New Dragon's World chapter 30

New Dragon's World
Chapter 30: The Conclusion Part 1

That morning, Titus' friends, both old and new gathered at the edge of town to see them off with the exceptions of Crystal and Sean. Titus, his mother, Drake, and Eig'nia stood by his car which was parked in the middle of the road. His friends and family were wrought with worry. Noticing this, Titus took in a deep breath and smiled, hoping to assure them that everything would be fine.

"Well, this is it." Said Titus.

"Are you going to come back?" Adam asked, looking sad to see his hero leave.

Titus looked down at Adam. "Yeah. After this, we're going back home."

"But…I don't want you to leave. Please stay, Mr. Titus!" Adam cried.

"I can't Adam. This isn't my home. But I promise I'll come and visit you and I'll bring Tim too. Is that okay?"

"Mmm…" Adam pouted, sniffling, soon proceeding to cry.

Jessie was next. She walked up to Titus and looked at him with a hint of sadness. She placed her hand on the side of his face and slowly moved it down. Then without warning, she hugged her brother-in-law tightly. Titus shut his eyes and hugged her back. After a moment, she went back to her husband.

Next up was Lucas. He looked at his best friend since childhood contently and placed his fist in the air. Titus responded to this by bumping his fist against Lucas'.

"Titus, if you die, I'm gonna kick your ass! You understand?" Lucas smiled.

Titus smiled back and nodded. Jackie and Kyle were next.

"I've never been very good with these kind of things. So I'm just going to say this: I'm glad you're my uncle. Please, be careful out there." Said Jackie.

"I will." Titus replied.

"Ditto what Jackie said. I want you to know, Uncle Titus, that after all this is over, I'm going to stop drinking so much, I'm going to finally finish college and turn my life around. I probably wouldn't even be able to say that if it wasn't for you." Kyle said, a tear forming in his eye.

With nay another word, the two siblings walked back to their family as Sarah and Rick went up next. Rick sat in a wheelchair which was being pushed by Sarah. This time it was Titus who spoke first.

"Rick, thanks again for protecting Sarah. I'm sorry about –"

"It's okay you don't have to feel bad. I'd rather lose my legs than lose my little sister." Rick smiled.

Titus looked at his wife. Out of all his friends and family, she was the one who looked saddest. She feared that this would be the last time she saw her loving husband and son. She didn't know how she'd be able to get on without them. And although she knew she should say something to him, she just couldn't find the courage to do so. She looked down and proceeded to walk away, still handing Rick's wheelchair when Titus called out to her.

"Sarah, I love you." He said.

"…I love you too." Sarah said without turning around.

Ben and Frank were the last two to bid Titus farewell. Ben was the first to speak.

"Titus, you've come such a long way. I still remember way back then when I found you in the woods as a baby dragon, crying and lonely. No matter what happens, remember that we'll always be brothers." Ben said softly.

Titus smiled and nodded as he rubbed his eyes. Ben patted his younger brother on the shoulder and then walked over to his young nephew.

"Drake, watch out for your father, grandmother and Eig'nia." Said Ben.

"I will, Uncle Ben." Said Drake.

"Good boy."  Ben smiled, rubbing Drake's head.

"Hey, sorry to cut the farewells short but we should be going." Eig'nia chimed in.

"Yeah. Okay." Titus said.

"Just a second." Frank said just as Titus and the others were getting into the car.

"Titus, I've only known you and your family for a short time.  But I'm very glad I got to meet you. I feel safe placing mine, Adam's, and Baker Valley's future in your hands. With that said, as sheriff of Baker Valley, I feel it is my duty to give you and your party one order…Come back alive, all of you." Said Frank.

Without another word, Titus, his mother, Drake, and Eig'nia piled into his car and drove off.  Not a sound was uttered as friends new and old watched the car shrink more and more until it was completely out of sight.

The car drove on the dusty road, hitting two bumps. Titus took the wheel with Drake sitting up in front with him while his mother and Eig'nia sat in the back. Drake leaned against the door, watching what little scenery the desert had to offer pass them by. He thought about what he would do when he finally saw Jake again. He didn't want to fight Jake. He hoped that he might be able to just apologize to Jake for pushing him and thus prevent a fight from ensuing.

As he tried to think of methods for avoiding his inevitable battle with Jake, he sat up and pressed his face against the car window.  For a brief second he could have sworn that he saw Alex and Theian in their human forms waving to him. Once the car had passed by them, Drake unrolled the window and stuck his head out, only to find that the two had now disappeared. Was that really them? Surely he must be seeing things, he thought to himself.

