“What artifacts?” asked Vaeludar.
“Armor artifacts,” said the Dragon King, “Believed to have been forged by the White Knights themselves. Which would also mean used by the Crystal Dragon’s son: Valverno.”
There was a louder mutter talking about the creatures. They still spoke softly but louder than they did seconds ago.
“How is this relevant to me? How did you even know these events all of a sudden?” asked Vaeludar.
“Dragons inherited memories from our ancestors,” said the Dragon King. “My ancestors were still young and primitives, but they gazed upon the White Knights and Valverno. As quickly as they came, they disappeared without a trace and left behind no evidence of what had happened to them. Even though these may be old stories, these events were told by someone or a group of people who witnessed these events that had unfolded. And I believe these armor artifacts were possessed by the White Knights themselves. I think there could be some kind of connection between you and the White Knights.”
“How is this relevant to me? They left me behind and there is no way I’m connected to the White Knights or this Valverno. I’m not the son of a god; I’m the son of a Dragon and a human, and both were scientists.”
“That is quite true, but they had to leave you behind,” said the Dragon King, tapping the map once.
A puff of cloud formed above the spot the dragon had touched. Images of a woman and a dragon appeared in the cloud. The woman was carrying a baby with small dragon wings and legs. Around them were Banshees, Basilisks, Manticores, and Chimeras.
“That baby is you, Vaeludar,” stated the Dragon King. “Once every creature of evil saw you and your true purpose: to kill the Shadow King, they would try to get rid of you if they ever laid eyes upon you. So your parents hid you, to protect you until you were ready to fight against any evil.
“Now you are ready. And you are now in danger, when you killed the Minotaur, his death sent out war vibrations in the earth, digging down deep into the crust and casting in different directions. These vibrations were messages; messages that the hybrid has been found and the exact location where he is hiding.”
Vaeludar was breathing hard; his purpose was to kill a Shadow King from ancient times. That should have been impossible. The Crystal Dragon. Valverno. Lusìvar. White Knights. These were legends Vaeludar heard of and never thought were real.
“But the question remains: how is Lusìvar even alive?” he asked. “In the legends, he was casted away by a god. In other words, he should be dead.”
Suddenly evil whispers and chanting echoed from the cloth. All the creatures and the hybrid and the humans looked at the cloth: they heard the evil voices coming from the rag Vaeludar thought to be a regular washcloth.
The Dragon King turned his eyes toward Vaeludar.
“No, Vaeludar,” he whispered. “His body had been destroyed but his spirit remained bonded to these lands. Gods don’t kill their creations, so he was imprisoned somewhere and now he has broken free. We have just heard echoes from this cloth, which means Lusìvar himself had touched it once. Lusìvar still lives and you, Vaeludar, you have many great powers that a single creature had never possessed before.
“And so, your parents tried to gather these artifacts for you, but it seems they have come across mysterious obstacles. Big obstacles you would have to overcome to find these artifacts. Lusìvar’s would be a tremulous power, of which you would also have to overcome. These artifacts would make you grow stronger and be equally as powerful as him.”
“So now, I’m at war?”
“We have been at war, ever since the Minotaur showed up,” said Geraldus. “After you killed the Minotaur, the Dragons and all the creatures have been investigating other events happening around Shimabellia. My village wasn’t the only village under attack; there have been attacks on every part of the island. My village was to be the main attack, but you have disrupted a large invasion.”
Vaeludar had never thought he would have stopped the largest invasion aimed at the village he was living in. Was it pure luck or was it fate for him to have been there at the right time to stop it?
Before he could think any more clearly, a horn from the watchtower blew loudly.
“Could that be what I’m thinking it must be?” said Geraldus, impatiently.
“King Uragiru approaches,” yelled a crier. “King Uragiru approaches.”
“The king is here now,” said Geraldus. “We’ll have to discuss this matter later, after I kindly get rid of the king.”
“I don’t think so,” said the Faery Queen. “You can’t just turn away the king. The journey form the capital city is a few-week journey. He had traveled far and you would just toss him away?”
“I wouldn’t mean it like that,” said Geraldus.
“This talk can be brought to the king, Geraldus,” said the Dragon King. “We can continue this with King Uragiru, and I’m sure he can help us instead of keeping this secret from him. The king commands the biggest and best army on Shimabellia; he would be able to counterattack against these small raids before a massive invasion occurs within this island.”
Geraldus nodded and disbanded.
While the creatures of royalty either walked or flew and Geraldus and his sons walked towards running hooves, Vaeludar flew above the watchtower’s roof. He saw seven running horsemen and three battalions of soldiers in single formation.
Vaeludar had seen the leading horsemen running ahead of the soldiers and the soldiers coming to a stop.
Not wanting to be seen anymore, Vaeludar flew back to his open window room. He knew the one person he wanted to see may have been among them, but he didn’t need an audience with soldiers. He knew
