The Last Silver

Ahead—

The road continued.

But it was no longer silver.

It had become gold.

Asha looked toward it.

"The first trial is complete."

Dinraal stood.

"And the others?"

Asha looked away.

Her silence was answer enough.

There would be more.

The second trial did not appear as a door.

It appeared as Earth.

Dinraal stopped walking.

Before him—

A blue sky stretched from horizon to horizon.

Grass moved in the wind.

Birds sang.

A small village stood in the distance.

Claire whispered—

"No."

Gilgamesh became completely still.

Dinraal looked at him.

"What is this?"

Gilgamesh's voice was barely audible.

"Home."

The ancient king walked forward.

Dinraal followed.

The others did too.

Then Dinraal saw them.

Humans.

Ordinary humans.

Laughing.

Working.

Children ran through the grass.

For a moment—

There were no Ashen.

No empires.

No weapons.

No apocalypse.

Just people.

Dinraal watched Gilgamesh.

The ancient king was crying.

Quietly.

Dinraal had never seen him cry.

Then a child ran toward Gilgamesh.

A small boy.

He stopped several feet away.

Gilgamesh stared at him.

The child smiled.

"Are you lost?"

Gilgamesh could not answer.

The boy tilted his head.

"You look old."

Julius covered his mouth.

Cleopatra failed to hide her smile.

Gilgamesh slowly looked over his shoulder.

"I hate all of you."

The boy continued.

"Really old."

Claire snorted.

Gilgamesh looked back at the child.

Then—

Something changed.

The wind stopped.

Every person in the village froze.

The child looked directly at Gilgamesh.

And spoke in a voice far older than his body.

YOU HAVE WALKED TOO FAR FROM HOME.

Gilgamesh went pale.

Dinraal stepped forward.

The child looked at him.

AND YOU HAVE NEVER KNOWN WHERE YOURS IS.

Dinraal stopped.

The vision changed.

He saw Tiamat.

Then Bahamut.

Then Aurelius.

Then Isolde.

Then the Draec people.

Then the human refugees fleeing the Ashen.

So many homes.

So many people.

Where did he belong?

The child looked at Dinraal.

WHO ARE YOU?

The question hit him harder than any weapon.

The Last Silver.

Tiamat's son.

Bahamut's son.

Aurelius's son.

Human.

Dragon.

Prince.

Weapon.

King.

He had spent so long learning what he was—

That he had forgotten something.

Dinraal looked at Isolde.

She stood beside him. Not speaking. Waiting.

He smiled faintly.

"I don't know everything yet."

The child stared at him.

Dinraal continued.

"But I know who I choose."

The wind began moving again. The village disappeared.

Dinraal looked at Isolde.

Then at the others.

Claire.

Johanna.

Gilgamesh.

Julius.

Cleopatra.

Asha.

Even the First Weapon.

His people.

Not because they shared blood.

Not because fate demanded it.

Because they had chosen to walk beside one another.

The child smiled.

THEN YOU MAY CONTINUE.

Gilgamesh suddenly fell to his knees.

Dinraal rushed toward him.

"Gilgamesh?"

The ancient king laughed through tears.

"I saw him."

Dinraal stopped.

"Who?"

Gilgamesh looked toward the empty village.

"My friend."

No one spoke.

Gilgamesh closed his eyes.

"Just for a moment."

Dinraal placed a hand on his shoulder.

The ancient king looked up.

Then wiped his face.

Julius raised an eyebrow.

"Are you finished?"

Gilgamesh stood.

"No."

Julius smiled.

"Good."

Gilgamesh immediately punched him.

Cleopatra sighed.

"History repeats itself."

Johanna looked at Claire.

"Did Julius Caesar just get punched by Gilgamesh?"

Claire nodded.

"Yes."

"Should we stop them?"

Claire considered it.

"No."

The road appeared again.

And they continued.

The third trial waited in darkness.

This time—

There was no illusion.

No village.

No door.

Only a voice.

SPEAK THE TRUTH YOU HAVE HIDDEN FROM YOURSELF.

Everyone stopped.

Julius muttered—

"Oh, wonderful."

Cleopatra folded her arms.

"Go first."

"Why?"

"Because I asked nicely."

"You absolutely did not."

The voice thundered.

SPEAK.

Julius stopped smiling.

Cleopatra looked at him.

For once—

She said nothing.

Julius stared into the darkness.

Then sighed.

"I was afraid."

Cleopatra's expression changed.

Julius continued.

"Of dying."

The ancient Roman looked down at his hands.

"Everyone believed I was fearless."

His laugh was bitter.

"I was terrified."

The darkness remained.

Julius swallowed.

"And I spent years convincing myself that if enough people remembered my name…"

He looked upward.

"…then perhaps death had not truly won."

Silence.

Then the darkness moved.

TRUTH.

Julius stepped back.

Cleopatra looked at him.

Her expression was quiet.

Then—

"I was lonely."

Everyone looked at her.

Cleopatra stared forward.

"I was surrounded by people my entire life."

Her voice remained calm.

"But being seen is not the same thing as being known."

Julius looked at her.

Cleopatra did not look back.

"I had lovers."

She smiled faintly.

"Enemies."

Then she glanced at Julius.

