Chapter 47 – Revelations & Departures

As soon as the alarm sounded, Henderson knew that there was only one place he wanted to go. It wasn't to the main hall like everyone had been ordered; he had the feeling that this was all going to be something more important than that. He slipped out of his room after his two roommates left to head in the opposite direction and forced himself to keep his eyes on the ground as he made his way towards the dungeons that had once been his home for a very short while.

For a large Warrior who stood at least a few inches taller than most of the other Contestants, it should have been a difficult task, but when it actually came to attempting to sneak away, it was quite easy. The disarray that the alarm had caused along with the panic of most people there not even having lived long enough to hear a general alarm bell from the City, meant that nobody really paid any attention to what he was doing. He could've worn a clown suit and honked a horn as he walked for all the notice anyone was actually giving him.

But the further he moved from the main hall and the more time passed, the fewer people he encountered as he walked.

Henderson didn't exactly know what it was that had told him he was supposed to head down to his new master at this very moment, but there was certainly something there. Something he couldn't explain, like it was a slight tugging on his very soul, a gravitational pull that simply told him that he was supposed to go, and so he listened to it. Besides, what was the worst that could happen? He wasn't exactly imperative to the defence of the City. If monsters had indeed invaded, he wasn't so skilled that anyone would notice him missing.

In the end, the journey down into the dungeons where the monsters were held beneath the Arena was uneventful at best, and boring at worst.

Henderson immediately saw the deep red eyes of the Nest Guardian cutting through the darkness as he exited the stone stairwell and made his way across the open space leading to the cell where he'd been kept the week before.

"Master I..." Henderson began as soon as he saw the first signs of the Nest Guardian.

"In your head," the familiar voice of the dragon rumbled through Henderson's mind. "We do not speak aloud now, and this is how you have been taught, is it not?"

Henderson blinked away the fuzziness that accompanied the dragon's words. It was something he'd encountered before, but he knew after a minute or two his fragile body would get used to the powerful presence exerting its will on his mind.

"Apologies," Henderson sent the thought back. "Are you worried that someone will overhear?"

"Worried? No," the Nest Guardian replied. "But it is never a good idea to be brash when there is an easy alternative."

"The City alarm has been raised..." Henderson began, but was again cut off by the dragon.

"I can hear," he said. "And it has been such a long time since I've heard those bells. It reminds me of much more fun times."

"The bells... they haven't rung for decades, have they? It's not something I can remember anyway."

"They have not. And I may be so bold as to say that the last time the bells rang, it was because of me. Perhaps this time it is the same."

"Because of you? Why? And how?" Henderson asked.

"Well, I would presume that my soulmate has grown tired of life without her partner," the dragon grumbled. "As it was before. This City took me as their prisoner to fight in the Arena, and that was something that my nest could not abide."

"But how?" Henderson asked.

"The last time, my soulmate came to my rescue herself, and many humans died that day. Many, many humans. But we have discussed plans for rescue since, and I would not be surprised if things were not different this time."

"I don't understand," Henderson said. "You can escape from here? And you have before?"

"I can, and I have," the Nest Guardian agreed. "But that is not all that is happening, is it?"

Henderson froze. There was something else, something he'd needed to come and speak with his new master about.

"There's another, here in the Arena. A Blue-Ranked Contestant just like me. There's something about him, something like what you turned me into, isn't there? Is he another one of your students?"

A deep guttural laugh filled Henderson's mind as the Nest Guardian took its time in responding.

"Yes, there is one that I have sensed already, but not one turned to Chaos as you have been. I can sense this being even now, within this place. But this one is a Champion of Balance, not of Chaos. This one has been chosen as your rival, to balance Yin with Yang. To be your equal on the other side. Do you understand, student?"

Henderson's jaw dropped. That was certainly not what he'd been expecting, and he wondered what trouble it would've caused if he actually had brought Titus down here to meet with the dragon when he'd meant to.

"But do not worry yourself with this one," the Nest Guardian continued. "The God of Balance is predictable and slow, deliberate. You are a child of Chaos, and your rise to power will dwarf any who are gifted by balance. You may be of equal power now but soon you will stand with no equal."

That was good news to Henderson, but he still felt like it would be a good idea to deal with this threat as soon as possible.

"The God of Balance will always create those who would oppose you, as is the way in this unseen war they fight," the dragon said. "But these are teachings for later, are they not?"

Henderson nodded. "Can you tell me more about what's happening out there? Are people dying?"

"People will die, as they always do. And so will the creatures of Chaos."

"And you're sure you're going to escape tonight?"

The dragon paused for a moment. "Do humans mate for life? Take one soulmate and remain together until the day they die?" It asked.

"Some do," Henderson said. "Maybe even most, but others don't."

"Dragons mate for life, always," the Nest Guardian explained. "And can you imagine the bond two beings can generate when their lifetime can be measured in thousands of years? This is how I know I will be leaving this place shortly, one way or another. My soulmate and my nest will have planned this action, and I will disappear into the darkness once more."

