New Dragon's World Chapter 20

New Dragon's World
Chapter 20: Theian's Decision Pt. 2

At the small pond in the woods were Jake, Alex, and Theian.  Jake and Alex sat on a log while Theian stood, his back turned to them, his head to the ground.

"So you're going to join Doulstraz…?" Alex asked sadly.

Theian sighed. "I don't know yet… I'm still trying to figure out what I should do…"

"You should stay with us, of course!" Alex exclaimed. "Jake and I are your friends, Theian, remember? 'Sides I thought it was Doulstraz who killed your mother?"

"Did he? I'm starting to wonder about that myself."

Alex stood up and walked over to Theian. "Theian…don't go. Please…" He begged, his voice becoming strained. Jake had never seen Alex like this. Was he really that sad about Theian possibly leaving? Jake stood up and walked up to Alex, placing a hand on his shoulder. Jake looked into Alex's eyes, noticing a great sadness swelling within them.

"Jakol…Alex, can you two do me one last favor?"  Theian asked.

"Sure…what is it…Theian?" Jake asked.

Theian turned to look at his two young friends. "I want you both to get as far away from here as you can."

"You want us to WHAT?!" Alex asked, shocked.

"Alex, come tomorrow, this will become a war. A war between Doulstraz and Saulstrance. And at the end of it all…not all of us will be returning."

"Bu-b-but!" Alex stuttered to say.

Theian placed a hand on Alex's and Jake's shoulder.

"You both were the only ones I saw as real friends. The only ones that never made me feel angry… That's why I don't want either of you here when this starts tomorrow. You're both very young…you both have long lives ahead. Alex, Jakol, someday, you both will make a friend who will see you not as 'freaks' or 'monsters', but who will see you for you. Keep living…so that you can find that friend."

"Okay, Theian…" Jake said, sniffling.

Alex didn't respond.  He had one hand placed over one side of his face, the other eye shut. His lip quivered, even as he bit down on it. Theian took his hands off the boys' shoulders and proceeded to walk away. He reverted back into his dragon form and unfurled his wings.  Just as he was ready to take off into the night air, he turned his head to look at his friends one last time.

"Goodbye, Alex and Jakol. Thanks…" Theian said in a melancholy tone.

He flapped his wings and flew into the sky. Alex ran after him, stopping in Theian's ever shrinking shadow. Alex started to roar up to his friend, prompting Theian to roar back at him. Soon their roars were joined with Jake's. The roars of the three friends echoed throughout the woods until Theian was no longer in sight.

Alex stood under the pale moonlight, still looking up at the sky. He sniffled as he rubbed his left eye. Jake kept an eye on his friend, who stood in place, just staring up into the sky, consistently sniffling.

"Alex? Are you crying?" Jake asked worriedly.

"No…" Alex said in a strained voice. "I'm not crying…"

"Alex…"

"I'M NOT CRYING, OKAY?!" Alex shouted, startling Jake.

Alex rubbed his eyes and sniffled once more. "Who needs Theian anyway?! After this is over, we can finally have our own world! We'll finally be respected! We'll finally have friends!" He exclaimed.

Alex placed a hand on Jake's shoulder. "We've still got a ways to go but it's going to be worth it, Jake! You'll see!" He said with utmost enthusiasm.

Without saying anything, Jake looked at his friend, still unsure of what he should do. Alex could tell that Jake still had his doubts and worries. He didn't understand why.  He began to question if Jake ever wanted any friends to begin with.

"Jake? What's up?" Alex asked, his hand still on Jake's shoulder.

"I just…I keep wondering if what we're doing is right. Isn't there another way?" Jake asked.

Alex couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Jake…do you feel bad for those humans?!" He asked with anger and disappointment swelling inside him.

"N-no! But I…!"

"YOU KNOW FOR YOURSELF HOW HUMANS ARE AND YOU STILL FEEL BAD FOR THEM?!" Alex screamed.

"Alex, that's not what I meant!" Jake exclaimed.

"Don't you remember what happened when you were in kindergarten?! When that kid said he hated you for what happened?? You didn't try to burn him! You kept apologizing to him, crying as you did and he wouldn't even listen to you! Because that is exactly how humans are! You and I have done nothing to deserve any of this discrimination…"

"I know! I really know, Alex!! But…"

Alex took his hand off Jake's shoulder and walked past him. He started to rush off in an angry hurry, stopping eight steps behind Jake. He growled to himself and began to hyperventilate. He clenched his fists and gritted his teeth.

"FINE! Do whatever you want…But no matter what…I'm going to fight. I'm going to help dad take over this world. I'm going to help him defeat Doulstraz. And I'm going to GET MY OWN WORLD!!!"

