Chapter 27

It felt like they walked for an eternity in silence. However, if Nick had to guess, it had only been a few minutes before Eli spoke up.

“What is your dragon’s name?” Of all the things Nick imagined Eli would ask him, that wasn’t even a possibility.

“Wha-?” He thought only Spooks could see Dagr, which meant…

“Yes, I can see him.” Eli smiled, a genuine smile.

“His name is Dagr.” The number one physical nodded at Dagr. Eli just became even more mysterious, and dangerous.

“So, tell me Nicholas, what do you think of the Academy?” Again, an unexpected question.

“Well, I haven’t really had much time to experience it outside of my training.”

“Yes, I understand you were having some troubles during your training.” He stopped and looked at Nick. “So, how did you become so strong, in such a small amount of time?” His expression warned Nick against lying.

“I,” His voice cracked. “I, Dagr had been gathering physical energy since he came to our realm.”

“And when was that?”

“The day we arrived.” A memory of the pain from that day sent a shudder through Nick.

“Hmm, I suppose that makes sense.” Eli started walking again, and Nick followed.

“Why do you want to be the strongest?”

“So that I can become a DRED Knight, so I can protect those I care for.” Being a DRED Knight was all Nick had wanted, since his father died.

“And, how far would you go to gain such power?” Eli’s voice was suddenly serious. “Would you risk your own life?”

“Well…” Nick remembered the fight against Marcus, he had almost killed himself then.

“Listen, Nicholas.” The physical looked up at him, eyes somber. “No matter what you do, always remember, great power is useless if you are dead.” Blue sparks arched off his skin, burning Nick.

“Then how do I become strong, like you?”

Eli laughed, darkly. “My power is the exact type you shouldn’t chase.” He held up a frail hand. “My power is killing me.”

“What?!” Physical power healed and granted strength, it didn’t kill its user. Did it?

“Would you like me to explain?”

“Yes, uh, sir.” Nick was hesitant to offend Eli, so he figured he should be proper.

“Eli is fine.” Another smile. He was much different now, then he had been in front of the others.

“When I got to the Academy, I had dreams like you. I wanted to become the strongest, become a DRED Knight, and save those I cared for.” His eyes began to drift. “My sister is the single most important person in my life.”

“Naomi?”

“Yes, she is my older sister.” That explained Keith’s warning, but that also meant. “And yes, I’m a third year.” He smiled again, “May I continue?”

“Sorry, Eli.”

“It’s fine. So, as I was saying, Naomi is the most important person to me, and I wanted to be able to protect her, no matter what. To do that, I needed strength. She was a year ahead of me and had so much more power than I did. If I wanted to keep her safe from the dangers I saw building up around her, I needed more strength, and fast.” Another arc of energy.

“The first six months, I didn’t stand out. That wasn’t good, I needed more power. However, I knew I had another energy within, but could tell it was dangerous, and so I never reached out and touched it. That, was my spiritual energy.” A green spark this time.

“After my first six months, classes started, and I was assigned additional courses, in controlling my spiritual energy. As I learned more about my power, and how our energies came from the other dimension, an idea started to form.” He grew serious, and Nick could feel the power crackling around him.

“I was naïve, I thought with my spiritual energy, I could open a rift to the other dimension, and by keeping it constantly open, have access to an infinite amount of physical power.” His entire body began to crackle with green and blue energy, and Nick took a step back.

“Well,” Eli laughed. “I was successful.” The ground began to burn. “This is the power I sought, but it came at a price.” He closed his eyes for a moment, and the energy faded away. “Because I am constantly connected to the other dimension, my body is being torn apart and healed simultaneously. Alana has informed me, I will only be able to survive a few more years in this state.”

Eli smiled sadly at Nick. “As such Nicholas, I want you to promise me something.” What could he possibly want from Nick?

“I don’t know if I can do anything for you, Eli.”

“It’s not for me, it’s for Naomi.” He glanced back at the training facility, smiling. “She seems to like you Nicholas. I want you to promise me, when you graduate, you will seek her out, and protect her.” He looked at Nick, and for a moment, all his strength was gone. “When I die, I want you to go on protecting her.”