My Knight in Dragon Scales

28. Avery???

Everything went dark. I heard Patton call out to me but I was gone. Virgil... He was... He was Ero this whole fucking time?! He didn't tell me. He's been keeping this secret... this part of him from me... I could have killed him. I almost killed him that day. I literally went to that mountain on a slaying job to KILL HIM! 

I am such a horrible fucking person.

"Oh don't say that." I spun around to see this tall woman with long curly bright red hair sitting in the grass. Wait when did I... "Roman dear, it's best not to think about it, honestly."

"What's going on?" She smiled and slowly stood up, brushing her hair back behind her ear as she did. She kind of reminded me of Merida from Brave.

"Who's Merida?" My eyes went wide and she started to laugh. Did she just read my... "Before you finish that, yes I did. Or well technically... I read my own." I just stood there in shock as she started laughing again. "The names Avery. Avery Winters. Most just call me Ava though."

"I don't... I don't understand. Where are we? Where's Virgil? I have to get back..." Her eyes darkened and I stopped. "What?"

"Roman, there is a lot you need to know. About Virgil... about yourself." He ran a hand through her hair and I watched as her eyes began to glow purple. "About the Druids in general."

"Druids?" She smiled and nodded. 

"Yep, the Druids. I see your family never explained?" I shot her this confused look and she leaned up against this tree. I'm still confused. Where am I? "Well, that was oof on their part."

"Miss, I really do need to get back. Virgil he..."

"He'll be fine." She smiled sadly looking off into the distance. "The firestarters are always a tough bunch to break. Virgil, he's the strongest. He'll be fine." She looked over at me and seem to be measuring me up. It made me a bit uncomfortable. "You, on the other hand..."

"What?" she took my hand and shook her head. 

"You have a lot to learn." Suddenly everything began to waver and change. I found myself standing in this gazebo. Five chairs place in a circle inside it. There were four other people besides us and I got very confused. They seemed frozen... Like frozen in time.  "Welcome to the summit!"

"The what?" She laughed as she sat down in the empty chair. I just looked around at everything and everyone completely lost. 

"The summit. It's what we called our hang out at the top of Mt. Diablo. The emo nightmare never really liked the name either. I think he called it... Hopes Peak." there was this slight smile as she glanced over at this silver haired man in the chair beside her. "I think I like that name better." She sighed and sort of collapsed back in the chair. "Look, Roman, there's something you need to know about your family."

She looked over at me and she sighed. I just couldn't seem to take my eyes off of the man beside her. He looked so familiar. He was wearing his black suit with a slightly torn purple undershirt. It was torn but it had white underneath it so I'm guessing that was the style. His silver hair was spiked back a bit and his bright red eyes practically shined. There was just something about him. I couldn't explain it. Avery glanced beside her and smiled sadly. 

"You feel it don't you?" I looked over at her and she looked down. " I did too. The first day I saw him, I knew what he was. The Shield and the Firestarter always had the connection between them. Since the beginning."

"I'm confused."

"I know." She ran a hand through her hair and frowned, trying to collect her thoughts. " I guess I have to start from the beginning. Give you a full history lesson. Luna would have been so much better at this. After all, she was the one that taught Virgil. I just stood in the background. Watching over him... protecting him..." My eyes went wide and I fell on my ass. She just shot me this confused look but I shook my head. Virgil? She knew Virgil? Like actually knew him and not just from my mind. I'm so fucking lost here. "Knew Virgil? Hun, I fought with him."

"What?" She pointed over at the man beside her and the image changed. His hair darkened to black and his eyes went brown. His clothes changed and my breath caught in my throat. Then just as fast he was back to looking how he did before. "V-Virgil..."

"I guess he did look very different before." I walked over to him an reached out. He looked so sad... so broken. His red eyes glinted with this look of danger. He looked like he was holding something back. Like he was holding himself back. I looked over at Avery to find her frowning, her eyes dark and serious. "Ok well, lesson start." She snapped and there was this sort of spotlight on Virgil. She started smiling and I shot her this look. "We'll start with him. Or well the original Firestarter and in turn the original Shield.."

"Why do you keep calling him that?" She just sighed giving me this look that said shut up. She snapped again and I watched as the world around the gazebo began to change. Suddenly I was looking out at this forest. This small house Wait... Where have I seen this before? 

"It's your home, Roman. Your first home..." She got up and started walking over to it, spinning around with this big smile on her face. "... from our first life."