Chapter 2: The Maiden's and the Dragonflights
With the Elements now banished to their respective planes, and the threat of the Grimm for the time subsided, Humanity finally had a chance to sit back and breathe. But they would not sit idle for long. Soon, their minds turned to ensuring their survival for even with the magic of this new Dust, it could not stave off enemies such as hunger and sickness. And so Humanity began to build its civilisation from the ashes, progressing at an admittedly slow, but nonetheless steady pace.
As Humanity continued to build, the child that had been fostered by the Furies watched in silence. He had forsaken Humanity long ago, and to come back now with these four terrible gifts would be a burden not even he could shoulder. And so he entered exile, turning his back on all, treating nearly everyone he met with open hostility. Such hostility earned him the title of 'the Wizard', for he would scare off intruders with wild magic, completely destroying any who did not heed his warnings.
Some claimed that this Wizard was indeed the creator of the Grimm, a Grimm Father of sorts, and he lives now in despair since his 'children' have failed to break Humanity. Some even claimed that his unnaturally long life was due to the connection with the Grimm, claiming he was sustained on the blood of their victims. Of course, the true reason for his long life was due to the unbreakable spirits of the Furies within him, which coursed through his soul, giving life.
But the Wizard's despair had blinded him to the lessons of his former family, and he would remain such forever. Until, by chance, he was greeted by four young sisters.
On one fateful day, he was greeted by a young maiden at different intervals. With each maiden came a lesson, a lesson that made him remember the days of old, when the Furies had taught him such lessons. And it was then, that he sought to gift them with the same lessons.
To each maiden, he imparted a gift: the essence of the four Furies. Each Spirit bound itself to one of the maidens, and each found they had mastery over a certain Element. And thus, the Four Maiden's were created. The Maiden's thanked the Wizard for their gifts, promising to return to him each year on this very day. But before they left, the Wizard had one final charge to give them: the Relics.
He realised that his life, whilst long, would soon run out, leaving the Relics unguarded. If such a thing were to happen, they could fall into malicious hands, and the Elemental Lord's would be free to sow chaos and death. And so each Maiden also bore a Relic, in the hopes that they would succeed, where the Wizard would eventually falter.
The Maiden's, as one would expect, did not keep their powers a secret and live lives of solitude as the Wizard had. Instead, they returned to their village, flaunting their new gifts, much to the wonder and delight of the villagers. The Maiden's soon became famous across the whole of Remnant, bringing death to the Grimm wherever they walked. And, as promised, each year they would return to the Wizard for council, having grown older and wiser.
As the years passed, the Maiden's learned of dire news deep in the western parts of the world, far above even Sanus, of a new continent that travellers had settled named 'the Dragon Lands', due in part of its dragon like shape and of the scaled beasts that lived there known only as 'Proto Dragons'. News from colonists had reached the ears of the main land, bringing ill news of an exceptionally powerful Grimm, that had ravaged the settlements there, slaying all in its path.
The Maiden's knew it was only a matter of time before this Grimm made its way towards the mainland villages, and put Humanity at risk once more. And so they travelled to this strange new continent, to deal with the threat once and for all. Yet what they found, surprised them.
As they arrived, they watched as the mighty Grimm, that had swallowed towns in whole bites and whose roar could be heard from the other side of Animus, was killed not by an army, but by five Proto Dragons.
These bestial, yet surprisingly intelligent creatures had succeeded where an army, however small, had failed. Not only that, but the five Proto Dragons, despite being obviously very different to one another in more than just shape and colour, had worked as one, their unity reminiscent of that of the Maiden's.
So they returned to the Wizard, telling them what they had seen, and then they told the Wizard what they intended to do: they would impart a portion of their power to the five Proto Dragons. They theorised that with more guardians of Remnant, the world would be a better place. The Wizard did not agree. Whilst he commended the Proto Dragons bravery, they were mere beasts. How did the Maiden's know that the Dragons would be able to perceive right from wrong? Or worse, what if the Dragons weren't as benevolent as they appeared, and used their new powers to enslave mankind?
But it soon became clear that his pleas would fall upon deaf ears, and he chose not to interfere, only asking that they accepted the consequence of their actions.
And so, the Maiden's returned to the Dragon Lands and found the lairs of the five Proto Dragons. They made their offer, asking them to swear that they would use their powers only to safeguard the world of man, not enslave it. The Proto Dragons agreed, and thus, the Maiden's empowered them.
