Hey! Me back sooner than I thought I would be! But that's only because school's been suspended due to an outbreak of a new pneumonia-like virus…it's already killed someone already. Enough of the bad news, it's depressing. Anyway, thanks to Tyrant722 and To live is to be Evil for reviewing! I'm glad there are people who actually like this story. I was half afraid that it would bomb badly. Go read Artificer Urza's fics, they're good, much more fun than mine. I still think my fic is too formal and restrained…ah well, that's my writing style for you.
Disclaimer: BoF is not mine. If it was, I'll be rich and never even be here. So there.
Legend:
+++~Change in scene~+++
^^PoV^^
The Dragon Warrior
Chapter Three: Awakening
Ryu, with his eyes strangely blank and devoid of thought, approached the raised pedestal, where the mysterious orb lay in all its rainbow-hued glory, at an implacable pace. He was some five feet from his destination when Gunthar, the High Priest of that shrine, came into the chamber.
^^Gunthar's PoV^^
I had an uneasy feeling that something was going to happen this very day. It was making me restless and edgy, and I was even terribly short-tempered with the other priests of the shrine. It was this reason that brought me into the inner shrine, where the Orb of Testing was held.
Not many people knew of the existence of this orb, except for the royal family and selected members of the Dragon clan. The origins of this orb have been lost in the myths of antiquity. Legend has it that this mysterious jewel was found glowing at the last place the great God Ladon was at before He left our mortal plane. It is said to have great powers hidden within it, and that only the Legendary Hero, the Chosen One of Ladon, could fully unlock its immense potential. There were also other more practical day-to-day uses of it, as there are claims by my predecessors in much earlier times that the orb could speak to them. I'm not entirely inclined to believe these claims, especially since I've never personally experienced such an incredible phenomenon. Two things were certain though, that this orb could grant the powers of transforming into either the Gold Dragon or the Zombie Dragon (1) through a test, hence the name the Orb of Testing; and a profound peace always came over me when I was in its presence. It was for the second reason that I came to the inner shrine.
A jolt of profound shock shot through me as I emerged from the dimly lit passages. How did a little boy get in here? I watched, my limbs somehow paralyzed, as the little boy with short-cropped blue hair (2) neared the pedestal. The test was a most dangerous one, and there were several documented cases that potential candidates had been severely injured after it. What was frightening about the injuries was that it wasn't physical, it was mental, and there were also few cases where the candidates went mad and committed suicide. Whatever it was, it was not the place of a little boy to attempt it. He could be killed outright! However, there was nothing I could do, as I seemed unable to budge a single muscle.
Three feet, two feet, then one…he was almost there. That was when I could finally move. I immediately dashed forward, but in my heart I knew it was too late. The boy laid his hand upon the Orb. My last thought was that his eyes looked strangely unfocused, and he looked almost as if he had been possessed. That thought done, my mind immediately deadlocked its focus onto the incredible event unfolding before me, even as I stood frozen in my tracks.
^^Ryu's PoV^^
My vision whirred strangely after I touched the orb. I had a peculiar sensation that I was being somehow pulled into a different realm.
I could see again. But now I was no longer in the cavern. Instead I was in a grey, empty place covered with a heavy veil of fog. There seemed to be almost an unreal quality here, like whatever I saw wasn't real. Even the 'ground' I was standing on made me feel uneasy, as if I felt that it would suddenly give way under me, or like I was walking on insubstantial air. I shivered. This place was so eerily quiet and so unnatural that it gave me the creeps.
"Art thou in some distress?" It was the voice. Again. There was again something in that voice that calmed me, but this time the voice was different somehow. Before, it was resounding within my head, and it seemed to be sourceless, or at least not within my ability to determine where it came from. Now, I could actually hear the voice with my own two ears, instead of it echoing in my mind, and the voice seemed to be somewhere ahead of me, the source obscured by the thick fog that blanketed this place. I forged ahead, eager to see the person who had summoned me to this realm.
+++~ Back in the palace, in the royal study ~+++
"Well, anything new to report?" Rayne looked at the other heads of the different major families (3). "Nothing really, Your Majesty, at least it's nothing the rest of us couldn't take of by ourselves without having to worry your most precious wits about," drawled Franz with a sly twinkle in his eyes. He was the current head of the Fire Dragons, a big burly man with a shock of bright red hair, and he was well known for his sharp wit and wry good humor. His sly jab at Rayne was nothing more than a long-standing joke between the two of them.
