Fantasy Kaizoic: Earth Reborn

[Da Doofus]

Darrek met Kairo’s glance, but his own eyes were solemn.

“What were our parents like?” He asked, dodging the questions regarding the events that transpired years ago.

Dracon had just peeled the meat from another leg when Darrek spoke.
“Our father: Theron Kendalt, was not what you’d typically find in a Rithian Lord’s son from what I remember folk saying about him. He was kind, and . . .” He looked at his brother. “I’ll be honest you remind me of him a lot.”

“Wow.” Darrek straightened his posture, surprised by the comment. “And mother?”

“Aileene. She was the reason we stayed here and didn’t go back to Rithia. She’d apparently always been in Hennasia and wouldn’t leave.” He smiled again. “She was the outdoors type, always taking us on walks and teaching us how to live off the land. When she’d allow me to leave the house, of course.

A lot of people thought she was Feral, and in some ways I could see why. But she was wise and warm.”

“What was Dakheva like?” Darrek added on, enamored by the descriptions of his family.

“Not at all a female meant for court.” Dracon answered as his mind reminisced to happier times. “If ever I got stuck in a fight with some other younglings, she wouldn’t be long to jump in and end it.

She was gentle though . . . Always was helping father check on mother and you when you were still in your egg.”

 

[Chai_T3a]

It sounded like Darrek and Dracon's had a great family while things lasted. When Kairo thought of nobles or royalty, the first thing that popped into his mind was discipline, and formalities. Love was nowhere near those two things in terms of relevance. But it seemed that their family acted more or less normally, with two loving parents and a protective big sister. A bit of a smile arose as he began to imagine a young Dakheva chasing away a gang of kids. If Kairo was to meet her now, she'd probably be even more intimidating then Dracon.

He could tell Darrek was getting really into it too. The look on the irokai's face suggesting that he'd have many more questions to come. It was a bittersweet moment, but Darrek needed this to at least start moving on. As long as the younger irokai would be gaining something out of it, which he clearly was, then Kairo would be happy.

 

[Da Doofus]

Darrek’s smile faded as a new question formed in his mind.

“Bom said he found me alone in the jungle. Is that true?” The asked.

“Partly.” Dracon admitted. “When I get you back home safely, I’ll tell you the whole story.”

 

[Chai_T3a]

Partly? What did Dracon mean by partly? His interest was again piqued, but he wasn't in any place to ask. Instead, Kairo eyed the stew, watching as the once pink meat slowly began transforming to a vibrant dark brown. He wasn't sure how long it would take to finish cooking the thing.

After staring blankly at the stew for a second, Kairo would finally decide to break his forced silence. "You've got a plan for that right?" He asked Dracon.

 

[Da Doofus]

“A few ideas.” He answered, and approached Kairo to inspect the stew’s condition.
“None of them involve that human; Victor, being alive and able to jeopardize them though.”

 

[Chai_T3a]

Kairo definitely didn't like the sound of that. It seemed it be hard to convince the other irokai not to kill the man. "To be fair....he doesn't look like hes in any state to be jeapardizing us."

 

[Da Doofus]

“Victor’s . . . Clever.” Darrek said uncertainly. “I wouldn’t put it past him to have something up his sleeve.”

“Personally, I don’t care how clever he is.” Dracon barked. “I can see the type of man he is and I see no reason to keep him alive.” He added with a slight glance at Kairo.
“Doesn’t deserve life.”

Even Darrek winced at the cold disdain Dracon expressed.
“Ok I admit he’s a piece of shit, but that’s a bit harsh to say aloud.”

“It’s a harsh world.”

 

[Chai_T3a]

Kairo had never heard anyone say “doesn’t deserve life.” With so much meaning to it. He looked at Darrek, eyes cocked in concern at what Dracon was suggesting.

“Could we please just...keep him alive for now?” He asked, looking back in an attempt to reason with Dracon. “If he ever does anything, I won’t have any bad feeling for you if he ends up dead.”

