PROPHECY COMES TRUE

here it begins

I had minor flashbacks of my precedent adventures. I’ve seen it all. My underwater training, the Lunar Temple, the corrupt Guardians, the revelations of Ultimos, the death of Tyrone, the betrayal of Nate… All of it was taunting me over and over again. My dreams were filled with a gloomy feeling of dread and grief. When I think of the lives I could have saved, by heart beats faster in the hopes of overdriving and killing me. Yet I must remain.

                I was awoken during my sleep in the cabin of the ship, over a poorly-built cloth hammock. The cracked planks were leaking some water, but it wasn’t enough to make me worry. I could hear from afar the snoring of many of the crewmembers, the creaking of the ship balancing slightly over the water, and the gentle smacks of raindrops upon the window. Hearing one thunder calmed me. It reminded me of the days the Starmaster sheltered me. I then rolled around and curled myself back to sleep. Tomorrow was going to be a big day.

                Finally I awoke to the sound of someone screaming my name.

                “Master Fleabag! We have reached land!”

                I looked outside. It was sunny and the sky was clear and blue.

I woke up and stretched around. I picked up the sword which was in its scabbard, lying in a corner. I would have almost begged the sword for forgiveness. My condition was poor. I didn’t get any sleep for a week.

                Luna promised to take care of any spiritual matters while I was away. It feels pretty odd that now she’s as affectionate with me recently as she used to be indifferent when we first met. The only thing keeping me alive and fighting is the knowledge that the weight of guarding the Light Element is upon my shoulders.

                I strapped the Luna Sword onto my back and I headed out, where Gangplank stared at me and then said:

                “We’ve reached Midia. It was the first land we saw on sight, my friend!”

                I smiled to hide my pain. I shook Gangplank’s hand and said calmly:

                “It’s fine pal. I’ll be going from here.”

                Gangplank smile back at me and made a gentle pat on my shoulder. His smile turned into a friendly laughter as he called on the rest of the crew to say their final goodbyes to me. I happily looked at all the men and women which gladly lend me help. They were so weird-looking, but they were smiling. So dirt-covered, so scary, so scarred…

                So innocent…

After I greeted them for the morning for the final time, I descended off the ship and onto the land. A sign on the dock read

“WELCOME TO PLATE

WITHIN KINGDOM OF MIDIA”

I thought the word “Midia” was familiar. I looked around me at the docks. The morning mist was still set up. All around me were buff men and women carrying loads of crates onto cargo ships, while some others were wandering around aimlessly. A few fishermen were sitting at the edge of the docks, patiently waiting.

Convinced that this land would be my ultimate resting point, I headed towards a young traveler with a caravan. He was crouching near the caravan, inspecting the bottom of the structure. He looked worried. I approached him quietly:

“That’s a nice caravan you’ve got there!”

He remained silent.

“Would you like any help?”

He pulled his head from under it and stared at me for what seemed like a decade. His face was covered in dirt and garbage. He held a wrench in his hand.

“Yeah… I need help. I have no idea what I’m doing.”

I laughed slightly and then pointed at him to move back. He did get behind me, and I sneaked under the caravan to take a peek. The wheel joint was really weak and nearly broken. The poor man must have heard it crackling and decided to stop and fix it.

“It’s nothing” I said. “I’ll be able to fix it.”

A few hours passed with me knocking the joint off, and I managed to get a new one from a helpful mechanic that happened to be loading his cargo.

The young traveler looked at me with excitement, merged with happiness and gratefulness. His wide smile warmed my heart.

“Is there anything I can do to thank you?”

The flashback of me leaving Yesterdale for even more adventure came onto me.

“I want to meet the king.”

The traveler gasped. He was surprised. A few dock workers were shocked to hear that as well. Their mouths were all opened in confusion. One of them even dropped a crate.

“Y-You… Want to meet the Dragon Lord!?”

Dragon Lord? His name obviously installed fear within everyone.

“Yes. I don’t see any trouble with that.”

The traveler simply sighed and shrugged it off. He pointed at me to follow him. I got into the caravan, which was coincidently filled with all sorts of pillows and feathered cushions. At least I would get some sleep before I’d meet the king. I tucked in warmly and abandoned myself to a deep, dreamless sleep under the sound of the clopping hooves of the horse and the low rumble of the wheels on the rocky dirt road.

I awoke later at night to some disturbance. The voice of two growling grunts arguing with the traveler. I stretched my ear and listened to them:

“In the name of the Dragon Lord, show us the contents of your caravan!”

“I-It contains… n-nothing at all except a few pillows!”

I felt suspicious. Delving with my right arm deep into the layers of cushions, I managed to grab some herbs. I pulled out a Sacred Coral from underneath the feathered pillow and I examined it calmly. I’ve heard from Doc back at Yesterdale that this coral was used to add a few years to anyone of old age. It must be for one of the traveler’s parents.

The border-patrolling grunts were growling even harder, but I managed to slip the coral outside, and under a rock that was nearby. Finally overpowering the poor traveler, they went into the caravan and saw me sleeping on the pillows.

“What a fine night! Isn’t it, gentlemen?” I said in a joyful tone.

They pulled me out and inspected the entire caravan from head to toe while the traveler was drowning in sweat and tears of anxiety.

