Uploaded 11.07.17

This is the beginning of a re-write of my second-oldest story on this site. Expect fast updates - This is a shorter story than what I 'usually' do (I've done one relatively-long story, one story that will be longer than the aforementioned story, and one one-shot that may become a full story of unknown length). Also, I'm itching to get this story done so that I may return to my Pokemon fanfic. However, I will still ensure that the story is as good as I can make it before posting.

Chapter 1: Hieratic Seal of Supremacy

I awoke to the smell of burning. Eyes darting around madly, I was surrounded by roaring flames everywhere. The heat was unbearable, threatening to burn me out of existence in an instant. There was only one thing I could do and it was something I had never accomplished before.

Looking up, Militum saw the shadows of her friends soaring through the clouds. Despite trying her very hardest, the insect-like wings upon her back just wouldn't budge. They may have been lighter than everyone else's wings, but they didn't act like it. From above, Militum heard a call of "Bugwings!", no doubt mocking the useless limbs upon her back.

"Why can't I fly?" the child asked the figure next to her. The voice sounded so sad to be left on the ground while her friends and comrades flying through the skies with their feathered wings. Their wings always looked more majestic than her dainty-looking silver 'bugwings'. An emerald colour accentuated the edge of the wings.

"Everyone goes at their own pace. One day, when you're not even thinking about it, it'll happen. I'm sure of it," assured the figure next to her.

"But I want to fly now!" whined the child.

From deep within, my desires burned fiercer than the fires that were close to engulfing me. Eyes facing straight ahead, I spotted a gap – A gap was all I needed. On my back, I felt the previously-useless weight on my back begin to move. Soon, my wings were humming wildly, struggling to be heard over the crackling fires. With a mighty leap I thought was impossible, my wings carried me forward, nimbly rushing through the inferno which recoiled with every beat. My wings' shallow reservoir of energy quickly petered out as I clumsily landed.

Feeling the night breeze upon my skin, I looked back to the wild battle that was taking place at our home. The home of the Dragunities was under attack. Squinting into the expanse of the sky, I saw several figures. Dragon-like in appearance with spectral bodies that glowed hues of distinct colours and gold plating adorning their bodies. I saw our troops on their mounts battling these luminescent demons. With nearly every move a Hieratic made, a small orb-like apparition appeared, only to disappear to seemingly benefit another dragon's attack. Our troops, however, weren't in the best position. Their mounts, dragons in a myriad of shapes and sizes, were unable to keep up. In the midst of fighting several Hieratics at once was Leyvaten. An amber-clad dragon with wings that could block out the sun (if it was up at that point) and could flatten trees with only a few flaps. His mighty blade remained a blur with a blinding sheen to it, able to cleave straight through the rock that surrounded our home. The phantasmal dragons roared and clawed at anyone that dared to try and land a blow upon their glowing flesh. Where these the Hieratics I had heard so much about?

"What are Heeritaks?" Asked Militum.

"Hieratics? Tyrants. They're a threat to everyone. You'd do well to run and hide from them."

A young Militum pulled out a small dagger that glinted in the sunlight. The blade was engraved with her name.

"Militum, you've got the courage, but you lack the skill. Train hard, however, and then you'll be able to defend all of us from the Hieratics," said the older figure, weaving words of inspiration into Militum's young mind.

"I'm the best at combat in my class," proclaimed Militum, pride evident in her eyes.

"See? It's not all about flying. There are other tasks to do," responded the figure that had bent down to hug her.

A hand roughly grabbed my shoulder and yanked me backwards.

"L-legionnaire?" I sputtered out in response to his abrupt actions.

"Militum, there's no time. You need to run! Run for the ravine! Tribus and Mystletainn are going, too. They'll know what to do."

"I can help fight the Hieratics," I said defiantly.

"You're no match for them, kid," he replied, a dutiful sternness in his words.

The Hieratics continued to rain death down on our home. Legionnaire splayed his wings to shield me from the shrapnel that was being flung everywhere by the blasts.

"But the Dragunities always fight toge –"

"– This is not the time to be stubborn! Please, Militum. There's no time left. Go."

Legionnaire's words started out as orders that were barked out, but ended as a desperate whisper. An embrace later, Legionnaire had called upon his trusty Darkspear, a dragon clad in armour of the deepest obsidian and a helmet that was sharpened to a rock-piercing standard. The amber eyes glared at me, but I knew it was a sad glare. It was different to the glare Darkspear gave to his food, or a rock. The need to maintain a tough exterior aside, the dragon put a greater amount of effort into being as stern as his rider. With a couple of mighty flaps of the wing, Darkspear's black silhouette had vanished into the night to fight an unwinnable fight with the Hieratics.

Seeing no alternative, I ran. My wings continued to be dead weight as I sprinted away from the mayhem. Sparing a single look back, I saw Leyvaten begin to get overwhelmed by their sheer numbers. Not wanting to see the fall of my mentor, I focused my eyes forward and refused to look back again. In my tribe, we had a plan for such an event. A few miles away, there was a ravine. I had only seen pictures but it looked big enough to be an underground base for everyone. Through the abyss that was the midnight sky, I could make out the shape of a yellow dragon – Mystletainn. The gruff-voiced dragon was a valued member of the Dragunity legion, second only to Leyvaten. His gargantuan wings propelled him a lot faster than I was able to travel on foot. Soon, his shadow was also gone from my view.

Running in silent contemplation, I continued on. Soon, I found myself trying to look back, before quickly jerking my head back as I realised what I was doing. And yet, I still found myself wanting to look back. Just a quick peek, I told myself. Looking back, I saw what had become of our home.

Militum weaved through the trees of the nearby forest, pretending to be soaring through the skies. Great stone structures protruded from the ground to support the intricate houses of the Dragunity tribe. The lush trees provided shade from the searing sun as the child played. Ornate carvings decorated every tree, reduced to hazes as she whizzed past. One look up revealed the upper levels of her home, houses that she could not reach. Jumping up and trying her hardest to move her wings, she reached for the dense canopy. She sighed when she admitted that she wouldn't be able to go up there today, either.

Snapping back to the bleak reality, I looked back to see none of that. No trees. No carvings. No houses. The only thing that remained…

…Were ruins.

Militum escapes the Hieratics. Who else survived? What do they do now?

This chapter was interesting to write. Firstly, I included little flashbacks to flesh things out a bit as I felt that exposition didn't suit this action-packed start. Secondly, POV-jumping. Something I've never done before. The flashbacks are third-person, the rest is first-person. Also, I had to convey some things that I'm not too sure if I did well. As always, I strive to convey character through their actions and speech, not by large descriptions thrown at the reader. I'm not sure of how well I do this, though.

Expect an update soon!