Path of Dragons

Book 4: Chapter 35: Moving On

Elijah lay on his back atop the temple, his head resting against the statue of his sister as he stared up at the night sky. When he’d set the festival into motion, he’d hoped it would help him move on. A celebration of Alyssa’s life had seemed like such a good idea at the time. Yet, when the time came to actually participate in the party, the situation had left him sick to his stomach.

The conversation with Delilah had helped a little, but he’d been in no mood to be comforted. So, he’d spent the last few hours wandering through the town. Most of the residents recognized him, so he’d been forced to endure condolences, well-wishes, and overzealous invitations alike. It had gotten so onerous that he’d had no choice but to return to the temple and retreat to where nobody else would find him.

That was how he’d found himself next to the Alyssa’s statue.

Up close, it didn’t really look like her. Without any real examples, the sculptors had done what they could. But the resemblance was limited, though to Elijah, the tone of the piece was what was truly important. It felt like Alyssa, which was all he really cared about.

As he lay there, he felt someone standing below. When he realized who it was, Elijah levered himself upright, then leaped down to the ground. His attributes were high enough that such a fall wouldn’t permanently hurt him, but the sudden stop he experienced upon landing was still a little jarring.

He played it off, asking, “Why aren’t you down there celebrating? I saw a few girls your age when I was walking through town. I’m sure one of them would agree to dance if you asked.”

Miguel didn’t respond.

“What’s going on?” Elijah asked.

The boy shrugged. “I don’t know. I’m just ready to get my archetype, I guess,” he admitted. That surprised Elijah. He’d expected the issue to revolve around Alyssa’s death, so the answer offered by Miguel left him a little disconcerted.

“Nothing,” Miguel badly lied. “I’m just tired of being weak. If a level five attacked me right now, I couldn’t do anything to stop them. I don’t like that.”

“I think you’d be surprised. You could probably hold your own.”

“You know what I mean,” Miguel said, sitting on the top step of the stairs leading down to the town. “Nobody messes with you. You walk around like you own the whole world. You can go places even Colt is afraid to go. Like that swamp. Or the desert. Do you know how often we were attacked before we got to Seattle? Every day. Sometimes, every hour. But you just walk around without a care in the world.”

“That’s not because I’m strong. It’s because…”

Elijah trailed off. He’d rarely considered how his archetype – or perhaps his attunement – affected his surroundings. But looking back, it was so obvious that being attuned to nature made the wildlife more amenable to his presence. Most of the time, they ignored him.

Others clearly didn’t have that benefit.

“I want to be like you,” Miguel said.

“No, you don’t.”

“You said that before. You said that your archetype is weak. But do you know how crazy that sounds? You’re the strongest person in the world, and –”

“I have the highest level. That doesn’t make me the strongest,” Elijah said.

“What’s the difference?”

“Levels aren’t a gauge of power. They’re a mark of progression, and not even the only one,” Elijah pointed out. “There are three pillars of power. The first is levels. The second is cultivation. And the third is equipment. One isn’t more important than the others.”

“So, a level one with great gear could beat you?”

“No.”

“But you said –”

“Great gear is a part of the equation. I have good equipment. I have better cultivation than most. And I have high levels. You can’t neglect one if you expect to be the best you can be.”

That was a reminder that Elijah had done just that. He had a few good items, but he knew he could have been more diligent with his equipment. He didn’t even have any proper armor. And while he didn’t think he would ever run around in a full set of plate mail, he knew that his oversight had put him at a disadvantage.

The same was true with his staff, which was decent, but not ideal. He would have preferred to use something he made himself, but that was a time-consuming process that he’d neglected because his priority was to kill Roman as quickly as possible. Now that his sister’s murderer had paid for his crimes, Elijah needed to rethink his strategy.

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But first, he wanted to do something else.

So, he reached out, offering his hand to Miguel. The young man took it, and Elijah helped his nephew to his feet. “Come on. I want to show you something,” he said.

“Right now? At night?”

“Night isn’t so scary, so long as you know what to expect,” Elijah said. Indeed, there was a certain peace that could only be experienced in the deepest part of the night. For Elijah, the darkness held no mystery. He could feel everything around him. But for others who had to worry about nocturnal predators – of which there were plenty – it was probably horrifying. “Just trust me.”

Then, Elijah led his nephew down the steps and through the city. Soon enough, they’d passed through the gate and entered the forest. Elijah continued on for more than an hour until he reached a familiar spot.

“Here it is.”

“What?” asked Miguel, his voice low.

“You don’t have to whisper.”

“O-oh. Yeah. So…uh…what is this place?” he asked.

Elijah looked around. The area didn’t look much different than anywhere else in the forest. However, for Elijah, it held special meaning. It was there that he’d chosen to help Isaak.

It felt like a turning point for him. At the time, he’d been warring with his actions against the hunters, and he knew that if he’d taken a different route, if he hadn’t healed Isaak and helped him in the Rift, he likely would have gone down a completely different road. It was one he didn’t want to consider.

