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The Guardian Dragon Chronicles

Forged in Fire

A heated atmosphere swallowed the room. It was like a furnace. Cid's outburst was as a breath of fire and it burned his companions. They began to catch fire. The flames of fury sizzled.

"No. I suppose we don't. So, please, go ahead and educate us," Kardonyth sarcastically remarked, clenching his teeth on the latter few words.

"The truth is painful to digest, but even then you must take it in!" Cid exclaimed. "You four are humans with dragon souls for crying out loud! You four are one of a kind! You have no memories from before being what you are because this is all you have ever been! You were created as the Guardian Dragons for the sole purpose of being Guardian Dragons! You have never been wholly human just as there has never been whole dragons! Dragons were just a myth until you four came to be!"

"How do you know this? Stop talking like you know everything! You don't!" Kardonyth replied.

"I know you four are acting like spoiled brats, like cowards!" Cid retorted. "Stop being fearful of failure and start being confident of success! Failure is not a reason to stop, it is a reason to keep going! Yes, when it came to Rak, you fell short. That just makes it even more your responsibility and obligation to get stronger, wiser, and continue to protect this world! However, right now, it is Gaia that you need to protect."

"What do you mean!?" Sara asked. "What is happening on Gaia 'right now?'"

* * *

Teri ran up to Zade.

"Did you see the symbol that was used to summon Cid!?" Teri asked with what little breath she could muster.

"Nope." Zade answered with a puzzled look.

"The town is under attack!" Teri exclaimed.

"Does the cosmos hate us or something!?" Zade sighed with disgust.

"Someone is terrorizing our town," Teri stated. "He thinks that since the town has been obliterated, that it is basically gone for good. He does not acknowledge the validity of its restoration, and to him, that gives him the right to appropriate everything."

"What does one man intend to do with that much stuff?" Zade asked.

"How should I know?" Teri asked.

"I will ask him myself," Zade replied.

"What!?" Teri asked.

"Even if we went to the capital to request help from the guards, would you expect this guy to wait around for help to arrive?" Zade asked.

"No," Teri answered.

"I will deal with him myself," Zade replied.

"You are crazy!" Teri exclaimed.

"You are scared," Zade replied. "It is only natural to be scared for the ones you love. You called us crazy when we helped Kardonyth. You knew it would be dangerous. You did not want us to help, and when we did, you abandoned us. You did not want to deal with the pain of losing us if it came to that. Yes, I abandoned them also. I panicked. When the fighting broke out, Sara was well aware that there was no way she could help fight, but she still didn't back out. She is a true friend. What kind of friends are we if we aren't there for support when it is needed most? This is our town, it needs our support. We cannot rely on others to fight for it, we have to fight for it ourselves, and that's the problem. We never have had to fight before, but we should have been prepared anyway. I was not just inspired to confess my love, I was inspired to not be helpless, to fight!"

"You do not stand a chance!" Teri exclaimed.

"Trying is better than not trying. Besides, who else will?" Zade replied. He ran towards the danger, and Teri ran after him.

When the couple arrived at the spot where the trouble was occurring, they witnessed someone being knocked to the ground.

"I do not have much..." the victim said. "What I do have is priceless heirlooms that have been in my family for generations."

"I thought I made it clear..." the man said. "You all bring me whatever can be salvaged, and no one gets hurt!"

"I will make this clear..." Zade said. "You leave now, empty handed, and you will not get hurt!"

"Brave words..." the man clapped. "Do you have the power to validate them?"

"Someone taught me that you don't need power to fight; just the will to," Zade replied.

"We will see about that," the man laughed. He projected a hand towards Zade, and sent him flying back for a seconds.

"Zade!" Teri shrieked as he hit the ground.

"You're out of your depth!" the man exclaimed.

"What? Did you master magic overnight?" Zade got up.

"That's exactly what I did!" the man grinned.

"Get a life!" Zade teased.

"Oh, I have one," the man replied. "You won't if you continue to oppose me."

"What do you intend to do with all the stuff?" Zade asked.

"Whatever I please!" the man answered.

"In other words, you are not a true criminal, just a petty thief!" Zade replied.

The man pulled his hand back, and Zade was pulled towards him. He then, with sharp motion, waved his hand up and down. Zade was being slammed into the ground over and over.

"Sorry, I can't hear you over all the power that I have!" the man laughed. "What was that? It sounded like you called me a petty thief!"

"Damn right I did!" Zade laughed, lifting his bloody face out of the dirt.

"None of you deserve what you have!" the man shouted. "The only ones to blame for what happened to this town is yourselves for not being able to stop it! This town is in ruins, and it should stay in ruins- nothing but ruins!"

