Chapter 19: A Hateful Reminder

I remember every detail the day the Dragons fell from the skies. We called them Dragons because there was no other word to describe them. Gigantic quadruped reptiles with wings on the shoulders, breathing fire of white and black. There were two of them, but the power displayed by these two creatures was unlike anything we had seen before. One had shimmering white scales and shining green eyes. The other had magnificent black scales and bright red eyes.

The Dragons were colossal in size, both as large as mountains. They crashed through the planet’s atmosphere, clawing and biting one another in a violent struggle before landing in a large valley a few miles from our colonies. The struggle of the two Great Dragons was the beginning of the end for humanity.

Eramar rubbed his head in defeat as he stood in front of the young protégé, Leon Lurranna. “Tell me again, slowly. What has Ryan done this time?”

Leon’s glasses and well-trimmed noble’s suit with golden buttons and black silk made for quite the figure. As difficult to read as ever with his polished and scholarly appearance. At the age of eighteen, Leon Lurranna seemed more like a regal lord than an Elemental student.

He looks more like his father every day. Hopefully, that’s where the similarities end.

They stood together on a white balcony overlooking the lake of lava inside the volcano. The psionic shielding kept the heat at bay, and Eramar’s own abilities as a Wielder would be sufficient to keep them safe should anything go awry. Eramar always felt most at ease being near the natural power of the volcano. Just gazing at the turbulent fires of the inferno below gave Eramar a sense of serenity when he felt troubled, almost like he could only find order by staring into a sea of chaos.

Leon cleared his throat respectfully. “I’m afraid that our new addition has made for quite the reputation as a prankster in the Ministry. He just spray-painted every statue we have of the Fire Minister. Apparently, he thought she would look more debonair with a mustache. To make matters worse, he’s already acquired a little entourage of loyal followers with Thomas Madison as the leader.”

As annoyed as Eramar felt, a faint smile crossed his lips. “That brat used to be a snotnosed teacher’s pet ... until Ryan thought it would be funny to give him a lesson in humility by blowing up his chair. Not that I blame Ryan for doing it. The kid was a snobby little bastard, but now he worships the ground that Uruks stands on and has become a bit of an anarchist. I have a little something against authority myself, but if we’re not careful, Uruks will be running the entire Grunt Academy.”

Well, at least I finally got him in the habit of consistently wearing shoes. That’s progress at least.

Leon blinked in helplessness, no doubt spending many sleepless nights wondering what horrors Ryan Uruks might unleash. “That’s not what has me worried though. Tork is almost back from his scouting mission with the Black Dragons.”

Now Eramar knew what had young Lurranna so on edge. “Given Ryan’s history with them, I think it would be best if we kept their contact with each other to a minimum.”

“Tork is a full-fledged member of Squad 99, just like Ryan and me. We can’t keep it secret forever that we have a Dragon as our sixth member. If Uruks has a problem with it, he can deal with me. Grafael went too easy on him, and I’d be more than happy to give him a lesson in humility myself.”

As calculating as Leon acted most of the time, he did have an occasional bout of passion, which made Eramar wonder what else could be boiling under that cold exterior. “You don’t like him, do you?”

Leon’s heat cooled somewhat as his face became impassive. “I have no feelings, positive or negative for Ryan Uruks. He’s a member of Squad 99 and that is that.”

Eramar refused to let it go that easily. “You are still resentful that the council decided to dump him on you without going through the proper exams.”

“What I think or feel is irrelevant. You were the one who taught me that, Master Eramar.”

Eramar thought he could detect the slightest bit of bitterness in the young man’s voice, but given what the lad had been through, Eramar could hardly blame him. Eramar tried to speak gentler. Saria always told him that he was too blunt with young people. Though Eramar found that somewhat ironic considering her own gruff mannerisms.

“I know that your situation is not ideal, but please try to play nicely with the kid. Saria may not be as religious as some Elementals, but even she knows enough not to question prophecy ... especially ones made by the Guardians.”

Leon’s face betrayed nothing of his emotions, not surprising considering that Eramar himself taught Leon to resist all forms of interrogation. “It’s not just that I can’t stand him. I can’t stand a lot of people. It’s just ... I can’t shake the feeling that there may be something dangerous about having him around. We still don’t know the full details of how his village was destroyed, and how he alone somehow miraculously survived. And now since that punk, Shaver, turned up dead in his cell ... I’m just not sure the Grunt’s worth all this trouble.”

