Chapter 4: A first encounter
After feeling this burning, internal sensation for so long, the pain has finally faded away, being replaced by a raw but familiar power filling Darkstalker's very core. But it isn't the only that has changed, the nightwing can now feel a strong presence, like the mind of something great being near him, at his side.
Focusing on it, the night dragon can see many thought coursing through it, but the majority of them are beyond his understanding as some sound like words from a strange language, while others show glyphs and symbols that are unknown to him, with only a few matching with a letter of his alphabet.
But out of everything, he can make out the entity's feelings, very strong surprise and curiosity, as well as a raw, hidden will pointing to his body laying on the ground, then to him as a living, conscious dragon.
A moment later, Darkstalker can feel a power enveloping him, it's nature otherworldly like animus magic but so different… A shock is sent to the nightwing, forcing all his muscles to react one way or another, and opening his eyes.
With his sight returning, the black dragon now watches who stand before him. A dragoness of blue and green scales, thrice as big as an adult dragon, who stare at him with deep, piercing blue pupils. While not hostile nor looking more antagonistic than the average dragon, she appears very imposing, especially from his laid down position.
She looks closer to a skywing than any other tribes and has a chain of fins from head to tail. Her ears are a mix of normal ones and fins, but most important of all is her aura. She, too put it bluntly, radiates wondrous power, like her body is here to further prove she is magical.
Waiting for her to act but only getting silence, Darkstalker decides to speak to that unknown dragoness. Fearing what she can do, he starts with the simplest and most appropriate question.
- "Who are you?"
The magnificent beast blinks as her ears flinch, and a few seconds later she leans her head until the nightwing can hear and feel her strong breathing. The dragoness' mind is now close enough to him that he can see every part of it, any little thought. And nothing is hidden, nothing blocks him from watching the mind in its totality, it is like she is fully opening to me.
Right now, the nightwing feels more vulnerable than ever, with him not being able to dodge the single hit from the beast that could knock him out or worst… But his worries calm down as the dragoness retrieves her head and begins to curl around him.
Darkstalker takes a breath and rise on his talons. Now standing up for himself, he still is no match for the dragoness, but it is enough for his confidence to partially return. Then, he asks her a second question in a stronger voice.
"Do you understand me?"
- "Huko…"
Along with that answers, the dragoness does a slight gesture with her head, similar to one who doesn't know the answer and the word 'maybe' translated in physical language. Well, it cost nothing to try.
Posing his paw on his belly, the nightwing speaks the next words as clearly and loudly as he can.
- "Me, Darkstalker."
After a moment of thinking, the dragoness points her green talon at him and replies in a formal voice.
- "Uthu ajek me, Darkstalker."
Realizing her misunderstanding, the black dragon points at himself again but only says his name.
- "Darkstalker."
- "Zu, Darkstalker."
Being glad she now knows his name, he points a talon at her and asks his first question again.
- "Who are you?"
- "Yth ajek Ayirn."
Darkstalker hears her response clearly, but he still has doubts. Wanting to be sure, he asks again.
- "Who are you? Ayirn?"
- "Ko! Zy, Ayirn."
Ayirn, what a strange name…
Without warning, Ayirn unfolds her wings and now strongly expects something of him, he sees it in her mind.
"Darkstalker, ignum yth!"
The great dragoness then turns back and soars into the air, blowing a huge burst of air and leaving him wondering if he should follow her. Realizing after a moment of reflection that the dragoness is by far the most interesting thing he saw, and one who might have answers to his… situation, he decides to go after her despite the potential threat she can poses.
Now in the sky, Darkstalker tries to adjust his speed to Ayirn's one. For a big individual like her, she is surprisingly mobile and in control of such a body, or maybe all dragons like her have good agility. And maybe this powerful aura of her shows there are powers at play to help her...
"Lieju uthu kenib Zu almuko olmukara Darkstalker?"
The nightwing is caught off guard, not knowing what to answer at all. Quickly focusing on her mind, he sees the concept of otherworldly essences, his essences, taking the most space along with curiosity. She is asking me about my what burn inside me? Don't answer too fast, there are many possible questions she could ask, and even if you knew, you don't know how to answer in her language.
"Huko, Darkstalker?"
After a long silence and looking at a doubtful nightwing, the talkative dragoness deduces his answer, he doesn't know.
"Uthu huko."
During their long flight, Darkstalker thinks about what happened since he has awaken. Ayirn was there, she might have seen him because he had come close enough to where she live, or maybe she had sensed him. She has a sort of magic, and she can see my essences, she may have the ability to know where I am even from a far distance now.
