The Dark Lord's Vengeance

Zellorah Kingdom

Cities/ towns of the Zellorah Kingdom
Sar'dan (capitol)
Jurain
Mulianair
Lithian
Fu'rathel

Zellorah Kingdom History 1
Zellorah Kingdom History 2
Zellorah Kingdom History 3
Zellorah Kingdom History 4
Zellorah Kingdom History 5
Zellorah Kingdom History 6

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Unable to move or speak, Connor attempted to touch the mind of Erindor one final time before death took him. "Shamus.... Shade..." His voice was barely recognizable even in his own decaying thoughts, but it seemed to sound as if it contained a hint of warning. Within those few seconds that followed, his mind drifted into the void and his last breath faded into the somber atmosphere around them. A strange crumpled note, with rose scrawled on its surface, slipped from the hands of their fallen companion.
 
Zane was very lucky that Erindor had yelled out when he had, he had been completely intent upon healing Connor, he'd been about to slip into a healing trance, not even aware his healing magic was simply being drained off. When he'd heard the roar from the Emperor he cut loose the magical healing spell he'd started and fell backwards, scrambling a little weakly to sit up, his heart hammering in his chest as he looked from Connor to Erindor his eyes shining with tears. Moving from where he'd been to leaning beside the stretcher part of him marveled at Erindor's spell to protect Connor, and another part of him simply reached out, a comforting hand on his shoulder as he suddenly went still. As his body stilled his eyes shut, and then opened, they caught sight of a small crumpled paper, "Erin..." he made a gesture to the paper, unsure if he should reach out and pick it up, he was just able to make out something red against the crumpled background.

The foreboding rain that seemingly rode in with Swiftlin intensified, lashing at those gathered and threatened to destroy the crushed note.

A low, mournful resonance filled the chilly, humid air as Malestrom lamented their loss. His great obsidian head lowered in respect of the fallen. Many of the gathered Naran warriors did the same as they drew their weapons to rest their steely tips upon bosom of the earth with pommels in hand, heads hung in respect as an indifferent breeze moved silently through those gathered.

Erindor's somber eyes moved slowly from Connor, to the muddy scrap of parchment with the vermilion scrawl, locked gaze with Zane, then flitted to a movement in the ranks of gathered soldiers; his pupils subtly dilating. "Wait..." he breathed to Zane, holding up a black clawed hand.

Draygun's form emerged from the drenched ranks, his enigmatic eyes pensive and guarded despite a single watery diamond that slid down the side of his emerald scaled maw, concealed by rain. His gait was slow and practiced, his presence commanding yet gentle. Mud about his obsidian talons halted and glinted in the wan light of campfires. Without words of any sort, the great sky of his mind brushed against those gathered to ease and soothe.

"Allow me," the Demigod said, his baritone voice fracturing the silence. 

Draygun reached out his hand and articulated his wrist, digits working as if to unfurl the crumpled note. The parchment with the vermilion scrawl rose up from the muddy ground and spread seamlessly for all to read.

As the cryptic note opened, a shadowed soul lifted from its surface, eerily screeching in agony before it writhed and dissipated into the air as an obsidian vapor.

To The Free People Of Zellorah And Nara,

I am certain now you discovered our little gift to you. The black creature you just witnessed was a messenger of sorts. Niros and I took it in our liberty to see to it that the one that was dearest to you was torn asunder and crushed. Will you end his misery? He won't be the last.

Fantayzius Destrous

It was then the words smoldered into a fine ash, along with the note, to be washed away by the tears of the somber sky.

Lavender colored eyes blinked slowly, another vast mind reached out gently touching those gathered nearest to Connors body. He is at peace now, with his gods and ancestors, he will be mourned and missed, a great leader for his kingdom. A white dragoness rose from a crouched position off to the side and made her way towards the group gathered close to the fallen king. The rain that was falling around her ran down her furry face, This creature, this...shade...that was mentioned, it is signed by one of black foul magic, Fantayzius, and there is mention of Niros. I believe it is time for me to return home, it seems we all have an enemy that cannot be ignored. Shinya turned to look at Erindor, and then Draygun bowing her head low to the ground, If you would have us, I would offer the Northern Wastes as an ally...I think it will take much more than two Kingdoms to fight this...evil. Her warm snout leaned down and pressed into Zane's shoulder gently nuzzling him, Do not fret, he was beyond anyone's help...it was good that he was with those who cared in the end.

Zane's hand reached up and gently touched Shinya's snout, fingers tangling in the soft white fur for a moment before he turned his face to the heavens so the rain could wash away his tears. Opening his eyes he looked at Erindor, then at Draygun, "They have to be stopped...first...my master...then the soldiers...now Connor...they are taking those who matter the most..." Steam rose from his skin as his magic boiled the water away the moment it hit him, his barely contained emotions evident by that fact alone, "I....I could not think...I couldn't bear it if anyone else was lost..." As he said this, his eyes looked through the blonde bangs plastered to his face and stared at Erindor and Draygun, not even able to imagine if something horrible were to happen to either of them.

Among all the words of warning there stood out two that made Erindor's rain soaked mane stand on end. The Sultan shook off the feeling but couldn't escape Connor's warning to him. "Shamus...a Shade? We all saw what Niros can do today, we don't need two more of that in this campaign," Erindor thought to Malestrom. He thanked his Drake for sending him a gentle current of magic to replenish the life force he had lost trying to save Connor.

Standing tall, the Sovereign of Nara squared his shoulders and looked upon Shenya, gently bowing his head in respect of her offering for support from her Kingdom. "I do not wish this fate upon any others, nor will I deny the courage of those pure of heart who wish to fight alongside us. I bid thee a safe journey, Shenya Dawnbringer."

A pair of Draconian soldiers moved forward slowly and covered Connor's body with a veil of black silk. With a nod from Erindor, the pair lifted the stretcher and moved towards the Zellorah camp.

All the while Draygun had most of his attention focused on Zane, and was kneeling beside the shorter man with a massive hand resting on the Fire Healer's back to comfort despite the magical heat Zane was throwing out. Dray drew a sigh and let it out slowly, biting the side of his lip, "There are some days where even I can't bear to loose anyone else," he confessed softly. His chatoyant eyes darted to Erindor as the Emperor began addressing the soldiers of Nara.

"WARRIORS OF NARA!" Erindor bellowed, his voice carrying with powerful resonance with little effort. The muddy ground began to shake after his summon as drakes and draconians alike came to the call. 
"WE MAY HAVE WON THE BATTLE, BUT WE ARE FAR FROM WINNING THIS WAR!"

The statement left an uneasy silence as his voice carried through those gathered. It wasn't something the Naran's were used to hearing, especially from their Sovereign. 
Continuing in a softer voice but a harder tone, Erindor steeled his mind and took a good long look at every soul before him, Dragon, Draconian, Demigod, Naran, and Zelloran. "Connor has been murdered." 

Silence again as the rain fell in cold, slashing sheets.

Erindor bowed his head a moment and inhaled the cold, humid air before continuing, his breath steaming.
"Connor has been murdered!" Erin vociferated. "Slain by an evil nigh upon incomprehension...and number! A good man has lost his life, his light stolen from us by Shades!"

"Shades?" was the overwhelming whisper from those gathered at the realization that there was more than just Niros.

