《Etrythia: Dark Fire》 Creatures of Etrythia Dragons: Dragons have been on Etrythia for centuries, and are the only creatures to have existed there before humans. Dragons can wield six different elements to varying degrees, of which are earth, fire, wind, water, light, and dark. Only Paragons can wield the entirety of an element, while Beginners can usually only control a form of that element. For example, a dragon who can wield the dark element may only be able to control the deepest and darkest of shadows at first before they begin their progression. Different elements have different colorings, and the patterns or eye color of those dragons often further define the mastery of their element. Earth elements will usually be greens, browns, or tans and always have green eyes. The darker the green, the higher the mastery. Fire elements will usually be varying shades of red or orange. Their eyes are always red, and the darker the red, the higher the mastery. Wind elements will usually be varying shades of light gray and blue. Their eyes are always gray, and the darker the shade, the higher the mastery. Water elements will usually be varying shades of blue, purple, and teal. Their eyes are always blue, and the darker the color, the higher the mastery. Dark elements will usually be varying shades of dark gray and black. Their eyes are always purple, and the darker the color, the higher the mastery. Light elements will usually be either varying shades of white and/or gold. Their eyes are always yellow, and the lighter the shade, the higher the mastery. If the dragon has a pattern, it will typically begin as a lighter version of the dragon''s base color before darkening and becoming more elaborate as more mastery is achieved. No dragon in recorded history has ever achieved black eyes and/or black patterning, at least in terms of mastery (one dragon species has naturally occurring black patterns). Elements also have names that the dragon will discover either when he first gets the element, or after some time of using the element. This name is a dragon''s true name, and while other dragons knowing it isn¡¯t thought to cause harm, most dragons chose to share it only with their closest relatives and friends. It''s suspected that the different species used to have a particular element; however, in modern times it''s not uncommon to see an Avelth dragon wielding the fire element, even though its build would suit the wind element much more. Mastery Levels: Dragon Species and Description: Dragon gods: Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. - one for each element, gods are frequently called upon in serious times of prayer, but some dragons also use their name as a curse or swear Humans- one of the lowest on the food chain. Not to be trusted and crafty/sly to survive. Extremely bitter toward other races because they arrived on Etrythia second but got stomped on and disregard by nearly all the species that arrived much later Note: The human''s version of history will tell that they arrived before the dragons, though this is false Elygran- Human in every way except for their antlers atop their head. Antlers vary by Elygran, but both males and females have them and they get larger and sturdier as one ages. Elygrans are close with the Sivritha (a larger, more unique version of an elk), but dragons primarily hunt Sivritha so they''re natural enemies. Despite this, Elygran are very peaceful in nature and do not like conflict. Only a small group actively participates in seeking out conflict and they''re considered outcasts from the rest of their kind Elves: Dwarves- live in various mountains throughout Etrythia. The king of that mountain remains towards the top of it and lives there while everyone else remains on the outskirts and reports to the king for work/mining. Some dwarves will also guard the very top of the mountain all day, only stepping away from their post when the watch is switched. Generally, a castle/stronghold is carved into this mountain. Dwarves tend to stick to themselves and don''t appreciate visitors. Have strong hate and fear for dragons and will kill any on sight. Also dislike elves and humans, though not nearly as much. They avoid Elygrans but are neutral with them. Only truly fine with the Golems and frequently do business with them. They''re welcome visitors and have an alliance. Golems- resemble a large boulder and are extremely deadly. Will hibernate for years in one spot and if disturbed will not hesitate to kill whatever has crossed its path. Tend to live a solitary life and spread out across mountain ranges. Because of this, dwarves and golems are thought to frequently interact, perhaps why they got so close. Golems also require a rare gemstone deep within a mountain''s caves to survive and continue developing. 5 years without it development slows, 10 years it stops, 15 and they are dead after weakening the past years. It''s thought the dwarves and golems reached peace through dwarves trading this gem in exchange for something else. Falinthian- extremely timid and skittish, perhaps why sightings are so rare. Like to live deep within nature in forests, though some seem to prefer open fields. A humanoid creature with feline-shaped ears and tail. It''s rumored that they are a shape-shifting species that can change form into their cat-like counterparts. They generally take the form of a big cat (lion, panther, etc), but even those who take the form of a house cat are larger than average. They Enjoy colder temperatures, some even thrive in the snow. They live with their families within their territory for life, unless they seek a mate. Upon finding one who accepts them, if male they will take the female back to their home, otherwise if female they will stay in the male''s territory. Humans are often extremely fond of these creatures but will treat them as pets and attempt capture. For this reason, they avoid humankind at all costs, further adding to their elusiveness. Hybrids- all hybrids are shunned throughout all races. Does not matter what race they are, they''re unwelcome anywhere. Most die out quickly, as life is not friendly to those who live alone. Prologue Faster. I must go faster. No matter how hard I strained, my weary wings refused to propel me forward any quicker. Instead, they screamed in protest, weighed down not only by the water pouring out from the belly of the storm but also by the hatchlings I clutched in my claws. My hatchlings. Even as my gut filled with dread and turned to stone, even with the odds stacked against me, I tried to push myself harder ¡ª in vain. My pursuers'' wingbeats gradually got louder, the ominous sound harmonizing with the rumbling thunder. They were close. Too close. I snapped my eyes shut, knowing, and already regretting, what I must do. "I''m so, so sorry my young one. I can carry you no longer." His wide, inquisitive eyes peered up at me in confusion. "What''s happening, mother?" I snapped my gaze away, unable to bear answering his innocent question. And to think the others claim him a monster ripe for the slaughter! They themselves are monsters! Without replying, I let the clawed foreleg holding him relax, releasing him to the mercy of the wind. "Fly, my child, fly! Do not let them get you!" His screech reached me through the widening gap between us, his screech of confusion and anguish, a screech that would forever be seared into my brain. It went against everything in me to do what I had just done, and even more so to continue flying. His sister screamed at me to go get him, save him, do anything at all, and I could not bring myself to respond. However, the sacrifice was not entirely in vain, as now I could fly even just a little bit quicker. I soon struggled to hear my pursuer''s wing beats as I put more distance between us and a tentative tendril of hope began to push through the dread. Maybe we''ll make it. She might hate me, she might not understand, but she¡¯ll have survived. If I can just make it to Myrvath... This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Then I saw it. A looming shape materialized in the darkness, illuminated by an occasional flash of lightning. Jagged peaks rose high in the sky, higher than any dragon could fly, but I did not need to fly to the top. Instead, I careened forward into what seemed to be a solid wall of rock, but I knew better. 3...2...1¡­ I snapped my wings against my sides and used my tail to pivot myself to the left, narrowly dodging certain death. I fell into a dark even darker than the one I had just left, dropping further and further the longer my wings remained clutched at my sides. Finally, I tasted a breath of fresh air, and moments later I saw a gap that led to the storm outside. I flung my wings open, slowing my fall and landing on the ground with a small thump. I set my final hatchling down, leaning toward her so she could see the urgency in my eyes as I spoke. "You must stay here, where you''ll be safe. Do not leave this cave, I will be back, and if I''m not..." I took a deep breath, my throat tightening of its own accord as my eyes filled with pain, "If I''m not, then no one will. You must avoid anyone you see, no matter the species. Even the elves will likely wish you ill." Her scared eyes stared at me, full of terror. "But why, mother! We have done nothing wrong!" "I cannot say why any more than you can, Nemyra." Deep down, I knew the truth. She was a hybrid, an anomaly, hated by her own kind even though it was her parents who were at fault, not her. I shook my head in an attempt to clear my mind. "I must go." I pressed my forehead against hers one last time, before spinning around and loping forward until I built up enough momentum to soar into the sky. ~~~ She eluded her pursuers for weeks, hiding in every nook and cranny she stumbled upon in the wilds. Occasionally she would lose them for days at a time, but they were hungry for victory and always caught up. She had no true chance against their passionate devotion to the hunt, yet still she tried and very nearly succeeded until she made a mistake. A fatal mistake. The scorching sun beat down upon her scales, drying them of their previously healthy shine and leaving her looking ragged as if she had traveled through these dunes for weeks, not days. Any dragon would eventually tire in these conditions, but Nytheri was even worse off seeing as she was a dark element who had lived in cold conditions her whole life. Despite this, she plowed onwards, eventually finding what looked to be an abandoned human town. The cracked, and sometimes crumbled, adobe buildings were much too small to house her, but there was a source of water, so she stayed there to rest for a few days, thinking herself safe. It was the third day of her stay when they found her. A violent, unnatural windstorm had formed, chaotically throwing up sand and blinding her. She managed to make it to a small cleft of rocks, isolated against the sea of sand. There she made her stand, facing off valiantly against unconquerable odds, and ultimately meeting her end. For years her remains lay there, slowly rotting away, a reminder to all of the consequences of harboring hybrids. Her bones remain there to this day, unburied and unmourned, leaving her broken soul to roam the dunes in which she was murdered for all of eternity. Chapter One 19 Years Later... A screech tore through my throat as I plummeted towards the ground, my widespread wings scarcely slowing my fall. Wind buffeted me left and right, up and down, throwing me in all directions like how a Falinthian plays with a mouse. I was but a toy to this cruel world, an object to be pushed around and played with as it pleased. Suddenly, through the rain, I spotted a shape rushing toward me. I squinted, trying to discern what it was, before realizing and wishing I had remained oblivious. With every beat of my heart, the sharp spears of a forest drew closer, closer, closer...I snapped my eyes shut right before impact, but the shock of pain and crack of bones never reached me. "Rylar! Wake up!" A loud voice called, jolting me out of my nightmare. I sat up blearily, still a little shaky, though this particular nightmare was recurring. I¡¯ve received it every year since I was a hatchling, and it unsettled me to no end. I struggled to completely awake as a dark maroon Ryzinthin lumbered toward me. "I''m up, I''m up," I said, hoping to deter him from dragging me out by my tail. "Good. Then hurry up, you''ve got a big day today." "I know, I know. That''s assuming I pass all the Trials." "Of course you''ll pass your Trials. Why wouldn''t you?" "Because I still don''t even have an element. I should have gotten it five years ago." "It''ll be fine. As long as you pass all the other Trials, which I know you will, you will graduate by the end of today. Besides, I''m sure it''ll show up soon." "I hope you''re right." He threw an encouraging grunt my way as he turned back out the cave entrance and reminded me to hurry up once more. Obliging, I picked myself up and rushed after him, stopping only to relish in the warm air of our home before stepping out into the bitter chill. This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Not all of Etrythia is so cold, but we live in the northernmost portion of the continent, a place of snow, ice, and frigid temperatures. Only dragons dared venture this far north, making it inaccessible to other species and creating a safe haven of sorts. This is stupid. Every step I took caused me to sink in snow cold enough to burn holes through my feet. Giving up on walking, I took a few great bounds forward before launching myself off the cliff. I freefell for a few moments, relishing the feeling of wind rushing against my scales. Realizing I was about to fall through the shelter of the clouds, I snapped my wings open and soared forward before wheeling around to fly back up toward my starting point. I shot over our cave entrance, searching for Kazlar, the dragon who had awoken me earlier. Upon spotting his maroon scales gleaming in the early morning sun, I quickly caught up and coasted alongside him in silence. I peered down at the land, admiring the way the rising sun coated the snow and ice in a sheen of gold. I had lived atop this mountain, known by dragons as Yavleth, for as long as I could remember, always in the same cave, and always with Kazlar. Kazlar had told me the little bit of my past that he knew: that I was an orphan, left abandoned in the forests around the same time Nytheri was slain ¡ª a story all dragons knew. He said he found me covered in scrapes and bruises, their source unknown, and took me straight to the healer in Yavleth. Suspicious of my origins so soon after the hybrids born of Nytheri escaped, no one wanted anything to do with me. Through it all Kazlar was there, protecting me and raising me as his own son. Now most dragons in Yavleth feel comfortable in my presence, though I do get a suspicious glance every now and then. I do not know who my mother was or why she would leave me in that forest all alone, but even so, I can''t help but despise her for it. The worst part is, I should be able to remember what happened. I was old enough to speak; therefore, old enough to maintain my memories, yet my first recollections are of waking in Kazlar''s cave. Nearing the graduation site, my thoughts came to a close as I beheld the grandness of such an event. Graduations are a cause for great festivity, and everyone comes together in Yavleth to help prepare and celebrate the occasion. Already I could spy the decorations and smell the delicacies the food vendors offered from my position in the sky. Graduations happen every year, and to graduate a dragon must be twenty years old, the age at which a dragon is officially an adult. In the years prior, dragons are instructed in a variety of skills, of which are: combat, healing, flight, elemental use, history, and literature. Upon reaching your twentieth name day, you participate in trials on each of the skills to prove you are worthy of graduation. Should the instructors see you fit to pass, you will obtain the permissions of an adult dragon, one of which is the ability to roam below the clouds, a cause for great excitement for many. Should you fail, you will be instructed amongst the year younger until it''s their turn to graduate, and then you will retest alongside them. I touched down lightly beside Kazlar and proceeded to hop around in excitement like a hatchling before managing to compose myself. I stared at Kazlar with beseeching eyes ¡ª my calm and mature facade had maintained itself for only a moment. Spotting my expression, he chuckled at my antics and said, "Go on, it''s your day, not mine." I darted forward happily, weaving through the growing crowd and reminding myself to check out some of the interesting shops that I had spotted later. Today is going to be a good day. Chapter Two Cheers filled the air as the fifth Trial began, a stark contrast to my downcast state. This was the Trial I would fail, the only one I would fail. I had known this for years, but knowing the ensuing ridicule was in short order pained me more than I''d like to admit. In elemental class it was so easy to put up a tough front, to act as if my nonexistent element didn''t bother me in the slightest, always joking about it with my peers. Here though, in front of hundreds of dragons? I''m going to die. As Tyrlev, the elemental instructor, roared the command to begin, I could only stare dumbly at the canvas on which a target was painted, unable to draw up even a speck of an element. Everyone had told me my element was that of fire, my red eyes and maroon scales being a dead giveaway, but now, not for the first time, I began to wonder if it was possible to not control an element. If there were other dragons out there like me who struggled to generate even a spark from within themselves. I hated every second I stood there under the scorching eyes of judgement that belonged to not just the spectators, but also the instructors. Finally the Trial was concluded, and I rushed to shield myself from the crowd by blending in amongst my peers. The final Trial was my overall favorite. Seeing as I don''t have an element, I can''t rely on magic to get me out of sticky situations. Instead, I can only rely on my combat skills and precision, precisely why I trained so hard in that class. Where others whined about the "unrealisticness" of being unable to use their element in combat, I used it to my advantage to overtake my opponent and win the fight, a skill I had mastered both on land and in the sky. Should there be any surprises today, I would be prepared. ~~~ There had been no such surprises. Only two more dragons stood between me and winning the entire Trial, and I was determined to make it out on top. All I have to do is beat them, and then I''ll surely have impressed the instructors! I made the first move against my Avelth opponent, darting forward and launching an attack at his side. His quick reflexes saved him, leaving me with only a few light-grey tail feathers grasped between my jaws as he soared into the air. He screeched a challenge down at me, and I accepted by leaping into the sky. I saw him grin then, thinking me an incompetent aerial fighter. You''ll learn just how wrong you are soon enough, Avelth. Hoping to goad him into making the first attack, I feigned uncertainty, pretending to struggle with keeping him in my sights while gradually flying higher to maintain the high ground. Finally he made his move, bolting forward so that my back was now to him before banking towards me and diving for my back. You fool! Going for the back of an enemy much larger than yourself! I allowed a smirk to slip past my lips, tasting victory. I watched his shadow as it drew near, counting down the seconds. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. 3...2...1! With a powerful thrust of my wings I was now above the Avelth, dodging his attack successfully before launching a counterattack of my own. I folded my wings and dropped like a stone, grasping one of his wings within my claws and dragging him down with me. As the ground rushes up to meet us, I shout to him over the wind, "Yield!" He hesitated for a moment, but upon spotting the ground rapidly approaching, he surrendered the victory to me, and I released him from my grasp before throwing out my wings to slow myself enough to land softly on the ground. "Rylar wins!" The announcer shouted, resulting in a wave of screams and shouts from the crowd, before continuing to proclaim, "Now, for the finale we have Rylar against Fyrlia! Make sure you stick around for this one folks, things are about to get real interesting!" The crowd once more cheered us on, before turning to their neighbors to debate, and for some bet, on who would emerge victorious. I spotted her then, a dragon who resonated beauty and danger in equal waves. She was a Farralyn, colored white and gold and black with great wings which supported her alongside two legs. Her top scales were the purest of white I''ve ever laid eyes on, purer than the snow that lay on this very mountain, and great care obviously went in to maintain that color. Her underbelly was not so piercing white, instead being a shade darker and contrasting beautifully. Her crown-like horns were a shiny gold, matching the horns that ran down her neck and the spikes at the end of her tail. Her striped pattern was as black as the darkest night, and while not nearly complete, it still managed to suit her just right, the still-forming stripes adding to her regal look. How have I never seen her before? She''s beautiful! "Fight!" The announcer roared, signaling the start of the match. I shook my head in an attempt to refocus on the task at hand. I''d have time to admire her later; right now I had a Trial to win. She made the first move, launching into the sky before diving for my side, a move nearly identical to the one I made against the Avelth in my last match. Rather than dodge, I swiveled to meet her head on. Most dragons at this point would break their charge and wait for a better opportunity, essentially playing the slow and cautious game. Fyrlia; however, was undeterred, continuing towards me with intent. I see. She''s going to overpower me as quickly as possible and use her temporary advantage to draw fifth blood. The combat Trial has very simple rules: you''re pitted against your peers in a 1v1, and whoever yields first loses. That''s all there is to it, at least until the final match. In this match the rules change: the fight continues until a yield or until someone draws fifth blood. Fyrlia wasn''t planning on dragging this fight out. Instead, she was aiming to draw fifth blood as quickly as she could, even if it meant taking some hits herself. Seeing as we were about the same size, myself being a tad bit larger, I decided I''d do the exact same as her, albeit in a slightly different fashion. Fyrlia closed the gap, thrusting her talon-like claws forward and flaring her wings so that she''d bowl me to the ground and keep me off balance for long enough to get fifth blood. Recognizing this, I braced myself, ducked my head, and threw my shoulder forward into her line of attack. Rather than bowling me to the ground, she smacked off me and lost her own balance, though not for long. I released a snarl, and a bite to accompany it, before dodging out of her reach. We''re even now. Both of us had drawn blood, and now both of us circled each other, wary and alert. Gnashing my teeth together, I sprinted towards her, aiming for her leg, a plan formulating itself in my mind as I ran. She was not as nimble as myself on the ground, having two legs instead of four. If she lifted her wings she''d have better mobility, but to do that is to risk defeat because she''d loose balance very easily. I weaved around her in a complex array of motions, all meant to throw her off and allow myself an opening. Finally, I saw it. Her wing was raised as she turned, leaving her leg exposed. Fast as a snake I darted forward, my fangs sinking in. She let out of a roar of pain, lashing her spiked tail towards me in retaliation. Undeterred, I bit again, flinching as her tail cracked across my back, leaving a trail of blood behind. I need to hurry. Two quick strikes and it''s over. As she stumbled away from me and swung her head around, I launched myself forward once more, caring not for any damage she might inflict upon me. My claws met scales, struggling for a moment to draw blood before finding an opening and doing just that. She sunk her teeth into my