Alternate

by Sparingly119

Swordfish is a normal SeaWing attending Jade Mountain Academy for it's second year. He meets a cast of new dragonets, but one of them is a killer. However, not everything is as it seems as this story unfolds from a mystery at Jade Mountain into a saga about good, evil, the world, and the meaning of existence. A two-part story in one, Alternate: Genesis and Alternate: Revelation.

57. Chapter 50: Pyrrhia

In life, there always comes a time to say goodbye.

Nobody lives forever. No place stays the same. No item ever goes unbroken. Every group changes. Every story ends.

I stopped reading WoF long ago. I stopped paying attention. I moved on.

I used to love this series and its fandom, but after a while it started to change. Something about it all seemed different. That was the time I decided to leave. Book 10 had been written; the story had ended. Even though the Lost Continent had been teased, I hardly cared.

This chapter marks the end of the first "book" of Alternate. From this point onward, the story will be barely recognizable as Wings of Fire. Only the tribes will remain. We leave the old world behind and go into the next. A completely unique one built from the ground up.

I'm worried how it will go, but I'll keep pushing onward.

Into the unknown together.

Cassriel stood in the Void, waiting for the signal. In front of him was the bomb. The one he had stolen from world 13236858 in Krasnoyarsk when the Soviet Union was testing it. Here it was, frozen mid-fall, ready to explode upon impact. All he was waiting for was the signal from one of the Demons, and he would open a rift beneath it upon the target, and everything would be blown away. It was the fallback. If Adnachiel, Miczariel, and Surgat couldn't take out the Travelers, this certainly would.

Miczariel walked into the Void behind him, followed by Surgat and Adnachiel. "Do it." She said quickly. "They're escaping now. Get as many of them as possible." Cassriel nodded and opened a rift beneath the bomb. A rift that opened up above Possibility. The Tsar Bomba began to fall down above Pyrrhia as Cassriel closed the rip in the blackness.

. . .

Thorn looked up to the sky. She had been commanding the Outclaws as they protected the Scorpion Den from the dead dragons. A losing battle, as they just kept coming from the dunes beyond the city. "Thorn... What is that?" Sixclaws asked as he saw it too. The massive cloud in the distance from the direction of the Sky Kingdom. The sound of the explosion came afterwards, hitting them in a shockwave. Thorn watched a building topple as a small sandstorm began to form.

This is the end.

. . .

Queen Ruby could see the explosion even above the mountains. She looked up from the body of Hawk, who had been killed already. As the dead rose from the graveyard of Scarlet's arena battles, the Golden Army had begun to storm the palace, taking it over in the chaos. She could hear the chaos of battle beyond the door.

She didn't move as dragons kicked down the door to the balcony she was on with the body of her brother. "Your majesty." Said the soldier as the three Skywings aimed their new rifles at the Queen.

"I know what you're going to do." Ruby said, closing her eyes. "So just do it."

"Well… we were going to let you live, if you can tell us the location of Vermillion. We don't want someone as influential as him rallying enemy kingdoms when the apocalypse ends. That is, if any kingdoms still exist." The soldier said blankly.

"Well I don't know where he went." Ruby said truthfully.

"Oh. Thanks for making our job easier." Said the soldier, and all three of them fired upon the queen.

. . .

Hailstorm hid behind a frost covered building with Narwhal. The invaders had come through the Ice Cliff, which had somehow been disabled. They were killing, spreading. He had seen the bodies get back up. He looked his father in the eyes. "How should we escape?" He whispered as the noise of incoming dead got closer. Narwhal shook his head. "This… is the end… I don't know if there is escape…"

Hailstorm couldn't shake the feeling that before Lynx had died, he had seen one of the dead had a familiar face.

The face of his brother.

. . .

Savanna looked up from the battle on the sand to see The Grandmaster flying alongside Sandstorm, who cried out to the remaining Darkists. "THE RISK HAS BECOME TOO GREAT! WE ARE ESCAPING BACK THROUGH THE TUNNEL AND MAKING OUR WAY TO ANIBIA! WE MUST GO NOW!"

"What are we going to do with our bargaining chip?" Someone asked. Savanna had forgotten about Onyx, who they had dragged here with them.

"Leave her. She is of no use to us anymore. The Sandwing crown does not matter anymore. Not in the new world we are about to enter." Sandstorm said briskly.

The Darkists began to enter the tunnel. Savanna looked back at the ocean behind them. Well, I hope my friends escape Pyrrhia too.

. . .

Glory and Deathbringer led the escape charge out of the forest. The fire was spreading quicker than they had expected, which slowed down the Puppets, but also was a danger to them. They picked up anyone they could along the way, which wasn't very many.

"This isn't your fault, you know." Deathbringer said to Glory, who hadn't lost the same look of horror on her face since Jambu had come back and died. She just couldn't believe this was happening to her dragons. Her Rainwings and Nightwings. "Why…" She said as she flew and jumped through the trees, something the Nightwings were struggling with, and her too. "Just… why…?"

Is this happening all over Pyrrhia or just here? What's happening to Jade Mountain?

. . .

Starfish shot out of the water. The entire Sea Kingdom was being ravaged by an enormous beast. Starfish had heard it had targeted the palace first, and then began rampaging across the ocean, destroying everything. Almost like it was made for destruction. Tentacles reaching out and destroying homes. Breath that turned the water so hot things in it died. He hadn't seen his father since it began. Starfish worried that Urchin had died.

But above the water, Starfish could see that things were not any better. He could see a massive plume of smoke from the direction of the mainland, which looked like the whole rainforest might have been on fire. But what was really disturbing were the homes above water that had been destroyed. All the dragons were either aimlessly walking around or crowding on the edge of the water, staring down beneath the waves. Some of the strange dragons turned up towards Starfish, their eyes completely black and hollow. Starfish screamed and dove beneath the waves again.

What happened to everyone? Did my friends make it out okay? No training has prepared me for this! WHAT HAPPENED?!

