August 21st

Yesterday was so crazy that I didn't bother to write anything about it until today. I was too tired. Ghost showed up out of nowhere and requested, no, insisted that we all go to Telmak immediately. He wanted us to do what we could to help because rifts started appearing and powerful shadows were showing up all over Telmak. When we got here, everything seemed normal and quiet, but Gaia explained that most of the shadows were attacking dragon settlements all around the world. Suddenly, two big shadows fell out of the sky and ran at us, but some invisible barrier Gaia had put up blocked them. She then sent us to different locations around Telmak: Grunkle Stan and Ford to Maashva, Teeth and Shade to Vault, and Amy, Bill, Rawly, Mabel, and myself to a dragon village located in a canyon near the Thunderstruck Savannah.

When we got to the village, it was being attacked by loads of shadows, most of which kind of looked like giant centipedes, but some were like bats and armadillos with horrible mutations like giant spikes and the ability to spit acid. I think dragons are relatively strong and versatile, but the shadows must have been too much because they had the surviving dragons cornered. Before we could really do anything, though, Esmeray showed up. She stood up on her hindlegs, spread her wings, and chanted some weird spell that made my vision blurry and my ears ring before a burst of light turned all the shadows into spirits. Turns out that shadows have actually been corrupted spirits this whole time! Ragnarok made them a long time ago by cursing the spirits of Druunire with dark magic and filling them with his hate and rage. Esmeray discovered that they could be cured and reborn. Even Gaia was surprised when we told her about it later.

Bill didn't appreciate her being there, even though she saved everyone. They had a little "argument" of sorts (it was mostly one-sided) before the Thunderbird shadow suddenly arrived. Yup. The Thunderbird. The same shadow that struck down both Ghost and Crusade's mom and Bill himself in the past. It got bigger.

Bill flew up in his dragon form to face it, but after a single attack from him, it turned in the air and flew away. I was confused until he told us that it was heading for the Thunderstruck Savannah. The thing was seeking out natural magic lightning to supercharge itself! We followed it to the Savannah and found it flying around in the clouds waiting to get hit by lightning. Bill dropped us off and went to face it again, but the Thunderbird was bigger, faster, and stronger. It was also in its element. Literally.

It knocked him out of the clouds and started blasting lightning at us. It even managed to supercharge itself! The grass was on fire from the lightning and spreading fast. Just as Bill, and all of us were about to be electrocuted and fried, Esmeray showed up again and took the hit herself. It did a real number on her. When the Thunderbird dove to attack up-close, she protected Bill again and got pierced through the chest by its long beak. Bill was furious with her for doing that. Esmeray apologized to him, for everything. Then, she died… Since she was a dragon when she died, she turned into this big, perfect-looking oak tree with a ring of water around it that put out the fires.

We couldn't see Bill's face behind the tree, but he suddenly flew out and tried to attack the Thunderbird. It caught him, though, and threw him to the ground. Amy yelled something to Bill about him "feeding it" because he was angry at it. He looked confused and frustrated for a minute before this look of understanding crossed his face. I'm almost not entirely sure what happened, but he stood up, spread his wings, and started chanting the same spell his mother had done earlier. A burst of light nearly knocked the Thunderbird out of the air and transformed it into a completely different creature. It became some kind of huge hawk or eagle with long ribbons or antennas flowing from its head. It was all white and the dry grass it touched turned into fresh green grasses and flowers. When it flew over to Bill, it stared down at him for a long time before reaching out and healing his wounds. It was like it was thanking him before flying away somewhere. When we got to him, he turned back into a man and just hugged Amy.

I can't tell what his thoughts are on what happened with his mom or whether or not he forgives her, but right now, he looks pretty at peace sitting next to Amy.

Oh, that's right… We're still in Telmak right now. After we finished dealing with the Thunderbird and going back to check on the village in the canyon, Gaia opened a rift of her own and told us to go through it. It brought us back to her and the tether tree. Bill took care of the two shadows that were still trying to get past the barrier by turning them into spirits, too. Gaia was shocked. By the time we were all done with our respective tasks and met back up at the tether tree, it was getting dark. We were all really tired and a little hurt, so Gaia had us stay the night.

