Chapter 26 - 25: How to Live
When the Silver Dragon Tania saw David beneath her, his soul seemingly escaping as he lay on the brink of death, she panicked.
A closer look revealed various weapons embedded in him like a porcupine’s quills and his Dragon Scales upturned and mangled; he looked absolutely wretched.
Fist-sized tears welled up in her eyes again, but as soon as they emerged, they froze into frost and hail, pelting David’s forehead and making sharp, CRACKLING sounds.
"It’s all my fault..." Tania lamented, her voice thick with tears. "I shouldn’t have insisted on that sentimental talk before I left. Then you wouldn’t have risked your life to save me, and you wouldn’t have ended up... like this. This was supposed to be my mission alone. How could you be so foolish! Aren’t you supposed to be a self-serving Red Dragon? Why would you go to such lengths for a Silver Dragon like me? Why..."
As she spoke, Tania broke down, sobbing uncontrollably. Her mind conjured a tragic image: her Red Dragon ’little brother’ risking his life to save his Silver Dragon ’older sister,’ all out of gratitude for a single shared meal.
As a kind and naive Silver Dragon, for the first time in her life, she felt a profound disappointment with the world, and a pure, unadulterated hatred and murderous intent towards these High Elf ’murderers.’
Her crystal-clear, sky-blue eyes began to show crimson streaks. She turned, her gaze falling upon the High Elves who were painfully struggling to break free from the ice and rise. She growled, her voice nearly cracking, "This is all because of you barbaric, greedy thieves! Because of all of you!"
This sudden fury startled Yevgeny, who had been fantasizing about claiming both dragons for herself. She quickly rose and shouted, "No... Miss Silver Dragon, please listen to my explanation! There’s been a misunderstanding! It’s not what you think."
But Tania was in no mood to listen. Ignoring Yevgeny, who was now speaking Elvish with the rapid-fire pace of a Blue Star commercial announcer, she continued hysterically, her eyes bloodshot, "I, Tania, will never forgive you! I... I’ll fight you to the death!"