Heart of a Dragon
By Karasuhato, the "Raven Dove"
(karasuhato@ecmail.i-p.com)
and
Ultima Mayu
(mayu_roxx@hotmail.com)
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The "Metroid" series is copyright of Nintendo co. ltd.
"Rudra no Hihou" (Rudra's Secret Treasure) is copyright of Squaresoft and Graphical Corporations CROWD inc.
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Karasuhato's Key/Legend to story elementals:
= A character's thoughts
italics=character's point of view
CAPITAL LETTERS= character talking loudly
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In every place where there is evil and darkness, purity and light will be there to guide the way.
-Anonymous
A New Frontier
Three worlds, one entity of pure nothingness, casts everything into the oblivion, which is called by many, "The Black Hole" of space........
.........Planet Zebes was no more. After the defeat of the Mother Brain, a great cataclysm took place, destroying the whole planet. A few creatures escaped from the planet's great devastation, Space Hunter Samus Aran, the Dachora bird and the Etecoons.
However, Ridley, the great space dragon that was thought to be dead on the deserted planet of Zebes, was recovered and well, thanks to some space dragons from Planet Aeon, whom call themselves the "Aeonese". Ridley thought of himself to be the last of his race, since the mother ship he was born on exploded, leaving him the sole survivor of the explosion. He was then taken to Zebes by the Zebesian clan and was raised by them and their leader the Mother Brain.
The irony was that the Zebesian were no where in sight. Even the Zebesians that survived the cataclysm on their home world, were said to be sucked into the nothingness of beyond and cast into the oblivion, which was good for the Galactic Federations, but bad for Ridley. Ridley seemed to have been very depressed to hear about the news. He was happy to see his own clan growing strong, but that still was not enough to make Ridley feel better. He just did not know what to do anymore. General Arvis of the Neo-Aeonese mother ship came into Ridley's sector of the mother ship to check up on him.
"Ridley, are you just going to sit here all day staring into outer space like a wrecked satellite?" Arvis said, poking at Ridley. However, Ridley did not want to make eye contact with the turquoise dragon.
"I don't care!" Ridley mumbled irritably. "I think I lost my will to live!" Arvis just gotten so tired of the depression and had to make Ridley get back his senses.
"Ridley, don't talk like that!" Arvis said as he slapped Ridley. "There was nothing we could do to save everything on Zebes. At least you are now healthy, recovered and have to move on!" Ridley swiftly turned around, giving Arvis a cold, nasty look.
"LOOK, how would you like it if everyone you knew gotten sucked into nothingness and disappeared from this galaxy, HUH?" Ridley sneered, grabbing Arvis by the neck. "I bet you would hate it! That is what happened to everyone and everything I once knew! But I bet you don't give a damn, you just think I'm losing my mind. That is what you think." Then, Kary, the silver second-in-command Aeonese, came bursting into the room with a rather appalled expression on her draconian face.
"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?" Kary yelled out as she pulled Ridley and Arvis away from each other. "I swear, can you guys just go for one day without getting into arguments over stupid, petty little things that happened long ago?"
"Well, Kary......Uhhhhh, Arvis was er...., being selfish and pushy all the time!" stuttered Ridley. "He needs not to be so into himself."
"RIDLEY, GROW UP AND ACT YOUR AGE! I swear, if you quit acting like a little bratty child, maybe I would not be so pushy and nag you so much!" Arvis shouted. Kary just stood there and rolled her eyes in disgust thinking how immature Ridley and the head general were acting.
"STOP IT, BOTH OF YOU!!!" Kary yelled impatiently. "I don't care who started to argue, I just want it to stop." Both Ridley and General Arvis started to shudder nervously and nodded their heads.
"Yes ma'am! Okay....!"
"Okay now, me and the other crew want to show you two something very important." Kary said calmly. "Now, follow me." Kary led the two out of Ridley's sector of the mother ship and headed through some corridors that led to the cockpit area. It appears that the Aeonese ship was approaching an unknown planet.
