M.A.G.I.C - Prologue
This is the end
Hold your breath and count to ten
Feel the Earth move and then
Hear my heart burst again
For this is the end
I've drowned and dreamt this moment
So overdue, I owe them
Swept away, I'm stolen
Let the skyfall
When it crumbles
We will stand tall and face it all together
~Skyfall by Adele
Neverecho felt something, after what seemed like forever. She felt herself lying on wooden floor, her blanket draping her.
She tried to force her eyes open, but she felt too tired - too exhausted - to do anything. Everything hurt, from her snout to her tailtip. It even hurt to breathe.
What's going on? was all Neverecho managed to think before realizing her head was throbbing, and so was the rest of her body. Her dizzying mind felt blank and empty, and her stomach felt nauseous.
Neverecho finally managed to lift her eyes open, before her exhaustion pulled them close again, and while her eyes were open for a fraction of a second, blurred green and dull yellow clouded her vision - empty amoebas of color.
What's going on? Why does everything hurt?
Neverecho decided to take quick, shallow breaths. It hurt less to breathe that way. Her snout felt like it was bashed in with a mallet, then she was tranquilized with a blowdart infused with tree frog poison.
Maybe that's what happened to me. I was tranquilized. Neverecho moved her claw in the slightest way and tried to relax her body's muscles. But why would anyone want to tranquilize me? What did I do wrong to deserve that? And why don't I remember anything that happened yesterday?
Neverecho finally found the strength to force herself to beat her wings slightly and get up. She almost tripped over her own talons as her vision was still bleak and blurry.
Maybe I should ask my parents why I woke up like this.
She rubbed her eyes to sharpen her vision, and she realized she was in her hut. Bamboo and wood surrounded her as smells of fresh water and jungle flowers flooded her.
She looked to the side and saw her plank-bed's pillow and blanket had, for some reason, rolled off the bed.
Neverecho widened her eyes in realization. Oh. I woke up on the floor. I rolled out of my bed. But why? Why don't I remember anything, and why did this happen?
The NightWing cleared her throat as she tried to call, weakly for her parents.
"Mom! Dad!" She coughed, her voice hoarse. She cleared her throat and called again. "Mom! Dad! Why did I wake up rolled out of my bed?"
No one answered.
Maybe they're still sleeping. I should wait till they wake up.
Neverecho sat down, and anxiously flicked her tail as she realized the pain was subsiding, and more energy built up in her veins.
She looked around. There was nothing much to do in her little hut. She liked taking small walks sometimes, or practising hunting outside of her hut. Or maybe she studied animals and was busy apologizing to NightWings she bumped into. Neverecho never really found much joy or interest in being in her hut when really, there was nothing special in there.
She decided to walk outside and breathe in some fresh air. Her wings beat again as she walked out of her little hut to see that it was early morning. The sun was rising, just peeking out of the horizon, but she softly gasped when she took in the scenery.
The beautiful sun was painting shades of red, orange, and pink onto the huts surrounding her, as the nearby river stream trickled as poisonous frogs around her croaked as they hopped from stone to stone, their brightly colored skin warning dragons to not eat them.
The sky was a soft pink as the clouds slowly drifted in the sky. It was a fine day, so it must be a good day.
I hope. Neverecho gulped.
Her parents definitely weren't early birds, and woke up in the later hours of the morning. It still gets frustrating having to wake up early to tell them something when they're fast asleep and couldn't care enough to hear it.
She walked over to the stream as the nearby frogs hopped off, and saw her blurred reflection in the river.
A small, black NightWing, with a midnight-blue underbelly and midnight-blue eyes. She remembered when she was very small, perhaps around a few months old, she thought her reflection in the river was another NightWing, and tripped into the river and almost drowned trying to hug her reflection.
Neverecho often came here to wash her face to help make her feel more awake. She cupped some water in her talons and splashed it onto her face. The cold, wet feeling was initially unpleasant, but she had grown to become attached to it.
She rubbed her dripping snout and decided to walk around the village, the huts containing sleeping dragons around her. She loved peace and quiet, especially since the NightWings were normally loud. The early morning was the perfect time to sit down and think about your thoughts for a while.
She basked in the serenity, where the only sound to be heard were the frogs croaking, the river trickling, and the crickets singing their night songs until the sun climbed higher into the sky.
Neverecho couldn't help but smile. She didn't smile often, but this scene took her breath away. A gentle wind picked up and slightly swayed her wings, as if prompting Neverecho to fly.
Several hours had passed. The sky was now blue, and the yellow sun was slowly climbing into the sky. This was the time when her parents would wake up, when the sound of rustling NightWings was to be heard.
But no one woke up. The huts were all each quiet, as the breeze lowered.
At first, Neverecho was grateful, but soon she became worried. Why wasn't anyone waking up?
