*Trigger Warning: Explicit Language used*
~~~
The fear of impending doom barely lasted for more than two seconds. Even when I had a quarter of a second to turn my head and accept the blow, Nikos was there, throwing me out of the way. When I landed on the ground, Nikos was on top of me, shielding my body with his own.
I couldn't even fear for Flora or where she stood until time passed and I was still breathing.
The blow never came.
When Nikos lets up and daylight hits my view, I immediately spot Flora sizing up the Dragon and Rider who now stand where we once did.
"Nice one Kess! Already trying to kill Nikos Alexia. You might beat Sky to it!" Someone yells in the distance, a laugh dangling at the end of their sentence.
"Shut it Maddox!"
Nikos grabs my hands gently and pulls me up, my tiny body protesting as he lifts me. I had never been tackled before. Especially not by an attractive Dragon Rider.
"I am so sorry!" I turn in a daze to the Rider who nearly squashed me.
How pathetic that would have been, dying on my first day, getting crushed.
The Dragon stood beside their Rider looked somewhat young. And was a beautiful shade of brown, a nude brown, pale and iridescent. Their light scales sparkled under the sun. Like Zola, the Dragon's body was feminine but less muscular in comparison. Her wings however were a beautiful oval shape and stretched upon the width of her entire body. This Dragon was meant to fly.
"If you couldn't tell, Kessa and Tulsa are new." Flora bumps my shoulder, adrenaline still evident in her bouncy stance.
I look to Kessa, the blonde Rider sat upon her Dragon, Tulsa. Her hair was golden, and her face sharp and sketched; unlike my round face. She was tall and her eyes were wide with a pinched nose. Her beauty was tangent, and her eyes reflected her Dragon's scales. She even wore the same leathers as Flora, but hers were different, she had leather sleeves, Flora did not. Her Dragon's face also matched her own, sharp as steel, with no horns just ears and her spine clear of any spikes or abnormal bumps.
"Am I in trouble?" She mutters, looking between Flora and Nikos.
"Yes!" An older man yells from behind them. I glance at him warily. He wore the same leathers as Nikos, but his were tinted a dark green. He was large, his legs wider than tree trunks. And his upper body shape was square. Compared to Nikos and the rest of us, he was ginormous. His Dragon was an exact match to Roan, but where Roan's scales glinted yellow, this Dragon's scales glinted a much darker shade of green. And his chin jutted with spikes, it looked like a type of beard.
"Adrian." Nikos stalks towards him as Adrian descends from his saddle.
"Kessa! Get over here!" Adrian barks, his voice much worse than his bite. Yet, I could not be sure. Kessa groans, leaping from her Dragon swiftly, exactly as Nikos had done with Roan.
"You're in trouble!" Flora sings to her with a smirk as she beckons me to follow her to where Adrian and Nikos were stood.
"I'm still sorry," Kessa sighs to her, then looks to me.
Before she could say anything, the other two Dragon's from the group, approach us. The first Dragon I lay my eyes on, I could hardly believe what I was seeing. The Dragon was twice the size of Roan and Adrian's. It's four legs were built with about ten of me. His scales were a snowy grey, white in some places but mostly grey in the sharp corners of his skin. His jaws could easily swallow me whole, his entire head was about the size of the tiny shack I spent my life in. The Dragon's Rider was a speck on his back, but still noticeable. Probably because he too, was large himself, around the same size as Adrian, but clearly younger. All three of the Riders must be my age.
The other was what I imagined a Fire Dragon to appear as, with glowing burgundy-coloured scales. This Dragon also had a feminine curve to her wings. The colour purple crawled up her legs and neck. The talons were pitch black, even her teeth were tinted purple. She was more elegant, but stood to be the same height as Roan. Two large spikes grew from the tip of her tail and two large horns grew from behind her ears at the base of her head. With a small horn jutting from the top of her snout. Chilling.
"Flora!" The two boys yell, making quick work to dismount and dash towards us. The closer they got, the more evident they appeared. I immediately knew who Sky Alexia was.
"It's... good to see you." He almost winces when he speaks, eyeing Flora closely as she stands in front of him.
She balances on one leg, her expression masked as she looks up to meet his gaze. "I wish I could say the same." She barely blinks before turning to the other. I try not to look surprised.
"You look in shape Maddox." She nods her acceptance. Maddox was downright large, and pale. His hair glistened a glossy black with his eyes shining a luminescent grey. To match his flame.
"How could I not be?" He toys, eerily pleased with himself as they spark up a conversation.
Sky Alexia stood angled to their side; his eyes wide but hidden as he watches them. Sky Alexia looked nothing like his brother. Shaggy blonde hair, parted in the middle and shaved at the sides. Sharp but soft facial features with a splatter of freckles across his nose and cheeks. A curd grimace, strong and elegant stance. Nikos stood with dominance and leadership. They were opposite counterparts; I could not see a single shared trait between them. Eerily disturbing but more fascinating to understand.
Maybe one of them was adopted?
"Who are you?" He blurts, as if finally seeing me for the first time. And he was not shy enough to reveal it. With Flora stood to the side, I was finally in view.
