by Dreagen
“That’s terrible,” AnaSaya said. “Their parents must have been so grief-stricken!”
“I guess they were. They killed everyone, but GoroTy managed to get away. He would have quickly been hunted down and killed, too, had a CyTorian not been passing overhead and seen him staggering in a field. In any case, he was brought to KaNar, where father recognized him immediately. It took him a while to speak again. Everyone tried, but in the end it was DiNiya who broke through to him. After that they became inseparable. It’s kind of funny, actually…that was the first time I think I started feeling like an overprotective brother. Anyway, they quickly became close friends. She knew what it was like to lose a parent…”
“I’ll never forget what I felt when I looked into his eyes,” DiNiya said. “So full of loss…the kind you feel when someone you were so connected to is suddenly gone…taken from you. I had seen it in my own eyes every time I looked in the mirror, but his…well, his seemed so much deeper: on the surface. I guess it’s because I never really knew my mother. GoroTy, on the other hand, could remember everything about her, and his father. What they looked like, sounded like, even their scent. I realized that the pain I had felt during my short time alive paled in comparison to the one he was experiencing. So I decided I would be his friend, and spend the rest of my life trying to fill the void left by those he lost.”
“I’ll admit I was a little put off at first,” LyCora said. “I mean…she was supposed to be my best friend, but then I learned what happened to him and I realized that I should be trying to make him feel a part of something, like DiNiya was. So I decided to be his friend, too. We would take him adventuring with us. He was really quiet at first, sometimes even scared, but we were always there to see him through it. Eventually he became more emboldened, taking the lead and coming up with new destinations for us to go questing for. We were a band of adventurers. We were…friends.”
“A year passed, and we had grown close as family,” DiNiya said, looking up to the sky. “Father had even adopted him, which meant he was my brother. I know EeNox was a little jealous at first, but he quickly warmed up to him. I think he really enjoyed having another boy around the house.”
“He slept in my room,” EeNox said, breaking his silence again. “Or I guess I should say ‘our room,’ since we shared it. I remember staying up late and trying to think of ways to sneak into the hot springs during mating season when all the women were down there enjoying each other’s company.” He found himself smiling at the fond memory.
LyCora looked stunned. “I had no idea he was that type of boy!”
“Is there really any other?”
“One day we were deep in the outer forest,” DiNiya went on, “and we were attacked by a rogue Ridgeback. Apparently it had been the mother of the clutch that GoroTy’s convoy had accidentally destroyed. Still, she had been in her final egg-laying season, and all her other children had been killed some years before in various territorial disputes with other wild tribes. The loss of her last chance of ever being a mother again had crushed her…driven her mad with sorrow and a desire for vengeance. Killing GoroTy’s parents and everyone they had been with on that day had not been enough for her, and she had continuously sought out the boy who got away.”
“It had taken her a while,” said LyCora. “But she eventually learned that he had been taken in by the KaNar.” She now spoke as if every word weighed heavy like stones in her heart. She had not spoken of that terrible day in years, but now she was forcing herself back to a time and place she would have rather forgotten. A time when she had experienced a fear so visceral that even now she felt herself trembling as she had done on that day. “The Ridgeback sprang from behind the trees.”
“She cried a vengeful wail,” said DiNiya. “So full of pain and sorrow.”
“But nightmarish at the same time.”
“We barely had any time to react.”
“She bared her teeth and lunged at us.”
“…And so did I…”
“Everything happened so fast…I didn’t even see DiNiya move between us and the Ridgeback,” LyCora said as her voice got caught in her throat.
“It’s strange,” DiNiya recalled. “I can’t even remember moving. One moment I was standing with the two of them, and suddenly I was there in front of a row of teeth coming down at me. What happened next was…well…” She froze for a moment, eyes wide as if seeing something no one else could. “The single freest moment of my life.” Tears ran down her face.
“There was this crack like thunder,” LyCora continued. “Then this…blinding red light that felt like…I don’t know what. You could feel it all around you, almost like a presence—so massive and powerful.”
“I could feel something rising up out of me. Like I was stepping out of myself.”
“I dropped to the ground and shut my eyes. I heard a terrible sound, like someone screaming, then…nothing: nothing at all. It was like all the life had just been pulled from the world. Even the forest felt still.”
“I opened my eyes and saw nothing but devastation,” DiNiya said in a now shaky, manic voice. “The entire forest around me was burnt…cinders falling from the sky like leaves.”
“That’s when I first noticed them.”
“I saw the Ridgeback lying just in front of me. She was moving slightly, but I could tell she was in a terrible state. I raced up to her and saw that her entire face and most of the rest of her body was badly burned. Her eyes…gone.” She put her hands over her mouth with a look of horror. “She…she…she screamed as soon as I touched her!”
“The Ridgeback’s eyes had been scorched right out of her head and she was thrashing about in blind agony,” LyCora said, feeling sick to her stomach. “But that was not the full extent of it…”
“I could only watch as she writhed in pain…pain that I had inflicted on her! I didn’t mean to, I swear it! I swear it!”
The two DraGons watched DiNiya as she stood trembling with a look of wide-eyed horror.
