Chapter 11: Reunion

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Mhi’ra’s Light had changed since Draygor last saw it. The atmosphere felt gloomier, as if a dark cloud was hanging over the heads of every single person present. He noticed that there were more guards patrolling the streets, and people seemed more cautious and wary. Kha’na also seemed a little on edge, though he wasn’t surprised at that. She had been one of the leaders of the now-defunct Cult of Shaitan, and it would be only natural if she had warrants out for her arrest. Draygor didn’t worry about it too much though; he could ‘convince’ any curious guards to look the other way.

“Perhaps I should pay the High Priestess a visit later on,” he thought.

He was curious about the change in the city’s atmosphere, and he imagined she would have some answers. It would be a good chance to see if Mhi’ra had left any messages as well. For now though, that was less important than what he was about to do. They had arrived at the Mithras household, and the familiar sight made him tear up a little. With a deep breath, he stepped past the gate with Kha’na following closely behind.

The garden had grown beautifully since he last saw it, with flowers of different varieties sprouting up along the edges. The grass was neat and trim, as it had always been. It was quiet, as he had expected. They had arrived in the middle of the day, and his parents were most likely at work. Looking past the wall that separated their compound with Dhi’na’s household, Draygor gazed at her room window. There didn’t seem to be any movement coming from within, and he wondered where she was. He would definitely go to find her later. It had been three years, and he imagined she would have grown to be prettier now.

Making his way to the front door, Draygor lifted his hand to knock on it. While it was his own home, he felt that it would be strange to just waltz in like he normally would, especially having been gone for three long years. Before his knuckles could connect with the surface of the door, however, it opened.

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Lhi’ra had been doing the laundry when she felt an indescribable urge to go to the front door. It was strange; she wasn’t expecting any guests, but she guessed that it would caused her no harm to follow her instincts.

“Honey, I’m just going to step out for a bit of fresh air!” she said as she leant into the living room to inform Garick of what she was going to do. He was asleep on the couch with drool leaking from the corner of his mouth, and she giggled at the image. It had been a tiring week for them both, and she didn’t disturb his well-needed rest.

As she headed toward the front door, she felt her heart begin to beat slightly faster, and her hands trembled slightly as she held them to her chest.

“Why am I feeling nervous?” she muttered, curious at her own strange behaviour. “Perhaps I’m coming down with something…”

With a hand still on her chest, Lhi’ra opened the door, and found herself face to face with someone she hadn’t expected. She immediately knew who he was. He was taller, and little white horns were growing out the top of his head. There were more scales all over his body now, but her eyes fixated on one particular scale. A small white scale on his forehead. He had grown, but she still recognised who it was as the first glance. How could she not?

Her son was home! Little Draygor was home!

Lhi’ra’s jaw dropped slightly. She was speechless, not because she didn’t have anything to say, but because she had so many things bubbling to the top of her mind that she didn’t know what to say first. Her eyes began to brim over with tears, as all her thoughts and worries over the past three years melted away. With a choked whimper, Lhi’ra threw her arms around her son, crushing him in her loving embrace as she began to weep freely.

Draygor began crying at that moment as well. He returned his mother’s hug with one of his own, burying his face in her chest. He had missed his parents badly; as far as his memories were concerned, they were his first family, and they occupied a huge space in his heart. Kha’na stood at the side politely, not wanting to interrupt their touching reunion. Not that it really mattered, since Lhi’ra hadn’t noticed her anyway.

After a few long minutes, both mother and son finally loosened their embrace. Lhi’ra cupped her hands around Draygor’s face, gazing upon him as she sobbed, as if she could hardly believe that he had returned. Reaching up to place his hands upon hers, Draygor gave her a loving smile in return.

“I’m home, mother!”

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Garick had been awoken by the sound of mother and son weeping in each other’s arms, and upon realising that Draygor had returned, he began crying joyfully as well, wrapping his arms around Draygor. It was quite a sight – a family of three huddled together, crying at their front door. They stood there for a long time, and it was only after the three of them had calmed down enough to stop the flow of tears that they entered the house. Of course, it was at that moment that Garick and Lhi’ra realised Kha’na’s presence.

“Draygor, who is this lovely young lady behind you?” they asked with curious glances.

“It’s a …long story. Why don’t we sit down so I can tell it?” Draygor suggested, pushing his parents into the living room and gesturing for Kha’na to follow them.

So, once they were all seated, Draygor began recounting the details of his disappearance. He explained that he had been kidnapped by the Cult, and that they had tried to sacrifice him to Shaitan. Of course, he left out the details about his gory massacre, as well as the conversation with Shaitan. Instead, he told them that there had apparently been civil turmoil amongst those in the Cult, and the tipping point had taken place right before the sacrificial ceremony.

“Kha’na helped me to escape during the fighting, though I still got wounded,” he explained, showing his parents his scar.

“Kha’na might have been one of them, but it wasn’t her fault. She was an orphan, and only managed to survive due to the Cult. She saved me, and nursed me back to health. I trust her with my life now, and I hope the both of you won’t hold it against her,” Draygor added, shooting Kha’na a look to tell her to go along with it.

After hearing his explanation, Garick and Lhi’ra did not berate Kha’na, nor did they get angry at her. Instead, Lhi’ra moved in to hug Kha’na with tears in her eyes.

“Thank you for saving Draygor, Kha’na. If you have nowhere to go, how about staying with us? We don’t have much to offer, but please, consider us your family, and this place your home now.”

