Authors Warning: This chapter is dark, and sets the tone for the rest of the story. You have been warned. Follow the rating. T means 13+.
"War does not determine who is right, only who is left." –Bertrand Russel, British philosopher.
Frog shook from the terror. He was packed into the tight room with about 10 other dragons. He was the smallest one there.
He had snuck out of the Camaelist base to try and find his mother, despite orders from his father, Lizard. He had only barely gotten past the small mountain range that concealed the base from the outside when he was easily captured by men and women in uniform, who spoke other languages.
He had been taken down to somewhere. Frog didn't know where he was, or how far he had traveled, but now he was in a place where dragons were kept and weren't allowed to leave. He had been able to sleep there for a few days, and performed physical labor during the daylight. But this morning, a man with more badges on his uniform than the guards had come through, and now the dragons were being put in rooms.
Frog was silent as the dragons in the room seemed to stare at nothing, and never look away. He was the only dragonet. "Hey, what's happening?" He asked the older dragons. A Grasswing started to cry as soon as Frog spoke.
A large Sandwing began to throw himself at the metal doorway, which had been locked shut. "YOU COWARDS!" He shouted through it as he rammed into the reinforced metal. "YOU DAMN KILLERS!" He rammed against it once more, and made a dent in the metal.
Frog looked up as he heard a switch-like noise, and then a blast of heat attacked the dragons in the room. The older dragons began to scream and yell. Frog just sat there as the heat became worse, and worse, and worse.
He didn't know what was going on. He was simply too young. All he knew was that it was getting really, really hot.
The Grasswing who had cried was the first to drop as the scales of the dragons began to burn. Frog screamed. The heat didn't relent. Frog fell to the ground as it consumed him, and the dragons began to crumple and cease, and the heat of humanity's hate burned and held superiority over the dragons.
. . .
Swordfish was silent as the relics were brought out to the ornate wooden cross that had been placed in the center of the grand hall of the palace. He was sitting in a section that had the other soldiers that had found the relics. The whole room was filled with nervous chattering. Humans and dragons lined the entire great hall. Swordfish just focused on the cross with the ring around it. There was a symbol within the circle that looked like two triangles on top of each other, pointing in different directions to make a star. Apparently, this symbol within the ring was called a "Star of the Goddesses."
Swordfish couldn't help but wonder if Polar had been correct all that time ago, when she said that the Power of Hamza was better left alone. But now, it seemed like she didn't care as much. Maybe she had realized that there was no other way Old Monarchy could win the war.
The Queen walked out of a corridor, surrounded by royal guards, and behind her walked a priest, and behind him, three highly decorated soldiers, each carrying the relics on ornate pillows. As the entourage of Arnish royalty, including Hecate's mother, son, and daughter, walked through, the crowd fell silent.
As the soldiers stepped into the ring, one by one, the relics flew off of the pillows and began revolving around the cross, just as they had done in the cavern. Queen Hecate took off her crown and stepped into one of the arms of the star inside the ring. She knelt, and Swordfish noted how humble she looked for a queen.
The priest took his place at a podium, and took out an old and worn book. An ancient copy of The Holy Words. You could have cut the tension with a knife. The priest cleared his throat. He looked worried.
"O diva, celebrate faventes nobiscum et divinam potentiam tuam!" He said in his accented, ancient, papery voice. The relics began to revolve faster. "Congregem fructus descensu rursum hominem de paradiso unde pater tuus!" Hecate took a deep breath. Swordfish felt Blizzard nervously shift in her seat, and close her eyes tight. "Ipsi enim scitis quod ius peccandi pacem super terram!" Swordfish felt a chill go down his spine. "Adducere descendit pluvia novae prophetam!"
With the last word, the cross glowed with a bright, white light, and then burst into purple flames. The relics were spinning so fast now, they looked like one object. A ring. A halo. Queen Hecate screamed as her eyes glowed with the same purple light, light like the sunlight coming through the leaf windows of the Jade Mountain library.
The palace began to tremble, and the onlookers began pouring out of the great hall and into the courtyard, where shouting could be heard. Swordfish didn't need to go outside to know what was happening. He could see out one of the many, large windows, and had a pretty good view of the night sky.
There was no longer one singular moon. Two others had joined it. Luna had been reunited with her sisters. "Three… moons…" Vulture said under his breath. Anthony looked at the sight with a mixture of amazement and horror.
Some people tried to rush to the Queen, but the royal guards blocked their path. "We mustn't interfere with the ceremony!" Cried the priest. "Literally only the Goddesses know what will happen!" Swordfish stared at the Queen, and suddenly found himself thinking about Coral, and her reported plan to use Anemone to win the war. He shuddered, imagining what would happen if Coral had this kind of power. Actually, ANY of the Pyrrhian queens getting this kind of power would be a horrible event for everyone.
Swordfish looked up at the two new moons. All three Goddesses were watching now. Swordfish thought back to Seilbrenner's speech in the cavern. "What if we are the ants?" The people and dragons of the world were now being watched by something much larger, and much more powerful than them, just like ants being watched by a boy. The power to crush them all, or let them live.
A bolt of lightning suddenly shot out of the top of the cross, and blasted a hole through the roof of the palace. The onlookers shrieked as the piece of ceiling fell to the ground just beyond the Star of the Goddesses.
And then, three apparitions descended from the air above the Star. Three arms. Not quite dragon, not quite human. Each had a symbol on their hand. The Goddesses themselves were reaching down from the heavens. The onlookers were silenced. Swordfish couldn't feel his own head. He felt like he was a marionette puppet on strings, and up until now, he had been animated and moving, but now the puppeteer from above was yanking on the string, and pulling him back up.
Blizzard fell to the ground started violently convulsing as everyone else rose and stood, their eyes glued to the arms from above. Swordfish wanted to help Blizzard, but he couldn't. His body was no longer his own.
The three arms reached down to Hecate and touched her head. A strange, screaming noise ripped through the silence. Swordfish couldn't feel his own thoughts. He was nothing. He was an ant, a puppet, nothing. These god-like beings were all.
And then it ended. The three arms retracted as fast as they had come down, and then everyone was back. Blizzard quickly stood up, and Hecate fell to the ground. The royal guard rushed to her side, but she assured them she was fine. "Your majesty," Asked the priest. "How do you feel?"
"Alright… I guess." Hecate said. Her voice sounded strained. "I feel this… weird tingle in my hands…" Swordfish looked outside. The three moons were there. Swordfish suddenly found it strange, and even stranger that this seemed unnatural, despite the fact Swordfish had grown up with three moons. "So… this is how… it happened." Rattlesnake said in a whisper. Vine looked up at the moons, and Swordfish saw their light reflect in her eyes.
"What is it Hecate?" Asked Solberg. "What is the Power of Hamza?" Hecate got to her feet, and looked at the relics that were laying on the ground around the cross, which was now blackened and burned. Hecate pointed at the necklace. She shut her eyes, and the necklace suddenly sprung up, like someone invisible had picked it up, and it gently floated over to Hecate's outstretched hand. She grabbed the necklace and opened her eyes.
Vulture made a noise like a sharp inhale. The rest of the room gasped in awe. Swordfish watched in amazement and horror. He had realized what this was, and a bead of sweat trickled down his face.
"Earring, come to me." Hecate said, and the Earring of Sola did the same thing the necklace did. "…Is that…" Vine began in a whisper, but stopped. "…Animus…" Blizzard whispered in awe. Swordfish blinked multiple times. The Power of Hamza… was animus. Not only was this the arrival of the second and third moons, but it was also the creation of what was known back in Pyrrhia as animus magic.
"Is that all it can do?" Asked a voice with an Otkhod accent from the crowd. "No, Sokolovsky." Hecate said. "I can enchant anything I want to do whatever I want… I know this sounds weird, but it's like… there's a voice telling me how to use it." "Hamza…" Muttered the crowd in awe. "…Is this animus magic?" Marie asked. "Yes…" Vulture answered in a hushed voice. "I always wondered about it… I thought it came from Icewings…" "It did." Blizzard said. "At least… that's how it came to Pyrrhia."
Vine suddenly leapt to her feet and took flight. "Your majesty!" She cried. "Hey! Vine!" Swordfish said harshly. "That's… animus! It was where we were! If you use it too much… you go insane! You kill!" Vine cried again. "What… are you…?" Asked Hecate, furrowing her brow and looking up at the dragonets with concern.