"We are far from winning this war!" Erindor repeated again, sending chills down everyone's spines. "Niros Datanya, Fantayzius Destrous, and Shamus Firenox! Remember these names well! Do not speak them in fear, for that is their weapon against us! Darkness is falling on Zellorah and Nara, threatening to stifle our light. We will give them no such satisfaction! We will not yield, and we will succeed!"
"But we are far from winning this war..." the Sultan added gently, his voice threatening to become somber.

"BREAK CAMP!" Erindor bellowed the order. "Fellow Narans, friends of Nara, steel your hearts and make for Zellorah with haste!"

Shenya bowed her furred white head, her snug touching the soil and grass a moment as if committing the scent to memory before raising her head and looking at Erindor, I thank you Sultan, Erindor of the Naran Empire, I will make all the haste to my home, thank you for allowing me this time with you, and I am sorry, for your losses, they will not be in vain. Turning her great lavender eyes on Zane and Draygun she gently breathed a cold mist onto the healer , All will be well Zane Firelight, I do not think either kingdom shall fall so easily to shadow. turning her attention to Draygun she bowed her head again, and spoke directly to him, shielding out others, I will make all haste, but things take time in the North, I will do what I can to speed them along, look after each other, especially Firelight, he still hurts. Safe journey. turning from the already departing army she took a running start and flapping her feathered wings she jumped and was soon lifted off into the sky, soon just a pure white speck in an otherwise bleak and grey world.

Swiftly and solemnly, the remaining numbers of both armies readied themselves for the arduous march to Sar'dan through the dark, rain stricken night. After fording the Angora river with the help of the mighty Naran drakes they left the Mellankar fields and melancholy behind. As fate would have it, the dark and pendulous clouds concealed a distant and heavenly spire of magical light as pure as the heart it poured from; Ardunova, the magical gem beneath the Naran Capitol. The Sultan and his army continued with little regard as lightning flashed, licking across the sky in fantastic webs. They did not know that Nara herself was mortally wounded, her light lost to the cold sky above.

Draygun held tight to his fiancé high atop Malestrom's shoulders as the stubborn Lightvoid dragon plodded his way across the saturated ground. His thoughts went out to Firelight and a gentle smile cracked his stony expression. His right hand went to and rested upon Zane's shoulder and chest, as they were seated with Zane in the fore position, Erindor in the middle, and Draygun taking up the aft. 

"So much for consummating our engagement," Dray whispered to Erindor, his wry smile wavering against the flashes of lightning around them. "Just promise me we'll be able to have the time to finally enjoy this?" he crooned, almost pleadingly, as he rested his other hand upon Erin's chest and his maw upon his shoulder. Draygun could almost sense the tightness in Erin's throat, the ache in his strong heart.

Excusing himself from Zane a moment, Erindor placed his dominant hand over Draygun's; his Rider's Mark glowing brightly at the contact. Erin rested his head against Draygun's and inhaled slowly...holding the air until his lungs burned before exhaling just as languidly. "I have missed this," Erindor said with incontestable meaning, feeling his bosom warm with love before contracting to an ache once more. "It is just so hard to swallow. I am tired, Draygun. Tired of war, tired of this constant charade we must play with the Dark. For all our resources, all our experience, all our wisdom, all our creation, all our hate, all our love, I feel no greater than I did when I started all of this. Did I want all of this when I called to unite our brothers and sisters, to unite the Drakes? No...I would not want any of this. I feel responsible for the deaths of our kindred and the deaths of our allies today. Responsible because if history had played out slightly differently there wouldn't be the headstrong Naran empire strong wrangling the known world into peace. There wouldn't be me responsible for ordering men and women to their deaths, Draconian and Drake alike. I never imagined I would have this sort of blood on my hands, Draygun. I have always done what was best to save life and limb, but now I am faced with a challe-"

"-nge that we will face, together," Draygun cut in, stemming Erindor's self-loathing speech. The mighty Demigod squeezed his love tight, letting his emotions flow free from one to another. "I have seen you do this before, Erindor. And this is not a burden you bear alone. This world is a better place because of your leadership, your guidance. You are an amazing soul, Erindor, Sultan of the Narans. Never underestimate who you are and what you have done. You have not wavered, nor will you in the coming trials. I love you, as I have for millenia...my Gods are we that old?" Dray exclaimed, allowing himself a wry chuckle. "I can't tell you the future, Erin, but I can tell you to never lose hope as you never have. You are an unwavering flame in the gale of a tempest, the rock that resists wind and rain. But above all else, you hold all the hope, courage, and trust of every soul you are a guardian to. That is no small feat, Erindor. You are not leading them to destruction, you are leading them to salvation. While I do not deny the loss and sorrow is starting to become a campaign in itself, it is a small price to pay for the strife you have saved from countless lives, Erindor, Sultan of the Empire, Unifier of the People."

"I love you," Erindor whispered so silently the thunder threatened to steal his words.

"I know," breathed Draygun, silently reveling in the beautiful electrical storm ranging about them; his nerves charged and tingling.

As the night wore on and the storm had its last say with a bass ridden rapport that sang through the dewy morning sky the armies arrived at the border to Zellorah. There was no time for rest as Erindor ordered them forward past the border sentries and unto Sar'dan. The Drakes offered their might and stamina to assist the weary soldiers of Zellorah upon their backs to expedite their journey. The day was unremarkable but when the glowing city of Sar'dan was finally visible by sunset a palatable sense of relief rippled through the armies as they finally reached the great city. The sight the people of Zellorah saw was both grand and sorrowing as exhausted warriors from both nations approached the gates. As they neared the city, the ranks of the Narans drew into five ranks behind their leader high atop the magnificent Malestrom and began a march.

Knowing who the visitors were, but not knowing the reasons behind the melancholy that pursued them, the guards opened the gates hurriedly in case there were those that were wounded and required immediate care. "Take all the injured to the infirma...." one of the guards said, but halted upon seeing the gruesome sight of their fallen royal advisor; the one who was betrothed to their queen. "Connor Zeller! It's Connor!" he continued with a hint of distress. "Dear Sultan of Nara, please..." the man ran down the steps in a rush, "take his body to the temple to be... cleaned... I will do the difficult task... of informing her of this tragedy..." After sighing, he tried to swallow the hopelessness building up within.

Silently, while watching curiously, a great emerald and cream dragon, almost appearing like a feathered wyvern, sat atop the castle spires. He was a newcomer, according to the Nara, seemingly quite comfortable where he was. Three sets of horns graced his skull, one set bearing spheres of topaz and another upon his forehead twisted above him with strange symbols. The last set led behind him to a point. As he moved to adjust his position, a lengthy tail curled around below him, revealing that it was tipped with yellow and decorated with elegant feathers that shrouded a blade. A low rumble set deep in his chest for a moment and a pillar of smoke accompanied it soon after. Lowering his head, the spikes on his back shifted one after the other. For balance, his wings were slightly folded in front of him, giving the dragon the appearance of a regal swan, but he was unintentionally menacing with his piercing jade and ash-colored eyes. On the end of his snout, connecting his huffing nostrils, was a ring of gold.

"I will speak with your Queen," Erindor rumbled in reply, his baritone voice carrying well from atop Malestrom's shoulders. The Sultan held up his fist to signal the army to halt its march. With another motion, he signaled his generals to coordinate the wounded to the infirmaries. 
"My fiancé, Master Draygun, will see to the proper rights to the valiant Connor." Moving fluidly, Erindor dismounted from Malestrom and landed upon the sun baked stones below with surprising grace. His ceremonial armor of polished silver metal plates and flowing white silk steadied as he recovered from the jump, standing to his full height.

