Gatekeepers Book 3: Redemption
Chapter 22: Potential

Vinkex grew visibly enraged at the sight of Draycos’s rude hand gesture. “T-that’s it, you damned brat!!” he roared, spitting with rage. “You’re dead!”

“Not on my watch.” Theravor suddenly appeared behind Vinkex and put the evil dragon in a headlock, looping his arms under Vinkex’s armpits and locking his fingers behind Vinkex’s head. Vinkex roared in pain as Theravor tightened the headlock, cracking his neck. Theravor leaned forward until his head was beside Vinkex’s. “You are a fool for turning your back to the enemy ‘king’,” Theravor whispered into Vinkex’s ear. Raising his voice, Theravor called out to the others. “Damrabe! You and the others take this chance to put Vinkex down, while I have him immobilized!” he ordered.

The moment Theravor finished speaking, three transparent white-blue swords flew through the air and buried their blades into Vinkex’s chest.

“Way ahead of you, Theravor!” Draycos yelled over Vinkex’s renewed roars of pain. He held his left hand out towards Vinkex and curled his fingers into a tight fist.

“Blade Storm: Detonation Blades!”

The swords embedded in Vinkex’s chest let out a soft flash before suddenly growing to twice their original size. The light grew in intensity. Realizing what was about to happen, Theravor released Vinkex and jumped away just as the swords exploded. Vinkex’s body was engulfed in the explosion, which quickly cut off Vinkex’s screams. The hall shook from the force of the explosion, sending cracks flying through the floor and walls. Dust fell from the ceiling as the tremors finally came to a stop.

Damrabe looked at Draycos with a mixed expression of shock and awe. “...That was incredible, Draycos,” he managed to say. “That power of your’s just now was something else.”

Draycos stared at the Orb still stuck to his right hand. “I didn’t expect it to be that powerful myself,” he admitted. “That spell had a lot more magic power in it than what I intended.”

“It’s because of the Orb, more than likely,” Damrabe commented, looking at the Orb over Draycos’s shoulders. “Just being in physical contact with the Orb of the First King is enough for the artefact to work its magic. It’s bringing out your potential strength from an undetermined point in the future.”

“So, it’s making me as strong as I might be at some point in the future?” Draycos surmised, staring at the Orb. “That means there’s no way to know how much power it’ll draw out, right? Man, talk about unreliable.”

At Draycos’s comment, the light from the Orb flared brightly.

Who are you calling unreliable, lad?

“Huh?” Draycos perked up and looked around for the source of the voice he just heard, but there was no one new present in the room.

“What is it, Draycos?” Damrabe questioned.

“Did you just hear someone say something a moment ago?” Draycos’s eyes fell upon the Orb. “It was almost as if this thing was talking back to me when I called it unreliable.”

“I didn’t hear anything,” Damrabe responded. His tail swayed back and forth as he contemplated. “But I did see the Orb glow brighter for a moment there. I honestly wouldn’t be too surprised if the First King’s consciousness was still active inside the Orb.”

“By the way, I know this probably isn’t the best time to ask, but what was the name of the first Dragon King?” Draycos asked. It was something Draycos had been wondering about that for over two months now, but he never bothered to ask until now. He wanted to know while they were still on the topic.

Damrabe glanced at Draycos in surprise. “Are you saying that no one has told you yet?” When Draycos nodded, Damrabe gave a soft sigh. “The name of the first Dragon King was, is, Reiverd Stormfang.”

“Reiverd,” Draycos muttered to himself. The Orb flashed once more.

You called?

“Alright, that does it. I’m officially creeped out right now,” Draycos groaned, holding his right hand as far away from the rest of his body as possible. “This thing really is talking to me.”

“I’m not surprised to hear that, brat.”

Startled, everyone turned their attention to where the dust cloud was starting to settle. Vinkex, surrounded by a faint, red mist, still stood on both feet, but horribly misshapen. A large cavity had been blown out of his chest, and Draycos could see the spine and ribcage from where he stood over fifty feet away. Recoiling in disgust, Draycos took a half-step back and covered his mouth with one hand as he fought the urge to throw up…

Grrrggg.

“Aww man, I’m starving,” Draycos groaned, sinking to his knees.

“That’s what’s on your mind?!” Corax snapped.