wing, releasing a bestial howl from within me as I struggled to pull myself forward and get a second hit. If I release her she will get away, but if I''m not quick enough... Her tail rose above me again, her bloodstained teeth once more aiming for my wing. Finally I managed to pull myself forward enough to sink my own teeth into her, breaking through the scales much easier than my claws ever could. Her own attacks landed not a second later, leaving both of us on the ground, spent and in pain. Releasing a sigh, I relaxed my grip on her side and stood, saying only, "Good fight." Before I could say anything else, blood rushed to my ears and a void filled my vision. I felt my body tumble to the ground, and heard one last thing before the darkness claimed me. "Rylar wins!" Chapter Three My dreams were haunted by creatures of darkness as burning poison coursed through my veins. The pain was unlike anything I had ever felt before, and I was left helpless against it. When my body tried to thrash in discomfort, I did not move. When a scream tried to break free of my lungs, it was only silence which deafened me. It was as if I had turned to stone and been left unable to move, speak, or hear. It felt like hours before the pain finally subsided, leaving me in control of my movements once more. Cracking open my eyelids, I immediately spotted Kazlar engaged in conversation, obviously a heated one from their gradually raising voices, and he spotted me not a moment later. Rushing to my side with the worry apparent in his eyes he asked, "Are you ok? You had me worried sick!" "What happened?" I asked groggily, "Where am I? The last thing I remember is the final Trial." "We carried you here, to the healers cave, as quickly as we could once you passed out. You''ve been in and out for the past hour. As for what happened, well, you''ll see for yourself soon enough." Not liking the mystique I frowned, "I''m pretty sure I have a right to know after all that." "Oh, don''t worry, you''ll know in a moment." With that he backed away a few steps, shot a glare at the dragon he was arguing with just a moment ago, and then asked me, "Feeling good enough to stand?" With a grin and a nod, I stood to join him. Normally the healers made me wait in here forever after an injury before I could leave. That''s strange...Not that I''m arguing but that means whatever happened can''t be that bad, right? I was wrong. Very wrong. We stood in front of an ornately crafted mirror, gifted to a dragon who now resides here from an elf a long time ago, for reasons unknown to us. It was rarely used, but now it was perfect for examining the black stripes decorating my once plain maroon scales. This means that I have my element now...and that I''m a hybrid. Kazlar stood to the side grinning like a maniac, a stark contrast to my now somber mood. Sure, I had my element now, but in the process I had lost what little of my past I thought I had understood. Ryzinthins don''t get stripes, and no dragons get black stripes besides the Farralyns. That could only mean one thing: one of my parents is a Ryzinthin, the other a Farralyn. I guess everyone was right for calling me a Hybrid, even if I''m not an elemental one. For years after I had been rescued, the other hatchlings had mocked me, using the gossip they eavesdropped from their parents to do so. The main basis for all the rumors was the Prophecy, which I had first learnt of at five years old. Even now, for reasons unbeknownst to me, the words remain imprinted into my mind. 15 years ago... Perfectly chiseled stone walls surrounded me, encasing me beneath the surface like a tomb. The monotone gray walls were colored only with the flickering fires from the torches which were lit every twenty paces. Shadows engulfed the areas the flames could not reach, creating an unnerving inability to see due to your eyes constantly adjusting to the changes. I reached one such area, and crept forward as stealthily as possible. Attracting attention only lead to humiliation from the others, and I had no inclination to, once again, be the target of their ridicule. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. Voices echoed from up ahead, reaching my sensitive ears, but just barely. Curious, I continued to creep forward even as my instincts screamed at me to run and hide. Defying their pleas, I allowed myself to sink into even further darkness, pausing only when I could go no further for fear of the light reaching my scales. I do not know for how long I laid there, my tiny body scrunched up against the wall and concealed by the shadows, but the conversing voices remained for just as long. It was hard to tell whom each voice belonged, but I knew Trizinth and Pyrstean were amongst them. One day those two will get what''s coming for them, and on that day it will be I who decides their fate! Distracted by my thoughts, I heard only a snippet of their next sentence. "-says the Prophecy is about the Hybrids." Intrigued, I perked up, straining to grasp every word that I could. "Like Rylar?" An all to familiar voice asked. I bared my teeth in silent rage. I am a Ryzinthin, not some filthy Hybrid! "No, Trizinth. She means the elemental hybrids belonging to Nytheri." A deep, older-sounding voice established before continuing, "What does the Prophecy say anyway? Not that it matters, I heard that the last true Prophecy happened hundreds of years ago which predicted the fall of the Dwarven Empire. All the prophecies since have just been hoaxes; I''d garner this one''s just another in the long list of fakes." "It is not fake! My parents said it was real! See, here it is, take a look for yourself!" "Not all of us can read, Pyrstean." Trizinth said, sounding annoyed, "Read it. Quickly, we will have to return to Instruction soon." The crinkle of parchment followed the release of an exaggerated sigh that likely belonged to Pyrstean, before she intoned: "Of dark and fire. Of black and red. Our fate is dire, And may soon be dead. One flees the dark, The other the light. They leave no mark, For they fear our bite. Rage will not wane Until crushed be all the scum; Calm shall reign. Soon the day will come." Silence filled the corridors, broken only by the soft rasping of my own breath. Had I not known this specific corridor so well I would have thought they had left, but I knew that to be impossible. The oppressing silence was finally broken by an unfamiliar voice. "So...what does that mean? Sounds like a bunch of gibberish to me." A chorus of murmurs agreed with her statement, leading to Pyrstean''s interjection. "You are all so daft sometimes! Obviously it means the Hybrids are going to-" Gong, gong, gonggg! Silence fell once more, before Pyrstean let out a small huff, saying, "I''ll just have to tell you guys later. Who knows, maybe you''ll learn to think and figure it out on your own for once." The clicking of talons followed a moment later, growing closer with every breath. Once she passed the others followed shortly behind and I remained pressed against the wall with my eyes squeezed shut throughout their passing. Once I heard the last hatchling pass by I opened my eyes, spotting someone''s white scales for a moment before the dragon passed out of my range of sight. Gong, gonggg! I shook my head once, attempting to clear the thoughts all crowding the forefront of my mind, before taking the same route the other hatchlings had taken. I need to hurry, else I will be late to Instruction. Present Day¡­ I suppose it''s not to bad. At least I know why my mother felt the need to abandon me now. "You okay, Rylar?" Kazlar questioned, finally catching on to my mood. "I''m fine, just a little shocked is all." I flashed him a grin that didn''t quite reach my eyes, but it seemed to appease him because he turned his suspicious glance off of me a moment later. I think now is a good time to clear my head. Upon communicating my intentions to Kazlar, he gave me a nod of approval and a nudge in the back, encouraging me onwards. With a real grin this time, I climbed into the sky before dropping into a steep dive and breaking through the cloud cover for the very first time. Sprawling forests and fields of the purest green lay at the foot of the mountain, a paradise for hunter and prey alike. A wolfish smirk etched itself on my face as I imagined my first hunt, playing through the different scenarios that could happen, all of which were based on Kazlar''s stories of his own easy hunts in this valley. This will be fun. Chapter Four A roar of thunderous rage erupted from my jaws, leaving the once boisterous valley unmoving and silent. Steam coiled from my snout up into the sky as I clawed a furrow into the ground in an uncontrolled frenzy. My tail mimicked that of a Falinthian; swishing side to side as theirs do right before a fight. Except, there was no fight. There had never been a fight, and likely never would be, at least not tonight. Eight! Eight times I have tried and eight times I have failed. Tomorrow I shall bathe in that Sivritha''s blood and then we shall see who is laughing! I sobered up upon remembering the bloodlust that may ensnare me should I truly mean my earlier assertion; even more so the closer I drew to Yavleth, and, by extension, Kazlar''s lair. I folded my wings just enough to lose altitude but opened slightly enough to allow for a slow, smooth landing. With a sigh, I touched down and plodded towards the cave. He''s going to laugh so hard when I tell him the news... Surprisingly, he didn''t seem shocked, nor did he laugh when I meekly informed him of my failed first hunt. Rather, he revealed his own catch he had saved for me to eat and jokingly said, "I''ll teach you my masterful ways tomorrow. For now, eat and get some rest, you''ve had a long day." It was only after he said it that I realized how weary I was. My tail and wings drooped dangerously close to the ground, and every sluggish step I took made walking a tripping hazard. After finishing my meal, I trudged towards my chamber, readying myself for a good night''s sleep. I pushed through the hanging ivy at the entrance and took a step down, being careful not to stumble. When all four talons were safely on even ground, I scanned my room. Everything was exactly as I had left it. My books, both for entertainment and for school, rested on a small shelf I had taken years to carve out of the stone wall. Seeing as books were so rare to find in Yavleth, I doubted I would ever need to expand it. The many trinkets I had purchased or found over the years remained in the furthest corner, forgotten only days after their discovery. A single one still maintained my interest, an elven lantern that hung from the ceiling, always maintaining a flickering blue hue. I could not remember when or where I had found it, only that it had burned for years without me ever needing to relight it. Turning my attention away from the lantern, I meandered forward towards my sleeping slab. I had never needed to expand my slab, it had always been more than large enough for me. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. Seems like I may need to expand it soon, though. I winced as my scales scraped against the stone when I curled up into a ball amongst my heaping pile of furs, just barely having enough space to fit. With a sigh of contentment, I let my eyes slide shut and my mind fade to nothingness. ~~~ "Rylar! Wake up!" Kazlar''s voice boomed, a noise I decided was much too loud for so early in the morning, and rather than heed his call I stuffed my head under one of my many furs. Already? I only just fell asleep, or so it feels that way. "Rylar." His voice carried a tone of warning: my one and only chance to oblige. I proceeded to bury myself even further amongst my furs; officially sealing my fate. Moments later I felt talons grip onto my tail before yanking me onto the shockingly cold stone and scattering my furs everywhere. "Pick everything up and let''s go. I need to teach you hunting before everyone else scares all the Sivritha off." Kazlar said before turning around and leaving my room just as quickly as he had appeared. With a groan, I pushed myself to my feet before, with exaggerated slowness, proceeding to reorder my furs and, finally, join Kazlar at the cave entrance. Without so much of a glance my way, Kazlar rose into the air, beating his wings with enough force to generate a mini snowstorm beneath him. Rather than wait for the snow to settle so I could see properly, I quickly followed suit behind him. Upon reaching the valley, Kazlar halted, hovering in the air as he swung his head around to face me. I hurried forward to his side, mimicking his position in the air as I waited for him to speak. "Watch and learn." He declared with a smirk, gliding down until he was just above the trees, his shadow darkening the land below him and heralding his appearance. Seeing this, I frowned in confusion. Is the goal not to conceal oneself and stalk the prey with stealth? I realized his motive at the same moment a Sivritha burst from the cover of the trees and into a field. While Sivritha were rather intelligent, even they could not resist the instinct of prey to flee from predator. I watched with a grin as Kazlar closed in, my own heart picking up pace as adrenaline rushed through my veins. Soon. Soon that will be me. A beautiful song-like shriek echoed through the valley before abruptly being cut off as Kazlar sank his fangs into the creatures throat. With only a single look in my direction, he tore into his meal, blood and gore flying everywhere as he gave into the bloodlust. I released a shudder as I witnessed the ferality of his actions, something I had never witnessed before, only heard about. Taking his glance as a signal, I turned away to begin my own hunt, hoping it to be just as successful, though maybe less violent, as Kazlar''s had been. Today I shall have my victory. Chapter Five I reached down deep within myself, searching for something, anything, that resembled a connection to my element. There was nothing. Just an empty void. Even as flames licked at my scales, nothing arose from within me. Surely being this close to flames should be enough for me to wield it, even as a Beginner. I dared not step into the flames, for while dragon scales were incredibly resistant to heat, even they had their limits. I would only become completely resistant to flames after achieving the Champion rank, something that even Kazlar had yet to accomplish. I came out of my trance just as he stepped up beside me. "Still nothing?" He asked nonchalantly. I gave him a nod before baring my teeth and snarling, "Why is it not working? Everything else comes quickly for me but the second it comes to elements everyone is better. They make it look so easy!" "You''re entire elemental acquirement is completely different than there''s. Perhaps this is just a little different too." With a defeated sigh, I allowed my head to droop a little. "Why can''t I just be normal?" Avoiding my question, whether intentionally or not, Kazlar rumbled reassuringly, "How about we take a break for a little bit? Perhaps when the sun is down you''ll be able to focus more." Kazlar was right, as always. Trying again and again was getting me nowhere; might as well take a break. Besides, I always did operate better at night. I gave him a nod of agreement before following in his footsteps. "Do you want to go and hunt again? You haven''t eaten since this morning, I''m sure a little food would clear your mind." Internally I froze while my physical self continued on as if nothing was wrong. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. This morning was a disaster, and I''d rather avoid hunting for as long as possible. The hunt had begun great: I had caught the Sivritha, sunk my fangs into its neck, and killed it. That''s where everything went wrong. Bloodlust in dragons only arose after a fresh kill and it was more severe in young dragons, such as myself. Knowing this, I had prepared, or thought I had, for fighting the rage that would overcome me. However, nothing could have prepared me for that. Blood marred the ground, drenching the surrounding grass and flowers in a sheen of crimson red. The Sivritha was unrecognizable, its once silver coat ripped to shreds, giving way to bones and muscle. Even then, I continued on my rampage, hacking away at the thin layer of flesh that separated my hungry jaws from the creature''s organs. A sharp thrash of my head later, and the rib cage was left gaping wide, flesh, organs, and blood all mixing together in a soupy mush. I watched from within the recesses of my mind as, with salivating jaws, I dove in, the bloodlust relentlessly dictating my every move. "I''m alright. I don''t feel hungry right now, just tired. Besides, my catch this morning was fairly large." A Sivritha burst from the safety of the forest, his majestic form scrambling to escape my shadow. His coat had been gray in the shadows, though now it reflected the rising sun''s light, generating a sheen of silver so bright I nearly had to look away for fear of being blinded. His towering black antlers were a sharp contrast, seeming instead to suck up the light, constantly remaining as dull and dark as obsidian. Not only was he a beautiful specimen, but also a powerful one, towering at just over a quarter of my height. He eyed me suspiciously as if he knew something was up. Which, he likely did. He seemed to have an uncanny knack for spotting if something was wrong in other dragons, even more so with myself. I copied Kazlar¡¯s technique, accelerating quickly, braking sharply, and then bowling over the Sivritha. We tumbled across the ground for a few moments, mud and wads of grass sticking to both of us while the sharp tang of greenery filled my nose. The Sivritha let out a musical noise, ever beautiful and regal even as he neared his death. I dug my talons in so he couldn''t escape, only relaxing my grasp when we came to a halt, and only just enough so I could pull myself up. His eyes flicked to mine, seemingly calm, maybe even accepting, as I stretched forward and buried my fangs in his neck in one quick motion. The light faded from his eyes, and with it my control over my body faded as well, leaving me trapped within my brain to observe the mutilation of the once stunning Sivritha. "You sure you''re not hungry?" A red haze covered my vision, blurring everything that had been visible moments before. I snarled with no prompting, and moments later I could feel the rage building up within me. I clawed at the walls of my mind, fighting, and begging, for control. I pushed back as hard as I could, combatting my instinctual desire for blood and rage. I held it off for a moment, but it wasn''t enough. It was as if I was a spectator through someone else''s eyes, able to only view the carnage in horror, and helpless to intervene. I could not say for how long I was stuck fighting inside my mind, but I was left completely exhausted when the bloodlust finally relented. My chest heaved in great gasping breaths, both from exertion and terror. I was a hunter, predator, made to kill others for sustenance, but this? It was too much. It will not control me. I shook my head, and, thankfully, he dropped the subject. "Well then, I''ll be off. Wait until I''m back before trying your element. I want to be there when it happens." I nodded in agreement, although I was still skeptical that he would get to see anything, even after I took a break. I watched him soar towards the valley for a few moments, before turning and heading for the centermost area of Yavleth, where all the shops were located. It was also where dragons went to socialize or, occasionally, hold competitions. May as well see if anything interesting is happening tonight. Chapter Six When Kazlar eventually found me, it was right as I was digging into a rather expensive meal, one that he was technically paying for since I hadn''t earned any Arygu yet. Dragons have currency similar to human coins, except all of our coins, called Arygu, were made from an obsidian base with flecks of gold and silver mixed in. The larger the Arygu, the higher the value. To keep things simple, there were only three different sizes: small, medium, and large. I had spent a few large Arygu on my meal, and it wasn''t near good enough for that price. While a sizable meal, the meat was long cold and disgustingly dry. While I felt slightly ashamed to be wasting Kazlar''s hard-earned money, I was starving and there was no way I''d chance the bloodlust tonight. Kazlar''s voice shocked me out of my musings and caused me to flinch in surprise. "What are you doing?" I ripped off a large chunk, ensuring I would have plenty of time to think of a reasonable response. However, the silence just got increasingly more tense and awkward the longer I chewed, and my mind was racing too fast for me to formulate a plan. When I finally finished chewing, I mumbled, "Just got a little hungry and thought I''d grab a snack." He eyed the, at least, six-foot rib cage bone with a look of incredulity. "This is a snack?" I rearranged my wings nervously as shame coursed through my body. I dropped my head to the ground, unwilling to meet his prying gaze. With a sigh, his expression softened slightly. "Look, I get it. You don''t want to deal with the bloodlust again, but this is not a good way to go about it." Surprised, my head shot up of its own accord to gaze at him questioningly. How did he know? He let out a small chuckle as he settled down next to me before explaining, "When I was your age, I was just as scared about the bloodlust as yourself. I didn''t want to have some force decide what I did, I wanted to stay in control. So, I avoided hunting by skipping meals, and when I did hunt I would try to fight it off as long as I could. This only made my bloodlust more intense and violent, and it was becoming increasingly difficult to fight it. I knew it was a losing battle, but I just couldn''t bring myself to admit defeat." He released a sigh before continuing, "One day I was having a particularly nasty bloodlust when a Lyzian spoke to me about it. Of course, this was after it had passed. She said she had seen me that morning, and that the more I fought it, the harder it would get. She claimed I''d have more control by accepting the bloodlust than fighting it. After a long debate, I decided to give it a try, and she was correct. It''s overall better and easier to just accept the bloodlust than fight it." He looked deep into my eyes and said, "Don''t make the same mistake I did. It will get you nowhere." Yeah right. "Have more control", you can''t control anything in that state! At least by fighting there''s a chance, however slim, that I could win. Outwardly, I shielded my skepticism behind a nod of agreement and an apology, though only one was sincere. