24

Doubt.

Doubt, doubt is what creeps into the dark recesses of your mind, without you ever realising it. Doubt, makes you question your perceptions, your friends and yourself, but most importantly. Doubt, makes you question the very truth that is in front of you. It grows like a seed, sending its roots deep into your brain, as it starts to grow on your mistrust in everything.

It turns friends into potential enemies…… enemies into potential friends. It is doubt that now eats at Old Sun’s heart, as he stands next to the bed, where Slyfer silently sleeps. Ever since he had seen what Slyfer did, he has been unable to shake it. Doubt, had grown its roots, and now it is stuck.

They had moved Slyfer to the Night Wolf camp. He is now the old man’s stepson, it is only fair that he be treated as such. Much to the old man’s consternation, Trisha and the fairies refused to leave and are also, sleeping soundly next to the boy. “Is he a boy, or is he something that can destroy us all?” The old man thinks, as he stares at Slyfer. “Have I brought calamity upon the clans…. Have I brought more death, to the dark elves? What is this child, where does he come from? I must know!”

He hears the sound of movement outside, so the camp must be starting to wake up. It’s been a week since the incident and the army continued to travel, because despite what happened the army is an insatiable beast, which needs to be fed and kept busy. A group of idle warriors together, is just an accident waiting to happen.

Old Sun thinks back, back to when he had to go tell the King of what happened. To his surprise when he got there, the princess was unconscious, and just like Slyfer the healers could not find anything wrong with her. They all decided it was a sickness of the spirit, and not the body. “Bah, what nonsense, quacks just looking for reasons, to explain away their incompetence.” Old Sun’s, fists clench as he thinks, his eyes never leaving Slyfer. Despite all his doubts, the boy had also given him hope. If he could control that power, harness it, and use it against their enemies. The dark elves would once again, rise to prominence….. But that would only be, if it could be controlled.

Old Sun, turns around, only to nearly walk into the fairy behind him. She has a green light, and he remembers, she is sort of the boy’s servant. He had seen her laugh and play with Slyfer as they walked through the camp not so long ago, but now she is looking at him in anger and distrust. Confused, he wants to ask for the reason that he is being looked at with hostility but then he takes in the situation. His clenched fists, the way he had been clenching his jaw in worry and also how he just stood their staring at the boy. “It does indeed look suspect.”

“It’s not what you-“ The fairy flits over, to hover protectively over Slyfer. Her little face is scrounged up in displeasure. The fairies also moved when Slyfer did. The few people who were present looked on in astonishment as they once again grew a little tree in a matter of seconds. It had inspired aw and a little fear. Who does not have a little fear of the unknown?

Old Sun stands for a second, not knowing what to say or do. He sighs, then plops down on a nearby chair. He then looks at the fairy, his gaze serious and starts to talk. “The reason for my strange behaviour is not that I want to hurt him, I…. I am just worried.” Vinx, eyes the old elf for a moment, and then decides he is talking the truth. A sweet and energetic voice fills his mind.

“So you don’t want to hurt him?” Old Sun shakes his head. “If I wanted to hurt him, I would have let the King have his way. The King wanted to arrest him after what happened but I intervened, along with the rest of the clans. They all had seen how Pathfinder had pushed for the fight and…. How he tried to kill me.”

Saying this Vinx can see the sadness on the old elf’s face. She feels a little bit of sympathy, but she still has doubt in the elf .After all, he has to put his clan and people first. Even though Slyfer was adopted and is now seen as one of them, he never will be, he can’t be. He is a ruler of the sky and carries the name of Sky Prince in the old tongue. If the elves knew the significance of it they would shake in their boots.

Her voice once again fills his mind, like an echo it reverberates. “I will accept your reason this time, but know this, he is my little master and I will guard him with my life along with Kitty Cat! We fairies may be small but we have our ways.” As she says it, her little chest puffs out in pride. Old Sun can’t help but feel better at the site. “My….. Son has good friends; I hope he will never have to bare the hurt of losing them.”

Old Sun stands up and starts calling out to the guards outside. They have to start packing up the beast, which is the army needs to move again.

