Merry Christmas everyone!
Man, this year really kicked my ass in the last quarter(and the site getting all messed up didn't help in terms of encouragement). So many updates left in the drafts unfinished. Specially Web of the Arcane, which GeneKnight even came to me, asking about it. Like I said to him, that is being worked on again.
But as is coming along, I leave you with this short story for the end of the year. Recently I entered a new era of obsession. And decided to play with it.
Hope you enjoy.
Also a great new years for all of you.
He stared.
Stared at his old enemy, with the same hatred of eons past. Of a different world and time.
He stared.
Stared as his power grew within without pause. Reaching for its break point.
He stared.
Stared as it all burned around him.
Metal and stone, above and below. None were left unscathed.
Every step he took was the birth of a new inferno. Every moment of his presence a melting cataclysm.
He roared, drawing the three headed demon towards him.
They returned his challenge with one of their own. Confident in their might. As they always were.
It would not be same this time.
His power hummed, growing, fighting for release.
So, he focused, and allowed.
It travelled beyond him. Consuming. Unstoppable. Punishing.
The world burned brighter.
His enemy screamed in pain. Great golden wings turning to ashes in the wind. They would be coming back from this.
He smiled.
Yet, the demon was unrelenting still.
It's heads snapped at him, screeching in defiance. But he could feel it also.
Lightning flew from their maws, striking true against him in the chest.
He felt nothing. And he made sure to let them see it.
Against the barrage he strode forward, uncaring.
His power burned once more, stronger then before.
Standing over the demon, he released anew.
The fire was too much for It. The heads scream reached new heights. The heat melting them away, until only one remained. Still fighting, even now, as he stood over it.
It was pitiful too see.
His power was close to its eruption. The end drew near. For both of them.
So be it.
He raised a single leg. And brought it down on the demon's chest, just as the final stage went into fruition.
The demon thundered one last time, body collapsing under the weight. Their lifelong rivalry coming to a conclusion.
And with a roar to triumph towards the sky, he let it all end. Felling the world shift around him in a blinding light of red fire.
He closed his eyes, and let it all go.
The Blackwater bay wasn't kind today.
A slate of dark grey clouds hung over the skies of King's Landing in the morning. The wind fast and strong as if the gods themselves were breathing it into the world. The ocean below raged with large waves rising, clashing and breaking against bare rock or each other. Heavy rain still hasn't fallen over the great city of the seven kingdoms, a miracle all things considered. Many of its people took a dare to still venture about, doing everything and anything each set out to do during the day. Nevertheless, their eyes were never too far away from above, as they expected for it to happen at any given moment.
They weren't alone in that.
Ever since the start of the morning, not one light of the sun graced the earth.
The only gold to be seen above flew at high speeds across the city, wings beating against the wind.
A mighty beast, descending from a race hailing from a doomed land.
One with muted golden-colored skin. It's triangular head adorned with dull spikes. Blue eyes taking in all around. A line of small torn-like scales ran along the spine. And short bursts of roar upon it's sharp teeth-filled maw.
Ever since the conquest of Aegon Targaryen, the sight of dragons on the sky was one many grew accustomed to. Even if still managed to give them pause to stare in wonder, and fear. The ultimate symbol of power.
And, naturally, it was never just them in there.
Rhaenyra Targaryen, the first born, and to this day, only child of the current king, sat upon the saddle atop of her companion, Syrax. Her silver hair and raiment flapping, and violet eyes squinting from the weather and fog. The young princess, merely fifteen-name days of age, had long since left the limits of King's Landing behind her and her dragon. Both Red Keep and Dragonpit nothing but distant forms from her view.
The wind proved an ally in a way. Syrax gained much speed by making use of the current, gliding and propelling herself forward into the open sea.
An advantage.
One of Rhaenyra's sources of peace was taking to the heavens, flying between the clouds, living the illusion of touching the blue sky. It helped clear her mind, leaving the weight, pressures and concerns of life behind for a few precious instants at least. In addition, she would be glad of not be interrupted in it. Getting on Syrax with the storm's threat without someone being sent to stop her was an achievement in itself. Her dear friend Alicent tried so, with no success. Her mother spent most of the last days resting in her chambers, the toll of pregnancy leaving her more and more tired as the time of delivery approached. And her father…
He would be worried, she had no doubt. It would be one of many that preyed on his mind lately.
