Chapter 36: Acceptance

Nathaniel:

I can feel Givontair's lips on mine. Yet, I am surrounded by darkness. Where am I? What am I doing? More questions along these lines swim in my head. I can feel the call.

As if something ancient is stretching my skin. It feels vile. I have done necromancy before, but never when using such mana. I can hear Givontair trying to ask me something. Not only that, but I can feel him shaking my shoulders.

Ignore the dragon. Go and harvest.

The voice in my head demands. Do I have the guts to deny it? It sounds old, old and angry. I feel the healing mana seep into my bones. Why is Givontair healing me? I don't feel hurt.

"Nate... wake up, Nathaniel," Giv's voice is clearer now. Yet, it still feels as if he is speaking through water.

Ignore the dragon...

I frown at that. How could I possibly ignore Giv? He is my soulmate. I force my eyes open. The sight that greets me, is something I can't believe is happening to me.

I seem to be wearing the same mana coat as Sorix. I even have tentacles. More than that, I can feel something trying to force a contract on me. With my remaining will, I force the mana back into the crystal.

I look around, and see the turtle which attacked us. Its shell is split in two, and the flesh underneath is already rotten. My eyes land on Givontair next. His lips are bloody.

"Did I do this?" I ask, as I trace a finger over his lips. "Why did you even risk yourself?"

"I had to get you from the edge. There was no telling, what you will do, if I let you walk away in this form," his explanation doesn't ease my mind. If anything, it makes me even sadder.

"You shouldn't have come in here. What if I attacked Erik?" I try to sound as calm as I can. "Where is he, anyway?"

"Up a tree, with a barrier to protect him. Now, I think we need to talk," I don't like Givontair's tone. It sounds almost as if he wants to tell me something that will drive a wedge between us. "You need to get rid of the crystal."

I take the trinket out of my pocket. If anything, the smoke that was to be seen inside, has grown even darker.

"We need the power it provides," I say. It doesn't sit well with me, that we are going to throw something like this away. The power I felt, when I first held the crystal, was intoxicating.

"You can't control this mana," Giv argues. I look at his bloody lips. Guilt rises in me.

"Perhaps you are right. Maybe, we can save the crystal for emergencies?" I suggest. He shakes his head.

"We are throwing this in the nearest temple of Harika. Until then, I will hold on to it," Givontair takes the crystal from my hands, and places it in his pocket. As soon as he does so, my head begins to clear.

I place a hand on my forehead. My head feels as if it is going to split in half. Soon, my hand is joined by Givontair's.

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"You don't seem to have a fever, so, I take it, you have a headache?" He asks. I nod at that. "I have some pills for you."

He rummages in his bottomless bag, and takes out a bottle with white pills. I take one of them with a grateful smile. A water skin joins the pills, and I gulp the liquid greedily.

"I didn't want to worry you," I tell my dragon. "You should heal this."

I trace his bloody lips again. A part of me wants to taste the blood. A part that I didn't know I possessed. I forcefully make it go quiet. Givontair just shrugs.

"It will heal on its own," he says, and then runs his tongue over his lips. "It is not as bad as it seems."

He takes my hand, and then begins to lead me towards the tree line. I look back at the dead turtle.

"Wait, what if the turtle poisons the river?" I ask Giv. For the first time, he turns to stare at my handiwork. He pales when he sees the extent of the damage.

Giv lets go of my hand, and shifts into his dragon form. I can see that his tail is yet to regrow. With lumbering steps, the dragon goes, and takes the turtle out of the water.

The next thing I know, fire rains down on the corpse. No matter how many times I have seen Giv breathe fire, it never ceases to amaze me that he is capable of such a big stream.

I can feel the mana which I used to kill the turtle beginning to dissipate. After about 10 minutes, the turtle is a pile of ash, and Giv shifts back to his human form. He sways on his feet, and I rush to him, to try and steady him.

I come just in time, to catch him. Foisting him up in a princess carry, I go in the direction where he tried to lead me, before he dealt with the turtle.

Erik is truly up a tree. His eyes are wild. Has he seen what I did to the turtle?

I place Giv down, and he goes and takes out the barrier stone. Erik climbs down, and goes to hide behind Giv.

"Are you really, Nate? Or, are you someone else?" Erik asks. I force my lips into a smile. That doesn't seem to reassure him.

"He is the same Nate we know and love," Givontair's words are like a balm. My smile becomes more genuine.

"Erik, I promise that I won't worry you like that again," I tell the boy. He doesn't seem convinced.

"You better not. Or I won't talk to you. Can't you see that you don't need cursed power, to be strong?" I watch, as Giv takes a hold of Erik's ear, and tugs it. "Ouch. What gives, Giv?"

"Don't you say that you won't talk to someone, when you know that they are not to blame," Giv says, and I smile wider.

Giv doesn't blame me. He is understanding. Once we destroy the crystal, he will be even happier with me. It is a small price to pay, for the adoration of my mate. 

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