AoH Karma and Convexity 17

Certo's sobbing hurt Crona's ears. The black dragon collapsed upon his front paws, crying uncontrollably.
"Certo! Crona!" A voice from overhead called down. Crona looked up to see Kia gliding down towards them. The air guardian landed before the two young dragons with a look of distress on her face. "Are you two unharmed? What happened?"
"I... I don't know entirely," Crona stammered, looking down at Certo. "It all just happened so fast."
The guardian leaned down towards Certo who continued to cry with his eyes closed. "Certo, can you tell me what happened?" Kia asked urgently.
"I don't think he's going to be much help right now." Crona said, placing a paw on the black dragon's back. His scales felt overly hot against her paw pads.
"I understand." Kia nodded. "Come on, let's get you two to safety." She leaned down towards the ground and motioned for Crona to clamber onto her back. The white dragoness did not argue this time. She climbed on to the guardian's shoulders.
"Certo come on!" She called but the black dragon ignored her.
"Certo, listen to her," Kia pleaded. "We need to clear this area out before anyone else gets hurt."
"I don't care!" Certo shouted.
"That's it!" Crona growled and hopped off of Kia's back. She stomped over to the black dragon and forced him to look her in the eyes. "Certo, we'll figure this out later, I promise. But right now you have to stop being so damned stubborn and listen to those around you! Now come on!"
The black dragon stared at her for a long moment, his left eye was dry and bloodshot, despite his onslaught of tears. Kia noticed that his right eye was still glowing with red energy that matched the color of the sky.
Slowly, Certo got to his feet. Crona helped him over and onto Kia's back before settling down next to him.
"Hang on," Kia ordered as she spread her wings. Crona curled herself around Certo as best she could while trying to hold on herself. The air guardian lifted gently off the ground, blowing more dust and ash into the air.
"Master Kia!" The guardian looked up to see Volcanus hovering overhead. "What's the situation?" By now more dragons were showing up as well as the guardians.
"I've got two survivors here," Kia reported, thrusting her head back towards Crona and Certo.
"Are there any wounded?" The blue fire guardian asked, eyeing the young dragons keenly; neither noticed.
"Not yet." Kia replied. "I'm taking them to safety and then I'll be right back."
"Understood." Volcanus nodded. "But please hurry!"
"I will," Kia called back as she took off towards Nitrus's home. As she flew on, Crona looked down to see much of the city in ruins. The explosion had sent debris flying everywhere, damaging and in some cases destroying several building structures. Crona turned to Certo who was crying more quietly now but refused to look at anyone or anything.
"What are you, Certo?" She whispered in her mind.

"Crona!" Terra cried as Kia came down to land in front of her family's home. She was promptly joined by her mother after making sure Maya stayed inside where it was safe. "What happened? Are you alright? Where's Certo? Is he with you?"
"They're fine, Terra," Kia assured her as she leaned down, allowing Crona to help Certo slide off her back. Terra's mouth fell open when she saw the black dragon's glowing eye and she took a couple steps back.
"Would you mind helping me out here?" Crona asked, seeing the ice dragoness's reaction.
"Y-yeah. Sure." Terra nodded, taking up position on Certo's opposite side. As the girls ushered the black dragon inside, Thundra turned to Kia.
"Do you know anything about what happened?"
Kia shook her head. "No, I don't. Crona was pretty shaken up when I found her and Certo's been hysterical the entire time."
"Oh my," Thundra gasped, looking back inside as the girls helped Certo to the back guest room.
"I'll try and arrange a time to meet with your mate," Kia whispered. "I have my theories but I think it's best that I share them with you as a family."
"I understand." Thundra nodded. "Good luck, and both of you be careful."
"I will." Kia leaped into the air and hurried back towards the upper levels of the smoldering city.

Hours passed by noisily for the young dragons. The sounds of wings flying overhead and dragons calling out to each other continued long into the night.
"It's really a mess out there isn't it?" Terra asked worriedly, looking outside at the dark red clouds across the night sky. The ash had blown across the valley and the light from the moons gave the clouds a fiery glow. The sight reminded Crona of the attempted night raids during the war when the apes had tried to take their camps by surprise. The fires that burned on the ground seemed to bleed into the sky, making it even more apparent that the world was spinning in chaos.
The white dragoness nodded sadly.
"It was a real mess when I got there," Amp spoke up. "Titanus and his gang were ten different types of messed up and had to wait for the earth dragons to move them safely."
"Are they going to live?" Crona inquired, turning away from the view outside the balcony.