"A failure is just a stepping stone on the path to success. We are as the fabled phoenix. From our ashes, we will rise stronger than before!" Zade exclaimed as he gradually got back up.

"I bet if I reduced you to ashes, you would stay ashes!" the man laughed.

* * *

"The real question is how he knows," Acorech said. "Visions?"

"You are distrusting me out of spite?" Cid asked.

"A little, I suppose," Acorech replied. "It may not seem so, but I am genuinely curious."

"I peeked at this," Cid reached into coat and pulled out a crystal ball.

"You divided your attention during a tense argument?" Alakin asked.

"I have been checking periodically, but I never expected something to happen so soon," Cid replied.

"What do you mean?" Sara asked. "You mean what you saw was not the future, but the present?"

"Indeed," Cid answered. "I took precautions earlier. There is a type of mark that was made to work in conjunction with crystal balls. You cast a mark of a specific size, and you can view that particular area in real time once the mark has been tethered to a crystal ball. That is the appropriate use of crystal balls. I cast a mark that spans the entirety of your hometown. I can now view it wholly at my leisure. Now, we better hurry if we are to save your friends."

"So they are in danger!" Sara exclaimed. "Why didn't you say so sooner!?"

"You all have been asking questions. I merely answered them out of respect," Cid replied.

"'Respect!?'" Acorech questioned. "No 'I'll explain later; There's no time now?' There's no excuse!"

"It did not matter a minute or two ago when for all you knew, it was random strangers in trouble? That is inexcusable!" Cid exclaimed.

"Just drop it and go save them already!" Sara shouted.

Cid opened up a portal. He and the Guardian Dragons went through, and as they returned to Gaia, Zade continued to make a stand.

"I am ashes!" Zade shouted. "My former self has been incinerated. "Now here I am, rising up as a new man!"

"How poetic!" remarked a voice coming out of the sky.

"Cid!" Zade exclaimed.

"Alakin, and Calic, too!" Teri exclaimed as she looked up. "Kadonyth, and of course, Acorech!"

"I appreciate you guys going to the trouble of coming to save the day, but don't. This is my fight," Zade said as the five landed.

"You can't be serious," Acorech said.

"Talk some sense into him!" Teri shouted.

"You can't talk sense into people, you have to beat it into them!" the man thrust his fist into Zade's stomach, then thrust him into the ground. "Actions speak louder than words!"

"Enough, Zade!" Acorech shouted.

"After all this time, I am finally inspired to do more, to be more- to be like you!" Zade exclaimed.

"You will get yourself killed!" Acorech exclaimed.

"I know I will die if I lose, so I won't worry about losing or dying. I will win no matter what, because I keep telling myself I will win no matter what!" Zade shouted.

"Those words!" Acorech's eyes widened.

"I heard them from Rak, who heard them from Calic, who heard them from someone else, who I'm guessing was you," Zade responded.

"I did not develop that phrase of mine until long after I was trained," Acorech remarked.

"Everyone has to start somewhere. This is my origin story." Zade replied.

"No, this is foolish! You have to start small!" Acorech exclaimed.

"This is my town, my people! That makes it my responsibility, my obligation to fight! It would be foolish to rely on others to fight for who and what I care about!" Zade shouted.

"Do you understand now?" Cid asked. "He sees what you four have lost sight of. Love is not an excuse to stop fighting, it is an excuse to_keep_ fighting. Failure is not a reason to stop fighting, it is a reason to keep fighting. Love and failure are inspiration for fighting. No matter how many times you get knocked down, you get back up. That is what you do when you care. Have your hearts hardened so that you only care about those close to you? Remember that deep down you all care for all people, for your world. You want to have children someday? If you bring children into a world, it is not just your responsibility and obligation to raise them, it is also your responsibility and obligation to raise a better world for them. For them, will your legacy be poor, or great? No matter where you are, no matter where you call home, as small as a town and as big as a world, as a resident of somewhere, it is your duty to protect and serve that somewhere. Acorech, you knew that alone you stood no chance against Rak. Even then, even when your cycle was on the verge of renewal, you still fought him so that your comrades may renew peacefully. The rest of you, for his sake, fought Rak even when the odds were in his favor. Furthermore, you, Calic and Alakin, when Kardonyth left you to join Crystal, you yet fought. Kardonyth, even as a dog you did not give up! Putting an end to Rak was not a complete failure! We may not have stopped him before he unleashed egregious devastation up this world, but we stopped him nonetheless! None of you gave up before, so don't give up now! Stop blaming yourselves for what happened, and don't you dare giving up fighting!"

