Finally, it is here – the next Chapter to Song of Wings and Claws!
One long chapter ahead, so get ready :3
I've decided to do some modifications to my workflow. So here's the new plan - this chapter, along with the next few, will be covering the DragonLord history as well as Evaxus/Rei's background. As for the main plot (i.e. Drew and the Rat), they will come right after this arc.
And for those who guessed the TEASER line, YES it is from Vankaskan, the Rat. However, I'm not including the scene in this Chapter (it will be up after this "Past" arc is over) – apologies!
So for now, I hope you'll enjoy reading about the background stories!
Thanks for following my stories and reviewing :D Here are some replies to those I have yet to PM:
Hornet394: You're correct! But this chapter will not contain that scene yet XD Argh, I have not been reading Wereworld recently and may have lost touch with some characterizations. Thanks for telling me – I will definitely write better (:
Let it begin.
She had found him lying motionless outside her cottage in the mud in the midst of a storm. The winds were howling and the rain was merciless.
She was not sure where he came from – the nearest village Ziroga was miles away, and in the darkness of this night no one would venture through the thick foliage of the Drakewoods. Did he fell from the sky along with the lightning that has struck the earth? She was unsure, but he was wounded very badly, with wild gashes across his body and blood oozing out of these cuts. The only thing she knew was to provide assistance to this helpless lad – she couldn't leave him here to die.
Rei was a weak child ever since she was young. Born along with 5 brothers and sisters, she was the youngest and frailest of the lot, falling sick so often that she hardly left home. Her pale skin combined with undernourishment made her look ghost-like. But what made her truly different were her eyes – one that shined green like a serpent's scales and one that glittered with the brown of wet earth. "She is a demon spawn!" "She was born with an unlucky star, don't go near her!" "That girl is a witch! She is cursed by the Dragons!" Rei was shunned by the villagers, and eventually even her family looked down on her in disdain. Her family name was taken away from her; she was eschewed from the rest of the village, and forced to live by herself in the outskirts. No one would pay her a visit – even bandits and highwaymen would steer away from her little shed. She survived by herself, but barely, with a small vegetable garden she tended to. Sometimes though, when the weather turns bad, she'd have to live with tree roots and water for days.
So when she tried to pick the injured boy up, she fell down instead.
The boy still lay on the ground, still as a lifeless body. But Rei was not one who would give up this easily. Gritting her teeth, she flipped the boy onto his back and managed to drag him to the doorstep. The storm was getting stronger, and the wooden floor creaked with disgruntle as the duo's moved across the front door, through the minute kitchen, pass the narrow stairway, to the granary-cum-storage room at the back of the house.
"Now, we need to get you cleaned up." Rei puffed with exhaustion, but moved with fast enthusiasm and brought in a pail of water.
He opened his eyes.
It was unfamiliar surroundings as the sight of wooden planks and straws greeted him.
He tried to move, but a sharp pain shot up his back. He looked down – his torso was stripped naked, and his chest was bandaged spartanly with strips of rough cloths. He scowled, looked around, and was glad to find his battle gear and weapon piled at the corner of this cramped room. His instincts told him to grab his garbs and leave this place - who knew if there were soldiers lining outside, ready to strike.
"Ah, you have finally woken up." A girl with flowing golden hair appeared at the doorway carrying a pail of water. "I've just got some water from the river nearby. Are you feeling better?" She looked skinny, if not emaciated. Her arms trembled with fatigue, yet she lugged the bucket without faltering. The young man frowned and glared ahead, muscles tensed.
"Don't worry; I'm not going to hurt you." The girl smiled and said. "I found you outside in the rain. You were hurt badly, but now you seemed to be much better."
"Did you…" The boy looked down onto the bandages and gazed forward again. "…do these for me?"
"Yes. I wouldn't say my skills are the best, but your wounds are cleaned and nicely wrapped up." The girl giggled, her voice is like silver bells. If the water she used is from the river…in this rain, how many times did she moved back and forth for a stranger like me? The boy continued to frown."My name is Rei. What about you?"
"…Evaxus." The boy muttered, and proceeded to unwrap the bandages.
"Hey wait! You're still injured; you're not supposed to….what?" The girl Rei yelped in alarm, and immediately her voice turned to astonishment. Underneath the soiled cloth, dried blood flaked off like crimson snow, and beneath it, only mere cuts told of the wounds that were once there. He stood up from the haystacks and picked up his clothes. They were dripping with water and no traces of mud or blood remained. Such a kind girl, but I must go.
