Mystic Dragon Cadets

"JONAH MAVERICKSON!"

A voice as loud as a banshee had to be the first thing Tegan hears when leaving her dorm room. The drenched man from the other night was actually a famous Mystic Knight, she would've been more excited but it was early and she didn't have breakfast yet.

"Where is he? Where is he?" said a voice.

Another voice spoke. "I heard hes in the cafe!"

"This is dope!" said a third voice. "If I get his signature than all my Mystic Knight posters will be complete."

Three cadets collided with one another as they ran down the stairs, she followed the loud conversation as bright sunlight brushed across her face. Patches was beside her as they entered the cafe, how weird? Tegan was surprised how obedient he was acting today.

She noticed a man in the middle of the frantic crowd. He was tall with brown skin, white spots on his face and arms, short black hair, and light brown eyes. Didn't he have vitiligo?

"Can I have your autograph?" said a girl.

Jonah gave a friendly smile. "Of course."

A boy spoke. "Why are you in Lullaby City?"

"Just passing through," Jonah explained.

Freya squealed. "Who's going to be your next apprentice!"

"Sorry. There's a reason I haven't picked a new Anklebiter yet," Jonah said. "Nolan wishes to study under my guidance for one more year."

The blind Mystic Knight that arrived with Jonah Maverickson was sitting nearby, his cane rested across the table. But something was odd. It was his eyes, his eyes were gold like a dragons.

"Tegan!" Sloan waved at her. "Hurry up and eat, your gonna need your strength."

An hour later, every cadet except for the Alphas stood outside the Academy wearing white uniforms and a colorful stripe to represent their element color.

"So I carried a human chain of people to safety," Tegan explained her nightly Hunt to her best friend. "Also, what Melissa did I couldn't believe my eyes!"

"Very awesome!" Sloan smiled. "And that makes sense, fire needs oxygen to burn and she took that away. By the way, what's your grade in Omenology?"

Tegan winked at him. "B +"

"UGH!" said a familiar voice and turned to see Lisa walking over with Kong by her side.

"What's wrong Lisa?" Tegan asked with concern hoping it wasn't about the Zodiac Nests.

"I know we talked about it, but I thought he would try harder!" Lisa complained. "Sure, Mason is an Alpha now, but I thought he would give our new long distant relationship a chance."

Tegan watched Kong make little boxing punches with his claws. "So, you and your boyfriend broke up? I'm sorry."

"I don't wanna talk about it," Lisa scowled and stomped off.

Standing on the sidelines was the rookie Mystic Knight with the cane, she put her hand on Sloan's shoulder. "I don't think he's really blind."

Sloan followed his friend's gaze. "What do you mean? He has a white and red cane."

"Yea but," Tegan made a gesture with her arms. "But I saw his eyes at the cafe, they were golden like a dragon's."

Sloan was silent for a while. "That is strange…want to investigate?"

"Do you even have to ask?" Tegan smirked.

They walked over to the rookie as his head turned slightly, it could've been her imagination but it almost felt like he sensed them. His blue dragon was nearby playing with a ragdoll toy.

"Hi Nolan," she greeted. "My name is Tegan and this is my best friend Sloan."

Sloan kept it simple. "Sup."

"Nice to meet you," Nolan nodded his head. "This is Muse like the goddess in Greek Mythology."

"I was wondering if your eyes are sensitive to sunlight?" Tegan didn't want to sound rude, she was just curious. "I saw you eating without your sunglasses in the cafe."

"Hmm," Nolan turned and took off his shades revealing nothing but ghostly eyes. "I was born blind, but what you saw is a long story."

"Okay everyone gather round!" Professor Zephyr announced.

"A tale we won't get to hear…unfortunately," Sloan grumbled.

Tegan said goodbye to Nolan and Muse as they gathered with the rest of the cadets. All the Professors were dressed all dignified as a small red sports flag stood infront of them.

"Good evening Cadets," Professor Rayne said. "Today's assignment is a race to test your speed and endurance."

Professor Uma spoke next. "You'll be racing around the 5 boroughs of Lullaby City, that will be Queens, the Bronx, Manhattan, Brooklyn, and the finish line will be Staten Island."

"Pay close attention," Professor Zephyr explained. "There will be more flags that you must follow."

Professor Rayne pointed out. "Your provided with bodycams and a stepwatch, so we're able to evaluate you."

"Behind us is a truck filled with backpacks," Professor Uma picked one up. "Inside each one is water, food, and first aid."

Professor Zephyr clapped his hands and started passing out the backpacks. "Jonah Maverickson will be waiting at Staten Island to collect your bodycams and stepwatches. And if you see any Omens its your obligation to kill it."

"Good luck!" Professor Uma waved.

Tegan cut across Manhattan as red flags poked out from buildings, even though this was a race Sloan insisted on travelling with her. Looking down she was reminded of a meeting she had with the Academy's therapist. The topic was fears & phobias, a common fear is that most people are scared of heights. What was her fear?

