A Tiny Tale Of Time
By; Phoenix Hoshika
Chapter One
The dead bodies of government officers lay strewn across the floor of a large room covering the floor, save a clear path made through them. They were once alive filled with the determination to stop the dragon that threatened to open their underground world up to the sky. It was not yet time. Though hundreds of years had past since mankind was forced underground by an ecological disaster of their own creation in a war centuries ago, it was not yet time. Many feared that the danger they had left on the surface might still be thriving and would seep into their world if even the tiniest crack was made in the gate that closed them off from the outside. If that were to happen mankind would truly have no where to go. Elyon stood silently as if in mediation before the lever that would open the underground world up to the sky once again. As he stood there he could feel Odjn's power coursing threw him like a raging river of fire. Sensing a presence in the area, besides himself and Odjn, Elyon turned to behold what or rather who was behind him.
Several meters away a young officer stood terrified at the site of the dragon. Elyon unconsciously glared at him. "Must I destroy you too?" He asked himself mournfully. He did not enjoy killing the officers or their captains that now lay dead at his feet, but what choice did he have? The boy gasped, dropping his sword as he ran away. Elyon turned his attention back to the lever and sighed.
"Why do you hesitate?" Odjn's voice asked with in the young Elyon's mind. "Why do you hesitate?" Odjn asked again his voice booming in the young man's head causing him to cringe in pain.
"I can't." He replied out loud as a tear fell from his right eye.
"Why?" Odjn demanded his voice softer now. "Is because you are afraid?"
Elyon hesitated to answer. "It wouldn't be right. I…"
"After all you, no we have sacrificed to get here? The path to the sky lies just beyond the gate above you."
Elyon looked from the lever up to the final gate that lead to the surface. He then slowly lowered his head as tears came once again. Looking around at the destruction he had caused with his own hands, with the help of Odjn's power. "I've killed so many." He said to himself as he placed his hand on the lever.
"He isn't worthy." Another voice said.
"Who?" Elyon said looking around but saw no one.
"Origin." Odjn's voice uttered recognizing the other dragon at once.
"Mankind is not worthy of seeing the sky."
"How can you say such a thing?" Elyon demanded as he looked out into the open space but saw nothing but the bodies of those whose lives he had ended.
"That is why you hesitate. You have no faith in mankind to take care of something so precious, when you yourself have been able to so easily disregard life."
"I had no choice." Elyon said remorsefully.
"Infused with the power of Odjn you had a choice. They were weak and you were much stronger than any of them, even combined."
"But they were trying to kill me." Elyon protested as tears streamed from his eyes.
"Yes, you had no choice. I suppose Odjn is truly to blame. He gave you his power but he did not teach you how to use it. You had rather not kill those officers. Is that true?"
"I…"
"Elyon, you had to do something about them. You honestly had no choice." Odjn said as he felt Elyon faltering.
"But I rather not have killed them." Elyon replied as he looked upon the mutilated bodies that filled the room.
"Letting them go, they would have attacked some other time. Just like before. It wasn't that long ago. Do you mean you have forgotten?" Odjn asked Elyon who nodded in response. Yes, it was only a week ago that Elyon had stopped to rest in Midsector. He had found a secluded spot and hoped that no one would bother him as he laid down to rest for a while. No sooner had he closed his eyes did a bullet hit the ground just centimeters from his face. The bullet was fired from the gun of a officer who's life he had spared. That was the first time he had killed someone.
"Yes, I remember." Elyon replied.
"Odjn, uses the words "no choice" as if you were helpless. You have the power of the Destroyer of 1000 Years. Even caught off guard exactly how helpless were you? How much choice did you truly not have?" Origin questioned as the young man fell to his knees under the burden of his conscience.
"I could sense him coming but I ignored it. I assumed it was just a rat or something." Elyon thought. "Was that truly what I wanted, to kill him, them, because they were blocking the path to the sky… because they were getting in my way?"
"Elyon!" Odjn's voice shouted in the young man's mind. "Elyon!" The dragon repeated.
"I hear you Odjn and I know what you are going to say, but I can't, I won't open the sky up to mankind. We don't deserve to see daylight ever again." Elyon softly declared as he lowered his head. "I'm sorry Odjn."
Odjn fell silent at the young man's words and slowly cut his link with him. Elyon shivered as Odjn's warmth left his body. He could no longer feel the power of the dragon inside him and it left feeling cold.
"You already miss it don't you?" Origin said finally appearing to the young man.
Elyon looked up at the dragon with a shocked expression on his face. "How did kn-."
"How did I know?" Origin asked then placed his hand on the young man's kneeling down so that they were eye to eye. "I could sense it; your body language the look in you eyes, all communicate the added heaviness in your soul."
"My soul…" Elyon murmmered not sure if he still had one as he looked again upon the dead bodies that surrounded him.
"Yes, the guilt of what you have done is too much to bare alone isn't?" Origin asked his gaze firmly locked on the shivering young man.
"Yes." Elyon answered shuddering, his arms wrapped around his bare chest. The room seemed chillier to him than it actually was. He had grown so used to the fiery aura of the Odjn that the warmth of the room seemed cold to him. Origin shook his head as he looked upon the sheivering young man before stand up. Elyon shuddered as the dragon placed his clawed hand on his shoulder.
"Even your body longs for that connection again." Origin thought. "Odjn, left you but I promise to remain. Elyon, I choose you." Origin thought as the young man continued to quiver under his hand. "I will stay with you and ease the pain that rages inside you. Together we will seal this world off utterly from the outside and rebuild what has been destroyed." Origin said fading away as his connect with Elyon took effect.
Suddenly the young man stopped shivering and stood up. He did not feel warm or cold, his body felt numb except for the slight course of electricity he could feel moving throw his body in short pulses. Surveying the dozens of dead bodies that lay bleeding, filling the area with the musty order of death, Elyon felt a slight sympathy in his heart, but nothing like that grief before that would have caused to mourn their deaths for hours and soon cost him his sanity. No, he did not feel too much of anything. Transforming into his new dragon/human hybrid Elyon used Origin's powers to disintegrate the remains of the officers into nothing. Not even a blood stain could be seen after a wave of what appeared to be electricity covered the floor and filled the room.
"Yes." Elyon said looking upward, after surveying the now empty room. "I will rebuild what I have broken."