Today, I'm sitting under a little arch in the roots as I write this. Bill and Amy are sitting together quietly at the base of the tree, but they look peaceful. Grunkle Stan, Mabel, and Shade are talking together. Dionysus went off somewhere. Rawly and Ford are speaking with Zephyr and Crusade on top of a giant root, and Teeth is taking a nap below it. At least, I think he's sleeping… It's hard to tell. Gaia is sitting very still on her throne with her eyes closed. I think she's trying to focus on keeping the barrier up. Or maybe she's using some kind of power to check on things around Telmak? Either way, none of us want to disturb her.

Oh! So, I guess I should brush over what happened with the others. Stan and Ford were sent with Dionysus to Maashva, the underwater dragon city, to help them with a shadow called the Serpent. Stan said it was "the biggest and ugliest fish I'd ever seen!" Ford said it really looked more like a sea serpent…but still ugly. It was also apparently HUGE. They didn't know what to do about it, and the dragons were not very pleased to have two old humans show up to help them. Ford did help them find a way to draw it away from the city and when they were deciding on how to defeat it Grunkle Stan suggested they "ram it with a boat." Apparently, it was a good idea, because one: the dragons ACTUALLY had a boat, and two: it was armored and had a huge spike protruding from the front. Well, I say boat, but from the description they gave me, it was more like a big armored submarine shaped like a giant narwhal. What the heck did the dragons have that for? Well, turns out that ancient humans left it behind a long time ago waaaay back when humans and dragon were friends. It was made with the shed scales of dragons, making it very strong. Ford explained that the interior was "fascinatingly complex" for its age and filled with paintings and runes. They got to ram it into the Serpent shadow and drive the spike through its core. Then, Dionysus turned into a blue whale and basically body slammed it. If it works, it works, I guess.

Teeth and Shade were sent to Vault, the underground city where the famous Bank is located. The Minotaur shadow had gotten bigger, too, and was terrorizing the entire place! Jules, the Warden, was hardly able to hold it off. They had locked horns and were dueling like true horned beasts. Teeth and Shade were able to distract it and get it to chase them until they managed to get the Minotaur to charge into a stone pillar, which cracked from the impact. The Warden charged too, and rammed the pillar himself, causing it to crumble and collapse on him and the shadow. They thought that the Warden was done for, just like the Minotaur, but he suddenly came out of the ground behind them, his armored plates spinning and tossing soil and rock. His armored hide was too thick to be harmed by the falling rubble and he dug and tunneled his way free. Unfortunately, there were still other shadows hiding in the tunnels and passageways of Vault and the Mines. They were weird shadows that were called Hypnobras. They look like giant cobras with a bunch of eyes on the inside of their hoods. They emit some kind of weird dark magic from the eyes and cause horrible pain and suffering to any who look at them. But not looking or closing your eyes makes it difficult to fight them. Luckily, Teeth doesn't have eyes. Still can't figure out how he sees, but apparently not having actual eyes keeps you safe from Hypnobras. Meanwhile, Shade was able to use his moth powers to sense and locate the shadows hiding in the tunnels.

…

While her brother was busy writing and doodling in his journal, Mabel threw herself back to lay on a root of the tether tree and watch the clouds. She suddenly began to wonder aloud, "If Telmak doesn't have natural weather cycles, why are there clouds floating over the Great Plains?"

Zephyr was the one who answered. "Aquarius, the great whale spirit, spouts clouds from its head. As it flies, the powerful gusts from its wings and tail blow the clouds across the land."

"Ohhhh, that's cool! But why does it make clouds?"

"We don't know why. We do not bother to question such things. It's just the way it is."

"Dragons live forever, right?" She carried on with her questions.

"Yes. So long as nothing kills them," Zephyr grunted.

"What do you guys do forever? Don't you ever get bored?"

"Of course we get bored," Crusade told her. "Any intelligent lifeform gets bored without mental stimulation!"

"We do whatever we want," Zephyr added. "So long as it is not against any dragon laws, that is. Not that any of us really have much desire to disobey those laws. There are endless things to do or see in the multiverse."

"Do dragons have jobs?"

"Some of them."

"Do you get paid?"

Zephyr snorted with mild amusement. "Dragons trade goods with each other or get it themselves. Most do not expect physical payment of a tangible item, but we may expect them to return the favor at some point. I suppose you could consider Telmak's gemstones to have monetary value, as those are the favored form of 'payment'."

"They're really just a snack," Crusade said with a smile.

"Do dragons keep pets?"

"Some do. I've got you, right?"

"Hey!"

The black and white dragon laughed. Even Zephyr seemed to find his remark amusing.

"Okay, what about hobbies? What do you guys do for fun?"

