Chapter 4: Sacred Continent

The wide ocean was ahead of them.

Countless day went by where they could see nothing but the water, wavering between shades of blue and green. Going over it a bit more, they also passed by groups of small islands, and schools of fish that covered the ocean in silver with the light reflected in their scales. The islands always appeared by surprise, and once they replenished their water and food stocks in them, they would disappear from sight as if having sunken. The light made the water surface shine in gold and silver waves, and the group could see the rare spectacle of ocean currents within running like an indigo river.

The ship sailed smoothly to the north, without any notable dangers.

If they were to voice any particular dissatisfaction, the men would point out the never changing menu of fish everyday, and the girls would say it was the inability to use their precious water for their hair and skin care.

After a whole moon cycle, land was ahead of them. The closer they got, the more its sight filled the horizon. From how wide it was, they understood it was no island.

It was a continent.

At last, Bleu and his group had arrived at Parmecia.

"Did we arrive?"

The first one to ask, loudly and no one in particular, was Karna. She immediately followed by saying she wanted a bath. Then amended that even just going for a swim would be great.

Rushed by her, the ship approached, looking for a good place to land.

"Looks like the delta of a big river. There's forest to the right, and sand to the left, perhaps a desert?"

Tyrin made meticulous notes on the geography of their surroundings.

"Where are the Sacred Dragons?"

Bleu asked Camallia, with something like yearning in his voice.

"Judging by this scenery, we are in the land known as Hassan. It is a land of rich soil near a river delta, but basically no one lives here. The Sacred Dragons live far to the west of here, in the center of the mountainous region known as the Fire Dragon's Tail. I was given a divine vision of how God Volcanon sealed the Power of the Earth in that land, and gave the power he took then as life energy to the Sacred Dragons."

"What kind of god is Volcanon?"

"A fierce god, with huge silver grey wings. He is currently at the peak of Mt. Volcano, eating away at the time."

Bleu couldn't understand what she had just said, so she rephrased it as him being asleep.

The continent of Parmecia had two main gods: the god of destruction and devil subjugation, Volcanon, and the goddess of creation and protection, Mitula. Currently, both were dormant. However, their spirits had awakened before their bodies, and they made their wills known to people through visions and divine messages.

"If we get the time, I'd like to ask them something," Bleu whispered, breathing in the air with a scent distinct from Rune's. God Volcanon's temple was in a mountain range far to the north. Mitula's temple was even further away in the same direction. It would take at least another full moon to reach them. As long as Camallia didn't have any reason to go see her god, Bleu also didn't have any reason to delay meeting with his brethren.

Anchoring the ship off the coast, everyone got into boats to reach the land. Except Bleu, who had wings and could go on ahead and reach it first.

Unable to be the first ones to set foot in the continent, Karin and Karna complained of how unfair he was. Bleu retorted that it was one of the many privileges of being a Sacred Dragon, spreading out his wings. Thanks to that, Tyrin had to spend half the day trying to get Karna in a better mood.

Everyone in land split up between checking out the forest, gathering ingredients, and securing some water.

"This land really is plentiful, so why aren't people living here?" Bleu mumbled, as he picked up fruits from the tip of a tree branch.

"Surely it must be because of the hydra that lived here," Camallia recalled, while picking the fruits Bleu dropped by stretching up the hem of her surcoat.

"A hydra? But then, isn't it dangerous here?"

Karin, putting the fruits in a basket, looked around as if searching for a beast lurking between the trees.

"There is no need to worry, it seems some traveler with a steel servant exterminated it a while ago."

Camallia laughed, saying that it wasn't usual of Karin to be scared of something like that.

"Even if the hydra is gone, people cannot return so easily after fleeing… Bleu, your hand stopped in midair, is anything wrong?"

Bleu hastily answered Camallia that it was nothing. As if nothing had happened, he went back to picking the fruits.

As the sun set, they began to prepare dinner by the margins of the river.

"The heck happened to you!?"