Amp only sighed. "I can't say. I think so. But from what I heard some of the dragon healers saying, they would be in intensive care for a long time. Weeks. Possibly even months." Crona and Terra cringed. The ice dragoness had not seen the state of the young dragons as Crona had, but when she heard the roar and the sudden explosion, she could only imagine the physical state they lay in.
A low sigh grabbed the three friends' attention. They looked down to see Certo stirring on the cushions they had piled together. The black dragon had cried himself to sleep almost an hour after being brought back by Kia and was now starting to rouse from his slumber.
"Hey," Terra whispered gently once she saw his eyes open. "How are you feeling?"
Certo just stared at her but didn't respond. After a moment he sat up and rubbed his eyes. They were sore and hot from crying and being dried out.
"How's your eye?" Crona asked, leaning forward to get a look at the black dragon's face. Certo only mumbled a response. When he was done rubbing his eyes he looked at Crona who was peering keenly at him. "Well, it's stopped glowing at least." She sighed.
"Glowing?" Amp raised a brow.
"Yeah," Crona nodded. "His right eye with the scar was glowing earlier. Right after the explosion I saw him and it was like his whole eye was radiating with this deep red energy."
"Red energy?" Amp and Terra glanced at one another before turning back to the white dragoness.
"It's like nothing I've ever seen before." Crona shrugged, seeing that they were expecting some sort of explanation from her. She looked at the black dragon who continued to stare at his paws. "Certo, do you know anything about this power of yours?" No answer. "Certo, I'm trying to help you out! Now let me!" Crona hissed, trying to keep from raising her voice.
"I have no idea what you're talking about!" Certo growled. Almost immediately his eye lit up again. Amp's brows jump and Terra leaned away slightly.
"Just what I thought." Crona nodded as she scratched her chin.
"Thought what?" Terra asked worriedly.
"Certo's the cause of that explosion."
"How can that be, though?" Amp asked. "That blast was huge! If Certo was the reason behind all that, that would mean he leveled half of the academy as well as causing damage to the entire city!"
"Amp, keep your voice down!" Terra scolded.
"No need to keep it secret," Nitrus said flatly as he ducked under the curtain. "We already know." Kia and Thundra followed behind him, crowding into the small chamber.
"D-Daddy," Terra squeaked. "But how?"
"Titanus and some of his friends told us," Kia replied.
"Oh no," Crona gasped.
"No need to get defensive yet Crona." Nitrus raised a reassuring paw. "I'm not here to pass judgment on Certo this time. I just want to know what happened from his point of view." Certo was silent and he refused to look the ice guardian in the face. "I was already informed by Amp when he was sent home about the conflict between you and Titanus in class as well as Tectonica's failure to treat you fairly. Despite past feelings. But I have to know what happened from you Certo. Otherwise there's nothing keeping me from letting you go."
"Daddy!" Terra shouted but Thundra silenced her with a harsh hiss.
"So what will it be Certo?" Nitrus asked.
Crona looked from the guardian to the black dragon. Certo was showing no signs of wishing to talk. She was about to give up hope for him when an idea popped into her mind. She leaned in close to Certo and lowered her voice. "Would you like me to be your voice?" Certo's glowing eye returned to normal and he glanced at her for a moment. She was being sincere. After another moment of silence, he bobbed his head once.
Nitrus looked at the white dragoness as she stood upright presenting herself in a very masterful manner. "Certo is allowing me to explain what happened since I was there myself."
"Very well," Nitrus nodded. "Please elaborate."
"Well," Crona turned to look at Certo before turning back to the guardian. "When I got there, Certo was already in a fight with Titanus and his goons. It was clear they were outmatched but I think Titanus thought I was there to stop Certo who probably could have killed them had he really wanted to."
Nitrus glared at the black dragon.
"Considering how much Titanus was pushing him, I think the important thing here is that Certo chose not to do what he could have done."
"But what he did do was destroy the academy that took our city years to build and has been a part of our society for countless generations!" Nitrus snarled, slamming a paw down. Crona took a hesitant step back next to Certo. The black dragon continued to sit motionless.
"Nitrus, it wasn't his fault," Thundra spoke up.
"She's right." Kia nodded. "You know how Volcanus's grandson behaves. It's a wonder this didn't happen sooner with the way he's allowed to do as he pleases."
Nitrus sighed and lowered his head. "I kept telling him that this would get out of hand! And he didn't listen!" The ice guardian stomped his foot, sending up a cloud of ice in the room.
Kia placed a paw on his shoulder to calm him down. Nitrus breathed heavy clouds of frost, instantly chilling the room. "I'm sorry Certo. But where Volcanus's kin is involved I don't know if you can expect a fair trial."
