The Rose Of The South
Chapter 14: Earithear

Anna had seen a dragon before. He had already seen the shape of the dragon Xavier twice. As big as the castle, it was thick-skinned like it was coated in steel and scaly as the color with red lava from the volcano. The Great Fire Dragon is the perfect embodiment of the image of eternal fire that can devour a single world. Shaking, at once looks great. It was as if everyone who saw him would immediately prostrate before him. But Earth Dragons are different.

They both had red eyes that Anna believed were Dragon Eyes. Eyes that look like her sister's. The eyes he had in the past. But the Earth Dragon looked beautiful. He was like a sight painted by the hand of a god. He was not as big as the Great Fire Dragon, but his body filled the entire lake. Then Anna realized that they had reached Ozero Slez, Lake of Tears.

The lake looked like a liquid form of the night sky, its water glowing like thousands of twinkling stars.  It was from this lake that the sweet aroma in the intoxicating air came from. The lake made of Earithear tears that hid inside this cave a long time ago. The lake under his claws looked like a puddle of water to him, only submerging a part of his foot.

Unlike the Supreme Fire Dragon, Earithear's skin did not appear to be scaly. Even if she was scaly, Anna could not see it because her whole greenish glowing skin was covered with long grasses and thick moss. Ivy's tendrils surround his neck and legs. His pair of bright green wings and layered folded foliage neatly attached to his body. Anna was tempted to see the wings unfurled, but Anna knew the cave was too narrow for the Dragon. And just as Anna thought there were two tree trunks growing on top of the head of the Earth Dragon, Anna found that it was her horn. The Horn of the Earth Dragon looks like a crown made of many branched trees and decorated with white flowers. The Goddess Tear.

The dragon bent its legs and lowered its head until it almost touched the ground, before Anna and Xavier. Anna realized that the Dragon was saluting her. Anna hastily saluted the Earth Dragons with a low bow.

The dragon snarled. Not signifying a threat, but receiving his greetings and asking him to stand up straight. Anna swore to see the corners of the lips of the Earth Dragon slightly raised to form a smile, revealing a portion of her teeth that looked like thousands of swords. And at that moment, the flowers on its horns were blooming more and more. Several petals fell down so it looked like there was a rain of Goddess Tear flower petals inside the cave.

Anna was transfixed, mesmerized at the unbelievable sight before her. The Earth Dragon looked extremely beautiful, like a noble lady who was graceful and dazzling. It was like seeing a living flower garden. Like the embodiment of spring itself. Like seeing an old friend.

"Hello, we meet again, yes." Anna said awkwardly, not knowing what to say. Then he turned his head towards Xavier beside him. "He understands my language, right?" whispered to Xavier.

Xavier was still watching Earithear before him. "You want me to translate the Dragon language?" Xavier whispered back. Anna raised her eyebrows, half in disbelief that the Dragon language did exist. Then a jaily smile rose on Xavier's face, making Anna's cheeks meet with embarrassment, "Joking. Of course he understands." Said. "But as Dragons, we'll have trouble answering you. Unless you're a Saintess who can make anyone, even a stone talk to you."

Earithear approached Anna, looking at her feet. Warm steam billowed out from his snout. He snarled this time.

"What's wrong?" Ask Anna. Then Anna realized that just like Xavier, the Earth Dragon could also know that he was injured. "You know? It doesn't hurt too much. I'm doing fine. Don't worry."

"He's in pain." Xavier said to the Earth Dragon. "You know that too, right? You feel it too, right? Can you please heal him?"

The Earth Dragon nodded its head. He gestured for Anna to sit down and showed her the injured leg.

Without any hesitation, Anna immediately obeyed the Earth Dragon. He opened the bandage wrapped around Louis this morning and exposed his wounds that had gotten worse because they were used for continuous walking. The Earth Dragon glanced towards Xavier who was still unmoved in his place. The Earth Dragon hinted at Xavier to take a few steps back.

