“Have-have you come to save us?”
“I don’t know. I did not know any people were living this far north. And I did not know this village has ever existed. I came to find a princess and a castle that holds an armor artifact that was found by two different people. My parents, who go by the names Ralenskrit and Belverda, tried to retrieve it but I hear they ended up failing.”
“A princess? A castle? A piece of armor? Ralenskrit and Belverda?” said the priest. “Are you the human-dragon mutant?”
“Yes, I am,” answered Vaeludar, sternly. “I’d rather be called a hybrid than a mutant. Ralenskrit and Belverda are my parents and I have no doubt you have met them, priest. What did they say to you?”
“How did you know?” asked the priest.
“I can read your thoughts and you are thinking I am a liar and killer and a small freak of craziness.”
The priest stood like a statue.
“The fate of life, and future lives not born yet depends on me, and it seems you. What did my parents say to you almost seventeen years ago?”
The priest sighed. “They came to this village,” he answered. “They asked us about an armor artifact: a gauntlet. They asked where they could find it, but we don’t know where it is. Only the legendary captured princess knows it is.”
“And where is the princess right now?”
“Held captive by the Ice Dragon as it did for a thousand years. She is still there. Before Ralenskrit and Belverda left, they said they didn’t want to get the princess because of the Ice Dragon.”
“Confound them,” blasted Vaeludar. “First they leave me with a friend of my mother. Next, they come up here and cowardly leave without taking a risk? Now, they want me to do the heavy fighting for them. They are what I call ‘parents who leave the hard stuff of their sons’. I swear I need better parents. But enough of that. I guess I need help finding my way to the castle.”
“I know of an old hermit who may help you,” said the priest.
“Where is she?” said Vaeludar, putting the sword back into the scabbard. “There is no time for me to lose.”
“Make for the northeast,” answered the priest, calmly. “There is a passage that will take you to your place.
“Thank you for your help,” stated Vaeludar, turning away. Vaeludar walked away and back to his group, walking through the crowd who stared at him. He saw the group starting at the back of the crowd. “Well, I have my next destination. And I just found out that the Ice Serpent is a Dragon and not a serpent. I have a feeling I must trail this path to the Lost Castle alone.”
“Must you?” asked Marina.
“Are you sure you must travel alone?” said Flavius. “We heard from right here. I think it is better if went there with you.”
The others were asking the same question with Marina and Flavius to asking if Vaeludar must go alone. Naìra was keeping quiet.
“I need do to this alone. I have a feeling some ill maybe lurking in this village. Investigate this village while I’m gone. I have a feeling some enemies are hiding nearby. And Naìra, stay with your brother. I don’t want to see you being captured again by the Piper.”
“Leave it to us then,” said Galvin. “I slew a few Dragons in my lifetime, but only rouge or insane Dragons. I can find them and slay them before even the Shadow King could eat a mouse.”
“That is impossible,” intupered the priest, making his way to the group. “They have scales strong as the Crystal Dragon. Only two swords can kill them. The one for the mutant, I mean, the hybrid is carrying and that one over there. Follow me.”
The priest walked to an outer part of the village. There were steps that went up to another statue but in the form of a knight, wearing the same looking armor as the White Knight of Trust they met at the mountains.
Below the statue, there was a sword in a stone pedestal.
“Only those two weapons can slay the five Dragons or the Hydra if the Shadow King possesses one of them. And two weapons had been given to the Mortal Realm the Crystal Dragon.”
The sword in the pedestal was muddy and worn out.
Vaeludar’s eyes glowed white just like the sword when it was glowing white. Something had sparked in his mind: this sword in the pedestal was also the same he was holding. But how could that be possible? He’d never heard of any stories of how two swords were given to the Mortal Realm from the gods.
Vaeludar’s eyes went back to normal.
“That sword is also the like the one you’re carrying,” stated the priest. “There is a legend about two swords. They were once forged as one sword, and it was spilt into two objects by its creator, dividing his power into one and leaving one sword powerless. Valverno was the one who received it when the Crystal Dragon, which made it from his godly spirit.
“As with the armor you’re searching for, legends say it was also made from the divine body of the Crystal Dragon. Only the one wearing an armor made from his scales can pull it and merge it with its twin sword and become what is known as the Crystal Sword.”
That would explain it then, thought Vaeludar. He was carrying the one that held the power of the powerful dragon while the other one was in front of him.
“So the sword I have has his power?” asked Vaeludar.
“Half his power,” answered the priest, looking at the hybrid. “The other holds the other half.”
“There is something else you need to know, hybrid,” said the priest. “From what I’ve known, your mother is well known here. She comes in legends of all different kinds. And they portray her as not just a human, a witch as well.”
“A witch? My mother?”
“Yes, Belverda is