"Like anything in life is ever fair," Certo muttered; Crona turned to look at him with a perplexed stare.
"I'll try and have a hearing set up for you in a few days," Nitrus continued. "I have little doubt that you may be looking at some hefty punishments."
"But he didn't do anything!" Terra protested.
"That doesn't matter," Crona pointed out. "At least not to anyone who doesn't care about Certo or what happens to him." The ice dragoness hung her head.
"Why so long to set up a hearing?" Amp asked stepping forward.
Nitrus looked outside the balcony. "Judging by what's going on outside, I think it's going to be a while before anyone settles down around here."
The ice guardian had not been lying about tensions spreading throughout the city. Over the next couple days, Terra and Amp experienced first hand the fears of their fellow citizens. Word had spread like wild fire about the black dragon being sighted at the center of the disaster and how he had mangled the fire guardian's grandson and several other students.
"This whole thing is ridiculous." Terra shook her head in dismay on the day of the hearing. She had been hanging around outside the council chamber along with a large crowd that had gathered to hear the verdict once the council had made its decision.
Beside her sat Vixen and Ulu. Both had been shocked by the news of Certo's actions. None of the girls wanted to believe it. Katana and Kris had been forced by their parents to stay away from the council chambers, in fear that the black dragon may hurt them as well. Both girls had thrown a huge tantrum about it until their parents brought Sabre's family up as an example to the girls. Just after the explosion and the debris were raining down on the city, Sabre's home had been nearly destroyed by a large falling chunk of the main tower. The monstrous slab of stone had crushed her father's wing, permanently crippling him, while his mate was left with several broken bones from their ceiling collapsing in on her. Sabre had gotten away without so much as a scratch, but that did not make the situation any more pleasant for the ice dragoness. Her parents would live but for the time being she was confined to their immediate presence.
"At least Certo's not fully alone," Ulu sighed sadly. "He's got us for support. Despite what he wants."
Vixen nodded. "I'll always be there for Certo," She said, boldly puffing her chest out in case any one dared to look at her funny.
"Yeah, even Crona is in there with him for support," Terra pointed out. "Now that's really saying something."
"I'm sure if Sabre and the others were here he'd feel better." Vixen looked over her shoulder up the hill towards the pavilions where her friends lived.
Terra sat silently as she looked ahead to the great iron doors. She desperately wanted to be inside and listen to the arguments that were going on. "Do your best, father," She whispered.
Volcanus and the other guardians sat patiently listening to Crona's argument for nearly two hours. She had made it clear that Certo had been lured into the fight in the first place because of Tectonica's bad judgment in picking the sparring partners, though she had wanted to call out the earth guardian on having planned it from the beginning.
"I still fail to see how Titanus was completely at fault here," Volcanus said, crossing his paws. "You say that our own earth guardian chose him and Certo as the examples for the lesson and that the fight had escalated out of control. But my grandson would not have continued the fight after specifically being ordered not to unless otherwise provoked."
"Actually, you don't know that," Crona replied, keeping her temper. She had already been on edge having to come before the council again. At least this time she had allies on her side.
"Certo is a wild dragon," Tectonica scoffed. "His pride was hurt from the class earlier so he wanted to regain his pride by challenging the fire guardian's grandson to a rematch after lessons were done for the day. It's obvious that's the case."
"You have no right to talk in all of this," Kia snapped. "If you had been doing your duty as a guardian and an instructor, this could have been avoided."
"That's what I said," Amp whispered to Cryus who only scrunched his mouth skeptically.
"Are you trying to tell me how to do my job?" Tectonica snarled.
"No," Kia sneered. "But now that you mention it, I should probably write out some brief pointers on your thick skull so you can absorb them!"
"That's enough out of both of you," Volcanus ordered, silencing the quarreling females. He turned back to Crona.
"Master Kia has a point. If Tectonica had cared in the slightest about who she put Certo against, this may have been avoided. But since your grandson was already riled up, he carried it to the next level. I know you don't think he could have but I know as a solid fact that Certo could not possibly have escalated the fight even more."
"And what proof do you have?" Volcanus asked curiously.
"The fact that Certo excludes himself from every other dragon around him," Crona pointed out. "It seems that every time I turn around, he's excluding himself from the group or at least trying to. He would much rather be alone than have to be in contact with anyone else."
"That is true," Amp spoke up, looking towards Kia. "Even in group activities he was always the quietest and most secluded." The air guardian nodded.
"Have the other guardians witnessed such behavior?" Volcanus asked skeptically.
"I have." Nitrus nodded. "Certo truly does only tolerate the company of others when he has no choice."