Eramar found himself smiling again. “And yet, weren’t you helping him in his fight with Grafael? I saw you. I know you well enough to know when you’re using telepathy.”

Leon shrugged. “He just looked so pathetic, that’s all. To challenge Grafael takes a great amount of both stupidity and guts. I’m just kind of a sucker for the underdog, you know that. But it doesn’t change how I feel about him being on the team.”

Eramar only replied with, “Mm-hmm.” Eramar got the sense that there was more to Leon’s actions, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it, and he somehow knew that Leon couldn’t either.

As the silence dragged on, Leon tried to steer the conversation in a new direction. “How’s his training going? Any potential?”

Eramar rubbed his mechanical-eye, a habit he developed when he felt weary. “Everyone’s got potential; knowing how much is just a matter of time. But for Ryan, I’m afraid it could be a matter of decades. He’s not like you and the others. Strategy just doesn’t come naturally to him. He’s got a good deal of power for a Flamer, but like I always say, all the power in the universe is worthless without the knowledge of how to use it.

“He has excelled faster than most Grunts, true, but still not fast enough to be combat worthy like Squad 99. He just doesn’t have a lot of natural talent, as you did. What progress he makes is done slowly by his will and stubbornness. Many teachers might have deemed him too virulent and unstable to be an Elemental, but I get the feeling that if we just give him a chance, he’ll come around ... eventually.”

Eramar chuckled slightly, remembering one of Ryan’s more endearing moments. “One thing that I can tell you is that if he ever gets a full handle on that bomb-making ability of his, we will have one heck of an ace up our sleeves. Too bad the kid has a touch as delicate as a rhino. His explosions are either too weak to cause enough damage, or too big that he either ends up wasting all his psions in one shot, or he blows himself up.”

Eramar sighed and rubbed his glowing-orange eye again, recalling one of Ryan’s more frustrating qualities. “And we still haven’t been able to find the right weapon for him. We’ve tried everything from guns to swords to knives, but every psionic weapon that he touches blows up in his hands. I get the feeling that we just need to find the right balance for him, but knowing Ryan, it’ll probably be the unlikeliest thing that we would expect. Oh, and in case he keeps complaining about losing that package from Lioness, you can let him know that I confiscated it. After what happened at the Ogre’s place, I think he’ll need a little more time before he’s ready for that kind of toy.”

“In any case,” started Leon thoughtfully, his implacable intellect never missing a beat. “If he doesn’t show some progress soon, the council will have no choice but to pull him from Squad 99. We can’t have a liability on our team.”

Eramar harrumphed. “You’re one to talk, Lurranna. Only a few years at the Ministry and already you think you’re some big shot, you little whipper-snapper. You really should get over this superiority complex of yours.”

Leon smirked defiantly. “I can’t help it if I’m just better. Is that so bad?”

“Now you sound like Ryan.”

Eramar hoped a little joking might help Leon lighten up a little, but then that same serious look came into his black pupils. “Back to more important matters. None of the mercenaries we captured in that raid knew anything about the man who hired them, and the death of Shaver raises some problems. It seems we have a turncoat in our midst.”

Eramar nodded. “Probably a Mystic. Hundreds of years after the Dark Dragon Lord’s defeat, and their followers are still mucking up the Ministry. Though I doubt it’s more than one, otherwise the investigation unit would’ve sensed the dark water being used.”

“He must be related to those mercenaries that infiltrated the Preservers, otherwise, he wouldn’t have bothered to kill their hapless leader,” speculated Leon. “That punk must’ve known more than the interrogators got out of him. Now that our best lead to the Mystic is gone, what’s our next move?”

Eramar fiddled with his goatee before responding. “I believe this Mystic to be the one responsible for the disappearances of upcoming candidates. I also believe that at some point, he’ll try to make a grab for Ryan again, so we just need to stick close to the brat and wait for the Mystic to make his next move. I trust you know what I mean.”

Leon sniffed. “What do you take me for, a Grunt? I’ve already been tailing him for a while now. Nothing overtly suspicious so far, but if he tries anything, I’ll nail him to the wall.”

