384 Mistake
Cassian looked over at the androgynous figure, “Comet…You’re saying I’m slacking off, but it’s your job to transport our target. What have you been doing while I held him here?”
The figure that was feminine yet seemed boyish at the same time jumped off of the gate, “I was checking for sweets, of course! Anyway, this is “Emilio Dragonheart”? He’s not as burly as I expected.”
Emilio was perplexed by what was happening around him, unfamiliar with the goals or affiliations of the two strangers who seemed to be in cahoots.
‘Transport their target? By the sounds of it, they’re after me–but transport? What are they talking about? I doubt I’ll get an answer if I ask,’ he thought.
“Anyway, go ahead and transport him now,” Cassian said, stuffing his hands back into his pockets.
Comet plucked the lollipop from their lips with a jolly smile, skipping over, “Fine, fine, don’t boss me around, though–”
Without any warning, the Dragonheart quickly made a decision on his next action, one guided by the sight of truth as he flexed his entire body, summoning the full might of the draconic strength within him.
[Draconic Burst] | [Draconic Surge] | [Factor of The Dragons]
As the town was already left destroyed and devoid of life, he looked past his attachments to it in that moment, instead expanding the heat within him outward into an almighty expulsion of fire:
“–!” Both Cassian and Comet stopped in their tracks as a flash expanded from their target.
[Dragonheart: Burning Heaven]
A massive eruption of azure flames encompassed the perimeter of the town, and more, rising into a massive column of flames brought to their pinnacle temperature, reaching up into the clouds with a far-reaching blaze.
‘I’ll kill them then get my answers later–! Right now, right here, I need to protect my family and friends! I didn’t die, I didn’t live again–just so I could lose them!’ He thought.
What resonated through Yullim was a disaster all but natural; the geyser of draconic flames that burnt the underbelly of the heavens sent tremors through the land.
Standing there in the center of it, Emilio was surrounded by nothing but howling flames that flew upward, moving at heightened speeds that vaporized anything they touched. As it died down, relinquishing the mighty disaster that spawned from without any warning, the entirety of the town was gone, leaving a massive crater left.
‘Did I…?’ He questioned.
–Though that answer was found as he immediately recognized both mana signatures still nearby, not giving him even a moment to breathe amidst the rainfall of ash and snow.
“Wow! Talk about explosive! He almost got me! Woah–he got you though, didn’t he, Cas?!” Comet laughed, sitting on the air itself as though it were a chair, licking a lollipop.
Standing at the edge of the crater, the man who embodied death stood there as half of his body had been grazed by the pillar of flames, leaving the skin melted off. Within an instant, the deathly darkness swept over the man’s body, rebuilding his flesh and the coat he wore.
Cassian let out a sigh, “I lost my last cigar from that. What a bother.”
The androgynous figure with a kaleidoscope of colors flowing through their hair and eyes looking down at the Dragonheart from the air, “Are you done exploding now? It’s pretty useless against us, ya know. We’re blessed by Primordials!”
Not responding, a slow breath was inhaled through his lips before he exhaled, suddenly expanding a burst of flames again, “Not yet–!”
In that moment, he summoned a construct of fire that surpassed any other–a bright-blue manifestation that spawned in the sky above them all, covering the gloomy winter with a radiant glow.
It was a coalescence of flames that took the form of a dragon, swirling with a chaotic blaze, yet solidifying and reinforcing into a tangible figure of destruction–resembling a mythical beast that rivaled an entire valley in scope.
“Woah,” Comet remarked, looking up as they plucked the lollipop from their mouth.
[Dragonheart: Incarnation of The Sky]
The temperature soared over the valley as the magnificent construct sat above the crater, looming over it like a dazzling star of annihilation. It was the ultimate manifestation of firepower; a gathering of flames far too massive, too lively, to calm.
Cassian moved his hand, sending the humming reach of death towards the colossus of fire, eradicating the portions it met, however–the flames only regenerated just as quickly as they had been extinguished.
“…What a bother,” Cassian muttered.