I wonder what's happening to that school Swordfish is at.

. . .

"You're… not me… I am me…" Said the Puppet Swordfish. Swordfish just stared up at him, too much in shock to respond. He could hardly believe anything that had happened tonight. "I am dead… You… are fake… I am Swordfish."

Swordfish just sat there. He could hear yelling and screaming in the distance. He could see Lucifer moving forward out of the corner of his eye. His mind hadn't yet left the conversation he had had with the Demon King. Story… character… Visitors… who am I…?

The Puppet moved forward, reaching out for him. Why should I fight back anymore? Why don't I just die here and be done with it? I'm nobody. Nobody but the reason all of this is happening. Without me, they'll be better off. He closed his eyes as the Puppet slashed into his arm, and then his chest.That's right… I wasn't supposed to be here anyway. I have this coming. This is nothing but justice.

Swordfish surprised himself by fighting back as the Puppet Swordfish attacked him. As the Puppet reached out to bite his neck, he got up and slashed at it with his claws. Why? He asked himself. Death is what I deserve now. Why won't I accept that?

The Puppet made a gargling noise and ran at Swordfish. Swordfish took to the sky and struck the Puppet with his tail. As it rose again, it began to talk once more in its creaky, raspy voice. "You… shouldn't be here… Why are you here?" It suddenly appeared as alive as Swordfish was, free of decay and very much alive. "You are taking them from me. That down there is my Rattlesnake. My Vulture. My friends. My life you are living. Why? What makes you think you deserve this?"

Swordfish shook his head and the Puppet went back to normal. Swordfish fell to the ground again, landing with a painful thud against the ground. His wings just wouldn't work. The Puppet lurched forward, still gargling. It was coming. The end. He could hear what sounded like a massive explosion in the background. The Puppet Swordfish leapt onto him, biting into Swordfish's shoulder and painfully twisting his wing.

Swordfish was looking at his reflection again. Like in his village. Like in the building when Camael attacked. Not me.

"You were… too much like your mother for me to get rid of you…"

"THAT'S RIGHT, SWIM AWAY! JUST LIKE YOU ALWAYS DO! NEVER FACING THINGS HEAD ON!"

"I'm Vine. And you?"

"Someone who can see through the lies…"

"Don't go digging too deep…"

"This world needs you… who will change the entire world, for better or for worse?"

"Make use of what's given to you, because one day it could all burn away."

"I'M TRYIN' TO HELP YOU!"

"It's all your fault to begin with… You wouldn't drop your hunger to know the secrets… and it killed… us all…I hate you."

Those things, Cassriel and Abyss, had come to kill him for getting too close to whatever this world was hiding…

"Would… you really put your own goals over the safety of everyone else?"

"WHY? WHY DO I ALWAYS HAVE TO BE LEFT IN THE DARK?"

"…Will you still open it?"

Beyond the forest.

"…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."

If I die here, the world wins. The chest remains shut.

The answers to everything lay inside.

Part of Swordfish just wanted to forget about Rainfall, Vine, the scavenger thing and his dreams and go back to being the Swordfish that didn't care about anything.

"…you will unleash something far worse than you could ever imagine."

"Someone with direction."

"Be free, Swordfish."

Swordfish looked back up at the Puppet ready to make the final blow, ready to kill. He could see himself in its eyes. It really was him. This really was Swordfish. The real Swordfish. And he didn't care.

Besides, I'm no hero.

Swordfish reached up and slashed through the Puppet's throat and neck, nearly decapitating it. It fell on top of him, the black blood spilling out onto Swordfish's own face and chest, staining the earring.

Swordfish pushed the body off, which rolled facing upwards. The mountain began to shake again. It was going to collapse soon. Swordfish got up and spread his wings out. Despite the pain, they were already healing thanks to the earring.

"Persistence. Always keep going."

He looked on over the battle, covered in the other Swordfish's blood. If this was what the world would do to him now that he had finally uncovered its truths, then he would keep fighting it.

. . .

Rattlesnake stared down at the pure white body of Vine in disbelief. "She gave her life to protect me and everyone else…" Delta said. "When I heard the sound, I rushed back down the tunnel and found her under the rocks and with her face in the venom…" Delta said with terror and sadness. Her eyes were wide.

Half of Vine's face had been burned by the acidic venom badly. Her back had been mangled by the rocks, and her wings were torn apart. She had Swordfish's satchel on and three Old Monarchy cloaks, which had probably protected her from most of the venom. But…

Rattlesnake put her head to the chest of the Rainwing. The heart was still beating. She was still alive.

"The earring." Delta said. "We need it now!" "But… I don't have it!" Rattlesnake stammered as Vulture came over to see Vine. "No…" He said under his breath, seeing the body. "WHERE IS IT?" Delta screamed. "On Swordfish… He hasn't returned…" Rattlesnake said, looking up to the mountain.

"He won't die with it on, right? Right?" Delta asked Vulture, who shook his head. "I don't know!" He replied urgently, his voice getting high-pitched.

Sunny and Starflight approached, joined by Peril, who was leading Kinkajou to safety. Kinkajou screamed and cried, and Peril just had a look of disbelief on her face. Rattlesnake noticed she was holding Kinkajou, and the Rainwing wasn't going up in flames. "He… took away my firescales…" Peril said softly to Vulture, who had noticed it too.

"We're leaving Pyrrhia." Starflight said. "We're escaping to Thessalstia, and then seeing where to go from there. Darkseer says it's happening all over Pyrrhia. There's no safe place left. The ocean is getting attacked by a colossal monster." "Camael." Vulture said under his breath. Sunny stared at Vine, but it looked like she had already cried all her tears.

Lucifer suddenly roared, and the Puppets began to surge over the burning logs once more, letting out roars of their own, echoing the Demon King. Peril let down Kinkajou and turned to face the dead as a Rainwing ran towards her. "TAMARINNN!" Kinkajou screamed, as it was indeed the blind Rainwing who had come back. Peril reached out with her talon to burn the Puppet, but it didn't work as she slashed at the dead. "NO!" Peril screamed.