Malestrom let out a hearty bugle of greeting to the strange and handsome stranger perched high upon the castle. 

Erindor motioned to the leaders of his Rider Council, Ankheku and Etzali Levoron to be at his sides before regarding the Royal Guard who had addressed him.
"If you would be so kind to escort Malestrom and myself to hold council with Queen Mira, perhaps I can ease your burden of orating the tragedy that has befallen Zellorah. Let it be known, that the battle was won. Lead on." 

"Of course," the guardsman responded with a bow before proceeding to lead the Sultan.

The visiting dragon huffed smoke before roaring loudly in turn, sending vibrations through the landscape.

Upon hearing the calls of his dragon, another stranger, this time with the appearance of an elf, exited the castle to see what the commotion was about. As it lay over his armored shoulders, his hair was a pale green that matched the lining of his plated ebony armor. Upon his brow was a bandanna of sorts, bearing the same odd markings as the dragon. With his overall appearance, he didn't quite seem to fit in with the others who resided within the walls of Zellorah. After giving a look of worry, he dashed back into the castle and returned with Mira. She peered out over the city with her hand over her eyes like a visor. Swiftly, Jaiden had followed behind her, keeping his distance from both of the newcomers.

A dash of pale green and moments later the appearance of the opulent Queen Mira caught Erindor's eye. He watched her with a serious regard for a half a minute or more before his gaze stayed its course straight and true before him. The Sultan walked with a stone like seriousness, his Council Leaders and Malestrom following at his flanks and behind. Following the Guardsman took them a course to the Citadel that would bring them before the Elven stranger of pale green and the Queen of Zellorah. 

"Queen Mira," Erindor rumbled, placing the fist bearing his Rider's Mark upon his breast over his heart. "I am honored to be welcomed within your remarkable country and opulent city. You have the thanks of the Naran people and her leader," he said tactfully and diplomatically before his demeanor seemed to be shaded in shadows. 
"There is much we must discuss," he said with a gravelly if not growling seriousness. The Sultan extended his arm to mean they should proceed within the Keep.

"Erindor... No need for formalities... Welcome to Zellorah... My home is your home..." Sadly, she studied the group for a moment before, with the stranger, leading Erindor into the castle.

The stranger himself also seemed a bit doleful due to the circumstances, with his arms crossed. He examined the Sultan for a second out of mere curiosity.

After passing through a series of extravagant hallways, adorned with regal gryphons and jubilant fauns, the guards closed the doors behind them. The entire look of the room had been altered during the time the armies left to attack Shadow, in preparation of the wedding. "Your company...they are too few... and one of great importance to me is... missing...Please... tell me everything..."

Worried, Jaiden remained beside Mira, in hopes events did not turn out as badly as he surmised. At the same time he wondered where Aurelia had gone off to.

The Queen's words fell softly and deftly upon Erindor. His keen eyes had taken in every square centimeter of their surroundings. He had surmised just moments before her melodious voice rang through the Hall what she was going to ask of her Connor. With a careful moment to exchange the same searching look upon the Stranger also out of curiosity, the Sultan looked upon Mira with an inescapable gaze.

"We have won the battle," He rumbled, Malestrom echoing telepathically in exact time. "But the war is far from over." 
Erindor hung his head slightly, his eyes loosing just an iota of the steel that framed his luminescent irises.
With Malestrom falling silent behind him, Erindor looked directly upon Mira, as if looking through her and breathed, "Connor Zeller, has been murdered."

Even though Jaiden didn't know Conner very well, Jaiden couldn't help but to feel strongly for Mira and embraced her as she cupped her hands over her mouth. "Connor? Erindor.... how!? If... if it... wasn't during the battle...then...?" Her voice was overwhelmed with sorrow as tears fell down her cheeks.

Keeping his depressed state to himself, appearing more infuriated than disheartened, the stranger looked away. He wasn't sure what to make of it yet as he had known Connor since the man was a child. His arms remained firmly folded. "Explain everything," he said in a chill tone, peering over at the draconian from the corner of his eye.

Not moving his form, but only blinking gently and moving his gaze to meet the sideways glance from the Stranger, Erindor sensed the sensitive chords of emotions deep within his lithe and chilly tone. The Sultan's back straightened and assumed perfect posture before choosing his next words with great care.
"Connor Zeller has been murdered, by Shades," putting intention emphasis on the plurality of the word. "Niros Datanya, Fantayzius Destrous, and Shamus Firenox."

The Sultan spoke the names with such restrained aversion for their sounds the words fell like anvils upon the ears of those gathered.

Sensing the rapidly fracturing hope within the room, Erindor continued his narration. "Zellorah's forces encountered the Shadow Kingdom's army at Mellankar fields. A storm drew in upon the confrontation which allowed the arrival of my forces with complete concealment. Our assault bore down the enemy forces both on land and in the air with skilled swordsmen, mages, Riders and their Dragons. We fought as one beside your kinsmen, overwhelming their offensive charges and destroying their war machines."

Malestrom's voice rumbled across the minds of Jaiden, Mira, and the Stranger, "Our Honorable King, Erador, dispatched the vile Hoshrah. His skull will adorn our walls. But, we were not prepared for the arrival of the Shade himself. Many were lost were it not for the efforts of,"

"Draygun." Erindor bit his lip furtively as his own emotions welled up within him. "Niro's vast command of Dark Magic maimed hundreds within moments. Even the best Mages from both armies could not turn the tide of force now present upon us. No might, no sword, no spell, flaming breath, or dragon could hope to pose a formidable threat against the being before us all. That is when Draygun charged the Daemon. Their interlocking confrontation was...indescribable. The realms of heaven and earth sheared under the combined stress of these two Titans; ripping open the bosom of the earth as rock and lava tore upwards, taking the battling pair high above us all."

He paused and collected his memories before continuing,
"Ash clouded the stormy skies, blackening any light as the dead came to life upon the battlefield. It was all too much, to be forced to kill your own after their bodies had been defiled by Niros' hateful magic. The Shadow army began to advance upon us and cut us down, but then divine light poured from high in the erupting spire of earth and fire. The Dove flapped his wings, by some means of turning Niro's magic against itself and the Shade vanished with a leveling blast that shook the air and trembled the land."

Taking a pause, Erindor let Malestrom continue where he left off as his emotions became a hurricane within him. 
"We lost a quarter of our forces upon that day, Malestrom rumbled austerely and softly. "We watched your warriors fight with honor and hope, strength and fire. Connor Zeller proved himself an able swordsman, combating Shamus Firenox on the battlefield. Connor fought with skill and experience beyond his years, indomitable hope, and with the courage of a dragon. Connor Zeller was valiant and courageous in his final hours of his final day."

Erindor's voice rumbled back into the room, echoing like distant thunder, "Shamus fled the fight with Connor. Connor was too much for the likes of him. But old age and treachery defeat youth and skill...and the vile Firenox maimed Connor before the ran like a coward. With the exceptional skills of the Firemage and Healer, Zane Firelight, Connor was saved a the end of the battle. None of the infernal and twisted monsters from the enemy survived that day, their bodies turned to ash inside the cataclysm that rent the earth from Draygun's and Niros' battle."

With a swallow, he continued narrating the events after the battle, being careful not to languish in the details of his bethrothal but instead upon the details of celebration as both armies recovered from their horror. 
"It wasn't until a hard, cold rain bore in upon us hours after sundown when Switflin, the silken steed smudged by mud and tainted by blood, rode in to our camp with Connor's stricken form in the saddle." 