Rayne smiled briefly and looked once again at the dragon clansmen in front of him. There was Eygus, head of the Earth Dragons (4), a good-natured young man with light brown hair, who tended to be somewhat conservative sometimes. The other council members have been trying to 'educate' him though.
Thordus, head of the Thunder Dragons, cut an imposing figure with his size, and with a enormous blond beard that seemed to have a life of its own, he looked every bit the large and threatening bully. He was a good man though, although he seldom spoke, except to make a point, and he was a good ten years older than Rayne himself, which made him the second oldest in the council.
Aisha, head of the Ice Dragons, was the only female on the council, and she was also the youngest among them. She was no pushover, however, despite her mild-seeming and almost childish demeanor, and can be quite assertive when the occasion requires it.
Lastly, there was Zagato, head of the Dark Dragons (5), the oldest and most senior, and his words carried a great deal of weight in the deliberations of the council. He was also the father of Zaine, Rayne's advisor, and he was also a very good friend with Jaken, Rayne's father.
Rayne represented the Light Dragons, of course, since the Light Dragons have always been in power, as Talvar, the first King, was himself a Light Dragon, and his line had continued unbroken even until now.
The power structure in the Dragon kingdom was a peculiar one. The Light Dragons held the greatest power in the kingdom, of course, but it was the Dark Dragons who controlled the military matters. The other families had their own districts to administer, and they more or less had full control over their own districts. Everyone still deferred to the Light Dragons though, since there was a long-standing belief among the commoners that Ladon had blessed the Light Dragons and that as long as they were in power, the Dragon clan would prosper.
Not everyone shared this view, however (6), for there was an undercurrent of feelings from time to time among certain of the great families that they had the qualities to rule as well as the Light Dragons. But as long as the line of the Light Dragons was strong, there was nothing that any dissidents could possibly do.
"There seems to be some trouble between the Fish clan and the Forest clan. I think it was over trade agreements. You know how the Fish clansmen are. But I don't think that the disagreement will escalate into anything more serious, at least not for now," Eygus stated with a slight smile on his face.
"Is it possible? Did Eygus-who-never-laughs just smile? What an astonishing thing!" Aisha gasped in mock shock, sounding for all the world like she hadn't a brain in her head.
Everyone laughed at that, and even the normally reserved Zagato chuckled. Eygus wasn't too thrilled, however. He never liked having jokes being made at his expense, and everyone who knew him had more or less given up on trying to persuade him that his face would not crack if he laughed. Aisha giggled at the huffy expression on Eygus' face. She always enjoyed teasing him.
"All right, let's get back to business," a crisp and commanding voice rang out. It was Thordus; naturally, "There's something wrong in Winlan. There's a strange fog hanging over their capital city, and if any of the Bird People breathe in that fog, they get all weak and dizzy (7). There are some cases where this has been fatal. Our people in Winlan have reported that this occurrence is probably unnatural and they have been trying to track down the source. Hopefully, they'll find out the cause before the Bird People in the capital are wiped out."
Rayne frowned. That didn't bode very well for the Wing clan, and he didn't like that. He and the King of Winlan were good friends, and he didn't want anything bad to happen to his fellow monarch.
"Anything else?" Rayne asked his fellow clansmen. Zagato nodded, and then proceeded to make his report.
+++~ Back to the never-never land Ryu is in ~+++
The clouds parted, and Ryu could see a figure outlined in the dimness somewhere ahead. He ran forward, and soon he beheld the person who had brought him here.
The person in question was an old man who seemed incredibly ancient, but his eyes, so strangely out of place on that wrinkled countenance, seemed to be filled with a kind of eternal youth and energy. He was dressed in simple white robes not unlike those of the priests that Ryu had seen, and there was a power radiating from him so strong that for a moment, Ryu felt afraid.
"Thou hast no need to fear me, little one. I will not harm thee, for I have a greater purpose for thee. I can sense great strength in thee, both of mind and might. Thou wouldst serve mine ends well, but first thou must prove thy worth, then shall I grant thee with strength to quell thy foes in the days of darkness that do lieth ahead of thee." The old man's face was grave as he looked at Ryu.
