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The Lost Dragon Saga (Part II)

"Kardonyth? It's really you, isn't it?" Crystal cried. "I didn't want to believe that you were turned into a dog when I ran without looking back, but it's reality." Crystal bent over, and tightly hugged Kardonyth.

Zade, Sara, and I caught up to Kardonyth.

"Who are you?" Crystal inquired.

"We all helped him find you," Sara said.

"Thank you all so much!" Crystal smiled.

"Kardonyth?" I asked.

"What?" He asked back.

"You're actually barking?" Crystal questioned.

"It now more than ever seems like I am the only one who can understand him," I frowned.

"This is worse than I thought!" Crystal cried. "This just has to be the Rak's doing. The others failed to subdue him!"

"Who is Rak?" Zade asked.

"The bastard who has been our archenemy for some time now, the evil I'm helping stop," Crystal replied. "Though, can he be stopped? Not even Kardonyth, and the others could stop him."

"I wouldn't jump to conclusions," I told her. "If this formidable wizard came out victorious already, he'd already have what he seeks."

"He could still be toying with us," Kardonyth said.

"I'm afraid he's waiting until all hope of stopping him is lost," Crystal replied. "To be honest, I'm afraid he's stalking me."

"Damn that villain!" Kardonyth growled.

"If he's waiting for absolute despair, he's a fool!" Zade blurted with candor. "He's wasting his time! He's nothing more than as good as defeated as long as we don't lose hope. We will not lose hope! We will--" Zade's speech was cut short. He fell victim to a familiar predicament.

"Look!" Sara screamed. "Zade's a dog!"

The crowd gave a brief look as if Sara was insane. Horror struck our faces. Kardonyth, and Crystal looked all around for the criminal known as Rak. Sara, and I were yet ignorant of his appearance, and anything else besides his name for that matter. We kept our gaze focused on Zade

"He really is a fool!" Zade yelled. "He gave himself away!"

"Show yourself you coward!" Kardonyth screamed.

Zade's mood suddenly changed. "I'm a dog!" He barked. He then began to whimper.

"You shouldn't have antagonized him," I told him.

"Who's next?" Sara wailed.

"We need to devise a plan," said Kardonyth.

"We need to lose him," I replied.

"How do you outsmart a wizard?" Sara asked.

"You can't," Crystal answered.

"Yes you can. I know how," I replied.

"How?" Kardonyth asked.

"Zade. Team up with Kardonyth, and go to where we were last night after you two run around the city. Sara. Team up with Crystal, and go to where we were early this morning. Don't worry, just trust me!" I then ran off. There was uncertainty, and slight confusion among all of them, but they were faithful. I found a good vantage to watch both teams for any signs of someone following them. I didn't see anything, but then again we were up against a wizard. These recent developments had me quite uneasy. I waited a while after Zade, and Kardonyth left before departing myself. I ran out of the city, I ran into, and out of the adjacent village, I heard a familiar voice.

"I warned you all, didn't I!? You sure learned your lesson, didn't you!?" the old man shouted.

I contemplated. I thought about how just earlier we all carefully traveled the road the one way, and now I alone carelessly travel the opposite. I started going the wrong way at each fork, and then realized my mistake. "Calm yourself," I said. "Panic will get you nowhere." I was almost back. I was exhausted. I caught my breath as I began to go up the path leading up to home. It curved back, and forth, back, and forth. After I caught my breath I returned to running. I reached the infamous spot where I blacked out, and later embarked on this complex quest. I stopped, and caught my breath again. It was only for a moment. I then bolted towards my house. I made it, and burst through the door, and nearly fell over.

"You made it!" Sara exclaimed as she jumped up, and hugged me. "I was so worried!"

"I said not to worry," I replied as I hugged her back.

"How can you expect me not to worry?" Sara asked.

"I expect you to trust me," I retorted.

"I do trust you," Sara answered. "Can't I trust you, and worry about you at the same time?"

"I think the two concepts contradict each other," I responded.

"You two can continue this later! We have to focus on the situation!" Kardonyth snapped.

"Was anyone followed?" I asked.

"No one can be certain," Crystal replied.

"For all we know, you could have been the one who was followed," Zade remarked.

"Damn it!" I gasped. "You have a point. If Rak grew suspicious enough, he could've stayed behind to see what I was up to!"

"We can't waste time on conjecture!" Kardonyth exclaimed. "We must make haste!"

"What do you suggest we do?" I inquired.

"I don't think there is anything else we can do except beckon Cid," Kardonyth answered.

"Cid? Who's Cid?" I asked.

"He's a very close ally," Kardonyth responded. "He's a wizard just like Rak."