Still, he explained what had happened, pulling no punches. He didn’t sugarcoat what he’d done to those hunters. Nor did he downplay how conflicted he was about helping Isaak.

“I think I would’ve become a monster,” he mused. “I would have killed people without thought, and for no other reason than because they violated my personal code of ethics. I still might. That’s what being me is like. I don’t know if it was always in me, that violence. Or maybe it’s my archetype influencing me. I think that’s something that happens, but it could just as easily be my personality. My point is that once you get power, you need to use it responsibly. You can’t just kill everyone you disagree with.”

“You do.”

“I really don’t. I’ve restrained my instincts more often than you could know.”

“Why are you telling me this?” asked Miguel.

“Honestly? Because you’re a good listener who can’t run away,” Elijah admitted with a chuckle. “Plus, I think we’re more alike than either of us knows. You feel it, don’t you? That connection? It’s why animals like you so much. I’d be surprised if you didn’t have a nature attunement, just like me.”

“You think so? Could I be a Druid, too?”

“Maybe. If that’s what you want. But I’ll only say this one more time – most Druids aren’t fighters. They tend to their groves, kind of like Nerthus. Or they heal people. Some help Farmers. I’m the black sheep of Druids, I think,” Elijah said. “But I’m constantly working against that unsuitability for combat. My class helps. And I’ll keep shifting my path toward battle. But it’s a long journey, and if you’re the fighter I think you are, you may want to consider a different route.”

“I see,” Miguel said, incapable of hiding his disappointment.

“You know what? How about I get a guide about classes available for people with nature attunements?” he suggested. There were a thousand other things he would have preferred to research, but they were of much less importance compared to preparing Miguel for the most important decision in his life. “We could figure out what to expect. That way, you can go into it with your eyes wide open.”

“I…I would like that,” Miguel said.

“That settles it. I’ll fly to Arvandor soon. They owe me a question,” he said.

After that, he and Miguel continued to discuss the topic, and though it was entirely speculative in nature, it was an interesting conversation. Finally, Miguel asked, “What are you going to do now?”

“I need to get some more levels,” Elijah answered. “And I need to familiarize myself with an ability I got recently. The Trial of Primacy is coming up, and I feel pretty sure that I’ll need to be at my best if I want to survive.”

“What then?”

Elijah shrugged. “I have no idea. I want to keep exploring the world. Helping people is nice, too,” he said. “I want to keep progressing. Maybe visit other worlds.” He let out a small chuckle and shook his head. “Visit other worlds. That would’ve sounded crazy even a few years ago. But now? It’s a real possibility. Did you know there’s a place called the Empire of Scale? It’s ruled by dragons. Do you realize how insane that is?”

“You can transform into a giant scaled sasquatch monster. Dragons doesn’t seem that weird.”

Elijah was about to refute that claim, but then he realized that Miguel was right. He’d internalized his ability to transform to such an extent that it didn’t even seem odd anymore. However, upon a few seconds’ worth of introspection, he recognized just how magical it must have seemed from everyone else’s perspective. After all, he’d yet to find anyone else who could shapeshift. That didn’t mean they weren’t out there, but it did suggest that it was an uncommon ability, at least at their current stage. Perhaps it would grow more common in the future, though.

“What about us?” asked Miguel.

“What do you mean?”

“Are you just going to leave us behind?”

“What? No!” Elijah insisted. “I intend to help you find your path. And your mom and I have been talking about her next project. She’s about to set down roots in Ironshore. I don’t know what comes next, but whatever it is, we’ll confront it as a family.”

“Except for the Trial of Primacy. That requires you to leave, right? I heard mom talking about it…”

“Nerthus will be here to take care of you and your mom.”

Elijah had already spoken to Carmen about it, and she had been adamant that, despite the fact that she’d earned a spot, she had no intention of participating in the Trial. She’d had enough adventure for two lifetimes.

“I guess,” Miguel said.

“Well, let’s get started, then,” Elijah said. “Sit down.”

“Here?” asked Miguel, looking around nervously. He clearly wasn’t comfortable in the woods at night. That was probably a good attitude to have, given the inherently dangerous wilderness.

“Yes, here. Sit.”

Miguel did, crossing his legs.

“Now, close your eyes. Good. Listen. Feel. Have you ever meditated before?” Elijah asked.

“Colt’s been teaching me a little.”

“That’s good. Focus on that, then,” Elijah said. As he sat in front of his nephew, he flared One with Nature and Nature’s Bounty. “Do you feel anything different?”

Migue didn’t speak for a moment, but then, he let out a disappointed sigh. “No. Nothing. Just a little cold.”

“Keep trying,” Elijah ordered. He had no idea if it was even possible for someone without an archetype to sense the underlying structure of nature, but if it was, he intended for Miguel to do it. Perhaps then he’d be a step ahead once he began the path of his own progression.