Let them watch as their precious father is killed right before their eyes, but don't let them escape!" Cade roared.
"Yes, Sire!"
"Mi'lord!"
Theo and Cade continued to fight, but Cade was gradually increasing his speed—and this wasn't a good thing. Cade grinned before opening his mouth and breathing fire, creating a swirling vortex of flames.
Theo glared at him and did the same, but his breath attack was that of a Lightning Dragon. He did his best to overpower Cade, but in the end, the flames swallowed him.
'Tiana… Cyrus… please forgive me…' he thought before a scream escaped his lips and he was turned to ash.
Tiana and Cyrus's eyes were wide, tears streaming down their faces. Tiana's lips trembled as she looked at the pile of ash that used to be her father. She felt so much rage and anger. Cyrus glared at Cade, fury in his eyes.
"What's the angry look for, boy?" Cade laughed.
"Mad that I killed your daddy?"
Cyrus had never felt such hate and rage for one single person before. Cade's men got closer—now that Theo was dead, there was no reason to keep them alive.
Cyrus winced. His body was still healing. His torso was reattached, and most of the skin had grown back.
The green-eyed child jumped out from Tiana's grip and took her in his arms. Immediately, they vanished in a bolt of lightning.
Cade sighed.
"Should we go after them?"
"No. Let them be for now."
"As you wish, Sire."
In Cade's eyes, the only person who could give him a real challenge was Cyrus—and if Cyrus got stronger, their battles would be even better.
Cyrus and Tiana appeared in front of the house they had called home for most of their lives.
The son of the Dragon King winced as he dropped to one knee, blood splattering onto the ground.
"Damn it…"
"Cy!" Tiana looked at him, worry in her eyes.
"I'm fine," he said. "What about you? How are you doing?"
"Don't worry about me, I'm okay!" exclaimed Tiana, tears in her eyes. "Worry more about yourself, idiot."
Cyrus didn't say anything as he wrapped an arm around her. He knew Tiana was hurting. Her father had died—sacrificed himself for them.
It's all my fault, he thought. He truly believed that. In his eyes, if he were stronger, he could've prevented Theo's death.
Almost immediately, Tiana began to cry. Cyrus rubbed her back and just held her as she wept. She continued for quite some time, but eventually, she stopped.
"What are we going to do now?" she asked.
Cyrus sighed. What he really wanted to do was leave Detroit and get stronger.
"You're leaving Detroit, aren't you?" Tiana asked, causing his eyes to widen.
"How did you…?"
Tiana laughed. "You think I didn't know? I know you better than that. You want to avenge Daddy, don't you?"
"Not only him—but my parents as well," Cyrus told her.
Tiana frowned. "Let… me come with you."
Cyrus shook his head. "I'm sorry, but I can't let you come with me, Tiana."
"Why not?! You're just gonna leave me here?!"
Cyrus frowned. "I'm sorry, but you'll be safer this way. Cade will eventually come for me, and if I stay, he'll attack—and lots of innocent people will die. I hope one day you'll understand."
"But—" Whatever she was going to say was cut off as he appeared behind her.
Tiana widened her eyes.
"I love you, lil' sis," he whispered before knocking her out with a chop to the back of her neck.
Cyrus sighed. By this point, he was healed and all his skin was repaired—he was at full strength again. The young prince caught her before she hit the ground, took her in his arms, and took to the skies, heading toward the orphanage.
He laid her on the ground softly and knocked on the orphanage doors. Cyrus quickly jumped into the air, let his wings unfurl behind his back, and flew away.
He felt so much better knowing his sister would be looked after. He used to live in that orphanage—the caretakers were good people. Now he could focus on getting stronger without worry. Cyrus increased his speed, leaving Detroit behind without a clear destination in mind.
Cyrus sighed as he flew past a few restaurants. He was getting pretty hungry—it had been a few hours since he left Detroit, and he was passing through neighboring cities and towns.
His stomach growled. The green-eyed child frowned.
"Be quiet, you. I'll get us something to eat, okay?"
Again, his stomach growled. It seemed it wasn't going to listen until it had food in it.
"Well, I don't have any food, so I can't eat out," Cyrus said. "Guess I have to hunt."
Memories flashed in his mind of camping with Theo and learning how to hunt.
Cyrus felt pain every time he thought of his father in all but blood. He sighed before landing near a forest.
"Time to get some grub," he said, and once he spotted a deer, he grinned.
Cyrus could be seen practicing his moves on a tree—eventually, the tree fell to the ground.
After eating, Cyrus began training, striking trees in the forest. The Dragon Prince generated lightning in his fist and grinned as he punched a huge hole through one.
