Chapter 113 - Farewell (2)

'You will always have me,' I said, venturing into unknown territories. It was not like me to do such a thing.

'Was that suppose to make me happy, my host?' Seraphine replied, the fire in her voice somewhat rekindled.

'Who knows...'

'Sounds almost like a proposal of love humans make, as I have found through your memories.'

'Love, eh? That's a curious emotion, one which I have never felt.'

'We are the same then. I too have never felt such a passion. We fire elementals are prideful, angry, and tempestuous. Well then, I will go back to keeping that Demon Lord company.'

'Thank you, Seraphine.'

At the same time I finished my conversation with Seraphine, we had arrived at the base of the raised land that stood as the center of the Asrai Lake. Cascades of water flowed downward from one side, while streams of water simultaneously flowed upward, traveling along the scale of the rock walls.

The presence of magic was all around us. It was most likely the reason why the water could flow upward, defying logic.

The base of the raised land, which was home to the Asrai, was similar to that of a mushroom, a base which became larger and larger as you get upward, before finally spreading outward at the cap. To get to the top of the land, which was more than a thousand feet up at the cap, you would need to start from the bottom of the pillar that supported the top land, due to the faint, shimmering bluish barrier that surrounded the land. This was the reason why both Aqua and I did not fly directly upward. Instead, we were flying above the surface of the lake, close to the very base of the encompassing rock pillar.

An enormous geyser of water exploded to the front of us, revealing a violet-haired Kovani that stood about thirteen feet tall and standing on the surface of the lake. The Kovani had the form of a male and was wearing water around his body like a layer of thick armor. In his left hand, he held a black trident that was taller than him. The weapon radiated magical power and had a shimmering blue sheen of aura surrounding the three cruel points of the trident.

“Asrai. I see you have brought the dragon here again,” the Kovani said, his voice deeper than the rumblings in the deepest depths of the oceans. Like the dragons and most of the Greater Races, the Kovani had the gift of communication, which allowed the Kovani to speak and hear in the recipient’s language.

“Kovani,” I said in a neutral tone, neither disrespect nor respect inflected.

“Good morning, Mister Ligenor!” Aqua said in a casual, cheerful voice from beside me.

It went past the Kovani, or Ligenor, I suppose, since that was his name. The Kovani had never bothered to tell me his name on my previous visit here either.

“Asrai. I have told you previously that the Kovani do not condone dragons here. They are creatures who bring death and pride themselves on their strength.”

“Verath is not like the others! He saved my life,” Aqua quickly replied in my defense.

Aqua was wrong. I had the blood of many lives on my hands, both humans and my sibling dragons. I was not as innocent as she made me out to be.

The Kovani set his unblinking eyes of pure white with just the barest darker shade of pupils on me. “The other dragons, you say? I would say this dragon you have here with you is worse than the other dragons. There is a sense of wrongness to him. Just his presence alone defiles this sacred place. It was with only the greatest consideration for you that I allowed this dragon to pass through on his previous visit.”

“You are wrong!” Aqua said, still faithfully defending me. “You do not know Verath like I do!”

Her words did not register with the Kovani. He merely stared unblinkingly at me, the watery armor flowing and shimmering around his arms.

“Know this, Asrai known as Aqua. If you choose to bring this dragon to the inner sanctum where your sisters and brothers reside, I will hold you responsible. One visit was enough. We, the Kovani, shall not allow another one. There will be dire consequences if you choose to bring this dragon with you.”

Hearing that, I could no longer stay silent. “What consequences?” I calmly asked before Aqua could get another word in.

“Centuries we have been guarding this place, long before the Asrai even came here. I and my Kovani brothers and sisters will not allow a blood-stained dragon to defile the inner sanctum. It is enough that the dragons are allowed to roam on the outer lakes. And you, Asrai, I will strip you of all that connects you to the inner sanctum if you choose to consort further with the dragons. It is good that I only needed to wait only a month to warn you when you come back.”

I saw Aqua about to answer angrily in response to the Kovani, but I stopped her before she could. “It is fine, Aqua. I do not need to visit your home...and you should no longer accompany me.”

Tears instantly formed at the edges of her aquamarine eyes at my words. In a shaky voice, Aqua softly said, “Do you really feel that way? You saved my life when you could have just abandoned me. You saved me when that Traken attacked me at the cost of an injury to yourself. We are friends, you and I!”

“No, we are not, Aqua. We were never friends from the start. It was on a whim that I saved you, and out of curiosity that I took you along with me. To be honest, I never truly cared,” I said, my voice neither harsh nor kind—just indifferent. It made my words hurt all the more, an agony that was reflected upon the aquatic fairy's crying face.

Tears were falling down freely. “You lie,” Aqua said, her voice becoming even more unsteady, even more unsure.

“I resolve you of your debt to me. You are no longer my caretaker. Farewell, Aqua,” I said, my back already turned toward her. I was readying to fly away.

Then I soared high above into the skies, causing a few ripples on the surface of the lake, and traveled in a speed faster than Aqua could ever hope to achieve. She would not catch up to me even if she used her full speed.

For a few seconds, however, Aqua was steadily behind me, but this lasted only for a short moment. The distance between us grew further and further apart, until she could no longer be seen and a thicket of trees were in between us. Until her incoherent shouts could no longer reach me.

'Was that a wise thing to do, my host?' Seraphine tentatively asked within my mind. 'What if she continues following us?'

'It is better to make a firm break; she should not leave her family, friends, and sisters for me. And she will soon realize her folly in following me,' I merely said. I was sure that Aqua would not follow me.

'If you say so, my host.'

Seraphine did not bother to correct me. No doubt, she knew what I was truly feeling through the bond I shared with her. After all, what Seraphine felt through the bond when I left Aqua with those words had been enough to make her question me.

'It is alright. You still have me, now and forever,' Seraphine said in a firm voice as steady as the blaze of an undying fire.

I did not answer Seraphine. There was no need to. We both knew what each other felt through our bond. The bond was not all-knowing, but it was enough to give a general idea.

It was just enough.

I looked upward at the sky. The sun was still shining brilliantly and the skies were mostly clear, the few clouds drifting lazily passed by.

It was not raining, yet what was this wetness I felt?

Ah, right. It must have been that Aqua splashing me water again in revenge.