Chapter 26: Duel of the Wingless

On the day of Exodus, I wanted to hold you tightly to my chest. Everything I had done, everything I would do was all for you, Leon. I just wanted to give you the chance to grow strong and grow proud ... but most of all, to grow free. You were only a child when it happened, so I don’t expect you would remember much. If anything, despite how painful I made your training sometimes, don’t think that I did not love you ... because I did love you as only a Lurranna could. If I was harsh, it was not meant as a rebuttal, but only to make you strong. If I seemed cold, it is only because that is how a Lurranna must be. Our place is to rule. At least, that is what I once believed. Little did I know, there are beings in this universe whose power and ambitions dwarf my own.

Ryan’s dark world was suddenly thrown into light, a light so bright that it was a bit disorienting at first. It was amazing how too much light could be as blinding as too much dark. When Ryan’s vision finally adjusted, he was astounded by what lay before him.

Great fortresses made of stone as tall and as wide as mountains. Surrounding the mountain-sized, stone cities were thick jungles denser and wilder than anything he had ever seen. Thicker than even the great forest of Toramirese where he was born and raised. And throughout the plains, to his amazement, Ryan saw enormous and majestic creatures grazing in the fields. With their colorful scales, sinewy tails, and immense size, these creatures could only be described with one word.

“Dinosaurs,” said Ryan with the wonder of a child. “Are those really dinosaurs?”

“Why is that so surprising?” asked Grafael as he stood next to Ryan. “I’m a dinosaur of a sort. All Dragonborn are. Although the ones on our world are larger and fiercer than any who may come from Ancient Earth. We call them Saurs.”

The creatures stood on four legs. They had enormously long necks with bull-like horns on their heads. Each one had lightly tanned scales in shades of pink, purple and red with black stripes on the sides. They had fin-like spikes going down their backs and all the way down to tails even longer than their necks. Their muzzles resembled that of horses, and they had flat teeth except for two long tusks on their bottom jaw. As Ryan walked up next to one, he was astounded to realize that they stood several hundred feet tall, some even more than five hundred feet. They needed every foot to reach the tops of the huge trees of the jungles that were as large as many of Tarrus’ skyscrapers.

“Well, yeah. But I mean, those are real dinosaurs,” said Ryan while pointing up at a Saur that munched loudly on some leaves above him. “Ones that are big as buildings and stand on four legs, and everything.”

“Yes, our people’s less evolved kin,” Grafael explained, his voice sounding happy and sad at the same time. “They are much like cattle, but they hold a place of honor among us as the forerunners of our kind.”

Then the scenery suddenly changed. They now stood on a large hilltop that was so high, Ryan could see for miles in every direction. Behind them sat a large wooden mansion that was almost like a city all unto itself. The mansion had depictions of swords, hammers, and axes as well as Saurians engrossed in combat. The language of the Saurians was etched into the doors and into the walls. Two wooden statues of pterodactyls overlooked the entrance.

“Grafael,” started Ryan, still not quite sure what was happening. “Where are we?”

“I’m letting you see into my memories. This is my world, Ryan. My home. And yours as well, at least on your father’s side. This is Sauria.”

As Grafael spoke, Ryan could see a mix of pride and sorrow wash over his blue scaly face. For whatever reason, Grafael had been forced to leave this beautiful place, his home. Ryan could understand that feeling, and how heartbreaking it must be.

Coming out of his nostalgia, Ryan decided to break the silence since it seemed like Grafael would just keep staring forlornly.

“So, what happened, Grafy? Why did you have to leave?”

A hard look came into Grafael’s eyes, almost like the look that he had right before he was about to fight. “To answer that question, I have to tell you a little history of our people.”

The view changed once again. Ryan was no longer atop the sun-dazzled hilltop, but instead in the midst of a smoke-covered battlefield. Ryan saw Saurians fighting each other in ferocious battles that shook the earth and split the rocks in half. The strength of one Wingless Dragon was enough to shake a mountain. The power of thousands of Saurian Warriors battling each other made it seem like an earthquake, and not the nondestructive kind. Ryan was astounded as the very landscape gave way from the swings of Saurian fists, tails, and weapons. Those same mountain-sized trees fell like twigs. Mountaintops crumbled into landslides.

“As you may know, the history of our people is one of warfare. Our planet’s geography has been changed many times in battles such as these.” Grafael paused as if appraising it all with both admiration and regret. “They say that our kind are never truly at peace unless engrossed in bloody battles such as this one. Perhaps it is an unfortunate fate, but it still is. We are warriors, Ryan, and warriors need war. That is as true for you as it is for me.”

“My God. Glad the Saurians are allies with the Elementals, right?” asked Ryan with trepidation as he saw one Saurian rip the head and spine out of another one before being crushed by a boulder as big as a house.