 

[Da Doofus]

“Noted.” Dracon curled a lip and took the spoon from Kairo.
“Go get another pot.” He ordered.

 

[Chai_T3a]

"I..." Kairo said seemingly a bit surprised by Dracon's sudden change of tone. Was it something he said? Or was Dracon really still that pissed off over the fact that he's against killing Victor. It didn't make sense to him. Didn't they just have a conversation about his viewpoint on killing? That must have meant something to Dracon right? So why did he still seem so pissed off about him protecting Victor? Maybe he really couldn't change after all.

Or maybe it wasn't about the fact that he was saving someone, but about who he was saving.

Either way, he was only speculating. If Dracon wanted him out for now, then there wasn't much he could do.
"Okay...I'll be back soon." He answered as he started to head upstairs. His mind still trying to figure out what the hell just happened.

 

[Da Doofus]

Kairo’s return to the kitchen would bring him once more in the presence of Victor. The gang member was guarded by two soldiers, and seemed unaffected by the armed mens’ proximity to himself.

He noticed Kairo entering.
“Cooking something down there?” He smirked. “That’s cute.”

 

[Chai_T3a]

Kairo startled slightly at Victors attempt at conversation, causing him to accidentally knock over a container as he was reaching for the pot. He quickly set it back up, berating himself mentally for looking so stupid in front of this guy. He'd hoped to just cruise through the kitchen without having to start a conversation with Victor, but it looked like that would be too much to ask for.

Once he cooled his nerves, Kairo turned back to face the man in question, eyes glaring at the man. "The pots a safety measure." Kairo added, clearly unimpressed. "Just in case you start acting up I've got something to beat you with."

 

[Da Doofus]

“Well look who grew a spine at the end of it all.” Victor mocked.

“Quiet.” One of the soldiers warned with a nudge of his weapon.

 

[Chai_T3a]

Kairo sighed, pinching his forehead as he started to walk out of the kitchen. He still couldn’t stand the man’s antics, and he didn’t think he ever would.

But before he left, there was something he wanted to make clear.

“I’ve got a good feeling you’re going to try something.” Kairo said, pausing as he reached the doorframe of the kitchen. “I’m not sure you understand how close to the ledge you are. But I wouldn’t act out if I were you.”

 

[Da Doofus]

“Me? I’m not going to do anything.” Victor relaxed in his spot and folded his arms behind his head.

 

[Chai_T3a]

Kairo didn’t sound convinced at all, giving Victor nothing but a weary glance before exiting the kitchen. He could only hope that Victor understood, for both of their sakes.

With the pot in hand, Kairo returned back to the basement.

 

[Da Doofus]

Dracon and Darrek were in a conversation that, given Dracon’s body language, was intended to be private.
Their backs were to the stairs and neither had noticed the human yet.

 

[Chai_T3a]

Kairo paused as he reached the foot of the stairs, realizing that he was walking in on something he probably shouldn’t be walking in on. He paused for a second, hesitating to walk any further. He should probably leave for now and respect their privacy. He carefully made his way back up as soundlessly as he could.

But as he approached the last stair back to the main floor, Kairo felt his body lurch to a stop. He knew he shouldn’t be listening to this, but with how things ended as he left for the pot? Th is could be about him. Maybe, just maybe he could listen in a bit. A few keywords here and there would be enough. Then he’d let the two have their privacy. That seemed like a good compromise between his conscious and his curiosity.

So he waited at the top of the stairs, not making a single sound as he tentatively listened in on the conversation.

 

[Da Doofus]

“So what happened here?” Darrek asked, his tone evident that this was not the first attempt.

Dracon sighed heavily.
“Okay . . . Okay . . . You deserve to know.

You were about to hatch . . .”
************************

Nineteen years ago . . .

