ARC 7-Cursed Fates-103 (Patreon)

“It is rare for you to ask me to spar.”

Across from me on the ruined Teppin lawn, Kierra stretches as she prepares for our bout. As for why I have willingly served myself up for my wife’s violent pleasure, I blame the storm of thoughts going through my mind. There was plenty rattling about in my skull before the unexpected arrival of the estrazi but Little Water’s tale has stuffed a titan in there to stir things up.

If I’m honest, I can’t say I ever thought Cosmo was a “good guy”, so to speak. I do see him as generous, but I’m not blinded to the fact that my opinions are biased. However, I was fairly convinced that he was harmless. At least in the sense that his intentions are selfish, not intentionally hostile or destructive. After all, he didn’t tell me to go out and raze the world. He asked that I shake things up, break the stagnant status quo.

I guess, thinking on it a little more, shaking things up usually tends to break them. Saints, I knew from the moment we discovered my seven affinities that I was going to cause upheaval. My very existence is enough to start a war. And having power has shown me that I enjoy squashing so called veterans and master casters with barely any effort. It’s a heady feeling.

But it’s terrifying to think that I might be the pawn in a scheme to destroy the world. Little Water’s story reeks of a bias against Cosmo and his so-called agents but she seems pretty darn sure than anyone influenced by my divine father ends up causing rampant destruction if not going too mad to do anything at all.

And this Ezossoa. Anything getting its claws into a dragon would have been a scary thought before I knew that a single dragon nearly destroyed the world. The continent the flying sovereigns of the world destroyed with their little spat was, according to Little Water who was taught from firsthand accounts of estrazi that lived through the Great War, set off a chain of disastrous events.

Great waves as tall as mountains crashed against the shores of other continents, the water swallowing coastal cities. Magical storms devastated land all around the world. Those natural disasters ruined the ancient kingdoms, leaving them vulnerable to powerful migrating manabeasts fleeing their similarly ravaged homes.

That Ezossoa is responsible for so much death, I can’t even fathom the numbers. She permanently rearranged the world. And she was only able to do so because of the power given to her by the Outsider. The same power I have.

Well, I sincerely hope my savior doesn’t expect me to mirror her feat because there is no way that’s happening. While the thought of having that much power and leaving such a mark is intriguing, I’m not so callous as to unleash that kind of horror on the world. If I even could. My body is amazing but there is still a long gap between my prime form and a dragon’s magic. A long, long one.

Which brings me to my problem.

My body.

This Ezossoa, at the very least, has something like my body and she’s had it for over five centuries. She has invaluable insights into what I am and what else I can do. I’m itching to have a conversation with her, about me and Cosmo’s agenda.

Unfortunately, this conversation brings about something as horrific as the Great War. A second calamity. A prediction delivered by the estrazi’s resident seer.

Having confirmation that I’m in the middle of a celestial caster’s plots is beyond uncomfortable. Had this been a few scant months earlier in my life, it would be can’t-breathe terrifying but there’s so much on my mind, I don’t have enough emotional capacity to bother with it.

More important is the question of what I’m going to do about the, given the evidence, deranged dragon. Because I have to admit, it doesn’t feel good abandoning her to her fate. If she were given the same blessing as me, a piece of Cosmo, that makes her, in a very real sense, his daughter and my sister. Family. And she’s been left in a prison, alone, for the last five hundred years. Completely isolated from the world.

Could I go five years without leaving my bedroom? A decade without a bite of delicious food? A century without my lovers?

I don’t know what dragons do for fun but multiple lifetimes denied anything sounds like a fate worse than death. It doesn’t help that every time I think of it, I think of Jac trapped in a disgusting dungeon and at the mercy of the interrogators. She’s my cousin but she’s the closest thing I can imagine to having a sister. If someone did that to her…

Saints, I can’t imagine. Those thoughts incline me to give this dragon the chance to at least explain herself. Another temptation to engage in the fated conversation.

Do I meet Ezossoa or do I avoid her? Do I trust in Cosmo or a random seer who thinks his agents, his daughters, are going to end the world? How amazingly cool would it be to have a dragon in my family tree? Do I release said dragon from her prison? If I don’t, am I horrible person and, possibly worse, a horrible sibling?

Oh saints. What if she knows about me? I don’t see how she could but she’s one of the strongest creatures in the world. Who knows what she’s capable of? Or what our divine father has schemed?

