01 Prologue

The early morning glow warmed my room from the large wall sized window; the view fell upon the utopian city of Cinecardine, domain of the Crystal dragons and capital of Escatillion. The cloud-high skyline of the crystal citadel sat like a crown in the centre of the city itself, its ever-shining walls making the nearby rivers and ocean passes glitter like diamond dust.
Born into royalty, my family’s castle-like home was only a thirty-minute walk away from the citadel itself.
Blinking into the warm glow of my room, I rubbed my eyes and yawned, displaying my multitude of sharp teeth and long lizard-like tongue. Looking around my room I saw my armour had been freshly polished and a tunic of light blue silk was laid out on my chair by the door.
I looked closer and realised it had a small flower-like gemstone stitched into its collar, a small nod to the nickname my father called me. A Luralite Crytal was rare and only found on one particular mountain on one week of the year, they were known for holding their own inner glow that in the right conditions could replicate sunlight.
Out of all the children your mother had, you were the Luralite Crystal amongst Quartz, he had said. I sighed softly, a smile playing upon my face as I thought of the kindest elf I knew.
I got to my feet and stretched all of my extremities; arms, legs, tail, and wings. My claws clicking on the polished marble floor as I moved over to the ten-foot-tall wall mirror, to study my appearance.
Standing at a full eight feet tall with a wide twenty-foot wingspan, I was immediately recognisable as the unique race of half-dragon. Creatures born to a twisted combination of nature and magic, each looking very different depending on their draconic ancestry. Each of the dragon kingdoms was held to the same universal rules, that there should only be one half-dragon per kingdom, a champion to act and fight for their species when required.
I was the champion of the Crystal Dragons of Escatillion, the north eastern lands of the world we called Quellgris. Though I was not the first. My mother had been given the honour of bearing the half-dragon champion but each of the last seven, my half-brothers, had been failures when it came to training. Either they were too weak, too cowardly or cared nothing for the struggles of crystal-kin. They were then removed, their names stripped from the archives and exiled to fend for themselves or die. Their father's then bore the brunt of my mother's rage, as she blamed them for their weak blood. She ate each and every one for their perceived failure.
Then I was born. A prodigy in combat, tactics, and socialising amongst nobility. I had passed every gruelling test with many nicks and scars to show for it, and I was proud. Especially since in my younger years, there came a time when Lord Bahamut, the Platinum Dragon deity, walked amongst his people. Celebrations were held, feasts and dances were prepared, and upon his arrival he looked upon every citizen present.
It was then that his eyes fell upon me, my little body had locked up upon meeting his deep sapphire eyes. He came close and bent his enormous head to meet my eyes properly. A great destiny awaits you, child of crystal. We shall meet again one day. My mother treated me like a princess that day, she was so proud that her gorgeous scales had glimmered like starlight.
I shook myself out of my reverie, looking upon my own beautiful appearance. It was not vanity to say so, as it was a well-known fact that Crystal dragons were the most beautiful of any species of dragon.
My scales were naturally pale, crystalline, and translucent in appearance but tended to favour blue and purple hues, the shade changing upon my mood or the light around which I stood. A pair of one and a half foot long crystalline horns stretched back from my skull, shaping, and almost crowning my regal face perfectly. Those led to an array of crystalline growths from them to line my jawline. Unlike mammals or ‘cattle’ as they had come to be called, who have hair or fur on their heads, I had two long scaled tendrils that fell past my shoulders. My amethyst-coloured eyes glowed with inner light, nearly hiding the obvious dragon-like slitted pupil.
Trailing behind me but never touching the ground was my tail, almost as long as I was tall and forked into two whip-like tips two thirds of the way down. Two platinum bands were sat on the thicker part of my tail. One per each of my names. Vernalidyss was my draconic birth name given by my mother and Lura was my nickname that my father used.
Both my clawed hands had three fingers and a thumb, perfectly cared for, and never used for battle. "That was for the beasts, not for dragon kin,” My mother had always said. Gods forbid anything shatter her perfect vision of herself or of her family. I preened my scales and made sure to wipe away any hidden dirt from my last gruelling training session the day before, falling away into thought as I did so, especially after brushing the long, deep scar reaching from my sternum to just above my pelvis.
---
I had been on a scouting mission alone, my final trial before I became eligible to lead a squad of my own. I had moved close to our border, barely dancing occasionally into enemy lines to see how closely they pressed to our borders. We were in an official war with the Topaz dragons directly on our southern border leading to their country of Harrasmo.
On the trail of a decent sum of warriors, I stopped for a rest and was taken by surprise by an angry dwarf who leapt out of seemingly nowhere, slamming his dense weight into my chest with a hefty battle-axe. The blade buried four inches deep and nearly forced me to my knees, but I stood firm and gripped the dwarf by the throat and squeezed, a look of pure panic crossed his face before I shoved my greatsword into his middle and sliced down, opening his belly.
Luckily for him it was quick as I’d pushed through and out his spine. Tossing his limp body away sent me crumpling to my knees. The hit from the weapon was draining me, making my mind grow dizzy. Bleeding worse than I should, I noted the magic runes in the battle-axe and grimaced at my luck. This type of magic forced continuous bleeding as long as it was in contact. I braced and ripped it out of my chest, throwing it away. With the flow of blood no longer stemmed I fell backwards and leaned against a tree. A hand on my wound, hoping I could summon the strength to do something about it as I could feel my strength leaving me faster by the second.
Pressing my fingers into the wound I felt myself guided to simply…will it closed. I pressed hard, ignoring the pain and I felt a radiant glow of divine power surround me, focusing on my hands, then the wound, pulling the skin and scales back together, stopping the bleeding entirely. Once the wound had fully knitted closed, I was unsure what to make of it. I was too tired to logic anything together. I wearily looked around for other ambushes and when I found none, stuffed myself into a sleeping back and passed out.
The next day, I had found that just over our borders, a platoon of about fifty warriors had made camp.
Their numbers made up by Dragon-Knights, cattle loyal to the dragons of the land they served in as well as many Dragonborn. Dragonborn were creations, not naturally born creatures. They were cattle who consumed ritualistically prepared dragon blood to turn them into servants who were bound to their master’s will. Some retained free will while others were mindless drones, incapable of retaining their sense of who they were or any sense of self preservation.
However, not all dragons did this. It was usually those of the chromatic kind and a few of the less tolerant metallic. Most gems dragons like myself, preferred to only use the practice on voluntary members of the kingdom. We only ever did the transformation part and never the mental erasure of the person they had been before.
The Topaz, however, were the exception. They turned anyone they could to bolster their numbers quickly and effectively. They delighted in the torture of their lessers and had no qualms about killing and eating their prey like the savage beasts they were.
As I moved closer, I could smell the distinct scent of burning hair and flesh of cattle. The origin was the roasting spit in the middle of the campfire, another dwarf. By the look of him he had been cooked whilst still alive.
Flicking my eyes over to the most animated of the group I could pick out one very distinguishable silhouette amongst them. Standing at near nine foot tall, hosting the telltale physique of a half-dragon, was the Topaz prince. The little rat was howling in laughter at his own jokes whilst the Dragonborn looked emptily forward, into the darkness, thoughtless and trapped.
This particular group being so close led me to believe they had been part of another issue that was yet unsolved. I had been offered as a mate to the Obsidian Emporer’s Nephew, a True Dragon, as an offer of unity between the two lands opposing the Topaz on either side. The southern country of Kaspron was splintered into many islands but it held one of the strongest military forces this side of Koslinger Sea. They too had taken hits from the Topaz and were in a generous mood as of late.