Up ahead Tegan noticed a familiar black and white striped building. It was shaped like a giant circus tent with several glass windows, and the number 13 was on top. What she was looking at was a Dead Station & it's run by Cadaver Collectors. Her older brother August said it's a facility that cleans up collateral damage caused by Omens, they also find bodies, and make prosthetic limbs.

A few blocks away was another familiar building. It was a black castle with the colors blue, green, purple, and red mixed in like a rubix cube. There was a gold star emblem on top and the number 7 was in the middle. What Tegan was looking at was a Dragon Tooth Slaughter Station, around 5 Diors can be put into a unit. They are basically the peacekeepers of the city & their job is to protect people from Omen attacks.

"You know its kinda ironic that Fire Omen landed in hell's kitchen," Tegan said.

"Stranger things have happened," Sloan whistled. "I'm surprised the rats in the subway haven't sprouted wings and started talking yet."

They crossed into Queens which had a beautiful nature landscape. Infront of her tiny specs floated, she knew it wasn't birds but other Cadets. Tegan glanced a tree with a red flag attached to the branch when something swooped between them.

"Woah," Vincent yelped and straightened. "Hey guys!"

"You okay?" Tegan scrunched up her face. "Why did you fall out the sky like that?"

"I was being chased by some birds and finally escaped," Vincent shivered. "Had to sacrifice half of my delicious sandwich."

Sloan shook his head. "Tragic."

"Can I fly with you guys?" Vincent groaned.

Tegan spread her hands. "You do realize this is a race right?"

"I'm not that competitive," Vincent scratched his unkempt brown hair and pulled out a feather.

"I guess," Sloan said.

"The more the merrier," Tegan finished. She knew Vincent was an Orphan from Staten Island and when he was just 5 years-old his parents abandoned him at the Academy.

Just then they saw a giant red blob in the distance as projectiles moved around. Everything happened too quickly as the blob turned into a charcoal statue. She had a feeling it might've been a fire Omen as they got closer, a hand made out of earth appeared as it punched the remains. The noise felt like an avalanche as black rock crumbled. Unfortunately, the cadets promptly flew away before Tegan had time to I.D. them.

An hour later, they soared over Brooklyn. It felt more like a road trip to Tegan then a race at this point, Vincent talked about his nerdy hobbies while Sloan looked through his backpack.

"Journey To The Center Of The Earth is a great movie!" Vincent exclaimed. "Imagine a whole new world inside the earth with creatures that no longer exist, you know they say dragons are descendants of dinosaurs."

Tegan laughed.

"Can we stop somewhere to eat?" Vincent asked.

They touched down near a park and just before they landed Tegan noticed a red flag, at least that meant their not lost. Their hungry friend took out the other half of his sandwich and ate it, he then pulled out a bottle of water. Tegan and Sloan already had their lunch in the last city which was The Bronx. Um, the neighborhood they chose was a little sketchy and she was surprised they didn't get mugged.

"Thanks for letting me tag along," Vincent suddenly said. "But you guys can go without me if you want, I'll catch up. Brooklyn has some great sights."

"Alright," Tegan said. "Just be careful."

They both flew into the sky leaving Vincent in the company of his fire dragon, Xoey. The city looked very urban as they passed apartments and buildings, but then out the corner of her eye she noticed a balloon. It wasn't an uncommon thing, little kids lose their balloons all the the time, but what was written on the balloon caught her attention.

It was a balloon with words of endearment scribbled across the surface in black marker, several were hearts, a short poem, and the words in loving memory. Tegan watched the balloon rise before it popped. Just then the sun was hidden behind some grey clouds as she glanced at the urban landscape.

"Wanna get some ice cream?" Sloan said suddenly.

They took a quick break and stopped at an Ice cream vendor down below. Tegan got rocky road ice cream with a scoop of strawberry, and Sloan got mint chocolate chip with lots of fruit. It was a nice tourist spot, there wasn't much to look at but it was enough.

"Fun! Travelling is peaceful and fun," Sloan began. "My dad use to take me on trips in his plane."

"Must be nice being the poster child of shiny things," Tegan smiled.

Sloan snorted. "Yeah, my dorm is a freaking gift shop."

She took another bite of her ice cream and leaned forward, a gold and blue sign caught her eye. "Mind if we check that place out before we leave?"

They stopped infront of a large shop with the words Mystic Knight Trading Cards in big gold and blue letters before going inside.

"Hello!" said the man. "Can I help you?"

"Just browsing Sir!" Sloan called out.

Tegan looked around at the different shelves and read the dates, most were last year's edition and some were last, last year's edition.

"You never told me about this hobby," Sloan raised an eyebrow.

Tegan blushed. "Guess it slipped my mind, I actually have a small collection hidden in my dorm."

"At least you have something...I don't even know what I wanna do in life," Sloan's voice became hollow. "My dad taught me a bunch of things, I'm like the Jack Of All Trades."

