Yugo woke up after what felt like a few seconds.
The night had gone by so fast that now the rays of the morning sun where shining upon his face.
He blinked a couple of times before rubbing his eyes, still tired and half-asleed.
When he looked up, he saw Ruel staring down at him with arms crossed.
He didn’t look too happy.
“Mind telling me why you’re sleeping outside your tent, kid?” the old man grumbled.
“Those things cost me a fortune, you know?”
“I…” Yugo looked around and realized he’d spent the whole night lying in the grass.
“I… fell asleep.
The sky was so beautiful…”
“Well, do me a favor and clean yourself up,” the old Enutrof huffed.
“We haven’t got spare clothes and you’re so covered in grass and dirt you could pass as someone from a savage tribe.”
“Well, it’s not as if your robe isn’t exactly the cleanest thing in the world,” the boy fired back with a teasing grin as pointed to the old man’s shabby clothes.
“It’s not the same thing, kid.
It just looks like this because I travel a lot, and the launderer I usually go to went and jacked up his prices.
A bandit, that’s what he is.
Anyway, clean yourself up before breakfast.
You won’t be very successful with the ladies if you look like that.”
“Whatever you say, Ruel.”
Before the old man could say a word, Yugo opened a portal and leaped through it, teleporting to the campsite in an instant.
“And don’t use your powers just like that!” Ruel shouted as he raised a fist at the air.
“Don’t forget there’s a madman on our tail!”
But the boy was already too far away to hear.
“He doesn’t listen to a damn thing I say,” he muttered, his voice tinged with nostalgia.
“Alibert, I admire your patience more than ever now.”
With a weary sigh, the old Enutrof walked to the center of camp.
Around the fire, Percedal, Eva, and Amalia were already deep in conversation.
While the general mood seemed to have improved since the night before, Ruel couldn’t help thinking about the future.
They couldn’t keep wandering aimlessly like that.
With Emelka destroyed, Yugo no longer had a home to return to.
They needed a plan if they wanted to make it out of this alive.
When conversation died down, the old man raised his voice:
“Good morning.
I hope you guys had a good night’s sleep.”
“And girls,” Amalia corrected with a little grin.
“Shut up and listen,” Ruel growled, in no mood for interruptions.
“This is serious.
We managed to escape, yes, but we have no idea where to go.
We need to decide our next move before that villain finds us.
While I’ve got a few places in mind where we could hide, I’m open to suggestions.”
Eva crossed her arms and looked at the group gravely.
“First of all, has anyone considered we could just split?
That monster is looking for all us and together we’re an easier target.”
An uncomfortable silence settled over them.
It was the first time anyone had put into words what more than one person had been thinking.
“Absolutely not,” Yugo replied firmly.
“Alone, we wouldn’t survive a single day.”
“The kid’s right,” Ruel added.
“On our own, we’re easy prey.
Together, at least we’ve got a fighting chance.”
Eva nodded.
She didn’t seem entirely convinced, but she didn’t push it.
“How about the Desert of Oblivion?
Nobody would look for us there.”
“If you want to go there and die a slow and painful death, be my guest,” Ruel replied.
“Any better ideas?”
For a moment, all they could here crickets.
Amalia tried to think of a viable destination, but she and Eva had also been wandering without clear goal for quite some time.
Yugo, on the other hand, couldn’t stop thinking about his father’s message.
While he didn’t fully understand it, he felt this was the moment to share it with everyone.
He took a deep breath, straightened his back, and spoke to all his friends.
“My father told me something before…” He hesitated, recalling the events of the previous day.
“Before the tragedy.
He told me my real family is waiting for me in a place called the Isle of Oma.
Has anyone heard of it?”
“Isle of Oma…” Amalia repeated under her breath as she tried to remember.
“It rings a bell, but I can’t remember where I heard it.
That’s what I get for not paying attention in geography class…”
Eva acted immediately.
She pulled out her notebook and flipped through it, reviewing the notes she’d gathered throughout her travels.
There, she had troves of information about fantastical creatures, distant lands and long-forgotten legends.
She went from one entry to the next until her eyes lit up.
There, was the answer.
“Found it!
Look at this!”
She raised the notebook and showed them a page with a detailed drawing of an black dragon surrounded by her notes.
Percedal was first to react, though he clearly had no idea what he was looking at.
“The drawing is really nice, Eva, but…
how does that help us find the Isle of Omo?”
“First of all, it’s the Isle of Oma, not ‘Omo,'” the Cra replied with visible exasperation.
