《Flames of Fate》 Prologue Astrico. A place of magic, wonder and joy. A place where two souls are bound and connected on a spiritual level. Where two souls become one. But it wasn¡¯t always like that. There was a time, long ago where Astrico was experiencing nothing but death and despair. Uraison, a bigger, more advanced country decided they wanted what Astrico didn¡¯t even know they had. The Prismalith. There is a cave that houses a large crystal wall that acts as a bridge between Astrico and the Realm of the Ajaiyi. The Ajaiyi are powerful and intelligent creatures that have a society of their own. Uraison, being more technologically advanced, discovered an energy reading like no other coming from deep within Astrico¡¯s borders. Although they don¡¯t know what is causing this energy reading, they know they want it. So, they attack. As the years go on, the population of Astrico starts to decline. Smaller towns are being ransacked as a way of forcing the King¡¯s hand. But he refuses to surrender. The forces of Uraison grow closer to the Capital each day. The citizens start getting angry with the King, they want this war to end before it¡¯s on their doorstep, believing if they just surrendered then Uraison may just let them live. But the King is stubborn and wants to remain in his seat of power. His captain of the guard, Napari, a tall dark woman with many braids that are in a constant updo fashion, is not as stupid. She knows in a head on fight with Uraison they will lose. She starts doing research, desperate to find anything that can help her people fight. While in the archives she finds a strange scroll that is somehow clean and remains unopened with a wax seal. The scroll talks about a cave system deep in the Menway Woods, that has a crystal wall that can connect an Ajaiyi with a Veisha, being bonded forever. Once you become a Veisha, you and your Ajaiyi will grow stronger than by any natural means. Napari has no idea what an Ajaiyi or Veisha is, but she knows this could be the key to stopping the war. She needs to find this cave and get an Ajaiyi. She silently wonders to herself how the archivists could miss something like this. They were supposed to know everything that was on these shelves. But she had a bigger problem to worry about, she would have to investigate this later. She decides to go to the King about this and talk to him about creating a search party to look for this cave. He obviously declines and calls her childish for believing in something like this fairy tale. So, she tells him she will look for it herself. He lets her, thinking that with her deep in the forest, he can get his army ready for battle, as she has always managed to stop him from attacking head on. A week goes by while she is in the forest, and she starts to lose hope that maybe that¡¯s all this scroll was, a fairy tale. While she sleeps on the seventh night, she dreams of the Prismalith. She sees a light blue crystalline wall, but when she looks at it, she doesn¡¯t see her reflection. She sees a large reptilian figure standing on four legs. She notices there¡¯s large wings coming out of its back. She¡¯s never seen anything like this, thing, before. When she wakes there¡¯s a little gold flame hovering in front of her face. At first, she is startled, but as she focuses on it she notices a little face and arms. It chirps in delight that she woke up and starts to bounce away. When this gold wisp notices she isn¡¯t following it comes back over and grabs her by the scarf around her neck and starts to pull her to her feet and attempts to guide her through the forest. Napari notices how the little creature doesn¡¯t emit heat, and it isn¡¯t burning her scarf. She then remembers her dream, and a newfound determination to find this cave surges in her. She has no idea how to continue this search but this whisp is desperate to get her to follow, so it¡¯s a start. She follows the bouncy little flame until she comes across a large cut in the earth. The ground slopes downward, easy enough for her to walk on without tumbling into who knows what. She enters, and she is now more grateful to have this wisp with her since it is now her only light source in this large tunnel. After what felt like an hour, but it was only about fifteen minutes, and one final turn she reaches what she¡¯s been praying she would find. A large crystal wall, that gives off a light blue glow. It¡¯s the Prismalith. It¡¯s larger and brighter than anything she imagined. The wisp comes up to her and grabs her wrist, bringing her to the wall, pressing her hand to it. Almost instantly her vision goes black. When she opens her eyes again, she is in a white void. She starts to wonder if this was the wrong decision. She has no idea what these Ajaiyi are capable of and if they would even want to help her and her people. Suddenly a voice is in her head, asking why she has come here. Although Napari sees no one, she isn¡¯t afraid. This voice is feminine, regal, and has no hint of aggression. Napari tells this voice that her people are in danger, and their fool of a King will get them all killed before they have a real chance to fight back. She says she has come to find the Ajaiyi and ask for their help. The voice responds, asking why the Ajaiyi should help her and her people, for it is not their war. Napari starts to falter, she worries her response will seal her people¡¯s fate. But she responds with the truth; she read of the bond between Ajaiyi and Veisha. She wants to become a Veisha and hopefully help some of her people become Veisha so they may win this fight and stop blood from being painted across the land. The being behind the voice respects Napari for telling the truth, that she is seeking power, but it¡¯s the power to protect not destroy. With that, the Ajaiyi seals her bond with Napari. After a few quiet moments, Napari hears a heavy, leathery beat in the distance, as it gets closer it sounds like wings. When she turns around, the large reptilian figure she saw in her dream has landed and is now standing in front of her. Its scales are a soft blue, four horns on each side coming out of the back on its head. She notices smaller spines going down its thick neck in three rows, getting smaller as they go towards its back. Napari is intimidated but not scared, even though she is about the length of this creature¡¯s forearm. She knows those talons and teeth could rip her to shreds, but when her gaze makes it to the creatures¡¯ silver eyes, time freezes. Her and this creature