"Your majesty." Vulture said. "What she's trying to say is that where we come from, the future, as you most likely heard, that power already exists. It's called animus magic, and if you use it too much, you go insane, and start killing everyone."
Silence fell over the great hall again, but it quickly broke into muttering. Swordfish looked as a man in a blanket pushed through the crowds. Swordfish recognized him as the old man he had seen earlier before meeting Anthony. Swordfish watched him curiously as Vulture tried to explain animus magic to the crowd.
"It's passed down through the bloodlines." Vulture said. "So if Hecate has a child, he or she will have the power?" Asked somebody. "Maybe!" Vulture cried. Swordfish was still watching the man. He was making a beeline for the cross… no… He was going straight for Hecate. "Hey…" Swordfish said, pointing down towards the man. Michael turned and looked as well. "Wait… what is a dirty man like him doing here? How did he get past the guards?" Swordfish turned and looked at one of the posted guards at the entrance to the great hall. He was on the ground, dead, his torso blackened and burned. Nobody had noticed, they were so wrapped up in what was happening.
"Hey!" Michael yelled as loud as he could, pointing to the man. Swordfish heard Blizzard inhale sharply behind him, and then grab his wing and yank him away. "We need to go. Now." She said. Her eyes were wide and she looked like she was about to vomit. "What is it?" Rattlesnake asked. "I… he… We need to run! NOW!"
Swordfish turned and began to run as he heard shouting and yelling, and then a gunshot, and then a high-pitched noise. Swordfish was momentarily reminded of his horror surrounding that noise. The noise of a Demon approaching. And then the Great Hall exploded as Camael transformed out of his disguise and into his full size.
. . .
Camael rose to full height above the palace walls. The explosion destroying the very foundation of the building. The ringing sound that accompanied a Demon's transformation echoed throughout the entire city. Fire exploded outward and the entire palace vicinity burst into flames. The smoke rose into the air in a mushroom shape. People and dragons disappeared before their shadows did. The plan was set in motion. This was the signal to the Camaelist soldiers.
All across the area, dragons who had been posing as Old Monarchy dragons with stolen armbands suddenly shed the armbands and attacked. It was part of the plan to strike at the heart. Camael had gotten the information he needed from the Demon King, and now it was time to kill off Old Monarchy once and for all. Humanity would be destroyed now.
General Solberg woke up. He was pinned underneath a large panel of wood. Everything hurt, but he was too awestruck by what had happened around him to care. The Great Hall was destroyed. As Camael walked away, Solberg saw the bodies. Sokolovsky, Okafor, Wanderfalke. Their bodies around him were blackened and burned. Except Meltzer, who had been impaled by a beam. His blood leaked onto the floor. "…General…" He said weakly, and then choked on what Solberg presumed to be his own blood. His arm went limp.
The royal family and the priest had been incinerated almost instantly. Solberg had no idea where the queen was, or if she was even alive. Solberg couldn't see the cross anymore. The relics could have been destroyed. The smoke began to get thicker, and Solberg began coughing. He couldn't move. He couldn't move the panel keeping him down.
"General!" Called a voice from beyond the smoke. Solberg looked up to see two dragons flying towards him. A Skywing and a Rockwing. But Solberg's hope was crushed when the Rockwing suddenly spun around and slashed the Skywing's throat open. He tore off his armband and began flying towards the general, smoke beginning to pour out of his mouth. He landed nearby Solberg, who looked up at the large dragon with horror.
A series of gunshots suddenly pierced through the terror, and the Rockwing was hit with bullets from all sides. A group of Dieautish soldiers ran up to Solberg while others ran towards the dead dragon. "Tout est clair! Sauvez le général et partez!" Yelled a soldier. They began lifting the wooden panel and helping the old man out of the pile of rubble he was in. "Solberg…" Said the voice of Commander Dufort. Solberg looked up at the man. "They're all dead." Solberg said. Dufort looked at the horrific scene of the various personnel who were now dead, who had just been in the meeting earlier that day.
. . .
Suzu Tanaka's home village was in ruins. She had been allowed to return home after the failure at Paisland, but Camaelists had attacked her village. The homes were destroyed, and the bodies of the victims were laying around, burned and blackened.
Suzu had tears in her eyes. She already assumed the worst, but she couldn't bear to think about it. She kept thinking every noise was Angela calling out for her, seeing her and telling Suzu she was alright, and being more concerned about her than herself.
But when she rounded a corner. Her eyes widened. Everything she fought for, everything she had done for a happy ending suddenly descended down from the sky and plummeted into her soul. All the dragons she had hurt. All the people. She believed it was for the greater good. But now that she saw what had been done, she realized that it had all been for nothing, because she wasn't even there to stop it in the end.
Suzu Tanaka fell to her knees, letting her rifle slip off her shoulder and onto the ground. It hit the ground with a clank. Angela Weis was headless and laying in the grass as the ravens who were eating the body flew away.
So… this is what fighting does… nothing. If I did what I did or if I didn't, it wouldn't have mattered. This would have happened anyway. Even if I was here, and not out there… I would have been unarmed… Angela would die anyway…
Suzu turned and looked at the rifle. She had taken so many innocent souls, hadn't she? Wouldn't it be a good thing to take a guilty one this time? Wouldn't it be nice?
. . .
Swordfish inhaled and immediately began coughing from inhaling dust. "Swordfish!" Cried a voice. Swordfish was turned over by Rattlesnake. She was scratched up and had black soot on her face. "Three moons… what happened?" Swordfish groaned, getting to his feet, but all it took was one look at the destruction around him, and he remembered.
"Oh…" Swordfish said, and turned and looked around. It seemed like the whole city was on fire, which it might have been. Everyone Swordfish had been watching the ceremony with was gathered behind a chunk of building that had fallen. Blizzard stood at the edge, peeking around a corner. The soot and smoke dirtying her white scales.
"Camael." She said. "He is a Demon. He transformed right in the middle of the palace." A roar suddenly shook the ground. "This will be the end of Arnia." Marie said with dread seeping from her voice.
"Damn it! I can't see anything!" Blizzard said. "I have no idea who's alive. The smoke is too thick." "What if Hecate died?" Vine worried. "Then so be it!" Polar barked. "Arnia can live without a queen." Polar had somehow gotten her claws on a mobile rifle, and was loading it as she spoke. "That explosion should have alerted every Old Monarchy soldier kilometers from here, and with the amount of leaders and other important figures that gathered here for the relics meeting, there will be plenty of reinforcements coming. Buckombe isn't going down without a fight."
"Wait!" Should we keep our armbands on, or take them off?" Vulture asked. "Why would we do that?" Azure asked, and Vulture pointed up to the sky. Up above the smoke, Swordfish could see the shapes of dragons fighting. Camaelist soldiers had arrived with Camael.
"Well, if you take them off, you'll look like enemies to your own side, but Camaelists won't attack you. If you keep them on, nothing changes." Anthony said. "We keep them on." Polar said. "Once the reinforcements come, the battle will turn in Old Monarchy's favor, and we don't want to get killed by own forces. We keep them on." Polar paused. "And that's an order. Now come on. Let's use the smoke while it's here to go get weapons."
"But… we don't know what's in there." Vulture said, gesturing to the thick smoke with his wing. "Well, if we just stay here, we'll eventually get caught." Rattlesnake snapped. "Now is not the time to get scared, Vulture." Swordfish kept staring at the smoke. He could only see fire through the smog. Everything was on fire. A word suddenly appeared in Swordfish's head. Scorching.
If this is the end of the world… If everything about this world is about to come tumbling down… What's the point in going? Why shouldn't I just stay here? "I learned to always keep pressing forward. To not give up. Persistence." Millard Steele's advice echoed through Swordfish's mind. If he gave up, he wouldn't be able to open that chest and find out what the world was hiding from him.
Swordfish opened his wings and took flight. He heard Polar behind him, and everyone else behind her, with Anthony, Marie, and Michael riding dragonback. "Let me get in front." Polar said. "You may have the night vision, but I have the gun." Swordfish hadn't even thought about his night vision. He forgot just how dark it must have been for everyone else. "Just… tell me if you see anything." Polar said, and for the first time, Swordfish heard something like fear in her voice.
The group set out for the police station that Polar said had weapons hidden in it. Swordfish looked around through the smoke at objects as they got closer. He saw the burned corpses of a mother holding her two children. A Camaelist soldier lying dead on the street. A collapsed apartment building, which Swordfish could only imagine was filled with ex-residents. Death surrounded them inside the smoke.
