Page 107 of The Scars Within
Lakota and I tilted to the side, gliding smoothly between two peaks.
While we were gliding through the air, I replayed our first Arcane Battle Simulation in my mind, recalling how Laney and I had fought back-to-back before channeling an element. At that moment, we hadn’t been able to wield any magic, which meant we had to rely on hand-to-hand combat.
Why hasn’t Mageia taught us that? Or any weapons training, for that matter? It seems crucial, especially considering what had happened last night. Our elements aren’t invincible, and thankfully, we had learned that lesson in a non-life-threatening way. What if we find ourselves face-to-face with a Tyrian and don’t have our magic or a weapon to defend ourselves? None of us had voiced our concerns then, but we should have. Maybe we can bring it up with our professors once we return.
If our college allowed mundane individuals to enroll and learn how to fight without relying on their elements, it would significantly enhance our forces against Tyria. That open opportunity could be life-changing for those who had never been given a chance to apply.
Face to face…
“You never told me what you meant when you said you found me,” I said to Lakota, my curiosity piqued.
He tilted his head slightly, glancing back at me. “I wish I could explain it fully. But just like last night, my memories have always been fragmented. Each day, I awaken with a bit more clarity about my past, yet I can’t fully grasp what those memories mean. It’s more like an instinctive feeling deep within me, guiding me along the way.”
That’s… odd. “Have you ever talked to other dragons about it?”
“Dragons have only existed for five hundred years,” he replied, a hint of sorrow in his voice. “I wish I could say we’ve built a society and formed friendships, but I’d be lying.”
His response weighed heavily on my heart. “How old are you?”
“I cannot say for certain. Judging by my scales, I would say I’m old. But it feels as if my entire identity and purpose were erased one fateful day. I wandered the valley for months, searching for a place to belong, but I found nothing. Eventually, I settled in a spot I called home, waiting for fate to guide me.” With a powerful beat of his wings, he ascended over a peak before gliding down behind Drithan. “I told you that you chose me first. The moment your heart broke for the first time, I felt an undeniable pull toward you. I embarked on search missions, scouring our territory for you. Every night, I returned to my spot, feeling defeated and alone.”
I gasped, not from the rush of air as we soared but from the ache that welled in my chest. I didn’t need to ponder what my first heartbreak was; I’d always known.
It was the day Captain Thorne walked out on us. Though I was only a couple of years old, the memory was vivid. He and my mother had fought fiercely, and that argument was the worst. He pointed angrily at me, shouting at her before he stormed out, slamming the door behind him.
At that moment, I knew my daddy was never coming back.
And I believed I was the reason why.
“Every morning, you called out to me. And I searched for you,” Lakota continued, his voice steady but tinged with sadness. “After so many years, I had almost given up hope. Until I felt your loss.”
My mother.
“The pull towards you grew stronger that day, and I pinpointed your location to the southwestern area of Kalymdor. From then on, I sensed your pain almost every day. I felt it, too. I would soar through the skies, striving to strengthen our connection, to let you know that you were not alone.”
A tear slipped down my cheek, and a burning ache spread through my chest, but I remained silent, allowing him to share his story.
“Every time you would feel relief, it would be followed by pain. I could feel your hesitation to embrace happiness; you were afraid of it. It’s like you were programmed to believe that happiness leads to heartbreak. But the second that you hurt yourself, your pain was so deep that it channeled through the connection that we somehow shared, and it wounded me too.”
“I had no idea,” I admitted softly. “That you were looking for me. I’m so sorry for hurting you, Lakota.”
“If I could walk among humankind without terrifying everyone, trust me, I would have scoured every town, every street, every building until I found you. I just wanted to be there, to show you that you’d never be alone. That if there was one consolidation prize for all of the heartache you had suffered through, it would be my friendship.”
Leave it to me to lighten such a heartfelt moment with a bit of humor. “Consolation prize.”
Lakota turned his head slightly, glancing at me. “What?”
A small laugh escaped through the tears streaking my face. “You said ‘consolidation.’ The word is ‘consolation.’”
I smiled, and suddenly, Lakota’s whole body began to vibrate. He was… laughing. “Vocabulary isn’t my strong suit,” he rumbled.
We soared through the skies in silence for a while, the wind rushing past us, allowing me to absorb everything Lakota had just shared. His words lingered in my mind, stirring up emotions I hadn’t realized I was holding onto. But thena thought resurfaced—the reason I’d started this conversation in the first place.
“I’m guessing you felt it when I found that hidden prophecy in that strange chamber with all the runes,” I said, breaking the quiet. I know that he must have sensed what that military man called it, the Eternal Tomb, but I haven’t wrapped my mind around that connection yet. “Do you know anything about that?”
Lakota dipped slightly in the sky, his wings adjusting to the shift. “No memory of it,” he replied after a pause. “But… there’s something about it that feels familiar, like a faint echo. I can’t quite put a claw on why, though.”
I repeated the prophecy–
