"I can still see you." Bromeliad said. "If you want to camouflage yourself, you need to take in the environment around you." "It's because he doesn't sleep during sun time." Muttered Tualang, the instructor of the Rainwing dragonets. Bromeliad, Tualang's apprentice, turned and looked at the Rainwing with a look of curiosity on her face. "You don't sleep during sun time?" She asked.

Rainfall sighed as he turned his scales back to normal. He didn't have good enough camouflage because he didn't sleep during sun time. While the other Rainwings would waste their time sleeping in the sun like a bunch of lazy sloths, Rainfall would explore beyond the village. He had a makeshift map of the forest he was drawing with a piece of charcoal on a large leaf.

Rainfall was not like most other Rainwings. He believed there was more to life than sleeping around, collecting fruit and flowers, and flying around the jungle. There was something that had perplexed him for years. Ever since Rainfall was a tiny dragonet, just learning about the world from the other dragons.

"This is the village. All the Rainwings live here. Around us is the forest. It is filled with wildlife and plants. You will live here too." Said the older dragon. The young Rainfall looked up at her. "Does the forest go on forever?" He asked her. "No." The Rainwing replied. "Then what's outside the forest?" Rainfall asked.

The other Rainwings didn't seem to care about the world beyond the village and the forest that surrounded it. Rainfall knew that there other tribes of dragons out there. He had heard stories from scouts that repelled dragons the color of the mud and dragons the color of the sand with sleeping darts.

The other Rainwings were contempt with the life of ignorance. Rainfall wasn't. The outside world very quickly became Rainfall's obsession. He pestered the oldest dragons in the tribe for information about the world.

Endless fields of ice. A desert that stretched for as far as the eye could see. Mountains that stretched further than any tree in the whole forest. A fertile swampland that housed life Rainfall couldn't even imagine. Islands that dotted the ocean, which flowed in every direction. And other tribes of dragons that lived different lives. Dragons who lived in a world beyond the rainforest.

All of that supposedly existed beyond the trees. Yet the Rainwings didn't care about any of it. They were obsessed with things that Rainfall could care less about. Flower picking? Really?

Rainfall was not old enough to leave and go on such a large journey alone. He couldn't fly for that long, and apparently, there was something dangerous happening out there.

Rainfall couldn't spend his time lazily laying in the sun like the other Rainwings. He refused to do something so pointless. A world was beyond the trees and he wanted to see it. A part of him hated how resigned to ignorance his tribe was. The world was hiding something from him, and he was going to find out the truth, at all costs.

"You need to sleep during sun time. It's unhealthy for you to not." Bromeliad said to Rainfall. "Why would you sleep in the middle of the day like that all the time?" Rainfall asked. "Don't you know?" Another student, Orchid, asked. "The sun recharges our scales. It makes us happier, smarter, and more vibrant."

"Smarter. Yeah right." Said one of Rainfall's only friends, Chameleon. Being different like Rainfall was didn't make him very popular. Chameleon was born with a snout defect that made it hard for him to breathe, and sleep for more than an hour. Because of this, his scales were stuck as a lime-green color. Rainfall didn't think that his lack of sun time was completely to blame for this, and wondered if the snout deformity went further than just breathing, because Rainfall hardly slept during sun time at all, but he could change his scales. They were admittedly dull, but Rainfall didn't care.

"Yes. Smarter." Orchid said. "They also make us less grumpy, maybe you two should try it, and maybe you'd be happy like the rest of us are." "Hey Orchid, maybe they'd be happier if you left them alone." Said Marvelous, walking up behind Orchid. Marvelous was Rainfall's other friend. She didn't have anything that made her different from the other Rainwings except that she was nice to Rainfall and Chameleon.

The three of them did everything together. Chameleon made everyone else uncomfortable and nobody could relate to Rainfall. Marvelous was their connection to the rest of the tribe.

Orchid gave Marvelous a look, and then walked off. "You know, it really would make you less stressed." Marvelous said to Rainfall. "I don't want to be happy living here. If I become complacent here, I'll never see beyond the forest." "That's one way of looking at it." Chameleon sighed.

"Rainfall, you've told us all about the world outside the forest, but what if it's not everything you say it is? What if you get there and it's dangerous? What if you get hurt, or die? What if the rainforest is the best place to be?" Marvelous asked.

"…Well… surrounding the land is the ocean. Some say it goes on forever, but I don't think so. There's more even beyond our world. On the other side of the ocean there has to be more. I don't think Pyrrhia exists alone." Rainfall said. "You think about that too much." Chameleon said. "If you're constantly focused on what's out there, then you can't appreciate what's already here." "Speaking of which…" Marvelous said. "Race you to the weird rock!"