Without another word, Alex ran from that spot, not taking so much as a glance back. He stopped midway and slowed down, eventually coming to a complete stop. He tried to catch his breath and get his head together. First Theian all of a sudden deciding that he may join Doulstraz, then Jake, who was feeling pity for the humans they had captured. Nothing made sense. Alex figured that all he could do now was to help Saulstrance in the upcoming battle. He decided that, with or without Jake and Theian, he would help Saulstrance defeat Doulstraz, and then go on to conquer the rest of the human world.

Back near the small pond, Jake sat down on the log. He sighed to himself. What Alex said to him kept replaying over and over in his head. His stomach tightened and it felt like something was stuck in his throat. He covered his ears in an attempt to drown out the voices only to no avail. He tried instead, to think of something else. He thought about what life would be like if they were successful in their takeover. In his mind, he saw himself playing with two other boys about his age. The three of them were playing soccer right outside of Jake's school. After some time, one of the boys picked up the soccer ball.

"See you later, Jake!" They said.

Jake waved goodbye to his friends as he watched them run from the soccer field. Just as the boys were leaving, they suddenly vanished into thin air. Confused and shocked, Jake ran to the entrance to the field, finding no trace of his friends. Not only had his friends disappeared but everything had gone silent. It was then that he felt something touch his shoulder. He turned around to see his father standing behind him. He smiled down at Jake.

"That's my son! I'm so proud of you, Jakol! Said Saulstrance.

Jake's eyes lit up, a big smile on his face. He hugged his dad who hugged him back. Jake smiled at the thought of his father's compliment to him. He looked up into the sky, seeing the moon beaming down on him. He then shifted around on the log so that his legs were now rested on the fallen tree part. He let out a melancholic sigh as he stared into the sky yet again. His smile had turned back into a frown. What was he to do? Theian had left. Alex probably never wanted to see him again. Jake sniffed. He just wanted everything to be like it was before. He knew that if he helped his father with the takeover that he would have as many friends as he could ever ask for but what would that matter if his current friends weren't there with him?

He gritted his teeth as he held his face in his hands. His fingers clenched at his hair and his palms covered his eyes. His head began to hurt and his throat felt like it was on fire. He was breathing heavily. He felt like he was going to throw up. What was he supposed to do?! What was he supposed to do…

At that same moment, Drake sat next to the window in his motel room. He watched outside with a look of concern on his face. His father shifted around in his bed to see Drake still awake.

"Drake, what are you still doing up?" Titus asked groggily.

"I'm just watching in case they come back." He answered.

"In case who comes back? Jake and the dragons?"

"Mm-mm…Sean, Uncle Lucas, Tim, and Grandma and Grandpa."

Titus moaned. "Drake, come to bed. They're going to be fine with Grandpa and Grandma with them."

"Yeah, but Dad - -"

Drake was interrupted. "Drake, we need your help tomorrow. We don't even know what most of them are capable of. And then there's that dragon Theian told us to look out for."

Drake nodded. "Alright…"

"We're going to need you at 100% for tomorrow, son." Titus said as he fell back to sleep.

Drake walked over to the bed his father was sleeping in and crawled under the sheets. Shortly after he had fallen asleep.

In the room two doors over, Jackie and Kyle lay in their respective beds. Kyle's was the bed closest to the window, while Jackie's was closest to the restroom. Neither one of them could get sleep. They sat upright in their beds with the covers covering only their legs.  

"Hey, Jackie?" Asked Kyle.

"Yeah?" Jackie asked back.

"I was just thinking…"

"About what?"

"Do you remember anything about Saulstrance?" He asked.

"Don't you?"  She asked back at her brother.

"I was only four, remember? All I remember is this really creepy factory where they had these tubes with this weird liquid inside them or something. I also remember Mom kicking this guard's ass but then we get locked up. I…think that's it."

"Well…" Jackie began. "That was blood. They were harvesting the blood of baby dragons. Saulstrance said that the blood of a young dragon could expand a normal human's lifespan. He also said that dragon blood could break curses. And it was Angela's blood that turned him back into a dragon…" She explained.

"And Angela was killed by Saulstrance, right?"

Jackie nodded. "Angela was taking care of our uncle when he was turning back into a dragon. Except at that time, Uncle Titus didn't know he was one."

"Hmm…Alright, it's starting to make sense. I just can't remember what Saulstrance looked like." Kyle said, cupping his head in his hand.

"Well… I don't remember too much about what he looked like. I think he was kind of a light red. Something like that… The only thing I do remember about him are his eyes."

"His eyes?" Asked Kyle.

