The Blood of The Dragon

Chapeter 13

It was lunch time and David made his way to the dining room where all the other students went to have their lunch.

Once there David was greeted by Flora, calling out to him and inviting him to seat with her alone with, Susan and Akiri on their table.

David smiled upon seeing them and then went to seat with them.

“How was your meeting with the Head master?” asked Flora with a playful smile on his face.

“Stressful and I can’t believe you described me as a simple idiot to the Head master” said David, still a bit offended about how Flora described him to the Head master.

“You actually did that Flora, that’s cold even for you” said Akiri shocked upon hearing what Flora said about David.

“Hey, I never called you an idiot, I simply state that you lack basic knowledge which you do but it’s not like that’s the only thing I said about you,” said Flora.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right” said David with a playful smile at Flora.

“Why did the Head master want to see you anyway?” asked Susan a bit curious as to why the Head master would want to see.

“Yeah, why did he want to see you, David?” asked Akiri who like Susan was also curious.

“It’s a long story,” said David.

“That’s great, I actually love long stories” said Akiri.

David then turned to Flora, hoping that she would be able to explain to the others as he didn’t feel comfortable talking about himself to them but much to David’s disappointment Flora just looked back at him and said, “don’t look at me, this is your tale to tell”.

David then took a deep breath and began to explain to them all how he came to the academy with Binaru and how the Head master gave him a chance to prove himself to be worthy of being a student of the Dragon Academy.

“Wow, he actually allowed gave you a chance. Normally that guy rejects anyone who he doesn’t deem ‘worthy’ enough to be a student of his academy” said Akiri, shocked to hear that the Head master, even he didn’t believe David was worthy of being a student of the academy still gave him a chance to prove himself.

“Yeah, he even almost rejected Akiri and his prince” said Flora jokingly.

David upon hearing what Flora said turned to Akiri with a look of both shock and confusion.

“You’re a…prince” said David looking over at Akiri with the look of confusion and shock still evident in his face.

Akiri upon seeing the confused look on David’s face sighed before saying, “yes, I am. I’m actually the second son of King Eric Owin”.

“King…Eric…Owin…but that would mean, you the son of one of the Golden Dragon Generals” said David even shocked and confused upon hearing that Akiri was the son of a Golden Dragon General.

“Hmmm, how does a simple person like you from a small village know about the Golden Dragon Generals” asked Flora which offended David a bit.

“Just because I came from a small village doesn’t mean I don’t know anything. I’m just a little shocked that’s all” said David to Flora.

“Why are you so shocked that I and Flora are also children of Golden Dragon Generals” said Susan, shocking David even more.

“WHAT!!!!!” said David upon hearing Susan they were all children of the Golden Dragon Generals.

“Why are you so shocked to hear about who our parents are?” asked Susan.

“It’s not that I’m shocked I’m just surprised. From what I heard about the Golden Dragon Warrior were incredible dragon warriors who fought alongside the Golden Dragon Warrior and led the Golden Dragon Guard. I’m just a little shocked that their kids are…” David was stopped mid-sentence by a familiar voice saying from behind David, “their kids are what?”

David and the others then turned to see Steven who had been sitting behind them in a nearby table alone, listening to what they were saying.

“What are you doing here Steven?” asked Flora with an annoyed look on her face.

Steven did not react in any way towards what Flora said, ignoring her and focusing solely on David before slowly approaching him.

“What did you say about us?” said Steven as he grabbed David by the collar with his eyes flashing red with rage.

“You were shocked to hear that we are the children of the Golden Dragon Generals, why?” said Steven with venom and bitterness in his voice as he spoke.

Steven’s body, fueled by his rage and anger heat up, causing David to sweat and feel his body slowly begin to burn due to the heat coming from Steven.

“Do you think we are too weak to be the children of the Golden Dragon Generals” as Steven spoke his anger continued to rise and as it did so the heat coming from his body rose as well.

The heat coming from Steven was so much that most of the students in the dining room were forced to leave as they could not stand the heat anymore.

“Hey hot head, calm down before you set the entire academy ablaze” said Flora in an attempt to get Steven to calm down.

Steven ignored Flora and continued to let his rage and anger consume him causing the heat he generated the rise even more, so much so that the tables in began to catch fire, burning because of Steven’s overwhelming heat.