Vine was the first one to start coughing, and it soon began to spread to everyone. "Take a right down this street and it should be on our left." Polar said to Swordfish. "Why do we need weapons?" Vine asked. "If the Camaelists fight without weapons, and back on Pyrrhia you could fight without weapons, what's the point in getting them?" "If you have something the Camaelists don't, the battle turns in your favor." Michael responded.
The three humans were left off at the door, and the dragons entered through the roof. Another explosion shook the ground. Swordfish grabbed onto the wall for safety. A large mirror hung on one of the walls, and Swordfish turned to look at himself.
His eyes looked dark and sunken. He looked weak, which he was. Swordfish had not been in contact with water except for drinking for days. His face was covered in soot and ash, and he had scratches on him from the debris from the explosion. Looking at himself sent a shiver down his spine. He didn't look like himself. The scariest thing about it was the shaking of his pupils. Staring into them, Swordfish found himself beginning to tremble. He looked down, and then back up. A human was staring back at him. Black hair and green eyes.
Swordfish reeled away from the mirror and got ahold of himself. His sudden scraping of claws on the floor made Blizzard turn around and look at him. "What's wrong?" She asked, and Swordfish realized that she looked dirty and tired too. All of them did. Swordfish just hadn't examined himself in so long, he hadn't realized he looked pretty awful.
"The nightmares… will they ever stop?" He asked rhetorically. They all knew what he was talking about. The grotesque transformation of Nikita Petrov had been engraved in their minds. Another explosion suddenly shook the building, and this time, a roar accompanied it.
"The Camaelists and Black Star both think they are above the other race. They are both unaware that dragons and humans are one and the same." Vulture said with something like a chuckle. "…hahahaha…"
Polar was the only one there that hadn't witnessed the horrific use of the Dagger of Luna. She had only heard the story from everyone else. She said nothing.
They finally came across a dark room. Rattlesnake grabbed a nearby oil lamp and lit it with her breath. The room was filled with weapons. Anthony, Marie, and Michael were just seconds behind them, quickly running up the creaky wooden stairs.
Swordfish removed his satchel and quickly equipped dual rifles to his forearms, strapping the belts as tight as he could around his scales. Swordfish saw Blizzard digging out another pair of those bladed gauntlets out of a wooden crate. When everyone had gotten something that would increase their chance of survival, Polar glanced around the room. "Alright, the goal is simple. We take back the palace, or what's left of it. Reinforcements should be arriving soon." "What do we do about Camael?" Swordfish asked. "Simple. We kill him, or he kills us." Polar responded. "I… don't think it will be that easy." Blizzard said darkly. "He's a Demon. They're not exactly something we can just shoot." "A what?" Azure asked, and Swordfish realized she had no idea what a Demon was.
"Well… let's just say Camael isn't really a dragon." Vulture said grimly. "We can explain later." After a second of uneasy silence, another rumble shook the room. "We need to go." Blizzard said, and the soldiers ran out of the room, quickly leaving the building. When Swordfish ran past the mirror again, he quickly glanced at his reflection. Still me.
When the dragons got to the roof, the smoke had begun to clear, and they could see the battle raging around them. Three moons glaring through the smog above. Dragon fought dragon, sometimes with humans on their backs. Anti-dragon artillery on the roofs of buildings fired round after round. Platoons of soldiers marched on the ground and civilians, human and dragon alike, escaped the carnage together.
Dead bodies were scattered among the city streets. Buildings had been reduced to rubble and fires raged. The massive shape of Camael towered over it all, the monstrous dragon slowly marching through the church spires, building tops, and factory smokestacks. As the mist of the smoke enveloped Buckombe and the sound of roaring, screaming, gunshots, and explosions echoed through it, Swordfish took in a deep breath and felt the horror surround him. For some reason, it didn't scare him in that moment. It felt like something Swordfish couldn't describe. Almost something like exacting revenge. Now, everyone was experiencing that kind of psyche-destroying horror. It wasn't just him. Everyone here was facing the destruction of their world as they knew it. Swordfish's fear was no longer just his own.
The dragons ascended into the sky, and Swordfish's strange feeling turned once more back into fear. He felt like he was going to vomit. The sky was beginning to turn orange with the fire.
As the dragons flew back towards the center of Buckombe, Polar shot at a dragon who leapt out of the smoke. She had fast reaction time, and had quickly flicked towards the sound of the attacker and fired without a second thought. It had ended up being an Aniwing dragonet who didn't look older than three. She had a bullet hole through her skull and a look of fear plastered on her bloodied face. She had been forced into Camaelism, and she had died for it. If Polar felt bad about killing her, she did a good job of concealing it. "Come on, let's go. We can't ponder it for too long." She said as Rattlesnake stared into the dragonet's eyes. Much to Swordfish's surprise, Vine didn't seem as upset by it as Rattlesnake did. She just looked at the dragonet's face solemnly for a moment.
"It's horrible what they do." Michael said quietly. "Dragons like that are too young to form an opinion for themselves, and so they end up dying for their parents' agenda."
"OVER HERE!" Cried a voice. It was another squad of Old Monarchy soldiers. They beckoned the group towards them. Swordfish looked around. More squadrons were flying in the same direction. Polar led the group towards the other soldiers. Swordfish looked down. Human soldiers were running down the streets towards the palace as well. The reinforcements had come.
They met on the roof of a factory. "Over here!" Called a voice. As the dragons turned a corner they saw General Solberg on the ground, leaning against a smokestack. He had long burns down his body and blood was coming out of his mouth. His arm was wrapped in bandages. He had one eye open. "You all survived." He said, amazed. "I thought everyone there… was dead." "We were close enough to one of the exit halls to run away." Blizzard said.
As more dragons landed on the roof, and more people ascended the staircases to the roof, Commander Dufort of Dieautel, and King Anklaer of Piek stood up and addressed the crowd. "We only have one plan." Dufort said. "We must kill Camael. If we fail, we die, and Old Monarchy will begin to collapse." "But how do we kill him?" Asked a voice from the crowd. "He burns everything that gets near him!"
"Well… we have to try!" Cried Anklaer. "We must try. Is it not better to go out fighting than to sit back and get killed without pushing back?" "But that's… suicide!" Yelled another voice, fear trembling through her voice. "Are you telling us to kill ourselves?" "No no no no… there has to be a better way…" Vulture muttered. "Even if we can't kill him… is there a way to imprison him?"
Camael suddenly roared. The soldiers turned around to see what looked like a large two-pronged lance lift into the air. It looked like it was made out of stone. The lance aimed at Camael's heart, and burst forward at high speed, making a beeline straight for the heart. It was going for the kill.
Camael swiped at the lance with his claw, but it still sunk into his arm. He roared and sent fire raining down on the city. "TAKE COVER!" Cried a voice. Swordfish slammed his back to one of the smokestacks as the fire went sailing over his head. The flames landed on the street, setting a tree ablaze. A nearby roar suddenly startled Swordfish. A Seawing landed on the roof opposite the Old Monarchy forces. He was large. He saw the soldiers gathered on the roof and turned to fly away and alert his superiors, or possibly Camael, when he suddenly stopped.
The soldiers watched in horror as the Seawing suddenly froze. He began to scream, but he stopped. It was weird, like someone had plugged up his mouth one second after he began screaming. He fell down, and his body fell off the roof. He landed on the street with a loud bone-breaking sound.
Where he had been standing on the roof, now sat a woman in a torn and burned white dress. She had scratches and burn marks down her face, but she was alive. "Hecate!" Cried a voice, and a cheer went up from the soldiers, especially the Arnish ones.
A dragon flew over to her and took her over to the soldiers. "Did you kill that Seawing without even touching him?" A soldier asked, amazed. "Yes." Hecate replied. "The Power of Hamza allows me to make anything do whatever I tell it to… even living things." "Can you bring the dead back to life?" Asked a Nightwing. "I'm not sure…" Hecate said quietly. "I haven't thought about that. I've only had the powers for…" "Is that why Sola and Eclis are here?" Asked a voice. "Yes." Hecate said.