“Actually, the Saurians have fought several wars with the Elementals in the past,” said Grafael with a slight smile. “We Saurians cannot respect anyone unless we fight them. It’s just our way of understanding one another, and of understanding ourselves. You can never truly know what lies in another’s heart without struggle.”

“And apparently, that sometimes involves ripping said heart out with your bare hands,” said Ryan in horror as he literally saw what he described happen before his eyes.

“I’m not saying it is just, but it is what it is. However, in all my world’s history of warfare, there have only ever been two methods of battle that my people consider to be forbidden. To commit these forbidden acts is to invite the most heinous brand of dishonor and disgrace that is reserved for the lowliest of our kind.”

Grafael suddenly turned to Ryan, and he felt like the Saurian was somehow accusing him of something. “The first forbidden weapon of warfare is poison. Tools reserved for assassins and cowards who would rather kill their enemies safely than give them the respect of facing them on the battlefield.”

Ryan threw up his hands defensively, and said, “Hey, I don’t use poison. I mean, I know that some Elementals have the ability to shoot poisonous clouds and stuff, but I always thought they were kind of weird anyway”.

“The second,” continued Grafael without taking his eyes from Ryan. “Is the use of Elemency of any kind.”

“What?” asked Ryan in disbelief.

Grafael then turned back to the battlefield, filling his dread-filled eyes with the horrors of battle before speaking. “We do not begrudge the human Elementals or any other species for possessing it. Most races do not possess the durability and strength that we do, so we consider it leveling the playing field. In fact, Elemency was one of the reasons that we went to war against the Tarrus Empire in ancient times. We wished to test ourselves against the powerful Elemental Ministries, and they earned our respect as fearsome warriors.”

Grafael then sighed and hung his spiked head low. “However, there have been those in our history who have loved battle too much, even for our tastes. The Berserkers.”

Grafael then raised his hand and pointed to the battle, drawing Ryan’s attention to one at the center of the field. Ryan then became aware of a Saurian Warrior who was much larger and fiercer than the other Saurians. His armor hung haphazardly over his huge body, as if he had outgrown it somehow. He wielded two massive swords that he used to slash through the other Earth Dragons by the dozens. A single swing of his blades cut several proud and strong Wingless in half. Each of those warriors were at least as big as Grafael, some looked even bigger. And no doubt they were all probably as strong and as fast as he was, and yet a single massive Saurian made the normal ones seem weak in comparison. The giant Saurian did not seem to distinguish between enemies or even the warriors who wore the same colors as him, whom Ryan could only assume were supposed to be on his side. This meant that the rogue warrior was slaying enemy and friend alike without distinction. The creature gave a mighty roar as he reached down his humongous head and bit a Saurian’s entire top half clean off. Blood dribbled down the monster’s face and his crazed eyes. Eventually, the smaller Saurians from both sides attacked and overwhelmed the larger warrior, but not before he took at least a hundred down with him.

“What the hell is that thing?” asked Ryan in horror as flashes of the Dark Creature stirred in his mind.

“A Berserker. An ancestor of mine. He was Voru of the dual blades. Considered an honored general of his time, until he went mad with bloodlust and cut down his own soldiers in his madness. When the Berserker instinct takes over us, we become larger and nearly unstoppable, but at a grave cost. One’s sanity, and perhaps even one’s soul, is the cost of such power.”

“What causes it to happen?” asked Ryan, still transfixed by the violence occurring before his eyes.

“Our scientists are not entirely certain, but it has been determined that all Saurians who undergo the Berserker transformation were Psionic Users with full command of Elemency. They had the same powers as Elementals.”

Ryan almost gasped as he turned to stare at Grafael in surprise. Grafael’s face showed nothing but grim determination.

He’s telling the truth, thought Ryan. I can’t believe it.

“Yes,” said Grafael, continuing his explanation. “Voru too possessed Elemental powers.”

The scenery shifted again. They were now in an arena of some kind, or perhaps a training field. A small, wooden coliseum surrounded them amidst a field of sand. Ryan saw a single Saurian wearing a long, dark-brown robe that almost looked like a bathrobe, but a bit more refined and dignified than your average bathrobe. Then Ryan remembered the kimono from Ancient Earth, and realized the similarities, though Saurian garb was a little less colorful and baggy, accounting for Saurian’s immense stature and their tails. Unlike Grafael, the Saurian had long, white hair going down to his shoulders. His scales were light brown instead of blue like Grafael’s were, and his face seemed to be more worn and wrinkled. This Saurian was obviously much older, but still possessed that quiet warrior dignity that Grafael had. In shock, Ryan began to realize that the Saurian standing before him now was none other than the blood-crazed monster he’d seen only moments before. He was not in his armor and he was not all beefed up, but it was him alright. Ryan recognized the face and the eyes, though they did not betray a hint of the savage nature that he had seen earlier.

