“Broken Bonds”

Akira leaned forward, her eyes scouting the landscape ahead. The familiar sight of the mountain range with snow covered tops would have made her heart sing at any other time, but not today.

“You sure she’ll be around here?” Redemption thought.

Akira nodded grimly. She didn’t know why, but something inside her seemed to be telling her that they would find who they were searching for around here. It was only moments later when she caught sight of the black shape of a dragon that seemed out of place against the white snow.

Automatically Akira’s hand went to her foot. The knowledge that the dagger she had held before was tucked in her boot safely gave her some comfort. Taking a deep breath she cleared her head and stared at the black dragon that watched them approach, not making a move to leave.

Redemption landed right across from Deception, his paws sinking into the snow. He bared his teeth, not able to suppress a growl as he stared at her. Yet Deception did not even spare him a glance, her attention entirely upon Akira.

Slowly Akira dismounted, her eyes never leaving Deceptions.  Her boots crunched as they landed on the snow. She stood beside Redemption. For a moment she just stared at the black dragon before her, the black dragon whose every existence was her every own fault, the dragon who it was her duty to kill.

Akira’s hand reached back, her fingers closing over the hilt of her sword.

“I’ve been waiting,” as a voice other than Redemption’s spoke in her mind, Akira froze. Her eyes widened in shock. Was it possible that she had just heard none other than Deception?

“I knew you would come,” the same voice continued confirming Akira’s fears. “You could not stay away even if you wanted to. For deep down inside you know I’m the one that is meant to be your dragon, not the weakling standing beside you.”

Redemption growled, showing that he too heard Deception through Akira’s mind.

“You feel it, don’t you?” Deception continued, ignoring Redemption altogether, “The urge that has been building up inside you?”

Akira’s grip tightened on the hilt of her sword.

“The urge to gain more power than ever thought possible…”

Akira slowly unsheathed her sword.

“To be invincible,” Deception did not take her eyes off Akira even once. “You and I, together,” she breathed, “We could make the impossible possible, we could show the Lands a force they have never seen before. We could become unmatched by any other dragon and rider, more powerful than all!”

Akira paused.

“Don’t listen to her!” Redemption warned.

Deception’s eyes snapped towards Redemption, a look of cold hatred in them. “He lacks the will to gain the power you crave. He is what is holding you back!” She hissed.

“Do what must be done Akira!” Redemption told his rider firmly.

“Together we would be an unstoppable force!” Deception told Akira as she turned her attention back towards her. “We belong together!”

“Don’t say any more,” Akira said, her eyes filled with conflict as she placed her other hand on her sword hilt to join the first and began to walk forward. She raised her blade, a drop of sweat trickling down the side of her face. Why her hands were suddenly shaking she wasn’t sure. The way Deception calmly watched her unnerved her.

She lifted her sword, ready to swing it down upon the black dragon before her. Yet once her blade was pointing the sky her whole body seemed to freeze. Surprise filled Akira as she tried to swing the sword down and yet nothing happened. It was as though her body had completely stopped responding to her, disagreeing with her actions.

“You can’t do it.”

Akira’s eyes widened in horror as she realized that Deception as right. At the same time she felt as though there was a dam in her mind ready to burst and let something out, something dark that terrified even herself.

“I told you Akira, we belong together,” Deception’s eyes gleamed, “You cannot kill your dragon.”

“My dragon...?” Akira trailed off, Deception’s words confusing her. And then, suddenly the headache hit with full force.

Gasping Akira’s grip on her sword slipped and it fell out of the back of her hands into the snow.

“Akira!” Redemption sounded alarmed as he took a step towards her. Yet to Akira, his voice sounded distant and unclear.

She knelt on the ground, clutching her head, trying to get the pain to stop. She screamed, trying to find an outlet, unaware of how Deception jumped forward to block Redemption’s path, how the black dragon swung her tail around and knocked an unsuspecting white dragon off his feet, sending his sliding back in the snow, scrambling to regain his footing.

Seeing Redemption was busy for the moment, Deception turned back to face Akira. She had stopped screaming but knelt where she was, seemingly frozen to the spot. Then suddenly her head snapped up. Slowly she turned and stared right at Deception whose breathe caught as she saw that Akira’s eyes had become a terrifying dark blue.

“Finally,” Deception breathed.

“Akira!” Redemption called.

Deception shot him an annoyed look to see that he had recovered and was standing, rooted to the spot as he stared at Akira. His eyes were filled with panic as emotions raged through him, emotions stronger than ever before, emotions of a thirst to become powerful, to crush the weak and fight the strong, to defeat all. Before he knew it Redemption felt the emotions swirl inside him, threatening to manifest.

Suddenly, the Dragon of Legend began to grow darker and darker in color, first towards a grey and then steadily towards a pitch black. Yet then out of nowhere Redemption let out an angry roar, a roar in which he let all the emotions out. And then, his scales were suddenly back to their usual snow white.

Akira’s eyes narrowed.

“You see,” Deception thought triumphantly. “He is not worthy of becoming your dragon. He will not follow you further.”

Redemption stared at Akira, feeling her emotions, emotions that were nothing like the Akira he knew. As she got to her feet Akira met his gaze evenly, her eyes stone cold. Redemption had the sinking feeling that this, was no longer the Akira he knew. The person before him seemed to be someone completely different. Her thoughts, her emotions, they were all wrong.

“Akira –”

“Cut him loose, you only need me,” Deception interrupted Redemption’s pleas.