Hecate told the soldiers what had happened. Camael had snuck into the ceremony where she inherited the Power of Hamza. He transformed and destroyed everything, including the rest of the royal family. Hecate had formed a kind of protective shell around herself just in time, enchanting the floor around her into an unbreakable shield. She had come out and saw the devastation, and tried to kill Camael by enchanting part of a building to turn into a weapon to kill Camael. "That lance was yours?" Asked Dufort. "Yes. But in order for me to kill Camael, he can't see it coming. It needs to go into the heart." "Is it heat resistant?" Croaked Solberg. "Yes." Hecate said, sadly looking at Solberg. "Wait… let me try…" Hecate walked over to the general and bent down. Solberg coughed up blood, which stained Hecate's burned dress. "I'm sorry… your majesty…" He said weakly. "Enchant this man's wounds to heal themselves painlessly." Hecate said with urgency.
Solberg gasped as his wounds began to heal. The crowd watched with awe, but their moment of amazement was interrupted by the anti-dragon artillery suddenly firing. With a roar, a Grasswing fell out of the sky, her stomach peppered with holes.
"Alright…" Solberg said, standing up. "I need all strategists. We're going to find a way to take down Camael." A few humans and dragons began walking towards the general. "Where's that Skywing from the future who figured out how to destroy the tanks?" Asked Solberg. Vulture inhaled sharply and began shrinking back, hiding behind the large shape of Polar, who dragged him out and pushed him forward. "He's here, general." She said. Vulture didn't move, but Rattlesnake gave him a gentle push forward, and he slowly made his way up to the general.
"Now… he proves himself useful. He always had it in him." Polar said to Michael quietly. Swordfish looked up at Vulture who kept sending nervous glances back at Swordfish and the others. The soldiers fell silent as the strategists talked in a hush. Vine was invited by some other Rainwings to do an invisible patrol of the area. "Swordfish." Anthony said in a whisper. He looked scared. "What happened to your satchel? The one with the code in it?"
Swordfish made a small noise of horror when he realized he had left it back at the police station. Nonononononono. "We'll just go back and get it after the general announces the plan." Anthony said.
Up by the general, Vulture and Solberg were talking, and it seemed like everyone else was listening. The general stepped out next to Hecate in front of the crowd and everyone fell silent. "All dragons will carry humans to all nearby buildings with large smokestacks. The humans will go and start the furnaces, and the dragons will separate into six groups and go above Mullberry Street, and use their wings to blow as much smoke as they can in the direction of Camael. Some dragonback soldiers will protect the dragons from Camaelist soldiers. Once Camael is successfully blinded, Hecate will create another lance and strike him while he's blind. We will have to move fast, or Camael may use those wings of his to fly away, or blow the smoke away. We will station a mind-reading Nightwing at every group of dragons blowing smoke. Once everyone's smoke has reached Camael, everyone must think as loud as they can, 'smoke ready.' Each Nightwing will hear this message and relay it to the others. Once all groups have gave the message, a Nightwing with Hecate will tell her to fire the lance."
The crowd muttered anxiously. It was a risky plan. It wasn't guaranteed to work. But there was no better plan. Hecate's magic was their best bet, and they needed to blind Camael for it to work. Swordfish began to worry about Hecate's soul, but apparently, Rattlesnake was too. "Your majesty!" She suddenly called. "Do you feel cold at all? Shivers going down your spine?" "No." Hecate replied. "Why do you ask?"
"Alright, let's go!" Said Dufort. "OLD MONARCHY FOREVER!" Cried Solberg, and the soldiers repeated the cry, but it was just a cry. A cry that echoed and died in the destruction of the night.
. . .
Brittaney Colens held back a cry. She entered her apartment late at night to find Calvin Abrams, head of the Black Star police, and six police, each with pistols aimed at her chest. "I have to say I'm surprised Brittaney." Abrams said, his voice slithering through the silent apartment like a snake. "You have always done such a good job of silencing the right people. But now, not only is a group that still supports Jergens still making noise, but the Prophet tells me that you have been giving them money for a while now." "What… who told him that?" Brittaney asked desperately. "It wasn't me! It was Gordon Thessali! I spoke with the Prophet this morning! He told me to silence him!" "Well, Axton Lloyd does not lie." Abrams hissed. "So why are you accusing him of doing exactly that?"
"Because I'm not the one you should be cornering! I sent my men to shut up everyone connected to Thessali right after my meeting! Are you sure you didn't hear incorrectly?" Brittaney pleaded, beginning to sweat. The police hadn't taken their pistols off her. "'Brittaney Colens, our very own head of press, has faked the silencing of a group that supported Jergens overthrowing me by blaming Gordon Thessali. Not only that, she has been funding them behind our backs, according to our top detectives.'" Abrams said. "That is what he told me."
Brittaney Colens said nothing. She looked at the ground. Axton Lloyd was doing this on purpose. He was eliminating his cabinet members by tricking them into killing each other. And then her loyalty was gone. The treasonous side of her brain took control. "So, answer me truthfully, Brittaney. Are you still loyal to humanity? To Black Star?" Brittaney picked her head up and looked at Calvin Abrams, smiling. "How long until they come for you, Calvin? Now you answer me truthfully, Calvin. Are you?"
Calvin Abrams lifted his arm and gave the signal to fire. All six pistols shot at the same time. Brittaney's blood spattered onto the wall behind her from different directions. She died, smiling. "Sorry, I couldn't stand hearing the devil speak anymore." Abrams said gruffly, but with a little anxiety. What if she had been right? What if he wouldn't survive tonight?
. . .
Swordfish flew with Anthony on his back. The smoke had really began to clear up since Camael appeared. His large shape in the distance was still walking forward, and Swordfish couldn't help but wonder about the other soldiers on the other side of Camael, who were probably getting slaughtered.
"Right here." Anthony said as Swordfish made a turn down a side street. "Hey! Where are you going?" Asked Vine. "I forgot my satchel at the police station!" Swordfish called. "I'll be right back!" Swordfish turned a corner and the army of soldiers flew out of sight. "Do they know I gave you the code yet?" Anthony asked. "No… I haven't told them yet." Swordfish replied guiltily. "Why not?" Anthony asked, surprised. "Because one day someone told me, 'only trust those you are absolutely sure you can.'"
"Do you not trust them?" Anthony asked. "Aren't they your friends?" "They are." Swordfish stated. "Then why don't you tell them the truth?" Anthony pressed. "Can you really call them friends if you can't trust them?" "I do trust them!" Swordfish cried. "I just… get paranoid sometimes. My clawmate… er, roommate makes more sense for you, Cedar turned out to be a crazed serial killer. My friend Savanna was secretly part of a cult that wanted to use me to end Pyrrhia. I know that after everything that's happened here… I can trust these dragons, but damn it I still get scared! Especially when it's something like this. It seems like the world itself doesn't want me to open that chest or get any closer to figuring it out! And now, it finally can't run from me. I will open that chest."
"What if what lies beyond that chest will make the world worse? What if Rainfall locked that knowledge away for a reason?" Anthony asked. "Will you still open it?" Swordfish was silent.
"Would… you really put your own personal goals over the safety of everyone else?" "No." Swordfish said quietly. "Rainfall obviously wanted me to open that chest. It wouldn't be something bad." But he said as if Anthony wasn't the only one he was convincing.
Swordfish landed on the roof of the police station. "Come on. Quickly now." Anthony said. "I'll keep watch out here. Just go in and get it." The man slipped off Swordfish's back, but he suddenly made a noise like something had surprised him. "Swordfish! Behind us!" He whispered urgently. Swordfish turned around to see the shape of a dragonet watching them from a few buildings away. They wore no mobile rifles or armor of any kind, which meant they were a Camaelist. The dragon made a strange, bowing motion, and Swordfish could see that it was a Grasswing. Swordfish suddenly got a horrible thought.
"You know Swordfish, I wondered where you went after Old Monarchy attacked our army. I really thought you died. Blizzard too. But when Tornado died, I really thought it was over for me. Us new recruits weren't going to last a week. When we went back to the cave, I was alone. Neither you, nor Tornado were alive. You had both been killed by Old Monarchy. I thought this would be revenge."
Barley spread his wings and began flying towards Swordfish and Anthony. "But here you are." He said bitterly. "So tell me, why did Tornado have to die?" Anthony made a cry of surprise as if he just now realized where he had heard the name Tornado before.
"Barley… I don't want to kill you." Swordfish said with helplessness. "And I don't want to kill you, but I guess I don't have any other choice." Barley snarled. Anthony rolled away from Swordfish as Barley descended upon Swordfish and swiped at him with his claws. "Watch out for his gas breath!" Anthony warned from across the roof. Barley twisted his head to look at Anthony. "Oh, is this your human 'friend?' You truly are blind if you can't see he despises you for your scales, your horns, your blood."