It was like a ghost town, as if Neverecho was the only life here.
She slowly walked to her own hut, trying to calm herself down by taking some deep, much-needed breaths. Don't panic, Neverecho. Maybe they're a little lazy. Maybe the NightWings are inside, doing their own things. Just don't jump to conclusions.
She slowly peeked in the hut. Her bedroom was exactly how she had left it. She creeped to the kitchen, and saw no one there. She held a breath as she walked inside her parents' bedroom.
They were in their beds, to Neverecho's relief. So they are sleeping. But her relief spiked to worry as she realized something. But why aren't their chests heaving? And Dad's not snoring; he ALWAYS snores. Oh no, I hope they're not-
Neverecho's thoughts drowned as fear took hold of them as she shook her parents. "Mom? Dad? Wake up." She continued rattling them. "Mom! Dad! Why won't you wake up?!" she whispered loudly. Tears were starting to form in her eyes.
"Mom. Dad. Just wake up. Let me know you're okay. You don't even have to wake up, actually. Just move a claw, or tail, or something. Please."
She placed a talon where their hearts were, and fear jolted in her chest bringing forth another set of salty tears when she heard no pulse.
"Mom! Dad! Please wake up!" She continued shaking them. "Please! You can't be dead. Please tell me you're not dead! You can't leave me like this. Please!"
They didn't answer.
Neverecho burst into tears and cried into their blanket, and did so for about fifteen minutes till she had a headache. She got up and looked through the kitchen.
There was nothing really to eat, except for a banana, a bunch of grapes, and a rotting tamarin carcass. She sighed. Was this how it was going to be? Living on her own, without her parents?
Maybe this is some sort of punishment from them. How did they die? I don't think they were murdered, because I saw no cuts or blood. I can't shake the feeling that this is fishy.
Neverecho was about to continue thinking about this when the earth shook.
It literally swept her off her feet, and the bamboo around her was crumbling.
She got up as weight seemed to try to pull her down as she fled, determined to bolt. The hut was falling, and the earthquake rattled her bones and caused vibrations in her skull. Her heart seemed to jump all over the place.
Neverecho tripped, and fell onto the ground, only to be shook repeatedly as she barely managed to make out fallen bamboo, and two NightWing corpses.
It was unlike anything Neverecho had seen before. An earthquake that swept out her hut, and managed to make her feel a dizzying, yet... breathtaking feeling. As if a snake was strangling her while seducing her.
What just happened?! The hut- Everything-
The shaking stopped, much to Neverecho's surprise. Why is this all happening so fast? First I wake up not in my bed, then my parents mysteriously die, and the NightWings aren't awake yet either. Then, the hut gets demolished by an earthquake? Is this faith, or random?
The NightWing looked ahead, and took a deep breath.
Well. I better go see how the NightWings are doing. They would probably be making a lot of noise by now. But why aren't they?
She nervously gulped as she tried to walk forward, but it felt so unpleasant. Her claws kept shaking and trembling badly with every step she took, as if the shake was still happening, still continuing.
What she saw before her was something she could not believe.
All the huts were demolished; every last one. Each one with corpses spilling out, some with small dragonets.
Some were bleeding from such an earthquake; some, weren't. Every last one of the huts had fallen, all of the construction work the NightWings were up to had pretty much fallen, and every single dragon was dead.
It hurt Neverecho to see so many dragons die.
She shakily walked up to the corpse of a young dragon, much younger than her, looking to be only a year old.
She cried silently, tears trickling down her cheeks.
She felt more than sad and afraid at this point - she felt alone, and terrible and worthless and helpless and like everything was pointless and everything that had ever happened from the beginning to now had ended.
It was over, sooner than any dragon could've expected.
What happened to the RainWings? Why is everyone dead? Why- what- there are too many questions- what about Glory- the RainWings, Deathbringer, she was with egg-
This was too much for Neverecho to process. Glory had died. Deathbringer had died. The NightWing-RainWing hybrid that was the heir to the throne, was born before she had even been hatched.
Everyone was dead.
And Neverecho was left to cope with this.
It's over. It's truly over. I'm the last one left. I'm the last dragon standing.
It took a while for this to sink in. That she was the last dragon of her species, her subspecies.
How... did this happen? Why don't I remember anything that happened yesterday, but I remember what happened before that?
All of a sudden, a soft, quiet voice spoke. "Neverecho."
Startled, Neverecho looked around her. What? Who is this?! I thought I was the only dragon left!
The voice didn't respond for a few seconds, before she whispered, "Who I am is not important. All you need to know is that you should keep calm."
That response only frightened Neverecho even more. How can you read my thoughts?
"Calm down," soothed the voice. "There is no time to be afraid. Focus on your environment, take advantage of the peace around you. The trickling river."
