Drake Helkar's Point of View
In a week, my parents will travel to the Kingdom of Clifland. No matter the cost, I must surpass my Augury. I MUST GIVE IT MY ALL!
"Expert-level magic! Deflagration!"
After gathering every last drop of mana I had left, I unleashed the strongest offensive spell in my arsenal, managing to strike my mother's cubic weapon.
Please! Reach her! I pleaded within myself as I touched the ground with both hands, just before feeling a burning surge in my draconic core, which enhanced Deflagration so much that it managed to reach my mother's position.
"D-did I do it?" I whispered to myself after the massive red flames vanished from the battlefield.
Feeling dizzy, I looked at my mother, who was on her knees, both arms crossed in an X shape, still shielding herself from what had been my spell.
Yes… I—
With half-closed eyes, I stumbled toward her, noticing how a couple of marks on her forearms faded, revealing slight burns, indicating that the trial had ended.
"I… did it." I said once I stood before her, feeling completely happy, until the last bit of strength I had left disappeared, causing me to let go of Belarus and collapse to my knees.
Now… just one more, one last trial, and I will finally become an Adult. I told myself before barely registering, with what little consciousness I had left, several vines emerging from the ground, tightly binding all my limbs, and lifting me several meters into the air.
Disoriented by what was happening, I tried to seek answers from my mother, but in an instant, her kneeling figure vanished with the wind, making my mind waver between what was real and what wasn't.
N-no way… I thought, seeing her approach from a completely different direction than before, without a single visible wound, just before I finally lost consciousness due to my nearly depleted mana.
…
Unconsciously, several fleeting scenes from the past few years appeared in my mind like a dream, one of which, after seeing it a second time, made me realize something.
Replaying my last vision, I saw once again the scene of my journey, where Zoe, my sister, was beside me as we explored the city of Skipton, still within the Kingdom of Flok.
With those images in mind, I woke up abruptly, and the first thing that crossed my mind was Zoe, my sister.
It's true! She was there with me! I shouted inside my head, sitting up and adjusting my sight to my surroundings. Once I could see clearly, I noticed I was in my room, lying on a blanket that had been placed on my bed.
If Zoe was with me. Does that mean she'll accompany me on my journey? I thought quickly. B-but why didn't I realize that before? I'm such an idiot!
Still shocked by this new information, I was startled by my sister's voice. She was sitting in a chair inside my room, looking at me with a confused expression while smiling gently.
"Drake?"
W-WHAT!? W-WHAT IS SHE DOING H-HERE!?
Seeing me a bit sweaty and flustered, my sister stood up, then approached my bed and placed her hand on my forehead, making my heart race even faster from the nervousness overtaking me.
"Looks like your fever has gone down." She said calmly, sitting beside me to look at me directly. "How do you feel?"
"You were…!" I blurted out before realizing my words. "I mean! I'm fine!" What's wrong with me? Am I an idiot or what?
"Uh? Well, I'm glad to hear that. Now I won't have to worry anymore." She replied, keeping her smile despite my strange behavior.
Shaking my head, I returned to the present, looking around once more. "By the way, Zoe, what time is it?"
"The time? Mmm… I think it's already past noon." She answered, glancing around. No way, did I sleep for more than five hours?
"By the way, Drake, great job in your battle against our mother. You were amazing! Especially when you combined spells to attack and defend yourself."
"What? Y-you think so?" I asked, surprised by her sudden words.
"Of course! I'm sure that after seeing your performance, our parents will consider your fourth trial as completed." She responded excitedly before beginning to recount parts of my battle that made me blush.
"Thanks, Zoe." I replied with a genuine smile after she finished speaking. I still have a chance to surpass my Augury.
More determined than before, I stood up to find a change of clothes, then said goodbye to Zoe before heading to the bathroom. "Zoe, if anything happens, let me know, please. I'll take this time to have a bath."
While in the bathroom, I kept thinking of a way to invite Zoe on my journey. Even though I had told her before what I would do once I passed my Augury, I had never said anything about her coming with me. I have to convince Zoe no matter what because I'm sure she would be a great help on my journey.