A week before I was to travel back with my new husband-to-be, he disappeared and was found dead just within our borders a week later. There were no suspects and I was cleared of all blame.
Perhaps this is the group that took him down.
I knew better than to pick a fight with a group this big but the idea of them had me boiling with anger. However, before I could make a decision about what to do, a figure cloaked in darkness strolled out of the forest just beyond the camp. Spotted instantly by the Dragon-Knights and the Prince, they raised their weapons and moved to intercept, their previous jovial tempers gone.
I hunkered down low, watching when an unknown language echoed in the air, somewhat elvish in design though I didnt recognise it. It then stopped, the wanderer standing before them called out in a low threatening tone.
"Draconic filth, your days of tormenting the weak are done," the voice spoke out in fluent elvish.
Before I could scuttle away out of range, a brilliant blue light erupted from his left hand blasting everyone within its radius backwards. I myself was thrown into a collection of bushes ten feet back from where I had been, and as my head hit the ground, the world around me went black.
Upon waking I had this heavy ache in my chest as if something sharp had struck me and been buried deep. Looking for a wound however, I found nothing. Now alert about my surroundings, everything was deathly quiet. No animals made sound, even the wind dared not shift a leaf or part dust. Standing and looking over where I had been, spread on the ground unmoving before me were all the bodies of the platoon I had been hunting. Each had been stripped of anything aside from their armor.
I growled, irritated at having my personal vengeance being stolen. Following the orders I was given a week prior, I reported back to my commanding officer and reported what I had seen, only...the part about the man from the forest wouldn't come. It was like the image kept shifting and changing in my head, like when water falls on fresh paint. The memory kept losing cohesion, and even if it didn't the words I wanted to use to describe the scene kept slipping out of my mind.
Unsure of what to make of this, I just reported what I had seen prior to that and that outside my knowledge, the platoon were wiped out. The general seemed to think a while whilst looking me up and down before accepting and telling me to join the rest for retrieval.
---
I blinked myself back to the present again, the reminder of that day, one I could only parially remember made my heart disquiet. Something or someone was out there that could destroy a platoon of elite warriors with one blast and could also mess with one's memories.
I dressed myself in my tunic and my ceremonial armor, and made my way down for breakfast. The little skittering noises echoed in the cathedral sized hall as my meal was prepared by the tiny, barely three feet tall kobolds darting about the place. Our willing servants, happy as always to serve those of dragon heritage and naturally distasteful of cattle, but depending on status, they were just avoidant at best.
As I finished my large meat and crystal-pure water I heard a familiar voice echoing down the hall from the foyer. I couldn't help but let a smile crack my features as my elder brother came into view. The oldest of all my mother's children, but the only true dragon of her line.
Rolziress was the youngest to have ever been placed on the Council of Eight, and due to his youth he was the only one who didn't yet hold a title. Not like my mother who's original title had been changed by the Queen as a punishment for her 'failure' when it came to producing half-dragon champions. Her name was now Zivarreath, Destroyer of Life. I was her last hope and as such her expectation had been outrageously high, no matter how much I actually achieved alone, it was always her success not mine.
"Zirra, I thought you would be at the council already." I went to playfully punch his white-gold crystal chest but being around twenty feet tall, he had the advantage. His bulkier and thick muscled body was trained for battle as I had been, which explained why he had the role of General amongst the Eight. My brother was seemingly always around when I was training, either to watch if my opponents pushed to hard or to lend a hand by teaching me.
He stuck his hand out and into my face, squishing my head in his talons before patting my head. "I have been, but I'll be going back in a minute. I just came to personally summon you to the Council."
My heart stopped dead, "What? Why?" He smiled gently, tapping my snout with his large claw.
"Don't worry about it. It's an official summons, not a death sentence. They'd have probably sent mother dearest for that honour."
I couldn't help but chuckle. "Alright, am I needed now?" He shook his head, sat on his haunches and looked out at the now warm glow of the morning sun.
"Not till near midday. You have time, just dont be late, Verny," his eyes flashed dangerously. "It's my ass on the line if you are." He then did a mock bow and left with a strange look I don't think he meant to let me see.
I surpressed a slight shudder at the thought of the summons. I had never been called before them before, and being in a room with that many ancient dragons, some of which preferred their natural form over their humanoid version, was something many dreaded. Rather than think too hard on it, I went to find my father. In a house filled with portraits and statues representing my egotistical mother, my father had only one space made for him that he rarely left unless summoned or escorted.
The gallery was built for mortal forms not draconic, so I had to bend down a bit to fit under the door. I spotted him staring out at the ocean just beyond the city, an easel set up by his side. When he noticed me, the smile brightened his entire face.
"My Lura," he took my hand and led me to the easel, "What do you think?" I studied the work and paused before taking his brush and adding in some small forgotten details. "Ah, you dragons...you see so much more beauty in the world than the rest of us could ever hope to find." He gave my hand a squeeze as I returned his brush. How my mother captured this gentle soul and got him to agree to bond with her was beyond my understanding.
"Don't you ever get bored father, seeing the same view day after day." He looked curiously in my direction, whilst still concentrating on his landscape.
"Not at all, my crystal. I have you to keep me company and anything I could ever want. Its many people's dream to have as much as I." There was a long pause of silence between the two of us that seemed to speak more truth than either of us could put into words. Rather than upset him, I kept those thoughts to myself.
"Father, I've been summoned by the council."
He stopped painting and gracefully managed to put his brushes and palette down before he began to visibly shake. I took both of his hands in my much larger ones. "You've done nothing wrong, my Lura. It might even be for a mission. You keep talking about being sent on something more special, maybe this is the time." His song-like voice seemed to increase with speed with every word.
I gripped his shaking hands tighter, to help ground him and get his attention. Lowering myself down to his height as best I could, "I will not let her hurt you, no matter what becomes of the summons. If I can't get to you, Zirra will."
He forced himself to an eerie stillness and took a breath, "whatever comes is my burden to bear, my dearest one, not yours." His voice had become so flat and distant as if he was trying to search for his courage in a void of endless space. "Now, off you go. You shouldn't be late." He patted my hands, leaning forward to kiss me on my head, and as he pulled away I could see the fear in his eyes had given way to a barely perceptible stream of tears.
My heart broke for him, but I nodded and wished him well before leaving for the Crystal Enclave Citadel. As I made my way there I recalled a favour I had asked of a dear friend and made a quick detour to his tower.
Dr Kadorth, The Gifted One, was a green dragon of venerable age and immense intelligence that had requested to live amongst Crystal Dragons and their people if he could be left to his research. The Queen had given her word that as long as he occasionally helped the Crystal Enclave, he would be welcome to stay.
Once inside the tower I called up to him to let him know I was entering. "Kadorth, may a borrow your attention for a moment?" After some shuffling, clanking and one small item smashing, he popped his head from the entrance of the spiral staircase. "Ah Lady Vernalidyss, I was going to call on you. I have that sword you wanted." His frilled head slipped back out of sight, a bit too quickly as he nearly knocked his half-moon spectacles off of his face.
Meeting him in his hoarde-like work room was like a museum display of what organised chaos would look like on a large scale. His massive body curled round the tower walls as he plopped himself into what had originally been a throne, now was a very luscious reading chair. Books stacked high on all sides, creating a greater space for his immense body.
