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But that was not the Truth Ben referred to.
“Dragons, in of themselves, are a disturbance, an aberration, to the Universal Balance,” the boy said, his eyes practically glowing with this epiphany.
“They are too powerful, too magical, to exist on Earth. Therefore, they need a cornerstone to balance them. All Immortals do. But in particular, dragons.”
Zai couldn’t help but to tremble all over from the profound truth of Ben’s words. Just as he couldn’t help sliding his eyes toward Sin, who stared back at him with that singular, golden intensity.
“You are Rai’s cornerstone, Sol,” Ben said to the unconscious eagle spirit.
“Just as Sorin is Ere’s. The Phoenix Mate for the Black Dragon. Youmustlive for him, hope for him, have faith in him. The Bond between Destined Mates is stronger than time, stronger than life and death, stronger than any rule that binds the worlds we live in.”
He leaned close again, resting his forehead against that of the unconscious male.
“Please remember this when things get tough. Please remember to never stop fighting. It’s worth it, friend. I promise. Rules are meant to be broken.”
As the last word left Ben’s lips, both he and Zai disappeared.
~ * ~* ~ *~ * ~* ~ *~ * ~
Mirror Pond. Celestial Realm.
In the blink of an eye, the rugged, untamed ancient lands that the Dark Ones had ruled were replaced by dazzling, exquisite beauty as Ben and Zai found themselves standing at the edge of the Mirror Pond in the middle of the Celestial Gardens.
“There you are,” Seventh Sister greeted them, looking as if she’d been expecting their return for some time.
Though her expression didn’t betray impatience exactly, she did seem a little worried, as evidenced by a slight crease between her elegantly slanted brows.
She smiled at Ben, tilting her head to look him in the eyes, for she was a very small female and he was almost a foot and a half taller and still growing.
Then, she turned toward Zai, and her smile grew wider.
“Welcome back,long-er. I see you have discovered your Truth.”
Zai, in his human form, was silent and still beside Ben, so much so that Ben looked over at him with concern.
A dragon spirit in a Dark One body.
Ben had no idea.
Unlike his reaction to Sai when they first met, and Ben had recognized the eyes of a dragon right away, Zai’s eyes had been opaque and dark. There’d been no clue or inkling that he was dragon. None at all.
Now, as Ben looked closer, he realized that Zai’s eyes must have been that way because of his suppressed memories. His Forgotten Truth. For, they were no longer murky and opaque. The clear gray irises were distinct from the bright black pupils.
Zai had gray eyes, not black or brown. Gunmetal gray eyes that matched his dragon scales.
Ben hadn’t had the time to admire Zai in dragon form earlier, given they were in the middle of saving the world.
Or saving Sol.
Which was pretty much equivalent to saving the world, since no Sol equaled no Sorin equaled no nice-Ere. And no nice-Ere equaled the Apocalypse from what Ben had seen of Ere’s new monster form.
This was an equation Ben finally solved over the course of the quest.
Still, despite the distractions of volcanic eruptions and death-defying rescues, Ben recalled Zai’s dragon form vividly in his mind:
A gigantic, muscular dragon that was somehow also built for stealth, given that his scales flashed different shades of gray at will, from the lightest silver to the darkest slate. His bat-like wings seemed leathery, but were actually covered with tiny metallic scales, more like a fish, less like a reptile. The scales that protected his body were much larger and thicker and seemed as impenetrable as the strongest steel.
Large horns and thorns protruded from his angular head and down the back of his long neck. His tail ended in a series of spikes. Like most flying dragons, his front claws were smaller than his back claws, more like the proportions of a rabbit, less like a T-Rex. His body was smaller than Kai’s, but bigger than Ere’s, though their wingspans were similar.