"I see." Volcanus sighed. He was hoping that of all the dragons in the council, Nitrus would be most willing to rid himself of the black dragon. "And young Cryus. You go to school with Certo as well. Has he in fact behaved as your fellow peers have declared?"
"I'm not sure," Cryus replied. "I've never really been around him that much. But if Crona says it's true then I believe her. She's proven to be a very sharp mind." The blue dragon gave her a wink. Crona nodded thankfully.
"Very well then. I cannot deny the majority of the assembly for being in favor of my grandson initiating the feud." Volcanus narrowed his eyes at Certo. "Though I cannot understand how such a disciplined mind could be driven to start such a thing."
"So what course of discipline will you take?" Nitrus asked, fixing the fire guardian with his cold blue eyes.
Volcanus sighed. "Titanus shall be suspended for the semester once lessons begin again. Are we all in favor?" The council nodded.
"Suspension is probably the least he deserves," Crona thought to herself.
"Now the next order of business is what to do about you." Volcanus stared hard at Certo who only continued to look at the floor. "Now, you have a majority ruling on your side that you did not initiate the fight. But you have to see where we are coming from." Crona suddenly stiffened up. The fire guardian was not going to take punishing his grandson kindly without repercussions. "Our entire society revolves around civility to one another even in the midst of a dispute." The other guardians seemed to sense where the fire guardian was going with this. Kia and Nitrus exchanged nervous stares while Amp looked at Crona with an equally edgy expression. "But what you did was destroy, not just a small part, but over half of a major key to our culture!"
"That was not his fault!" Crona protested but Volcanus ignored her.
"That academy had been around since before I was hatched and even my great grandfather. And just like that, it has been wiped from our world. Now I know things are different in the outlying areas but inside this city we emphasize something called restraint."
"Volcanus, that's enough!" Nitrus ordered only causing the fire breather to turn on him."
"Nitrus. As a fellow guardian and mentor to young Ampus, do you not emphasize composure and restraint with him?"
"Well, yes, I do..."
"And young Cryus. Do your instructors not emphasize that you refrain from using excessive force when working with your fellow peers?"
"Yes sir." The water dragon nodded.
"And what about you Crona?" Volcanus fixed her with his brilliant fiery orange eyes. "A dragoness, so young. So smart. So beautiful. Truly you could not have been raised by barbarians. Even you must know about restraint in the midst of others." Crona only glared at the blue guardian. She would not dignify his unjust plan with an answer. Thankfully, he did not wait for one. "To defend one's self is moderately acceptable within these city walls. But to destroy something as sacred as the place where our young dragons learn and in the process wounding dozens of your fellow citizens, is something that is far worse than merely starting a fight with a fellow student." Volcanus's eyes moved around the circle of faces; all but Tectonica averted their eyes. "Would not my fellow guardians agree?"
Crona's mouth fell open in dismay. She could not believe the guardian had just pulled such a dirty move. She found it even harder to believe that no one was willing to say anything.
"You can't hold that against Certo!" She snapped. "Titanus pushed him to the limit! If Certo hadn't lost it, I..."
"I'm sure Certo knew full well what he was doing," Volcanus silenced her. "Every dragon, feral or not, should have control of their breath attacks by your age."
"It wasn't a breath attack!" Crona snapped.
"Then what was it?" Tectonica asked in a mocking tone. "Clearly you seem to know everything about Certo. Is that because you two are friends? Or perhaps you have some hidden underlying feelings for him?"
"I am not the one in question here!" Crona shouted at the top of her lungs, her claws digging into the marble floor, only inches from where she had vandalized the stone the first time. Her cheeks burned with embarrassment but her face burned red with anger. "The question is why Certo is being held responsible for something he did not want and even more so, had no control over!" Before the council could speak, Crona held up a paw, stopping time where it was. "Sin!" She turned to the white, wingless dragon on his crystal pedestal. "Why aren't you saying anything? I could use your help here!"
"I'm sorry Crona," The oracle replied, opening his eyes. He had been quietly meditating through the whole argument and only spoke up now that Crona had insisted of it. "But nothing I say will sway the guardians minds."
"Why not? I thought you could give advice that may help influence them."
"But I cannot say anything that will convince them to sway their decision. They will always look down on Certo from here on out until Titanus..." His voice trailed off.
"Until Titanus what?" Crona snapped. "What's he going to do? How do I get the council to..."
"It's beginning," Sin muttered.
"What?" Crona stopped and raised a suspicious brow.
"History is being written as it should be. To balance the world out."
"Wait, what do you mean? The war?" Crona gasped with horrified eyes.
"It's started."