Rainfall and Chameleon took off after Marvelous. "Hey! You got a head start!" Chameleon cried. The weird rock was a boulder leaning against a tree that Rainfall had found while exploring. He had marked it on his map, but the three of them hadn't gotten a chance to check it out yet. But today was the day. Rainfall had labeled it "The Weird Rock" because of the creepy feeling it gave him, and how it just seemed to appear there one day. He hadn't really looked at it all too well.

The three dragonets left the village and began tree gliding to where the boulder was. There was a small waterfall nearby that fell into a bubbling pool. Rainfall pointed out the boulder when it came into view. "There. It just has a weird feeling to it." Rainfall said. Chameleon flew down towards the boulder. He looped around to the other side of it. "Whoa! Come check this out!" He cried. Rainfall and Marvelous flew down and looked at what Chameleon had seen.

Approaching the boulder gave the dragonets shivers. On the other side of the boulder was a massive hole. It was a tunnel actually. Rainfall looked at the other side of the boulder. It didn't make sense. The tunnel was long, yet this was a boulder, not a cave.

"Wait, how…?" Marvelous asked. "Where does it go?" "Well… there's only one way to find out." Rainfall said. He stepped into the tunnel. The weird feeling increased. It was dark. He couldn't see in front of him. But he suddenly saw a light ahead of him. The tunnel kept going and turned abruptly to the right, and someone with fire was walking down the tunnel, and would be here soon. Rainfall turned around, scared. "Hide!" He whispered to his friends. Marvelous ran to the other side of the clearing and turned invisible. Rainfall did the same, but he lay down in some brush to help. Chameleon was the one who had to take flight and hide in a treetop that had the same hue as he did, and hope they didn't see him.

"You've done excellent work Stonemover." Said a voice near the exit of the tunnel. And then two dragons black as the night sky walked into the sunlight. They were unlike anything Rainfall had ever seen. Another tribe. The Nightwings. Rainfall thought to himself, remembering Queen Grandeur telling him of dragons as dark as night who had power unlike any other tribe. Reading minds and seeing the future.

One of the dragons was massive and old. The other was a lot smaller, and had a strange look to him. "Thank you Morrowseer." The one named Stonemover said. "Make the next tunnel as well as this one, and the next step of the plan shall begin. The Nightwings are very lucky that the genes of Prince Arctic still run within the tribe."

What are they talking about? Rainfall thought, watching the black dragons with terrified curiosity. He could see slight flickers of pale green where Marvelous stood as the Nightwings walked away from the boulder. "And you're sure they won't see it?" Stonemover asked. "Mastermind and others have been watching the tribe for a while now. They're all so stupid, they won't bother to even look this far." Rainfall would have been hurt if it wasn't the truth. He watched the Nightwings walk into the forest.

. . .

I disliked my tribe. Did I hate them? Maybe. I was young and all I was concerned with was the outside world. The Rainwings did not suit me. I had no idea what these Nightwings were doing. At the time, I thought this tunnel would be my way of leaving my tribe and finally living amongst dragons who I could appreciate life with. I was right, but not in the way I expected.

I thought that the rest of the world must be so much better than the rainforest. I was wrong. Sometimes I wish I could go back in time with the necklace, and tell myself to stop. I was going down a dark path disguised as a path of light. I was going down a tunnel.

My only goal, as it was for so long, was to find out the truth. I felt like the world was hiding something from me.

I almost did give up too, but a certain dragon stopped me.

. . .

The sun was going down. The trees blocked the sunset, but the rays of the dying light were cast in the sky above the forest. Rainfall was waiting to see the queen. There wasn't a very long line tonight. There was someone whose orange scales showed how frustrated they were with how long Grandeur must have been taking with whoever was currently in there in front of him.

Rainfall, despite Marvelous' warnings that nobody would care, was going to tell the queen about what he and his friends had seen earlier. "What is taking her so long?!" Grumbled the orange dragon in front of Rainfall. A purple dragon walked up behind Rainfall and skipped the line. She entered the hut Grandeur was in. It was Magnificent. The queens were rotating.

Grandeur and a blue dragon left the hut, and Magnificent entered, the orange dragon following her in. Rainfall turned and looked at Grandeur. One of the few Rainwings who seemed to have actual intelligence. Maybe… telling her would be better than telling Magnificent. "Grandeur." Rainfall said as she passed. The ancient dragon turned and looked at him. "Rainfall." She said.

