Chapter 25

Eva Lemuria-18 years old

I have apparently been locked up in this cell for two whole years. I actually didn't really know or pay attention to the time until one day Saras came in saying happy birthday before telling me I am now eighteen. It probably has also been some time since then as well, but not another year or she would have tried to celebrate again. She would celebrate all alone though. I have not spoken since Saras's siblings came to question me about our connection. At first, I was worried that I would end up like the human in that story, but if anything my hate may have lessened a little bit, but it's definitely still there. As for Saras, I don't think she loves me at all. If anything she is slowly being consumed by her guilt for what she has done and wants to make up for it. There were several times that I wanted to just tell her to leave me alone but I would rather her come here every day and look at me as a reminder of what she's done.

Over the years I have never once been given a prisoners usual gruel for food or been tortured in any way. I do believe they have drugged me multiple times because sometimes after I ate I would fall asleep only to wake up with new clothes on and a washed body. If I had access to my mana I wouldn't be so easily affected by and poison or drugs because of a technique that Shadow taught me years ago. He had actually wanted to start building up my bodies immunity with poisons, but it seems both my parents had denied the idea saying it would be too painful.

Even though they were way too overprotective of me I can't help but miss them sometimes. Whenever I feel lonely or homesick I will start to meditate and reach that space I have. Inside I simply have to go through my own memories of my past and enjoy seeing the fun times I had as a child. The worst time was when I was apparently in that space for two weeks straight and I woke up extremely weak that I couldn't move so Saras had to feed me through the bars because I couldn't even move. From then on I would have to be careful of my time meditating even though I have no way to tell the time here. All I can do is keep training and meditating while Saras talks to me about nonsense. Apparently, she has become very attached to me. She had actually attacked some noble boys that were bad mouthing me. I can't blame her for that considering I've done the same thing. I can tell that she wants me to start talking to her ever since I spoke with her brother and Zane even though she also knows I won’t. Zane has been the only other person I have seen come to my cell in this time as well. He would only come to tell me about any research he has dug up about me, but even he has no records on someone that has both black hair and eyes as well as black elements. There are obviously people that may have black hair or eyes but never both or black elements. I wasn't expecting much from his research either way. One thing he has tried to convince me of is that I am not a mana mutant. He says a mana mutant will have mana slowly invade their minds before they go out of control. My mana is completely settled and doesn't seem to be trying to invade my mind at all. He has instead decided to call me something called a hybrid while all I see myself as is a monster.

The weird thing is that these past couples of days are that Saras has been acting very weird and it had given me some troubling thoughts. Before she was always a bubbly person who smiled even as I glared at her, but the past couple of days she has been strangely more mellow and quiet. She must know something that I don't and is worried about it. Right now her whole life is about making up for what she's done to me so the only thing that would worry her is if something has changed. It’s actually a new morning now and she hasn't arrived like she normally would so I can only continue training like I have usually done. After a while, Saras finally comes in with some food. Except for this time she has a very depressing face while looking at me. After I get my food and begin to eat she finally starts to speak.

“Eva the truth is that your family knows you are here.” Well, I admit that is a little shocking to hear for the first time. They had probably known for some time now I'm guessing. I don't know why I am only being told this now or why this seems to be causing Saras to look so troubled. “They’ve to know for about one and a half years and the entire time they have demanded that we give you to them or let them at least see you. We haven't actually told them why we have you or anything about your situation. We've only told them that you are staying here for an indefinite amount of time and they can't come into our valley. I don't think they even know where this valley is and a dragon is hard to follow.” She pauses and takes a deep breath before continuing. “The reason I have told you this is because I want you to know that we've been monitoring your family and that we've been researching you to better understand you. Our people now believe that you are a threat to us. They seem to believe that you're physiologically likely to come for revenge if they let you go. You and I both seem completely stable after I gave you my heart, but they believe that even your normal personality is a danger to us. They have told me that they want to just keep you locked up, but I know that they are thinking of just putting you down.”

