"Eone could summon mythical creatures except for Endralth. When she told the dragon that she was a friend of your mother, she agreed to be taken to where you are. You were just a baby when you met your ten forms." Azalea continued.
Amaris sighed. "How sure are you that everything you said is true?"
"I am one hundred percent sure about it. I do not doubt my father's research. Ever since he was chosen to be your protrea, he became curious about you and the powers you possessed." Azalea answered.
"You're a second-generation protrea? Diana asked.
"Yes, I am. My father was the first of our kind, but he passed me the position when they took him."
"I thought you could only pass the position if the first generation died?" Damien asked, confused.
"No. If the protrea betrayed Amaris, if they wholeheartedly passed the position to someone and if they were in danger, they could choose the next protrea themselves." Azalea answered.
"How did you know all of this?" Diana asked, curious with the little fae.
"I told you my father was the first protrea, and when they took him to Tartarus, he transferred all his powers to me. One of my father's abilities is to memorize everything his eyes see, even if it's just a glimpse."
"A photographic memory?" Zion asked.
"He had both photographic and eidetic memory." Azalea continued.
"And it was transferred to you?" Damien asked again.
Azalea nodded.
Amaris saw that everyone was impressed by Azalea. She was a cute little fae, and at first glance, you will think that she was just a young maiden. But she was more than that.
"Tell us about Endralth." Amaris exclaimed while staring at Azalea.
It was already dark, and they decided to stay for the night. After dinner, they sat down on the mattress, and some of them rested on the couch in the living room while Azalea prepared herself to tell them the story of the immortal dragon.
"Endralth belonged to the Dragon Clan, one of the ancient creatures who lived in the Iron Peak. Although they were powerful beings, they never hurt anyone and lived in peace. But some tales said that humans guided by greed wanted the powers of the dragons. They attacked the dragon's home, slaughtering them. They thought they could just kill the Dragon Clan and take their powers. But they were wrong." Azalea started.
"I never heard the story of the Dragon Clan. Did your father also research about it?" Cole asked.
Azalea slightly smiled. Amaris felt that the girl missed her parents. Telling one of the stories from her father brought excitement and joy to Azalea.
"Father was a curious fae. He couldn't settle with one answer, especially if he's not satisfied with it. He would do everything to look deeper. Mother became curious like him when he took us on his adventures. It was dangerous but fun. My parents knew that time would come that someone would approach them about his research, but he continued. He wanted to learn the beginning of all creatures, and as I grew up, I also wondered and got curious about everything." Azalea shared.
Amaris smiled. She was happy that Azalea shared something personal about her family. Amaris wanted to know all her protrea so they could completely trust each other.
"The Dragon Clan's story wasn't based on my father's research. It really happened." Azalea continued.
Everyone frowned and waited for Azalea's next revelations.
"Father was there when it happened. A dragon raised him, but the one who cared for him died back then. Father said only five dragons survived and escaped that day. The fire dragon, Azzurth. Zykur, the water dragon. Shirma, the wind dragon. Aldra, the ice dragon. And Endralth, the immortal dragon."
"Are they still alive until now?" Maxine asked.
"The demon princess Athanasia now owned Azzurth, the fire dragon. Zykur and Aldra died a long time ago. Father tried to look for Shirma, but he couldn't find her." Azalea answered.
"I didn't know there was an immortal dragon." Zoila commented.
"There was none at first. But when the dragons died one by one, their powers were transferred to Endralth."
Azalea saw the confusion on her companions' faces. She took a deep breath before continuing.
"Endralth was different from the other dragons. She was not a fire dragon, or a water dragon. She didn't belong to any of them. Because she possessed a power, no dragon could ever have. She can absorb the other dragons' knowledge, memories, personality, talents, and physical abilities. But she could only do that when a dragon died. What made her unique was that it would still happen even though she didn't want it."
"What do you mean?" Zoila asked again.
"Endralth can have a dragon's power without even doing anything. It was like their powers would just transfer on their own once the dragon died."
"Are you saying that all of the powers of the Dragon Clan were inside Endralth's? And that dragon was inside Amaris' body?" Zion asked.
Amaris was surprised. She couldn't believe everything Azalea had told them. Everyone told her she was a powerful being, but she wasn't convinced.
"Believe it or not, the answer is yes. That was the reason Endralth was called the immortal dragon. After having all the dragons' powers, she became immortal. She knew that a lot of creatures would dare to steal the powers she possessed, so Endralth hid and promised that she would never yield to anyone but her master. "
"You said earlier that all of my forms were connected to Endralth. What do you mean by that?" Amaris asked.
"Endralth was their leader, their alpha. The creatures inside you were trying to reach Endralth. It would be best if you remembered everything. If you can't remember your other forms, they will lose trust in you. I think the only reason the demons are trying to wake your body is because of Endralth. If Cronus successfully controlled your body, he would possess the power of the immortal dragon."
Amaris sighed while staring at Azalea. It seemed that the little fae knew all of her ten forms.
"Can you just tell me what my ten forms are?"
Azalea stared back at her. "I can. But remembering your memories of them is a lot different from knowing their names. You have to remember, princess. There's a reason why Eone gave you the other nine forms and the power to control all of them."
"I know. Endralth's powers were overwhelming. Eone and my mother were unsure if my body could take the dragon's powers, so Eone summoned nine mythical creatures to balance with its powers. I remember that." Amaris answered.
"How did you know that? You were just a baby when they transferred the powers to you." Maxine frowned.
"Mother told me. She sometimes communicates with me."
Maxine nodded then turned her gaze to Azalea.
"Telling her about her other forms could be a start for Amaris to remember them. How about we give it a try? We already know that Endralth is inside my cousin's body. You said earlier that there were two of them. What's the other one?" Maxine asked.
Amaris knew that Azalea was having second thoughts. The fae wanted her to remember on her own. It's more sincere, and she knew that. But they were running out of time. Maxine was right. Telling her about them could help her remember.
Azalea breathed deeply then looked at Amaris.
"You have Hikari, the nine-tailed fox. Elwyn, the equus. Delestra, the centaur. Faith, the wolf. Avanah, the siren. Reines, the basilisk. Celestia, the unicorn. Stef, the pixie. Solaris, the phoenix. And Endralth, the dragon."
"Solaris, the phoenix? Wow! You're amazing!" It was Alwyn, the elven prince, who complimented her.
Maxine chuckled at the prince's reaction.
"I was wondering why Zion's wolf was mated with Hikari and not to Faith. I mean, they're both wolves." Amaris asked, ignoring Alwyn and Maxine.
"We are not Terrans. We can be mated with anyone." Azalea answered.
"So what's the other creature left in Amaris' body?" Zion impatiently asked.
They looked at Azalea, waiting for her to answer.
"Solaris." Azalea mumbled.
"The phoenix is also a powerful creature, right? Cronus might control both if the dragon and the phoenix were trapped inside Amaris' body." Zoila commented.
Amaris and the others became quiet. They thought that after they found the last protrea, they could at least relax for a while before heading to Tartarus.
"How many days left until we reached the Atlantean territory?" Zion asked in a serious tone.
"Two more days." Cole answered.
Zion looked at Amaris to see her worried face, but to his surprise, she seemed calm.
"It's fine. I know we can do this." Amaris whispered.
Zion nodded then turned his gaze to the rest of the group.
"Let's rest for now. Azalea can continue telling us about Solaris on our way to Ocearia. We'll discuss our next plan once we find the last protrea.." Zion ordered.