Chp.38: A great destiny

As soon as it was dawn, Haku understood why Hara had warned him that the journey would not be pleasant for him. To begin with, as soon as he was allowed out of the tent practically the entire army turned to look at him, which made him very uncomfortable; he certainly didn't care about the opinion of humans, but it still wasn't pleasant to have all eyes on him as if he were some kind of freak. Haku knew that seeing a dragon shouldn't be something that happens every day, but at least they could pretend not to want to pressure him. However, he didn't complain: he certainly wouldn't show weakness in the face of his enemies, and then he still had his dignity, so he walked with his head held high and ignored the curious looks of the humans.

Sometimes someone even tried to get close to touch him. From what he understood thanks to his supersensitive ears, it must be some sort of gamble. Haku would gladly have torn apart the idiot who dared to treat a dragon as a test for a prize up for grabs, and even more he wanted to explain what pain really was to those imbeciles who dared to accept that challenge, but he couldn't because of the collar that he was wearing; so, he just kept his calm and looked straight into the eyes of those who tried to get too close to him. That was enough: even if the humans knew he couldn't fight back because of the collar, his murderous glare was enough to make them tremble, making them lose the will to get any closer.

After a short walk, he was brought in front of what looked like a large iron cage. Attached to it were chains tied around the legs of a group of wyverns. "You will be transported in flight" Hara explained. "I hope you don't get airsick"

"It's not the first time I've flown. And anyway I'm a dragon, if I suffered from air sickness I'd commit suicide out of shame" Haku replied. A dragon, a creature born to fly, that got sick as soon as it flew? That couldn't even called shame, that was the apotheosis of ridicule.

Haku entered the cage and lay down inside. As soon as the cage was closed someone tried to approach, perhaps feeling safer now that there were iron bars between them, but Haku just put a paw on one of them to bend it slightly, showing everyone that if he wished he could have get out at any time. This discouraged the curious, who finally left him alone.

Some soldiers climbed onto the wyverns and then took off led by Hara. The woman would personally bring the dragon to the capital: after all, his task was now over, and there was no longer any threat in beastmen territory that Carrion couldn't handle alone. He could leave the command of the whole army to him without any worries.

Though he didn't show it, Haku felt somewhat uncomfortable. The cage was constantly rattling from side to side whenever even the slightest breath of wind hit it, and the movements of the wyverns didn't make the journey any more pleasant. It certainly wasn't like flying on his mother's back, as he had when she finally carried him and his siblings out of the cave where they were born.

Also, inside he was seething with rage. He had hoped to use his trip to the capital to escape. He was sure they would never take him with their whole army: even if they had won the war, the humans still had to pacify the conquered territory, so their soldiers had to stay there to maintain order. Haku suspected that the humans would feel safe enough to entrust him with an escort of a few dozen or at most a hundred people. As a result, he might find an opportunity to escape during the transport: he could deactivate the collar with the nullification rune and the iron bars of the cage would not be a problem for him. If he had timed and planned everything right, he could have a chance to escape.

But now his plan was ruined. It was impossible for him to escape while they were flying. Unfortunately he hadn't grown wings yet, so if he tried to get out of the cage he would just fall to the ground. Although the dragons' bodies were very strong, falling from that height would have been reduced to a mass of blood, flesh and pulverized bones as soon as he touched the ground below. Therefore, for the moment there was nothing he could do but wait. This situation was frustrating, but there was nothing he could do about it. So, he just watched the landscape roll by below him like a huge, detailed palette of colors.

The journey lasted just three days. Most likely on foot they would have taken weeks, but thanks to the strong wings of the wyverns it was possible to complete the distance in a short time. The wyverns didn't seem to need to rest, and the humans above them also showed no signs of fatigue, so they never even paused; Haku suspected that since they all had a high level of strength, they could use their mana to supply the need for sleep.

They reached the capital late in the evening. Haku wasn't able to see much: even if he had excellent night vision, he was still several hundred meters high, and furthermore his perception was limited since he couldn't even stick his head out of the cage. However, he was able to note that it was quite large, much larger than any ogre city or fairy capital, and it was also very bright, since small sources of light shone almost everywhere.

Hara and his soldiers led him to a large concentric palace, the architecture of which from Haku's point of view was quite bizarre. Once they landed, they carried him in and went deep. Finally, they reached a room at least fifteen meters wide and six meters high, and there they left him, though two of them still remained to watch him.

The surveillance was useless: Haku had no intention of trying to escape from there, since the space was too small for him to fight. Before reaching the outside he would almost certainly have been joined by several hundred soldiers along the corridors. Therefore, he first had to at least know the layout of that place before he could attempt to escape.

Unbeknownst to him, however, his guards weren't the only ones watching. On the ceiling there was a small silver crystal that gave off a soft light. In another room, quite far from the one where Haku was, a second crystal identical to the first was placed on a pedestal, and a beam of light emerged from it projecting the image of the dragon.

"So he's the one who let us win the war?"

In the room there was Hara, and with her were two other men. One was blond and with just a hint of a beard, while the other was tall and burly. These two men were the king of Jurao Kingdom, Marcus Junio Kaidor, and his bodyguard and trusted adviser, as well as the first legendary level of the kingdom, Thornag Demianrat. There was also a fourth person in the room, but that one remained aloof and didn't seem interested in joining the conversation.

