy. "Just nightmares."

I stood up from the floor and sat in a chair. "Chris?" I asked myself. I felt all over my body, making sure it was a dream and no burn marks remained. That dream was so real. It felt as if I was there. It really bothered me.

Darwin came into the room and sat down across from me. "You should be asleep, Claire." We both looked out the window and into the night sky.

"I had nightmares. About Soralis, Faldin burning from Cyrus. Whose Chris?" Darwin looked away from me. "He's in my family line isn't he?" I asked.

Darwin sat in silence and then back at me. Your brother." He said after a while. "A dark mage, like you, your parents. Its a blood line that won't end." He sounded so terrible saying it. Like the words itself were poison.

"So i'm a dark mage?" I said that to myself but Darwin nodded anyways.

I suddenly got so mad at him. I was mad at many things at this point. Now my closest family member, my mentor, hid the fact I have a brother, that I was a dark mage, the most feared thing besides dragons.

I felt the anger built up inside of me. I gave him one look. A look of disappointment. He stood up nervously. "What?" He whispered.

The chair I was sitting in was freezing. The ice was spreading through out the chair and onto the walls.

I sat up from the chair and all of it was frozen in an ice blue color. I kept staring at the ice and it caught fire. The ice began to melt and the chair was then soaked in water.

I tried to speak, but I couldn't. A knock was heard at the door and Darwin went to answer it. He looked around and stepped out.

"Hello?" He asked. "No one is there." Darwin was stepping back inside and a strong wind blew him to the ground. He wasn't expecting that in the middle of the night and neither was I.

The hooded man walked in. He removed his hood and revealed a man with long dark hair and red eyes.

"This isn't my true appearance. I just make my own self. Being known as one of the traitors and looking like them isn't so pleasant." He said. He touched Darwin's back with his foot.

"Just leave." I said. He stepped his foot into Darwin's back and Darwin began to freeze. I tackled Him to the ground and held him there.

He made no attempt to stop me physically. I lost control of my own body and I got off of him and sat down in a chair.

"You know sis, I imagined our first meeting to be more violent. I expected you to become the dark mage you are and blow me away with how quick you learn."

"We all have our disappointments." I said.

"But, you would kill your own brother to protect a man that does not share the same blood as us. We were born the same." He sat down next to me. "Dark mages, dragon tamers, not killers. We have magical abilities, things normal humans like that Darwin guy wasn't worthy of possessing."

"He is more worthy than you will ever be, Chris. He raised me to be a fighter. I will end you one day."

Jason left his room and I saw it. Jason held his sword tightly. Chris didn't see it coming. Jason walked through the room slowly to get to Chris. I was fixated onJason. "You may try, Claire." Jason shoved his sword through Chris' chest.