are now surrounded by stars. A feeling of joy flows through her, she feels like she has found her best friend, her other half, even though she has never met this being. Napari asks this creature what she is. The voice she heard from earlier returns, saying she is a Dragon, and she is exactly what Napari has been looking for, an Ajaiyi. Napari notices her mouth does not move when she speaks. This Dragon, knowing her thoughts, responds saying that most Ajaiyi lips do not move when talking, that most don¡¯t communicate through the mind, though they have the ability to do so. They both start to close their eyes as the world starts to fade. Napari quickly asks the Dragon her name. She responds with one word, Laku. When Napari opens her eyes again, she notices she is still facing the Prismalith. When she turns around Laku is now standing behind her. She reaches out and gently strokes Laku¡¯s lowered muzzle. The air feels heavier than it was when Napari first entered the cave. She asks Laku what this could be, she tells her it¡¯s magic, and it¡¯s incredibly strong in this moment due to the Prismalith being opened for the first time. Napari then smiles and tells Laku that they should go get the others. Laku stops Napari, telling her before they bring others, they must create something. Something that only they can create in this moment. The magic from the Realm of the Ajaiyi has been unleashed for the first time and it¡¯s slowly dispersing into the earth around them. Laku¡¯s magic is at its peak, and she knows what they must do. Laku tells Napari to set the sword she brought with her in front of the Prismalith. Laku¡¯s chest starts to glow, it slowly rises up her neck, and when it reaches her head, her eyes start to glow white, and she unleashes her fire on the sword. She holds it until she is sure the magic has worked. When she is done, Napari stares at the sword that looks much different than before. The broad sword now has a subtle blue glow to the blade. The hilt is a bright gold, the grip wrapped with a dark leather, and the pommel has a large sapphire imbedded in the gold. Napari goes to pick up the sword and when her hand makes contact with the handle, it was cool to the touch. Laku tells her that this is the Sword of Valor, it was created from using her flame and the magic from the Realm of the Ajaiyi. Napari then notices that the air does not seem as thick as it was when Laku first appeared. She has used her fire to infuse the new sword with magic. Napari looks at the Dragon and places the sword on her back, ready to save her people. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Laku lays down to allow her Veisha to climb onto her back, settling in front of her wings. Laku takes them out of the cave and once they reach the surface, she tells Napari to hold onto something and leaps into the air. Napari grabs onto the spines on her neck and holds on tightly as Laku flies for the Capital. Napari tells Laku to land in the training grounds and as she does all eyes are on her. Napari explains everything to the soldiers, from the scroll she found to Laku forging the blade she holds in her hand. Napari tells them they need to venture to the Prismalith and get Ajaiyi of their own. Everyone is skeptical at first, but Napari explains that this bond she now shares with Laku is unlike anything she¡¯s ever experienced. It¡¯s like a piece she never knew was missing has been found. Trusting their captain, 10 of her most trusted soldiers decide to follow her. She brings them to the Prismalith and they too bond with an Ajaiyi. These soldiers¡¯ bond with various creatures that none of them have ever seen. But no one bonds another Dragon. Once they return to the Capital, Napari tells Laku to wait in the yard while she gets the King. Napari then goes to the King telling him what she has discovered and brings him to the training yard. When he sees all the Ajaiyi he is in awe and sees his victory nearing. Napari and the other soldiers spend the next few months training with their Ajaiyi waiting for the inevitable attack on the Capital. Laku also teaches Napari the magic that resides in the sword. Since humans can¡¯t wield magic, this sword will do it for her. The attack does come, and they are ready. Uraison launches a ground assault on Astrico and is unprepared for the Ajaiyi that have come into this world. Napari and Laku unleash fire and beams of light on the opposing forces, and eventually they defeat the Uraison army. With the help of the Ajaiyi they rebuild Astrico, and those with larger Ajaiyi are sent to the smaller isolated towns for assistance. With the discovery of the Prismalith, the King has decided it¡¯s time for all of his people to try and become a Veisha. As time passes, it¡¯s discovered when an Ajaiyi comes forward, they will be the same age as their potential Veisha and therefore once a child turns 10 they will travel to the Prismalith and attempt to bond. The more time a Veisha has with their Ajaiyi, the stronger their bond will be. Unfortunately, not everyone is able to bond. Not every Ajaiyi that comes to the Prismalith accepts the answer that comes from the potential Veisha, for if they lie, hide or hesitate with their answer, they will not be fit for a bond. In the meantime, Napari has been given a new title, Diadom. A title granted by the Ajaiyi Elders. Laku had known why Napari came to the Prismalith. The Elders had a vision of what was to come and sent Laku to meet her at the gate. Only after the war was, she able to teach her Veisha the powers of the sword and the wonders of her home. The following years, Astrico grew bigger and more powerful. Better technology was created and Astrico slowly started to emerge into a new age. Seeing Ajaiyi became normal, and they were easily integrated into everyone¡¯s lives. Then one day, something incredible happened. A boy bonded a red Dragon. Napari was ecstatic when she heard the news. She decided that once this boy and his Dragon turned 15, she would offer to train him personally. For his dragon was the first to appear in 12 years. His name was Lydo, and the Dragon was Zeir. When Napari came to Lydo with her offer, he accepted before she could even finish her sentence. As he grew up, Napari decided she would pass down her title and the sword to him. But when Lydo was 25, there was an incident with a commanding officer. Lydo, having bonded a Dragon, thought he should be given a higher rank, even though he had never seen real combat. Lydo started to demand