Swordfish reacted quickly as Barley swung at him with his claw. Swordfish aimed the gun up at the Grasswing. He put his claw on the trigger. And then something stopped him. Looking at Barley's face reminded him of the kindness he had when Swordfish and Blizzard infiltrated the Camaelist base. The image of Anthony killing Tornado flickered through his mind like a lightning bolt.
He couldn't kill Barley. Knowing the dragon behind the snarling face now in front of him, Swordfish couldn't get himself to pull the trigger.
When Swordfish was younger and the War of Sandwing Succession was raging, the world was black and white. The Seawings and any Sandwings supporting Blister were correct, and everyone else was wrong. This was helped by Urchin, Starfish, and the Seawing propaganda that surrounded Swordfish when he was younger. The war chants that were performed above water that stirred the blood and reminded you your loyalty was to the soil and waters you were born in. Your ancestry battled to protect these lands, this tribe.
But things were simple. It seemed so obvious who was bad and who was good. When the Dragonets of Destiny rose out of the prophecy and into real life, the world changed. When Blaze won the war, it wasn't the end of the war that Pyrrhia truly gained. It was the abandonment of this black and white view the tribes had. Luckily, no real conflicts had arisen since the end of the war other than the Hunt for Prince Winter, which the Seawings played no part in.
When Swordfish was faced with the reveal of Savanna's allegiance to the Darkist Grandmaster, he wasn't in control. The Darkists had the upper hand. He couldn't possibly fight back. He had no intention, nor the need to kill Savanna, or Farseer for that matter. Swordfish was at their mercy. It was never him who had struck the killing blow. Swordfish had believed in negotiation and stopping violence with words, like the romantic stories of pacifists he had read in scrolls when he was a young dragonet, much to his father's disapproval.
But now, the means to kill were his. He was alone in this situation, save Anthony. This war had proven it was beyond peaceful resolution. Black Star and the Camaelists were entrenched in their own beliefs of superiority, and there was no room for negotiations. This was all-out war. No prophesized dragonets were going to escape a cave and repair all the hate.
The means to kill were Swordfish's. The enemy was a dragon Swordfish knew the good side of. If he did not fight back, he would die at this dragon's hand. He would have to kill Barley, or die. And he couldn't get himself to pull the trigger.
Another roar shook the ground as Camael sent another brigade of flames down upon Buckombe. Barley roared and shot a blast of gas at Swordfish's face. Swordfish took to the sky before inhaling, and Barley followed.
"There is still hope for you Swordfish!" Barley cried. "I know you aren't an evil dragon. I know you have intelligence. Reject humanity. They have no place in this world anymore. Our scales and talons are what this world was built for." Barley had an intensity in his eyes that reminded Swordfish of his brother. "All you need to do is kill your friend. Sever the tie to humanity, and you will be a true dragon."
Swordfish heard Anthony yell beneath the dragonets. "He won't do that! He's not blinded by hate like you are!" Barley attacked Swordfish once more, and this time, his claws sunk into Swordfish's shoulder. Swordfish screamed and whirled around to shoot Barley, but froze once more.
What are you doing? Barley has military training! He will kill you! Anthony is in no place to help you! Swordfish berated himself in his mind. "It's your hesitation that makes me believe." Barley said. "You don't want to kill me. I don't want to kill you either, but I will if I have to. So you have a choice, rid yourself of your chains and become free, or die."
"Barley, we will never be free of humanity." Swordfish said. "Dragons are humans. Humans transformed by the power of Luna. That's why, no matter how much you try, the world will never be free of them." Barley twisted his head to look up at the moons. "No… that's impossible." He said. "This is some kind of psych-out, isn't it?" "I witnessed a woman turn into a dragon after being exposed to the Dagger of Luna." Swordfish said. "Since then… I've had dreams. They feel like memories. We are humans."
"LIAR!" Barley shrieked, and then flew at Swordfish at full speed. He sliced into Swordfish's chest with his claws. Swordfish screamed and fell to the ground with a bone-shattering crack. Everything hurt.
Swordfish once more rose the guns into the air to shoot Barley, but he was moving slowly with his injuries. Barley ripped the guns off Swordfish's arms and tossed them off the side of the building. Anthony ran towards the Grasswing, ready to kill, but Barley caught the human with his tail. Anthony grunted and shot the two shotguns at the dragonet's tail. The shells at that range successfully tore off the end of the tail. Barley screamed and flicked Anthony off the side as well with his back talons. Anthony screamed as he fell.
"…no." Swordfish wheezed as Barley's cringing face started to fade out of view. "So… you really did care about that worm." Barley said weakly, and with what sounded like sadness. "I'm sorry." Swordfish blacked out as Barley raised his talon to slit Swordfish's throat.
Swordfish was suddenly human again, and falling down an infinite tunnel. In front of him was Rainfall's chest. Swordfish reached out for it with his hand, yet it was always too far away. Suddenly, the arm of a Seawing formed over his human arm. He still felt his real arm beneath the scales, but the arm of the dragon was large enough to grab the chest. Upon grabbing it, the chest opened, and then Swordfish was awake.
If I die here, the world wins. The chest remains shut.
Swordfish felt something twitch in his arm. "I really thought you were a dragon." Barley muttered, about to strike. "Well, you were wrong." Swordfish said suddenly with perfect clarity. "I am human." And then Swordfish sliced forward with speed and intensity he had never shown before. The kind of speed Starfish had that Swordfish could never hope to match. And then red blood began to pour out of Barley's throat. The Grasswing collapsed on top of Swordfish, and Swordfish blacked out as his wounds bled. Swordfish could almost see the face of Urchin, smiling.
Anthony had landed on the awning of a building. He sat up with a groan. He was sore. Anthony suddenly remembered what had happened. He carefully slipped off the awning and onto a table that had been placed outside as part of a kiosk. Anthony entered the police station and quickly ran up the wooden stairs once more. He ran into the room the weapons had been in. Luckily, Rattlesnake's oil lantern was still lit. Swordfish's satchel lay on a wooden crate in a corner. Anthony grabbed it. It was a bit large for him, belonging to a dragonet and all, but he still managed to get it.
Anthony ran past a mirror and up the stairs leading to the roof. Swordfish was laying down on the roof, his wounds bleeding quite badly. The Grasswing, Barley, was laying on top of him, dead. Anthony pried Barley loose and the body fell to the street below, landing with a horrific crunching noise.
"Swordfish! Are you alright?!" Anthony cried. "Anthony… remember when I was angry at you for killing him?" Swordfish said weakly without opening his eyes.
. . .
Rattlesnake watched Camael continue destroying the city in the distance with horror. The forces of Old Monarchy flew towards the factories to drop off humans to get the smoke going. "Do you really think this will work?" She asked Marie. "It's all we've got." Marie answered solemnly. "If this doesn't work… we will die."
Rattlesnake couldn't help but think about her earring. The one Savanna had given her so long ago. It was buried under rubble somewhere, through the fire and the flames. Would she ever get it back? And now that she knew it had special powers…
No. It's not important. You'll be better off destroying all relations with Savanna. He's gone. Part of her brain said. Yet… it was just over there…
Rattlesnake landed on the street next to one of the factories and Marie got off her back. "Trabaja rapido." Said a Rockwing next to Rattlesnake. The humans ran into the factory, aiming their weapons into the dark out of paranoia as lanterns were lit.
Rattlesnake turned and flew back towards Mullberry Street, where she met up with Vine and Azure. "Where are Polar and Michael?" She asked the Seawing. "They're protecting one of the factories from any Camaelist soldiers who might attack." She responded. "When do we start blowing smoke?" Vine asked. "When that building starts smoking." Azure said, pointing to the factory Marie had entered.
Soon enough, the sound of the factory working began to churn out of the building, and the smoke began pouring out of the smokestacks, thick and black. Perfect. "Come on dragons! The humans did their part! Flap your wings as hard as you can! When the smoke reaches that flaming bastard, think! As loud as you can!" Cried a Nightwing, who must have been the group's assigned mind-reader.
Rattlesnake looked at the other factories surrounding them. They had all begun smoking. Hecate's group was in position a distance away from Camael with the weapon ready. The first group's smoke began to travel towards Camael as the dragons of Old Monarchy used their wings to push it towards the Demon.