"Where, and how do we find him?" I inquired.

"You don't find Cid; Cid finds you," Kardonyth answered. "We have to write him a letter with a glyph on the back. Strangers, acquaintances, and friends have their own unique glyph to use. The glyphs in general are how he knows there's a message for him, each one tells him the priority of the message."

"I take it friends have the highest priority? I can't decide if that's shallow or just plain selfish," I remarked.

"It's not that simple," Kardonyth replied. "For now, just help me write, and send out the message. It doesn't take him long for him to notice a glyph."

"What do you mean it doesn't take long for him to notice a glyph? Wouldn't sending out a message take way too long in the first place?" I asked.

"The glyphs are magical. He finds out soon enough when a new glyph is drawn, and then finds the letter," Kardonyth

"Why not just draw the glyph here for him to find us here directly?" I asked

"That's not how it works. Cid strictly follows his system," Kardonyth

"System?" I inquired.

"You'll have to pardon me for not being initially explicit," Kardonyth responded. "Cid has a system. He doesn't exactly notice glyphs, he just notices when their unique magic is activated. He scans each messenger to see if they are the one holding the letter with the glyph. It is more efficient that way. Sources of magic just can't be instantly found. His system keeps him from searching literally the entire world. Another consolation is that the magic that informs him when a glyph is activated ranges from faint to strong to let him know how far away the glyph is. Now please just stop all the interrogating, inquiring, questioning please! Sooner or later you're going to have to trust me, and we don't have time for it to be later! Like I said, the only option I see is to get Cid involved so help me with the letter!"

"Just don't get your hopes up, though," I said. "You never know if, and when a friend will let you down."

"Teri..." Sara muttered.

I complied with Kardonyth's request, and drafted the letter. It read:

Dear Cid,

I presume that you realize that we are in dire straits

by seeing that this letter is in foreign handwriting.

I implore you to aid my newest allies, and I in our

plight. I trust that you will not let us down. Should

you stay faithful to our friendship, I would also

ask of you to discern the status of the others. If

upon arrival you are alone, then I will have to

assume the worst.

Yours truly,

Kardonyth

"Now get that to a messenger as soon as possible," Kardonyth instructed.

"I understand. I'll find the nearest courier," I affirmed as I grabbed the letter, and went out the door. I walked down the road until my house was barely in sight, and looked as far as I was able. When I spotted a courier, I got his attention, and waved the letter at him. We ran to each other, and I handed over the letter to him.

"Who am I supposed to give this to?" He asked.

"You don't give this to the person, he will find you, and take it," I answered.

"What?" He asked.

"Relax. You get off easy this time," I replied.

He gave me a weird look, and then we parted ways.

After some contemplation, I decided to count my blessings. If friends were the first to be served, then that meant things would be safer sooner. I scanned the entire area on my way back. There wasn't anyone suspicious in sight. I proceeded to return inside.

"So, uh... Cid is going to notice the glyph soon right?" Zade asked.

"Yes," Kardonyth answered.

"How long will it take him to locate the letter?" Zade asked.

"I don't know," Kardonyth replied.

"How long will it take him to find us after he reads it?" Zade asked.

"I don't know!" Kardonyth responded. "Stop asking questions, and just wait!"

"How can we just wait? You're a dog, I'm a dog, we need this spell to be broken!" Zade exclaimed.

"You don't think I know that!?" Kardonyth asked.

"Let's figure out how to break it!" Zade retorted.

"You don't think I would have tried to by now? Besides, I already know that there is nothing we could possibly do. This spell has a 'lock' on it, meaning that it can only be broken by a spell designed to break such spells. Our 'key' to returning to normal, is Cid's magic."

"Waiting it is, then," Zade whined.

"I can understand Kardonyth, but not Zade," I confessed.

"What!?" everyone shouted.

"It's been bothering me since Zade first spoke as a dog. I think it is too troubling to ignore," I spoke.

"You can understand Kardonyth, but not Zade? How?" Sara asked. "That doesn't make any sense!"

"Exactly," I replied. "That is why we need to make sense of it."

"So you're not a dog whisperer after all," Zade pointlessly joked. "Could the spell have been cast differently or maybe it's two slightly different spells?"

"That makes even less sense!" Kardonyth replied. "It has nothing to do with the spell!"

"We still don't even know why only he can understand Kardonyth," Crystal said pointing at me.

"That's right," I responded. "I didn't think of it at first, but the two enigmas must correlate somehow."

"We need to take everything into account," Kardonyth replied. "You probably have noticed by now that Zade, and I can understand each other. That can be explained by us being under the same spell."

