The Weight of Gold
Behind him, Vrita looked up at the vast, unending sky. A gentle breeze swept past, lifting the strands of her hair. She closed her eyes against the wind, taking a quiet breath, and whispered into the open air, "We will meet again, Kael."
Not far away, the ten-year-old boy was sitting in the passenger seat of a car while his father, Adrian, sat behind the wheel. Looking out the window, Kael noticed Vrita walking down the pavement toward the bus stop.
"Dad, can we give her a ride?" Kael asked, turning to his father. "You already know her secret."
Adrian smiled warmly, reaching over to gently stroke Kael's hair. "Alright, my son."
The sleek BMW pulled up smoothly right in front of Vrita. Kael rolled down the window, a bright grin on his face. "You should sit with us! My dad will drop you off at the bus stop."
Vrita looked at him, unable to refuse the warmth in those sparkling golden eyes. She offered a soft nod. "Alright… Kael."
Excited, Kael jumped back into his seat. As they pulled away, Adrian leaned slightly toward his son and murmured quietly, "Can you ask Sara if she can take a physical form?"
Kael opened his mouth to reply, but before he could utter a word, a brilliant line of golden light sparked across the back seat. Materializing out of thin air, Sara was already sitting there, a serene expression on her face.
"Oh, I am already sitting here," Sara said smoothly.
Kael blinked, his mind immediately turning inward. 'Drakes…' he thought, calling out to the entity bound to him. There was nothing but heavy silence. He tried again, sharper this time. 'Drakes!'
Finally, a response echoed back, thick with a lazy, heavy drowsiness as if he had just been dragged out of a deep slumber. 'Kaeel… I want to sleep more…'
Before Kael could reply, Sara's voice echoed directly into his mind, using telepathy so the others wouldn't hear. 'Kael, Drakes was guarding you and Vrita the entire night. Please, let him sleep.'
Kael glanced down at the dashboard, understanding settling in, and nodded quietly. Spotting a few candies resting in the console, he scooped them up in both hands and turned around to offer them. Vrita and Sara each took one with soft murmurs of thanks, their attention drifting back to the passing scenery outside the windows.
The Aftermath of Cinema
Adrian reached over and turned on the car's media screen, navigating to YouTube. A breaking news banner was scrolling continuously across the top of the feed. Intrigued, he tapped the video.
The screen filled with chaotic, devastating fight scenes. The moment the bridge fractured, it didn't just break—it disintegrated, falling through the air like a cascading waterfall of dust. It was terrifying, yet it looked like absolute cinema.
The footage captured a young child striking a massive dragon straight into the structure, washing the bridge away in a matter of seconds. Then, an official interface graphic flashed on the screen, listing the grim statistics:
CASUALTY REPORT
Deceased:24
Injured: 39
Note: While some miraculously survived, most suffered minor injuries, including severe burn scars.
The video cut to reporters delivering live ground reports. Behind them, the wreckage was staggering—buses, cars, motorcycles, and massive trucks were crumpled and crushed like discarded pieces of plastic.
"Our city was attacked by a rogue dragon," the reporter stated grimly into the microphone. "But a mysterious boy intervened. Witnesses report that his ears, eyes, nose, and mouth were bleeding profusely, and his eyes had turned entirely black. We have obtained smartphone footage luckily recovered from the scene."
The shaky, amateur video played. Through the digital noise, the boy could be seen wielding a brilliantly shining sword. He was positioned directly over the dragon, desperately fighting to control it, before throwing himself at the beast. Then—boom.
A sudden blackout cut the video feed, leaving only the chilling, raw audio of people screaming in terror echoing through the car's speakers.
Unable to watch anymore, Kael reached out, abruptly changing the video to a song.
A heavy, suffocating silence settled over the car. The only sounds remaining were the soft melody of the music and the low, steady hum of the air conditioner. Kael swallowed hard, trying to break the tension, but when he spoke, his voice was visibly weighed down by a thick layer of guilt.
"Dad, the bus stop is just ahead," Kael said quietly.
Adrian nodded silently. A few meters down the road, he pulled the BMW to a smooth halt. Vrita stepped out of the car, offering a final glance before closing the door. As the car pulled away, she stood frozen on the pavement, watching the vehicle grow smaller by the second until it completely vanished from her line of sight.
Looking around, Vrita realized how utterly abandoned the bus stop was. Ensuring no one was watching, she allowed her powerful wings to unfurl from her back, leaping into the air and flying straight into the vast sky.
Tools and Tears
Inside the car, the atmosphere remained somber. Sara closed her eyes, seeking a moment of peace. A few seconds later, exhaustion caught up with Kael; his eyelids grew heavy, and he drifted off to sleep against the seat.
When Sara opened her eyes again, the scenery had changed. Adrian was still driving, but they had apparently stopped along the way, because Elara—Kael's mother—was now in the car, struggling to arrange an overwhelming number of shopping bags.
"Can I take some of those bags?" Sara offered gently.
Elara offered a polite but tired smile, shaking her head. "No, thank you, dear. I've got it."
"It's really no problem at all," Sara insisted softly. "I can hold them."
Relenting, Elara handed her one of the larger bags. "Alright, can you hold this one?"
"Yes," Sara replied, a small smile gracing her lips. But as she took the bag, her smile faded into a bittersweet expression. She looked down, murmuring under her breath so faintly no one could hear: "In the end, Kael will use me as a tool, too."
A sudden gasp broke the quiet as Kael jolted awake. A bit of drool was escaping the corner of his mouth, which he quickly and embarrassedly wiped away with his handkerchief. Blinking the sleep from his eyes, he looked into the rearview mirror and realized his mother was now sitting in the back.
Excited, Kael unbuckled his seatbelt and tried to scramble over the gap to get closer to his mother.
Watching the display of familial warmth, Sara felt a sharp pang in her chest. Her eyes grew heavy and wet, rapidly filling with tears. To hide her vulnerability, she quickly turned her head toward the window, pretending to be deeply fascinated by the passing world outside.
But Kael noticed.
Reaching out, he gently placed his hand over Sara's wrist, his voice filled with genuine comfort. "We are here for you. If you face any problem at all, my father and mother will help you."
Kael knew she was deeply sad, and he wanted comfort her—even though, deep down, he didn't realize the true, heartbreaking reason behind her tears.