Rattlesnake looked around and equipped the mobile rifle as fast as she could, but there were too many of them. She heard screams as the other students began to get overwhelmed. "There's too many!" Sepia cried nearby, before getting attacked by a small Mudwing. She screamed as it pulled her into the incoming onslaught, getting trampled by the crowd. Fearless yelled after her, disappearing into the mayhem.

Rattlesnake and the others braced for impact, knowing they probably wouldn't survive, when a dragon flew over them. "I ENCHANT ALL THESE PUPPETS TO LOSE THEIR HEADS!" Darkseer yelled at the top of his lungs.

All the dead suddenly lost their heads simultaneously and fell to the ground, leaving the bodies of Sepia, Fearless, Barracuda, and Thrush behind. "We need to go, NOW!" Darkseer said, spreading his wings. The dragonets began to take flight, Delta trying to grab the body of Vine. Rattlesnake looked back up towards the direction Lucifer. "Swordfish hasn't come back and he has the earring!" She yelled. "He's probably alive, but we need to go now!" Darkseer cried. The mountain shook again.

The dragons of Jade Mountain, wrought with anger, sadness, and most of all terror, began to take to the sky to leave when Lucifer let out a cry. "Darkseer!" He yelled, his deep voice sending shivers down Rattlesnake's spine. He grabbed rocks and trees once more, lighting them on fire with his breath. "BRACE YOURSELVES!" Someone screamed.

The rocks and trees came flying at them, smashing into students and burning them alive. Rattlesnake dove behind one of the trees with Vulture, who just barely made over before a rock went flying over their heads, with what looked like blood on it already.

When the onslaught ended, Rattlesnake poked her head up. "ANYONE STILL LEFT ALIVE?!" She heard Clay call out in distress. She could see bodies out there of other students through the darkness, ash, and smoke. Lucifer was now almost on top of them, intently searching the dragons getting up who had lived, afraid and defenseless now. "Well then Darkseer. If you won't come out of hiding, I'll kill them all right now." Lucifer said with a strained voice. "I'm sorry to do this to you, but if you won't reveal yourself, I'll force you to."

Vulture suddenly landed next to Rattlesnake with Delta, Frigid, and Typhoon. Delta still had Vine with her. "Wait…" Rattlesnake said and turned to the Vulture she had been hiding with. He was now standing up and facing Lucifer. "The world needs less…" The other Vulture muttered to himself. "Goodbye everyone. I have hope you will go down the right paths." He said, and then turned into Darkseer, all the fear showing in his eyes.

Almost instantaneously, a massive fireball was fired right at Darkseer, who was blown backward and into the mountain, a burning mass of scales. He fell down to the ground as someone screamed. Rattlesnake and the real Vulture ran over to their friend, dead on the ground. "No…" Vulture cried softly. They were clawmates.

Rattlesnake took off her mobile rifles and bent down to Darkseer's face as the others tried to put the flames out, hardly believing what was happening. It had to be a nightmare. "Then I see it is done." Lucifer said sadly. "Goodbye dragons of Jade Mountain. I wish we all could have met under different circumstances." And then as quickly as he had appeared, he disappeared in a cloud of black and purple smoke through a large rift.

The sound of someone landing behind them made Rattlesnake look up. She was greeted by the blood-soaked face of Swordfish, who looked completely hollow. He walked with a stumble, holding out the Earring of Sola. He collapsed his wings inward as he nearly fell when Rattlesnake took it from him.

Delta helped Swordfish up, who had a look of absolute horror wash over his face when he saw the two bodies in front of him. "No…. nononono…" he said, staring at Vine and Darkseer. "He's alive!" Vulture suddenly cried, holding his talon in front of Darkseer's mouth. "YES! COME ON! KEEP GOING!" He yelled. "RATTLESNAKE! THE EARRING!"

Rattlesnake stepped back, holding the Earring of Sola as the faces turned to her. Delta, Swordfish, Frigid, Typhoon, and Vulture were looking at her, but she could only look at Darkseer and Vine, laying there together.

"VINE NEEDS IT MORE!" Delta yelled to Vulture. She got up and turned to Rattlesnake, who clutched the Earring of Sola tightly. "RATTLESNAKE, PLEASE GIVE IT TO VINE!" Swordfish turned to Rattlesnake as well, tears streaming through the blood now. "But…" Rattlesnake sputtered. HOW DO I MAKE THIS DECISION?

"I don't want to see this." Typhoon said, cutting through the silence. "You are about to tear each other apart over this. I don't want to watch that. I have no opinion. I have no fight. I am leaving. Goodbye. Nice to meet some of you." She said, quickly looking at each dragon, even Vine and Darkseer. She turned towards the fire-lit sky and flew away.

"Heal Darkseer." Frigid said bluntly. "It makes the most sense, right? Animus, mind reading, future seeing." Swordfish turned towards the Icewing, that same hollow look in his eyes. "…Are you saying we let Vine die?" He asked slowly and threateningly. Rattlesnake just kept looking after Typhoon, realizing she was right. Wishing she could just fly away now.

"Swordfish, I know you and Vine have been through a lot together…" Vulture said slowly, still looking down at the body of Darkseer. "But this is not a time of emotion. The earring has to stay on for a long period of time to heal the wearer. Only one will live, and when faced with a decision like this, we can't let emotions take control. We have to use logic." Vulture looked up from Darkseer's body and right at Rattlesnake. "We need Darkseer. He is logically the better choice. I'm sorry."