Ryu had a confused expression on his face, and he asked, "Who are you? And aren't I a little young to do whatever you want me to do, honored sir?"
The old man laughed, a sound that made Ryu's heart leap with joy. "Thou knowest me, boy. Search thy heart, and if thou art a true descendant of Talvar Drynatch then thou wouldst recognize me. And the task I have for thee is for thee and thee alone. No one else canst do it, no matter how powerful they are in the eyes of Man."
Ryu didn't know what happened. He just thought very hard about whom this strange old man could be, and then all of a sudden he just knew. His eyes widened, but before he could react, a great wind swept up, and again he had the strange sensation of being pulled away.
He opened his eyes again. Now he found himself teetering on the peak of a mountain. Ryu gulped as he saw the distance between him and the ground.
"Who goes there?!" A great voice roared out in his mind. Ryu winced at the sound of that earth-shattering roar, before turning around.
A great golden dragon rested on a peak opposite to his. It was immense, and the scales on it seemed to flash with an unearthly light. Ryu recognized it. He had seen pictures of it before. It was the legendary Gold Dragon that was the ultimate dragon spell that a Light Dragon could master!
"So you, little runt, are the one who would face ME? Hahahaha! You would not last a minute against me! Master must have been half asleep. He would never have let a little weakling like you to attempt the test!" The Gold Dragon seemed to almost be looking at Ryu in contempt.
Ryu was incensed. He had been sorely afraid less than five seconds before, but when he heard the dragon call him a weakling, his fear had been washed away by a burning rage. How dare it insult him like that? Big or not, however, Ryu decided that it was time that dragon was taught a lesson. He almost wanted to leap right across the intervening gaps and start pounding on that big brute. But cold logic held him back. His mother had once told him that one should not allow oneself to hate their opponent in battle, for it would cloud their judgment and cause one to be prone to mistakes. He took a deep breath. He must not allow anger to overwhelm him.
^^???'s PoV^^
I could sense the strong energy radiating from the lad. I knew he was too weak to face the Gold Dragon now, but I needed to test his spirit. To see if he was fit enough to face the challenges ahead. He will need a lot of guts to confront his destiny in the future. So far he hasn't disappointed me…
I could feel fear mixed in with resolve in the boy's heart. That was good. Fear was the reflex that kept Man alive, and one who is without fear is foolhardy indeed. Of course, one could also not let fear overwhelm him, lest he be consumed by it.
Ah, the fight has begun. Draciel (the Gold Dragon's name) has leapt forward. Ryu is never going to dodge this…wait, how did he do that? How did he jump onto Draciel's back? This little boy is something else to reckon with all right. This promises to be an interesting duel.
^^Normal PoV^^
Ryu was hanging on for dear life. The dragon was trying its darned best to throw Ryu off its back. Loop-the-loops, zigzags, you name it, the dragon tried it. It was to no avail, however. The Gold Dragon roared its frustration and tried, unsuccessfully, to twist its long neck around to bite the unwanted passenger on its back. Then it started banging its entire body against the mountain's side.
That finally worked. The jarring impact that came with each slamming action was too much for Ryu to take. His fingers slipped, and he fell down to the abyss below.
^^Ryu's PoV^^
I'm gonna die. I'm gonna die. No way I'll survive this. Why didn't I apologize to Riana before? Now I'm not going to get the chance…
Hey wait! There's a tree branch! I reached out desperately and caught hold of it, which immediately halted my downward plunge. I breathed out a sigh of relief. Guess this isn't over yet…
Oh, great, there's that silly dragon. No doubt here to finish me off. I braced myself. I will never show weakness to an enemy even in the face of death.
"Humph, you were better than I expected. Not bad for a runt. All right. I'll make you a deal. If you can control me for more than one minute, my powers are yours. What do you think? Fair enough?" The Gold Dragon was hovering beside me.
Of course I accepted. It was better than dangling from a tree branch, after all. But I had spoken too soon.
I felt my mind merging with the Gold Dragon's. His name was Draciel. That was odd. I didn't even know dragons had names.
Then I felt it. An incredible surge of power. But what accompanied it was beyond imagination. It began as an urge, then growing to an overwhelming instinct to search and destroy.
"KILL! BLOOD! MORE BLOOD!" That was approximately what I felt. It was more than that of course. It was beyond words. The bloodlust was so strong…I was losing myself…
Then, images began intruding themselves upon me. Draciel was older than I thought, and he had been through the Great War. Memories of blood and devastation assaulted me from all sides.
