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Dragon!Denmark x Reader ~The Dragonsight~ 38

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~Chapter 38~

Mathias and Berwald had been taking shifts for a while now. While still recovering from the eruption earlier, one dragon would tend to you, and the other would take a moment to rest.

At some point close to evening (though it was hard to tell with the skies being covered with smog), Leon had paid you all a visit to check up on the resort. Both parties were surprised to see the others still alive, though he did mention how resilient dragons were despite nearly being wiped out at one point. He didn’t stay for very long, since Berwald had given the former dragonhunter a cold and deathly stare.

The shifts continued for what must have been two days when at last, the others returned miraculously in tact, though the same could not be said about the state of their cleanliness. Everyone was covered head to toe in dark ashes. With their faces being so black, Mathias had nearly mistaken them for shadowy monsters and almost fought them off when Lukas had barked at him to let them pass. From there, the rest was a long exchange of stories and experiences. The Dragonheart’s party had their moments; your party had theirs.

Interestingly, ~~~~~~~~ and the others weren’t surprised that Berwald had been able to transform back into a dragon. “Oh, so you were able to do it, too, huh?” Emil had said.

Berwald and Mathias exchanged glances.

“Emil was able to transform back—if only for just a short while,” the Dragonheart explained.

Lukas clicked his tongue. “If it weren’t because he could, we would have been crispy critters at that mountain by now.”

Mathias raised his eyebrows. “You were over there, right? What exactly happened during the eruption?”

“Fire, smoke, and destruction, that’s what,” Lukas bluntly described.

Emil was fortunately more thorough. “We tried climbing to the top. There were stairs over there, as if people had been coming and going all along. Before we could make it to the peak, there was a loud shake, a roar…~~~~~~~~~ said she felt something—something that wasn’t part of the eruption. Before we knew what was happening, the mountain just exploded. We ran, of course. Human bodies aren’t graced with fire resistance like our dragon forms, as you should know.

“Halfway down, the stairs fell through, and there was nowhere to jump. I felt like I needed to do something. I wanted to protect everyone.” The Wings of the Opal Skies shrugged. “And before I knew it, I transformed.”

~~~~~~~~~ exhaled. “In the nick of time, too. If he hadn’t done that, we would have been crushed by burning rocks—or worse.”

Emil continued. “I took everyone to the foot of the mountain.”

“Why at the base?” Mathias asked.

“Because that’s as far as my transformation lasted,” the icy dragon frowned. “I just snapped out of my form and changed into a human. I don’t know what happened, but from your story, it sounds like it’s the same thing that happened with the Golden Sentinel.”

(Somewhere in between the conversation, Lukas made a passing comment about how Emil would refer to Berwald by his true title, all the while never even bothering to call him “Big Brother” or his notoriously longer name.)

~~~~~~~~~ jumped back in. “I don’t know what it was, but something made me want to go back into the mountain. It was like that time when we were in that dark forest—Berwald, you know the one.”

“Mm,” he nodded. They were talking about the strange forest they had rescued you from. It was the one with the gaping empty pit.

The Dragonheart sighed. “I really wanted to go into the mountain, but what were we supposed to do? Everything was exploding, and there was no way inside. So we took our chances and ran back here. It’s a good thing you’re alright.”

“Yeah…” Mathias’ voice sounded glum. “I can’t say the same for __________________ and Tino, though.”

The resort filled with a passing silence at their concerns for you and their dragon companion. Since returning to the resort, you had been sleeping the whole time. Tino hadn’t spoken a word to you.

And yet, as surely unconscious as you happened to be, you were able to listen in on every bit of the conversation. How, you were wondering? It must have been the Dragonsight you kept with you. Strangely, you never thought to use it while sleeping, though that was probably because your mind was normally asleep until now.

“Is she going to be alright?” ~~~~~~~~ quietly asked.

“…Can’t say fer sure,” Berwald muttered. “Her heart’s been carryin’ him fer too long.”

“Oh, ________________...”

There was another moment of silence.

“…Maybe…Maybe we can go back now,” Mathias suggested, looking up.

Lukas scowled. “It’s too dangerous, you rock head. If you’re suggesting we go back there to see if we can revitalize the Eye of the Topaz Blizzard’s body, there’s still the act of getting there. The stairs are out, remember?”