"Sometimes the same person."

Julius looked offended.

Cleopatra smiled.

"But I was lonely."

The darkness moved.

TRUTH.

Claire went next.

Then Johanna.

Then Asha.

Each spoke something they had carried alone.

Dinraal waited.

Finally—

The darkness turned toward him.

LAST SILVER.

His heart pounded.

SPEAK.

Dinraal looked downward.

The truth came easily.

Too easily.

"I am afraid I will find her."

Silence.

Isolde looked at him.

Dinraal continued.

"I've spent so long wanting to find my mother."

His voice broke.

"But what if she isn't the person I remember?"

The darkness moved.

"What if she looks at me and sees the child she lost?"

He swallowed.

"What if I disappoint her?"

Isolde stepped closer.

Dinraal did not look at her.

"What if she doesn't need me?"

The silence became unbearable.

Then—

Isolde took his face in her hands.

Dinraal looked at her.

"She is your mother."

Tears burned in his eyes.

Isolde smiled sadly.

"And you're her son."

"What if that's not enough?"

Isolde pressed her forehead against his.

"Then we'll find out together."

The darkness disappeared.

The road returned.

Asha looked ahead.

Her face was pale.

"We're close."

Dinraal's heart began pounding.

"Then why are you afraid?"

Asha stopped.

For the first time—

She looked uncertain.

"Because Tiamat did not hide from you."

Everyone went still.

Dinraal felt cold.

"What?"

Asha looked toward the darkness.

"She was hiding from something else."

The First Weapon growled.

Low.

Deep.

Not like a dog.

Not anymore.

The darkness ahead moved.

A voice emerged.

Familiar.

Female.

Ancient.

"Hello, Dinraal."

Dinraal stopped breathing.

Eve stepped from the darkness.

She looked exactly as she had in the memories.

Silver hair.

Ancient eyes.

A tired expression.

But she was not alone.

Behind her—

A massive shape moved.

Dinraal saw silver scales.

Then wings.

Then two enormous horns.

His heart stopped.

"Mother."

Tiamat stepped forward.

For several seconds—

Neither of them moved.

Dinraal had imagined this moment.

A thousand times.

He had imagined running toward her.

He had imagined anger.

Questions.

Tears.

He had imagined holding her.

Nothing had prepared him for reality.

Tiamat looked at him.

Her eyes filled.

"My beautiful boy."

Dinraal broke.

He ran.

Tiamat caught him.

And suddenly—

The Last Silver was not the heir of dragons.

Not the child of ancient powers.

Not the weapon the universe feared.

He was a son.

Dinraal buried his face against his mother's shoulder.

Tiamat held him.

Tightly.

As though she feared he would disappear.

"I looked for you," he whispered.

Tiamat began crying.

"I know."

"Why didn't you come back?"

Her arms tightened.

Dinraal pulled away.

He looked at her.

"Why?"

Tiamat looked at Eve.

Eve's expression darkened.

Then Tiamat looked back at her son.

"Because I was afraid."

Dinraal stopped.

The answer hurt.

Not because it was cruel.

Because he understood it.

Tiamat touched his face.

"After I parted from Arcturus and the others, Eve found me."

Dinraal looked toward the First Human.

Eve lowered her eyes.

"I had been tracking something."

Tiamat continued.

"Something that was tracking me."

The First Weapon growled again.

Asha stepped forward.

"The thing that made the Ashen."

Silence.

Eve nodded.

"Yes."

Dinraal looked between them.

"You've been hiding."

Tiamat's eyes filled.

"I have been surviving."

The darkness behind them moved.

Everyone drew weapons.

Even Gilgamesh.

Even Julius.

The First Weapon suddenly grew.

Corgi-sized.

Wolf-sized.

Horse-sized.

Then it stopped.

Dinraal raised his hand.

The creature looked at him.

"Easy."

The First Weapon remained beside him.

Eve looked toward the darkness.

"We cannot stay here."

Dinraal stared at her.

"Then why did you bring us?"

Eve smiled faintly.

"I didn't."

The road behind them vanished.

Everyone turned.

Asha's expression became horrified.

"No."

Something enormous moved beyond the darkness.

Not a body.

Not a creature.

A presence.

The place between places began to shake.

Tiamat grabbed Dinraal's arm.

"My son."

He looked at her.

For the first time—

She looked truly afraid.

"We have to run."

Dinraal looked at the people around him.

Isolde.

Claire.

Johanna.

Gilgamesh.

Julius.

Cleopatra.

Asha.

Eve.

His mother.

And the First Weapon—

Which was currently attempting to stand protectively in front of everyone despite being the size of a small horse.

Dinraal's silver light began to burn.

He looked into the darkness.

"No."

Tiamat stared at him.

"Dinraal—"

"No."

Something laughed.

The road trembled.

Dinraal stepped forward.

His horns brightened.

The darkness pressed against the edge of reality.

He raised his hand.

For years—

He had run toward revenge.

Then toward answers.

Now—

For the first time—

He stood between the people he loved and something that wanted to take them away.

Dinraal looked back at his mother.

Tiamat stared at him.

He smiled.

"I'm not leaving you again."

Then the darkness opened its eyes.

And the trials were over.

The war to reach home—

Had finally begun.

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