The Tale of a Hybrid and a Siren (old version)

Chapter 31: Struggle Within

Instead of taking the long way out, Vaeludar suggested the elf teleport them out of there. Alfhild thought ahead and teleported out of Siren's Cove, and it would have been a long walk into the Cove, but Marina thought of just calling it Siren's Cave. But no matter the location, it was a failure: the artifact wasn't there and was only a dragon's cave.

Despite the fact Vaeludar's father still lived, the mission was to obtain armor for the hybrid, and they failed. What's worse, Vaeludar learned he carried within him Wrath. The power of ultimate anger. His parents carried Sins, two monsters he defeated were Sins but likely minions of Lusìvar. And the last known user is a dark mage who has his or her hands on the last artifact.

A dark mage that bested and killed Geraldus, and the same one who killed his mother and heavily wounded his father, not to mention the one guarding the last artifact. It was a planned scenario if Vaeludar obtain the first two, he would have to fight the mage.

It was a failure at the end of the day, and Vaeludar felt he has seen enough of life. He stood on a high edge directly above Siren's Cove, and he looked out toward the western horizon. It was a shady dusk with a tormented view of a faded bloodless atmosphere. There was no comfort from the sun this evening as there was no moon during the night.

They spent an entire day journey into the cave and to find out information from Ralenskrit who suffered a great injury of losing Belverda. There was clearly love, and they tried to hide him, but it seemed the dark mage knew where Vaeludar lived, and had the opportunity if he defeated a dragon and a witch.

Just recently, Geraldus has been added to the dark mage's list of killed people. So, why didn't he kill Geraldus and him eighteen years ago? That was the question Vaeludar was pondering, and no matter what theories as to why the dark mage had the chance to kill Vaeludar as an infant, the answer lied with the dark mage.

Marina took notice of Vaeludar's staring contest with the fading light of the setting sun. She carefully placed her hands on his left should, and something of which he let her do.

"All my life I looked down upon my parents as scientists of live, creating me purely as experimentation. Now I know the truth as to what I am, but now I hold the Sin of Wrath. A terrifying power to hold. Whatever happens must happen."

"You're not looking down?" Marina asked.

"How can I? Having learned of the knowledge from... him, how can I look down? Yet I am not. For a human, the news would have been too shocking I would have given up. Had I been a dragon, burn down a village. Since I'm both, two different thoughts are purging me. Human blood and dragon blood tangled in a single organism has never been studied before, so the results of a hybrid containing both genetics is a large unknown mystery.

"And I'm learning what I look like reflects who I am." Vaeludar looked at his arms. The scales were massive for one his size, and a year ago he saw scales reaching from his hands to his elbows. Now the scales reached his shoulders and his backside, leaving his human chest exposed of its skin. "Now I barely recognized myself, an offspring of two different species who lost his parents to a human mage."

Now negative thoughts are going into his mind, and his scales have began to change color to a deepening red with stripes of pale lavender. His mind began to flicker with anger, and a greater power began to take hold.

He was feeling it was the Sin of Wrath, but he stretched out his wings, and the power quickly faded. It was if the Sin does want to take hold and turn him into something that wasn't. But another thing like a different mind was helping him to control the balance of the Sin's power: the Sacred Sword.

And that was the thing with two different sides Vaeludar always thought what was stronger: lightness or darkness. And his thought was darkness was indeed the stronger side, but only to the physical wellbeing of the mortal. Darkness can make a person have stronger muscles and gain power only as a mortal: wealth, property, servants. All the things to known as a greedy person, but at the end of it all, death will just come lurking to the mortal.

And with the light, it seemed to be more powerful after death. One that can bring the ultimate power like a god, having supreme dominance of life and death. And there was more in the afterlife than a mortal could ever imagined. Vaeludar thought of this when he received the Sacred Sword.

Between the two, balance had to be maintained. Life and death. Day and night. Water and fire. Air and earth. One cannot exist without the other.

Vaeludar pondered into deep thought and he finally touched Marina's hand without looking at her without proper gaze. "Move to the village and give aid to them," he ordered. Then he removed Marina's hand from his shoulder.

Marina didn't want to, but she was stopped by Alfhild. She shook his head, sensing an agony he was placed in. A struggle like ten minds trying to control a single body.

Alfhild's pegasus landed nearby, and the elf led Marina to the pegasus. There, Alfhild mounted her stead and pulled Marina to the horse. They silently left as Vaeludar only closed his eyes and see lighter and darkness.

Forthe first time, he will look gaspingly at the light and the darkness and embraceboth sides. If it is to be maintained, he will have to embrace the light andthe dark. But that could only be achieved, if he uses both the Sacred Sword andthe Sin of Wrath.