“If ~~~~~~~~~ can do it while carrying almost all of the dragon souls on her own, we should be able to do it, too, no problem.”

The sapphire-eyed dragon hissed. “We may be resistant to a certain degree of heat, but you haven’t seen the mountain. It’s probably still on fire; not only that, there’s no telling if the mountain will erupt again.”

“And then maybe Emil and Berwald will be able to transform again.”

Here was something to think about. Perhaps there was something about the mountain erupting that allowed the dragons to turn back into their true forms. It couldn’t have been a coincidence, could it? After all, the only two capable dragons of transforming had been able to do it. Who was to say they couldn’t do it again?

“It might work,” Berwald even considered.

Lukas narrowed his eyes. “Golden Sentinel, you can’t possibly be thinking along the same lines, can you?”

“We’re runnin’ out of time.”

That was undeniably true. With you collapsing without any warning, it had to be a sign that the dragon’s soul was finally eating away at your heart. You had been traveling longer than most vessels must have.

The group fell into a deeper silence, the air growing heavy with contemplation. Lukas’ heat eventually died down, and he sulked into what was left of his dusty quarters to be by himself. The rest of the party split off into separate sections, ~~~~~~~~~ heading out to the front, Emil walking towards the still purple pond, and Mathias and Berwald going to tend to you.

It was strange being able to see your unconscious state through Mathias’ eyes while you were sleeping. It was like a dream, but this had to be real. None of this felt deceptive; every time the dragons took turns changing the towels on your forehead, you could feel a cool, refreshing touch sooth you if only temporarily.

“How’re you doing, ___________________?” Mathias asked you softly after Berwald’s shift had ended. “….I know I’ve put you through a lot these couple of weeks. And I want to know that I’m really grateful for you also being with me. If this is all over—No, that’s not right. When this is all over, I promise I’ll go back with you. You, your parents, everyone. We’ll go hunting for firenuts. I’ll show you where we can find the best ones.

“And who knows? Maybe once everything gets sorted out, I’ll settle down in your village. It’s not too far from Eldur Mountain. I’ll be able to pay everyone a proper visit this time.” He chuckled. “Or if yer parents let you, maybe you’d like to go adventuring with me out there. There’re still places I’ve never seen or heard of before. It’d be fun to see what else is out there, don’t you think so?”

Even if you could answer him, your real eyes remained glued shut and your mouth stuck together as if with sticky woodsap. You felt guilty that you couldn’t give him a real answer. Had you been given the opportunity to speak, you would have liked to at least assure him of everything. If in the end, sacrifices had to be made, then you wanted to at least be given the chance to say that this journey made you discover potentials you never dreamt of having. With so many colorful and interesting companions traveling with you along the way, you could hardly say there was ever a dull moment in this journey.

Besides, if it wasn’t because of this twist of events, you may have lived your life out plainly but peacefully for the rest of your days. Granted, no one would have been put into jeopardy because of this. Tino would still have his body, your parents would still be here, and no one would have ventured out this far into the unknown eastern lands.

…This has to all be worth something, right?

“______________________...” Mathias was speaking to you again. “I just wanted to say…if somehow you can hear me, if somehow in the worst possible scenario things don’t turn out how we wanted them to…just know that I…I—”

“She can’t hear you, you dolt,” an edgy velvety voice snapped. Mathias turned, and Lukas was standing in the doorway with his arms sassily crossed.

“Lukas!” From the sound of things, it seemed that Mathias was genuinely caught off-guard. You couldn’t see his face, but it was undoubtedly one of embarrassment.

“What silly nonsense are you spouting to that hu—to that girl—_________________, I mean.”

“I-I was just thinking…” Mathias scratched the back of his head. “I get the feeling this is going to be all over pretty soon. If I didn’t get a chance to say it later on, I thought it’d be best if I got it out here, while we’re all together, you know?”

Anyone who knew the Disgruntled Crank of Sarcastic Flaunting would have expected Lukas to outright scoff at his friend’s petty considerations. However, to your surprise and even to Mathias’, he lowered his gaze and spoke in a more gentle tone.

“You’re not the only one getting that feeling, Mathias.” His usually stiff and cold blue eyes had a warm glow to them. “But no matter what happens—even if you’ve dragged us all the way out to this miserable place—I want you to promise me you’re going to save those things for after we’ve gotten your body back.” He stared into Mathias’ eyes, which was to say it felt as though he was staring into your own.

