Yakov's Call pt. 2

It took Yakov a moment to fully understand the dragon's words. According to him, his sister was still alive. Technicaly at least. Her soul had been stolen by the Man in White, the same person who has tricked him into almost killing the Great Bear's avatar, the little cub sleeping in the cave.   "I understand that you may feel overwelmed." The dragon said. "But i'm afraid we do not have much time to waste."   "We?" Yakov repeated, confused. "How can i do anything about this... i mean, i'm just a human, and well... you're a dragon! And i'm pretty sure that other guy was some kind of god as well!"   "Do not undervalue yourself, Yakov." The dragon said. "There is a reason why the Man in White chose you as a pion of his evil plan."   "And why is that?"   "Because of this" The dragon said, swiping his massive paw at the sword on the ground, sending it sliding towards Yakov.   "Do you know where that sword comes from?"   "It's a family heirloom."   "But do you know of it's origins?" The dragon asked, and Yakov could only shake his head. Truthfuly, he had been curious about it before, but his father passed away before he got the chance to ask.   "I do not" Yakov admited. "But is it not just a normal sword?"   "That sword is anything but normal, young Human." The dragon said in a mysterious tone. "It was forged centuries ago with the sole and unique purpose of slaying great spirits."   "Who would make such a sword?" Yakov asked. "And why does my family have it?"   "Who's to say" The dragon said, dismissing the human's concerns. "What is important for us now to understand is it's purpose."   "But... but why didn't the Man in White just steal the sword?"   "Because he couldn't" The dragon said. "Only a member of your family can wield it."   Yakov shook his head before he then walked towards the sword on the ground. He picked it up and looked at it for a moment, then turned back towards the dragon.   "So, what you are saying is that he stole my sister's soul so that he could fool me into killing a great spirit with the sword he can't wield?"   "Yes" The dragon said, bowing his massive head. He could see Yakov ball his fist and grip his sword tightly in his hand. His anger was palpable.   "I want my sister's soul back" Yakov said through a clenched jaw. "I WILL get it back!"   "You may die if you go against him." the dragon said, but Yakov simply waved off the dragon's concerns.   "i don't care." Yakov said. "I would rather die trying to save her, rather than live by doing nothing! I need to try and save her!" The dragon could see the passion and love in Yakov's eyes, and he felt pride in his heart. This human has great courage.   "I will help you" The dragon said. Yakov smiled at the dragon, but his still hesitated.   "You will?" Yakov asked as the dragon walked closer to him. The young human tried not to show any fear as the massive beast stood in front of him. The dragon lifted one of his front paws and pressed a claw against Yakov's chest. A light blossomed out from his chest and enveloped his entire body.   "Woah, what... are you doing?" Yakov asked, feeling his whole body surge with energy. He could feel it get stronger and healthier by the second.   "I am giving you some of my magic." The dragon explained. "That way, you will actually stand a chance against him."   "I feel so powerful now!" The young man said, amazed as he touched his chest.   "There is more." The dragon said. "You will need wings."   "I will what-" Yakov couldn't finish his sentence as he saw the dragon pluck one of his own scales from his shoulder and press it against his back.   Yakov felt something hard and cold seep into his skin, and he gasped as leathery wings began sprouting from his body back. They grew rapidly, tearing holes into his vest, before unfurling and stretching themselves on either side of his body.   "Oh gods! I have wings! I- how is this even possible?!"   "These are my gifts to you, young human. With them, i have confidence you will be able to defeat the Man in White."   Yakov didn't respond, as he was too focus on his new wings, confused but also fascinated by how they felt on him. The weight, the shift in balance, the wind as they gently flapped behind him. It was all so alien to him, and yet surprisingly natural, as if they had always been there. They truly felt like an extension of his own body, not a foreign addition.   "Now come" The dragon said, lowering himself on his belly so the human could climb onto his back.   Without hesitation, Yakov nodded and did just that. He was careful not to hurt the dragon as he climbed onto his scaly back, positioning himself in front of the wings but behind the neck. Satisfied, the dragon turned around, and after a final look at the cub, marched out of the cave and into the cold outside.   It only took a few flaps of his gigantic blue wings for the dragon to take flight, and just a couple more to get high above the snowy forest. However, as the dragon climbed higher and higher, the sky around them began to darken, shifting away from blue, to purple, and then to black. For a second, Yakov wondered where they had ended up. But when he saw the stars twinkling all around them, he realised they had flew so high up they had ended up in the heavens.   