With that thought in mind, the next few hours passed quickly until I was finally called down for my fifth trial—or at least, that's what I thought.
"Drake, after seeing your performance in the previous trials, both your father and I have decided to cancel your Augury because we feel you are not yet ready to travel on your own in the world." My mother said, looking apologetic before Kadian, who was beside her, continued speaking.
"That's why, to prepare you for a future Augury, we will take you to Lucio, a trusted friend of ours who lives on the Central Continent. There, you will train and prepare until we reunite in about ten years."
This… is just a cruel joke… right? I thought slowly to myself, waiting for them to say it was just a prank or part of the fifth trial to see my reaction. But after seeing their faces, I confirmed that it was nothing like that.
W-why aren't they saying anything else? Why do they seem so serious? Why—?
"Thanks for letting me know. I'll be heading to my room." I said quickly before standing up and leaving the hall where we had all been sitting.
Why?
As I climbed the stairs, the noise outside, the sound of the steps beneath my feet, and the footsteps following me all faded away until I could hear nothing else, leaving only my thoughts to echo in my mind.
Why? Why? Why? Why? Why…? I repeated over and over, letting frustration consume every part of me.
Why did I get my hopes up? Why wasn't I more realistic? Why didn't I give enough? Wh—
Clenching my fists harder than ever before, I kept climbing the stairs, my breathing becoming more and more ragged.
By the time I reached the second floor, a dull pain spread through my chest, growing so intense that it made it difficult to walk and breathe properly. As I neared my room, the pain became unbearable, forcing me to drop to my knees in the hallway, clutching my chest with both hands as I blurredly gazed at the door in front of me.
Ten years… they said ten years… I weakly thought, tears streaming down my face as my entire world crumbled. All my plans—to travel, to explore the world, to find Bernal's fragments, and to reunite with Angelica—shattered.
Feeling nothing but pain, I finally collapsed, but before I hit the ground, strong hands caught me effortlessly and carried me into my room.
While clutching my chest, my eyes half-closed and my body curled up, a familiar and warm feeling entered my body, the kind you feel when someone uses healing magic on you.
Trying to find the source of the magic, I turned my gaze to the right, and as I focused my eyes, I found Zoe's face. Once again, she was by my side, taking care of me as she had done all these years.
"..."
Gently, Zoe placed me on her lap, pulling me closer while her hand ran through my hair, a silent attempt to soothe me as her magic continued flowing through my body.
Even though she was doing all that, I couldn't hide my sadness and frustration, continuing to cry in silence as Zoe watched over me from above without saying a word.
More than an hour passed before I finally stopped crying, and once I had calmed down, I repositioned myself, sitting beside my sister, who was still with me.
After that, she tried saying and doing various things to cheer me up, but when nothing worked, she simply remained silent, just like me, unable to take my eyes off the floor while I thought about everything I had done wrong for it all to end up this way.
What should I do…? Should I keep going?
It was already getting dark, and after Zoe lit the Luminorb, she left the room, leaving me alone.
Don't leave me alone, Zoe...
Zoe? Zoe! That's right! The vision! I thought in bursts, allowing a glimmer of hope to rise within me. Zoe! Zoe was with me! She looked almost the same now!
Recalling some images from the vision I had, I concluded that she couldn't possibly look almost the same in ten years because both the length of her hair and her face were identical now—only her clothing had changed.
If she hadn't changed, that meant we really did travel! And I hadn't been stuck in another place for ten years!
Jumping to my feet, I smiled again, happy with my discovery—until I started worrying again, realizing that I had no idea how we had managed to do it.
That's right! How did we do it!? How did I not end up in the Central Continent!? I thought, standing there with a look of excitement, causing confusion to flash across Zoe's face when she re-entered my room, holding two plates of food in her hands.
"...Drake?" She asked, motionless, trying to understand what was going on with me.