"No," Crona whispered to herself. "It can't be..." She looked over her shoulder at Certo. "The war can't be because of him." The white dragoness looked back at the oracle. "Can it?"
"It's as my prophecy foretold," Sin replied. "A terrible shadow will fall upon the land and dragon kind when a black dragon comes to rid the world of sin."
"But... Certo... isn't like that." Crona stammered. "He's not a killer. A jerk yes, but he's not what you say he is."
"I'm not talking about Certo," Sin replied. "I'm referring to his past." Before Crona could speak, Sin raised a paw to silence her. "Good luck Crona."
"Wait, but-" Just then time continued its course.
"It does not matter what force it was but the fact that it came from that dragon is enough to deem it a threat to our society and way of life," Volcanus declared. "Certo will be expelled from further lessons at the academy and will, in turn, help to rebuild what he has destroyed." Crona opened her mouth to speak but Volcanus cut her off. "This hearing is adjourned."
The white dragoness stood dumbstruck before the guardians. No one could say anything to her or for her in the black dragon's defense. It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair that Titanus got away with a slap on the paw for all he had done and tried to do and Certo get the worst punishment.
The black dragon turned and walked past the white dragoness. As he brushed by her he whispered in her ear. "Thank you." Crona froze for a moment before turning to watch the black dragon trudge out of the conference chamber and out into the halls. She had never cared about Certo's feelings but something inside her felt compelled to stand up for him this time.
Without even thinking the white dragoness turned to the council and stamped her foot hard. The force cracked the marble floor, surprising everyone in the room. "You know what? Your academy sucks anyways! If Certo leaves, then so do I!" She turned to follow after Certo as Amp and Cryus jumped to their feet.
"Crona, wait!" They hollered after her.
Outside the crowd of dragons moved to create a path as Certo exited the building. They spoke in hushed tones as they watched him trudge into the streets. Up ahead, Terra waited with Vixen and Ulu. When they saw the black dragon's eyes staring at the ground and wings drooped sadly they all felt the world crash down around them.
"Certo," Ulu walked up and looked him in the eye. The black dragon's eyes looked so dull and lifeless now. It was as if the spirit had been drained from him, leaving only a hollow shell of a dragon. "I... I'm sorry... for whatever it is..." The lightning dragoness was trying to hold back her tears to appear strong for him but she was slowly failing in her attempt. Certo only walked around her, and past Vixen who bit her lip, trying not to cry as well. The girls could only imagine the worse for their newfound friend and they did not like where their imaginations took them.
Standing ahead was Terra whose mouth suddenly felt dry with nothing to say. "Certo, did my father... and Amp..."
"It wasn't their fault... if that's what you're asking," Certo whispered.
"I'm so sorry." Terra leaned on Certo's shoulder and wrapped her wings around him. Certo sighed as he glanced around the crowd of faces looking down at him. Several of the spectators looked disgusted in him while others were beginning to wonder.
"Certo! Certo!" A shrill voice called out. Every head turned as Maya came bounding down the street with Thundra following behind her.
"Maya, now's not the time." Terra sniffled, releasing Certo from her embrace.
"But I saw something really cool!" Maya squealed, jumping around excitedly. "I was at the upper gardens and I saw a dragon that looked exactly like Certo. But he was white, and both his eyes were red."
"What!?" Certo roared, the life suddenly returning to his voice. Before Maya could repeat herself the black dragon sprang into the air and beat his wings hard, taking off towards the upper gardens.
"Where's he going?" Crona asked as she ran out of the council chambers. She watched as Certo quickly flew away towards the upper levels of the city.
"I don't know." Terra shook her head. "Maya just said she saw a dragon that looked just like him but was white."
"Another Certo?" Ulu and vixen exchanged skeptical looks.
All of a sudden a howl echoed across the city followed by a series of hoots and barks. The dragons lifted their heads and looked around curiously.
"What is that sound?" Terra asked.
"I don't know," Vixen answered.
"I've never heard such a noise before."
Crona felt a chill run down her spine. "I have."

Certo reached the gardens in a matter of minutes. He landed outside the gate and rushed in, looking around frantically. There was no one in the upper rose beds but down the hill a little more he spotted what he was looking for. He dashed down the steps to the soft grass at the bottom where the aforementioned dragon Maya had seen was standing over a koi pond.
Certo stopped in his tracks as he felt his blood begin to boil. "You."
The dragon lifted his head after taking a long drink and turned to smile at Certo. The savage, ruby-red eyes that Certo had known for so long seemed to taunt him now with their very essence.
"It's been a while. I didn't think you were still alive, Brother."
Certo bared his teeth and dug his claws into the ground. "Neros."