"Me?" Crusade thought for a moment. "Hm… I don't really have any. Unless pestering people that I like counts."

"What about you, Zephyr?"

"I like to race other sky dragons in sky obstacle courses. I'm also quite fond of puzzle games."

Mabel looked over at Rawly. "What about you, Rawly? What do you like to do?"

He looked a bit startled. "Me? O-Oh, well, I, er… I like to garden… Baking is fun, too."

"I like to cook food and brew potions," Shade chimed in.

"I like to eat," Teeth said, earning a few laughs.

"Gaia," Mabel said."

Gaia opened her eyes and looked down at her.

"Do you have any hobbies?"

"No, child. I do not. I am not like other dragons. I cannot feel boredom, for I am always mentally stimulated. I am a part of this universe. I am bound by and constantly communing with time and space and Telmak themselves."

"Wow. That's sounds overwhelming."

"It is natural for me."

Mabel looked over at Bill. "Hey, what kind of hobbies do you have, Bill?"

"Besides tormenting or murdering people?" Dipper muttered.

"Ha! I don't actually have any 'hobbies'," Bill said with a roll of his eye. "Never had the time, even though I've got all the time."

"Don't you like to play the piano?" Amy said.

"Is that a hobby? That's just something I know how to do."

"And you do it for fun." She smirked. "That's pretty much a hobby. Probably one of your tamer hobbies…"

"Oh. Well, there's that, I guess. On that note, I do enjoy a puzzle or two myself."

Mabel was quiet for a few minutes, thinking of more questions to ask. Finally, she came up with something. "Oh! I wanted to ask this before, but do dragons have weddings?"

"You mean a wedding ceremony?" Crusade asked. "Sometimes, yeah."

"Dragons are considered 'married' after the first time they mate," Zephyr told her. "That is the point when they become what we call a king and queen."

"Or a pair of kings, or a pair of queens!" Crusade smiled. "And remember, Mabel. Dragons mate for life. They can only ever fall in love once in their entire immortal existence. It is literally impossible for them to feel romantic affections for anyone else! So, they're naturally completely committed and clingy to their partner. A wedding ceremony or a piece of paper stating it isn't necessary."

"But if they don't have anything like a ring, then how do others know they're off limits?" she asked.

Zephyr almost laughed at the question. "Like he said, they can only fall in love once with a single being. There has never been an occurrence of a dragon falling for an individual that was spoken for."

"Oh."

"Besides, we know because their scent and aura alter slightly."

"Scent? Really? What does marriage smell like?"

"I'm…not entirely sure how to explain that to you."

"Darn." She looked over at Amy and Bill. "So, are you two married yet?"

"Mabel!" Amy was shocked.

"…Did she seriously just ask what I think she did?" Bill said.

"Yes! Mabel, what the heck!?"

The girl chuckled. "I'm just messing with you guys! Heheh! Oh, but if it's a scent or aura thing, that means another dragon could tell me, right?"

"Mabel, I swear, if you don't stop right now!"

She laughed loudly. Crusade laughed, too, and Zephyr rolled his eyes. "Ridiculous, the lot of you," he said.

"Pardon the interruption," Gaia said suddenly. Everyone fell silent and looked up at her. "It seems that the shadow situation is now under control. For the most part, that is. Cupid, Icarus, and Dawnbringer, along with the help of Divinity and Aquarius, have managed to temporarily seal the rifts."

"That's great!" Ford said.

"Who's Divinity?" Dipper asked.

"It is the true name of the spirit that birthed from the Thunderbird's ashes," Gaia told him. "Before you leave…" She looked at Amy and Bill now. "I would like at least the two of you to come with me to the Creation Point."

Bill looked surprised. "The Creation Point? Me?"

"What's that?" Mabel asked.

"Indeed," Ford said.

Gaia answered them. "The Creation Point is the true center of the multiverse, so to speak. A sapient dimension tucked between all others. It is the thing dragons refer to as the 'Original One', and it is where time and space first began. It is where my siblings and I, and a few other entities from the dawn of time, were born."

They were all shocked, aside from Crusade, Zephyr, and Shade, though Bill was shocked for a different reason.

"Ouroboros may not approve of it, but you are all welcome to come, if you would like."

"Yes!" Dipper and Ford said together. "A thousand times, yes!"

Gaia seemed to smirk a little. "I thought as much."

"You should feel honored," Zephyr told them. "You'll be the first ever humans to enter the Creation Point. And you'll probably be the last."

"I'm surprised you're not arguing it," Crusade said and nudged is hip with his own.

