Dragon Aster Trilogy

24: NAFURY



Sybl heard cries for help that night, and felt the pain that drove them to her ears. She looked around the battlefield of bodies, not knowing who she was supposed to find in her latest nightmare. A few strands of gold lifted into the wind, before falling back to the blood-covered field. She went over to it and looked down to find Cirrus.

“I can’t find him. Why is Aragmoth doing this to us? First the Fay Wall, and now my Prince.”

“Your Prince is not who you think he is,” Sybl said. She didn’t know how she had forgotten Cirrus. He didn’t seem to recognize her in turn.

Cirrus smiled and then laughed, as if impending madness was tickling him. “If you are the Caelestis, then bring my Prince back. Release him like you can me from this nightmare that is not reality. Stop sending everyone I know to join me here.”

Sybl clenched her fist at the memory of Lintrance. “I can’t bring Nafury back.”

“Why not?”

“Because Nafury is Damek.”

“The first Awl known to history. The greatest warrior Aster has ever known, and now a Prince of Toria, and you would leave him in death? Is that how the Caels reward their best servants?”

“His soul has to stay here.”

“No, it doesn’t,” Cirrus replied, and his smile all at once vanished. “You’re just a typical human. Naturally you fear for the Fate of Earth. Why else trap him here?”

“Damek is nothing of the Nafury you remember.”

“How would you know? You weren’t here for his whole life. You didn’t have to watch him grow up and then fall to his death. What is it that you want? A sacrifice? A trade to free him from here? If so, by all means take me and let him go.”

“No,” Sybl replied, certain.

“Well, you won’t have me otherwise. I won’t follow you back, because if you will not hear my prayers, then I do not recognize you as any goddess. You are nothing but a Caelestis turned against Aster by Hino. The only thing the caels have done for us is damn us. So damn them in turn.”

Sybl forced herself not to cry. There was a piece missing from Cirrus’ memory, and she had no idea how or why. “So what will you do? Lie here until you can’t come back anymore? Is death the only solution you see now?”

“I’ve already made it clear to you,” Cirrus said, closing his eyes to blindly face a cloudless sky above. “I’m not leaving without Nafury. Now leave me alone you wretched, tormenting spirit.”

Sybl turned around and started to walk away from him, before her heart could shatter into a million pieces from his words. When she woke up, she found something soft beside her. To her surprise, Kenshe was sleeping in his phelan form. “There you are.”

He opened his red eyes from where he hid under the covers. “Sorry.”

“I won’t let them punish you,” Sybl said and lifted him out from under his arms.

“Your nightmare was bad. I could see it.”

Sybl set him to a sit on her lap. “They’re all bad now. But the scarier part is I can’t tell which ones are real and which ones are of what could happen.”

“You should have a Nightmare Eater. Isn’t that what the first Eminor were?”

Sybl touched his head as if to size him up to the task.

“I can’t even tell if I have the Aeger.” Kenshe sulked and shook out his fur, before sitting back down.

“You can only have the Aeger if you have given up all hope.”

Kenshe whined like the puppy-size he had taken to. “You can see everything—past and future. Have you never looked into your own?”

“I can’t see the future, Kenshe.”

“Yes, you can. You’re just too scared to look.” Sybl frowned at him, and he quickly looked side to side to try and find a means to patch up his last words. “I mean, you have estus energy in you. Estus energy can see the future. Aragmoth is made of estus energy, and he is always a step ahead because of it.” His grizzled fur stood up all at once like a cat’s then.

Sybl didn’t feel like arguing with him, and looked at the door where Kas had silently been standing.

“Leaving you unguarded is going to get all my Custos whipped bloodless before the Atrum even gets here.” Kas leaned off of the door frame then and looked at Kenshe, before looking back at Sybl.

“It wasn’t their fault,” Sybl replied.

“That is not your decision. It is mine as they are my responsibility. But on a brighter note, Xirel has agreed to assist us with his Tribe. He found the whole ruckus you three made rather inspiring in our chances of winning against the Atrum. Particularly as it has been the dragons that held most of his concern.”

Sybl looked away from Kas.

“I am going to have a small celebration, as is customary with any new allies gained to our cause. You are going to come to it, and further show the chimeras that they can trust us.”

“And if I don’t?” Sybl asked.

“If you do not show up at the party and embarrass me further than you have already, then I can promise you that you will not like my resolve.” Kas turned his threatening glare from her then, and left her room.