Chapter 15: Chapter Fourteen: Masked by the Shadows

...and I bet I can finally get some rest, without that dragon following me around in my dreams...
Though, that truly was only a thought Valdus held.

He glanced back into the cave behind him again, but the foxes were gone. The cave was suddenly darker than before, and purple eyes glowed from within that dark. There was a snarl, followed by laughter. Valdus was wrong. The dragon emerged from where it stood and approached where Valdus sat, but with a smile, and not so sadistic as it always was before. Once again, it stood at the same height as him.

“Did you really think that I was gone from your dreams, Valdus? I’ll always find a way into here. But...this time it’s different. I have a little more control, so I can give you a bit of a break. I’ll try my best to maintain this control where I can, as well. You have my word.”
The dragon spoke,
“I’ll be waiting for you to find me in Eldoria, but in the meantime - this is quite a nice view, don’t you think?”

He’s acting...different...?
Valdus thought.

The dragon even seemed happy to watch the scenery of his dream. Valdus didn’t mind too much, though. So long as the dragon didn’t attack him and let him rest in the real world, Valdus was fine with it.

“So... Why are you always following me around? Are you trying to kill me or drive me insane...?”
Valdus asked,
“What are your intentions?”

"Really? No other conversation-starters? Nothing friendly or...fun? After all, your dreamscape seems perfect for a good conversation, in contrast to a sour one such as this. You know, I like your dreamscape more than mine. My one’s similar, but instead of the sun, it’s the moon, and the entire place itself is... It’s eerie... Not easy to get a good rest when you’re there.”
The dragon replied, dodging Valdus’s question at first.

It was strange. In that moment, all ill intent Valdus had felt from and toward the dragon had vanished entirely. The dragon gave a slight laugh, before finally answering Valdus’s question. He didn’t really give the kind of answer he was looking for, though.

“You’ll find out soon enough why, Valdus. It’s...weird to explain. As for now, if you remember what I said last time, you’ll know that I’ve been watching over your journey. That strength you’ve gained...it’s quite formidable, I must say. It still isn’t enough to face me, though.”
The dragon grinned.

“Then I’ll find the strength I need, and when I do, I’ll strike you down. That aside... Like you said, a good conversation would be better, but...there’s one other question I want to ask...”
Valdus hesitated, but he felt he had to know,
“My mother... What exactly happened?”

The dragon sighed and spoke apologetically,
“I... My magic...struck, and killed her. I was not in control. Even then, sorry won’t cut it, will it? It’s true that my intentions were to bring you into this realm, but the-... The me that was Cursed, and still is - it tried to stop both your mother, and my plan, and in the end it-...”
The dragon paused and sighed again,
“I know there could have been other outcomes, but I was rushing to get you into Eldoria, and the Corruption isn’t something that can be controlled. On top of that, Realm-Links are usually a one-way portal the first time they’re created; only one chance being given when it’s first established. Neither of us, at that moment, would’ve been strong enough to keep that portal open for longer than an hour. By the time I got a grip on what I was doing, I’d lost control of my presence in your world. Each step I took to achieving the right path, the more the Cursed state’s influence took hold. In the end...you want to take revenge for what happened, don’t you...? I bet you hate me, and that’s reasonable...but you should know; that’s only going to throw your Essence out of control a lot more quickly. You’re at far too much of a disadvantage for that.”

Valdus didn’t know how to respond. He had discovered now that this entire time, he had been holding a grudge against the dragon’s regret. The two sat in silence for a moment. Kaenrae then resumed speaking.

“While I have this chance, I want to explain as much as I can to you, as best as I can. Within the two of us is Corrupt blood, and because of that, we’re known as ‘Tainted’. Someone from our bloodline has passed this Condition onto us. That being said, I myself don’t know exactly who passed it on... It has no benefits - being Tainted is just a curse. If you let the Corrupt blood take over - whether you fight it or not - you’ll lose control like I have, and nothing will set you free. It’s why I-... Why you’ve had to suffer that torment from me before. You have enough time to overcome your Condition, but...my body outside this dream world is Cursed. When the time comes, I’ll be out in the West-Half of the Cardinal Plains, where you first ended up in Eldoria. I don’t know if it’ll be a life or death situation, but I want you to stop me...stop ‘it’...from hurting anyone else. It’s one hell of a favour to ask for, but-...”
The dragon trailed off, glancing at Valdus.
Perhaps you can lift this curse of ours...if not, both of us, together...

“That’s...a lot to take in... I guess it’s the effect of being in this dream world, but I’m shocked that my mind isn’t melting, and that I somehow feel calm about...all of this... As if it’s just natural. About that favour though, I’ll do it. I’ll face you someday when I’ve gained the strength I need, and when that time comes, I’ll fight you, one-on-one...”
Valdus smirked, looking toward the sun,
“...and I bet I’ll win.”

“You? Win against me? We’ll have to see about that when the time comes!”
The dragon laughed,
“Oh, and one last thing, Valdus. The name’s Kaenrae Obscuro. I’ll be waiting. Let’s just hope the Cursed me will wait, too...”

Kaenrae then flew off the island Valdus sat on and dived down into the clouds below. Valdus peered over the ledge and gazed down, watching Kaenrae vanish past the clouds. Immediately after he breached the clouds, a strong gust of wind shot upward. Valdus then jolted awake, back in Ignis’s den. Ace was training, and the room was heated back up. He had taken his armour and shirt off.

