Turtle's Descent
Remember the Days of Triumph.
For they will Help you on your Path.
Help your Friends, Help them See the Light.
Help them Recognize their Purpose.
Help them See the Light of their Soul.
It will Save them . . . it will Save you.
When the first scream echoed, chaos erupted. Blood was thrown, the halls were booming with comotion; dragons of all ages ran, trying to save themselves from the threat. Fire blazed in almost every direction, and with it came dragonflame cacti, their explosion causing more mayhem. Dragons were thrown to the ground, screaming in agony, begging for help as everyone jumped over them, only paying attention to themselves, trying to get to the nearest exit. The ones who stayed behind to help the ones who were wounded were nearly killed on sight by the foe that threatened to tear this mountain apart.
This was a school, a place for young dragons to get to know one another, and learn to become friends, not enemies - now turned into a battlefield. Who could save them? An Animus? No, there was none around, other than the NightWing Stonemover that lived somewhere inside the caves, but what could he do to stop this? Clay, Starflight, and Gill had done their best to get as many students as possible away from the danger, getting them help in whatever way they can, then going back in to save the rest, risking their lives for the students.
Tsunami dodged fires and ran past blood to the outside. She was the principal of this academy, and knew every route and every entrance. But they were all blocked, save for the main entrance, as that seemed to be her only way out at the moment. She watched everything she and her friends had built fall apart in a fire. How could this be happening? Was this the actions of someone they knew? Was it someone they had wronged in the past, and were taking revenge for something they did to them? What in all of Pyrrhia was happening? The entire world crumbled before her. When she rounded a corner . . . she was face to face with the threat.
" . . . Surprised to see me? I suppose you have always looked down on others . . . haven't you? The same way you looked down on your friends as well?"
" . . . No," Tsunami said. "No, no, no, this can't be happening. Why are you doing this?"
"What have I just said? You look down on people, you look down on your friends, and you look down on your own family. You always think you are so superior to everyone, don't you?"
"You have friends . . . dragons who care about you, dragons who would be willing to help you, to be with you. They love you . . . I love you."
" . . . Heh, heh. That is something our mother would say . . . and it would be a lie. You're lying to me right now, aren't you? . . . Aren't you?"
" . . . Turtle . . . I am your sister. If I did anything wrong to you, I'm sorry. Please, stop Turtle, this isn't you."
"Isn't me? Tsunami, out of everyone I know, you should have been the first one to see this coming. I am an Animus, and as it is rumored, if an Animus uses too much of their power, they are cursed to lose a piece of their soul until they become the savage beasts they always have built up inside of them." Turtle looked at his knife, the knife Whirlpool was going to force Anemone to use to kill her mother. "It is funny how we have evolved over the years, what we have become . . . it is almost similar to life. We start out to be happy - where does it go when we grow? What happened to the little brother you thought was the greatest sibling you could ever have? Oh, wait, that's right - I said it myself - you look down on others . . . and you look down on me. You don't accept me as your brother . . . your real brother, don't you, Tsunami?"
"Turtle, I loved you ever since I knew you were my brother. I knew right away you were a good dragon, that you too can be, a Dragonet of Destiny."
"They are your 'real family,' aren't they? Is that why you abandoned the world? Is that why you turned your back on them? Yes, I have heard that story, and I know the reason, the truth behind it. Everyone was saying the Prophecy was fake, yet no one could confirm that was true, or not. You believed it was fake . . . and you gave up. You look down on others, the same way your friends do. If you're not a Dragonet of Destiny, then you are worthless. Is that what you think about everyone?
"You thought everyone was not worth saving, that they wouldn't care if you do anything to stop the war. You knew you made enemies when you were 'trying' to 'save' the world, and when you abandoned it, you left all of your enemies to kill, to torture all of the dragons you refused to save, because you could care less about anything. . . . That is why I am here. To end my pain . . . my sorrows . . . my torture you left me to deal with myself. . . . You wouldn't even care if I died, would you?"
"That's not true . . . none of that is true."
"Stop lying to me. I know your secrets, I know your lies, and I will avenge my soul . . . that you, have left, to rot."