I doubt Cosmo cares one way or the other, it would have been pretty simple to ask me to rescue his daughter if that’s what he wanted, but she could have, I don’t know, sensed my rebirth. She could know about me and be waiting for me to rescue her. Fucking Abyss, she could be pressing against the walls of her prison right now, hoping with every moment that the next moment will be when I show up—

Kierra’s laugh brings me out of my thoughts. One silver brow rises when she notices my gaze. “Oh, you are done thinking? To think the day you approach a brawl with me casually would come so quickly.”

Hey, now. What’s with that tone? “Ah, sorry. There’s a lot to think about.” I wave a hand at her. “Come at me.” Violence has a way of focusing the mind. Hopefully, throwing a few punches will put the mess in my head in order, or at least quiet them.

Kierra glares at me.

Did I say something wrong?

I must have because when she dashes at me, there is a rare intensity about her. Her usual ferocity is replaced by quiet focus as she throws a series of cruel blows. Expecting a friendly wrestle, the rather strong blow to my nose takes me by surprise. While my body is a patchwork of parts, it is designed around a human, with all its advantages and weaknesses. It takes a lot more muscle than before, but hit me hard enough in a soft spot and it hurts the same.

“Ow!” I stumble back with watering eyes, one hand hovering over my bleeding nose. “What was that for?”

“Just trying to help, my love,” she says in a worryingly cold tone before lunging at me. My joking endeavor becomes a lot more than I bargained for as Kierra’s serious assault pushes out my chaotic thoughts. Our normal contest of strength is replaced with me slowly growing worried as I hastily defend against her trying to take me apart. No testing if some form of hers will perform better than mine. No tackling me to the ground. No gimmicks.

Just Kierra and her magic, her whole body enveloped in a soft green glow, giving her the speed to weave out of the way of my own strikes and enough power to make sure every blow hurts. She doesn’t hold back at all, ruthlessly taking advantage of every opening, incorporating feints, and aiming for soft spots, including my eyes.

It’s a fact that she has more experience than me. I could end this fight in a moment with my elemental form, but this is a challenge. To face her on equal footing. She gives me exactly what I need, so I accept the impossible restrictions.

At least I still have my endurance. If I didn’t heal as fast as I do, it would have only taken her a few minutes put me on my back. As it is, despite her making me bleed and twisting several things out of place, and even breaking my arm once, I manage to keep up with her for an hour.

After that, I call for a stop, as I don’t want her to completely exhaust her mana. I managed a few hits throughout my beating but that’s gone with a flash of her magic. A quick transformation to my elemental form and back does the same for me. Afterwards, we stand together in companionable silence, Kierra’s previous intensity replaced by an air of smugness. That happy to win, huh?

It’s funny. She wants me to be strong and knows I have far more potential than her, but she still hates to lose.

“Lou?”

“Yeah?” I ask cheerfully, enjoying the quiet, both of the night and in my head. I’m sure my worries will return any moment but for now, it’s peaceful.

“You should do what you want.”

I glance at her to find her staring at me, eyes an equal blend of green and gold in the soft moonlight. “Guess you heard all of that with the lizards then?” We weren’t trying to make a secret of our conversation and those long ears aren’t a decoration.

“Mm. None control your fate.”

“What if I end up wanting to unleash her?”

“Then it will be fine.”

“How do you know?”

“I know you, Lou. You would never do anything to endanger us. If you release this Ezossoa, it will be because you know we are perfectly safe. I cannot speak for the world, but we will be fine. You said it yourself, did you not? The best way to deal with a seer is to pretend they do not exist. Simply act on what is before you.”

Sigh. She’s right, isn’t she? At least they were my words first. “I’ve got to meet her, Kii.”

“I figured you would want to. I am also interested in speaking with a dragon. All know of the world’s sovereigns, but they rarely deign to reveal themselves to other races.”

“The estrazi aren’t going to be happy about that.” The question is, what will Little Water think about my decision? Can I convince her to convince her family to allow the meeting? Can I use her as a meat shield to stop their attacks, if it should come to that? Or maybe I should help her with her human-estrazi alliance?

“Shh.” I’m suddenly pulled into a hug, one of Kierra’s hands gently coming through my hair. “You have made your decision. The rest is for when winter returns. Now, we will deal with this city. Then perhaps a vacation. Somewhere where we are not known, hm?”

“Saints, that sounds amazing.”