“Sorry, Valdus! I asked if Ignis could let the heat in again. I thought I’d try out some endurance training!”
Ace shouted.

“I don’t think you need to shout...and I don’t mind the heat too much. On a different note, how in the hell do you swing that giant-arse sword around so easily?”
Valdus asked,
“Let alone in this heat. Most Humans would be on the floor dying by now...”

Ace ignored the question and continued training. Valdus sighed and sat up, sighting Ignis and Mythriln chatting from across the cave. He walked over to the two, and they suddenly stopped, looking straight at Valdus. Mythriln appeared somewhat surprised, while Ignis was clearly happy to see him.

“Valdus! You’re awake at last! Good timing - Mythriln’s scouts noticed a shadowy figure near the canyon walls last night. They presumed it to be a Blight Dragon, but they aren’t quite sure - was dark out after all. We were discussing the situation, and your possible connection to it just now. You think it might be the purple dragon you know?”
Ignis immediately explained.

“N-no. At least, I don’t think so. It is a good possibility, but honestly, I don’t think it was him. I... When I was sleeping, he entered my dream, so I spoke to him there. From what he told me; I think he wants me to find him instead. There’s a slight chance I’m wrong, though...”
Valdus replied,
“Speaking of my dream, it was...different than usual. Pretty, to say the least, but it all felt real, like another world.”

“A Dreamscape...”
Ignis uttered,
“What you discovered was your very own Dreamscape - a reality within a dream, with natural laws solidifying it, making a Dreamscape your very own realm of sorts.”
His adaptation to Eldoria is phenomenally quick...

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Amidst that conversation, Mythriln gave a confused expression, turned to the exit, then rushed outside.

“Your Dreamscape was connected to him... Strange. That aside, Mythriln should be checking out the scouting group’s progress by now. They saw the glimpse of black shadows, and then-”
Ignis then stopped speaking abruptly.

A few roars were heard from outside from Mythriln and his scouts, followed by a strange, low-pitched boom. It didn’t even sound anything like that of a dragon, and more like electrical feedback from a speaker. Ignis, Ace and Valdus ran outside soon after the sound was heard, only to find Mythriln and his scouts knocked out, with no shadowy figure to be seen. Black dust was scattered amongst them.

"This... I’m unsure as to what that was... The Corrupt rarely rush in like this...!”
Ignis muttered,
“Whatever Corrupt it was, they’ve... No, for this to happen, it must have somehow detonated itself. If the Corrupt are becoming this aggressive already, there’s no telling what will happen in the future.”

Concerned, he walked over to Mythriln and the scouts, before sighing in relief and looking back at Valdus and Ace. He then walked back to stand beside them.

"They’re all right.”
Ignis assured,
“Nothing too severe, they’ll be all right.”

“If you say so... Aside from what happened here though, there’s something else I’m concerned about. It’s about the Blight Dragon I’m after. His name is-."
Valdus spoke.

"Kaenrae Obscuro. ‘The Wings of Blight’... It’s been presumed that his current objective is to spread fear..."
Ignis seemed irritated,
“...which so far he has been successful, here in the canyon.”

Valdus was taken aback by the sudden response.

He then fell silent and began to ponder,
I want to tell them, but I feel I shouldn’t... Kaenrae’s request...there has to be a reason he’s so fixated on me. And either way...only I can free him.

Assuming there was some secret plan behind everything Kaenrae had done so far, Valdus kept quiet. He also felt that Kaenrae was using his Cursed self in some way as a sort of mask to wear, to hide his real self. Though, under that mask – in a way – Valdus could see something similar to himself. He then disregarded the thought, focusing back onto the current situation.

Mythriln let out a groan and stood up, shaking himself off. The scouts looked far more injured than Mythriln did, yet his injuries were still noticeable - small scratches and a couple bruises across his scales. At that same moment, a dragon with yellow scales, a white underbelly, and pink eyes approached the scouts. It stood on two feet while its wings were like a wyvern’s; connected to its arms with claws at the end of each wing. It had two fins on the sides of its head and more running from the top of its head down to the base of its tail. On the tip of its tail was another three fins – one on the top and two on the sides. The membranes of the fins and wings were a gradient from an orangish red to a sea blue. It placed its claws over a scout’s chest, and a green aura began to surround the wounds with sheer precision.

“A healer?”
Valdus muttered.

“That’s Lilith. She’s the only dragon in the canyon who can heal others, and she’s phenomenal at her job. Just...try not to anger her...”
Mythriln warned, staggering past Valdus.

Mythriln continued to walk away as Lilith healed the rest of the scouts, having completed her work rather quickly despite the scouts’ injuries. She then called out to Mythriln soon after, and he froze still.

“You-... You called...?”
Mythriln responded nervously, looking over his shoulder at Lilith.

“Mhm~. You were hurt too, were you not? I’ll tend to your wounds, too.”
Lilith sounded rather friendly.

Even then, it was visible that Mythriln wanted to avoid her.
“I-I’ll be good!”

“Oh no you don’t. Enough acting tough, you’re coming with me, big boy!”
Lilith shouted.

Mythriln’s expression shifted to worry and he immediately ran, but Lilith managed to grab him by the tail before he got away. She then began dragging him away. Mythriln quietly called to Ignis for help, but he just simply watched. Valdus suppressed his laughter, and after Lilith had taken Mythriln away, Ignis let out a chuckle.

“Well, now you know who you can go to if you ever need healing here in the canyon.”
Ignis humoured.

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