"What's up, Drake? Did you see something?" His grandmother asked.

Drake rolled the window up and sat back in his chair. "No." Was all he said.

"In about forty minutes, we should be arriving at our destination." Said Eig'nia.

"Good. In the meantime, I think we should start making plans." Titus suggested.

"Mom, while I'm fighting Saulstrance, you stay back and guard Eig'nia. Eig'nia, approximately how long should it take you to complete the spell?"

"Unfortunately I can't say for certain. It'll all depend on how quickly you can wear Saulstrance down." The dragoness explained.

This news made Titus uneasy. Yet somehow he knew that it wouldn't be that easy. Thankfully for him, he had come up with a back-up plan in case things went awry.

"Hey, mom…" Titus said grimly.

"Yes?" She asked.

"In the likely event that I'm unable to defeat Saulstrance, I want you to get out of there. Fly back to Baker Valley and hide everyone somewhere safe in the dragon realm." Titus instructed.

"Okay." His mother muttered.

All that was left now was Drake. Even before he had hatched this plan, Titus knew what his son's role in the upcoming battle would be. But what he did not know was if Drake was truly ready for this.

"And Drake…what are you going to do?" He asked.

Drake didn't want to answer. He clutched at his shorts and closed his eyes. He knew what he had to do…and just like with Alex, it would weigh heavily on Drake's heart.

"I'm going to fight Jake…" Answered a reluctant Drake.

"But… Will I really have to kill him? Isn't there another way?!" Drake added.

"Hmm…I don't know, Drake. But like you, I don't want anything to happen to Jake either. I've known him for most of his life and after the time I spent watching him grow, I started to see him like a son. If anything happened to him…" Eig'nia said.

Don't worry, Eig'nia!" Drake said optimistically, shifting around in his seat. "Maybe if I just talked to Jake, then we won't have to fight!"

Eig'nia smiled at the little half-dragon. If only it were that easy. Still, she admired Drake's youthful optimism. Deep in her heart, she hoped that that was all it would take.

The car continued en route to Death Valley. In less than thirty minutes, they would at long last reach their destination.

Meanwhile, Saulstrance and his son were perched outside of an old desert castle. It was rather small, only the size of a house but it served them as their base during their time in the desert. The castle was surrounded by cavern walls with one approximately fifty feet behind it. The other walls were thirty feet away from the castle on both its left and right.

"Dad, are you sure they'll be here?" Asked Jake testily.

"Patience, Jakol…Doulstraz has waited a long time for a rematch with me. He won't run away. Don't worry. You'll still be able to have your revenge." Saulstrance said with a calm demeanor.

Jake flashed a rather disturbing glare. He had been waiting for this day for quite awhile and now he was finally going to make Drake pay for killing Alex. He clenched his fist and squeezed it tightly.  Nothing would stop him now. He had finally learned how to control his powers and he would make sure to use them to their fullest in the coming battle.

After thirty more minutes of driving, Eig'nia called out for Titus to stop. Titus slammed his foot on the brake and the car came to a screeching halt. The four stepped out of the cool, air conditioned car and into the scorching desert heat. From just a few short seconds of being out in this weather, sweat had begun to make its way down their foreheads as Titus, his mom, and Drake looked around, panting heavily as they did so. To their right were a range of mountains.

"Those are the Funeral Mountains." Eig'nia said.

"That sounds quite welcoming." Titus remarked sarcastically.

"Nestled within those mountains is an old castle we've been using during our time out here. If Saulstrance's diary was true, and he's waiting for you in Death Valley, then he'll most certainly be there." Eig'nia explained.

"Alright then. This is it, guys. Is everyone ready?" Asked Titus, turning towards the others.

Everyone nodded and Titus smiled with satisfaction. Knowing that it would take too long to get to the castle by foot, IF they were able to get to it by foot, Titus, his mom, and Eig'nia took on their dragon forms and unfurled their wings. Drake hopped on his grandmother's back and held onto her neck tightly as they prepared for takeoff when all of a sudden…

"Hey, wait! What about us?!" A young sounding voice called out.

"Oh, no…" Much to Titus' chagrin, he recognized that voice instantly: Sean. And if Sean was there, then that could only mean that Crystal was as well.

Titus and the dragonesses descended to the ground.

"What are you doing here?! Did I not, specifically say last night, that I wanted you all to remain in Baker Valley?!" Titus snapped.

"Well…we…" Crystal stuttered.

"Do you have any idea how dangerous this is? We're going to be fighting their leader, their BOSS! I mean – GAH!!" Titus roared in exasperation.

"Mr. Flamel…we…"

"WHAT!!!!!" Titus yelled.

