Chapter 79-Corruption

A shrill shriek rose into the air as the rumbling of a coming thunderstorm enfolded the Compound nearly a month after Nethial had suddenly been taken by Finca, the terror-filled sound coming from a single black dragoness as she twisted in her sleep, eyes flickering rapidly behind closed lids as beads of sweat coated her muzzle. Her metallic tailblade scraped against the floor frantically before her eyes snapped open and she scanned the area around her with her unique irises. Rapid breathing sounded in her ears and she whirled around, expecting it to be coming from behind her as her disoriented mind struggled to make sense of her dark surroundings. The gleam of silver caught her attention from the corner of her eye and she turned back around in barely-contained panic, baring her teeth as a silent growl rose from her throat at a single red spark glistening in the distance. It had been so close to reality . . . the feeling of losing everything as punishment for her malicious actions over the years.

She had to protect Narssia from what was to come, given the fragile state of her former host. Corruption had given her a warning, a reason to flee from all that she held dear and she knew she had to obey its wishes or else risk harm to young Nurus and his mother, the very she-dragon she treasure as if they were blood related. Her tailblade clicked against the floor as she steadied herself and tried to push the vivid dream from her immediate thoughts. Shaking her head to clear her mind, she sighed and quietly left the room after hearing a soft snore from the one she truly cared about and echoing ones from its final offspring and potential mate.

The halls were silent during the time of night she was up as nearly all of the dragons were fast asleep, although her own worry and fear drove her to wander away and commit her self-exile. Corruption had been clear with its threat and she knew better than to challenge the one that had created her. A dim light gleamed in the distance as she flared her wings and leapt out from the small side passage into the field where the love between Sitedal and Verdra had been rekindled. Shoving the thought from her mind before it made her sick to dwell on the fact that the fear-user could have been much stronger than it currently was, she heard the sound of wind rustling the grass and the dim resounding of thunder.

Ignoring the instinctual fear that bubbled up within her at hearing the fury of nature, she snarled at her own cowardice before leaping into the air and rushing as far away from the Compound as she could fly with the wind roughly shoving her back towards the direction she had come. Anger surged up from within and she screamed in rage, spinning to the side to find another wind current that would take her where she wanted as the rumbling of thunder loomed closer than before. Smoke rose from her nostrils as she lifted herself higher in the air, only to feel the charge of static electricity wrap around her like a cocoon.

Her tail rose above her as she pressed her wings close against her side and glided to the right as the metallic blade went left. With such dense clouds now surrounding her and the light of the moon no longer guiding her, she cared little about where she was going - only that, in order to keep Narssia safe, she had to flee before things escalated into a rising conflict more deadly than the hybrid clones had ever been. The rumble of thunder boomed right above her but she hissed and started to spin as the dense clouds around her suddenly gleamed white hot.

Lighting, unbridled by nature itself, surged through her tail with enough force to cause her heart to temporarily stop for a few moments as she abruptly lost complete consciousness. When she came to again, she found that she had been paralyzed by the strike and was currently on a collusion course with the jagged rocky side of a mountain. Unable to move or scream in panic, she was tossed into the stones hard by the strength of nature itself as a gust of wind stronger than anything she had accomplished with Narssia slammed into her as if she was nothing more than a day-old hatchling. She had a dim sense of sliding downward as sharp pebbles jabbed her wings and her body, the smell of blood filling the air as the last thing she saw was a large chunk of rock tumbling straight toward her . . .

Narssia felt her breath catch in her throat as the air she was breathing became moldy and stale, unlike the purified oxygen that flowed throughout the Compound. She curled her tail tighter against her side, still half-way asleep, as if to defend herself from a trick she thought Nuri might be playing on her. He had been quiet and reserved the last few days since her escape from confinement but she realized that, without Arxa, she would have no idea of how to handle her child being one of an elusive species of dragon that was dependent only on blood.

'Dear one, reveal thy thoughts to me. This shall not hurt thee for my purpose be only for information.'

Her eyes opened slowly, revealing to Narssia that she was no longer in Geer's chamber with her chosen male, her former mind-partner, and her children, but was now in a vast empty space where only gray nothingness met her increasingly panicked gaze. Breaths came in shallow gasps as she continued to see emptiness spread out before her, a fear rising in her that this was the dreamscape as it was under Corruption's eternal dark control.

"Why am I back in this infernal place?" Narssia snarled, baring her teeth at the blank expanse before her as a small sphere of blackness slowly formed behind her.