Randolf tilted his head at Bleu, completely drenched. Since everyone had dispersed, he had gone to gather them to eat, and it was hard to imagine a dragon like him could just fall into a river or sea.

Both he and Tyrin laughed heartly at the reason Bleu gave them.

"It's nothing to laugh about. Why is it that just looking at a naked human ends up like this?" He grumbled while drying himself next to the fire.

He had gone to call Karna, who was meant to get water, but, realizing that no one was around, shrewdly took the chance to enjoy a bit of swimming. Having no interest in a girl from another species, Bleu calmly showed up to her, but she sure wasn't as cool about it apparently. That's how he ended up like that, soaked in both her splashes and screams.

Naturally, no one shared the same views as him on that.

The girls picked on him the whole day, while he grumbled about how illogical that was.

*

Having enjoyed the land's riches to their hearts' content, the group returned to the ship the following day. It sailed west as planned, following the coast.

They proceeded, watching the azure ocean to their left, and the endless desert to their right.

After a whole day or so, the desert gave way to plains surrounded by forest. At that point, they also began to see the hazy shape of a mountain range far in the distance.

As more days followed, the mountains' shapes became clearer. At last, the peninsula known as Fire Dragon's Tail showed itself in all its glory.

"From the looks of it, there's no way to go ahead by ship."

Tyrin frowned slightly at the predicament, after observing the way ahead with a pair of binoculars. The peninsula was surrounded by steep cliffs, that could stop even the most stubborn of sea visitors. With strong waves striking the coast, even trying to approach by boat was dangerous.

"Fire Dragon's Tail is the perfect name for it. If you get near, it'll turn you to dust with a single shake."

They had no choice but to find a suitable place to get off, and continue on foot. Anchoring the ship right before the mountainous region, Bleu's group started preparing to get to land once again.

"Randolf, can't you stay behind with Karna and the others?"

Bleu interrupted Randolf as he diligently packed up his things.

"Hey now, I've came all this way, of course I won't. I'm sticking with you 'til the end," he protested, putting his knapsack down with a thud.

"You don't have to push yourself this far."

"Don't overestimate yourself. If you think you'll be fine alone, you're terribly wrong. Besides, I came here for my own reasons. I wanted the adventure, and a bit of the reward as well. The others too, they all came because they want something. You can't stop them. If you leave us behind, we'll just follow you on our own." He paused. "Bleu, you lit the fire of adventure in my closed-off heart. At least I'll take perfect care of it until the very end."

Bleu gave up on trying to persuade him any further.

After all, every attempt he had done to get away from his companions had failed, and would continue to.

"Karin..."

He made her stop. She also knew very well what he wanted to say.

"If you want me to stay on the ship, it's pointless. I'll follow you even if you lock me up."

Stopped in advance, Bleu gave up on the words he had prepared.

"I leave the Manual to you."

With a tap on her shoulders, he spread out his wings. He always entrusted the Manual to her and no one else. As she took notice of that, he took off to the skies, going on ahead to verify if the land was safe or not.

Leaving the ship to the care of the sailors of Uranbatol, the six departed to deep into the Fire Dragon's Tail where the Sacred Dragons lived.

Guided by Camallia as they had become used to, they headed for the entrance of the mountainous area.

"Let us camp here tonight."

Camallia stopped in a plateau within the forest. There was water to one side, and the nearby mountains of the Fire Dragon's Tail covered their whole view.

"A bath!" Karna shouted as she saw the spring. After the long sea voyage, she had been completely yearning for one, it seemed.

"It's your choice if you want a bath, but this spring seems very deep, don't drown in it or something."

"I'm not clumsy like that. There's no way anyone would get stuck here."

Karna puffed her cheeks, taking Randolf's warning as unnecessary meddling. With that, her girls began enjoying their bath.

The men, left behind, went down the hill to prepare the food.

Using magic to light the fire, Tyrin had been volunteering to be in charge of the cooking all this time. Having nothing else to do, Randolf usually helped. Though that was because he feared not knowing what Tyrin would start cooking if he didn't watch.