"I know you're not queen right now, but I thought you should know that two Nightwings came out of a weird tunnel. They said that the tribe wouldn't notice the tunnel, which makes me think they're up to something." Rainfall sputtered out.

Grandeur sleepily looked at Rainfall. "After all my time as queen, the second I swap out, somebody comes with something actually worth my time?" She chuckled. "Where is the tunnel?" "It's on my map." Rainfall said. "Map?" Grandeur asked. "Yeah. I've been mapping out the forest on a leaf with some charcoal." Rainfall said, showing her the leaf he had. "I'm hoping one day I can get my claws on some paper before the leaf rots too much."

Grandeur chuckled again. "You really are unique." She said. "There aren't many Rainwings that would even know what to do with paper." She paused and looked up at the sky.

"Once upon a time, the tribe was very different from this. Our camouflage wasn't just something that looked pretty. It was used to trick other dragons. Disappear and hide from invaders, or become invisible and take an entire fortress. There was a time where we were the most stable tribe in Pyrrhia. Where others floundered we succeeded. There was a time when we were the terror of the south. Our venom was our weapon and we took no prisoners." Rainfall listened intently. He had once heard that the Rainwings weren't always like this.

"But it was after we became convinced that we were unconquerable. After it was realized that nobody could take the forest. We had all the resources a tribe like ours would need. Would it really matter if we isolated ourselves from those who would fight an endless war?" Grandeur had sparks of red in her scales, as if just retelling the story made her angry. "It was unconsciously decided that we didn't need to care about the outside world. Nobody dared invade. We had no more reasons to invade others. We had all the land we could need. We could just focus on fruitless things like fruit.

Grandeur turned to Rainfall. "Our tribe has fallen a great height, and its dragons like you who will save it." "But… I'm just one dragonet." Rainfall said. "I can't change this tribe." "Don't give up." Grandeur said. "When I became queen, I didn't think I could take it. I had killed my mother, and with her, my only guidance to ruling the militaristic tribe of the Rainwings." Rainfall remembered how Grandeur once told him about how challenges used to be.

"I thought I would send the tribe to die. I thought I would be a horrible military leader. What happened to the tribe is in part, my fault." Grandeur said. The sun had gone down now, and the stars were out. "When I saw what I had done, I believed I had doomed the tribe. We had become ignorant, and an easy target for enemies. But I'm still here, aren't I? I'm still queen. I kept on believing. I learned to always keep pressing forward. Persistence."

Rainfall looked at the elderly dragon in awe. "Don't give up Rainfall. If you fall, pick yourself back up, and maybe you will inspire other dragonets. Maybe a new generation can right the wrongs of the old one." She turned to leave. "What about the tunnel?!" Rainfall cried. "Tomorrow." She said. "Tonight, it's late. The current queen is probably asleep already, and we would need her permission. Don't worry, I'll help." She said.

Rainfall looked at the boulder on his map. But… if we can't give up… then this has to be done now.

. . .

Grandeur's story and the meaning behind it had spoken to me. That I shouldn't feel bad that I was different, because I could help the future of the tribe. Maybe I could have. Maybe if I had just listened to her, nothing would have happened. I would've seen the outside world another way. But my curiosity wouldn't leave that tunnel alone.

To this day, I don't know the whole story behind it, but I know it was part of the Nightwing plot to take the rainforest.

That very night, Chameleon, Marvelous, and I went back to the boulder. When I left the village that night, I didn't know that would be the last time I would ever see it.

That night, my life would end, and another would begin.

. . .

"I can't believe we're doing this." Marvelous grumbled. "Some of us enjoy sleeping during the night too." "We can't count on Grandeur." Rainfall said. "Those dragons were up to something, and we need to find out." "I seriously doubt it's this important." Chameleon said. "Can we please go back to sleep?"

"But what if it is!" Rainfall cried. "Those Nightwings might be invaders! We need to stop them!" "Grandeur's story finally pushed you off the deep end, didn't it?" Chameleon bit. "You're not some kind of savior of the tribe." "I know that!" Rainfall said. "But if nobody here is even willing to leave the village, if another tribe comes through, we're going to be crushed! It's been decades upon decades since the Rainwings fought last, who knows what new strategies are out there!? Who knows what new technology they have?! Didn't one of the scouts say a Mudwing said that the other tribes were in a war?"