The thunder was gone from the Sultan's voice as he continued, taking a gentle breath, "Connor had been defiled. Cheated and destroyed. Played with and obliterated." He drew a deep breath as he fought to repeal the clamor of the emotions pouring from the Queen and Jaiden, but took special note as to the Stranger's advanced control. 
"He could not be healed by our advanced magics; he was cursed. Any who attempted to heal him would be pulled into the void, as I almost was."

"Shamus...Shade..." were his last words to me from his mind before a crumbled bit of parchment with vermilion scrawl fell from his hand onto the mud below. A message from the Shade Fantayzius...taunting us, advertising to us all who had slain the venerable Connor. It was then I realized that there was more darkness in the world other than just Niros."

"I believe Niros and Fantayzius have turned Shamus into a Shade, as per Connor's last words and warning," Erindor stated, the strength of his voice rushing back. 

"We won a battle, but it is going to be a very long...long war."

Hearing the name of Fantayzius, the stranger had grown vexed. "Wait... Wait... you mean to tell me Fantayzius has convinced you all that he is a Shade?" He burst out laughing in his own frustration and blend of emotions. "A shade..." he chuckled. "He's a god, the son of the goddess of death Kiratosh and of my own blood. He murdered my mortal family...and came here... and now took the life of my pupil?!"

Caanan entered the room during the explanation of events, his eyes saddening with the newcomer's anger. "Sylvanus..." The elf sighed before looking over at Erindor, "This... this is Sylvanus," he introduced. "The demi-god who literally gave his life to save our sister Kingdom Kahlerma in the lands of Nelarrel and Dar'kal... He is the son of Goddess Kiratosh and a descendant of the first Ahylian elves in relation to the Goddess of time Centurielle.... He once served a sinister empire and during those times he came here, fostering Connor and myself... yada yada... He's a good guy quite honestly... don't let his current rage frighten you off... Long story short... he's been through too much to count. Oh yes... and his dragon... wyvern... thing... That's Kazurramah..." He sighed. "Anyways... we need to plan on what we are going to do now... since the wedding... is... off."

Rolling his eyes at Caanan's details, Sylvanus, looked away for a moment and remained silent. He was doing his best to prevent certain memories from filtering through.

Mira had stayed quiet through the rest of the conversation as Jaiden held her closer. She had let out all of her woes into his chest.

With tempered patience and restrained curiosity, Erindor regarded each person as they spoke in turn. If the news of Fantayzius' true identity had shocked the Sultan, he did not show it. His heart went out to multiple individuals in the room, taking upon itself to mourn with Mira and Sylvanus.
Erin gently inclined his head in the direction of Caanan, "Thank you. That was curiously precise," he replied serenely. 

"I understand your anger, Sylvanus," Erindor said sympathetically, turning to face him. "But I could not attempt to understand the chasm of pain this individual has caused to you and your kin," he said respectfully.
"The last few fortnights have had a lingering cloak of uncertainty of truth in regards to events. When the nations of Zellorah and Shadow came to my home and to my throne requesting help, our knowledge did not encompass the scale of Darkness descending. I knew of Niros, and the deranged old King of the Shadow nation. Fantayzius truly pulled the wool over many eyes, but they have forced their hand by allowing themselves revenge on Connor. So, in the effort to preserve my nation and the nation of Zellorah, I would implore you to tell me all you can about Fantayzius," the Sultan strongly urged, aware of Sylvanus' potent rage threatening to boil over.

Sylvanus growled bitterly. "During the time I was serving the empire, Fantayzius vanished... and now I understand why... He has been here this entire time... There really isn't that much to say about him other than what is already known and what I have previously stated. He always vanishes, shrouded in secrecy. I do know that he seldom takes the form of a red wyvern. He is as skilled in magic as he is with the knife... Fantayzius enjoys meddling in the business of mortals for his own sick agenda..." Rubbing his forehead, Sylvanus growled again. "My question is... What was Connor doing before all this?! If his whereabouts were monitored this may not have even transpired!" Before he let his anger get the better of him, the elf demi-god stormed out of the room, leaving one of the large doors cracked open behind him.

"Finally," Jaiden said bitterly. "I feel a lot more comfortable now that he's left..."

As Sylvanus exited the castle, Kazurramah climbed down onto the platform to be by his side. "Kazu... I'm not certain what to make of all this... The dealings of Kahlerma and the Empire... and now this? It was so much more peaceful here when I left this place last..." He sat down on the edge, hunched over and held his head.

Nudging him gently with his snout, Kazurramah replied, "Perhaps the shadows here have been under the influence of the empire and the fallen God of Nothing? Since you are here, however..." Even though the wyvern did not use his mouth to talk, he could be heard by anyone within the vicinity outside of the confounds of their minds. He held a sense of royalty and tenderness, "Maybe the gods brought you here to aid Zellorrah?"

"Maybe..." the demi-god replied, sighing to calm down his agitated nerves. "Connor... he should have known better than to go off on his own..."

"You do all the time... Sylvanus... what makes him any different?"

"Erm..." Sylvanus muttered, scratching the back of his head.



"Has anyone seen my sister or Jaiden for that matter? I turn my back for a matter of moments and I lose them both." Aurelia chuckled as she stopped beside one of the workers in the castle after she had passed through hallway after hallway in search of the two closet to her heart. Her expression seemed to brighten even further when she heard mention of the return of the armies and that Mira and Jaiden were attending a meeting with them. Everyone's home! This is wonderful! She thought happily as she turned and hurried towards the room Mira and the others were said to be in. She passed through the same series of extravagant hallways, adorned with the regal gryphons and jubilant fauns that the others had passed by not long before but her footsteps seemed to suddenly falter when she saw the great door up ahead cracked from where it had been thrown open. Aurelia tentatively stepped towards it then peered inside, a nervous kind of fear creeping over her when she saw Jaiden comforting Mira and from the obvious sorrowful atmosphere clouding the room. "What's happened?" She asked quietly as her eyes moved over each person that was in the room as she stood in the doorway looking in.

"Aurelia..." Jaiden replied, sadly. "Connor is... Connor is dead..."

Aurelia blinked in disbelief at Jaiden's words before a small sob escaped her lips and she placed a hand over her mouth to try and muffle the sound. She stepped quickly to Mira's side and placed a shaking hand on her shoulder as her eyes brimmed with tears. "Mira.." Her voice quivered as she looked at her sister with deep concern.

Trembling, Mira said, "I've decided..." She turned, hugging her younger sister. "You and Jaiden will take over Zellorah... I... no longer feel competent to rule her..."

"What!? But Mira... I feel honored... but isn't this...I don't know... rash?" Jaiden replied, worried for the queen's mental state.

"No..." Mira answered somberly. "I can't rule alone... and... with a child on the way... He... or she... will need my full attention... So... a wedding will happen... but for the both of you... Do you think you're ready for this...? Aurelia...? Jaiden...?" With the change in her voice, they knew she was being serious about the situation.

Aurelia had began to protest her sisters words along with Jaiden but fell silent when Mira continued. It took her a few moments before she found her voice again and when she spoke her voice was weak. "If it is truly what you believe is right then I will try my best to become as great a queen as what you are now." She said as she clasped her hands nervously in front of her and her heart began to race. She had awoke that morning a princess with no thought of ever ruling and now here she was accepting the title of queen and anticipating a wedding that would now be her own. She glanced at Jaiden and gave a weak smile before her gaze returned to Mira. "I will help you in whatever way I can."