There, on a throne made of captured stairs, the Man in White sat. Any pretense of him being a human or something resembling one were gone, as he had grown into an even more bestial form than what he'd turned into inside the cave. He was large, much larger than the dragon Yakov was currently flying on, and he seemed to be growing bigger still. He was changing also, and Yakov could see the Man in White smile through it all.   His body became that of a giant fox creature. Seven red and white tails sprouted in quick succession like a blooming flower, and began flowing like gentle waves behind him. The beast then sprouted two new heads, who each had three eyes and two mouths, stacked on top of each other. The original head in the middle deformed itself into that same new form. The mere sight of such a grotesque creature confused Yakov, and he shook his head in confusion. He looked away, suddenly feeling dizzy.   "Do not try to apply your human logic upon such a being, Human!" The dragon said. "Or else you'll loose your mind."   "Instead, focus on the reason why we're here. Your sister's soul. Do you see it?" The dragon asked.   "I do" Yakov said, his eyes focused on the necklace found below the Fox's middle head.   "Human!" The fox god said, his voice dripping with disdain at the word. "You dare enter my lair?"   Yakov felt the power of the god's words, and had to fight his own instincts, screaming at him to run away, as far as possible, and to not look back. But instead, he gathered his courage, and stood up on the back of the dragon, unfurling his wings.   "You stole something precious from me" He said. "And i'm here to get it back!"   The beast's three heads leaned back and erupted into loud roars, powerful enough to shake the stars around us. From his snarling jaws, flames, stones and ice flew out. After a few second, the Fox god looked back at me.   "Confident, are you?" The god snarled at me. "Then, if you so dare, come at me. I can't wait to see your face when your hopes turn to dust"   Yakov gripped his sword, knuckles turning white from the strain as the dragon beneath him grumbled.   "You'll have one shot at this, Human." The dragon said. "If you fail, both you and your sister will die, but not before forcing you to kill your world's protector, the Great Bear."   "I understand"   "Then fly! And vanquish him!"   Yakov jumped, and as if he'd always had them, his wings immediately spread out to catch the wind, and after a few good flaps, the young human began gliding towards the God-turned-Beast, who roared again as the left most head turned towards him.   A river of white hot flames spewed out, and Yakov turned to the right, rolling out of the way and nearly getting hit. Shocked by both how close he was to getting burned into a crisp, and also by how easy it was for him to control those new wings, he missed the left most head coming for him.   Boulders, larger than Yakov's own home, tumbled towards him at high speed. With a panicked flap of his wings, Yakov tried to fly over them, but he was to slow. He closed his eyes, readying himself to the inevitable pain that would come, but it never did. He heard the stone crack and opened his eyes in time to see it explode into thousands of harmless pebbles and dust grains. The dragon stood in front of him.   "I will help you" It said. "But you must concentrate, Human." Only you can wield the sword. Only you can defeat the fox"   Yakov nodded and flew towards the giant fox as memories of his sister flooded his mind. This is for her, he said to himself. I want to see her smile again   "Come at me then!" The fox roared, before the middle head then began spitting giant ice shards at him. There's too many of them, Yakov realised. I can't dodge them all, which means... I'll have to take them on...   As another shard flew his way, Yakov gripped his sword and swung. The metal hit the ice, shattering it into pieces. For some reason however, these shards immediately dissolved into a blue cloud. It's just like the eagle in the forest... illusions... lies...   "Reality and illusions are one in the same in this realm, Human" The dragon explained as he dodged some of those same spikes, while whipping others away with his tail.   "Even if these shards wouldn't be real in your own world, they are very much real here. Do not let your guard down."   "I'll skewer and roast you like a common winter bird!" The fox said in between salvos of giant icicle and bursts of flames.   Yakov had to yet again use his newly acquired incredible flying ability to dodge the projectile, even if narrowly. But then, he saw it. An opening. The stone head. He left his neck opened.   Yakov turned his wings downwards, pushing against the air as hard as he could, hoping to gain enough speed before the opportunity in front of me withers away. He was getting closer, yet remained so far away. That's when a blast of cold air hitting his back. The dragon, Yakov realised. He pushed me forwards like he knocked the sword out of my hands earlier.   But there was no time for thanks and acknowledgment. Yakov pulled back his sword, and with the loudest yell he could muster, swung it as hard as he could at the beast's furry neck. The flesh rendered, blood spilled out, and a thunderous roar escaped the creature's throat.   