The Achievement Junkie

"So you do wield water magic!"

"WHAT?!" Kylon shouted again, aiming her shock toward Perchet. "What is he talking about?! What magic types can you wield?"

Answering calmly, Perchet smiled, "Apart from dark and sound magic types, I can also wield water and earth magic types. I'm the one Nocturnal Dragon with four affinities but many of my people can wield three magic types at least."

"Four types… That's only second to Halmut…" sighed Kylon.

"No. You're forgetting Skaryn and the young man standing before us, who can outshine both Halmut and Skaryn in terms of magical affinity," stated Perchet, causing Kylon to lift her eyebrows in wonder. "Also, Kylon, know that I fully trust Skaryn, far more than I trust Halmut."

"Then why did you join us?" questioned the Storm Goddess.

"At the time, I also trusted Halmut. War hadn't yet broken out between the factions and as a draconic race my people wished to side with the other dragons, so we did. But as decades, centuries, and millennia passed, it's become clear that Halmut is no longer trustworthy. Though he was in the past, he can no longer compare to the respect that Skaryn has earned from me."

"And why's that?" Jack asked. "Why do you respect Skaryn so much if he's been your enemy?"

Perchet shook his head. "I've never seen Skaryn as an enemy, nor has he seen me in such a way. I'm merely acting according to the restrictions of my contract and in fear of my people being harmed. I greatly regret not forcing my people to join Skaryn's side… But it took them a few thousand more years to look past Skaryn's past offense."

"Offense? I thought you said Skaryn never abused anyone?" Kylon eyed Perchet, wanting a clear answer.

"Apart from you two, only one other person has managed to find this hidden mausoleum and that would be Skaryn…" Sighing, Perchet continued, "As you both know, Skaryn was obsessed with dragons and always saw them as the greatest of all beasts. We knew this but we never would've expected what Skaryn attempted.

"Skaryn managed to reach this place via the underwater route with extreme precision and speed. He then robbed one of the mausoleum's dragon corpses and fled without a word. None of my people were fast enough to stop him, let alone fight him, as this was just before Skaryn and Halmut had ascended when I was still a few hundred years old."

"Then Skaryn--"

"What Skaryn wanted was a means to demonize himself," continued Perchet, not letting Kylon interrupt. "This was something he apologized for immediately after his ascension, gifting me and my people a great deal of wealth and items, another thing that Halmut knows nothing of. Skaryn was the one who, by transforming into a hybrid Dusk Dragon form, taught us to recreate and reinforce the obscure black mist that protects Shadow Gorge from espionage."

"Then why didn't he simply ask for your blood and not the remains of your ancestors?" Kylon questioned, searching for something to grasp to.

But Jack answered instead while scratching his head, "Because Skaryn was more compatible with Dusk Dragons than he was Nocturnal Dragons… Right?"

"Correct…" Perchet nodded. "Dusk Dragons rarely wielded sound magic, as it was a mutation more prominent in our surviving descendant bloodline. They wielded dark, earth, water, lightning, and illusion magic types."

"The same as Skaryn…"

"Correct, Jack. And that's why Skaryn was set on taking a single corpse, though he gave my people more means to protect myself than Halmut ever has. Only after Skaryn was defeated and Halmut showed more of his true self did my people begin to see Skaryn in a new light," added Perchet. "Now, they understand that Skaryn's desire for the Dusk Dragon abilities wasn't only for its power but also because Skaryn greatly respected the legacy of the Dusk Dragons. In a way, my people long for Skaryn's return as they relate more to Skaryn's bloodline than Halmut's, something they took too long to notice…"

"So that's what that was…" mumbled Jack. He couldn't help but remember the intimidating, draconic form that Skaryn had taken against Halmut.

"Though I think Skaryn could've handled the matter better, I also believe that he was facing a time crunch for something and was forced to retrieve the corpse by force," Perchet mentioned. "So, Kylon, now that you understand the threat that my people are facing at all moments and my history with Skaryn, can you see why I wish to leave the legendary gods?"

"I…" Kylon struggled to reply by she did nod hesitantly.

"That is the only time I remember hearing anything bad about Skaryn, and he made sure to pay us back many times over for his selfishness."

"Oh, is that what Auntie is wondering?" Jack asked, catching onto a piece of Perchet's intentions.

"I said don't call me that."

"Is that what you're wondering? Whether Skaryn was a bad person?"

"..." She opened her mouth but failed to respond immediately. It took Kylon a moment to say, "Maybe… That's part of it…"

"Is it because your memory is all messed up?" Jack asked, knowing that he hit the nail on the head. "If you want, I can tell you what really happened that day between Halmut and Skaryn. In fact, I can show you what happened that day. Would you like that?"

"You can do that?" asked Kylon, startled to hear such a thing. "But you weren't there…"

"Daruun was. Daruun saw everything and he showed me too, Auntie. If you want, I can show you the entire battle, from the moment that Halmut attacked the island to anger Skaryn to the moment where Halmut cheated to trap Skaryn while pillars of light eradicated all of Kustram."

"You're lying!"

"I'm not," Jack shrugged. "Do you want me to show you or not?"

"YOU'RE LYING!!"

"That's what happened?" Perchet stared at Jack in startlement.

Nodding, Jack asked again, "Auntie Kylon, I can show you the truth. I can help unravel your tangled thoughts and make things clear again, like they were before Halmut forced you into your contract."

"HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT?!" Kylon shouted, dropping to her knees. Having Jack pinpoint her exact feelings alongside such restricted information made it hard for her to deny anything, though her warped mind tried its best.

"What…" Perchet's blindfolded gaze softened and fell onto Kylon. "That's what happened?"

"N… I…"

"Auntie Kylon…" Jack dropped to one knee and hugged the crying, mentally confused woman. Though Perchet would still hear it, Jack softly whispered, "Would you rather your child be raised by Skaryn or eaten by Halmut?"

Both Perchet's and Kylon's faces instantly paled. Perchet clenched his fists tightly but refrained from saying anything more. Kylon's lip and stare quivered as Jack looked directly into her eyes.

"Do you want to know the truth?"