"Uh-huh. His eyes were so…so lifeless and cold. You don't forget eyes like those easily." Jackie said, feeling a shiver go down her back.

"So just like any other villain." Kyle commented.

"Normally, yes. They were without a doubt the eyes of someone who's killed. But at the same time, there was something more to them. Something behind those cold eyes. I just don't know what though."

At that moment, a knock came from the door. "Wonder who that could be?" Jackie asked, rubbing the back of her head.

Kyle got out of bed and walked over to the door. In the doorway stood the motel owner who was holding in his right hand a tote bag.

"I'm so sorry for waking you up." He said.

"That's okay. We were just talking." Kyle replied.

The motel owner smiled and rubbed his shaven beard. "Well that's good. There was something I wanted to give to you before you left."

He set the bag on the table to his left and opened it. Inside were first aid supplies. There was a single bottle of rubbing alcohol, three sets of bandages, and various other supplies.

"I think you are absolutely crazy for going after the ones who destroyed that town. " Said the owner in total disbelief.

"Well, our lives have always been pretty crazy." Kyle replied.

"Hey, you sure you just want to give us this stuff?" He asked, holding up two of the three bandages.

"It's okay, don't worry! I usually keep some first aid supplies stocked in case someone gets hurt while staying here. But with things the way they are now, I don't think I'll be having any customers for awhile. And in the rare event that I do, I have three more bags in the employee lounge."

"You really care a lot about your customers." Jackie said.

"I try to make it so that any and all customers have an enjoyable stay here. And the other thing is that I can't afford having a potential lawsuit on my hands in case a guest does get injured."  He said as he scratched at his shaved beard once again.

"Yeah, I can understand." Replied Kyle.

"I don't get a lot of business in a place like this so even one little lawsuit, and this motel is as good as closed. And I really don't want that to happen. My father built this whole place from the ground up. It's his legacy!"

Jackie smiled. "Well don't worry. We'll be sure to be careful around here and when we're back out on the road. And when we get back home, we'll tell all of our friends about this place."

The owner smiled warmly at the brother and sister. "You're all really nice people. I hope we'll meet again."

Kyle nodded. "Same here. Thanks so much for the bag."

"Well you folks are going to need it more than me." Said the motel owner as he made his way out the door.

With that, the owner shut the door behind him. Kyle put everything back in the bag and went back to bed.

"You know something, Jackie?" Kyle asked.

"What's that?" Jackie asked back.

"I don't know why but I feel kind of happy right now. It's hard to explain. Like there's something telling me that everything will be okay." He said, smiling.

Jackie laughed. "God, you can say such corny stuff sometimes!" She laughed, throwing a pillow at Kyle who caught it in his hands.

Kyle just laughed and threw the pillow back at his sister. "Oh, whatever! Way to ruin the moment!"

Jackie continued to laugh as she placed the pillow back on her bed.  She lay her head down and turned on her left side. Kyle turned off the light but not before wishing his sister a goodnight. For a time, Jackie just lay in the bed, smiling to herself. It had been so long since she and Kyle shared a room together. She turned on her right side and looked over at Kyle who had already fallen asleep. She smiled warmly at her brother.

"I love you, Kyle." She whispered. Soon after, she fell asleep.

For the rest of the night, everything was peaceful.  Everyone slept peacefully and without a care. But that brief, peaceful moment would last only for so long.

It was around 10:30 the next day when everyone had woken up. Titus opened the door to his room and stepped out. He yawned and stretched as Sarah and Drake followed behind him. Drake rubbed his eyes and mumbled to himself as Sarah also rubbed her eyes. Everyone else soon exited their rooms and joined Titus. Titus looked around the parking lot, seeing no sign of Lucas' car.

"Luke's still not back?" Sarah asked.

Titus knew this couldn't be good.  Did Lucas not make it in time? Or did something else happen?

"Lucas left last night with his boys and Titus' parents. And right now it's about 10:30. So he should have gotten back by now." Ben said.

"You don't think they were taken by those dragons, do you?" Rick asked.

"Hey, Rick! That's the last thing we want to be thinking about right now!" Titus exclaimed.

"But Rick is right, Titus. We can't rule out that possibility." Jessie said.

"Look, I know, Ok? I'd just like to not think about my best friend being captured by Saulstrance." Titus replied.

Titus walked out into the parking lot and looked to his right, hoping to see Lucas' car pulling up.

"Do you think Sean and Tim are okay, Drake?" Asked Crystal.

"Of course they are!" Drake assured his friend. "My grandma and grandpa are with them! They'll be fine!"

