Dragon Hunters

Chapter 9 Visions

Today marks the new year. A few months passed since I saw Iko but the memory is still fresh in my mind and I still only have a few months until his plan begins. I decided to visit the memorial for those who lost their lives to dragons and I saw Piko's which has fresh flowers but I never saw Lika's.

The memorial is often a place for people to visit since it is said that if you meditate around a specific grave with no name, you'll be able to talk with the spirit of the grave. I wanted to find the grave so I could learn why Iko chose the specific date and what his plan is but I knew that I probably wouldn't be lucky enough to find the grave.

However I did find it but it had mud, moss, and chips all over it but no name was written and it was clear everyone forgot about the grave. Some words were written on it but I wasn't able to read the words so I brushed it off as some random saying. I placed my hand on the grave unsure how I'm suppose to talk to spirits but immediately backed away as I felt something bit my hand.

I looked at the grave and to my hand and saw nothing that could have bitten me. However I began to get a weird feeling from the grave and  began to walk away feeling strange. However as I began to walk away all around me began to fade into a faint shade of white. Horrified I began to walk faster but the more I walked the more the white began to spread.

I eventually stopped trying to outrun the white and began to look around but stopped when I saw something in the distance. I began to walk over to there curious about what is could be despite how I felt scared earlier. As I got closer an older man and a table came into view. He looked up from the table and smiled when he saw me.

"About time someone visited me. So do you prefer jasmine or lavender?" I looked around confused and shrugged. The old man nodded and grabbed a strange looking pot. "I see tea has yet to make its way to Katran." He sighed and grabbed a cup and began to pour a strange green liquid into it. He placed the cup back onto the table and looked at me.

"Come and have a seat, and enjoy some tea, I bet you're here for some wisdom, and I hope you enjoy green tea." It was true that I wanted wisdom and maybe tea won't taste bad. I walked over to the table and pulled out a chair and I immediately sat down. The old man kept drinking his tea and I looked at my own cup and watched the steam that rose from it.

I grabbed it ignoring the burning sensation I felt on it and began to drink. However tea taste horrible and I immediately placed the cup down. The old man noticed and looked at me with a concerned expression. "Is everything alright little one?" Not wanting to hurt his feelings I swallowed the tea fighting every instinct to spit it out.

Looking over to the old man and shook my head and held a thumb up. He smiled and went back to sipping his tea leaving us in a weird silence with occasional sipping. He stopped sipping for a bit and looked over at me. "So, Zodion, how many visions have you had so far?" I choked on the air and tried to process on how he knew my name even though I never told him about it.

I began to regain my composure and stared at him feeling uneasy. "I had two so far, but they're all about the same thing." The old man nodded and sipped his tea. "Iko wasn't well even before his sister's death. We should've done something sooner but now you must suffer the consequences that were meant for those who were alive during that time."

The old man had sorrow in his eyes as he placed his cup down. 'He must've known Iko personally.' I looked at my hands that rested on my legs in hopes that I could be distracted from the tension that filled the air. I looked up and saw the old man was looking directly at me with a serious expression. I flinched but watched as he picked up his cup and took another sip.

"I hope this doesn't sound much, but I need you to have another vision." I thought about it but realized I only get a vision when I'm asleep or unconscious. Worried I looked up and saw the old man was gone. I immediately sat up and turned to see the chair was gone. I felt a warm gust of air behind me and I turned around to see a shadowy figure.