At the edge of the cliff, Kael kept crying out my name, his voice echoing in the abyssal void. "Nozomi!" While wiping away the tears that wouldn't stop, drops flowing endlessly down his red cheeks. Next to him, Harris was silent, standing, his eyes empty turned downward, his body frozen with pain. And on the ground, Aria sobbing from what had just happened. She also felt guilty and responsible for Nozomi's loss. Next to her, Shinrei tried to reassure her as best he could, but he too needed someone to support him.
They had been standing here for twenty minutes, continuing to hope, hoping that a miracle would occur, hoping that Nozomi's voice would reach them. But nothing happened, no matter how many times we waited. The silence was deafening, crushing.
Kael stood up and wiped a few tears from his face, but his red eyes, a representation of deep sadness, were clearly visible. With a trembling and distressed voice, he said, his throat tightening. "Come on, let's go down. Let's find him."
He was advancing towards the cliff when Harris suddenly held him back by the shoulder, his grip firm but gentle. Kael turned around shouting. "What do you want?" But he saw Harris's face. A face covered in despair and without life, completely saddened. In a weak and trembling voice, Harris spoke. "You have to pull yourself together. You can't afford to falter."
He wiped a few tears from his own face, his chin trembling. "In these moments, it's your role to support them. Look at Aria and Shinrei, they need you."
Kael stepped back a few paces, not knowing what to say, on the verge of collapsing to the ground. His legs were buckling under the weight of emotion. Harris finished with. "You know it's pointless to go down. We have to keep going, even if it's hard."
He paused heavily before raising his head and looking him straight in the eyes, his voice becoming firmer. "It's what he would want."
Harris stepped forward and put his fist on Kael's chest, an almost solemn gesture. "We need you. More than ever, bro."
Tears started flowing again on Kael's face and he hugged Harris, saying a simple "thank you," but equally heavy with weight and emotion. After a few moments, Kael and Harris rejoined Aria and Shinrei, who were waiting for them, sitting on the ground.
Kael spoke, his voice weak and trembling. "I'm not in the best position to tell you to stop worrying and crying. I'm in the same situation and it's completely normal that we cry. But unfortunately, time is running out. Reimu will attack soon and we have a duty to be ready before that moment. I know it's not going to be easy to get over it and I'm not saying we have to forget it. But for Nozomi, it was close to his heart to protect people from Reimu." His voice broke slightly, clenching his fists.
Harris stepped forward and knelt down next to Aria, he told her, in a soft but sincere voice. "It's not your fault. It's nobody's fault. It was his deepest desire to save you, and he achieved it." He wiped a tear from Aria's cheek with his thumb.
Shinrei, looking at Kael, told him in a dark voice. "So what's the plan now? Now that Nozomi is gone?"
Kael remained silent, not knowing what to say. Too many events had occurred. He hadn't had time to recover and think about what comes next. His mind was a chaos of emotions and fragmented thoughts.
But fortunately, Harris took over and helped Kael in the difficulty. He spoke, his voice confident, as if he had found a direction. "We go west!"
The others, confused by Harris's words that seemed to come out of nowhere, exchanged confused looks. Shinrei told him. "Where did that come from? What are you talking about?"
Harris continued, his tone becoming more assured and convincing. "That wave we felt earlier, it wasn't the first time. And it's clear that it's the cause of the extreme ferocity of the dragons. Kael and Shinrei, you noticed it too. The behavior of the dragons is very strange. They can be very docile, protective. Sometimes, they just defend themselves and other times, they show ferocity and animosity towards us. It's not related to the dragon's race."
Kael asked Harris. "Yes, I noticed it, but what does it have to do with the fact that we should go west?"
Harris continued. "Elyra gave us a compass so we could find our way in the world Drakaryon. Until now, we had avoided heading towards the center, because the only thing we know is that we could find the kingdom of the dragons. A place where all races live in harmony and in large numbers. But during all our travels, I noticed that the closer we get to the west, the more frequent the phenomenon of fierce dragons is, and also regarding these strange waves."
He extended his hand to help Aria, who was still on the ground, to get up. Once Aria was lifted, her eyes red but resolute, he spoke. "I have a bad feeling. We should go west to see what's going on. My instinct tells me that this phenomenon is not normal."
Shinrei asked him, in a dry and firm voice. "But how will that help us? I don't doubt that your analysis is true, but in the immediate situation, we need to find a way to get back home. We also need to make sure we're strong enough to be able to win. Now that Nozomi is gone, it will be even harder to win. Maybe it's even impossible now."
No one spoke, all looking down in oppressive silence. Then Shinrei continued, his frustration piercing through his voice. "No point in lying to ourselves. We weren't saying it, but we all thought it, Nozomi's power was clearly our trump card against Reimu!"
Suddenly. "He's alive," these words echoed throughout the surroundings and in our heads, cutting through the silence like a clap of thunder. These words were spoken by Aria, who had until now been silent and calm, sitting on the ground. "I can feel it. He can't be dead. It takes more than that for Nozomi to lose his life."
They remained silent, not knowing if it was denial on Aria's part or her sisterly instinct speaking. But when she spoke those absurd words or not in view of the fall Nozomi had taken, they believed it. Maybe they wanted to believe it. No one dared to contradict her. They preferred to let her hope if it could help her and help themselves too.
Aria continued, her tone becoming firmer and more assured, as if she was regaining a sense of purpose. "He will return and until the day he arrives, we should help solve this problem that is affecting the dragons. We will search for a portal later. For now, we know nothing. Where Nozomi is, where to find a portal, but what I know is that these dragons are suffering. They are not acting naturally. They are acting beyond their nature and behavior."
She looked them straight in the eyes, her gaze shining with new determination. "We are heroes. We cannot let them suffer without doing anything. It is not worthy of a hero."