"He doesn't look very strong" Thornag muttered as he looked at the dragon. "And he shouldn't be at this age. Are you sure he really killed the hydra?"

"The signs were unmistakable. He didn't use his strength to win, but several tricks" Hara explained. "I think his advantage isn't his strength, but his intelligence. I've only spoken to him once so far, but I think I can say for sure that he has great acumen"

The king narrowed his eyes at those words. "I'll ask him about the details of the battle personally" he said.

"Do you really want to talk to him, your majesty?" Thornag asked. "Please be careful. I don't need to remind you how dangerous one of those creatures is"

"Thornag, you've been my friend for several years, so you know that now I'll tell you you're worrying too much" Marcus said. "That's not an adult dragon and he's locked by the submission collar. He won't be able to attack me. Plus you'll be there with me, so why be afraid?"

"Because that dragon killed a hydra, a calamity indeed, which should be impossible. So forgive me if I'm not totally sure that he can't do nothing to you" was Thornag's curt reply.

That argument was more than valid. A young dragon who had been able to slay a beast that even legendary levels would have a hard time against could not be underestimated. Most likely, he had many tricks on his hands.

The king frowned. "I'll talk to him. This is my will!" he said aloud, and both Hara and Thornag said nothing. While the king lacked their extraordinary strength, he was able to exert some authority over them when he wished. "Now go. I have to talk to my guest"

The two legendary tiers bowed and walked out. Marcus was left alone in the room with the other person who still hadn't spoken. He didn't even look at her, he just stared at the image of the dragon projected by the crystal. "Is it him the one you wanted to see?"

The other person stepped forward, revealing himself to the light. She was a beautiful elf with her eyes perpetually closed and clothes so magnificent they didn't seem to have been sewn by mortal hand. She approached the crystal and although she never opened her eyelids she smiled as if she was seeing what was happening in front of her. "It's him" she answered.

The king was somewhat surprised by this strange display of joy. He couldn't remember ever seeing that woman smile in all those years. "Forgive my arrogance, noble priestess of the God of Knowledge, but I have a question for you" he said respectfully. "Why is that dragon so important to you that you have to come here so urgently?"

Throughout his life, it had always been Marcus who summoned the priestess of the God of Knowledge when he needed a prophecy. His ancestors or the rulers of other nations had done the same. It had almost never happened that it was the priestess herself who asked to see someone. Instead that day the elf had presented herself in front of the king asking to be able to see the dragon as soon as he arrived. Which was somewhat unusual.

The elf shook her head. "It's not important to me" she replied. "I just wanted to be able to admire him, now that his story has just begun to be written. Call it my personal wish"

Marcus was somewhat uncomfortable. If a person capable of foreseeing the future said certain things, he as a king certainly couldn't remain indifferent. "What is the fate of that dragon?" he asked.

"I have no idea. My god hasn't allowed me to see all of it. I've only seen what I had to see, and I know that dragon is destined to become something more extraordinary than you or I could ever imagine" the elf answered without losing her smile.

Marcus wrapped his arms nervously around his chest. The elf had her back turned and han't yet opened her eyes, and yet she noticed this. "You fear he might be a danger to your kingdom" she said. It wasn't a question, it was words spoken with certainty that they were correct.

The king nodded, knowing he couldn't lie to her. "If this dragon's destiny is as great as you claim, how should I deal with it?"

The best choice would have been to kill the dragon, but Marcus didn't want to try. He knew the stories of those people who had tried to oppose the oracles spoken by the priests of the God of Knowledge. None of them had ended well. Therefore, if that dragon was so important from the god's point of view, Marcus had no intention of fighting the destiny, but at least he wanted to know how to limit the damage he could do to his kingdom. After all, he was still a king and he had responsibility for his subjects.

The elf sighed softly, as if she thought it silly, then finally opened her lids wide. Her amethyst eyes finally saw the projected image of the dragon, and immediately closed again. "You have to do exactly what you planned to do" she finally replied.

Marcus was somewhat surprised. "You mean... try to make him my servant? But... if he has such a great future ahead of him..."

"You needn't worry. It was fate that he was captured by your men, it was fate that he was brought here, and it was fate that you did exactly what you planned to do. Your kingdom won't suffer his vengeance; instead, he will help you lay the foundations for a new and greater nation, and help your children to create it. Even if he will do so in ways that neither I or you could expect" the elf explained. "To do that, however, he must first understand. Therefore, try to bend over him with any means at your disposal. The only thing I ask is that you don't kill him... also because I know that if you tried, you would fail"

There were many things in those words that Marcus didn't comprehend. "What should he understand?" he asked.

"I have no idea. I just know that he must understand, and he will do it here because you will try to bend over him" the woman replied quietly.

Marcus wanted to ask for more details, but he knew the elf would tell him she didn't know them. He wondered how that woman could have so much trust in things she could only see fleetingly. Her faith in her god must have been truly immense. But after all, as far as he knew, the prophecies emanating from the priests of the God of Knowledge had hardly ever turned out to be wrong. "Is that all you have to tell me?"

"That's all for now" the elf replied, turning and walking towards the door. "Now go and try to bend that dragon. I'll be back when it will be time for a change"

And with this cryptic sentence, she left the room. Marcus was left alone staring at the projected image of the dragon, with his head full of thoughts.