He gestured over to the desk, where a beautifully crafted elvish and draconic based sword sat, in pristine condition. Its hilt bore the platinum curved neck and head of a dragon. Its grip was wrapped with a dark seemingly unscratched leather and the blade was curved slightly, holding its own glow. The thrum of power seemed to increase when I moved my hand closer to it, enveloping the space in a soft radiant-like light. Inscriptions written in blue runic lettering ran down the entire flat of the blade.
Before I could even open my mouth to ask, I heard Kadorth's voice right behind me, nearly making me jump out of my skin. "Its not a language I can match to anything. Its like its been purposefully written in a coded combination of both elvish and draconic script. The only thing I could make out was the elvish word, Thrériand." He looked down his nose at me, apparently waiting for me to make a connection.
I took a moment and broke the word down and translated it into draconic. I stared back at him, "Blood quench?" I said eye-ridge raised.
"Are you asking me or telling me?" he uttered, scorning my indecision.
I mentally shook myself, forgetting who I was speaking to. "Blood quench, or essence drinker. Honestly the first one sounds better." His eyes softened a little but he nodded and returned to his space, where he had left a book laying on his throne.
"So there's your payment for those lovely artifacts you brought back a month or so ago."
"Erm, Kadorth, sir. What does it do?" He didn't even look up in response.
"Unless you can translate or understand those runes on it, you'll have to swing it about a bit and find out. Now if you don't mind." He flicked his wrist towards the stairs and I heard an echoing creak as the door below swung open. Taking the hint I took my sword and headed to the Citadel.
It was still too early to enter the council chambers, but there was enough time to check on something I had been meaning to do since coming back from that very odd scouting mission several months ago. One of the chambers below the council held a pure knowledge-base of all crystal dragons. The Hall of Memories, was overseen by a startlingly old Crystal Dragon, simply known as the Keeper of Memories.
The room was immense in size with three very real dragons locked in a clear crystal prison, though their eyes still moved to watch any who entered or left. I bowed to the Keeper of Memories. He gave a slight nod but otherwise didn't move much other than to get to his feet as he had been sleeping when I entered.
"Are you looking to add to the memories or just read today?" He nodded towards a very large pool in the center of the room, swirling with an effervescent mist-like substance.
"Um, I would like to record and review if that's ok. Something is stopping me from speaking on a certain memory and I want to find a way to look into it." His eye ridges raised a little, surprised but nodded, his eyes not leaving mine.
"Very well, step into the pool and focus on the memory you want to retrieve, the pool will do the rest." I took a breath and stepped into the liquid but found there was no resistance. It was simply like walking into fog. Within moments it began to grow and envelope my entire body, I found myself struggling to hold onto the memory I needed. Like always, it felt like it was slipping out of my fingers, like a live fish.
Eventually through force of will, I grasped hold of what little of the memory I could find and locked it into my head. The shadowed figure and the blast of blue power, repeating over and over in my mind until it was like I could hear it all around me. When the rushing in my ears stopped, I dared to open my eyes and saw I was no longer in the Chamber of Memories. I stood over my own unconscious body, back when I had scouted the Topaz Prince and his forces. Looking about I saw their bodies as well, still with all their armour and weapons intact.
Feeling the freedom to move, I found it easy to move around the field and study each of them, stopping at the Prince and feeling the urge to kick him but managed to restrain myself with the knowledge that this was a memory. The wanderer looked around, his face held in shadow, but now I was close enough to gauge him as a man, but I wasn't sure if he was human or elf, the features were too shrouded.
"Found what you were looking for?" A sultry voice uttered without echo in the hard silence around us. My head snapped to look at him directly, his eyes were locked on mine, as I am not as I was. He then proceeded to walk amongst the dead, specifically those of the dragonborn and waved his hand still pulsing with blue energy. The aura of the effect brought to view wondering humanoid spirits, some still locked to their bodies, others floating aimlessly.
"How can you see me, I'm not really here."
"Aren't you?" He breathed, performing a slashing motion with his arm where one of the dragonborn spirits now lay tied to its body. Whatever binds the creature once had on its soul were now severed, the human man looked at the wonderer with awe and pure gratitude before it seemed to fly into the sky and vanish.
I phased out a moment, trying to wrap my head around what was happening. I was most definitely watching a memory, wasn't I? I looked back over at my body which was laid out flat on my back, unconscious. "So you can speak through memories?"
"Perhaps," he said, having released more dragonborn souls, one was a small girl, no older than thirteen, who seemed to be crying silently.
I huffed in annoyance, "Could you stop being so cryptic?"
He turned with a small smirk on his face, "No, I don't think I will." Then his eyes turned dark as they fell upon the prince. "What would you have done if I hadn't come?"
I paused in my annoyance and considered for a moment, "not what I wanted to do. I was ordered to report back and so I would have. Our people would have caught them and ripped them to pieces." He seemed to take in my words but didn't respond. Instead he severed the bond with the prince's body, the Topaz monster railing against unseen shackles.
"You will never rest, nor be able to return. Be damned to this emptiness between existances, and suffer for the atrocities you have commited." Though the prince screamed silently, I could tell that when he vanished, he did not follow the others to where they were drawn in the afterlife. He then turned to me, the glow in his hand a little more muted now. "Tell be dragon-kin, what do you truly think of the monstrocities your kind creates?"
I bared my teeth at him but remained wary, I was not in my usual element so had a severe disadvantage should anything turn nasty. "My kin are nothing like those beasts of Topaz, they are little better than animals, killing and causing pain just because they can." With his face once again shrouded in darkness, he moved towards where I was laying. I felt my heartbeat begin to race, thinking as rationally as I could, I lowered the amount of fury in my voice. "Though I do not claim us to be beyond reproach, viewing all of us as you view them is as bad as staining us with their sins."
The wanderer knelt down over my body. "So if I let you go...?" He let the question hang in the air. I did not answer though I did attempt to move closer but found my body now locked to the spot.
"Here, a gift of protection, for you and I both." He raised his glowing blue left hand and moved it closer to my chest.
"No don't..!" as his palm connected with my chest I felt a jolt of unbelievable white hot pain shoot through my entire body and send me flying backwards. As I hit the ground, my eyes snapped open and I found myself in the Chamber of Memories once again. My chest gave a secondary jolt, forcing me to sit up.
Getting up and out of the pool I saw the Keeper of Memories sat still watching me emerge. "Did you see any of that?" I motioned to the mist.
He cocked his head slightly, slowly blinking. "No, those that step in are the only ones able to see a memory." I closed my eyes, feeling badly drained from the experience. "But, I can take a look directly if you wish?" He motioned for me to approach.
"Yes please, you'd be better suited to finding out the answers in whatever it was I just saw." He smiled a little as I approached before placing his large clawed hand on my head and the result was instantaneous.
With a familiar flash of blue light, there was a reverberating crack as if lightning had shattered rock not two feet from us. Looking up I saw the Keeper's arm shivel and rot, his once beautiful scales deadening and falling off his body as the life was instantly ripped out of him. The second it reached his chest, he collapsed in a heap at my feet. Thoroughly panicked I pressed all my healing into him, hoping I had the time to bring him back but as I touched him, he was as cold as if he had died months before.
He was still, so still. An ancient dragon, brought to death with one hit. It couldn't be so.
A gong-like sound echoed throughout the citadel and I realised, I had a meeting with the council...right now. What the fuck was I going to do? If I wasn't already in trouble I certainly would be now.