"What will you do if there is an invasion?" Marvelous asked. "What will you be able to do?" "I'll tell Grandeur." Rainfall said. "And what can she do?" Chameleon asked. "Raise an army? Get help? No, the Rainwings won't listen to her. If this other tribe is really going to do something, we can't do anything." "We have our venom." Rainfall said quietly. The other two fell silent. "We don't use that on living things, Rainfall." Marvelous said softly. "It's our greatest weapon." Rainfall whispered.

When the dragonets approached the boulder, they lay down in the brush and bramble. They watched and waited for someone to come by. "Okay Marvelous, go check the tunnel." Rainfall said. Marvelous sighed and turned invisible. She walked out to the tunnel, and quietly walked inside.

The jungle around Rainfall and Chameleon was as noisy as ever. Thankfully, it was a clear night, so the moons illuminated the clearing by the waterfall. "Where do you think it leads?" Chameleon asked. "I don't know. It shouldn't even exist. It's like its magic." Rainfall replied.

The two waited for Marvelous to exit. They were silent as the rainforest clattered with noise. She eventually came out, a pale green. Her eyes were wide. "It just keeps going!" She cried. "One of you go with me. We should tie vines to ourselves so that the last one can keep us safe here!"

The birds suddenly stopped. All that remained was the water dripping down the leaves. "Wait…" Chameleon whispered.

Chameleon screamed as black talons grabbed him from behind. Rainfall let out a shriek and saw Marvelous turn invisible once more before his vision was suddenly ripped away from him as the Nightwings grabbed him as well.

Rainfall felt something slip over him. "I GOT HIM!" Said the voice of Rainfall's captor. "I got mine." Said the other Nightwing, who had Chameleon. "They really don't know what they're doing, do they? First the yelling, then not even bothering to change scales. This one was pale green!"

"Should we take them to Mastermind?" Asked Rainfall's captor. "I don't know if he would want these dragonets. They're really young." Responded the other. "True. Maybe we should just kill them." "Kill a dragonet? Really?" "They know." Growled the Nightwing. "We can't let them warn the others."

Rainfall whimpered. "You're right." Said the captor. He pulled Rainfall out of the bag. Rainfall was lifted into the air along with Chameleon. "Sorry dragonets." Said Chameleon's captor. "You were at the wrong place at the wrong time." "I doubt they'll even realize these two are gone." Said the dragon who was about to kill Rainfall.

The shape of Marvelous' face suddenly appeared across the clearing, her eyes wide. "DO IT MARVELO-" Rainfall began, but he was gagged quickly. "Quiet!" Hissed the Nightwing. And then it happened.

Marvelous appeared, red and pale green. She opened her mouth wide and bared her fangs. The black liquid came spouting out. It arced up, and began to descend towards the Nightwing, who screamed, and jerked backward just in time.

The venom caught Rainfall directly in the chest. He screamed. Marvelous shrieked. Rainfall was dropped from the sky. The venom was burning away his scales. He saw the Nightwing grab Marvelous, and then everything began to go dark. He heard a sound like a bird screeching as Marvelous was attacked. The venom was eating away at his chest. He felt it creeping along his scales, burning away his flesh as the warped screaming continued. He saw something like blood in the air. The trees were warping away, twisting into monkey tails. Rainfall felt his thoughts begin to disappear. Everything was ending. He couldn't even feel the pain anymore.

And then, he was awake again. He saw something that looked like a claw descending from the sky. It was bright, and shone of hope. "Hello Rainfall." Said the voice. "I am Cassriel, and you are about to die. But I can help you. A second chance can be yours."

Rainfall didn't know what to say. "If you decline, you will die now. It will be over, and you will face judgement." Said Cassriel. "And then, you will leave everything behind. You're so young. You have so much of life left to experience. It would be a shame to lose it all now." Rainfall thought for what seemed like years. He could feel the world's death and rebirth around him. Plants dying, but new seeds sprouting. Animals dying and rotting into the earth, but new ones being born. There was still so much beyond the rainforest, and he hadn't seen any of it.

"Death, or rebirth. What do you choose?"

Rainfall took the paw-like claw of Cassriel with his own, which didn't seem to exist. He felt himself be lifted up. Out of the world and into a new plane of existence. He felt something change within him, as if something within his soul had been lost, and replaced with something new. There was darkness all around him. The only thing that existed was Cassriel's arm.

And then, Rainfall was stuck. He was in some kind of seat. He was strapped down by something. He realized he couldn't breathe very well, and began gasping for air. He looked up and saw a white dragonet about his age. She was in the same situation. It was dark, but there appeared to be smooth, metallic walls on all sides of the two. The Icewing across from Rainfall was just as terrified as he was.

