The Wisteria Knight

The two men stared at me for a long time, their expressions unreadable. Eventually, Lassan sighed, “Yeah, we figured as much. Everything just added up, you know? Your strength, your origins…Still, hearing it from you in person is a bit unexpected, to say the least.”

“It’s not like I can just go around telling everyone the truth,” I said, lowering my gaze, “I’d have entire flocks of dragonslayers hunting me if I did that. Even now that my secret’s out, I’m not sure how I feel about it. But for what it’s worth, I am sorry for hiding it from you.”

Lassan laughed and shook his head. “Oh, don’t feel bad about it, Leo! Everyone has secrets they keep to themselves. I doubt us knowing about it would have changed anything.”

I relaxed a bit after hearing his words, and seeing Tark’s nod of agreement. The light surrounding Nora’s hands faded away, and she carefully inspected the white scar that was all that remained of Rill’s injury, adding, “And even now that we know, it doesn’t change a thing! I for one used to think that dragons were destructive forces of nature that would lay waste to anything in their path. I’m not sure if you’re different, or if we humans in general are simply wrong about the nature of dragons, but I can say for certain that you definitely aren’t like that. Although, you can be quite destructive when you want to be.”

They all chuckled at her remark, and I wryly joined in. “Thanks, that means a lot. Still, I’d appreciate it if we could all keep this as between us as possible. I know the secret’s out, but I don’t really want it spreading any more than can be helped.”

They agreed that they would keep quiet, and Nora asked, “Did you do something to her, by the way? It hasn’t been very long, but her wound was remarkably well into the healing process. Supernaturally so. I know you’re proficient with mana, so I was wondering if dragons had some secret healing art or something? If you know anything, could you tell me, please?”

It was unusual to see Nora so assertive, but she had made it her purpose in life to heal people’s injuries. Anything that could aid her in that goal would naturally pique her interest. Sadly, there was nothing useful I could really offer, and I told her so. “I’m not exactly sure what I did. It just sort of happened. But I’m sure that it didn’t directly heal her. It was more like…” I trailed off, trying to find the right words to explain it.

“It was like he shared his strength with me,” Rill said, and I nodded.

The three gaped at me, and Julius, who had been watching the conversation with interest, breathed, “Incredible. So the legends might be true, after all.”

“What legends?” I wondered, “Do you have some idea about what I might have done?”

The man cleared his throat and mused, “Well, it’s an old story. They say that before there were dragonslayers, there were dragon riders, human partners that fought and lived alongside dragons, and shared their strength through bonds that transcended mere friendship. In those days, our people were always under attack from the demons of the far east, and the riders protected humankind from their ever-present threat. But one day the dragons forsook their bonds and betrayed humanity, and I’m sure you know how the rest of that story goes. That’s pretty much all I know, but it sounds fitting, doesn’t it?”

“Indeed,” I replied slowly, mulling over what he had said. Interesting. His version of the tale seems to pin the blame for the fallout between humans and dragons on my kind, which is rather contrary to what Andras always claimed. I wonder what really happened back then?

“I guess that explains this,” Rill chimed in, holding up her hand to display the insignia that had appeared there, a slightly lighter shade than her natural skin color. Now that I got a better look, it reminded me of my own dragon likeness, in a stylized sort of way. “A dragon rider, huh? Ooh, it sounds so cool! Like I’m some sort of storybook hero!”

“Aye," Julius nodded, "and the first one in hundreds of years, at that. The more I learn about you two, the more convinced I become that bringing you along was the right choice.”

“In any case, you’re fully healed now,” Nora told Rill, letting her shirt fall back over the mark on her side, “Unfortunately I’m not skilled enough to prevent scarring, and it might be a bit stiff and achy for a while, since it affected such a large and sensitive area. I can remove the injury, but the body will remember the pain. For now, all you need is a good night’s rest, and you should have your strength back by morning.”

I felt Rill’s gratitude radiate through our bond as she gave Nora a hug and exclaimed, “Thank you, Nora! I don’t know what I would’ve done without your help!”

