Chapter 19: The Allegiance of the Blood Sword!

Though the dragon was a mythological creature, it was also centuries old and it was one of the most intellectual beings of this world.

Recognizing the child that had once stumbled upon the maze accidently years back, the dragon immediately let out a small puff of smoke as she stepped out of the shadows and in to the light.

For the life of him, he couldn’t figure why the girl had come back in here of all places. The last time she was in here, he had purposefully stayed hidden so as not to frighten an already terrified teenager.

He had watched her bravery with his own eyes and marveled how quickly she had figured out the pattern of the maze and crept out by closing her eyes firmly shut so as not to see or be affected by the hallucinations.

*“Hello, little one”*
Selena shrieked out loud as an ancient, mythical voice spoke in her mind, freaking the living daylights out of her.
She jumped startled and the dragon puffed another small fire as he snorted at her timid reaction.

Selena was watching the Falak dragon with a look of awe on her face, already figuring out that it was the dragon who had just touched into her subconscious.

Selena kept her eyes down and bowed deeply to show respect to the ancient, mystical creature and said very intelligibly, “Uhm…hi?”

The dragon snorted at her, releasing another wave of smoke on to her face and she coughed and took a step back and shot an indignant look at the dragon.
Selena had the weirdest feeling that the dragon was laughing at her.

The dragon was indeed amused with her little antics and found himself watching her with a curious eye, being bored out of his minds for decades in this maze.

Selena bit her lip uncertainly, unsure of how to proceed. She knew that she should be terrified of this monstrous creature in front of her but instead she found herself being awed by its breathtaking beauty and poise. The dragon reeked of spirit magic and she found herself being drawn to the dragon unconsciously.

“Uhm…Sir? Can I take the sword?”
The dragon let out another puff of smoke and Selena had the impression that he was chuckling at her and she found herself pouting at the dragon annoyedly.

*“If you have the ability to do so….Well, then by all means take it away, little one”*, The dragon spoke in her mind and she felt a shudder go through her whole body at the sudden intrusion.

She narrowed her eyes at the dragon. Clearly, he won’t just give up the sword just like that. It was obvious he was up to something.
“Let’s keep it fair. If I can’t use by powers in here, it is only fair if you can’t use your magical abilities as well”, Selena declared, already posing herself into an attacking stance, expecting the dragon to jump and attack her any moment now.

The dragon watched the kid before him curiously and asked, “*You intend to slay me?*”
She frowned at the dragon and replied nonchalantly, “No. Why on earth would I do that? You are beautiful, serene and a legendary ancient creature of the myths.”

*“For honour……Slaying a dragon is no ordinary feat. It would bring you the respect and fear of your people”*
“So will being friends with you. I don’t want the honor that comes with killing the innocent. Don’t get me wrong, I am no saint and I do have blood on my hands but I never harm the innocent.”

The dragon found himself musing over her sincere answer. Never in the last few centuries had he come across any supernatural being or human for that matter who wanted to be friends with him. All wanted to either tame him or slay him.

Selena bit her lip, then continued on as she realized that the dragon was intently listening to her, “And if you don’t mind, I would like to be under your tutelage and care too.”

For the first time in centuries, the Falak dragon found himself being taken aback by surprise. She wanted him as her mentor and not a toy to use to show off to her people.
He was thrown off by the sudden show of respect he was getting. Yes, humans and super naturals alike were scared of him but they never respected him, they feared him.

The dragon found himself pondering over the kid’s solutions.
“*That depends on you, my child. I am stuck in this maze because of a magical spell. I can only be free to go wherever I want if the Blood Sword swears its allegiance to a new master.”*
Selena frowned as she realized the implications behind his words.

“And how can I do that?”

“*There is nothing you have to do other than place your hand on top of the Blood sword and let the sword pierce you and draw out your blood. It’s entirely up to the sword whether to accept you or not”*

Selena frowned at the dragon suspiciously. That sounded too easy. It would just draw out some of my blood and determine whether I was a worthy master or not?
That seemed highly unlikely and but guessing that she won’t be able to get anything further from the dragon as he had already cuddled up in a corner with his eyes fixed firmly on her, she let out a sigh and walked towards the glass dial which held the Blood Sword.

She gingerly removed the glass dial from the top and placed it gently on the ground, taking care not to break it. She flashed another uncertain look at the dragon but it had already seated himself to watch the show.

Selena bit her under lip uncertainly and hesitated for a split of a second before shoving her right hand down to the sharp edge of the sword.

She screamed out in pain as the sword started drawing out her blood. Her head started feeling heavy and dizzy all of a sudden. She slowly felt her consciousness prickle away and be swept up by darkness. Then it was complete darkness.