"We're in the same boat ya dork," Tegan tried to cheer him up. "All I can say is we both like music."

"Yeah?" Sloan pulled his ear unconsciously. "Like sell instruments?"

"Um not exactly," Tegan pocked her nose. "Maybe something smaller like music boxes."

"Interesting!" Sloan's smile returned. "We can check the downtown archives to see if they know how to make a music box."

"I had that idea for awhile but I've been focusing on my short-term goal," Tegan explained. "I want to eradicate all the Zodiac Nests from the world."

"Hendrix!" said the shop owner. "Thats who you look like, my old Pal, Ramos Hendrix!"

"Oh! You know my dad," Sloan said it like it wasn't a big deal.

"We use to fly planes together," the shop owner gestured for them to come closer. "Hows your old man these days?"

"Hes very spontaneous," Sloan shook his hand.

"Excuse me," Tegan looked at the man's nametag. Mr. Corey. "Do you have any new releases?

"Sorry missy," Mr. Corey cracked his jaw. "New cards wont be shipped until next month, but since I'm in a good mood I could show you one I got in advance."

He pulled out a glass case with a card floating inside and took it out, for a second Tegan couldn't believe what she was seeing. On the card was a boy holding a striped cane and wearing black sunglasses. Above that was a name: Nolan Abnoor.

"Didn't see that coming," Sloan said. "I hate cliffhangers."

"I can tell this guy will be popular," Mr. Corey flashed the card and it shimmered revealing a pair of gold eyes. "Hes nicknamed the Dragon Prince."

Just then they heard screaming coming from outside and ran out the shop. People were scrambling to get away as a Tornado Omen could be seen in the distance. Tegan and Sloan shot into the air and started blasting at the monster, beams of fire and water collided into the Omen. Unfortunately, that just made it bigger.

"Okay," said Sloan. "This isn't working and we just made it worse. Since you have a B in Omenology, got any ideas?"

"Um yea," Tegan looked at the windy creature. "In Professor Uma's class, umm, okay, I got it! Tornados are made from warm air mixing with cold air, if we mess up the balance the whole thing will go poof."

"So one of us has to jump into that thing?" Sloan came to a conclusion.

"Yup," Tegan sighed. "I'll go."

"No way, what if you pass out?" Sloan grabbed her arm as his eyes filled with dread. "Dont worry, I'll go instead. Make sure my playlist is Rock' N' Roll at my funeral."

Tegan watched Sloan zoom away leaving her speechless. She saw a thin layer of ice grow on her best friend's body as he tried to locate the eye of the storm. The wind was powerful, but she was able to find the eye before Sloan dove into the murky vortex.

Just then Tegan felt the temp drop a couple degrees as ice particles glistened and glowed brighter inside the Omen, all she heard was screeching like someone was taking their last breath. gurgling roared through the cloudy sky.

Sloan was flung out as the Tornado Omen vanished, it was like a sudden car stop at a traffic light as she watched her best friend spiral. It took a few seconds for Sloan to regain control as he flapped his wings to a halt.

"Woohoo!" her best friend cheered from a mile away.

That's when her eyes became blurry, it was a strange feeling as her whole world flipped upside down and then became dark. When Tegan woke up her whole body ached like she got hit with all 4 elements. She was sitting against a tree and that's when she realized she fell into a deep forest. Tegan tried to get up, but there was pain & thats when she noticed a crooked treebranch sticking out of her bloody leg.

She stood up again and this time on her good leg before sprouting wings and jumping into the sky. Tegan sat against a wooden fence as Sloan sanitized and bandaged her leg, at some point Vincent finally caught up to them as he crouched next to her.

"Wow, you both fought an Omen? Thats pretty reckless," Vincent said. “Are you okay? I did wonder why Sloan was flying around like a mad man."

"Yeah," Tegan gave a grin. "Thanks."

"All done," Sloan said in a raspy voice probably from all the panicking he did. "The finish line is Staten Island, lets roll."

Vincent flew next to them & smiled. "You guys are gonna love Staten Island. It's a cozy town."

Later that night, Tegan, Sloan, Lisa and the rest of the cadets gathered in the theater room to watch a movie.

"You won't be able to find them," Lisa explained. "My baba made sure to cover his tracks for our special guests."

"That makes sense," Tegan crossed her arms. "Cadets have been trying to find their room since Day 1 and I kinda feel bad for Mr. Snow."

"I'm curious to know how Nolan can switch from being blind to seeing," Sloan sat cross-legged in his seat.

"Dragon Prince?" Lisa hummed. "Almost sounds better than Dust Devil."

"Attention!” Headmaster Salazar declared over the loudspeaker. “Your evaluations will be graded in a timely manner, we appreciate your patience Cadets."

Vincent stumbled into the theater room a few seconds after the announcement. "Hey guys, so the movie tonight is Journey To The Center Of The Earth."

Just then the kitchen staff entered and the head chef Drake Muzan spoke. "Supper is ready and please enjoy the appetizers, Vietnamese egg rolls."