A/N
As you can probably tell, I was bored seeing as this is my sixth chapter in a day. Despite my mid year examinations being on the horizon, I decided to let off a little stress today and write my worries away. So until I run out of steam, I'll probably be posting more chapters.
———
Just as we were having our quiet moment, the cavern rumbled softly, the crystals along the walls forming into a projection of a dragon.
Lucius pulled me into a tight embrace, arms circling me just above my waist, my back pressed tightly against his chest, his two other arms pulled back, as if ready to fight.
This snapped me out from my phase of embarrassment as I dryly commented,"I can take care of myself y'know?"
"I do not want to take risks."
Deciding to let it go this time round and simply enjoy the show instead of putting in effort, I rested my arms on his and looked up.
Lucius, realising who the dragon was, shouted,"F-Father?"
Artemis, I cannot thank you enough. Please, take this.
A small orange orb floated into my hands, melting and forming into a dragon scale on the dorsal side of my left hand,"This is...?"
My powers. Once you are strong enough, they will reveal themselves to you. As for now, I wish to ask: Though my son might be a little dim, I do hope that you can take care of h—
"Rest assured." I spouted without even thinking. I had already made my decision to save him. If I let him die, then I would be going against my own word.
This would be unacceptable in my eyes.
Then I suppose you are my soon to be daughter-in-law. So, I grant you one last gift.
A small imprint of an ancient word I hadn't come across before imprinted itself on my right shoulder.
Should you ever head to the Sanguis East, my authority still stands. Reveal the imprint and you will be treated graciously.
Turning its gaze to Lucius, the dragon Tarkyol spoke thus.
Treat her well. Don't let father down after all I've done for you.
He nodded,"I will."
Then I will open the exit. Careful, the yawning abyss awaits.
The phantom of the dragon faded away as Lucius placed me on his shoulders,"I will bring you out."
I rolled my eyes,"Possessiveness isn't a positive trait."
"The Yawning Abyss is very scary Artemis."
"Scary?" I turned my head upwards,"How is it scary?" I almost felt like a child again, as if I were sitting on the shoulders of my father back when I was younger, asking him questions he always had answers to.
"The Yawning Abyss goes by another name. The Twilight Barrier. That is because, once nightfall arrives, monsters from the underworld will roam this earth in search of nourishment."
Could this be the thing Orthello was talking about?
"Please stay close, Artemis. I will protect you. I will not let you end up like mother." He spoke softly, that underlying determination clear to me.
This big oaf was rather endearing. To be so large yet so simple-minded, like a gentle giant. It reminded me of the BFG in Roald Dahl's book going by the same name mum had read to me when I was in primary school, to send me to sleep every night. It was one of my favourites. I'd even spent a few nights awake in hope of meeting the BFG, only to head to school with bags under my eyes.
"Alright," I patted his head. His hair was soft, he smelled minty, kinda like the mints I'd have in school whenever I'd forget to brush my teeth in the morning.
I sensed a powerful magic formation but couldn't find it until Lucius shouted a word in some language I didn't understand,"טלפורט!" In an instant, resplendent light shot from every crack, forcing me to shield my eyes.
After a few moments, the light died down and we found ourselves standing on the very mountaintop I had just descended down into minutes prior. Only—It was morning when I entered but it had turned into night already.
As if sensing my question, Lucius responded,"My home has slower time. Every minute inside is a day outside. A year outside is merely 16 inside. The magic formation was setup by father. He is very smart and powerful."
"I see. Then, that word you said?"
"It is old titan tongue, Artemis. My friends all used to speak it. I can teach you. That word just now meant 'teleport' but it must wait until later. We must quickly make haste to my friends."
"Your friends?"
"Yes. It has been many years since I have seen them. I hope they are well. But to get to their mountain, we must bypass the yawning abyss." I sensed a bit of fear from his tone.
Peering down, I caught sight of several shadowy figures roaming the lands. All were giant beasts. One was like a yak, with giant fur and numerous weapons stabbed into its hide. Despite this, it seemed unperturbed as it roamed the lands.
Another, a gigantic bug-like creature with multiple eyes on its entire body, a carapace as its armour and hundreds upon thousands of razor sharp teeth lining its ajar jaw, two wings that resembled those of a dragonfly's gracefully flapping as it traversed the skies.
The third, a lion with golden mane and six eyes that glowed yellow. Its skin was metallic, illuminated by the moonlight as it was on the prowl.
"The big three, the most scary ones. Frigus, Tundra Stalker. Ouranos, Sky Strider. Kynigos, Night Prowler."
Their overwhelming might left me trembling. Simply being kilometres away from them could bring about a profound sense of powerlessness. As if it didn't matter how strong one was—In the face of such monsters, strength held no worth. And yet, my mind strayed. I wondered how many souls the beast was worth. If I wanted to slay it, it was blatantly clear that I need more power and lives. Making a mental note, I took out a little trinket I had bought before leaving, the Imager. Essentially, it functioned as a camera through the use of magic.
I silently snapped three photos of the beasts and swiftly kept them,"So, where do we go?"
He pointed to a mountain about a few kilometres away,"There. I will—"
"No need. I have an easier way to get there. Put me down." He acquiesced before tilting his head,"How will we get there, Artemis?"
"Second form." I changed into my angel form, making Lucius jump in fright,"A-Artemis? W-Where did you go?"
"I'm still here. This is me. It's just another form I can take." After a few minutes of explaining and switching between forms, he finally calmed down.
This kind of innocence, it was very child-like. Unlike that of a man who supposedly went off on a rampage that was almost labelled as Quarvantcoatl.
"Then how can we get across?" I grinned,"Like I said, Lucius, I can take care of myself. Wrap your arms around my body and—Hup!" With a flap of my wings, both the moons and triangles lit up. I effortlessly lifted us both off the ground and speedily made my way towards the mountain, covering the distance literally faster than the blink of an eye."
With a gentle flap, we floated down and landed on the mountain, Lucius staring at me with seeming reverence in his eyes,"Artemis is very fast."
"Hehe. Praise me more." I didn't know why his childish nature influenced me like this but I really didn't mind.
He flashed me a thumbs up as he patted my head softly, sending little sparks through my body. It was a nice feeling.
Lucius softly spoke,"שלום חברים, חזרתי," Before whispering,"צורה אנושית." Suddenly, his four arms retracted from his back, his horns shrinking down to four nubs on his head. His skin was still greyish and he was still at that monstrous height of about 2 metres. That said, I was merely around 1.5, 20 centimetres shorter than I was back on earth so the difference in height was a little...Large.
Suddenly, we were teleported into a gigantic city, thousands upon thousands of dwarf-like creatures crowded around us, the eldest, standing at the height of 1.3 metres, stared with wide eyes at him, as if in disbelief,"L-L-Lucius! You're alive! B-But your father said—" Turning to meet my curious gaze, he sucked in a breath and screamed,"OOOOOOOOOOOOOH!"