Here's my version of the Atlantis story. Hope it makes sense.

Of Blood and Destiny's Wings
by Neesah

Chapter 5: Atlantis

Van found himself with Aastor amidst a bright city, where beings with wings could be seen everywhere, going on their usual routine.

"On Earth, during ancient times, there didn't exist any grander and more advanced civilization than that of Atlantis," Aastor began to say. "The Atlanteans ruled the land, ruled the seas and ruled the skies, having gained the knowledge and mastery over the rules that governed them, but they ruled not in the way tyrants or despots did. The people of Atlantis were looked up to, their knowledge and friendship valued, their advice sought after. They guided the other kingdoms, advising them what was best not only for their own people in that particular time and place but also for the whole world in general. In a sense, what they were doing was guiding the future of Earth, taking into mind the laws of cause and effect, of action and reaction, balancing them and making sure that the future would run smoothly and accordingly."

"The secret to that power was the power of one's will. Atlanteans were willful beings, even from the very beginning, and they learned to tap in and harness this characteristic, turning an abstract trait into a tangible source of energy. Each Atlantean had a pendant, called the Tearstone and this served as a focal point of his will." Van then noticed that all the winged people he was seeing had a pink pendant hanging from their necks similar to the one Hitomi gave him. As a reflex, he reached for his pendant, but grasped at nothing. "This secret was handed down to us by one of the earlier kings when Atlantis was but a young kingdom. During those times, Atlantis was the last land on Earth where dragons still thrive." As he said this, the bright, glowing city was replaced by a small kingdom in a lush, green land. Land dragons could be seen roaming in the forest while flying dragons were soaring in the sky. The sea dragons could be heard from afar, swimming in the waters surrounding Atlantis. "Thus, Atlantis was referred to as the Land protected by Dragons, like Fanelia, and its people referred to as the Dragon Tribe."

"Among the three kinds of dragons, the sky dragons were the most powerful. And among them, the flying white was the greatest and wisest. But there were only a few of them left, and their numbers continued to dwindle throughout the years. They knew that their time on Earth was passing and that men were fast becoming the dominant species in the planet. Finally, there was but one dragon left, the oldest and greatest of them. When he knew he was about to die, he summoned the newly crowned King whom the dragon had known since he was just a young princeling."  A white dragon could be seen lying down on the forest ground, a young man kneeling by its side. "The dragon wanted to impart his knowledge before he pass away--- a secret power that could only be entrusted to someone who had the strength to harness and control it. It was the power of one's thoughts, the power of one's wishes. That if one wished hard enough, or wanted something bad enough, he could will it into being. He had told this to the king years before, when he had given him the pendant he made for him when he was born, a pendant made from his first tear encased in an energist shell. Now, as a farewell gift, he was going to give him the one thing that could channel this power thoroughly and accurately, something that could help him rule his kingdom better and make it the grandest of all. But a blood pact had to be made first."

"The dragon instructed the king to take off his pendant, then slit his palm, making his blood fall on the pendant. He then had to use his sword and rip out the dragon's heart from his chest. Finally, he had to merge his bloodied pendant with the dragon's heart, using the power of his will." While Aastor was saying this, Van saw the dragon gave instruction to the young king and he also saw his unwillingness to do it. The king would never hurt his dragon friend, not even if he was already dying and if his heart could give him powers to help his kingdom. But the dragon already made the decision for him. His claws ripped through his own chest, gripping his heart out and offering it to the king. With that, the dragon died and the king's cry of mourning echoed throughout the forest.  

"Though grief-stricken, King Estren managed to fulfill what the dragon asked him to do. Through his will and a blood pact, he merged the dragon's heart with his pendant. Thus, the Kingstone was formed." Van stared at the pink, glowing object in the King's hand, which definitely looked a lot like the jewel on Escaflowne's chest "Upon returning, he told everyone what happened, sharing and teaching what he learned from the white dragon. In honor of his dragon friend, King Estren erected a white, spiral tower on the exact spot where he died, declaring the white dragon to be the country's sacred spirit guardian --- Atlantis' Supreme God of the Sky. And because it was also every King's duty to oversee his kingdom, he placed the Kingstone at the summit of the spiral so that while the spirit protected them, his will would guide his kingdom."

