SHIFT 2 - Purgatory

Undying loyalty

The dungeon was dark, damp and chilly. It was what the body in the bed needed. Nagisa sat beside him, cleaning the sweat from his forehead. It had been a long day. Many of the combatants killed their opponent. Once dead, those who won, everyone of them, had vowed to take out the reigning champion. Nagisa felt ill. He knew that this was why the tournament was even being presented. Ryu was the strongest.

He was also one of the youngest in the fight. Only a handful were younger than the powerful dragon. Nagisa saw two killed already. One was asleep in the room next to this one. Aradia had managed to save him, but barely. She was recovering in her own bed now. Krystal took care of the wounded teen. The other was being cremated since there was no way to save a body that had been ripped in half.

This left Nagisa stuck here. He watched the eyeleds flicker. They rolled around as the man dreamed. He wondered what it was dragons dreamed about. Was it the open skies, flying up around the clouds? Or was it the close-knit family style villages they lived in? Nagisa wondered about their lifestyle. He had only heard about. Never had he been invited or allowed into a dragon village. They were nearly impossible to find, let alone sneak inside.

The body jerked. The dragon sat up with a roar. Nagisa placed a hand against his bare chest. He saw the wild eyes take in their surroundings. Slowly, they came to rest on the boy before him. Nagisa arched a brow as he watched the dark orbs.

"You're the mate." The dragon voice was horse.

Gently, Nagisa got pillows to support the fighter in an upright position. He gave him a glass of cold ice water, before taking his seat back. Nagisa eyed the burly muscled man.

"Is that what they are saying?" he asked, casually.

"Its obvious, to our kind." Alfie insisted.

Nagisa nodded as he typed out a message on his phone. He hit send before tucking it back away. Looking up, he saw Alfie watching his every move.

"The witch..." He started.

Nagisa held up his hand. "I will explained why you aren't in a grave somewhere, if you can convince me I should trust you." He insisted.

They stared at each other silently for some time. The stillness only broken by the sound of footsteps. The cell door creaked open. The darkness wasn't complete, but what little light there was, didn't quite reach the man walking in. He seemed otherworldly. Nagisa rose to accept the tray.

"Thank you, Luce." He commented as his brother walled back out. The shadows hiding his form.

The stomach of the dragon shifter rumble loudly at the smells coming from the tray. Nagisa carried it over to place on the man's lap. He lifted off the cover to reveal half of a roasted pig, huge mounds of potatoes, a well dressed salad along with ale, bread and a lava cake.

"Looks like they went all out for you." Nagisa sat back down. He crossed his legs to watch the dragon.

"This is all for me?" Alfie asked.

Nagisa nodded. "I ate already." He insisted.

Alfie frowned. "Why are you being kind?" He demanded not touching the food. Nagisa hissed.

He reached over, ripped a strip of meat from the pig, ate it, tasted a bit of the potatoes, the ale, the salad. He tried everything until it came to the cake. Alfie snatched it away.

"Alright, you didn't poison anything, I get it!" He huffed.

"Who says we didn't do anything to the cake? Aradia knows about your sweet tooth." Nagisa pointed out.

"If you wanted me dead, you just could have left me at the arena." Alfie insisted. He began to eat.

"What were you talking to Ryu about during the fight?" he asked.