Tbou: Hopebreaker

Chapter Nine

Orderbreaker

Gwyn's Perspective

I felt my heart start to submerge in whatever water life could make as I watched my son begin to cry out. I watched his myoclonus body fall as he brought his hands to his chest, clutching his cotton grey shirt.

I felt my black pants rip. The wrappings that Cira had wreathed onto my boots started to tear as I slid next to William. It was his second time falling.

I caught him as he fell and laid him on my leg. Turning his body so he was facing me, I held his head up. "Will! What's wrong? Tell Me!" I blurted out of desperation. But Will was unresponsive. His eyes were shut tight, and his body spasmed in waves.

I felt utterly powerless, a sensation foreign and unsettling. Throughout my entire life, I have encountered nothing compared to this. With a growing sense of desperation, I examined the essential facets of his condition, searching for signs of sickness or disorder, hoping for some clue that would guide me through this bewildering ordeal. But there was nothing.

I can't lose him. I need the Guild.

"Come on, up we go." Pulling William onto his feet and over my shoulders, his twitching subsided as I felt his drenched shirt on mine. Slowly, using my bow to support us, I hauled his frail body towards the Guild, hearing the scraping sounds beneath his boots. "The Guild must know what's wrong, Will. Just hang in there, please."

What's happening? First, there was William's attempt at being a Rider. Then there was the egg he stole, and soon after, there were the Blight nests, and now this.

Oh, Cira. Watch over our son, please.

My heart skyrocketed as something crashed into the building next to us. Glancing at it, I saw a Dragon rider falling to the road where we stood. His body made a loud crack as it came into contact with the ground.

His scream pierced the air, his body convulsing in a manner eerily reminiscent of William's. Accompanying his cries was the gut-wrenching roar of his dragon, which flailed its wings in a frenzy, shredding the building beneath it to rubble.

The sky soon filled with more roars and screams as riders began to plummet from above. A few, by sheer force of will or fleeting strength, managed to soar for a moment longer, but even they succumbed, spiraling down to join the chaotic descent.

The Dragon Riders were affected? What in Kalos is happening? The Guild must know what's happening?!?

"Come on, Will! The Guild must know what's happening!" I stammered loudly. I started to lengthen my strides, dragging William sluggishly.

William's anguished cries turned into weak, sickly groans. His eyes fluttered rapidly, but I saw no signs of his irises.

My breathing was brisk as we approached the Guild before I realized.

A chilling shiver cascaded down my spine, carrying a sensation of dread that seemed to emanate from beyond the city's walls. It was an intense, relentless feeling, unlike anything I'd ever encountered. The only time I'd come close to this sense of foreboding was through the pages of a book. But this was no object; it was undeniably the presence of a person—a being exuding an aura so cruel and unforgiving that it carved a space of fear in the air itself.

A palpable tension enveloped us all, the ground beneath our feet trembling with violence as I instinctively turned toward the open mountain. There, emerging from her den, the Matriarch soared into the sky.

Her gigantic wings cast an immense shadow over the city, churning the air into chaos in her wake. As she approached the source of our collective dread, a roar of unmistakable anger tore from her throat, resonating with defiance.