Jaiden, smiling, peered over at Aurelia and blushed before looking away. "I will also..." He did what he could to contain his excitement even though it was bittersweet.

Mira, swallowing her sorrow and looking stern, she clapped her hands in a demanding gesture. "It's time to get these preparations finished! We have a funeral to get ready for and a wedding!" She glanced over at Jaiden, remaining rigid. "You and Sylvanus need to have a talk as he will be your temporary advisory until this war is over... given his experience. What you have against him needs to go immediately if we are to succeed."

Reluctantly, Jaiden nodded. "Yes, my lady," he replied before bowing and removing himself from the room. He had never seen her like this before and it was rather odd. Everything seemed to be bearing down upon her and now him and Aurelia for that matter. He was more nervous than anything now.

"Aurelia! I need you to go with the maids to have a gown made for you. Then help them with the decorations," Mira said, turning to her sister with a weak smile. "I am going to join Jaiden in a little bit... I doubt he will be able to start the conversation with Sylvanus on his own..." She tried to giggle. "Go! Go!" She shooed Aurelia towards the maids that were called in and were now waiting for her. "Erindor," Mira continued. "Please enjoy your stay and I apologize for Sylvanus. He has been through more than you realize... Rooms are being prepared for you upstairs, even for your companions. Behind the castle, there is nesting house designed for dragons... It is where Kazurramah is staying and where Malestrom is welcome to as well... My thanks for your aid in the battle... I wish I could do more for you..."

Aurelia gave a small nod of understanding to Mira's words then with one final sad glance at her sister and a nod of farewell to the others in the room she turned and moved out, disappearing after the maids that had come to fetch her as she bowed her head sorrowfully.

"Your hospitality is most welcome," Erindor replied with a hint of joviality. "Should you need to hold council with me to discuss plans for the war, I will have an open mind and an ear to lend."

"Of course. We will wait until all of these ceremonies are completed. Caanan! You're not out of this just yet! Please help in the preparations!," Mira replied before leaving the room herself.

"Aye," Caanan answered with a bow and left for the kitchens.

"She reminds me of me when I was that age," Erindor commented to his close friends as he turned about, raising an arm to suggest they depart. A smile came to his face as they strode from the beautiful hall, remembering times gone by. Ceremony, celebration, and betrothal. Ceremony to remember those who had given all for those who may live to celebrate and marry. Erindor's thoughts went out to Draygun, taking comfort when his consciousness touched the the distant glowing aura of the being in question and felt nothing but love and content.

"Enough war, Malestrom," Erindor crooned. "Let us tend to our wounded; our friends, our loved ones." 

Malestrom let out an approving bugle, shaking the griffins and fauns that adorned the walls as smoke erupted from his nostrils.

---

"If you would be so kind, Malestrom," Draygun asked of the mighty obsidian drake sending him a mental suggestion to lower his chest to the ground so that Zane and him could dismount. The Emerald Demigod dismounted in much less of a flourish than Erindor did, his taloned feet expertly maneuvering him and Zane down the side of the saddle. Draygun alighted upon the stone paved ground, his tail elegantly moving to counterbalance as he helped Zane down the last few feet.
Like Erindor, Draygun had chosen some ceremonial attire of loosely fitted white satin that flowed gently in the evening breeze. The only bit of extravagant adornment lay upon his crown and about his horns as a sapphire encrusted silver circlet.

Draygun turned to face Zane, focusing on him with eyes of tenderness and an expression of comfort, "Come with me," he said such that nothing else around the pair seemed to exist for a brief moment before the world crashed back against their senses. With great ceremony, Draygun strode slowly to the broken body of Connor Zeller, knelt his great form over the stretcher that carried him, and gingerly lifted Connor to his chest. With as much care as Draygun had taken to embrace Connor, he brought himself to his full height and nodded to the healers to lead him to the Temple.

Zane was still in a bit of a daze, so much had been gained and yet so much had been lost all too quickly and all too soon for the healer. The comforting presence of The Goddess was like a void in his mind and spirit, she was not there to help him through such pain, she had left him when his master had died. Getting down from Malestrom was made far simpler with Drayguns aid, and as he stood on the ground he did not know where to go or whom to follow, at least until tender eyes found his and he nodded at warm comforting words. Moving just behind Draygun he watched as Connor was lifted, cradled by Draygun and he followed silently behind him, one arm out of his White healers robes, fingers gently latched onto the fabric on Drayguns back. He made no eye contact with the other healers, just walked with Draygun, he was not ready, he could not meet their eyes even if he had tried.

Sorrow. Above all, sorrow bit savagely at the hearts of those around Draygun. His footfalls felt increasingly labored as their procession of honorary Guards and Healers made its way past the stricken faces of the people of Sar'dan. Despite the stifled cries of lament about them, the people's minds screamed at Draygun's own with their pleas, clamoring over one another hopelessly as their chests tightened with that dreaded emotion; sorrow. Draygun's face appeared neutral and placid, but at its edges the effect of his emotions was evident, but none more so than his eyes for they betrayed the true feeling deep within his being. Without looking about for Zane, he gingerly embraced Zane's chest with the last third of his tail. It was there where Draygun found where the most profound feeling of all; the complete absence of a beautiful light from a graceful and infinite being. 

With a hard swallow, Draygun blinked away the emotions and steeled his heart and mind against the thunderous storm of sorrow around them and instead focused on Connor and Zane. 
"Focus on my voice, Zane. Focus on my light and feel my heart. Just focus on that slow temp, Zane. Open your mind to none but mine, and I will be here for you," the Demigod crooned from one mind to another, feeling himself above all needed to have another soul to cling to.

The scaled tail that wrapped around his chest as much a comfort to him as Drayguns presence at all. He could feel the sharpness, the toughness of those scales through the soft fabric of his healers robes. He was concentrating solely on the tail around him that at first he didn't register the voice in his mind until he felt Drayguns presence pressing against his own mind. It was hard to listen to his words, he's isn't want to open his mind, it was scary, it honestly terrified him without the warmth, the infinite mind of The Goddess. Closing his eyes he breathed out a shaky sigh, he knew he could trust Draygun, he was safe with him, he wouldn't hurt him. Ever. Keeping his eyes closed his hand tightened its hold on the Demi Gods clothing and opened his mind, almost instantly there was the onslaught of sorrow, cries echoing outward towards him and Draygun. The voices were one thing, the actual speaking voices, but to hear the thoughts, to feel their minds clamoring to be heard, their sorrows answered. But listening to Drayguns words he concentrated on the draconian in front of him, listening to the thrum of his voice, the steady rhythm of his heart, focusing on the warmth inside of him, that light and warmth that was so achingly familiar. "I'm sorry Draygun...it's just so hard...I feel so much...and usually she is here to help me...but I feel so empty...I feel like I've failed...I couldn't have healed him, I would have died, and there's so much death, so many wounded...if this was just one battle Draygun..." he let the thought trail off unfinished as he focused on the comfort of the Demi Gods tail, the pressure against his chest. He focused on that, blocking out all else from his mind, focusing on him, his heart, his light, wrapping himself in its warmth for shelter.

"That was just one battle," Draygun agreed solemnly, letting what light he had expand gently around Zane's consciousness. It couldn't compare to the infinite power and purity of higher deities, but it burned brighter than the energy of a thousand souls. As the Demigod enveloped Zane's mind and soul with his own life force, powerful white wings built themselves bit by bit upon the posterior of Draygun's scapulae. A gentle glow shrouded the bare bones that articulated to form the skeleton of angelic wings. With a gentle thrum, the glow produced ligaments, vessels, muscles, scales, and feathers of pure white. They were as tall as he was and dragged along the ground behind him.

