by M K Drake
Mage Callan is still concerned. “This is all well and good, but, I know Mage Marcus. He hates dragons more than Professor Sprocking does; he will use any excuse to have Ju Long brought forward for his past wrongs and even campaign to have him executed. How can we prove the evidence of a soul, and that Ju Long is truly the Dragonheart?”
Mage Avipaul thinks for a moment, sits back in his chair and cradles his chin on top of his interlocked fingers. “There is a way, but it is dangerous.”
“I will do it,” Ju Long says quietly as he steps out of the shadows to the surprise of everyone.
The Majjai jump up and run towards him. Olof bundles his way forward to ensure he gets there first, picks up Ju Long and hugs him hard. “You stupid Ratatoskr!”
Ju Long groans from the strength of the hug. “A stupid what?” he gasps.
“Never mind!” Olof throws him in the air and catches him. “Don’t ever run off again, or, or…”
“Yes dad!” Ju Long says sarcastically.
Olof grabs him in a headlock and ribs the top of his head, ruffling his hair vigorously.
Khan decides to end it and pulls Ju Long from Olof’s grip. “Careful now; what would Majjai Pali think if he came back with messy hair?”
Safaya, Joyce, and Atticus grab Ju Long and give him a big hug.
“Guys, this is nice and all, but you know, uhm…, I…. can’t… breathe.”
They release him and give him a pat on his shoulder. Atticus stays with him as the others return to their seats. “You should always trust us.”
“I do, why do you think I let you find me? The Bhandari Clan detected the Horseman had arrived, he had detected my teleport. They came as soon as you were close. There was just too much noise with those Mecha Knights around.” Ju Long turns to Mage Avipaul. “I am ready master, whatever you feel needs to be done, do it.”
Atticus returns to his seat, and Ju Long sits in the vacant chair. Everyone waits for Mage Avipaul to speak.
“Very well, but the risks should first be known.”
“I do not care, master; it has to be done,” Ju Long looks towards Atticus, “for the greater good.”
Atticus is beginning to hate this phrase more and more, as it links itself to ominous actions, to death and loss, in the name of the greater good. He wonders when the greater good will get a break and earn a win without sacrifice; he wishes it with all his heart.
“Silence. I am, and will always be, your master, even if you are now Elric’s student. You will always be like a son to me,” Mage Avipaul stands and walks over to Ju Long. He has a commanding presence, and even in this vast chamber the shadows themselves almost seem to make way for him as he walks, bowing down before the Bhandari Clan leader. “I fear much with this. The only way to truly be sure is with a memory awakening.”
“Wait!” Atticus remembers what the same process did to Spitfire. “We just witnessed one of those – it didn’t go very well.”
Mage Avipaul chuckles, “Ah yes, your mechanical toy friend. Do not worry. This is a very different process, but, there is a complication here. Although Ju Long is Majjai in name, his origin is still demon. The awakening could reignite his demonic life force. This has never been done before; the worst-case scenario would be that he loses the gained soul.”
Everyone looks to Ju Long. Olof cannot bear to be silent, he is agitated, fidgeting in his chair, moving in an animated manner. “No, no. Ju Long, you do not have to do this, we can find another way. There must be a way to find the Scrolls other than this.”
“Don’t be silly Blondie. You would do the same.”
“I would not.”
“Errrrr, do you want me to bring up the giant sea serpent you tried to take on all by yourself for that stupid hammer?”
Olof stays silent, knowing full-well that Ju Long is correct, recalling the battle against Leviathan. “Very well, but I will have you know, if you lose your soul, I will seek out a soul giver, and I’m damn well giving you mine!”
“Deal,” Ju Long looks back towards Mage Avipaul who is now standing right next to him. “Let’s do this.”
Mage Avipaul moves to stand behind Ju Long. He places his palms to the young Majjai’s temples and raises his own head to look upwards. He chants some words that sound like Sanskrit, and as he does so a blue mist emanates from his mouth, filling the upper dome of the chamber, then floating down to the middle of the makeshift hall and forming a giant sphere. A spark appears between his palms and Ju Long’s temples.