Dracon stood in the nursery of his soon-to-be brother as he had done several times over the past few months. The dull white egg was wrapped in blankets and warmed by a nearby fire.
Mother only allowed him to leave the house under supervision, due to his frail body and his tendency toward sickness. So whenever she would go hunting or if Father was assisting construction of Drafisl, Dracon was restricted to the safety of the house in the dry season.
Dakheva was in the lounge with Cräga, the daughter of their father’s long-time friend Romero Amante, and a close friend to the Kendalt children herself.
Cräga’s mother; Karina, had recently given birth to a baby girl; Crina. So Dracon’s spirits weren’t entirely gloomy in light of the recent joy.
He knew that Crina and Darrek would grow up together as friends just as he and Dakheva grew to recognize Cräga as family as well.

Suddenly, Dracon was pulled from his inner thoughts as a noise grew at the Dakovis walls. Before he could move to a window to see, the door burst open and Father ran into the house covered in soot and bearing a cut across his side.

“Dakheva!” He called out. “Dracon! Cräga!” The large, silver Irokai shouted with panic.

Dracon’s twin sister appeared from the lounge with the wild-haired Cräga beside her.
“We’re here, Da. What’s wrong?

You . . . You’re hurt!”

Theron rushed to his daughter, but gently placed his hands on her shoulders.
“I’ll be fine, little one. Where’s your brother?”

Dracon had been watching from the upper railing.
“I-I-I’m here, Da.” He spoke timidly.

“Dracon.” Theron groaned as his wound bled. “Go get your little brother, and you all go down to the cellar. Just do as I say, and I’ll go find your mother and the Amantes.”
He looked at Cräga.
“Cräga,” he spoke softly. “do you know if your mother and sister are still home?”

The young human girl was growing pale.
“Y-yes. Mother said she’d be home all night with Crina.”
Fear grew in her eyes as a worrisome thought entered her mind.
“Is father still with you?”

Theron let out a slow exhale from his nostrils.
“I’m going to bring your mother and sister here, ok? You’ll all be safe here.” Was all he said before going back for the door.
“Get in the cellar.”

Cräga’s eyes began to flow with tears as worry and panic began to overwhelm her. Dakheva was swift to embrace her and guide her to the cellar. Dracon only wished he could be as strong as his sister. For now, he obeyed his father’s order and went back into the nursery and retrieved his unborn brother’s egg.
The moment he turned back to join his sister, the upstairs decorative window cracked and shattered in parts as an explosion of green fire blasted downward through the house. Dracon was knocked back and was trapped behind a wall of fire and splintered wood.
He gasped in fright as he began to hear Dakheva and Cräga’s shrieks over the sounds of crackling fire and a door being kicked open.
*****************

“I’m sorry.” Dracon stopped in his tale to lean over the table with his arms holding up his body.
“I’m sorry. I haven’t spoken about this for a long time.”
He inhaled sharply and regained his posture.
“I . . . Got you out of the house, but got hurt along the way.” He continued swiftly.
“Bom found you first, since he was leading his clan to investigate the fires and offer assistance. He found me later, and we’d both be dead if not for him.
He found Cräga and Crina a few days later, and he took care of us in what was left of Drafisl.” The Feral looked at his larger sibling. “I left. I admit it. I left because I wanted you hidden and safe. Bom protected you and could keep you safe.

I couldn’t do that . . . So I had no reason to be there.”

“You’re my brother.” Darrek pointed out, confused by Dracon’s reasoning. “That was your reason.”

“I feel differently about leaving now, I promise you.” He admitted. “The moment I saw you born, all I wanted was for you to be safe.
As I was, I felt useless and a burden. That’s why I left, and by the time I came to regret it I believed that it was too late to come back.”

Darrek gulped and his face showed a mix of sadness, anger, and sympathy toward his newly found brother.
“What were you keeping me safe from?” He finally asked.

“I don’t know.” Dracon said. “But I know they wanted our family dead, and I’m certain they didn’t know you existed. So if you were hidden, they couldn’t find you.”
Dracon sniffed, and then paused to sniff again.
As though a reflex, he darted his head in Kairo’s direction and glared menacingly.

