Beyond Chaos

Isam stared down at the empty cup, the annoyance stirring within him. He knew the Priests dealt with poisons, so them pretending they did not have such unholy concoctions annoyed him on a deeper level than he expected. It was bad enough he had to stay within a place with the stench of the Divine, but to think they wouldn't even share any poison?

He inhaled sharply, growling quietly.

"Are you lost?" Isam asked into the darkness, for though his heart was full of grief, the air heavy with the stink of the holy, his sharp senses still picked up something from within the black, noting the outline within the darkness.

"You have grown old," came the response, that of a figure who was small, and young.

Who was young and yet could come this close to Isam with him barely noticing?

"Did you slip between worlds?" the child asked.

Big Leaf cut through the air, threatening to bisect the child horizontally, though the boy shifted in the air, as though the sword had burst through a rain drop, the child circling around the sword with his tiny body, standing just outside of Big Leaf's reach, unless Isam was willing to risk his life. The boy reached into his black robes, those which moved like the wind, and held out a small vial, tiny, barely as big his pinky, and after a moment, it floated over towards the half dragon.

Isam stared at the vial, but plucked it from the air, and he eyed it up, noting the liquid was black, but held a copper hue. He glanced down at the boy once more, noting the features, certainly an Aswadian child, but not one he recognised. He twisted the top of the glass vial, and dripped the liquid upon his tongue, the vial only allowing a single drop to drip, the drop sizzling against his tongue, the fiery poison spreading through his mouth and down his throat. He was fortunate to have rested, otherwise he would have lost his life to the poison.

"You managed to complete it?" Isam asked, placing the vial upon the table.

"Your father helped," the boy replied, not with the tone of a boy, but with a tone of an old man, spoken through a child's throat.

"Congratulations."

"What happened?" the boy asked, taking his seat opposite the old half dragon, swiping the vial off the table.

"You were right," Isam replied, still feeling the poison invading his body, and perhaps if it had been anyone else, he would have chosen to give himself to the poison.

The boy let out a small hum, hoping the poison at least soothed his heart. "I did not expect you to lose to that boy."

"He is an Anomaly."

"The number has increased," the boy stated, matter of factly, but the pair understood their work was only going to increase. "The turn of the millennium has brought in so many, there is one in Aldland, they call him Blood Knight, or Blood Demon, if you are his enemy."

"Is he truly a demon?"

"From what I have heard, he may be a Demon Lord, but I have not confirmed it."

Isam flexed his muscles, until he had finally digested the poison, which continued to burn through his mouth and throat in a way normal spices could no longer. He stood to boil a pot of tea for his guest. The air was heavy with many unspoken words between the pair, before, finally, the pair sipped their tea together, sitting within the room the temple had provided for the half dragon.

Plush.

Soft.

Far too comfortable.

"It is fortunate Floria and Aswadasad are forming greater relations," the boy said, sipping his tea lightly. "Lord Asa has promised to defend Floria."

"Lord Asa…" Isam began, his tone questioning, and the boy nodded, confirming the old half dragon's suspicions. "Did he slip between worlds?"

"I have heard he burnt his Spark, so he must have slipped through the Seams," the boy stated.

The half dragon's brows raised in alarm, almost choking upon his tea as the chill invaded his heart. 'He burnt his Spark? He must have burnt it all to return, if it's true he slipped through the Seams. I should pay him a visit.'

The boy allowed the old half dragon to swallow the news, for it must have terrified him to his core, since it involved burning one's Spark. It was a taboo topic among dragonkind, even those with mixed blood.

"Did you have children while I was gone?" Isam eventually asked, wanting to change the topic to something lighter.

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"…"

"Have you thought of having children," Isam asked, eyeing up the boy. "In the future?"

"I have taken an apprentice recently," the boy said, reaching up to his mouth, where once he had a beard so he could naturally reach up and hide his playful smirks, but now he pretended to hold an air of pensiveness.

"You took an apprentice?"

"An Anomaly," the boy confirmed, sipping his tea.

'If he's speaking of his apprentice so openly…' "This apprentice of yours must be decent if you chose to teach him."

"She is."

"A woman?" Isam asked. "Are you sure you aren't raising her for something el-,"

The boy pointed towards the old half dragon's head, whose body naturally reacted, strands of hair falling down as the boy threatened to lop off his head.

"Your hair is too long," the boy threatened. "The child is still young, though she should already have two or three children at her age, but her skills are almost as good as mine."

Isam's brows raised in alarm once more, for he had never expected this old fool to ever admit anyone was even close to his own abilities, meaning the girl was probably greater than him.

He, who could bring the deceased back to life.

"I should leave," the boy said, crossing his hands behind his back.

"The Biodi…"

"They do not know," the boy stated firmly.

"Are you pretending to be her son, then?" Isam asked.