Meanwhile, kilometers away, Rex and the others regarded LyCora with both shock and worry for they had never seen her look so shaken.
“I think we both heard it at the same time,” she went on. “It was barely there at first, but then we clearly heard his voice.”
“It was barely over a whisper,” DiNiya said, steadying her voice while her body continued to shake. “But I heard it…I heard him. I turned around and saw GoroTy. He was lying on the ground a few meters behind me. Not moving. I ran to him and…and…” She dropped to her knees. “He was…he was…oh no, GoroTy!” DiNiya screamed, her eyes now sparking red.
“His entire body was scorched beyond recognition, yet…he was still alive. Alive while his body was…” LyCora bared her teeth and stomped her foot. “He was completely burned! You couldn’t even make out who he was anymore! Just a mass of burnt dead flesh that was crying out for his mother!”
“‘MOTHER! MOTHER!’ He just kept screaming until he choked on his own blood!” DiNiya could feel her own throat tightening, like some unseen hand was closing in around it. She reached up and clasped it, gasping for air. “I just wanted to protect him…to protect all of them. I never meant to hurt either of them. I just wanted to keep them safe, but instead I killed them both! Me! With my flame! My terrible flame! I never wanted to feel like that again. Never wanted to cause such pain ever again. And so, I buried that part of myself…forever.”
“I watched the fire in her eyes die that day,” LyCora said, remembering the sight of the girl she grew up knowing transform into a stranger right before her. “My best friend was now the thing that haunted my nightmares. I couldn’t even look at her…so I ran. Ran as hard and fast as I could until I was back in my mother’s arms. I never looked back once. As far as I was concerned, three people died that day in the forest.”
“You always were smarter than you realize, DiNiya,” DayKar spoke in a low yet almost amused tone. “You caught a mere glimpse of your true self and locked it away. The monster.�
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DiNiya began to tremble violently, so much so that the DraGons stepped back.
“What’s wrong with her?” LemaRes asked.
“Ahh,” DayKar gleamed, eyes wide with expectation. “Could it finally be?”
“Be what? Damn it, DayKar, tell me what’s happening!”
Above, VoRon watched in silence as an uneasy feeling crept its way down his spine. Was this truly wise after all? he wondered, doubt now taking hold of him in the presence of an all too familiar power reawakening.
DiNiya began arching her body upward violently and let out a ragged scream. Her veins swelled as blood pumped through them, while the fur on her body stood on end. Inside she could feel something coming to life, or rather, awakening. Suddenly streaks of red fire began rippling all around her, infrequently at first, but they quickly multiplied. With another furious cry, DiNiya erupted in red flame.
DayKar watched the small figure of DiNiya standing in what looked like a shroud, elegant crimson fury gliding off her elegant form. “Magnificent,” he whispered.
Slowly LemaRes turned towards him. “This is what you wanted, isn’t it? This was your plan all along?”
“No, my love,” DayKar replied, unleashing a nefarious grin. “This is but the half of it.” With that, he suddenly fired a blast at DiNiya that struck her with such force that her flame vanished and sent her body crumpling to the floor. Wasting no time, DayKar dropped down and grabbed her firmly in one hand. Then holding her up, he gently carried her over to the altar.
LemaRes watched as DiNiya’s body came in contact with the altar and was immediately ensnared by chains that came out of slots in the ground around her.
DiNiya slowly opened her eyes, her head now spinning, and saw DayKar staring down at her. Instinctively she tried to move, but found that her body was being restrained by something. “You see, LemaRes,” DayKar said without taking his eyes off the girl. “This poor pathetic creature was only part one of my grand plan. Now that it’s in place, it’s time for the second and final half to come into play.” He lifted DiNiya’s head with a claw. “And believe me, this is the part where things really get set into motion.”
Feeling the rage burn inside her, DiNiya tried to ignite her flame again but was surprised to feel it not responding the way it had mere moments ago. “What’s happening to me?” she asked, for rather than experiencing the full force of her power, she felt it slip away like before, but this time not of her own volition.
“Don’t strain yourself,” he said, grinning. “Those chains are made of the same material as this tower, only unlike the rest of it, they are connected to raw CarNite, which I feel I should mention has been built into this structure for the sole purpose of absorbing and redistributing the red flame.”
“What?” she gasped.
“Right now this entire tower is drawing power from you. Still, you are not powerful enough to give it the amount it needs. But don’t worry. Someone is coming that will more than make up the difference.”
“Rex,” DiNiya said. “He’ll never let you use him that way! He’ll fight you! We all will! Do you hear me, DayKar?”
DayKar turned and walked over to his mate, who was still beside herself with shock.
“DayKar,” she spoke in an almost breathless voice. “This is getting out of hand! Now there are two…”
“Fear not, my love,” he said, caressing the side of her face. “Stay by my side and I will show you wonders beyond anything you have ever dreamed.”
“You know I will, but I’m just worried that we are once again tampering with forces that nearly destroyed us once already. That, and this entire plan is riding on a mere child.”
“Oh, not just her,” he said, glancing back at DiNiya, who still was unable to move. “The Doom Bringer will be here soon.”