The nerves were high in the dragons around Rattlesnake. She could feel it. Vulture was almost shaking in fear behind her. He had told her that the Nightwing part of the plan had been his. Vine was a mixture of pale green, brown, and indigo. Fear, stress, and something else.
"Group Two's smoke has reached the vicinity of Camael!" Reported the Nightwing. "Flap harder! Get that smoke to move!" Rattlesnake began to flap her wings faster. The factory kept pumping out the black smoke. It almost began to become silent as everyone focused on getting the smoke to Camael. Just a little more…
"THAT'S IT!" Cried the Nightwing. "NOW THINK!" Rattlesnake kept staring at the Demon in the distance. You Demons… it's your fault any of this is happening at all. You stole my life away from me. I think for once… a death will better the world.
Silence…
An explosion rocked the area. Rattlesnake twisted her head to see that Group Five's factory had exploded. Gunshots sounded. "Nani?" Cried a voice nearby.
The silence suddenly burst into chaos like a bubble as the factories began to explode.
. . .
Michael jumped off the falling body of a Camaelist Sandwing. Polar caught him and they resumed flying back towards the exploded factory. The Camaelists had thrown crudely-made bombs into the windows of the factories in a surprise attack that caught many guards by surprise. Marie was in one of those buildings.
Polar landed next to the fiery remains of the building and Michael hastily jumped off and joined the crowd of people looking for survivors. "Michael!" Cried a voice. He turned around to see Marie covered in ash. Her clothes were burned and torn and her arm was hanging in a weird position. "Broken arm?" Michael asked, running over to her. "Yeah, I think some ribs too." She said, cringing. "But overall I think I'm fine. Go defend the survivors with Polar." She said. "Are you sure?" Michael asked. "Yes." She said through gritted teeth. "I'm fine."
Michael ran back through the flaming debris. Polar was looking around nervously. "Thanks to our plan, the smoke here is so thick, nobody can see into the sky. We have no idea what they're doing." She said angrily. "This is really bad."
"I thought we determined that a while ago!" Michael cried. "Let's go above the smoke! Maybe Hecate fired the lance or whatever! Maybe Camael died!" Michael got back on Polar and the pair of soldiers flew through the thick layer of smoke to get a clearer view.
As soon as they were clear of the smoke, a Nightwing descended upon them. Polar dodged the Nightwing's attack, and blasted her with frostbreath. The Nightwing slowed down with the cold, and Polar shot the black dragon in the head.
When the Camaelist fell through the smoke like water absorbing a pebble, Polar spun around to see Camael. He was roaring and fighting something. Something they couldn't see. Lightning suddenly shot out of the sky and blasted Camael from multiple directions.
"Is Hecate fighting him one-on-one?" Michael asked with shock. "She must be…" Polar answered. "I wonder what kind of spells she's using…" A dark purple shape moving nearby suddenly caught Michael's eye. He turned his head to see an Aniwing above the smoke as well.
"Polar…" Michael said quietly, but she was already looking at him. "Wraith." She said with malice. Both Michael and Polar had sworn to kill the Camaelist general. "Do you think this is his plan?" Michael asked. "That traitor knows Buckombe. He probably was watching the factories from the beginning." Polar said angrily.
"He has his guard down. He thinks everyone is inside the smoke." Michael said. Polar slowly moved out of Wraith's line of sight, and then quickly flew to a building behind Wraith. "We fire at the same time." Michael whispered. "Both guns." Polar agreed. "No escape for him."
Polar lifted into the air, quickly scanning for any other Camaelists, and then descended upon Wraith. Michael aimed his gun at the dragon's head, and fired. Polar did the same, but on the torso. Wraith screamed as he was hit with four bullets at the same time. The treasonous dragon's blood went spurting out of the other end of his body. As the body fell, it turned around. Right before it disappeared into the smoke, Michael saw the dragon's face.
Not Wraith.
It wasn't Wraith. Just a dragon that looked like him. It was a decoy.
Michael turned his head around to see the real Wraith descend out of the sky towards the two soldiers. Polar turned too and wildly shot. Both bullets missed. Wraith slammed into Polar and slashed at her face. His talons turned blue with the blood. Michael fired his shotguns, but Wraith activated the Animyre.
He moved at lightning speed, but it must have been normal speed to Wraith. Everything else was just moving slowly. Wraith grabbed one of Polar's rifles and wrestled it off her arm.
And then Michael was falling. The noise of the gunshot reached his ears after it happened. Polar was falling next to him, her head shot open. Michael was covered in her blood. Wraith looked down at him, holding the rifle, and then Michael was swallowed by the smoke. He was falling. Down, down, down, and into the fires below. No words came to mind. Nothing could. He had failed.
. . .
Rattlesnake sat behind one of the buildings with Vine and Vulture. It was dark. The sound of the battle raged beyond them. Vine was lightly crying. Anthony had found the Old Monarchy forces. Swordfish had been hurt and Anthony couldn't get him help. Blizzard had gone to help him.
"If Old Monarchy falls… the Camaelists will win." Rattlesnake said quietly. "Hey…" Vine said after minutes of silence. "How do we know how the Necklace of Eclis works?" "Wha… what do you mean?" Vulture asked. "Well, we thought that when we went back in time, we would stop the Scorching… but what if… we aren't changing anything. What if this all already happened? What if this is the Scorching?"
Silence fell upon the dragonets once more, and then Vulture gasped. "Camael only attacked once we had the Relics of Hamza. We didn't stop the Scorching, we caused it!" "How… did we cause it?" Rattlesnake asked warily. "We helped find the Relics. Old Monarchy using the Relics is probably what made Camael attack like this. This means that… no matter what we do… humanity is doomed." The weight of that sunk in. "It's not over yet!" Rattlesnake said with false determination. Everyone knew it was essentially hopeless now.
Rattlesnake looked out of the alleyway they were hiding in, and saw Blizzard struggling to drag Swordfish towards her. Rattlesnake ran forward to help her. Swordfish was unconscious and in bad shape. His bones looked broken and there was an ugly slash down his chest and what looked like claw-marks in his shoulder. Rattlesnake was suddenly transported back to the time she was at Swordfish's side as he died from Cedar's wounds. She took the other end of Swordfish as his wings fell limp in the air as Blizzard and Rattlesnake carried the Seawing into the alley.
"Anthony went to go look for Marie and Michael." Blizzard said. "But we need help." "Everyone needs help!" Vine cried. She had what looked like tears forming in the corners of her eyes. "Everyone's dying!" "The plan is hopeless now." Vulture said glumly. "We just have to hope Hecate can kill Camael without the smoke. She's new to animus. I don't think that's going to go very well."
"If Old Monarchy falls, what are we going to do?" Vine asked sadly. "Well… just because Old Monarchy falls… it doesn't mean we have to." Blizzard said. Rattlesnake turned to look at the dirtied Icewing. She had her talon touching Swordfish's arm, and Rattlesnake felt a twinge of jealousy.
"That's right!" Vulture exclaimed. "If we can go get the Necklace of Eclis, we can go back home! Back to Pyrrhia! All of this will just become history again!" "But what about our friends?" Vine asked. "We can't just abandon them! Will we really feel good knowing we abandoned humanity and left them to die to the Camaelists?" "We never felt bad about it before! We always knew the Scorching happened and our ancestors killed off most of humanity! We just didn't know all the facts!" Vulture argued. Rattlesnake thought as he talked.
"What if… we take Old Monarchy with us?" She suggested. Vulture fell silent. "What if the reason Old Monarchy lost, was because they went to the future? What if humanity made a comeback, 5000 years in the future?" "Would that even work?" Blizzard asked nervously. "Maybe bringing this world to our world won't end well. Be it them, us, or both." "What if this creates the third dragon-human war?" Vulture asked.
"I side with Rattlesnake." Vine said. "If we leave them here, we're dooming them to die. If we take them with us, we give Old Monarchy a chance for survival."
The dragonets fell silent again. "That's… a good point, Vine." Vulture said. "Then let's go." Rattlesnake said. "Go tell as many Old Monarchy superiors as you can. See if you can convince them to retrieve the necklace and then head into the future." She said to Vulture and Vine. "Blizzard and I will get Swordfish to a medic." Blizzard and Rattlesnake lifted the Seawing again and began dragging him towards a medic, while Vine and Vulture flew off to find other Old Monarchy troops.
