The Crown's Fire - Chapter 52

Chapter 52: To Avenge Her
[That’s an invasion of privacy, Tarah,] Ezekiel complained. [Don’t do something like that again without my permission.]

“I’m sorry, but this…” she weakly muttered. “Your soul. You shouldn’t…”

Despite herself, she was truly curious about how the prince managed to obtain a draconite stone. She investigated, and it turned out that his soul had actually received a great injury from fighting Vulcan over just one of the stones.

[You can’t expect me to do nothing while watching you die,] Ezekiel pointed out with a sigh.

Tarah pressed her lips. She felt bad that Ezekiel had to suffer great pain just to save her.

‘There’s nothing to worry about, right?’ Tarah inwardly encouraged herself.

In her previous vision, she saw that Mineah had succeeded in finding Ezekiel’s spirit. In addition, she saw Ezekiel becoming a great king for all the kingdoms that voluntarily let their realm be under his one rule and order. It only meant that he would survive this backlash on his soul in due time.

However, fate was still a complicated thing… Not all the visions and dreams Tarah saw could happen in reality. She was fully aware that some of them could only be guides and reminders of how things could happen in the future. She had the power to change the course of fate if she wanted to like how she did three years ago, like when she saved her little brother Levi from being killed, but nothing was truly set in stone.

For three years, she trained herself on how to use her special abilities to her advantage. Eventually, she learned whether or not to alter the course of fate from her visions depending on whether she deemed it to be just or not, weighing the morality of things of her own accord.

Above all else, however, she was determined to help the prince because he was the key for her and Levi to be freed from the hell they were currently in. Besides, she strongly believed that Ezekiel deserved her assistance. His heart to maintain order in the world so that everyone living in it could co-exist together in peace was an admirable trait, so long as he lived long enough to make use of it.

‘His soul needs repairing,’ she thought to herself.

If Ezekiel continued to fight Vulcan for authority like this, then there would be a high chance that his soul would slowly vanish and Vulcan could completely take over his body. Especially now that his spirit was gone to replenish his soul, it was only a matter of time before the worst happened.

[Let Vulcan take over until Queen Mineah finds your spirit, Your Highness,] she advised him with a stern look on her face. [For now, please let your soul replenish its energy. I can manage the dragon from here while we wait for your spirit to return.]

[But-]

“Please trust me on this,” she insisted. “I can manage Vulcan, so let that damn dragon be in control for now, and don’t overexert your soul.”

[Alright then,] Ezekiel weakly answered.

With their discussion over, Tarah inwardly cursed as she tried to think of a way to talk to Ezekiel without Vulcan hearing them. However, such a thing was impossible.

‘I want to remind him to focus on his bond with Vulcan’s spirit…’ she thought.

She had already informed the prince about it before, at least, and she could only hope that Ezekiel would work on it more while Vulcan took over the dragon’s form. Vulcan’s spirit must be latched onto his soul so that it could be better recognized by it…

After some time, Vulcan suddenly moved and growled, ready to attack her. Tarah was ready, however, as she smirked and quickly commanded it to stay still.

[You!!] Vulcan barked.

Tarah simply let out a sigh before speaking in the draconic language, [Hunt me a deer. I’m hungry.]

[How dare you!] Vulcan growled, but its body moved against its will.

[Hurry now. And come back quickly,] Tarah added with a taunting smirk. [Don’t let your dragonrider die from hunger now.]

Right then, the dragon went out of the cave with a grunt. It was only a good thing that she could command the dragon to do things for her so long as it wasn’t using the majority of its power for an attack. She shook her head at how the heavens managed to balance the authority of a dragonrider over its dragon. She could only guess that it was made so that the dragonriders wouldn’t be able to use the dragons for their own greed.

“I can’t command you to attack, but I can definitely command you to get me food,” she said with a grin as she kept the golden draconite inside her magic purse. Speaking of, she wondered when she would get the opportunity to give the draconite stone to Queen Mineah.

Smiling, she added more twigs to the fire that Ezekiel probably started. It kept her warm, and she appreciated this gesture from him.

With nothing better to do, Tarah opened her journal and took her time to write her thoughts on it while she waited for Vulcan’s return. While she was writing, another vision came to her, and it was about the coming birthday of Queen Mineah.

“Right, I should give it to King Nikolai instead,” she muttered with a frown.

In the vision, King Nikolai turned the draconite into an armring before giving it to Queen Mineah along with the rest of Seer Beirut’s special and magical items in her safekeeping.

She was still in a deep stupor organizing her thoughts over her various visions when she heard Vulcan’s flapping wings in the distance. Quickly closing her journal and putting it back inside her purse, Tarah moved to greet the dragon.

[Your meal!] Vulcan hissed as it dropped the dead deer before her.

“Thank you,” Tarah said with a smile.

Looking at her meal, she couldn’t help but become more curious about what really happened in Vulcan’s past. She had a feeling that knowing exactly what happened back then would somehow give her a more thorough understanding of how to properly deal with Vulcan, but it was something that she could only think of for now.

With food now available, Tarah started preparing and roasting some of the deer meat. All the while, she could feel the dragon’s gaze lingering on her. “I saw something in your past,” she casually stated. “You and your dragonrider seemed to be very close.”

[Shut your mouth!] Vulcan barked out.

However, Tarah didn’t stop there. “Her name was Hana, right? And if my understanding is correct… you treasured her very much,” she candidly stated. “You killed all the dragonriders to avenge her, right?”

It was just a hunch, but it was worth a guess. She was trying to put together the pieces of the puzzle, even though what she saw in Vulcan’s past was a bit blurry to her.

[Hana… She’s the only dragonrider who deserves to command a dragon! The rest must die!] Vulcan roared in rage.