Chapter 42: A Light Storm

A nasty gale hauling cold water passed by a patch of forest, the fierce wind raging, ripping branches from the trees.

Amidst this wild spectacle, a single area was remaining untouched, unaffected by both mans effort and natures assaults.

Instead of withering, the flowers started to grow roots. Sensing her sister closing in, the goddess let go of the plants, placing them in a flower bed where it continued to flourish, keeping a single bloom in her hand.

There you are, Gabriel. Happy to have three cute nieces?

Maybe I guess? Its not bad to have more family members.

Dread coldy shrouded Gabriels mind when she thought of the things the enigmatic space could have done to the dragons soul, much less to her sanity.

Playing with the flower in her hand, Gabriel tried to imagine her sisters reasons, waiting for an answer. She would not admit it out loud, but jealousy had also played its role in her inquiry. For countless years they had been with each other, sharing everything, looking after each other. They only had the other in their life.

The apparition of the small dragon, competing for Baels affection, was worrying her.

You mean apart from the old goats request to look after her?

Lets start with the latest interesting event then, when we found her in [Ataraxia].

As you said, we were lucky enough to be the first ones to react and get her out of there before the corruption took hold of her, although those bindings that were holding her might have been shielding her.

Baels suggestion seemed to astound her sister, painting a pondering look on her face.

I dont think so, actually. The appearance of a soul is difficult to alter, and her strength seemed genuine.

All in all, it was probably to preserve her soul in case something happened to her body; she would have only got out after reaching a level of strength sufficient to break the shackles by herself, maybe it was a hidden plan to ensure her safety, for a while at least.

How much strength did you say you needed to get rid those constraints again? I cant believe someone would trap her there willingly, who would be cruel enough to do that? The damage it could do to her mind, she could have lost her sanity forever

With all these elements gathered, you should understand why everything about Nisha fascinates me. Why wasnt her soul in the form of a dragon as well? Who put those constraints on her? How was she able to resist [Deaths Empire]s pull?

Rasenth is involved in her fate too, I always thought that the egg he was guarding in his shrine was his own; once, I checked to see if there was a life spark inside of it, so I know that the egg wasnt dead at least. It must have rested there for thousands of years, being nurtured and getting ready to hatch. I dont think even that old goats kid would take that long.

Watching the tornado helplessly trying to break the barrier that protected their garden, the two sisters stayed silent for a while, pondering on their conversation.

I always knew she wasnt your average girl. Intriguing and always pleasant to be around. When she talks to me, I feel like talking to you, Bael, it is one of the reasons why I am treating her well as well.

And yet, I probably wont stop caring for her; the next time she prays Ill be there to meet her. With a smile on my face.

Squeezing Baels hand, Gabriel softly sighed and let go of the petals she was holding; scattered, they dropped to the ground where they withered and returned to their initial state, a nameless seed.

Bael smiled and channeled her power, making the seed return to its bed, where it bloomed again in a vibrant red colour, thorns lining its beauty in a dangerous hue.

We will figure it out eventually, theres no rush. Having a little mystery in our life makes it interesting, doesnt it?

Gabriel stood up and walked to the invisible wall. Sticking one hand outside, the green haired goddess caught a rain drop, admiring the crystal clear liquid on her fingertip, waiting with her other half for the storm to pass.

Blinding white light was everywhere.

Unable to recall the reason why she would have done such silly thing, the young girl was trying to sit to get a better overview of her situation, when a blazing pain shot up between her left shoulder blade and her heart.

After spitting a mouthful of black bile, Nisha looked around her, she didnt recognize the room she was in. All the walls were built with some kind of dark wood, empty of any decorations or windows. A single enchanted lamp mounted directly on the wall was illuminating the room in a soft orange glow.

The sheets look about as good as I feel. Where am I?

Lets see whats behind that door.

She groaned in pain, the small trickle from before turning into a greater current, soiling her only piece of clothing aside from the bandage that wasnt covering what Lydia had called sensitive parts to be hidden at all cost during the lady lectures.

In spite of her injury, Nisha smiled a bit. A saying had came to her mind, something Eldrin had repeated a lot when he was tutoring her.

Pressing her right hand on the bandage, the dragon waited for the blood flow to decrease to a reasonable amount to take her first step to the exit.

If I could see myself right now, Id probably laugh at myself, this must look so ridiculous. Well, laughing would hurt, I guess.

Silently, the play continued, a small step, a grimace or a small happy gleam in the eyes when a movement did not hurt her strained muscles too much.

Here goes nothing, I guess. Have to open the door. Please there cant be enemies outside, right now I couldnt even fight a chicken.

Delaying the inevitable, the dragon closed her eyes and took in the sensations from her other senses, unhurriedly taking deep breaths to calm herself.

Reliving this memory helped her think of something that wasnt ache or feebleness, the mellow rocking soothing her mind and preparing Nisha to leave the room and face the truth.

The wooden door squeaked far too loudly for Nishas taste, surely alarming everyone around, letting a single line of light fall through the small gap.

Evading the stinging rays meant moving, therefore the dragon had no choice but to allow her eyes to adjust, a tear rolling down her cheeks.

After the attack of those noble brothers, I swore to myself that I would never allow myself to be that helpless again.

Ignoring whatever might be waiting for her, Nisha advanced through the last obstacle, eliminating the last barricade sheltering her.

Stretching all the way to the horizon, the sky was of a deep blue colour, occasional clouds were passing by here and there; a flawlessly bright and clear day on which a girl in particular would have ran around and played happily from dawn till dusk. The whole idea seemed laughable, mocking her for being injured and feeling exhausted.

Before she had a chance to turn around and identify the sounds source, someone embraced her, pressing on her wound.

The familiar voice allowed her to ignore everything else and a smile emerged on her face. Awkwardly moving her left hand to reciprocate the embrace, her left hand pinned in between them to stem the blood.

Leaning onto the older girl, Nisha was simply happy that her older sister was safe and well, leaving the two women behind in the inn had weighed on the dragons heart since the moment she had decided to venture off to find Luthais.

The fact that Nisha had missed that her second sister who now had already taken off to get the lance corporal was present, was proof to how weakened she was.

Does it hurt a lot? I havent seen the wound myself, but both Luthais and Hale said you got impaled by a spear, and you werent waking up Im so glad Nisha, I really thought you wouldnt wake up again.

Its not that bad, really. Im just happy to be with you Anna. Everythings fine.

Where exactly they were, how grave her injuries were, why the wooden construction was moving or what had happened to the siege, none of that mattered at the moment to either of the two sisters.

Seeking solace in each others presence, the time slowly passed as they waited for Lydias return.