“As you may have guessed, this is Voru as he was before that battle,” explained Grafael as he gestured with his hand.

Before Ryan could say something in response, he saw Voru draw forth his dual blades that were almost as long as his body. The Saurian then took a fighting stance as he flurried his weapons in a practiced manner of military discipline and martial arts. The flow and grace of his movements were immeasurable. Ryan could tell that it must have taken years of practice to become that masterful with his twin blades. So masterful that the swords were even starting to move faster than Ryan could track. Before long, Ryan could only catch glimpses of the blades as the metal caught flashes of sunlight. But even more amazing was when Ryan noticed what was happening with the sand. The sand from the arena had started swirling around Voru, moving in sync with his blades. The sands swirled and twirled as majestically as the weapons. In hindsight, it almost seemed like the sands were dancing with the blades. Voru then made two lightning-fast slashes with both blades, and the sands responded likewise. The sand became as quick and as sharp as the blades as they raced towards Ryan with blazing speed. Ryan instinctively shielded himself from the attack, only to realize that the sandblast had gone right through him without hurting him. He silently rebuked himself for not remembering that this was an illusion. Ryan followed the path of the sandblast and saw that they had made a giant X in the side of the wooden coliseum. The height of the X-shaped hole in the wall of the coliseum was at least three times as tall as Voru himself.

Ryan whistled, giving credit to the impressive display of Elemental mastery. “Whoa. I didn’t know sand could do that.”

“He was a Drier, a warrior of the desert and sand. An earth-based Elemental, as were many Saurian Psionic Users that came before and after. Before it became forbidden, when Elemency was first being discovered among our people, those who possessed it were considered gifted and held in high esteem. It was seen as the ultimate weapon of warfare, and masters like Voru were heroes among us.”

“And I’m guessing that all changed when the ... the fringe benefits were discovered.”

Grafael nodded grimly. “It soon became apparent that only those who possessed the gift of Elemency turned into Berserkers. Almost every single Psionic User in the history of our people eventually went mad, rampaged, and killed both friend and foe alike, and were subsequently slain. Immense efforts were undertaken to prevent the blight. Those among our people who are born with Elemental powers are given psionic suppressant serum to prevent the transformation. However, Saurians are not like humans. The operation becomes impossible if the subject is allowed to mature with his powers. If you attempt to conceal your abilities from the public or try to hide the identity of any Saurian with powers, you are banished or worse depending on the severity of the crimes committed with Elemency. These measures may seem extreme, but I know firsthand that they are absolutely necessary.”

Ryan then saw armies of smaller Saurians surrounding and killing dozens of Berserker-State Saurians who flailed about mindlessly, as if they hardly noticed the pain of being stabbed and beaten thousands of times over again by a thousand different opponents.

“This Berserker outbreak was a time of great sorrow for my people, and almost cost us everything,” spoke Grafael softly, the closest he had ever come to whispering. “You see, Ryan, the reason I have to stop you from becoming a full-fledged Elemental is because you possess Saurian blood. And if there is even a chance that you can become a Berserker, not only will it mean the end of your life, but it could also cost the lives of those closest to you. Namely Éclair. That is something I simply cannot allow.”

Ryan’s vision suddenly blurred, and both he and Grafael were back in exams. Grafael was still on top of Ryan, pushing him to the ground with his hammer. Ryan’s injuries had also returned in all their unbridled potency. Ryan was frankly surprised that he had lasted this long against Grafael, especially considering all that he had endured.

As Ryan struggled against Grafael’s immense weight and strength, the Saurian stared at him with grief-stricken eyes. “Now do you understand why I have to do this?”

“Yes,” grunted Ryan, panting between words. “I understand now, and I ... I don’t blame you. You’d do anything to keep Éclair safe. But so would I. And how am I supposed to do that if I don’t have my powers?”

A low, guttural growl rose from deep within Grafael’s chest as his azure eyes went from sorrow to anger. “You will be the death of yourself, and of Éclair. My patience is at its limit. This ends now.”

Grafael raised his fist to pummel Ryan further into the ground. Ryan used the opportunity to duck under Grafael’s arm and get out of his grip. Unfortunately, Ryan had to let go of his sword as Grafael’s fist smashed into the ground with immense force that created yet another crater.

“You don’t even know if I will turn or not,” said Ryan, trying to talk Grafael down. “I’m not a full-blooded Saurian. I’m mostly human. You’re making a big deal out of something that could be nothing for all we know.”