Darrek too turned, and noticed the human as well.
“He’s fine.” He said to Dracon, but his tone was flat. “I would’ve told him the story later anyway.”

 

[Chai_T3a]

Kairo's eyes widened as he realized what he was listening in on. Ever since he'd gotten to know everyone, he'd had dozens of questions related as to what happened. And is time passed, those mysteries piled up until it was almost impossible for him to ignore. This looked to be the moment of truth. All the questions that he had in his head. About Dracon, Darrek and the others, were seemingly being answered in just a few short moments. Maybe, just maybe he could stay a bit longer. Kairo focussed in on the conversation, slowly losing his sense of time. As seconds became minutes, he’d pretty much forgotten his old plan of leaving the room.

Dracon's description of his family made them sound absolutely perfect, which he was sure they must have been. Dakheva, man if Dakheva got the chance to grow up, Kairo was pretty sure she'd be even more intimidating than Dracon. Theron on the other hand, was the perfect father. Kairo could pretty instantly tell that, even if Dracon's story barely touched upon his personality. Besides that, Kairo couldn't even conceive how different of a person Dracon once was. That timid child that Dracon described was not the same Dracon he knew, the two being almost polar opposites. Kairo could only sigh as he realized what was coming next. Whatever it was, he knew it wasn't going to be pretty.

He was right about that, as Dracon described the tragedy that befell his and Craga's family, Kairo could almost feel the pain as if it was his. Kairo couldn't see Dracon's face, but from his tone of voice, he could tell that the irokai was emotionally conflicted. More so than he ever had been. Kairo didn't understand how anyone could have been this cruel. This was a whole town of people that were gone. Killed as if they were nothing but animals, like their lives weren't worth a single penny. Kairo clenched his fists in anger as Dracon abruptly stopped his story. Dracon's loss of innocence, Darrek's longing for his parents. All of that could have been avoided if the attackers hadn't struck. If he ever got a chance to take out the people who did this, he wouldn't feel a single bit of remorse.

His anger and sadness were so strong, that he almost missed the fact that Dracon had caught onto him.

Kairo jumped a bit, startled at Dracon's menacing glare, before he slumped back in guilt. It seemed Darrek had calmed him down, but Kairo couldn't help but feel like an ass for listening into something this private.
"Sorry." He apologized to the two, clearly ashamed. He couldn't will himself to talk about it anymore. "I...have the pot." He said, raising it up awkwardly.

 

[Da Doofus]

Dracon shook his head and pointed to his left.
“Set it over there, then you two can go. I can handle it from here.”

 

[Chai_T3a]

Kairo nodded, promptly placing the pot where Dracon directed him too. Before making his way up the stairs to take his leave. “Uhhh...call us when your ready.” He said to Dracon, clearly still tense, before heading out the door.

 

[Da Doofus]

Darrek followed behind the human, albeit a bit quieter than he normally would.

 

[Chai_T3a]

As Kairo exited the room, he exhaled. Half in relief, and half in exhaustion. He'd thought that listening in on that would have answered his questions, given him a bit of relief. But all it really did was fill him with even more questions. He still didn't know who caused everything, heck he wasn't even sure if Dracon knew. The events of that day remained a relative mystery, and all he could really understand was the aftermath of it all. The aftermath that he'd pretty much been dealing with since landing back on earth.

Kairo looked over at Darrek, not knowing how to feel. This must have all been so much harder on him. Kairo had no personal stakes in all this, meanwhile, Darrek's been searching for these answers his whole life. The truth though, Kairo wasn't sure if it was better than ignorance.
"Sorry about earlier." Kairo apologized again, feeling the need to do so. "I don't usually uh...listen into personal shit like that."

 

[Da Doofus]

Darrek glanced at the human and shook his head.
“It’s fine, Kairo. I would have done the exact same thing.” He said.