“By the Twelve, it’s only three letters!
THREE LETTERS!
And second, why are you even giving your opinion when you can’t even read or write?”
Percedal blushed and chose to stay quiet.
Now that he was out of the way, seh turned her attention back to the group.
“Back to business.
I copied these notes from an ancient book about elder dragons.
According to the text, at the farthest reaches of the Mistral Ocean lies the lair of a legendary dragon that’s lived for millennia.
And the island that houses its lair is called…” She paused dramatically.
“The Isle of Oma.”
In an unusual inversion of roles, now Amalia was the one to ask skeptically.
“That’s an interesting theory, Eva, but don’t you think you’re reaching too much?
How would Yugo’s real family be on a mythical island full of dragons?”
As they all began to argue, Yugo’s gaze remained fixed on the drawing.
Something about that black dragon felt strangely familiar, though he couldn’t say why.
There was so much from his life he still didn’t know and his father never told him.
He asked Eva full of curiosity:
“Can I get a closer look?”
The Cra nodded and handed him the notebook.
The moment Yugo placed his hand on the page, a strange memory flashed into his mind.
He saw the great black dragon soaring across the skies over a vast landscape he’d never seen before.
The vision felt so real as if he actually lived though it.
While he still had doubts, this confirmed exactly what Eva was saying.
“That’s the place,” he declared full of conviction .
I can feel it.”
“Then let’s not waste any time!” Percedal exclaimed as he raised his cursed blade.
“I’ve always wanted to fight a real dragon!”
“I didn’t know you were in such a rush to become barbecue, Dally,” Rubilax growled, having just woken up.
“You really think you could beat a dragon?”
“Of course!
I am, after all, Sir Percedal Sadlygrove of the Shushu Order!”
“Hold your horses, young man,” Ruel cut in.
“Does anyone have the faintest clue of how to get there?”
As he expected, he heard nothing but silence.
“Just what I thought,” the old Enutrof sighed.
“I’ve heard stories about faraway islands inhabited by dragons, but nobody’s seen them in centuries.
They don’t appear on any map, and most adventurers think they’re just legends.”
“But that hasn’t stopped the great explorers of the past, has it?” Yugo’s eyes began to shine with determination.
“Maybe we’ll be the first to find them.”
“I love your enthusiasm, kiddo, but we’re going to need more than optimism.
Fortunately…” As he spoke, all eyes turned to Ruel.
“I know a merchant who deals in magical artifacts in the town of Korwin, a few leagues from here.
Word is he’s got a magical map that can show hidden places in the world.
Maybe he has what we need.”
“Then we’re set!” Yugo sprang to his feet.
“Who else is coming to find my real family?”
Percedal, of course, was first to answer.
“You have my sword!”
“And the idiot carrying me!” Rubilax added.
“I’m not about to let you wander the world on your own, young man,” Ruel said as he ruffled the boy’s hair.
“Your father would climb out of his grave and kill me if I did.”
Amalia stood up too and took Eva’s hand, forcing her to raise it alongside hers.
“Count me in!”
“If everyone’s going, I guess I’ve got no choice but to tag along,” Eva murmured with resignation.
“Don’t say it like that, Eva.
I know deep down you would do anything to see a real dragon,” Amalia countered with a smile.
“You’re just trying to play it cool.”
Eva sighed.
Though she wouldn’t admit it, Amalia was right.
She’d dreamed of an adventure like this since she was a little girl.
Yugo looked at all of them with gratitude, his chest swelling with happiness.
His friends, better said, his family, all supported him without hesitation.
Together, they were about to go on a mission that would change their lives forever.
“Then, let’s go!
Adventure awaits!”
The boy then extended his arms to gather them in a group hug.
Percedal and Amalia dove right in and even Ruel, who usually ran from this kind of display, got caught up in the moment and joined.
The only one who tried to resist was Eva, but Amalia wouldn’t have it.
With a mischievous smile, she grabbed her arm and dragged her straight into the hug.
And, at that very moment, Az swooped down and nestled among them, as if he too wanted to be part of it.
An unbreakable bond formed between the five adventurers.
One that marked the beginning of a grand quest.
Together, they were about to become legends.
This chapter closes the first arc of the story where five people from distant lands and origins band together and, after dealing with moments of joy, adventure and grief, became almost like a family and set off on a great quest.
In the next arc, their bond will be tested when the dark pasts of several group members catch up to them, so get ready for exciting battles, emotional drama and character development.
This will be a long and epic adventure, so I hope you stick with it to the very end and see you next chapter!