Ryan could tell from the look in Grafael’s eyes that he was not even close to backing down. “I once knew someone who thought as you do. You have no idea what his arrogance cost him. What it cost everyone close to him. I refuse to risk Éclair’s life on chance. If there’s a possibility that you will turn, then I will take it as a certainty.”

Grafael lunged out with his hammer. Ryan barely managed to summersault over Grafael’s head, a feat Ryan wasn’t sure he would have been capable of doing, especially in his condition. Grafael didn’t miss a beat though. As soon as Ryan was behind him, he swept Ryan’s legs out from under him with his tail. Ryan grunted in pain as he fell hard to the ground on his back, but he didn’t have time to lament on the new pain as Grafael’s big, scaly clawed foot soon came down on his stomach. Ryan nearly retched from having Grafael’s full weight on him as the Saurian slowly pressed down hard on Ryan’s abdomen.

Despite the pain, Ryan still worked up the strength to speak. “Why are you only doing this here? Why now? You must have always had this theory, even before I joined Squad 99.”

“Since you were a half-breed, I didn’t think the rules applied to you. But I recently met someone who confirmed to me that they do. You will turn into a Berserker. You will kill someone you love. I have seen it with my own eyes.”

“How?” asked Ryan before coughing up more blood. “How could you have seen it if it hasn’t even happened yet?”

“There are beings in this universe who can peer into the future,” explained Grafael as a haunted, almost frightened look came to his face. “They can pierce the veil between what is and what will be. Even some Mental-Type Elementals possess this ability. I met one of these beings at a tavern, and he showed me a vision of what will come. I saw you changing into an unspeakable beast. The transformation was different from a typical Berserker, but I could not mistake the murderous intent in your eyes. You were an animal, unhinged and unchained. You think I’d let you anywhere near our friends with that vision in my head?”

Ryan suddenly stretched out his hand and let loose a jet of flame that pushed him out from under Grafael and tripped the Saurian in the process. Ryan came to his feet coughing again. Fortunately, his little stunt brought him back to his sword. After retrieving his weapon, he angled his sword into a one-handed defensive stance, twisting his body with his right shoulder facing his opponent to give Grafael the smallest target possible.

“That’s a load of bull! You probably just met some drunken telepath in a bar who was messing with you! Or you probably just got drunk yourself! There’s no way I’d ever hurt anyone from this Ministry! Especially not Éclair! There’s absolutely no way!”

“THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT MY FATHER SAID!” screamed Grafael from the ground in anguish.

Ryan was struck speechless. Fortunately, they were allowed to process this new turn of events as the flame wall seemed to stop moving. Perhaps the time limit of the exam was coming to an end. Ryan could not think of what to say as a single tear fell from Grafael’s blue-scaled chin. It was the first time he had ever seen Grafael actually weep. Ryan didn’t even know that Saurians could weep. It was almost enough to break Ryan’s resolve ... and his heart.

As Grafael composed himself, he came to his feet and stared long and hard at Ryan. “My father was an Earth-Mover. He discovered his abilities in the heat of battle. He told me that he kept them hidden because they helped him win a crucial victory against the Hobgoblins during the Outer Territory Skirmishes after the Dark Dragon Wars. He said that he wanted to understand the connection between Elemency and the Berserker State ... that he could learn how to control it.”

Grafael looked down as the pain of the tale became too much. “He was wrong. When I was but a boy, he attacked and killed the War Chief of our homeworld, along with hundreds of others. It was not an honorable duel ... it was not a battle. It was a mindless slaughter, one that sent my world tumbling into chaos. Because he was the head of the household, my family was stripped of their titles, their lands, and their honor. They’ve been forced to live as vagabonds. They are known as the Shamed. To live in such a state is more akin to living death. All chance of glory or honor is gone. My mother is forced to beg on the streets of the capital. My brothers and sisters, my cousins, my aunts and uncles, they are only barely able to eke out a living on my world ... a world that does not tolerate dishonor. My family’s future is gone as our breeding rights have been revoked. The T’Macor family died with my father’s legacy. Worst of all, I can never see any of them again to share in their sorrows and their burdens. If I ever return, I risk their very lives.”

Tears started to swell up in Ryan’s eyes, almost as if he was able to feel every ounce of Grafael’s agony. In a way, he’s just like me.

“I am so sorry, Grafael,” said Ryan solemnly. “I know what it’s like to lose your family.”

“Then you know why I can’t risk losing another one. The Fire Ministry is my family now. Éclair is my family. The only shred of honor I have left is because of her.” Resolve soon returned to Grafael’s eyes, and Ryan knew that the time for talking was coming to an end. “I’ll ask you once more. Will you yield?”