“Mathias, Blade of the Ruby Seas, I didn’t come out here just to have everything fail in one fell swoop. If something happens to you…” He bit his lips and uttered a curse. “Make sure you’re in tact when we go home—so I can beat you up, myself, for everything that’s happened.”

The friends stood uncomfortably in front of one another as they made sense of what the other had said. You weren’t sure if Mathias was thinking the same thing; however something told you that this was Lukas’ way of expressing concern for his friend. Even despite being against this journey all along, he still had some hopes that you would accomplish what you had set out to do. There was still time.

Shortly after, Lukas excused himself from the room and left the two of you alone. In that silence, you found yourself thinking emptily. You thought about how far you had come, the things you had seen, and the stories you had heard. You thought about the people counting on you and those you had come to understand more about. Mathias, Berwald, Tino, Emil, Lukas, ~~~~~~~~~~~, Arthur, Allistor…

You thought about the sights you had seen, the events that unfolded during your journey. The flight to the barrier, the trek through the split path, the time you were kidnapped, the mysterious pit, the deepest provinces of the far east, the fiery mountain that loomed over the unsuspecting town…

What did the fortuneteller say again? That you should look in the place where the water flows highest and the fire runs deepest, it is not in the direction you were meant to look in, but the other way around.

The other way around?

Where fire ran the deepest…

Why had there been stairs leading all the way to the top of the mountain before? No one would be crazy enough to take the time to build a path leading to a fiery pit of lava. What was really up there before the mountain exploded? And that it exploded…That would mean there was fire somewhere else.