No matter what, he was determined to get stronger. To avenge Theo's death. His parents' deaths. To end Cade's reign of terror.
A Few Days Later
Cyrus was still in the forest. It had been his training spot these past few days—but right now, he wasn't training.
The boy knelt on the ground, hands on his head, tears streaming down his face. The Prince of Lightning looked to be in pain, his breathing ragged.
"Please make it stop."
Cyrus closed his eyes, but all he saw was Theo dying—over and over again.
"Just make it stop already!"
Eventually, Cyrus fell asleep, tears still rolling down his face. His dreams were anything but pleasant.
He didn't know it yet, but he was showing the early signs of PTSD.
-The Next Morning-
Cyrus had his fists clenched, determination in his eyes.
To him, it didn't matter how much he suffered—Cade had to be stopped. Even so, it hurt. It hurt knowing he had been helpless, forced to watch the man he saw as his father die.
'Look after Tiana, son. I love you both!'
'Look after your sister!'
Cyrus's eyes turned into blue slits, and he grew blue scales on his forearms. He had to get stronger.
His promise to Theo… he would always look after Tiana—but to do that, he had to be stronger. And stronger he would become.
Cyrus reached into his pocket and pulled out a small picture of him, Theo, and Tiana. All of them were smiling. It had been his birthday—they went to a carnival, and that's where they took the photo.
He sighed and put the photo away. Such happy times were over. He had to focus on getting stronger.
Cyrus continued to train. Eventually, he left the forest and continued his journey—and before he knew it, a year had passed.
North Carolina
Cyrus was flying through North Carolina. He had just finished his evening training. He'd been staying in the state for the past four months. His training was always intense, and he never stayed in one place too long.
Thankfully, he didn't have to hunt. A kind woman had offered to let him stay. It was just her and her daughter—the father had died in an accident just hours before the daughter was born.
Cyrus liked the Evans family. They were kind. They quickly became his friends. The young prince was heading back to the Evans residence now.
He flew past the many mountains of North Carolina before approaching a house on the mountainside. He landed and knocked on the door.
A few moments later, a woman with blonde hair and blue eyes opened the door—and when she saw him, she smiled from ear to ear.
"Welcome back, Cy," she said. "I hope you worked up an appetite, because I made food."
Cyrus smiled. "That would be nice, Tanya. Thank you."
She stepped aside, and he walked in.
"Where's Anna?" he asked, frowning.
Tanya smiled. "She's in the shower," she replied, setting three plates on the table and filling them with food.
"She'll be done any—"
Cyrus's ears twitched. He heard a door opening, followed by footsteps coming down the stairs. Down came a girl around Cyrus's age with brown-almost-blonde hair and hazel eyes. When she saw him, she smiled.
"Cyrus."
The Dragon Prince returned her smile.
"Had a hard day training?"
Cyrus scratched his head.
"You could say that," he said. "I definitely worked up an appetite."
Anna sat beside Cyrus. Tanya sat across from them, and they all began to eat.
Cyrus smiled as he took a few bites. As always, Tanya's food was amazing.
They ate in silence for a while before Cyrus spoke.
"I really should leave soon."
"More training? You were gone all day," Tanya said.
"No, I mean leave for the next town—or maybe the next state."
The mother and daughter looked surprised.
"You know I'm of the dragon race, but I never told you I'm the Dragon Prince, did I?"
Their eyes widened in shock—they had no idea they were in the presence of royalty.
"If I don't leave, my enemies will come," he said.
Tanya narrowed her eyes.
"Cade and his organization… Draco, huh?"
Cyrus nodded.
"When will you leave?" Anna asked.
"In the next week or so," he replied. "I'll be damned if I let those bastards take any more lives."
They saw the unimaginable pain in his eyes. He didn't talk much about himself or his past, but they could tell he had suffered a lot.
"Why haven't you gone to a hospital? They can get you help for your PTSD," Tanya asked.
Not long after he began staying with them, they discovered his condition. He would wake up screaming—when they found him, he'd be holding his head, muttering to himself with tears in his eyes.
Cyrus sighed. "Because my health is irrelevant. All that matters is taking down Draco."
He's holding a lot on his shoulders, isn't he? Tanya thought. Cy…
"I understand ," she said. "But if you ever need a place to stay, my door is always open."
Cyrus smiled, grateful.
"Thank you."
Tanya returned the smile and went back to eating. Anna looked worried but returned to her food. She knew talking about the past was painful for Cyrus.
And so, they finished their meal in silence.
To be continued…