"It sounds like a lot has happened between now and earlier." Zade smirked. "Even so, after all that has happened, both in this world and yours', to have the audacity to even think about quitting the heroics is unacceptable! You don't get to just inspire people like me and then stop! You owe it to the people who look up to you and place their hope in you to keep going! When the flames of your convictions are waning, you don't throw water on them, you throw more wood on them!"

"I swear upon the South, I am forever a Guardian Dragon!" Acorech exclaimed, transforming into the Cerulean Dragon. "Who's with me!?"

"I swear upon the North, I am forever a Guardian Dragon!" Calic yelled, transforming into the Golden Dragon.

"I swear upon the East, I am forever a Guardian Dragon!" Kardonyth roared, transforming into the Albino Dragon.

"I swear upon the West, I am forever a Guardian Dragon!" Alakin shouted, transforming into the Crimson Dragon.

"I said I got this!" Zade groaned.

"Shut up!" the man kicked Zade.

"What kind of friends would we be if we didn't help out?" Acorech asked. "This not your burden to bare alone. This is our crucible!"

"I guess I can't help it..." Zade replied.

"Damn it! I forgot Dragonfang!" Acorech yelled.

"I would not have forgotten it," Kardonyth replied.

"Give me a break! I've only had it for less than a day!" Acorech retorted.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm just teasing," Kardonyth replied.

"This spectacle ends now!" the man shouted. "Your corpses are going to make me very rich!"

"You are not the first, probably not the last, to challenge us, four dragons, all alone," Calic remarked. "You too are arrogant, and foolish, and because of that, you are doomed to fail."

"There is a difference between having more arrogance than skill, and more skill than arrogance," the man replied.

"Justifying your attitude will get you nowhere," Calic retorted.

"Perhaps, but this won't," the man lifted Zade up with one hand, and with the other conjured a ball of fire.

"No!" Teri cried.

"Elementary level magic will." In an instant, Cid had yanked Zade to himself.

"Ah, a fellow practitioner of the Arts," the man smirked. "Perhaps now the saying 'fighting fire with fire' will actually mean something."

"You are fighting them, not me," Cid replied.

"Cid! Why are you not going to assist us!?" Kardonyth questioned.

"I have assisted you all enough for now. I am making sure you guys do not get used to me helping," Cid answered. "I mean, if you guys are to restore confidence in your ability to fight, then I have to leave this up to you. Do not forget how to fight as a team of four as opposed to five. It was you four for hundreds of years prior, and it will be you four for hundreds of years from now."

"Fine," Kardonyth retorted.

"It's not them four, it's us five." Zade attempted to move.

"If you yet desire to fight, I have to heal you first, or else you will be more of a hindrance than a help," Cid stated.

"Do not take your time, then. Make it quick," Zade groaned.

"I'll do my best." Cid smirked. "But first..."

"What?" Zade groaned.

"Even if I heal you, you would still be more of a hindrance than a help," Cid stated. "It is not that you have no experience fighting, it is that you have no knowledge of how to fight. Even hand-to-hand combat is an Art. If you attempt to ignorantly throw punches, you will be no better off than before."

"Well, then what do you suggest I do!?" Zade inquired.

"I have an idea, but you may not like it," Cid answered.

"As long as it gives me a fighting chance, I don't care," Zade replied.

The Guardian Dragons were buying Cid and Zade time. Acorech charged forward. The latter put one hand on the ground, and a small earthquake occurred. Acorech, started to trip, and the man shot a stream of fire at him. Acorech countered with a breath of fire. Kardonyth flew towards the man. The man raised his grounded hand to the sky. Lightning rained down and struck Kardonyth who then fell to the ground. Calic breathed fire, but the flames were negated by a conjured gust of wind.

Grunting and growling, Zade rushed into battle on all fours.

"What the hell?" Acorech asked. "What is the meaning of this, Cid?"

"We compromised," Cid began to explain. "The civilized, sophisticated nature within him has been suppressed, and the primal nature within him now has control. He is now berserk. At the expense of logic and reasoning, his strength and speed have sharply risen. Without knowledge of how to fight, this is the only way to fight without knowledge- knowledge being unnecessary."

"I am just going to go ahead and ask," said Acorech. "This is not permanent, yes?"

"But of course," Cid answered. "All I have to do is reverse the suppression."

Zade zigzagged towards the man, dodging the barrage of fireballs being launched at him. When he got close, he was forced far back. This pattern continued several times.

"This has gone on long enough; This ends now," Cid shot a beam of light at the man.

"What did you do!?" the man became flustered. "I can't use magic anymore!?"

"Yes. I silenced you," Cid replied.

"You bastard!" the man shouted.

