Morte, the lost Heir (ONC 2024)

8. Fallen

"Then I thank you for the help. Farewell!" Elgatto smiled. "Safe travels to you!"

He waved with a hint of secrecy and vanished into the forest, leaving an air of intrigue behind. This side of the place was less rocky; forests bordered the road on both sides, leading them toward Aden.

"Who was that?" Aura's voice was filled with genuine curiosity and a hint of regret, as if she was truly sorry that Elgatto had vanished into the forest, leaving an air of mystery behind.

"He's not on the road, so he's hiding something," Tobi remarked. "He didn't ask us, but we didn't inquire much. It's better this way. When we arrived here with Dupe, he was waiting, hoping to find companions and cross over. We were lucky; without him, I don't know how long it would have taken us to get through."

"I didn't want to bring it up in front of the stranger, but my knife and the note weren't where we left them," Keenan's voice quivered with worry. "That means we can't go back..."

They all paused for a moment as if having a team meeting.

"And that's the most troubling thing about this," Nerina said, her voice tinged with concern. If the message fell into the wrong hands, and Morte's enemies found it and started asking around in Oner, they'll quickly discover our destination..."

"But how? We made sure not to talk about it, and I don't think anyone followed us," Dupe was convinced he was right, and Nerina was worrying unnecessarily.

"We may have been cautious, but when Morte asked about maps and the townsfolk directed him to us, I think they'll quickly connect the two events." Nerina reinforced her opinion.

"Since you're already involved up to your necks, I'd be glad if you decided to join us in finding the heir to the throne! It could be advantageous if there are more of us; maybe we'll finish faster!" Tobi's voice resonated with a mix of hope and determination.

Nerina and Keenan looked at each other, their eyes filled with uncertainty and a hint of fear, waiting for the other to decide. Eventually, Keenan shrugged, entrusting Nerina with the weight of the decision.

"Okay, we'll join you!" Nerina said, and everyone was overjoyed. They continued their journey with a renewed sense of unity and purpose.

They reached the top of a hill, from where the blinding whiteness of Aden's towers emerged, surrounded by a sea of lush green forests. Once, this city was the beating heart of the empire, but even during the reign of Morte's father, the old king, the center was shifted to the bustling port town of Narig, where traders arrived with their well-packed treasures.

Dupe walked beside Nerina because he couldn't let something bother him. "Did I hear correctly that you're a wizard? Maybe you could help me? Could you fix my botched human transformation? Aura's punishment is still 21 days away, but then she could only turn back into a dragon..."

"Only 19 days left!" corrected Aura, who was walking ahead of them but heard every word they said.

"How time flies! It's been two days already on the road!" Sessom chuckled behind them.

Dupe recounted the whole story of how the human transformation spell had failed. Nerina examined Dupe's wings from the side: "So, this is a spell? I heard about dragons who can change their shapes without any help."

"I am not that kind, and I do not have any ability. I am just adorable and good-looking without any use..." Dupe's voice was filled with sorrow.

Nerina was lost in her thoughts: "Maybe you haven't found the strength in yourself yet..., anyway I wanted to ask if these are real. Can you use them?"

"Use them?" Dupe wondered.

"You know, fly? Can you fly with them?" Nerina laughed. "If I had wings, that's the first thing I'd try."

"You're only saying that because you're human, but as a dragon, I can fly, so it's not a big deal for me."

"Ah, I see. The thing is, the ingredients are costly. I could make a potion once we get to Aden, but we must buy the ingredients..." Dupe couldn't hide her disappointment. Nerina continued: "But let me ask you something: have you ever thought about fate? As a dragon, you stood out from the others with your beautiful golden scales, and now, as a human, you have wings. Maybe it's your destiny to stand out, to be special!"

Dupe was stunned by this reasoning. "Do you mean I should stay like this?" His voice trembled with a mix of hope and fear.

"I'm just saying, make peace with your fate. You don't always have to run from it." Nerina smiled as she glanced at Keenan, and they held each other's hands. Aura happened to look back and caught this intimate moment. What could their secret be?

Then she remembered that she was also fleeing and had yet to determine if she made the right choice. That's a matter for the future. All she knew was that she was in the right place now. She took a deep breath in the forest's fresh grass and pine scent, looked around at their little group, and a strange peace came over her, one she hadn't felt in a long time. It reminded her of the days she was still home before everything changed.

Now that they were a team, no one wanted to leave Dupe alone outside the city at night. They were getting closer to Aden, and as it grew darker, they silently agreed to find a place to sleep in the forest.

The night was cold, even though they used the dragon's body as a pillow, which he didn't mind them touching now. The air was filled with the scent of pine and damp earth, and the sound of nocturnal creatures echoed through the forest.

Aura slept well, but towards dawn, she was startled by a strange dream. They were in the room full of undead again, and she saw the events unfolding in slow motion, but this time, she saw herself from the outside. Elgatto was running towards her, followed by the terrifying monsters, but in her dream, they were twice as big and didn't even look like undead anymore. When she reached out her hand and recited the spell, the monsters didn't stop; she saw them take another step, ready to grab her with their vast fangs, but she didn't have time to turn around and run. Overwhelmed by the terror of being caught any moment and unable to do anything, she held her breath when she felt the strong arm of the dark elf grab her waist and hold her tightly, and they fell into the darkness together, leaving her fate uncertain.

She woke up from this fall, sat up, and gasped for air for minutes before realizing where she was.