'Fear not, thy daughter of the night. As I mentioned prior, I have no reason to damage thee. Tell, where be thy other-half? Thou dark-soul Axsanu?'

Narssia snorted in confusion, slowly turning around to find herself focusing in on a swirling black mist. "Who is the dragon that are you referring to? If your intention is of Arxa, then I am not her keeper any longer. She has her own body and is free to choose her own destiny . . ."

'Axsanu is now known to thee by an altered title . . . Most intriguing how thine civilization hath changed over eons, lost one.' There was wonder present in the raspy voice as Narssia flinched at hearing the odd, yet strangely familar, name of her mind-partner be uttered by Corruption.

Shaking her head, she softly snarled as the pronunciation continued to echo in her mind, sounding more familiar the longer her thoughts lingered on it. "Look, just tell me why you're here! I was perfectly fine asleep until you disturbed me and dragged me back to a place I loathe. Also, since I'm venting my frustration on you, why can't your speech patterns resemble that of a normal dragon instead of this choppy, twisted excuse for words you give me?"

The center of the mist rumbled and a flicker of light gleamed from deep within as Narssia took a step back out of worry. 'Learn thy place, Nuodasis! Thou years of existence hath made thee vulnerable to our greatest enemy . . .'

"Greatest enemy? What do you mean?" She asked, lowering her head as the darkness rumbled ominously. "What was the name you called me? Why do I feel as though I've heard it and the one you used for Arxa before, but only vaguely as if in a dream? Tell me why I suddenly know this but never was aware of the information until now!"

'Nuodasis, for thee to have knowledge of thine name, something must have gone wrong,' Corruption remarked as Narssia felt a sense of peace and comfort surround her as the darkness spoke the odd name. 'Before I begin in telling thee these things, has Axsanu started showing signs of having odd dreams? Anything that she refuses to admit to thee?'

"Yes . . . She has and, like you said, she refuses to tell me what they're about. I'm worried for her, strangely enough," Narssia admitted as the swirling mass seemed to quiet in thoughtful recollection.

'For Axsanu to have started to dream means . . . No matter, it shall be addressed later. For now, Nuodasis, thou shall uncover thy true ancestry - a lie hidden for eons simply to protect thou and thine sister from-'

"Sister? Explain yourself! I have no sister!" Narssia snarled, narrowing her eyes as the words reminded her of the anger she felt towards Corruption for dragging her back into the dreamscape after what had happened with Arxa the previous time she had been within it.

A quiet rumbling from within the depths of the swirling mass caused Narssia to realize her mistake and she quieted, glancing down at the emptiness under her as a sign for it to continue. 'Thou are so much like thine sister,' Corruption remarked softly, a faint trace of pride in its deep voice. 'Before the Great Realm was formed, there were two entities - one of pure light and one of abundant darkness. The being of light sought to establish a world where it would be loved by its creations while I, the dark one, wished nothing more than to stop it. Even though the elder creator was my brother, I was seen by him as nothing more than a cosmic annoyance that he had to quell. As there was no true beginning to us, we were constantly at war with each other in heated conflicts that nearly engulfed the peaceful planet my sibling made. During one such brutal fight, I attacked him brutally and he responded by cursing me with something that would forever limit my abilities as he formed his new light-worshiping race - that which thou knows simply as dragons. As I was to be consumed by the condition he had set forth - unknowing at the time that my new form would be to my advantage except every thousandth year for a period of twenty days - I channeled a portion of my power into forming three eggs, scattering them across the newly formed world. Realizing I only had enough power to fuel two of them for my plan to have eventual revenge on my brother, I extinguished the life force of one of my children, implanting its power into another as I was cursed to wander the realm as nothing more than a black mist save for those few days where I assumed a more respectable form as that of a dragon. As time passed, and the creatures my light-wielding sibling had formed discovered the mortal human race, I began to experiment with possessing when I was not confined in that scale-cloaked portion of my eternal curse. The first few attempts were sloppy and I killed the poor souls before I realized what I had done and knew exactly what action I had to take. Announcing my presence to the people as a mighty black darkness that would forever change them, I chose a small gem as a symbol of my might. When this was implanted into the base of their neck, I was given complete control over them without having to risk another innocent meeting an untimely death . . .'

"Corruption?" Narssia asked, confused."You mean you took over a whole society . . . Why? You couldn't challenge your brother anymore after what he did to you, could you?"