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. When I finally finished my meal, Kazlar had long since departed for the cave and the moon was now hanging from the center of the sky, though it scarcely illuminated the ground. Upon arriving near our cave, I was surprised to find Kazlar at the fire he had made earlier. I had thought he would have wanted to wait until tomorrow before continuing my torture, but clearly not. Stifling a groan, I angled toward him before landing neatly beside him, causing the flames to dance even more chaotically than they just had been. He continued to gaze directly ahead and said, "Try again." I knew it was pointless arguing, so I took a step closer to the flames, only for Kazlar to interject. "Not that close. Here, stand behind me." I turned, confused. The spot he indicated was shrouded in shadow, and only an occasional wisp of light could reach it. As I stepped forward, he moved away to allow me more space. Unable to resist, I asked, "Shouldn''t I be as close as possible?" "Normally, yes. I think a new spot may help you out though." I frowned, unsure how this area was supposed to help, but decided to go along with it. I took a deep breath as I closed my eyes, inhaling the scents of the night. Crisp, fresh air, snow, smoke, grass, Sivritha...Wait, Sivritha? Did he catch me one? Now I truly felt guilty, having wasted his money when he had caught something for me. My thoughts snapped me out of my meditative state, and I was forced to restart. Focus, Rylar, focus. I let my thoughts fade to nothingness as the sounds and scents of the night filtered over me. Once a few minutes had passed and I felt prepared, I began to probe within myself, searching for the connection between me and my element. It was empty. I searched and searched and searched to no avail. Just as I was about to give up, I dove deeper and finally, finally felt something prick at my consciousness. Wait- Was that...? My thoughts interrupted my search, putting me back at square one. However, I was encouraged now that I had finally felt something, and restarted the process without complaint. Again, it took a long time to find it, but when I did I knew it was it. I cannot say quite how I knew it, only that I did. I reached out with my consciousness, drawing close enough that it began to take shape. It was unimpressive, really. Just a small ball of swirling red and black in the unfathomably immense void, but to me it was the most remarkable thing I had ever laid eyes on. I hovered near it, simply in too much awe to act. Finally, I reached out to it, calling to it. It''s name came unbidden to my mind a moment later, leaving me spellbound. Ragithar. Elemental names were generally acquired after years and years of practicing and advancing ranks, though there were rare cases, such as mine, where the name was obtained just moments after discovering the element. An elemental name is your true name, and while knowing someone''s true name couldn''t do them any harm, sharing it is a sign of trust. It''s incredibly rare for dragons to share their true names, and we''re the only known species that has them. Excitement began to bubble through me, but I pushed it down, afraid of breaking my concentration. I called out again, but this time with my element''s name, "Ragithar." The response was instantaneous. I could feel the presence of the shadows looming towards me and the flames dancing silhouettes against the sky. Instinctively I reached for the elements, grasping and controlling them. While my eyes remained closed, I could sense, and almost see, the element twirling patterns in the air from my mind''s eye. A gasp from beside me caused me to open my eyes and lose my concentration, but not before I spotted my red flames cloaked in shadows fading from existence. Wait...shadows? That''s not possible. I turned to Kazlar, opening my jaws to ask a question. Before I could, he retracted the flames with his power before rushing toward our cave. Alarmed, I trotted after him, asking in a fervent whisper, "What''s going on?" He shushed me before continuing on and ducking into the cave. I followed shortly behind and stared at him, waiting for an explanation. I observed with trepidation as his eyes filled with an array of conflicting emotions, and a moment later he spoke. "It seems I have a lot of explaining to do." Chapter Seven Silence filled the chamber, broken only by the soft crackle of fire that burned in the corner. I stared at Kazlar, slowly losing my patience as time ticked by. Finally, I snapped, "What is going on?" Kazlar stared at me blankly for a moment longer, before huffing out a sigh and laying down. I followed his lead, settling down on the padded floor of moss before expectantly facing him. "It was a few months after my graduation when I met that Lyzian I told you about earlier. Remember her?" I gave him a slow nod, although I was incredibly confused as to why she was important. "I had never seen her before that night and assumed she was new to town, so I thought I''d show her around and get to know her a bit. One thing led to another, and, eventually, we both realized we wanted to be more than friends." His eyes grew saddened for a moment, before he cleared his throat and continued, "I loved her, and she loved me, so we decided to form a Hyratien." A Hyratien is a bond created between two dragons through a long and complex process. It''s similar to human marriage, except much, much more significant. Forming a Hyratien would bind you to that dragon until the end of your days, and it was believed to be impossible to break. Even if a dragon tried, the pain caused by years of neglect and abuse to their partner, whether physical or mental, would likely be great enough to drive both of them insane, if it didn''t kill them first. If a partner were to die, then the other almost always dies with them. Should they manage to survive, they''re likely to be driven insane, even if it takes over fifty years to manifest. "What does any of this have to do with me?" I asked incredulously. He gave me a look that said shut up and responded with, "We''ll get there in a moment if you don''t interrupt." I gave him a halfhearted nod, which seemed to satisfy him because he continued, "We knew that forming the bond would put a target on our back, but we were so young and our love so strong we proceeded with it anyway. After all, it had been done before. It''s only when an elemental hybrid is conceived that problems arise." He sighed once more before speaking. "It had to have been about five years later when she vanished. I searched everywhere throughout Yavleth, but she was nowhere to be seen. None of the other dragons had seen her either, not that I think they would have told me. Over a year had passed since she left and to the rest of the town, I seemed to have moved on from her, a virtually impossible feat seeing how intense the bond is. But I had not. I made it seem as if I had, but that ache in my heart had been there that entire time. It only grew stronger the longer and longer I went without seeing her." He paused, a distant look in his eye as if he was reliving the memory, and perhaps he was. Just over 20 years ago... I lightly descended on a smooth, reddish rock. We had come here all the time to get away from the town. To just find some peace, no judgment, no hate, just us, the earth, and the sky. This particular cliff had a sheer drop-off, making it seem as if you were at the ocean''s edge, gazing out into rolling waves of brume and cloud. I had never truly grasped the joy of sightseeing, but she loved it, so I came here for her. I frequently came to just sit and stare, to reflect. Had I done something wrong? Is that why she left? Questions always raced through my mind, but for once I was content to sit silently with a blank mind. I don''t know if I thought something would happen, but I stayed there for days. I never moved a muscle, just blankly staring into the clouds, sometimes dozing off to sleep, though never for long. The sun rose, the moon set; I alone remained constant. The hunger in my stomach and burning in my throat were of no significance to me, having swiftly been dulled by the pounding ache of my bond. How can she bear to stay away? Does she not feel this same pain as I do? The soft sound of feathered wing beats warned me of an incoming dragon, but I remained unmoving, assuming it was a dragon from the town coming to convince me to return home. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Within moments I heard the soft scratch of claws against rock, and I could feel a presence at my side. My bond pulsed ever more, the pain growing to be nearly unbearable. I squeezed my eyes shut, my claws chipping away at the rock as I tried to block out the discomfort. It seemed as if the longer I tried to block it out, the worse it got, so in my frustration I snapped my head to the side, ready to take my anger out on the dragon who had come to drag me back, when I saw who it was. It was her. As beautiful as the day she had left, sitting there, watching me carefully. With a strangled cry I hurdled for her, bowling her off the rock and to the ground beneath us to press my forehead against hers. My bond gradually quieted, the ache replaced with feelings of tenderness and love. We stayed like that for a while, both of us silent while we reveled in each other''s presence. "Why?" I croaked out, my voice hoarse with emotion. I backed away as I said it, allowing her room to get to her feet. She did just that, and as she stood I saw the pain in her eyes. It hurt her just as much, then. "I-" She began, then paused. She looked around warily as if worried something might leap from the trees to harm her should she speak. Concerned, I stepped forward. "What is it?" She shook her head. "Not here. We need to go somewhere else." I trusted her judgment more so than any other dragon, so I followed her lead off the cliff and into the clouds. We traveled for hours in the chilly white abyss, but while I remained completely disoriented, she seemed to know exactly where we were, guiding me in a twisting array of turns and loops that were impossible to remember. Finally, we seemed to reach our destination and she paused, hovering in the air, almost as if she were uncertain before she came to a conclusion and shot up into the sky. I struggled to keep up, seeing as a Lyzian is fairly quicker than a Ryzinthin, but she must not have been going her fastest because I managed to keep her in my sights the entire time. We broke through the cover of the clouds, and my eyes widened as I spotted the small, at least compared to Yavleth, island. It seemed large enough to house a few dragons, but just barely, and while it wasn''t truly floating, it appeared that way with how it jutted out from the clouds. We touched down softly on the powdery snow in synchronization, and I glanced at her. "You''ve been living here all this time?" She nodded gingerly, almost as if she thought I''d get upset with her for it, when the very idea was a foreign concept to me. Rather, I couldn''t help but wonder if it was my fault, if I had scared her away, and the question came unbidden from my lips. "What did I do?" The shock and guilt filled her eyes like a tidal wave. She had always been easy to read. She gazed at me, almost unbelievingly. "Oh, Kazlar." She breathed out, "That''s not what you thought this whole time is it?" My lack of a reply gave her an answer, and she flung herself at me, close enough I could feel her feathers against my scales and touch my forehead to hers once more. "Silly male, you should know by now you can do no wrong in my eyes." A purr rumbled through my chest at her words, bringing with it a feeling of pleasure that I hadn''t felt once during the time she had been gone. "So then what happened?" I asked her gently. Her uncertainty gave me pause, and as the silence stretched on I took a step back to better see her. "What is it?" "I-uh..." She trailed off into silence. "Promise me you won''t be mad?" "I could never be mad at you, little bird." The old nickname lit up her eyes for a moment, and she continued. "I was gravid." The small declaration shocked me, and I sat back on my haunches with a small thump. "Are you-? Are they-?" My unfinished question was answered with a small nod, and I nearly bowled her over in joy once more, but I held back. "Am I the-?" A nod cut me off, and this time I didn''t hold back. She was pinned beneath me once more as joy filled both of our eyes. Her feathered tail beat side to side like a wolf, and I bounced off and around her like a puppy, both of us happy the other was happy, and relieved the other wasn''t upset. Finally, we ended our play, panting in the snow from the exertion. I turned my head to her, and asked, "Where are they? Can I see them?" She gave me a nod and bounded through the snow, leaving me to chase after her. I followed closely behind, and soon enough we arrived at the entrance to a cave. Had I not seen her vanish into it, I would have thought nothing was there, as the ivy over the entrance was so thick it was impossible to see through. I followed after her, taking care to not rip any of the ivy out as I pushed through, and we descended into the tunnel together. It spiraled downwards for about twenty Avelth-lengths before finally evening out into a massive cavern. I gazed around in awe. Fifty of our caves in Yavleth could have fit in here and still had room for more. A small chirp snapped my attention away from the cave and to the ground. A miniature me stood there, gazing up with wide eyes. His sister, whom I assumed he had been playing with moments before, smacked into his side before looking up to see what the fuss was about. She was just like her mother, from the way she frowned at me and clicked her beak in annoyance, to the fluff and feathers that covered her body. A purr rumbled from my chest, not loud enough to scare them, but just enough to let them know I wasn''t hostile. I turned to Nytheri and asked, "What are their names?" She gazed at them with fondness as she replied, "Remember when we stayed up all night to discuss the names our hatchlings would have if we ever had them?" She didn''t wait for me to reply before continuing, "I chose from the names we eventually settled on." "There were over ten names in that list because someone was very unwilling to settle on anything." I huffed out a laugh at her annoyed look. "Which ones did you choose?" She hesitated for a moment, as if worried I might disapprove of her choice. A moment later, her eyes met mine, and any worry was replaced by love. She knew I would cherish them, support them, and do anything at all for them, no matter what her decision had been. Upon recognizing this, she proceeded to answer my question. "Their names are Nemyra and Rylar." Chapter Eight Present Day: Deep red eyes blinked searchingly at me, trying to gage my reaction. Not that I even knew what to say, I was still trying to process this new wealth of information. It seemed like every time I thought I learnt more about my past, some secret would come out and shatter my already vague perception of my life. Suddenly, the dragon in front of me who had raised and cared for me since I was young felt as much a stranger as one of the vendors in Yavleth. I spoke with him every day, I argued with him sometimes, and I knew the general information about him, but that was it. Small inconsistencies and strange decisions on Kazlar''s part began to click together like a puzzle piece in my mind, all forming an image of the truth. He seemed skittish the first, and also last time he took me to see his family, especially when his mother commented about how similar we looked. And then even just deciding to raise me in the first place; he had no reason to. Besides, it''s impossible he just found me in a forest all alone, unless he knew where to search. Everything seemed to add up, except... "What about my stripes? Nytheri was a Lyzian, not a Farralyn, and Farralyn''s are the only species with black stripes. That means one of my parents must have been a Farralyn." "Normally that would be true, but hybrid features are known to be unpredictable. There have been similar, albeit rare, cases to your own before as well." "And finding me in the forest? Was that part made up too?" I couldn''t keep the venom out of my voice, and a small amount of guilt trickled into me after I spotted his hurt glance. Nonetheless, he replied neutrally, "That part was true. Nytheri told me that if anything ever happened, she''d leave you both in the hidden chasm within Myrvath. When the dragons began hunting her down, I couldn''t find you or your sister there, so I backtracked and searched for days. Eventually I found you in the forest, battered and bruised." "What about my sister?" It felt weird to even say it, but I asked anyway. The idea that I had family had crossed my mind before, but finding out that they cared for me was unexpected. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. "I never found her. The only thing there was an elven lantern. Maybe Nytheri got Nemyra to the cavern, and the elves found her before I could." He paused before muttering, "That''s what I hope for, anyway." Spotting my look, he answered my next question before I could even ask him, saying, "Yes, the lantern I found is the same one that''s in your room. I kept it in hopes of discovering who it may belong to, though I fear I''m not any closer than when I began. It took me months of research to positively confirm it was of elf design, but finding which elves it belongs to has been impossible." He proceeded to walk to my chamber, ducking inside and coming out a moment later with the chain clinging on to the tip of his claw while the lantern spun in lazy circles below. It was unlike anything either of us knew elves to craft, yet the elegance of its design could only be formed by them. Thick spikes of iron rose from the top of the lantern like a crown while the base was flat, decorated only with small, less dramatic spikes that rose from it to encircle the sides. Glass shielded the flame within, preventing it from being blown out by the wind. The flame itself was a bright shade of blue, with some edges being near black, though it danced as any normal flame does. The flame had never gone out in the time it had been with us, further marking it as unnatural. Not even high elves'' lanterns could remain lit for years. "What if it''s a dark elf''s lantern?" Kazlar gave me a strange look and scoffed. "The dark elves don''t exist now, let alone nearly twenty years ago. It was just a made-up rumor. No elf, especially a high elf, would give up their status like that." "But didn''t you hear? An elf named Malkorr was exiled forty years ago, and apparently he''s the one leading the dark elves. He''s got an alliance with the rouge Elygran''s as well. There''s no way that''s made up!" Kazlar still stared at me blankly ¡ª clearly unimpressed with my theory ¡ª so I defiantly asked, "And if this lantern doesn''t belong to dark elves, as you claim, then who does it belong to?" He hesitated a moment. "Perhaps I was wrong. Maybe it''s not even an elf lantern. It could be dwarves, after all, we know very little about their crafts." Astonished, I gaped at him in disbelief. He just admitted he might be wrong. He never does that! "You told me you researched elven creations for months and that it had to be one of their lanterns. Now you''ve suddenly changed your mind?" He closed his eyes for a moment and rubbed his chest as if it were sore, his tail lightly flicking in annoyance. "Just drop it. Dark elves don''t exist, and they most certainly didn''t take Nemyra. It''s been almost twenty years; she''s likely dead now if she ever managed to escape in the first place. And this thing won''t help us find her anyway." "What? Of course it will help us! Are you insane?" Glass shattered, iron clattered, and the heavy fragrance of smoke filled the chamber. The remains of the lantern came to a screeching halt at my talons, nearly impaling one of my digits on it. Blue flame grasped the moss carpeting, greedily consuming it and growing exponentially in size. Kazlar stared at me as if I was the one who had just chucked the lantern. His tail swished fully now, his teeth bared in rage, and he flung his wings open to display his full size. He didn''t seem to notice the slight crunch as his wings smacked into the walls, nor did he acknowledge the blue flame swelling from the sudden increase in oxygen. I cowered beneath his towering form, terror rooting my body to the stone and sinking my heart. This is not Kazlar. Chapter Nine My once shattered, frayed, and empty bond was no longer so. Reliving my moments with Nytheri seemed to have brought it to life, and now it was screaming for its other half, and I was screaming in pain. Its demands were insistent, demanding Nytheri, demanding control, and, most of all, demanding blood. This thing inside me lacked capable thought, so though it felt Nytheri was slain and wanted vengeance, it could not think who could have done it and urged me to slay the dragon cowering in front of me. Rylar, my son. He had crammed himself as far back in the corner as possible, and small chirps just barely reached my ears, nearly drowned out by the pounding of my heart. A cascading waterfall of red blurred my vision, making it impossible to see clearly. In my desperation to regain control, I had smacked my wings into the wall a moment earlier, and I continued to press harder against them despite the slight crunch that was generated as a response. The pain scarcely pushed back the bond, but it was enough. "RUN!" I roared at him as I launched my body to the side, providing a gap for him to slip through. Needing no further encouragement, he slipped through the gap and out the entrance, leaving my bond wailing in rage. A screeching noise left my jaws, a demonic sound that I had never heard a dragon make before. If the town wasn''t awake before, they are now. At least Rylar can get away. My last wall of resistance crumbled under the onslaught of the bond, leaving me exposed. I could feel it inside me like a parasite, squirming around searching for something. I realized a moment too late what it wanted, and my jaws opened in a soundless gasp before it seized me completely. "Lyrk," it called, bringing forth my element, and plunging me into darkness. ~~~ Kazlar had fallen silent after his shriek, and for a moment I wondered if it was over. I glanced backward hesitantly, slowing down to stall. A second later he surged up from the cave, flying erratically and releasing blood-curdling shrieks every few seconds, prompting me to continue flying. He''s gone insane. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. As if he had heard my thought, his head snapped around to spot me flapping frantically against the empty sky, and he instantly took pursuit. Terror filled my entire being as he crept ever closer, threatening to catch me quickly. If I could make it to the Pillars, which is exactly what it sounds like, I''d be able to outmaneuver him, and it wasn''t that far away. If not, I''d have to dive into the clouds, potentially making it harder for the townsfolk to find and help me. Spotting a dragon in the direction of the Pillars, my decision was made for me and I sped forward, ahead of Kazlar by scarcely a league. The closer I drew to the Pillars and the dragon flying my way, the closer Kazlar drew to my tail. Snap! The sharp click of teeth provided extra motivation and propelled me forward, though it wouldn''t be enough. The Pillars were still over five leagues away, and Kazlar was no further than a wing length. I''ll have to dive. I abruptly shot vertically into the sky, Kazlar releasing a cry as he lunged for where I had been a moment earlier. I didn''t hover to watch him figure it out, instead speeding towards the edge of the mountain. His screech told me when he had spotted me, but by then I was at the edge of the mountain, diving into the cover of the clouds. Grey filled my vision and muffled my hearing, but I could still hear Kazlar''s wingbeats gradually growing louder. He''s close. I weaved erratically up, down, left, and right, struggling to lose him. Finally, I moved out of hearing range of his wingbeats and stilled my own so he could not track me, gliding away in near silence. It was almost peaceful, this empty grey. The silence was deafening, almost unnatural, yet somehow soothing. In this empty void, I had nothing to fear. A burst of red entered my vision, warning me of danger, but it was too late. Kazlar released a shriek as he slammed into my side, throwing me off balance and sending me hurtling toward the ground. I struggled to regain flight as panic seared through me, growing in intensity the closer and closer I got to breaking the cloud cover. Right as I was about to plunge through, I managed to recover and soar back up to safety. Now though, I was wary. How did he sneak up on me like that? My eyes flashed around in all directions in a few milliseconds, my blood heightened and my skin crawling. Now I know what it''s like to be prey, and it''s not a great feeling. A shadow flitted through the clouds ahead of me, and I instantly thrust upward, barely dodging Kazlar as he dashed out of his cover. His eyes snapped up to mine, and then he was upon me. In less than the time it would take for me to blink, he was at my side, slashing and biting and screeching at me. His talon slashed just above my eye, and my stomach dropped. Not just out of fear though, but because we were falling. We spiraled out of the cloud cover, plummeting towards the ground like a comet. This is exactly what I did during my combat Trial, but now there''s no way out. He''s going to kill us both. I squirmed frantically against his grasp, trying everything, anything, to escape. The ground was nearly to us, so close now that it filled my entire vision. His claw finally slipped, sliding off my scales after a failed strike. Taking advantage of this, I slipped through the space created, trying to escape before his second talon could land a blow. Everything seemed to slow down. His claw came down quicker than I could escape, heading straight for my eye. A near incomprehensible pain seared through me, and the world went dark. He got my eye. Chapter Ten I gazed at my ever-shifting face reflected back at me through the river. The scales surrounding my eye were broken and bloody, and while the eye itself remained intact, a violent slash cut across it diagonally, rendering me blind. "The scales will heal and grow back eventually, but the eye...the eye never will." I looked up from my reflection to Fyrlia. She had found me right as I was escaping from Kazlar and guided me away from him to this river where we would be safe while the townsfolk dealt with him. "I know," I responded, the bitterness evident in my tone. A missing eye was a major setback and weakness. I''d never be able to see from my right side again, putting me at a higher risk of getting injured, or worse, killed, and that risk would only increase when I began the search for my sister. And then if my element was discovered... "Ragathone curse it!" I swore, snarling with rage as I wrenched a branch straight off a tree with my jaws. A deep satisfying crack filled the air when it snapped, leaving me standing over the broken branch, struggling to calm the fire in my veins. Fyrlia stared at me, worry shining in her eyes. A sigh left my body, and with it the rage dissipated from my body like a fine mist, leaving behind a feeling of guilt. I shouldn''t have lashed out like that, especially in front of her. "I''ll feel better the further away I am from here." She gave me a slight nod, seemingly unconvinced, before frowning slightly. "What do you mean? You''re not planning on leaving the town now, are you?" "I need to." She bounded forward until she was right up close and personal to say, "Woah, woah, woah. You need to? No, we need you to stay here so we can figure out what happened and what to do with Kazlar, not for you to go running off." Realizing how close she was, she backed off a few small steps and continued, "Besides, Kazlar wouldn''t want you running away, now would he?" The glint in her eye screamed victory, and I almost felt bad having to crush that light, but I did so anyway. "He¡¯d rather me leave than go running back to him like a lost hatchling, assuming he¡¯s even still alive. I''m leaving, it¡¯s final, so don''t try to stop me." The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. I took a few paces forward and unfurled my wings, only for Fyrlia to step in front of me once more. ¡°Well, if I can¡¯t change your mind, then I¡¯m coming with you,¡± she declared with a smug face. I gaped at her in astonishment. Who does she think she is, dictating where I go and who I go with? ¡°You are most certainly not coming with me. You don¡¯t even know where I¡¯m going.