“Well, I thought I was about to hurl after seeing Vinkex in that state, but then I realized that there’s nothing in my stomach to throw up,” Draycos grumbled, rubbing his stomach. “I haven’t had anything to eat in almost three days.”

You really are a strange one, lad.

“Shut it, Reiverd,” Draycos groaned, glancing down at the orb.

The orb flashed brightly for a moment. Did you just tell me to shut it?! Reiverd’s voice sounded indignant. Have you no respect for your elders who are more than a thousand years older than you?!

“For a crystal ball, you talk too much,” Draycos remarked, sticking a finger in one ear. “If you have nothing worthwhile to say, then get the hell off my hand and let me finish things with your brother. You’re cramping my style.”

The Orb flashed several times in quick succession. Why, I never…! Draycos could practically feel Reiverd’s frustration as the first Dragon King was left speechless.

“He really is improper, isn’t he?” Corax muttered to Damrabe, leaning in close so he wouldn’t be heard.

Draycos heard them. “Zip it!” he snapped, annoyed. “I can be proper whenever I want to, but we’re in the middle of a frickin’ war right now!”

“Are you done yet?!” Vinkex roared. “I’d rather not resort to using my brother’s power, but with the way things are right now, I don’t have much choice in the matter!” Ignoring his open wound, Vinkex leapt forward, dashing towards Draycos. “Hand over the Orb!”

Draycos tried to sidestep Vinkex, but the Orb apparently had other plans. Instead of it just sticking to Draycos’s hand, it forcibly yanked Draycos in the opposite direction. Surprised, Draycos stumbled and fell to the floor.

We need to talk. Now.

“There’s a better time and place to have conversations, you know!” Draycos cried as he was pulled through the air like his hand was stuck on an invisible fishing line. The Orb dragged him over the edge of the opening behind the throne and out of sight. Vinkex moved to go after them, but Corax, Damrabe, and Theravor stepped into his path.

“You are not getting past us!” Damrabe growled. He pulled a vial of blood out of his vest and crushed it in his bare hands. “Iika gor van!” Damrabe’s double-sided scythe manifested in his hands, while Corax and Theravor both readied their magic.

“I’m not about to be stopped by the likes of you fools!” Vinkex screeched, running straight at the trio.

“God damnit, what is that bastard made of?!” Draycos muttered as Vinkex’s roars reached down to the underside of the island where he was. He was hanging there with the Orb suspending him in the air. “I blew his chest apart, and he still has the power to fight?”

The Orb’s light pulsated slightly. It’s because of the effects of the sealing spells that have begun to activate once you were removed. Those spells were created to keep Vinkex sealed away for eternity; if left undisturbed, Vinkex would have been left with plenty of time to reflect on his actions and change his ways. With that in mind, those spells are also reinforcing his life force so that he would stay alive. That’s why Vinkex is still capable of moving around.

“If you planned on keeping him alive forever, then that means you have a soft spot for him, even after all he’s done?” Draycos questioned, thinking back to the dream he had when he was trapped inside Vinkex. Sighing, he conjured a blade to stand on. “You do realize that this war is the result of your softness, right?”

Reiverd responded with a sound like a snort. The young’uns these days have no manners, I see! And for your information, I was not the one to seal my brother away. After I and the rest of dragonkind fled from the surface all those years ago, Vinkex was left alone on the surface, where he wreaked havoc upon the other races. It was them who eventually sealed him away, with the hopes of one day being able to use him as something of a weapon.

“You know, for someone who’s been up in the clouds as a rock for the last thousand years, you certain know your stuff,” Draycos commented, giving the Orb a suspicious look. “Especially about current events.”

I know of everything that has happened over the last thousand years; one of the perks of being stuck in a vault is being able to cast your mind outwards to cure oneself of boredom.

“Ah, so you’re a peeping tom?” Draycos chuckled.

I know not what a ‘peeping tom’ is, but I can only imagine what that means, based on your tone of voice. Anyways, back to the matter at hand. If the situation in the castle does not change, then the outcome of this battle will more than likely end up with your loss.

Draycos actually snorted at hearing this, mimicking the sound Reiverd had recently made. “Thanks for telling me the obvious, Sir Reiverd,” he muttered. “But that doesn’t help me at all. How am I supposed to take down someone who’s basically immortal?”

If you would stop interrupting me and listen with respect, I can tell you. Reiverd’s tone sounded quite annoyed, so Draycos decided to not make any more comments and kept his mouth shut. Good. Now, as I’ve been trying to tell you, the only way to stop my brother’s schemes now is to completely destroy his body.

