Old Story (Part 2)

My uncle continued before another question escaped my mouth. "Alicia lived in Olrad, that's how we met. We actually met thanks to your father. You see, Suly is my daughter but not Alicia's. Grey Lizards always sent someone to monitor others. Not to spy on others, simply keep up with the events. Alicia's predecessor was Suly's mother. She passed away due to illness, and Suly wasn't any better either…".

"In the past, medicine was scarce and expensive. I worked day in and day out just to afford some medicine for Suly. People pointed fingers at me for loving a Grey Lizard, it wasn't easy to be honest. Then Harlin took me in and gave me a job. I could afford the medicine, but Suly's health wasn't getting any better. Then, your father came here. His medicine… Hehe, it was so good, I actually swindled a bottle from him. He then helped her out, actually cured her illness...".

"Once Suly got better, your father introduced her to Alicia. I don't know how, but Alicia agreed to teach her. Perhaps she knew about her predecessor. Perhaps Suly made an impression on her. Your father not only cured my daughter, he gave her purpose. I owe him more than a life, and your other uncles and aunts are the same as me. Crow lost his eyes, your father replaced them for him. Harlin stopped being naive, stopped believing what Royals told him. He gave Ama an opportunity to expand her skills and rebuild Sedon… There's more, but the rest is a history", he narrated.

My father never shared these things with me. I could tell he treated all his friends well, but to think they had such history. "Seems like you guys depended on him a lot", I said. "Hehe, I guess you could say that. His unique way of handling things and affecting people around him, made him who he is today. Though, there were times I had doubts. Your father was a bit different in the past, he changed a lot compared to before", uncle said.

My inquiring look was enough for him to continue. "Your father is not a saint by any means. Two races perished by his hands, while another one barely remained around. You probably don't know that, but our North used to have two more races present. Avians, a minor race capable of flight, and Yagaroths, a water dwelling race. Avians had wings, and occupied an area called Vulture Cliffs. That area no longer exists", he explained.

"As for Yagaroths, no one knew about that race... Until your father uncovered them. Yagaroths lived under the Vulture Cliffs, dormant, quiet and uninterested in the affairs of the surface. Even Avians who lived there, had no clue about Yagaroths. Once your father made the discovery, Avians asked him to take care of them. That was a mistake, since Yagaroths were not our enemies…".

"Avians were simply afraid of the 'threat' from below, and as the creatures adapted to flying, they couldn't swim. Their combat abilities on the ground suffered a lot too. Your father on the other hand, was very well adapted to ground combat, and surely much better in the water than Avians. He agreed to take care of the Yagaroths, at which time they simply thought of them as monsters, nothing else. Yagaroths were not that simple though, and their numbers were not small either. Your father managed to kill a few, but he killed the wrong Yagaroth…"

"One of them was a direct spawn of their leader, the Great One as they called him… I forgot to mention, Yagaroths looked like tentacle creatures. They swam really fast, and fought viciously on the surface as well. I can't tell you much, since I've never faced them, but that's what your father told us. Anyway, your father angered the Great One, and at the same time, Avians finally figured out the origin of these creatures, as well as their name. The Great One showed himself in anger, and demanded the lives of those responsible. Of course, Avians simply betrayed your father, even though they asked him to take care of those creatures…", he narrated, but that wasn't all.

"Your father managed to escape, albeit not without a price. The Yagaroths were even more furious, while Avians took the brunt of that anger. They essentially became slaves to the Yagaroths, and did their biddings. Scouting in search of your father and so on. Your father didn't forget about them though. His anger and thirst for revenge would stop until those two ceased to exist… And he succeeded. He destroyed both races completely, together with the Vulture Cliffs", he added.

That story was indeed new to me. I wasn't even surprised no one told me about it, since it was my own father who did that. I couldn't judge him, since I wasn't there. Besides, what would be the point of judging him at that stage? He worked hard to help others, and the father I knew wasn't a bloodthirsty monster. Just like my uncle said, he changed, and probably regretted what happened in the past.

One thing about that story didn't seem right to me though. "You said that he destroyed a whole area, right? How? He didn't reach the Primal Limits stage back then, right? So how could he destroy two races and a whole area?", I asked.

"Ah, yes. I can see why you'd be confused. Of course he didn't possess such power, it was all external. He called it Yellow Dust, for lack of a better name. That's exactly what it was, a yellow sort of dust that burned really quickly… No, it didn't just burn, it exploded as well. That's how he destroyed a whole area and two races combined. The aftermath is visible to this day, a huge hole in the face of the North. My guess is, not even a Primal Limits being could survive that", he explained.

I had a familiar feeling about that Yellow Dust. "Say, uncle. Where did he get it from?", I asked. "Well, he never really shared that with us, but we assume it was from somewhere in the North. Since it's not on the surface, it had to be below it. Maybe even below the Vulture Cliffs, hence the aftermath", he replied unsure. 'Below the surface…', my face changed a bit.

I saw that Yellow Dust in the past. Me and Tara went for a little exploration trip inside a long underground tunnel. At the end of it, we saw a cavern with yellow rocks and other stuff. That thing wasn't a rock, but very fine powder stuck together. There was that being too, the Corpse Dog. The thing that Tara saw was the cause of Hydra's escape.

"Anna… Anna? Are you alright?", uncle woke me up from my thoughts. "Yea, yea, I'm fine. I'm just shocked something like that exists. Does my father have access to more of that?", I asked, trying to hide my true thoughts. "Not that I'm aware of. Maybe there's still some left, but your father doesn't need it really. Either way, I'm actually glad that thing is gone. This Yellow Dust was too dangerous…", uncle said, then took a deep breath.

"Anyway, that's the story. I think me telling you this isn't inappropriate, you are an adult after all. Alright, I have to get back to work. We can talk some other time", he added and bid me farewell. My thoughts were a bit messy at that stage. 'Does father and mother know about that tunnel? They were supposed to clear the remnants of Bramans out. Did they find more Yellow Dust during the search, and what happened to that other race my uncle talked about?'.

I wasn't sure whether to stay at Arangard, or return home and ask these questions. I trusted my father, but what if they missed something? The Hydra was no longer an issue, but the Yellow Dust would remain. My main concern was that the Yellow Dust would be discovered by someone inappropriate. Even uncle said that a being at Primal Limits stage could perish, that included someone like my father or Frosty.

'I have to return and make sure they know about it. Perhaps keeping this a secret was a bad idea. If only we knew back then, perhaps Hydra would still be trapped', I made up my mind. As an adult, I had responsibilities. I couldn't simply hide those things anymore, these things were too dangerous to hide from my parents. No matter what punishment they'd decide to give.