I see that it's exactly like I thought. I knew that I would probably never make it out of this cell. All this time I've been trying to train my body beyond its limits, but even if my body has become ridiculously strong I still can't break free of these chains let alone get out of this cell. I guess the only thing I can do now is waiting for the lizards to finally ok my execution. I wish they had never told my parents that I am here. They could have just believed I had run away never to return. Now they will know that I am being held here and eventually they will know that I have died. Such wasted time trying to become stronger all this time only to die again. Everything is this naive dragons fault. As if sensing my thoughts from my glare Saras lowers her head.

“If that's all then tell them to hurry up.” After I tell her that in a barely audible hoarse voice I get up and walk to the back corner and just sit. There's no point in training or meditating now. My throat actually hurts from speaking for the first time in so long.

“Eva I won't let them kill you! I will make a deal or find a way to threaten them.” Saras

“So you want to prolong my suffering? Have me live a pointless life trapped in a cage? You'll make me suffer even more because you feel guilt!” How dare she pretend to truly care. She should understand that I refuse to live such a pointless life.

She seems to understand because she just lowers her head in shame before walking out. I just sit down and think about how long I will have before someone comes to kill me. I feel as if all the hope that I had is gone now. I had only wanted to live for a little bit without the judging eyes constantly looking at me. I just wanted to rank up as an adventurer before exploring the world. I was going to become one of the strongest with my own hard work before returning home. I wanted people to look at me with different eyes than as if I was a monster. I finally start to feel my eyes tear up. I haven't cried all this time because I still had the hope of leaving this cell and being able to live. I even ignored the feeling of wrongness from having someone else’s heart in my chest just so I could live. I keep crying till I fall asleep.

I wake up sometime later to the sounds of metal being dragged. I look up to see Saras walking in with my halberd and a bag over her shoulder. I look at my halberd and see that it has been fixed. I’ll admit that I feel a little emotional while looking at my partner. I look back to Saras and see that for the first time in two years the gate keeping me in my cell has been opened. Saras comes in with a ring of keys in one hand and some clothes in the other.

“You are right. I can't let you just stay here so I can make myself feel better. I managed to steal the keys from my parents for your chains. After you take them off you can wear this. I had it made so it can hide all your scales. It will seem weird at first, but I know you will prefer this because it will hide your arm completely.” Saras comes to me and unlocks all the chains on me except for the one around my neck. “This collar is whats holding in your mana so the second it's taken off it will be like a dam breaking. All the clan heads will instantly feel your mana rushing out so I'll take it off after you are ready and then you will have to run.”

She helps me take off all my clothes and then I put on the tight black pants and black boots. She gives me a black undershirt and then she wraps up my right arm in some black bandages. She puts my right arm in a harness that hugs my arm right under my breast. She then helps me put the white over shirt on. It is a pure white shirt with pieces of cloth hanging in the front and back that reaches my knees. The bottom has black flames on it and the sleeves have black lighting. It seems she must have really thought of me while making these clothes. She then wraps a mask over the lower half of my face. With this, I look like I am missing my right arm while my breast looks a little perkier. She then gives me a harness so my halberd can rest on my back instead of me holding it on my shoulder. She then puts my dagger in my shirt so I can grab it with my left hand easily.

With everything finished with that, she grabs the last key and unlocks my collar. My left-hand shoots out and grabs her by the throat. All of a sudden I feel my mana rushing out of my body. It's like a flood rushing out of my body. It’s so intense that the ground beneath me cracks and crumbles away. Even with my mana weighing her down and my hand on her throat Saras has no fear in her eyes. There is only shame and guilt in her eyes as she looks at me and for the first time, I don't feel anger while looking at her. Instead what I feel is disgust while looking at her so I throw her into my cell and walk out of it. I grab the bag she brought and I can tell there is food in it. “Thank you for finally doing the right thing.” I walk out of the prison with a vow to never return.

Narrator

The dragon valley was completely quiet because it's barely dawn. The sun hasn't started peeking over the mountain, but there was still some light starting to illuminate the sky. All the family heads were all preparing to get up and greet their families when out of nowhere the whole valley was covered in a heavy pressure. All the adults only felt the pressure while the younglings were all falling to their knees and breathing heavily. Everyone was confused on what was happening except the family heads and other members of the council. They all knew there was only one prisoner who had an incredible strength that would be released all at once if that prisoner was ever released. All the family heads yell for everyone to rush to the prison.

