Chapter 1326 The Fire Giant Village Chief’s Passing
-----
"This is the Fragment of our God of Fire, Logi…" The chief sighed. "Long ago, in the forgotten eras of the past, he was shattered into four pieces by the Ancient Aesir… Cough… T-This is… the power within this jewel… You must wield it when you most need to, Surtr… Cough!"
"Chief…!" Surtr cried, holding his hand tightly. He was now in a humanoid form, still covered on several scales, having horns and wings, but with a slight appearance to a Fire Giant, with red skin and a humanoid-like face, with long, metallic copper-colored hair and fiery red eyes.
"Father!"
"Please don't leave us yet…"
The twins Nadia and Mina, who accompanied Surtr since he hatched from his egg were in tears. The chief raised them ever since they were little children that escaped the destruction of their own village by the man known as the Flame Emperor.
The twin Fire Giants, with different personalities yet kind hearts, helped Surtr in anything they could, from cooking for him, to help him get used to the village, to bringing him company, friendship, and perhaps, something more…
At their side, Surtr surpassed many trials and challenges, and grew much attached to the two. Mina with her fluffy and joyful personality, and Nadia with her serious and stoic self, both helped Surtr develop in different ways.
It could be said that if it wasn't for them and the chief, Surtr would had neve been able to get over his tragic death and would had fallen into an even deeper depression.
Yet now, as he saw the two girls crying in sorrow over the passing of their adoptive father, Surtr couldn't help but feel terrible…
He has done everything he could, giving him the best potions he could possibly create, yet his state never seemed to improve.
This was because of "Lifespan" something that every living being in the world of Yggdrasil held, it could be extended as long as they grew stronger, but all Lifespan would eventually reach a finite number.
And the chief, after having lived for over three hundred years, was already on his last day. His body was slowly failing him, and his soul seemed to slowly being dragged into Helheim, the realm of the dead.
"I'll always watch over you two, my dear daughters…" He sighed with a faint smile, as he caressed their heads with his cold hands. "There is… a prophecy… something my young brother once told me about… Surtr."
"A prophecy?" Wondered the young fire dragon.
"A prophecy about… Cough… About the King of all Dragons." Muttered the chief. "That jewel… will bring forth his strength. When not even your power can withstand the might of our foes… The Dragon King will arrive, and bring peace to our war thorn land once more… Surtr, you must… find him…"
"The Dragon King…" Surtr felt surprised. "I will… I promise you that I will find him!" He nodded. "Eventually… somewhere."
"Take care of my daughters… And the village. I know… it is a lot of… responsibility but… I want you to know that… I trust you… Wielder of the Origin Flames…" The chief said weakly, as he slowly stopped breathing.
Closing his eyes, he died peacefully, surrounded by his loved ones.
"I will do my best… Do not worry…" Surtr looked at the dead chief, his eyes couldn't contain his sorrow anymore, as tears flowed from them as he stood there, silently.
Nadia and Mina continued crying while hugging the old chief's body, while the rest of the village mourned the death of their beloved chief.
The day after, when the chief was buried within the mountain's graveyard. Surtr gathered with the twins to discuss the jewel.
"I remember hearing about this from him… He often said that he had a younger brother that died long ago, who was born with this jewel on his forehead." Nadia explained. "He said it is a fragment of the God of Flames Logi, and that it is inherited by Oracles of the four tribes."
"But it seems the lineage ended with him, as he never had a child, nor he was capable of holding the power of the jewel, so he couldn't hold it within his own body…" Said Mina. "I often thought he was joking around when he said such ridiculous things, but he also… told us something else."
"Something else?" Surtr wondered.
"Our village was destroyed because of these jewels…" Nadia said. "A man named… Flame Emperor did it."
"Apparently, there was also an Oracle in our village, that tyrant was after this jewel, and killed us all just to obtain it…" Mina sighed. "By then we were very young, so we didn't had any idea… To think everything was connected."
"I see…" Surtr sighed. "That man that destroyed your village… He must be after this jewel as well. Eventually he might even come here…"
"T-That's… right." Nadia sighed. "If so then… What should we do? Honestly, it is one problem after another… I'm so tired…"
"Hang in there!" Mina sighed, caressing her sister's head. "We'll get through this together!"
"We will." Surtr nodded. "And we'll grow even stronger… We've also got another problem to resolve, this Mountain's Guardian is acting strange. I am afraid something must have happened to him. We need to meet him and see what's happening down there. Or else, an even greater catastrophe will befall the village."
"But that's…" Nadia muttered.
"No buts." Surtr said. "I've gained enough resolve, and as the chief of this village, I have to prioritize everybody's safety. I know it is hard, Nadia, Mina… But I want to keep moving forwards, for the chief, and everyone else. I don't really know if the Dragon King will truly come to our help, so for now, I want to rely on our own strength. Could you lend me yours?"
Surtr glanced at the two girls with an honest smile, his eyes flaring with conviction. The twins immediately felt the weight on their hearts become lighter, as they realized there was someone like him at their side.
"Alright, can't be helped…" Nadia sighed, blushing a bit.
"Of course! Since you hatched that we said we would stay at your side, and so we will!" Mina smiled cheerfully.
-----