CHAPTER 5

Duncan changed back in front of the whole student and teacher body that had come running at their arrival. He shortly looked down at his own human form to assure himself that he hadn't lost all his clothes in his changing process. He was surprised that he seemed to have ripped his shirt, but was otherwise satisfied that he his clothes still covered the important regions.

He looked up again when he felt the extreme feelings that were coming from everyone around him in waves. He needed to block those feelings out or he would go crazy. He had succeeded blocking them out not a second to late, he was thankful for small mercies, because right before their very eyes another shock was making itself noticeable. It almost looked like a crack had appeared right in front of their eyes. It looked like the air had suddenly cracked open, even though they believed that such a thing was impossible. It was Duncan that really knew what was going on and the students soon noticed that Duncan was losing color extremely fast. No one could really understand the small whisper that escaped his mouth, that he seemed to speak like a mantra over and over again, but everyone knew that if Duncan, a really huge red dragon, paled that it didn't mean anything good.

Louise was the first to ask, rather loudly for everyone to hear: "Duncan, what is going on? Explain what this is right now!"

Duncan's eyes moved toward her before going back to stare at the crack that was starting to extend, letting the people look what seemed to be behind the very air, a black hole, nothing but the blackest darkness. His whisper started again, this time loud enough for them to understand.

"My father is coming and he is probably extremely angry at me for not being there when he arrived at home. I am in so much trouble." Louise looked at him with newfound worry and Duncan couldn't resent her for that.

"Can't you fight him or something?" Someone, ignorant as Duncan thought about him, suddenly asked or more like screamed the fear evident in his voice.

"If you thought that I was big than you have never met my father. In our race I am still a small child through my age and compared to him. My father is a giant compared to me if you need to know. How should I fight someone like him? Furthermore, he is my father; I would never be able to serious hurt him, if it was physical or otherwise. You as nobles should know best about those feelings. I don't want to disappoint my father; I want him to be proud of me." They all seemed to think about his words but were distracted when they heard a low growl seemingly coming from something in that deep darkness from the crack. Yellow eyes seemed to just suddenly blink into existence and big hands with claws instead of nails gripped the brim of the crack and ripped it wide open. Something akin a leg, but different in form and color stepped out of the rip and the rest of its body soon followed.

It looked like a mix between human and dragon, red in color and gigantic in size that no one dared to move or even breath, scared of being noticed by this beast. The growl was still present and the being looked at them with disgust and hate, but it seemed to search for something else. When his eyes didn't seem to find what it was looking for the growl strengthened in volume and the beast began to talk.

"Where is my son? I know that one of you summoned him here and I want him back, or I will promise you that this world will fall, I will spare no one, everything going back to become nothing but ash." Everyone knew that this beast would keep its promise and destroy everything that came in its path to find its son. They frantically started to look for Duncan that had stood before them not a second before. It almost seemed that he had just disappeared, but many would swear that he had just run and hid when he knew his father would arrive in any second.

Louise started to shout his name and told him to come out of his hiding but still nothing happened. It was then that the 'Duncan's father' began to talk.

"Duncan, if you are here than I will not wait any longer. Come out of your hiding right now or you will get it!" Many thought that they had probably blinked since Duncan suddenly stood before them, when he hadn't a second before. Still it didn't take a genius to notice that Duncan was a mess. He was whimpering and shivering and some would later swear that he was able to give his father a really good imitation of big puppy dog eyes that babies or dogs always used.

The eyes of his 'father' seemed to soften a bit and a sound like a sigh could be heard coming out of his mouth. "Don't make me worry like that young man. You are still so young and you shouldn't run around without someone taking care of you and making sure that no one hurt you!" Duncan for the first time didn't point out that in human age he would have already been a legal adult or that his father, who had been the one that had thrown him into the lava and had him fight against some other of his race that, had been the first one to put him into real life danger.

"Sorry" Duncan mumbled loud enough for his father to hear. His father gave another sigh before picking his son up and starting to turn around, slowly moving toward the crack.

Belloc was surprised when one of those humans shouted him to stop. He turned around and tried to find the owner of that high pitched scream. It was a small, even by human standard, girl with pink hair that was looking at him with horror, worry and desperation in her eyes. Someone else came to hold her back and try to stop her from opening her mouth but without succeed.

"You can't take him away!" She screamed out with as much volume as her small lungs could muster. "He is my familiar and by the contract he is to stay with me till his or mine death." Belloc was now fully looking at her and he wondered what contract she meant. He looked at his son and for the first time noticed the runes that were written along his neck, his anger skyrocketing in mere seconds.

"How could you? To brand something like a slave contract open my son. Probably wanted him to call you master, do your every biding didn't you? I thought about letting you life but what you have done to my son is unforgivable. I will destroy you all, letting nothing, not even ash remain." Belloc was about to breathe fire and kill them all but was stopped from a hand that was resting against his upper lip.

"Dad, calm down. They don't know what this contract really does. They believe that they summon themselves something like a servant that gets as much as it gives, even thought that isn't true. They don't really realize that they take a being from its home and the contract forces it to follow the 'masters' every bidding, to let the being believe that the 'master' is the only important thing in their life. They don't know that the contract is something like a brainwash that makes the being obedient."

"Not knowing is not an excuse for a crime." Belloc had calmed down a bit but was still furious.

"I know, but it also shows that it isn't done with malice or ill feelings. Please forgive them, for doing this and not knowing better. Besides I am not under its control now am I? I think that my mind is too complex for the contract to be able to manipulate it, so no ill feelings alright?" The hateful glare from Belloc didn't lessen, but at least he had stopped growling, and for now, that was enough.

Sorry its so short but I still hope you enjoyed it.