The presence of the valley-sized construct of fire caused the air to thin, replacing the oxygen around the wiped-out town with nothing but a dry heat. The temperature became overbearing; the soil began to melt into mud, sinking the boots of Cassian into the boiling mud while the androgynous figure stayed untouched in the air.
Emilio manipulated the gargantuan manifestation of fire, allowing it to begin charging up a plethora of inferno that shined brightly in the sky, evaporating the winter that fell around it.
“Comet! We’re past playing nice—bring “them” here!” Cassian ordered as the boiling mud had gripped his legs.
The figure pulled the lollipop from their mouth, raising their hand as the space around them seemed to distort, “Fine, fine, but stop ordering me around!”
Emilio didn’t know what ability the one named “Comet” possessed, though as he witnessed space distort and what replaced it, sitting on the ground just beyond the crater, his heart sank.
“…What?”
Everybody was brought there—ripped from their slumber and dropped down onto the ground from some sort of teleportation ability, the family and friends he left at home were now there on the wretched battlefield.
Julius and Treyna slowly woke up, along with Everett, Celly, and Irene, who looked around sleepily at the confusing situation.
“Emilio…?” Treyna tiredly said.
“What’s goin’ on?” Everett yawned.
“Don’t you dare hurt them—!” Emilio’s yell boomed with an explosion of his aura.
Cassian pointed a finger up heartlessly, “That depends on you.”
As Emilio looked up towards the colossus of fire he wielded, he heard the coughs of his loved ones under the suffocating atmosphere created by its presence.
“Nngh…” He gritted his teeth, enraged by the tactics used by the mysterious enemies.
It was a low, rotten move, but he had no choice to oblige as he moved his hand, relinquishing the flaming dragon.
“Good. It seems you can be reasonable, at least,” Cassian said, “Comet.”
“Yup!”
With a snap of their fingers, the rainbow-eyed figure of unknown gender transported the friends and family of Emilio back to their home just like that.
“Now you see what will happen if you continue fighting back,” Cassian said, “As I tried to say earlier–our goal isn’t to kill you.”
“That’s right, that’s right! Totally not trying to snatch up your life, Dragon man!” Comet said almost as if rapping out the words.
All Emilio could do was stand there as a sense of powerlessness flooded through his body, knowing the futility of launching any attack when at the mere snap of a finger, his loved ones could be used against him.
“…Just tell me what you want,” Emilio said, releasing his draconic armor.
Cassian manifested a cigar made of ash at the tip of his fingers, bringing it to his lips before puffing out a deathly breath, “We’re the Children of Chaos.”
“Chaos…? Wait, that’s…” Emilio recalled.
“It seems you remember—you met one of our middle-ranking agents: Amon. It was his mission to retrieve Dread, but he failed. Not blaming you for that,” Cassian explained, “Right now, we’re contracted to remove you from Milligarde. Your presence here will only create problems in the coming days.”
pAnD a(-)n0ve1.com
Just then, anger overtook the Dragonheart as tears gathered at his eyes, instantly evaporating from the heat that soared within him as he gathered a massive, seething flame into his right fist.
‘I’ll wipe them out, here and now!’ He thought.
Dashing forward, he set his sights on Cassian, amplifying the flames into his fist at such a level they couldn’t be merely extinguished. In a single thrust of his hand, he intended to end the dreadful figure before him, cascading an azure glow through the ashy winter.
“Tried to warn you,” Comet whispered with a smile, raising their fingers before–
SNAP
The resonance of one’s fingers snapping filled his ears in that moment as he froze, having thrust his fist forward and having indeed pierced it through the chest of somebody.
“…Nngah…”
For a few seconds, the flames persisted from his fist that protruded from the back of the figure that was in front of him, though relinquished as Emilio found himself wordless and in utter shock. Before his eyes, the intended target had vanished, and in their place was a golden-haired woman he loathed to see in that moment.
“…Mother…?” Emilio said in a quiet, shaky voice.
Treyna was there in front of him, unable to speak as she, too, seemed in shock with a confused look in her eyes as blood left her lips.
As he slowly looked down, he found blood profusely dripping into the white snow below, seeing his own arm pierced through the abdomen of his parent.
“I didn’t…No…This wasn’t…” Emilio couldn’t form a sentence.