"We are heading to some planet with signs of life on it." One of the mechanical pilots announced on the intercom to everyone aboard the ship. "We shall land on the planet and investigate the strange new world and civilization, if there is any."
Meanwhile, as the Aeonese mothership started to hit the atmosphere of this world, the five races that inhabited this planet started to observe the great ship with anticipation. There were the omnipresent Humanoids, mighty Kyojin Giants, the Reptilian Hahchu-Rui, the amphibious, semi-humanoid Mizushu-Sai (Denizens of Water) and the enlightened Danan Mystics, all looking forward to greeting the strange mother ship.
"Great beings are arriving to the planet ALREADY?" Marina, the princess of the Mizushu-Sai shrieked as she dove off into the marshy woodlands to warn her people. In the Danan dominant regions of Wren and the northern woods near Torle Mountain were all gathered around to see the great ship.
"We must await the coming of these new beings from far away." Ramyleth's replacement Danan Chief said as he gathered all of the inhabitants of the region to observe the landing. While in the great city of Babel, Hahchu-Rui prince, Pipin, Danan child Lolo and Garlyle, the leader of a rebellious gang were in great awe as the mother ship blocked out the sun.
"What's happening?" cried the nervous Pipin. Garlyle decided to comfort the young reptilian boy and convince that nothing was to go wrong.
"I am not too sure......." sighed Garlyle. "..... But since this great ship comes form the deep voids of space, they could be more Rudras or Divine entities. So we must be on our best behavior."
"I'll say." Lolo replied in great awe and fear at the same time. "We don't want to get punished and have to suffer." Near the Kryunu Dynasty, in the South-West continent, at the monastery of the Kyojin, Kotodama master Ture and other giants of his kind were rather impressed as the ship started to come closer and closer to the planet.
"Isn't this something." Ture said calmly observing the great mothership.
"Heh, I'll say!" one Giantess responded. "This planet is advanced, but not THAT advanced!" Meanwhile, on the Aeonese mothership, the Aeonese dragons were figuring out plans on what to do when they arrive on a spot to land on the planet.
"The planet, it is so tremendous!" Arvis sighed, feeling relieved to finally make a discovery.
"I have not seen anything like it. Amazing!" Kary responded, being equally satisfied as Arivis. Ridley, on the other hand, did not know what to do.
"What are we going to do when we arrive at our landing spot?" Ridley asked impatiently, Arvis, Kary and other Aeonese crew members observed the great planet, thinking of a plan. Finally, one plan came to the mind of Arvis.
"I want everyone to split into five, great parties and explore uncharted lands." Arvis announced, as he gathered up all of the crew members, splitting them into individual groups. Arvis and Kary gathered the other four parties and Ridley led them to portable space vehicles that will send them all to each region of the world. Ridley looked around the room as everyone else left, feeling clueless.
"Just to let you know Ridley, you are coming with me and Kary." General Arvis said to Ridley as he installed a mini-monitor on Ridley's chest.
"What is the meaning of this strange monitor thing?" Ridley asked, feeling rather odd.
"If you plan to temporarily separate from us Ridley, we will have to monitor your behavior!" Kary replied sternly. "We are here to peacefully communicate with the beings of this world, not to start pointless wars."
"Yeah Ridley, and if you plan to bring back a specimen from this planet, DON'T YOU DARE HURT IT OR KILL IT!" Arvis warned Ridley. "Or you will have to be........SEVERELY PUNISHED FOR YOUR ACTIONS!" Ridley looked nervous and nodded his head frantically.
"Yes sir, I shall be okay with that!" Ridley responded as they finally found their main landing spot, on the southern most continent. As Ridley, Kary and Arvis headed out of the mother ship, many people of the planet, looking like humans, but were smaller, had abnormal hair and eye colors, odd garments and strange marks on their body to distinguish them from Earth humans. Alongside them were Dark skinned mystics with big ears, Gigantic people, semi-humanoid amphibians with fish tails and strangely enough, Reptilian looking people. Every soul of the planet looked highly anticipated.