"Don't be rude Sky!" The Rider beside me, Kessa snaps sharply, clearly used to his arrogant use of tone.
I look up at him with raised eyebrows, already bored of his narrowing gaze. Clearly a handful of fun. "Sky!" Nikos yells, beckoning us to join them. I ignore Sky and practically fly towards Nikos and Flora.
"Sith Cylon, meet Adrian Hart. He will be your instructor here at the Academy." Nikos introduces me once I'm stood before them. His Dragon creeps up behind him, like a snake angling its prey.
"Hi," I blink, watching his Dragon with a somewhat, brave smirk.
Adrian glances at his flame before back at me. "Nice to meet you, Sith?" He angles his head, never hearing my name before. I shrug as an answer. I never knew where my name came from, it was the only thing I remember. The only thing I have. "The stone chose you." He looks me up and down, mostly down. I was tiny in comparison to him and his beast, even to everyone around me.
"Chose her loud and clear!" Nikos nudges my shoulder with an encouraging smile.
"She's feisty!" Flora hisses behind me with a cackle.
"We don't need another one of you." Adrian groans, glaring at Flora's figure. Out of pure reaction, Adrian glares at the sky, peering at a racing shadow disappearing into the clouds above us.
"Come on Adrian! Futuna Riders are easily the best."
"As if," Maddox mutters to her side. Kessa laughs with him, knowing something I clearly did not.
"I could lose you in a heartbeat." Flora hisses at them both.
"We'd like to see you try." Maddox bellows a deep laugh. His Dragon looses a deep roar behind us, enough to silence our voices.
"Thanks Flick!" Flora calls with a bellow. Maddox waves a hand at his Dragon in annoyance.
"Meet the crew then," Adrian grunts, standing steady as he gestures to his students. "Maddox Avery, his flame, Flick is a Lysol Dragon. Their infinity raises from the air, the wind."
"We're naturally fast." Maddox smirks at me, standing tall.
I smirk back. "Kessa Lark, her flame, Tulsa is also a Lysol." Adrian explains as Kessa steps towards me with a blank look.
"Sorry again about nearly flattening you."
Everyone snickers, I shrug in response. "Your aim was pretty good." She beams at that.
"Lastly, Sky Alexia, Nikos' brother." Adrian finishes, Sky frowning at his choice of words. "Sky's Dragon, Astra, is a Byron Dragon; their ability resonates from fire."
Of course, it does.
Astra was dangerously beautiful; she knew it too. Albeit young, they all were.
"And my Dragon, Cobalt. Like Roan, he is a Terra Dragon." I bow my head at Cobalt. All Dragon's seem to respect the gesture, it was enough for everyone to stare at me, including Adrian.
"Nice to meet you all." I say, crossing my arms.
"Are you ready to get to it?" Maddox asks, clapping his hands together. Everyone rolls their eyes, as I turn to face him. "You'll have to face some serious training before you get the chance to meet your Dragon." He talks down at me.
Nikos laughs lowly behind me. "Something tells me that she'll get the hang of it."
"Oh really?" He raises an eyebrow at Nikos, before doing the same to me. "How about now then? One on one... let's see what you've got?"
"Avery." Adrian grunts his name with disdain.
Nikos opens his mouth to complain but I hold up a hand, my gaze never breaking from Maddox's. "I don't mind a little duel." I lure, circling him.
His grin widens, like a dog ready to jump. It would be easy to trap him. "Something tells me this will end badly." Kessa admits from the side as they step back to give us space.
"Weapons?" Maddox questions, unsheathing the sword at his waist. They all had swords, except for Nikos, he was the only one I realised that must use a bow. Nikos arches an eyebrow at me. I nod in response.
"Give her a sword!" Adrian grunts.
"It's okay," I stop Flora from unsheathing hers. "I prefer daggers." I push my coat back to reveal my belt, and my twins strapped to my sides.
Maddox snorts, looking at them with pity. "Their little, like you."
"Perhaps." I shrug, unsheathing them.
I fiddle with them in my fingers, twirling them effortlessly around, like feathers whispering through the gaps, they were mended to my skin. They all blink at my movements, not expecting the little dance. Maddox rolls his shoulders, cracks his neck and descends upon me. He barely gives me time to register my stance before he barrels the sword down hard. My twins stop the impact, together I push away his sword, my muscles howling at the blow.
"Your weak." He says, noticing my struggle.
I huff in frustration. Ivan was bigger than him. He taught me enough, but I had not fought anyone in a while. After my introduction in Falor, people knew to leave me be. A tiny girl trained by the villages Butcher. A messy contrast, an unbelievable match. But that was one thing I would never admit to Ivan, the gift he bestowed upon me. The gift to discover fearlessness, I was the wind itself, nothing could take me, not if I took them first.
Before he has time to strike, I descend upon him. Swivelling out the way of his sword, I use his knees to push my body into the air, wrapping my legs around his waist. He moves to grab me, one arm now on the sword. One of my twins stops his weapon, I clutch my arm tightly around his neck, pulling with all my strength, enough to seize his breathe. He wraps his free hand around my arm, gripping tightly. I feared the bone in my arm was going to break with the sheer will behind his grip. I scream out at the pain, but keep my arm around his neck, and my legs wrapped around his chest. He falls to his knees next, nobody moving around us. Our audience was silent, non-existent in this moment. With a small slash at his arm, he cries out at the cut my twin made, dropping his sword, blood falling from the top of his hand. I release his neck; he lets out a gasp of air. I swivel my twins in my hands and press them against his skin, sheathing his air.