"There is no point in arguing with Mother Gaia. Besides… I suppose they aren't that bad. For humans, I mean."

"Aw, ya hear that, guys? Zephy likes you!"

Zephyr's feathers began to bristle. "I tolerate them at best!"

"Ah, there it is."

Gaia stood up from her throne. "We will depart immediately."

Her eyes flashed and she shot a burst of purple plasma from her maw that exploded with a crack and formed a huge portal filled with stars. Some of them had flinched or ducked down, surprised by her sudden action and the sound it made.

"Forgive me," she said after. "I did not mean to startle anyone."

"You can just make a portal to the center of the multiverse whenever you want?!" Dipper was beside himself.

"Yes and no. Any of the Original One's offspring can do this, yes. And any who are connected to the tether tree of one of the main worlds can as well, so long as the Original One permits it. Needless to say, Ragnarok was locked out of the Creation Point when he turned on the rest of us… It takes a considerable amount of power and energy to create a portal to or from the Creation Point, even for myself. I will sleep the rest of the day away when we return later. Normally, I do not require sleep, but already I can feel my strength waning. Come now." She stepped forward into the portal.

The group followed the great dragoness into the rift and found themselves in a bluish-black void of stars. Beneath their feet formed a smooth flat platform for them to stand. Nearby, a large pillar rose from the platform, on which Gaia landed and perched herself, her long tail wrapping around it like a snake.

"So, this is the Creation Point," Ford mused aloud. "It is very similar to the open space of the Nightmare Realm. Er, sorry. I mean, Necronire."

"Necronire simply translates to Dead or Dying World," Zephyr told him. "It's original name, Druunire, means Dream World. After what Ragnarok turned it into, calling it the Nightmare Realm is not all that incorrect…"

"I see."

"As for the similar appearance… Druunire, Necronire, whatever you want to call it, is, as you know, the world between all worlds. It is, quite literally, an extension of the Creation Point. It, just like this place, is a realm of existence between reality and illusion. It is an essence, a mind, a thought, a hope, a dream, and all such similar things. It is both physical and ethereal. Very few places mimic the Creation Point and its chaos so perfectly."

"You sound almost proud," Ford said. "I didn't think the dragons would find fondness in Necronire."

"We are fond of what it once was. Druunire. A realm of chaos, yes, but chaos is not necessarily bad or evil. Even then, those are subjective terms. Chaos is a fantastic, mysterious, and frightening thing. It is all things good and bad. It is both creation and destruction. It is both order and entropy."

"You're starting to sound a little like Telmak," Dipper said. "'Chaos is all that is and was and ever will be' is what they kept saying."

"Well, it's the truth!" Zephyr said. "Listen here. Druunire is, or was, the place where imaginings and illusions became reality. It was the place of hopes and dreams. That includes nightmares. However, Ragnarok destroyed hope and filled all dreams with nightmares."

"The Mindscape…" Ford mused.

"What you call the 'Mindscape'," Zephyr continued, "is a mere part of what Necronire truly is. What Druunire was. Can you even imagine, a place that exists everywhere, in every space and at all times, that is both physical and not at all so? It is a difficult concept, but it exists. Without it, there would be no hopes, no dreams, no imaginations, no thoughts. There would be no creation, no art, no passion. Druunire was – no – is the very mind of the multiverse."

"Ragnarok didn't seem to see it that way," Stan said.

"No," Zephyr said. "He did not. Well… he did at first."

"He did?" Dipper was curious now.

"Everyone, even the dragons, feared the more…frightening aspects of Druunire. The mind is a complex and powerful thing, after all. Although Ragnarok could control the nightmares and protect people from them, the people still feared them. In turn, they feared Druunire, and then, they began to fear Ragnarok himself. They showed his elder siblings great love and adoration, but him? They feared and avoided him. They took and used Druunire's – Ragnarok's gifts of creation, hopes, dreams, and all the more peaceful and lovely things, and they did so without a second thought or a single bit of thanks. They loved what he had to offer, but they did not love him, for they were afraid of him. No matter what he did, nothing ever changed. So… he ended up becoming the monster they thought him to be. It was not until a long time later that the mistake was realized. Even so, only the dragons and a small few other creatures saw the truth. But it was too late anyways. And now, here we are. Near the end."

"End?"

"Do you mean the end of time?" Ford asked.

"I mean, the end."

