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It's a powerful quake, enough to catch the attention of the entire city, perhaps even the surrounding ones as well. The body of the once-mighty Hra'Kul, splayed out as a limp corpse with a powerful crash. Everything falls silent to my ears; even the fires seem to die out from the force of the blow. I stand slowly, my mind, my sanity, still in another place, replaced by a bloodlust that's stronger than words can describe. I let out a fierce cry to the heavens, spewing white flames in a display of triumphance. It's a scream of raw emotion, unhindered by anything else but pure, feral rage. A crowd of people wade through the smoke and dust, shocked and wordless at what they just witnessed.

"Hey..it's that half-breed." "Did he just kill Hra'Kul?" "I don't believe what I'm seeing.."

I turn to the amassing crowd: people I know, people I don't, all staring at me with a mix of fear and awe. I look back, covered in my foe's blood, my eyes betraying my vicious appearance. My higher reasoning returns to me, and I run from the people, rushing through the carnage to find my Tana.

There she lay, crumpled and next to lifeless in the ruins of the citadel walls. I run over to her, tears welling at my eyes at the sight of her. I stop just shy of her, approaching slowly. Her chest heaves and tries its hardest to breathe life into her, to no avail. I collapse to my knees, draping myself over her as the life in her falls silent. "Tana...."

The denizens all circle around me, their shared looks of grief and empathy making me tremble as I cry over Tana. "She...she never deserved this. She did this for me...and had to pay for it...Gods, Tana..why...why did you have to die?" I'm inconsolable, the people around me watching on in disbelief and sadness. "T-Tana, please...don't you dare do this, I won't let you. I love you.."

Sigmund, Loren, father, and the rest all wade through the crowd to meet me. Katrina's draped Reed over her shoulder, the badly-scorched wolf looking worse for wear. "Come on, wolfie, you did good.." She oversees the result of my fight, and catches her own tongue in shock. "Fuck..."

I empty my sorrows onto her, unable to grasp how it could've come to such an outcome. I look over the gaping wound in her chest: no larger than my head is wide. I can suddenly hear murmurs from around me. I look up to everyone kneeling, even my friends, and I stare, before I turn to meet the face of none other than Lord Avalon himself. My eyes widen in my own disbelief. "B-but...you..I saw Hra'Kul-"

"Hra'Kul only saw what he wanted to see." The king unclenches his left palm from a glowing signet. I recognize it by the rune atop as one of Mirrored Visage. "A useful gem indeed, when in need of diversion.." I suddenly drop to my knees to bow before him myself, wishing not to offend the king of Sol. He merely chuckles, extending his hand. "Do not lower yourself for my sake, young one. You must be that half-breed from before. You caused quite the stir..."

I shakily look up to meet his gaze; the eyes of a man who's seen many things in his lifetime. I spring to my feet, trying to keep my composure in front of him, a mix of aching pains and depression nearly forcing be back down. It's everything I can do to not break down onto Tana's body again. "I-I swear to you, I'm not a threat.."

"Aye, you needn't persuade me of it." He looks to his subjects, still kneeling in his presence. "Nor these fine people." An expression reflecting contemplation draws across his sturdy figure as he looks over Tana. "Your mate-to-be, I would wager?"

"H-how do you know.." My face is nothing short of confused.

"Boy, I've lived on this world for many a year. There're few things I don't know." He punctuates his last sentence with a knowing nod toward my father, and I can't help but be confused. Avalon places a hand over Tana's still chest, and nods. "Hmm...she's alive. Barely."

My face lights up in eager surprise at those words. "She is?! Thank Archea!"

"I wouldn't cheer yet, young one." His face turns to one of grimace. "As we speak, she grapples with a deathly hold. I may have an answer for it...if you so allow me."

I can't shake my head any harder if I could, my voice desperate. "Anything at all! Just, please...I want my Tana back."

He gives me a solemn nod. "And so you shall." Looking to the crowd, "Has the court alchemist survived?"

A rather sheepish man stands, his fingers tucked together in a shy manner. "Y-yes, milord."

"Did you save the reagents I asked for?" He inquires to the alchemist.

The alchemist nods. "Right here, in my satchel...b-but I was only able to gather enough for one mo-"

"I want you to brew it." The alchemist looks a little shocked, but Avalon cuts him off before he rebuttles. "I am aware of what I am doing, before you ask."

"It-it's not that..I'm without the resources, sire. With no lab, I-I cannot brew it."

"Is that so?" The king asks with a knowing grin. "Perhaps our fiery friend here can be of assistance?"

"If this helps Tana," I answer weakly, still choking back a stray tear, "then I'm at your disposal."