I raced back towards the stairs of the Chamber of Memories, passing the dragon guardians, whose eyes followed me the entire way. "I'm sorry, I tried," I whined as I near flew out and up the stairs.

Arriving at the council chambers I skidded to a halt next to Zirra who had been pacing in front of the enormous Council Chamber doors. His face held deep concern until he saw me. "Cutting it rather fine, aren't we?"
Before I had time to respond, he pushed open the doors with his shoulder and forced me to walk before him. I tried to regulate my heart and my breathing, to help stem my head swimming amount of panic. As the doors banged shut behind me I knelt before the council, with my brother taking his place to my right, just behind me.
I restrained my urge to shake and spoke out the words I had planned in advance. "Greetings Council members, Greetings my Queen. You have summoned me and I have come." The silence after my words was deafening. I looked up at the members whilst still keeping my head low.
Vipel, The Crystal Queen, the oldest Crystal dragon in existence, at the age considered Venerable Ancient, and my Great Grand Aunt by blood, looked just as radiant in her 'mortal' form as she did in her natural form. I had heard she tended to use her 'mortal' form in the council chambers as her natural form was so big it made it difficult to sit amongst the others, regardless of what form they chose.
"Rise Vernalidyss, you have earned the right to stand among us proudly." Her smile was gentle as I did as bid and stood. I again lowered my eyes in respect, but kept my head level now.
"We have heard of your training and of your exploits beyond our borders." I recognised the voice of my uncle, Aenoalth, my mother's brother. His scales were marred with some scarring and his draconic form sat with his front legs crossed staring hard at me, his teeth bared in an unsettling grin. "The death of their champion brought them immense shame," he rumbled in pleasure. "I wish I had been there." With a sidelong glance from Vipel, he silenced himself.
"You are now officially, a champion of the Crystal Enclave. Congratulations, I know you will bear the title well." I bowed to Vipel, somehow more stressed than relieved, the current situation was overiding my gratitude.
"She could at least be grateful," I heard my mother mutter from the far left corner. Vipel's voice resonated with the full force of her draconic form as she responded instantly upon hearing Zivarreth's voice.
"Silence, Destroyer of Life. You are on such thin ice its a wonder that you haven't been removed from this council. Speak again without being addressed and I will rectify that glaring mistake!" The Queen's essence seemed to flood the room and I could feel my body being forced to the ground, though I barely held on, I noticed the other council members were also buckling under the pressure.
My mother then sat there in silence, no longer speaking and not even offering an attempted apology. I side eyed her and her eyes were now locked onto me, her expression stoney. I had a horrible feeling that she would take the chance to bite my head off if she could, both figuratively then literally. "So onto the reason you were summoned, Champion Vernalidyss. You have been requested by name by the Emperor of Kaspron himself, Chaygayrth."
My eyes grew huge and I couldn't stop myself from looking directly up at the Queen. "I'm sorry, what? Why?"
I could sense my mother shift irritably but she didn't speak. Vipel looked around at the council then back at me. "Well he wouldn't say. Only that you were to be protected once you crossed their borders. I told him that I would not order you to go, that the choice had to be yours and yours alone." I felt my mouth dry up.
Though we were not enemies with the Obsidian empire, we weren't exactly solid allies either. Tundroil The Dark, my Grand Uncle, adjusted himself until he was sitting upright, he too had changed his form to be a 'mortal'. Even in this form, his eyes glowed like starlight and he looked between myself and the Queen almost pleadingly.
"My Queen, she must go, an alliance with the Obsidian empire would benefit us greatly. We could wipe the Topaz scum Lezog, The Grudgebearer and be done with the bloodshed so much quicker. We can no longer keep up our numbers enough to keep an active offense." Vipel looked over at him and nodded in thought, just as quickly another voice joined his.
Ieldriot The Pacifist piped in, "we dont have to wipe them out. We can still be better and use this chance to push for a discussion." A few of the older dragons rumbled in disagreement as he spoke.
"And what would we discuss, the thousands upon thousands of us they've murdered, mutilated and tortured for sport?" snapped Aenoalth, standing at his full height. "Should we thank them that many of our mates and children now lay buried both in and out of our borders, some hatchlings still in the bellies of their mothers?"
Ieldriot did not look cowed as the three older more militaristic honed in on him. "Of course not, don't twist my words Aenoalth. I mearly suggested that we take the high road and not cause more pain and suffering than there needs to be."
The older dragon Mayrriar, The Dead didn't even bother to sit up. His heavily scarred body lying lazily on his side like a tired lion, head pointed in the main direction of conversation. My Grand uncle sighed deeply as he let out a short gout of radiant flame. "Keep your cowardice in check Ieldriot. Simply avoiding battle doesn't make you wiser than anyone else, it just displays your pathetic and weak nature. At least my niece knows where her strength lies." His eyes barely glanced in my direction.
"Enough!" Vipels voice once again filled the entire chamber, layered with her draconic voice. The other council members turned their heads back to her and stopped moving as though struck. "I have already said that Vernalidyss will decide for herself what to do. It is her life we're playing with, though I do hope she will make the right choice." Her eyes locked onto mine and I again felt pressed down.
Taking a breath in this moment of silence, I had steeled my nerves a bit during the earlier shouting match. "My Queen, I only do as my duty demands of me. I was made for a reason; to protect those of the Crystal Enclave, and win this war in anyway I can." I looked over at my brother. Though his face was stoney, his eyes glittered with worry, but he didn't speak. "I will go."
An almost imperceptible proud smile lifted Vipel's lips before she nodded. "Very well, grab whatever supplies you need, and good luck." She snapped her fingers which opened the grand doors behind me. Panic shot through my system again.
"Erm, my Queen. I do have a situation I need to bring to your attention before I go." The doors stopped and she waved them closed again. She just sat there, waiting for me to explain further. My brother's body tensed as though he was ready to pounce, watching the other council members carefully. "Before I came to the Council Chamber, I went down to the Chamber of Memories." I bowed my head and began getting low. "I recorded a memory that had bothered me for some time as it seemed some outside force had messed with it so I could barely recall it. I asked the Keeper of Memories if he could take a look," I was now fully on my knees and dropped to all fours, glaring holes into the floor. "The second he did, something that was planted in me exploded and it...killed...him."
I covered myself with my wings, trying to make myself as small as physically possible, as the deafening silence was broken by a roar of anguish and fury. "You killed my brother?!" Aenoalth went to leap for me but with my brother on alert, he instead knocked him into the far wall, holding his full weight onto his slightly larger body. Even given his greater size and age, Rolziress managed to keep him pinned with his superior physical strength.
"I'm sorry," I whisper cried into the floor, waiting for the inevitable killing blow to fall. The room was in a cacophonous eruption of sound and emotion. Vipel shot to her feet and though her form didn't physically change, the shadow behind her displayed her natural immense size. It didn't stop the noise though it did drown it a bit, or maybe that was the effect of Vipel sifting deep into my mind with her psionic powers; flipping through memories as if they were a book. When she had found what she sought she let out a roar that seemed to rock the entire room.
Silence fell again.
"Aenoalth, contain yourself. Rolziress, back to your place." Her severe expression turned to me. "It was not Vernalidyss' fault, it is as she reported, not intentional. We will deal with this seperately, you may go, now." Her tone was cold and authoratitive, it invited no argument. I bowed as she motioned for the door to open, I glanced around to see my mother looking murderous.