from Napari that he be given what he deserves. She denied him and told him that being in a position of command is not something that is given but earned. He needed to earn the trust of his fellow soldiers; he needed to prove that they could lean on him when needed. She knew from that moment on, if he were to wield the sword, he would not use it to protect, but to conquer. He started to devise a plan to kill Napari and take the sword for himself. He took Zier and snuck up on the duo when they were returning to the Capital from their long flight patrolling the border. They battled in the air, the roars of their Dragons echoing over the Capital. Napari knew Lydo had the upper hand, Zeir was younger and larger than Laku, and Laku was tired from their recent trip. In the final moments, Napari and Laku knew what they had to do. To keep the sword out of his hands, Napari and Laku channeled every bit of magic they could and sealed their souls in the sword, so they personally could ensure it would not end up in the wrong hands. For a Diadom would never be a conqueror, but a beacon of hope. In a blast of light, they were gone. When the citizens looked to the sky, and they saw nothing. They had expected to see at least one of the Dragons remaining. But both were gone. For weeks, everyone waited for Lydo to return and finish what he had started. But weeks turned into months, months turned into years, and eventually Lydo and the Sword of Valor were forgotten. 188 years have passed, and Astrico is thriving. The current King is a Veisha, his Ajaiyi being a large cobra. Large enough to take on a Dragon. He has discovered that their bond is so strong, it acts as a power source for their energy array. Once a month there is a ceremony where they imbue the array with magic thus providing power to the city and thus incredible new technology was created. Astrico has not seen battle since the war with Uraison 200 years ago, and no one has bonded with a Dragon since Napari and Lydo. But two young boys will manage to do something the people believed was a myth. For twin Dragons have hatched in the realm, and they are of age to find their bond, and they are more than eager to find their Veisha. Chapter 1 ¡°Bro come on! You need to run faster than that!¡± ¡°Well, if you hadn¡¯t released those bats in the hall during assembly then I wouldn¡¯t have to run at all!¡± ¡°Oh come on, those assholes deserve it and you know it.¡± ¡°However true that may be, why did you have to drag me into this?¡± ¡°Because you¡¯re my best friend and my problems are your problems.¡± ¡°Then I guess you better make sure we don¡¯t get caught!¡± Two teens are currently running for their lives. Dodging people in the crowd so they can escape the Steorra Guardsmen currently hot on their tail. The younger of the two decided it would be fun to release a bunch of bats in the assembly hall of their school instead of actually attending it like his friend had suggested. And it went exactly as he hoped it would. Bats flying everywhere, students screaming, and the teachers frantically running around the hall trying to control the chaos. They knew immediately who was behind this prank. Once they spotted him at the doors on the ground rolling from laughter, they sent the guards after him. He grabbed his friend¡¯s arm, who had been standing next to him with his mouth gaping open and sprinted out of the hall. Now they are both currently trying to lose those guards and avoid the inevitable punishment. ¡°Why can¡¯t you for once just behave! Maybe then I could get through a school year without helping you clean up a prank and receiving a heart attack in the same day.¡± ¡°Where¡¯s your sense of humor! You know those teachers treat us like we are obedient little slaves. We spend more time doing manual labor for them than we do in the actual classroom!¡± ¡°Yes Soren, I know. But we are only a few weeks from graduating. Then we can both go to the Steorra Guard, train with our Ajaiyi and get that life of adventure we¡¯ve always wanted. But if you keep acting like this, they¡¯ll never even let you set foot onto the training ground for bootcamp!¡± Soren looks at his friend with his emerald green eyes, his light brown hair flowing in the wind as he runs. ¡°They¡¯ll let me in Zeph. How can they not when I have Rayzil? Hard right!¡± The two boys take a harsh turn down an alley, never slowing down. As Soren gives directions, Zeph continues his lecture. ¡°Well, I hope you know they won¡¯t let this kind of attitude slide once we are in. You¡¯ll have to learn to follow orders.¡± With one more turn, they come face to face with a stone wall. Zeph turns and smacks Soren on the arm as he says, ¡°Oh fantastic directions there man, are you trying to get us caught?¡± ¡°I know exactly what I¡¯m doing, follow me.¡± Soren starts to climb a ladder that leads to the roof and Zeph groans as he follows him. Once they make it to the flat roof Soren lays down panting and Zeph sits down and looks at his friend with his golden eyes, his black hair still in its swept back state. ¡°I told you I¡¯d get us away¡± Soren says smugly. When they think they¡¯ve finally gotten away, they hear a loud screech, and Soren sits up quickly looking for what made that sound. In the distance, flying quickly towards them is a massive eagle. It¡¯s big enough to pick both up, one in each claw. The large bird has feathers of various shades of brown, with a black beak that can easily kill. But those talons were the real weapons. But what really stuck out was the breast collar, with a gold star pressed into the leather. The star representing the rank of an Admiral. Soren jumps to his feet ¡°Oh, shit it¡¯s an Admiral¡¯s Quilstream!¡± Zeph turns to yell at Soren ¡°You just had to jinx it!¡± ¡°They¡¯ve never gone this far to try and get us before!¡± ¡°Just shut up and run!¡± If they had sent a Admiral after them, they knew they were in a different kind of trouble this time. They ran and jumped from roof to roof in an attempt to outrun the Quilstream. Soren then noticed they were running out of buildings. But he knew where they were and what waited at the bottom. ¡°Hey! At that roof drop down!¡± Soren shouts at his friend. ¡°What!? Are you crazy!? We¡¯ll break both of our legs!¡± Zeph retaliates. ¡°Just trust me!¡± ¡°Because that¡¯s worked out well for us so far!¡± ¡°Just do it!