First, they empowered the mighty red wyrm Alexstrasza, naming her the Life-Binder. They gave her mastery over life itself, ensuring that she would do nothing to upset the very balance of life. Next her sister, the green wyrm Ysera, was given power over the natural world, naming her the Dreamer. Next, the witty and clever blue wyrm Malygos was granted the title of Spellweaver, giving him dominion over magic itself. The bronze wyrm Nozdormu, was named the Timeless One, and given mastery over the time-lines, ensuring that the proper flow of time assumed its course. And finally Neltharion, the black wyrm and without a doubt the most powerful of the five, was charged with safeguarding the earth itself, and was titled thereafter as the Earthwarder.
With these new powers came new forms, transforming the Proto Dragons into majestic creatures, larger than any Grimm to date. Henceforth, they were known as the Dragon Aspects, and Alexstrasza, in honour of her courage and dedication, was named the Dragon Queen. In order to help in their task, the Maiden's used their powers to alter thousands of Proto Dragon eggs. When they hatched, these whelplings would not be Proto Dragons, but true Dragons, each one a different colour to represent which Aspect they served. A small number of other Proto Dragons were altered as well, transforming into adult Dragons. These few would serve as the Aspects first Consorts, and would also serve as advisor's and confidants to them.
And so, the Aspects and their flights departed the Dragon Lands, settling all across of Remnant. Alexstrasza and her Red Dragonflight travelled to the land known now as Vale, settling deep within the highlands. Ysera and her Green Dragonflight travelled to Mistral, settling in the forest jungles of the land. Malygos and his Blue Dragonflight travelled to Atlas, having developed a love for the cool places of the world. Neltharion and his Black Dragonflight travelled to Vacuo, settling deep within the deserts of the land. And Nozdormu and his Bronze Dragonflight travelled to Menagerie, living a life of solitude in the desert sands.
And so, the Maiden's and the Dragonflights worked together, bringing balance and harmony to the world. The Dragon Aspects would also continue to hold their ideal of unity, always meeting with one another on regular basis. On the opposite side of the coin, the Maiden's turned less to the Wizard for advise, turning now to the immensely powerful Aspects. As the years passed, new Maiden's would arise to take up the mantle of responsibility, and each new generation would turn less to the Wizard for advise then the last, until completely forgetting him entirely. But the Wizard did not forget them, and always kept an eye on the Maiden's even if they didn't know.
The Dragon Aspects continued to work together, always upholding their millennia old ideal of unity. And so one can imagine the devestation caused when this ideal was shattered by their greatest champion.
Being tied to the very earth itself, Neltharion bore the very weight of the world on his shoulders. He soon began to believe that he had been tricked into accepting the bargain, and internally, he grew bitter. Such bitterness made him an ample opportunity for the Void Spark deep within Remnant, and a vile Void Lord known as Annihilon took advantage of such bitterness.
Annihilon began to whisper dark thoughts into Neltharion's mind, twisting and turning it. Neltharion, his mind warped beyond repair, soon believed that Humanity threatened the very balance of the world with their recklessness, and the only way to save it was to destroy all life.
He knew that the other Aspects would not so easily see things his way, and that they would most certainly stand against him. Perhaps a part of him believed that he could truly convince the Aspects to side with him, but that by the time he did Humanity would have ruined the world already. Perhaps that is why, if the records are true, tears fell from his eyes as he performed his next act.
In one single and bloody night, he and his Black Dragonflight betrayed the other Aspects, slaughtering hundreds of Dragons as they slept. In a single night, he had shattered the unity that had bound them for millennia. From that day forth, Neltharion the Earthwarder was dead. From now on, he would be known as Deathwing, the Destroyer.
When news reached the other Aspects, who had been mercifully absent when the betrayal occurred, reacted differently. Alexstrasza was heart broken by the betrayal, Neltharion in times past having been her close friend and confidant. Ysera, in her naivety, believed that a part of Neltharion was not entirely lost and perhaps could even be reasoned with. Malygos was hit the hardest by the betrayal. Neltharion had once been a close friend, and his Blue Dragonflight had been hit harder than the rest, nearly wiped out entirely. It didn't take long until Malygos himself entered a state of depressive madness. Only Nozdormu was unshaken by this catastrophic turn of events, no doubt having foreseen such an event in the time-ways he was charged with protecting.
With the other Aspects broken or scattered, Deathwing and his Black Dragonflight scoured the world, destroying all in their path. Vacuo became a barren wasteland, forever more a sign of the Destroyer's wrath and fury. The Maiden's of this era soon learned of this betrayal, and tried to confront the Black Aspect at his lair. They failed. In one final and desperate attempt, they rallied the broken Dragonflights to one last battle: a battle that would decide the fate of the world.