Oblivious to everything, Slyfer drifts in a world of black. His consciousness is not dead nor is it alive, it just is. It starts to stir faintly like a leaf in the wind. “What, where am I? What happened? What is this place?” Slyfer cant sense anything, can’t feel anything, smell the air, all his senses don’t work as if sealed. He starts to panic his heart racing… “Do I even have a heart in this place?”

“Haha. Your way of thinking is pathetic!” Slyfer starts at the voice, its evil, it’s- “Me?” Slyfer is a ball of confusion the voice was him?! “But how, how can this be?” The voice laughs again, the voice Slyfer has before he starts to kill. “You are correct, I am you, but you are also me.” Slyfer gets even more confused. “All you are saying is what I said in reverse, stupid voice.” It laughs again.

Then it replies with a whisper in Slyfer’s ear. “You don’t get it, little dragon. I am a separate being like you are yourself, I am myself but we are one.” Slyfer thinks for a while then replies. “Are you telling me I am psycho?” The voice sighs exasperatedly. “Yes, you are completely nuts, and I am just a figment of your imagination.” Slyfer mentally nods. “I thought-“ The voice interrupt’s him. “No, you idiot I was sarcastic! I am something which was sealed inside you by your mother! Hehe she doesn’t even know about it. If she did she would probably come kill you.”

Slyfer smiles to himself, pretty happy his plan had worked into fooling the voice to reveal things without using stupid riddles. His smile fades when he hears the word “Mother”. He gets excited and asks. “Who is my mother? Where is she?” The voice goes quiet. Slyfer can almost see it sitting and brooding in a corner of his mind. “Your mother is the lady of light, the one who brings life and the one who helped destroy my life, damn woman! They are all the same flaunting their looks and the next moment….” Slyfer gets impatient at his ranting. “Just tell me, who is she, enough with your riddles!” The voice snorts at Slyfer and replies. “I did, those were not riddles but common knowledge.” Slyfer feels like he can pound the evil sounding voice till it bursts into smithereens, but he can’t it is him and he is it. “Can’t believe it, I really am a psycho.” Slyfer mentally sits down dejected, since he can’t feel, or anything he imagines its sitting.

The voice draws closer, Slyfer can’t feel or sense it but he just knows it, as if on instinct. “It is me after all how can you not feel your own hand move?” The voice interrupts his confused musings. “I know all this is confusing, and hurtful, but you don’t have to go through all that, just give yourself to me, how about it?”

The voice tried to sound as caring and loveable as possible but due to its very nature. To Slyfer it came out as if a rapist was trying to pick him up. “How about… NO!” He feels the voice move for him, but he can’t do anything. To his surprise it stops. This time it talks in anger which makes Slyfer’s imaginary heart stop. “You, I will one day kill you!” Slyfer is quiet for while then smiles pushing away the fear the voice caused. Slyfer replies. “Since you are me and all that, should I count that as my first suicide thoughts?”

“Boy! If you knew who I am you would be peeing yourself!” Slyfer shrugs. “I don’t know so nothing can be done, right?.......Unless, you tell me.” Silence rains for who knows how long. Then it starts to speak again. “Has anyone ever told you of how this world came to be?” Slyfer shakes his head. “You are part of me so you should know the answer.”

Slyfer feels the thing sit down next to him as it starts to talk. “There were once twelve deities, twelve great beings that could shape and create the world as they wished. Two of these were complete opposites and fought many times resulting in the cosmos and space expanding. Each blow would destroy or create thousands of planets and stars….. Until one day one got the upper hand and nearly destroyed the other.” The thing is happy as it says this.

It continues with its tale as pride radiates from it. “The others felt threatened believing that they would be next if the powerful one was defeated. So they joined forces and attacked. The battle raged on for eons! But still they could not defeat it…..” The thing says it and before he continues Slyfer feels the anger in it grow. “They came up with a plan, such a stupid plan and it worked! Damn weak things relying on nothing but tricks!”

A silence reins again, at first Slyfer does not say anything but he gets impatient. “So then what happened?” The thing stands up and starts to pace, as it explains. “Those weaklings sealed it! They used some sort of strange method and tore it apart sealing the parts into themselves…. But it did not stop there oh no. The deity they tried to seal was beyond them, and it started to corrupt and break them from the inside!”

