In the Eye of the Beholder

[Calmay]

Balenth chuckled. He knew he had some strength, more then most creatures, but he knew very well he had many weaknesses. After all it was one of his weaknesses that caused him to be locked up in that cell. "Thanks, though it's nothing compared to what non-ancient dragons to do. Apart from my breath, I do not know destructive magic. My brother was more skilled at that. It makes me wonder why so many dragons seek to become ancient dragons." He leaned back on the grass and closed his eyes. From what he knew very few ancient dragons had destructive magic. It was counterproductive to have spells that distort the flow to the point to destroy nature. He had seen some that did learn such spells, but it was rare from what he had seen. He chuckled again when he Axel say that he was her friend. "I remember someone saying that to me a long time ago, but I can not remember anymore about her or why she said that. It's nice to have you as a friend."

He lay there for a moment saying nothing. He let the sun soak in on his skin before he opened his eyes. "Say Axel, how much have you ever read or heard about a dragons? I'm quite curious about the public opinion on dragons." He wondered if there were still people that looked to dragons for advice or even followed the dragon seeking its protection. He had enjoyed such people since they could see the power that dragons held and revered them for it. He enjoyed listening to the problems and giving them the best advice. He missed that so much.

[{{Roxï-kun-+]

"Ancient dragons are more powerful though. Because it means you've survived." I said, eyes still closed against the powerful sun. I opened my eyes to look at him sideways when he mentioned someone. Had his memories not returned yet? That meant that Roxiri hadn't told him about it. Oh well, it wasn't my place to interupt. "Do you think she's still out there? I mean, it would be nice for her to know that you were still alive as well. And it's nice to have you for a friend too. I said, laughing lightly.

"Dragons are still quite big news in most parts. But the three kingdoms all have difference in opinion. Most people I've talked to about dragons like the idea of them growing back to the way they used to, before the Hunts. You may not know it, but other dragons are rare. They all live in nature, away from the busy parts of the kingdoms for the most part. But I wouldn't recommend going into the kingdoms either. Those dragons that remain are alive because they stayed away from humans. Some humans are still greedy for blood and want to kill every single dragon left. But Roxi and I are helping creatures in need right now. And we just got a new member to our travelling party named Sora." I explained and then went off into a babble. Sora, our new member, was pretty cold most of the time but I could tell she had a type of kindness in her. Though she was an assassin, she had joined us in travelling and saving someone (like the girl Ninon from the crazy spirit Nami) once in a while.

[Calmay]

Balenth sighed when he thought of the person that had said that to him. He could only remember her saying that to him and that it meant so much to him. "I don't know who she is. I just know that that line was very important to me. I don't think she is alive anymore. It had been some time since I was imprisoned. Though if she was important to me I will be able to find her reincarnated soul until the day I die." He did not say anymore because he did not know anything more than what he had already stated. He would only be going in circles. All he could hope was that more of his memories would return over time and he would find out who this woman was.

The news about dragon disturbed him. It was hard enough for hatchlings to survive and the lack of dragons would only make more problems. He could understand why they wanted to distance themselves from humans but that greatly decreased their territories. "It's not that dragons can not defend themselves, but we tend to fight alone so large groups tend to be our weakness. I would be more terrified if a dragon came to my assistance during a fight." It would be the best time to gain territory by taking out a rival, even he had done it before. He knew that the greatest threat would be the hunters and the people that assisted them. He would have to deal with hunters when the problem arose to him. "I doubt that dragons would ever be the same before the hunts. They may increase in number, but we had been fairly constant over the generations."

He looked at Roxi. "It is a pity though. Dragons can be very useful to all races, even though they do not know about it." He then continues to look at the sky. He wondered if he could manipulate the clouds so that they took on a different form. He would try it later.

[{{Roxï-kun-+]

"It must have meant a lot to you if your willing to search for her soul until death. But I can't help but wonder who she was. I mean, how will you know which soul was once hers?" I said, rolling over on my stomach to stare at the flowers. I willed the pebbles from before and they easily rose and made another golem. It barely took any magical power and was so entertaining. It lazily walked around under my control while I thought. I wondered if Roxiri's soul still held Azum's memory and it if could be returned.

Taking the memory had killed Nikki....What would returning it do to Roxiri?

[Calmay]

"In my current state I could not search for her even if she was important. I can search for people using the flow of nature since every soul has one and if they match she is the one. For every dragon it is different." Balenth thoughts wandered to the other dragons that he had met in the past and the warnings he had received from them about getting too close to short lived creatures. He guessed that he had not taken their advice. Well it was to late for that now. It made no sense to him why he would have done something like that. He was content with his life in his lair, there was no need to leave his home. What had changed to him so much that he had been willing to leave his lair.