The rest of us shared an amused glance, and then, Julius turned towards the last member of the hilltop party, a young woman who had so far been watching us in curious silence, obviously not wanting to intrude. She was probably around Nora’s age, and obviously fit, with a similarly ample build despite being a bit shorter. As I admired her, I felt Rill’s seething gaze on my back, and suddenly realized that I was actually just staring. I blinked, and pointedly shifted my gaze to examine the woman’s long blonde hair, which was loosely tied back.

Her armor was unique, plate mail similar to Julius’ but carved in vines and blossoms, giving it a more artistic flair than one might expect from a holy knight. She had a shortsword strapped to her waist, and a round shield stood propped against a rock nearby, matching the rest of her raiment. She beamed as Julius approached her, standing up straight and giving him a salute.

When she spoke, her voice was crisp and sweet as honeyed wine. With a daring smirk on her round face, she proclaimed, “Knight, First Company. Sarrah Brauss, reporting for duty, Captain!”

Julius stared at her imperiously for a moment, before saying slowly, “This is the first official mission we’ll work on together. Of all the people I would choose to help us fight that monster…you would be the absolute last.” She faltered at his words, but had no time to react before he stepped forward and wrapped her in a warm embrace. “Still, I’m glad you came. It’s nice to see you again, kid.”

“Geez, I really thought you were gonna let me have it, there!” She sighed as he stepped away. I recognized the look in his eyes; it was the same way I felt about Rill. He worried about her, but he also recognized her abilities, and knew that he could not stop her from wanting to help.

“Well, that can wait until after we’re done here,” Julius joked, laughing heartily as he led her over to join the rest of us, gesturing towards Rill and I. “For now, let’s get to know each other a bit better. Sarrah, as I’m sure you’ve already gathered, these two are Rillesia and Leolyn. And you two, this is my niece and adopted daughter, Sarrah Brauss. She might be young, but she’s already gained quite the reputation in Centrale for being the only knight to ever be proficient in both holy magic and spirit magic. They’ve even started calling her the Wisteria Knight.”

The girl blushed as Julius proudly introduced her, and I smiled at the look on his face as I shook her hand. She cocked her head and stared at me, murmuring, “So, you’re actually a dragon who’s taken on human form. That’s incredible! I’m glad you’re on our side!”

“The feeling is mutual, based on what Julius just said. But what was that about spirit magic?” I wondered, the term unfamiliar.

Turning to greet Rill, she blinked in surprise at my question. “Oh, it’s kind of hard to explain, but I’ll do my best. Are you at all familiar with the spirit realm?”

The spirit realm? That sounds like the place where I met with Exziel. “Somewhat. The liminal space between life and death, right?”

She nodded. “That’s right. Spirit magic basically involves forming a pact with one of the creatures that inhabit that place and being able to draw upon their abilities. Although it’s not without its dangers, if the contracted spirit is especially vengeful. Luckily, mine isn’t.”

“Interesting,” I murmured. Curious to learn more, I asked, “So how does one go about forming one of these pacts? I’m guessing that you need to enter the spirit realm, right?” And if she can do that, then maybe she can teach me.

“Normally, yes. When I was still young, I got really sick, and for a short time ended up crossing the boundary. It was terrifying for a little girl like me at the time! There were scary monsters everywhere, and they were all chasing me. Eventually I got surrounded and had my back against a massive tree, and I thought everything was over…but then, thousands of beautiful wisteria blossoms burst into life, and all the monsters ran away. It didn’t exactly use words, but the tree told me that if I ever needed help, it would lend me its strength. And that was the formation of our contract.”

I thought back to my time in that place, encountering nothing but the passing hummingbird creature. So that must be what it’s like if you stray from the path, I shuddered at the thought.

Sarrah continued, “I don’t exactly have a very strong link to that place, so unfortunately I can’t draw out too much of its power. Some talented individuals can produce a cloak to physically manifest traits of their contracted spirit into our waking world, but that’s beyond my abilities!”

“I see.” Well, it doesn’t sound like she’ll be able to help me return, if she’s only been there once on accident herself. Guess I’ll just have to search out this Domain that Exziel mentioned.

I was about to inquire more, before the sound of a branch snapping behind us made us all spin around towards the noise, hands reaching for weapons. There, stood the familiar figure of Jensen, his hands held high in the air.