Dragonsoul

Chapter 60

Pain. Anger. Different flavors of the same bitter dish.

They blend in Leonie's trembling heart, making it all she can feel. All she was. For one horrible moment, it was as if they would be the only things she could feel for eternity.

Not only did the physical pain her friend was experiencing cut through her like a burning knife, but it was also coupled with her emotional anguish. The heartbreak was far greater than any girl had felt before her, and more than anyone so young should ever feel.

Where Fates that cruel? Would they take away Rimar as well?

It was as if no matter what she did, Leonie could never win in the fight of her life. The struggle appeared to be endless, and she was utterly tired of it all.

All she wished from life was for her dragon friend to be alive and well. She could not bear his pain. It felt as if part of her very soul was burning in the fiery flame of pain.

She slumped over Rimar, letting go of all the pressure that was in her heart through the purifying tears that drizzled onto Rimar's still form.

Unbeknownst to Leonie, something stirred in the air. A transparent form rose from Rimar's body, looking upon her with tenderness and love that only a parent could bestow.

Rimodar's spiritual self hovered over Rimar while the teether that connected them emanated a pulsating golden light.

"Do not cry, my little lioness," Rimodar said gently.

Leonie quickly moved her head upward, meeting her father's comforting eyes, the golden lights that always lit her way. That was when she started sobbing softly.

"Daddy," she managed to say between the sobs.

"My dear Leonie, you were braver than anyone would have been in your place. You saved everyone, living and dead, from a fate worse than death. You saved us all from existing in perpetual fear." Rimodar said.

"How are you here? I thought they wouldn't allow you to be here?" Leonie asked, looking at the line connecting her father and Rimar in wonder.

"My singing blood was active even after my death. It turns out it is a singing soul, not something as fleeting as a physical substance. I was able to reside in Rimar's body, share the physical shell with him while also being able to roam freely when the need arose.

"However, when we realized what the danger was coming, we made a deeper bond to protect you, all of you. They could not stop me from protecting my family no matter what they thought was best. " Rimodar said.

That was when Amitola and Nald started approaching them, having only at that moment abandoned the safety of the cave. 

Upon noticing his father's image, Nald ran forward with the speed that his little legs weren't supposed to possess.

"Daddy, is that really you?" Nald asked, coming as close to his father as possible.

"Yes, it is me, Nald, my boy. You did well," Rimodar said.

"What did I do?" Nald asked, surprised by what he thought of as a praise that he did not deserve.

"You inspired your sister to keep fighting, and you protected your mother. What else can I ask of you?" Rimodar said doing his best to get used to how grown up his children were.

Even though he was there with them, each step of the way, it felt different to see them at the time when he knew he would have to say his final goodbye to those dearest to him.

Amitola could see her husband's form, and though she wished for nothing more than to run to him the same way Nald did, another need arose in her, the need to help the man who risked his life to save her son.