The sun was shining through the window, it's golden rays beaming down onto the floor. Inside the room in which the window was located, a dragon ran about, grabbing things and placing things away. A Nightwing was in a bed in the room. The room itself was simplistic, with a nightstand, a single bed that was on the floor, more of a pallet then a bed, and two paintings on the wall, one of a house and one of a forest. The dragon had everything he needed, in a pouch that was still off him. He walked to the door, and then stopped. He turned around, and looked at the Nightwing in the bed. He sighed, before putting his stuff down. He then grabbed a piece of parchment and a pen. He took the pen, placed it onto the paper, and let his hand flow, spelling out the words.
Dear Skylight,
Look… I know you don't want me to leave, and I know you are worried for me. I understand that, I love you, and I wouldn't want to lose you either. Especially after nearly losing me so soon. But I have too. Can't you see? It's consuming my every waking thought. I can't deal with it anymore. I'm going insane. Maybe I already have. That doesn't matter to me. It doesn't change anything. Aleinix is going down. He's murdered countless, and now it's time for that to change. He's going to die for the pain he has caused me. My father. Snowstorm. Me. You. Snake. The many others. He deserves it, you see? Don't you notice it now? That murderous… animal has to die. It's the only way. I'm going by myself, I couldn't live with myself if I got you killed. If you want to find me though, as I stand over his dead body, and wipe his blood off my talons, I'm at:
E.271.8 N.346.2
Goodbye, I love you, and I'll be back soon.
~ Xerious
Xerious put down the pen, grabbed his stuff again, and left. He didn't even look back. He was oddly calm, not even shifting his vision. He exited the building, and looked over the crowded streets. It was early morning, and the work rush was just setting in. Dragons from various tribes went to various areas, and started setting up shops and flipping their signs to "Open." Xerious ignored all of that, and unfolded his wings. He took the pouch and slung it over his shoulder, a dexterous feat that wasn't easy by yourself. He then crouched down, and sprung into the air, before hovering over the streets. Unzipping his pouch, he brought out a map and a compass, which had a coordinate calculator. He looked down on the two, and then back up, twisting to the side, before looking back down upon it. He smiled slightly, then it faded and he started flying. Every now and then, he'd look at his map, then continue on his way, reassured. The desert was blowing underneath him, creating waves of sand that flew over the surface, giving it a rippling appearance. But as he flew on throughout the day, dirt replaced the sand, slowly at first, increasing exponentially. Soon he was back over forest ground, trees whisking underneath him. The air was warm, the sky clear. It was a beautiful day. Xerious didn't even stop to think about that. His mind was on one goal only. Revenge. He looked at the coordinates, then looked up just in time for a robin to run into him. The bird squawked in protest, and gathered it's wits, trying to fly away. Xerious let out a quick burst of fire, which seared blindingly-white through the air. It missed the bird. Barely. The thing managed to escape with just a few singed feathers. Xerious growled to himself in annoyance, angry at missing a mere bird. It's not important… you have someone bigger to roast. Much bigger. The latest failure was mildly discouraging, and caused him to wonder how he would take on Xerious. The sun was starting it's descent, late afternoon, by the time Xerious was flying over mountains. The mountains were, in fact, exactly where he was supposed to be. He looked back down onto his compass. 236.9 East by 340.1 North. He needed to go more East. Xerious readjusted his direction. He felt a slight twinge of excitement, but then tried to suppress it. Then he thought back to Skylight. He felt bad for leaving her, especially without a proper goodbye. But he knew she'd try to stop him, and he couldn't bring himself to say it to her. It's not like she understands anyways. The dark side of him said, and he smothered the thought. The note was enough. That's all she needs to see. He growled, again, to himself. There was no one around for miles. At least, that's what most would think when they see the vast mountain range. Xerious looked down for the thirteenth time that day. 271.5 East, and 345.8 North. Only decimals off. In fact, he could see exactly where he was supposed to be. There, on the mountains, was a crevasse, an abyss so deep, the bottom was lost in the inky-blackness of the gorge. The crevasse stretched through the mountains, like an unsightly scar. Along the side was a semi-flat surface, with a fortress-like building that seemed abandoned a long time ago. The bricks were layered in moss, and some had fallen out of the wall. The building had a massive doorway, with the door off the hinges, rotting to the side. Xerious landed in front of the building, the rift in the ground to the right of him. Small amounts of vegetation grew in between the cracks of the rocky ground. Shadows of the mountains were casted over him, blocking the natural light. Where is he?... Is this where he's staying? If so… then where is he hiding?... A scraping of the claws echoed from the entrance of the fortress, and Xerious instant jumped around, turning his body to face the doorway. He looked into the building. "Who's there?! Reveal yourself!"