Gaia spoke now. "The stars of the Creation Point see all, but not all things they see are definitive. Some actions and occurrences may have multiple results that may or may not happen. Whatever the result of Ragnarok's return is, it will be the end of something important. Whether it is the end of time and all things, or simply the end of Ragnarok himself, it is the end."

The stars began to swirl and collide until a giant serpentine beast flew out in a spiraling motion. Ouroboros soared over them, around the pillar where Gaia sat, and finally came to a stop before them all. He studied them for a moment, snorted, and said nothing but "Greetings," to Gaia herself, who nodded in response.

After a few moments, a mass of plants such as long grasses and colorful flowers began to spring forth from the nothingness, growing and dying and growing again in a matter of seconds before it birthed the white form of Ghost. He shook himself as the plants formed a platform for him to sit as they stopped growing and remained stagnant and still. He glanced around and spotted the large group.

"At least I am not the only one here who has never been here before," he said. Amy smiled at him.

"Now then," Gaia said, attracting everyone's attention. "As it is clear to see, I have brought more to this meeting than just Amaranth and Cipher. I believe there are no objections to my thought that they deserve to be here now?"

Neither Ghost nor Ouroboros said anything.

"As I thought… Now, we are here to discuss the matter of Ragnarok's replacement. The one who will bind themselves to Necronire's tether tree, become its new guardian, and restore it to its true name of Druunire."

"It isn't so much of a discussion rather than it is a request," Ghost said.

Ouroboros snorted. "Indeed."

"Uh, question," Bill said. "…Why am I here?"

"Are you intimidated by the Creation Point?" Ouroboros asked.

"…No!"

Ghost's tail curled with amusement. "There are currently only two suitable candidates for Druunire's guardian. One of them is you."

"…Me?!" He looked genuinely surprised. "You guys want to put me in a position of power ruling an entire dimension for real!? …Have you all lost your goddamn minds!?"

"I concur," Ford said.

"Silence!" Ouroboros hissed at Ford. "You are merely a witness that has been allowed to be here! You have no right to speak your mind here!"

"Calm yourself, brother," Gaia told him. "There is no need for hostility."

"But seriously," Bill said. "The old man's right. Do you really think it's a good idea to give me that power?"

"No," Ouroboros said, "but Gaia and Ghost do."

He stared at Ouroboros for a long time before suddenly spinning around to look at Ghost. "You think it's a good idea!?"

He nodded. "Do not mistake me, Cipher. Besides, your tendency to be… excitable is why we have two candidates."

"Huh?"

Gaia took over again. "In truth, we would like you and Amaranth to both become the guardians of Druunire."

"That is much more logical," Bill breathed. "I thought you guys were seriously out of it."

"Wait," Amy said. "How am I supposed to do that? I can't even turn into a dragon…and I am a dragon!"

"If all goes according to plan," Gaia said, "then the power of the ten amaranths will one: destroy the shadows, two: weaken Ragnarok severely, and three: unlock your true powers and form. Then, you, and Bill, would be able to take over as Druunire's new guardians."

"Of course," Ghost said, "that all hinges on whether or not we can actually defeat Ragnarok himself first without dying."

"I have faith," Crusade said with a nod.

"So," Gaia said. "What say you two?"

"Careful," Crusade teased. "If you guys agree, you'll be stuck with each other forever."

"That was probably going to happen either way," Amy said.

"Yup," Bill told her.

"See?"

Crusade and a few others laughed; Ghost seemed to smile a little.

Bill looked at Amy, who looked at him. "I don't care much for saving the world," he told her. "But I don't particularly want it to end if it means you'd be gone."

"Well," she smiled. "I'll go where you go. If not to keep you in line, then just because I love you."

"Heh. All right." He looked up at the guardians. "Fine. We'll take the deal."

Gaia nodded, looking very pleased. Ouroboros let out a sigh that seemed almost relieved, and Ghost closed his eyes and nodded.

"Splendid," Gaia said. She took on a more serious expression and tone now. "The day is coming soon. Return home and prepare yourselves. Try to rest, and, just in case it is our last day, take the time tonight to speak what you need to each other. Farewell, for now."

With that, she flapped her wings, lifted herself from the pillar, shot a blast of plasma, and disappeared through the rift. As the pillar began to vanish, Ouroboros turned to them.

"We will see each other again soon. Nerves may keep you all from resting, but do your best."

He turned and flew into the swirling stars, disappearing as they burst away from each other.

"Come with me, then," Ghost said. "We'll spend the rest of our time together."

To be continued…