Return to Jorgaldur Volume IV: Reunion

Fate has strange ways

Somehow, when they entered the valley, something changed. The constant wind, which had blown incessantly during their long journey, had completely stopped. There was only a white blanket that unfolded in front of them and an overwhelming silence.

"It must be some kind of barrier," Eldi suggested.

"Whatever it is, it's really intimidating. It's like another world, though before it was also all white," Goldmi looked around, amazed.

Even with Hawkeye, she could only see snow. Therefore, the goshawk, who was on her sister's shoulder, wanted to take off to explore from the sky. However, something prevented her. It was a terrible aura that was approaching.

"A dragon," the vampiress murmured.

She was the only one who had encountered a dragon, at least since they had returned. So, she was able to recognize that kind of aura. Nonetheless, it was different from the dying dragon that had granted her his power in the past. It wasn't as majestic, but it wasn't in its twilight either.

"Over there," Goldmi pointed. She was the first one to see them.

It still took a few seconds for the rest to spot the small figure in the distance, which could easily be confused with any bird. However, as it approached, its silhouette became more defined, increased in size, and a very light blue color began to be distinguished.

They stood looking, still, without making any hostile gesture, but prepared to react at any moment. From the tales of the barbarian siblings, they didn't expect them to be either welcoming or aggressive.

The figure grew until they could see the appearance of a dinosaur with wings spanning ten meters. That indicated that they were a young dragon, with plenty of room for growth.

They landed in front of them, with a great crash, not caring that the shock wave could affect the visitors, or the snow was thrown over them. Although, they were surprised that Goldmi's Wind Push protected them completely.

"This land belongs to the dragons. Outsiders aren't allowed to enter. Declare the reason for your arrival," they heard the dragon's words in their minds.

Dragons didn't have the vocal cords needed to pronounce those words, but they could communicate telepathically. Although it isn't an easy process to master, that dragon was hundreds of years old despite being considered young. He had had more than enough time to learn.

His large blue eyes, whose color was more intense than his skin, looked at them from several meters above. Normally, there would have been some disdain and arrogance in that gaze, but now there was even caution.

Those little beings were undoubtedly powerful, although that wasn't what had surprised him the most. One of them had a blood aura, so he assumed she was a vampiress, although he had never seen one before. Although, even that didn't attract much attention, he was only curious. It was the other aura in her that he didn't understand, besides feeling intimidated.

"We only need a few grams of the shell of an ice dragon egg. Also, there's a black edelweiss, which grows on your lands. What could we exchange for it? We have large quantities of meat and materials, or we can try to get what you require," Eldi offered.

Under other circumstances, the dragon might have said something like "we don't need anything from you, leave." In fact, even in the current situation, no matter how much they might need their help, he wouldn't have trusted any newcomer.

However, Gjaki possessed the blessing of an ancient, powerful and respected dragon. He had given her his essence to let her rise to her highest level, and she had been soaked with his aura. It wasn't something most beings could perceive, but it was obvious to a dragon.

Therefore, he couldn't just send them back like other times. The dragons welcomed visitors there, thus fulfilling an ancient oath, but their duty ended there. Once they had heard whatever the visitors had to say, they usually demanded that whoever had come simply leave. The dragons didn't care if they were heroes or kings. Rarely had anyone deserved their attention.

"Wait here," was all he said. That was something he couldn't decide for himself.

Without understanding what was happening, the group could do nothing but watch the enormous dragon flap his wings, through which a large amount of mana circulated. It rose very quickly, and his silhouette soon vanished in the distance.

"Now what?" Goldmi asked.

"Shall we make snowmen?" Gjaki suggested.

Her companions looked at her without knowing if she was serious or joking.

When they saw the enormous dragoness arrive, they couldn't help but be amazed. Her size was ten times that of their previous host, and the pressure of her aura was incomparable. If their power had been lower, it would have been difficult for them to even breathe.

She landed in front of them on the snow, so softly that the impact against the ground was barely felt. It didn't even affect the recent snow sculptures. That made them think that the previous one had done it expressly to intimidate them, or simply to show off.

The blue eyes also stared at Gjaki with great surprise. The young dragon had only sensed a deep draconic aura, but she had recognized it.

"Why do you have the aura of the old guardian?" the dragoness asked Gjaki solemnly.

The vampiress didn't feel any intimidation or accusation. However, she did have the feeling that the huge newcomer could unleash the fury of a dragon if her response wasn't satisfactory.

Therefore, she just told her the truth. How she had found the dying dragon. How he had asked her to kill him, and given her the power he still had left.

"Without a doubt, fate has strange ways," she sighed. "What do you need the shell and edelweiss for?"

"To make a potion, to heal a friend," Gjaki explained.

"A potion? What kind of potion needs those ingredients?" the dragoness was interested.

Not that potions had any importance to her, but it was different if they needed ingredients belonging to her kin.

"Eldi, what was the name of the potion and what does it do?" Gjaki asked him.

Eldi and Goldmi had been listening to her friend answering, but not the dragoness' questions. So, the question caught them a little by surprise.

"The Potion of Rebirth. It recreates every part of the body, every cell," the high human explained.

The dragoness looked at him then, as if it were the first time she had noticed his presence. She knew the name of the potion. It was one that the dragoness didn't think she would ever hear again. She would never have thought that anyone would have been granted such knowledge.

She then looked with curiosity and attention at the elf. Since her two companions each had something exceptional, she wondered if that one did too. It was then that she perceived a very special blessing, one that came from the world of fairies.

"Without a doubt, fate has strange ways," she sighed again.