Strings of Sin

Chapter 3

Stardom had gone to bed much later than normal to awake at the same time as his nocturnal father. The sun rose, and he didn't wake. And when the sun sank, he roused. The nightwing dragonet got out of his dark blue bed and followed the dim candles of his father's halls to the kitchen. But unfortunately, his father was already there, waiting for him.

"You're up! Great! Now we can go," the father had already eaten before him and spoke selfishly. "But you can grab a snack, and you better eat it quick! Nightfall won't last long!"

And Stardom rushed on his father's command and headed to the racks, coated in bright blue and yellow, and got himself a snack. His father slowly walked towards the door and didn't wait for him this time. Stardom didn't want his father to see him eating the best meat, so rather than cooking it medium-rare, he cooked it rare with his flaming firebreath and father's furnace. His father had already closed the door behind him, and in fear of getting forgotten, Stardom rushed to the door with the rare steak in his talons. He opened the door, and his eyes were blinded by the setting sun's bright, yellow light.

"Come, Stardom, we have a meeting with the great teacher of war, Enlightenment!" Dignity shouted, already on the stone path that led to the war teacher's house.

The father was quick, so Stardom ate his steak swift and ran to catch up with him. "Where are we going, exactly?"

"Don't ask questions," the wise father retorted and kept his pace quick.

Stardom followed behind his father and watched the small town that loomed before the sun on a hill below him. He imagined that the Idiots still danced and played with their flutes and toys down in that poor town, but with his powerful father beside him, he felt much stronger than the simple town's dragons. He felt as if he could crush their skulls one by one, but only if he gained the power to influence his father's strings and make him his puppet.

His father's shadow, always hovering over him, dulling his potential and grace in silence, became his new focus. Stardom could barely see ahead of his father but could make out a building in the distance, east of the sunset. He trailed in tranquility as the building grew closer and clearer. The stone path that he wandered, pondering, began to sparkle with new stones as a new quality of his father's friend unveiled itself to his knowledge; a rich one this old war teacher was. A huge manor now lay present in front of him, decorated monochrome and moodily like those tales of ancient castles, containing its knights, kings and queens. Stone statues of great warriors lay in the front yard, lined up like those seen stoned by the Gorgo, and suits of armor lay on the porch.

Stardom admired the elegant statues and felt in the moment of a time long forgotten, and almost like in his fantasy, he swore he heard the cries and carnage of past wars. He imagined the screams and almost saw the corpses on the ground all around him, and when he turned around to look at his father...

"Feel free to gaze at the brave nightwing warriors who provided for us their services and lost their will to live in exchange, probably to a sharp silver with a cutting edge," the father spoke and broke through his son's false realities. "Maybe you too will be among these someday. Have hope that your grave may be marked with a higher time because it's running out. But you will never outlive me, and search for the best; you will be sure to find me with an empty mark!"

The young dragonet was confused by his father's words but went closer to see the marks on the graves. And then his father came over to him, and was that disappointment or eagerness on his face? Dignity placed his claw on the statue high above the grave Stardom watched and showed no sympathy to those lost.

"This here was successful jubilant, a proud and mighty nightwing warrior before my time, but cut short of his life and triumph with a jab to the throat from sharp silver," the prideful father belittled the names of ancient grace. "Always watch for your enemy's spear and how far it is from your neck."