¡± That smug face only got smugger, if such a thing were possible, while she countered, ¡°And you do?¡± We both knew she had won when I had nothing to say in rebuttal, instead left standing there grasping for excuses while she turned, flicking me lightly with her tail and nearly impaling my remaining eye on her spikes. ¡°Oops,¡± she said cheekily, ¡°Nearly made you completely blind there.¡± More serious now, she added, ¡°You¡¯re going to need help adjusting with one eye,¡± she paused to send me a warning look when I opened my mouth to argue before continuing, ¡°whether you like it or not.¡± I sighed in resignation. ¡°I¡¯m not going to convince you otherwise, am I?¡± ¡°Nope!¡± She exclaimed. ¡°So, have you decided where we¡¯re going yet?¡± ¡°Estryai,¡± I said grimly, ¡°We fly to Estryai.¡± ~~~ Flying was hard. Really hard. I¡¯d just be coasting on the wind and then¡­ ¡°Rylar! Watch out, mountain on your right!¡± I swerved to the left, my train of thought lost. ¡°How long until we¡¯re out of these cursed mountains?¡± ¡°We should be nearly to the plains by now. If we keep this pace it probably won¡¯t be any longer than an hour.¡± I grunted in reply, turning my attention to the clouds beneath us and straining my eye in an attempt to see through them. ¡°Rylar!¡± ¡°What?¡± I snapped in annoyance, looking in the direction of Fyrlia¡¯s voice. She was above me ¡ª not for the first time this trip ¡ª and I was nearly dipping through the cloud cover. ¡°You¡¯re drifting again! Get back up before you go through the cover!¡± ¡°I know!¡± I said in a clipped, frustrated voice while I climbed back up to her level. Apparently adjusting to one eye is incredibly difficult. Not only was the throbbing pain building into a headache, but my perception of distance seemed off and I was constantly drifting away from my intended path. Right as I reached the same height as her she gave me an annoyed look and sped forward, pushing the pace and forcing me to struggle to keep up. While I was quick for a Ryzinthin and have beat nearly every Yaegran in a race, I¡¯m still not as quick as a Farralyn. Irritated, I nearly lashed out at her again, but before I could I realized why she was upset. She was just trying to help and make sure I didn¡¯t get hurt. We¡¯re in dwarven territory after all; breaking through the cloud cover is a death sentence. ¡°Fyrlia!¡± She gave no sign that she had heard me, but I knew she was likely just ignoring me so I kept going, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I shouldn¡¯t be getting mad at you, I¡¯m just trying to adjust to everything right now and it¡¯s a lot. I didn¡¯t mean for it to come out like that.¡± Silence rang through the air. I chirped softly, letting her know I truly meant my apology, and finally, she relented. We slowed to a glide, coasting easily on the wind. The slower pace allowed me to relish the feeling of air on my scales, a feeling unique to flying and impossible to describe. If it was possible to physically feel freedom, then that is what it would feel like, though nothing could ever be precisely the same. I closed my eye, inhaling deeply and allowing the cool mist to calm the burning in my wound. Wait- mist? My eye snapped open just in time to spot Fyrlia reaching the same conclusion as I. We both roared, warning each other of the danger, but it was too late. A sharp tooth poked from the cloud cover, barely identifiable and much too close for either of us to stop or dodge in time. We barely managed to slow ourselves as we crash-landed into it, and while Fyrlia at least managed to make it look somewhat neat, I rolled and tumbled for a moment, halting myself just as I was about to slide into a fissure. Fyrlia rose to her feet warily as I loped to her side, both of us standing back to back and staring fearfully at the dark shadows creeping from the mist. The dwarves. Chapter Eleven Shadows flitted from side to side in the mist, making it impossible to determine how many dwarves we were up against. My head swung from side to side, tracking the nearly imperceptible movements with care, only for one shadow to disappear and another to appear in an entirely different spot, leaving me perplexed and unable to keep up. Unexpectedly, the shadows vanished all at once. It was as if they had never been there. Silence rang through my ears and my body tensed, the apprehension becoming almost too much to bear. "Where did they go?" I whispered to Fyrlia. "Shhh," she hissed back, before deciding no more harm could be done and muttering, "I don''t know, but now is our best chance to go." She took the initiative, stepping forward tentatively. When no dwarves leaped out to greet her, she lifted her wings and began to run, gaining momentum to lift off the ground. I followed scarcely a pace behind her, unfolding my own wings as I prepared to fly. Suddenly, a shadow appeared, then another, and another, and before I knew it there were at least ten ¡ª double the amount there originally were ¡ª and probably even more in the direction of the eye I couldn''t see out of. Panic quickened my heart and sped up my feet, but we were already under siege. Fyrlia''s screech echoed through the still air, and I watched in horror as she plummeted to the ground from her previously airborne position, now with multiple plumes of red jutting from her side. Slowing to a halt, I chirped nervously when she failed to rise, and even more so as the dwarves drew steadily closer. A muffled thunk reached my ears and moments later a sharp pain shot through my side, the process repeating itself enough times to leave the area feeling numb. A few sluggish heartbeats later the numbness had spread too rapidly for me to register, causing me to crumple over like a drunk. Waves of nausea rolled over me and my already limited vision swam, producing an even more restricted range of view. As my head slumped to the ground and reality slipped from my unwilling grasp, the sound of gruff laughter followed to taunt me in my dreams. ~~~ For a moment, I thought everything was all a dream. My element, Kazlar, my eye, the dwarves, all of it. So astute was the silence and darkness I awoke in that I was convinced of this, at least until I felt something sharp digging into the center of my back. Groaning, I awkwardly rolled over and flinched, surprised to see Fyrlia''s gold eyes staring up at me. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. "Shhhh. If you''re going to speak, do so quietly, they don''t know we''re awake yet," she hissed before I even had a chance to open my mouth. "Where are we? How long have you been awake for?" I whispered groggily. "I haven''t been awake very long, probably no more than ten minutes or so. Cryhn just got done telling me that this is the main cell area. He says it''s large enough to fit a couple more dragons but we''re the first ones he''s ever seen in here." Raising my head, I searched through the darkness for the presence of another dragon, but when I found none, I asked, "Cryhn? Who''s Cryhn?" "Over here, youngling." A soft chuckle emanated through the cell as I stared in awe at the shape materializing in front of me. He opened his eyes to reveal a dark storm grey ¡ª the color of a wind element, and a hint of his high elemental mastery level. Enthralled, I stretched my neck closer, only to be abruptly halted by a smack to my scaled snout. A dull thrum echoed through the chamber from the pole I had hit, and I felt Fyrlia tense against my side while Cryhn vanished from view. He must be camouflaging himself to do that, which means he''s a Yaegran. My revelation was interrupted seconds later when a door swung open and allowed the light to spill in, illuminating the previously dark space. The room was bigger than I anticipated. It contained six dragon-sized cells in total ¡ª three on our side of the room and four on the other ¡ª and the door was to the left, positioned between the two-celled sides of the room. Our cage was the largest and the closest to the door, allowing the discovery of a small architectural flaw. The door swung inwards, temporarily blocking the guard''s view and giving us a few seconds to spare. Acting on impulse, we both silently slumped to the ground and feigned unconsciousness. A couple of sharp prods with a stick later and the individual was gone, the harshly slammed door a testament to his departure. Even so, we lay motionless for a while longer, struggling to placate our racing hearts. Once the adrenaline had worn off, awkward embarrassment took hold. I was lying atop Fyrlia and completely smothering her ¡ª likely the reason she hadn''t gotten up yet. ¡°Sorry,¡± I blurted out as I hastened off of her and pressed against the bars of our cell, providing her plenty of freedom to get up. I heard the slight scraping of scale and nail on stone and witnessed a barely distinguishable movement as she pulled herself to her feet. ¡°It¡¯s alright. It was either that or them finding us awake and dragging us off to who knows where. Better to be safe than sorry.¡± I nodded in agreement, only to remember she wouldn''t be able to see the small action and squeaking out, ¡°Yeah.¡± Smooth Rylar. Real smooth. A small cough came from the other side of the room, reminding me that we weren''t the only ones in here and making my embarrassment all the worse. Dull eyes stared back when I turned toward the noise, and it was almost as if I could see rain-filled clouds rolling through them, creating the storm-grey shade that beckoned me closer. I shook my head abruptly, breaking apart my train of thought. Whoever he is, he must be powerful to draw me in like that. ¡°So,¡± Cryhn began dryly, ¡°How¡¯s everyone enjoying their stay?¡± Chapter Twelve Ignoring his question, I said, "We need to get out of here." Cryhn laughed incredulously. "You think you can just walk out? You''re stuck. I''ve been here for thirty nine years and that numbers only ever going to go up." "There has to be something we can do! What about your element? You''re advanced enough to use it when they take you outside." I paused then, and, hoping to glean some information from him, asked, "How''d they even capture you anyway?" "There is no outside. I''ve been kept inside this same cage for the entire time I''ve been here. They''re not stupid in that sense, and they''ll likely place more restrictions on you so you can''t use your fire." Like I''d even be able to use it in perfect conditions anyways. "As for how I got captured, that''s none of your concern." Now it was my turn to scoff incredulously. "How is it not our concern if a - what? Ascendent? - was captured? We need to know how powerful the dwarves are if we''re going to escape." "Master." At my blank look he explained, "I''m a Master. Nearly an Ascendent. And still, my capture is not important. It won''t help at all with determining their strength or how to escape. Just give it up, kid." After a slight pause he continued, "What''s your name, anyway?" "Rylar." His eyes widened slightly and I leaned toward him eagerly. "What? Did you know my parents? Or my sister?" "She wouldn''t happen to be named Nemyra, would she?" The hesitance, maybe even worry, was clear in his voice, but I was to ecstatic to notice. He knows her! Maybe he can take me to her once this is all over. "Yeah, that''s her name. Have you seen her? Where is she?" Cryhn''s reply was drowned out by the grinding of rusty hinges, alerting Fyrlia and I of the danger. We both slumped to the ground, reenacting our previous ploy, but it was to late. This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. We were to slow, they saw us. The dwarf in the lead laughed as he strode confidently across the room toward us, sending an uneasy sensation quivering through my belly. Three other dwarves maintained their posts by the door while one followed a pace behind the lead dwarf, holding out a torch so that everyone could see clearly. The pair stopped a tail length away, amusedly observing Fyrlia and I''s struggle in untangling ourselves from each other while rising to a standing position. Once that was done, I cocked my head to a slight angle, allowing me to better examine our captors from my single eye. The lead male was clad in dwarf sized armor. He sported an iron chest plate, greaves, and steel-toed leather boots, while his helm remained clutched against his side. His beard and hair were exceedingly long and tied up in a braid that reached his midpoint on both fronts. The color of both was dirty blonde ¡ª quite literally, there were bits of mud caked in more than a few strands ¡ª and while his face was etched in lines, his eyebrows furrowed, and his stance radiating authority, his eyes didn''t seem exceptionally cruel. Maybe there''s still hope that we can make it out of here unscathed. "What are you called, small ones?" His voice was as smooth and crisp as the surface of a polished stone, and not at all what I had expected. I waited uncertainly for Fyrlia to speak, but when it was clear she wasn''t going to respond, I said, "I''m called Rylar and she-" I flicked my tail in Fyrlia''s direction, "-is called Fyrlia." ¡°What¡¯s your element?¡± I hesitated for a moment. If I told him the truth he wouldn¡¯t believe me, and it¡¯s not as if he would be able to tell if I lied due to my eye color, so I said, ¡°Fire.¡± He nodded as if his guess had just been proven correct, and then asked, ¡°And you, Fyrlia? What¡¯s your element?¡± She hesitated even longer than I had, but must have reached the same conclusion about him knowing about the correspondence between eye color and element because she answered truthfully. ¡°Light.¡± Once again, he nodded, and then continued with his interrogation. ¡°What were you two doing on this mountain?¡± As a result of my impaired vision I was unable to see Fyrlia, so I once again waited until it was clear she wasn''t going to speak. ¡°It was an accident. We were just passing overhead and drifted off course. Before we could correct ourselves we crash landed and then, well, you know the rest.¡± He let out a hearty guffaw that the rest of his crew mimicked, all mocking us at our expense. ¡°How does a dragon accidentally run into a mountain?¡± I turned my head to display my scarred eye as an answer, and while his entourage of guards all gasped in horror at the grisly sight, the leader remained silent. Unable to see his face in this position, I twisted my head back to its original position to look. Unsurprisingly, considering he had no audible reaction, his expression was just as stoic as when he had first entered the room. Perhaps recognizing the truth in the story, he dropped that line of questioning but continued his prying with a new inquiry. ¡°Where were you going?¡± ¡°Estryai.¡± ¡°And what would two young dragons be wanting from the City of Peace?¡± Estryai had been aptly nicknamed the City of Peace because it was the only area where anyone from anywhere could meet on common ground under the protection of a peace treaty. All species had helped in the development of Estryai ¡ª and in naming it, each species chose one letter for the name ¡ª thus a treaty was signed and the peace upheld by guards from all races who pledge themselves to serve the only the city. Of course, many exploit the treaty as a way to safely conduct illegal or evil businesses, so the dwarf had every right to be suspicious. ¡°Information.¡± He scrunched his eyebrows and eyed us with skepticism. ¡°About¡­?¡± ¡°The dark elves.¡± The same frown remained etched on his face and he opened his mouth to speak, but before he could question our motives again I said, ¡°I think they took my sister, and we¡¯re trying to find her.¡± ¡°Interesting,¡± he mused. ¡°Her name doesn¡¯t happen to be Nemyra, does it?¡± Chapter Thirteen Instantly my guard was back up and I eyed him distrustfully. What does a dwarf have to do with her? Taking my silence as affirmation he said, "Cryhn was very...willing to provide information about her. About his entire past, in fact.¡± The cruel glint in his eyes made its first appearance, and as a sinking feeling entered my gut, I realized just how wrongly I had judged him. "What did you do? Where is she?" I snarled in rage. "Oh, don''t worry. She''s safe for now, assuming you continue to cooperate." I stretched myself to my full height and glared down at him with contempt. How dare he! I have been nothing but agreeable with his demands and now he threatens me? ¡°You mind your tongue, dwarf. Us dragons have quite a long memory.¡± ¡°Oh? And what is that going to do for you, caged like the beast you are? Perhaps I should have a muzzle crafted to fit the look.¡± A savage snarl rang through the room, not just from myself, but also from Cryhn. Surprised, both myself and the dwarf stared at him, but before the dwarf could say any more two torchbearers entered the room. A petite lady dwarf walked between them, clutching a scroll that she promptly handed to the lead dwarf before turning to stare at us, curiosity evident in her roving gaze. Rage still simmered through my being and the additional flames and shadowed corner I was in screamed to Ragithar, my element. Trepidation built up in me alongside hope, though I was wary of the latter. It probably won¡¯t work, but if I try and it does¡­ The faint murmurings of the dwarves faded from my ears and my anger gave way to calm. I reached inside, searching for my element. Even though I¡¯d only touched it once, the process was already quicker than that initial introduction. ¡°Ragithar,¡± I called out into the void of my soul, summoning the element quicker than I anticipated. I reached out to it as it drew closer, and when we met my whole being radiated with power. The feeling was subdued compared to my first summon, probably due to the scarcity of my elements in this room, but it was there nonetheless. My rage returned in full force as I was sucked back into the prison, my eyes instantly finding our captors exposed back. Fangs exposed, I commanded the fire and shadows to attack him, and attack it did. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. The flames danced off of the torches they had previously called home and raced towards the dwarf, a cloud of shadows intertwining with it instantly. Together, the elements slammed into his backside, the darkness tearing the skin open while the flames caught, and combined leaving his skin charred and black. My brow furrowed in concentration as the elements worked their magic, and the pungent scent of burning flesh filled my nostrils in unison with a shrill scream. At only Beginner rank with basically no experience commanding my element, the dark fire quickly dissipated, much to my disappointment. Still, it had managed to tear open a sizable portion of his back and would likely leave him bedridden for weeks, if not months. The ensuing chaos was quite amusing to observe. The lady dwarf¡¯s expression had turned from curious to terrified to disgusted to outraged in record speed while his guards remained too shellshocked to move. They seem quite qualified for their job. The torchbearers had also failed at their task; their torches had instantly clattered to the floor, a weak flame left guttering from two of them while the third had been completely extinguished. ¡°Haldric!¡± The lady dwarf shouted out, rushing to my target''s side where he lay squirming on the ground in pain. The guards ¡ª prompted to action by her movement ¡ª rushed to assist their leader. They all crouched over his body before one came to his senses and shouted in dwarvish, presumably for a healer. A torchbearer then left, flinging open the door and sprinting around the corner and out of sight. Satisfaction coiled through me at the chaos I had caused and the revenge I had wrought. So this is what being a dragon feels like? Commanding respect and fear in equal measure and forcing it if they don¡¯t bend the knee? Kazlar was right. I quite like it. Kazlar had told me a long time ago that outside of Yaegran, dragons were seen as majestic, almost godly, creatures. Some loathed our kind, some admired us, but all feared us, and if they didn¡¯t, we made them. I had always argued and claimed I wouldn¡¯t be that way. I still remember myself saying, ¡°When I¡¯m older, I won¡¯t be like that! I¡¯ll be nice, like you, not like Hatryn. He¡¯s too proud and stuck up all the time to be any fun!¡± And yet, here I was, becoming the dragon I detested and I liked it. Yes, I like it. Is that so wrong? To enjoy going from always getting pushed around to now being the one who calls the shots? I don¡¯t think so. And before I could lose my conviction, I snarled to Haldric, ¡°Never again will you mistake a dragon''s amiableness for weakness, for every time you dare think the thought your scars will remind you otherwise. By Zythin¡¯s will I pray you never forget this day or my words, and if by some cruel irony you do, then I pray enough misfortune will befall you to crush your wretched soul and send your spirit straight to the perdition you belong in.¡± I turned my gaze towards a faint jingling noise and watched yearnfully as Chryhn manipulated his element, which he must have had access to since the door was open and the wind was strong, to tear the keys from where they were strung around Haldric¡¯s neck. With a final sharp tug, the keys flew loose and sailed towards Cryhns cell. They halted in their path about a tail length away just as the door was slammed shut by one of the guards, but it was enough. The keys skidded the last bit of distance and stopped right outside of his cell. Using his talons he was able to carefully maneuver them inside, pick them up, and then wedge his foreleg through the gap between the bars to the padlock. After what felt like minutes later but couldn''t have been more than a few seconds a dull click could be heard and the lock fell to the ground. Cryhn tore his foreleg out from the bars ¡ª for a moment I thought he¡¯d be stuck ¡ª and shoved open the door. He raced to our cell next, unlocking it and releasing us within a few seconds. I followed just behind as Fyrlia dashed out of the cage and all three of us sprinted for the door. My blind eye made it impossible to keep both the dwarves and the door in view at the same time, but I trusted my companions to alert me of any danger the dwarves might present us and so I concentrated on the door. When we reached it Fyrlia and I stood back a pace, glaring down the dwarves while Cryhn figured out how to open the door, our final obstacle. Just as the door opened and we turned to run out, Fyrlia looked at me and said, ¡°Your little speech might have been a bit much, but I think you got the point across.