He sat up frustrated. "I don't get it. Why seal some of my memories and not just all of them. What good will it do to take only some memories and leave other ones?" The missing memories just brought up all these questions that could not be answered. It was ridiculous, a dragon frustrated over something as small as a few missing memories. New memories could be made over time and then it would not matter. What bothered Balenth was that he could feel he forgot something important, something that changed him and brought new emotions to his life. He lay back down and looked at the sky trying to calm himself down.

[{{Roxï-kun-+]

I had to intervene. If I didn't, Azum would never know what happened. And I couldn't just go on my way knowing I could have helped him in such a way. I sat up and turned to face him, clearing my throat. "What if I told you I knew how to get your memories back. And that I knew a little more about your past then I've probably let on... I said, the pebble golem left to its own rock mind. It stumbled around before growing used to controlling itself. That is, until I released the magic and it grew to another pile of pebbles.

Should I tell him....?

[Calmay]

Balenth's eyes opened in shock. Axel knew something about how to get his memories back and she was willing to tell him. He did not know what to say. He had really wanted to recover his memories, but he did not want to find out that he had done something really terrible. He would just have to live with the what he had done. He sat up and looked at Roxi trying to figure out what to do. "I want to say that I want to know, because that is the one thing I want beyond anything in the world right now, but I fear that I did something that was not forgivable. I don't want to regain my memories only to lose myself to the person I used to be." It was the one thing that had been plaguing his mind this the whole time since he was freed.

He leaned back. "On second thought I really do want to know my past. You can tell me if you want, I'm not going to force it out of you. I could not guarantee it was the truth if I forced you to tell me." He wanted to know, but he did not want to cause him any sort of harm to someone he considered a friend. He also did not want to gain any enemies after awakening so soon.

[{{Roxï-kun-+]

I had to help him. It wasn't pity that drove me to tell him, but it was a relating feeling. I had once forgotten everything when I pushed myself to much with magic. I had forgotten everything for a few days and worried Roxiri out of her mind. "I'll tell you, but you must promise to not harm anyone, alright. No matter what. And before I can do anything, I need to talk to Roxiri. Give me a moment to talk to her." I said, standing up and finding a shallow puddle on the river bank.

I stirred the water with my finger before pulling out a bag of powder. I emptied it into the water and stopped stirring before starting to chant a few words. And after a moment, Roxiri appeared. She was in an inn, Sora no where in sight. "Roxiri! I need your help. I'll open a dark portal and you'll come through. But give me five minutes first." I said, Roxi not shocked at my face's sudden appearence in thin air. She nodded before standing up from the bed and getting dressed. I disturbed the water and the connection was broken.

"Alright, say you won't do anything rash or stupid when I tell you.' I said, standing in front of him with a determined look on my face.

[Calmay]

Balenth was glad that Axel was going to tell him what she knew. It would mean that he was one step closer to finding out what he was missing. He sat up again to show how serious he was about finding out the truth about his past. He watched as she walked away to contact Roxiri. He wondered how Roxiri was involved in all of this. "I will try my best, but I am a dragon. I do have a temper at times. I will try my best to remain calm. It would have to be something very large to make me lose my temper." He was not sure if he could stay calm if he found out something that did anger him. He would try his best to remain calm.

He eventually got up and stood there. He wanted to pace, but he did not want to show how nervous he was feeling about finding out what had happened to him. He dislike some of these feelings that he had been feeling. He knew it would leave once whatever he was waiting for occurred.

[{{Roxï-kun-+]

"Alright. Let's get this show on the road!" I said, trying to lighten the mood. I put out an arm and a portal from darkness appeared, Roxiri coming out of it a moment later. When she saw Azum, she seemed surprised before looking at me. I nodded slightly and she nodded back as well, the portal disappearing behind her.

I took out the chalk from before and grew on the grass by her feet. Complex symbols and shapes were drawn below Roxi and then under Azum. I put the chalk back in my pocket, looking proudly at my work for a moment. I felt Nikki's presence, but barely. She was standing next to Roxiri, their soul seeming to come slightly split. I began to mutter the words quickly, not wanting to stop in the middle. This was going to take a while to recover from and maybe Azum could try that thing from before.

I took out the small dagger, and carefully pricked the end of one of my fingers. I took the bleeding finger and drew a symbol in the air and Roxiri's body seemed to switch between her normal form and Nikki's form. Another a moment, a large feather that was about nine inches emerged from Roxiri's chest and made its way into Azum's.

I knew that the memory held the mysterous girl and about Nikki. Nikki had sealed away Azum's memories and had been reborn into Roxiri. But that was all I knew. But I could only hope that Azum didn't lose his temper.

[Calmay]

Balenth watched as Roxi appeared and Axel started to draw a pater on the grass. He stood still wondering what to do. He said nothing when he saw Roxi's form change between another person, he thought that it was natural to her. His mind froze when he saw the feather. He knew that item was his he could tell. He wanted to grab it had hold it tight, but he stood there holding back. When the feather entered him he felt extreme pain go through hid body. He feel to the ground holding himself back from changing into a dragon. He did not think he would have this much pain and no memories. Were his memories rejecting him.