Slyfer feels imaginary goose bumps run up his spine. “But the bastards were smart, as I mentioned ,and they created life on this planet sealing the great one inside each and every single living organism, dispersing its energy into countless amounts of living things. Every plant, creature, insect, animal and race. Every single thing, has a part of its energy.”

Slyfer feels astounded and he utters what he figured out, more to himself than anyone. “Magic! That deity is the source of magic in the world!” The thing looks pleased at Slyfer’s quick comprehension. “That is true….. more or less. The great one was like a parasite that ate at them, so the others had to discard parts of them, along with it. It made them weaker more vulnerable.” Slyfer nods, understanding the logic behind it.

“Not able to survive in the cosmos anymore, each created their own race of beings.” Slyfer once again wracks his brain and is rewarded with the obvious answer. “The great beasts. They created the great beasts!” The thing snorts. “Great beasts my ass! The most powerful of them all a deity of light, and the great one’s sworn enemy, wanted to create something with wings, beauty and purity. But the great one intervened once again, and so dragons were born! Hahahaha. You should have seen its face!”

The obvious glee in the deity of light’s displeasure, makes the cogs in Slyfer’s head turn. “It’s you! You are the one that calls itself the great one.” The voice coughs, as its indescribable evil laugh gets interrupted with Slyfer’s revelation. “Don’t be stupid, it’s not me. If it were me, you would be dead!”

Slyfer shakes his head, a little bit of doubt keeps him from setting the belief in stone, but he does not let it go. He gets an idea. “You’re right, the great one was a weakling, he could never survive and be able to talk to me now!” The darkness around Slyfer starts to roil and boil with anger. “You call me weak! I may be a part of you but I will not hesitate to kill myself you filthy little maggot!”

Slyfer smiles and starts to laugh. “Thank you for the confirmation…. No wonder the others tricked you so easily, they probably used your pride!” The boiling and roiling stops as if frozen. “Ah, you little bastard! Using tricks!” Slyfer huffs at the god that destroyed planets and stars with one swing. “It’s not my fault you fell for it.”

“Mark my words! I grow stronger every day and one day I will find a way to destroy you, little maggot.” Slyfer waves his hand nonchalantly; even though he can feel the power in this thing, he can’t help himself. It’s a way of dealing with the fear inside him. “Until you find a way, remember to pay your rent on time.”

The darkness around him feels like it’s going to explode and then it starts to disappear. Like smoke it recedes and dissipates, to who knows where. Finally Slyfer can see and hear again. He wants to force himself to wake up, but he is drawn to a pure, white wolf that is lying unconscious, nearby. He goes closer taking in the white fur.

To his surprise the wolf is a lot smaller then him, he feels like he can just pick it up and squish it. “It’s…. its kind of cute!” Slyfer leans forward and discovers, his hand is a claw. “I must be in dragon form…. It’s so cute!” Slyfer picks it up and starts to pet it and for the first time in history, a dragon is born that pet’s wolves like puppies!

Outside the army is moving and Slyfer is being transported inside a wagon. Inside along with him, is Trisha, the fairies and Aldowin. The wagon stops as a call goes out and Elyna jumps on cursing and out of breath she is covered in dust. “Do you guys know how difficult it is to get in here!” Aldowin and the rest don’t answer. They just keep staring at Slyfer that’s wrapped up in furs. “What, whats wrong? Asks Elyne walking closer and nearly falling over as the wagon goes over a bump.

Trisha answers after a few seconds and pointing at Slyfer. “He hasn’t moved in more then a week but look.” Elyna leans forward and on Slyfer’s face is a smile that would make any woman want to slap him. “It, it looks so perverted! Who knew he had such a face.” Elyna sits down and also stares at the boy. This continues for almost half an hour, before Aldowin turns his attention away. “What brings you here Elyna?”

