Dragon Dancer III: Good Breeding
Johann returned again to the murals. He kept staring at them. I wished he didn’t. For several seconds, he was silent.
My eyes had gone dull by the time he turned to me. “Meixiu...”
I forced myself to look at him.
“This area was specifically set aside to display these murals. The same way a temple has paintings to display their sacred history.”
“Johann we should go.” I said softly. “Nono’s waiting. We need to find Kaguya and get out of here.”
He didn’t move, save the subtle rise and fall of his chest. He was tense. I normally didn’t notice his breathing.
“What did you see in these paintings?”
“How do you know I saw anything...? Johann, you’re very smart.” I chewed my lip and turned away. “You tell me. And if you see what I see... then I know it’s the truth. We’ll both know.”
Johann turned back to the paintings. “What these murals depict goes far beyond our understanding of dragon clan history. Hydra very clearly understands the value of these murals. They didn't' disclose them to Cassell, instead hiding them here under their main headquarters. Please Meixiu. You're in a unique position to understand these murals. It contains an important secret.”
I shook my head. “A long time ago... I told you, you’d be able to figure it out. It’s right in front of you.”
He pressed his lips together. “They used blood. These murals were painted with blood. Blood mixed with marine mammal fat. The oil preserved the blood for thousands of years. Whoever painted them must have caught a lot of them. They are off the coast of Japan, in the sea.”
I didn’t move. I wasn’t sure where he was going with this. He was always so much more technical then me, an engineer. So of course he would start with the substance rather than the art itself.
“There's no way that Hydra didn't know about Takamagahara and the hordes that lay beneath it. Look here. The oil they used was likely from a dragon blood hybrid species. You ... Meixiu can feel the life essence coming off of it, and that's why you can interpret the paintings just by being in their presence. They look like holograms to you... projections. Correct?”
I didn’t move.
“Meixiu!”
“Keep going.” I said. crossing my arms, still not looking at him.
“This human figure must be a leader of some sort. They call him the emperor... or the super hybrid.” He pointed to a large depiction of a man with a scepter and crown. “Emperors are hybrid species that are beyond our understanding. Once a hybrid goes beyond the blood threshold, they become death servitors. This is the absolute rule. But the Hybrids of the Hydra, according to these paintings have the power to defy the Dark King. Therefore, they can step over the blood threshold. The Hydra clans contain the lineage of emperor hybrids.”
I looked up at him. He was staring at me, his expression neutral. “Meixiu, you never resonated with the Dark King's speech. But you resonated here, first with the murals on the walls of the tower. Second, the ancient text that predated the four Kings and now this.”
“You turned servitor and survived. You were able to stop me from turning no matter how high I pushed myself over the blood threshold... by the command of your words. Your words that overruled the Dark King's Law!”
His voice echoed throughout the cavern. I lifted my head and smiled at him. “But this mural is not about me... is it?”
He turned back to it. “No. This person is already a ruler. Here he’s depicted as young, with old men obeying his orders. This member of Hydra, the young clan chief... Chisei Gen. He’s the emperor hybrid.”
My lips parted. I took a breath. One more step Johann... one more step.
I looked up at him. He was still staring at me. “Is that all?” I asked him. “Come on...”
Blank silence.
I tilted my head, tears coming to my face. “My genetic material was sold to a man name Hertzog for 500 million dollars. What do you think he’s going to do with it?!”
Johann paled in the dimming light. “No...”
“We’re probably too late.” I started to cry. “It’s been over a year. We’re too late.”