As Titus continued to look around, he could have sworn he was hearing the sounds of flapping wings.  He looked up into the sky to see one of the dragons decreasing altitude.  Titus turned back into a dragon and prepared for whoever it was.  A strong gust of wind came from the beats of the dragon's wings and dust and dirt was kicked into the air. The dragon folded its wings and landed on the ground.

"Theian." Titus said.

Theian looked at Titus, and then turned to everyone else who were still standing by the rooms.

"So have you made your decision?" Asked Titus.
"I…"

But before Theian was able to answer, another voice rang from the skies.

"So it IS true!"

"Oh, damn!" Theian said to himself.

Titus and the others looked into the sky, discovering that the voice belonged to Girido. He swooped down and landed right beside Theian and Titus.

"I had heard last night that Doulstraz was still alive. Who would've thought it was true?!" Girido said, with a confident smile.

"Dammit, Girido! How did you find out?!" Theian shouted.

"Why, your little buddy, Alex told us. He also said that you were going to jump ship and join Doulstraz."

Theian growled and glared angrily at Girido who smirked back at him, seemingly enjoying the whole thing. Theian then let out a rush of breath and turned towards Titus.

"So, Theian, what are you going to do? You didn't give us your answer." Girido said as he walked closer to Theian.

Everyone watched as Theian walked closer to Titus. The two dragons locked eyes as they stared each other down for a time. After awhile, Theian broke his attention from Titus and turned towards Girido.

"You know, Girido, Alex was wrong." Theian said.

"How so?" Asked Girido.

"I was never going to betray Saulstrance." Theian replied.

Theian swung his tail at Titus, sending him flying into the street.

"Dad!" Drake shouted as he was about to run to his father's side.

"Stay there, Drake!" Titus exclaimed as he got back to his feet.

Titus scowled at Theian who gave him a fierce glare as response. Titus' friends stood by the motel rooms, watching the two dragons stare each other down once again.

"You…! We all put our faith in you!!" Titus shouted.

"Well you shouldn't have trusted me now should you? Don't forget that we're enemies, Doulstraz.  I joined Saulstrance so that I could get the chance to finally meet and kill my mother's murderer. I don't care what happens to this world or the dragon realm."

"You hate Titus so much that you would sacrifice this world and yours just so you could get a chance to kill him?!" Ben asked, shocked and in disbelief at what he was hearing.

"You'd better believe I would." Theian said in his usual cold demeanor.

"But what you're doing is - -"

"My mother was all I had! She took me in and loved me as if I was her own! When I was still in my egg, I was left out there in the cold! Angela, my mom, saved my life that night. If it wasn't for her, I would have died before I was even born!" Theian exclaimed as tears ran down his face.

Theian started to cry. "I'm fighting for her! I want her to finally be able to rest in peace! And if that means that I would have to betray the worlds just to accomplish my goals, then I would do it over and over again!"

Ben sighed with annoyance. "You think that you're the only one who lost their parents that day?! Mine died the same day Angela did! They gave up their lives to try and save this world and to make up for what they had done to me and Titus! And unlike you, I never once blamed Titus for their deaths. Don't you think that Titus has been suffering just as much as you have? After all, Angela was his nest mother!"

Theian's eyes widened when he heard Ben's declaration. He couldn't believe what he had just heard. At that moment, his whole mind had gone blank and it felt like his breath had been taken away.  Girido, intrigued by this new development, walked over to Theian.

"So Theian, this whole time the very dragon you've been trying to kill turns out to be your nest brother…What'll you do now?"

At that point, the owner of the motel walked out of the office to see what all of the noise was.

"What's all the racket out- -Oh, my God…!"  

The tall, middle aged motel owner just stood there in amazement. He couldn't believe his eyes. Dragons! Real dragons!

"S-s-so, I t-take it they-they're the ones you're af-after?" He stuttered.

Girido studied the man carefully. The owner went back in the employee lounge and a second later, reemerged with several sets of keys. He made a dash for his car and tried to start the engine. He revved it several times before it finally started.

"No! Just go back inside!" Titus shouted.

Paying no attention to Titus' command, the owner quickly pulled out of the parking lot, nearly hitting Titus as he did so. He drove in the direction of the diner and the destroyed town. Girido's wings unfolded and he took to the air. He hovered several feet over the car for a minute before he made a quick descent and bodyslammed himself into the car, crushing the motel owner under his weight combined with that of the car roof. The car alarm blared. Blood trickled down the car door and spilled onto the pavement. Only the left arm of the motel owner remained visible with the rest of his body crushed under the hood of the car.

Everyone stared in shock at Girido's merciless act of cruelty. The dragon jumped off the car and walked back to join with Theian. Theian walked up to Girido, grabbed his head in his paw, and smashed him face first into the ground.

