The last time I dug Luna up my fingernails broke and was covered in blood to the point that my bones were virtually visible. The pain within, however, far surpassed the pain on my fingers. I tightly hugged the young girl, who wouldn’t ever open her eyes again, with my bloody hands and wailed.
The last time I had to dig her up, I dug the dirt up with my scales. The dirt felt wet and heavy. I didn’t know how long I dug for, but I kept digging until the sun went down. Little insects emitting light began to shroud the sky. The dim light lighted up the flower petals around. The entire area was dead silent. Not even an insect made a sound. The White Deer King silently stood behind me similarly to a loyal sentry. My dragon scales were incredibly tough. The dirt and stones couldn’t damage my dragon scales.
I didn’t bury Luna very deep last time, so I soon managed to make contact with the casket. I gently and carefully brushed off the dirt on top as though it was the side of Luna’s face that I was stroking. I widened the hole. I formed a fist, and then violently smashed down onto the wooden casket.
I was especially strong after having the dragon blood reconstruct my body. Thankfully, I was able to smash the wooden casket open with a single punch. I then ripped it open from the centre, thereby gradually revealing Luna’s body. Her hands folded across her chest looked so soft. They even glimmered as if they were pearls thanks to the insects’ glow. I shakily reached down and grabbed hold of her hands. Her hands felt so cold that I pulled my hands back as though I was electrocuted. The spot I held sunk down and didn’t bounce back up. Her soft skin didn’t react again, because she was gone.
I was genuinely afraid. I didn’t dare to look at Luna’s face. My hand stopped right in front of it. I couldn’t bear to pull the piece of wood away. My hand trembled intensely. I didn’t know what to do. Before I arrived, I was so eager to see her face when she was revived; I didn’t know why I was afraid all of a sudden. I must’ve been afraid of her death. Her death was basically the destruction of my world. Leading up to her death, I thought I could protect those around me, yet she died so pitifully.
I felt as though I was drowning in despair. I did so much, yet Luna still died because of me. I could see my powerless self when I saw Luna. A lonesome sense of despair gripped my heart and wouldn’t let go. I guess I was reluctant to accept the past…
I then suddenly felt an odd, warm sensation from behind. Surprised, I turned my head around to see the White Deer King touching me. She gently nudged me with its head as though it was trying to get me to move. I suppose she was encouraging me. I looked at the White Deer King with gratitude, but she turned her head away.
“So, you’re rushing me, not because you’re trying to comfort me, but because you want to return sooner…” I assumed.
I gave the wooden board a big push. Luna’s face was once again bathed in the moonlight. Mommy Vyvyan wouldn’t get her magic wrong, so Luna’s face didn’t undergo any change. She still had the smile she wore when I buried her. The smile on her face wasn’t her true smile, however. The smile she wore in her casket was a fake one somebody put on her. It was completely different to what I remembered. I didn’t want that sort of fake smile. I wanted Luna to be alive, and I wanted her authentic smile.
I gently carried Luna out from the casket. Her body was as light as a small pet, yet so heavy that my heart squirmed. I hugged her tightly in my embrace. My tears tried to surface again. I and pressed my face up against hers, but there was no warmth to be felt. All I could feel was the cold friction from my scales. I choked on my tears. Next to her ear, I softly whispered, “Come back. Come back, Luna. I’ve come to pick you up. I’ve come to pick you up from the death god. Nobody can take those I care about from me. Nobody…”
I placed Luna on the ground amongst the flowers. I then took out my dagger at my waist. My hands shook as I gently cut open her skin. That crazy bitch practically destroyed all of her organs. Her heart was ripped straight out. Her veins were torn. The sight of it felt as though my own heart was being stabbed. I almost puked at the sight of Luna’s pale body. I wasn’t scared of her appearance; I just… the sorrow hit hard.