Sean and Crystal flinched. "We…we just wanted to make sure Drake would be alright." Crystal squeaked.

Titus shook his head. He could already feel a headache coming on. The last thing he needed was to be a babysitter when he was going to fight Saulstrance. Unfortunately, he was left without much choice: It was either take the kids back to Baker Valley and waste precious time, leave them in the car without any air until they suffocated, or take them with them and risk them getting hurt. The very thing Titus wanted to avoid by leaving his friends in town.

Titus groaned.  "Hop on…" He said as he crouched on the ground.
The kids jumped on Titus' back. Sean sat in front and Crystal was behind him. Crystal wrapped her arms tightly around Sean's waist. The dragons' wings unfolded and they soon took to the sky. They soared higher and higher until they were hovering above the mountains. Crystal looked down, shrieked and hugged Sean's gut ever tighter when she saw just how high up they were.

"Crystal, what?" Sean gasped.

"We..we…we're so high up…" Crystal stuttered, shaking violently.

"Well, yeah, we are flying." Sean replied.

"Shut up! I'm afraid of heights, okay?!!" Crystal screamed in Sean's ear.

"I know right, Crystal? I don't like heights either…" Drake said in a shaky, terrified voice.

"At least you've got wings, Drake. I don't." Crystal said angrily.

Sean scoffed. "Please! You guys are such babies!"

"Oh, yeah? Well why don't you look down below us? Go on, I dare you." Said Crystal.

"No problem." And so Sean looked over Titus' side and gazed down below, keeping a firm grip around Titus' neck. His eyes bulged and his heart raced once he saw how high up they were. He took several deep gasps and slowly turned away from the sight.

"No…problem at all. It's not that bad." Sean said in a high voice, his arms shaking.

"Yeah right." Drake said, rolling his eyes.

"Can you three please stop your bickering? We're going now." Said Eig'nia.

Eig'nia led the way with Titus and his mom following behind her. Drake and his friends watched in awe as they flew over the mountains, admiring their beauty. After no less than a minute or two, the group soon came upon the castle.

"Is that it?!" Titus shouted to Eig'nia.

"Yes! Now all of you get ready! We're going to descend!"

"Wow, that didn't take too long." Crystal thought aloud.

"Yeah, I thought it woulda taken us like, three hours!" Sean said.

"It might have taken us that long if we had decided to walk there. Thankfully however this saves us time and energy." Titus said.

They lowered to the ground and Drake, Sean, and Crystal hopped off of the dragons' backs. The six of them stood before the small, dusty castle. The castle was no more than two stories. There were five steps that led up to a small porch and at the top of the steps stood a stone archway. Titus looked at the castle with a determined look in his eyes. The moment of truth was finally upon him. The only question that remained was where were Saulstrance and his son?

"This is a castle?!" Crystal asked in disbelief. "Where are the knights and the prince and princess? And why is it so small? It's gotta be as big as my house!"

"It's not that kind of castle, kid…" Eig'nia said in an irritated monotone voice. "Now then… We just have to find Saulstrance and Jake. If they're not out here…"

"Then they must be inside…" Titus added.

"Can we stop talking already?! C'mon, let's barge in and jump them!" Sean exclaimed enthusiastically.

Titus groaned, his annoyance ever swelling. Without saying another word, he made his way up the stone steps and went into the castle. Everyone else followed shortly behind him.

They stood in the doorway. A small wooden table was centered a few feet from the door with a fan suspended over the table, its blades spinning around. To their right were three separate rooms all located within a small hallway. Above them were four more rooms that overlooked the first floor.

They searched around the castle, checking each and every room. Much to their surprise, there was no sign of Saulstrance or Jake! Titus asked Eig'nia if there may have been a hidden room located somewhere inside the castle, however Eig'nia insisted that there was no such thing. Having made a clean sweep of the place, they considered the possibility that Saulstrance was waiting in another part of Death Valley. With nothing left for them there, they proceeded to exit the castle when all of a sudden…

There they were, standing a couple hundred feet before the castle, Saulstrance and Jake. Saulstrance grinned with anticipation, his arms folded. Jake stared coldly at Drake. He looked as if he would try to attack at any moment.

"So you came. I'm truly happy to see that. Then am I correct in assuming that you were able to come to terms with yourself?" Asked Saulstrance.

"…I have." Titus said, scowling.

"Good. Oh, and I see that you've brought Eig'nia with you."

Eig'nia couldn't stand to look at Saulstrance. In her eyes, the dragon that stood before her was no longer her childhood friend but something else: A monster wearing his flesh. Her eyes filled with sadness and regret. Regret knowing that she was partially to blame for all of this.