"Welcome visitors." The voice of Cassriel echoed out. "You are here at the right time. If you are not prepared for what's ahead, leave now." Rainfall realized Cassriel was talking to somebody else. "I am Cassriel, Hell's electoral 'poet.' I have two dragonets right here. A Rainwing named Rainfall, and an Icewing named Frost. One will die, the other will become our main character. The choice is yours, visitors."

Rainfall locked eyes with the Icewing. He didn't understand what was happening, but he knew he was in danger. "The voting will end in 24 hours, and the story will be taken off the archive." Cassriel said. The Icewing struggled against the bonds, but to no avail. "Whichever name is said more, will die." Cassriel hissed from beyond the strange room, but Rainfall realized it just sounded that way. The terrifying shape of a large shadow was right there. It was tall and slender, and looked nothing like a dragon. Rainfall tried to speak but his mouth didn't work. No words seemed to come to mind.

"The choice is yours." Cassriel said, and then the floor of the room collapsed. Rainfall, Frost, and Cassriel fell through. The chair seemed to disappear. Rainfall looked around at the world around him. He was falling from a black square suspended in the air. Around him seemed to be a blank, dark space. The floor seemed to be made out of a glassy substance, and it looked like there was land beneath the clear floor. Suspended in the air along with the dark square of a room, were shining orbs. There was something in each orb, like each of them were bubbles that reflected something from another world. Rainfall landed on the glassy floor, unable to use his wings, but it didn't hurt. Frost did the same. Cassriel landed on his feet. He was a tall creature with what looked like the skull of a strange monkey, except it was completely blank. It had no nose, eyes, mouth, or anything, and had tall, slender horns that reached into the air.

There were two other figures nearby. A tall, dark, robed figure, which had a hood that covered where its face would be. There was also a strange dragon that didn't look like any tribe Rainfall had ever seen. She had grey scales, red eyes, and four horns. "Abyss, Butmono, what do you want?" Cassriel asked, sounding annoyed.

"What were you doing?" The dragon asked. "Experiments for the king." Cassriel responded. "And it was going well until you two decided to ruin it. Now I'll have to kill both of them." Cassriel turned to Rainfall and Frost. Two tendrils of a dark substance formed out of the glassy floor and pointed themselves at the two dragonets. Rainfall couldn't scream or do anything, his voice was still stolen.

"You're really continuing with those experiments?" The one named Abyss asked. "Even after Lahad and Zablah said you should stop?" "They don't realize what this could do!" Cassriel argued. "Those on the King's Council worry too much about inheritance. They choose only to think about possible negatives, and not on possible positives."

"Cassriel, why don't you calm down with the Vines of Rose?" Butmono said, gesturing with her wing to the tendrils that had risen out of the ground. "Butmono, can you take Cassriel to Hell? I'm sure Zablah would like to have a conversation with him." Abyss asked. "I'll take care of the dragonets." Abyss pointed at Rainfall and Frost. The floor beneath them opened up into some kind of hole, and they fell in.

The two landed in the dirt and rolled down a hill. When Rainfall stopped, he realized he could move again. Frost had rolled down and landed next to him. Rainfall got up and studied the face of the Icewing. Her pristine white scales were a bit dull beneath the dirt, but that didn't make her any less amazing. Her stormy-grey eyes and ridged back were unlike anything Rainfall had ever seen. By the look on Frost's face, she hadn't seen a Rainwing in her life either.

"What… just happened?" She asked. The hole they had fallen through didn't seem to be there. Rainfall looked around at the landscape around them. Rolling green hills and fields surrounded them. There were trees that were different from anything Rainfall had ever seen. They were smaller and looked like large bushes. Their leaves were orange and brown and red. There were some trees that were still green. There was a dirt path cutting through the hills, with a stone bridge that went over a small brook.

"Sorry about that." Said a voice from behind Rainfall and Frost. They turned to see a small figure dressed in strange coverings walking towards them. "Cassriel is kind of a jerk." "What… are you?!" Rainfall asked. "That's a scavenger…" Frost said. "But… they don't talk."

"Wrong. I am a demon, but I am disguised as a human right now. I know you called them scavengers back in Pyrrhia, but there's a lot you don't know." Said the human. "My name is Abyss, but please refer to me as Mister Alan for the time being." "Okay… Mister Alan… where are we?" Rainfall asked. "Somewhere in Anibia." Abyss answered. "Now I know that's not a place you're familiar with, and I'm sorry I can't say too much right now. We're kind of exposed. But I can take you to someone who can explain everything."