“Good,” said Eramar satisfactorily. “Be sure to find out who his employer is. Most Mystics sell their services to rival Ministries for profit nowadays. That’ll be all for now. Return to your mission.”

As Leon left the balcony, he stopped just at the door with his back to Eramar. “What about Tork? You know that with Ryan’s amateur skills, his powers could become very unstable ... especially if confronted with something so emotionally traumatic.”

Eramar suddenly felt very old and very sad as memories of failures with his students came back to him. Eramar remembered in bitterness and sorrow the last words on his student’s lips. He remembered those demented yellow eyes, the bright red crimson of its scales and leathery wings. The horrid high-pitched laughter of the demon as it mocked his pain.

“Why, master? Why didn’t you save me?” said the voice that would always haunt him.

I wanted to, Billy! I wanted to more than anything, Eramar had tried to say.

“Never forget your failure here today. Never forget that as you live, your beloved student curses you from his grave,” said the wretched voice of the demon, its final curse to the man that had killed it. As much as Eramar wanted to, he never forgot what happened, and he never forgave himself.

No, never again! I’m not losing another one! I’m not making the same mistake twice!

“You let me handle it, Leon. Just leave everything to me.”

“Ack! huff!” coughed Ryan as he handed Hamma Steel another failed weapon experiment. “I don’t think that fire grenades are the best weapon for me either, Ham.”

Hamma placed a sympathetic hand on Ryan’s shoulder. “Call me Hamma, please. And don’t worry. These things take time, young Elemental. We just have to find the right balance. There is an almost limitless supply of psionic weapon combinations for you to try. I have the feeling that the answer will reveal itself in time.”

“Ham, my man ... you are a boon in troubled times,” said Ryan, instantly feeling better as he patted his friend on his armored shoulder.

“Hamma, please.”

Hamma Steel was a Level Three Elemental with power over mist. Mist users had been nicknamed Creepers because of their abilities to control fog, a rare ability to have in the Ministry of Fire. Ryan often thought of how handy it might be to have such abilities, especially when he needed to make a quick getaway using a fog screen after messing up the bathrooms.

Hamma Steel was a tall man in his late twenties; he had combed white hair, and came from the outer territories just like Ryan. He wore the lightly adorned red armor with three notches at the right shoulder that indicated his rank as Third. Capes were reserved for Fourths and Wielders, so his armor, though dashing, didn’t appear quite as flashy as Eramar’s. Even though Hamma hadn’t officially been assigned to supervise Ryan like Eramar, the man took a liking to Ryan and helped him out from time to time. Hamma had made it his life’s mission to find Ryan a suitable Elemental weapon or die trying ... which could very well be the case since most weapons Ryan held ended up exploding.

“I guess we should try again tomorrow. Right now, I’ve gotta go meet with Eramar. Probably another lecture about something that he thinks I did wrong. Thanks again for helping me out. I’ll see you later,” said Ryan.

Before Ryan could leave, Hamma took him by the arm almost a little forcefully. “Oh, yes, that reminds me. Did you hear that the last member of Squad 99 will be at the Ministry gates this afternoon?”

Ryan immediately forgot all about his meeting with Eramar. “You don’t say. I’ve asked about him. Tork they said his name was, but everyone has been unusually quiet about it. Even Grafael, and I can usually weasel anything out of him. All in all, I’m getting really curious about who this Tork guy is. I wanna meet him.”

Hamma waggled his finger. “No, no, no. You’re forgetting about Eramar.”

Ryan shrugged. “Ahh, the old fart can blow it up his foghorn. He hardly ever spends time teaching me, at least not since that first lesson. He just gives me some crap to do and then leaves. When he does see me, it’s only to tell me what a disappointment I am to him. I don’t know what his problem is, but I don’t really want to deal with him right now. I’ll just say that I had a chore to do for Saria. What Eramar doesn’t know won’t hurt him.”

Hamma mimed zipping his mouth shut. “My lips are sealed.”

“Thanks a ton, Ham,” called out Ryan as he headed to the fiery gates of the volcano.

“It’s Hamma,” grumbled the Creeper.