"What the hell are these creatures trying to do to us?" Ridley mumbled to the General and his second in command assistant. "They look like they want to start a war with us." Arvis just shook his head in his hands.
"I don't think so Ridley." Arvis whispered back. "They have awaited us, they think we are higher beings."
"Besides, we are on a good will mission." Kary said to both Ridley and Arvis. "Plus, from the looks of it, this planet was through many wars and strife. Maybe there could be peace for these people for ONCE." As the Aeonese dragons were conversing with each other, every person of this Planet started to bow down and pray to these creatures of space.
"The great Rudras have finally arrived to this planet of ours." A high priest announced. This only confused the Aeonese even more.
"I don't like the looks of this." Ridley whispered to himself. "They must be screwed up in the head."
"They think of us as gods Ridley." Kary calmly whispered to Ridley, making sure no one in the crowd would hear.
"We are the people of Dai-Chi, which means 'Great Soil'!" the High Priest told the Aeonese dragons. "We awaited the day you mighty ones would come! Tell us about your origins!" Both the people of "Dai-Chi" and "Aeon" exchanged handy items and gifts to each other. The items of Dai-Chi seemed to be sacred and were to come in rather handy.
"We have a warning to give you all!" Arvis announced. "Ever heard of a nothingness from beyond?" Everyone in the audience looked shocked and scared.
"YES! WHAT ABOUT IT?" Everyone shouted.
"So far, it swallowed up the planet Zebes and it's neighbors. We need to help your planet and we need you all to help our planet as well, since any one of us could fall victims to the nothingness' oblivion." Kary said to the people of Dai-Chi. A humanoid sorcerer came out from the audience, whom appeared to be 24-25 years old and wore mostly blue garments that matched his long. lapis hued locks and wore a hat with some feathers and sacred medals.
"I could help!" the sorcerer shouted out from the crowd. "A few years ago, I was one of the four heroes that stopped the cycle of 'Rise and Downfall' that once threatened our planet. The four elder gods gave up their life force and gave it to me and the others that stopped the cataclysm." Then, the sorcerer lifted a red piece of his garments up, revealing the sacred Jade, which was a sign of becoming an Arch-Rudra. "By the way, my name is Surlent. I am one of the new generation of sacred heroes. This Jade is the proof of great godly-hood."
"Okay Surlent Humanoid, thank you." Arvis bowed down in courtesy. Ridley, on the other hand, had other things on his mind.
"I must investigate this bizarre world. It is like nothing I have ever seen before."
"Okay Ridley." Kary replied. "However, we will monitor each and every one of your actions. One heinous move and you ass will be grounded up, got that?" Ridley nodded his head and accepted this proposal of Kary and Arvis. Ridley decided to fly and take off to the sky, observe how large a world Dai-Chi was. But there were some questions that plagued Ridley's mind.
"Mmmmmm, where to go? Seems this world is much bigger than Zebes." Ridley thought to himself. The thoughts kept coming and coming. "Will I run into the others that traveled here? I wonder what they are thinking?" As Ridley was deep in thought, one question plagued him severely and he started to feel concerned.
"Oh lords, I hope the Galactic Federation won't know that I am here or I'm dead!" Ridley continued to fly around the planet, observing the diversity in flora and fauna and all of the strange locations and climates of the world. IT was way different from anything on planet Zebes or any other planet he experienced, excluding Aeon, which he can hardly remember a thing of that planet. Then, Ridley's eyelids started to feel heavy and he knew he must stop somewhere.
"I'M BEAT!" Ridley yawned as he was ready to land on a northeast continent consisted of mountains, forestland and a peaceful village called "Kahn". He found a dense bog of peat moss in the forest and started to curl up in fetal position, letting his own eyes shut. "Finally, it is about time to get some shut eye for once!"