"What's? I'm not bothering you. You can still cure—“

The Earth Dragon growled again. Warm steam billows back up. I obviously don't like it if the request is rejected. Anna held back a laugh.

"It looks like you and your brother don't get along very well." Anna told Xavier.

Xavier complied with the request of the Earth Dragon, he retreated some distance away from Anna and the Earth Dragon. "He was just nervous. He may have not used his powers for a long time."

Without even poking Xavier's words, the Earth Dragon touched the wound on Anna's leg with its claws. Unlike the time when the Great Fire Dragon healed Anna's wound on the bank of the Scheine river, when the Earth Dragon touched her wound, the coolness that made Anna calm and peaceful ran through her legs, then all over her body. Anna immediately felt herself relaxed and all her fatigue was gone. The pain in his leg instantly disappeared instantly along with the skin of his leg which returned smooth without any injuries.

The Earth Dragon then glanced back at Xavier as if it was boasting that he had successfully healed Anna. Smoke billowed into the air from the Dragon's snout hole.

"Basic show-offer." Xavier snorted in annoyance. But he smiled at the Earth Dragon then said "Thank you very much, Earithear." in earnest.

But the Earth Dragon was not finished. After touching Anna's feet, she now touches her head with the tip of her claw. At that moment, it felt like the entire world was crammed into Anna's head. All memories that were once just small, fragmentary and incomplete pieces are now complete. But the sensation when all those memories entered his head was extremely painful. Anna groaned in pain to her knees to the ground while holding her head. Her tears just came out. Anna herself was not sure, but she seemed to be screaming until her own throat was sore. He felt he would lose his voice. Until the sound of his screams filled the entire cave.

"Earithar! What are you doing?" Xavier sounded angry. Anna could hear Xavier's steps approaching, but the cave shook again making it difficult for Xavier to approach both Anna and the Earth Dragon. "Stop!"

The Earth Dragon seemed to not allow Xavier to approach. He created a wall of rose thorn tendrils around Xavier. The spines twisted his ankles and hands so that Xavier could not move.

Anna felt her whole body recalling the pain she had felt. His chest felt tight and his vision blurred. Every breath hurt him. Anna then realized she was still screaming in pain. He was no longer in the cave.

He was in the middle of a battlefield. Screams and cries rang out from a distance, the voices of widows and children left behind by their fathers. The bodies of the soldiers lay around him in a state of complete and bloody. Ancient weapons were lying just around him. The smoke of the burning flames soared high into the air. The land was like a sea of fire and blood. The sound of crows was heard approaching. The smell of blood filled his sense of smell. He could even feel some of his bones breaking and taste the blood in his mouth. His entire body seemed to be crushed from within. His eyes blurred, then darkened.

Then the mood changed immediately.

He was then in a room in the palace. Not palace. And Anna saw herself covered, lying on the altar wearing a white dress as pale as her skin. There was no color in her face other than her extremely long red hair framing her pale face. He's not breathing. No sign of life. A rose was placed on his chest. He did not see anyone around him but he could hear the sound of crying, the roar of anger, some people quarreling and the whispers of prayer from others, then more crying.

From all the intangible hustle and bustle around her, Anna caught the sound of a child crying from a distance and the voice of her older brother trying to calm the little sister while holding back his own cries. And without feeling, he also shed tears. In his heart he knew who the crying little boy was. Two little kings who later became the first kings of two kingdoms were hostile to each other. Zuidlijk and Nordlijk. His kids.

"Back with me..." Anna then heard the voice of someone—a grown man—whispering. As if whispering to him. The sound was cold and broken. "Don't leave me... I'm sorry. I'm really sorry. Come back. please..."

No. gabe. Kinda different. Just as desperate, but still so alive. But Anna sees no one around her other than her own corpse.

Then Anna realized she was no longer near the altar where her corpse lay. There was only complete darkness around him now.

"He must remember everything to be fair. Let him alone decide what to do in the future." Other voices echoed. It was a woman's voice. His voice was clear at once firm. But Anna couldn't see it.