Draycos just stared at the Orb, too shocked to speak. “A-are you insane?!” Draycos snapped, regaining his composure. “Did you not see how Vinkex was back there?! Even with your powers bringing out my potential, I don’t think it’s enough to destroy the rest of his body!”

Calm down. Ordinarily, you would be right. Even though my brother’s magic power has been considerably weakened by your manastone pendant, he still has enough left to easily overwhelm the three holding him off at this moment.

“Even Theravor?” Draycos was surprised to hear this; he knew that Theravor had barely cast any spells during the battle.

The two spells the current Dragon King used to extract you from Vinkex demanded an enormous amount of magic power. Just casting one of those spells would be enough to put an ordinary dragon on the verge of death, but your king managed two and still has enough magic left to put up a fight. Reiverd sounded quite pleased as he spoke. He truly is fit for the role of Dragon King.

“I don’t mind if you start getting sentimental about your descendant’s strength, but should we not be planning on how to finish off your brother?” Draycos sighed. “Time is of the essence now.”

Of course. Like I was saying, there isn’t anyone left with the power to eradicate Vinkex’s body. So that’s why I’m going to have you do it.

“Hah?!” Draycos nearly fell off his conjuration in shock. He barely managed to regain his balance before glaring at the Orb. “I don’t know where you’ve been, but I’m completely spent, too. I may have half of Vinkex’s magic hanging around my neck, but I don’t know how to use it!”

I’m not talking about that pendant of yours. You’re the only one who currently has a chance of finishing Vinkex off for good. You just recently awakened your magic powers, no?

“Umm, yeah. It was about two or three weeks ago,” Draycos admitted. “But what does that have to do--?”

I’m sure you’re aware of this, but the races in this world have different levels of talent for magic. For races like the elves, fairies, and dragons, they have a natural aptitude for magic from the moment of their birth. The other races have to put effort into awakening their own magical talents, which is still considerably weaker than those blessed by magic. But within the first year or two of awakening their magic, magic users of those races experience a rapid growth in magic power, working up to the peak of what they are capable of.

Where is he getting at with this speech...? Draycos could hear the sounds of battle from above, along with a few roars; Vinkex seemed to be holding his own against the other three dragons.

Now, let’s take a look at you. When your power first awakened, it was on par with that of the average dragon, which is nothing to sneeze at. Your magic purity levels are extraordinarily high for a human, half-breed or not. If your power grew as much as it has over the last three weeks, how strong do you think you’d be in a year or two?

“Ah,” Draycos murmured, seeing what Reiverd was saying. “I get what you’re saying now. You have the power to bring out the potential strength one could possess at some point in the future.” Draycos paused for a moment, confused. “How far into the future are you bringing out my power? A year?”

Nay. The level of power you currently possess is what you’ll be capable of in three months.

“Three months, huh?” Draycos tapped a finger on his chin, deep in thought. He suddenly froze, finally realizing what Reiverd just told him. “Wait. . . did you say three months?”

Yes. The power you displayed when you blew apart Vinkex’s chest is what you should be capable of on your own in three months.

“But why just three months?” Draycos asked. A small shiver ran down his spine, and he trembled slightly.

Because anything past that point is beyond what your body is currently capable of withstanding. If I accessed your power too much farther in the future, there is a strong possibility that you won’t be able to handle it and croak before finishing off Vinkex. This is why I took you aside to speak to you alone; I needed to ask you if you are fine with me drawing out that power, at the risk of your own health.

“That’s why you took me away from the battlefield?!” Draycos shouted, suddenly enraged. “How stupid can you be?!”

Wha…?

“If you could’ve drawn out more of my power to begin with, you should’ve just done so! But instead, you took me aside to ask such a pointless question while Theravor and the others are risking their lives to buy us time for this conversation!” Draycos mentally commanded his blade to fly back up to the throne room. “Stop wasting time and just do it already! Whatever it takes to end this nonsense!” Reiverd seemed to be too stunned to say anything else, so Draycos sped up his ascent.

This boy… he’s truly upset with me for wasting the time to ask him to risk his health? The Orb’s light pulsed in a pleased manner. The boy’s reckless, that much is for certain. But it’s a good kind of reckless; his only concern is that for the wellbeing of others.