I wanted to retch. But there was something else as well…part of me wanted to see those images again. I was shocked at this. How could this be?
Then I understood. The dragon that was Draciel had wound his own personality into mine. That perception belonged to the dragon, not me. But if this went on, I would lose myself, my own identity…
Again! More of the scenes of war. Corpses strewn over the plains. Stray bloody limbs and heads abounded. Mauled bodies. Screams and shrieks of horror and fright. I saw a few dragons gathered over a group of Forest clansmen. They were…they were…eating the people!
Horror, then revulsion, surged through me. I was confused. These were my ancestors! How could they do this? It's inhuman! Wait, they aren't exactly human then, the dragon's killing instinct must have gotten too strong for them to control. Still, wasn't this too much?
I had no idea how long it had been since Draciel's mind merged with mine. It felt like an eternity though. I was slowly sinking deeper into the mindless bog of blood and war. I felt like my humanity was slowly, steadily, being stripped away from me. Clinging on to the last shreds of my sanity, I cried out in desperation to anyone that could hear me…
+++~ In Riana's room ~+++
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" A cry of pure agony echoed through Riana's mind. Startled, she sat up straight in her chair. "What was that?" She said aloud, deeply shaken by the despair and rage in that voice.
+++~ Somewhere else in the world ~+++
A little girl sat perched on her windowsill, her wings folded neatly behind her back (8). An undulating shriek of pain and agony suddenly roared through her mind, almost knocking her out of the window. "What, what's going on?" She mumbled in confusion, deeply affected by the almost total lack of humanity left in that spine-chilling sound.
+++~At the shrine~+++
^^Gunthar's PoV^^
I had waited there for some time now. There seemed to be no reaction on the part of the boy. I was getting impatient. What in the world was going on?
I was about to find out. Suddenly, the boy's previously impassive face twisted in an expression of horror. Evidently something was going on. But there was nothing I could do. I could only pray that Ladon will keep the boy safe.
Suddenly, a mindless, soundless, shriek echoed through my mind. It was coming from the boy! I winced at the awful screech. I could only hope that the boy could survive this…
What in the world?! A strange image is superimposing itself on the little boy! It can't be! It's the Gold Dragon! But how did he pass the test?! It's impossible!
Then with a great surge of energy, the change began. The boy was turning into the Gold Dragon! When the transformation was complete, the dragon raised its head and bellowed.
Then something else happened. The Orb of Testing was shimmering strangely, fading in and out, before dissolving into a stream of light! The light then flowed upwards and seemed to merge into the dragon. When that was done, a strange symbol had etched itself onto the dragon's forehead (9).
The Gold Dragon bellowed again. And then it raised its reptilian eyes to gaze at the ceiling. With a great burst of powerful light magic, it broke the ceiling and flew out.
The inevitable then happened. The ceiling had been a riverbed, and since it had been blown apart, the water cascaded down in enormous torrents. Hastily, I erected a magical shield to temporarily hold back the water. Then I turned and ran.
Footnotes:
(1): Gold Dragon is the ultimate form a Light Dragon can take. Zombie Dragon is the ultimate form for the Dark Dragons.
(2): Yea, Ryu has short hair now, but that'll change when he's older.
(3): The Dragon clan is organized into different sub-sections, each according to the kind of elemental dragon transformation they can use.
(4): I made up the Earth Dragons. Their disappearance will be very obvious why later in the story.
(5): The Dark Dragons are not essentially evil, yet, that is. They only got their name because they can use attack magic in addition to their dragon powers. Just like the Light Dragons can use healing and defensive spells.
(6): Guess who's unhappy? Should be obvious…
(7): That's the Xeon gas, incidentally. Wonder who made it?
(8): That's right, someone with wings. A member of the Wing clan. And a girl nonetheless. Wonder who? And why can she hear Ryu's cries? That's for me to know and for you to find out. XP
(9): That explains why BoF1's Ryu had a strange symbol on his head…at least that's what I think…
That was the most incredibly long chapter I have written so far. I must have been out of my mind. And some action finally! I bet the readers were bored by the lack of action in previous chapters. Well, now you've got it. The bloody graphic descriptions were fun for me to write. Hope you'll like it. Well, as usual, R+R!