"Vine keeps us together." Delta said to Vulture stepping towards him. "Darkseer does nothing. He has done nothing. GIVE ME ONE EXAMPLE BEYOND TONIGHT WHERE HE HAS ACTUALLY STEPPED UP TO HELP US OUT!" Delta screamed at Vulture. "Something all bigwings are taught is that those with power must use that power to protect their family. I… wasn't strong enough. I didn't protect my sibs well enough, because I simply didn't have the power to stop Cedar and Mahogany from dying, even if Mahogany lied to us about his amnesia, he was still family." Rattlesnake looked up at the large Mudwing, who now had free-flowing tears again. "We are a family, and Darkseer had all the power in the world, and only at the end did he actually risk his soul to save us! Maybe because his life was actually in danger! I watched Vine sacrifice herself for dragons she hardly knew!" Delta screamed.

Swordfish turned up to look at her, crying as well. "Do you all want to know how she got like this? She was using her venom to stop the Puppets, and when that wasn't enough, she urged us all on forward down the tunnel. When we had left and the Puppets began to cross the venom, she destroyed the wooden support above the tunnel, crushing all the Puppets along with herself! She had no animus magic, no mind reading, no prophecy, and she still did that! VINE'S SOUL IS WORTH DARKSEER'S POWER!"

"All of that happened in the past. Who's to say what will happen in the future?" Frigid said with no emotion. All eyes went to the strange Icewing. "Look at what the Demons are capable of." Frigid continued. "Without Darkseer's power, we will be nothing."

Rattlesnake hadn't taken her claw off the earring on her ear. Both Swordfish and Vulture had been looking at her since Delta had started crying. Rattlesnake started to look around and realized that they were completely alone. Everyone had already left, except for those green cocoons on the scorched ground not too far away.

"Frigid is right." Vulture said darkly as the mountain groaned dangerously. "We need to think here. The Demons are incredibly powerful. Our enemies are everywhere and have such an upper talon. If we could read the minds of those around the world, we could be safe forever. If we could see forward to know things before they happen, we won't ever be in this situation again! WE WON'T HAVE EVERYONE DIE AGAIN!" Vulture yelled angrily. Rattlesnake had noticed that Swordfish was slowly getting closer to Vulture as he talked, unbreaking his gaze.

"But Darkseer didn't stop this." Swordfish said menacingly as the mountain shook again and a roar could be heard nearby. "Swordfish… stop… please…" Delta sobbed nearby, now standing against a fallen tree. Rattlesnake watched Swordfish and Vulture approach each other, both with intensity in their eyes. "It's my fault Vine got hurt. I got her to go into the mountain because I wanted to protect her." Swordfish said. "Vine died by choice." Vulture said back. "She sacrificed herself. She knew what would happen and was okay with it. Darkseer was forced into his death."

The two were almost eye to eye now. Rattlesnake tried to say something but was frozen in horror. "Darkseer is now the last animus dragon that's not Jerboa or the King of Anibia." Vulture said reasonably. "And you're telling me we should just let him die?"

"Vine is a world jumper." Swordfish said. "And a hero."

Rattlesnake still didn't do anything but sit there with her talon around the earring like a shield. "Are you really that blind!?" Vulture yelled, tears in his eyes but anger on his lips.

"She's been in contact with the Void!" Swordfish cried. "She's like me! Remember what Constellation said to Rainfall!" Delta sobbed nearby, closing her eyes.

"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 shooting through her body. Swordfish ran towards Vulture with his tail raised, ready to strike.

Swordfish tackled Vulture and knocked him to the ground by swatting at Vulture's legs with his tail. He's weak. I can take him. He thought, rolling Vulture over to see his face. "STOP!" Rattlesnake yelled from beyond the fight, but Swordfish didn't listen. He punched Vulture in the face three times, blood now seeping from the Skywing's snout and mouth. Vulture attempted to fight back by slashing Swordfish's arm with his talons, but Swordfish continued, this time hitting him right in the eyepatch.

Vulture screamed and grabbed one of the mobile rifles Rattlesnake had left next to Vine's body. Swordfish turned to try and stop him but in the moment he freed Vulture's wings, Vulture hit him on the head with his wing, knocking Swordfish back. Vulture got up and the rifle fell to the ground between the two dragonets.

Both tried to dive for it, but Swordfish managed to down Vulture again, this time hitting his legs hard enough to force them to give out, a cracking sound coming from them. Swordfish looked down at the bloodied face of Vulture, who looked terrified. Swordfish began to hesitate but saw the two bodies behind Vulture and went in for another hit.

Swordfish felt someone hold his arm back, and then his entire body was dragged away from Vulture, who slowly tried to get up, but fell back down as Frigid came to help him. Swordfish looked up at who was dragging him to see Delta with tears in her eyes. "I know it's hard." She said, crying. "Both are good options. We can't kill each other over this, or there will just be one of us left in the end. Vine isn't truly a greater cause than Darkseer." Delta held Swordfish in place next to Rattlesnake, who gave Swordfish a look of both pity, sadness, and anger.

"She only went into the mountain because I told her to." Swordfish sobbed. "It's all my fault this happened. All of it. If I hadn't opened the chest, none of this would have happened." Swordfish tried to stop his voice from breaking, still looking at Vine's body. He saw Vulture get up and glare at him. "Everything is ending because of me. I'm no hero…" Swordfish said, thinking back to his talk with Lucifer. "But she is! She is a far greater dragon than I ever was, or ever will be!" Swordfish screamed. "All I bring is destruction and death! She brings compassion and love, even in the face of such cruelty! Look! She even went out of her way to get my satchel!" Swordfish saw the satchel on her body, looking a little torn up. "I'm so obsessed with my own goals; I kill for them. But she willingly sacrificed herself for those she hardly knew!"

Swordfish was now crying harder than he ever had. "The Visitors… they made a horrible mistake… or maybe this is what they wanted. Why did they pick me instead of her? Why would they choose someone like me over someone like her? All I want is truth and revenge. She seeks out peace and love. I was the wrong choice from the beginning." Swordfish sank down in Delta's arms and cried.