The green dragon family the Skyclaw family was also shocked before they all realized how this happened. They had told their daughter the councils decision but didn't really think she would ever do something like this. Then the second they realized that their daughter could be in danger now they all got up and rushed faster than any of the other families.

When everyone arrived they saw the front gate of the prison blasted open and the guards are motionless on the ground either dead or alive. In front of the gate, there is a single female that most have never seen before. Only the Skyclaw family and Zane recognize this female as the one that was brought in two years ago. She is wearing a beautiful outfit that makes it look like she's missing an arm, but they know it's still there. She looks up at every dragon in the sky with eyes filled with anger and disdain.

“Wheres my daughter?” Dan Skyclaw demands. Eva only points her chin towards the now destroyed prison.

“Come quietly with us. We don't want to hurt you.” The Sunspots family head speaks quietly in a calming tone.

“HAHAHAhahahahaha. Do you all take me for a fool? I have been freed from an unjust imprisonment. I will never be chained down by you lizards again.” Eva starts laughing at their attempt to fool her. If she was a naive child like Saras she might have actually fallen for it. Eva reaches over the side of her body and lowers the right side of her outer shirt and then takes her bandaged arm out of its harness. She clenches her fist a couple of times before she disappears in a black flash right in front of everyone. The next thing that happens is Dan Skyclaw crashing into the ground creating a crater and Eva is where he was with her right fist where his head was. She disappears in another flash of black light before appearing on the Sunspots heads back. There's an explosion of black flames as the Sunspots head flies down and Eva rockets towards the edge of the valley. Eva looks back one time and sees Saras had made it to the prison entrance. Eva looks away and shifts into lighting before disappearing right when the sun finishes rising.

“Damn it! She knocked me out of the sky again!” Dan Skyclaw

“Pfft” Saras has to cover her mouth to stop from laughing, but she attracts everyone's attention with that small sound. All the dragons converge on her and some seem truly displeased.

“Saras why would you release a prisoner? Do you realize you basically just released a dangerous enemy?” Nigel Skyclaw

“Since when had you all stopped calling her a guest and instead of calling her a prisoner?” With that one sentence from Saras, every dragon can only shut their mouths. “I did not bring her here to be imprisoned while you all talk about what day to execute her. I brought her here so you all can help her, but instead, you all turned her into the dragon tribes enemy. Before she hated me completely but she did not hate the tribe. You all imprisoning her and treating her as a prisoner when she was my savior is what made her an enemy. If she comes back one day for vengeance then I will support her too.” After that Saras transformed back into her real form and flew off.

The rest of the surrounding dragons have no way to refute her claims because she has completely pointed out the truth of the situation. They all just fly off one by one until there are only the family heads. They remain silent till they begin discussing what they should do. Finally, they come to the conclusion that they should send out some dragons to find Eva and just monitor her. The family heads leave and the only ones that remain are the Skyclaw family.

“Saras is going to be very mad at us for a while.” Talia Skyclaw

“You all said that she was powerful and I felt a little guilty when I saw a young girl chained up so much in the prison. After watching her completely knock father out of the sky I feel like those chains were the right amount with her strength, but Saras was right that we wouldn't need those chains in the first place.” Drew Skyclaw

“Shut up! She caught me off guard so I couldn't react!” Dan Skyclaw tries to defend himself, but his wife and children just look at him with pity.

“For now we can only watch out for Eva while we try to appease Saras. I think after this none of the young dragons will come to bug her about marriage for a while. Instead, they will probably try to punish her so we have to protect her now.” Nigel Skyclaw

The rest of the family agrees with him and they fly back home to look for Saras. While the dragons were worrying about Eva, she was making her way through the sky in a random direction. She didn't know where she was or where she was going so she just flew in a random direction. She didn't know what to do know. She was just happy that she was now free.