A quiet chuckle resounded from the mist and Narssia growled, fearing the response she would get. 'Oh, but I could. For he chose to strip himself of his power and live among his subjects as the very thing he had formed in order to better learn from the species he had created. A dragon with high rank, a leader among the masses, a father of a special offspring . . .'

Narssia couldn't stop the startled gasp that left her as she stepped back in shock. "You mean Mirage was . . . ? Then what about Tamli? What of all those you mercilessly killed for nothing? Our species was in ruin after that!"

'I never learned of the name he chose for himself as I always called him by his birth name of Aker, but he fought bravely until the end. During my long exile, I gained the ability to alter my form - allowing myself to appear as any one of my brother's precious subjects.'

"Meta and Mhetra never existed then? But that changes everything about what I know!" Narssia stammered.

'Fear not, Nuodasis, those two did exist but they lived long lives and then perished. I chose to appear as Meta for some time until I could be alone with my brother and then I revealed myself to him just before I ended his life and cast him into the afterlife, knowing full well that he would be unable to return to the living world for long periods of time. Now those dragons baring dark elements stem from my power - although the three offspring mostly directly tied to me were given a very useful gift. It was I that formed the plant whose toxin kills dragons as a way of getting back at my brother for creating them in the first place. Those three that I favored most, however, can linger near the foliage and remain perfectly fine.'

"You've mentioned the three but who are they? Do I know any of them?" Narssia inquired as she dimly glanced over her foreclaws while waiting for a response from the mist.

'Ah, dear one, allow me to first inform thee of what my chosen name was during those dreaded periods where I was stuck as a ill-tempered scale-flier. Due to my limited knowledge of the tongue of my brother's creation at the time of my first change of shape, I decided upon a name that would resonate more with the likes of the frail humans. In choosing what I did, I became a shadow to them, if thee wishes to call it such,' Corruption remarked.

"A shadow? I know my father's name was Shadow but . . ."

'Let there be no confusion over this, dear one. Nuodasis, you are one of my children. Axsanu and Cilous are the others. I was only able to maintain your life force and that of your brother so I poured Axsanu's essence into you with the hope that she would recover after enough time . . .'

The shock of learning she was a descendant of a god of their kind was almost too much for Narssia but she managed to keep herself strong even as a soft growl left her clenched jaws and she wondered if her brother Cryill, known to Corruption as Cilous, had every discovered the truth of their parentage. "So those dreams that Arxa is having . . . ?"

'Axsanu, in an effort to keep her safe, I blocked her mind from knowing the past as she dwelled within you. As you began to pull away from me, Axsanu awoke and killed the dragon thou had become close to in a fury. I was pleased with her but quickly realized she was overpowering thee. Thus I was fearful thou would survive until this meeting but I was thrilled to see Axsanu receive her own body. Thine choice was a good one, my daughter.'

Snorting in disgust, Narssia raised her head and stared down Corruption's swirling form. "If you claim you're so powerful, then show me your true form."

'I shall not be able to hold it together, Nuodasis. The curse Aker placed on me prevented me from achieving it . . . but I sense thou are concerned over the nature of thine hybrid friend. Saconith-ti, was it?'

Nodding her head in agreement at hearing the ancient Dragonic language, Narssia sighed in relief. "Yes, although I'm surprised you know the ancient tongue, given your reluctance to possession."

'My child, hath thou forgotten that I roamed the earth for eons? I am certainly familar with the serpent-tongue of my brother's creations.' Corruption paused for a moment as Narssia tried to reach out and sense Arxa but felt nothing from the dragoness she had been the host for until only recently. 'Go to Axsanu, she needs thee. Her dreams of death and destruction by the bitter-child of my brother are warnings that must be known. Protect her for she is at risk from the one who knows now what was hidden.'

"As you wish," Narssia whispered as she lowered her head in submission before looking back up to see Corruption had departed from her and left her alone in the dreamscape.

Cracked stone first met his view as Corruption swirled between the broken rubble of the ruins of a formerly noble palace as he journeyed to see his brother. He had not planned on encountering Aker any more after he had killed him but, after hearing from Nuodasis, he was curious to see just how far his sibling had fallen from grace. It took him some time to sense a presence among the collapsed columns and shattered rocks as thick dust swirled through the air and threatened to cloud his dimmed mental abilities but he soon located the form of a weak white dragon laying trapped under a fallen pillar.

'Aker?' He asked softly, hiding his form from his brother as he darted behind a partial column to await the dragon's response.