While Ryan made his way to the gates, his red training armor jostled and clanged uncomfortably. Ryan had unwillingly submitted to Eramar’s suggestion that he start wearing ministry-grade armor for high-level Grunts. It made training a lot less painful, especially when Eramar felt like throwing a basketball-sized orb of flame at his butt without warning. Unlike Hamma’s armor, Ryan’s suit didn’t have any notches. He would get his first notch when he became a First-Level Elemental.

Though he didn’t have to wear the helmet, Ryan still had to put up with the boots. That was the hardest part to get used to, but Ryan’s first lesson with Eramar had taught him the value of protecting his feet. Plus, all Fire Armor was resistant to heat, so win-win.

As Ryan drew closer to the gates, he noted a transport coming towards the steel landing platform. A Fire Ministry scouting ship, a small, sleek vessel painted in gold and red with fiery symbols like the ones on the gates emblazoned on its surface. It looked a little like the head of a duck, but still seemed impressive to Ryan. The transport didn’t come in for a landing, but instead hovered a good hundred feet above the landing platform. Then Ryan saw a human-sized figure jump out of the side of the craft and spread its wings in a display of aerial superiority.

Ryan froze. Descending to the ground at an alarming pace was a creature that he had not seen in a very long time, a creature that still haunted his nightmares at night ... a Dragon.

Ryan felt it. He heard the screams. Smelled the smoke. Saw the blood darkening the formerly green fields like a macabre rainstorm. Sweat beaded Ryan’s brow, and his breathing became wispy. His heart pounded in his ears. He almost felt fear, but then he remembered something else. He remembered the frightened face of his best friend, Henry the half-Elf. He remembered everyone he loved who he would never see again. Ryan quickly stamped down the fear of his younger self. The new Ryan wasn’t a scared little boy anymore; he didn’t need to be afraid of Dragons. The new Ryan had power now. The new Ryan could fight back. Fear fizzled out like a dying ember, and rage took its place.

As soon as the Dragon landed, Ryan responded instinctively, chucking red fireballs at the cursed creature. At first, the Dragon seemed taken by surprise, clumsily dodging the first few attacks in a tittering flight. But after a few red flames grazed it, the beast quickly recovered its wits and soared through the air for a counterstrike.

Ryan didn’t hesitate. Before it reached a safe distance, Ryan jumped as far as his Saurian-powered legs could take him, and he soared through the air grappling the monster in mid-flight.”

“Hold your fire, human. My allegiance is to the Ministry, same as you!” cried the demon in its high-pitched voice.

“Liar!” screamed Ryan venomously, beyond all reason.

Ryan tried to strangle the beast, but it wrapped its tail around him and threw him to the ground. When Ryan’s back smashed the metallic floor of the landing platform, he twisted his legs over his head and rolled to his feet in an instant. Though slightly dazed, he felt all the more determined as the flames in his hands grew bigger and hotter until they went up his arms and started to burn through his training shirt.

I’ll make them pay! I’ll make all of them pay, starting with you, monster!

The Dragon circled just out of Ryan’s range and pulled out a round, silver shield with spinning spikes like a buzz saw, and a strange sword shaped like a tonfa.

Despite the pain in his head, Ryan was too engrossed in his hatred and his need for revenge to think the situation through. He charged up his internal psions for another attack, but as he did so, he suddenly felt drained like all the fire had died out inside his body. And then he passed out.

Ryan woke up in his room tied down with the same blue glowing ropes that the mercenaries had once used on him. All of Squad 99 was there, plus Eramar who wore a sullen expression. Grafael looked angry, but then he always looked angry. Éclair seemed concerned, while Leon and Rachel were unreadable. Then Ryan saw the Dragon cowering in the corner.

Still in the grips of fury, Ryan struggled against his bonds as he shouted, “What the hell is going on here?! Let me go so that I can tear that thing to pieces!”

Leon’s face hardened. “That ‘thing’ is a member of Squad 99, and unlike some people, he has earned his right to be here.”

Ryan couldn’t believe his ears. “You’re telling me that our last member is a Black Dragon.”

Then it spoke. “Actually, I am a regular Space Dragon ... see, gold scales ... but humans have made the mistake before. My name is Tork. I must say that for a human, you are quite tenacious. If I didn’t know any better, I would have thought that I was being assailed by none other than Grafael.”