"It then became a tradition for all newborn Atlanteans to have a pendant made from his first tear encased in an energist shell to serve as a focal point for his will. It also became tradition for every new king to merge his pendant with the Kingstone through sheer will and blood pact, for only a King with a very strong will could effectively lead and rule a kingdom full of willful people. And so, with each passing year, Atlantis grew in power, as its inhabitants fully master their powers." The scene before them then shifted again to that of the bright, white city they had seen earlier.

"Because of this, Atlantis immediately became one of the richest and most advanced civilization on Earth. It became the center of both trade and science in the world. Atlantis was thriving, but eventually, its inhabitants felt a little bored, thinking that with regards to their powers, they had reached a dead end. It was only a matter of time when they would try to use their advanced technology in taking their quest for a deeper understanding of their power to the next level."

"And they did. They constructed a machine that could transform human thoughts into energy. It made them omniscient and omnipotent. They sprouted wings upon their backs and even changed their shapes, styling themselves as gods. They put this machine beneath the white, spiral tower. It was the perfect place for it --- the machine, their spirit guardian and the Kingstone in one place, resonating, guiding them, helping them realize their ideal future." 

"Unfortunately, this power overwhelmed them in the long run, as one's wishes started to conflict with the rest. Many resented the other kingdoms and wanted to conquer them. They believed that the Atlanteans were more fit to become the rulers of Earth. They wanted to extend the reach of their machine, submitting the whole Earth to their will. But there were a few who refused, believing that it would be in the best interest of Atlantis and the whole Earth if they just remained as its overseer. There were a lot of unrest and only one will held Atlantis at its core during this period, delaying the impending chaos that would have resulted from this discord --- the King."

"But even his will, said to be the strongest among the Atlanteans, the strongest of all the Atlantean Kings actually, could not prevent Atlantis' destruction at the end.  Still, he managed to save not only what remained of his people and those in the neighboring countries who were affected but also the whole Earth from destruction." As Aastor said this, flames sprung forth and swallowed everything in its path --- everything was being destroyed. Almost the whole continent of Atlantis already sank under the great ocean and the neighboring islands in all 4 directions were being affected as well. And amidst all the destruction, a single patch of land still floated, as if only held afloat by sheer will, and a strong one at that. It was the capital of Atlantis. Patches of light appeared then disappeared on the nearby islands before they all sank underwater, only reappearing again on the sole part of Atlantis still afloat.

"The day Atlantis was overcome by its power, King Lazare held the capital afloat through his will alone, with the help of the Kingstone, while the remaining Atlanteans who survived concentrated their wills on one thing and one thing only--- creating a new world." Van then saw a great assembly of people. The few remaining Atlanteans gathered around the white tower, their hands holding out their glowing pendants. At the base of the tower stood three figures. One was an elderly man with long white hair and beard, his back turned against the tower while he faced the assembly, holding forth a pendant in his outstretched hand. Van instinctively knew that the young man beside him, the one whose gaze was fixed on the glowing jewel at its summit was King Lazare, aside from the fact the crown on his head was a dead giveaway. And the young woman with them carrying a bundle in her arms protectively was his Queen. Outside the circle were people of different nations, noticeable because of their lack of wings, enclosed and being held aloft by some kind of bubble made purely of light. They were all unconscious. Also outside the circle, though not floating nor unconscious, were small, hooded creatures with different number of camera eyes, their mother ship hovering above them. They looked vaguely familiar to Van. The Ispano clan! he thought. So the King gathered everyone in this one spot, wanting to save them all. But why should they leave? Couldn't they just stop the machine?

Aastor glanced at him for a moment before continuing. "They had to leave. It was the only way to save themselves and the Earth. The machine fed on their thoughts, or any strong thoughts for that matter, that was why it was necessary for them to flee. They had no other choice. And they had to leave before the machine gets even more uncontrollable and wreak more havoc, before it managed to destroy the rest of the planet. They would have wanted to stop the machine instead or even destroy it but nobody knew how. They tried, believe me, they tried everything they could think of but to no avail. Their one, true strength also proved to be their worst weakness. So, with the last of their combined wills, they made their final wish." 

