Dragon Realm Cypress

A cool night set into Lost Dawns as winter dusted a white powder down onto the houses and streets. The moon was just a dim glow, barely piercing the cloudy skies.

Wiccer bundled up extra tightly as he exited the local Mystic Fang. The daze of the tart shineberry wine still freshly bubbled his head. An easy way to forget last night’s event. An event that already haunted him worse than Avren’s death. An event that led him to betray everything he stood for.

Although he only had a few drinks, he was walking around like he had downed enough wine to nearly kill a man. He stumbled and swiveled down the streets into the merchant district of the city. As he leaned his shoulder across the store panes, he rubbed his forehead as it pulsed with the unfamiliar pain of Maedros’ wine-induced debauchery. In the distance he could hear a large crowd of people gathering by the fountain in the town square.

“And we won’t take this treatment of our country laying down any longer!” cried a man that led the crowd.

The crowd chanted back in unison, “No more!”

“The Dawnedge king has crossed the line!”

“Enough is enough!”

“Tull was the one noble we could get behind and Koda took him away from us as well!”

“Hollow be the crown that belongs to a coward!” The crowd grew louder. Rowdier. Stoking

the fire that was about to explode.

“I say we march to the castle and take back what’s ours!” the leader shouted.

The mob roared with rage, raising torches and upheaving wagons and benches.

Wiccer’s eyes widened in horror, compounded with confusion. How could they have learned about Tull so fast? It didn’t make any sense! The royal family had kept their doors shut on this matter, barely anyone knew about it. In any case, the people now knew and they would be no

longer be complacent to Koda’s failures as a leader. Even if that failure was caused by Wiccer himself.

Wiccer mustered his concentration and darted down the street ahead of the protesters. Fires erupted in the wake of the riot. Thrown stones shattered windows, store fronts were set ablaze. Wiccer dived down an alleyway as Lost Dawn’s town guards marched down the other end of the street to clash with the citizens.

“Why was the royal family silent?” cries echoed into the night, “Don’t we deserve to know?”

Panic struck Wiccer as wobbled to his knees.

I did this! I did this! I did this!

The same stream of thoughts raced through his mind over and over again. His hands trembled and his lips quivered. Why did he become a Ghost Fox? Why did he commit such a heinous crime? He was toyed with like a marionette. Strings plucked and pulled. The clown was his master and he was just a tool, a pawn in Inle’s game. How could he be so foolish as to listen to Elucard?

Wiccer collapsed in the snow, clutching his chest. Ever part of his body wrenched in pain, but he felt nothing save for the rapid throb of his own beating heart.

I just want to die. Over and over again, it’s all that I deserve.

***

Elucard watched on with astonishment as vernal mages raised a wall of giant roots to divide the oncoming masses of angry civilians from the castle. Charging from either side of the alleyways came armored guards attempting to quell the riot. They bashed and battered the angry mob with large tower shields and cudgels, attempting to knock them down. The protestors only fought back harder.

Elucard dropped down a gutter and into a smaller alley and took off. He made sure not to be caught in the chaos.

“I didn’t want this to happen…” Elucard stumbled across an elderly man sobbing on a trash heap, his head damp with cool blood, “The Fox people were supposed to rally us, not destroy us.”

Elucard faltered, unable to move forward. He hung his head in shame.

“You’re right, old man,” Elucard whispered, “None of this anarchy was meant to happen.”

The man looked up to the somber Elucard.

“But it has happened…” Elucard turned to the tearful man. “And it's what we do moving forward that the world will judge us by.” Elucard took in a large breath and disappeared into the madness of the night.

***

Wiccer curled in silence. His tears had since frozen over his dark skin, and the shivering in his hands was now more from the snow that covered him than from his inner turmoil, and his labored breathing became calm and quiet. The howls of the ruckus still stirred near him, with the warm glow of fires burning down the city from afar. His thoughts no longer raced, but still wandered in and out of his head.

I did this… I did this… I did th-

“Hey, get up!”

Wiccer’s thoughts broke apart and scattered as a rough kick to his thigh disturbed him

“Get up, Wiccer!” Elucard grabbed Wiccer’s cloak and dead lifted the man over his shoulder. After Elucard set him down near a pile of firewood, he saw that Wiccer’s eyes were glazed over in weakness and mental agony.

“Snap out of it!” Elucard threw a sharp slap across his friend’s face. The pain burned like the fires in Lost Dawns, “I don’t want to hurt you, but I will!”

“I know you will…” whispered Wiccer.

Elucard stepped back, his hand clenched in a tight fist. “No, I don’t want to... I promise.”

Wiccer slumped his head back against the wall. “Everything you touch crumbles to ash,

Elucard.”

“I-”

“Have you noticed that?” Wiccer coughed a crude chuckle. “It’s not just you. Anyone who follows you has a- a death touch on those we care about. I’m partially to blame. I let you loose into this world… just for you to swallow it whole.”

Elucard looked away. “You- You’re drunk, Wiccer. You don’t mean any of this.”

“Maybe... or maybe I’m seeing the world clearly only now... now that it’s all burning down.”

A long silence swept over Elucard.

“We did all this,” Wiccer continued, “You and I. We brought this city down to its knees.”

“It’s not- It’s not over yet!” Elucard blubbered out, tears now streaking from his eyes, “We

can fix this- I can fix this!”

“What’s there to fix, Elucard?” Wiccer’s voice was now hoarse.

“We are still in Inle’s inner circle,” pleaded Elucard, “We will bring him to justice, show everyone they’ve been manipulated. This is far from over.”

“And what of Tull?! We nearly killed the man!” Wiccer snapped, his voice cracking like the fire around them, “How can I look Koda in the eye and tell him I’m responsible for that?!”

“You can’t... we can’t,” said Elucard. His tone now somber, “We must take that secret to our graves.”

“How am I supposed to live with that weight over my head?!” “You just do.” Elucard bowed his head.

Jetta.

“Every death you are responsible for, whether you killed them or left them to die... stays with you. Tull will heal, we will not,” finished Elucard.

The two men stared at each other. The words they said crushed them as if they carried the weight of the moon on their shoulders. What was left unsaid was what truly hurt them. In a night of fire and flame, Elucard and Wiccer’s relationship was now a frozen wasteland.