"Thank you for your kindness, Rei. But I cannot stay. I will repay your gratitude after I'm done with all those treacherous Cats, when the insignia of the Dragons shine once again in the clear sky." Evaxus said as he pulled over his sleeveless leather armour and secured his sword in his belt.
"…Cats? What cats? There are no cats around here." Rei replied, puzzled.
How dense can this woman be? First she let a stranger into her house with no vigilance. And now-
"We are at war, young missy. Have you been in your byre for too long? If I stay here and dilly-dally, Ziroga will be destroyed. My people are fighting. My father is on the battlefield right now, King Wergar is on his way, and-"
"Evaxus, I don't know where you came from, but there is no war right now." Rei broke in, coughing. "Ziroga is still here. There are no soldiers, no war. And Wergar has been dead for years now." She looked at him somberly, and Evaxus stopped in his movements. He took steps back, and his eyes widened in confusion and shock. Years…? His mind whirred as he tried to recall what has happened before this. Think, Evaxus. Think!
In his mind's eyes glimpses of memories flew past. He saw a crimson sky, the Catlords were howling, and blood flowed streams. The clashes of the factions were a blur. He was young as compared to the rest of his people, the mighty DragonLords, but he was already a full-fledged warrior. These are not important. Think further.
Memories flooded his mind. A scene began to play.
Angry mobs kept on coming.
There were waves of them, and behind them, Catlords raged on on their mounts. So far, the humans were no match for the Dragons, and even though some villagers have been lost in the process, the war has yet to announce the winner.
"Evaxus! Where have you gone?" A man clad in red armour shouted. "How many times must I tell you, you are not allowed on the battlefield!"
"But I didn't kill anyone, Father! Besides, this is a war, and we must defend our home!" A 16-years old boy retorted. "I merely, uh, stopped them in their tracks."
"We don't need anymore ice statues around, young man." Though angry, the man let loose a smirk. "Do your part by protecting the village and the fledglings, then. They are the true defenseless ones." On hearing his father's words, Evaxus scoffed.
"There, there. Don't be so hard on him." A woman walked into the tent. "Lakirain, we've received a messenger hawk. Wergar will be on his way soon. We'd just have to hold the lines." The man Lakirain nodded and stood up, brandishing his weapon – a glaive carved in the shape of a gaping dragon skull.
"This war is inevitable. It has been foretold by the stars, but we will see how the outcome goes." Lakirain walked out of the tent, but paused in his tracks. He turned back and spoke to his wife. "Rezca, should anything happen…we must keep the prophecy true. It is the will of our forefathers. You know what to do." Then he breathed fire onto his glaive, and the dragon skull gleamed with flames. Indeed he was the unrivalled warrior, chief of the Were-Dragons – Lakirain Firehorn.
And that was the last time he'd seen of Father.
Some time later, a fellow dragonkin, soaked in blood, came to the tent, bringing the report that the Catlords had wielded silver – many comrades have fallen, and the vast army is approaching.
On hearing this, Evaxus immediately grabbed his weapon and charged out, but his mother pulled him back.
"Mother! What are you doing? Haven't you heard that? Father is somewhere outside facing those despicable Cats. I need to help him!"
"Listen to me, Evaxus. He will be fine on his own. Now, we must leave." Rezca grabbed him and ran, Evaxus had no choice but to follow. He heard a scream coming from the front of the tent, and saw a silver knife being driven through the chest of the messenger. As the body fell, a pair of yellow eyes glared at him. Both of them continued running as hostile hisses and purrs closed in on their tails. Am I going to die here?
They burst into the middle of the village square, now devoid of life. The women and children were moved to a safer place beforehand while the men joined the ranks to fight. Evaxus looked back – they were surrounded by 3 Were-Lynx, each of them holding a silver switchblade. A small band of humans – followers of the Catlords – appeared behind them. All of them reek of blood, and gazed hungrily in the duo's direction.
Evaxus gripped his sword, but his hands were shaking. Two of the Lynxes charged towards him, and he parried the blows as he unsheathed his blade. The silvery sheens flashed around him, and though he sustained multiple cuts, Evaxus was glad that they weren't too deep. The silver is the bane of all Werelords, and even with the high healing rate of a Dragon the wounds wouldn't close in such short span of time.
Near him his mother let loose a low growl as her claws raked across the chest of the third Were-Lynx. Each Dragon was born to control an element, and Rezca was one with Air. With a fling of her arms, a gust of current sent the humans flying through the air. Evaxus was panting and wanted to tap on his own Dragon, but in the close melee he could only focus all his attention on the lesser Catlords.