As soon as the door closed I bolted at full speed out of the Citadel as the council once again erupted into chaos behind the doors. I had the majority of what I needed on me already, so all I did was stop by Kadorth's tower again and grab a few items he freely had lying around, like an old adventurer's backpack. Since I had lived on less, I was grateful to have what I had.
I poked my head out of the tower a half hour after I had left the council only to see a familiar silhouette in the sky, circling and calling my name. I was luckily outside the city's magical barrier so her spells of divining or sensing where I was were blocked so long as she was in and I was out. I had no idea how long it would take her to figure out my position so I took flight and kept low until I had left the city behind.
---
A few days had passed of my travel when I felt a scrying spell scratching at the walls of my mind. She'd found me, now I had a decision to make. Keep my heading and hope to out-maneuver an Ancient dragon who wishes me dead, or change direction and attempt to hide from her sight and stay alive as long as it takes for her temper to run cold...which...has taken decades before.
I sighed irritably and packed up my miniscule camp and started back the way I came.
Having felt her wingbeats over the next few days, I managed to avoid her as she searched for me at the last place she'd scryed. I found the ruins of an old tower amongst overgrown foliage and just as I reached it, I heard a furious roar echo from no less than ten miles away. As if a fire had been lit under my ass, I ripped open the door and slammed it behind me and slid down the wall, breathing heavily.
"We should stop meeting like this." My eyes got huge as I finally noticed the very real figure sat in the centre of the tower. The wanderer looked up at me and pulled his mask down. "Running are we?"
"Shut up," I snapped as hushedly as I could. "My mother is about to rip me to shreds if she finds me."
"Your mother huh? What did you do?" He sat quite lazily, eating rations from his pack.
I glared at the cattle, "nothing to warrant this response. She has a hot temper when anything upsets her, now could you shut...up!"
He did indeed stay quiet for a while as I leant my head against the door and listened to where she was. I could hear the rush of enormous wings getting closer.
"You know I could help you out here, right?" He said simply, eyes studying my every move.
I restrained a growl, "I don't need anything from you, you murderer!"
He looked affronted for a moment, "Murderer? I thought you hated the Topaz." He shifted his position so he was sitting upright, but seemed no less worried.
I crouched low to avoid the small slitted opening in the tower. "Not them you idiot, the blue bomb you put inside me killed one of my kin." I touched my chest as if to remind him.
His look of perplexed concern didn't change, "it shouldn't have done, that was only there to protect your mind against manipulation."
I glowered at him. "I asked him to help me, had I known that was there, I never would have. Now because of your mental fuckery, a valued member of my kin is dead...for no reason." I kept hissing my answers lower and lower as I heard trees creak and bushes rustle nearby.
He looked solemn for a moment, I couldn't tell if it was genuine or not. "I am sorry, it was never my intention. I meant what I said before though." He nodded to the louder approach of my draconic parent. "I can get you out, if you want."
I was stiff against the wall, bracing for her approach. "If you could, why don't you?"
An odd expression crossed his face. "What can you do?"
A small growl slipped out. "Are you kidding me right now?! You just said you don't mean for people to die, and your bargaining?"
"No, I never said that. Also I just want to know what you can do." Hearing the incoming roar and beginning of a charge I relented.
"Fine, I can fight I guess." He cocked his head as the immense dragon form bodied the tower, sending a shower of rubble and dust down upon us both. He didn't flinch, just brushed himself down and kicked open the trapdoor placed beneath him. Nonchalantly jumping down into it, he landed about twenty feet down. Now mad as hell that he kept an escape covered, I followed and made sure to grab the door on the way down so it slammed shut behind me. The noise of the clattering trapdoor drowned out by my mother's continues streams of draconic profanity.
Down in this escape tunnel, the sound of my mother's tantrum fueled bulldozing of the above ruins was somewhat muted. I sighed, "She'll just scry me again when she's done." He held out his hand in response, looking at me expectantly.
He gestured to my breastplate. "I can deal with that now if you'll lend me your armour." I grumbled and doffed my breastplate, handing it to him. I then leant against the tunnel wall, listening to the rampant madness above.
For the next ten minutes he scratched into my armour runic markings that made no sense to me. He finished by pressing his flaming blue hand into the markings and imbuing them with power. With the markings glowing and active he then handed my armour back. "No one will be able to sense your existence magically as long as you're wearing this."
I bit my tongue of a snippy remark as I donned it. Immediately I felt the aura of protection envelope me. He beckoned me down the tunnel and as I turned to follow I heard my mother's muted voice call out my name in a mix of confusion then anguish. I felt the force of her will press down upon my presence but unlike last time, she had nowhere to anchor to. I sighed in relief and followed the wanderer.
The tunnel he used took us through the higher regions of the underdark, in a place he warned me to not speak a word until we had passed it. During the journey, I felt my mother trying to scry for me over and over and when hers stopped I felt others, such as Vipel and my Aunt Lyrraer, the council member who had listened quietly throughout the entire council meeting. It took us a week to reach the other side and I was in the port city I had been aiming for, and without as much as a farewell, the Wanderer ripped a hole in the fabric of our plane and darted through into what looked like a void of nothingness.
Steeling myself for the long journey ahead, I passed by awe-struck cattle as I went to find a place to send letters to the Crystal Enclave. The proprietor of a postal point tried not to shake too much at my presence as I wrote letters to both Vipel and my mother. I had completed the one to Vipel when I noted fresh audible gasps from outside the shop. I bent my head slightly, eyeing what the fuss was and turned to see a human with short golden hair, blue eyes, wearing unblemished white robes walking towards me. All cattle that saw her bowed or curtsied at her presence, and though she did acknowledge them, it was only with a curt nod as she continued on her path. It took me a moment to recognise her in this form but I eventually bowed, "Lyrraer, I didn't think I'd see you here."
She stopped in front of me, her hands held before her, back straight. "Nor I you. According to your mother, she killed you by shameful mistake. Crushing you with a tower I believe." She smiled slightly at the expression on my face. "Yes, we all thought that was ridiculous as well. Hence why I came looking for you at the one place we know you'd have headed to in order to leave for Kaspron." I nodded and handed her my letter to Vipel.
"I was about to send word about my journey...and the incident with my mother." She looked down at it and nodded.
I bowed again and she stopped me before handing me a bag of some sort of currency. "You'll need this for a viable transport." She then hesitated on her next words, as if choosing them with great care. The knuckles on her waif-like hands turning white. "You should know...when your mother reported you dead at her hand, she was expelled from the council and been stripped of her royal rank. You are now her superior, take that for what you will." I couldn't hide the smirk growing on my face, but hers looked a little pained.
"What is it?" I gently pleaded. "Aunty please, what has she done?" Her expression softened so much she turned her face from the eyes of the cattle outside.
She dropped her shoulders, "It's Derathil. She attacked your father on her return home after she was expelled." I felt my blood run cold, and stood so still I could have been mistaken for stone.
"She didn't...he's not..." I gulped back a sob.
She breathed out a hard sigh. "No," she placed a hand on my shoulder. I relaxed instantly, "Rolziress knows her as well as you do, he managed to defend him and get him out of there...alive. However, Vernalidyss..." I waited, hanging on every word. "...its bad. I've done what I can for him but the damage is extensive. If we do not find an alternative way to heal him...he'll pass by the time you return to us." I gripped the hand on my shoulder and sqeezed.
I hardened my heart as well as I could. This was a problem I could not solve now. "Send him my love, I will contact them both as soon as I'm able." She nodded and released me. "I'd better go, I have a duty to perform."