With a powerful, malicious roar, Turtle lunged at Tsunami, throwing the knife at her. He brought the two of them to the ground. Turtle thrusted the blade at his sister's neck, but she threw him off, got up. Turtle stood back up, swinging the knife, cutting his sister's arm, drawing blood. Tsunami yelped in pain. He shoved her to the floor, and brought the knife down. She kicked his arm, giving her time to get up, lash at his face, then get at a distance. Turtle lowered his head, growling, presenting all of his teeth, the knife clutched tightly in his hand.
"Turtle," Tsunami cried, "please . . . please stop."
"Oh, you decide to show sympathy for once," Turtle snarled. "I'm surprised. Last time you did . . . was when you lost everything."
Tsunami suddenly felt anger rise in her blood, remembering Sunny and Glory. "Don't you go there . . . I swear."
"I guess you do care about something . . . but it is already dead."
Tsunami lost it. She roared at her brother, and he roared back. Turtle used claw and knife to attack; Tsunami used all her strength to throw claw after claw, releasing all of her rage out on him. Turtle enchanted her to be thrown across the room, and into the wall, leaving a large crack in the rock. He used his magic again, lifting his sister and throwing her through the corridor, slamming her against the walls, ground, and ceiling, soon landing in the cafeteria.
The fire blazed profusely as Tsunami groaned, coughed, then stood back on her feet. She looked around, and realized she was in an almost complete ring of fire. She heard a roar behind her. She spun around to see Turtle charging, shoving her to the ground, and into the fire. Tsunami screamed in pain, fell to the ground and started rolling, quickly dousing the flames.
Tsunami forced herself to move, fighting past the pain. She tried to fly, but it hurt to do so. Turtle cackled at her. Eventually, Tsunami did manage to get herself off the ground, but as soon as she did, fire blazed around her body, causing her to land in a tumble - Turtle had enchanted the flames to go after her. He ran at her, grabbed her by the head, slamming her against the floor. He lifted her up, and lashed the knife upwards, cutting her neck.
The pain seemed unbearable, and Tsunami could barely keep herself standing. Turtle smirked, then raised the blade, roared, and brought it down again. Except, Tsunami kicked her brother in the face - it wasn't that strong of a hit, but was enough to make him go down. Tsunami put a claw to her neck, and felt blood falling. She pressed her fist against her forehead, and fell to her knees, taking a moment to catch her breath.
Why was her brother doing this? What forced him to cause this havoc? She always thought he was a good person. Shy, lonely, but nice. He was always alone whenever she saw him, but always thought he would be a very good friend, if he just tried to talk to someone. Someone who could care about him, someone who would be there for him, and he would be there for them. . . . How could it have led to this? Throughout the past few months, it felt as if her entire life was falling apart. Two of her best friends, the dragons she called sisters, were both dead; her own mother tried to kill her; now this. Why? Why was this happening to her? . . . How could it have led up to this?
As Tsunami was wallowing in her sorrow, she was suddenly lifted off of the ground. When she was about ten feet into the air, she started to panic. She thrashed, flapped her wings, tried to move, but was no use. A few feet in front of her stood Turtle with his arm raised. He threw his arm to the side, causing Tsunami to slam against the wall hard, knocking the air out of her. Tsunami tried her best to stand back up as soon as she fell, but the pain in her chest was immense, and the next thing she knew was that she was levitated off the ground again, thrown across the room, then up a slanted corridor.
Her tactics to fight back were not working. How could she fight an Animus? Tsunami had no other choice but to try and persuade her brother to stop all of this.
Tsunami stood back up, turned, and had a claw lashed at her face, knocking her down. She was then grabbed by the shoulder, lifted up, and thrashed at by Turtle. He hurt her as much as he could, forcing himself to not hold back, only remembering his anger towards his family. Eventually, Tsunami caught his arm, and they both growled in each other's faces. Turtle then head-butted his sister, putting her in a daze, then lashing his other arm, drawing blood. He kicked her hard in the chest, but Tsunami lashed back, almost throwing him off balance.