"You know who's here. You're waiting for me because you know who it is." A single yellow eye snapped open in the dark of the building, hatred and disgust in his eye. "Looking for me?" Out of the shadows stepped Aleinix, his dark-yellow eye shining out of his skull, and his brown one burning with pure hate. The assassin stood there, exposing his entire being into the light for the first time. He has long, curling talons, sharper than Icewings, and his wings were longer and thicker than any tribe. His body was wider, and more muscular. His tail, shorter and stronger. And he was a dull brown, with his stomach and the front of his neck a lighter color. He had two straight horns on his head, and a line of them down his back, ending at the tip of his tail. He grinned, showing off his ivory-white teeth that could bite through flesh and bone without a problem.
Xerious gathered himself, and snarled. "I'm back, you murderer." He growled through his teeth. "And this time, I'll win."
Aleinix looked at him, then burst out laughing, one that was filled with dark humor. He stopped and looked at him. "You serious?" He asked.
Xerious seemed a bit taken back. "Why aren't you attacking me? You killed my father in a second, why are you just standing there?"
"Because..." He circled around Xerious, smiling with malevolence. "then it wouldn't be fun."
"Fight me! Attack me! I'm ready for you! Give me all you've got!" Xerious yelled at Aleinix, tensing up.
"See, this is why I'm not fighting you. You're hilarious." He stopped circling. "To be honest, I'm impressed you're alive. I really thought I killed you. If I was a lesser assassin, I'd let you live just because of how impressive that is. Of course, I'm Aleinix, one of the best killers alive. It took me seventeen years of non-stop training to get to where I am. In fact, I was taught in that very building." He looked at the rundown ruins, and for a split second, he showed a hint of emotion. It disappeared as quickly as it appeared.
Xerious bared his teeth. "I don't give a damn about your backstory!! I didn't come here to learn about your oh so tragic history. I came here to kill you. For my father."
Aleinix turned around to face him. "No, not for your father. For you. You're doing this for you. The darkness is enveloping you, for why else would you be here? You're going insane, and you know it."
Xerious recoiled in shock. Aleinix struck him where it hurt the most; his fears. He quickly regained his composure, and then lost it again. "YOU BASTARD!! DIE!!!" He roared, and lifted his head, before blasting a line of fire so hot, it was almost like a liquid. All those years, all those names, all those fears, those pent up frustrations, came blazing out of his mouth faster, and fiercer than ever before. Aleinix was so surprised, so shocked at the sudden attack, all he could do was lift a wing to try and block the blazing bolt of flames. The fire slammed into his wing, and burned around it. Aleinix growled, trying to not cry out in pain. The smoke cleared, and revealed his wing, blackened in the center, with wisps of vapor rising off it. Xerious didn't waste a second. As Aleinix was trying to recover, Xerious ran towards him, rearing back, and dug his claws into Aleinix's still burning wing, digging through the muscle and flesh, ripping his wings down to the bone. Blood poured from the wound, soaking Xerious's claws in the liquid. Aleinix let out a small sound, something between a snarl and a yelp of pain.
Xerious grinned. "How does it feel now, huh? You're losing, and you haven't even landed a strike."
Aleinix looked up at him, then smiled. "You're wrong. You've already lost. Don't you feel the gash upon your throat?"
It was almost surreal. Xerious stopped instantly, a look of shock on his face. He lifted his talons, and touched his neck. Warm blood covered his claws, his own. He brought it down, looking at it with disbelief. He thought back to the contact with Aleinix. As he was digging his claws into Aleinix, he felt his wing clip his throat. He didn't think of it at the time, but now it made sense. Xerious snarled, pure, primal rage on his face. His head was cocked, and he bared his teeth at Aleinix. There was no emotion, just the rage at being hurt. It didn't actually hurt, but it struck him that he was attacked. He ought to have been dead, but he was lucky. It didn't go deep enough. He jumped at Aleinix, claws outstretched. But he was ready for him. Aleinix dodged to the side, and dug his claws into Xerious's wings. His razor sharp talons tore through Xerious's wings like a thin sheet of paper. Xerious cried out as he ripped through it, causing gaps in the membrane. Xerious turned around, a grimace of pain etched on his face. And then Aleinix was on his other side, slashing his wings, tearing gashes into him. As Xerious roared in pain, Aleinix slammed into him, rolling him over. Aleinix was on top, claws outstretched, ready to dish out torture unimaginable. "You've caused me too much pain, time to die!" He shouted, eyes gleaming with joy. He brought his claws down. Xerious closed his eyes. He smiled. Suddenly the weight on top of him disappeared. A loud thud sounded from the left of him. Xerious opened his eyes, Snake had come in at full speed, crashing into Aleinix's weak side, the one that had been roasted. Xerious knew this, of course, he saw them long before Aleinix did. Even while about to be killed, his sight proved to be useful. He rolled back upright, wincing from the streaks pain in his wings. Blood dripped down and splattered onto the floor. Aleinix and Snake were battling, Snake on top with his claws swiping towards him. Aleinix blocked it with his arm, taking the beating.