As I reached the door, my aunt's voice once again stopped me. "Her highness told me to remind you that, you don't have to do this if you do not wish it. Duty or no, it is your life." I could feel the softness behind her words. The Queen was far more pleasant and compassionate behind closed doors than in front of anyone. She feared for me just as my brother did, and ironically unlike my mother, considered me kin.
I grabbed the doorframe on my way out, "tell her its alright, I made this choice willingly." My aunt actually bowed slightly and left me to my journey.
---
It took me a full month of travel on the ship I'd chartered, and with the addition of my Aunt's funds in addition to my own, I managed to get myself a private room rather than bunk with any cattle. Thankfully as we passed the Harrasmo capital of Gehenno in a wide arc, there was no attempt on the ship.

As we were a week away from passing into the borders of Kaspron, three obsidian dragons descended upon the ship to the surprise of the cattle aboard. Each was there to escort the ship and some special cargo and most likely myself though they didn't seem to react to my presence at all.

On the final day before docking, we passed by a barrier that was invisible until one of the obsidian released a type of beacon, allowing us passage through it. I felt a warm wash of energy flow over my body, sputtering out the runic mark on my breastplate and apparently wiping away another cattle's illusion of themselves as a richer man. Eyes locked on him, he apparently didn't immediately notice. However, the approach of the long bodied obsidian dragon, who had been up until now wrapped around one of the masts, seemed to snap him into the reality of his situation.
I released my grip on my blade, feeling they had this covered and granted it was their job as our escorts to rid us of danger, or in this case, fraudsters. The man began begging on his knees, a pathetic display though a warrented reaction. In almost a blink of an eye, the obsidian dragon snapped its jaws around him and crushed his body instantly, but rather than swallowing him as the majority of dragons tended to do, he instead whipped his head back and threw him into the sea. The churning waves mixing his blood with the water and encouraging any hungry scavengers to feast whilst they could.
I had refused to taste the flesh of cattle. Something in my stomach churned when I thought of it, like it wasn't natural. Perhaps that was my mortal side talking rather than my draconic side.
Upon docking the captain warned everyone to stay in place as we were borded by a patrol of winged dragonborn and Dragon-Knights in highly impressive spiked obsidian armour. They then took a large sarcophagus off of the ship from the cargo hold, hauling it off in a group. Once a large bulk of them had disappeared, the leader of the Dragon-Knights saluted to me, his braced fist clanking against his chest before me.
"Prinzessen Vernalidyss, the Emperor is expecting you." I blinked, not expecting that title. The Captain of the Dragon-Knights nodded to the ship's Captain and then allowed me to make my way off the ship, down the gangplank where the rest of the platoon surrounded me on both sides.
During the silent walk towards the colossal Obsidian Citadel, I thought back to how the Captain had addressed me. He must have been told of my recent ascension to that title by either Vipel or one of the other Council members. Either way, I did feel a little glow of pride. I could finally somewhat flaunt my royal lineage where I had once had to mute it under my Warrior rank.
Taking in the city, I could see it was well fortified with walls of black metal reaching over one hundred feet, surrounding the entire city. A heavily fortified defence against any foolish enough to press too far into Kaspron. Dotted around them were numerous towers with large magical crystals whirling silently inside their tower-like structures. These were the sources of the dispelling energy everyone on the ship had felt upon approach. The city design was a set geometric pattern, each district perfectly mirroring another on its opposite side.
The market place we passed bustled with activity and I witnessed a sight I thought I would never see. Even amongst the Crystal Enclave, cattle were seen as lesser but here...they casually chatted to many of draconic lineage, Dragon-born and True Dragon as if they were no different from each other than brothers or sisters. I couldn't at the time fathom how a society with this kind of view could function as well as it clearly did.
Reaching the long path that led up to the citadel doors, the Captain once again saluted me and left me to walk alone the rest of the way. I nodded in respect and began my lonely walk to meet with the Emperor, wandering what kind of temperament he had. There were guards stood at attention on either side of the walk and one of them caught my eye as he was talking to some of what appeared to be a unique sect of Dragon-Knights.
His scales were like black burnished glass, his eyes a burning amber. His tail swept behind him, thick and spiked like a flail. His wings more than likely half a size larger than mine as he flexed them upon noticing me. His eyes caught mine as I walked, I gave a short but meaningful half bow as I walked, as gracefully as I had been schooled to. He didn't react at first but before I turned back he too bowed in respect, deeper than I thought he might.
The more I saw, the better I thought about our chances should we be able to seal an alliance between the two kingdoms. The Crystal Enclave was quickly diminishing along with our numbers of dragons. If we kept up our current results of warring alone with the Topaz, we would start to become an endangered species.
Pressing through the doors I was not prepared for what awaited me on the other side. The intense heat change nearly knocked me backwards. Though I managed to keep my feet, I did faulter in my step. Inside was another plane entirely. The sky was a mesmerising blend of reds, oranges and black, the air was furnace-level hot and I could feel my scales prickle with pain. The walkway continued down what should have been a corridor, it instead was a seemingly endless bridge, reaching the true Citadel at the end. I resumed my earlier pace but did not rush, and noted that beneath the bridge was a flow of lava drifting around like a lake of moltern steel.
All around me I saw various dragons fly and rest in the environment. Obsidian, Reds, Brass and even a couple of ruby dragons soared all about me. Some eyes were locked on me with interest, others just noted my presence and continued on with their lives, without any further care.
Suddenly an ancient red dragon of at least venerable age landed on the bridge, wings still half-spread. I stopped in front of him as he lowered his head to look at me. I was resolute in the face of this ancient creature, determined to show my worth by not balking, regardless of the absurdity of the challenge. Still he did not move out of my way, apparently waiting for something.
I took a breath of thick and moistureless air. "The Emperor is expecting my arrival," I stated matter-of-factly. Without a word the giant dragon seemed to dip its head in acknowledgement before beating its wings and taking off again, leaving me to continue my journey. I will not lie, at this point my pace did quicken slightly.
Once inside the Citadel itself the heat seemed to dim a great amount, though it was still unpleasantly hot. I thanked whatever created dragons, that they did not make us with sweat glands.
Upon his throne sat the largest dragon I had ever seen. Even Vipel in her natural form could not measure up to the grand entity that was Chaygayrth, the Obsidian Emporer. His black glass-like scales seemed to glitter under the heat, his eyes seemed to glow with a similar light to that of magma, but the intelligence that shone in those orbs were beyond that of any natural creature. He shifted his position, his long serpentine body drifting closer, wings tucked tightly to his body. As he approached, his massive talons caused sparks as they tapped the ground in front of me. He lowered his enormous head crowned with several meter-long spikes and horns and huffed a breath of brimestone-like air into my own lungs.
As he had approached I at first willingly dropped to a knee before him, but the closer he got the more his force of will and presence increased. I bore it with all the strength I could, keeping my eyes glued to the floor and not moving an inch. My heart raced in what felt like a primitive panic, adrenaline surging in my blood clouding all thought except for the unbelievably powerful urge to either beg for mercy or run. Neither of which I would let myself do, no matter how frightened I was of this titan-sized dragon before me.
After what felt like an age, he smiled toothily and drew back, also taking with him his full force of presence. "Hmm, interesting." I took a breath and managed to not pass out from lack of oxygen, realising I had been holding it for far longer than I thought. His immense serpentine-like body melted into a human-like visage with still very draconian features.
"Your eminence, you called for me." I managed to wheeze out with only a couple of cracks in my voice.