When they got to the medics, Rattlesnake and Blizzard flopped Swordfish down on the cobblestone street. They were in a courtyard behind an Arnish government building. There were injured Old Monarchy soldiers everywhere, and the few medics were struggling to keep everyone safe. "Blizzard…" Swordfish suddenly said. Blizzard looked down at him and gave a sympathetic smile. "Remember… Barley?" He said weakly. He was wearing a kind of creepy grin.
"…Yes I remember him." The Icewing said. "He's… dead." Swordfish said, still wearing the grin, before passing out again. "Swordfish… did you kill him?" Blizzard asked, a look of fear Rattlesnake had never seen before shooting through her eyes. Swordfish did not answer.
"What's wrong with him?" Asked a man coming up behind Rattlesnake. She turned to the medic. "Broken bones and that nasty scratch." She said looking back at the Seawing. Out of the corner of her eye, it looked like Blizzard's claw was twitching.
"The bones will heal. It's the scratch that looks like it could be bad. Do you know what kind of dragon did it?" The medic asked. "Grasswing." Blizzard said from behind Rattlesnake. "Alright." The man said. "We can stop the bleeding." Blizzard inhaled deeply, and then began walking away from Swordfish briskly. Rattlesnake took one last look at Swordfish, once again feeling like she was back in the healing center. And then she followed Blizzard.
When the pair of dragonets met up with Vine and Vulture again, there were soldiers with them. "Some soldiers want to do it. They realize it's between this and death." Vulture said grimly. "We still have to check the survivors of the factory explosions." "Then we go there next." Rattlesnake said, looking over at the factory Marie had been in. "Marie is in there somewhere."
Rattlesnake flew low through the smoking debris of the factory. There was chunks of building, burned machinery, fires, and huddled groups of survivors, laying low in the smoke as the battle raged a few blocks away.
And then she saw it. She saw Azure first. Then Anthony and Marie, hugging each other. But it was what lay in front of them that made Rattlesnake land in the dust and stop.
Polar was dead. The top of her head looked like it had been shot open. She had gruesomely fell to the ground. Her wings were crumpled and broken. Her arm looked almost snapped in half. She had burn marks all along her legs and tail. Nearby was a burnt and broken lump. Rattlesnake almost dismissed it as a large piece of debris of some sort when she saw the remnants of blonde hair on top. That grey clump of burned and broken flesh was Michael.
Rattlesnake bent over on the ground and promptly vomited. She began shaking, the images of her two dead friends imprinted in her brain. She felt tears coming, but they never came. She should have been there to help… why wasn't she there…?
"…No…" Said the voice of Blizzard nearby. The others had arrived. A shriek from Vine suddenly echoed through Rattlesnake's head. It sounded… terrifying. There was silence. The low murmuring from the other survivors, the nearby battle, and the roar of Camael in the distance was all there was.
"…What killed them?" Vulture asked softly. "I… don't… know…" Anthony said blankly. Marie sobbed. Azure was crying silently.
"We… have a plan." Blizzard said. "We take the Necklace of Eclis, we go back to Lochberg, we open the portal, and everyone goes back to our time. Everyone." There was silence from the three Old Monarchy soldiers. Rattlesnake fell to the ground as another wave of grief washed over her. Vine was flickering a multitude of colors. Light blue, red, black, acid green, brown, dark grey.
"And I'm going to get that Necklace right now." Blizzard said, her voice breaking. "I'm going alone. Nobody else I care about is going to die-." And then Blizzard broke down into intense sobbing. To see the strongest fighter Rattlesnake knew break down like that… was pure terror in itself.
A sudden, piercing sound echoed from the battle between Old Monarchy and Camael. "Blizzard… You can't go alone. You'll die too." Azure said slowly. "No I won't." Blizzard said through the tears. "I can't." "But you can." Vulture said. "NO!" Blizzard screamed, standing up. "I'm going to get that necklace, and I'm coming back alive." And then she spread her wings and took off through the smoke.
"Blizzard!" Marie cried after the Icewing, but then she lay back into Anthony. "I'm following her. I'll hang back." Rattlesnake said. "There's… something I need to do." Rattlesnake spread her wings and took off in the direction of Blizzard.
When Rattlesnake cleared the smoke layer, she looked around for Blizzard. She was gone. What? Rattlesnake thought to herself, feeling the streaks of tears on her face begin to dry as she flew. But then she saw it in the distance. Blizzard was streets away already, and flying incredibly fast. How is she doing that? Rattlesnake knew there was something weird about Blizzard, like she had some kind of animus magic. Ever since she passed through Darkstalker's enchanted cliff without a problem, Rattlesnake had suspected Blizzard of being an animus.
As Rattlesnake tried to keep up with the Icewing, she passed through the destruction. Fires, bodies, debris, and weapons littered the city. Rattlesnake slowed down to look at a dead group of humans with horror. It looked like they had been taking cover and got hit by one of Camael's fireballs. Rattlesnake suddenly heard wingbeats behind her. She turned around and screamed as a pair of large dragons were flying directly towards her. A Skywing and an Icewing.
The Skywing reached her first. Rattlesnake aimed her gun threateningly, but she didn't have to. Blizzard flew past at incredible speeds, using her front claws to cut open the Skywing's neck. Red blood spurted into the sky as the Skywing fell. The Icewing put his guard up and swung his tail at Blizzard. Blizzard dodged it easily and spun in the air, attacking the Icewing with all four claws in a cycle, her bladed gauntlets doing extra damage. The Icewing fell out of the sky as well, his upper chest torn apart.
Rattlesnake had landed on the roof of a building, and watched the Icewing work, amazed. This wasn't normal skill. This was definitely animus magic. Those were big dragons and she was a dragonet, and barely had a scratch on her. Blizzard flew towards Rattlesnake, a look of anger on her face. "I said I was going alone!" She yelled. "But it's not safe! What if something happens?" "I'm not concerned for my safety, I'm concerned for yours!" A roar from nearby made them both turn and look across the street. A Nightwing was coming towards them, probably a friend of the other two.
"Can I have your gun?" Blizzard asked. "It'll make things a lot easier." Rattlesnake said nothing, but hastily unlatched the weapon from her arm, and gave it to Blizzard. "Thanks." Said the Icewing, not even bothering to attach the weapon. She aimed at the Nightwing and fired. The shot hit him straight in the head, and he fell off the roof.
"How…" Rattlesnake began to ask, mystified and a bit scared of her friend. "My cousin's animus magic." Blizzard responded. She handed the gun back to Rattlesnake and began to fly away again. Rattlesnake quickly attached the gun to her forearm once more, and followed Blizzard. This time, Blizzard flew at Rattlesnake's pace.
"Why are you so concerned about our safety, but not your own?" Rattlesnake asked Blizzard, who had opened her mouth to protest Rattlesnake following her. She shut it, and then said: "Because I care about you guys more than anything else in the world."
And then she flew off again, leaving Rattlesnake to watch her as she flew towards the remains of the palace. Rattlesnake flew over where Hecate had been stationed. Solberg and the rest of the leaders were gathered under a destroyed carriage. Solberg made eye contact with Rattlesnake, and she pointed towards the direction of the gathering Old Monarchy troops preparing to leave. Solberg solemnly shook his head and began to run away from the path of Camael.
When the crater the explosion had left came into view, Blizzard was already there, digging through the dirt and debris. The massive shape of Camael lurched forward in the distance, leaving a trail of destruction and fire in his wake. It sounded like his forces were moving with him. A wave of Camaelism ravaging the city.
Blizzard was digging through the debris where the Star of the Goddesses had been. As she pulled out the Necklace of Eclis from the rubble, Rattlesnake turned and looked up at the three moons. Even if they returned home, nothing would ever be the same.
When Rattlesnake looked back down, she saw Vulture standing nearby, watching them. Not her friend Vulture. It the leader of the Enclave Vulture. The scariest dragon in the Scorpion Den. Rattlesnake jumped backward, terrified. Blizzard looked up with a look of worry and intensity.
"I guess those Relics truly are indestructible through basic means." Said Vulture. "How are you here, Camael?" Blizzard asked darkly. "Same goes for you." Camael said. Rattlesnake remembered what Swordfish, Vine, and Blizzard had said about Camael. How he took the form of which dragon scared you the most. Rattlesnake wondered who Blizzard saw.
"I am projecting this towards you as I crush Old Monarchy." Camael said calmly. "Once they fall, Black Star will not be able to win. The King is doing his work. Dragons will soon reign supreme in this dimension." Camael saw the Necklace of Eclis in Blizzard's talons.