Elyna looks at her feet and then at them. “by my calculations we should be close to the high elf army and I wish to leave.” Aldowin and Trisha both look surprised and then worried. Trisha is the first to speak up. “Cant we stay until…. Until Slyfer wakes up, it won’t be that long anymore.” She starts to blush as all the attention is focused on her. Her feelings had become obvious to the others a long time ago seeing as she wouldn’t leave him for one second.

Elyna shakes her head sadly. “I understand how you feel Trisha, but we cant. Many things have happened and we need to report.” If the princess arrives and gets taken in by the dogs of Chronos, we will only be playing into their hands.” Aldowin snorts, making Elyna look at him angrily. “You may have given up on us but I have not. There is still a chance-“ Aldowin holds up his hand to quiet her. “It’s too late, Slyfer has already been adopted and accepted here, well sort of accepted which is more than the high elves gave him."

Aldowin shifts himself around a little, to get a more comfortable seat, then continues. “You may change the minds of your people, but they failed the test, we can be allies, and I truly hope we will be but more then that is impossible now.” Elyna clenches her fists and her voice rises. “Aldowin despite what you may say, we are still your people! The wars we fought, the enemies we vanquished does that not count for anything!”

Aldowin starts to lose his temper and stands up glaring at Elyna. “The time I left, the queen already told me I was pushing it, that I was neglecting my duties. But I listened to the call, the call the dra- that they gave out and unlike when the war started, I did not let anyone sway me, I listened and threw away my duty then. If we had listened the first time, if we had gone to help!” Aldowin gestures around. “None of this, would have been necessary."

“Our race broke an oath and the repercussions are so huge none of you seem to understand it! I begged them, I begged all the elders the queen, everyone. We must go, we must go help! Did they listen? No, they ridiculed me called me a fool!” Aldowin looks like he is on the verge of breaking down. The disappointment he felt in his people, that time all comes flooding back.

Elyna opens her mouth to say something, but it closes again. Aldowin looks at her and curses. “The only races that went to help, were the wood elves and fairies. They joined the dragons in glorious battle, they fulfilled their oaths, and how I wished I had gone with!” Elyna stands up angrily. What did the wood elves get for their efforts? They were wiped out along with the dragons. Not a single one lives anymore. Once, one of the greatest powers in this world, is now nothing but dust. Fort Serina, stands broken and empty, as a testament to this!” Her words only feed Adowin’s anger. “Who’s fault is it! If we had joined it would not have happened.” Aldowin deflates the energy and anger leave him and gets replaced with such sorrow, he wants to turn into dust and just drift away. “Don’t you realize it Elyna, we owe the fairies, wood elves and especially the dragons a dept of so much blood, and we will never be able to repay it!”

Aldowin sits down and mutters under his breath. “I feel dirty and ashamed for being a high elf. Every time I look at myself I feel disgust. These fairies only met Slyfer once, and they chose to help and follow even though they are so few in number, here they are again and it makes me even more ashamed. Leave if you want to leave, but don’t expect me to think of them, as my people ever again. I am an elf without a country. My home is this boy, and that’s all that matters.”

A tear runs down Aldowin’s face. Elyna knows exactly what the sword master went through. He had fought the council to the point where his house fell from grace and became nothing but a husk of what it was. The change caused his father to become sickly with his disappointment, in his son, and soon he died. Other houses turned their backs on him, his own family ridiculed him.

Aldowin’s sword fighting is legendary; a few years after the dragons were defeated the high elves had to defend their own borders against the griffins and humans, many died. Aldowin was like a wraith in battle. He threw himself at his enemies like a mad man that wanted death. Respect grew for the elf and his house rose again. But Aldowin kept everyone distant. When the armies of the betrayer dragon Chronos pulled back, he suddenly left not telling anyone where he was going, or when he would be back.

The fairies hearing and seeing his sadness, flits over to him and start to sing some even sitting on him which they have only done with Slyfer. Their song is one of sadness and lament.

Elyna, suddenly feels defeated. Inside her, a seed of doubt has been planted. A doubt in her race, a doubt in herself, as a warrior. Aldowin does not know it, but a flicker of doubt in her queen starts to grow in her.

