"Sam!" Max cries, while holding Sam in his arms.
Looking at Sam bleeding on Max's hands, pants, and the ground… makes me shudder in fear. Maybe seeing that it was Max's own dad… that should have had a little effect. But looking at this face… Parzival Blesthe.
Parzival Blesthe… the infamous Rahambose of my father's time. The one who killed him. The person whom I almost killed… including his family… Max. I didn't know.
This person looks right at me, knowing well: the affect his glance had on me. And I only wish… that I had gotten it over with, back then. Then this day wouldn't have come.
"Your powers yet are something. Your own dad made a solution for that," Parzival says, taking out some kind of a vial.
Parzival loads the vial into the gun he had used… and points it towards Sam. But Max takes the hit this time, finally snapping me out of my stance.
I promised.
Even when I feel pained in my stomach, I race forward, while transforming, and bash into Parzival's body. He simply holds my horns and stays his spot. I beat my tail onto the ground, as if it were some kind of a club. And lifting my head, I send Parzival flying.
His transformation was supposed to be the slowest, so this should be fine.
Quickly collecting Max and Sam, I fly to the castle screaming, "Get ready!", and at my call: the dragons start passing me and going into the field, for battle. To war. One which I wanted to avoid. I promised that too.
I toss my body, while holding the two… right beside the doctor's room.
"Aster!" Fara exclaims.
"Fara," I say, gasping for air. "He is back… Parzival."
"What?"
"It is Max's dad… all this time. And now he has become… he tried to kill them."
"Parzival did this?" Tar asks.
"Tarragon, you don't know who he is. What he is. He is the very first person Fara recognised."
"Recognised?"
"To be Rahambose… I saw him. Fighting…" Fara hesitates to say.
"The Primevel warrior leader…" I say, but Fara still has this look on her face. "What is with you?"
"I think… I know who it is."
"Argh!" Sam exclaims, while holding her tummy.
"Sam, let's go inside, quick!"
"I'm fine… I… will be fine. But I can't… shouldn't… move much. That was some flying, Aster. But I move one inch and… I don't think I can…"
"It is better for her to stay right here and be treated. I'll get the doctor," Fara says.
"No," Sam says, grabbing Fara's hand. "He'll be here soon. We need to get… we need to stop this first, whatever this is. Without me… I can hold out, trust me."
"One doctor treating you should be enough. Just wait," Fara says, and gets the doctor.
"I can't…" Max says. "Transform. I tried. I'm unable to."
"One second," Doctor says to Sam, and goes ahead to remove Max's shirt. "Your gem isn't shining."
"Parzival."
"So you know my dad… he's the one huh. The one you keep mentioning, but, never elaborate on."
The doctor leaves Max's side and starts working on Sam's wound. But even his powers couldn't just heal her instantly.
"He was… once the most feared dragon. Until Fara recognised him… and he broke his own record. And alongside being immensely feared… people wanted to end him."
"My dad is a dragon?"
"Parzival never… could Minerva have known? Is that why-"
"-Mom… I think she is captive."
"She is dead," Ivor's voice comes, and Rusty finally arrives with him. "At least… it is what I heard. I'm sorry… Max. I should have protected her."
"What? No, that can't be true," Max says.
"Minerva…" Tar says. "How?"
"However Parz became this… whoever Parz became… did this. Rahambose you say."
"Dad would never!" Max screams, with his voice echoing through the now empty castle.
"Have kidnapped me, framed me, shot my daughter? That is not him, Max… not anymore."
"What exactly is that supposed to mean?" I ask.
"Did Max tell you about Alta telling us about some power? I think that is the answer."
"Wasn't Esterine supposed to be this beacon?" Sam asks, shivering through pain.
Ivor just shrugs.
"Parzival always did…" I say, and stop – realising that Max shouldn't have to go through this. "You always knew, didn't you, Rusty?" I look at him, with tears in my eyes.
I told him everything… but he never told me, as usual.
"I did know… but I never knew this'd happen. The Parzival Blesthe I know, Aster… he is farther away from the way you described him. He is more like the guy your dad pleaded and fought to prove, to everyone," Rusty says.
"Yet, here we are," I say, and Rusty doesn't seem to have an answer. "We need to stop him. That is the conclusion."
