Shouldn't I Have?

A piercing gaze, murderous desires, an immense creature – that’s what Iwao, Saya, Celi, and the entity had before them. The dragon was ready to strike. It had seen Celi a few minutes earlier when she had jumped out of the hole. It had then rushed toward it to wait for them.

In a fraction of a second, they saw an orange light run through the dragon’s throat. It was about to spit fire at them. They split into pairs and leapt to both sides, away from the trajectory of the dragon's fiery breath.

“We have to fight! We can’t escape this thing. Golems and zombie sheep are easy to run from, but not this!” Celi thought, bypassing the dragon.

During the last two months of training, they had fought many monsters and developed several attack strategies. They knew exactly where their positions were and what each of them had to do. They all activated their serious mode without speaking, as if by instinct, proof of how often they had repeated these actions.

Saya stayed at a distance, casting all sorts of long-range spells – ice spears, thunderbolts – but above all, she used water spells to counter the flames.

Celi fought with her sword, strengthening it with incantations so that it could pierce the dragon’s scales.

Iwao primarily used his fists, striking the dragon’s head directly. But he also relied on illusion spells to disorient it, making it think he was elsewhere.

“I have spells in reserve that could kill this beast instantly, but each comes with a terrible price. That’s probably not the right thing to do.” He thought, striking the dragon’s head and diverting its fiery breath.

As Iwao returned to the ground, he dodged a headbutt from the dragon, seizing this opportunity to strike its head again.

“Since my arrival on Aruniol, I swore I would not kill. But after learning about the dangerous monsters that populate this world – and now that I have people to protect – I’ve gone back on that promise. I’m willing to kill anything that threatens the girls and me.” He thought, catching his breath.

The fight was brutal. The dragon shielded itself with barriers, spat fire from the ground and the air, whipped its tail at the group, and struck with its claws anyone who ventured too close.

They constantly had to defend themselves. Saya handled most of that, casting barriers before each blow, but sometimes they still took hits and were flung back, stunned despite their protections. This was no ordinary enemy.

The battle raged, and they could not gain the upper hand.

“Is there a way to kill it, Celi? You know many things, don’t you? Then why doesn’t it seem close to dying? Why doesn’t your enchanted sword cut through its scales?” Iwao shouted, trying to be heard over the chaos.

“I don’t know! Dragons aren’t usually this tough if you know their weak points and the right spells. Generally, you have to cast a spell directly into their mouths to kill them, but this one seems aware of that and only opens its mouth to spit fire.” Celi replied, breathless.

They dodged attacks, countering only when an opening appeared.

“We can’t last much longer, Celi, Saya! Once we kill it, we run. We won’t have the strength to face golems and zombie sheep too – we can’t use much more Firia each.” Iwao yelled.

“Yes! We need to finish this quickly by gathering all the energy we have left. Look! Some golems are already coming this way.” Celi responded, dodging a powerful tail swipe.

“Maybe I can try something to block its mouth if you if you can force it to spit fire.” Saya suggested, still casting spells without pause.

Celi and Iwao stepped back for a moment, staring at her.

“Can she really do this?” They both wondered.

“Just trust me and do it! Casting this many spells in a row is exhausting!” Saya snapped, biting her lip to keep from giving in to her fatigue.

Celi continued to harass the dragon with sword strikes that barely scratched its hide. Iwao dodged a claw swipe and, mustering all his strength, leapt up to punch the dragon directly in the eye.

Enraged, the dragon finally did what they had been waiting for: it prepared to spit fire. Celi and Iwao dodged aside. Before the beast could close its mouth, Saya gathered all the Firia she had left into a single spell. She pressed her hand to the ground, raising a massive earthen pylon, then used both hands to hurl it straight into the dragon’s jaws with a scream that echoed through the Valley.

The pylon struck its mark. The dragon’s attacks ceased. Its claws were too short to pull it out, its teeth too weak to crush it. Roaring in frustration, it smashed its head into the ground, trying in vain to destroy the obstruction.

Celi and Saya collapsed to their knees, too exhausted to move. Iwao alone remained standing

He stood motionless, back arched, fists clenched near his hips, gathering power. A dark red light thickened around his hands. The dragon, dazed from battering its head, now had its open maw perfectly aligned with Iwao’s attack.

“The nightmare creature had so many powers I still haven’t discovered them all. I know why its form is so terrifying, especially when you add what it was capable of. I mastered this ability a year ago, though I never thought I would use it for real. Fortunately, it has no drawback. My fists will unleash these dark lasers and tear the dragon apart from the inside. This is one of my most powerful abilities – I have to give it everything I’ve got.” Iwao thought, finishing his preparations.

He screamed, putting all his strength into the attack. Planting a foot forward, he anchored himself to the ground.

“Now, it’s over for you, dragon! You will die, and we’ll finally be able to-”

Suddenly, a blue light pierced the dragon’s body. Everyone on the battlefield – even the monsters – was blinded.

