Orison | Celeste Academy Series BK #3

Chapter Sixty-Seven ۞ Sliver

"About the whole Arland's bloodline thing. What did that mean?"

He gave Valeriana a look. "I don't know myself."

Liar, Valeriana thought. However, she did not push it. Instead, she shrugged and steered Amora away from Vallore and Palmer. The dragon obeyed her conveyed will and flew out in the open.

'The drakons were the most powerful of all beings in the Continent of Fire and they were also the guardians,' Amora told her. 'They had Arland's bloodline, something no one else had. However, only few of them were ever born, and during the Great War, most of them perished. The dragons were endangered alongside them and so, they were commanded to take sanctuary and take care of one another until they could recover. They then disappeared and appeared four thousand years later in a battle between the twin-tailed lions.'

"Did we just make history?" she asked, her eyes widening.

'Well, yes, this is the first time the drakons and dragons actually emerged so it will no doubt be commemorated.' Amora laughed.

"I never actually thought the twin-tailed lions weren't the original guardians."

'They're worthy of it, do not be mistaken,' Amora said. 'They were one of the fiercest in the Great War. They earned the title for their ferocity.'

"Everyone! Prepare!" Vallore suddenly exclaimed.

Valeriana realized they have arrived at the foot of the volcano. It was much, much taller than she imagined. They looked like ants flying up their hill.

"Watch the net! We are aiming for that place!" he pointed to a seemingly flat ground on the volcano's body. It was a bit higher than they were, but the steady advancing made it clear it was a lake of lava. It spilled out the sides, but there was enough space around it to walk on. The vastness was astonishing. It span as far as a football field would go.

The air was hotter in the vicinity, but the dragons paid no heed to it. They didn't seem affected at all. The twin-tailed lions, however, started thrashing in the net. They didn't have much energy during the flight, but now that they were at the volcano, the energy seemingly returned. The ember crystals started vibrating, as though resonating with the lake.

"Be careful!" he exclaimed.

Valeriana held on tight to Amora. She trusted the dragon very much, but the ground was a trip she wasn't willing to take alone. They were so high up, and with the darkness, it was impossible to determine how so.

They were all tense. Gavin, Omar, and Saeed turned quiet. They had been engrossed in a conversation amongst themselves but the announcement had them steeling. This was something they could not afford to mess up.

"Here comes the tricky part," Saeed said, sighing. "Bathing big cats."

"Ooh . . ." Valeriana winced. She knew the very relatable pain since her best friend Xandra took care of a cat once for their other friend who went on vacation. They tried to bathe it. It started thrashing the moment it saw the water and even ran off when its paws touched it once. Xandra had three, parallel scratches and some more along her arms.

"So what we gonna do?" she asked. "Just dump the whole net in?"

"You have any other ideas?" Vallore inquired.

"The—um, no. But it's boring," she commented.

"It's better boring than troubling."

The ascend was steady, however, the lions grew wilder and their roars louder. Soon, the thrashing disrupted the flight and made it far harder. To everyone's horror, the ember crystals vibrated until they cracked and burst.