---

A small, scorched cookpot was scavenged from one of the nearby homes, filled with some water from a half-rubbled well in the town centre. I'm tasked with boiling the water, taking slow, deep breaths in and out to stoke the flames. The alchemist paws through his satchel to grab the reagents: a sweet-smelling and exotic flower, the aroma strong enough to overpower the stench of death; a dried herb, which I can only assume has been crushed into a fine herb with a mortar and pestle; and a strange-looking berry, the smell, and likely taste, not very appetizing indeed. He drops them into the pot, one by one, and stirs slowly. He's without a ladle, so he's using a signet to coax the liquid in a circular motion. It changes from a muddy brown to a smooth-looking deep red. My curiosity abounds. "So, what exactly are we brewing?" I ask inbetween breaths.

"An old recipe, perfected by the first king." Lord Avalon watches over his alchemist, flicking his fingers when he directs for him to stir in reverse. "Young boy, perhaps you know of King Valorus?"

"Only some things." I let out another steady breath of flames, renewing the fire. "He, too, killed a dragon. Didn't he live to be 140?"

"Aye, that he did." He directs me to stop breathing onto the pot with an upraised hand, and I do as instructed. "It's not well-known that he used to be quite invested into alchemical experimentation. He was saddened at the end of his years, feeling as if he hadn't done enough for his new kingdom." The king directs the alchemist to mix faster, as the deep red mixes further into a resonating, glowing orange. "And so he worked to perfect an elixir that could extend the longevity of the soul and its mortal coil, and to even save it from the grasps of death. This was his goal, of both him and those who would proceed him. He spent years, my father said, studying and mixing. It costed a great deal of my ancestor's health. But," the king stops the alchemist, who then pulls out a signet that glows an icy blue. Using it on the cookpot, the heated exterior quickly cools off, Lord Avalon smiling approvingly, "at some point, he was finally successful."

I take a smell of the brew; it smells bitter, but in some manner, uplifting. "This is for Tana to drink, right?" I feel silly asking this, but I wanted to be certain. The king nods, and I take the pot in both hands. For my more frail human form, it would've broke my back just trying to lift it; but I lift it up with ease, bringing it over to the dragoness' limp body. Setting the lip of the cookpot to her muzzle, I try desperately to unhinge her jaw, but she refuses to aid me in the matter. I force myself not to sob into her, but my voice still maintains only that of a whisper. "Come on, Tana, I know you're still there...don't give this up."

I slowly pour the glowing mixture into her maw, making certain not a drop breaks free of it. I'm making absolutely certain that nothing goes to waste; not for Tana, not for the one I love. I've known her for too long to lose her like this. The pot finally reaches its bottom, and as I shake free its last drop, I set the cookpot to the side, and wait. She's not moving. Did the elixir fail? Or was I too late to do anything for her? All the same, I felt a horrible clenching in my chest, horrified by the idea of never seeing my dear Tana again.

But before my willpower and patience could break, I see an orange glow emanate from Tana's chest. I'm awe-struck, the elixir's power now coming into full effect. The wound closes before my very eyes, seeing veins refuse, skin and scales duplicate and spread, all of it feeling impossible. The other citizens watch from afar, and as the glow fades, I lean down and check on Tana. Her heart's beating like a drum, and I can hear the dragoness take in a sharp breath.

D-did we win..?

"Tana!" I rush towards her neck and hug it for everything I'm worth, the weary creature standing shakily, but otherwise whole. She smiles as I'm clenched onto her like a vice, her deciding to be silly and try to lick me off. I flop onto the ground, wet and sticky, laughing. "Well, at least dragon spittle smells better than dragon guts!"

Tana's visibly happy that I'm alive, then looking to the gathered crowd nearby, having seen the entire proceedings of reviving her. She starts to step back, cautiously, looking to me in confusion. Jarrod, why are they looking at me like that?

"It's alive!" "Should we run?" "No, it looks friendly!" "How would you know?"

"Ladies, gentlemen, calm yourselves." The king says, his subjects dying down in their muttering. Avalon looks to Tana, reaching to pet the dragoness softly on her snout, a sign of his trust in her. "Let this one speak for herself."

Tana is hesitant at first, but smiles at the surprising kindness the human ruler shows towards her. Thank you. Tana overlooks the crowd of confused people, looking over towards the other dead dragon in the distance, his black, heaped form sprawled out being a sight satisfying to witness.The scourgespawn, Hra'Kul, is dead. But not without significant loss. We all have lost something from his cruel endeavors, be it your kind, or my own. Tana looks down, towards me, and smiles soberly. But for many of us, what we've lost is small compared to what we've gained, and what we can work to achieve together, now that he is gone. Perhaps now, in his absence, we can repair the shattered peace between our races. The crowd listens in rapt attention, feeling moved by the shocking calm of a creature they once believed to wish only harm to them.