"Well, can't you call the girls for us in a bit?" Tyrin asked Bleu. The dragon wasn't happy about it, but upon being asked a second time, he saw no way out of it and went to the spring.

A while later, he rushed back, soaked, and the men rolled in laughter, knocking over the food they had made.

Randolf then ended up asking with a straight face if Bleu would ever learn.

"Karin was there..."

His white face was unusually red, and he mumbled without thinking much.

"Yes, she was. They all went to bath together. So, did you enjoy the sight?" Tyrin smirked.

Bleu told the mage to quit with the mockery.

At that same time, in the spring above, Karin was under water up to her ears, her loose hair spreading beautifully in the water. At times, bubbles would float up and pop as if she was mumbling something.

"That was so insulting."

Karna stood with the water up to her waist, hands in her hips with anger. Her hair was down, clinging to her skinny back and huge chest. Without the usual volume of her updo, this wet hair made her look like almost like a different girl altogether.

Next to her, Camallia laughed until her belly hurt. Her whole body shaking from laughter, it made erratic ripples on the water's surface.

When it came to beauty and style, there was a big gap between Karin and Karna. Compared to Camallia then, she no doubt lost in terms of physique and attractiveness.

She seemed displeased with not being on the same level as Karin. The way she had clear anger and disagreement in her face instead of embarrassment was proof that she was still just a kid.

"It is impossible for a Sacred Dragon to see any appeal in humans. It is much the same as how we don't feel any attraction to worms."

"Glub glubglub glub glub glub glub (That example sounds way too harsh)," Karin glubbed some disapproval from within the water.

"Then, why was he fine with me, but got all red with Karin?"

Camallia laughed at hers and Karin's words, slapping and splashing the water with her palms.

"Bleu and Karin are childhood friends, they have some kind of understanding of each other. Their feelings are infectious to each other, they feel joy at the same things, anger at the same things, sadness over the same things, and blush at the same thoughts..."

'Right?', she turned her gaze to the girl underwater. It seemed that Karin hadn't realized that it was impossible to hide anything in those clear waters.

"Heeeeey. This food looks great," they heard Tyrin say from below. "If no one's hearing me, maybe I should go up there."

Karna frowned at his words.

"If you try getting up here, I'll make you eat a Hellblast!" She shouted back, hands to the side of her mouth.

"Hey now, those aren't words for a priest, are they? Are you planning to kill me!?" He answered, voice a little panicked.

"I'm a priest, but right now I'm just a regular girl."

The men shrugged resignedly at her reply. After that, they had no choice but to patiently wait until they had dried out their hair and put back on their clothes.

*

“Once we enter the mountains, please be careful. Unlike in the plateau, many beasts live there. There will always be a chance that we will have overstepped into their territories at some point. Please be always prepared for battle. Although, be not afraid, as they live either alone or in small groups.”

Camallia warned the group as they continued through the path to the center of Fire Dragon’s Tail. She walked with prudence, while using the power of the jewel in her circlet to seek out the correct way.

Before arriving there, they hadn’t been attacked by anything. She felt that such a thing was very unnatural.

Were they ignored on purpose, or was their luck shockingly good…? She made the wise decision to discard the latter option. Ziduur was not the origin of all her woes. Other threats surrounded the Sacred Dragons.

The path inclined upwards, and the vegetation they could see also changed.

The group pushed on, going deeper into with the mountains.

Bleu’s chest trembled with anxiety, as each step brought him closer and closer to his brethren.

“Having to camp in this mountain path does not sound very appealing.”

Putting away a small branch that hindered his path, Tyrin looked nervously at the darkness between the trees near them.

“We should be arriving in a town just now..."

Camallia guided them, while checking over every detail of the mountains now visible through the trees.

“Does anyone live in such a place?”

Tyrin ran his eyes through the surroundings. The mountains and the forest looked deserted, he couldn’t imagine a settlement there.

Camallia answered yes, without a doubt, and hurried onward.

At last, a small town suddenly appeared halfway through the path.

A strong wall of wood surrounded the town. Camallia knocked at the locked doors in it, requesting to be let inside.