"If only those three pieces were the complete puzzle, and we could clearly see the picture to be seen," I said. "I can understand Kardonyth, but not Zade, and the two can understand each other. How do we connect everything, and find the answers we seek?"

"You can understand me, but only me. We not only have to figure out how you differ from everyone else, but how Zade, and I differ," Kardonyth replied.

"How do Zade, and Kardonyth differ, and how do I differ from everyone else?" I relayed to the others.

"Can we really conjecture with such little information?" Sara asked.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"This group is but a tiny speck compared to everyone in existence. What if more people can understand Kardonyth? What if others can understand Zade? What if some can understand both? What if others as dogs can be understood as well? Without more information, any answer is a fallacy," Sara answered.

"The circumstances are unsatisfactory either way. At this point. we can't afford for any others to get involved, so we will just have to do the best that we can right now," I answered.

"What I mean is, why waste time trying to come up with answers that won't really be answers?" Sara replied.

"Sitting around doing nothing is a waste of time. This is better; this is something. If you think that there is something else, something that is even better, I'm willing to hear it," I responded.

"What about thinking of a way to break the spell?" Sara asked.

"According to Kardonyth, Cid is our only hope of breaking it," I answered. "Solving the enigma of the spell is all we can do right now. I'm sorry."

"Cid is our only hope of breaking the spell!? What if Cid doesn't get here in time!? What if Rak finds us before Cid gets here!? We can't be fully prepared unless we consider every scenario, and we won't be unless we can fight back in our current situation. Right now, we are powerless!" Sara ranted.

"You need to stay calm. We all need to stay calm. We won't get anywhere by succumbing to the tense atmosphere. We all have to accept this situation for what it is. We have been more or less cornered. We all must have faith in Cid, and until he arrives, the best thing to do is calmly pass time," I responded.

"Then let us pass the time by hearing why we must pass more time than we should. I think we deserve to know why Cid goes to great lengths to be secluded," Sara retorted.

"Sara..." I said.

"What? We are putting our faith in, and our lives in the hands of him! Don't you think it's strange that someone who helps people for a hobby would isolate himself from people?" Sara asked.

"I do think that, but I also think it's rude to pry for information like you're doing right now. This isn't you Sara. I know you're scared, but you have to stay strong. Bravery is born from hope, but doubt turns hope into fear, and fear breeds despair," I answered.

"But-" Sara started to say.

"You said you trust me, didn't you?" I asked.

"Yes, but I trust you, and worry about you at the same time. Now I'm worrying about all of us. I don't want anybody to die!" Sara started to tear up.

"Nobody is going to die," I said as I stood up. I walked over to Sara, and I hugged her. "Well, Maybe Rak," I whispered. I then let go. "It's the same every time. I know I will die if I lose, so I don't worry about losing or dying. I win no matter what, because I keep telling myself I will win no matter what." I walked towards the door. "I need some fresh air," I said as I exited.

A familiar figure approached from the horizon. Teri was calling out to me. I stood with patience as she ran up to me.

"You're not dead." Teri panted.

"Obviously," I smirked.

"Some evil, magical maniac was on the loose, and you were more or less chasing after him. To not have been killed is impressive. How did you manage to survive the crazy chaos?" Teri asked.

"Teri..." I looked down. "It's not over with. In fact, Kardonyth, and Crystal are inside with Sara, and Zade."

"What!?" Teri exclaimed. "Well, what are you all just doing here? What's going on?"

"If you were with us, you'd know," I answered.

"Hey! That's not fair!" Teri snapped.

"I know, and I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. I just spoke without thinking. I can't believe I did that," I replied.

"I'm sorry as well. I know you want me to help you like Sara, and Zade agreed to, but why all of a sudden are you expecting us to? I'm not like you. I don't understand why you do what you do-what you do to us. I know friends should support each other, but I think you shouldn't risk your life for anybody, when we, your friends care about you so much. I don't think it's selfish at all to care more about us than a stranger," Teri ranted.

"The world needs people like me, people willing to make a difference. As residents of this world, it's everybody's duty to make it a better place. Not everybody understands that," I remarked.

"Well I'm going back to pretending like everything is normal," Teri said.

"You're better than this, Teri," I said. "Stop living in fantasy, and accept reality. You're not truly living unless you're living the truth."

"I'm sorry, but there are some things some people can't handle," Teri replied. "I can't handle reality."

"Get used to it, because you're part of it!" sneered a mysterious voice.

I knew it was Rak when Teri was turned into a dog.

"I'm still cute, right?" Teri asked.

"Rak's here!" I yelled.

The others burst out the door, and then Rak appeared.

"Stop playing around! The games end here!" I yelled.

