Morte, the lost Heir (ONC 2024)

20. Reunion

The heavy double door slammed shut with a loud thud behind Aura and the dragon. The elf girl was flustered; she had no idea if what she was doing was a good decision, but she felt like it was something they had to do. She didn't even notice the transparent figure waiting patiently beside them, leaning on a heavy, rusty sword, as she was preoccupied with the dragon's transformation.

"Dupe, you've shrunk! I had to look up to you before the door, and now you're as tall as I am!" she exclaimed, circling the dragon, who didn't understand what had happened to him.

"I was worried I wouldn't fit through the door, so I shrank a bit..." the dragon said, then remembered what Nerina had said, that he hadn't found the strength to summon his abilities yet. Nevertheless, he preferred himself this way; he felt lighter.

"Do you want to meet the oracle?" a mysteriously velvety, feminine voice said beside them.

Both of them shuddered, and Aura snapped out of it first after admiring the strange mystical figure. "Yes, the oracle." The figure nodded and stepped aside from the door in front of them. The dragon and the elf girl stepped forward and opened the door.

Neither of them expected what awaited them behind the door. On the other side stood a haggard-faced young man with tousled hair leaning against the wall. And beside him stood Tobi, indeed him; only his figure shimmered.

The door slammed shut loudly behind them; these old doors were always like that, making our protagonists flinch every time because this was a crucial scene, in case you hadn't noticed.

So Tobi stepped forward and was somewhat disappointed because the number of team members had definitely decreased; then he felt ashamed; what if something had happened to them along the way?

"What happened to the others?" he finally asked, concern in his voice. "And what happened to you, Dupe? You've become so small!"

"Is this the team that rushed to my rescue?" Morte also asked, barely concealing the disappointment in his voice.

Dupe approached the dwarf. "But you were dead, mate! We buried you!" his body began to glow, illuminating the room and causing Tobi's figure to fade.

"I did die, yes, but my soul couldn't rest, so I came here to find Morte and bring him to you. So here he is, and now we just need to get out of here with the medal! But tell me, what happened to the others, and what happened to you, Dupe? It's like you found your magic power!" Tobi also watched the dragon with interest while the dragon studied his glowing paws.

Aura felt ashamed. What had she been thinking? That they could help the heir to the throne? "Well, the thing is, the Loyalty took my bag, so there's no medal... sorry. That means we need to find Damian's group here and get the key back... the others didn't come with us because they thought it was too risky to come in without the medal..."

"We were called mad!" added Dupe. "But we're making good progress! We have Morte; we must retrieve Aura's bag from the Loyalty! And Tobi! You can't imagine how glad I am to see you and tell you how heroic you were! If you hadn't deceived the scorpions back then, we wouldn't even be here!"

"Yes, thank you for saving us!" said Aura, stepping closer to Tobi to hug him, but her body was transparent, so at the end of the motion, Aura stumbled and fell toward Morte. The heir caught the girl's arm, then stared at her as if struck by lightning. "You're a healer, aren't you?"

But nobody needed to answer because they saw the change in Morte; his pale gray skin turned rosy with health. "I already feel better; the pain in my legs and stomach is gone!"

"But how is this possible? Can I use my abilities?" Aura wondered.

"Do you think I can shapeshift, too?" Dupe asked, and it was evident that he was concentrating; he even closed his eyes. Suddenly, Dupe's human form stood before them without the brown wings. Dupe was so happy that he forgot where they were and how many trials they still had to endure to escape.

"This place is peculiar, I must admit! But now that we have a healer and a dragon, we can defeat the Loyalty!" Tobi cheered.

"I'm thinking if we really need to go through the trials," pondered Morte. "I've been wandering around the outer places for a while, but I haven't encountered the Loyalty, so they must be somewhere around the oracle's chambers. I've never found my way back there. But Tobi, how did you find us? Can you lead us to the enemy?"

"The spirits here speak to me; they showed me the way... but they're silent now. I can't hear anything," replied Tobi.

Dupe remembered something: "Aura, can't you teleport us?"

"That's a good question; I don't think so because this is a place where you can only exit with a key, but let's try; what do we have to lose?" She stood up, muttered incantations, and the others gathered around. They felt themselves rising from the ground, falling, and everything around them blurred, but then they landed in the same place, just a few steps away.

"So, we stick to the trials, and hopefully, the Loyalty will also be dealt with!" Morte wasn't as pessimistic as before; his vitality was returning, and he was glad not to be alone. Too much time had been spent in lonely self-torment.

"But before we go, let's eat; I'm starting to get hungry." Aura took off her backpack and unpacked the partially prepared dinner. Tobi recognized his spices and was pleased that his friends had learned from him how to prepare dried meat to make it enjoyable. A feeling of contentment and relief filled him as he noticed his legs beginning to disappear completely.

Dupe also exclaimed loudly, wondering what was happening, so Tobi quickly thought of Damian, the medal they still needed to obtain. Work was still to be done; he had to help ensure everything was okay and that his friends got out safely. His worrying turned out so well that his outlines became even more robust, and as the others ate and remained silent, he even heard the voices of the spirits.

"The oracle is calling us! That's the message I hear as if it knows we're heading toward it..." Tobi said, concentrating on hearing the distant whispers of the spirits.

"Then it's the trials! You'll see, it'll be fine!" laughed Morte. "I've done it once before; it won't be easy, but there are more of us. And I know what comes after what, so we know what to expect!"