There was no answer.

Tyrin continued skeptical of anyone being in.

Bleu proposed flying over the wall and opening the doors from the inside. The moment he opened his wings, a peephole on the gates finally opened by someone’s hand. The gatekeeper immediately recognized him as a Sacred Dragon, and closed the door in panic.

“Please wait, we have no ill intentions.”

The girls hastily called the gatekeeper back. After calling a bunch of times, they came back.

No way they would camp outside with a town right in front of them. They gave their all to persuade the gatekeeper, bringing up Volcanon’s name.

Hearing the name of God Volcanon, and realizing how calm Bleu was despite appearances, the gatekeeper’s fear was gone. For good measure, Randolf also gave them a crystal piece as bribe. Finally, they were willing to go bring the matter to their superiors.

At last, the gates opened in name of King Ponpei.

Ponpei was more of a small city-state than a kingdom. The place the king lived was more of a compact mansion than a palace. The group was called for an audience with him, and taken to the biggest room there.

King Ponpei became interested at the crystals Randolf offered him. He smiled radiantly from his throne.

He was very impressed by the proper greeting Bleu gave him. Perhaps he had a sort of childlike interest upon facing a rare Sacred Dragon.

“So, Sacred Dragons truly live here in Fire Dragon’s Tail. No, no, I’m very happy. Look, Elder Odeeruc was right after all.”

Hearing that, Bleu turned to look at Camallia.

“Haven’t you seen any other Sacred Dragons like me…?” He asked the king and his subjects. It was a question to Camallia at the same time.

“We haven’t seen them. Because they’re a holy race that lives hidden here since ancient times. According to the legends, they hide in the volcano and bring upon the Light Falls.”

“Light Falls?” Bleu asked the king.

“Sometimes, a pillar of light bursts from the volcano at the center of Fire Dragon’s Tail. You could also call it an eruption of light. The light rises to the sky and then fall from the stars as thin rays, to each corner of Parmecia. It’s a most beautiful sight. We call them Light Falls,” the king answered. “If you wish to know more, ask Elder Odeeruc. It seems he did see the Sacred Dragons once. He’s a respectable old man who has told us many fascinating stories, and became known as a sage here.”

“Your Majesty, if it’s possible, could you introduce us to this sage you speak of?” Tyrin requested. He whispered to Bleu that he wanted to know how things had been in Parmecia since Camallia left.

“Then, I’ll have someone guide you there. I’ll request he lets you stay the night as well.”

King Ponpei asked his aides for someone that could guide Bleu’s group to Elder Odeeruc.

*

The one who volunteered to guide them was a centaur named Eric.

He had been traveling throughout the whole continent. Right now, he was searching for a treasured sword of light of the centaurs, rumored to be in the Fire Dragon’s Tail.

“I have been living here under King Ponpei, looking for clues on where the sword lies.”

Eric spoke with a calm tone. His manners were far more elegant compared to the simple and big hearted king. He did not speak of where he was from, but perhaps he was of some noble lineage.

“That sage, what kind of person is he?” Karin asked.

“A shrewd one,” Eric laughed bitterly. “It’s because of that old man that I’m stuck here. His knowledge is certainly worthy of the title of sage, but he’s an odd one, in any case. He hardly tells me what I want to know, even though I suspect he knows the sword’s true whereabouts.”

As they talked, the group arrived at their destination.

Odeeruc’s mansion stood tall, almost as big as the king’s.

Eric asked Odeeruc’s servant to call for his master.

Finally, an old man appeared, wearing a lustrous reddish purple gown, the eyes on his bony face open wide in surprise.

“What, a Sacred Dragon? My, my, what a thing to see in my doorstep.”

Odeeruc stared absentmindedly at Bleu as he listened to them. His eyes then moved to each of Bleu’s companions, in order. Once he had gone through all of them, from Karin to Camallia, he raised an eyebrow with a huff.

“Oh, sorry. We should talk comfortably inside. Don’t be shy and come right in.”