The spikes on Neverecho's neck settled as she whispered, "Who are you?"
"Focus", said the voice. "Take a deep breath and relax. Don't focus on the stench of the bodies around you. Try to keep calm. Panicking and weeping will only make your predicament worse."
You didn't answer my question, thought Neverecho bristly. Who are you? How can you read my thoughts? Why can't I see you?
"You do not need to know anything about me. Naturally you wouldn't see me. I am in your mind, little NightWing. I am not really here. I am a figment of your imagination."
Neverecho fell silent.
"Please keep calm. I need you to be calm so we can continue."
Neverecho was about to argue when she all of a sudden realized that the trickling of the stream, the quiet of the forest, the peace...
...Was calming.
"Good. Keep calm. Breathe easy."
Neverecho wanted to be afraid, to be angry at whoever this was, but her voice was a pure picture of serenity, like the morning song of the birds. She kept calm.
"Thank you. Now... By now, you must be wondering why you can't remember what happened yesterday. This is because you are suffering from slight amnesia. Nothing to worry about, though. Try to search back. Try to remember what was the last thing you did, before falling asleep. What were your emotions? Try to remember what happened."
The voice lulled Neverecho into trying to think. She couldn't remember anything, though. There were no emotions. But maybe... a hint of... fear? Confusion?
"The slight emotions you remember are what you were feeling before falling asleep. This is very good. You're on the right track. Now... Do you remember a particular glowing? Any colors? Hearing? Sights? Even smells or tastes?"
Neverecho tried to think. There was no glowing. Or colors. Or sights, or sounds, or smells or tastes. But what was that particular feeling... The dizzying numbness... The weight...
"Those were what you were feeling. Numbness and weight... Like a cannonball was attached to you as plunged to the ocean, I am guessing."
All of a sudden, an epiphany came over Neverecho. She could remember something.
I remember feeling a strange feeling in my bones. I remember being too startled to scream as... something glowing...
She fell silent as the final piece of the puzzle came into place.
I remember everything. I remember what happened, and why I woke up out of my bed.
A couple weeks before, Pyrrhia was acting strange. The sun was melting snow in the Ice Kingdom, tsunamis and storms extended from the Sea Kingdom to the Mud Kingdom. Many MudWings were injured, but few were killed.
No one knew what to do. The Queens all said we had to stay calm. Some students in Jade Mountain left. I remember my parents kept acting paranoid, worrying Pyrrhia was finally coming to its end. I was also worried. Why was the weather being so unpredictable? Why were the plants growing improperly? Why were dragons dying of mysterious illnesses?
Then I remember, last night, I fell asleep in my bed, worried. When a soft breeze entered my room, that began stronger and stronger, and the candle near my bed blazed. Then a multicolored gem glowing strangely floated above me. It dazzled colors. Then exploded.
Shards flew everywhere as I fell off my bed, and my blanket and pillow fell over, my candle went out, weight pulled me down as my memories faded away.
Then I woke up.
The voice fell silent, as if expecting her to say something else, before a minute later she praised, "Thank you for remembering, Neverecho. Remember, I will always be in the back of your brain, but will only come out when you need advice. I recommend you flee the Rainforest Kingdom, as there is nothing left for you here."
Neverecho swivelled her head around. What do you mean, there is nothing left? Surely the RainWings are still alive?
"No, Neverecho. They died too. So did your Queen, your King, and the unborn princess."
Neverecho fell silent again, but her heart sunk, for some reason, as hope faded from her like morning fog dissisipating under sunlight.
She slowly walked forward, to make sure. She wanted hope. It was all she needed to survive.
But more tears came to her as she saw it.
The RainWings' huts, being made more sturdily than the NightWings', were mostly uncollapsed, but the smell of rotting fruit and corpses was heavy in the air as it took over that of the sweet water and flowers.
Sloths slowly clambering on vines chirrupped sadly, sadness full in their eyes.
The sloths are depressed that their owners died, too.
The Pavilion was untouched, as it was more sturdily made than any of the RainWings' huts, but Glory and Deathbringer were no doubt dead in there.
Neverecho slowly exhaled. Everyone really is dead. But why? Why me? Why us?
The voice simply responded, "I don't know. I wasn't the one that caused this. But you must leave. Not that there is any danger out here, but there is nothing left for you."
Neverecho's dark blue eyes had a flash of realization as her brow furrowed in determination. I know what I will do next.
"That is?"
I will find out what happened to Pyrrhia, what caused it to be here. If there truly is nothing else, I must cope, and most importantly avenge Pyrrhia and find out how everyone died, what happened in particular that caused it to die, and why. And I will search endlessly, all over Pyrrhia, and will spend every breath I breathe on this, until I die myself.