Rattlesnake stepped forward and took off the earring. "Back in the Outclaws… I used to want to save everyone…" She said, sounding broken. "But I now realize that it's impossible. I saw it in the war in the past. Not everyone can be saved. We need to choose the best option for what we need to do."

"I'm going to put the earring on Darkseer." She said, staring at Vine. "I'm sorry."

"Thank you, Rattlesnake." Frigid said as Swordfish sank down, too weak to do anything. He just wanted to go to sleep and never wake up, but he knew he couldn't do that.

Rattlesnake went up to Darkseer's body and bent down next to him, thinking about Vine, Darkseer, and what she was about to do. This is the right choice. We can't use emotion anymore, like Vulture said. She heard Delta crying nearby. She thought about Swordfish attacking Vulture. She thought about Darkseer, and the conversations she had had with him.

"I hate my magic." Darkseer said. Rattlesnake sat on Vulture's bed, staring at the ceiling of the cave. "I can't believe I used it…" Darkseer moaned. "If you hadn't used it, Adnachiel would have killed Swordfish and Vine. Tsunami too. You used it to save dragons, not harm them." "It doesn't matter." Darkseer said. "I can't replicate whatever Jerboa did. I'm too afraid to use it again. I can't stop the Curse of Wraith."

Rattlesnake sighed. "Do you feel violent?" She asked. "…No." Darkseer admitted. "Problem solved then." Rattlesnake stated, and rose to her feet, shaking out her wings. "But that doesn't mean I won't in the future. I see visions of me hurting dragons. I kill them." Darkseer choked. He was crying. Rattlesnake slowly walked over to him and put a comforting talon on his back. "I don't want to use my power again. I'd rather die."

Rattlesnake stopped herself from putting the earring on Darkseer.

Like Darkstalker… but with no ambition. None at all.

"…She brings compassion… even in the face of cruelty!"

She found herself thinking about Stonemover, slowly turning to stone, wishing he was dead.

"He's needed for what's coming. We need his power."

Rattlesnake got up again. "We are healing Darkseer because of his power. Not because of him specifically." Rattlesnake said, looking Vulture in the eyes. "Correct." Vulture said, spitting out blood. "If we brought character into it like Swordfish and Delta are, it would become a much more difficult choice. But the objective answer is clear."

"And he would be using his abilities to stop the Demons and our enemies like this all the time, right?" Rattlesnake asked again. "Yes. I already said this!" Vulture answered, agitated. "Just hurry up!"

"The last thing Darkseer wanted was to become a monster. A weapon. You, as his clawmate, should know this better than anyone." Rattlesnake said. "That's why he never told his tribe about his power. He foresaw himself becoming the next Darkstalker, or like Stonemover. The rest of him ignored, his power being the only thing others saw him for." Rattlesnake looked at Darkseer. "He even told me once… that death would be preferable to continuous use of his powers. Even if he could reverse the Curse of Wraith like Jerboa did."

"What are you doing?" Frigid asked as Rattlesnake turned towards Vine. "Vine on the other talon, helped others. That was what she liked to do, like what I used to do." She said, ignoring Frigid. "Darkseer said he had no ambition!" Vulture cried. "That's why he would never become the next Darkstalker!"

"Exactly!" Rattlesnake yelled. "Darkseer has no goal other than to stop himself from becoming what he fears most. Vine has a dream of peace that she lived for and died for!"

Everyone was silent. "I know I can't save everyone, but if I can save one dragon, It's still worth it. And I would prefer to save a dragon who can pass that on. And if Darkseer can't have his fear realized, we are saving him too. Vulture, stop using your head for once and use your heart. It's what… he would have wanted."

. . .

Delta grabbed the healing Vine as Swordfish took his satchel, a little beat up but still alright. He would probably need a new one once he was in Thessalstia.

He had tried to show Rattlesnake gratitude for healing Vine, she had accepted it but gave him a sad look as she did it. Since then, everyone had been silent. Vulture didn't make eye contact with Swordfish or Rattlesnake. They all gave the body of Darkseer one last look, Vulture even hugging his clawmate before they left. The Puppets were closing in and the mountain was going to fall soon. The ground shook beneath them as one by one, the dragonets took to the sky. In the distance, they could still see figures flying away. The rest of Jade Mountain Academy were almost long gone.

Swordfish still hadn't recovered. He felt justice that Vine was alive, but also sadness that Darkseer was dead. But overall, he still felt anger and fear from his conversation with Lucifer. He looked at the mountain as it began to fall. Everything is done by the Visitors. It's them that chose Vine to die. It's their fault I'm here now. It's them that have created this hellish prison for both us characters and demons alike.

The dragonets rose into the sky and began to fly away as Puppets got closer, Delta carrying the healing Vine. As they looked back, they didn't see Darkseer's body anymore, as it had probably already been reanimated.

Goodbye, Jade Mountain. Swordfish thought as the hole finally collapsed and the academy was swallowed up by the mountain, a rumbling boom that was heard for miles around. Jade Mountain Academy was gone.

. . .

Hailstorm stood over the body of Narwhal, who was now wrapped up in a cocoon. The Puppet Lynx who had killed him was on its side in the corner of the room with its head torn off. Am I the only one left? Hailstorm thought. Nobody seems to be left out there. I guess it's only me until further notice. Just me and dad. Hailstorm looked back down at the black and green cocoon on the floor. He had tried to rip his father out, but it didn't work. It grew back too fast.

The door behind him was busted down as the Puppets finally found him. It seemed everyone in the capital really had been turned into one of these monsters. Hailstorm found himself face to face with Winter, reanimated and dark-eyed.

Hailstorm closed his eyes as the madness set in. Everyone he knew as Hailstorm was dead, and Winter was about to kill him. Maybe this would be less painful as Pyrite. He let the mind of the Skywing take over again, hoping that maybe if he forgot it all before he died, it would be less painful.

. . .