A noise in the distance made Abyss look up. "Hmm. And we can catch a ride right now, but you're going to have to play along. I'm going to cast an illusion that makes you two look like two humans. Let me do the talking."

Abyss waved his paw-like thing, and then Rainfall was suddenly a human too. So was Frost. She had pale skin and long blonde hair. Rainfall looked at his arms. They were darker than Frost's. Rainfall had no words. Neither did Frost. It was all so weird. Rainfall was half convinced this was all some weird nightmare. He was asleep in the rainforest village, and soon he would wake up and go find Chameleon and Marvelous.

But Rainfall remembered the venom on his chest, the blood in the air, and the warping trees. It was all real. Chameleon and Marvelous might not even be alive anymore. That blood probably belonged to Marvelous. The Nightwings most likely panicked and killed her.

A thing suddenly came around the bend in the dirt path. It had two strange animals carrying something on wheels, where two humans sat. "Hello!" Cried Abyss. The strange transportation stopped by the three humans. "I am Mister Alan, and this is Newton and Mikayla." Abyss said. "What do you want?! Are you some kind of highwaymen?!" Asked a man holding a long piece of rope. "Are you going to Marshborough?" Abyss asked. "What does it matter to you?" Asked the other man, who blinked and then turned and faced the road again. "Yes we are. Hitch a ride." "Thank you." Abyss said, and opened the door to the strange transport. Rainfall and Frost stepped in after him, confused.

"Did… you do that to them?" Frost asked in awe. "Yes." Abyss said. "Now that we're alone, let me tell you some things. This is called a carriage." "We don't care about that." Rainfall hissed. "Where are we? How do we get back home?"

"We are in Anibia right now, outside Marshborough. I'm taking you two to Constellation and Coyote, who will take you to Possibility, where you'll meet Jerboa, head of the Travelers. She can tell you everything." Abyss said. "Where… is Anibia?" Rainfall asked. "The continent of Thessalstia, A continent east of Pyrrhia. Long ago, Pyrrhia and Thessalstia were a much larger continent called Augustia and Consania, but after a battle with two beings of great power, the continent was ripped in two." Abyss replied. "But, it will be hard for you to get home, because you aren't even in your own dimensions anymore."

"What do you mean… dimensions?" Rainfall asked. "Ab…Mister Alan, how do we get home?" "The hard way." Abyss responded, and then he snapped his fingers. Rainfall felt like he was falling for a second, and then it stopped, and the carriage had come to a halt.

Abyss stepped out of the carriage. "Mister Alan, we cannot proceed." Said the man with the long rope. "You know humans aren't allowed within the city walls without a permit. We're lucky to even be in Anibia, most of us have to stay in Manholm." Abyss nodded. "Ah, we have a permit though. Thank you for your help." Rainfall and Frost stepped out of the carriage. There were other forms of transportation stopped nearby. There was a wall nearby, with a gate that had two dragons with a kind of helmet on standing on either side. They had armbands on.

"Well… alright." Said the man, and the carriage began to ride off again. Rainfall looked around at the other carriages. There was something that didn't look like a carriage. It had wheels, but it had a kind of compartment where two humans would sit, and a long, open-top box on the back. It was made out of metal.

Abyss brought the two behind the large… thing. "This is called a truck." He said. Abyss pointed at Rainfall and Frost again, and they were their dragon forms once more. He then began to glow with a dark light. A high-pitched noise began to sound as he turned into a dragon. He was a Seawing, dark green scales and spotted scales. "I accelerated our journey a bit." He said. "It would have taken hours to get here otherwise." "Why aren't scavengers allowed in the city, what's going on?" Frost asked. "Well…" Abyss said quietly. "There was a war a long time ago between humanity and the dragons, and let's just say the dragons won. The Thessalstian dragons decided to be merciful and let the remaining humans live within a country west of here they created called Manholm. They aren't allowed out, except for business reasons, or war. Some humans are able to live in the other countries, but they are considered much less of a living being." "Then why are there so many humans here?" Rainfall asked. "Because Anibia is currently at war with Balksland, their neighbor to the north. They went to Manholm and recruited humans to fight, promising land within Anibia for those who fight." Abyss answered.

The three dragons approached the gates, which were open. One of the guards, a Rainwing, gave them a nod. She had some kind of weapon on her arm, along with the armband. Rainfall stepped through the gate, and was taken aback by the city within.