Ju Long’s pupils turn white and he remains completely motionless.
Mage Avipaul steps away, “It has begun.”
The mist in the middle of the room turns bright white before revealing the image of the demon realm, they can see a giant dragon, almost as large as Draconus, behind him stands a legion of other dragons, one of them steps forward.
“Lord Drakor, the order has come. The first-born daughters must die.”
Drakor turns and roars, before flying to his master. The mist goes white again before returning into focus with the view of Draconus’s chamber. Atticus recognises it immediately, his gift of insight once took him there via projection before his powers were fully awakened. He remembers the odour of the smelting rocks, the feel of the cold rock surface and floor. This place is more than foreboding – and it appears to have never changed.
Drakor can be seen approaching Draconus, “Master, the first-born order, it is true?”
Draconus breathes heavily. “Yes, is there a problem?” he replies, circling his subordinate menacingly.
“Only the repercussions my lord. The Majjai will not take this lightly, they will be ordered by the kings of man to take revenge.”
“It must be done, the Majjai are of no concern. Kazmagus is in hiding, their forces are scattered. This first-born daughter is a Seer. A Majjai Seer – her very presence is a danger to Asmodei, and my lord Razakel.”
“But…”
“Enough!” Draconus roars and bellows a massive flame through the chamber.
Drakor covers his face while the flame disperses. “Very well,” he says as he leaves the chamber, “It will be done.”
The mist then switches view to the moment when Drakor finds the princess. It appears to be somewhere in Africa. A voice is heard screaming, it appears to be the baby’s mother.
“No! Ngozi!! Someone save her!! The dragon has her!!”
Drakor looks down towards the giggling infant, who reaches her hand out towards the dragon. Drakor slowly moves the tip of his claw to touch the baby’s hand, “This is wrong,” he turns to the mother, who is running towards him. “Stop!”
Astonished at the Drakor’s tone, the mother halts. “Do not harm her dragon! If you lay one finger on her head, I swear I will avenge her a thousand times over.”
“I believe you, but that is not why I will not harm her. She is beautiful. A creation of life. A living, breathing, innocent soul. No, I will not harm her. I will save her.”
The mother cannot believe what she sees next, and stands there, her mouth agape as she witnesses a dark dragon protect an innocent. Drakor soars into the air and battles every dragon in the sky and destroys them all, saving not only the princess, but also the other first-born daughters.
Drakor returns to the baby princess, and speaks to the mother. “This baby is in danger.” Drakor is able to sense the power of the Seer. “I need to keep her safe, before more dragons come. Draconus will not take this lightly; he will send the entire army after this one.”
By this time the King has arrived, and both he and the Queen offer their blessings, with some belongings of the child. “Where will you take her?” asks the King.
“The Majjai will know; I will take her to them.”
The mist changes again, and the face of an older, long-bearded man appears, “Ah, Dragonheart, you’re awake. Do not worry, the Princess is safe – the traveller wizard, Myrddin, has taken her to the Pharaoh, Mekh. She is under his care. But, you still have a duty with this newfound soul
of yours. I need to send you to the Pharaoh as well.”
Dragonheart rises and gazes to his hands, his human hands, “What has happened? I’m, I’m…”
“Human? Yes, possibly. You were much more scaly before. I could not get you into a normal tent, so I built this one around you, kept you safe, kept you fed.”
“But, why?”
“You are the Dragonheart, the demon who gained a soul. How could I not help you. You are destined for great things, but not here, not now. Not even to where I send you.”
“What do you mean? You speak in riddles.”
The old man chuckles, “Maybe, maybe I do. But all will be clear one day.”
The mist switches view again, this time they are within what appears to be in front of a dome created by the Runes of Zamaan, the same runes that can control the speed of time within them. The Majjai remember them from their year of solitude when they used the runes to provide the period required for Atticus’s training before going on the quest to find the Orb of Time.