She is interested in him, especially about what magic is inside him. Why was she surprised and maintains that interest? Do I have deep inside me a very strong power? Or a very strange one? And what is that distinct will pointing at me? Is it like how a nightwing has a prophecy? Maybe...
Watching Ayirn's mind again, he can make out four others dragons as great as her, all being able to do some sort of magic. Diving deeper, he realizes these ones are together by… necessity? Perhaps, there are expectations in her mind alongside a buried desperation. I'll figure it out when I will meet them all…
Yes, she is probably guiding me to them, it makes a lot of sense. And if I am as surprising to them as I was to her… Well I'm not sure if being the center of attention of five powerful dragons is a good thing. I'll have to be very cautious…
After a large amount of time, fatigue starts to claim the nightwing's body again. Watching her, he doesn't see any sign of exhaustion on the great dragoness. Diving into her mind and realizing there are not close enough to their destination, Darkstalker calls her out.
- "Ayirn!"
She immediately turns her head to face him, and by observing him struggling to keep up with her flight, learns her follower's first limit. Seeing that, she begins to slow down and lose altitude bit by bit, before preparing to land when they are low enough.
Ayirn lands gracefully, and the nightwing does as well, without problem this time as they had decided to stop the travel before fatigue could really set in and weakened his abilities.
- "Uthutias xefnuit muka zunak. Uthu pyteya toeik Darkstalker."
- "Thank you for interrupting the travel for me Ayirn." Says the black dragon genuinely, truly appreciating the dragoness for a short moment.
Looking around him, he can see in the distance many more light very close to each others, this might be it. Checking his altered foresight to be sure, the pulse is now a lot stronger than before. Of course, the aura of the great dragoness participate to that, but it's more than five of beings like herself combined. Maybe they have more power at their disposal, far more power…
"Darkstalker."
The nightwing comes out of his thoughts and faces the serious dragoness.
"Lieju uthu kenib hyj Zu ajek?"
Another unknown sentence is said to him, but looking at her mind occupied by the concept of him, what he represent, his complete identity, and her curious but more serious stare, he can deduce what is the question.
Darkstalker was going to answer nothing, but then he realizes that if she is asking him who he really is, and he doesn't know what is happening to his being, there is a simple word for that he has heard before.
- "huko."
- "Uthu huko, ikul Yth kes uthu eiuf kenib yl xetis."
Is it wilfulness or confidence? Not that it can't be justified, she knows a lot more about this place than I do. And perhaps these dragons know how I was transported here and how to get out. But if they do, why do they seem to be stuck in that desolate world. I'll have to wait to get answers…
As Darkstalker rest on the ground, Ayirn is drawing glyphs on the soil with her essences, and they get more complex as time goes on. Looking at them, the nightwing doesn't understand even a single one, but supposes they have or will have some kind of effect.
And he is right, a few minute later, the glyphs send out a strong signal that will surely travel very far. She must be calling out the other great dragons, and that's not so good, especially in my state. Let's just hope their interest cross enough with mines.
Darkstalker reflects on the situation, focusing only on his mind. Since he came in that lost realm, he was always somewhat powerless. First lost and confused, now focused with a clear goal in mind but surrounded by a dragoness far stronger than him.
He sighs, for a powerful individual who wished to gain control over his life and the world, he failed spectacularly. He was far too slow in his ascension, then lost patience with his anger, ignoring the most important details. How pathetic I am? Even if I was the best animus of dragon kind, more ambitious and intelligent than any others, the bar wasn't that high.
Maybe I am not as good as I pretend to be, and maybe I should have been more careful with my foresight, not being seduced by what it shows, but not ignoring it either.
Thinking of Clearsight, the dragon laughs as he now views her and their history together in a different light. You aren't better than me, no matter how hard you try to be a good dragon and help others, Clearsight. You may not have magic like me, but that would not stop you if you played long term with your future sight.
You were the seer Vigilance would listen to for more than a bit of time, and you had my scroll, you could even use the trick of invisible ink like me to hide your spells. But you didn't do it, and I know you didn't because you were surprised and terrified when things started to be bad until the awful climax. You had no secret cards left in your hand in case of emergency.
You could have used my magic, and with your foresight and dedication, pierced through any problem, but you didn't. You let yourself be overwhelmed by the war and a mountain of problems, and when reality slaps you in the face, you can only react, and not when you are at your best.
Yeah… That's it. When I was making a spectacle of murdering my father, you had my scroll, you could have stopped me after or even before I kill him. But you didn't, you watched like other nightwings, like an insignificant, powerless spectator who won't even say a word to oppose the terrible deed being committed.
You're an idiot Clearsight. You are a coward, a weak dragoness and a hypocrite.