He was but a young child in front of the seasoned fighters, and soon he was overpowered. He was drained, the silver burning into his very core. His visions became fuzzy. Just as one of the Lynx jumped on him, knife aiming for his heart, an eruption of wind blew around him, forming a cyclone.
"Son, are you alright?" A concerned Rezca appeared beside him. She was tired as well, having sustained multiple gashes.
"Yes, mother. Thank you. I will continue to fight." He gritted his teeth, thinking back on his incompetence – how can he ever reach his father's level?
"Listen to me, Evaxus." Her gray eyes glinted with determination. "It has been foretold that this day will come, that the Cats will siege our fortress and the Dragons will fall. But your father and I knew that there is a prophecy to be fulfilled in the future. There will be another great battle, here in the same land. The prophecy can only be fulfilled by you, my son." A teardrop flow down her cheek as she leaned forward and hugged the young boy. Evaxus frowned in confusion.
"Mother…?"
"I'm sorry, Evaxus. Know that your father and I will always love you."
"What…? What are you saying, Mother? What do you mean?"
"Good-bye, my son. I'm very proud of you. You're a Dragonlord, a Keeper of Lyssia - you will understand all these in due time." She kissed him on the forehead, and then pushed him back. Her eyes gazed forward in resolution. She began chanting.
"Acanta te Yyr ko Wej, kanar te koi, kaeru te vae. Imi tane Rezca te Terak ko shani ko puta, acanta vante ho sinn, acanta yuer ho tiag, oto ke ves…!"
Spirits of Air and Time, nymphs of space, hear my call. I, Rezca of the Dragons, shaman, healer, ask for you to open the voids of the cosmos, tear apart the fabric of the heavens, and send this boy away…!
The cyclone gathered around him and their adversaries came into sight. They were shouting, but he could hear nothing. The Lynxes were pointing at him and seemed to be cursing, then they turned their attention to Rezca, who by now was worn out and collapsed onto the ground.
The gushing winds seemed to dissolve into his body, and the air around him burned up. Evaxus felt nausea and sick, as if something was pulling him apart from the inside.
A Were-Lynx raised the blade above Rezca's heart.
His mother smiled at him and mouthed something.
"Noooooooooooooooooooooo-"
And everything sank into a suffocating darkness.
Evaxus jolted with a start and opened his eyes. He was panting, and the girl was still there, a concerned expression sprawled across her face.
"R-Rei," He calmed himself down, and tried to make sense of his situation. "Are there anymore…anymore Dragonlords out there?"
"Dragonlord? I've never heard of them. The only Werelord in Ziroga now is the Volan Family, Dracolord, Were-Flying lizards. They claim themselves to be descendents of the Dragons, though." Rei replied thoughtfully, then she coughed again. She seemed to be sweating.
The Volans? I know them. They're lesser, fallen Werelords after the Tyr Oran that scouted the Drakewoods as highwaymen and robbers. Father has managed to bring them back to the path of righteousness by giving them jobs in Ziroga, but 'descendents of the Dragons'? What nonsense is this!
He closed his eyes and thought through.
"This world…this world has changed."
"Pardon?"
I'm just a passerby running from fate, hiding from its venom.
"I…I do not belong here, in this time and space. You might not believe me, but I think I'm the last of my people. There's something I must do, I must fulfill – but I do not know what it is. I-"
Rei tried to ask him some questions, but somehow there was an enveloping darkness encroaching her visions. Her head felt giddy, and her shoulders felt numb.
"Miss? Miss!" She collapsed, but just before hitting the ground, she felt cold arms on her back.
"It's okay…I'm just weak…that's all…" She mumbled something, and then she fell into unconsciousness.
"Young lady." Rei opened her eyes to find a scowling young man pouting at her.
"What happened…?"
"You have fainted." Evaxus said as-a-matter-of-factly. "And to be honest, you have every reason to faint. You're undernourished, fatigued, has caught a cold, and your right ankle has had an injury – a sprain – for quite a while now. What do you think will result, if you go out into the cold for so many times for a stranger you don't know?" He was almost snapping when he said the last sentence.
Rei cringed. "I-I'm alright, you know. I've always been weak since young, so I'm used to it. Beside, I wouldn't want a dead body to remain in front of my house…" She pouted back at him. "But how do you know all these? You don't look like a scholar or a magister. From your get-up…are you a new DracoGuard? I don't remember seeing a DracoGuard with white hair though, and the lizard-head shoulder guard. Is it a new uniform?"
Now it was Evaxus' turn to cringe.