Turtle snarled and Tsunami charged, bringing him to the ground, screaming: "Stop this, right now. You are not a monster, you are not a murderer. You are my brother, you are my family, and I love you."
"I'm not that innocent, pathetic sibling you saw me as anymore," Turtle growled. "I am what you have always suspected me to become: Too powerful. You're right, sister, I am a monster . . . and the death of the Dragonets of Destiny."
He thrusted the knife at her, but Tsunami caught it in her hands, crushing her brother's wrist, trying to force him to drop the knife. "Everything you say isn't true. We all love you, you are our friend, our family."
"That is the lie you told everyone in this school, isn't it?"
"It's not a lie, it is true. We have the ability to accept one another, to be together as one, to join wings and claws. That is what we showed the world, and that is what we have built."
"Built upon lies, crumbling in your dismay, along with this mountain."
At that last statement, Turtle pulled the knife out of his sister's grasp. He thrusted it forward, cutting Tsunami at her side, drawing blood. He then used his Animus Magic to lift her up in the air, slamming her against the ceiling, then down again.
"You never know when to give up," Turtle growled, standing back up, "even when you know you will die, don't you? Always attacking everyone you see, always thinking you're better than everyone."
"No." Tsunami stood up, but almost fell back down from the pain, yet still managed to stay on her talons. "It's not like that . . . it never was like that."
"Oh, come on. Fight me. Kill me. Beat me the same way you beat everyone around you."
Tsunami growled, a snarl that was a mixture of anger and anguish. Turtle scowled, lifting his arms, and focused. Dust fell from the ceiling, the rocks began to crack. They soon fell apart, collapsing. Tsunami did her best to dodge the debris, but a rock the size of her head landed on her back. Tsunami let out a yelp of pain and went down. Turtle took this chance and levitated the rocks and threw them at his sister. She was hit in the face, wings, and chest. Through the pain she managed to smash one of the rocks with her tail.
Tsunami put her hand to her chest and growled in agony. More rocks were thrown at her. Turtle smiled sadistically at the sight of his sister being tortured, and decided to end the fight, to end his suffering.
His soul was gone. He had no heart left inside of him, because of this, he would not hold back any strikes he made. His sister would die, along with his torment he went through all his life. His mother never loved him, in fact she never cared for him - she didn't even know his name. His brothers looked down on him, they never noticed him, and his sisters never knew he was hatched. Tsunami was only one form of his pain, only one apparition of all this hatred. . . . He was nothing to his family. All of that will change, here . . . and now.
Turtle raised his arms up, causing the fire from behind him to crawl. The flames reached his sister, surrounding her in a ring. Tsunami screamed in pain as the fire touched her scales.
Turtle roared, and Tsunami watched in horror as the ceiling broke away. Rocks and dust flew into the sky, separating from the mountain in a small whirlwind. Evening had arrived, and the dragons who attended the academy, along with their parents and the rest of Tsunami's friends watched as a small arena formed from inside the mountain - they could do nothing because of the tornado of rocks and dust. The only thing they could do was watch . . . and hope.
Tsunami was helpless. There was no escape for her, and every time she even tried to move, or attack Turtle, he would use his magic and knock her down with a rock, lift her off the ground using the dirt, then slam her back down, hard. Tsunami got up for the fifth time, glaring at her brother, who gave a sadistic smile. She charged, and Turtle continued to throw debris. Tsunami was hit in the side, arms, legs, and head, but she tried with all her strength to fight through the pain, and run faster.
When she was only a few feet away from Turtle, she lunged, claws out in front of her, roaring as she attacked. Turtle quickly lifted his arm, raising the dirt up in front of him like a shield, and Tsunami plunged right into it. The pain shot all throughout her body, starting at her neck, down from her shoulders to her legs. She fell, lifeless, breathing heavily, trying to get back up, but the agony prevented her from even moving. Turtle looked down at her, raising the knife, his face a mixture of hatred and pure evil. He was no longer Tsunami's brother anymore . . . he has lost his soul, and now . . . has become a murderer.