Draygun spread his wings gently, giving the new musculature a shakedown before extending his left wing partially over Zane, tucking him in to walk beside him and not behind. 
"I have seen more than my fair share of violence in this world. I've even taken part in it, both hewing flesh and healing it. Some of my memories tear at my soul like waking nightmares; pain and sorrow burning across every nerve in my spine like a solar flare. I take no pleasure in what need be done out of necessity." Draygun shivered at his last statement, his angelic feathered wings ruffling. 
"I feel my purpose, not unlike yours, is to heal the corporeal, to lift the ethereal, and as necessary support those who cannot support themselves."

Even without opening his eyes Zane was able to feel the stirrings of power, the growth of something that was, or had been, there was a rustleof feathers and eyes opened as something warm and soft guided him to walk beside, tucked close to Draygun. "Wings. Of course you have wings." it was more of a statement of awe than anything else before eyes closed again and he kept close to the Demi god. His words were wise, and brought him comfort, but it did not stop the ache, the sorrow and pain that was a hole in his spirit. An emptiness he had no way of filling, "I...I think it is time...I think now is the perfect time to start training to be a rider.." his mind at first uncertain latched a little onto this thought. "There is a void in me...and I think I would go mad if I tried to help all these people...I think it would push me to a dark and dangerous place Draygun." His hand transferred from the Demi gods back to his side latching onto him like as child fearing to be lost. "For so long it was me...and she was there...her presence always there a comfort even when I was alone. But she's gone now...and...and it scares me. She was the strength I had to help people, when I couldn't go on she was what pushed me to move onward, heal just one more, and then another. I am...I am unsure how to exist without her with me..." his hand clutched at the fabric at Drayguns side, his eyes opening as tears pricked hotly and just barely traced down his face, "Does that make me a coward?" His head lifted and he turned to look up at the Demi gods face. "I want to heal, I want to help...but...but I don't think I can face them as I am now...without her, that presence...I feel like I would not be good enoug..that I alone am not enough...does...does that make sense...does that make me a coward?"

Draygun's eyes moved to meet Zane's gaze, seeing the tears in his eyes and on his honeyed cheeks, "You are no coward, Zane; Firehealer." Draygun allowed himself a wry smile, approving of the sound of that title.
Their course changed gently, taking them out of a grand pavilion and towards the maw of the temple. Enormous oaken doors adorned with a rich black lacquer, intricate carvings, and spiraling silver inlay groaned in protest upon a dozen sturdy stone hinges as they swung outward before the procession.

Moving aside and to the flanks, the robed healers of Zellorah allowed Draygun to lead their formation. His mighty wings swept rhythmically from side to side along the ground in opposition to his tail, which had uncurled from Zane for balance now that the Demigod had grown his wings. A rich aroma spilled from the depths of the Temple, its inner sanctum lit with scented oil fires suspended by hundreds of small tear drop shaped vessels of blackened brass that clung to the inner buttresses of the entrance gallery. Their light shown wanly on the granite and dolomite walls, and allowed the gentle light of Draygun and his wings to seemingly pull the sunlight in from the setting sun behind him. The Demigod's feathered wings refracted the colours of the sunset before the oaken doors boomed shut behind them. As they proceeded to the inner sanctum, Draygun's gaze fell upon where to lay Connor's body; a single shaft of warm white light bore down upon it in the center of the chamber.

Drawing a slow and contemplative sigh, he moved with grace and ceremony as the very dust in the air slowed and rotated in place, giving the scented air a shimmering effect. Draygun took the last few steps and let the pillar of light fall upon his face. It was no ordinary light, nay, for it was a light of the Divines, no matter the Deity. The energy flowed naturally through Draygun as he spread his mighty wings to his sides and past Zane, measuring thirty-six feet across as the primaries spread to their full mast. 

Feeling the surge of energy, Draygun closed his eyes and let his mind work with the magic ricocheting within him to engineer an elegant and beautiful spell. Fine etchings of effulgent power sprang across his wings in webs and across his form following his efferent and spinal nerves. A gentle pulse channeled his spell to Connor's broken body and shattered the curses upon it, repairing the flesh, and removed the mark of black magics. 

Draygun's head arched back towards the heavens as his maw was held open in an awesome and silent roar, his eyelids flashing open revealing the light of his inner soul. With a shudder, Draygun closed the connection with the Temple's power, his light receding into his wings, his nerves. Connor was healed to the best ability that he could ever be, but his soul would never return to this body. His work done, Draygun lowered Connor's form upon a ceremonial bed within the pillar of divine light and tucked his wings tight at his sides and put a hand on Zane's shoulder as the healers of the temple fell to their knees in respect to the miracle they had been witness to.

"Rest well, Connor Zeller, protector of Zellorah and her Queen," Draygun crooned, turning and extended a wing to envelop Zane.
"Our work here is done, it is time to go. If you would like to pay any additional respects to Connor before we leave, I will wait with all the patience required, future Rider of Nara," Draygun said with sweetness and caring that couldn't be matched in the mortal world.

The temple was something Zane had seen so many times before, though smaller villages and towns did not have ones so grand, and hearing Draygun telling him he wasn't a coward helped him, even if just a little. It prepared him as they entered into the Temple and proceeded t where they would lay Connor to rest, and then there was the familiar suge of power, the warmth and light, feelings so familiar and yet so alien at the same time, a culmination of all that was pure and good and benevolent worked through Draygun healing Connors body of his wounds, lifting the curse from his corpse. His head bowed at such benevolence eyes watering still that they were not truly alone, that their gods, their goddesses were watching out for them. Though even feeling the power his mind knew, his body knew she was not present, she was elsewhere. When Draygun poke to him he nodded, moving towards Connors body, the fine hairs on his body still standing on end from the display of power. Looking up and around the room he noted all the braziers, the burning flames carrying incense around the vast chamber, "I cannot offer much Connor, I could not heal your body, and I could not break the curse upon you, I could not even ease your suffering." his voice was slightly hoarse, but grew slowly stronger, "But what I can offer is this...as long as your body rests within these walls, and within this country, it will be protected, all bodies shall be protected as they pass through those doors. They will not be tainted by evil magics, to rise again and be hewn down by friend and family alike, no atrocities will be committed to further any evil goal, not using your bodies." His hands rose into the air and every Brazier and incense burner flared brilliantly, the fire changing from orange, to white, to blue, and settling into green, which oddly enough matched the colors of Drayguns scales. Feeling a bit weaker, but much stronger than he had the last few hours he slowly made his way back towards Draygun, "They will not use the dead...they deserve peace...every body that passes through the temple will be purified by the heat of flame and incense and will be protected from being abused by foul magics...this magic will seep into the ground and into the air of crypts...so that none may be used in this land again." closing his eyes he wiped his tears away before smiling weakly at Draygun, "Was...was that alright?"

Staying perfectly silent, he had observed Zane and his eloquent magic, soaked in his words, and watched his every move with an enigmatic gaze. 
"That was beautiful," Draygun replied through a gentle purr, impressed by Zane's boon. Crouching and siting on his ankles with his wings splaying outwards to even his height with Zane's; Draygun scooped up the Firehealer in his strong arms as his wings closed around them. 
"Looks to me that your strength has never left you. In a way, while She may not be connected with you, she will always be a part of you. 

