LET THERE BE DRAGONS (COMPLETED)

Epilogue

A misstep always led to death.

The man in the shining armour, walking through the most fearsome forest of all worlds, knew it well.

Perhaps he had taken a few wrong steps in his past life, and those mistakes had to be paid for...had to be paid for with lives. Two young, hopeful, innocent lives.

But now he had come back to set things right, and he would set things right, no matter what it took.

He had thought about it a lot, had calculated a lot, had made out the connections of everything with everything. He had to be right, this had to be the way in which it could be achieved.

He would just have to read the mind of the dragon, that was all.

Shivam smiled to himself, a smile of confidence, as he trudged through the Forest of Falling Leaves.

He trampled the fallen leaves under his shoes, and didn't care. He carried the Shadowblade in his hand, and though the monsters of the Forest watched him from behind the trees, they dared not to attack--the Shadowblade, after all, was the most powerful qeapon in this world. And the trees all around him burned, as their leaves were crushed beneath Shivam's feet, and burning branches and twigs and leaves fell like snow from the sun.

Josh had been overjoyed to see him, when he entered his new Palace, and said he had decided to come back, after all. Josh had danced and jumped up and down right in the centre of the Royal Court, and then had hugged him and had begun to climb on him, intending to sit on his shoulders. Shivam had smiled broadly and hugged him back, then had given him a ride on his shoulders.

Sabrina and Sylvia were also in the Royal Palace, and they were glad to see him, too. When he had explained his intentions to them all, Sabrina had nodded grimly. "It probably won't work...but who knows...? It just might. Go for it, Shivam," Sabrina had said.

Shivam kept walking through the Forest of Falling Leaves, and thought about what Sabrina had said. Well, in case of Took, it wouldn't work. But for Tiyasha...well, he would know soon enough.

Shivam took a look around. The Forest of Falling Leaves. He had died here.

And then Tiyasha had brought him back. Back from the dead. It had been possible only because he was a Raiser, apparently, and also because there was an Eclipse within twenty-four hours of his death.

A Raiser. One who could raise Dragons. But weren't witches some kind of Raisers, too? Wasn't that the only reason why Blikrot had destroyed the Witches' Haunt? So if he had carried within himself the possibility of being Reincarnated, maybe Tiyasha, too...?

But of course, there was going to be no eclipse this time...and too much time had passed, anyway.

Yet Shivam wouldn't know, until he tried.

As Shivam approached the black lake in the forest, he found the Dragon waiting for him.

"Shivam, once again you have come to me. And by trampling on the leaves of this accursed forest, you have set me free. This will be the last wish I ever grant. Then...then I can fly, again," the Dragon spoke.