For a moment longer Akira stood, staring at her dragon before suddenly one side of her mouth twitched up into a crocked smile, a smile which sent chills down Redemption’s spine. And then Redemption felt her presence disappear from his mind completely. His eyes widened in panic as he felt as though his heart had stopped beating, as though something inside him had been ripped out. He could no longer feel Akira’s emotions. Grief rushed through him as he realized there was only one explanation to this. He had lost his rider.

At the same time as he realized this, Redemption’s scales seemed to turn from a snow white to a silver grey. Yet he seemed not to notice as he stood, frozen, watching as without a word, Akira turned and retrieved her fallen blade. She frowned as she picked it up, seeming unhappy with something. Yet then with a shrug she sheathed it and turned to stare in the direction of the first Academy. Deception in the mean time, continued to watch Redemption.

Akira’s head turned to towards the black dragon, making Redemption realize that Deception must have said something to her. Slowly Akira let her eyes alight on Redemption once more.

“He is not worth staining my blade with blood. Let him go,” her voice was no longer soft and velvety as it had always been with a certain gentleness to it. No, now it was cold and even filled with a hint of arrogance. She stared directly at Redemption as she spoke, “He can live a little while longer. We’ll come back to him when I feel like it.” She smiled cruelly and Redemption let his head drop, not wanting to meet her cold eyes, not wanting to see the way Akira was staring at him as if he were nothing more than a waste of her time.

As there was a crunching sound Redemption looked up to see what Akira had walked up to Deception and swing herself onto her back.

“Let’s go.” She did not even spare Redemption a second glance as she said those words.

Deception shot Redemption a triumphant look before she spread her wings and rose into the air. Redemption stood, watching as the black dragon flew off, Akira perched on her back. The lack of a saddle seemed not to bother her in the least as she left Redemption behind.

He gazed after her, feeling as though his heart had been smashed into pieces. He yearned to jump into the air and follow, to get his rider back. And yet deep down Redemption knew that if he were to do so, he would most likely end up dead. For in the brief moments he had still been connected to Akira he had been able to read her thoughts, and from them he come to see that without a doubt, the Akira he knew, was no longer here. Instead, what she had been suppressing for the last few months seemed to have taken her over completely.

Filled with sorrow Redemption let out a roar. It followed Akira, reaching her ears, conveying Redemption’s feelings, his sorrow, his pain, the feeling of complete loss and betrayal. Yet Akira sat, unmoving, not even turning once to look back at the dragon who stood all alone on the mountain top, looking like a lost draglin.

The sun was on its way to setting when Seth caught sight of Brandon on the Academy’s roof. Some way towards the edge stood Redemption, staring out into the distance.

Emerald headed towards Brandon, opting to land some way in front of him. Even before her paws had touched the roof, Seth sprung from her back.

He had been out all day, searching every place he thought he would find Akira. Upon coming across the mountain range he had found dragon prints along with a rider’s, which he was sure belonged to Akira. Yet the fact that there was more than one set of dragon tracks had him worried. He would have stayed to investigate had another rider not come by and informed him that Redemption had been spotted heading back to the Academy and that Brandon was waiting for Seth to return.

His feet had barely touched the ground when the trap door opened and Gina and Drake came rushing out, Will behind them.

“Is she back?” Gina asked, her face filled with hope.

Seth turned his questioning eyes on Brandon, yet Brandon made no move to answer the question. Gina shot Drake a confused look. Seth felt his heart stop.

Something was wrong here. He turned to Redemption, realizing for the first time how the white dragon stood, his head and tail drooping. Seth frowned. Was it the lighting or did Redemption seem to have returned to the slightly darker color he had been before he became mature?

“Redemption?” Gina was the one that spoke, her voice filled with worry.

Redemption did not respond.

“Where is Akira?” Seth asked urgently. He had already seen that she was not on the roof when Emerald had landed and yet as if to make sure he glanced around again. “Redemption,” he turned to face the white dragon. “Where is Akira?” He repeated.

Slowly Redemption turned his head and for the first time the students were able to see his yellow eyes, eyes that were filled with a mixture of sorrow, pain, loss and disbelief.

Seth’s heart sank.

Gina grabbed Drake’s hand, clutching it as though it were a lifeline as he face grew pale.

“Is she okay?” Will asked the words on everyone’s mind.

Redemption’s head dropped even lower and he let out a small whimper.

“Ree,” Gina whispered, “Is she…is Akira…”

“Is she dead?” Seth asked, his voice suddenly emotionless. He did not know what he felt as he waited for Redemption’s reply. His heart seemed to have stopped beating, every emotion seemed to have left him. He needed to know. “I asked you a question,” Seth spoke angrily when Redemption did not reply. “Is Akira dead?”

Gina flinched at the words and Drake squeezed her hand tightly.

“No,” it was Brandon who spoke.

All heads, except Redemption’s, turned in his direction.

“Akira is not dead.” Brandon looked at the four students before him, his expression solemn.

Redemption stood where he was, his eyes still down cast.

“I need you to listen well and understand,” Brandon spoke softly. “What I am about to say is to stay among the five of us until I find out more.”

No one responded.

Brandon’s eyes wondered over each of the four before him. Since Akira had come to the Academy they had been by her side. They had been through thick and thin, watched comrades die, felt sorrow, pain and even guilt. And yet he was sure that what he was about to tell them would be the worst thing they had to face yet.

“I will not lie to you. You deserve to know the truth,” Brandon continued, “Akira is gone.”