"Who is it? I am not familar with that name. I am the dragon Mirage, father of the hybrid Tamli Dragonsbane," Mirage muttered weakly as Corruption hissed in anger. His brother had become so lost in his own illusion that even he believed his own lie.

'Aker?' He tried again, moving to where only a small portion of his swirling form could be seen as he tried to think how his brother would have reacted had they not become so bitter with one another.

The sound of talons weakly scraping against rock echoed out to him and he chuckled as the dragon tried to move and then hissed, closing its eyes as he noticed its scales were covered in scratches. He reasoned it was from the number of times Aker had tried to pull himself out and he held back a sharp hiss of delight at knowing how badly messed up his sibling had become. As it would have caused him worry and concern in his youth, he now relished in the idea that he, Zagnoth, was stronger than the one that had cursed him to begin with.

"That name . . . I have not heard that name for eons. Why must my son torture me like this?" Aker muttered as Corruption resisted the urge to grin in pleasure at seeing the old dragon's misfortune.

'It is not Saconith-ti, I can assure you of that. He has other matters to attend to right now with the love of his life held captive by thine own distraught daughter, my dear brother.'

A light he had not seen in his brother's eyes seemed to gleam brightly at the words and Corruption hissed, readying himself to leave should the dragon recognize him. From the best he could gather, the hybrid had gone on a rampage and attacked Aker before leaving to deal with the bitter-child that now knew more than she ever should have for her own good.

"It is possible? Brother? Zagnoth, is that you?" Aker whispered, awaiting a response that Zagnoth was unwilling to allow his brother to receive."Brother, if it is truly you . . . I ask that thou remember the compassion thou once had for mine creations and extend it towards me now. Please forgive me for how I acted so long ago - although the exact deeds have since become dimmed by my mind as I told so many mis-truths to hide who I actually was. It was foolish to fight when neither of us were right and my cursing thou as I did to wander the world I had formed. I want to be by your side again as we once were . . ."

'It is too late for forgiveness, Aker. You made your choice eons ago and I made mine. Feel blessed by thou psychotic hybrid son and bitter-wraith daughter, while I relish in the love of Axsanu and Nuodasis. We shall never meet again, dear brother.'

Focusing his power on himself as he knew it would only last for a limited amount of time, Corruption felt himself start to change as he channeled his energy to alter his form back to what it once was. Two pairs of large crystalline wings folded around him as he felt the crown of six horns break through the back of his skull as a large mass of swirling smoke returned to being the twin-forked tail he had once cherished. With no arms or legs to use for support, he spread his wings and hovered in the air, feeling a large jagged row of spines erupt from his back and cascade down to the base of his tail. His gleaming turquoise eyes, pupils contracting into tiny slits, sought out the limp form of his brother as a gleeful chuckle escaped past his sharply pointed teeth as he bared his elongated fangs in triumph over the one who had tried for so long to be the better of the two.

'Thou dear Saconith-ti shall fall to thine mind-broken daughter. The act of death only brought her more grief, of which thou could have stopped had thou actually chose to interfere. I must admit I was appalled when he chose a mortal as his love but he will finally see why neither one of us were successful with taming thou irritate female scale-fliers. Silver was only thine's because thou created her to be forever in love with thou! She tried to flee but thou refused her to leave and cursed her much the way thou cursed myself only her punishment was more harsh. Turning her into a roving monster during thy's precious day went far beyond what thou did to me. That she-serpent was loyal to thou and thy cared more for petty things instead of building a relationship with her!'

Flapping his wings in contentment at being back to his true form, Zagnoth glided over to his trapped brother and stared him down, hearing in his quickened breathing how panicked he had become. It brought out a soft snort from him as he realized he could finally be rid of the shadow his sibling had cast over him and he parted his jaws slightly to allow a thin smoky mist to seep forth and circle the downed white dragon.

"Silver was . . . was the closest thing to closure I had after I failed so miserably with you, Zagnoth," Aker admitted sadly as Zagnoth noticed a single tear slide down the dragon's cheek. "I know now that I treated her wrong. My anger and bitterness towards you fueled my decision to make her into that monster and, once she died and I joined her in the afterlife, I realized the errors of my ways."

'Thou never hath learned the errors of thine race!' Zagnoth roared in response, feeling the power he had built up to turn into his true form fading.

With a disgruntled sigh, he returned to existing as a black mist and stormed away, leaving his brother to feebly continue to struggle to move out from under the fallen column.