However, the cut would only the start of the Fox's trouble as blue cracks began to spread out from the wound, and quickly began covering up most of his neck and climb their way into his head. Large amounts of blood began seeping out of the deep wounds on his neck and head.   The fox's screams of pain shook the entire realm, until after a moment that seemed to stretch on for a few more, the stone head exploded in a blue cloud of dust.   "ARGH" The fox's remaining two heads screamed in agony. "You did this!" He said to Yakov after he'd regained his composure. "You! A mere human! I'll make you pay for this! I'LL MAKE YOU PAY!"   Yakov didn't stay nearby for the Fox's speech as he was wise enough to focus on putting distance between him and the enraged god. The dragon caught up to as the fox continued sputtering in anger and confusion.   "You're bleeding." The dragon said. "Yakov looked at himself and saw the deep cut on his arm.   "It... doesn't hurt." Yakov said, pressing a hand on it. "It must have been one of the icicles that grazed me earlier."   "It will heal" The dragon said as he looked at the giant fox, who seemed somehow even angrier than before. His two remaining heads began shooting large streams of fire and ice at the same time. When both collided, large amounts of steam was created, which quickly engulfed the area.   "He's hiding something. We must move!" The dragon warned, casting a worried look at the thick mist floating around them. Without any other leads, he and Yakov decided to fly towards the direction they had last seen the giant fox.   However, this proved to be a mistake, as something in the mist suddenly grabbed Yakov's leg, yanking him back. He screamed and when he looked back at what had grabbed him, he saw the same spectral hands as inside the cave.   A roar and a blast of boiling hot air hit him from below, and when he looked, he found that he was suspended over a giant opened maw of one of the fox's head. Strands of saliva and teeth as sharp as knives awaited him below.   "Come it, little bird! Let me crush your bones!"   "No! NOO!" Yakov yelled as he tried desperately to fly away, but the hands were too strong, and now more of them appeared and held his wings in place and the sword away from him.   For the first time, Yakov realised that he may actually die, here and now. Crushed between the massive jaws of this fox deity. Even so, he couldn't be too sad. Cutting the head off of a god is surely a great accomplishment, right? I hope dad will be proud of me...   "I like my meat roasted." The fox said. "Charred, even."   A warm yellow light appeared in the back of his throat, and quickly raced upwards. Flames soon appeared as well, and Yakov closed his eyes. I'm sorry sister. I tried my best. I swear, i really did... A tear escaped his eye and rolled down his cheek as the flames began burning his feet and his legs.   But then, it stopped. Yakov heard the giant fox roar in anger, as the spectral hands keeping him immobile in the air disappeared and Yakov felt himself falling. As he did, he was able to look down, and saw the dragon, in the process of biting one of the Fox's neck. The one attached to the head that had been about to devour him. He saved me...   "CUT IT!" The dragon yelled, and Yakov understood what he had to do. He used his wings to get upright again and as he approached the fox's twitching neck, Yakov repeated the same move as he had done earlier. He pulled back, and slashed.   The swords pierced deep into the flesh this time, and as it was dragged along by Yakov's fall, it cut a deep wound all along the side of the neck. It took even less time for cracks to appear and spread all ove the god's neck and head as both quickly started decaying.   Both Yakov, and the dragon didn't have time to fly away before the fire head exploded into a large cloud of blue dust. The force of the explosion violently pushed both of them back. Yakov lost control, tumbling through the air for a while until he was stopped by the dragon.   Both the human and the dragon then looked up at the giant fox, as its last remaining head began howling. A cry so loud that the stars nearest to him began exploding in bright, blinding flashes of pure white light. Blue cracks also began to appear on the black firmament.   "You'll pay for this, little rat!" The fox said, his voice echoing after itself, as if the two other heads were still there to talk. But Yakov didn't let that intimidate him this time.   "I'm a rat now?" He said in a tone he hoped sounded confident. "But you called me a mere human just a minute ago! Did i get downgraded?" He asked with a little smirk.   "Rats, humans, dragons...." the god rattled off as he got up from his throne, his body beginning to transform again as he did. "It's no matter to me. At the end of the day, they are all preys for me to torture..."   His body continued shifting, as he took on a more human appearance, which stood on two legs and had two arms. Yet, his last remaining head still decidedly remained in animal form, as did his hands, which now had massive sets of claws, as long as the tallest pines growing in the forest near Yakov's house. The head, which still contained two gigantic mouths, pulled back, before spraying a blast of icy air and giant icicles at them.   