I took out Luna’s insides. Fake organs were stuffed inside of her body so that her body could remain intact when she was buried. I tossed all the wooden stuff to a side, and then carefully took out the dragon heart and placed it where her heart was supposed to be. I took in a deep breath then checked to ensured that I placed it in the right location. I caressed her face. The dragon’s heart seemed to sense the veins around and began to beat. It extended things similar to tentacles to reconnect the veins, but it still wasn’t enough to repair all of her organs, for the reason that the mana was still missing a medium, namely blood. Luna had no blood left in her. I realised I had to use my own blood to activate the mana inside the dragon’s heart.
I took out my dagger and slashed my left wrist. Alas, no blood came out. There was a crisp clash sound then the blade snapped in two. One half of it flew to another side. I looked at my wrist with a dumbfounded look. My scales shimmered underneath the moonlight. I didn’t even make a scratch. My skin had been replaced with dragon scales. As a consequence, I couldn’t cut myself with a blade any more.
A hopeless realisation filled me with despair. I had no way of getting myself to bleed. I was covered in dragon scales. None of the weapons I had on me could damage my own dragon scales, and I couldn’t bleed. I spaced out. The dragon’s heart was beating in Luna’s chest, begging for blood to revive her. Meanwhile, I was out of ideas.
I came all the way here just to lose to myself, I asked. How ironic. Others couldn’t hurt me, but I couldn’t hurt myself to save my lover, either. I kept on trying to revive Luna, and after going all the way to her grave, I, ultimately, became the obstacle from reviving her.
I sat on the ground and spaced out. The heart appeared to grow impatient and stopped beating. Even the veins that had been reconnected broke off again, leaving just a purple heart and Luna’s defiled body there.
I was eager to go revive Luna the entire time. All the damn time. I made it there. I came so far. I was just one step away, yet I couldn’t take the final step. Nobody could hurt me, including myself.
“Aahh!!!!!!!”
His loud howl echoed through the night and scared off the insects around. A strong gust of wind containing grief and despair passed by, shaking everything it passed by. The clouds collected together. Thunder claps rumbled, and flashes of lightning flashed. One man’s grief and despair destroyed the peace. He was released his powerlessness and despair on every inch of the land.
I huffed and puffed. The lung-tearing scream literally drained all of my energy. I aggressively pulled over a rock and smashed it down on my left hand with all my might. The rock was completely shattered when it bashed my hand, but I was in so much despair that I couldn’t feel a tickle. I looked at my left hand that didn’t have a blemish on it.
“What do I do…? What do I do?!!!! What do I have to do to save my Luna?! What do I have to do to bleed?” I shouted in my mind.
I bit down on my lip as hard as I could to try and get a drip of blood on the dragon’s heart. It beat a few times, but then the drip of blood vanished within an instant. It was pointless, though. It just beat a few times, and then it craved blood more than before. However, the wound on my lip healed almost instantly. Was I supposed to bite my lip over and over, and then feed the heart one drop at a time? It wasn’t enough blood. Not remotely close to enough. I couldn’t provide the heart with enough blood using my lips.
I raised the blade again and stabbed my wrist. The blade crumbled to bits similarly to droplets of water or, better yet, tears of despair. I roared loudly as I watched the blade crumble to bits, leaving just the handle… and my pain of despair. I didn’t know what to do.
The clouds blocked out the moonlight overhead. The thunderclap and lightning accompanied a heavy downpour. I crawled over the top of Luna’s body to avoid letting it get wet. I covered her and looked at her with despair. The thunderclaps overpowered my roars. The rain ran down my face and dripped onto Luna’s face.
I panicked: “What do I do? What do I bloody do? I don’t know. What on Earth do I have to do..? My blood… I really want my blood… There’s no way to pierce the dragon scales. Only Xia can cut them and make me bleed. How long would it take for me to go to the North and call her here? I’ve already damaged Luna’s body, so her body will decay. Luna will seriously decay in her current state…
Moreover, she’ll decay extremely quickly. By the time I reach the North, all that will remain of her will be her skeleton. A dragon’s blood may be able to repair damaged organs, but it can’t turn a skeleton into my lover… What in the world… do I do…?”
I shakily raised my left arm. Owing to the rain, my scales had some creases, revealing my pink flesh underneath as well as a ditch. I suddenly had an idea… A very bold idea…
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