Thorn turned to see Six-claws holding a handful of cactusflame berries, an especially poisonous berry found in southern parts of the desert. "Six-claws…" Thorn said warily. "What are you doing?"

"This world is doomed Thorn." Six-claws said shakily. "I already lost my daughter. Now I'm losing my friends, my home, my kingdom, and my world. I have nothing left to live for. None of us will when this ends." He set down some of the berries at her feet. "I suggest you do the same as I do before you die in a more terrible way."

"Six-claws, don't do this!" Thorn urged as someone screamed in the distance. Another wave of dead were coming. The cloud from the explosion at Possibility still loomed over them. "Well if you won't do it, can I make a request? Can you please take my head off after this so I don't become like them? Thanks." He dropped all the berries into his mouth.

. . .

Prince Cerulean moved aside the rock panel in the palace he had been hiding behind. He looked around for lights of Aquatic but didn't see anything. Only the remains of the palace and the dozens upon dozens of bodies now floating above him. His brothers, nobles, workers, guards, everyone had been killed by that monster.

. . .

Reed poked his head up out of the mud puddle they had been laying in. Using the Mudwing ability to blend in, Reed and Pheasant had laid down in the mud and covered themselves with brush. They had been laying there unmoving for hours and hours. The sun had gone down so long ago. The sounds of fighting had disappeared, and nobody knew if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

"I wonder what's happening to the others." Pheasant said like he was reading Reed's mind. "I wonder what's happening to everyone." Reed said. "The noise stopped. Everyone might be dead."

. . .

Anthony felt Marie's hands on his shoulders as they flew away on Azure's back. Azure had gone up into a cloud to save them from the advancing Puppets as the Scavenger Den began to be overwhelmed. Old Monarchy and the Talons of Peace had begun escaping to the ocean in hopes of escaping across to Thessalstia. As they flew over the land they saw the destruction. Entire villages burned down. Empty streets. They encountered very few other dragons flying, most of which stayed back or joined them on their flight Westward.

"This is the real end of Old Monarchy." Marie said. "It's over. For real this time."

. . .

Frost stood in the remains of Possibility. It was almost completely flattened. No buildings remained. Some of the sand at the core of the blast had been turned to glass. There was no surviving something like this… yet…

Lucifer turned to the three Demons. "They escaped, didn't they?" He said darkly. He was in his original form, the goat skull upon the robed body. "As I said, we can't find any evidence that they did or did not all die!" Surgat exclaimed. "We would know if one of the Jerboas was killed. There was a sudden change of population of worlds 13301176, 13375660, and 1304833. Their world jumpers likely saved most of them." Lucifer sighed. "It is still a small victory if you managed to scatter them that well and destroy those cannon weapons. Though I doubt it's the last we'll see of those."

A rift opened behind Frost. She turned around to see Cassriel exit the Void. "Stygal says a mass exodus of survivors is heading for the coast, just as we planned." He said. "Good." Lucifer rumbled. "Our night of Puppets is close to being over. Nestorats will finish them off, and then our battle will be won and we can put an end to this pain and suffering."

Frost imagined her friends going up in flames. Then she really would have nobody. But that was what had to happen. She had to keep going. Freedom was on the brink of the horizon for her and her fellow Demons, and her friends would do everything in their power to stop that from happening. She just wished she could be free with them.

Just as she feared, no matter how powerful she was, she still couldn't change anything.

. . .

Urchin sat at the bar, bloody and beaten. He had taken a bottle of the abandoned bar's finest ale and sat there alone, drinking in his usual seat. One of the windows was broken and there was blood on the wall near the door.

He had seen it all be destroyed. He didn't know where Starfish was or if he had lived. He didn't know where Swordfish was or if he had lived. He was completely alone.

There was the noise of walking outside, getting closer and closer. Urchin thought about Shell, and about how the old home was now destroyed by that monster. He knew some dragons would probably try to escape Pyrrhia and go to the other continent. What I wouldn't do to see the other continents. Urchin thought to himself, and then wondered why he had thought that.

The dead Seawing broke down the door and started moving towards him. She had part of her face still falling off and her talons were going the wrong way. "Yeah yeah…" Urchin grumbled. "Just let me finish my drink first…"

I'm coming for you Shell.

. . .

As Swordfish flew over the destruction, the words of what Lucifer had said began to sink in further. All my fault… All of this happened because of my actions… Why? Why did I keep going? Why didn't I listen to Blizzard or Anthony?

Because this world is cruel. It is cruel because of the Demons. It is cruel because of the Visitors. It is cruel because of us. It tried to hide things from me, cast me aside when it was done with me, but I fought it. These consequences were only a byproduct of the push for the truth. This world has wronged me and so many others.

Rainfall said the world needed someone with direction to solve it? Then I'll have direction.

We must fight against those who want to surround us with the Dark and use us for playthings. Those who want to see us dead. We must get revenge.

I must get revenge.

Swordfish reached out of his torn-up satchel and took out the Traveler's earring that his father had given him. He still wondered how Urchin had ended up with it. He stuck it onto his own ear.

"Swordfish…" A voice seemed to say. "It's me." Swordfish looked around but saw nobody but his silent friends. "Who?" He said aloud, to which Rattlesnake turned and looked at him strangely.

"SHE'S WAKING UP!" Delta cried. All eyes turned towards Vine as Delta let her go and she began to fly on her own again naturally. She opened her eyes. "AHHHH!" She screamed, and began to shake in the air.

She calmed down when she realized where she was. "Wha- what happened?" Swordfish momentarily forgot about the voice and began to cry again when he saw she was alright. "Vine!" Delta cried. "You're alright!"

Vine looked confused as she flew up with her friends. "That's the weird thing here. Shouldn't I be dead?"

. . .

Vine looked horrified when the story was over. "So… you chose to keep me alive and left Darkseer to die?" Swordfish nodded to her. They flew over the desert, which looked almost completely abandoned. They could still see the escaping Jade Mountain dragons in the distance, which seemed to have taken out any Puppets they would've encountered along the way.

