Wielder Of The Dragon Flame

Chapter 5

The grand hall felt like it was shrinking around Asta.

Every laugh, whisper and fingers pointed at him felt like a needle stabbing straight into his chest.

Elara stood there, her arm now looped through Lucien Pyre’s, her perfect smile turned sharp and cruel. Lucien kept his hand on her waist like she belonged to him now.

Asta couldn’t move. His feet felt glued to the marble floor.

“Elara… what are you saying?”  

His voice came out small and broken.

Elara rolled her eyes, like he was a child who didn’t understand simple words.

“Asta, be serious. You have no flame. Zero flame, meaning you have nothing to offer me.”

She flicked her hair.

 “Do you really think the Veyron family will let their only daughter marry a boy who can’t even light a candle? A boy who will never be clan head? A boy who is… useless?”

The word useless echoed in the hall.

Someone behind Asta laughed out loud.

“Useless Xavier! Haha!”

Another voice joined in.

“Guess the great Fire Lord’s bloodline ends with a dud!”

More laughter. Louder and Crueler.

A group of girls near the front covered their mouths, pretending to be sad, but their eyes were shining with joy.

One of them spoke loud enough for everyone to hear.

“I feel bad for Elara. She wasted years on that trash.”

Another girl giggled.

“At least now she can be with a real man. Lucien is Class S. Asta is… Class Nothing.”

Asta’s hands shook at his sides. Tears burned in his eyes, but he refused to let them fall.

He looked at Elara, searching for the girl who used to sneak into his room at night, who used to hold his hand under the table, who promised they would be together forever.

That girl was gone.

Now she looked at him like he was dirt under her shoe.

Lucien leaned down and kissed Elara’s cheek, slow and showy, right in front of Asta.

“Don’t worry, babe,” he said loud enough for the whole hall to hear. “I’ll keep you warm tonight. No need for dead flames.”

The crowd roared with laughter.

Someone started chanting.

“Use-less! Use-less! Use-less!”

More voices joined in. The chant grew louder and louder.

Asta’s knees felt weak.

He remembered every moment with Elara.

The first time she kissed him under the cherry blossom tree.

The night she whispered, “When you become clan head, I’ll be right by your side.”

The promise ring he was planning to give her tomorrow.

All of it… lies.

Asta’s voice cracked when he finally spoke.

“So… all this time… you were just waiting to see if I would be strong enough?”

Elara didn’t even blink.

“Yes,” she said coldly. “Love is nice, Asta. But power is better.”

She turned away, pressing herself closer to Lucien.

Lucien smirked over his shoulder.

“Run along now, little flameless boy. The adults are talking.”

Asta stood there, alone in the middle of the laughing crowd.

His heart felt like someone had ripped it out and stepped on it.

He turned slowly and walked.

Every step felt heavy.

The students parted like he was a disease.

Some spat on the floor as he passed.

Some made fake crying noises.

“Poor baby Asta… no fire… boo-hoo…”

He kept walking, eyes on the floor, tears finally falling.

He didn’t see Cassian standing at the side of the stage.

Cassian watched him with cold, satisfied eyes.

A tiny, dark smile on his lips.

Asta pushed through the big doors and ran.

He ran past the gardens, past the training fields, all the way to the back of the academy where no one ever went.

He collapsed against an old tree, breathing hard, tears running down his face.

“Why…?” he whispered to no one. “Why me…?”

He punched the tree with his fist.

Once. Twice. Three times.

His knuckles bled, but he didn’t care.

“I was supposed to be the strongest… I was supposed to protect everyone… I was supposed to make Father proud…How are my going to find the man in the black clorck?”

He slid down the tree and sat on the ground, hugging his knees.

The sun was setting. The sky turned blood red.

A shadow fell over him.

Asta looked up, his eyes red and wet.

Cassian stood there with his hands in his pockets, looking down at him.

Cassian’s voice was quiet, but it cut like a knife.

“Feeling sorry for yourself?”

Asta wiped his eyes fast.

“Leave me alone, Cassian.”

Cassian didn’t move.

“You know what the funny part is?”  

He crouched down so they were eye to eye.

“Everyone always said you would be the strongest. The real son of the strongest Flame mage.The true heir. And look at you now.”

He laughed, soft and cruel.

“No flame nor power. You have nothing.”

Asta looked away.

Cassian leaned closer.

“From today, I am the head of the Xavier clan. Not you. Me.”

He stood up.

“And tomorrow… I’ll make sure the whole kingdom knows who the real Xavier is.”

He turned and walked away, his footsteps slow and proud.

Asta stayed under the tree as the sky turned dark.

Night came, a cold wind blew, he didn’t move a muscle.

Hours passed.

Then… something strange happened, he had a strange burning in his heart as he crouched to the side of his heart.

‘I can't believe a heart break and humiliation can cause so much pain.’

He muttered to himself as his vision became blurry and he lay and passed out

A deep, ancient voice whispered inside his head, like thunder from far away. He then found himself in a world that seems to be another realm, he got up and walked around and then stumbled on a big gate with a hands print as a key hold. As he gazed at the gate, a big lizard-like red eye immediately snapped open.

Asta stumbled backwards,

keeping his distance from the gate.

The eye then drew near and nearer to the gate and Asta's eyes widened as he saw the creature that had those eyes.

“You…you are a dra…dragon.”

“Child, let me out…let me out of here!!”