Hearing Draygun compliment what he'd done, seeing him lower himself to his height, the feel of his arms wrapping around him, the warmth of his scales, the scent of his wings, all calming him, giving him new hope. He hid his face in Drayguns neck, taking slow deep breaths before nodding in agreement, "I just hope that I prove...that I prove myself worthy of the time she spent here...whatever she left with me, I pray that I make myself worthy of it. Thank you...thank you so much Draygun." His arms tightened around the Demi Gods neck and he hugged him as fiercely as he could before placing a gentle kiss aside his neck. "Whatever the future brings, I will try and face it bravely, even if I am without her, or without you, or Erindor, I will try and be brave in your absence." there was a moment of since fret that, a stillness in the air before just the barest touches of a lavender scented breeze wafted through the temple. It brought a small smile to the Firehealers face, "What do we do now?"

As the lavender ghosted on a gentle zephyr past them, Draygun's nostrils flared and the rhythmic purr in his chest gained a staccato as he scented the air. At Zane's question, a wonderful idea flashed through his mind; he would give Zane a taste of the proof he needed to believe in himself. 
Releasing Zane from his arms, Draygun stood to his full height, eclipsing the others with his twelve foot form. 
"Follow me," Draygun said simply, releasing Zane from the embrace of his wings and folded them at his back. 

Striding forward with a purpose, he ruffled his wings in anticipation hardly minding that Zane had to practically run to keep up with his gargantuan strides. The light from the braziers still clung to the malachite light that so closely matched the Demigod's scales, lighting him in an erie and ethereal glow until they reached the massive doors of the Temple. With a gesture of his hand, Draygun willed the oaken doors to open allowing the dying light of the day to pour into the vestibule of the Temple. 

Draygun strode out to the middle of the pavilion and stopped to roar,
"Stand clear!"

The bellowing command sent all manner of beings to the perimeter of the public space. Draygun turned back towards Zane. "You too," he insisted. Waiting patiently until the area was clear, Draygun called upon the Dragon deep within his being and re-imagined a small portion of the world; his body. Behind closed eyes, his mind worked to see the world in its most finite pieces, listening to how they sang to him with their dancing energies. He reached a thought out to a single chorus of them and plucked a sonorous chord...

...His body instantly altered. Draygun's scales became hard and changed their hue to a chatoyant quicksilver. The biological armor followed ligaments and bones, their shape and interlocking orientation altering to become a flexous chainmail. Reaching out to play another chord, the foundation of his body changed as he came to all fours. Bones changed their dimensions and geometry as some new ones were added; for example, four more necks and four more heads. His arms became forelegs and were joined by another pair as his size and mass began to increase; hence the warning to clear the pavillion. The additional limbs came to being much as his wings had before, bones before ligaments, vessels and nerves before muscles. 

The gaze of five pairs of golden emerald eyes looked down upon Zane with anticipation from a distance of nearly sixty feet. His shoulders stood at a good forty, making for a total length just shy of two-hundred feet. His resplendent white feathered wings rustled at the sides of his barrel like chest, their length passing his sweeping and toned abdomen and along an unbreakable back adorned with ivory spikes every four feet. Draygun stamped his six paws, shaking the earth and the city.

"Come with me to feel as a Rider and his Dragon does, Zane Firehealer. Come and feel freedom with me," he growled, picking Zane up gingerly in a massive forepaw and gingerly articulated him to sit front and center on Draygun's head between long and curved ivory horns with nothing but a mane of white fur to hang on to.

"Hold on tight!" Draygun cautioned, blowing open the barriers between their minds and connecting like they had done before; mind to mind and soul to soul. With terrible force, Draygun coiled and launched them into the sky using a modicum of magic to keep Zane from flying off from his own inertia. His great white wings spread and came crashing down, sending them higher.

Whatever Zane had expected from Draygun, it hadn't been this, to see him shifting int such a beautiful form, the multiple sets of eyes of use would take getting use to, but it was still Draygun. Still the Draygun who cared for him and helped him and guided him, the same as Erindor, even if hedd have five majestic Dragon heads insteadof the one, it was still him, still his Draygun. Having clared the pavilion and then being picked up and placed on one of the Demi gods heads he barely braced himself before hearing Drayguns words an suddenly finding himself completely and utterly exposed, connected mind and soul to Draygun, the feel of warmth, of shining energy and and light, the incomprehensible mind that was there. All of it Draygun, and then they were off, currents of air pushed him down, pressing against him like bands of iron and steel, but he wasn't pushed or tossed away, he could feel the magic holding him in place. It took him a moment, as they rose higher into the air to realize he was flying, he was in the sky and as he looked out over the land, able to see as far as he could in any direction he let out a yell, a yell releasing all pent up sorrow and sadness, sending it to the four corner of the wind. His arms rose up beside his body as if he too could fly if he only moved his wings. Wind rushed at his face, tugging at his healers robes and his hair and he laughed, he laughed like a child as he held onto Draygun. "This....this is exhilarating, I can see so far...I can feel the wind...is this what it is like to fly all the time?! His sorrows did not existing this world, this world of wonder and wind, of sky that went in forever and ever framed by clouds. Fire erupted from his mouth as he pointed his head upwards and let out another yell, the fire plumed upwards lighting up the heavens for a moment before it dissipated. "I feel...I feel more than that. I feel you, all of you. I feel your wings, flapping, the lungs in your body expanding, your...I feel your minds...infinitely wide and warm and...claws and tail and heart and blood...I feel you as if I am you.."

"As I feel you as if I am you," Draygun replied, leveling from rising on a strong thermal; his wing primaries fluttering gently from the currents. "I feel the wind upon your skin, its burn on your face, every nerve, every sinew beneath. I do not think of you or I, I think of us. I feel us...we feel us."
Angling his approach away from Sar'dan and set a course to plunge the fiery heart of the golden disc of the setting sun, Draygun raised his great wings high above them and drove them back and down in a herculean motion that shook the air as thunder would. The ivory feathered appendages lifted again, thrusting again and moving them forward with unprecedented force as the lands echoed the concussive report. Soon the world was blurring around them as minds and souls blurred at their edges, suddenly unable to differentiate one being from each other.
"This is exactly how it feels to fly, Zane," his meaning reading deeper than simply the act of flying. Draygun meant the feeling in every sense of its meaning. "To be close, to be with, to be free...with you," he purred sweetly, "This is what it means to be free."

"Us. We feel us." Never had there been such a concept in Zane's mind outside of sharing his mortal body and mind with The Goddess. But they had never truly been one, they had beefed separate identities, two souls in one body, so unlike what he was experiencing now. Right then, that second he wasn't just Zane, he wasn't just Draygun. He was an amalgamation of both. He was literally both of them and each of them individually but separate. The tone of his mind lost the sorrow, the edge that had been it there, and it lost themselves in the beauty and grandeur of the freedoms presented to them. Wings were felt, flapping, moving, the concussion of air that reverberated back from the land beneath them. Freedom. Absolute freedom. Words echoed through his entire being, words that held so much more to their meaning than just the base definitions. These words ,older themselves inside his heart, blurring the line between who he was and who he could be, who he was with Draygun, with Erindor. As these lines blurred so did the world, everything became so much more, like opening his eyes for the first time. "We...we are free...you and I and we...Draygun...thank you...thank you so much." warmth and heat enveloped his body, the light from within him shining driving out sorrow and pain, letting himself heal. "We are free...me, and you, this...this is everything I could ever dream and even then it surpasses that, thank you..thank you so much." his body while still separate but melded together land forward, his chest laying against the top of the head that was carrying him, fingers holding tight and he pressed a kiss against him, "Thank you."