The calm foliage, the chirping birds, the crickets singing, and the calm breeze in the woods was quite a relaxing experience. Zebes was somewhat relaxing too, but a lot of the civilization was subterranean, aquatic, centered at the planet's core or was brought up in a mechanical environment. But everything on Dai-Chi was full of fresh air and rich with vegetation that finally had a chance to grow in what was once a war-torn and heavily polluted land. But suddenly, some living plants or insects beings would come by and interrupt Ridley's well deserved break.
"UGH! Damn plants, leave me alone!" Ridley groaned as he scorched the plants with his cloudy fire breath, leaving the plants well charred. "Ahhhh, much better!"
That was only a minor nuisance. Every bug and snail that passed by became Ridley's food for the night. Ridley was peacefully resting, trying hard not to let little things bothering him. Up in the trees, a brave and gallant young woman was peacefully observing the Aeonese dragon in his sleep. Her fiery red hair was blowing in the breeze, like angel hair and cottonwood blowing in the wind. She wore crimson armor, plated with some silver, brass and leather to hold things in place. In the stomach of the armor, was the Sanskrit symbol for 'Savior'. Underneath her crimson armor, she wore a snowy white dress with vermilion hems at the bottom. On her forehead, she was born with the "Holy Jade", that helps her communicate with living things, whether it would be animals, plants, nature or even higher entities.
"What a strange being. Never seen anything like it!" the young woman thought to herself in curiosity. "Definitely not of this planet. Hmmm, I wonder what it is like when it is awake." The young woman drank the rest of the tea in her liquid container. Once finished with her drink, she threw the empty container at Ridley, whom is definitely not the one to abruptly wake up.
"Graaaaah......WHAT NOW?" Ridley was really cranky, feeling the metal container being thrown at him. "Whoever did this, I'm going to.........." All of the sudden, a bright light of the Yang/Holy element shone really bright through out the woods. The light was so bright, Ridley had to shut his eyes, thinking that if he looked more, he would go blind.
"Oh, oh, this is like staring into the sun! ACK!" Ridley shouted as the light shone throughout the woods. Then, the light started to get duller and duller, transforming into a young woman with the jade in her forehead.
"Ha ha ha ha ha! Hello great one!" the young woman chuckled playfully. Ridley gotten raver provoked over the fact that he assumed the young woman to be one of the sacred Arch-Rudra heroes, due to the Holy Jade imbedded into her forehead.
"Whaaaaaaa......what are you?!" Ridley screeched in shock. "Who are you?" The young woman started to laugh even more and looked like quite the determined type.
"Hmmm......Well......" the young woman softly said. Ridley just stood and eyed the woman curiously. The woman slightly shoved Ridley over and disappeared into the bushes. "You got to catch me first! Hee hee hee hee hee hee!"
"Okay missy, I will!" Ridley shouted in enthusiasm. The Aeonese dragon started to search right and left for the spunky young woman, whom kept vanishing and re-appearing in many different spots of the woods, giving out some good natured, playful laughs.
"You are catching on really well my friend!" the young woman cheered out of nowhere. Ridley, with all of his speed, tried to catch up to the young woman and search for her. Suddenly, she re-appeared into the tree tops. "Catch me if you can!"
"I'm not far behind!" Ridley chuckled as he flew with all his might, catching up to the stealth fully gliding young woman. Before he knew it, Ridley founf himself near this young woman and caught her by her dainty waist.
"I GOT YA! HA HA HA HA HA!" Ridley shouted.
"Yaaaaaaaah! Hey there dragon, you are pretty good!" Ridley gotten rather curious about the woman and wanted to know more about her. Ridley has never ever felt this way about a living being not of Zebes.
"Who might you be lady?" Ridley calmly asked.
"I am Riza, the Neo-Rudra that calls out to beings in need of a helping hand. And you?"
"Me? I am Ridley. Mmmm....this is one strange planet. Never seen anything like it, ever!" Then, as Ridley and Riza glided down from the trees, Ridley collapsed on the ground, groaning rather loudly and feeling rather strange about what has been going on recently.