"Why… why didn't you choose him? He would have been a much better choice!" Vine yelled. Vulture turned to her, his face covered in dried blood from his fight with Swordfish. "Because Swordfish, Rattlesnake, and Delta let their feelings get in the way! They chose based on emotion rather than logic, and we'll ALL pay dearly for that decision." Vulture said angrily. "…Sorry Vine. I know it's not your fault. I'm at least glad you're alive. At least there's a positive."

Swordfish could only look away when Vine turned to him after seeing the wounds on Vulture. "Darkseer would have wanted you to live." Rattlesnake said comfortingly. "I thought it would be best to honor his wishes."

Vine drooped her head down as her scales turned a variety of colors, but mostly blue-grey. She began to cry for Darkseer. "This world…" She managed out as they flew in silence. "I was wrong…"

As they began to near the coast, they began to encounter other dragons, who all had the same idea. Some even had humans on their backs. Everyone was weary of each other, fearing hostile or aggressive survivors.

But as the water came into view, so did something else. A massive wall of fire, going along the coastline, going so far up that nobody could fly over it. A wall of flames blocking escape. And in front was a mass of dragons who had all followed the map that led off of Pyrrhia and into a path of island-hopping that led to Midhalm and then Anibia.

As the dragonets got closer, Frigid grabbed the attention of a Sandwing who was shaking. "What is going on?" He asked the Sandwing. "There's another Demon…. She calls herself Nestorats the Fire Master. That wall of fire covers the entire coastline, blocking our path. If you get too close to it… like Queen Blaze did… a jet of flame burns you to death in seconds." The Sandwing suddenly started screaming. "TRAPPED! WE'RE TRAPPED! THERE'S NO ESCAPE FOR US!"

"This is their plan." Vulture said depressingly. "They knew we would go this way and now we're cornered. Lucifer is probably coming here right now and Stygal's probably leading every Puppet in Pyrrhia to us right now."

"This is bad…" Rattlesnake said looking around. "If this right here is most of the survivors, then most of the Pyrrhian population has died." She continued to look around, as if searching for someone in the crowd of dragons.

Swordfish looked too, for Anthony. But it was hard. There were a lot of dragons there, and it was almost impossible to spot any humans. They're all here because of me. They've all lost so much because of me…

"Swordfish! Can you hear me?"

Swordfish poked his head up again and looked around. It was a female voice, but it sounded both familiar, and unfamiliar at the same time.

"It's me Swordfish. Don't you remember?"

"SWORDFISH!" Someone cried nearby, but Swordfish dismissed it as the voice again. "Who are you?!" He asked intensely. "It's me! Starfish!" Said the new voice, and Swordfish looked up to see his brother standing in front of him, looking terribly distraught. "Three moons you look terrible." Starfish said, stepping back from Swordfish. "Is that blood all over your face?"

Starfish was actually scared. Swordfish could feel it. He could see it in his brother's eyes. Finally, finally, Starfish was feeling scared, perhaps even weak. Maybe even alone. Their father was nowhere to be seen.

"Our father is gone." Starfish said, confirming Swordfish's guess. Funny he didn't feel any remorse. "A massive monster has ravaged the Sea Kingdom and I haven't seen Urchin since. Almost everyone is dead." Starfish continued, actually trembling a bit.

"I couldn't agree more." Swordfish said and saw the horrified look on Starfish's face. "Are… are you smiling?" Starfish asked. Swordfish hadn't even realized his face had contorted into a small grin. "I guess I am. Sorry." He said as he wiped it away.

Starfish looked at his younger brother with worry. "I am so glad you're alive. I think all of my friends were killed and I thought I would be alone in my duty but you're still here." He said with urgency. "Although almost every royal dragon and noble was killed, our queen has survived through some miracle. Coral and Tsunami are the last surviving members of the line. Oh, Turtle too!"

"Turtle is dead." Swordfish said, to which Starfish's face twitched. "… It's kind of funny now. I wish I had never killed Anemone. I know how much fame and fortune it brought our family to save the palace but… we could really use her now." Starfish said quietly so that the nearby Rattlesnake couldn't hear, who was watching the conversation out of the corner of her eye.

Swordfish had to stop himself from smiling again. "Anyway, you need to come with me. We need to protect the queen and find the princess! In the name of the Seawings and our father!"

"Still groveling to that dragon, even after his death. Loyal to the core." The voice whispered.

"Your father." Swordfish spat. Starfish raised his eyebrows.

"What?" Starfish questioned.

"Your father. Not mine." Swordfish said again with that same roughness. "You're not family anymore. These dragonets here are my family now. All you ever did is hurt me, and now that you need me you expect me to come crawling back?" Swordfish actually laughed. "Never."

Starfish stepped towards Swordfish, just like every time he made Swordfish hurt in the past. "You're telling me you've left us for a bunch of dragonets from other tribes?" Starfish growled menacingly. "With almost everyone dead, it's even more important we stick together as Seawings. Father was right about that school. It made you weak." But Swordfish could see it in Starfish's eyes. He was scared.

Swordfish stepped towards Starfish. "No. You are." He flashed in Aquatic. "You only care about yourself. Get out of here. You aren't family anymore." He could still see Rattlesnake watching discreetly.

Starfish seemed like he was going to say something back, but the arm that had the mobile rifle Swordfish was wearing twitched, and Starfish stopped, narrowing his eyes. He turned his back on Swordfish and walked off into the crowd in the direction of the towering inferno.

As his brother left, Swordfish could see a figure, clad in armor, standing in front of the fire. Floating in place high above the water. It looked like a figure, but upon further inspection it appeared to just be a full suit of armor without a body. Just fire coming from the head, hands, and feet.That must be Nestorats. Swordfish thought to himself. She stood in the air without wings, surveying the dragons cowering and panicking in front of her, standing far enough away from the wall of flames so that they wouldn't burn. Some had begun to fly off again, figuring out what the Demons were planning.