¡± Her laugh echoed down the corridor we had stepped into, and while I was baffled as to why she was laughing exactly, I joined in out of pure relief to be free again. I think I even heard Cryhn¡¯s gruff chuckle when we reached the end of the short hall and could see the sky. In unison we launched ourselves off the side of the mountain into the empty expanse of the night, our only company being each other, the stars, and a crisp breeze. I don¡¯t think I can ever be annoyed with the wind again. Chapter Fourteen Cryhn had been quite fidgety the past two days since we had escaped from the prison. I suspected he wanted to interrogate me about my element, but I had clung to Fyrlia''s side like a flea to avoid being left alone with him, and I had no plan to stop now. That is if I had a choice. "Fyrlia, why don''t you stay here and make a fire to guide Rylar and myself back when we''re finished hunting?" As the senior member of the group, Fyrlia had no reason to deny Cryhn''s request. Even so, she hesitated, her eyes darting from my anxious expression to Cryhn''s towering form. Ultimately, she agreed, albeit with a puzzled look in her eyes. I suspected she had no clue that my element wasn''t pure fire, so the whole ordeal between him and I probably seemed really bizarre and random. Lift-off was still a bit challenging ¡ª especially since we were surrounded by trees ¡ª but I managed it. I was still adjusting to one eye, so when Cryhn flew along my left side, I groaned in frustration. Now on my left all I could see was him and a tiny slice of the forest. My frontal vision wasn''t obstructed, but if we wanted to catch anything I''d be no use with my range of view being so limited. I knew his intention wasn''t to hunt, at least not yet, but it still irked me. "What do you want?" I snapped in frustration after a few minutes. "How about we go a little further, and then we can talk?" He replied calmly. Suddenly, a thought came to mind. What if he''s trying to lure me away from Fyrlia so he can kill me? He doesn''t seem like the sort to do that, but then again, dragons came from all over and were crazy about hunting down Nytheri because she hatched my sister and me. Now uncertain, I peered at him suspiciously. "I think we''ve gone far enough." We had traveled roughly over a league, so the only way Fyrlia would overhear our conversation was if she followed us, or it turned into a bloodbath. He frowned slightly as if confused before his expression cleared. "I''m not going to harm you if that''s what you think, but I suppose this spot will do either way." We touched down in the small clearing and an awkward silence ensued. "So," I finally asked, "What do you want?" He sat down, drawing his wings and tail close and diminishing his large stature considerably. He had to be over a hundred years old, a considerable feat and a probable explanation for his behemoth size that resulted in me being engulfed by his shadow. "You''re one of the hybrids," he said simply. "And if I am? What of it?" I questioned defensively. Ignoring my question, he mused, "You''re not at all what I expected, but perhaps that''s for the better. Everyone else believes her hatchlings were just elemental hybrids, so as long as you conceal you''re element you should be safe." Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. Almost as an afterthought, he added, "No one else knows, correct?" "No," I affirmed. "As far as I''m aware you and Kazlar are the only ones who know." "We should reach Estryai in about two or three more days. When we get there, I''ll do the talking. I have this," he lifted his front left arm to display a night black clasp containing elaborate designs that I couldn''t quite discern before continuing, "which should speed up our search for the dark elves. It was crafted by one of them as a gift, and while it was created a while ago I''m confident anyone related to the elves will recognize the design." "Why are you doing this?" At Cryhn''s quizzical look I elaborated, "Helping me, I mean. From what I''ve heard everyone wants to kill my sister and me, nobody''s ever tried to intervene and help us." "They''re scared. Some of the power you can wield, and some of the power others wield to keep themselves in control and maintain order. Your existence disrupts the order and compels them to spread hysteria and lies about your kind, subjecting you to a hate and discrimination even worse than normal hybrids face. I''m different in the sense that I have no one left who could influence my decisions, and so can keep an open mind. Through the years I have come to realize that, sure, elemental hybrids are powerful, but that is no reason to subject them to death for something that''s beyond their control. I may also have...personal bias, but that''s a story for another time." ¡°Is that how you know my sister? You helped her?¡± ¡°I did more than help her, I trained her. And I¡¯ll do the same for you during our journey.¡± An overwhelming sense of gratitude and relief flowed through me. Before I could think it through, my legs carried me forward and I was forcefully halted after colliding against his chest. I froze for a moment, worried I had overstepped, but a deep chuckle rumbling from him reassured me that everything was fine. A soft weight on my back alerted me to his wing wrapping around me to ensnare me in a comforting hug. It felt a lot like Kazlar was here, just bigger, and that single comparison sent waves of guilt crashing through me. I hope he¡¯s okay. Maybe I should have waited a bit to see if he was fine, despite the risks. I stepped away from Cryhn. Needing a distraction, I asked, ¡°Now can we go hunting?¡± ¡°Yes, go on. Don¡¯t worry about catching something for Fyrlia, I can do that, just go get yourself something and head back to camp.¡± I gave him a nod of acknowledgment, turned, and raced into the sky. ~~~ The sun had long since disappeared, casting everything in inky black. And while I had always worked best at night, now it felt like something was missing. Perhaps it was some influence from my element which caused me to operate no better during the night than I did in the day. Either way, I was still unsuccessful in my hunt. I hadn¡¯t spotted anything until now, and while I was sure the influence of my blind right eye contributed to that, the forest very well could have been lacking in prey; it had been awfully quiet during the day, and even more so now that it was night. My prey was no more than a black blob slinking through a large clearing, a hard target to both track and gauge. It could have been anything, but I was undeterred. Scarcely any species could cause dragons harm, and that was always when they had some sort of advantage ¡ª except for golems ¡ª but currently, I had the advantage, and I was determined to return to the others with a full belly. Gliding near silent on the soft breeze, I slowly edged closer. Finally, I hovered above it, and, taking a deep breath to still the anxiousness in my veins, I dived. It heard me, but to late; I was already bowling it to the ground, sending both of us rolling through dead, crinkly leaves and announcing our presence to anyone near. Oh well, it won¡¯t matter once I get this kill. The creature flailed in my clutch, squirming in ways that only a fish should be able to and batting frantically against me with its¡­paws? Shock filled me. If my assumption was correct, then I had just caught a Falinthian, a panther shifter no less. Either that or it was one of their wild cousins, of which I had no problem eating. Falinthians though, were exceedingly rare, especially ones that were large cats. I had always felt bad learning about their past and current conditions in history class. They were kept as pets primarily by humans, though some noble elves were also known to keep them in captivity. For that reason, If this was a Falinthian, then I would let it free. No matter how hungry I was, the species was near extinction and I was unwilling to contribute to that cause. I relaxed my grip slightly, and said calmly, ¡°If you¡¯re a Falinthian, I¡¯ll let you go. If not, I¡¯m eating you, so fess up.¡± Its struggles only got wilder, and I had to adjust my stance multiple times to avoid getting a foot in the face. ¡°Seriously?¡± I muttered. ¡°Look, I don¡¯t want to hurt you if you are one, so just-¡± A heavy weight slammed into my side, forcefully shoving me off of the panther and sending me rolling for a few long seconds before I came to a halt. My body ached from my tumble and a few places stung as if they had been cut open. What the hell was that? Chapter Fifteen Blood boiling, I rose, ready to butcher whatever had dared shove me off my prey. A heartbeat later my veins turned to ice. From my good eye, I could see who the offender was, and it was a cat with the capabilities to best me, a feat that very few can claim, even if I was only a young adult. A tiger crouched in front of the panther, whom I presumed was his mate, growling viciously in warning. That settles it. The panther is a Falinthian, and the tiger as well, for that matter. Wild tigers and panthers most certainly do not mix. I backed up slowly, keen to put as much distance between us as possible before the tiger decided to press the advantage. Unfortunately, it seemed I wouldn''t have the luxury of choice in that matter. For every step I took backward, he took two measured, carefully calculated steps forward, angled slightly to my right. *He''s trying to get in my blind spot.* Our bodies weaved through the clearing in sync, my feet propelling me away from him while his only ever brought him closer. My eye remained locked on to both of his, ensuring he remained trapped in the intricate dance. A slight fumble, a moment of indecisiveness, or a lapse in concentration was all that would be needed to set one of us free, but it could not be on my end. If it were, then he would seize the opportunity and I would not be left to walk away unscathed, if I were to walk away at all. *Wait, where''s the panther?* I had made the mistake. In a futile effort, I sought to correct it, but to no avail. No matter what I did, there was no way to stop the black cat from leaping for my side, likely trying to create an opportunity for the tiger to attack. I stumbled. It had made contact on my left side, not enough to create a wound but just enough to throw me off balance. The tiger made its move, lunging for me with its paws outstretched. The heavy weight crashed into me, throwing me to the ground for a second time. A great growl erupted from the tiger, just as much a celebration for having pinned me as it was a threat. Its maw opened as its pale pink tongue slipped out to slide over thick, thorn-like teeth. Just as I thought all was lost, a terror-inducing roar shattered the confidence of the cats and sent the panther scurrying for cover. This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. The tiger ¡ª reluctant to release me so easily ¡ª stood his ground, even as his body turned ridged and his head snapped towards the noise. Using his momentary distraction to my advantage, I surged upward with all my might in an attempt to dislodge him. His attention quickly returned to me when I managed to push him back a step. Snarling, his ears flattened against his head while he lifted a paw, his scythe-like claws on full display as he prepared to strike. The world seemed to slow down as I flailed away from the impending attack destined for my right shoulder blade. I really can''t have another major injury on my right side, that''s just mean. First my eye, now it''s going to be this. What''s next I wonder? I chuckled mirthlessly, the adrenaline and absurdity of the situation finally catching up to overwhelm me. I''m sure the others will take it well when I tell them a stupid cat beat me up. The claws were closing in, and I squirmed even more frantically than before. A moment later they landed in the dirt, so close to its original target that I could feel the stubby fur rubbing against my scales. By some miracle, the tiger had missed, and I wasn''t about to waste my chance of escape. I squirmed on the ground like a fish out of water, trying to shift so that I could free my widespread wings that were trapped under me. The tiger snarled threateningly once more, though he seemed distracted, and when he went to strike me once more he tripped, stumbling over my body and falling head over heels in the dirt. No, not trip. He was pushed. Cryhn stood in his place, his usual easygoing expression replaced with a stone-cold mask that betrayed nothing. Only his eyes were a hint to how he was truly feeling, and the storm I saw within was enough for me to, having got to my feet, sink low to the ground in guilt. Even if I had done nothing wrong, at least not intentionally, the feeling was hard to squash, and continued whispering in my ear while Cryhn''s gaze kept me trapped in my place. Finally, he spoke. "You should go back to the camp, Fyrlia will be there with food. I''ll head back once I''m done here." *What? He''s just going to send me back like I''m some misbehaving hatchling? I have every right to know what''s going to happen! * "But I want to stay. What are you going to do with the Falinthians?" "Go," he replied simply. "But-" "I said go!" He roared, shoving me aside to charge the dazed striped cat that was groggily dragging himself to his feet. While I wanted to stay and watch, I knew I couldn''t. He wasn''t just asking anymore, he was giving a command, and I didn''t really feel like finding out what he would do when he found I disobeyed, so I promptly flew into the sky, making sure to avoid the two combatants ¡ª lest Cryhn think I was ignoring his order and delaying my departure to observe. The air whipped past me as I soared above the forest, my thoughts consumed with speculations about the fight while I absently watched for any sign of the fire Fyrlia made. Finally, when I was beginning to worry I had missed it, I saw the soft glow of flame lighting up a small section of the forest; a small beacon wafting scents of smoke, wood, and meat directly to me. There it is. Chapter Sixteen I dove quickly towards the source of the fire, feeling the heat wash over me as I descended. Fyrlia was encased in its light, turning her snow white scales to gold while her naturally golden horns gleamed even more radiantly than usual. It was like the first time I had seen her all over again. Her beauty was just as astounding, and I could still feel the danger and power emanating from her, though now I knew why. She controlled her element with such ease ¡ª especially for a Beginner ¡ª, swirling the light she had harnessed above the fire in a circular motion. With each orbit it grew brighter and brighter until it was burning into my eye. Just as I was about to look away, the light erupted into hundreds of tiny sparks, all slowly drifting back to the flame they had came from. She must be really close to becoming a Novice if she can manipulate that many different fragments without losing control. Completing my descent, I touched down just outside the ring of light. ¡°That was impressive. Remind me to never make you upset.¡± She jumped slightly and snapped her head toward me, as if startled by my presence. ¡°I didn¡¯t realize you were here.¡± ¡°I just got back.¡± We both stood staring at eachother in increasingly awkward silence until she finally spoke again. ¡°If you haven¡¯t eaten yet there¡¯s some extra over there.¡± She gestured with her tail toward a small cluster of shrubs, under which I assumed were the remains of some animal. I nodded stiffly in thanks before making my way over. The distance felt painfully long even though it couldn¡¯t have been more than two wing lengths away, likely because I could feel her gaze trained on my back as I walked past. Even eating was uncomfortable, she kept sneaking glances at me while she was practicing with her element when she thought I couldn¡¯t see her. In the short time it took me to finish my small meal she had looked over at least twenty times, maybe more when she was in my blind spot. What is her problem? Did I do something wrong or am I just paranoid? Walking closer, I settled down right on the edge of the outermost ring of light, ensuring both the dark and fire were close. That¡¯s probably another influence from my element, normally I¡¯d sit closer. The warmth of the fire was still able to reach me and I purred deep in my throat while I relaxed, finally content with food in my belly and no angry cats attacking me. ¡°What happened?¡± I cracked open my eyelid and mumbled lazily, ¡°What?¡± ¡°When you went hunting, what took you so long? What happened with Cryhn?¡± Is that why she kept staring at me? All she had to do was ask. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it I pushed myself up to a sitting position with a groan, my muscles sore from being pushed over earlier like a hatchling in the wind. ¡°There were no animals out there, not until I found a Falinthian panther which I was planning on turning into dinner.¡± At Fyrlia¡¯s shocked look I quickly elaborated, ¡°Not intentionally, I didn¡¯t realize it was a Falinthian yet.¡± Her look faded and she nodded for me to go on, so I continued, ¡°Her mate, a tiger, showed up and was probably about to rip my throat out until Cryhn got him off of me. He stayed behind to deal with the Falinthians and told me to come back here.¡± ¡°So you got beat up by a cat?¡± She chuckled heartily while I glared daggers at her. ¡°You try fighting two of them and see how it goes. Especially the tiger, it felt like I¡¯d been squashed by a mountain when he had me pinned.¡± ¡°You¡¯re well versed in combat, if you can beat dragons than two cats should have been easy. After all, you even beat me during the trial and no one¡¯s ever beaten me before.¡± I glowed internally at the praise. She was right, I had trained for years to become the best in combat and eventually had ¡ª even the instructors were frequently impressed by my performance ¡ª yet the second I encountered a real threat all my training had deserted me. ¡°I guess I¡¯m just used to fighting dragons, not other creatures. It¡¯s never life or death situations either, and I¡¯ve always had two eyes. Maybe with some more practice I¡¯ll be able to figure everything out.¡± She frowned slightly at my response. ¡°It can¡¯t happen again, or else you might end up dead.¡± I sighed defeatedly. ¡°I know. I¡¯ll work on it with Cryhn, he said he¡¯d train me before we reached Estryai.¡± ¡°Well in that case, you should come practice your element with me.¡± At my uncertain look she added, ¡°You¡¯ll have to practice at some point. Besides, you never know when it¡¯ll come in handy. It might save you in a situation where normal combat isn¡¯t enough.¡± Misreading my uncertainty she said, ¡°If you¡¯re worried about not being able to summon it, then don¡¯t. You did just fine in the Dwarves dungeon, and that was with much less fire available.¡± ¡°Well yeah, but I don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a good idea.¡± I was frantically rummaging through my brain for a good reason to dissuade her when Cryhn arrived, once more my saving grace. Getting straight to the point, Cryhn announced, ¡°They weren¡¯t all to happy with you Rylar but they accepted your attack as an honest mistake and are willing to let us pass through.¡± I scoffed. ¡°Willing? They don¡¯t have a choice.¡± He gave me a severe glance, and I shrunk slightly under his gaze. ¡°They very much do have a choice. Their clan would take a heavy hit, but they could potentially take all three of us if they managed to ground us.¡± ¡°Clan? How many of them are there? I thought they were travelers and didn¡¯t stick together anymore,¡± Fyrlia said. ¡°Recently, yes, Falinthians are constantly on the move, but it wasn¡¯t always that way. They used to live in a singular clan until the war broke out among them and caused them to split off from each other. Then just families lived together, but more recently humans have been picking them off, so they¡¯re mainly solitary now. These particular Falinthians have grown weary of the constant travel and have made this they¡¯re territory. They¡¯re making their stand here, and there¡¯s at least forty from what I could garner.¡± ¡°Forty?¡± Both Fyrlia and myself were shocked. Falinthians hadn¡¯t been in a clan that large in over a hundred years. ¡°Yes. So, when first light comes, we are leaving. I do not wish to risk their wrath.¡± We nodded in agreement, and, with the conversation concluded, Fyrlia promptly returned to her elemental practice. No wonder why she¡¯s so good, she¡¯s probably been practicing for hours. Spotting me watching her, Cryhn questioned, ¡°Why don¡¯t you practice as well?¡± I shot him a wide eyed warning glance. My eye flicking from him to Fyrlia. She doesn¡¯t know! What in the world do you think you¡¯re doing? As if he had read my mind, which wouldn¡¯t be to impressive of a feat ¡ªmy rapidly oscillating eye was probably a dead giveaway to my thoughts ¡ª, Cryhn said, ¡°She will find out at some point, it might as well be now.¡± Now Fyrlia had turned to me, her interest likely having been piqued, leaving myself with no way out of my predicament. I shot Cryhn a nasty glare, or as nasty of one I could manage with one eye, and sighed in defeat. Here goes¡­ Chapter Seventeen ¡°Ragithar,¡± I called out into the void of my soul. Seconds later I felt the increasingly familiar thrum of power as my element drew near, the feeling gradually growing in intensity the closer it got. Soon enough I could see the dark fire in my mind''s eye; the thing that had disrupted my life, the thing that had hundreds across the continent vying for my head, the thing that had almost got me killed more than once. Despite that, I could not despise it. It was just as much a part of me as I was it, and a beautiful part of me at that. Coming to a halt just before me, the red flame flickered softly, occasionally revealing black wisps of smoky shadow that danced and twirled in slow yet graceful patterns across its surface. It seemed pure and innocent, and in that moment I understood and accepted that it was part of me. It always would be, and there was no reason I should have to hide who I was forever. If my only friend ¡ª or as close to a friend as she was ¡ª would not accept me for this, then no one would, and I was okay with that. But if she did accept me, then that was evidence that others might too and that I could convince those who don''t that being a hybrid doesn''t automatically make you something to be feared and butchered like a rabid animal. I could change Etrythia, change the mindset of its inhabitants, and make it a continent safe from the hate my mother, sister, and myself had been subject to. With that single revelation that I had unknowingly been shying away from, my entire life goal and perspective changed, and I reached out willingly, gleefully, to my element. I will become strong enough to accomplish what others have only ever dreamed of, starting now. And when I find my sister, we¡¯ll do it together. A surge of power erupted through my body, even more than any of the previous times, and I felt a satisfied grin etch itself onto my face. Practice with your element was required to advance in the ranks, but you also needed to find yourself, your true self, for without a complete soul there could be no space for the element to grow. Opening my eyes, I controlled the dark fire with my will, instructing it where to go and what to do with scarcely a thought. It danced effortlessly around the clearing, shedding light onto the trees and bushes at the edge of the clearing and creating shadows that the stationary campfire could not. Fyrlia¡¯s gasp from beside me nearly threatened to pull me from my concentrated state. I furrowed my talons into the dirt from the effort but managed to maintain the connection. For a few more moments I directed the dark fire around before I was unable to hold it anymore. It dissipated in a shower of embers, each one drifting slowly to the ground and winking out like a firefly. The torrent of power once more subsided to my ordinarily calm state, similar to the sea after a storm. The silence from my two companions was oppressive, specifically Fyrlia¡¯s silence, so I focused instead on the sounds and scenes of the night. The campfire crackled soothingly while the tree''s leafy branches were pushed against each other by a slight breeze, creating the illusion of whispering voices. The trees themselves were of varied types, some with sharp, pointy leaves and crooked trunks, while others had soft, round leaves and straight, towering trunks that seemed to never end. One tree even had thin, peeling bark that looked similar to the material of a scroll, though that may have just been the effect of distance and darkness making it appear as something it wasn''t. Various frogs lent their voices to the night, creating a cacophony of noise that ranged from small, bearable croaks to large, obnoxious belches that tempted me to track the frog down just to make it shut up. In the distance, an owl screeched, a sound so unnatural against the subtle peace of the night that, if it were possible, my scales would have raised as a cat''s fur does when it''s spooked. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. Finally, Fyrlia spoke. ¡°You''re one of the elemental hybrids.¡± It was less of a question and more of a statement, but I nodded in affirmation anyway. The flickering shadows from the campfire played across Fyrlia''s face, emphasizing the deep furrows on her brow as her gaze bore into me. I tensed reflexively, hoping, no, praying, that everything would work out and she wouldn¡¯t hate me for this. After another moment of tense silence, her expression cleared and she laughed. ¡°I knew you were hiding something!¡± She exclaimed. Perturbed, I glanced at Cryhn. That was not the reaction I was expecting. He met my gaze and shrugged his wings slightly, gently shaking his head with a bemused expression. Fyrlia¡¯s head moved back and forth, tracking our silent conversation before she let out an annoyed sigh. ¡°Really guys? I¡¯m right here.¡± ¡°I just wasn¡¯t expecting that,¡± I admitted honestly. ¡°What? You thought I was going to turn all crazy and try to kill you?¡± She scoffed. ¡°No, no matter what your element is or what the prophecy might say, I wouldn¡¯t do that. You¡¯re a nice dragon Rylar, I don¡¯t see why everyone else can¡¯t accept that such a thing is possible for hybrids.¡± The sincerity in her voice made me, for a moment, feel guilty for ever doubting her. The next moment, however, all I felt was shock. ¡°Well that¡¯s good,¡± Cryhn began. ¡°I was hoping to avoid killing any dragons tonight.¡± My head snapped toward him, my eye widening slightly. ¡°What?¡± Maybe that''s just his way of joking? I thought optimistically. But no, the blank, dead serious look in his eyes said otherwise. ¡°I¡¯m responsible for your safety, the prophecy must come to pass. If that means killing one of our kind, then so be it.¡± To say I was shocked was really an understatement. Dragons were killed on sight by many of the different lifeforms on Etrythia, so it was an unspoken rule that you never, never, kill another dragon unless they have committed some sort of heinous act, and even then it was a last resort. ¡°What¡¯s so important about the prophecy that you would kill me over it? Wouldn¡¯t you want to do the opposite and kill Rylar since it says the hybrids will cause chaos and death?¡± Fyrlia questioned. Her brow was once more furrowed, though now it was in confusion. ¡°Not that I want to,¡± she added quickly, giving me an apologetic look. ¡°I just meant hypothetically.¡± ¡°Cause chaos?¡± He scoffed. ¡°The hybrids will unite everyone and prevent the spread of evil that has already corrupted so many different parts of Etrythia. Whoever told you that lied.¡± ¡°But the first stanza says that we ¡ª as in dragons ¡ª might die soon,¡± Fyrlia argued. ¡°Prophecies are never as straightforward as they appear at first glance, and this one is no exception,¡± Cryhn said, looking up at the full moon where it was perched in the center of the sky. After a moment, he continued, ¡°I can explain tomorrow, but I think we¡¯ve all been awake for long enough, especially if we need to leave at first light tomorrow.¡± While Fyrlia and I tried our best to convince him to tell us, he was unrelenting, and, eventually, we conceded, halting our pestering for the night while we settled down for sleep. Ever since we escaped the prison we slept close to each other with the sky and stars at our backs. It gave me a feeling of comfort and stability that I hadn¡¯t known I was missing out on from sleeping inside a cave where my only companions were the stone walls and Kazlar¡¯s rumbling snores from another room. Even so, my mind would not allow me to rest for what felt like hours but was probably only minutes, the gears constantly turning in my brain as I tried to decipher the prophecy. Eventually, though, my mind gave in, letting me slip into a peaceful, dreamless sleep. Chapter Eighteen It was still dark when I awoke. The birds had just begun to chirp and sing and dew clung to every fern and blade of grass within the clearing. Thankfully the frogs had finally shut up, I would have been even more grumpy if I had woken up to that horrendous noise. Standing slowly in an effort to not wake Fyrlia who was still asleep right beside me, I stretched once I was a few paces away, feeling all my bones crack and pop after a long time of no movement. Spotting Cryhn watching me from the now-dead campfire I shook off any excess water on me ¡ª I hated the feeling of it slowly sliding over my scales ¡ª and silently made my way to his side. ¡°When are we leaving?¡± I whispered to him. ¡°Soon,¡± he replied. ¡°Go ahead and wake her, we will go to a stream I found yesterday for water first and then leave.¡± I nodded in agreement and trudged back toward her sleeping body, trying to blink away the bleariness in my eye all the while. Hopefully, she¡¯s a morning person because I¡¯m most certainly not and if anyone tried to wake me up this early I¡¯d probably bite their head off. It turned out that she was also not a morning person and I would¡¯ve been missing a talon if I hadn¡¯t used a stick to nudge her instead. Thankfully I had, and now the poor piece of wood lay shattered to splinters in the pile of leaves it had fallen in. Once that had been done and Fyrlia wasn¡¯t still grumbling at me we left for the stream. The sun was just beginning to rise when we touched down on the bank of the stream, its golden orange rays pushing back the inky black sky bit by bit. Soft grass grew along the higher area of the bank while mud and smooth rocks took up the lower area. We drank from the lower, more sturdy area just in case we stepped on a loose bit of earth and it gave out ¡ª none of us wanted to take a dip this early in the day, no matter how shallow the water might be. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. The stream itself reflected the sky above, thin tendrils of orange slowly overtaking the primarily navy-colored water. Rocks were scattered throughout it, their sharp, pointy tops breaking up the otherwise smooth flow into white frothy sections before it once more calmed down. After we had drunk our fill we all rose into the sky one by one, Cryhn leading the way while Fyrlia was in the back, myself flying comfortably in between them. ~~~ The sun was now at its zenith, and we were still flying. My wings had long since grown weary of flight, so now I simply aimed to glide for as long as I could before needing to use them to propel myself forward quickly. Even so, stretching my wings so wide and for so long made them feel like they were constantly on the verge of cramping. Dragons may be built for flying ¡ª most of them, at least ¡ª but even then we still had our limits, and I had just about reached mine. The wind was doing us no favors either. It howled and screeched past us, pushing against our sides and front and forcing us to work twice as hard to maintain the pace. Cryhn, in the lead, was taking the brunt of it, yet he still looked as if he could fly forever. No panting chest, no drooping posture, and definitely no weakness in the wings. He pumped them continuously as if we had only just started flying in perfect weather. Definitely some influence of his age. Maybe his element and rank as well, especially since Yaegran¡¯s normally have the second-worst stamina out of all the dragons. Finally, Cryhn twisted his neck and looked back at us. We were probably quite a sorry sight, myself wilting like a dying flower, and while I wasn¡¯t entirely sure how Fyrlia was doing, I doubted it was any better than me. He seemed to reach some sort of resolution because he nodded his head slightly, and began to descend. ¡°Thank the gods,¡± I gasped into the air. I snapped my wings shut, letting my body stall and plummet toward the ground before shooting through the clouds like a falcon. Hitting the warmer air below them was still as much a shock as it had been my first time doing this, but I managed to combat the usual discomfort and tightness in my chest by taking deeper breaths than I would normally. Plains and fields of grass and gold ferns lay sprawled across the horizon for as far as the eye could see. The mountains were now far in the distance, and the forest we had come from was nowhere in sight. It was as if we had been transported to another world, and I loved it. While there was still a brisk wind, the sun beat more warmly upon my scales than it ever had in Yavleth, producing a feeling of contentment that I hadn''t known I was missing out on. Still following Cryhn¡¯s lead, we eventually managed to find a small dip in the earth from where the flat plain built up into a small hill. It was the best we would likely find for leagues in every direction, so we decided to rest there for now. Or at least I thought it was a nice spot for resting, but Cryhn obviously had very different plans. The second my feet made contact with the ground and my tired wings were given a temporary respite, Cryhn lunged for me, bowling me to the ground in a single, quick move. His next words made me groan in defeat. ¡°Your training starts now,¡± he declared, a predatory grin etched onto his face as he stepped off me, giving me room to stand up before he launched his next attack. I hit the dirt once again, my body already aching. Well, this should be so much fun. Chapter Nineteen My body hurt. And I don''t mean that little bit of soreness you get from pushing yourself too hard while flying and then it takes a few days to go away. No, this soreness was from getting pushed to the ground more times than I could count by a dragon that was over a hundred years old and felt like he was ten times heavier than me. Not great. Not great at all. And even when I had called it quits and lay on the ground unmoving, he still kept pestering me. ¡°Owww,¡± I groaned as I got another kick to my snout. ¡°Get up,¡± Cryhn demanded. ¡°You''re not done until I say you are. Get up.¡± At this point, I didn''t even care that Fyrlia was watching me get my ass kicked. It had been embarrassing at the start when I could still think, but now my brain had been rattled around so much that I could hardly notice she still existed, let alone have the mental capacity to feel embarrassed. Or to get up. ¡°Get up,¡± Cryhn growled, this time stomping on my face dangerously close to my remaining eye. After two more painful kicks, I had finally had enough. I surged upward with the last of my strength, lunging straight for him as I prepared to shove him to the ground and see how much he liked it. Unfortunately, I never got the chance because the same instant I rose from the ground was the same instant I got plowed over again. And of course, ¡°get up¡± was the first thing he said the moment I slammed back into the dirt. ¡°How,¡± I roared, ¡°am I supposed to do that when you just instantly shove me back down!¡± ¡°Figure it out,¡± he said unsympathetically, then added, with a scratch along my snout to join it, ¡°Get up.¡± When it finally seemed to become abundantly clear to him that I had no idea what to do, he sighed and plopped to the ground. ¡°You¡¯re hiding from it,¡± he said cryptically. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! ¡°From what?¡± My question went ignored. ¡°Don¡¯t hide from it, embrace it. It¡¯s the only way you will ever even have a slight chance at beating a stronger opponent.¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± I snarled, my annoyance reaching levels it never had before. His gaze bore into me, and I felt like he could see straight into me, into my soul, even though I knew he couldn¡¯t. ¡°There it is. Feel it, embrace it, use it. You know it¡¯s there, you¡¯re just shying away from it. Think of how you feel during your ¡ª ah, what do they call it now? Blood¡­blood fever? No, that¡¯s not it.¡± ¡°Blood lust?¡± I questioned ¡°Yes, that¡¯s it. Not that it has anything to do with blood, I much prefer the old name.¡± My annoyance faded, replaced by confusion. ¡°What? It has everything to do with blood, it happens because there¡¯s blood.¡± Cryhn shook his head in disbelief. ¡°It always amazes me just how easily such absurd lies can be spread. No matter, I¡¯ll tell you what it is once we¡¯re finished here.¡± He rose to his feet, shoving into me with his talons once more. ¡°Get up.¡± My annoyance returned in full force and I growled lowly at him. With no other choice, I rose slowly to my feet. This time he let me, and I launched an attack once again, this time feinting a straight-on attack. As I drew close and he lowered his head, likely preparing to headbutt me to the ground ¡ª something that I had already experienced once and was highly uncomfortable for both of us ¡ª, I flapped my protesting wings once, twice, and soared over his head. A second later I dropped like a stone onto his body, digging my claws into his leathered hide and using my wings and tail to balance. That was where my plan failed me though. Because, unlike a normal dragon that would crumple under my weight, he was a behemoth, and while he staggered slightly, he still stood tall. Also unlike a normal dragon, he began shaking and moving to dislodge me, even bringing his neck around to snap at me once. I clung on for dear life, my wings and tail constantly moving to help me maintain my balance. After what felt like an eternity but could only have been a few seconds, I got thrown to the ground and the air knocked out of me. Before I could even blink Cryhn was upon me, growling in my face. Once I wasn¡¯t gasping for breath anymore, I was able to concentrate on what he was saying, and it sent my blood boiling. ¡°Weak! Maybe everybody was right to try to kill you, you¡¯re too weak to contribute to anything, too weak to help anyone, and likely too weak to even find your sister! You¡¯re useless!¡± He roared in my face, spittle leaving his jaws as he spat out the words, coating my face in wet, sticky spit. I didn¡¯t even have time to get truly angry. One moment I was pinned beneath him, and the next I was on top, my chest heaving as a ferocious snarl came from deep within me, and the taste of blood in my mouth. Raising my head, I spotted Fyrlia staring at me from a distance away, her body frozen and her face a mask of fear. The dirt, ferns, and grass around me were matted with blood, each thing''s color being replaced with red. I looked back down at Cryhn, and slowly stepped off him, my snarl quieting as my feeling of rage was replaced by guilt. His body was bloodied and torn, and another slash had been added to the pre-existing scars on his snout. His chest still rose softly, so he was alive, but his body was limp and his eyes remained shut even after I had gotten off him. Just as I thought he had passed out, his eyes snapped open, and, crazily enough, a grin spread across his face. ¡°Well done. You¡¯re done with training for today.¡± He slowly rose to his feet, clearly in pain, more blood gradually leaking from his wounds. While his eyes shone and he seemed satisfied, I couldn¡¯t quench the torrent of guilt raging within me. What have I done? Chapter Twenty Once Fyrlia and I had managed to stop the bleeding and clean his wounds as much as possible with what little we had available to us, we flopped down on some grass to relax. My whole body burned and ached, sometimes in places I hadn''t known was possible. I couldn''t sleep yet though, I had questions, so I slowly pivoted to face Cryhn where he was relaxing in the sunlight. He met my gaze with a small grin. ¡°I assume you have some questions?¡± I nodded and asked the most important one by far first. ¡°What was that?¡± He chuckled softly and replied, ¡°It¡¯s what everyone calls ¡®bloodlust¡¯ though as I already told you and as you just witnessed, it doesn''t require blood to be present for it to happen, just rage. And, before I continue, don''t feel guilty for what happened, and don''t take the things I said to heart. I did it all to trigger the rage, and I knew the risks full well.¡± He stared at me expectantly, and only once I had nodded in acknowledgment did he continue. ¡°It used to be called Zarag in the old tongue, based on the names of the two most deadly gods ¡ª Zythin and Ragathone. Eventually though as that language died and the common tongue was born, the name died too. We then took to calling it simply what it was: the rage. Now it''s called bloodlust, but they''re all the same thing, and all activated the same way.¡± He paused, gaze distant, and I remained silent, patiently waiting for him to continue. It was Fyrlia who shattered the silence, asking, ¡°So why does it happen? What does it do besides give you super strength?¡± Cryhn opened his mouth to speak, but I quickly cut him off before he could, my curiosity becoming the best of me. ¡°Super strength?¡± Fyrlia replied, ¡°Yeah, you threw Cryhn around like he was as heavy as a pile of twigs. You don''t remember?¡± ¡°No, I don''t remember a thing. Is that normal?¡± I asked Cryhn, turning back to face him. ¡°First of all, to answer Fyrlia¡¯s question, it¡¯s thought that Zarag is the only thing we retained from when dragons were more¡­primal. Besides our different species and elements, of course. As for what it does, it temporarily enhances your body beyond what it is usually capable of. That also makes it extremely dangerous to frequently use Zarag or to do so for extended periods ¡ª you could destroy your body bit by bit. And yes, in the beginning, it''s common to not be able to remember anything that happened. With practice that will improve. Soon you¡¯ll be able to remember everything that you do and slightly influence the things you do in that state.¡± ¡°Slightly influence?¡± Fyrlia and I asked in sync. ¡°The key to Zarag is not complete control, that¡¯s impossible and only ever leads to Zarag being highly weakened ¡ª at that point, there''s no benefit in even calling upon it to begin with. The key is to give in and trust it, fighting back will only make it more difficult to control and even more difficult to progress with it.¡± The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°So you surrender your body to your primal instincts and hope that you might be able to influence a few aspects to prevent yourself from doing something very wrong?¡± I questioned skeptically. ¡°Yeah, that about sums it up,¡± Cryhn said cheerfully. At our wary expressions, he added, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll help both of you learn how to use it, it gets easier with practice.¡± Thanks a lot, Cryhn, because that makes me feel better knowing I¡¯m likely going to tear you to bits again. ¡°Anything else you want to know?¡± Fyrlia asked this time. ¡°The prophecy. You said you¡¯d explain it today.¡± ¡°I forgot about that, but yes, we can talk about that now. Here, how about one of you write it down so we can look at it while we¡¯re talking?¡± I stood, walking over to a patch of dirt in front of Cryhn. Using my talon, I etched out each word, asking Fyrlia from time to time where each line ended and where the stanzas were split apart since I had never seen the physical version. Once we finished we lay down beside Cryhn, looking up expectantly at him. ¡°Tell me what you were told it meant, Fyrlia, and then we¡¯ll go from there,¡± Cryhn requested. ¡°Well, ¡®of dark and fire, of black and red¡¯ is pretty self-explanatory, it''s saying there will be elemental hybrids born from a dark element and a fire element, one parent will be colored black and the other red. ¡®Our fate is dire and may soon be dead¡¯ means that ¡®normal¡¯ dragons might be killed by the hybrids. The next stanza just says the hybrids are scared of other dragons that are trying to kill them, and the final stanza says that ¡®normal¡¯ dragons will be angry until all the elemental hybrid dragons are killed. After that, everything will return to being peaceful and calm.¡± Cryhn nodded his head slightly before beginning to speak. ¡°You got some of it right, but the line ¡®our fate is dire and may soon be dead¡¯ is from the perspective of the hybrids. They might die, not other dragons. That is part of what makes this prophecy so unique ¡ª there are two parts to it. If Rylar and his sister had died as hatchlings, then the prophecy would have been prevented from happening. Even now, if they¡¯re killed the prophecy could be stopped. In the next stanza ¡ª which is written from the perspective of ¡®normal¡¯ dragons ¡ª the lines ¡®one flees the dark, the other the light¡¯ is quite cryptic and there¡¯s no way to definitively decipher it until it comes to pass. You were correct about the next two lines though. However, the final stanza is not as literal as you interpreted it. ¡®Rage¡¯ and ¡®calm¡¯ are symbols for Rylar and his sister, one of them will eradicate the ¡®scum¡¯, or evil, on Etrythia while the other will unite and lead Etrythia.¡± Silence reigned through the plains, broken only by the faint chirping of crickets. The sun was slowly sinking behind the horizon, leaving vibrant hues of orange, pink, and purple in its wake, and every second it got darker more and more fireflies began to flash, illuminating the plains in their soft golden light. ¡°So Nemyra and I will unite Etrythia?¡± I asked, breaking the silence. Cryhn grinned at me. ¡°Yes, you two will. It might take ten years, it might take a hundred, but it will happen, and I¡¯ll make sure of it. No one¡¯s killing either of you on my watch.¡± I¡¯ve felt overwhelmed before when I had tests in Instruction the next day that I had left studying for at the last minute, or after a particularly difficult-to-understand lesson, but nothing like this. For the first time in my life, I was truly overwhelmed and there was no quick fix, no way to make it go away. As Cryhn had said, it might be ten years it might be a hundred, but no matter the amount of time the weight of Etrythia would be resting on my shoulders throughout it all. No, our shoulders. Nemyra will be there to help me, and I to help her. Together we will cure Etrythia of any evils that have plagued this continent and unite the continent under our rule. My gaze hardened in determination and I nodded to Cryhn. I knew then, that at every chance I had, I would train until I had reached my limit, and even then I would still try to climb higher. My resolve burned deep within me, and as I settled down for sleep that night, I swore I felt my soul expand slightly and a faint flash of power to accompany it. But before I could truly register it I was fast asleep, my fatigued body finally receiving its much-needed rest. Chapter Twenty-One For the next few days, Fyrlia and I kept to a rigorous training schedule. Mornings were dedicated to elemental practice where Cryhn would instruct us to do precise maneuvers with our element. For a while, I could barely even control my dark fire because there was barely any darkness for me to use, but soon enough I was able to pull from as little as Cryhn¡¯s shadow. Once the fires had either burned out or the sun was a quarter of the way to midday we would start our journey toward Estryai, all three of us pushing ourselves as hard as possible and racing across the sky. Each day Fyrlia and I grew even more sore and haggard than the previous, and each day Cryhn flew quicker and for longer, constantly pushing our bodies and minds to new limits. Once Cryhn had decided we¡¯d flown for far enough we would set up camp and two more campfires to be used for more elemental practice. During the remainder of daylight, Cryhn would either have us push heavy objects or run, the latter being especially challenging for Fyrlia. Once darkness fell we would practice with our elements, first controlling the smallest amount of our elements possible and then the largest amount possible. My goal was to control the entire fire while Fyrlia¡¯s was to control all the light from the campfire. Although we hadn¡¯t succeeded yet, we got closer each attempt. For the first time since our training regime had started, we were given a break. We woke up late, flew at a leisurely pace for no longer than an hour or two, and then landed for the remainder of the day and began to set up camp. While we were only a few leagues out from Estryai and could easily make it before nightfall, Cryhn had decided it would be smarter to rest and preserve our strength just in case something went wrong. I was in disagreement, after all, it was the City of Peace ¡ª violence was illegal ¡ª, but Cryhn remained unwavering in his decision and I eventually agreed to go along with it. By the time the next day had rolled around my body was already itching to be on the move ¡ª taking a rest day to do pretty much nothing after so many days of high activity just felt wrong. Before we could begin the short flight to Estryai, Cryhn relayed the plan to Fyrlia and me. ¡°When we get there, I will do the talking. Our story will be that you two are orphans who never knew your parents and I¡¯ve been taking care of you ever since you were a hatchling. Rylar, I¡¯ll have found you around Mertri ¡ª a cliffside dwelling for dragons along the coast ¡ª which also happens to be my home. Fyrlia, I¡¯ll have found and rescued you from human hunters in Frydernth ¡ª the mountainous area with the dark spruce forest. If either of you is spoken to, you can answer but do so without sharing any unnecessary details that might complicate our story. Got it?