[The light stomping of a large creature permeates the dark dunes]
[An old wagon squeaks from beneath you]
"For the next time we meet, I hope you have come to a decision."
Those words shattered throughout Egan's head. Upon Thaerin retelling the choice he had given to Sarah, he felt disheartened by the whole situation. Overwhelmed by the responsibility held upon his shoulders. Even more so now, he curses the being that stripped his wings. But this time he is not furious for himself.
But for dragging Sarah along with it.
***
"You are special…"
Sarah played those words over and over again in her head. Despite her efforts, she was still unsure of how she was tied into all this. She understood Egan being a part of this whole mess, but why her? Ever since she was a child, she felt nothing odd about her person. Of course, she had always had an adeptness to sensing essence, but she only ever thought of it as a lucky birthright. Taking advantage of the gift she was given to the fullest, at least, that's what she thought she was doing.
Egan gazes up at the stars. The twinkle of distant powers dances within the sky, bursting out in bright flashes of light, now plastered on a permanent canvas. It was still new to him, having a starry night to look up at.
A change in tone now radiates from the carriage. What was once a large-scale brawl to the death between monster and man was now just another long night, being pulled along in a wagon. Egan looks down at the clothes that now adorn his figure. He liked them, they fit his frame well.
Sarah was the one driving the wagon. She asked Egan to do it first, but she quickly re-sent that invitation after he tried whipping one of the dragons with the lead. Tired and hungry, Sarah begins wishing she were back at the Inn, and with Arieth, she was never hungry. That man always had snacks.
"I'm sorry…" Egan said, rather randomly at that.
Sarah, confused, looks back at Egan. His figure was now lying on his side, facing away from her.
Egan: "I went too far with Thaerin. The truth is, after talking with him for a bit, I can understand what you see in him." Egan said, rolling over now facing the sky once again. "I still don't trust him, though. Something about him seems off to me."
Sarah: "Don't get me wrong, I don't fully trust the guy either." She said, reaffirming Egans' doubts, "I mean, we literally just met and now he expects us to carry out this 'divine retribution' plot to save the world from corruption."
Sarah: "Hell of an introduction, I'd say."
[A light giggle rings out between the pair.]
[A silence once again washes over the wagon.]
Sarah, now only just realizing it, doesn't know anything about the man right behind her, but she wants to. How he got here, what his life was before he met her. His experiences and struggles. She wants to learn it all.
Looking back towards him, he once again is facing away from her.
"You're still holding onto the cloak?" Sarah said, remarking on the fact that he's still using it as a blanket.
"I did not feel right using yours, and Thaerin let me keep his. So…"
"Thank you for the consideration, but I wouldn't have minded." Sarah said softly, "Even though you reek."
Egan quickly spun around and sat up, facing her.
"Say that again, I dare you!" Egan yelled, arm raised, now standing up in the wagon.
A little silence once again permeates the wagon.
"Pfft…"
They begin to laugh. A warm and hearty laugh, a laugh grateful for the ability to see tomorrow.
[A strong gust of wind blows across the wagon]
Egan, noticing Sarah beginning to shiver, slowly walks towards her. Quickly and gently, he wraps the large gray cloak over her shoulders. Sarah, shocked at the nostalgia from that move, looks over at Egan, who is now leaning onto the banister facing the front of the wagon. One thought reverberated in her mind.
Maybe he, too, knew that her back had scars.
"I'm sorry for dragging you into this mess, Sarah," Egan said, still facing the sand ahead.
"I don't mind!" She said, rather cheerfully, "My mom always used to say, 'life is a rollercoaster, and you're just along for the ride'."
"Your mom was a brilliant person," Egan said, now looking at her, eyes full of hope for the future.
"Yeah, she really was."
***
Sarah, happy at the new companion she had just met, is finally.
For the first time.
Looking forward to the future.
***
Sarah: "I have been curious about something for a while, Egan."
"Hm."
Sarah: "How did you defeat that massive sand beast back there?"
He thought for a second, as though even he didn't know.
Egan: "Flow."
"Flow?" Sarah remarked, curious about this discovery she had made. "What's that, never heard of it?"
Egan pondered this question, trying his best to think of a good way to explain it.