David could only look at Steven with fear and horror in his eyes as he had never before seen someone with so much rage and anger within him.

“That’s it, I’ve had enough of this” said Flora before she used the power of the wind to create a gust wind to blow Steven away, hoping that that would be enough to snap him back to his senses.

As the gust of air hit Steven, he still refused to move even with the mighty force of the wind blowing against him.

Steven then turned to look at Flora with his vision still blinded by rage, still holding on to David, before a wave of flames flowed out of his body, hitting Flora as well as Akiri and Susan who was standing next her.

Steven then turned back to David with his eyes turning in to fierce fiery dragon eyes.

“You are nothing but a lonely little boy from a small village and the only reason you’re here is because you got lucky enough to meet a Golden Dragon Guard. You don’t belong here David and you never will,” said Steven.

David upon hearing what Steven said felt a mix of fear and sadness, as he feared deep within his heart that he was right about him not belonging.

“ENOUGH OF THIS STEVEN!!!!!” said voice from behind Steven.

Steven then turned around and saw Susan, a bit hurt due to the flames he used to attack both her, Flora and Akiri.

“Susan” said Steven with his eyes widen with shame and sadness; he didn’t mean to hurt her, his sister, one of the very few people he cared about.

Steven then calmed down, his eyes turned back to normal and his body stopped heating up.

Steven then let go of David, causing him to fall down to the ground and then went Susan.

“Are you okay?” asked Steven.

“I’m…” Susan said before looking at her arm to see it was slightly burnt.

Steven saw Susan’s burnt arm and the immediately grabbed hold of it.

“Let go of me” said Susan before pulling her arm away from him.

“Come on Susan, you’re hurt. Just let me take a look,” said Steven.

“YOU’RE THE ONE THAT HURT ME!!!!!!” screamed Susan with tearful eyes, unable to bear the pain from seeing her brother act like rage filled beast anymore.

Steven then looked around and saw the havoc and destruction he had wreaked due to his rage taking over him.

“Susan I…” Steven was stopped mid-sentence by Susan looking at him with a look of sadness, anger and the one thing that utterly shattered his heart, disappointment.

Steven upon seeing his sister look at him that way felt broken.

David, who was now on the floor, could see that Steven was in pain, a pain caused by Susan and her disappointment with him.

The Head master and Flani then rushed in, having been alerted by all the commotion caused by Steven.

“What happened here?” asked the Head master.

Flani upon seeing Steven knew that he was responsible for whatever it was that happened in the dining room, knowing that he probably lost his and lost control of himself to his rage.

“What did you do now Steven?” asked Flani.

“I…” Steven couldn’t find the words, he, at that very moment didn’t have the strength speak as the thought of Susan and the way she felt of him at that very moment was the only thing he could think about.

Steven, unable to say anything bowed his head down in shame.

“Steven Finiton, this has to be the hundredth time you’ve been the cause of so reckless, what would you parents think if they were to find out that their son was the cause of something as destructive as this” said the Head master looking at all the destruction Steven had caused.

Steven looked at the level of destruction he had caused in the room, from burning tables to scorch mark on the floor and walls caused by the flames created from the heat that came from his body.

Steven then turned to his teary-eyed sister and then sighed before turning back to Flani and the Head master.

“Well do you have anything to say?” asked Flani with a furious and enrage expression which was shared by both her and the Head master.

“No, let’s just go to the Head master so you expel already” said Steven with his head bowed down in shame.

Steven’s reply shocked both the Head master and Flani as they expected him to put up some kind of fight or at least make up some excuse to avoid being punished but instead he seemed prepared, not just to serve a punishment but to be expelled, something both Flani and the Head master knew Steven fear more than anything.

“To my office now” said the Head master with a stern look on his face.

Steven with his head still bowed down, obeyed the Head master’s command and left with him and Flani.

After Steven had left along with Flani and the Head master Susan went to David and then helped him up.

“Are you okay?” Susan asked hoping that Steven didn’t hurt him.

“I’m fine, it was only a little light headed” said David jokingly.

Susan smiled slightly, glad to see that David was alright, her smile soon faded away as she began to think about Steven and what he did while being driven solely by his rage.