"Don't look so sad, Eig'nia. To be honest, I'm actually relieved to see you alive. Now you can help me kill Doulstraz and his little gang. Then we'll continue with our plans. Of course I'll have to gather the four remaining Apprentices but then—"

"No…" Eig'nia muttered under her breath.

"Excuse me?" Saulstrance asked.

"I'm with them now, Saulstrance…" Eig'nia said softly, turning toward her former friend and comrade.

"Wh-What? What are you saying, Eig'nia? You're not making any sense! What do you mean 'you're with them'?!" Saulstrance asked again, raising his voice slightly.

"I meant what I said, Saulstrance." Eig'nia said, her voice also becoming louder and sounding more confident. "I couldn't bring myself to kill you that night. It's my fault that the worlds ended up like this so I want to do what I can to make things right."

"So…You'd betray our friend's final wish?! In order to 'make things right' as you say?! Well tell me what right is then! Those who have never known peace…and those who have never known war have different ideas of right and wrong, there is no concrete answer!" Saulstrance shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Well then how about this?" Titus asked, jumping off the castle's porch and returning to his dragon form. "Whoever wins this battle…That'll be whose side is right."

Saulstrance was amused by Titus' declaration. "I like that.  It sounds perfect. Now COME!!!" He bellowed, taking on his dragon appearance as well.

The two dragons lunged at each other and spiraled high into the sky. They zigzagged around each other, launching fireballs as they did.  At the same time, back on the ground, Jake stood, impatiently waiting for him and Drake to start their own battle.

"Come on Drake!!!" Jake shouted furiously. "Fight me!"

"Jake, please, I really don't wanna fight you…" Drake begged with a sad tone to his voice.

"What?!" Jake exclaimed, growing even more furious. He growled loudly, his body shaking rapidly and his teeth gritting. "Fight me right now, you pussy!! I've waited and trained for four days and I'm not gonna let you tell me you don't wanna fight! I'll make you PAY for killing Alex! Do you understand me? FIGHT!!!"

"Jake, I'm sorry…Really I…"

"Stop. SAYING THAT! You really sorry? Then let me kill you!!" Jake screamed.

Drake sighed reluctantly. He realized that he had no other alternatives. Slowly, he walked down the steps and over to Jake. Drake and Jake stared at each other for a short moment before they charged at each other. Much to the surprise of Eig'nia and the others, the two boys began their battle in their human forms!

Drake threw his left fist back and swung it at Jake, connecting it with Jake's jaw. The other half-dragon grabbed Drake by his shirt and threw him to the ground. With this, Jake pulled his leg back and attempted to strike Drake in his gut, only to have Drake roll out of the way.  Then he stood up and dashed towards Jake.
Once he was close to twenty feet from the boy, Drake ran around him at a forty-five degree angle. Without turning around, Jake raised his right arm so that it covered his mouth and elbowed Drake in the face, knocking him onto his back. Blood oozed from Drake's nose and he promptly wiped the fresh blood away.

As the young half-dragon stood up, his father was sent plummeting into the left cavern wall.  Large rocks that had made up the wall fell on Titus, covering him completely. He quickly erupted from the large pile of rocks and launched into the sky. A ball of fire shot from his throat. With very little effort, Saulstrance flew slightly to the left as Titus' fireball flew into the distance and was soon snuffed out.

With a huge flap of his wings, Titus flew high into the sky. He propelled himself towards Saulstrance, curled into a ball, and smacked Saulstrance in the head with his tail. Saulstrance responded to his nemesis's attack with a smack to the snout by his own tail.

At the same time, Drake and Jake were panting heavily. Their bodies shook and Jake glared at Drake with great discontent.

"Ready for round two, Drake?" Jake asked, mockingly.

"What's round two?" Asked Drake.

Jake shut his eyes. His ears became pointed, turning into fins. His wings ripped through his shirt and his tail wiggled its way out of his shorts. Drake's eyebrows furrowed and he smiled, eager to meet Jake's challenge. Just as Jake had done before, Drake closed his eyes and his ears too became fins, his wings tore the fabric of his shirt and emerged in all their glory and his tail ripped through the back of his shorts, leaving a tail hole for it to fit through.

Drake eagerly flexed his wings by flapping them a few times and his tail wagged around wildly. Jake flapped his own wings fiercely and clenched his fists. They were finally ready to begin their battle anew. The two half-dragons flapped their wings, flying barely even two inches above the ground, and launched themselves at each other. Their fathers likewise did the same. The four of them knew that their battles were far from over.

TO BE CONTINUED