Elyna sighs and looks at Trisha. “We have to go girl, say your goodbyes, you will see him again, in the capital.” Elyna does not wait and exits. Trisha looks at Aldowin with a pleading look, as if he can do anything. He smiles at her, something she has only seen him do with Slyfer. “You made your promises girl, do what you feel is right in your heart, live without regrets and don’t end up like this old man. I will explain to Slyfer whatever you choose.” Trisha nods as she starts to cry with the thought of leaving him. “I made a promise Aldowin, I made a promise to protect and serve. Will he understand this?”

Aldowin looks at Slyfer who still has that stupid smile on his face, and he nearly starts to chuckle. “I think he will, after all he has made promises he can’t break either. I don’t know what promises but I feel it in my bones, something is driving him forward. I will tell you something that not many know.”

Aldowin looks at her his gaze turning serious. “The one who united the world all those years ago, the one who brought peace to everyone, you know his name, right?” She shakes her head. “In school, we are only taught, he was called the white one. The rarest dragon of all, a white dragon, a dragon of life.”

Aldowin nods. "That sounds about right but those are only titles. His real name is Slyfer, yes the very same as my student. You know he can change and into what, but what you do not know is that, before a young dragon gets a name he has to….. complete a test, and this gives him the right to choose his own. Slyfer obviously chose his name but the significance goes way beyond that.” Aldowin sits forward before uttering his next words. “You see if a dragon chooses the same name, as an elder had before him. He makes an oath; an oath to accomplish the same things the one did that had the name first.”

Aldowin looks at Trisha carefully taking in everything little reaction on her face. First its surprise, then fear and finally it settles on determination. “So Slyfer wishes to unite all the races once again?” Aldowin nods, not sure what to make of the girl’s expressions. Her tail whips and her ears lean forward as she bends down kissing him on the lips. “I will help you in this task Slyfer, just please don’t hate me for leaving now!” She stands up and basically runs out not daring to look back otherwise she won’t be able to leave.

Aldowin sitting with the fairies, has a unbelieving look on his face look on his face. “She kissed him! She actually kissed him!” He looks at his student, fighting the urge to punch Slyfer’s perverted smiling face. “What have you been doing to the girls?” The fairies giggle at the elf’s outburst.

“If you guys know something, you have to start telling me know.” Aldowin smiles, a smile of pride that nearly splits his face in half. “My student is becoming a man!”

Inside, Slyfer’s consciousness. He could have sworn he heard Trisha’s voice. “Mmmm, must be imagining things.” The little white wolf is in his claw while he rubs it. The soft fur makes him giggle dementedly as it gives him pleasure. It suddenly starts to stir. When the eyes open they are green. They stand out against the stark white making them all the more beautiful for Slyfer.

Fira finally opnes her eyes but what she sees is not her room….. The white wolf jumps up nearly falling out of Slyfer’s hand. “Hey calm down little wolfy. Hehehe” The laugh sends chills up Fira’s spine and for some reason she feels violated. She turns to look at the origin of the voice.

A huge blue dragon has her in his claw and his rubbing her while humming with pleasure. She nearly can’t speak out of fear, but finds her voice. “Who, who are you great one?” Slyfer stops. “Ahh you can speak, and your voice its kind of-“ The little wolf huffs trying to look prideful, but how can you look prideful while you are being petted by a dragon?

“ Of course I can speak. I am a dire wolf.” Slyfer brings the wolf closer to inspect. “Are you like, deformed or a retard? You are way too small and your fur is the wrong color.” The little wolf starts to get angry and it makes Slyfer want to go “Cuuuuuuute!” but that wouldn’t do. He is supposed to be a great dragon!

He stops his urges along with the rubbing, while thinking. “Maybe I had a growth spurt again. I did eat a two-hundred-year old griffon?” He shrugs and puts the wolf down. It immediately starts running away. To Slyfer it looks like its standing and running on the same place. Where can it run, this is his consciousness he controls it the way he wants! “Uuuh that is not going to work you know.” The wolf stops and looks behind it. All she sees are two shiny blue eyes as it looks at her, and she cant help feel like its resisting a huge urge to rub her again. “Blue eyes, those blue eyes!” She turns around and smells at the dragon. Slyfer feels a bit awkward being sniffed at, but it’s a wolf, what can he do?