It spoke in a fancy accent, much snobbier than Éclair’s, but in Ryan’s mind that didn’t make it any less of a threat.

“Do not compare me to this knave,” grumbled Grafael in his deep, rough voice. “After what he has done, he and I could not be more different. I thought you of all people, Ryan Uruks, were at least above the prejudices of your ancestors. I see now that I was mistaken, and you are worthy of neither admiration nor honor.”

“I don’t give a damn what any of you think! It’s still a Dragon, and as far as I’m concerned, it’s the enemy!” screamed Ryan, getting tired of people judging him all the time.

The Dragon put a hand to his mouth and said, “Oh my! Such racism.”

“Now, you listen to me you pompous, arrogant little brat,” said Leon, his usually stoic voice rising in anger. “You have no idea what Tork had to go through to get on this team. He’s had an even harder time than you and Grafael. If you want to stay on this group, which you don’t deserve to in the first place, then you best start showing a little respect before I-”

Éclair held up a hand to cut him off, which was strange because she usually hung on Leon’s every word. Éclair then placed herself in between Leon and Ryan, speaking in a genuinely compassionate voice.

“I know what he did was wrong, and maybe he should be punished for that, but I still think that he belongs with us.” Éclair then turned to address the Dragon. “Tork, I am truly sorry for what happened. But if you could find it within yourself to forgive my stupid friend here, he will not do it again ... that I can personally guarantee.”

Despite the fact that she used the word ‘friend’, there was an edge to her voice that Ryan did not mistake. In some ways, Éclair’s quiet, smoldering anger was more terrifying than Grafael and Leon combined.

Rachel snorted, as if she found the whole affair beneath her. “My little sister, the negotiator. She just wants everyone to get along,” said Rachel in a mocking voice. “Personally, I don’t care one way or the other, but that’s just me.”

Ryan could tell by Éclair’s face that Rachel’s statement angered her, but she ignored it as she held her gaze with Tork.

The Dragon sighed and said, “Of course, anything for you, my dear. If you see merit in this young gentleman, then by all means I say let bygones be bygones.”

The Dragon then walked around Éclair to stand directly in front of Ryan. If Ryan hadn’t been strapped to the bed, he would’ve pulverized the monster. The creature held out its hand, as if Ryan would even be willing to touch it. “I have heard the sordid details of your past. I can understand your reaction to me. I hope that we can become friends in the future.”

“If you really know what happened to me,” said Ryan darkly, barely able to contain his rage as he narrowed his eyes malignantly. “Then you also know why you and I can never be friends.”

Tork looked genuinely hurt, his eyes growing watery as he drew his hand back.

This time, Eramar stepped between them. “That’s enough, Ryan! I have enough trouble without you trying to kill a comrade. Half the council is breathing down my neck to expel you. Do you understand me? You will never be an Elemental if you don’t let this matter go.” For what it was worth, Eramar seemed genuinely worried.

Ryan decided that the best course of action would be to mitigate the situation for now and bide his time. “I promise that I won’t attack the Dragon again without cause. But don’t expect me to like him,” said Ryan to Eramar, refusing to address the creature any further.

That will satisfy them for now, thought Ryan, deciding to play along with the others and wait until he had concrete proof against Tork. But when I find out what you’re really planning, Dragon ... you’ll wish you were never born!

Éclair walked in silence with Ryan.

She knew how he felt. He felt lonely, bitter, angry, and she knew of no way to make those feelings go away. Tork didn’t deserve Ryan’s anger, but for the moment, all the negative emotions that had been building up inside of him over the years had focused on the Dragon as their target. Éclair knew from experience that it would take time for Ryan to resolve his pain, but resolve it he must; otherwise, his days at the Ministry were numbered. For some reason, Éclair found such an outcome unacceptable. Even though he was a bit of a brat, Éclair didn’t want Ryan to leave. She decided to get Ryan to focus on something else besides Tork.

“You know, we’re lucky you weren’t expelled. At the first opportunity, you need to go to the council and apologize.”

Ryan said nothing.

As annoying as he can be sometimes, I miss the old, cheerful Ryan. The one who always made up stupid jokes and does just about everything he can think of to make a fool of himself.