I step forward, adding onto Tana's speech. "Hra'Kul thought that we were weak, that he could strike us at our very heart." I approach the crowd closer, a confidence about me. "But he clearly didn't understand his history very well! We are races united; better yet, we are Valorans!" I hold a hand high, shouting with conviction. "We're more than simply strangers that live next door to each other. We're all one people under one nation, comprised of everything from all walks of life! We shouldn't care what one looks like, or judge them for things beyond their influence. Hra'Kul may have damaged the trust between the dragons and our people, but we can rebuild it, just as we can rebuild this very city!" I grab a scorched piece of wood, holding it up for everyone to see.

"Do you know what this is?"

The crowd is, quite understandably, confused; to many of them, it's just a board of wood. I answer in a shout, "This? This is a foundation. Every city began somewhere. From the ashes, Sol will rebuild, it will become greater than it ever has been! And it's all going to start..from this!" I'm winning the crowd, people starting to cheer and clap. Frankly, I was surprised; after the killing Hra'Kul part, my plans didn't really take into account how the people would react. Surprisingly, rather well; I have a knack for inspiring people, it seems. "Those like Hra'Kul may wound us, they may bring us to our very breaking point, try to take everything we have. They may cripple us, bring us to our knees. But we've recovered from far worse, adapted and defeated far greater threats before! And as we stand here, a nation of united people, not just races, we pave the way to things far greater than one man, or one specie!" I shout one final time to the croud, "The future for Valora, this kingdom...it's for all of us to take part in!"

I'm amazed at even myself, as people around me cheer and cry out in rallying voices. Even the king seems moved, clapping through my speech. "A fine display, young man. You truly show a dedication I've not seen in many a year."

I try to jokingly play it off. "Yeah, well when you have to kill a powerful scourge that's threatened the kingdom for years, you tend to learn a thing or two about patriotism."

The king chuckles, patting my shoulder. "It's more than that. The truth being, I'm beyond my prime." The old, wizened being stares at me, his eyes imparting decades of wisdom and experience. "I'm without an heir. But you...you show something I haven't seen since King Valorus himself."

I can hardly believe what he's asking me. "Are you telling me.."

"I wish to crown you, Jarrod of Sol, as the new heir to the kingdom of Valora"

Hearing that title. King. It's an appealing phrase, has a ring to it; King Jarrod. But the more I look to Tana, to my form, as it slowly loses its humanity, the more I know my priorities lay elsewhere. I look to the king, slowly shaking my head. "I'm sorry...I can't."

The crowd, as does the king, look visibly confused. "I do not understand this, Scourgeslayer. Did you not wish to aid in Valora's future?"

"It's not that, I just...we all must have a say in where this kingdom is headed, not just a man who serves as the figurehead." I bow respectfully to the good king. "No offense to yourself, of course. Besides..." I look to Tana, a calm smile on my face. "I have other matters to tend to first."

The king looks to the dragoness, giving me a calm nod. "Hmm, I understand. Perhaps you're right; Valora is in need of a new direction." I'm not quite certain what he means by that, but I don't get a chance to figure it out before he walks off, the crowd parting to give him passage. He directs his gaze into the crowd, "Now then, there's that Vanguard man?"

---

It's an absolute shock to me that the citizens, even the city guard, allow me and Tana to roam freely, as everyone works to scavenge from the rubble, searching for lost possessions or loved ones, reuniting with one another, and mourning those who were lost. I, Tana, and my friends all converse with one another, making sense to the madness.

The more I waited there, in the caves, terrified of what might happen to you, Jarrod, I...I couldn't stay. _The dragoness admits shamefully. _I loved you too much to have you face him alone. I hope you can forgive me.

"Forgive you?" I smile, rubbing the side of her maw softly. "I need to _thank _you! He would've made me into a snack, had you not intervened." She then leans down towards me, rumbling a wordless contentment as I stroke the scales of her neck. "I'm just glad you're alright, Tana. I love you."

The dragoness nuzzles against me affectionately. And I love you as well, Jarrod.

Reed groans in Katrina's grip, the wounded wolf chuckling meekly. "I'm starting to think...if I died right now...you guys wouldn't even notice."

Everyone laughs at Reed's rather morbid comment. Even when he grapples with pain, he never loses his sense of humor. Katrina pats him on the noggin, and she then...kisses him? Not even on the cheek, but mouth-to-mouth. And she doesn't stop for quite some time, I think for a second that she might just be trying to suffocate Reed with her mouth. She withdraws, then, and purrs into him. "Don't be saying shit like that, you big lug. You did good."

I and Tana blink in surprise at the sudden affection the leopardess has toward Reed. I ask Loren, as the duo seem occupied with one another, "Am I...ever gonna know what happened with those two?"

Loren shrugs his shoulders. "All I saw was Katrina pulling him out of the rubble of her family's house. I surmise, perhaps, Reed got a bit too heroic."