“How can you be certain?” she asked, surprised by how matter of fact he sounded.
“You see, he and I share a special connection. One forged out of the same power that has resurrected us from the ashes. As a result, I have felt him…his anger, his fear. Now he is nearly upon us and must be allowed to reach her.”
“But will their combined flames truly be enough to reopen the rift between VoLera and EeNara?” she asked, sounding uncertain.
“It must,” he replied earnestly. “Or else we have all waited ten thousand years in vain.”
“DayKar, this power you now wield…it’s not natural,” she said. “It’s sorcery. How will this look in the eyes of the Nova Queen?” She saw something come over him, turning him briefly into someone she had never seen before.
“Unlike you, I had not the luxury of so many years of slumber. Mine was the fate of having to come back to life as opposed to merely being reawakened.” With a snarl, he bared his teeth and brought his face uncomfortably close to hers. “If the Holy Mother has a problem with my methods, then she can come down here and get her own hands dirty for once.”
It was then that VorTak landed with a heavy thud, with PeroDay slung over his shoulder. Slowly, he allowed for him to slide off and gently rested him on the ground. “My lord,” he called to DayKar. “We successfully made contact with the Doom Bringer as you ordered. However…”
“You discovered that he was more than a match for either of you,” DayKar said as he walked up to the still body of his brother and knelt down beside him. “PeroDay, can you hear me?”
His brother slowly opened his eyes, which widened slightly when he realized where he was. “Brother…”
“Don’t,” DayKar said calmly as he placed a hand on him. “You need to regain your strength.” Looking up at VorTak, he said, “Thank you for bringing him back to me. This act of valor will not be forgotten, I assure you.”
“But the mission, sir?” VorTak replied uneasily.
“Was a complete success. Your goal was only to antagonize the Doom Bringer, not kill him. Besides, you have seen the cost of merely getting in his way.”
“But that’s just it, sir! It was I who did battle with him, not your brother!”
DayKar snapped his neck up and looked at VorTak in surprise before rising to his full height. “You fought him?”
“That’s right, and while, yes, he was indeed exceedingly more powerful than I expected, I managed to escape mostly unscathed.”
“Then what happened to him?” LemaRes asked, looking down at PeroDay.
“It was ones of those who traveled with him. The gold and lavender flame—it was they who nearly killed your brother, my lord!”
“Is that so?” DayKar replied, stroking his chin and gazing down at his brother, who had once again fallen unconscious. “How very interesting.”
“It means that we greatly underestimated the power of all the AmaRanthine,” VoRon said as he landed beside LemaRes and gave a quick bow to VorTak, who nodded in turn. “We had been operating under the assumption that the Doom Bringer, despite being much weaker in his current state, was the only of these relic flames that posed any real threat. Now it would appear that the others have also inherited some degree of power from their former selves. Grand Marshal, if I may, I would strongly consider abandoning this post and scattering our forces to several of the other remaining outposts. Templar ZarMor has been overseeing one just north of here that we could reach by dawn if we leave now.”
“But what of our plan?” LemaRes asked. “If it does not succeed, we are all as good as dead!”
“I’m not saying we abandon it, but rather postpone it until we know we can safely carry it out. We have the girl, after all, which means half of the power needed to reopen the rift. The Doom Bringer will still have to come to us, but this way we can—”
“No!” DayKar interrupted. “Nothing changes! We settle this now!”
“But my lord!”
“Your concern is noted and appreciated. Still, I and I alone, have lived amongst them all these years, and believe me when I say they will not tolerate our presence in this world. Now that we have revealed ourselves to them, the longer we wait with
out the others, the greater the odds of each of us meeting our end at the jaws of those beasts.”
VoRon looked down and sighed. “Very well, my lord. Of course we are yours to command.”
“Don’t worry, old friend,” DayKar said, putting a hand on the old DraGon’s shoulder. “I have not waited patiently for hundreds of years just to lose it all now. I will see this through, one way or another.”
With that he turned back to LemaRes, who looked into his eyes, the very same that had stolen her heart a lifetime ago. “Very well,” she conceded, still stricken by his earlier words that sounded now less like salvation and more like heresy. “Tell me what you would have me do.”
“Take a squad to the city east of here. There you will find the Doom Bringer and those he leads. Attack them on sight. Burn everything around the TyRanx to the ground. I want that monster seething with rage when he gets here. I want his power at its absolute maximum! Then…we can release the others from limbo and purge this world of the vile postulants that plague it once and for all. Then, my love, we can at last have what we’ve always dreamed. A world under a living sky.”
LemaRes felt her body tingle and almost go numb at the thought. Oh, how she loved this DraGon who had waited for her all these years. How she dreamed of seeing his face, staring into his beautiful golden eyes and feeling his touch again. Now she had all three. Still, they would never be free to live the life they wanted until they had a world of their own to call home. This world. And the only way to achieve it was to take it from those who would deny them the happiness she knew they so rightfully deserved. “I’ll gather the knights and depart immediately,” she said before eyeing DiNiya with a narrowed gaze. “Will you be all right without me?”