"I've never heard of any monsters escaping the Arena before..." Henderson thought.

"And so you think that is the truth!?" The dragon's internal voice roared. "Are you so naïve to think that because something is not publicised, that it cannot be? No, the truth is that monsters do escape from this place, though rarely. Usually they require a large amount of help, but it does happen."

"And what about me?" Henderson asked. "When you leave this place what am I to do?"

"You are to remain in place and train as you have been already. You will need to grow in strength and ability to play your part in the war that is coming. Then when you are ready, you will leave this City and seek me out to take your place in my Nest as you are destined to do."

"A war?" Henderson asked. "What war is coming?"

"Humans are so naive. A war has been waged for thousands of years between Balance and Chaos. It has been locked in a stalemate for centuries already, but it is said that change is coming. Chaos is destined to rule, and the creatures outside these City walls sense it. Chaos will overthrow Balance, though it will take a war to make it happen. This war will be fought between men and monsters, of Balance and Chaos, and Chaos is all that will remain afterwards."

"You... you're asking me to turn on my race? To join the side of the monsters and watch – or even help as humanity is destroyed? Surely that is not something you can ask of me?" Henderson replied, not entirely confident in his own words.

"I can ask of you what I like as your master!" The Nest Guardian boomed inside Henderson's head. He felt the words of power as they resonated and realised, if only for a second, that the Nest Guardian could indeed ask of him whatever he wished.

"But as I have said," the dragon lowered its tone to a more acceptable level. "Humans are naïve. It is naïve of you to think that the humans within this City, the humans who live within the shadow of Balance are the only humans within this world."

"I know there are others outside the City, and within other places far away..."

"Not as far as you may realise," the Nest Guardian interrupted. "But you are missing my point. Not all humans follow Balance, and some even believe that siding with Chaos has brought, and will bring them power."

That was something Henderson hadn't ever really thought about either. He knew that other settlements, cities, and civilisations existed – of course they did because the world was so large, and not to mention the merchants, travelling from place to place.

Henderson nodded slightly, finally realising. The idea of a world beyond the City's walls where humans aligned themselves with Chaos, was both fascinating and terrifying.

"But what about those who are not aligned with Chaos or Balance? What about the neutral ones?" Henderson asked.

The dragon's eyes narrowed slightly, a glint of wisdom and age-old knowledge reflecting in their depths. "Neutrality is a luxury few can afford in the times to come. Those who choose not to pick a side will eventually be forced to, either by circumstance or by the very nature of the war itself. The coming conflict will leave no room for bystanders. But then, to think that there are only two Gods in this world is another naivety."

Henderson felt a chill run down his spine. The scale of the conflict the Nest Guardian described was beyond anything he had imagined. "And the City... what will become of it?" He thought about his family. Of his parents – his father in particular, and deep down inside, he wondered if he would care that much if anything happened to any of the ruthless bastards.

He chose to ignore the comment about other Gods.

"The City, like all bastions of Balance, will be a battleground. You must be prepared, student. Your role in this war will not be a minor one. You have been chosen, shaped by Chaos itself. Your strength, your skills, they will be instrumental. This is why I take the time to teach you. And remember, your journey is not just about power. It is about understanding the true nature of Chaos and Balance. You must learn to embrace both but remain aligned to one," the dragon advised.

Henderson nodded, still not sure of himself. "I will learn, I will grow stronger. And when the time comes, I will be ready."

"You will be ready, and you will make the correct choices when the time comes, or you will die," the Nest Guardian grumbled. It sounded very much to Henderson like it was a fact more than anything else.

Henderson remained silent for a long moment, and it was clear that the dragon had imparted all the knowledge that it was going to.

"And now?" Henderson finally asked. "Am I supposed to simply sit and wait until the time comes for me to make a difference?"

"You do not listen!" The Nest Guardian roared again. "You will stay within the Arena, learn, train, grow strong in mind and body, and when the time comes for you to leave this place, you will understand!"

"How long?" Henderson asked. "How long will I have to play this role?"

The Nest Guardian did not respond to Henderson's outburst and instead began raising its colossal black body onto its front legs like it was about to crush Henderson for his impudence.

But then before it managed to say or do anything to Henderson, if that's what it had been planning, a small black dot appeared in the air between Henderson and the large creature, on the inside of its cell.

The strange circle hung in the air for a moment before it fizzed and clicked until it rapidly expanded to about five metres wide, the blackness highlighted with purples and yellows, and Henderson could only stand and stare at the thing in awe.

A handful of seconds passed as Henderson watched, and then as abruptly as the circle had appeared, it popped away into nothingness.

Now, though, where there was once an impressive Nest Guardian standing in the dungeon cell, there was nothing but a dark emptiness remaining. The dragon had gone.