Edarak Rising
The Dark Dragon screaming in pain as the dragon slayer's weapon sliced his tail clean off; releasing her from his monstrous grip. He roared in agony and despair, knowing what lay ahead of him, knowing that his only companion would be time and time itself…
Two years had passed, and the Dark Dragon felt his consciousness slowly slipping into delusion. He had explored every inch of his thousand year prison, every single nook and cranny for an escape, and yet he found none. He was slowly beginning to lose hope, slowly beginning to fully resign himself to his own demise.
His shade magic, however, was once again connected to him. Passing through the cracks of dimensions itself, imbedding them into his flesh and blood. He reverted to human form, the form that he despised so much due to its weakness.
The Dark Dragon was an extremely handsome man by human standards, with sharp gray eyes that screamed murder, and a well built body that matched his dragon's size, he was never without an escort if he so desired.
But the dragon desired more than simply companionship in the world. He desired that itself, the world.
He conjured up a shade demon at his side, the small being of celestial darkness, a mere shadow against the eternal day that permeated his small prison of perpetual gloom.
"I am the Dark Dragon…" he repeated.
"IIIIIIIIIIIII aaaa," repeated the shade.
"I am," said the Dark Dragon.
"IIII aaaaaammmmmm, Edarak, " finished the shade.
The Dark Dragon smiled; something that rarely came to his face in the two year period that had slowly and painfully went by. His shade demons were actually learning, becoming aware of itself.
The small figure wandered off, tinkering with every small rock it found within the temple.
The Dark Dragon managed a chuckle, one that was full of darkness that edged around him, "You are up to mischief again, aren't you Mischief?"
The Shade Demon turned to face him and hissed in delight, he was highly amused.
Another hissing was heard from atop the Dragon Temple, as the second Shade Demon that the Dark Dragon had managed to conjure leapt from the highest point, down onto the unsuspecting entity.
Mischief whelped in fear as he was pinned to the ground, the other Shade much more athletic and powerful than he himself.
"That's an interesting tactic Mayhem," said the Dark Dragon, he chuckled once again, "catching your brother off-guard like that,"
The physically stronger of the two shades hissed in laughter, rolling off of his smaller companion. The Dark Dragon managed a small smile, and folded his legs in deep meditation. If he were to ever escape the prison that he had managed to trap himself within, he needed to figure it out on his own. In no way would someone release him of their own initiative.
His eyes closed his mind went back to a time of peace within his life, before his thoughts of world conquest came forth. He shut out the memories with bitter hatred. He hated his weak pathetic human form, his body transformed into his dragon shape. His scales were dark with power.
He felt a soft touch against his leg, and he opened one eye to see his two shade demons holding on to him, "What is it?" he said, uncharacteristically soft.
"Weeeeee," said Mischief.
"-fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiine….fiiiiiiiiiiiind, ti-…," said Mayhem.
"-thhhing," finished Mischief.
The two demons were slowly gathering their wits; however they seemed to have an almost telepathic bond that allowed them to retain their intelligence when they were within each other's vicinity. They were also able to speak complete sentences when they were in this state of connection, although their sentences were simply joint.
"What have you found?" he said, walking on all four feet towards them.
"Hooolllleee, way…way….-," said Mischief.
"Out," finished Mayhem.
The Dark Dragon frowned as he regarded the small crack in the table that they were pointing out to him, it was something he had never investigated due to his thoughts that his way out of the that cesspit was located on the outskirts of the temple, rather than within. He had searched every inch of the temple's perimeter, not its interior.
"Of course," said the Dark Dragon, touching the crack lightly with his claw, "there must have been some way for you two to have returned to me," he paused, scratching at it, "this must be the small crack,"
He pulled his hand back instantly, feeling unearthly power touch him from beyond the crack. There was power within this table.
"Break through the crack," said the Dragon, tapping his claws against the table impatiently.
Both shades looked up at their master with confusion.
"Make it larger so that I may escape this prison," repeated the Dark Dragon, his temper rising.
Both of the shades shifted uncomfortably, attempting to touch the crack. It seemed to be something that their bodies were unable to do, something that was unnatural, even for them.
"Aren't you at least going to try?" said the Dragon, holding in all his rage and anger.
The shades glanced at each other, and nodded slowly in affirmation. Both dissipated into smoke, and began to touch the cracks of the table. It burnt brightly, casting a shade of incandescent radiance outward and into the room. The Dark Dragon held his breath as he heard something he thought he would never hear again…
"What's wrong with you 88?" muttered a mortal voice.
"We need to finish gathering the rest of these things and sell them while we still have time," answered another voice, identified as 88 by the first mortal.
"Yes!" said the Dark Dragon, "YES! I have a portal to the other side," he shoved his claw through, attempting to expedite his shade's process. A burning sensation struck his arm, crawling through his scales with unexpected fury. He screamed in pain, pulling himself free.
"What was that," he muttered to himself, watching his claws shimmer in smoke like madness.
The answer dawned on him; the only way that his shades had managed to reach him was because they had evaporated into a smoke like substance that seemed to transcend the boundaries of dimensions. Something that was impossible for him to achieve.
He swore beneath his breath, but heard his shades reverting to their humanoid forms.
"Theeee, thee waayy," said Mischief.
"-…is throuuuuuuuuuuuuuugh, through ooooouuur, magic," finished Mayhem.
The Dragon's eyes widened, "You must teach me to become a spirit-like being, one that can transcend the boundaries of space itself,"
Both shades bowed, accepting the responsibility of teaching their master the one thing that they held that he could not possess on his own; the key to his escape, and his rise once more.
The Dark Dragon then knew that he had to become something completely different, something spirit and none dragon. He reverted to human form, knowing that he would be unable to achieve this feat within his serpentine form.
"It seems that humans do have some small purposes," he muttered to himself.
"Edarak?" said Mischief.
The Dark Dragon nodded, "Yes Mischief, I am the Dark Dragon no longer, as your student, I shall be, Edarak,"