"RIDLEY, ARE YOU OKAY!?" cried out Riza, feeling concerned for the great being. She wrapped her arms around Ridley, and noticed many thoughts going through his mind.
This is so odd....most creatures either are afraid or disgusted of me, knowing of my fierce reputation of being a Raider of space or they want to fight me, which is an unlucky choice for them to make, since I am much more powerful then the misfortunate victims thought. This girl, Riza, however, does not feel this way about me at all, even though she is equipped with a rather powerful sabre of some sort. And I know I would not want to kill her, she is innocent. She had nothing to do with anything in the Zebes galaxy nor the Galactic federation. I have never felt this way about a humanoid being before!
"So Ridley, you were involved in some criminal activity?" Riza curiously asked. "I knew you did not want to kill me, even though you used to be biased about humanoid or mammalian creatures. How did you know about how I felt?"
"WHAT!?" cried out Ridley. "Did you just read my mind?"
"Indeed I did!" Riza said calmly. "Remember, the Holy Jade I was born with gave me some special psychic abilities, so that is how I know what different creatures are thinking." The red-violet dragon started to blush bright red, feeling a tad sheepish,
"So sorry Riza." Ridley sighed. "I bet you think I am no good and want to rid of me?" Riza started to have a few tears running down her face and embraced Ridley.
"No, I would not kill you!" cried Riza. "There is no such thing as pure good, neutrality or evil. Everyone has their blacks, whites and shades of grey and eventually, everything changes their ways, sometimes for the better, other times for the worse. What has happened in your life?" Ridley bowed his head, but knew he had to tell Riza a little about himself.
"Well, Riza....." Ridley sighed. If Ridley would not have cried so much when he lost the people he knew, he would let out some tears, but he just can't, because he was tired from sobbing. ".....I once was a leader of Space Pirates from the Planet Zebes and was a servant of the bio-mechanical life force called 'Mother Brain'. I basically did what she told me to do, hunt, plunder, maim, kill and destroy. After the Mother Brain was destroyed by a bounty hunter known as Samus Aran, a time bomb was set, causing a great cataclysm to take place on Zebes, destroying or ruining everything on the planet. Most of the Zebesian people I knew died in the cataclysm or the survivors got sucked into a great being of nothingness, being lost forever in the oblivion."
"You are from Planet Zebes Ridley?" Riza calmly asked. Ridley shook his head,
"I have more to tell you Riza. I found out I was actually not from Zebes when a great crew of Space Dragons rescued me on post-cataclysm Zebes. Me and the dragons were from planet Aeon. General Arvis of the Aeonese Dragons told me he once knew my father and mother long ago. I was born on the old mother ship called 'Anikki", which was destroyed by an unknown force. The only thing that was known is that I was one of the few that made it into an escape pod. For the longest time, when I was raised on Zebes, I thought I was the last of my kind and was referred to as a Zebesian Dragon, which was not true. There were never space draconians on that planet, until my pod crashed there. I never knew my parents......" Ridley's head slumped down in pity. Riza, feeling sympathetic for the Aeonese dragon, started to come closer to him, even giving him a soft embrace again.
"I know what you mean Ridley." Riza sighed as tears built up into her large, innocent, brown eyes. "I knew my mother for a while, until an evil spirit started to eat up her life force. I had to kill the evil spirit, but un-fortunately, my mother DIED alongside the entity, now I don't know if she re-incarnated or decided to stay at Gaff, the great netherworld for the deceased spirits, to keep the deceased deities and Rudras company." Riza started to sob hard and buried her face into Ridley's arms.
"That is so sad Riza." Ridley whispered calmly. It was the first in a long time Ridley actually felt empathy for a living creature. "Do you have any friends or surviving family members?"