"Escape to the future if you choose." Camael said, turning to Rattlesnake. "But know that destruction always comes to those who are in need of it. The world needs a cycle of species. It's what happened to the dinosaurs." Rattlesnake had no idea what Camael was saying now.
"Is that why you aren't stopping us?" Blizzard asked. "Because you know we'll get destroyed anyway?" "Well, that and it's interesting. To know that it's you coming to get that Relic. I was watching you from the moment I saw you in Paisland. I want to ask…" Camael began to Blizzard, but she lunged at the dragon in front of her. He disappeared in the blink of an eye.
The pair of dragonets turned and looked at Camael. Another lance was fired out of thin air at him, which he destroyed with fire. He didn't look back.
"Come on." Blizzard said faintly. "Let's go." She took off back in the direction the pair came. Rattlesnake turned and looked back at the remains of the Great Hall. She quickly ran towards it and dug at the rubble with her claws until she saw the gold she was looking for.
. . .
Swordfish awoke with a jolt. His friends were gathered around him. The pain of his wounds had dulled greatly. He stood up as he heard dragons flying away and the pounding of footsteps nearby. "I still can't believe you actually stayed back and got it." Blizzard said angrily to Rattlesnake. "Aren't you glad Swordfish is alright?" Rattlesnake shot back at the Icewing, giving her a suspicious look.
"…I guess I am." Blizzard said, giving Swordfish a sad smile. "Welcome back." Vulture said. "Michael and Polar are dead. The war is unwinnable. We can't change past events after all. We're all escaping to Pyrrhia with the Necklace of Eclis. We healed you with the Earring of Sola."
"Wait… what?!" Swordfish asked, shooting up from where he was laying. He turned around to see the grief-filled faces of Anthony, Marie, and Azure. "We found Bai too… He was dead in the street." Anthony said sadly.
Swordfish suddenly remembered what had happened with Barley. Michael, Polar, and Bai were dead. And Swordfish had killed Barley. The horror of the final confrontation with Barley all came back to him. He looked down at the ground, and felt the Earring of Sola on his ear with his claw.
Swordfish let out a scream. "Swordfish…?" Vine asked. "What's wrong? Do the injuries still hurt?" Swordfish kept screaming until his breath ran out. "Are you okay?" Vulture asked, worried. "Yeah… I guess I'm fine." Swordfish said, regaining his composure. "I was just realizing something."
The world Swordfish knew was gone. He was a killer. He had killed a good-hearted dragon. Even if he returned, the world of Pyrrhia would be forever changed. Almost like it was a completely different world entirely. And Swordfish was forever changed. He would never be able to be the anxious Seawing dragonet living under the water again. He would never again be a quiet student at Jade Mountain Academy, eating lunch with his friends and devising foolish plans to confess his love to Rattlesnake that were never used, talking with Cedar and goofing off with Vulture and Darkseer. It would never be the same. Old Monarchy would exist in Pyrrhia. The threat of the Darkists would be there. Knowing the truth about the Demons and just how much they interfere with the world would forever be there. Knowing where dragons came from would forever haunt him. Knowing about the Moon Goddesses and about the Angels would change his world view. Wondering how Pyrrhia was formed from this world… what happened to the Grasswings, Aniwings, and Rockwings and why Pyrrhia was so radically Camaelist would always be there. And now, Swordfish would have to live with himself as a killer. Someone with blood on their talons.
As the Old Monarchy forces began to leave Buckombe, a sudden sound made the soldiers look back towards the battle between Hecate and Camael. A huge shield of light was creeping towards Camael. It spanned over entire buildings, and Camael was blasting it with a beam of fire so powerful, it was holding the magic back. "Oh my Goddesses." Azure said as the fire got more intense. The shield began creeping backward…
And then it pressed forward into Camael. Camael's fire exploded and a sound so loud and so intense shook the entire Old Monarchy army as it burst forward.
The power of the fire seemed to meet the power of the shield in an explosion that reached far into the ground. The earth began to shake as something began to happen. Screams could be heard as the city suddenly began ripping itself apart from the spot the explosion happened. "GET ON DRAGONBACK!" Someone cried as the soldiers began running and flying away from the crack forming in the land. Swordfish lowered his back to let Anthony climb on, and the Old Monarchy army flew in the opposite direction, choosing to go around the mountain range over going through the crack.
The flight was long and tiresome as the early hours of the morning creeped over them. There was almost complete silence as the dragons and humans watched the massive crack split down the continent from a distance, destroying everything in its path. When the sun began to rise in the distance, Solberg led the forces down to an old warehouse full of cloaks for dragons, so that they could conceal themselves if needed.
Swordfish flew with Rattlesnake the whole way there, wearing her earring. She didn't ask for it back. What Swordfish did notice was the strange glances she kept sending in Blizzard's direction.
The army stopped in a large forest on the Verlassen border to rest. Swordfish fell into a dreamless sleep for once as the rumbling in the distance put him to sleep. There was nothing haunting him in that moment. Rattlesnake sleeping beside him. The forest life waking up in the early morning. And he was going home. Swordfish wanted to enjoy these last moments in a world forgotten. A world of humans and dragons. A world of wonders and technology and what would have been a dreamscape in times of peace. In that moment, he forgot his worries and fear. He forgot about his mission to find the truth and revenge. In that moment, laying there in the thick Verlassen forest, he was free.
Swordfish did remember waking up for the first time in the dragon prison. Michael and Polar had been the first friendly faces of the new world. And now they were gone. Taken by dragon cruelty.
Laying there in the dirt, Swordfish felt something stirring within him. The same feeling of seeing himself as human, but it felt comforting this time. Like this was where the human soul within belonged. This world of rolling hills and cobblestone villages.
When the soldiers reached Lochberg, Blizzard directed Solberg towards the spot where the portal opened. Solberg looked around at the survivors. They had picked up as many civilians as they could. Old Monarchy's last hope stood huddled around in a street in front of the King Burkhardt Bank. The skeletons had begun to decay further in the sun. Soon, they would be gone forever.
Vulture suddenly took off into the sky and flew around, and then quickly returned to the group on the street. "What was that?" Swordfish asked the Skywing. "I was looking at the crevice. The mountains that will one day become Darkstalker's Teeth, are on the other side of the crevice, which is getting bigger. The continent is splitting apart."
Solberg said the incantation to get the Necklace of Eclis to work, and the portal opened. The portal to the Lost City of Night. Solberg stepped aside. "After you." He said to the dragonets. Swordfish felt his satchel across his chest, the code inside.
He took one last look at the sun in the sky above Lochberg. Goodbye. Swordfish thought, and then stepped inside the portal.
Meanwhile, on Paisland, the Earring of Sola reappeared in the ruins of the cavern.
WOW WHAT A CHAPTER! The end of the second arc of the story is complete. I want to thank everyone who has read this far. This story has so much effort put into it, and I'm so glad to see people enjoying it. If you've followed everything thus far, congratulations. Things are about to get interesting.
See you in the next arc! arc! arc! arc! arc! arc! arc! arc! arc! arc! arc! arc! arc! arc! arc! arc! arc! arc! arc! arc! arc! arc! arc! arc! arc! arc! arc! arc! arc! arc! arc! arc! arc! arc! arc! arc! arc! arc! arc! arc! arc! arc! arc! arc! arc! arc! arc!
_ERR: NULL_
"I knew you wouldn't do it Swordfish, I just had to try."
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"I'm sorry. It's not your fault."
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"I can only pray whoever is reading this is an ally of mine or Anthony's."
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Rattlesnake was frozen. Her claw grasped at the Earring of Sola. "Are you really that blind?" Vulture yelled, tears in his eyes, yet anger on his lips.
"She's been in contact!" Swordfish pleaded. "She's like me! Remember what Constellation said to Rainfall!" Delta sobbed by a fallen tree.
"World Jumping pales in comparison to the Power of Hamza!" Vulture argued. Another roar nearby made them all jump. "One will die, and if you can't make that decision, I will!" Vulture said, stepping towards Rattlesnake with his claws outstretched, the intent to harm in his eyes. Rattlesnake stepped backward, fear in her eyes. Swordfish ran towards Vulture with his tail raised, ready to strike.
Tears. Fear. Chest. Unleashed. Sola. Jade. Augustia. Darkstalker. Sand. Frost. Rainforest. Eclis. Hell. Star. Purge. Remember. Fire. Rise. Choices. Stygal. Luna. Grandmaster. Dark. Pyrrhia. Traveler. Angels. King. Death.