¡± We nodded an affirmative, then turned and raced into the sky, closely following Cryhn¡¯s lead. ~~~ Estryai was unlike anything I could have ever pictured, no matter how hard I tried. From the outside, the towering, dull-looking wall of stone was quite forbidding and uninspiring, but once I stepped through the gates I was greeted with an entirely different world. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. Scents of things both known and unknown flooded my nose while my eyes were assaulted with bright colors and chaotic streets. Houses, shops, and portable vendors ranged from simple shades of white and grey to blindingly bright shades of blue, green, and yellow, just to name a few. There were even some colors that I hadn¡¯t even known existed, such as one that mixed pink, purple, and red, somehow managing to look like all of those colors and yet none of them at the same time. It was difficult to decipher and even more difficult to look at, so I quickly glanced away before it could give me a headache. Dwarves, humans, elves, and even a few Elygran walked the streets peacefully, all of them leaving their species enemies alone when they¡¯d usually be at each other''s throats in half a second. The guards were the reason for this. They stood at nearly every corner, ensuring everyone upheld the law and remained peaceful. The guards came from everywhere throughout Etrythia, all vowing the same oath and casting aside any of their reservations toward other species in favor of keeping Estryai a peaceful place. At one point I even saw a hybrid dragon on guard, wheeling in wide circles high above the city like a vulture. It truly was amazing what could happen when different cultures and species came together to collaborate instead of kill. One day all of Etrythia will be like this, I vowed silently. I was snapped out of my temporary reprieve by Fyrlia who was asking Cryhn, ¡°How are we supposed to find someone who will know the information we need? With this large of a city, it¡¯ll take days, maybe even weeks to do that.¡± Cryhn smirked at that. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I have my ways.¡± Fyrlia eyed him skeptically and then glanced my way as if wondering about my opinion on the matter, so I said, ¡°He has his ways.¡± Cryhn and I shared a conspiratorial grin, and she sighed exasperatedly. ¡°What do you two know that I don¡¯t?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll see,¡± I said cryptically. In return, she gave me a nasty glare that communicated just how she felt about having to solve the mystery, though her playfully flicking tail told me it was all in good fun and she wasn¡¯t actually upset. I chucked good-heartedly, following behind Cryhn as we headed deeper into the cobbled streets of Estryai. The streets were all extremely wide, to the point where there was room for a dragon even larger than Cryhn to fit through. At every few shops, we would pause and watch as Cryhn walked over to speak to the owner and workers. He always spoke to the elves, and they always had a confused expression as Cryhn walked away. I hope he¡¯s not saying anything too obvious. After over ten shops with no success, we finally decided to give it a break. Fyrlia and I were starving, and no matter how much Cryhn denied it, he probably was too. The only problem was that none of us had money, so we instead had to resort to persuasiveness, something that was apparently quite difficult to pull off when you were ten times taller than the vendor and would require just as many times more food than an average beggar. By the end of our conquest, we had collected two toothpick-sized ribs that already looked gnawed on, three extremely questionable soups, and a single large slab of meat that would have looked delicious if not for the rotten scent and blueish hue slowly overtaking the red. After that, we decided we suddenly weren¡¯t hungry anymore and continued with our search for a dark elf accomplice without touching any of the scraps we had collected. Cryhn thought he¡¯d seen someone who might have recognized the band while we were scavenging for food, so we went back to that area to see. We were just about to give up searching when Cryhn finally spotted the elf again and pointed him out. It was a male forest elf sporting short brown hair, cropped in the average human male style. Normally elves of both genders wore their hair long, the only time it was ever cut so short was if the elf had committed a crime bad enough to land him or her in exile. He had a light brown complexion and a handsome enough face compared to many of the humans in the city, and while I couldn¡¯t make out his eye color from so far away, I could see the way they widened when he saw us watching him. They flicked between all three of us and then to Cryhn¡¯s metal clasp still resting on his foreleg. Not even a second later he was gone, racing through the crowd like his life was on the line. Cryhn growled in annoyance and leaped into the sky, setting the pursuit into action. The hunt was on. Chapter Twenty-Two I followed closely behind Cryhn, my single eye working double time to track the elf through the crowd while also making sure I wasn¡¯t about to smack into Cryhn. Fyrlia, being quicker than myself, shot forward with a burst of speed and landed in front of the elf with a thud. In less than a second he had turned, racing back the way he came, but I landed in front of him next, effectively trapping him in the alley he had run into. Cryhn made a slow descent, landing next to me and watching the terrified elf quiver in fear for a moment. Lifting his foreleg to display his clasp, Cryhn asked, ¡°What do you know of the dark elves? And don¡¯t try to lie, I know you know something.¡± ¡°U-uh, well, I, um¡­¡± He''s a stumbling mess, I thought to myself amusedly. Cryhn, though, wasn¡¯t so amused. ¡°Speak!¡± He demanded, his tail twitching slightly as if irked while his eyes scanned our surroundings He¡¯s worried someone will report us, I realized. I should have thought of that sooner. The elf, while still stuttering a bit, managed to mostly pull himself together. ¡°W-what do you want to know?¡± ¡°Where they live currently. I¡¯m a friend, I just haven¡¯t seen them in nearly forty years; I¡¯m sure they¡¯ve relocated since then.¡± The elf nodded slightly. ¡°They should still be in Rugonth. They set up in the dead center of the forest.¡± He shuddered slightly. ¡°I hated that place, I¡¯d of rather continued moving every year instead of staying there for five.¡± Cyan frowned. ¡°Moving every year? Why?¡± ¡°The high el-¡° Whatever he had been about to say was abruptly cut off by a deep, resonant sound in the distance. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. The forlorn noise echoed through the city, leaving silence in its wake. For a moment, it was as if the world had been frozen in time. Everyone ¡ª whether they were elf, dragon, dwarf, man, or Elygran ¡ª stopped what they were doing and turned slowly, disbelievingly, toward the source. Atop the ramparts, a massive war horn inlaid with gold patternings was erected, and the only thing moving in every direction was the human that frantically blew into it, warning Estryai¡¯s occupants of danger. The City of Peace was under attack; the impossible had happened. As soon as the echoes from the war horn faded, everybody leaped into motion. Screams erupted through the air as hysteria began to take over the crowd; everyone running to and fro without a care for anyone but themselves. We quickly took flight, gazing in the direction of the entrance of Estryai to see if we could spot the origin of the disturbance. Dragons wreaked havoc on the city gate, tearing apart the guards and burning the buildings within their reach. One of the dragons, a Ryzinthin, circled above the attack, directing the dragons below in their invasion. He must be the leader. As if he sensed me watching him, he turned, his purple eyes instantly meeting my red one. Without any hesitation, the midnight black dragon roared, giving a command to his accomplices. In an instant, they had disengaged from the guards and were flying straight toward us. ¡°Rylar, run!¡± Cryhn shouted, ¡°They¡¯re here for you! Run! Fyrlia and I will hold them off.¡± While I wanted to stay and help, I knew doing so would place them in even greater peril. The quicker I got away, the quicker they could disengage from the fight and escape themselves. Without another thought I raced through the sky, arcing through the air like a comet and feeling the dark elemental dragon¡¯s eyes boring into my back. Even when I had to of been over a league away, I swore I heard his roar of rage chasing after me, trying to catch up to me when his physical body couldn¡¯t. ~~~ My chest heaved from the exertion, my wings trembling from exhaustion. I hadn¡¯t stopped flying since I¡¯d fled from the battle, and now I felt even more tired than I had training with Cryhn. Currently, I was on the route to Rogunth, and if the rapidly increasing fog was anything to go by, I was getting extremely close. While I had never been to Rogunth before, I had learned about it in Instruction. Home to a monument built in honor of Zythin as well as many ancient legends, Rogunth was thought to be a cursed, haunted forest. The trees were gnarled and bent, and the canopy thick enough to blot out even the brightest sunlight on the ground. It was said that no matter what time of day it was or what season it was, the forest was always shrouded in fog. Beyond the forest, though, a great mountain towers over everything for leagues. It stretches from coast to coast, a distance that would take over two weeks of flying to achieve. What was beyond the formidable land mass, no one could say, as anyone who ventured beyond it never came back to tell the story. The large mountain range ¡ª similar to the forest below it ¡ª was the origin of many myths and legends. Some said it was constructed by the gods to protect us from great, terrible beasts that lay on the other side. Others say it was a god, Zythin to be exact, entombed in stone forever for the horrible acts he has allowed to happen throughout history. The most disbelievable one ¡ª in my mind, at least ¡ª was the story of a dragoness who had grown to that size. When her lover died she was heartbroken and with no will to live she had lay down and never risen again, and earth and stone eventually encased her body in a tomb. To grow to such a size would have meant she was immortal, and while it was true dragons didn¡¯t entirely know how old we could grow to be ¡ª most die of natural causes or are hunted to death before their hundredth year, with the oldest recorded dragon being barely over 500 years old ¡ª I believed there was no way we were immortal and just didn¡¯t know. I shook myself out of my thoughts as the faint outline of crooked trees appeared through the fog. Soon, sister, soon we will meet. Chapter Twenty-Three Touching down in the center of the forest, I looked around expectantly. No elves were in sight, and my sister wasn¡¯t either. Maybe they¡¯re somewhere else right now and will be back later? I settled down to wait, trying my best to not think too hard about what might be creeping through the forest, but the great, warped, and gnarled trees and oppressive fog made it difficult. Eventually, though, my exhaustion finally caught up to me, slowly stealing my unwilling mind to sleep as I lay in the middle of the dark, creepy forest, where anything could be lurking. ~~~ Srah want that, then Srah want this. ¡°Srah is stuid!¡± I roared out, my tail swinging back and forth in sharp, erratic movements. Not even a moment later the tip smacked into a tree that I was walking by, firmly lodging into it. When an experimental tug wouldn¡¯t free it, I could feel panic rising in me. No get stuck. Last get stuck the Evil kill Rah. My forked tongue slid past my serrated teeth, sensing the air as I slowly worked my tail out of the bark. It took a while, but eventually, I managed it, and I instantly fled off the forest floor and into the trees. I crawled up the tree as quickly as I could, only relaxing when I was high above the ground. The tree itself was quite difficult to climb as it was twisted and gnarled, not at all like the trees of my homeland. I sat there for a moment, my tail dangling limply from the branch I was perched on. I wasn¡¯t going to risk swinging it so soon. What do? I thought fiercely, searching my mind for any recollection of why I was out here. Suddenly it clicked. Srah want¡­Srah want¡­eat! He ahways want eat. With that goal in mind, I glided from tree to tree, slowly gaining in speed until I was rocketing between each branch, using the next one to propel me even quicker. A moment later I shot out of the forest, carefully, stealthily, beginning my journey to the nearest area that had food. No eat in twisted woods, yet Srah no listen. He no want ove yet. Eventually, I made it to my destination. A small pond housed fish, berries, and rabbits, all good food if you could catch it. I was one of the best hunters, so for me it was no problem bowling over a rabbit, killing it, and beginning the journey back with it in tow. Approaching the mountain cave we now called home, I shifted the rabbit between my two back talons anxiously. This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. I hope Srah no anry. He ahways anry. I let out a series of clicks and whistles to let the guards know that I wasn¡¯t an intruder, before spiraling down toward the entrance. I landed smoothly, switching the rabbit from my talons to my mouth before slowly walking further into the tunnel as my eyes adjusted to the darkness. The tunnel branched into three different sections and I immediately took the middle one. It would take me to Srah who was likely waiting impatiently for his meal. Luckily for me, he seemed to be in a fairly good mood, observing his higher-ups battle it out for food rights. Of course, they didn¡¯t dare touch anything from the pile yet. Srah must eat first, and then the true mayhem would break loose. I approached slowly, reverently, my head bowed so as not to catch his eye, lest he interpret it as a threat. My whole body threatened to shake the closer I got to him, yet I managed to stand tall and steady. His orange eyes watched me steadily, calculating my every move as I drew within striking range. Any moment now he could bring his tail swinging down ¡ª I had seen it happen before ¡ª and leave me with a wound I wouldn¡¯t forget anytime soon. Such was the consequence of offending Srah, and I had no wish to do that anytime soon. Now just in front of him, I dipped my head lower, setting the rabbit gently beneath his head. My mind screamed danger! as I had my neck completely exposed to him, but it had to be done. If not, I would be punished, and I had no wish for that. I awkwardly stepped back, my neck still bowed low. Suddenly I felt something leathery against my face and I froze. Srah reached out, lifting my head with the digits on his wing and examining me. His baleful orange eyes flicked from my face to my body, eying my pale yellow eyes, ivory horns, forest green scales, and lighter-colored leathered wings that supported the front half of my body. At one point he even stood, silencing the rest of the room as he circled me. He tested the strength of my arrow-like tail on his scales, wincing as, after a little resistance, it cut straight through. He poked and prodded my side where my ribs showed through, only stopping when I had winced slightly. He returned to his original place and began tearing into the rabbit as if nothing had just happened. Throughout it all I remained frozen, scarcely daring to breathe. Assuming myself dismissed, I took a single step back, only for his gaze to instantly snap to me. I swallowed hard as he growled, the meaning clear. I was to stay there until he was done with his meal. The other wyverns began digging into their pile of food once Srah had picked out some food from it, though he hadn¡¯t eaten it yet. Snaps and growls could be heard, but I didn¡¯t dare look over in case it offended Srah. My stomach rumbled. I hadn¡¯t eaten since last night and the scent of blood so close when I was so hungry nearly drove me mad. Finally, everyone finished eating and they gradually filed out, leaving me alone with Srah. Even though I couldn¡¯t see him ¡ª my head was still bent close to the ground ¡ª I could feel his gaze crawling over me, inspecting me once more. Finally, he let out a few clicks, and I lifted my head, still avoiding his gaze, and shook it to relieve some stress. He slid a rabbit to me, watching expectantly as I stared at it dumbly. Finally, when it became clear I wasn¡¯t going to eat it without his command, he whistled softly, and I instantly dove in. In a minute all that remained were the bones, and I crunched on those as well to get all the marrow out. While I would¡¯ve loved to eat the duck sitting next to him as well, I was fairly satisfied and didn¡¯t want to take from another one of his chosen meals, so I looked everywhere in the cavern except for him and his food. He began munching on it loudly, the crack of bones jarring me and setting me on edge in the unnaturally quiet space. Once he finished, Srah leaned back and regarded me with a thoughtful expression. He circled me again, this time with a lot more pushing and prodding. I nearly snapped at him once and I think he realized he was beginning to irritate me because he gave me some space before doing it again a minute later. That time I did snap at him, only to instantly shrink in on myself as I realized what I had just done. He didn¡¯t seem offended though, instead letting out a few amused chuffs. Through a series of guttural growls and clicks he finally told me why he was so interested in me. He wanted me to scout the whole twisted forest for the Evil and report back within a week. If they weren¡¯t there, we would live there temporarily until we found out which direction we should go next. He also said I¡¯d be rewarded for the mission, a surprising thing seeing as I didn¡¯t have a choice in the matter. He dismissed me, and I left quickly, heading for the exit. I do now. I want it ober with. Deciding to begin in the center, that was where their base had been, after all, I skimmed over the canopy of the trees, diving through only once I spotted a small gap where it would be safe to do so. I latched onto one of the tree branches before I flew it by, crouching down and rotating myself so I could see the forest floor. The Evil was nowhere to be seen, so I slowly crept lower. Just days ago this spot had been bustling with activity, but now it looked as if nothing had ever been here. Reaching the ground, I crept around quietly, making sure nothing was there. Suddenly I felt a presence, a dangerous presence. Snapping around, I saw a great big beast staring at me. It had wings and scales just like my brethren and I, but that was where the similarities ended. It was larger than me, larger even than Srah, and its scales were dark red with some striped black. Its eyes were also red, though a lighter shade, and it had four legs instead of two. It held its wings at its side, and its tail ended in a blunt tip, not a sharp arrow like ours. And while it had somewhat similar horns, spikes also ran down its neck and tail where ours were bare. Srah, need tell Srah. I left swiftly back the way I had come, my already weary wings beginning to ache as I strained them harder. I ignored the guards at the entrance to the cave, skipping the mandatory stop for identification in favor of reaching Srah faster. This time at the three-way split I went left, straight for Srah¡¯s chamber. Just as he was about to duck into his room, I clicked frantically and he paused. Crash landing to the floor, I stood, keeping my head bowed, and telling him of the beast I had just seen, the beast with the power to tear each of us apart, even him, the King of Kings. Chapter Twenty-Four < Rylar > Roused from my slumber by a soft rustling, I leaped to my feet. My heart raced a little quicker in anticipation as I approached the sound, hopeful that it was the dark elves returning. I turned around a final tree trunk and was greeted with an entirely different sight than the one I was expecting. A creature that I hadn''t even known existed stood before me, completely oblivious to my presence. It looked almost like a Farralyn with how its wings and two legs were structured, but that was where the similarities ended. Its scales, for starters, were colored green, fairly small, and no larger plates were present on its body. Its claws and two horns were ivory, but the rest of its body was smooth and serpentine, without any more spikes or adornments. The very edge of its tail looked extremely sharp and was shaped like a humans arrow tip, obviously a defense mechanism. It was also much, much smaller than me, maybe even less than half my height. As if it could sense my gaze it swung its head around, revealing pale yellow eyes and a snake-like tongue that slipped between its jaws and back in the blink of an eye. Fear was instantly apparent in its expression, and not even a second later it was gone, bursting through the tree cover before I could even speak. What. Was. That? ~~~ Eleven Hours Earlier < Fyrlia > "Rylar run! They''re here for you! Run! Fyrlia and I will hold them off." I watched as Rylar raced away, a large part of me wishing I could do the same. The attacking dragons changed course, ignoring Cryhn and me and going straight for Rylar. Luckily they were still a ways off and we were able to intercept them in time before they could get too far in his pursuit. I thudded into the side of a sky-blue Avelth, my outstretched talons pushing her off course and sending her spiraling as she struggled to regain control of her flight. While her blue stripes were a couple of shades darker and more advanced than a Beginner, I wasn''t worried. Her eyes were green, marking her as an earth element, and seeing how high we were above the ground, I doubted she would be able to do much of anything with it. Turning my attention away from her, I surveyed the rest of the battlefield. While greatly outnumbered, Cryhn was using his element to slow our opponents down and boost his own flight to catch up to them. Is that how he managed to fly so much quicker than us during training? I shook my head. You need to focus, this is a real battle, not training. Despite my best efforts to refocus, my mind wandered, idly tracking a flock of pigeons that were flying among the city below. This is even worse than trying to focus during the Trials, I thought irritatedly. Around the age of five my parents had discovered that