Dragon Aster Trilogy

10: JASPER



Loki unsomned and sat down amongst the densely positioned trees of the woods, setting Sybl who remained asleep on the ground beside him with his cloak for a pillow. He didn’t know if his somn had used her energy to heal and escape, but he could only guess that it did with how exhausted she was. While the heavy, dark estus energy of the Atrum loomed over them, it made just about everything exhausting. Loki told himself to be more careful with somning with Sybl in the future. The last thing he had expected that day was the phelan who had taken his Princess on the Torian Continent later help him escape with her.

He looked around the forest, trying to get some idea of where they were now. It was a good time to be lost in the world, with most of its inhabitants currently hunting them both down.

A memory of the look in his brother’s eyes before he had fled Mer City went through his mind, and he shook his head to the side. Loki had made his choice to save the Princess, while Lintrance had chosen Solar who was reborn in the body of his daughter, Rose. His daughter who would have killed Sybl had Aragmoth’s grace not been watching over her. With Rose came the monster that was the Phoenix.

Loki still couldn’t fathom any of it, as she had been a normal girl, much like Sybl. Now her soul was in the fire serpent that had emerged from the Keol as a titan. The Texts read that Solar was forever separated from her Ancient—but somehow it wasn’t anymore, and he didn’t understand how or why.

He set his hand gently on Sybl’s hair, praying that Aragmoth was keeping an eye on them still. He thought about everyone back at the Dragon Caverns and Toria, and the few descendants of Moon who remained, Cecil for one. He couldn’t bring himself to think of how Cecil would react on finding out his Bond was all the while, Solar.

There was no saying what would become of Loki’s home, or his life for that matter. He was once so much closer to being called a Prince of Toria. But now Fevre was dead, and with him died any chance he might have of being someone more. All he had left now was his Princess.

An eerie Call went out through the trees, drowning out his thoughts with its saddening song. It was followed by a howl.

Loki looked around in fear, before picking up Sybl into his arms in case he had to quickly somn in defense. For this was the territory of the True, and no Ancient or eminor was safe from the predators that preyed on spirits.

The scentless, massive dark spirits, surrounded them as the wind came to a complete stop. When the red eyes of one of the phelan looked directly at him, he held Sybl tight enough to squeeze her awake.

“Loki?”

“Sybl, stay calm.”

She looked at what froze him in place. “Whatever you do, don’t somn.”

The trees seemingly moved aside, as the True walked over to them. The wolf-like, black creature was easily the size of a small house, but it didn’t so much as leave a footprint where it stepped.

Loki’s light green dragon Ancient wrapped itself around them as tight as it could. It was now little more than an appetizer.

The True continued to watch him. Loki could feel it rummaging through his thoughts. For all he knew, it could have seen his entire life in the time it took to blink. “Wait a minute… Jasper? Is that you?”

“Loki? So it is you. You are a long way from home.”

Loki let out the longest breath of relief, as he loosened his grip on Sybl who remained stunned that the True was speaking. “How are you over here?”

“We travelled the Keol after my town of Berion was flattened by an Aeger kyrie. High Priest Kas has been giving my Pack refuge at the Sanctus, and we do what we can to protect it in turn.” Jasper turned his red eyes to Sybl, before releasing a great deal of his estus energy to shrink to a much smaller size. “My apologies, my Lady Caelestis. My old mind took a moment to believe you were both here outside of a Vision.”

“It’s fine,” Sybl replied. “Where’s Kas now?”

“He should be along shortly. The griffins have lost his trail. Come with me. You both will be much safer at the Sanctus.”

Loki got to his feet with Sybl, figuring that was the best place to go for now, if anywhere.