¡± When they make it to the end of the roof, they both drop and the Quilstream soars overhead just missing the two. They land on a cloth overhang, and it breaks but slowed their fall dramatically. They sit up and start laughing. That laughter is quickly silenced when they look in front of them and see several Steorra Guards and the Admiral, his Quilstream landing on the building behind him. ¡°Oh, we are so fucked¡± Soren says with a sigh. The boys are brought back to the school, where they see the principal and both of their parents at the doors of the assembly hall. Soren¡¯s parents look at him with disappointment, a gaze he has gotten used to. But it was a look he would take any day over the one Zeph was receiving from his dad. Once they reach the front the principle immediately lays into them. ¡°Do you have any idea the kind of mess you have made today, Soren Skymark? No, I seriously doubt you do or that you even care!¡± He was right about that, Soren didn¡¯t care. The teachers didn¡¯t care about them so why should he. ¡°And you Zephares! Why do you continue to get wrapped in his escapades? If you keep following him, it will do nothing but bring you down! You will be a great soldier of the Steorra Guard one day, maybe even become an Aurorite but if you continue to associate with a delinquent like him then you¡¯ll be seen as nothing but a joke.¡± Soren was used to being talked about as such. But there¡¯s nothing these people could say about him that would make him feel like it was true. Once he graduated and became a soldier of the Steorra Guard, he¡¯d never have to hear from them again. Bootcamp was in the Capital. His hometown, Prodon, was one of the smaller towns, even though he¡¯d lived here for all 17 years of his life, he couldn¡¯t wait to leave. ¡°You two will receive monitored extra hours next week to make up for the disruption you caused.¡± The principal then walks off to the main building to do who knows what. ¡°Wait that¡¯s it? I figured since we had a Admiral¡¯s Ajaiyi after us this might be the day we actually get jail time-OW! Dude what the hell!¡± Zeph looks at his moron of a best friend after smashing his foot and says, ¡°If you keep yammering like that, they may actually change their mind.¡± Soren just glares at him, but he listens, not willing to test if he may be right. ¡°You¡¯ve got a smart friend here. It would be wise to listen to him, but they didn¡¯t send me after you. I happened to be in the area on business and Palio wanted to have some fun.¡± Soren and Zeph turn around, barely having to look up, to see the Admiral still standing there in his navy-blue leather uniform, the gold star on his chest symbolizing his rank. ¡°Well looks like you need to spend more time training Palio, considering he didn¡¯t even catch us-HEY!¡± Zeph punches his arm again and if looks could kill, Soren would be very much dead. The Admiral lets out a subtle laugh. The two boys looking at him like he¡¯s lost his mind, after all, Soren just insulted him and his Ajaiyi. ¡°If he wanted to catch you, you wouldn¡¯t have made it to the next roof. He was herding you towards me.¡± Zeph just looks at Soren with a smirk, and Soren returns it with a glare and a soft ¡®shut up¡¯. ¡°Anyways, my business is done here. I must return to the Capital. Stay out of trouble, I¡¯ll be waiting for you two at bootcamp. We need more soldiers with guts like you. Besides, I think your parents are wanting to speak with the both of you.¡± The Admiral turns around and walks away, the boys standing in awe at what he just said. But then reality hits, and they both turn around to look at their parents. Soren gazes at them and gives them a crooked smile. ¡°Hey mom, hey dad. How¡¯s it hanging?¡± Bad move. ¡°How¡¯s it hanging? That¡¯s what you have to say after we get a knock on our door saying you interrupted yet another assembly? Soren, when will you quit this nonsense and start following the rules? Did I raise you to do this, is this my fault? At what point in raising you did I say it was ok to act like this? What if they don¡¯t let you go to the Steorra Guard because of your actions, what will you do then?¡± His mother, Eloise, looking at him with tears in her eyes, worried that he will ruin his future. ¡°Mom, you know how this place treats us, why should they deserve any of my respect?¡± She sighs, slowly calming down ¡°I know sweetheart, if you ever want to show them how incredible you are, you need to stop this. Or you¡¯ll never get your chance to go to the Capital.¡± Soren¡¯s father, James, decides to step in ¡°Your mother is right son. With Rayzil at your side you are both destined for incredible things. You and Zeph have twin Dragons. The first to come to our world in 200 years. There is a reason these things are happening. Something is going to happen. I¡¯m just not sure what.¡± Soren looks over at his best friend, who is receiving his own lecture from his parents. Unlike Soren¡¯s mom, both of Zeph¡¯s parents are Veisha. Neither have incredibly powerful Ajaiyi, but Soren wouldn¡¯t mess with either of them. His own dad being a Veisha and being trained by him, he knows they all have their own strengths. His dad¡¯s Ajaiyi, Kellan, was a large blue-grey wolf with 4 eyes, one over the other, with spikes that are around his ears and head. He¡¯s no Dragon, that¡¯s for sure. But when Rayzil was young, Kellan put her on her ass plenty of times. ¡°I wish more people saw it that way dad, but to some, it doesn¡¯t matter who you¡¯re bonded too.¡± Soren looks at the ground, his mind starts to wander. Most days he has no care for what people say about him, but that doesn¡¯t mean it was always like that. When he was 13, he got to experience this ¡°school¡± for the first time. Every day, the teachers never showed any kindness. Work, work, work, that was all they made the students do. Especially those with an Ajaiyi. In a way they were the luckiest ones though. Because they had someone to share these hardships with. There were days that Rayzil was the only reason he didn¡¯t run away or do something worse. But Aleen kids weren¡¯t so lucky. Aleen did not have an Ajaiyi. So, they had to deal with it alone. The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Zephares was different though. He always did what the teachers told him without question. That¡¯s why he was their favorite. Emphasis on was. Because when he met Soren, things changed. He would get tangled up in Soren¡¯s pranks, and on a rare occasion, be the reason for said pranks. But the closer they get to graduation, the old Zephares started to show. His dream of being in the Steorra Guard was so close he could taste it, and nothing would stop him