It was massive. It had large buildings of stone, and wide streets. Dragons of all different tribes, some Rainfall had never seen before, and even some humans, walked on the street and flew in the air. Something that looked like a truck, but smaller, went down one of the side streets, a man inside of it. Most dragons seemed to be flying towards something happening a few streets away. "Abyss…" Frost began, but Abyss cut her off. "Oh, please call me uhmmm… Anemone for the time being." Abyss said. "Okay Anemone…" Frost said, clearly confused, "What are the purple dragons and the light green dragons and the dark brown dragons?"

Rainfall had been staring at the three tribes he hadn't been able to place. He had been able to guess what was a Sandwing, Mudwing, and a Skywing, but there were tribes he had never even heard of or seen. "The purple ones are called Aniwings, named for their power, animyre. It allows them to slow down time around them for a limited time. The green ones are called Grasswings. They are fast on land and can breathe a poisonous gas that works similar to Rainwing venom." "Rainwings have venom?!" Frost asked, shocked, turning to Rainfall, who nodded. "Rockwings can burrow underground easily and have armored scales that make them harder to hurt." Abyss said, pointing to a large Rockwing.

"Why aren't these tribes on Pyrrhia?" Frost asked. "The Pyrrhians killed them all." Abyss said. "Per order of the queens. Although that was probably all wiped from your history. Didn't want anyone to know what happened." "Even the Rainwings?" Rainfall asked. "Yes, even the Rainwings contributed to the Pyrrhic genocide." "…Why?" Frost asked quietly. "That's a long story, and I'm sure somebody else can tell it better than I can." Abyss said. "But if you want a short answer, hate and ignorance. They were minorities."

"What's a minority?" Frost asked. "What's genocide?" Rainfall asked. "Well… a minority is someone who is part of a group that there is less of than other groups." Abyss said. "And genocide is the complete wipeout of a certain group."

Rainfall noticed an Aniwing giving Abyss a dirty look. "Yeah I shouldn't be talking about this right now." Abyss said. The three dragons continued walking through the market. The streets were busy, and Rainfall tried not to lose Abyss in the crowd. He walked fast, quickly dodging around dragons. He seemed to be aiming for a building with a small wooden door and windows with metal bars on the outsides of them. There was a human sitting on the front step of the building. She was wearing a white hood. When they approached her, she didn't even seem to notice the dirty looks a passing Skywing gave her. Her skin was dark, and Rainfall saw she had an earring on. It was gold and had the design of two dragons twined around each other.

"It's quite late to be out on a day like this." Abyss said. "I'm waiting for someone." She said. "As am I." Abyss responded. The woman got up and knocked three times at the small wooden door. "I think that was a codeword." Frost whispered to Rainfall.

A Sandwing and a Nightwing walked out of the building. They were both wearing similar earrings. "…Abyss." Said the Nightwing calmly. "What a surprise." The Sandwing was visibly excited. "Abyss. I've heard so much about you." He was clearly trying to keep himself from shouting. "Right, well, now is not the time Coyote." Abyss said. "You know who I am?" Coyote asked. "Of course. Constellation told me last time I saw her." Coyote turned his head to look at Constellation, who shrugged. "Of course, you talk to a demon often. You're you." Coyote said jokingly.

"This is Frost and Rainfall." Abyss said. "I need you to take them to Jerboa back in Possibility." "All the way back in Possibility?!" Coyote asked loudly. "Shhh." Constellation shushed. "Don't let them know we're Pyrrhians." "Right. Sorry." Coyote said softly. "What's so bad about Pyrrhia?" Rainfall asked, and everyone around them turned and shot the whole group dirty looks. "Disgusting." Someone said. "A child shouldn't say things like that. Whoever the parents of that Rainwing are, they should be ashamed."

"Why do these two dragonets need to see Jerboa?" Constellation asked, keeping her voice monotone. Contrast to the excitable Coyote, Constellation remained calm and collected. Her eyes were hooded, and she looked like she hadn't slept in days. "They have the Kiss of the Void." Abyss whispered to her. Constellation's eyes actually widened. "That bastard is using dragonets now?" She asked angrily. Abyss nodded. "Butmono and I saved them." Constellation turned to Rainfall and Frost. "You two are very lucky. Those who end up in Cassriel's experiments don't usually live." "What's the Kiss of the Void?" Frost asked. "Jerboa can explain it all." Coyote said. "But… how are we going to get there?"