Swordfish returned back to his friends. Rattlesnake gave him an odd look. "That was Starfish, right?" She asked, to which Swordfish nodded slowly. "I remember all the things you said about him on the first day." She said, not changing the look on her face. "That was big for you, standing up against him." Swordfish remembered that first day of school, so long ago. "Yeah." Swordfish said, breaking eye contact with her.

"She's not touching the water." Vulture said suddenly. "Nestorats could just be standing on the ground but she's just far enough up that not even a drop can get on her."

"You're saying that she doesn't like water." Delta finished. "That would make sense, her being made out of fire and everything."

"I'm sure I'm not the first one to notice it. In fact, I bet Starflight's figured it out too." Vulture said, looking around at the crowd. "But nobody's moved yet because she's made out of fire. Someone could knock her out of the sky and drag her down into the water, but nobody can last that long, even if they wanted to sacrifice themselves. They would die before even hitting the water."

"What about Peril!?" Vine cried, making some other dragons around them turn and look. One curious Skywing turned and looked at Vine, most likely knowing exactly who Peril was. "Lucifer stripped Peril of her power. She's just a normal Skywing now." Rattlesnake interjected. Vine's face fell.

"I bet if someone could take her into the water, the wall would fall. She keeps occasionally feeding it by blasting it with a jet of flame." Vulture said. "And I bet this is why Lucifer took away Peril's power, but I don't understand why he just let her live."

"Because it could be resolved without death." Swordfish said. "He could solve a problem without needing to take a life. He couldn't do that with the animus dragons because animus magic goes deeper than firescales." The other dragonets stared at Swordfish for a second.

A sudden screaming erupted from underneath a tree nearby. Swordfish and his friends turned their heads to see three dragons entwined with each other flying into the air. Clay, Tsunami, and Peril. "NO!" Peril screamed, sounding completely torn. "GET OFF PERIL!" Clay cried. Tsunami ripped Peril off of the Mudwing. Peril screamed a nightmarish scream.

Clay and Tsunami twined tails together and Clay flew off again. Down towards Nestorats.

"For wings of earth, search through the mud, for an egg the color of dragon blood." Rattlesnake recited from the fated prophecy. Swordfish watched Clay fly over the heads of the dragons of Pyrrhia. The dragonet of destiny.

He flew out of sight, and then a massive yelling could be heard from the shoreline. Swordfish's view was suddenly blocked by every dragon lifting their wings and taking to the sky as the wall of fire fell. Screaming and yelling could be heard from everywhere as Swordfish and his friends quickly took flight as well, getting caught up in the rush to leave.

As Swordfish flew over, he could see the armor pushed underwater. The water around it boiled as a now black mass held Nestorats down.

As the dragons of Pyrrhia who had survived the purge flew over the sacrifice, Swordfish looked out to the ocean. Out there was the rest of the world. The rest of his life. Behind him was Pyrrhia. In front of him was new land unlike anything he had ever seen. Behind him was the world of prophecies, dragonets of destiny, queens, and animus magic. In front of him was a new world full of completely new things. Behind him was the same old world he and everyone else had known their whole lives. In front was something else. Something much bigger, foreboding, and strange.

The dragons were leaving Pyrrhia. Swordfish looked behind himself at the coast rapidly retreating into the distance. Lucifer, the Demons, and the Puppets were too late. Swordfish was aware it wasn't over, as the Demons would probably find a way to ruin his life again as long as the Visitors remained in control. Not to mention the fact that there were probably plenty of Darkists among the survivors. But for now, they had a small victory. Those who were here, had lived. Those who had lived, would seek revenge.

"Swordfish. It's me." The voice said again, clearer now. "Your mother. Shell." Swordfish blinked fast. Mother. You… are talking to me? Swordfish thought. "Yes. I am here with you now. Here to guide you."

"Always."

Swordfish turned back at Pyrrhia in the distance. "It's the last time you'll ever see it." Shell said in Swordfish's mind.

I know.

Goodbye, Pyrrhia.

Swordfish turned and faced into the setting moons. Luna, Sola, and Eclis. The sun was rising behind them as they flew west over the water towards the future.

Into the unknown.

-END-

To be continued in Alternate Book II – Revelation.

But only if you'd like.

If you so choose, the story can end here. The remaining dragons of Pyrrhia make it to Anibia and blend in with the dragons of the rest of the world, and no one is the wiser. They keep it a secret from their dragonets, and they live out the rest of their lives safely and happily.

You can tell yourself that story if you so choose.

But if you want to see Alternate out to its true end, and continue on this journey with me, then I invite you to hang on. The story will maintain this darker side for the rest of it's time.

If you want a saddening, yet peaceful end, stop here.

If you want to keep pressing onward, if your persistence guides you into the unknown, then I invite you to open the chest with me, Visitors.

Here we go.

General Amazon was playing chess against Mallard, rich Mudwing from the north and enjoying a nice cup of tea when she got the call. A servant brought her the telephone with an urgent look on his human face. "It's the Head Seer, ma'am." He announced.

"Oh dear." Amazon said. "Excuse me, can we put our game on hold for a second?" She asked Mallard "Of course." He responded deeply.

"Hello…? Yes… what? Midhalm has been destroyed?" Amazon asked, and then her eyes widened as the seer continued talking. "WHAT!?" She screamed, leaping out of her seat. "Goddesses, what happened?" Mallard asked, worried. "…. Yes… I will get them ready. Thank you. Goddesses be with Anibia." Amazon stammered, and then hung up.

"What's going on?" Mallard asked, urgently. "Send out the emergency calls!" Amazon ordered the human servant. "Alert all naval ships! Alert all coastal defenses!" She cried. The servant curtly nodded and ran off. "WHAT'S HAPPENING?!" Mallard demanded.

General Amazon turned towards him. "The Pyrrhians. They're coming."