"She has such courage," the boy admonished, in the way to admonish her, but even Isam could hear the pride in the boy's voice.

"I am glad to hear you are still alive," Isam admitted as the boy stepped up towards the window.

"Only you and your father know," the boy said, but as he approached the window, he paused. "No, there is one more."

"Who?"

"You do not know of him, you were gone by the time he was anyone worth speaking of, but his skills are… passable," the boy said, shaking his head. "If you wish to meet him, you can stick with that boy who beat you senseless, in a way that not even killing yourself can wipe the shame-,"

The boy disappeared through the window, narrowly dodging the heavy swing, while the half dragon felt the annoyance rise within his heart. Then the annoyance gave way to shock. 'Did he say father assisted him?'

Bael sat atop the temple's walls, holding onto the sword, which was so beautiful and sleek. He could feel the presence disappear into the city, his eyes darting aside, wondering just who the little boy was, but after a few minutes, certain the boy was gone, he began to abuse his blade with his lightning once more.

'If you do not wish to inform me of your wishes, then at least die peacefully!'

Completely oblivious to the various monsters and their plots, the young pair continued to drink long into the night.

"Did you see that?" Laygak asked, holding up his cup, his laughter almost echoing within their drunken minds. "My cousin defeated the Poison Sword Dragon!"

Faool allowed Laygak his fun, the young Iyrman cackling with such delight, drinking cup after cup of wine, until he finally rested his head atop the table, his entire body flush with the heat of alcohol.

'He is my cousin too,' Faool thought, but he couldn't bring it up, since who would be so shameless to speak up when the Gak family finally wanted to show off?

"Faool," Laygak called, his eyes threatening to fall.

"Yes?"

"I can still feel it in my heart," Laygak admitted.

Faool remained silent, catching Laygak's eyes, which did not match the smile upon his lips. How many times had they felt it? The Gaks were familiar with it, and though they rare showed it now, they were growing weary of such a feeling.

"Jaygak had the best chance," Laygak whispered, his voice full of that feeling, one he should kill immediately. "It was stolen from her."

"She gave it up," Faool corrected, for though he could pity himself, he could not speak lies.

Laygak groaned, but nodded. "I cannot."

"You cannot?"

"I cannot," Laygak confirmed. "I do not have the ability."

Faool slowly nodded his head. It was difficult for Laygak, who was born so mediocre. There were other mediocre Iyrmen who rose high, though, even to the heights of one of the Ten Paragons of the Iyr currently.

"I cannot, but Taygak?" Laygak whispered, his voice trembling lightly. "Saygak. Tavgak. Faygak. Raygak, Kavgak, and Maygak too…"

Faool could see the Iyrman was replaying the scene within his mind, of Adam so swiftly defeating someone who had all but confirmed to have reached the Peak. Adam had once more called for Taygak to watch. Had he lost, perhaps it would have torn it apart, forever stained for the Gaks.

Except, Adam had won, which caused a bigger problem.

Perhaps…

It could be true?

If it didn't happen, Faool was unsure of how the Gak family would manage to deal with it. Adam, time and time again, did the impossible. Was the Gak family curse so terrible that not even Adam could lift it? The Gak family had already refused the Iyr's assistance, for the Iyr had already done so much, making sure that the Gak family had every chance to rise up, and that was more than enough for the Gaks. No Gak child would know starvation, their family name would continue, and great warriors would continue to be born, and though they had tasted it with Flame Brand recently, perhaps, in this century, they would finally be able to do it.

"Faool!" Laygak poured the young Iyrman a drink, taking a moment to stop himself from falling over, and fighting off the sleepiness with his mischievous thoughts. "Will you rise up too?"

"Can I?" Faool replied, sipping the wine, barely tasting it now, just doing his best to keep his best friend company in this cold night.

"You should grab his ankle," Laygak replied, his tone playfully teasing his best friend, though he was excited to see an unbridled Faool, for an unbridled Faool would be needed, for the curse of the Gak family was not so easily defeated.

"It would feel too cheap."

"That is because he is so free with his favour!"

Faool smiled slightly, pouring Laygak another drink, and the pair sipped the last cup. Laygak rested his head upon the table, staring at the side of his small cup, seeing the patterns within. Yet, within his mind, he replayed the scene, but it was not the scene, but the words before it.

'Taygak, watch carefully.'

Laygak mourned his lack of ability, envious of the half elf, who could speak such words to his sister when he could not. Yet, he was an Iyrman, and he understood that his personal feelings, his own personal glory, would need to be buried for the sake of the family. It didn't matter that he could not do it, all that mattered was that the Gak family rose, but he smiled as he closed his eyes, for it would be his sister to do it.

There was another who drank herself to sleep that night, not wanting to think about how many more hidden monsters they would meet, for no matter how many the Executive could defeat, could they even scratch the monster known as Shama?