Not being one to give up, Éclair pressed on. “Are you listening to me, Ryan? I’m telling you that your standing as an Elemental is at risk. We should go to the council now and-”

Ryan suddenly turned on Éclair, his face smoldering inches from hers. “What do you know about it?! Huh?! What do any of you know about what it feels like to lose everything and everyone you ever loved?! And then to be on your own on a strange world for five years where everybody treats you like you’ve got the plague!

“Five years of scraping for food and starving to death in the cold ... living out of a cardboard box and running from gangs who want your blood just because you have scales and they don’t! All because of a band of bloodthirsty lizards who thought it would be funny to visit a village and slaughter innocent farmers who never did them any harm to begin with! And now you expect me to look into the eyes of one of those monsters and act like nothing happened?!”

Éclair was too stunned to speak. Ryan had never gotten angry with her before.

As if coming to his senses, Ryan looked down and said, “I-I’m sorry, Éclair. I don’t know what came over me. I...” Ryan then turned in shame and walked away.

For someone who acted tough all the time, it seemed the boy did have a bit of a sensitive side. Éclair wanted to call back to him and tell him that she did know what all that felt like, but then thought better of it. Knowing her past wouldn’t help Ryan, it would only serve to make him feel worse.

Besides, in many ways he’s right. I don’t know what it’s like to endure all the prejudice and hatred that he went through ... to have to deal with people judging him his whole life. Everyone has always treated me like royalty. My ordeal was tragic, but at least I had Leon and Grafael. And my godfather, of course. Ryan was on his own for years. In time, Ryan will realize his mistake. He will know that he is judging Tork the same way that all those people judged him. We just need to give him a little time, that’s all.

Éclair watched Ryan in sadness and gave a silent prayer to the Lord Caretaker to watch after him.

As Ryan came to the arena, he found Eramar there waiting for him with a scowl.

Before Eramar could say anything, Ryan decided to beat him to the punch. “Look, I know what you’re going to say. That I’m being immature ... that I’m being stupid ... and that I’m going to get myself expelled. I promised that I wouldn’t attack Tork and I meant it; now can we please just move on?”

Eramar’s gaze softened a little, but that didn’t mean he’d been entirely convinced. “After what you’ve been through, I had my suspicions that you might react the way you did; especially with you being of the blood of the Saurians and having fire as your element to boot. I was going to tell you ahead of time ... maybe cool you down before you exploded. But I waited too late. I’m sorry.”

It surprised Ryan to hear Eramar apologizing to him, especially when he had ample opportunity to tell him how inadequate he was. Ryan decided not to dwell on it and changed the subject. “Why did I pass out the way I did?”

Eramar breathed out in relief at being released from having to speak of emotions. “That is what brings us to our next lesson for the day. So far, you’ve only been able to draw on a minimal amount of your psions to produce flames at level one destructive power. But when you saw Tork, your emotions caused you to exceed level one and go to level two.

“This is dangerous, especially for someone your age whose psions have not fully matured yet. When your flames went all the way up your arms, you used up more psions than what your body was used to. You burned yourself out. You could have died if you used any more psions than you did.”

Eramar then reached into his robes and pulled out a small gemstone that glowed with a pink light. Ryan thought he could see shapes moving inside it, which reminded him of the red eyes of the fire lion that he met at the orientation ceremony.

“This is called a sun gem. It contains pure psionic energy, enough to power a small spacecraft. Gems like this one are extremely rare and highly coveted by all the Ministries. In fact, a few skirmishes have erupted between the Ministries for possession of these stones. When an Elemental has depleted all his psions, like you just did, he can syphon off the psions stored inside a sun gem and use it to restore his own energy to keep fighting in prolonged combat.

“Every Elemental weapon is embedded with a small portion of sun gems to make storing and detonating psionic energy easier. As you get older and your psions have more time to mature with your flames, the amount of psions your body can use will increase. But that doesn’t change the fact that you may need to replenish your reserves, especially when you’re on your own and outnumbered. Even I need to use the power of a sun gem every now and then to gain back energy so that I can keep fighting.”

“Huh. That’s kinda cool I guess. Sun gems are kinda like ammo for Elementals. But what do I do if I’m out of energy and there aren’t any sun gems around?”