Skylight landed behind him. "Xerious!! You're ok! Well, you're alive!" She cried out in relief. "I was worried we were too late."
"Yeah… Don't worry. I lived."
"Good." She punched him in the shoulder. "That's for leaving me that note. That was a pretty horrible move."
Xerious took the hit, and sighed. "I'm sorry, I just needed to do this. I couldn't bring myself to talk to you."
"Xerious!!" The yelled echoed through the valley. Snake got surprised by a tail the side, and was now up against the rock-face.
Xerious turned around and started running towards him. "Snake!" He shouted. Aleinix looked at Xerious, then rammed his head straight into Snake's stomach. Snake gasped, the crack of ribs echoing through the air.
"SNAKE!!!" Xerious jumped to the side, and shot another white-hot jet. It striked Aleinix in the burned side. The fire instantly burned through his already-dead wing, and struck him on the underside. For the first time Xerious noticed something; Aleinix's neck and underside were covered in metal scales, giving him extra protection. Against any dragon, the scales would have blocked the fire. But Xerious's flames seemed to hit almost no resistance. His fire instantly melted the scales, and scored a direct hit on his stomach. Tendrils of smoke snaked off the area. The smell of burning flesh dominated the air, causing Xerious to gag. Aleinix howled in pain, clutching his side. Snake slipped down the rocky wall, groaning. Aleinix looked at Xerious, with the face of someone who would want the other to die, again and again. Death after death. He stood straight, a look of pure evil on him as he slowly stepped forward, walking towards Xerious. Skylight ran after him, growling.
"Sky! Noo!!"
The warning was too late. Aleinix spun around, and slammed his thick tail into her skull, his signature move for knocking out opponents. Skylight's head was thrown to the side, and she fell to the ground, unconscious.
"YOU MONSTER!!" Xerious roared in rage, backing up a step.
"You tried to kill me first. You're the one who came out here. You could have just stayed at home. You even had a second chance. All I wanted was your father, but I guess you had to complicate the matters. So looks like I'll have to kill you again. And this time, you won't survive." Xerious stepped back, and stumbled, for his paw went down into open space. He had reached the edge of the chasm. Aleinix laughed, a look of insanity in his eyes. "Looks like you are at the end of your rope. I wonder what's down there…" He was right in front of Xerious, just barely far enough away that Xerious couldn't reach him. Xerious was gathering his strength, and was about to strike when Aleinix surprised him. With brute force, Aleinix lifted him up, pushing with his head till Xerious was on his hind legs. He quickly switched position so that he could use his front legs instead. Xerious tried to swipe, tried to push forward, but he knew he was no match for a dragon as big as him. He gave one last struggle, pure fear in his eyes, knowing what was about to happen. Aleinix laughed, crazed with power.
"Please… you don't have to do this…" Xerious whispered.
"I do. Goodbye Xerious, Son of Bluebird." With a snarl, he pushed Xerious over the edge. The last thing he saw was the terrified face of Skylight, just woken up, and then she was gone. They all were.
Aleinix had pushed him so that he was falling facing up. The light was slowing fading as he fell further down the abyss. He unfurled his wings, trying to stop his descent and to right himself. It only slowed him slightly. The wind rushed through his shredded wings, causing immense pain. He reached up, as if some imaginary hand would take him, and stop his fall. There was no one to help.
He was only falling for about ten seconds, then ca-crunch! Blood flew everywhere, splattering over his chest. Sudden pain, so great it destroyed all idea of thought. Mind-bending, soul-shredding pain. Pure agony erupted from his chest. He gasped in pain, tears welling in his eyes. He tried to breath, but no air seemed to enter. Only more torment. He coughed, blood spraying out. With all his strength he lifted his head and looked down to his underbelly. A single stalagmite was embedded in his stomach. Blood covered it, dripping down the spike. He could see some of his organs on the stone point, ripping it out of his body. His wound stretched across his underbelly, blood pouring all over his chest, his life force running out of him. He felt lightheaded, detached, tired, as if he wasn't part of the world anymore. He closed his eyes and let his head fall back. His soul was dull, and was dimming with each second. Father… Snake… Skylight, my love… I've failed you… The light inside him was only a spark now, nothing to power it. Xerious let out a sigh, and then the spark was gone.
Gone.