It is not in the direction you were meant to look in…

Then…maybe…

~~~~~~~~~~ had claimed that something was there. The earth had shook. Emil said he had heard a roar. What if the sacred place for the dragons wasn’t at the top of the mountain, but underneath it?

“That might make some sense.”

“Tino!”

Mathias yelped in surprise when you suddenly shot up from your bed and uttered the Eye of the Topaz Blizzard’s name.

“_____________________, you’re awake!” he cried.

“Er, yes, but more importantly, I think I have an idea of where we need to go now.”

“S-Sure, but are you feeling alright? You’ve been out for almost three days now.”

“I’m fine,” you insisted, still ringing in your ears from the voice you heard within. “Mathias, I’m serious. We need to get the others and hurry over to the mountain.”

The baffled dragon was about to respond when a large Berwald came looming over you. To no one’s surprise, the first words that came out of his mouth were, “Is the Eye of the Topaz Blizzard alright?”

You were fortunately able to answer that properly this time, a light smile forming on your otherwise tired face. “Yes, he’s fine, Berwald. I heard him.” Just to be sure he was still with you, you tried calling out to Tino again.

Tino, are you alright?

As if also waiting for a response, the others in the room were quiet with you. Then…

“I’m sorry I made you all worry, ______________,” a familiar voice apologized. “I’m fine now. A bit winded. I just needed some rest.”

“Thank the gods…” you breathed. “Tino’s still here.”

Mathias, relieved, couldn’t help but smile with you. “You’re, still here, _______________. Gods, you had us all worried. For a second I thought…” He shook his head. “Never mind. So you said something about knowing where to go?” Berwald was all ears, too.

“I was thinking about what the fortuneteller told me before the eruption,” you explained. “He mentioned how there was a mountain connected to dragons that had fire and water; fire being on the bottom while water was on the top. That got me thinking—”

“Hold on,” Mathias interrupted you. “When were you able to think about this?”

You bashfully admitted that you had somehow retained consciousness even as your physical body slept. “It was the Dragonsight,” you told him. “I could see and hear everything through you, Mathias. During that time, I could still think. It was only my body that was sleeping.”

The wild-haired dragon seemed to be flushing with a pink complexion. Was he…? “S-So you heard everything I was telling you?” he choked.

“Um…Yes…?” you answered, not sure if that was what he wanted to hear.

“Gah, I must’ve sounded so stupid!” He curled up into a defensive position.

Apparently that wasn’t the right answer, you thought.

“Go on about the mountain,” Berwald pressed you.

“Yes, well, it couldn’t have been all a coincidence that when the mountain erupted, you and Emil were able to change back into dragons.”

“So y’ heard that,” he commented.

“And since Eldur Mountain is known for restoring dragon souls into their properly healed forms, then perhaps there is something similar to the way the exploding mountain works—only I don’t think the place we’re looking for is at the summit like back in the kingdoms.

“Think about it: why would anyone want to build stairs leading to a fiery pit? What is there for humans to gain?”

Neither dragon could give a confident answer.

“Exactly, right? Then that must be what the fortuneteller was talking about: if what he says is true, instead of fire being on the top, there’s water.”

Mathias raised an eyebrow. “But the mountain exploded, didn’t it? Water didn’t come out; smoke and ashes did.”

“That’s because the fire is beneath the mountain, Mathias, not on top.” You rubbed your head. “And I thought you dragons spent your lives revolved around Eldur Mountain. Something must have pushed the fire out and through the top. Maybe it was time, maybe it was something else.”

“Something else?”

No one liked the sound of that. Was there something waiting for you underneath the mountain if you managed to make it to the center? Was it perhaps the thing that ~~~~~~~~~ had detected?

“Maybe we’ll even find out why Allistor and Arthur didn’t want Mathias going there,” Tino suggested, which was a very valid point to consider.

You’re right, you agreed. Although, I have a feeling whatever we find there isn’t going to be pretty.

You relayed Tino’s suggestion over to the dragon, which disturbed them both. A deep scowl crease’s Berwald jawline, and Mathias’ face turned a ghostly shade of white. That they were strongly considering their friend’s words made you more worried than before. You didn’t want to be right about this.

“We have no choice, though,” Mathias heavily breathed, his face still pale. “If we don’t see if this place can restore Tino’s body, then you and Tino will be done for.”

“Can’t Tino just migrate over to ~~~~~~~~’s heart?” you asked.

The Golden Sentinel solemnly shook his head. “Doesn’t work that way.”

“Oh…” It was worth a try.

“But it’s still settled, right?” Mathias spoke up. “We’re going back to the mountain?”

You nodded. If it meant saving his friend, Berwald was completely on board with it. Mathias had little choice at this point. That only left the others to consult.

“Let’s go together,” you suggested, finally standing on your feet after all the resting. You fumbled for a moment until Berwald came over to steady you. He felt your forehead as a mother might if you had been sick and stared intensely into your unsuspecting eyes. “U-Um…”

“Not feelin’ any strange heat, are you?”

“No? Not anymore.”

“If somethin’ happens, tell us.”

“I will.”

“Can you walk?”

“I can walk.” You looked around at your possessions. As miraculous as it was, the remaining jar of pyreberries were still in tact in the jar, seemingly untouched since you passed out. Dragondancer stood in its sheath beside you like an inanimate guardian. You picked up your sword and fastened it to your waist. “Alright then…We’d better get going.”

Mathias and Berwald followed after you as you left your room and went into the main area of the resort. From the cracks in the roof and the ominous red light peering through the windows, you couldn’t tell if it was morning or evening. Whatever the time, you felt refreshed and ready to head out. The day still felt young.

