DragonLord - part 2

Some time later, Caio opened his eyes slowly, his head throbbing beneath the polished stone ceiling of an unfamiliar room, lit by torches casting dancing shadows on walls carved with draconic runes. This ceiling… I don’t know it, he thought, his sharp mind cutting through the pain. First time I’ve slept in a bed since falling for an eternity.

As he lifted his torso, a stab of pain made him pause. A young woman with glasses, her brown hair tied in a messy bun, entered, her pale face marked by a faint tremor of fear. Her blue tunic, embroidered with silver scales, marked her as a DragonLord. “I… wouldn’t get up if I were you,” she stammered, her voice soft but shaky. “I’m Lirien, a DragonLord, responsible for your care. When you’re ready, the commander’s waiting.”

Commander? Not who I’m thinking, right? Caio thought, the crystal in his chest pulsing. He stood, ignoring the pain, and followed Lirien through a cold stone corridor, the air thick with the scent of burning wax and polished metal. The dragon fortress echoed with the distant roar of winged beasts, and the three moons, visible through a window, stained the sky blood-red.

Lirien opened a door to a stark room with a black oak table and tapestries of dragons in battle. Sylvara, the commander, sat there, sipping from a silver cup, eyes closed. Her silver armor, etched with runes, gleamed under the torchlight, and a glowing symbol on her hands—a six-pointed star wreathed in flames—betrayed her origin: a heroine of Earth. That symbol… no doubt about it, Caio thought, swallowing hard. Stared too long.

“Well, you know,” Sylvara said, opening her golden eyes, sharp as blades.

“Don’t know what you’re talking about,” Caio replied, his voice steady but cautious.

“No need to hide. Sit, let’s talk,” she said, her voice calm yet heavy with authority.

Lirien left, leaving Caio and Sylvara alone. The commander crossed her arms, the symbol on her hands pulsing softly. “No time to waste. You know who I am, but I’m more curious about you. Why’s a Deviant in this world?”

Deviant? So that’s what they call me? Caio thought. At the Academy, Deviants—world-wanderers beyond the gods’ control—were barely documented, tied to chaos. Explains the symbols on my arm and the crystal. He glanced at the purple marks pulsing with the crystal. “I was born with these marks. As for being a Deviant, don’t worry, I’m not your enemy.”

Mix truth and lies. She won’t fall easily, he thought.

Sylvara tilted her head, her stern expression softening slightly. “I see. I’m not your enemy either. I serve the Voracity, my god. You recognized the symbol, didn’t you? You’re from Earth.”

How does she know? Caio’s heart raced. “You must be wondering how I know,” Sylvara continued. “Lirien, the girl earlier, can see memories. She saw Earth in yours, but a darkness blocked her, repelling her. That piqued my curiosity. You’re the first Earth Deviant I’ve met. What happened to you?”

They got into my head? I’ll tell just enough, Caio thought. “I’m from Earth, true. Sorry, I don’t know how I became a Deviant. I woke up with these symbols and landed here.”

“Hm,” Sylvara said, tapping her cup. “A thousand years ago, an Academy student vanished into a null portal, no trace left. I wonder if that was you… but you don’t look a thousand years old, do you?” She laughed, the sound dry, echoing in the room.

A thousand years? Time flows differently, but that’s short compared to that place, Caio thought, the Threshold vivid in his memory. “I don’t know… My memories of Earth are faint,” he said, keeping his tone neutral.

Sylvara leaned forward, her eyes locked on him. “Honestly, I don’t care about your past. My duty to the Voracity is to exterminate demons. I’ve chased them across worlds and landed here, finding demons that don’t belong… and you. Too many coincidences. Are you working with them?” An ethereal scale appeared above her, floating, pulsing with golden energy.

“No!” Caio said, the word slipping out unbidden, the crystal thrumming.

Sylvara closed her eyes, the scale’s energy fading. “I see. My ability, granted by the Voracity, reveals the truth of desires.”

Truth-revealing? Handy for someone like her, Caio thought.

“I have a proposal,” Sylvara continued. “Join me and my squadron against these demons. You don’t belong to this world or follow my god, but I can’t let you roam free, not with demons targeting you. What do you say?”

Not a bad deal. I can learn about this world and what happened in those thousand years, Caio thought. “It’s interesting. Can I think it over?”

“Think?” Sylvara raised an eyebrow. “I respect your freedom, but give me an answer by tonight. I leave soon.”

“Thanks,” Caio said, standing and exiting. In the fortress courtyard, he stopped at a stone fountain, its water mirroring the three blood-red moons, the cold air thick with distant ash. He sat on a bench, arms thrown back. “Haa, when will I get some peace? What did I do to get stuck in this mess?” He glanced at the crystal. “And you, quiet since we got here? I know you absorbed demon mana. Maybe her deal isn’t so bad.”

Under the moons’ glow, Caio watched time pass, his mind swirling. Resolved, he stood, heading to meet Sylvara.