Dragon Aster Trilogy

37: THROWN BACK



Sybl couldn’t stay in the laboratory any longer as she felt sick at the sight of the half-dead mer. But before she could follow Vanir out, she stopped as someone called her back.

“He ruined that chance when a mermaid took his love and swam away with it. Can’t have a bastard kid from Mer City showing up one day to lay claim to Toria.”

“Fevre?” She was answered when she looked up at the cylinder next to her and found the mermaid within it looking down at her, conscious. Her bright red hair moved with the estus energy emanating from her body, before she unsomned and her tail split to form into two legs.

Vanir walked back to her and looked at the cylinder, as the cold, black eyes looked back at him. “Interesting. What did you do?”

“I didn’t do anything…”

‘Asil.’

The name resonated through Mer City like an alarm of its own, drowning out the sound of the current one. It was enough to stop the pain in Sybl’s head as well.

I’m here.

‘Do not leave us again. You must forgive him!’

Vanir’s focus fell entirely on Sybl with a malicious intent.

I can’t… How can I forgive him? He destroyed an entire world!

‘A world that would forgive him, has forgiven him. We are not outside the understandings of love. He has not forgotten that it was that love that brought about the destruction of the first Aster. It was his love that saved this one.’

Vanir’s hand went for his sword, but before he could completely unsheathe it, another Nova went out that sent the phelan Lord to his knees in pain.

Sybl was unaffected by it as she ran for the controls to find a way to release the mermaid. She hit a few buttons, until one drained the water from the cylinder. Then it opened, and she caught Aleste as she fell from it. Then a pair of stronger hands took the weight from her. “Lintrance?”

He didn’t say anything as he held Aleste against him on the floor, as if he feared saying her name would make her vanish.

A part of Sybl was relieved to see that they were both reunited, but when Lintrance’s orange eyes met hers, she didn’t see any gratitude from him—only sheer hate.

“What are you doing? You’ll kill her!”

She didn’t understand why he was so mad with her, until she caught a glimpse of his thoughts through his fear. “You were there when they took me?”

Lintrance didn’t answer, as he shook in fear from being unable to heal Aleste’s estus body.

Vanir recovered from the Nova and grabbed Sybl, holding her arm with an immovable strength. “Do you now see the futility of your hope?”

“Let me go!” But it was no use as Vanir dragged her off against her struggles and down the hall. The Nova ceased altogether, and the mer returned to their orders from the Atrum Lord. Tears ran down Sybl’s face when she felt Lintrance’s thoughts. She may have saved Aleste, but he hadn’t saved her the first time they sent her to Earth, and he likely wouldn’t now.

They reached another room as the soldiers who guarded their way opened fire on the hallway. She couldn’t see who they shot at as the heavy metal closed and locked behind her. Only then did Vanir let go of her. She ran back to the door, but nothing she hit would open it.

“This is where you return to your world, Asil.”

She looked behind the Atrum Lord to the ring of metal that had begun to fill with a strange gel. “I’m not going back.”

“Do you really think that the dragons will save you now? Your deception of making everyone believe you are not Asil has paid off. But now there is no more hiding the truth. There is nowhere you can be on Aster where you will not be hunted.”

“That’s not true.”

“Then show me your hope. Your faith. You can save one mermaid from the Aeger, but thousands more suffer. You cannot save them all. One human Fay cannot save the world. You have no allies here. You are as alone as the death you sought to try and free yourself from it all.”

Sybl froze as she saw through Vanir’s eyes to her past. They had been watching her on Earth—of course they had been. She looked to the door as something massive struck it hard enough to put a dent inwards. Cirrus. “I’m not alone. Not anymore!”

“Believe what you will. But one Fay will not get in the way of the change I will bring to this world. To my world.”

Sybl had nowhere to run as the mer soldiers grabbed her against her struggles and dragged her to the Gate. “Let me go!” They picked her up and threw her through the gel like she weighed and meant equally nothing.

Vanir looked at the metal door as the battering from the White Death continued. “Enough of this nonsense. Set the Gate for the Atrum and destroy them after.”

The mer complied, and the settings for it were changed. Vanir stepped through as the battering ceased.