Time passed, and the
demons returned to the world of man.
When next the Three looked in
upon our world, they were dismayed at what they saw.
The race of
Man fought bravely against the demon hordes, but every day, they lost
more and more men.
The people believed that they had been
forsaken, and many who had once been the most devout were more likely
now to curse the Three. But here and there, they saw people who still
prayed for salvation.
And so, the Three knew that there was still
hope.
And Myria said," Let us give a spark of our power to
the faithful, so they may fight back." Deis and Ladon agreed.
So
one day, as the high priestess of the greatest temple in the service
of the Three knelt praying before the altar, the Three appeared.
And
Ladon said unto her," Most devout of our followers, know this:
no longer will your people have to live in fear and doubt. At noon
tomorrow, each and every priest in our service will receive the
strength to battle the demons which trouble you so."
The high
priestess thanked Ladon again and again for his help.
The next
day, the vast horde of demons attacked once more, and this time, they
broke through the walls of the great city.
As they charged towards
the temple, where the people of the city waited fearfully, they
stopped.
In their path stood a handful of priests, unarmed and
unarmored.
The high priestess stepped forward.
As she did, the
Three released their power into the priests.
And then, as the
people watched, the Three's gift was unleashed.As one, the priests
took the form of mighty dragons, each wielding a spark of divine
might which gave them the strength to destroy the evil
creatures.
After the battle was won, Ladon appeared before the
priests and said," My people, you have fought well. From this
day forth, you and all of your descendants will have this power. Use
it to defend your people, and do honor to the Three who have saved
you this day."
As one, the priests knelt and thanked Ladon,
and took him as their patron before the other gods.
And Myria held
her bitterness to herself, for she knew that had it not been for her,
the people would surely have been annihilated.
And so, the clan of the
Dragon, as they came to be known, protected the people of the world
from evil, and the people were thankful for it.
And Dragons begat
Dragons, and the clan grew in might.
But alas, it was not
enough.
And when next the Three looked down upon Man, they saw
that once again, as before, the demons had begun to encroach upon the
cities of man yet again.
As they watched, they saw that not only
the dragons fought against the demons.There were others, brave men
and women who rode on the backs of the Dragons into battle, and who
loved the high places of the world.
And Deis said," Surely
these people, brave as they are, deserve a gift, a piece of our
power, as well."
But Ladon disagreed, and after some thought,
Myria concurred.
But later, when Deis was alone, Myria came to her
and said," Ladon is too stingy with his power. But surely we
two, powerful as we are, can find a way to help those mortals."
Deis
was unsure that they should deceive Ladon, but Myria soon convinced
her.
And so, that night, they silently went to each of these brave
warriors, and blessed them.
Deis, wise in the ways of sorcery,
gave each of these brave souls the gift of magic, some in the ways of
healing, and others the knowledge of battle magic.
Myria's gift,
though less powerful, was more tangible. She gave them wings, and the
ability to take the shape of giant birds, so that they could fly
alongside their Dragon comrades, and aid them in battle even in the
air.
When they awoke and saw the gifts bestowed upon them, they
praised the Three, most especially the Eldest, for they knew not that
Ladon had denied them this gift.
And the king of these people
made a promise then to the gods.
He said," In honor of the
spirit of this gift, I swear here that so long as there is one Dragon
who will fight for the people, so will we, the people of Fae, fight
beside them."
And forever after, it was so.
When Ladon discovered
what had been done, he was furious.
He called both Deis and Myria
before him, and said to them," Which of you has gone against my
wishes and given these people wings?"
To which Deis said,
without fear,"Both I and Myria have given this gift to the
people. For they deserve not your scorn, you who favors only the
Dragons that take him as patron!"
And then Myria turned to
Deis with a look of wonder upon her face, and said," Why do you
implicate me so? Was it not I who agreed with Ladon that these people
deserve no special treatment? To attempt to drag me down with you is
an evil deed, sister."
Deis was speechless, so great was her
astonishment.
And Ladon, in his anger, stripped Deis of as much of
her divine powers as he could, and cast her down, to wander the earth
forever. But before he did so, he gave her the form of a snake, that
all might know the treachery she had committed.
Then Ladon turned
his attention to the people of the Fae tribe, who even now flew into
battle against the demons, with the use of both spell and sword.
But
when he saw how well they complimented his Dragons, and the grace
with which they flew, he thought to himself," What Deis has done
was an evil deed. But would it not be even more evil to punish these
innocent souls who fight so valiantly?" And he let them stay as
they were.
One by one, the demons were hunted down and slain, and
though they attacked the cities of Man from time to time, never again
was the existence of mankind threatened as it once had been.
And
now, only Two remained in the Heavens to watch over Man.
End of Division
