Chapter 3: My Treat

Alden

When I ran into Layla, I knew that there was something special about her. I instantly bonded with this woman, and that is a rarity for me. But she is a rare diamond, and I will not be stopped until I reveal all of her facets. For the past four years, since the moment we met, I have been trying to help her discover what I see in her. I have saved her from her pursuers many times, and one of those pursuers was Mara. Mara and I had been friends before the God of War was last summoned. After the summoning, she chose the wrong side, but she helped protect Layla against a few Council hunters. So I had her help train Layla, but she had to flee or else the Syndicate would have her killed, too. Layla should think Mara is dead, in case we meet anyone with telepathic ability who could glean information from us in the blink of an eye.

“Alden, I swear your hair has magic powers,” she teases as she laughs. I love her laugh. I haven’t heard it nearly enough lately, so I have a surprise planned.

“Just comb it in the back, as I showed you. We need to go work on your training.” I have been training her not to rely on her dragon. Her dragon leaves large traces of magic, and that magic draws trouble in the form of the Council to her like a moth to a flame. To stay hidden, neither of us can rely on magic. Magic must be a last resort. Her proficiency with a dagger has gotten very good, almost to the point that I think she could fight without me. My death is the only way that I would leave her side, even though it is unlikely, it could still happen. I am not eternal; no being is on Earth except for the gods and goddesses. But even they are dormant or non-existent on this plane.

She huffs as she chews on her lip while she tries to tame my hair. I love her defiant nature, and I believe that it will help keep her alive until we can tap into the power of the black diamond. I want to meet her empowered dragon and watch her soar as she takes out the Deathclaw Syndicate to reestablish order. Layla is far stronger than she thinks, and if any dragon can fully harness the powers of the black diamond, I believe Layla can. The world needs Asher, the Fire Dragon God of War, because it needs to be burnt to ash so it can be reborn. Too much greed has blanketed a once vibrant world in darkness. We need that light, and that light lives in Layla. She will wake Asher. Asher…I vaguely remember my old friend because it has been over three thousand years since I have seen his face and bent to his will. When he disappeared, I was stuck in the human world. I learned to adapt and hide. I am teaching those skills to Layla. If I can get her to fully tap into the power of the black diamond, she can summon Asher. “Maybe I need more hair gel,” she giggles.

I roll my eyes at her as part of my stomach shifts. I run my hand over it and plop a dollop of slime into her hand before I lower my shirt back down over my hairless belly. She laughs harder. “Eww, thanks, bestie.”

I laugh with her. Despite carrying the fate of the world within her, she is intelligent, cunning, resilient, and funny. I find it hard to believe that she hasn’t found a chosen mate or even her fated. If any dragon deserves to find their fated, it is her. I secretly pray to the gods each night for her because I know she refuses to believe in fate since it took her parents from her and left her with this burden. However, I see it as a dark gift. She doesn’t have to use it for her gain as it has been in the past. I hope that she makes the right decision when the time comes. If I know my Layla, like I think I do, she will make sure everyone is happy but herself. I want her to be happy. I will give her some happiness tonight. I want her to experience what it is like to live without having to constantly look over her shoulder.

“Now go change. After your training, we are going to hit some clubs. I think you have earned a night out. My treat!” She squeals as she nearly hugs the life out of me. Layla knows why I am so protective of her, and she fully accepts what I am and my connection to the world she left behind. A bond like this is priceless in any world.

Layla

I am positively giddy. Alden is taking me out. He never does this. He is always so protective, like my own personal guard snail. I laugh. A snail guarding a dragon seems absurd, but he does. He has helped me hide what I am from everyone, even a few other dragons who passed through the city shortly after I first came here. I don’t think that they were looking for me, as they seemed too interested in locating some group. I couldn’t catch what group before Alden whisked me away. I had remained hidden this long, and I will continue. I know my training session will be a bit grueling, but the payout is worth a few sore muscles. Besides, afterward is party time.

My training went as expected. He took me to a secluded area and had shades attack me. I could do anything but shift. He doesn’t want me to rely on my dragon form. The black diamond enhances my magic, but I still can’t control it, no matter how hard I try. Something always goes awry. This time, instead of sending a stream of water from my palm, it sent this black tar-like substance, almost like oil. Its smell was putrid and so acidic it could melt through steel. How something like that would be beneficial is beyond me, but I completed my training for the night.