He returned to his throne and beckoned me closer to him. "I did, there is someone currently residing in my citadel who wishes to speak with you. This I will allow of course after I have conversed with you a bit." I stood about twenty feet from him and looked puzzled. Who else could ask for me by name? Who else could require my presence?
"What do you think of my city, Vernalidyss, Prinzessen of the Crystal Enclave?" I swallowed a bit and took a measure of a few things before I answered. Regardless of what I said this being was beyond ancient and insanely intelligent, lies, though not my usual style anyway, would not fly here. So for once in my life, I decided to be forthright and not hold anything back. If an alliance was to form, I was to be the basis of it, so I had to present myself the best I could.
Chaygayrth waited patiently for my answer as he saw the cogs whirring away behind my eyes. "If I may be completely open and honest with you, your eminence?" I asked a bit more stiffly then I meant to. That draconic toothy grin showed so clearly even in his mortal form.
"By all means, I would love to hear it." He then sat, hands clasped and watched me closely, as if studying a new species.
I took a breath and tried to release all the nerves built up in my system. "This city is far beyond what I had ever imagined possible. Not just the structure." I felt my courage start to return the more I spoke. "But its people. An apparently equal footing between both kin and cattle." With his masterful control, he showed no aversion to the word but neither did he show any preference for it. He was impossible to read, as any expression I saw was an expression he wanted me to see. "The Crystals do treat cattle better than most, but there is still a wide gap between us."
I paused, hoping for some input, feeling that I had spouted too much. He closed his eyes for a moment, seemingly in thought. After a mintute of grating silence he opened his eyes again. "What other dragon kingdoms fail to realise is the potential locked away in all creatures. Though we as dragons are born with greater abilities than they are, it does not mean that their skills can not be cultivated to greater effect. Both for them as individuals and for the kingdom they serve. It is a sadly lacking, short-sightedness that most of our kin share."
There was a beat after his words finished echoing in his tower-like throne room. I soaked it in, he spoke no lie. Dragons naturally did consider themselves above other creatures, for good reason most of the time. Even the metallic kin retained this flaw in themselves, though most of the time they pretended to be pious and compationate to all life. "So what do you intend to do, once you are finished here?"
I sighed inwardly. "I feel that both our kingdoms could benefit greatly with each others help."
His eyes seemed to flash to life with interest. "Oh? Go on."
"Fighting a war against the Topaz seperately on two fronts has kept them from spreading, but it is just extending the bloodshed needlessly. If we could ally with each other, we would be able to push them back and stamp out any attempt at a resurgence, perhaps even have those few amongst the Topaz join us too." The emperor leant forward, his eyes alight with the flames of interest.
"And how might one offer this alliance?"
"As you know I was originally supposed to wed your...nephew." His expression remained hard but something changed upon the mention of his nephew. "I was...regretful upon hearing about the discovery of his death. I would have very much liked to have been able to become part of your kingdom sooner."
A smile seemed to tear his face open, "Truly? You wish to offer yourself as an asset in the hope of an alliance?" I gave a slight bow and nodded. "You know I have another nephew. He is, like you, a half-dragon. A better option for an alliance bond than my previous nephew was."
I couldn't restrain a frown of confusion. "In what way?"
He stood up, taking slow measured steps towards me. "Why...breeding my dear Prinzessen. Had the original alliance gone through, that would have taken him out of the breeding pool to continue his lineage. I know you are well aware that half-dragons are born infertile as that was not the reason you were created."
I held back a flinch at the sting his words caused. It was usually so low down on my list of concerns I never really thought about it at all. In the past it did frustrate me that it would never be possible to even have the option of bearing offspring. As I grew older however, I loved the powerful and very capable creature I had become and felt that anything that took that away from me was not worth it.
The Emperor watched me but continued as though I hadn't reacted at all. "With two half-dragons bonded together, it will cement the alliance and not take away from any breeding prospects for either family line of kin." He then seemed to stare directly into my soul. "I have also had my best alchemists and mages work on finding a cure for your 'condition'. So perhaps one day in the future, you may yet bear an entirely new race." I couldn't help but let my eyes pop out of my head at the suggestion. He was trying already to solve the issue on half-dragons.
"Before I make any final decisions I would need to speak with my Queen first. This does concern the entirety of the Crystal Enclave after all." Chaygayrth straightened his posture once more.
"Of course, I can have one of my mages gift you with a few sending spells to use at your leisure." He placed himself gracefully back down upon his throne, not breaking eye contact. "Now I believe I have taken up enough of your time. It would be best for you to meet the one whom summoned you." He nodded off to the side and an elf wearing robes of black with crimson accents seemed to glide from the shadows.
She approached and gestured for me to follow her. I gave a final bow to Chaygayrth who simply waved me off as he returned to his natural form once I was out of range.
---
Being directed up the stairs of this citadel felt like a mountain excursion. The corridors were wide and tall so dragons of gargantuan proportions could walk around without having to risk banging their heads on entranceways or chandeliers. Eventually I was left at the door of a grand library. The mage bowed and left me to my devices.
Stepping into the room, I saw the walls lined completely with books from floor to ceiling and the centre of the room sat many sizes of comfortable chairs and tables. In one of them sat a young human looking man wearing relatively plain robes, brushing over a tome in his hand. He had fair hair and piercingly blue eyes that shot in my direction as he spotted my approach. Around him darted some small yellow birds, some fluttering about, others resting with their heads under their wings.
"Welcome Vernalidyss, or is it Lura you prefer?" Clearly unable to hide my confusion I just stepped in and made my way towards him.
"Either, it really depends on the relationship with the person." I shook away my somewhat mechanical response. "Sorry, was it you who summoned me?"
He smiled warmly, "yes it was. I had a task for you that I think only one of your skillset and mental fortitude could manage." I could feel the workings of a headache building in my skull.
I tried to keep my demeanor somewhat pleasant. "I'm sorry but do I know you? I feel someone who could call me so casually by either name should be someone I would remember."
He chuckled, placing his book down and tilting his head a bit, guaging me for a moment. "I have a few names but yes we have indeed met before. Perhaps not in this form though. This one is known by the Grandmaster of Flowers." He then gestured to his yellow birds, "my friends often follow me when I travel in this form. They do not get to see the world much otherwise." His eyes, now that I studied them, held a power behind them I barely recalled seeing before. I was unsure where though.
It took me a few minutes of wracking my brain to put a few pieces together, but when the whole picture set into place I could feel my scales drain of all colour. The god that sat before me then grinned and laughed gently. "There it is, knew you'd get there eventually."
I instantly dropped to my knees, "My Lord Bahamut?!" He nodded as he got to his feet and touched my shoulder.
"Rise hatchling, there is no need for that today. I am here to ask of you a favour after all," he said, his voice soft and so unsuited to his true form of titanic sized platinum dragon. I obediantly got to my feet but unlike usual, tried not to show my full height as in his mortal form, Bahamut was far shorter than I. "Let's go talk somewhere more...pleasant."
With that he made some complex hand movements and a doorway of pure light appeared out of thin air in the centre of the room. Now so lost in the moment, all logical reasoning left me I stepped through the gateway and was instantly blinded by the light within. Even closing my eyes did little to shield me from the majesty that was, Mount Celestia. One of the upper planes that were considered an afterlife for the purer of souls to travel to if welcomed by a deity who lived there.
