Twilight of a Hybrid, стр. 41

Marina took a small breath. If this was true, this version of Valvernowasn’t acting like the one mentioned in the story. “I can’t belief it. My Siren’s eyes don’t deceive me; he is indeed the hero many people come to love. But how is it he is still alive?”

“Even that knowledge is far beyond the wisdom of a Dragon,” said Flarefur. “If your husband is the hero mentioned from the prophecy, he is indeed the Valverno, the son of a god!”

Marina gasped at this sudden news. Her heart was pounding and her mind was gushing with many thoughts occurring rapidly. She couldn’t believe the fact her husband was an ancient hero who lived in the ancient past, which took place about ten thousand year old ago. She was the wife of an old hybrid and a demigod, or so what she has heard from the man and the Griffin.

Valverno landed near the trio. His face was reflected corruption. If it was true that he was a hero and born from a god ten thousand years ago, he wasn’t looking well for the hero type. After he landed, he looked at Marina’s conflicted face. “Did something go wrong here while I was searching?”

Marina looked at her husband. “Are you really the son of the Crystal Dragon? What would make me think that you are the son of a god?” asked Marina. “You’re not like the one said in this story Geraldus told me.”

“Those are meant for little kids, Marina. I have no memory of my past. I may not be the son of the Crystal Dragon god. Whatever happened is a mystery to me. We would need to find someone who has memories of my past, but who are we to find? Anyone living ten thousand years ago is already dead, unless if they’re dark minions of Lusìvar. And the name rather fits me than a failed science project a kid would never do in the far, distant future.”

Valverno squeezed the curved ends of his shoulder-wings with his hands. Every now and then, Valverno would feel some kind of odd numbness of the muscles of his dragon wings and human shoulders. This occurs every few months or so, and one way to beat the numbness is rubbing a hand where the wing is attached onto the shoulder.

After he rubbed his wing-shoulder muscle, Valverno removed his hands and shook his wings hard to make so the muscles are strong and fit to fight.

“Feeling numbness again… Valverno?” asked Geraldus.

“I don’t need any compliments from you or anyone,” said Valverno, now shivering his tail and shaking his wings. “If I am not the son of the Crystal Dragon god, then I’ll just name myself after the person, even if he is me. The name Vaeludar is insultingand very humiliating to me. I will not have it.”

“Okay, we have already established that. Anything we need to know right now?” asked Flarefur.

Valverno puffed. “Yes,” he answered. “There is a small staggering mountain on the other side of the three hills. It would be a treacherous road to walk through the ground, so the only way to there is to fly in the air. It is on another side of a long gorge that plummets down like falling down a dark hole with no end.”

“Well, I’ll have to be flying you again, Geraldus,” said Flarefur. The Griffin bent his legs down so his rider would be able to get on him.

Geraldus nodded and mounted on the Griffin. Geraldus made sure his spear he was carrying on his back was tied tight. This seems to be the only weapon he brought with him in a small band of armed people.

The Griffin had claws, the Siren had a quiver of arrows, bow, and the shortsword, and Valverno had his wings, tail, claws, spikes, and indestructible skin. After he saw everything as perfect, Geraldus was ready to lift off, as long as Flarefur was ready to go as well.

Marina quickly looked at Geraldus mounted on the Griffin then turned to see the hybrid widening his wings ready to flap and fly. She shook her head at Valverno and mounted on the Griffin unexpectedly and sat behind Geraldus, not before she manage to grab the book with her arms and went to mount the Griffin.

“Whoa,” said Geraldus and Flarefur. Marina’s choice to join them caught them off-guard as it did Valverno. “What are you doing on me?” asked Flarefur. “Weren’t you going with Vaelu—, I mean, Valverno.”

Marina sadly gazed on Valverno’s change of appearance, which does reflect his present personality. “No,” she said, stuffing the book into the Griffin’s feathers. “I don’t want to fly with a creature or even a hybrid until I know I can trust them not to have an evil heart or a corrupt appearance. I didn’t marry ‘Valverno’ has my husband; I married Vaeludar as my husband, and I will love no one else besides Vaeludar, even if he was a science experiment.” Marina turned her face away from the hybrid she now believed to be possessed by Lusìvar.

Geraldus widened his eyes and looked at Valverno. “It looks like she’s showing you tough love, Valverno. I should have shown you this years ago, but you’re experiencing it for the first time. Tough future you’ll be experiencing the next few months.”

Valverno rolled his eyes of Marina’s unexpected choice, but he still had to respect her choice. He still saw himself as her husband, even if he wants to change his name to something else that has nothing to do with science. “Let’s just go,” he said. “We’re wasting daylight.”

Valverno flapped his wings and soared. Flarefur stood close behind him and followed the hybrid to the place Valverno may have found the ruined fortress.