Chapter 3876: The Storm (Part 1)

"I’m sorry, but nothing you see here is of any use to me." The Guardian took a few deep breaths to calm down.

Seeing the lair of his lost son just like he remembered it from 40,000 years ago tore the old wounds in Leegaain’s heart open. He would have taken it as an indication that something of Azith was still alive, that his son might be worthy of redemption like Zoreth, if not for the implications that building such a place carried.

Azith had refused to move on, both in soul and mind. He hadn’t recreated a few pieces out of nostalgia. Azith had built a copy of his old lair and its contents because he still considered them his own.

The entire place oozed with greed, and Leegaain read in the various pieces a silent promise that one day the First Patriarch of the Mist Dragons would take the originals back.

"These things are just trinkets. Taking them would only hurt Azith’s pride. I need something much more important than this, and luckily for us, I know exactly where to find it. Fair warning, lag behind me and you’ll get lost."

Owl/Leegaain walked briskly, the layout of his son’s lair still clear in his mind like on the day of Azith’s funeral, when the new Patriarch of the Mist Dragon’s bloodline had invited the Guardian to officiate the vigil.

"Why should we lag- Good gods!" Aryk stumbled on his feet and needed help not to land face-first on the ground.

Hills of gold and silver filled the next room, giving the impression of being stranded in a precious ocean that extended as far as the eye could see.

"Be careful, dummy!" Lilax held Aryk by his shirt while he found his footing. "I don’t want to be left behind-"

Leegaain crossed another arch, and fields of emeralds covered the floor like grass a fertile land. Roses of rubies, daisies of topaz surrounded by diamonds, and irises of sapphires grew on stems carved from single pieces of jade, forming impossible floral compositions.

"Why, gods? Why are you so cruel?" Lilax whined, staring at Leegaain’s back with hope.

"No touching!" He sped up further, forcing the two youths to jog to keep the pace with him.

"How come we are going faster than before?" Aryk panted.

"Because I know the passwords to open each door and pathway." Leegaain replied. "Azith is so obsessed with reclaiming his possessions that even after updating and improving on his arrays, he didn’t change the access codes."

"Isn’t that stupid?" Lilax struggled to follow the Guardian.

"No. Azith’s lair has changed many owners in the past 40,000 years. I’m the only one who still remembers such details, and he knows that if I find this place like I did, even a completely different code wouldn’t slow me down by much."

Next came a room filled with weapons and armor the size of a Dragon. Leegaain was glad to see that none of the bones and scales were authentic. Raum had not even bothered to enchant them, yet his precision in the details bordered on obsession.

After the family portraits chamber, Leegaain finally reached the entrance to Raum’s private lab. The Guardian wanted nothing more than to cross the threshold and enter the familiar space of the library, but he didn’t dare to.

’I haven’t reached this point just to ruin everything one step away from the finishing line.’ Leegaain thought as his Eyes scoured every millimeter of the stony surface for an unknown or out of place rune.

’Even though Azith doesn’t expect me to find this place, it would be stupid of him not to take a few more precautions after our recent encounter.’ A few seconds later, his suspicions proved correct.

’Son of a Dragon. This array field only looks like the one I remember. Azith used the same runes to form completely different magical formations that he arranged to form a pattern identical to the one of his old lair.’

After a few seconds, Leegaain cracked the defensive arrays and stepped inside Raum’s research library. It didn’t match the one in his memories either by size or extension.

It was a vast, arched cave that stretched for hundreds of meters in width and many dozens in height. Vast Adamant shelves brimming with the chronicles of Azith’s research took most of the space, forming a labyrinth that seemed to go on forever.

Aside from the door through which the trio had entered and the inner corridors of the library, not an inch of stone was wasted. The shelves reached the ceiling and no matter where one looked, only book spines would meet their gaze.

Leegaain raised his hand, gesturing for Aryk and Lilax not to cross the threshold while he checked that no more traps were waiting for them. Once he found no threat or hidden alarm, Leegaain flipped through the pages of the nearest tomes.

Each research journal was at least five centimeters (2") thick, filled with Raum’s annotations, drawings, and schematics of his experiments.

"Damn, bastard." Leegaain grumbled. "He arranged his library according to a coded classification. I’ve already cracked it, but this might take a while."

The Guardian conjured a gust of wind that carried them hundreds of meters to the left through several twists and turns. The book he looked for was halfway through a bookshelf wall, about 15 meters (50’) from the ground.

"Year 1 Day 1

"Time has no longer meaning to me, but I have to keep track of it somehow to retain my sanity. I’m not writing this on the day of my rebirth. It was too painful and chaotic, and I have no memory of what I did after turning into an Abomination.

"I mark the day I regained my sense of self as the beginning of this journey. Writing is not an easy task in this form, so I’ll have to be brief. I don’t remember much about my death, but I remember the fear.

"As old age ravaged my once mighty body, I found no peace. I only felt terror for what lay ahead and envy for those small, insignificant creatures who possessed the only currency that no piece of my hoard could afford me. Time.

"I remember falling asleep, only to wake up in front of someone I initially mistook for my father. He told me I had nothing to fear and that I had to move on, but even without my Dragon Eyes, I could see through the lie.

"That thing wasn’t my father, and it wanted me dead. I struggled with all my might, escaping the grip of the thing wearing Leegaain’s face only once it was too late. A storm was upon me, and no matter how fast I flew, it was always right behind me.

"I don’t know how long I struggled until my wings gave in. All I remember is that once the storm caught me, I woke up for the second time. The last time. I haven’t fallen asleep in days, and I think I never will again.

"But I digress. When I opened my eyes, there was only hunger and darkness. I roamed the land like a mindless beast, only worrying about my next meal. Now, however, my mind is clear. I remember who I am. I know what I’ve become."

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