The wolf steps forward attentively. “Slyfer, is that you?” The dragon freezes, as if shot. Slyfer looks at the eyes in his frozen position, his mind racing with possibilities. “It’s Fira! Shit, how did she get in here, and why is she so damn fluffy?” An awkward silence follows. The dragon sits up, obviously trying to look more dignified. It coughs twice and starts to speak with a gruff, heavy and completely…. fake voice.

“I am not Slyfer, you shall call me, Sir Malgrobin, the great blue! “Where did the “great blue” come from, I am such an idiot!” The wolf sits down enjoying the dragon’s discomfort. “Oh, great Sir blue? Have you always been such a bad liar?”

“Me? Lie prepostorou- Uuurg I am busted aren’t I? Aldowin is going to kill me so bad!” Fira chuckles at the huge dragon that’s afraid of, a small high elf. “So this is what you have been hiding?” She starts walking around Slyfer inspecting the dragon form, her tail moving side to side with excitement. Slyfer looks at it…. “So fluffy! Rubs, must give rubs! No, I am a great and noble dragon.” As if to ridicule him a thaught follows that one which makes him want to face-palm, fall on the ground and roll in embarrassment. “The great blue! Idiot what was I thinking? At least with Trisha I looked good diving around in the clouds.”

Fira’s voice pulls him out of his pity party. “How did I end up here?” Her question fills him with dread, it reminds him of what happened between him and her brother. “I have to tell her, better to hear it from me than someone else.” Slyfer leans forward putting his jaw to the ground in front of her. "Fira there is something I need to tell you. You may hate me afterwards." Her tail stops wagging and the excitement she felt gets dulled. “Me and your brother had a fight and, and I think I may have killed him…..” Her heart stops, and she nearly collapses with the heartache his voice caused.

She knew there had been something wrong with her brother. They way he acted, the way he looked. Their connection through the wolves were also cut off which made her feel empty. A weak whine escapes the wolf. ‘Why, why did you do it! He may not have known what he was doing. Something was wrong with him… why?” Slyfer cant find the words and he feels guilty beyond compare, but he still feels he did the right thing. He had even beaten his sister after all.

"Fira I tried to stop him, I gave him a chance. He wouldn’t listen to anyone. He, he even nearly killed Old Sun, if I hadn’t stopped him-“ She stands up and starts to growl at the dragon that can eat her with one bite. “Lies, you are lying he would never!” The wolf rushes forward and jumps into the dragon trying to hurt it in some way. It hits him with a dull, poof. It doesn’t even move him. She hits the ground and rolls twice, gets up again and does the same.

Slyfer only sits and lets her continue, his heart breaking with every strike. “I wish I could have done things differently, I wish I could have stopped him… Fira I, I am so sorry.” The wolf tries again to cause some sort of hurt, not knowing how much he is hurting already. She does it again and again until she collapses with exhaustion, or sadness Slyfer doesn’t know, he doesn’t care. He scoops her up and hugs her against him. “Its okay you can hate me. Just let it all out.” The wolf howls in sorrow and struggles at first wanting to get out. But strength soon leaves it and it slumps down not moving. “He was my brother! My brother! How could you….how could you.” She repeats the words over and over while she cries in his arms.

Slyfer only holds her, and starts to sway like you would with a baby. Humming the same song, Trisha had when he woke up, that day. She sobs and sobs until there are no more tears to be shed, and she just lies in his embrace, shaking now and then as another sob escapes her.

As Slyfer listens to her cries, he cant help but to feel doubt, doubt in himself, his mission all of it. His heart is breaking with her and he knows, he cant say or do anything to let the pain go away. He starts to feel anger at himself. Anger for what he is, the burden on him, the promises he must keep, he feels anger at his very existence.

“I truly am a beast, a beast made only to destroy.”

Finally chapter 24.

Its a bit emotional but I was feeling emotional after getting two bad reviews! just kidding, if I were afraid of bad comments i would not be posting here. Besides I got 8 in total which means six people thinks this story is pretty cool.

I did not leave, it was my cousin's birthday so I went their for the weekend.

Hope you guys enjoy the chappie.