The Elementiels

Ch. 32: THE ALCHEMIST'S REVELATION

Jason and the others entered the bakery. Inside, Grandpa Mark stood behind the counter, handing a loaf to a cheerful customer. 

“Have a nice day now,” Mark said with a smile, turning toward them. His expression brightened at the sight of his grandson but quickly turned curious as his gaze landed on Jack. 

“Ah, glad you all are back,” Mark began, his tone light before pausing to take in the tall, imposing figure standing beside Anna. “And who is this handsome young man with you?” 

Jack stepped forward, his posture respectful. “Good day, sir. My name is Jack, and we’ve found something important—something we believe you should see.” 

Mark’s eyes flicked from Jack to the rest of the group, noting their serious expressions. Jason approached, pulling the weathered red book from under his arm and handing it to him. 

“Grandpa,” Jason said, his voice tinged with urgency. “What do you know about this?” 

Mark accepted the book, his fingers brushing over its aged cover. He opened it, flipping through the pages with familiarity. Anna stepped closer, her voice soft yet probing. 

“Your name is in here,” she said. “Whoever wrote this… knew who you were.” 

Mark let out a weary sigh and closed the book. “I suppose it’s time I told you the truth.” 

The group exchanged curious glances as Mark began. “Back in my younger days, long before I came to Camelot, I lived in a small kingdom far from here. I had a dear friend named Darius—a brilliant man, skilled in the art of alchemy.” 

Mark’s voice grew heavier as he continued. “One day, Darius came to me with a radical idea. He wanted to stop the dragon attacks plaguing the villages by merging his essence with the Queen of Dragons herself. He believed that if he could become one with her, he’d gain control over all dragons and bring peace.” 

Anna’s brows furrowed. “That sounds… risky.” 

“I told him as much,” Mark replied grimly. “I warned him that such an experiment was dangerous, but Darius was determined. When he presented his idea to a group of talented alchemists, they mocked him. Humiliated, he disappeared shortly afterward and I never saw him again.” 

Mark paused, his hands tightening around the book. “Years later, after I became the fire elementiel, I traced the escalating dragon attacks to a lab in East Camelot. There, I found Darius—but he was no longer the man I knew. His body had become a grotesque fusion of human and dragon, his power on par with that of an elementiel.” 

The group listened in stunned silence as Mark’s voice grew solemn. “He had succeeded, but his success came at a terrible price. His mind was fractured, his humanity slipping away. It took every ounce of my strength to stop him. That was forty years ago.”

“I thought I’d ended it for good… but now, it seems he had a backup plan.”

Connor folded his arms, his expression grave. “That explains why the dragons have been acting so strangely. Someone’s been pulling the strings all along.” 

Anna turned to Mark, her voice tentative. “Pa… who is the Dragon Queen?” 

Jack spoke up before Mark could answer. “The Dragon Queen was part of an ancient race of dragons known as the High-Borns. After the Great War, five hundred thousand years ago, only two of them remained and the dragons fled to the Dragon Continent.” 

He paused, his tone darkening. “But everything changed when “HE” came. One of the High-Borns was killed and the dragons were driven out from their homeland.”