David noticed the sad look on Susan’s face and wanted to console her but stopped himself upon seeing Akiri and Flora approach them.

“I can’t believe that guy, was he hit in the head as a child or something” asked Flora, thinking about Steven and his destructive nature.

“Steven behaves more like a wild beast who gives in and submits to his rage instead of learning to control it” said Akiri.

Susan upon hearing all the horrible things Flora and Akiri was saying about Steven felt like leaving, not wanting to hear anymore.

“I’m a bit exhausted guys after everything that’s happened. I think am going to go to bed” said Susan before rushing out of the room.

David sensing something was wrong with her chased after her, saying to the others before he felt, “I’m just going to make sure she’s alright”.

Once outside the dining David found Susan on the floor within the corridors of the academy crying.

David watched as her tears fell down from her eyes and on to the ground and as each tear reached the fall, he felt something within his heart, something that hated seeing Susan’s tears.

David then went to her, wanting to console her and stop her from crying.

“Hey” said David drawing Susan’s attention to him.

“Are you alright?” asked David.

“Please leave, I…I just want to be alone right now,” said Susan.

David just sighed before sitting on the floor next to her.

“I thought I told you I just want to…” Susan was stopped by David saying, “Oh I heard you. I just feel like sitting that’s all. You can just pretend like I’m not here and continue to do whatever you were before I came here”.

“Please, just leave” Susan begged David, not wanting to be with him or anybody at that very moment.

David upon hearing her beg to be left alone ignored her and continued to sit down next to her.

“You know when I was little, I used to have nightmare so terrible that I would be scared of going to sleep. I would often stay awake the entire night just to avoid having those terrible nightmares” said David with a small smile on his face as he remembered how scared and frightened, he was as a child all those years ago when he had just met Abari and had horrible nightmares every time he went to sleep.

“Did the nightmares ever stopped?” asked Susan.

“No, not really, I still have them from time to time” said David with a deep sigh, remembering the nightmare he had about himself surrounded by dead lifeless bodies.

“But they don’t bother me as much as they did when I was a little and do you know why?” asked David.

“Why?” asked Susan.

“Because I had someone to talk to and her name is Abari, she is probably the closest thing I have to a mother, she took care of me, raised me, if it wasn’t for her, I probably wouldn’t be right here,” said David.

“Why are you telling me this?” asked Susan, wondering why David would share something so deep and personal with her, someone he only just met.

“To let you know it’s okay to hurt and feel pain but you shouldn’t push people away because of it. I know that my childhood nightmares aren’t the same as whatever you’re going through right now but I can tell that you need someone to talk to, just like I needed Abari. It doesn’t even have to be me but please don’t torture yourself by enduring your pain alone in silence,” said David.

Susan upon hearing what David said remained silent as she began to think about what he said.

David, upon seeing her silence sighed before getting up.

“I’ll leave you be, just please, don’t cry anymore, I don’t like seeing you crying. And at least consider my advice and talk to someone” said David before turning away from her and about to leave but before he could step, he was stopped by Susan saying, “It’s Steven”.

David upon hearing Susan speak turned around to face her once more.

Tears flowed down from Susan’s eyes like an ending stream as she continued to speak, saying, “Why did he have to do something so stupid and reckless. I’ve tried to reason with him over and over again but he just refuses to listen”.

David then sighed before saying, “I can’t imagine what it must have been like growing up with somebody like Steven”.

“Stop that” said Susan upon hearing what David said.

“Stop what?” asked David, not knowing what she wanted him to stop doing.

“Stop talking about my life with my brother almost as though he is some kind of monster,” said Susan.

David upon hearing what Susan about Steven understood that despite the fact that Steven was the kind to cause trouble anywhere he went she still loved and cared for him.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it like that,” said David.

Susan, upon hearing David apologize just sighed before saying, “It’s quite alright, I understand why you may think that way especially considering my brother is the most civil person in the academy”.

David just sighed before remembering how poorly Steven had treated him since he arrived at the academy before saying, “you aren’t wrong about that”.

Susan just sighed before saying, “You know Steven wasn’t always the angry, rage filled boy everyone in the academy knows him to be. There was a time when he was, kind and loving person”.