"Ehhhh...." sobbed Riza. "Even though I was born out of 'chastity' (where a woman is impregnated by a godly force), my 'father' seemed to have died when I was rather young, so I have never known him very well. However, my grandfather is alive and well, so are my friends. I befriended Scion, Surlent and Dune, whom are also destined to become a Neo-Rudra, like me. We saved life on the planet together. Then, there is Garlyle, a rebellious young man from the city of Babel, which is not too far from here. Even though he has a crush on me, I just like him as a friend or brotherly figure! And there is Pipin, young prince of the Reptilian Hahchu-Rui race. Marina, the Mizushu-Sai's princess and the children of Babel"
"You are one lucky girl Riza. I think you will do just fine in life, because you are a kind, good girl." Ridley said, feeling a bit better. "For me, however, I must leave....." As Ridley gotten up and got ready to leave, Riza stood by his side.
"WAIT!" cried out Riza. Ridley looked back at Riza, smiling.
"What is it Riza?"
"May I please come with you!?" Riza said. Ridley smiled and nodded.
"I see no objection at all." Ridley said calmly as he could. "Just let the ones you know and love know where you are okay? Because I don't want people to think that you were captured."
"Thank you!" Riza said as she hugged the Aeonese dragon. Then, Riza was on her knees, eyes tightly shut, hands clasped together and Jade glowing and sparkling frantically. Riza saw her friends in different situations. Her grandpa, Zekou was deeply meditating in Kahn. Marina was in the wet lands near Lomah, being a "tour guide" for the others from planet Aeon. Garlyle spent time with his child friends and re-united Pipin with his childhood friend of the northern wood's village, Lolo, at Babel. Scion, the swordsman and carrier of the "Life Jade", was at his night shift job of guarding the Kryunu dynasty's palace. Surlent, the sorcerer and carrier of the "Re-Birth" jade was conversing with Gen. Arvis and Kary, knowing more about their native planet. As for Dune, thief and carrier of the "Death Jade", he was out with his childhood pal, Kidd, searching for the ten lost treasures of the Rudra god beings. All of their duties were interrupted by Riza telepathically communicating with them all.
"Friends, this is I, Riza! I shall leave Dai-Chi, but do not worry or cry, I will still help those in need and keep a watch out for the nothingness from beyond or foreign invaders. Good luck to you all and please help each other. Thank you and farewell........!"
As Riza's voice faded away, everyone she knew and loved regained high hopes and confidence from their friend, the one with the "Holy Jade". Meanwhile, at Oriab in the south, Arvis and Kary knew they had to pack up after hearing the special message from the sacred Neo-Rudra.
"Surlent, we have to leave right now. Ridley is done traveling for now!" Kary explained to the sorcerer.
"Thank you for letting us stay wise one." Arvis said as he stretched out his long, expanding wings.
"You are very welcome." Surlent replied as he was fixing his glasses. " I just can't believe that Riza is growing up so fast. I wish her good luck on the journey. Take care!"
"Don't worry, everything will be just fine!" Arvis said cheerfully. Kary had to watch Ridley closely from her portable monitor, observing what he is up to.
"So, Ridley found a female humanoid." Kary said softly. "He seems to be strangely attached to this young woman. That is so unlike him, I thought he hated humanoids or mammalian beings."
"Strange indeed." Arvis responded. "I hope the young woman will show Ridley the right way in life and correct his wrong doings. Everything was packed in the mothership, Arvis, Kary and the mechanical pilots got ready to take off, heading to the continent where Riza was hanging out with Ridley. Riza started to jump up in surprise as she saw a great, bright outline of the Aeonese mothership.
"Oh wow, what is that?" Riza said in awe as she admired the many coloured lights coming from the ship.
"This is the mothership of Aeon, hereby called *'The Hana-Nim'. You are welcomed to come along. It shall take us into space."
"Amazing!" Riza sighed out as she climbed onto Ridley's back and flew up there with him to the entrance of the mother ship, Hana-Nim. Ridley knew that he felt some great changes going on in his life after he has met Riza. However, this was only the beginning for things to come.