Chapter 78 The Arrows struck true
Orion dived down fast. He made a sword out of blue lightning. Ezra flapped his big red and blue wings and flew toward him.
Their powers clashed in a flash of energy.
They crashed together. It sounded like a bomb going off. Ezra swung his heavy tail, and Orion blocked it with his arm. Sparks flew everywhere.
Ezra breathed a ball of white fire at Orion’s face. Orion didn't move away.
Orion stood right in the path of the fire. Instead of running, he held up his hand. The blue lightning jumped from his sword to his palm, forming a glowing shield. The white fire hit the shield and splashed away like water hitting a rock.
Ezra didn't stop. He flapped his huge wings, kicking up a massive wind that smelled like smoke. He dived at Orion again, using his weight to tackle him.
They have now chosen to descend, flapping their wings as they angle down toward the earth.
"Come this way," Esperanza heard Yuki's voice calling her over, and he took her hand, guiding her behind the large boulder.
He came across her looking bewildered, her body shaking and her eyes wide open as though she had seen a ghost.
"What is going on here? Why aren't they halting this?" Her mind was reeling, she was feeling woozy, and she wished to get away from it all.
" Maybe this is going to be the end of Drakon's world," Yuki let out and Esperanza peeked at him.
Orion stepped forward. He moved like a bolt of lightning too fast to see. He hit Ezra with three quick strikes from his blue sword.
Ezra fell back against a stone wall. He was bruised and tired. Orion was much stronger and didn't even look tired yet.
"You can't win," Orion said, raising his hand. A huge ball of blue electricity grew in his palm. "I have more power than you ever will."
Staring into Orion's eyes, Ezra suddenly experienced an odd sensation that made him swiftly shift his gaze elsewhere.
It was apparent that he was capable of drawing on his powers.
"I shouldn’t give in to this," Ezra averted his eyes as Orion grinned, knowing full well what he had foreseen..
"Look into my eyes for a moment, and you'll be granting me your powers with your full consent," Orion stated, and Ezra gasped, recalling what he had done in the past; he understood the importance of being alert, knowing he could manipulate minds.
"His breed was responsible for my mother's death, and now he wants to harm the girl I love most." Ezra's body quaked at the idea of being without Esperanza.
"I cannot back down; I have to rescue the golden dragon, the most treasured being of all time. Beyond being the golden dragon, she is my love, who could be my queen." He shut his eyes and imagined everything he had suffered through.
Ezra’s red and blue wings started to shine so bright that it hurt to look at them.
The ground around Ezra's feet began to melt into glass.
Ezra let out a sound that wasn't a normal roar. It sounded like the earth splitting open.
"You cannot ever win," Ezra's glare was unyielding.
Orion stopped. He looked surprised. He could feel the air getting heavier. Ezra was getting stronger every second, catching up to Orion's power.
Ezra opened his mouth and let out a roar, it was a blazing, deep red fire, exactly like the color of a setting sun.
Orion gritted his teeth. He had never seen Ezra this strong before. The red fire felt different—it felt like it would never run out.
"You're changing," Orion shouted over the sound of the burning wind. "But I still have more control than you!"
Orion raised his sword high. He called down a massive bolt of blue lightning from the clouds to recharge his power. He wanted to end this before Ezra’s potential grew even more.
He wanted to end this by draining all of Ezra's power and casting him into the well of hell.
"You have so much potential, Ezra," Orion hissed, his voice sounding like grinding rocks. "It's a shame you won't live to use it."
Orion lifted Ezra high above his head. Ezra was weak now, his heavy tail dragging on the ground and his big wings limp. Orion took one step toward the edge of the pit. He was ready to toss Ezra into the darkness forever.
Orion was clasping Ezra's neck, and a great dragon was gazing into the eyes of a ferocious one.
" What do you want to say for the one last time," he clutched his neck tighter and his eyes were glowing bleak as Orion's veins around the orbitals were turning dark as well.
Orion leaned in close to Ezra’s face. His black eyes stared right into Ezra’s soul. Orion opened his mouth wide, and a cold, dark wind started to swirl between them.
Esperanza saw him above Ezra, and she came from behind the boulder and screamed Orion's name.
" Orion.......," she screamed as she predicted Orion's intentions.
"Stop both of you... please, just listen to me!" she cried out. Her voice was thin, but it made Orion freeze.
Esperanza looked at Ezra’s weak body and then back at Orion. "I will tell you everything," she whispered. "Everything about who I really am."
Orion stopped. The dark energy around his hands slowed down. He was curious. He had always wanted to know her secrets.
Even with all that stolen power, Orion looked worried for a second.
"And you would not be leaving me?" Orion asked. His voice was deep and rattled like thunder.
He wanted her to stay with him forever. He was ready to drop Ezra into the dark hole if she said the wrong thing. He stood there, tall and terrifying, waiting for her promise.
The air was heavy as Esperanza started to speak. She opened her mouth to give Orion the promise he wanted, to tell him she would never leave his side.
"I promise," she began, her voice shaking. "I will stay"
But before she could finish her last word, a sharp whistling sound sliced through the air.
From the shadows of the rocks, Raymond appeared. He didn't shout; he just pulled back his heavy bow and let three arrows fly at once.
Raymond didn't aim for Orion's chest or his armor. He aimed straight for those glowing black eyes.
The arrows soared through the dark smoke surrounding Orion. They were tipped with silver, shining like tiny stars in the gloom.
The arrows struck true.