Iwao, Celi, and Saya stared in astonishment toward the source of the spell. Iwao stopped his attack – the dragon was already dead.

Behind Saya stood the blue entity, smoke rising from its hands. It looked at them, expressionless, tilting its head in incomprehension.

“This creature was on the ground, and you were all exhausted. So I thought I could kill it for you, since you didn’t let me fight from the beginning. Shouldn't I have?” The entity asked.

“No… you did well. Don’t worry. We were a little surprised.” Saya replied, surprised.

“We didn’t think you were “that” powerful! We thought you had just run away to escape the dragon.” Celi added.

“I was about to show everyone my most powerful ability, but I was stopped mid-action…” Iwao whispered, disappointed, his pride wounded.

The golems and zombie sheep all froze. None moved anymore, as if the death of the dragon – their mightiest – was their signal to stop fighting.

The sound of hooves and clanking armor echoed across the Valley. Now that the enemies had ceased, soldiers could advance, though barely twenty remained.

Iwao rushed to Celi, who couldn’t stand.

“You! Blue entity! Carry Saya and run to the forest, opposite the soldiers! We’re leaving. Now!” Iwao ordered.

The entity obeyed, lifting Saya, who was also unable to walk.

They ran to the forest, leaving behind a devastated valley: craters, collapsed galleries, the dragon’s corpse, fallen bodies, inanimate golems, and dead zombie sheep scattered everywhere. The only thing still advancing was the army.

At the forest’s edge, two horse riders blocked their path: the king and Rufus. Iwao and the entity laid Celi and Saya down, as the girls had regained just enough strength to stand.

“Well, well, well. Saya, you tried to escape your father and your duties as a princess. How naughty of you. I’ll have to punish you. Come here. You’re coming with me.” The king sneered, laughing.

Rufus stood silently behind, meeting the princess’s desperate gaze.

The king turned to Iwao, his expression dark and disgusted.

“And you, foul creature... I’ll deal with you later. You are not my top priority. We will settle our accounts after I’ve finished with this matter.”

“I can’t kill him... or hurt him to run. Even if he’s terrible, he’s Saya’s father…” Iwao thought.

As the king rode forward to seize Saya, Iwao whispered urgently to the entity.

“Hey! Do you know how to cast Blind Light?”

“Oh, you want a powerful flash to blind them while we escape, savior?” The entity whispered back, following the way Iwao did.

“Yes! I don’t have enough energy left. At my signal, use it – and protect your eyes and Saya’s. I’ll cover Celi. Make the light strong enough to blind the soldiers in the Valley too, so they wont know where we’ve gone.”

“She won’t offer any resistance, and none of her comrades would dare oppose me – I know that well.” The king thought, advancing confidently.

When the soldiers closed in, Iwao shouted.

“NOW!”

The entity looked at him, perplexed, for a few seconds. It then came to the realization that it was the signal.

A blinding light erupted, so bright it seemed the night had turned to day.

Iwao and the entity rushed to shield Saya and Celi. The king, Rufus, and the soldiers screamed in confusion, completely blinded by the light. When it finally faded, they were still unable to see. Iwao’s group seized the moment and fled at full speed.

They ran for what felt like an hour, fueled only by adrenaline. Celi and Saya were carried by Iwao and the entity, too weak to run.

At last, they reached the ruins of an abandoned village and collapsed inside a broken-down house, gasping for breath.

“So… to sum up: the army’s against us now, we’re the new owners of this pendant, and we have a new companion. Great. Your father is every bit as terrible as you said, Saya. I think we should rest here, regain some strength, then leave to find food for the two of you. I suppose you don’t need to eat, entity, since you’ve been trapped in that room for so long.” Iwao said once his breathing steadied.

“You are right, savior. But I would like to try. I don’t know what it feels like to eat.” The entity replied.

Saya looked thoughtful.

“Don’t you think we should give it a name instead of just “entity”?” She asked.

“Good idea. It will be easier to call him that. But first... are you a girl or a boy?” Celi asked the entity.

“I don’t know. Mother didn’t give me what was needed at birth to make that distinction. I look like a man, but I don’t have the genitals that make one. Call me whatever you want, savior.” It replied.

They all pondered. Iwao spoke first.

“What do you think of the name “Lo”?” He asked proudly.

Celi and Saya nodded. They didn’t offer alternatives – the name was perfect.

“So you’ll be called Lo now!” Iwao exclaimed.

“A great name for me. Thank you, savior. May I ask you something?” Lo said.

It stepped closer to Iwao and touched the pendant around his neck.

“What is this thing you wear, savior?” Lo asked, staring at it intently.

The pendant suddenly began to glow. Lo stepped back calmly. Iwao recoiled in shock. Celi and Saya froze, eyes wide.

“What did you do, Lo?” Iwao shouted, panicked.

“Shouldn’t I have?” Lo asked, oblivious to the danger it could have caused.