from making it. With parents like his, Soren wasn¡¯t surprised with the way Zeph acted. His dad¡¯s Ajaiyi was similar to Kellan, just smaller, coming up to his dad¡¯s hip and he had no fur. Instead, he had scales and a thicker muzzle with more teeth, a creature called a Thaoren, and his name was Draven. The two are personal guards to the royal family. Which means seeing his dad in town was rare, but he¡¯d been here the past few weeks to help Zeph prepare for bootcamp. Zeph¡¯s mom is also lucky enough to be a Veisha. She has a small bird, an Aopir, and her name is Lyra. Her Aopir has dark blue and green feathers, with 3 longer tail feathers. They work with the postal services. Lyra travels to the Capital often due to their incredibly long bonding distance. It¡¯s unusual, but not unheard of so no one questions it. Zeph was lucky to have two parents as a Veisha. Not that Soren felt anything less about his mother because she was an Aleen, it just gave Zephares a bit of an advantage over him. Soren sees movement out of the corner of his eye and notices Zeph making his way over. ¡°I have to go get Nercostes and make my way back home. I¡¯ll see you around and please, let¡¯s try to stay out of trouble from now on, Ok?¡± Zephares looks at him with pleading eyes, Soren can tell he¡¯s reaching the end of his rope when it comes to his antics. Soren smiles and responds ¡°It really depends on how those so-called teachers act these next few weeks but, maybe it is time for me to act better. I can see it now; we¡¯ll be the top of the class when we graduate bootcamp. We¡¯ll be so good they¡¯ll want to make us Aurorites immediately.¡± Zephares laughs and shakes his head. ¡°We haven¡¯t even graduated from school and you¡¯re already thinking about a graduation that¡¯s 2 years away. Well, I¡¯ll see you around Soren.¡± Zephares walks away with his parents towards the back end of the property, where there is a large barn-like building. For the large Ajaiyi, they have to wait for their Veisha in the barn for the day. None were fans of this but these schools would be three times the size if they made each room big enough for students and their large Ajaiyi. Soren looks back at his parents, his mother still rambling about where she went wrong, when a small roar is heard. Before Soren could blink, a white and gold blur tackles him to the ground. After rolling for a few yards, he opens his eyes and sees big golden ones looking back at him. Rayzil has him pinned under one of her large feet, not putting enough pressure on him to hurt, but enough to keep him in place. Soren glares at her and tries to shove her off of him, but of course she doesn¡¯t move. ¡°Soren you know it¡¯s pointless, you lost once I was able to meet your eye level and I¡¯ve been past that size for a while now.¡± She was right, she was able to stare into his eyes when he was 14. That was three years ago, she was now the size of a large draft horse. Everything about her has changed. Her golden underbelly now much brighter and the golden horns on her head much larger than when she was young. ¡°Yeah yeah, so would you mind getting your large paw off of me? And why are you out of the barn, you know you can¡¯t come out till I come get you. It¡¯s a big rule here.¡± Soren retaliates. ¡°I have claws Soren; not paws I¡¯m not a dog. And since when have you ever been a rule follower. I¡¯ve been out all day, you know how much I hate being there. It¡¯s so cramped.¡± They¡¯ve had this conversation before. Most of the time her brother, Nercostes, can keep her inside. But like today, she managed to get out and did who knows what. I guess that¡¯s why they work together so well. Neither of them likes to follow the rules, especially those from people that don¡¯t deserve to be followed. Soren then turns to his parents, ¡°Hey dad, do you mind if Rayzil and I fly around for a little while? Just want to practice some maneuvers.¡± ¡°Of course, son. Just be home before it¡¯s dark out.¡± They both knew they weren¡¯t going to practice flying maneuvers; he just needed a moment with Rayzil. Soren grabs onto a spine on her neck, swings himself onto Rayzil¡¯s back and she takes off. Rayzil climbs until she is above the clouds and glides on the air. Soren looks out at the sky now turning a shade of orange as the sun sets. After a few minutes of silence, Rayzil speaks. ¡°So, what is the real reason you wanted to go for a fly, not that I¡¯m complaining. I¡¯ll always fly with you. But I can feel your distress Soren.¡± Soren thinks for a moment before he talks ¡°Do you think we are destined for greatness Rayzil? Or will I just keep messing things up.¡± Rayzil flinches slightly wondering where this came from. ¡°Woah, that¡¯s a big question. Do I believe in destiny? No, I don¡¯t. I don¡¯t want to believe that there¡¯s some divine being that has all of our futures written out for us already. That would make life pointless, like we are just someone¡¯s plaything.¡± Rayzil¡¯s voice softens as she talks to Soren ¡°But I do believe that together we can accomplish great things. Because I know who you are. You care about others to a point where you¡¯ll take the fall for someone else, even when you have nothing to do with it. How many times did I have to step in when you were trying to protect some kid from a bully? We are a team, whatever happens in our future, we will do it together.¡± Soren sits there and thinks about everything she just said. It was true, they did nearly everything together. When he first went to the Prismalith, he was scared. Scared about what he was going to see, what he would do once he crossed. But mostly he was scared he wouldn¡¯t bond. All he wanted was a best friend, someone that would be by his side and have adventures with. He saw his mom¡¯s envy towards his dad and Kellan. She would never admit it, but when she was home alone, making dresses, she was lonely. Soren didn¡¯t want that. So, when Soren pressed his hand to the Prismalith and he found himself in a black void, the loneliness hit. But once he heard Rayzil¡¯s voice, answered her question and looked into her eyes for the first time, he knew he would never be alone again. Coming back to reality, Soren snickers, ¡°When did you become so wise Rayzil?¡± She groans and shakes her head ¡°Ugh, Nercostes must be rubbing off on me. Quick, we need to cause some trouble before I lose all sense of what fun is.¡± Soren laughs and leans forward to give some heavy pats to her neck. ¡°Well since we are up here, do you want to practice some of those maneuvers I told my dad we were doing?