With a voice that was not his, he said: " . . . Do you hear that, sister? Do you hear all the screaming? Can you see the blood wash out into the ocean? Do you see your life slowing? Falling? Coming to a bitter end? That is the true sense of dread. You hear it, feel it, and you know you can't escape it. You know you will die. . . . You know you let everyone down. The only family you have left, your friends, the dragons you 'swore' to protect from the dangers of the Prophecy. Now it ends here . . . and I am its end."
Tsunami watched with sadness and fear in her eyes as Turtle slowly lifted the knife high above his head, his face becoming worse than it was before. His eyes were painted with evil, and Tsunami was staring right dead at them. There was no hope . . . no way to fight back. This was the end of the Dragonets of Destiny. She closed her eyes . . . and accepted her fate.
. . . Her end never came. Instead, she heard powerful wing flaps fly right over her, then a struggle. Tsunami opened her eyes, and gasped. Someone had saved her from death, and had burst through Turtle's whirlwind and brought him to the ground. Turtle was growling in anger, and managed to throw the dragon off of him. He stood up, and both he and Tsunami's eyes went wide.
The dragon who had saved her sister . . . was Anemone. She stood up, standing in between the two, glaring at Turtle, who growled back at her, his face malicious and his eyes becoming a deep red color.
"Turtle," Anemone said, sorrow in her eyes, "you have to listen to me, this isn't you. This never was you."
"You would dare help this liar? This monster that manipulated us all?"
"You know why this is happening to you, and you can stop this right now."
"Don't tell me you have fallen victim to the lies and deceit of the Dragonets of Destiny."
"It's not them who are lying to you, it is the Lord of Flies. That monster is trying to take over your mind, it's making you do this."
"There is nothing controlling me anymore. I was a pawn, a puppet in a horrid game conducted by those Dragonets, and they use the Prophecy to have power over us. Don't you see what they are trying to do? They took their purpose in the Prophecy for their advantage, and killed Blister and Scarlet to gain sovereignty above everyone on this continent. The only thing standing in their way is Darkstalker, and they want to use all Animus to defeat him, and kill him. Or, to control him, manipulate him the same way they manipulated us."
"You are not my brother, you are the Lord of Flies, and I want Turtle back."
Tsunami's brain was spinning, filled with questions as to what was going on. "What? Anemone, what are you talking about? Who is the Lord of Flies?"
"Something that is a greater hero than you will ever dream of becoming," Turtle growled. "He has shown me my destiny . . . and I will fulfill it as my own Prophecy."
"Listen to what you're saying, Turtle," Anemone said. "This isn't you, you're stronger than this. Fight back, you can beat it."
"I will not listen to your lies no longer. I have had it with your teasing, your insolence, and I am tired of you always looking down on me." Turtle raised the knife, pointing it at his sister with a malevolent glare. " . . . No more . . . today the world changes . . . with your death."
Using his Animus Magic, Turtle threw the knife at Anemone. The blade drove into her leg, causing her to kneel down and scream in agony. Tsunami called out her name, and tried to help her, but the affliction kept her down. Turtle walked towards her, twitching his claws, forcing the knife to be torn out of her limb, and into his hand. He thrusted it forward, right into her stomach.
Blood trickled at an alarmingly fast pace as Anemone grabbed the knife and tried to pull it out of her stomach. Turtle roared at her with a sadistic smile. She looked at him, remembering when they were young, happy dragonets . . . wondering how all that came here.
Tears piled up in her eyes. " . . . Turtle . . . I don't want to fight you. I love you . . . Tsunami loves you . . . your friends love you . . . we always have. I know the pain you're going through, I understand how you feel."
"You say that as if I am a pathetic excuse for a SeaWing."
"But I do. Living with this power, it drives me insane everyday. I'm worried I'm going to kill someone, I'm worried that I'm going to hurt you, Tsunami, or even Auklet or my friends. I'm worried about losing my soul. Mother did this to us, and you know it. She was controlling us. She never cared about you or me. She only used me as a tool when Blister was thriving to become the next SandWing Queen. I'm sorry if I ever doubted you, but the root of all this evil is the Lord of Flies, and you know it."
"You are seeing the wrong truth, you always have, because you refuse to see it. Give in to the suffering . . . that is the true Wings of Fire."