The pendants suddenly glowed brighter, then brighter, and brighter still, the one in the Elder's Hand the brightest of them all. It was as if they were channeling all their energy to that one gem. They glowed so bright, resonating with the jewel at the summit until every pendant shattered, even the one around the Elder's neck, and only the one in the Elder's hand remained. Both the pendant and the jewel continued to glow brighter until a blinding light appeared and shot up the heavens, creating a new world, Gaea.        

That last act clearly exhausted the remaining Atlanteans but they were evidently triumphant. The King remained still though, as he kept his gaze towards the jewel, clearly stating that the battle wasn't over. "Once Gaea was created, they prepared to go. But…" Aastor trailed off. Van could sense his pain but didn't understand why. All of a sudden, he could hear voices, snippets of conversation. He then realized that he could hear the Atlanteans talking!

"You're new home is waiting for you. Go," the King told them.

Everybody looked at him questioningly, fear and shock showing on their faces. The Queen shook her head. "We won't leave you here. There must be another way."

"You know there's none. I have to stay. I'm the only one holding it off. The moment I leave, it'll destroy everything."

"But once activated, it could never be stopped. What are you going to do? How are you going to stop it?" The Elder asked. "Don't think that I'm underestimating you, Lazare. I know how powerful you are. But you could not do this alone. This is just impossible."

"I don't know but I'll try. I'll find a way. I have to. I'll make sure that the machine would not succeed in destroying the Earth."

A somewhat familiar figure detached itself from the assembly, making its way towards the King. And Van realized that it was Aastor. "This is nonsense, Lazare," Aastor told his best friend. "Don't try be heroic and die in vain. We need you. Your wife and newborn son need you. The people you saved," referring to the people unconscious inside the bubbles of light, "need you too. Come with us then sink Atlantis to the sea. Once all of us are gone, the machine has nothing left to feed upon."

"That's where you're wrong. If it couldn't feed on our thoughts, then it'll feed on the thoughts of others. Their thoughts might not be as willful as ours, but it's just as conflicted. Maybe just as dangerous. We can't take that risk, Aastor. We just can't. And I won't," the King said, his voice determined. And from the tone of his voice, they realized that he lied earlier about trying to find a way to stop the machine. He already did.

The Queen gasped. Aastor, the Elder and the assembly were equally startled. The only way for him to keep the machine from feeding on the thoughts of others was to make sure that it was fed. Forever. "Don't tell me…" Aastor trailed off.

They heard him sigh. "Once you leave, I'll sink Atlantis to the sea then merge my essence with the Kingstone. That way, the machine will have something to feed upon for all eternity."

Aastor grabbed him by the shoulders. "No! You can't be seriously considering this! You're body would die but you, the real you, won't. You'll suffer forever." 

"It doesn't matter. I'm doing this for all of you. I can't let the Earth suffer because of our foolishness and arrogance. Let Atlantis alone suffer the consequences. And because I'm your King, I'll shoulder this burden." He remained looking at the Kingstone. "Please understand. This is the only thing I could do for all you."

Aastor nodded then moved away when the Queen pressed herself and the baby against the King. His eyes shifted momentarily at her. "You do understand, don't you, Raina?"

"Yes. I do."

"I'm so sorry."

She reached up and pressed her lips against his. "Don't be. I know your duty as I know mine."

Lazare smiled, kissing her again and then their son quickly before turning his attention back to the Kingstone. In a ringing voice, he said, "Start anew in your new world. The power that created Gaea, seal it. Don't make the same mistake twice. Your Queen, the Elder and Aastor will make sure that you are all well taken care of. And when my son has grown, he will lead you as I led you. I am your King and I willed it so." Then, his voice grew soft so only the three nearest to him could hear. "Aastor, Elder, please take care of my wife and my son for me."   

"We will," the two promised.

Raina moved towards the two, hugging her son more tightly. The Elder handed her pendant back to her, the last Tearstone left. Instead of putting it back on, she put it around her son's neck. Having been just born that day, a few minutes before the disaster struck, they didn't get the chance to make a Tearstone for him.

"I'll take you there now," Lazare said. "May the Great White strengthen your wings and give you the Dragon Wind to fly on."

Everything was then swallowed by a blinding light.

!!