something about me was...different than other hatchlings. I could never sit quietly and focus during lessons in Instruction and remembering to do the simplest of things was always exceedingly difficult.When it became obvious that the current schooling method wasn''t successful in teaching me anything, the teachers finally agreed to have private sessions after the normal Instruction hours geared towards my learning style. For years I was outshone by my younger sibling, my parent''s pride and joy, but eventually, I was able to excel in the one thing she never could: combat. It might take me a bit, but once I settled into a focused state of mind, I could do anything. I felt powerful, untouchable, immortal, and I loved it. A dragon suddenly dived past me from above, tearing into my wing membrane with their talons and instantly snapping me back into the present. The damage wasn''t much, just a scratch on my wing, but it carried a threat that belied its size. Stolen story; please report. I could have just been grounded if that dragon had managed to tear the wing. The dragon in question was a wind element Lyzian, its body covered in cloud-grey fluff with darker grey across the majority of its wings and body, marking it as a dragon with high mastery, perhaps Exemplar or Master rank. I eyed the Lyzian carefully. Even if the dragon''s first attack missed me, it didn''t mean the second one would. Luckily ¡ª for me at least ¡ª, the Lyzian seemed to be having a pretty miserable day and missed me for the second time, the gust of wind pulling at the tip of my left-wing but no more. Seizing my chance I shot for him, pushing my body to its highest speed possible and still straining for more. My adrenaline ticked up alongside my heart rate, and suddenly the whole world was mine. Anything that would have usually thrown my attention away was now no more attractive than rocks on a mountain. For a moment, the world slowed down as I thundered toward my target. I flared my wings out, flung my talons forward, and thudded into my prey, just like an owl. He snapped his rounded beak at me and tried to push me off with his element, but I clung on firmly as if my talons had become encased in stone around his body. We plummeted toward the ground, his squirming body getting more frantic the closer we got to it. At one point he managed to slip out from beneath me, but before he could recover I thudded down on him once more, plummeting like a rock. Nearly to the ground, I finally released my quarry, pushing myself off his body to help switch my direction from down to up. I didn''t dare look back, not even as a sick crack echoed from the ground beneath me. As I spiraled back up toward the action my brain finally caught up and I nearly plummeted out of the sky unprompted. You just killed a dragon. I was at war with myself. Half of myself felt what I had done was justified while the other half was screaming insults and curses at me. A third, near nonexistent part of me still held out hope the Lyzian hadn''t died. I didn''t have time to think about it for long though because Cryhn needed help. He was getting attacked by four other dragons, and while he was holding them off with his element for now, I knew he wouldn''t be able to do it for long. Closing in on a white-based Farralyn with golden splotches on its wings and horns, I prepared to ram into it with my signature move, only for my body to suddenly freeze. I hung suspended in the air, unable to move or speak, as terror coursed through me. My wings locked up, and now I was tumbling downwards, unable to recover. And then I wasn''t alone. Kazlar was falling with me. My mother and Cryhn too. Everybody was falling, everyone I knew, all with the same terrified expression locked on their faces. Something heavy hit my head, almost like rain but not quite. With jolting movements, I managed to lift it just enough to see what the source was and instantly wished I hadn''t. Rylar was falling, blood seeping from gashes all over his body. His head was nearly severed, his eye dull, and as I opened my mouth to scream he passed right through me. Its...fake? Somehow this isn''t real. "It''s all fake!" I roared, slowly but surely regaining control of my body now that the oppressive fear had left me. I beat my wings harshly, straining against the air as I neared the ground. Just as I thought I was too late, I finally felt my body shift, breaking out of the nosedive and into flight not a second too soon. As I pulled back up to the sky, my tail whipped across the leafy branches of a lone tree, leaving my body quivering from the adrenaline rush. I approached the fight warily. Cryhn was still fighting, though his motions seemed sluggish and it took him longer than usual to summon his element. Three dragons remained in the fight, including the Farralyn I had been unsuccessful in attacking, and the onyx-colored Ryzinthin still circled above, his eyes tracking everything. Our eyes locked as I drew near, and a quiver of fear passed through my body. I forced the feeling away, letting it fade to anger as I glared daggers at him. He''s the one who did it. But how? Dragons can''t conjure illusions, let alone to that extent. As if he could sense my predicament he smirked down at me, and I bared my teeth back at him in silent rage. Tearing my gaze away, I shot toward my previous target, this time making contact. The Farralyn easily slipped away after my initial attack and turned to face me, a chuckle breaking free as he saw who I was. "You''re young so I''ll give you a choice. Submit now and live to fight later, or die. I would much prefer if you took the first option ¡ª I''m not one for killing hatchlings." I could feel the dark Ryzinthin''s eyes boring into my back. Fear squirmed through my body, but before my wings could lock up again, I threw myself at the Farralyn. His eyes widened slightly, but before I reached him a sharp snap echoed from behind me. I paused, turning to see what had happened. The Ryzinthin was in between the two remaining dragons who had been fighting Cryhn. His eyes watched me carefully, calculatingly, while my own drifted lower, settling on Cryhn''s lifeless body, his neck twisted at an awkward angle. As if that was his cue, the Ryzinthin relaxed his hold, letting Cryhn''s body slip from his talons and towards the ground far below. The noise from the impact reached us all the way in the sky, but I was too numb to react. Cryhn''s murderer edged closer, my fear rising with each beat of his wings. He stopped just before me and I cringed, expecting him to send me to my death too. Unexpectedly, he spoke, and his voice, though deep and resonant, was gentle. "Come with us, young one." I knew I should protest, fight back, do something, but in my current state I could scarcely form coherent thoughts, let alone overpower a dragon even stronger than Cryhn, so instead I nodded dumbly, following him like a lost puppy while my mind struggled to process what had just happened. Cryhn is...dead. I hadn''t known him for long, but he had still managed to impact my life in ways no other dragon ever had. He was nice, he had cared, and he hadn''t given up on me when I couldn''t summon my element because I was too busy watching the fireflies flash across the plains, or the frog getting eaten by a snake. A tear slipped down my snout for the first time in years. He was like the father I never had, and now he''s dead. Chapter Twenty-Five < Rylar > After my unsettling encounter with the dragon-like one, I decided staying in the same spot was not an option, and instead opted to remain on the outermost edge of the forest for the time being. Eventually, Cryhn and Fyrlia would show up, and when they did we could decide our next course of action. At least, I hope they show up. I hope the attacking dragons didn''t hurt them. I was ridden with guilt nearly every moment since we had parted. I knew I''d feel even worse if I discovered something had happened to them, so I tried to keep my mind from straying to scenarios that may never come to pass. Still, every time I closed my eyes I''d see a gaping hole in Fyrlia''s chest, her unseeing eyes glazed over with terror, or Cryhn, flightless and bloody, dragging himself forward with chipped talons moments before he was engulfed in the dark Ryzinthin''s shadow. The more and more time I spent alone, the more and more anxious I felt to learn of the outcome of the fight. However, there was still hope that they''d show, as only a day had passed since I first arrived here. During that time I hadn''t seen any other life. It was eerie, walking through a silent, lifeless forest, an oppressive blanket of fog hindering my range of sight to no more than a few tail-lengths. For that reason, I knew the dark elves couldn''t have been in the forest recently. If they had, there surely would have been some signs of life. After all, no civilization can support itself for long without sustenance. Unless there are more of the dragon-like creatures and they''re the ones who ate everything around. Maybe that''s why the dark elves aren''t here anymore. As I theorized over the lack of life, a faint beat of wings reached my ears through the still air. Craning my head upward, I searched the sky, my eye easily able to pierce the thinner tendrils of fog. A dragon-like was hurtling across the sky and away from the forest. Curious, I rose into the air, following it far enough away to where I could barely see the tip of its tail, lest it spot me. Once the dragon-like had cleared the forest it quickly lost altitude until it was scarcely above the ground, its wings hitting the vegetation and weeds below it with each beat. Suddenly, it vanished, disappearing from my sight without a trace. Baffled, I slowed, my eye scanning my surroundings carefully. A soft breeze rippled over the tall grass, sending the delicate fronds violently whipping to and fro. The distant singing of a bird reached me on the wind, the first sign of other life since I had arrived at the wood. The sun was at its peak, the faint warmth chasing away any discomforting chill I had felt in the forest and clouding my mind with thoughts of sleep and peace. Before I could get distracted by their urges, I shook my head, continuing forward slowly. Now refocused, I reached the area where the dragon-like had vanished, my whole body tense. And rightfully so. Not even a moment later I was under attack by at least five dragon-like, though it was hard to discern them from each other amidst the chaos of flapping wings and snapping jaws. I roared in outrage, the deafeningly loud noise causing a few of the dragon-like to shrink in on themselves. Seizing the opportunity, I shot forward, grabbing one of the smaller dragon-like around the neck with my jaws and plunging to the ground. I landed abruptly, causing my frozen prey to swing forward, its tail drawing a slash across the dirt and grass. I narrowed my eye. I forgot about their tails, I need to be more careful. Who knows what else they have in their arsenal that I''m not aware of? The dragon-like seemed to come to the same realization as I, swinging its tail up and around toward my side. Before it could make contact I dropped it and intercepted its tail with my talon in one swift move. Using my other limbs to pin it down, I positioned myself over it, hunkering down as the other dragon-like closed in. My talon around its throat was a clear message: attack and your friend dies. The dragon-like seemed to understand this, pausing their onslaught to land and communicate to each other via guttural growls and hisses, occasionally an odd clicking noise as well. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. Once I grew weary of their seemingly never-ending exchange I snarled, beating my wings to appear even larger and foreboding. It seemed to do the trick, as all their heads swung to face me. Two of them even took an instinctive step back while the one beneath me trembled in fear. They certainly don''t seem like warriors, they''re much too scrawny and indecisive. They had to of known they couldn''t defeat me, but then why fight? Where''s their leader? While thoughts raced through my mind the dragon-like beneath me let out a whistle, like the sound humans could make by pursing their lips together and blowing, something I had heard a few times during the short visit to Estryai. I cut it off by putting more pressure on its throat, but the damage had already been done. One of the dragon-likes quickly swiveled around and launched into the sky, traveling swiftly back toward the forest, likely for reinforcements. I bared my teeth and growled. I was trapped. If I tried to intercept it I would lose my only advantage, a hostage, but if I were to stay more enforcements would arrive and likely overpower me. A third choice remained, to try and flee, but I suspected if I did the remaining four dragon-like would follow me and guide the reinforcements to my new location. I examined the one who had gotten me into this mess closely. It was a bit less scrawny than the others but it was also smaller than them. I suspected it would be less than half my height if I were to let it stand. I frowned, It looks like the dragon-like I saw in the forest yesterday. Then again, they all look very similar. Before I could continue my musings, a shadow passed overhead, casting me in shade for a moment before the warmth of the sun met my scales once more. I tensed instinctively, struggling to maintain my relaxed facade. Lifting my head slowly, my red eye locked on to the orange eyes of my opponent. The four dragon-like in his entourage were larger than the ones who had attacked me, looking to be just over half my height. They also looked to have more battle experience, hosting an array of scars where the other dragon-like ones were clear of any noticeable injuries. The dragon-like they were escorting could only be their leader. He towered above them all, close to three-quarters of my height. As he landed the three dragon-like that had been watching me were forced to scramble out of the way to make room for him, all of them with heads bowed in reverence as they did so. Our eyes remained locked, and a moment later he let out a series of clicks and growls directed at me. I frowned, not understanding, which served only to make him more vocal and aggressive, his tail beginning to lash wildly back and forth as he stepped forward. I snarled before he could come any closer, and shouted, "I don''t understand you!" His eyes widened slightly. "You seak dragon?" What? "I am a dragon," I responded slowly, my mind addled with confusion. "No," the leader hissed, "You lie. Dragon no hab thour legs. Dragon hab two. Big yes, thour legs no." "So you are a dragon?" The dragon-like made a chuffing noise, his whole body shaking as he did so. A few other dragon-like joined in, unable to contain themselves. Are they...laughing at me? "What''s so funny?" I asked, my eyes narrowed in annoyance. "We no dragon. We wyburn," he finally responded once he''d finished laughing. "Y-burn?" "No, it wyburn." "Yeah, Y-burn." "No!" He roared, "Stuid...thing! It Wy...v...ern." Clearly unable to make the "v" noise, the ''wyvern'' was forced to slowly pronounce the word. "A wyvern? I''ve never heard of that before." He chuffed again. "I no hear of thour legs dragon. Three her an we continue seak." During our exchange, I had completely forgotten about the wyvern trapped beneath me and I relaxed my grip around her neck slightly. "You won''t attack?" I asked suspiciously. "No. I swear it." I nodded and slowly began to step off her, releasing her tail last just in case this was a trap. The tremors in her body failed to cease, seeming only to grow stronger the closer she got to the wyvern leader. Not for the first time, I frowned. Is he some kind of tyrant? He must be if he''s causing that sort of reaction, she wasn''t even shaking that bad when I had her pinned. He didn''t seem to notice her reaction, or if he did he didn''t acknowledge it, instead clicking softly to her as she bowed her head in front of him. She froze and stiffly moved to stand beside him, obviously uncomfortable with the whole situation. The orange-eyed wyvern returned his gaze to me, saying, "We go cabe. You thollow." "Why?" I asked hesitantly, hoping the simple question wouldn''t set him off like earlier. Thankfully it didn''t, and he replied, "We seak there. It sathe." My trepidation must have been evident because he added, "It no trab. Trust. They thollow I and I say no attack. I swear it. They will no attack you." Though I was still hesitant, I was curious too. He had kept his previous promise and didn''t seem to harbor any ill will, so maybe it was worth a shot. I suppose I''ll need to come back once Nemyra and I begin taking over Etrythia. If I anger them now, I''ll likely get a poor reception later. And maybe I can secure an alliance now to ensure peace later. Reigning in my curiosity, I quickly reminded myself that just because I was a part of a prophecy didn¡¯t make me invincible. I could still die, at least if Cryhn¡¯s interpretation of the prophecy was correct, and I trusted him enough to believe it was. I¡¯ll just need to be extremely cautious. If things don¡¯t seem right I¡¯ll leave immediately, no matter what, I promised myself. With my mind made up, whether for good or bad, I gave the wyvern leader a nod. "I''ll come." The orange-eyed wyvern and his entourage soared into the sky, turning to face the forest as they did so. Sighing, I followed suit, prayingI wasn''t making a terrible mistake. Chapter Twenty-Six The wyverns had made their home inside a cave on the side of the mountain, a cave I was currently following their lead into. Seconds after I vanished into its gaping maw my talons hit the rough stone of the cavern, causing me to wince as I put my weight onto a particularly sharp piece of stone. Moss carpeting is so much better than this, I thought privately, longing for the comfort of my home in Yavleth in the time before Kazlar had gone mad. Before I could get sucked back into the past and all the heartache that was associated with it, the wyvern leader spoke. "This way." I adjusted my wings so they would rest comfortably along my back and followed closely behind the wyvern in front of me. My eye was still adjusting to the darkness after the bright sunlight, but even if I couldn''t see the wyverns behind me I could most certainly hear and almost feel them behind me. The unnerving sensation caused me to shudder slightly but I tried not to let any unease show. After a tense few minutes, we drew to a halt. My eye had finally adjusted to the darkness, allowing me to observe the scene in front of us. Three tunnels branched into three different directions, and stalking out from the righter most one was a wyvern. Its eyes widened when it saw our group, and they only grew larger when they passed over me. The wyvern instantly crouched down when it saw its leader, its head bowed so low that it was touching the ground. The wyvern leader spoke to his subject in their language of growls and hisses, something that I was not at all accustomed to. From my uncomprehending view, it seemed like the wyvern leader was about to attack the newcomer in anger, but after a few more guttural noises the wyvern rose to its normal height and hurried back down the tunnel it had just come from. Confused, I reflexively cocked my head to the side. What was that all about? With a sharp click of his beak-like mouth, the orange-eyed wyvern dismissed all the wyverns in our entourage, leaving him and me alone in the corridor. He must have spotted my bemused look before he did so because once they''d all disappeared from sight he said, "She is surised to see you, all the wyberns will be. You thollow my lead, and you no forget I am in lead. If you disregard me and the other wyburns see, I hab no choice but to fight you, something I like to aboid." At my somewhat pensive nod of acknowledgment, his whole demeanor shifted from serious to almost...excited in less than a second. "Enough of that! Come, come, let¡¯s all story swap. There is a lot to learn from dragons, after all." I followed closely behind him as we walked down the rightmost tunnel, hoping everything would work out in my favor, though with my luck I knew it likely wouldn''t. Suddenly I realized I had completely forgotten something. "What''s your name?" Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. "Srah," he said simply, not pausing his walk. "Srah," I murmured, testing the name. It felt almost natural in the way it easily rolled off my tongue. I wonder if all their names are more similar to the noises they communicate with to make saying names easier. "My name is Rylar," I offered, and though he eyed me curiously he said nothing in response. As we rounded the last bend in the tunnel, my vision was filled with rows and rows of blinking yellow eyes staring straight at me. It was unnerving, and without even thinking of Srah''s earlier words I instinctively shrunk back. While Srah spoke in the Primal Tongue ¡ª as I had opted to call it ¡ª to his subjects I took the time to examine my surroundings and hopefully calm my racing heart. The cavern stretched far above, further even than my eye could see, and well beyond the reach of the fires consuming bundles of wood they had posted at seemingly random intervals. How do they have fire? I haven''t seen a single wyvern use an element. Maybe their elemental use is much more undeveloped than dragons, but if that''s true then they''d still need to be near fire to make these. Deciding to leave my question for another time, I continued observing the cave, my eye passing over at least a hundred forest-green wyverns, if not more. Their physical features were nearly identical, with the only ways to tell them apart from each other being a few scars, different muscular physiques, or any deformities that I suspected arose due to a mutation. Why have I never heard of wyverns before if there are so many? And why are they all so similar? Surely there are different kinds of wyverns out there, just like there are different kinds of dragons, so where are they? Srah''s announcement drew to a close and he beckoned me to follow him with a small jerk of his head, leading me deeper into the cave of wyverns. The rows and rows of wyverns split down the middle as we walked, the gap instantly closing as we passed. While I instinctively felt uncomfortable with being surrounded by so many potential enemies, I also felt excited. So far this had gone so much better than I had expected, and if things continued this way I could leave in one piece with an alliance intact. All that I needed to do now was talk. A lot. A few paces later we drew to a halt, now standing in the center of the wyvern horde. Following Srah¡¯s lead I settled down on the stone floor, curious to see what would happen next. ¡°Tell your story of your trabel here, and I tell ours,¡± Srah commanded. Though I would have liked them to go first I knew arguing wasn¡¯t in my best interest, so I began my tale, making a mental note to leave out some pieces they didn¡¯t need to know. ¡°I come from somewhere in the far north, in a place called Yavleth¡­¡± I held the audience in rapt attention as I droned on, occasionally needing to clarify things such as what a Falinthian was. I skipped over the part about my element and the prophecy, though that made explaining why the dark Ryzinthin had targeted me difficult, but I managed. For the first time during my retelling, murmurs were breaking out through the crowd. Confused, I asked, ¡°Do you know the dark elves or where I can find them?¡± Srah hissed from beside me, ¡°Do no speak of the Evil. They kill, they bad.¡± ¡°But¡­,¡± I began, before remembering our agreement. Srah narrowed his eyes at me, warning me to stay silent, but it was too late. The other wyverns began to hiss, some of them shouting at me in anger. ¡°Friend of Evil is no friend of wybern!¡± ¡°How dare you question the king?¡± ¡°Kill him!¡± For a moment it was silent, and then the chant took up. ¡°Kill him! Kill him! Kill him!¡± Srah rose to his feet while I backed up slowly, trying to create space between us. You idiot, he warned you this would happen and you still ruined the whole thing! Srah made a move toward me and I just barely dodged him, his teeth so close I could feel them glance across my scales. Still backing up I said, ¡°I don¡¯t want to fight.¡± His orange eyes met mine, his expression even, though I swore I caught a hint of defeat flash across as he replied, ¡°Neither do I.¡± And then with a viscous snarl, he lunged.