The older Majjai gives Dragonheart some instructions, “Do not worry, time acts differently in this space. You step in, I have told the runes to keep your time as still as possible. This area is protected. The Majjai from the rule of Mekh will find you. Good luck on your quest. Oh, and your name – you may be known as the Dragonheart, but your real name is Ju Long.”
“How…, how do you know?”
“Souls are not free, dear boy, each has an owner. Yours belonged to a great warrior who gave it to you in honour of your act.”
“Again, old man, how do you know all of this?”
“Because, dear boy, that soul? It was mine!” And with that statement, the old Majjai pushes Ju Long into the time bubble of the Runes.
The mists return and create another view. This is of Ju Long now guarding a young toddler. The Pharaoh, Mekh appears. He wears a golden head garment and white robes, his beard is tightly woven, and he is followed by several priestesses. Behind them are several Majjai.
Ju Long bows his head, “My lord, to what do I owe this pleasure?”
“I’ve just come to see my daughter, you spend more time with her than I do. Even though she is not directly of my blood, she is still royalty, and of my heart. Myrddin the wise, he knew of our loss. Draconus, the demon, he took our daughter, too, and even with Asmodei gone, Razakel still rules with an even more ruthless hand. He has taken many daughters throughout the millennia as punishment to the Dragonheart. But little does he know we honour the dragon with a soul who battled for humanity. Ju Long, you protect his Legacy, the Pharaoh child, Princess Ngozi. I sense great power in you, and if you ever get the chance to aid the Majjai in the destruction of Razakel, do so with my blessing.”
“As you command my lord.”
It is apparent to all in the room that the Pharaoh is unaware of the fact that Ju Long is Dragonheart. Atticus feels it is probably a good thing.
The mists change again. Now an older Princess Ngozi, her hair braided tightly, is teasing Ju Long. “Come on Ju Long, you know these scrolls exist right? It’s my birthday! Pleeeeaaaaase, let us go find them!”
“I cannot, your father has forbidden this.”
“But why? Pleeeeeaaaaassse!”
“You will not understand, it is complicated.”
“Tell me, tell me, tell me!”
Without warning, the Pharaoh enters the room. “Ngozi! You know you cannot ask this. The dangers are too great!”
“But why father?”
Mekh relents, sensing that Princess Ngozi will not yield unless she gets an answer, “Very well. The Majjai tasked with creating the scrolls did so in a very bad way. You have heard of The Void yes?”
Ngozi nods. “Where bad Majjai go.”
Mekh smiles. “Yes, where bad Majjai go, and some bad demons, too. Well, a long time ago a Majjai used borrowed magic to summon The Void. The Scrolls can take you to see the unicorns little one, it is true; but, they also hold the power to create one world from two. Fusing them together.”
“You’re right daddy.”
“I am?”
“Yes, it is too dangerous, and Ju Long is right, too.”
Ju Long peers over, with an eyebrow raised. “I am?”
“Yes, it is complicated,” Ngozi replies giggling.
The mists clear to reveal Ngozi sleeping and Ju Long standing guard; she wakes with a start, screaming. “Time! Time twisting! Do not go! No! The Scrolls!”
Ju Long rushes in, and comforts the young Princess. “It is just a dream, little one; do not be afraid, I will never let anything happen to you.
“No, you don’t understand, I saw you. You, fell… and then…”
“Don’t worry, it will take more than a dream to hurt me. Now sleep. We have your birthday party to prepare for in the morning.”
The Majjai are then shown the preparations for the party, the lavishness is abundant all around the palace, soldiers are busy polishing golden statues of Egyptian gods, and Ju Long is awaiting patiently. One of the guards spots him and jests.
“Ha! There is the child guard, have you cleaned many toys today? Where is your most difficult of assignments?”
Ju Long does not succumb to the taunts, but merely answers calmly. “Her maid has taken her to get ready. Now, carry on, before I set your armour on fire.”
Before the guard can respond, the maid runs in shouting towards Ju Long. “She has gone! The Princess!”
Ju Long immediately runs towards her. “What do you mean? Tell me everything!”
“She was screaming about the Scrolls, saying she must find them. She locked me in the other room, and when I broke through she was gone – it has been at least an hour since she left.”