“What happened to him?” asked David.

“Our parents weren’t always around due to them being busy with one thing or the other, being Golden Dragon Generals didn’t really give them much time to spend with us. Steven, idolized them because to him there were his heroes, the only people he looked up, he wanted nothing more than to spend more time with them and because this drive to spend more time with our parents Steven wanted to join the Golden Dragon Guard, hoping it would bring him and our parents close,” said Susan

Susan’s eyes began to tear up once again as she remembered how her brother was before he changed and became colder and more distant towards her.

David, seeing the pain Susan felt from recalling her past with Steven said, “Don’t worry, you don’t have to tell me the entire story if you don’t want to”.

Susan upon hearing what David said wiped away her tears before saying, “I want to. Maybe telling someone will help me feel better”.

“Are you sure?” asked David.

Susan then nodded her, reassuring David that telling him the story of Steven before he had changed from the loving and kind brother she adored to the angry and bitter person he had become was completely her choice.

David smiled upon seeing the nod on Susan face.

Susan then continued her story, “Steven tried everything to prove to our parents that he was worthy of being a Golden Dragon Guard but they dismissed him and every attempt he made, saying he was too young and inexperienced and he would be unable to carry the heavy burden of being a Golden Dragon Guard. Steven though, felt that main reason our parents didn’t allow him to be a Golden Dragon Guard was because he was weak and so in an attempt to prove his strength to them, he used his fire powers to show them how strong he was but in doing he ended up losing control of his power and nearly burnt our house down”.

David was shocked upon hearing that the Steven, in an attempt to prove himself to his parents almost burnt down their entire house.

“Luckily our parents were able to put off the flames before they could do any real damage to the house. After that our parents decided to have Steven enrolled in to the academy. I begged my parents to reconsider and not to leave Steven alone in the academy but they refused, saying that Steven lacked discipline and control of himself and power, and they hoped that the academy would be able to teach the discipline and control he lacked. Upon hearing their refusal, I asked them to at the very least let me go along with him as I didn’t want to be alone. They agreed and allowed me to go with Steven,” said Susan.

Susan then sighed deeply before continuing, saying, “Once we got in to the academy Steven changed. He became cold and distant; focusing only on one thing, getting strong enough to prove to our parents that he was worthy to be a Golden Dragon Guard. He ended up pushing everyone who ever wanted to get close to him *sigh* including me”.

David sighed upon hearing what Susan before saying, “Wow, so all that anger and rage with Steven comes from him wanting to prove himself to his parents”.

Susan just nodded her head before saying “most people don’t understand where Steven’s rage and anger comes from. They think his just some sort of bitter, angry monster who picks a fight with anyone that comes close to him but the truth is Steven is just acting out because he feels like he has something to prove, to prove to both himself and our parents that he has what it takes to be a Golden Dragon Guard. That’s probably why he attacked you when he heard you say you were shocked to hear we were children of the Golden Dragon General because in his mind you saying that you were shocked was like saying he wasn’t good enough”.

David upon hearing what Susan said could now better understand Steven and his rage, now knowing that his rage came from his feeling of not being and it wasn’t just mad rage.

David upon realizing that sighed before getting up.

“It’s getting late, you should probably go get some sleep, we have classes tomorrow after all,” said David.

Susan smiled slightly upon hearing what David said before getting up.

David was about to leave, turning away from Susan and about to take his leave but before he could he was stopped by Susan saying, “David”.

David then turned around and saw Susan with her head bowed down before saying, “thank you, I feel a lot better now”.

David then went to her and then placed his thumb on her chin before using it to raise her head.

“Stop bowing your head down like that, you have a very beautiful face, if you bow down your head like that, I can’t see it” said David with a small smile.

Susan’s eyes widened with a warm smile forming on her face upon hearing what David said before she raised her head up to look at him.

Her cheeks then turned red upon seeing David and as they did Susan felt her heart beat slowly and for a brief moment it was like time her completely stopped.

“Good night, Susan and if there is ever something bothering you, I will always be there with a pair of ears to listen” said David before walking away from her.

Susan stood there in silence for a few moments, wondering what was happening to her, she was currently feeling something she couldn’t explain, something she felt for David and David alone.