¡± ¡°You sure Soren? If you mess up Zeph isn¡¯t here to save your butt.¡± ¡°Why do you assume I¡¯m going to be the one to mess up. Besides you¡¯ve got my back.¡± ¡°Because you tend to try to change the maneuver and fail miserably doing so. But you¡¯re right. I¡¯ve got your back.¡± Soren shakes his head at her jest, he knows he can be reckless with her because she¡¯d never let anything happen to him. So, they spent the next couple hours doing barrel rolls and nose dives. Only when the sun was nearly gone did they return home. Chapter 2 The next week drags by due to their extra hours, but once it comes to an end, Soren could not be more excited. The boys walk out of the assembly hall, having finished their last task. Soren stretches his arms above his head and Zephares is walking beside him with his hands tucked into his pockets. With a groan Soren starts, ¡°This hellish week is finally over! Now we can get back to our regularly scheduled events.¡± Zeph quirks a brow at Soren ¡°Don¡¯t be dramatic, it wasn¡¯t that bad. Besides this is the consequence of your actions, you need to own up to it.¡± Soren stops walking and places his hand on his chest, glaring at Zeph¡¯s back. ¡°I¡¯m being dramatic? They were creating tasks for us to do just so we needed to stay after. They wanted us to separate the garden rocks by color, only to place them back in the garden, not separated!¡± Zeph sighs and turns around to look at Soren. ¡°It¡¯s a punishment Soren, it¡¯s not supposed to be fun.¡± ¡°I¡¯m aware, but that doesn¡¯t mean they shouldn¡¯t serve a purpose.¡± ¡°The purpose is to teach us to behave. Well, teach you to behave.¡± Zeph turns around walking towards the barn where their Ajaiyi are held. After spending many extra hours on these grounds with Soren, doing menial tasks that he knows serve no real purpose, he knows what he says to him will just go in one ear and out the other- but that doesn¡¯t stop him from telling him each time. Soren is the town¡¯s resident troublemaker, though only for those that deserve it. There was an aristocrat that visited town once a week for his trade company. The atmosphere always shifted when he was around, but everyone had to just deal with it, this tradesman had caused an economic incline in Prodon. When Soren was walking through town with Rayzil one day, he noticed this aristocrat berating a pregnant woman for running into him, yelling at her as to how she could repay him for her incompetence. She was sobbing on her knees, having no idea what she could possibly offer this man. Soren glanced at Rayzil, a smirk growing on their faces, knowing exactly what to do. When they got close, Rayzil ¡°accidentally¡± tripped the man with her tail and took a seat on his back. Soren helped the woman up and sent her on her way. The man had yelled all kinds of profanities at Soren, telling him to get his disgusting beast off him. Soren did not appreciate what the man had said about his Ajaiyi. So, they embarrassed him a bit more by ¡°accidentally¡± causing his pants to fall down and his expensive coat to be thrown over his head, blinding him. After that incident, the tradesman pulled all business from Prodon. The townsfolk were not appreciative of Soren making the situation worse than it was. ¡°Whatever man, it¡¯s done now. You want to get back to training today? I¡¯m itching to let out this pent-up energy. Rayzil has been extra restless since we haven¡¯t been able to fly as long with the extra hours we had, and since your dad left for the Capital earlier this week so I know you haven¡¯t been able to do much.¡± Soren jogs to catch up with Zeph who rolls his eyes at his friend¡¯s excessive energy. Something he has grown to cherish in weeks like this one. ¡°You want to resume training already? You don¡¯t want to take a break from having to do physical labor?¡± ¡°If the labor is sparring or flying then I¡¯m always ready. Come on, today was our shortest day- we have more daylight, so let¡¯s go to the lake.¡± The boys pause at the door to the barn. Zeph stares at the old wood, thinking for a moment. He would never admit this out loud, but he had also grown restless in the past week. Not being able to spar with Soren and short flights with Nercostes weren¡¯t cutting it. He knew his answer to the question when Soren asked him to resume their training- today. But he needed to ask his Ajaiyi before any decisions were made. Snapping out of his thoughts, he turns to Soren ¡°I¡¯ll have to talk to Nercostes. I¡¯m pretty sure I know his answer, but I will still give him the choice.¡± Zeph opens the large doors to the barn, the size of this building seemingly bigger on the inside. Piles of hay are strewn about the floor; water troughs line the front of the barn and there are perches of various thickness and height. What is usually an active site, is now quiet and still. The boys walk in and easily spot their Ajaiyi. Nercostes lies towards the back of the barn, his large head laying on his front legs and his black scales reflecting the light that crept in through the window. When the doors latch shut his eyes slowly open, their deep red almost glowing. He slowly lifts his head, stands up and shakes his body, easing the tension on his muscles. Even from a distance, it¡¯s obvious he¡¯s larger than his sister. His horns are longer than Rayzil¡¯s and they have a slight curve upwards, while hers are straight. They are twins, but the only thing they have in common is their birthday. When Zephares spots Rayzil in the other corner of the barn, what he sees only confirms this. Where Nercostes is calm and collected, Rayzil is spirited and chaotic. Rayzil lays on her back, all four legs in the air with her wings splayed out on the ground, softly snoring. Zeph sends a glance to Soren who answers with a shrug. The two then make their way towards their respective Ajaiyi. Zeph comes to a stop in front of Nercostes who lowers his muzzle and places it against his Veisha¡¯s forehead. Zeph gently puts his hands on the sides of his friend¡¯s muzzle and they both close their eyes, soaking in each other¡¯s presence. Once Soren is by Rayzil, he gently pries open her eye with his finger. ¡°Wakey, wakey!¡± Soren says with a singsong voice. Her golden eye focuses on the blurry figure in front of her, and when she realizes it¡¯s Soren, she quickly spins onto her feet and pounces. ¡°Again, with the pouncing! You know one day you¡¯ll be too big for this and you might kill me. Actually, I take that back- you¡¯re too big to do it now.