There were mountains of a size that defied possibility, with cathedrals and cities built into and around them. Beyond them was the verdant plains and meadows, which was the place I now stood. Specifically, the area that opened was a meadow full of flowers of brilliant colour and unmatched beauty. It was too much, especially when Bahamut shook off his human form and retook his colossal platinum dragon form. His wings large enough for each to begin hurricanes, his platinum scales fitted so perfectly together to create an impenetrable armour, and his ever-glowing sapphire blue eyes.
The world quickly went black and for a milisecond before I hit the ground I truly thought I had died.
I eventually woke sat in a small gazebo-like structure, in a plush chair. On the small round table before me was a very masterfully crafted teaset. Opposite me sat the Grandmaster of Flowers, sipping from his own cup.
Unbelievably embarrassed I sat bolt upright. "Sorry," I yelped trying to compose myself as best I could.
A small smile played on his lips as he drank. Seeing my discomfort, he motioned to the tea and it began to pour of its own accord. I took it without argument and drank. The panic receeded almost instantly, my muscles relaxed and my mind cleared. He set his own cup down before speaking. "No need to apologise, I forget sometimes that much of what seems natural to me is too much for most mortal minds to handle all at once." I felt my scales heat up and he held my gaze. "Even the toughest sometimes have difficulty with it."
I sighed, "so my Lord, what is the task you ask of me?"
He turned away from me slightly and waved his hand over the table which was replaced with a mirror, showing no reflection but instead the world of Quellgris from the sky view. It flew from the shores of Kaspron to the far northwestern reaches, a place only known as The Land of the Forgotten, or Land of the Lost. A place where the magical eruption from centuries before caused a magical bubble to circle the area, stopping any magic functioning properly on the inside.
"This, there is someone I need found in this place. A creature bound to a crystal or orb, I am unsure. The lack of his presence in our world has caused much strife, mostly those amongst the dead have fared the worst." I recalled the memory of the Wanderer, freeing souls as he spoke to me. Aparently watching my thoughts, Bahamut nodded.
I looked hard at the place where he said the prison was kept. "So am I to free him immediately upon finding him or bring him to you?" I glanced up at him hesitantly.
"Best bring it back to me, given the type of creature held within, that would be wisest." I attempted to memorise every detail of what Lord Bahamut showed me before he waved again and it vanished. "Now, I do not expect you to do this freely as that would be quite unjust of me." His eyes flashed with amusement. "I will grant you a fragment of my powers in exchange for your loyalty."
My head shot up, eyes now fully unabashedly locked onto his. "But I am loyal to you my Lord." His gentle smile returned.
"No hatchling, not truly. I need you to swear oaths of loyalty to me, binding my powers to you and in turn binding you to my service." He turned his body to face me properly. "Understand now this is not an oath taken lightly, once bound it cannot be so easily undone, and even then not without great cost. Little Vernalidyss, this must be a choice made by you alone. Do not do it for the sake of anyone else."
Without hesitation I dropped to a knee, "I will accept this role my Lord Bahamut. I will take the oaths, complete your task and do so knowing it was my choice." The Grandmaster of flowers nodded.
"Very well," He stepped away from the gazebo and grew back to his immense size. In the same moment he reached out a long sharp talon and touched it to my chest. I felt an explosion of power inside of me, burning brighter than the sun. Strength I had never felt before filled my body and it took all of my willpower to stay conscious.
In my mind I heard Bahamut's voice, reciting the Oaths. I followed unquestioningly, repeating them word for word.
The Oath of Unending Devotion: I swear to uphold the unending covenant between dragons and their chosen. Though I may walk a path of my own choosing, I will always be loyal to my Lord Bahamut and his goals. I will protect and defend his interests as fiercely as I would defend my own.
The Oath of Boundless Strength: I vow to pursue strength in all its forms, whether through the acquisition of knowledge, the honing of my combat skills, or the mastery of diplomacy. I recognize that true strength can take many different forms and I will strive to be a formidable force in whatever path I choose.
The Oath of Covetous Nature:As a champion of Lord Bahamut, I will not shy away from the desire for wealth and power. Though I may not amass a mountain of gold, I will claim and protect prized possessions that help me in my journey. I will use them to further the goals of myself and Lord Bahamut, and will not let them fall into the hands of those who would use them for ill.
May my bond with Lord Bahamut be as unbreakable as his scales, my strength as boundless as his power, and my hoard as treasured as his own.
After each vow I made, I was further endowed with more of Bahamut's power. When the final word was spoken I dropped to the ground, exhausted. Bahamut's true rumbling voice sounded all around me even though he still stood before me, as the grandest and most beautiful form he could ever be.
"The oaths you have sworn are forever. The favour I ask is minute in comparison. Once you return I can offer you a boon of your choice. Anything you wish." I pushed myself into a sitting position, now noting the seven yellow canaries had transformed into their full ancient gold dragon forms and were playfully soaring in the endless sky above.
"I don't really have time to think of my wants all that much, my Lord." I muttered, strangely ashamed at the idea that I have not saved any desires for myself over my short lifespan. Though my eyes did wander to the sky. "Although, I have held a small dream to one day become a full dragon, as foolish as that sounds. Sometimes I tire of being part of two worlds but not fully accepted into either." With a subharmonic sounding roar from the Platinum Dragon, I felt my body change.
Suddenly I was three times my normal size, my wings extended far beyond my usual range and my tail lashed around like a two pronged whip behind me. Looking down I could see and felt the new musculature of a full adult crystal dragon. Feeling a swell of joy like never before, I took to the skies instantly, the golden dragons guiding me wordlessly on how to move my enourmous form with grace.
I no longer remember how long I spent up in those skies, soaring, rolling and freefalling with such freedom I had never felt before, it was a wonder that I returned to the ground at all. I landed before Bahamut and bowed deeply as he let my form drop back to my regular shape again. "That was a little taste of what I will promise you in the future. Now are you sure there is nothing else that I can do for you before I let you return to your realm?"
I thought about the moment just before I left. The thought of my father shot through my mind and Bahamut simply blinked and an image appeared in my head. I was overlooking his room, and my father lay still with both legs missing as well as one arm. All were bandaged and no longer bleeding but his life was ebbing away.
"Can you save him?" I asked, straining from the reluctance to let my god see me weep.
"I can, but not as he is. I can transform him, he will be stronger, gain higher ranking and better care than he currently has." I paused, understanding without further explanation that he meant to transform him into a dragonborn.
"I can't make that choice for him." I held my hand over my mouth to prevent a very pathetic sound from leaking out.
"Then ask him, I will give you a brief connection in which to speak."
I then felt a mental link form between us, and I spoke softly at first. Father
He looked weakly up and around, a little confused. Some cuts reopened on his fair skin. My Lura?
I am not here father, I am in the other city. There isn't much time for me to explain. I tried to concentrate on what I wanted to ask. I can save you but you will be transformed forever.
Into what? He wheezed even in his mind.
A dragonborn, but you will live and keep your mind. I didn't want to do it without asking you first. Its your life father
It felt like he was reaching out mentally, trying to caress my face as he always did when I was distress. The choice I will leave up to you, my Lura. I will accept whatever fate has in store for me. Bahamut then let go of the connection and I was back standing beside his enormous form. I closed my eyes and nodded solemnly.
"Please, save him." With only a small flash of his eyes, it was done.
"It is time to return you. I look forward to watching your progress and celebrating your success upon your return." I was about to answer when I felt my entire body lift into the air and pushed into the softness of a chair. Opening my eyes I found myself back in the library of the Obsidian Citadel, now with a new purpose and a new mission to guide me.