"GAH! What was that about?!" Girido shouted.

"You had no reason to kill him! Isn't the point of your little 'takeover' to gather subjects for Saulstrance? Or are you just with us so that you can keep killing every human you see?!"

Girido growled. "Screw you, Theian! For your information, I'm following Lord Saulstrance because I respect him!"

"Well, good then. Unfortunately I don't want to hear about it."

"Jerk." Girido muttered under his breath.

Theian took three steps closer to Titus.

"Doulstraz, you and I are going to fight right here, right now! If you decline, then I will kill all your friends right where they stand! You saw what Girido did to that poor man, didn't you? Want your friends to experience a similar fate?"

"I can't believe you…" Titus said, both angered and disappointed in his nest brother.

Titus thought for a minute about what he should do.  He knew he would have to fight Theian sooner or later but he feared that he wouldn't be able to fight both Theian and Girido at the same time. And having everyone around would simply put them at risk. He had no other choice. So he took a deep breath and made his decision.

"Alright, Theian…you win. We'll fight. But on one condition."

"And that is…?" Asked Theian.

"I want you to at least let my family and friends go. You want to fight me, right? So then why should they have to get involved? They have nothing to do with this. If you let them leave, then you get your fight." Titus answered.

"That's awfully noble of you, Doulstraz." Theian mocked. "Alright then. You heard him. Get going!"

Just as everyone headed straight for Titus' car, Titus turned back into a human and threw his keys to Sarah. With that, he then changed back into a dragon. Sarah opened the door to the passenger's seat and started up the engine.

"Doulstraz, what're you thinking? Sending them off without any protection? In case you've forgotten, there are three more followers waiting to capture any humans they can. And then there's Lord Saulstrance himself. So do you really think that's such a good idea?" Asked Girido.

Titus smiled. "I know they'll be fine. Because Drake will be there to look out for them. Right, son?" Titus asked, turning towards Drake.

"Me?" Drake asked, pointing to himself.

"I know you can do it, Drake! I believe in you. We all do."

Drake gave a big smile and flashed a thumbs up at his father. He and everyone else crowded into Titus' car and drove off to try and meet up with Lucas, his boys and Titus' parents. Girido unfurled his wings again, only to be stopped by Theian. As soon as the car was out of sight, Titus turned to the two dragons in front of him. Titus started walking to his right while Theian walked to his left. They circled one another.

"I have a question for you, Theian. What do you think Angela's feeling right now?" Asked Titus.

"What are you talking about?" Theian asked back.

"Well do you think she's happy with what you've become? Do you think she's up there, smiling upon the sight of everything her beloved son has done? No. Right now, she's crying. She's crying because she knows you're better than this. You turned into a murderer, you destroyed peoples' lives, just so you can fight me. THAT is why she's crying!"

"RRRRAAAAAHHHH!!!" With a loud, fierce roar that shook the sky itself, Theian charged at Titus. Titus braced himself as he and Theian butted heads. Titus' horns scraped against Theian's and Theian's horns scraped against Titus'. The two dragons growled as one tried to gain an edge over the other. Theian started to push Titus back, causing Titus to begin to lose footing. Titus pushed his head forward, causing Theian to stumble slightly.

"Girido! This is my fight! You step in and I kill you both!" Theian shouted.

"Hey, no sweat! I'll just kick back and enjoy the show!" Girido replied in a confident tone.

Titus took a step back and then ran from the parking lot with Theian giving chase. Once they were in the street, Theian raised his left paw and swung his claws at Titus, whose right paw caught Theian's. With that, Theian took his right claw and tried to slash Titus once more, just cutting the left side of his face which made Titus wince with slight pain. Titus then smashed his head against Theian's, briefly stunning Theian but not without causing himself some slight pain in the process. Theian's vision went blurry and his head throbbed in pain as a small stream of blood trickled down the right side of his head. He squinted his eyes shut until his vision were to return. He roared in pain and began to bite at the air, hoping to catch Titus in his jaw and tear off whichever of his limbs his snout caught. As he continued to snap wildly, Titus ran to Theian's right hand side. He recollected himself and wiped away the damp blood that clung to the left of his head.

He watched for a second as Theian continued biting the air and even launching fireballs on occasion. Titus noticed Theian start to open his eyes. His eyes were starting to readjust. Just before Theian's eyes fully recovered, Titus took the opportunity and rammed into Theian, sending the dragon flying into the small motel. Part of the motel collapsed on Theian and covered him in rubble and debris. His tail rested limply in the debris, not making any movements.

TO BE CONTINUED