"You know how you harness essence into a single point, or control the essence around you to create spells and other things of the like? Well, it's kinda like that, but for the essence inside you."
"Oh!" Sarah said, excited about this new revelation.
"It's like the thing warriors do to enhance their physical capabilities."
"Wrong." Egan interrupted. "That is something called 'increase' or that's how you humans call it. How well you can use it is called 'battle factor'."
"What a warrior can do is harness the essence immediately around them, since everything naturally emits a certain level of essence. Everybody has a different soul, and because of that, they all emit a somewhat unique essence. That is what you humans refer to as 'innate talent'. Warriors disregard the elemental aspect of the essence and focus on the strengthening factor it naturally has, utilize that and can hone and refine how much they use from themselves."
"What?" Sarah said, confused
"It's like blowing a bubble, then taking the bubble and popping it. But instead, you're taking your essence that you naturally exude, and using it to enhance your body. What I use is fundamentally the same, but it can only be used if your soul has a very unique catalytic attribute, which I have."
"Oh! That makes sense, so mages are the opposite in using the essence around them to materialize their respective elements-"
[A light tremor emanates from below the sand]
[The sudden stopping of the wheel screeches through the silence]
Sarah and Egan pause, curious about whether they are cursed with bad fortune. Egan slowly begins to stand up from his lying position, taking off his shirt in the process. Sarah, now traumatized by the prior situation, begins to hyperventilate.
"Egan… what are you doing?!" She said, voice shaking from anxiety.
A light smirk can be seen plastering across the young dragon's face, his fangs shining in the darkness.
"Time to show you what I was talking about."
[The light grumble begins transforming into a violent quake]
Sarah, still shaking, looks up at Egan.
"W-Why is your shirt off?" She said, now pulling on his pant leg.
***
BOOOM~ BOOOM~ BOOOM~
Once again, as though the gods themselves are punishing these two poor souls, look out at the unfolding catastrophe. Three full-grown sandworms once again lie standing before the wagon. A bit further away, due to the wagon stopping so far from them, but still close enough for one good dash from any of the worms could destroy them.
The presence looming over them intensifies, but Egan never wavers.
"Time for a demonstration!"
Egan, eyes now glowing with a radiant orange light, as though the core of the sun rests upon his iris, gets off the wagon slowly. He leaps up from the sand, a massive shockwave echoing from where he stood. The force of the jump launched the cart and all the surrounding dust a short bit. Luckily, Sarah stuck the landing. The young dragon, now soaring through the air at incredible speed, begins charging his essence within his body. A hot orange flow becomes visible throughout his figure. His horns erupt into a deep crimson flame as he soars through the sky. While charging at the three beasts, he opens his mouth, his large, gaping jaw now beginning to emit a bright light, so blinding that Sarah couldn't stare for longer than a couple of seconds. Teeth-bearing and essence charged, he launches a devastating laser beam breath attack. The surrounding air itself is being incinerated around the immediate area of the blast. Within a second of the laser attack, all three massive worms immediately combust, their gusts being incinerated before they have the chance to fly out. The explosion rings out over the horizon, as though a mini sun went supernova in the middle of the desert. The crater left behind by this massive attack now leaves a permanent mark on the ground.
Egan, now engulfed in flames, begins hurdling down towards the earth, landing right next to the wagon.
"That, Sarah, was my flow." He said, bowing his head as a gesture to complete his flamboyant play.
Sarah, a look of complete shock hanging from her face, looks down at the young dragon, his body still somewhat ablaze. A display of power she had never seen before lay ahead of her. Still clutching the reins, giving Egan an agitated and shocked smile.
"Thanks for the wonderful lesson…" she said, wondering how in the world she didn't become collateral.
"We shall take a detour!" Egan exclaimed, very proud of his work, still covered in flames, while climbing the wagon.
Sarah, quickly materializing her staff, fires a fast stream of water directly at Egan, soaking him. She did not want the wagon to catch fire from Egan's stupidity
"Geez, what's your problem?!" trying to block the water barreling at his face
Shocked at the display of power before her, instead of feeling inferior or fearful towards Egan, only one thing permeated the mind of the young mage.
A strong desire for one thing, she now wanted more than anything.
Strength.