"No Turtle . . . you are my Wings of Fire. That is the true power we believe in. . . . I love you. Even if my soul was being corrupted, I still love you."
For a moment, something happened in Turtle's face. The fog lifted ever so slightly, revealing a sad, helpless dragon begging for help . . . but when the clouds came back down, the monster returned. Turtle roared in a voice that did not belong to him. It was a scream that was not from this world. Rather, it had come from a place Anemone was shown from the Lord of Flies, and had wished she never heard it in the first place. Tsunami backed away in fear, the scream echoing throughout the land, reaching everyone's ears.
Anemone stared at the monster possessing Turtle, and started to cry. " . . . Turtle . . . I know you're in there. I know you think you're useless . . . I know you think you are nothing . . . but you are the nicest dragon I know. You are the best brother I could ever ask for. I know I haven't been the best sister . . . I just wanted to be as nice as you."
"Silence!"
Turtle lashed his arm, pulling the knife away, and knocking Anemone to the ground.
He laughed wickedly, and she tried talking to him once more: "Turtle, throughout my life, our mother constantly kept me by her side. I was never free, I was never out of her sight. Seeing you have that freedom makes me happy for you."
"What kind of 'freedom' can you gain from this world?"
"I remember seeing you from time to time around the castle when Mother would take me for walks. I wanted to know my brother, I wanted to know who you were. Everyday, because of Mother, I thought death would be better than staying with her. But, whenever I saw you, I always had a sense of hope for a better life, a better future. You helped me find hope for freedom, you helped me find a better future for me . . . and I can help you find a better future for you as well."
"My future is in the fire, and there is no greater fate than that!"
Turtle stomped down on his sister's back, causing her to yelp in pain, and spit blood.
"Turtle, when you and Anemone went to Jade Mountain together," Tsunami shouted, "that was the only time I ever got to know you. Mother kept us away from each other, but now we're together, finally, as the family we we're meant to be."
"While you call your friends the only family you ever knew," Turtle mocked.
"Mother kept me away from everyone around me," Anemone pleaded. "Coming to this school was the first time I have ever talked to anyone. I was terrified, I didn't know what to do. But, whenever I saw you, I remembered all the hope I could have for a future, because you gave me the confidence to go against whatever the world threw at me."
"Turtle was weak, he was nothing compared to what I have made him into now. He has been . . . cleansed." This time when he spoke, Turtle's voice was calm, quiet, filled with evil.
" . . . You . . . Lord of Flies . . . give me back my brother."
Turtle stared maliciously, and chuckled, which grew louder with every amount of laughter. " . . . He is not here anymore . . . he burneth in the flames. . . . If thou shall not aid me in the destruction of thy world . . . he, and all other Animus shall aid me."
" . . . Not if I stop you."
"Thou knowest thou canst not."
" . . . My hope for the Wings of Fire can."
Once more, something lightened on Turtle's face. Sympathy. Concern. Regret. Fear. He slowly turned his head, looking at what was happening, and knew that he was the cause of all this. He started talking, yet his voice was a mixture of his own . . . and something else that resembled him, but was much more wicked than Anemone or Tsunami could comprehend.
" . . . W-What? No. No!" Turtle stepped off his sister, throwing the knife aside. "Why am I doing this? What is going on? Silence. Doth thou want to seest them suffer? No! No, please, I didn't want this. Thou kneweth thou had no choice. Doth thou remembereth the hate, the agony thou went through because of thy mother? She hath never cared for thee, neither thy siblings. Doth thou not wantest to giveth hate in return? No! My siblings would never treat me the same way Mother did. They're different, they care about me, they love me. Even my friends, where no one else ever did. You forced me to become this, this, monster. Why are you doing this to me? The new world hast yet to come. You can't make me become something as evil as you. Thou art an Animus, and thou shalt bringeth new light to this world. No! I won't let you do this. Not to me, or anyone else."
