Book 2: Chapter 61 (1/2)

“Diamant?” Az asked. He tilted his head, which was his whole body, and rubbed his eyes with his rocky hands. “You made a contract?”

“Sadly,” Diamant said and lowered his head. A moment later, his eyes gleamed and he smiled at Az. “But, very shortly, I won’t be the only one in this position.”

Az shuddered and took a step back. “What do you mean?” he asked, his eyes narrowing at the mountain elemental. His gaze shifted onto Vur and Stella before shifting back towards Diamant. “I refuse. I am a volcano elemental, king amongst fire elementals; how can I submit to a human?”

“He’s a dragon, Mr. Red Boulder,” Stella said, speaking the words Vur was about to say. “And you’re going to help him grow wings by forming a contract with him. Understood? Great!”

E stepped to the side, turning his head away as he suddenly took an interest in the designs on the base of the volcano. Az shifted his gaze onto the dwarf and frowned. Who is this man? Az thought as his gaze landed back onto Vur. Vur was shirtless, and part of his pants were torn. A purple tattoo of a flower gently pulsed with light on Vur’s chest while the roots of the flower were entwined in the runes on Vur’s arm. Az’s eyes widened at the sight. “You’re absorbing his power,” he said to Stella and whirled to face Diamant.

Diamant sighed and shrugged. “Yes, the little fairy is taking some of my essence, but the mana in Vur’s body is so abundant that it doesn’t matter,” he said. “I bet you’ll grow stronger too if he contracted with you.”

“Unlike the warped hearts of you earth elementals, a fire elemental’s heart is pure, unwavering,” Az said as rings of fire appeared underneath his obsidian eyes. “After the death of Miriam, I swore I’d never form another contract.”

“But I really need a sun,” Stella said and furrowed her brow. She tapped Vur’s head. “Capture him and force him to willingly contract with you!”

A hollow laugh escaped from Az’s mouth. “Do you have the power to, human?” he asked. The air around the boulder shimmered as its arms and legs crumbled into a fine powder. A blazing red light erupted from the boulder’s surface, forming a tiger-like figure in the air above it. “I don’t know how you forced Diamant to submit, but don’t think he and I are on the same level.” The fire tiger’s body expanded like a balloon, and a roar blasted through the air. White flames spewed out of Az’s mouth, jetting towards Vur.

Vur turned his head towards E, unconcerned about the flames flying towards his body. “Does this count as a rebellion?” he asked. The white flames washed over him, but he didn’t even flinch. A brown glow had enveloped his body, blocking the flames.

“Probably?” E asked as he took a step away from Vur. The heat from the flames caused blisters to appear on E’s arms, and he scratched his head. “That doesn’t hurt?”

“Nope,” Vur said. “Diamant’s blocking most of it.”