Finally, they turned back and signaled to their peers that the caravan was clear. I slipped the coral from under the rock and buried it back into the pillows where it was. The traveler climbed onto his horse and the journey continued.

A few kilometers later, the traveler looked at me. He was overjoyed.

“I don’t know what you did, but you saved my poor grandmother! I am Vosfer, the nomadic traveler. May I at least know your name?”

“My name is Fleabag, the Lunar Swordsman!”

At these words, he pulled the horse back. The carriage stopped suddenly and the horse neighed. After that, he remained silent. I could only hear the noise of crickets and owls from a nearby forest.

“F-Fleabag…?”

“Yes. That’s my name.”

I pulled myself out of the backload and I sat next to Vosfer. He was staring blankly in front of him as the horse dragged it’s hooves on the ground.

“What’s wrong?”

“…I must get you to the palace as fast as I can.”

I was perplexed on why he would possibly want to get me there quickly, but I lay back as he drove the horse at incredible speed towards the north.

As he was tired an unable to continue, I took over driving the horse. He told me to go north and to not take any other turn.

A few hours later, the sunrise broke into the dawn, and the misty morning fog was set up again. I could hear roosters yelling and birds singing as the caravan delved deeper into the northern road. The morning dew still covered the leaves, and the animals had just woken up from their deep slumber.

As Vosfer and I switched places, he told me that we were there. We walked through the walls of the palace as crocodile-headed grunts welcomed us. They obviously liked traders. The caravan had to stop here. Vosfer thanked me for everything and wished me good luck. I advanced into the gigantically vast farmer’s market which had dozens of stands setup on the sides.

I looked left and right. Farmers were showing off their goods everywhere. I could hear the noise of elderly farmers yelling their prices, and the sound of others arguing for a refund. I could also hear horses clopping around and rumbles of caravans loaded with goods from the docks and the fields.

I finally made it to the castle’s door. Two grunts took their defensive stance and warned me not to get any closer.

“The Dragon Lord isn’t expecting anyone! Back off at once!”

I didn’t want to get into any trouble. I returned into the courtyard, hoping to find shelter for today. But as the day was still starting, I decide to wander around until I would come up with a plan to infiltrate the castle and convince the king to help me.

I saw an old woman with a purse full of silver coins. I also saw a feline-looking character with a hood and a gapped band over his eyes. He had two daggers on his waist. He pulled them out and snatched the purse out of the elder’s hands.

Seeing his terrible act, I pounced at him from the crowd. People were screaming all over the place, and I managed to wrestle the purse out of the thief’s hands. He looked at me angrily while I turned over the purse to its owner. I pulled the Luna Sword out of its scabbard and I pointed it at the foolish thief. The tip of my sword was nearly touching his throat.

“Listen up, scoundrel! My name is Fleabag Maximus McKat, Knight of the Moonlight Element, and Lunar Swordsman by trial and choice of Ultimos himself! Acknowledge that you have committed a terrible mistake. If you or anyone were ever to spread crime while I’m in range, everything above your neck is going to be a fine red mess sooner or later!

The thief was soon seized by the grunts and the crowds were confused. They were all whispering in very low voices.

“Could it be him? Could the prophecies be true?”

Finally, one man in the back started clapping slowly. Soon, he was followed by two, three, and then the entire crowd was applauding and cheering for me. I slid the Luna Sword back into place and I turned around to find a gigantic grunt staring at me.

“The Dragon Lord requests your presence.”

It’s about time.

They accompanied me through the cheering crowds into the palace with the golden tips and the dark blue adamant walls.

The palace was breathtakingly luxurious. Deep blue adamant walls were embellished with draconic banners and huge torches the size of a man. The floor was made of rich, shiny marble tiles and a red carpet extended to the end of the hallway which was probably a few dozen meters long.

The man at the end of the hallway stood up.

He was buff, with a thick black beard and white eyes with no pupils. His arms were very muscular, and he wore a bright red chest plate with horned shoulder pads. He had a cloak with an orange dragon’s head instead of a crown.

“Fleabag! Is that really you? I didn’t think I’d live long enough to see you!”

I advanced towards him. He stared at me happily.

“Your highness, do I know you?”

“Of course! You must have forgotten. It was a mighty long time ago! I am the man who created you and sent you to Toontown!”

Suddenly, everything in front of me froze. I was stunned. All the adventures, my training, the lives I’ve saved, the ones I haven’t, the friends I made and the foes that swore to get my head… It was all filtering back to the man standing in front of me. He was my original creator, and in some way, my father.

“My name is Midoo Dracovenari. Everyone here calls me Midoo the Great, or simply, the Dragon Lord!

I kneeled in front of him and shook his hand.

“Milord, I pledge full loyalty to your country! Name me your knight, and together we shall go on countless adventures!”

He helped me up.

“No need for all this modesty! You’re probably even greater than I am!”

We both laughed.

“While you were taking care of your kingdom and shaping your empire, I’ve really evolved! I learned how to use a sword underwater: three kilometers deep, mind you! I’ve made a lot of friends and allies, and enemies as well!”

“I see you’re doing pretty fine! I have awaited your arrival. This world has longed for a hero of your rank, Fleabag!”

I smiled. At last, my destiny was going on its righteous tracks.