The mists clear to reveal the Pharaoh in distress; Ju Long reveals the princess’ dream from the previous night, and what the maid had said.
Mekh is visibly concerned. He turns to Ju Long with anguish all over his face. “The Scrolls are hidden within a time vortex, protected by its energy. The magic in them prevents their destruction, so they had to be guarded.” Mekh pulls a scroll from a table and unrolls it to reveal a map. He points to a location, “It is here; but she has such a head start, how will you get there in time?”
“Do not worry, I will save her… again. The Dragonheart always protects.”
Mekh stares in disbelief and grabs Ju Long’s arm. “You? It is you?”
Ju Long merely smiles and nods, before he shoots off into the air, flying toward the location on the map. He stares downwards for a moment, to catch glimpse of the Pharaoh, Mekh, saluting him in the distance.
The mists quickly switch to a scene inside a cave, the roar of a hurricane can be heard swirling round and round the room, reverberating around the chamber where the Majjai sit, watching Ju Long’s memory. As Ju Long goes deeper into the dark opening of the rock, he can see Ngozi and the time vortex, he shouts as loudly as he can. “Ngozi! No! Get away from it!!”
But she cannot hear him. Ju Long runs as fast as he can, fighting through the wind. Ngozi is frightened now. The force of the wind is too strong, she screams, slips, and is about to fall into the Vortex, but Ju Long just about gets there in time, throwing her to safety, but in turn, falling in to the Vortex himself.
His view fluctuates from seeing Ngozi safe, to Barmak, to the Scrolls in the Vortex; he screams in pain as he feels time itself trying to rip his body apart. The vortex shows him Barmak again and a massive energy release strikes him, throwing Barmak against the cave wall. Ju Long’s form changes from human to dragon and back to human again, before he too is thrown from the Vortex, landing in the cave, which is now empty, apart from the Vortex. The mist clears in a massive whoosh of sound, escaping through the roots in the chamber’s ceiling.
Ju Long’s pupil’s return to colour, but he is silent, the memories flood back into his person. Atticus and the others can see his eyes close and body begin to shake, they are about to run to him but Mage Avipaul stops them.
“No, this is normal, give
him a moment.”
True to the Mage’s word, Ju Long soon stops shaking and he opens his eyes. “Well, that was weird.”
Mage Avipaul looks towards Daljeet. “Bring me the Wizard’s Box.”
Daljeet returns quickly with a large, dusty, old straw box; she smiles at Ju Long before handing it to him.
Mage Avipaul puts a hand on his old student’s shoulder, “This box was given to the Bhandari clan many generations ago, with strict instructions from Myrddin himself. It was only to be opened by the protector of the Pharaoh’s child – by you my boy, by you.”
The other Majjai leave Ju Long alone to open the box, which he does carefully. Inside is a book filled with papyrus pages covered in hieroglyphics. It’s from Ngozi. He reads the messages, and as he does so, a small tear falls from his left eye.
A Majjai History, Vol 2 Chapter 9: The gods of lore:
The god that is well-known is that from the religions of the book. Some doubt he exists, but none doubt the existence of something. Be it the creator or something far beyond our comprehension.
The universe is a very, very old place, and no-one truly knows how it came about or what was before. All we know is that something created us, be it by accident or by design; but what we do know is that there are beings that exist who predate our history and which have coexisted with the universe since the early moments of its formation.
It is said that a hidden conduit feeds the inherent power of the Majjai Six, of any generation, into them. During the awakening ceremony, it is this power that seeks them out, using their birthmark as a beacon. How or why, we do not know; but what we do know is that without the Majjai Six, our existence would have been eradicated by the demon world millennia ago.
The gods of lore exist throughout Earth history. There are the Norse gods, the Egyptian gods, the Greek gods, the Mayan gods and gods of several other pantheons. It is rumoured that these great beings are incredibly old, and have a similar status as the Eternals. Although they are different beings entirely. Many of them came to Earth to educate mankind, and often found themselves allying with the Majjai of the time, creating a kinship. Alas, with the good also came the bad.