"He's at the door," Tony, keeping watch, says. "So, whatever plan it is… quicker."
"We shouldn't fight him here. We need to take him elsewhere. In his condition… we can't say what he could do."
"Reconsidering my statement… he… is taking the stairs, while looking right at me. He is taking slow steps."
"I'll make him say it," Tar says, making us look at him. "He… he must've hidden her somewhere. He just wants not even my shadow touch Minerva. He always had that on mind. I'll make him spit it out. Wherever he took her."
"Uncle Tar…"
"Don't tell me you've decided that she is gone, Max. Not you. I know Parzival…"
"Tarragon, he is the strongest dragon. Ever."
"Well… if he anywhere near harmed Min… I'm killing him. I have evaded death way too many times now," Tar's eyes shudder with tears - begging to be released.
"I can't protect you, Uncle Tar. Not in my condition," Max says.
"What happened?" Ivor asks.
"He shot me with something… said you made it. I can't transform."
"Me? I didn't make any such thing."
"He referred to his own powers. He can strike fear and make dragons unable to use their power… a bit of an extended power of Vyanah's."
"What?" Tar asks.
"Guys, he is here," Tony says.
I look towards Rusty, and he gets ready to fight… but Parzival barely moves his leg on his next step towards us… and I find a weird aura surrounding us.
"Argh!" Sam screams.
"Sam, you shouldn't be using it to this extent!" Fara says.
"I'll be fine… just make the freaking plan already."
"What is this? Why can't I move?" I ask.
"One of Sam's powers. No action, only talk," Fara explains. "Do not mention about this powers… anywhere. Let this be a kind of secret weapon, yeah?"
"Line… where is he?"
"In here… can't come out… can't move. But Tyle seems to be VERY happy about this," Line says.
"We need you out there with us. I don't know how I can battle Parzival in my condition."
"Please don't… call him that, okay? It sounds a bit disrespectful," Max says.
"Then should I say Rahambose?"
"That term…" Parzival's voice comes, and the barrier around us… gets wrapped by some kind of red thread lines. "I like it more."
"He's here!" Sam screams, while stopping to form the barrier, as it just fades.
Rusty forms a force field instead. And Parzival stops right at the edge of the field he makes, and looks at us… everything was up to speed now.
"I have a few questions," Parzival says.
"Oh, let me show you the way to the discussion room," Rusty says, pulling Ivor deeper inside.
The force field vanishes and Rusty transforms while bashing into Parzival… but Rusty doesn't seen to move a lot… as his huge dragon-form just stops there, while trying to push the smaller being in front of him.
"Tony! Line!" I call out.
Tar makes his move first, climbing up Rusty's back – with a sword in hand. But he freezes at whatever sight he sees… surely, it was way worse than the effect which Vyanah's form had.
"Parzival you…" Tar says. "You really are him."
"I always have been. That night… your sister and you made a miraculous escape. She didn't even flinch," Parzival's voice… now getting deeper, says.
I see a wing spread out, from behind Rusty. A black coloured wing, with one sharp nail-like structure at its edge.
"But finally… I saw fear in your sister's eyes."
Tar screams and pushes his sword downward… to whatever being occupied the front of Rusty. But a red lightning-like thing throws him away, right near Max.
"Tar! Are you okay?" Max asks.
"He… Max… he is the black dragon. The black dragon from the forest. The one we barely escaped."
"A little hand here," Rusty whines, while his whole body shivers.
"Little Rustizen… did you really do, what I think you've done?" Parzival asks.
He couldn't know… no, he was Rahambose. He talked about Max that way…
"Rusty, abort!" I say.
I toss my body off the fence, while transforming.
Looking towards Rusty's front… I finally see it. The darkest of glow on the chest of the dragon, sucking in all the light in close proximity… even beyond. A shape of darkness in pure daylight, as a dragon. Something more than just a dragon.
"You should understand the direness of the situation, if you know exactly what you are doing, Rustizen. Dragons… need to end here. In the end… it-" Parzival stops talking, as I grab onto his back, with my claws.
"Let go of my husband, you jerk!"
"Klyne's daughter… fancy a fly alongside his best friend?" Parzival lets go of Rusty, and transforms his body in milliseconds, to be holding me instead. "We have so much to talk about."