"I thought you liked games. I mean you tried to get me confused with an amusing, petty plan to get away from me," Rak smirked. "Are you ready to face me like a man?"

"I'm ready when you are," I retorted.

"Touché," Rak responded. "Simply getting what I want wouldn't be as satisfying. I've waited too long for this to not enjoy myself as much as possible. I've grown tired of all this just now. This little game I was playing has suddenly ceased being pleasurable. Everyone was spared for my amusement, but now you will all meet your end."

"Enough!" Crystal pleaded.

"Hand over the Dragon Key now, and maybe I'll spare you, and make you my wife when I become god." Rak smiled.

"Kardonyth, and I suspected you have feelings for me! To think power is not all you're envious of!" Crystal responded. "You're disgusting!"

"I'm disgusting?You're the one in love with a dog." Rak smirked.

"How dare you!" I shouted. "You turned Kardonyth into a dog, and you know that! Who do you think you are to mock her!?"

"Who do you_think _you are?" Rak laughed.

"Who I am is of no importance to you!" I answered.

"It is!" Rak replied. "You are one who stands in my way, in between me, and what I seek. Do you even know what you got yourself into?"

"No. I don't even know why Kardonyth is the only one I can understand! I can't take this ignorance anymore! Who are you people!?"

"You've all been kept in the dark by Kardonyth, and Crystal?" Rak questioned. "How interesting."

"I think it's time you explained everything, Kardonyth!" I exclaimed.

"We aren't at liberty to disclose answers, and Rak is aware of that!" Kardonyth replied.

"Right now, I don't care. Right now, I want a full explanation!" I snapped.

There was a tense moment of silence before Kardonyth spoke. "Listen carefully. This is everything that you need to know. Crystal, and I, Cid, my friends, and Rak are all from a dimension entirely different from this one. My friends, and I are the four Guardian Dragons tasked with protecting our world. We can shift between dragon, and human at will. This spell however, not only prevents me from being human, but also prevents me from being a dragon. Our residence is the palace known as Dragon Heart Temple. In the center of the palace is a sealed room that houses secret, and unfathomably powerful treasures, and that room is only accessible via the Dragon Key which I entrusted to Crystal. If Rak obtains that key, who knows how far doom will encompass. I thought Crystal would be safer in a separate dimension so I sent her here. I am Kardonyth, Guardian Dragon of the East. The friends that I have been mentioning earlier are Alakin, Guardian Dragon of the West, and Calic, Guardian Dragon of the North. The fourth Guardian Dragon, Acorech, Guardian Dragon of the South, is lost. The four of us, what makes us who we are, is the link that joins the soul of a dragon to our carnal form. The soul is basically inseparable from the body. However, the chain that links the two together, weakens over time until it breaks. At that time, the soul is partially separated, and a relatively short renewing process begins to create a new chain. This entire cycle is periodical, and has happened several times already, and just yesterday did we go through the renewing process. It did not go as planned. Rak was able to discern when the process would occur, and sabotaged us. Acorech risked himself to hold off Rak alone to ensure our safety. Right before the renewing process happens, I'm supposed to erect the impregnable barrier that protects us, and the palace while it happens. If it wasn't for Acorech, Rak would have been able to stop me, and then ultimately take the Dragon Key. The consequence of Acorech's sacrifice, is that Rak expelled him to a different dimension, but not before erasing all his memories. The memories of Acorech that everyone else had subsequently vanished. The chain of memories has been broken. Only by his memories being restored can ours be restored. We only know of his name because of what we found in the palace. The absence of Acorech is how Rak obtained the upper hand. He was waiting for us during the renewing process, and ambushed us when we left the palace to search for Acorech. You already know what happened at that point. Acorech can't even awaken until his memories are restored. I don't understand how, but our chains of memories are connected to the link that binds our body, and soul."

"It's futile to search for Acorech. You have no hope of finding him. Without knowing any details of him, and with his indefinite slumber, he is forever lost!" Rak laughed.

"We will find a way to find Acorech! When we locate him, Cid will restore his memories!" I blurted out.

"No one will be able to search for him anymore. I will end you all right here!" Rak replied.

"Big words for a coward!" I shouted.

"What did you say!?" Rak yelled.

"Cowards don't operate with fairness. You have isolated Acorech, and turned Kardonyth into a dog! You want the Dragon Key? Then fight the Guardian Dragons when they again are four united. If you are afraid to lose again, then you really are a coward!" I retorted.

"You will be the first to die!" Rak screamed.

"Don't count on it!" said a voice of one dropping down from up high.

"Cid!" Kardonyth exclaimed.

To be continued...