The remaining three companions had since gathered into their own quarters. Upon seeing you were fully awake and walking, they looked relieved—Lukas least of all.

“__________________, you’re awake!” ~~~~~~~~~ smiled. Being the only other female here, it was nice to have someone showing concern for you other than a bunch of male dragons.

Why did it have to be this way, anyway? you wondered to yourself.

“Fantastic,” the fork-tongued sapphire serpent groaned. “I suspect we have to get going again, don’t we?” Everyone stared. “I swear, it’s all too fabulous, isn’t it? Two girls traveling with five—no, four handsome men. (Although, I can hardly register if the Golden Sentinel should count as one of the individuals.) It’s like it’s meant to be, isn’t it?”

What?” you sneered. “Lukas, did the ashes up there make you funny in the head?”

The Divine Keeper of the Sapphire Flames muted himself.

Emil crossed his arms. “This is good. You’re awake now, so we can tell you about what happened during our—”

“I heard everything already,” you cut in. “It’s alright. You don’t need to waste your breath. I think I have an idea of where we need to go.”

The other three listened intently.

“Well, go on, _________________,” ~~~~~~~~~~ urged.

“We need to go back to the mountain.”

“Oh, no,” Lukas immediately refused. “We are not going back there. Not if I could turn back into my true form, not if ~~~~~~~~~ had the powers of a dragon, not if the Golden Sentinel were there to protect us. I refuse to partake in anymore of these shenanigans. If you’re going to the mountain, count me out.”

You huffed. You had a feeling this would happen, but fortunately, Lukas’ role wasn’t vital to this journey. It didn’t involve him, and placing yourself in his position, it wasn’t fair that he had to continue being dragged around.

“No one’s forcing you to go if you don’t want to,” you finally said. “Stay here. You can watch the resort while we’re gone.”

Lukas was baffled. He was so unused to getting his way after all these years that he didn’t know how to react to your permission of freedom. The others were equally surprised.

You looked to them. “Technically, none of us had to come here, but you’ve all had your reasons, for better or worse. I absolutely need to go, that much is certain. Mathias is out of the question. Berwald…”

“I’m going,” he said with sheer determination (although it was hard to tell, given his deep monotonous voice).

“I need to go, too,” ~~~~~~~~ said. “I felt something moving there. If I could help you all find it, maybe this will pass faster.”

That left Emil torn between following you and staying with his brother. ~~~~~~~~~ was his Dragonheart, but Lukas was his family. He wanted to protect ~~~~~~~~~, but he knew his brother wouldn’t fare well by himself. How could he choose one over the other?

“~~~~~~~~~, maybe it would be easier to just tell them where they need to go,” he prodded. “It looks like they have an idea. Point them in the right direction, and they can do the rest.”

“What? No, they don’t know where it was. I can’t just let them go off and—”

“This isn’t your journey, anymore.” You saw as his former vessel flinched at his sudden change in tone. “~~~~~~~~~, I know you want to help Mathias. He’s my friend, too. But there’s nothing more we can do for him. If we were to put ourselves into more danger because of him, how do you think that would make him feel?”

Mathias’ lips were trembling. “Emil…”

“…This is our stop, ~~~~~~~~~~. We’ve done everything we can. I don’t want anymore of us getting into trouble because of a few rash decisions.”

Isn’t he the level-headed one? you smiled, touched that the youngest dragon here was starting to become the most sensible. Of course, even if he was the youngest, he was decades older than you and ~~~~~~~~~~.

It took some debating back and forth between the dragons and the Dragonheart, but she finally relented on the condition that she explicitly tell you where she felt the presence.

“Right before the stairs collapsed—if you can see that far with the smoke—I felt something from underground. If what you say is true, then there has to be a passage into the mountain somewhere. I’m warning you three—four—whatever’s down there shouldn’t be taken lightly. I would try and help but…”

She looked sadly to her long-time dragon companions. “I get the feeling these two overgrown lizards will be upset with me if I tag along.” She forced a smile. “But, hey, it’s not like Dragonfall ended on its own. I think if you stick together and trust in your hearts, there won’t be anything you can’t do.”

Lukas rolled his eyes at the flowery poetic advice. He appeared to want to get over something, but since his journey stopped here, you weren’t sure what that thing could be.

“We’ll be fine,” Berwald reassured everyone, placing a heavy hand on your shoulder. Sometimes it was difficult to tell if he was concerned for you or just the soul that resided in your heart. “Shall we?”

Mathias grinned. “Let’s shall!”

With your stomachs filled with one final meal and packing up your supplies, you headed out in the direction of the burning mountain, the cinders and embers from nearby foliage still glowing in the blackened sky.

You took one final look at the others before splitting off the main path. ~~~~~~~~~~ was continuously waving, while Emil was looking on with an expectant look in his lavender eyes. Lukas on the other hand…

“Good. With them gone, we can finish the last of those pyreberries.”

In that moment, you exploded with rage and pointed straight towards him with a violent thrust. “Divine Keeper of the Sapphire Flames, you are forbidden to touch that jar until we get back!”
So it goes on.

Hetalia and its characters belong to Himaruya Hidekazu.
OC Scotland is based on a pixiv design by Repoko.
This story and picture belong to me, GydroZMaa.
Any similarities to characters, settings, scripts, or stories from other pieces of literature or media unless otherwise stated are purely coincidental.

Prequel: Dragon!Norway x Reader ~The Dragonheart~
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