"I can make that happen." Abyss said. Constellation turned to the woman sitting outside the building. "We're going to be gone for a few hours." The woman nodded. "I'll tell Swamp." She said. Abyss began to walk away from the building, leading everyone away from the market. "Where are we going?" Rainfall asked. "The water." Abyss answered.

As the group of dragons walked away from the market, Rainfall looked around at the architecture, the dragons and the humans. Coyote pointed things out to Rainfall and Frost. He showed them what a car was, what a newspaper was, and what a streetlight was. A pair of dragons with more mechanisms on their forearms walked by, with black helmets and those silver and red armbands. "Who are they?" Frost asked after they passed. "The APF. Anibian Police Force. They enforce the rules within the country. Their leader, Commander Ghastly, takes orders directly from the King." "They don't have queens?" Frost asked. "I thought that was the ideal form of rule!" "Well, Pyrrhia has some things that are different from the rest of the world. Thessalstia is only one of many other continents. While Augustia and Consania split apart during the Scorching, the other continents such as Praebelia, have hardly changed."

As Rainfall pondered what that could mean, Frost continued asking questions. "Who's the King?" She asked. "King Spirit, an Aniwing. His family has ruled Anibia, for which they named after their tribe, for thousands of years. They are hailed as the royal family because of their gift. The Moon Goddesses chose them and bestowed upon them a power for which they named after them. They called it animus." Frost's jaw dropped open. "The first member of the royal family was a general for the dragons' side in the War of Supremacy. You know it as the Scorching. Nobody is quite sure what happened, but he gained something called the Power of Hamza. The animus power is very powerful, and those who inherit it are bound by oath to only use it for good. But there is a curse that the first king of Anibia, Wraith, put in place. Anibian royals must only marry and have dragonets with Aniwings that the current king or queen approves of. If animus power is inherited by a dragonet of another tribe, or anyone who is not approved to bear royal dragonets by the current king, the curse begins. The animus magic will corrupt the soul of the dragon every time they use it. The soul is much more important than the physical body, as you'll surely find out."

"Why would King Wraith do that?" Frost asked. Rainfall was listening intently but was amazed by something that wasn't a dragon flying through the sky. It had a kind of propeller on front and two wings, but it was metal. "He wanted to ensure that whoever had animus magic was a good dragon. All royals who were hatched with this power were forced to take the Oath of Stone, named after an old friend of the first king who believed in responsibility and fairness. Of course, someone who isn't an Aniwing can't be king or queen, and they can't be king or queen if they're disapproved. It was kind of a failsafe."

Abyss led the dragons around a corner and then, there it was. The ocean. Rainfall had seen the ocean from the rainforest, but it looked different here. Less calm. Abyss took them to a rock sticking out into the water. Nearby, there was a Nightwing watching a small dragonet splash in the water. It was a beautiful day to be out on the beach.

Abyss pointed to the water. The murky sand and dirt beneath the small waves suddenly fell away. There was clear sky on the other side of the large hole that was now forming in the sand. "Alright, just jump through, and then make sure you land on your feet." Abyss said. He gave Constellation and Coyote a nod. "Thank you." He said. "And you two," He said to Rainfall and Frost. "Don't die out there. Be careful." He walked away. Rainfall watched him go as he crossed the street. A group of dragonets walked by, momentarily blocking Rainfall's view. When the dragonets had passed, Abyss had vanished.

Coyote jumped into the hole first, letting out a whoop as he splashed into the water. Constellation followed. Rainfall looked at Frost. She was very pretty. Rainfall had been surrounded by beautiful dragons all his life, but none of them looked like Frost did.

"After you." Rainfall said. Frost looked around, and then jumped into the water. Rainfall looked around at the world around him. He was tired, but he felt like he could be awake forever. There was so much more outside the forest than he had ever anticipated. Rainfall took a deep breath, and then made the plunge. Into the unknown.

. . .

Everything had changed. I thought I had found something greater than I could ever imagine. I was right, but not in the sense I thought. Frost and I would soon become close friends, but I never forgot Chameleon and Marvelous.

If I had just stayed back at the village and gotten some sleep like they wanted, none of this would have happened.

But maybe, despite my imminent death, this was a good thing. If I had just stayed home, I never would have gotten anywhere. But I just kept pushing forward. Grandeur had given me advice that stayed with me, right up until now. If I had stayed home, I never would have met anybody I now consider my greatest friends. I had persistence, and even if I die, maybe I would have more regrets if I had stayed home that night.

My life was about to change, and so was the entire world.

. . .