Of course, Kha’na accepted, since her primary mission was to watch over Draygor, under Shaitan’s orders. To Draygor’s surprise, however, Kha’na began crying as well. She hadn’t told much of Draygor of her past, and though his story had just been a cover for her, he didn’t know that she had really been an orphan. She had never really considered the Cult as family, so Lhi’ra’s words had moved her, as she could feel the sincerity in her voice.

As the two women cried in each other’s embrace, Garick suddenly spoke up.

“Oh, by the way, Draygor. We have a… little surprise for you.”

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“I’m going to be a big brother?!” Draygor exclaimed incredulously as he stared at the white-shelled egg.

“That’s right!” Garick beamed with pride.

The four of them – Garick, Lhi’ra, Kha’na and Draygor – were gathered around the egg in the nursery of the house.

“That’s why we were home and not at work, we get the week off for the hatching!” Lhi’ra continued excitedly. She was seated beside Draygor, with one of her hands gripping his hand tightly. It had been three years since she’d last seen her son, and she refused to let him go for the time being.

Crack!

Suddenly, a small noise filled the room. It was a familiar noise to the couple, and they tensed up immediately. Small lines began to appear on the egg shell, slowly spreading all over its surface.

“What’s happening?” Draygor asked redundantly. He knew what was happening, but could barely believe it, the pleasant shock of the good news still running through his mind.

“She’s hatching!” Lhi’ra squealed excitedly, and all four of them watched with bated breaths.

CRACK!

After a few minutes – though it felt like an eternity to everyone present – the egg shell disintegrated with a loud noise. The four gazed upon the child within with varying emotions; love, pride, curiosity and joy evident on their faces. Even Kha’na, who had just gotten to know the Mithras’, felt happy at the birth of new life, which was ironic, since her god was the one that signified death to the Gar’nash.

The baby girl seemed to be special like her brother. She had traits unheard of amongst the Gar’nash, with a little tuft of blonde hair and eyes of a deep gold. The colours stirred up a memory within Draygor’s mind, and he recalled the yellow soul he’d made friends with. He didn’t draw any further connections, however, since he thought that normal souls were confined to their respective worlds.

The child – no, his baby sister – observed everyone around her with curious eyes. Strangely enough, she didn’t cry. Instead, after studying everyone for a few moments, she stretched out her little arms, not towards Garick or Lhi’ra, but towards Draygor instead.

“Seems she’s attached to you already, big brother,” Garick laughed in a teasing manner as he witnessed the actions of her daughter. “Go on, she wants you to hold her!”

Urged on by his father, Draygor picked his baby sister up, taking note to be as careful as he could. She was a beautiful child, if he said so himself, recognising several features that were similar to his own.

“She looks just like mom…” he whispered, loud enough for the rest to hear, but also soft enough so as not to startle her.

“Just like you.” Lhi’ra replied with a giggle, watching proudly as her son held her daughter lovingly.

“What will her name be?” Kha’na piped up.

“We haven’t decided. Hmm, Draygor, why not you decide? I’m sure she’ll love the name her big brother picked for her,” Garick said after consulting with his wife, who had given her approval enthusiastically.

All eyes turned to Draygor as he thought about it. After a short moment, Draygor gave a small nod and announced in a fruity voice.

“Welcome to the world, Tah’ra, my lovely little baby sister!”

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It was a while before Tah’ra fell asleep. The baby girl had clung to her brother relentlessly; whenever Garick, Lhi’ra or Kha’na would attempt to take her from his arms, she immediately began to cry out, only settling down once she was in Draygor’s arms again.

The whole ordeal left Draygor tired, both mentally and physically. It had been a long, joyous day. He had returned home after having been away for three years, and on the very same day, his little sister had hatched! She was a lovely addition to his family, and he had felt love for her the very moment she had emerged from the egg.

Draygor suddenly recalled that he had yet to see Dhi’na around the whole day. It was odd; he had expected her to jump him and demand an explanation.

“Dad, did you see Dhi’na around?”

“Oh, right! I forgot to tell you! She's at the Warrior Academy now, since she got accepted at the start of the year. She'll be staying there for a few days, since her parents are out of town. Why don’t you go visit her tomorrow? She’s missed you lots, you know,” Garick replied, slapping himself on the head for his forgetfulness.

“Ah, that reminds me! You have to go to school as well. Hmm, but you’ve missed the testing period… what should we do? I’ll discuss this with your mother, and we’ll see if the academies are accepting late arrivals.”

“School, huh?” Draygor thought with a yawn as Garick left to discuss his situation with Lhi’ra.

He had studied many things in his previous life, though it was all by himself, and never in an institution for learning. Perhaps it wouldn’t be so bad. He had to build up his strength as well, and the academies sounded like a good place do that. What harm could it do? He didn’t know everything, after all, despite having spent countless years alive, and there was a chance that the academies could provide him with the knowledge that he needed.

As his thoughts wandered, Draygor yawned again.

“Well, for now, I’ll take a rest…” he murmured sleepily.

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Garick smiled lovingly as he came back into the living room, seeing that Draygor had fallen asleep with Tah’ra in his arms. Bending down at the waist, he gave the both of them a kiss on the forehead.

“Sleep well, my children.”

Thanks for reading, hope you guys enjoyed Chapter 11! ^^

Next chapter might be delayed for a day or two due to other commitments, and I apologise in advance.