¡± She looks at him with offense and says, ¡°Are you calling me fat?¡± Soren rolls his eyes, ¡°You know what I mean.¡± Zeph and Nercostes take a glance at the two. Rayzil has gotten off Soren but now she¡¯s bouncing around him, talking at a mile a minute. Looking back at Nercostes, Zeph asks him the same question Soren asked a few minutes ago. ¡°Soren was wanting to resume training today. Since we have more daylight than we¡¯ve had this past week, he wanted to go to the lake. Just wanted to make sure you were up for it.¡± A low voice responds, ¡°Zephares, I will do whatever you want to do. If training is what you want to do, that is what we will do. You don¡¯t have to ask me such things.¡± Zeph looks at him with a gleam in his eye, knowing all he had to do was tell Nercostes they were to train, and he would listen. But he¡¯d rather ask, hoping one day the Dragon would say what he wanted to do instead- he didn¡¯t think that would happen anytime soon, if ever. ¡°Brother! Are we going to train? Please say yes. I¡¯m dying to get back to it. We haven¡¯t flown together in forever!¡± Rayzil bounces over to her brother, her high-pitched voice echoing in the nearly empty barn. Nercostes responds to her with a chuckle. ¡°We flew together just last week. But yes Rayzil, we are going to the lake.¡± ¡°Well, then what are we doing here? Let¡¯s go!¡± Rayzil runs back behind Soren and shoves her head between his legs so he slides down her neck onto her back as she makes her way to the door. Nercostes shakes his head and with Zeph by his side, they follow the two to the front. Rayzil opens the door with her head and immediately jumps into the air. Once Nercostes has made his way outside, he lies down so Zeph can climb onto his back. Knowing his Ajaiyi is situated, he leaps into the air to follow his hyperactive sister. Nercostes catches up to Rayzil. Soren managed to convince her to slow down and keep the energy for when they get to the lake. The twins ease into a glide and for the first time since they were back together, everyone is quiet. Living in the moment in the sky, the wind ruffling the boys¡¯ hair, the sheer freedom they experience when together. Like they can conquer anything. The terrain beneath them changes from rolling hills to the thick trees of the forest. After a few more minutes of flying, a large lake comes into view. The two Dragons land on a small island with a large tree in the middle of the lake. The boys dismount and make their way towards the middle of this patch of land and the Dragons take to the sky once more. Today, Soren and Zeph would be practicing hand to hand combat and the twins would be doing their own version in the sky. They would resume mounted aerial maneuvers another day. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. Soren and Zeph stand a few feet apart from each other in fighting stances. Soren has his fists up by his face while Zeph is standing at an angle, his hands are by his sides. Soren makes the first move, charging at Zeph and sending multiple strikes towards his face. Zeph dodges each punch by leaning side to side. Soren sends a punch aiming for his nose when Zeph drops to the ground and swipes Soren¡¯s feet out from under him. When Soren¡¯s back connects with the ground, Zeph jumps away knowing this isn¡¯t over. Almost immediately, Soren places his hands up by his shoulders and springs back onto his feet. Charging again, he throws a left hook at Zeph¡¯s face, but when he sees Zeph start to move out of the way he quickly changes direction and sends a right hook towards his abdomen. The fist connects with his stomach, surprising his friend, Zeph lets out a grunt and grabs Soren¡¯s forearm, attempting to trip him and put him on his back. Soren sees this coming however and twists around Zeph, now pinning his arm behind his back. ¡°Come on, dude. You¡¯re out of practice. This doesn¡¯t usually work on you.¡± Soren taunts Zephares with a shit-eating grin on his face. Zeph in retaliation, stomps hard on Soren¡¯s foot with the heel of his boot. Soren shouts in pain, letting go in shock. Zeph then puts Soren in a headlock, placing pressure on his throat- not enough to make him pass out, but enough to try and get him to yield. Soren struggles and starts to walk backwards, attempting to find something to slam Zeph against. Instead, they trip over a root from a nearby tree and fall to the ground. Zeph doesn¡¯t lose his composure and keeps his grip on Soren¡¯s neck. ¡°Yield, Soren. Don¡¯t make me choke you out. I don¡¯t want to piss off Rayzil.¡± Soren grunts and starts to struggle more, ¡°No¡­ I can¡­ Get out¡­ Of this¡­¡± Zeph decides to put more pressure on his neck, showing Soren that he can and will put him to sleep. Eventually, Soren does yield, tapping twice on Zeph¡¯s arm. Soren leans forward and coughs a little before punching the ground in frustration. ¡°Damnit! How do you get me every time!?¡± Zeph glances at his friend, knowing he has an unfair advantage over him. ¡°It¡¯s not your fault, Soren. My dad has been training me since before Nercostes was around, and you didn¡¯t have a very good teacher.¡± Soren frowned at Zeph, knowing his dad was always a hardass when it came to his training, but Zeph looked up to him. Magnus Steele was everything he wanted to be and more. It was all to prepare him for what he would experience when he goes to train with the Steorra Guard. ¡°You¡¯re a fine teacher, Zeph; without you, I wouldn¡¯t know as much as I do. I¡¯m grateful for it. My dad wouldn¡¯t be much of a better choice. Even though he knows how to fight, you push me harder than he ever would.¡± They stand back up and face each other, preparing to go another round. ¡°Well once we go to bootcamp, you¡¯ll get actual training. Much harsher and more advanced than anything I could ever teach you. We¡¯ll both improve there.¡± A subtle roar is heard on the wind and the boys look skyward. Rayzil is being chased by Nercostes- she¡¯s attempting to lose him by turning tightly, but he stays on her tail. Zeph watches, intrigued as to what they are doing, ¡°Looks like he¡¯s testing her speed, and she¡¯s doing pretty good.¡± Soren watches, eyes gleaming in pride as Rayzil attempts to outmaneuver her brother. The two friends look back at each other and get into their fighting stances once more. They go a few more rounds, each ending with Soren on his ass. Zephares helps his friend to his feet and claps a hand on his back. ¡°The sun is starting to set; we should head back home.