"Zoe! Come in, please." I said, closing the door behind her before inviting her to sit on one of the chairs in my room.
Still confused, she sat down before asking me what had happened. "Drake, what happened? Are you okay?"
"Yes, yes, I'm fine, I'm great, because I just found out something that could help me avoid going to the Central Continent."
"What? What are you talking about?"
Hesitant at first, I decided to share part of my secret with Zoe since, after all, she was the person I trusted the most.
"Zoe, I want to tell you something." I said, making her look even more confused.
Feeling a bit anxious about whether she would believe me or not, I began telling her that the Fragment of the Dragon God—the one our father implanted in me at birth to save my life—had reacted within me, showing me a couple of visions several years ago.
Without showing any expression, she kept listening, even as I testified that the events in those visions had come true.
"That's why, if we were both in Skipton, I know there's a way to avoid going to the Central Continent." I continued, looking into her eyes.
"I see…" She responded in a low voice, her gaze downcast. Please, believe me, so you can help me get out of this situation.
"Drake, while I do trust you, what you're telling me is hard to believe." She said after a while, making me worry for a moment. "But I know you wouldn't lie to me about something like this, so I want to hear what you have in mind."
Hearing that made me happy—happy that she was like this, that she was always there to support me, no matter how foolish I might be.
"Thank you, Zoe, but honestly, I don't know what to do to make this journey happen. That's why I wanted to ask if you could think of something, something that could help us."
"You're asking a lot." She said, narrowing her eyes before starting to think.
After several minutes of silence, I began to feel a bit desperate, since neither of us could come up with anything—until finally, an idea crossed my mind.
"Zoe, what if we ran away?" I said smiling, making my sister's expression change instantly. "What did you say?"
"Running away, imagine the two of us traveling north until we reach the Nordic continent, through Militian." I continued, before laughing after imagining a dramatic escape. "Hahaha, it was just a joke, I know we can't do that." I replied, scratching my neck while still laughing.
Zoe, after hearing that, shook her head, starting to think again about something, until she muttered something in a low voice that gave me hope.
"It could be…." She whispered looking at the floor, making me put all my hopes on her, since it seemed like she had come up with an idea.
"Drake, overcoming all the trials is not the only way to pass an Augury." Commented Zoe, falling silent while my brain struggled, because her words went against what I knew about the Augury, since from the moment it was mentioned, they said that the only way to pass it was through the trials.
"Really!? Please tell me! I'm willing to do anything as long as my body can take it." I pleaded, looking into her eyes with determination.
"No… I can't tell you… because both Kadian and Irisha did not consider it as an option for your case." Replied Zoe. What? What does she mean?
"But, I will help you go that way without telling you what it is, because I feel like there is no other option." She commented, with an ironic smile while avoiding looking at me directly.
"I-I don't really understand what you mean, but… if you can help me, please do it." I asked, grabbing one of her hands in a pleading manner.
Zoe, upon feeling my touch, looked at me, smiled tenderly, and stood up while still holding my hand, nodding slightly with her head.
"Alright, I will try that way."
I'm not sure what she will do, but I trust that she will achieve something, she always does. I thought in my head, before she moved away to stretch, and then left my room, not before saying a few words that made me quite nervous because of the way she said them.
"Drake, no matter what happens and no matter what you hear, do not leave your room until I come back, even if several hours pass, or else what I'm going to try won't work."
What? What are you planning, Zoe? I thought, being alone once again.
Worried about not knowing what Zoe had in mind, I started following her trail with Perception, but upon sensing that she was only going to her room, I got even more confused. I don't understand….
She was inside for several minutes, making the uncertainty kill me until she started moving again, but this time to Kadian's office.
It's time. I commented to myself, focusing on perceiving what was happening downstairs. Once Zoe entered Kadian's office, the atmosphere quickly became heavy, due to a few words that Zoe said.
Wanting to know in more detail what was happening inside, I increased the mana flow to Perception a little, but when I did, Kadian raised one of his hands to place a barrier in the room, which completely blocked my spell.