"Young lady, let me explain. One, my mother was a healer – I got my knowledge from her. Two, don't compare me to those lizards - that is belittling. And three, it is not a lizard-head mind you. I wear the proud cranium of the Dragon on my spaulder, che." Evaxus frowned. "You on the other hand…where are your family? How can they leave you alone in the house while you're sick?"
"I…My family left me behind, because I'm different. I live alone."
"…Ah, I see." For a while, all was silence. "Erm, stay here. I've made you some food." He went out of the granary, and after a few minutes, he came back again. In his hands was a bowl of brown semi-solid victual. It looked horrendous, but the delicious aroma that reached Rei has caused her stomach to growl.
"Eat up; you need your energy and your proteins." Evaxus passed her the bowl of warm food. Rei puckered her brow as she reached for it. "It's fish stew – I tried my best, alright? Don't be picky."
"But…where did you get the ingredient from?" I haven't had fish or meat in so many weeks, let alone storage of either of them. She took a mouthful of the stew, and she could feel warmth and energy slithering down her throat. It was a simple dish, but for her who has been only subsisting on foraged plant roots and unripe fruits, this was pure bliss.
"I caught the fish, freshly-prepared. I added some salt and some tuber-thing I found in your kitchen." Evaxus shrugged. "You don't have much food left, though. How are you going to survive by yourself? Do you work? You don't look like a merchant to me; neither do you have crops nor livestock."
Rei licked the bowl clean. "I don't work – no one would hire me, but I am perfectly fine living by myself. I had some crops in the front yard, but the weather has been so dry until tonight that they all died. I could salvage some, but I get my other foods from the forest."
This woman…. Evaxus glanced at her, whom face was shining with ingenuous glee.
"The food was delicious, thank you. I have no idea why, but you reminded me of my brother."
"Hmm…?" She seems to have become chattier as she gets energized.
"I'm 15 years old I think. How old are you?"
"16 winters old." Evaxus replied.
"Well…where are you from, exactly? And how do you ended up here?" Rei asked, her eyes that shone different colours staring up directly at Evaxus.
"It is…complicated. But hey, thanks for saving me. I'm a Dragonlord, son of Lakirain and Rezca, and I am the last survivor of the Dragon War that happened on this land half a century ago. I know it sounds ridiculous, but I believed that my mother the mage has used her magic to throw me here in the future. There is something I must fulfill in this era, and this duty will come to me soon. But for now, all I can do is to wait." Evaxus declaimed, looked at Rei again, and sighed. "You must think that I am lunatic, don't you."
"I believed you, Evaxus." Rei said. "There was an old man whom I used to go to in the village – he was the best storyteller. He would tell me stories of the Dragons who used to live alongside us humans in Ziroga, how they would bear their responsibilities as Keepers, how Lakirain had fallen in the great battle." Rei then took a glimpse at the white-haired boy in front of her. "And how the War has yet to be over, and it was the last of the Dragonlord's duty to end it."
The young man frowned. Old man? He must know something. I have to speak to him!
"But I have to warn you of something. Please do not reveal your identity to anyone else – The Dracolords deemed Drakonism as heresy, and anyone associated with the Dragonlords are tortured. If they realized that a true Dragon is among them, they will hunt you down." Rei spoke, concerned. "They see anything else out of the norm as a stigma. I was cast away due to my weak physique and peculiar eyes – your white hair will definitely divert attention to you."
"Don't worry, I'll be careful." He turned and looked at his garments. I cannot wear my armour nor carry my sword with me. He thought for a while, and used strips of cloth as a bandana to hide his hair. He then wrapped his cape around himself as a robe.
"Rei, I'll head to the village to find the old man. Stay here and rest, alright? I'll be back as soon as possible. I've left the remaining fish stew on your table, so just finish it up when you're hungry."
"Be careful, Evaxus." Rei replied with slight hesitation in her voice. "He lives by himself in the small shed at the end of the village, past the village square. There shouldn't be a lot of people up and about at this time."
Evaxus nodded back, and flashed a smirk at her. "See ya, little sister."
He opened the door and left. The sun has just risen, painting the morose sky a light pink.
First part of the arc on the past! I'll be continuing it in the next chapter.
Nothing much to say… well, look out for it soon! I hope.
Let me know if there are any mistakes or tell your opinions. (:
I promise this teaser is the 'real' one (and no change of plans!) XD
"Remember, young Dragon – remember those lines of a prophecy you must fulfill."
"Sorry, Evaxus…but it seems like my body has reached its limit."
"Leave that girl alone! It is me whom you want – take me instead!"