"May be." I would ask Kat or Reed about it, but they seem a bit too busy locking lips to notice we're even talking about them. One of Tana's claws gently taps against my back, and I turn towards her. "Something still on your mind?"

A couple things. But the most important of them first. Tana sits herself on her haunches, facing me directly, those piercing eyes of hers almost staring into my soul. This is not exactly as formal as I would like, but it shall do. _I'm not sure what she's getting at, but then I hear her in my thoughts again, but this time, it feels...deeper. More personal. _I, Tana, third of my clutch, and daughter of N'Tar, wish to take Jarrod of Sol as my mate.

My thoughts race. I already knew this moment would come eventually, at least once I figured out why I had changed. I chew it over in my head for a moment, thinking. This is _what I wanted, after all. How could I possibly say no? I stare back at her, standing firm, as I answer not in words, but as the same. _I, Jarrod of Sol, do solemnly accept Tana, third of her clutch, and daughter of N'Tar, to be my mate.

As our mental bonding comes to an end, I start to feel a sharp pain throughout me. It starts at my chest, as the crest that Tana left upon me starts to glow a deep orange. I drop to my hands and knees, and realize everything seems smaller than I remember. My arms start to extend, thicken out, as my fingers curve and the claws adorning them become more vicious. My back legs do the same, growing in size and shape alongside the rest of me, I close my eyes, enduring the quickly-passing pain....and as soon as it starts, it ends. As I open my eyes, I realize what I've become: a full-fledged dragon, just some size larger than that of Tana. I trace at the ground, getting a feel for my new, powerful form, and notice just how small Loren and my friends look, now that I've become what I am.

Katrina and Reed break from their face-sucking to look mildly terrified of me. "Shit, Jarrod, you're a fucking monolith!" Katrina seems to say.

I go to speak, but realize my throat doesn't vocalize as it should. So Instead, I speak to them as Tana speaks. This is going to take some getting used to, that's for certain.

"Let's just hope the city guard doesn't try to kill you." Loren says, chuckling.

I hear my father walk over to us, the noises he makes now little more than scampering beneath me. He looks up at me, yet doesn't even look shocked or frightened in the slightest. "I see you said yes to her."

What other giant, green-scaled monstrosities do you know? _I inquire jokingly. _How are the people?

"Some guardsmen were severely wounded, and there are several townsfolk not present or able to be found," he answers firmly. "It's assumed they died in the fire, but there were some who fled the city. Thankfully, from what we can gather, there's a chance almost everyone made it out alive. Not unscathed, mind you, but alive."

That's amazing news! And what of Sigmund and his men?

"The king's held a private audience with Sigmund. Seems he wishes to talk about integrating his Vanguard into the city's defense."

I nod to him, looking over to Tana. Tell him he has my thanks. _I nuzzle into Tana, the two of us exchanging a vibrant purr of affection for each other. _Come on, Tana, let's get out of here.

The dragoness looks at me ponderously. Why? Where are we going, my mate?

My grin to her is nothing short of wry. The den. I'm thinking it's time we....talked over some things.

Tana matches my lustful look, her body becoming warm and inviting. Seems I and Tana have some bonding to do in more...private settings.

"Play nice, you two," my father shouts to us as we're getting ready to depart. "And Jarrod!" I stop short of bearing my wings for flight, and wait for his response. "You made an old man proud," he finally proclaimed.

I nod in understanding of the battered man's smiling image. I hardly recognize my own father; fitting, if he hadn't seen me now, he'd hardly recognize me either. I finally take wing with Tana back to the caves outside Sol. Aiding the people will come later. For now, it was time we partook in some...affectionate matters.

---

And that's my story, Jarrod finishes, resting his green-scaled head onto the marble tiles of the royal corridor. An old human, in a robed attire very common among scribes and writers, pens a quill against the parchment that entails the dragon's story. Is that all you wanted, ser...

"D'vatche. Ser D'vatche." The aged man rolls up the paper, wrapping it with a length of ribbon and setting it with the rest of his scriptures. "I thank you for your cooperation, and for sharing your tale with me. This will be an invaluable addition to my book."

I'm glad you think so. _The wizened dragon silently scoffs the man's words, apparently not truly agreeing with him. _There're just some things I, personally, feel better not remembering.

"Ah, but that's the beauty, my scaled friend." He pats Jarrod on the snout, him growling in turn, which makes D'Vatche back away some distance. "Remembering our past betters our future. And with your help, the world may remember the stories and tales that proceeded them, and perhaps learn from them."

I suppose... _The dragon sits himself up, about to walk away before he hears trumpets sounding outside. He flicks his sapphire eyes back to the old scribe. _You hear that as well, correct?

D'vatche pulls his bag full of his writings to his side, smiling calmly at Jarrod. "Aye, I do. It would seem your king has some news to address to his people."