The man, distracted by his sudden predicament, failed to avoid Zade's assault. Zade jumped him, knocking him to the ground, and began to claw at him. When the man attempted to beat him off of himself, the latter bit into his arm. He yelled in agony. He then tried to choke him with his other hand, but that was proving to be ineffective. Performing a decisive counter, he kicked him in the testicles. Liberating his arm, this time it was Zade who was yelling in agony. Without hesitation, the man punched Zade in the stomach. The latter was now writhing in pain, gasping for air. The man then proceeded to choke Zade with both hands.

"With no magic, just my bare hands, I am succeeding at killing one who was magically enhanced. This man is truly pathetic," the man spoke.

"Do something!" Teri wept.

In a flash, Cid had ripped the man off of Zade, and was reciprocating the attack. "How do you like it?" Cid asked. "Hands are such sacred instruments. With them, one can write poetry, cast magic, hug someone dear, or take a life!"

"Cid!" Kardonyth yelled.

"Right, I am getting carried away." Cid released the man's throat. "If the eyes be evil, be blind; If hands or feet transgress, be crippled. You cannot be trusted to retain you apparatus. Judgment is clear." Cid cast magic, and the man's hands were erased.

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, NOOOOOOO!!!" the man shouted.

"Be gone!" Cid shouted. "Never return!"

The man ran off, assumed to be never seen again.

"Cid!?" Kardonyth questioned, disturbed by the punishment.

"Hey!" Cid snapped. "I did not kill him! This is fair. You of all people should understand. Rak, having risen in power to the degree he did, did what he did, and we had no choice but to kill him. I will not allow history to repeat itself; both in respect to the actions of others' and the actions of us."

"Very well," Kardonyth replied.

Cid remedied Zade, then returned him to normal.

"Damn it all to hell!" Zade cursed. "Even in that state I was no good! My life was over and there was nothing I could do! I failed this town!"

"No," Cid replied. "Your bravery did a justice."

"Bravery alone does not yield victory," Zade retorted.

"Your blazing resolve will not go unrewarded," Cid declared. He attracted a couple of large pieces of wood to himself and began to transmute them. He crafted a flaming sword. He then poked Zade in the chest. "Just as I bestowed Dragonfang to the Guardian Dragons, I bestow this, 'Flamebrand,' to you. This sword is tethered to you. Its fire will only be as strong as you will, and will only burn who or what you will."

"Well, I'll be damned!" Zade grinned. "I get a sword!"

"Welcome to the club!" Acorech laughed.

"Yes, well, joking aside, something serious has been on my mind," Zade replied.

"Yes?" Acorech asked.

"I know for a fact that we had much more memories of you than what we have now. All those memories are now gone. Care to explain why?" Zade questioned.

"I did not have much of a choice. Those memories of mine could not coexist with my true memories," Acorech answered.

"I see..." Zade replied.

"Yes. On that note, we should be going back," Cid said.

"Say hello to Sara for us," Zade said.

"Will do," Acorech replied.

Cid opened up a portal. He and the Guardian Dragons stepped through. They made their way back to Dragon Heart Temple, and stepped through its gates. Becoming aware of their return, Crystal and Sara came and met them.

"So?" Sara asked.

"Zade and Teri say 'Hi,'" Acorech answered.

"So they are fine?" Sara questioned.

"Of course," Acorech replied.

"Are you guys fine?" Crystal asked.

"Yeah, we are," Kardonyth answered.

"We were broken," Alakin added. "After what happened on Gaia, the trauma left us desperate to avoid any more painful experiences. We wanted to steer our life down the easy road. We have come to terms with what happened, and with ourselves. No matter who or what, life is full of hardships, so we will continue down the hard road willingly."

"You four have no memories from before being Guardian Dragons. You would like to know the experiences of growing up, having a childhood. You say I don't understand what it's like to be you, and for the most part, you're right," Cid teared up. "I have no recollection of my childhood. I grew up having my memories erased and replaced over and over and over again. The truth of my past is lost forever. All I have is lies, but I would rather have nothing. Count yourselves blessed, because the pain you feel is no worse than what I feel."

"Wow. After all this time knowing you, we finally know something about you- and I'm not trying to make light of this revelation by saying that!" Kardonyth replied.

"Yeah, well, I suppose it needed to be said," Cid retorted.

"Well, now that things have settled down at last, Sara and I can plan our wedding like we planned," Acorech said.

"I'll save you two the trouble of commissioning a priest," Cid replied.

"What do you mean?" Acorech asked. "You are a priest!?"

"Of sorts..." Cid answered,

"What do you mean?" Acorech asked.

"I really have been away from my duties for far too long," Cid teleported back to his residence.

"Someone so secretive has no hope of finding love let alone getting married." Acorech remarked.

"Let him worry about that. You worry about our wedding," Sara smiled.

"That day can't come soon enough," Acorech replied.

To be continued...