And so, the Aspects and what was left of their Flights rallied together beneath the Maiden's and did battle with the Black Dragonflight. Dragon fought Dragon, the Aspects and the Maiden's battling Deathwing himself. It was here, that they saw the true depth of his madness. His form, once graceful and majestic, was starting to tear itself apart, magma like blood pouring out of his body, which was held together only by black plates of metal, forged to withstand even the hottest of flames.
Despite having strength in numbers, Deathwing proved too powerful for them. The Aspects were no longer unified in purpose, there was no unity amongst them now that they were shattered. The Maiden's soon came to a dreadful ultimatum: the Aspects would not be able to kill Deathwing. With this knowledge, the Maiden's instead decided to do the next best thing: they would use their power to banish Deathwing, as their mentor the Wizard had done with the Elements.
Pooling their power together, the Maiden's cast a spell on Deathwing, using the very fury of the Elements. They coated his body in flames, blinding him temporarily. Then, they summoned a grand tempest, knocking him down towards the very heart of the sea. They used the water to weigh down his wings, stopping the Destroyer from escaping before summoning fragments of the earth from deep below, imprisoning him forever more.
Without an Aspect to guide them, the Black Dragons panicked and scattered to the wind. Never again would they be seen in such numbers as they had been that day. With Deathwing banished, the Aspects retreated to their lairs with what was left of their Flights, and would never again set eyes on the mortal world. The time of the Dragons had come to an end.
The Maiden's travelled to Deathwing's lair, where they uncovered thousands upon thousands of Dragon eggs, each one dreaming of malicious thoughts as their father had. The Maiden's agreed that together they would wipe away the stain of the Black Dragonflight, until no record of it existed. They started by destroying this clutch of eggs.
The Maiden's then began to hunt down surviving Black Dragons alongside the Grimm, nearly succeeding in destroying the race. This era of Maiden's did however, realise that between guarding the Relics and safeguarding the realm of Man took more time than they could spare. And so the Four Maiden's decided to relinquish the Relics, leaving them in the care of their closest friends. And so the Maiden's, no longer burdened by their Relics, began to hunt both Grimm and Black Dragons. New generations of Maiden's continued this tradition, until at last it seemed the latter had been wiped out, and Dragons in general were treated as legend.
Yet with each generation of Maiden's came a new danger. As Humanity advanced, they began to see the Maiden's powers as a tool for conquest, and the Maiden's soon found themselves hunted by those they sought to protect. And so eventually, the Maiden's went into hiding, until they too became nothing more than a fireside fairy-tail.
Yet, not all of the Black Dragons had been killed. In fact, a great many still lived, but perhaps the most notable one was one saved by the Dragons greatest critic: the Wizard. He had come to watch the aftermath of the Maiden's folly, and realised just why the Aspects weren't unified against their fallen brother: they were only four. There was no Dragon to represent the Aspect of Earth.
He knew that Deathwing would not remain banished forever, and so travelled deep to the Dragons lair as the battle came to a close. There, he used the ancient magic that the Furies had once taught him, and used his powers to purify a single clutch of eggs. Only one egg survived the process long enough to hatch, an uncorrupted Black Whelpling named Ebyssian.
With the baby Dragon in tow, the Wizard abandoned the lair, returning instead to his home in the hills, similar to how the Furies had done with him as a child. The Wizard taught the young Black Dragon many lessons, the two growing close over time. Were Ebyssian a Human or the Wizard a Black Dragon, one could easily believe that they were father and son.
Yet as Ebyssian grew older, so too did the Wizard. His body, long preserved by the essence of the Furies, began to waste away, no doubt the aftermath of cleansing Ebyssian's egg. As he lay on his deathbed though, he told the young Dragon a secret, one that he had never told anyone before. Whilst his body would wither away over time, his spirit would not rest so easily, and would instead latch onto a new body. After a length of time had passed, the Wizards memories would merge with the host, and they would become the new Wizard. They would retain their personality, but they would house the memories and powers of all previous incarnations.
And so Master and Student would never be separated from one another, save for short periods of time. The Wizards spirit would latch to a new body, and Ebyssian would find them. He would act as a council for the new host, telling them of the process that they were going through, and to not be afraid. As time went on however, Ebyssian began to realise that his Draconic form was a danger to him, especially during the periods that the Maiden's hunted his kind. And so he took the form of a Mortal, an innate gift within all Dragons. His form varied from each host to the next, but he always retained the same name: Ebonhorn.