Odeeruc brought Bleu and his group to inside the mansion. Eric announced to the old man that he would come by again later, and went back to the king.

“Goliath, guide our guests to the table,” Odeeruc ordered, pointing the table of the living room with his bony fingers.

As he sat down on his designated chair, Bleu took a second room through the room, with curiosity.

There was perhaps something as too much decoration. The inside of Odeeruc’s mansion was crammed full with many kinds of furniture and equipment, with no rhyme or reason to them. There were things like an eastern-style partitioning screen dividing the room, an armor made of black frosted glass, and a mechanical clock by the wall tracking the time.

Perhaps by themselves each one was an artistic masterpiece, but thrown together in a chaotic manner like that, they looked like mere trash.

The servant picked up an unfinished game of chess atop the table, and took it somewhere, being careful to not ruin the pieces’ placement.

“Were you having a chess match with someone?” Bleu asked Odeeruc, who had sat in the furthest chair.

“The king enjoys it. He comes to play with me quite often. Sometimes I also go over to his place for a match,” he answered, his disheveled hair wavering from under his purple bicorne. His hair was silver in color, but looked faintly purple from the reflected light of the clothes and hat.

“Speaking of, that chessboard is a work of the finest class. The black parts are obsidian from Mount Volcano, and the white ones are from the same white marble of Mitula’s shrine. After all, it is made by a certain dwarf expert, and I got my hands on it when...”

Bleu realized his mistake too late. For the longest time, Odeeruc kept bragging on and on about his chessboard. A prime example on why you should never ask a collector anything about his collection.

Saying that he just had to run his mouth about stuff they didn’t need, Karin lightly kicked Bleu’s leg.

He took a glance at her, and asked Odeeruc about the Sacred Dragons.

“Before I answer, I want to ask you too, you actually came from another continent, didn’t you? You aren’t one of the dragons that live here in Fire Dragon’s Tail.” Odeeruc looked for confirmation. Bleu answered yes.

“Then, you didn’t come all this way empty-handed, did you?” he asked Bleu, briefly running his eyes through Camallia. “I believe you brought the Manual with you, am I wrong?”

“We can’t hide anything from an old man, I see,” Randolf grumbled. Tyrin chastised him for the lack of manners.

What’s the point of hiding anything any further, the dwarf laughed.

“The dwarf is right. It’s useless to try to hide anything in front of me. Well, putting aside that bluntness of yours, perhaps I too should speak without hiding anything I know.”

Odeeruc snapped his fingers, and his servant came bringing black tea.

He invited them to all drink the tea first.

After some sips of the very sour beverage of strong taste, suddenly the cups above the table began to dance. The ornaments within the mansion shook wildly with clattering sounds.

Bleu and his group all looked around worried, trying to figure out what was going on.

The floor was moving. No, the earth itself was shaking.

As they weren’t familiar with earthquakes, they had no clue of what was happening, panicking while still sat on their chairs. The only one who remained calm was Camallia.

There was a sound of something crashing down. Karna hurried, wanting to ran to the outside.

“Don’t panic. It’s a small quake. They have been happening now and then recently.”

Paying no attention to the shaking, Odeeruc took a loud gulp of his tea.

Finally, the earthquake stopped, as suddenly as it began.

“You mean something that scary has been happening here aaaall the time?” Karna asked the serene old man, having come back fearfully to her chair.

“The Fire Dragon’s Tail is full of volcanoes, as the name implies. It’s not like they never happened before. However, a while ago, these small earthquakes became incessant. And they have become increasingly strong as the one just now.”

“Why is this happening?”

“The girl over there should know very well the reason.”

At Bleu’s question, Odeeruc pointed out to Camallia.

“The Power of the Earth has begun to run out of control. That’s what I believe.”

“Indeed.” Odeeruc nodded sharply to Camallia’s answer.

“The Power of the Earth that the Sacred Dragons protected is now in the hands of the devils. But, right now, that power cannot be used to create nor destroy anything. That means they couldn’t get the Manual to control that enormous power. Or perhaps, they lost it along the way.”

Camallia answered that it was the latter.