Suddenly Anna felt the heat. In front of his own eyes, the empty dark world around him was burning.

"Earithear, stop! It's orders!"

Anna wasn't sure what was going on. Just now Xavier didn't sound like himself. His voice sounded like the roar of lightning, like a storm, like a volcanic eruption. It sounded terrifying and cruel, as well as very familiar to him. And in an instant, the pain in Anna's head disappeared. He can breathe sweet air from the cave. He painstakingly inhaled that air a lot like drinking water after a prolonged thirst. He opened his eyes and realized he was still in the cave panting, trying to support himself to get up. The Earithear of the Earth Dragon helped him stand up with his claws.

Turning to the dragon, Anna was able to glimpse Earithear's past face in her human form. Not a great dragon covered with leaves and flowers. Except for a very pretty girl with blond hair and red eyes. He recognized the face and felt foreign. The Dragon's eyes looked regretful as if he wanted to apologize to him.

Then Anna looked around. The surrounding rocky soil appears coated in thin smoke of various colors heading in various directions. But the colors were unfamiliar to him and the thin fumes were odorless. Not smoke, Anna thought. But after grazing a few times, the smoke disappeared. Anna thought that it was just the effect of her closing her eyes so strongly earlier that her vision felt a bit strange.

"You okay?" Xavier asked who was now beside him. The vine wall that had previously held him was already charred in flames. Anna noticed Xavier's eyes were now as red as fire. He stared intently at Earithear as if he could smother the dragon just by looking at it. Earithear looked daunted, she took a few steps back and snorted, puffing smoke from her muzzle.

"I'm doing fine. Never felt this good." Answer Anna. But his voice trembled as his body recalled the pain he had felt earlier. "So what was it?"

"I don't know either, but it looks like Earithear intends to restore all your memories at once. I didn't even know he could do that."

"Is that dangerous?" Anna asked, not knowing whether to ask Xavier or Earithear.

Earithear.

"Then did you succeed?" This time he asked Earithear.

The dragon returned.

"Just some of it..." Anna mutters. He turned to Xavier, who was now the original color of his eyes. "Why did you stop him? Isn't it good that I remember everything? We can find the dragons easily."

"We don't know what the side effects are. We don't know if you're really gonna get all your memories or die."

"She said it wasn't dangerous."

"Obviously you were screaming in pain." Xavier looked upset. But he controlled his tone well so as not to seem angry. "You can't just believe in dragons."

Anna blinked, surprised at the statement. "I believe you, so why can't I trust him?"

"Then don't trust me."

Anna will open her mouth again to argue Xavier's words. But Xavier hurriedly turned to her, seeming to regret his words.

"I'm sorry... You were really tormented. Don't think I don't feel the pain. L'm... I'm just scared." Said.

"I'm fine." Anna said solemnly.

Anna turned to face Earithear, "Thank you very much." Said. Although it was very painful for him, Earithear only meant well for him. The dragon wanted Anna to remember everything. The dragon had even healed his leg. So how could Anna not believe him. "Where are you going now?"

Earithear did not answer. He retreated away from Anna and Xavier. Anna noticed the dragon looked sad. A tear fell on the lake where it stood. And where the dragon's tears fell, a small mountain of earth appeared to the surface, a tree bud appeared in the middle of it. At first it was just a small bud, then it grew and rose into a small tree. Then the tree continued to grow rapidly until it became a large tree with a sturdy trunk of dark gray brown that can stand in the middle of Lake Tears. The leaves are lush pink. Soon, some purple fireflies came out from behind the branches of the tree. It was as if the purple fireflies were the flowers of that tree. The purple fireflies flew around the lake and surrounded the tree. The scene before him right now was like a lake near the Scheine river that he had seen with Leon in the forest where they had been hiding.

Anna was so fascinated to see the miracle in front of her that she did not realize Earithear had already gone very far. Anna was about to chase after him, but Xavier held her back.

"Let him go, Anna. If you don't want to use our powers, or take our hearts out, let it go."

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