He let out a roar that echoed through out the area. Within a moment the pain stop but there was no memories. He knew they were in there but he could not recall them. The one thing was sure was that he knew who at other person was. It was the person that sealed him within that cave and took his memories. He looked up at Roxi and everything told him to get revenge, but his rational side was telling him to hold back because it was a different person. "Why? Why did you do it?" He made his hand into a fist and the grass around him started to die. He did not notice that he had tapped into the flow and started to corrupt it with his anger and hatred that was flowing through him at the moment.

[{{Roxï-kun-+]

I let my magic flow, not powerful enough to save the grass near him but keep everything fine except for five feet away from him. This wasn't good. "Snap out of it! Your going to kill this whole place!" I screamed. I had to distract him or this whole river would become like that deadly lake. I felt my magic shiver, seeing as it was taking a lot of power just to keep his at bay. And I had just transferred someone's memories. Little red dots pricked my vision but I shook my head, arms out in concentration.

Roxiri's body was possessed now, by the spirit of Nikki. Her other half of her soul. The woman settled Roxiri's form on her own natural form. But she seemed sad. She shook her head, tears dripping down her cheeks slowly.

"To save you. Look deep into your buried memories...For her..."

My legs buckled under me but I keep suppling nature with all my magic I had. I felt myself growing weaker and weaker, but slowly. I wondered how long I could keep this up. This place's only hope was if Azum calmed down or another mage ended up here, helping me. But I had learned one thing from my father. This was reality. And I would probably end up giving my life power to this place, my soul sealed within the ground. Unless I was blessed.

[Calmay]

Balenth looked at Nikki and and Axel. Some part within him was telling him to stop, to calm down but he could not do it. This hatred was to strong for him to calm down. She had done this to save him, save him from what this hatred. He looked around and noticed that the nature around him had started to die off. He wanted to hurt Nikki not the nature around him so he disconnected himself and in that moment his hatred consumed him. He stood there looking down on the two."To save me, ha. You did it to save all your families. You took away mine and then you expected me to do nothing. All I did was make all of you hunters feel what I felt. You should be lucky I did not wipe out you whole villages. You humans are nothing in comparison to us. You should be begging us for mercy so that we do not wipe out your entire race."

He stood there and crossed his hands across his chest. It was clear that the person talking was not the current Balenth that was looking so desperately for his memories, but the dragon consumed by sadness and hatred. Though he was no longer tapping into the flow, it was clear that the nature around him was responding. The number of clouds were starting to appear in the sky. His thoughts were filled with the thoughts of his beloved and his children that he had with her. He had done nothing wrong and yet they had died. He could not forgive the hunters for what they had done.

[{{Roxï-kun-+]

As soon as I was sure Azum was not connected to nature anymore, I let my power go. But I had used to much and darkness slowly engulfed me, like it usually did when I had used too much power. A little rest wouldn't hurt...I closed my eyes and fell onto my side, passed out for who knows how long.

"I did it so you wouldn't do what your doing now. But the spell went wrong. It was went to temporarily seal your powers and the memories of grief. But at the last moment it took almost all of your memories. Also, not everyone died when those Hunters came for you. A child got away and grew up. She had children as well. And now you have met one of your desendants. Not I, or my Other. But that young girl that just passed out from saving this place."

"Dragon blood barely runs through her veins, but that girl is definately your desendant. after generations of humans, only a small tint of dragon blood is left. But it is because of that tint that she had such magic. But remember. I am not a Hunter, unlike those who tried to kill your whole family. I was like my Other is now, saving others from harm."[/b][/color]

[Calmay]

Balenth could not believe any word she said, he couldn't. He held their bodies in his arms, he saw what wounds had been inflicted. He knew they had suffered before they died. He could not believe her or his hatred would have been for nothing. "You're lying. I saw them. I saw their bodies. I saw her body. The one person who accepted me for who I was and not just what I was. They took it all away. They took her away from me, the one person I would give up the whole world for, they took her away. Just because a dragon loved her." His words were filled with sorrow and tears were starting to flow down his eyes. He had truly loved her and on that day he broke and all he wanted was to kill and die avenging her death, but he denied even that.

Just then the clouds in the sky started to trickle and rain started to fall. "They should all feel my pain, every single one of them. They should live and suffer the way I had. I will make sure everytime they reincarnate they suffer the same pain. Let their souls feel the pain for all eternity." Deep down he knew there had to be some truth to what Nikki was saying, but that truth could take away what he had felt then and what he felt now. They had done the one thing a dragon could not never forgive, the one thing he should never forgive. He looked up at the sky allowing the rain to soak his face.