After Aria's words, they remained silent, thinking about themselves and the future. The atmosphere seemed less suffocating, as if these words had brought new purpose to their quest. Shinrei spoke, filled with guilt. "I'm sorry. I wasn't in my usual state and took it out on you a bit. Aria, you're right. As heroes, we must save everyone, regardless of their race or what planet they come from."
Kael followed to complete Shinrei's words, a small nostalgic smile on his lips. "No life is more precious than another." He turned with that sad little smile. "Isn't that right? That's what he would have said."
Aria exclaimed, her voice becoming decisive. "Well, here's the plan. We're going to solve this mystery, then we'll take care of finding a portal to get home, with Nozomi! Harris, we're counting on you. Can you guide us?"
Harris nodded and they set off westward. They ran across the arid ground under the burning sun, each stride pushing them towards the unknown. They spent nights sleeping silently, Nozomi's absence weighing heavily on the group. Their nights of celebration were a thing of the past. They didn't feel able to enjoy and discuss as before, with Nozomi missing from their side. The void left by his absence was palpable.
The journey was long, almost two weeks to get as far as possible westward. However, during their journey, they noticed that Harris's theory was verified. The further they headed west, the more fierce the dragons were and the more frequent the repetition of waves, the creatures becoming increasingly aggressive.
After days of travel, they encountered dragons that they fought with new efficiency, perhaps motivated by the purpose Aria had stated. They continued their journey to their final destination. Once they arrived, the landscape and surroundings changed radically. It became darker, a grayish mist settled in and didn't want to leave. The air became heavy and suffocating. Furthermore, a sense of danger was felt constantly, an invisible and threatening presence.
Suddenly, a gigantic wave invaded the horizons, making the ground tremble beneath their feet. Their hero senses went on alert, each feeling the hairs rise on their skin. They took a guard stance like by instinct, their bodies entering combat mode. Just after the wave, they heard heavy and deep roars coming from everywhere, echoing from earth to sky. And suddenly, in the air, several hundred dragons appeared, flying over the surroundings and heading in the same direction, creating a spectacle that was both terrifying and magnificent.
They decided to follow them discreetly from the ground without getting caught. Their movements were slow and calculated, each step measured. After a few minutes of walking, hidden behind jagged rocks and rocky formations, they saw the dragons circling around a gigantic crystal that was levitating and seemed to be maintaining a closed barrier. A barrier that held a gigantic crater deep in the ground. An abyss whose darkness seemed infinite.
As they watched silently, holding their breath, Aria noticed that the crystal was weakened. Cracks were visible, some small, others much more significant, spreading like spider webs across its shiny surface.
She spoke in a low voice so as not to get caught, her eyes widened by realization. "Guys, we need to find a way to see what's in this crater."
Kael spoke, his voice low but concerned. "But how are we going to do this? With all these dragons around, it's an impossible mission. We'll have to fight. I don't see another solution, but it's not going to be easy."
But suddenly, Shinrei called out to the others, his tone becoming confident. "I'll go. With my speed, I won't get caught."
They decided to trust him, seeing in his words that he was confident. Shinrei took his momentum and, with a superhuman sprint, he managed to cross the entire area without getting caught, his movements being just a blur to the eyes of the others. He was so fast that for him, it was like time had stopped. He saw what was in the crater in slow motion, each detail engraved in his memory.
Shinrei returned to them after seeing what was in the crater, his expression grave. He told them, his breathing barely accelerated despite his superhuman run. "I saw an army of winged monsters. Both similar to and different from dragons. It's like there's another world below. It looks like it's preparing for something, but I can't say what exactly."
Aria told him, her analytical mind getting to work. "Those are surely Vorthrax. The second race that inhabits the world Drakaryon. We haven't seen any since we arrived, but I can't confirm anything. But what are they doing?"
Out of Harris's mouth came a dark analysis. "Everything seems to resemble an invasion. These waves that change the dragons are surely due to the weakening of the crystal. And if by misfortune it breaks, all the Vorthrax will come out and invade the surroundings. If they are trapped, there's a reason."
Kael continued, his eyes widening as he understood the magnitude of the problem. "It seems that dragons and Vorthrax live separately. There must be an underground world while the dragons live on the surface, and the Vorthrax live in the underground. But now, what are we going to do to prevent this?"
Aria said in a dry and decisive voice, as if she could see the solution taking shape. "We need to go seek help."
The others remained confused, exchanging perplexed looks. In their heads, they wondered who she wanted to ask for help from, given that they were four against potentially thousands. But then she continued, her tone becoming clear and persuasive.
"We need to ask for help from the dragons. They surely built this prison. Only they are best positioned to repair the crystal. If by misfortune, all the dragons and Vorthrax attacked us at the same time, we could never defeat them all. We will need the help of other dragons."
Kael asked Aria, in a resigned but hesitant voice. "What's your plan, Aria?"
"We'll split into two groups. One group will go to the kingdom of dragons to warn them and ask for their help. We must succeed in communicating with them, in the kingdom they must surely be more understanding. And the other group will stay here to watch and prepare defenses in case of imminent attack."
They agreed and together, they planned the plan and the groups. Kael and Harris were going to stay to watch and act if the second group failed to arrive in time. They were the two strongest in combat and power, the most capable of standing up to a possible invasion. Then the second group, composed of Aria and Shinrei, left for the kingdom of dragons using the compass that Harris had kept.
Aria was calm and composed, perfect for political discussions and to convince them. Shinrei would be of great help to her, and thanks to his speed, he could return as quickly as possible to help Kael and Harris if the situation worsened.
After that, they separated directly without wasting a minute. Each group left on its own way to accomplish the mission that had been assigned to it. The silence was heavy as they parted, but determination shone in their eyes. They had a purpose, a reason to continue