Chapter 545: Master and Disciple
[Thirty years ago.]
The forest stretched out like a green and gray sea, with trees so ancient that they seemed to hold the secrets of the world. The wind whispered through the leaves, carrying the scent of wet earth, moss, and ancient magic. There, in the heart of that ancient forest, two figures moved with the grace and ferocity of predators.
Scarlet and Scathach were in battle, a deadly dance between master and apprentice, warriors hungry for power, skill, and victory.
The clash of blades cut through the air, the metallic sound of swords echoing between the trunks, while sparks of purple and red magic exploded with each impact. Sunlight filtered through the treetops, illuminating faces marked by concentration and controlled fury.
Scathach advanced with a quick strike, her half-draconic body accelerating beyond human limits, her sword almost an extension of her own soul. Scarlet dodged with a smile, her own blade blocking the attack, and counterattacked, forcing the apprentice to retreat a few steps.
They were tired, yes—but not tired enough to stop.
Scarlet rested the tip of her sword on the ground, pausing the combat.
“You’re improving, Scathach,” she said, a glint of approval in her eyes. “But never forget: it is the mind that guides the body. Brute force alone will not get you far.”
Scathach took a deep breath, still holding her sword firmly. She nodded slowly, her green eyes sparkling with a light that was not just combat—there were dreams, doubts, fears hidden there.
Scarlet sat down on a fallen log, brushing a strand of hair from her sweaty face. Her countenance softened, as if the warrior’s hardness gave way to her friend and confidante.
“Tell me something,” Scarlet began, her eyes fixed on the blue fire burning in her hand. “You’ve been spending a lot of time with that man, haven’t you?”
Scathach gave a short smile, but it was laden with melancholy.
“It’s the cycle of mortal life, Scarlet. Being half-dragon and half-human isn’t easy. I want to fly free like a dragon, feel the sky and the earth beneath my claws, but also…” her voice grew lower, almost a whisper, “I am also a human from a noble house. I have duties, responsibilities that I cannot ignore.”
Scarlet raised her eyebrow, not entirely convinced.
“Nonsense,” she retorted. “If you want, I’ll steal you away from this world, adopt you. I’ll give you a home where no one will tell you who you should be.”
Scathach laughed, a soft laugh that mixed hope and resignation.
“I like the idea. I really do. But I have plans, Scarlet. Plans that require hard work, sweat, and sacrifice. And ‘that guy’…” her eyes sparkled with a mixture of respect and skepticism “is strong enough to earn my respect.”
Scarlet made a theatrical gesture, as if talking about a silly creature.
“Strong? He’s an idiot who’s rising fast, yes, but he’ll fall even faster. I bet on it.”
Scathach just laughed, a clear sound that echoed through the forest.
“Maybe. But make no mistake. He has what it takes to carry the weight he bears.”
Scarlet laughed again, less convinced, more defiant.
“All right, it’s true that he’s not a complete idiot. But I’m not marrying him for foolish reasons. I’m marrying him just so I don’t cause trouble for my human mother. To make sure she has a peaceful, healthy life until she grows old and dies.”
Scathach was thoughtful for a moment, looking up at the sky through the leaves.
“I understand,” she said at last. “Sometimes our choices are not for ourselves. They are to protect those we love.”
Scarlet sighed, letting the fire in her hand slowly die. “So we’re stuck in these cycles, aren’t we? I try to escape them, but they pull me back down.”
“Not necessarily,” Scathach said, raising her sword to the sky. “We can break the cycle. With strength, with magic, and with will. We can make our future whatever we want it to be.”
Scarlet smiled, rising with the agility of a cat. “Then let’s continue. I want to see if you can keep up with me…”
Scarlet opened her eyes slowly, as if awakening from a deep and painful dream. The suffocating heat of the volcanic chamber still pulsed on her skin, mixed with the acidic smell of magma and the corrosive aura of that creature that had once been Scathach.
She stared at the monstrous form before her—the reptilian eyes, the black and red scales that glistened like open wounds, the wings that tore through the air with a primal roar. It was a sight that broke her heart into pieces, a vivid reminder of everything they had lost.
The memory of the forest, of her human friend and warrior, of that moment when hope seemed possible, still burned in her mind. But there, in that instant, everything was corrupted, distorted.
Scarlet swallowed hard, feeling the pain of the past collide with the brutality of the present.
“Scathach…” her voice was a whisper torn by sadness and despair. “What have they done to you?”
The creature let out a roar that made the ground shake and the air freeze for an instant. It was not just an enraged beast; it was a divided being, trapped between the humanity it had once been and the monster that torment had awakened.
Scarlet clenched her fists, the blue fire in her palms reigniting, the strength of that inner flame she had once shared with her friend.
“Strax.” She spoke, seeing her husband beside her catching his breath… “Step back… I’ll end this.” She said as her body began to glow red…
“She’s in there,” said Strax, struggling to his feet beside her, his eyes shining with a mixture of pain and determination.
“I know… I’m going to get my disciple back.” She said nervously as the heat around her rose higher and higher.
Scarlet felt the fire turn into glowing embers in her hands. The light emanating from her changed, becoming an intense red, pulsing like the heart of a volcano about to explode. Her eyes, once human and full of life, turned black with a sharp red glow. The transformation was beginning — something Strax had never witnessed before.
She felt the ancestral energy of her vampire lineage mix with the draconic power granted by Strax. It was a form of battle she had developed over centuries: a fusion of lethal agility, dark magic, and beastly strength, refined with every fight, every scar. When Strax transformed her into a Dragon years ago, Scarlet channeled that gift and elevated it to a new level.
Her body began to change, enveloped in a flaming aura that rose like dancing flames around her. Her skin became scaly and red, resembling the hottest, most vivid flames. Her once delicate hands transformed into sharp claws, capable of tearing through stone and flesh with equal ease. Her fangs emerged elongated, ready for a deadly attack.
Strax watched, open-mouthed, as Scarlet advanced her transformation, her inner battle between humanity and beast becoming visible in the glow of the fire that consumed her from within.
“Scarlet…” his voice trembled, mixing fear and admiration. “This heat…”
She gave him a piercing, fierce look, but one that still held a remnant of the woman he loved.
“I created this for moments like this,” Scarlet said, her voice now echoing with a deep, almost supernatural tone. “When it was necessary to use everything…”
The ground beneath them seemed to vibrate, the heat of the volcanic chamber intensified by the aura Scarlet emanated. The draconic beast that Scathach had become did not know what awaited her.
“I’ll be right back,” Scarlet said.