Twirling around with the help of his large blue wings, the dragon flew towards the giant fox's neck, followed closely behind by Yakov, who held his sword high, ready to strike down any icicles that came too close. That was, until the dragon had to stop. He curled up his body, using his wings to protect himself from a large ice boulder, which crashed and broke against them, like a snowball against a wooden shield. Yakov flew past the dragon, but then turned to see what had happened to him, worry he may be wounded. He sighed in relief when the dragon unfolded back to it's normal form position.   "Go! Do not stop!" The dragon said, and Yakov nodded before turning around.   He flapped his wings as fast as he could, trying to push his body just a tiny bit faster. He was tired, but he knew he could no longer stop. As he got closer to the giant fox, the density of the projectiles grew, and it became harder and harder to dodge them without coming onto the path of another. However, that is when Yakov's luck ran out. A large block of ice hit him on his side, knocking the wind out of him and sending him tumbling down through the air. The giant fox burst out laughing, his cackle resonated all around them, spreading the cracks further and further in all direction.   The young man tried to untangle his wings and fly away, but he was too slow. Another blast of icy breathe hit him, and ice crystals began growing all over his body, dragging him even faster towards the darkness below. Yakov yelled, desperately trying to break the ice ensnaring him, but to no avail. That's when he saw the dragon fly towards him. In a quick and decisive move, the dragon's tail whip around his body and came crashing against the ice around his body, shattering it into a thousand pieces and freeing him of his icy prison.   "Now's your chance!" The winged beast said.   The force of the impact pushed Yakov towards the giant fox. He was able to regain control of his flight and pushed his wings to flap as fast as they could, hoping to catch the fox by surprise. He put both hands on his sword as he eyed his target. His heart... i need to get to his heart!   "No!" The fox roared as he saw Yakov approche him. "Stay away! I won't let a human kill me!"   Spectral hands appeared all around Yakov as he closed the distance between him and the beast. Some of them tried to grab him, while others pushed and threw ice projectiles at him. Yakov swung his sword at them as he sped up towards the Fox's heart.   Just then, two large blocks of ice moved together to block him, but Yakov knew what to do. He took a sharp turn to the side, letting his body enter a spiral. He kept his wings close to his body so he wouldn't loose any speed as he flew into the shrinking gap between the ice. He rolled between the ice blocks, escaping just as they crashed together.   The fox didn't have any time or tricks left to stop Yakov, who continued to spin towards his chest, like an unstoppable arrow. With a triumphant roar, Yakov plunged the sword as deep as he could, up to the hilt, into the Fox's chest. The God roared in pain, as his flesh began to crack and crumble around the wound, and the rest of his body soon followed suite.   "NOOOO! This cannot be true! I'll kill you! I'LL KILL Y-"   The god's body exploded into millions of ice and rock shards, leaving Yakov, his sword, and the necklace to fall into the void. However, the explosion had already destroyed the last remaining pieces of the firmament, which crumbled away in large pieces of black void. As they fell and crumbled into nothing, they revealed a blinding light behind them. This is the true heavens, Yakov realised before closing his eyes so he wouldn't go blind.   When his vision returned, Yakov realised that he was rapidly approaching the ground below. He didn't have the remaining energy to try and stop himself with his wings. That's when the necklace came into view as it fell slightly faster than him. He outstretched his hand to catch it and after a few failed attempts, managed to grab it and bring it to his chest. He enjoyed the warmth it provided him in his fall. He closed his eyes, smilling. At least i'll die with you, little sister.   "HUMAN!" Yakov heard the dragon yell. He opened his tired eyes, and saw the dragon flying down, racing to catch him before the ground would.   "Spread you wing, human!" The dragon said, panic clearly heard in his voice. "They'll slow you down enough for me to catch you!"   Yakov understood what he had to do, but the exhaustion was numbing even his basic survival instincts. He glanced down at the ever closer ground. He could make out the trees now, spread out over the hills like tiny blades of brown grass. His eyes drifted to the necklace his hand fiercely clutched. It seemed all of his energy was spent doing so. He wouldn't loose her again at least. Or... would he? If he died here, she would loose him, and he wouldn't be able to see her again. Her smile!   His sister. She was the only reason why he did all this. To get the necklace! To save her soul and bring her back! I have to live! Yakov realised. If i don't, i won't see my sister again. With a pained groan, Yakov began to stretch his wings. And slowly, his fall seemed to slow down ever so slightly. He began gliding as he fell, and Yakov could hear the wind whistling around the dragon as it flew past him.   "Hold on! I will catch you!" The dragon said, flying paralel to Yakov as the later drifted off to the side, barely able to control his flight. The two of them rapidly approached each other, and for a second it looked like Yakov would miss the dragon, but then the later turned around just in time, and Yakov was about to land on his back.   "Oof" A raspy groan escaped his throat as he landed on the hard scaly back of the large dragon. A few seconds later, both landed on the shores of a frozen lake, and Yakov slipped off and landed in the soft snow.   "Young human! Are you ok?" The dragon asked as he stood over him.   Yakov didn't respond immediately, worrying the dragon, who muzzled the human to try and wake him up. After a few attempts, he opened his eyes.   "Urgh... where are we" He said, his voice thick and raspy.   "We are back in your world, Human."   "Oh..." Yakov said as he tried to get up. The dragon put his paw behind him to help him stay up.   "Thank you" Yakov said. "Does that mean we won?"   "Yes. The Man in White lost his physical form, and won't be able to threaten this world anymore."   "Ah haha... that's nice" Yakov said with a smile. He looked around for his sword, but couldn't find it. I lost father's sword... Father, i hope you'll forgive me. Yakov looked around some more and recongnised where they were.   "We're far from my home" He said. "It's to the north, a few hours away by foot."   "I will bring you there." The dragon said as he lowered himself to the ground. "Can you climb?"   "I'll try" Yakov said. He got up on shaky legs and walked up to the dragon. He waited patiently as it took a few moments for Yakov to successfuly climb onto the dragon's back.   The flight took less than 10 minutes, as Yakov was able to guide the dragon. They followed a river than flowed north from the lake. It snaked between the hills until it reached and passed under a small wooden bridge.   "Turn left!" Yakov said, and mere seconds later, the dark roof of his house appeared between the trees. The dragon turned and slowly spiraled downwards, landing gracefully on the ground. A cloud of powdered snow enveloped them for a moment as Yakov climbed down from the dragon's back and rushed towards the entrance.   "Wait! Human!" The dragon said. "Your wings!"   Yakov stopped. Right, i don't need them anymore. So i'll take back what belongs to him. He turned around, trying to hide the fact that he would very like to keep the wings, but he didn't want to be greedy after all.   "I doubt you want to explain everything that happened today to your sister right?   "Not particularly. I'm hoping she won't remember the attack when she wakes up."   "And she won't." The dragon said. "But your new wings will raise questions. We must hide them"   "Hide? You won't take them back?"   "Why would i do that?" The dragon asked. "I gave them to you because i saw your courage. I knew you would use them for good, and you did. You earned the right to keep them."   "Thank you very much, Mr. Dragon!"   "Of course. Now to the matter at hand. Turn around."   Yakov turned around, his back and his wings facing the dragon. The dragon put a paw against the young human's back and pushed slightly. The wings began to retreat back into Yakov's back, and after a few seconds, his normal, pale human skin returned as if nothing had happened. He aslo noticed that the wound on his arm had been healed.   "They are still within you. But will only come out when you will need them. Do you understand?"   "I do" Yakov said with a nod.   "Then, it is time" the dragon said, nodding towards the necklace in Yakov's hand. "You must save your sister's life.   Yakiv didn't have to be told twice as he began running towards his house again. He ran into the kitchen, where his sister's lifeless body still remained. He wasn't sure what to do, but he decided to simply put the necklace on his sister, hoping her soul would find its way into her again.   He gently lifted her head and put the necklace around her neck. The warm pendant fell onto her chest, and its heat began spreading out into her body. Seconds later, the wounds on her body began to disappear.   She coughs, and opens her eyes.   "Y-yakov? What-" She said, confused as to why she was on the ground. Did i fall?   "Don't worry!" Yakov said, gently grabbing her and giving her a tight hug. "You're ok! You're ok..." "So why are you crying then?" She asked with a little smile as she hugged him back.   "Brother, what happened?"   "I-... it's a long story." He said. "I'm just... so happy you're ok" He said. "And don't worry, i'll protect you no matter what, ok?"   "Ok, i believe you" She said. She wondered why her big brother was acting this way, but she didn't mind it.   Outside, the dragon decided he could finally depart. The humans are safe now. Their realm is safe as well. With a few powerful flap of his large wings, the dragon took fight. The small wooden house shook slightly from the force of the wind created by the departing dragon and Yakov noticed.   "What was that?" His sister asked.   "A friend." Yakov said with a smile as he looked out the window. Fly high friend. Thank you for everything! I hope that one day, we'll meet again!