¡± Soren has a defeated look in his eye before sighing.¡°Yeah, I guess you¡¯re right. Rayzil won¡¯t be happy, but she¡¯ll get over it.¡± Zeph smiles slightly at Soren¡¯s comment. As they are about to call their Ajaiyi, they are doused by a wave of water. Now soaked to the bone, they look out towards the lake and see Nercostes hovering in the air a few yards above the surface. They shift their gaze towards the surface of the water when Rayzil emerges and glares at her brother who has a smirk on his face. ¡°That was uncalled for,Nercostes.¡± He lands on the island the boys are standing on. ¡°Then don¡¯t let me catch you. Even if I do, you need to be able to get out of it.¡± Rayzil swims to shore and once she is on land she shakes like a dog, further soaking the boys even more. Now it¡¯s Soren¡¯s turn to glare. ¡°Watch where you¡¯re shaking, you overgrown lizard!¡± Soren then tries to get the water out of his hair by shaking his head. Zeph flinches as water gets in his eyes and looks at him. ¡°Ya know, you could take your own advice sometimes.¡± Once they finally get their clothes somewhat dry after wringing the water out, they mount up and take to the sky. The sun is almost gone, the sky a mix of dark orange and purple, and the stars have started to peek through. Soren turns around while on Rayzil and lays on his back, looking at the sky. ¡°Man, I can¡¯t wait to graduate and go to the Capital. What do you think it¡¯s like, Zeph? I imagine we¡¯ll get to see lights that run off of electricity- maybe we¡¯ll even see those holograms!¡± Zeph turns his head to look at his excited friend and responds, ¡°I would assume we would see those, as it is the only city with that kind of technology.¡± Soren sits back up and corrects his seat ¡°If only the King and his Ajaiyi could provide that kind of power to all of the cities, but I guess he would spend more time traveling to imbue a power array with their magic than he would be at his own castle.¡± Zeph thinks about what Soren said. The King has a Giant Cobra as an Ajaiyi. If he were to go up against Nercostes at his current size, the Cobra would surely win- but the bond between the two is just as extraordinary. Not long after the coronation, The King discovered that through their bond he and his Ajaiyi were able to produce enough power for the city to use in the form of electricity. New technology was made and the quality of the peoples¡¯ lives greatly increased. Zephares admired that about the King. He wanted to have that kind of bond with Nercostes. Something so powerful, he would be able to help others in ways he couldn¡¯t even comprehend. He would go to bootcamp and become part of the Steorra Guard. His next goal would be the Aurorites so he could meet the King, and hopefully he would be able to learn from him personally so he can understand the powers of a bond with an Ajaiyi even more. The two eventually make it back to Prodon and separate so they may go to their respective houses. Nercostes lands outside his house with a powerful thud. Zeph dismounts and gives Nercostes a few pats to his side, telling him good night and making his way inside. Due to his size, he is no longer able to join Zephares inside his home, but he does sleep next to his window, in case anything were to happen, he would have quick access to him. When Zeph enters his home, he sees his mom sitting at the dinner table crying. Lyra is perched on the chair next to his mom, her feathered head rubbing against her face. Zephares is immediately concerned, running over to his mom. ¡°Mom? What¡¯s wrong? What happened?¡± She looked up at him and more tears came out of her eyes. ¡°It¡¯s your father. Two days after he returned, there was an attempt on the King¡¯s life. He stopped them but he and Draven lost their lives. I just got the message from the Capital.¡± Zeph¡¯s world goes silent. His mom is still talking. About what, he has no idea. Everything is muffled and the world around him starts to spin. Had he heard that correctly? His dad was¡­ dead? He was just here- he couldn¡¯t be dead. After fifteen years of service, there had never been an attempt on the King¡¯s life. He couldn¡¯t believe it. His dad wouldn¡¯t see him go to the guard or become an Aurorite- Hell he wouldn¡¯t even be able to see him graduate school. ¡°Zeph? Sweetheart, I need you to listen to me.¡± His mom¡¯s plea brings him back to reality. He looks at her brown eyes when she tells him what will come next. ¡°They said they were going to have a ceremony for him in the Capital tomorrow- to honor his sacrifice. They will send messengers here to bring holograms, so we are able to watch. After that, we will figure out what will happen next. But right now, go to Nercostes. I know he senses your pain but has no idea why. We will get through this, son. We have to.¡± Without saying a word, Zeph turns and makes his way outside. Like his mom said, Nercostes was standing there waiting for him. The large Dragon was tense, like he expected Zeph to walk outside with a knife in his chest, although that fear wasn¡¯t entirely wrong. ¡°My dad¡­died.¡± Zeph¡¯s eyes start to water and Nercostes shifts, unsure of what Zeph wants to do. Whatever it is, he¡¯ll do it without question. ¡°I want to believe this is some sick prank. That Soren will jump out pointing and laughing at me and say the letter is fake- but he would never do this to me. He can¡¯t really be dead, can he?¡± With that last sentence, he breaks. Tears run down his face and he doesn¡¯t say anything else before he feels scales on his skin. Like earlier that day in the barn, Nercostes¡¯ muzzle is pressed against Zeph¡¯s body. But unlike that time, Zeph is holding him like he is his lifeline. Zeph¡¯s knees start to buckle, and he sinks to the ground. Nercostes goes down with him. Zeph never breaks his hold. ¡°What am I going to do now, Nercostes? I don¡¯t think I can do this without him.¡± Nercostes speaks for the first time since he heard the news. ¡°You will do what you¡¯ve been doing. Go to school, train with Soren, and become a soldier of the Steorra Guard. Even though your dad won¡¯t be here to watch, that doesn¡¯t mean he can¡¯t see it. You still have your dream, and he would want you to stop at nothing to fulfill it. You will do great things Zeph and he always knew that.¡± Hearing his words gives Zeph strength. He¡¯s right- he will do this for himself, for Nercostes and now for his dad. And that night, for the first time in years, Zephares slept by Nercostes under the stars.