Something then happened. Two personalities were fighting at the same time. Anemone and Tsunami watched in horror as the battle took place inside their brother's body. Turtle struggled to take his life back, reclaim his soul, but his energy was draining from him as the twister around them began to spin faster. Red eyes flashed in Turtle's own, anger transforming into his original face, then back again. Turtle felt himself becoming weaker by the second, but he would not let the Lord of Flies have his soul.
With one final pull, Turtle lifted his head and roared that unearthly scream at the top of his lungs. The shriek was not that of anger, but of pain. For a split second, Anemone thought she could see the true form of the Lord of Flies flee her brother's body, and back into the darkness from whence it crawled out from.
Everything was silent after that. The twister had ceased, and the pieces it had picked up were gently floating down to the ground. All the dragons who had attended Jade Mountain Academy, along with the rest of the teachers, walked and flew towards where the battle had taken place, and looked down at the three SeaWings.
Anemone and Tsunami stared in awe at their brother. He was on the ground, seeming to be unconscious. Then Turtle groaned. Slowly, he put his hand to the ground, and picked himself up. His eyes opened . . . and his siblings were beyond relieved that he was back to normal - Turtle had overcome the Lord of Flies. Turtle stared at his sisters, then at the crowd of dragons surrounding them. They were glaring at him, and so were the teachers. Turtle looked around at all the destruction he had caused. Only a portion of Jade Mountain had been destroyed, but that did not compare to what he had done to everyone else.
Turtle saw the knife in front of him, and threw it aside with a grunt. He looked back at the dragons, then at his hands. They were covered in dirt . . . and blood. He put his palms to his eyes, and started to cry. Anemone and Tsunami walked up to him, wrapping their arms and wings around him for a long while.
A week later, the Kingdom of the Sea was quiet. Because of everything Turtle had done, word had probably gotten out to the world, to his friends . . . and reached the ears of Darkstalker as well. In fact, the gigantic NightWing had come to see what exactly was going on . . . which in turn they said there was a problem with someone's Animus Magic, and did their best to not think about what really had taken place.
The Dragonets of Destiny knew Moonwatcher, Qibli, and all their other friends would come looking for Turtle sometime soon . . . and would have to tell them about what had happened. Construction had already begun on the massive hole in the mountain; dragonets had been taken home to be cared for by their parents; almost half of the school had to be taken to an infirmary to tend to their wounds. After everything that has happened . . . the Dragonets were at risk of losing ownership of Jade Mountain Academy.
As of now, Turtle was sitting in his private cell in the Kingdom of the Sea, arms folded and not daring to turn around and look beyond the bars. Anemone and Tsunami sat, staring at their brother. It was not their choice to bring him here, it was his own. He did not use any of his magic whatsoever, and has not ever since he had been here.
Anemone looked at the floor for a second before looking up and saying: "Turtle, you don't have to stay here. You know that, right?"
" . . . Yes . . . I do," Turtle said, his voice almost inaudible to hear.
"You can be let out whenever you want to," Tsunami said.
"Why would I? No one would ever look at me the same way ever again. Everyone would remember all the horrible things I had done. I would be a monster to them . . . and to you."
"You're not a monster," said Anemone, "you are our brother. You hear me, Turtle? We will never leave your side."
" . . . Why?"
" . . . Because we love you, Turtle," Tsunami said.
"How? I almost killed everyone at the academy. What about Moonwatcher and the others? Are they even alright?"
A moment of hesitation, then Anemone said: " . . . Kinkajou was found dead yesterday."
Turtle covered his eyes, and started to cry.
"Turtle, no matter what, you are the best sibling I could ever ask for," Tsunami said. "I will never doubt that."
" . . . No, I'm not."
"Yes, you are."
"How can you say that while I threatened to kill you and everyone at Jade Mountain Academy?"
Tsunami hesitated, then Anemone spoke up: "Turtle, do you remember the things I said to you? That you were the one who gave me hope for a better future? I meant every word . . . can't you understand that?"
Turtle was quiet for a long moment. Anemone stuck her hand through the bars, and grasped her brother's hand.
Tsunami stared at them, and just sat there, wiping her eyes before she could cry. Turtle hid his face, only staring at the wall. He tried to hide his tears . . . tried to remember the good times he had . . . but could not find any . . . because he was so alone.