Fuck! He noticed. I cursed inside me, while my mind filled with possibilities about what could be happening on the first level.
With anxiety, curiosity, and concern, I waited, praying that everything was okay, until I felt and heard a great crash from downstairs that made the whole house tremble.
What the hell! I thought, surprised, keeping my balance before feeling Kadian's mana for an instant, my father, with such an overwhelming intensity that it made me break out in a cold sweat from the fear that invaded me. T-That intensity was no joke.
I'm sorry, Zoe, but I can't wait here doing nothing, I need to know what's happening down there. I said in my head, before infusing mana from my Dragontino core into a part of my bed, just like I had done more than a decade ago.
I just hope… that everything is okay.
Seriously, my mind wandered into several possibilities, even thinking about the worst. Once I jumped from my window, after completely concealing my mana, I felt a bit of pain upon landing from the fall, making my mind focus on the present.
Running towards the forest, I hid among the dark vegetation before starting to circle around my house, getting further away from it to avoid being discovered.
I hope this distance is enough. I thought, stopping and quickly imbued mana into my eyes, to see what was happening in the only light around me.
Once my eyes focused, the first thing I saw was a huge hole in one of the corners of Kadian's office, which despite being immense, the barrier they had placed didn't seem affected.
Focusing on my parents, I noticed that Kadian looked furious, shouting several things I couldn't distinguish, let alone hear from where I was.
Irisha, with a doubtful expression, stood between Kadian and Zoe, stepping in front to shield my sister.
What? What the hell is going on? I thought seriously, feeling guilty as I saw my sister, who was kneeling near the hole, trying to heal an open wound on the side of her face.
With Kadian closing the distance while still shouting, my mother straightened her posture, preventing him from getting any closer to Zoe.
Kadian, upon seeing my mother's gaze, stepped back with rigid movements, walking in circles as he tried to contain his fury.
After a few seconds, Kadian said something to Irisha, something that left her even more pensive than before.
Why is he so furious? I've never seen him like this. What did you try, Zoe? I asked myself, watching in frustration as Zoe opened her mouth, breaking the silence that had formed over the last few minutes.
Zoe, lowering her head until it touched the wooden floor in a pleading gesture, spoke, seemingly seeking mercy as she cried, staining not only the floor with her blood but also with her tears.
Shit! SHIT! SHIT!! SHIT!!! This is all my fault! I thought angrily, closing my eyes so I wouldn't have to see that scene anymore.
When I opened them again after several seconds, I saw that Zoe had her head down but was still on her knees, her eyes completely open, staring at Irisha.
Kadian, astonished, started to demand something from Irisha, but she looked at him firmly before responding, and whatever she said left him silent, plunging him into deep thought. Kadian, without another word, after a while averted his gaze toward Zoe and, after a few seconds of hesitation, nodded with evident reluctance.
My sister, upon seeing and hearing all of that, shed tears again, but this time of happiness, because she didn't bother to hide a smile as she looked up at the sky.
After calming down, Zoe slowly stood up, silently watching Irisha. She, passing by Kadian's desk, approached one of the chests on the shelves in the back, one where only very important things were kept.
Smiling, my mother took out a pair of golden necklaces, and after stepping closer, she handed them to Zoe calmly before finishing healing the wound still on her face.
Wh-what just happened? What did Mom say? I thought, realizing that Zoe would soon return to my room. What happened there?
Making sure to remain unnoticed, I approached the house again, angry about what I had seen. With some difficulty, I climbed through my window, and once inside, I let myself fall into one of the two chairs beside my desk as I tried to make sense of the events that had just transpired.
After half an hour, Zoe finally returned. She had no wounds or marks on her body, but her disheveled appearance and expression of happiness and exhaustion were the remnants of what had happened downstairs.
"It worked, Drake. You passed your Augury."
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Joshua_Goose: Sorry I couldn't upload a chapter last week. I got sick :(
But to make up for it, I'm leaving you with this chapter to close out The Omen. See you next week.