“From what God Volcanon said, the Manual the devils stole was destroyed during their battle with the Sacred Dragons. Because of that, the unsealed Power of the Earth is accumulating in a defective way. The earthquake earlier was a sign of that.”

“God Volcanon, huh? That’s another big name you bring up.”

Odeeruc tilted his head a bit, as if trying to recall old memories.

“In any case, the Power of the Earth is acting out. And so you’re headed to the mountains where the dragons live to stop it.”

“That’s where the dragons are, right?”

Bleu leaned forward. The chair he sat on creaked from the sudden shift of his weight.

“Is more accurate to say they were there. If they fought the devils, they might have driven them away, or they might have been wiped out. Seeing how the Power of the Earth is running amok, it’s more likely that the devils have destroyed them.”

The old man’s answer was a punch to Bleu’s face. If his brethren had died out, why did he cross a whole ocean to get here?

“Isn’t that conclusion unbefitting of a sage? Hasty, I would say,” Tyrin contested. “Couldn’t it be like this, instead? The dragons are still fighting to protect the unleashed Power from the devils. Because the Manual was lost, they cannot stop it right now. In fact, hasn’t Camallia seen the dragons still alive?”

He threw that last question at her.

“Yes, when I received the revelation, God Volcanon showed to me a vision of the Sacred Dragons. They have continued to protect the Power of the Earth from within the mountain,” she answered with confidence.

“You don’t need to look me in the eye like that. That doesn’t prove anything.”

“Do you doubt the messages of God Volcanon?” She retorted sharply.

“I don’t doubt Volcanon. However, that doesn’t guarantee that the situation remains the same now.”

Bleu grew more and more distressed as the back and forth with Odeeruc continued. He came all the way there with the determination to see his brethren, but now that felt like a sandcastle wiped away by the waves in an instant before his eyes.

“Then, we have to confirm things. We will never know until we go there, so we should go.”

Karin’s words blew away Bleu’s confusion.

“The devils may be waiting for you to go that way,” Odeeruc warned. “If you leave things be, the Power of the Earth will destroy itself. There will be some damage, but it is far better for it to rampage at once than to be used by the devils. Reach for the fire and you’ll get burned, that’s common sense. It’s best to not meddle if you don’t know what you’re doing... That’s what I think. This is a town full of nice humans. Living here hasn’t been bad. Maybe it’s better to just go back to your home country with some souvenirs of Parmecia.”

“You say there’ll be some damage, how much are we talking about?” Randolf asked.

“Maybe one of the mountains, or maybe all of the Fire Dragon’s Tail will be gone. I can’t say exactly, but it’s something along those lines. And then, the devils’ ambitions will be stopped. A small loss compared to the whole world,” the so-called sage answered calmly.

“Are you kidding me, there’s nothing small about that!” Karin yelled. Her words reflected everyone’s feelings.

“That’s the big picture. A disaster is much better than obliteration.”

Odeeruc’s expression remained unwavering. Everyone understood that he truly believed that.

“With all respect, sage, I cannot agree with your advice to just go back home. If my brethren are still bravely fighting out there, I want to help even if but a single one of them. And if they have already been destroyed, then I believe that it’s my job as Sacred Dragon to carry on their will and seal the Power of the Earth.”

Bleu declared that with complete determination. Even if the Sacred Dragons were nothing but ghosts anymore, he had to get over that, or he’d be haunted forever.

“Your job as Sacred Dragon, huh?”

Odeeruc sighed.

“Well, I question how much meaning there even is on being a Sacred Dragon. An idiot about to throw food at the jaw of an expecting beast. Good grief, you should cool your heads down a little.”

Odeeruc moved his hands horizontally at if pointing at the group, while wiggling his fingers.

At once, a strong feeling of drowsiness came over them. In an instant, they all fell asleep, helpless to stop it.

“What did... you...”

Bleu tried to get up, but fell over the table.

“The Sleep spell. Sleep for a bit and rest from your journey.”

Odeeruc stared down quietly at the group, trapped in their sleep.

*