"Don't thank me yet," Draygun replied playfully, his indomitable frame vibrating from an appreciative croon that resonated deep within him upon Zane's gesture. "There is so much...power. So much passion. The Fire...your fire. It burns as the sun does. Blazes like a thousand galaxies, and rages with the ferocity of an imploding star..."
Fire. Zane had given Draygun the gift of Fire. Every dragon's wish come true.
"Let us see what we can do with your gift, Zane," the Demigod said with a fusion of their voices. Opening their minds to the fabric of world and its infinite singing melodious strings of energy, Draygun reached out with their minds and struck a chord that bathed them with a liquid golden inferno. 

As that chord rang through the universe, their bodies decompiled atom by atom into a resonant orchestra of energy that combusted furiously and relentlessly. Soon their immolating forms burned against the dying light of the sky, challenging the sun for dominance as it submitted below the horizon. Their mass, gone. Inertia, gone. Nothing but pure and unadulterated energy. 
"Where would you like to go?" Draygun taunted, dangling that ever so tempting carrot.

The fire had been with him his entire existence, since he was small, he could remember lighting candles, starting fires out of curiosity before they were snuffed out by worried parents; his parents. Fire became energy, energy became something else, and this something else became something so much more than he'd ever seen before. He heard their voices speaking, then the song, the song underneath the world, like chords being struck on a harp. Then there was a shift, his body becoming nothing, the tiniest things he'd ever known and yet they were still whole, still it's be another, still each other, together, and separate. Energy and music singing, so much music in one place, pulsing and shifting, an entirely new song added to the world. Then words, formed of Draygun's mind, an expanse of energy so bright, so wondrous to behold he would never be able to describe it in words. Even before he spoke he knew where he wanted to go, where he wanted to show Draygun, "Our home..my home...I want to take you to my home...a small village a weeks travel from the capital...my home...our home...I want to show you..." Already the memories of the homely wooden farm house were playing through his mind, with the expansive garden, all the herbs that perfumed the air during spring and summer. His mothers mortar and pestle, made from stone that Zane himself had shaped using his fire. "There...home...can we take you there?"

Draygun let the memories of Zane's home wash over his consciousness, taking them in bit by bit and all at once. He could experience and study a construct of memories spanning years in mere moments. Although not memories of his own being, the meaning and personal gravity of the moments weighed heavily upon Draygun as if he had lived those moments through Zane's eyes. With five fiery grins, Draygun searched those memories for their geographical location by searching the images from Zane's memory. With a bearing in mind, he opened his maws in a truly cataclysmic roar as super heated plasma erupted in a staccato of emerald explosions. There were no ears to deafen, no eyes to blind, no skin or scales to burn. His fire enveloped their ethereal bodies of flames and cast them in a noble and resplendent emerald, their light sending the shaking twilit lands below into a stark contrast. 

"Then your home is where we shall go," Draygun replied, his sun like eyes narrowing with a hunter's discipline in the direction of their destination. "I haven't done this before; focus on nothing but my mind," 

Their effulgent emerald glow dissipated from the skies with a terrible sound that rent the skies open from end to end as a conduit of superheated air sprang to the horizon with a lingering bolt of malachite that would have left streaks on the vision of any onlookers. 

Go To: 
Naran Empire

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Finding her way outside, Mira managed to meet with Sylvanus and was surprised when she noticed that Jaiden was already sitting down with him. "Good," she said, with a sigh. "I thought I had to supervise..."

At Mira's surprise presence, the both of the two men stood up and Sylvanus looked up at Kazurramah in reminiscence. As Jaiden scratched the back of his head, he said, "I'm discovering that the times are changing..."

"Indeed..." Mira replied sadly, holding onto her arm. "I..."

Kazurramah interrupted with a regal, thick voice, but soft, "We cannot focus on the past, for it will deter us from destined paths. What has been done, is done. There is nothing we could have done to prevent particular events. I am disheartened by the losses, and you have my sincere sympathies... however, decisions need to be made that will lead the kingdom to where is has to be. Mira... I am proud of you." He turned his large eyes to the king-to-be. "Jaiden... as Sylvanus and I have accomplished before, it is now YOUR time to fully prove that you are not you once were. You will be a tremendous king... Aurelia the same. Teach Fantayzius and Niros to fear you. Then you have already won."

Sylvanus pointed to Kazurramah and himself. "Plus you have us. That should give them enough reason," he jested with a chuckle.

Sighing once more, Mira replied, "Gosh, you changed so much, Kazu.... I suppose you're right." She paused. "I need to finish wedding and funeral preparations," she continued, trying not to weep. "I'll be off then."

"I'll help you," Sylvanus and Jaiden accidentally said together and they both shared a laugh.

"We'll help," Sylvanus corrected. "What needs done yet?"

"The funeral. We are going to have it at sunset instead," Mira replied, managing to smile a little. "I only want the best for Connor. We'll hold the wedding at dawn."

"Sounds like a good plan, I think." The demi-god folded his arms with a gentle grin. "With everything that has happened, I believe you need to take some time to yourself. The three of us can handle it."

"Are you sure? I would feel terrible if..." Mira tried to reply.

Sylvanus softly laughed. "Yes, I am certain. I remember when Anaya was going to have my little one. You need all the rest you need before tonight and tomorrow. Go. Shoo."

"Alright. I trust you three." With that, she entered back into the palace, leaving for her room.

"Kazurramah!"

The great dragon roared in reply.

"Go out and gather some other dragons and wyverns to grace the weddings and the funerals. Your buddies... or something. Jaiden and I will handle keeping things organized here."

Huffing in agreement, Kazurramah nodded before leaving into the skies. The pounding of his feathered wings caused a gale that blew over the surface of the earth.

"That certainly felt refreshing," Sylvanus chuckled, spitting out a blade of grass that had found its way into his mouth and he brushed off his armor.

The wind had ruffled up Jaiden's brunette hair and he blinked. "He doesn't care does he?" he asked, sliding his fingers through the messed-up locks.

"Nope."

---

"Are you happy with your dress so far your highness?"

Aurelia gave a small sad smile and nodded. "Yes, it's beautiful." She replied softly.

The dressmaker smiled in return then continued to pin and tuck the wedding gown into place on Aurelia where she stood in the middle of her private rooms. The princess sighed lightly as she brushed a hand over the soft silk of the dress and looked down at the flowing fabric. She couldn't have been happier to be marrying Jaiden but she only wished it was because of happier circumstances.

Behind Aurelia and the maids, there was a knock at the door and Mira could be seen in the corridor smiling softly. "May I come in?"

The maids and dressmaker quickly stepped back at the sound of Mira's voice and bowed respectfully to her as Aurelia turned to face her sister. She gave a gentle smile then nodded. "Of course Mira. Come in."

To the maids, Mira blushed and waved at them to stop. "Dears, please. You don't need to do that," she giggled, at the same time trying to hide her pain she still held for Connor. She wanted to lighten the mood a little."How's the dress coming?" She paused as she eyes the dressed, smilling. "My goodness, that's gorgeous!"

"You think so? I just wanted something simple." Aurelia replied with a smile as she glanced back down at the dress then back up at Mira, a sadness in her eyes as she watched her sister. "When exactly is my wedding being scheduled for?" She asked as the maids and dressmakers turned and left the room to allow the sisters a moment of privacy.

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The Dark Lord's Vengeance

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DLV RP Room