"Give in?" I seethe. He grunts in response. It was the only tell I needed.
I push myself away from him, he stops his fall to the floor, going on all fours in front of me as I stand up. My fingers flex leisurely as I put my twins back in their holsters. My right arm still howling in pain. It would be black and blue in the morning. Maddox was impressive, his will was strong. I feared to know how the others fought. We may be of the same age, but they still had a few months ahead of me.
Despite my questionable training before coming here, I had to catch up.
"Bravo." Adrian claps behind us, the only one to clap as he steps forward. Nikos reaches to help Maddox to his feet, the large boy grunting as he stands. "Not what I expected at all."
I dust off my jacket, facing the trainer with a grimace. "I never am," I incline my head to watch Sky Alexia roll his eyes at me.
"How did you learn to fight like that?" Kessa blinks, her brown gaze wide with interest.
I shrug, gazing at her Dragon who was nestled close to the house, her sharp teeth nipping at her wing. "My guardian is a butcher."
"No wonder why you fight so... sloppy." Sky Alexia comments for the first time. I balk, looking past the blinding rage to stare straight through him. Everyone is silent. Nikos' mouth curls downwards in distaste as he makes a challenging stance towards his younger brother.
"I think Sith Cylon proved herself remarkably... better than any of you did." Adrian breaks the tension, stepping into the circle and levelling me with an analysing look. "That doesn't mean I will play fair." He exaggerates, his eyes flashing with power.
"You never do!" Kessa whines, Flora laughing with her.
"Just because we were raised differently!" Maddox complains, swaying on his feet. The veins in his forehead and neck still bulking from his lack of air.
"From what I can tell, Sith was raised like you, perhaps even worse." I cringe at the words. Not in the least bit interested to dwell into my backstory, or any of theirs.
"And me?" Sky blinks, his face an emotionless wall of stone. I frown his way, his whole personality irked me. He was so very different, he barely looked at Nikos. The only real emotion he has provided was when he spoke to Flora. Perhaps he had a soft spot for the Futuna Rider. A glance her way only fuelled my theory, her eyes were reasonably soft on him too.
Adrian sighs, glancing between Nikos and Sky. "You were raised accordingly, your Legacies. You come from a very important bloodline."
"So, we're told." Nikos grunts, Sky swivelling his head to glare at him.
"You had the luxury of starting your training, much earlier. You should never take it lightly." Adrian was directly talking to Nikos, not Sky. I was confused to say the least, they were brothers. Surely Nikos and Sky would have the same training procedures. Then again, Sky was here, in this group, they only started to train a few months ago, met their Dragons far shorter than that. They were young, we all were. The Dragon's even younger, babies even. Sky's head was turned away, his blue eyes igniting with a fire deep inside him. Something I would not like to see play on the surface. His Dragon, who I Astra, was stood at a distance with Maddox's Dragon, Flick. Her head was turned his way, an almost silent conversation conspired between them. Not meant for any of us to hear.
"What Adrian is trying to say... is that you all suck. Apart from me and Nikos." Flora jokes, cutting the ice with a sharp edge to her words. A daring smirk lifts her lips as she sassily points to every one of us. Adrian shakes his head with an amicable sigh, walking away from us and towards his Dragon. Nikos smiles at Flora's pun, even Maddox and Kessa look amused. But Sky was storming away from us, and towards Astra.
"Training is finished for the day!" Adrian calls to us, but mostly to Sky who was already mounting Astra. "Sky! Both of you need to rest!" He yells again, his voice much more lethal and commanding. Even still, the young Alexia did not listen. Once he was perched on the saddle, Astra was already careening up into the clouds, hidden from our view. "That boy." Adrian mutters, anger coursing through him.
"I should—"
"No." Flora cuts Nikos off, wincing at her words as she carefully steps towards him and whispers something.
Kessa and Maddox look uneasy as they turn to me. "This is awkward." Kessa blurts.
It was.
I snicker at that, Maddox looking at me and joking; "You'll fit in wonderfully." He winks.
I raise my eyebrows at his boldness, not getting the chance to respond as Nikos joins our huddle. Flora was heading towards Zola. Even when Nikos started talking, I couldn't help but watch Flora mount Zola and spur into the sky, dissipating much quicker than Astra. She was going after him. That much was clear.
"Sith." I blink, looking to Nikos in a daze. He meets my eyes with a smile, I was nearly blindsided by such a gesture, the intensity of his gaze, the power coiling in the colour of his iris. Beauty beyond measure. "Myself and Adrian will take you to the Headmaster. He's ready to speak with you." He says.
Kessa looks at me then, her jaw locking. "Have fun with that."
~
~
What do we think of Kessa, Sky and Maddox? I love each of their characters and cannot wait for you all to get to know them better 🤩