The upcoming tournament in the following months, the stress of being the king and having to deal with his council's hidden agendas, her uncle's actions, and the worst of them, the Stepstones trapped in an incoming war by a madman if what many whispered was to believed.
Even if relatively young, the last moons saw her father look twice his age. And unfortunately, his mount, Balerion, the black dread, had passed on due his age. Never again had her father tried to bond with another dragon afterward. She pitied him greatly, and worst of all, there was nothing to be done, on her end at least, to ease his burdens.
"Hopeless." Rhaenyra breathed.
It caught Syrax's attention, with her voicing a grumbling groan, head moving to look back, a single eye at her rider.
Rhaenyra smiled. Hand reaching forward, she caressed the dragon's scales softly in assurance.
"It's fine, girl." She said kindly. "Don't worry yourself."
If there was ever a recording of a dragon showing a true emotion in it's face, specifically skepticism, Rhaenyra would put Syrax in it. The princess would swear to the seven she was raising a scaly brow at her in that very moment, snorting before turning her head back ahead. A laugh slipped from Rhaenyra, and she gave the dragon a couple of small pats.
The interaction helped to lighten the mood, and Rhaenyra decided a change of scenery would go along well with it. It was the middle of the summer, and she would find a much better view above the clouds. Still, even the maester found the sudden change of weather a bizarre phenomenon, and so sudden it happened too. Those more devoted took it as a bad omen. But Rhaenyra paid no mind to it. Some things were what they were. And for her, it was just another storm forming, a big one, but a storm still. Like countless times for millennia.
With a confident grin, she shifted her stance in the saddle, leaning her body more against it, and holding the reigns firmly.
"Want to take a look up there ?" She put it to Syrax, who instantly jerked her head. Excitement was shared between the dragon and the rider. "Thought so!" Rhaenyra beamed.
Subtle adjustments with her legs, and she was ready. Syrax kept flying in a straight line, still as she could be, wings and heart beating strong in anticipation.
Rhaenyra breathed, and shouted.
"Dive!"
Syrax roared, wings flattening at her sides, and they fell.
The princess laughed as they speeded towards the ocean thousands of feet below. An arrow that cut through the wind itself. Thankfully no harm came to her, as the saddle was designed to cover the rider's whole being during flight, while still giving them a clear vision of what was in front of them.
Speaking of which.
Faster and faster they came to reaching the ocean. And with meters of distance, Rhaenyra yanked the reins up. Syrax obeyed the direction, her wings springing anew. And they splited the waters under them as both turned into a blur with the velocity gained, leaving behind a trail while passing, dodging shoals of jumping fish along the way. Getting further away from King's Landing coast.
The need for speed filled them with joyful adrenaline, making both feel more alive than ever.
But it was just the beginning.
Changing her stance once more, Rhaenyra sat back uptight, wrapping the reins along her forearms, gaze locked at her desired target.
"To the sky!" She exclaimed.
Syrax didn't need to hear it again.
She flapped her wings hard, shooting up just as fast as she was going before, doing a few slow spins for good measure. Rhaenyra was very much pleased with that decision. If it wasn't for the risk of falling, she would spread her arms and enjoy the sensation to the fullest.
They had reached a good altitude above the sea when the joy came to an end.
Syrax's demeanor, in less than a beat, changed completely.
"Whoah, Syrax, easy girl. Calm yourself!" Rhaenyra shouted, fighting to keep control, as her dragon tensed. She snarled at every direction, head moving erratically over the vast space. The princess wasn't new to dragon's high senses. So after the initial shock died, she understood why any of this was happening.
Someone, or something, made Syrax feel threatened.
But what ?!
It was Rhaenyra's turn to look around, wide-eyed and tense. For a while, she searched, but there was nothing as far as one could see. And she also didn't hear anything out of the ordinary. It was useless to trust herself in that situation. Out of the two, she was the easy prey, and the most oblivious of what could be near them.
And she would not stay there motionless waiting for it.
With a sharp pull, she commanded. "Let's get out of here, girl, fly!" Paranoia started to creep into her mind, and she dared not raise her voice. Instead whispering for her dragon.
The same seemed to pay no mind to it. Continuing to smell the air in search of the unseen predator.
Rhaenyra sent a prayer to the seven. To the Targaryen pantheon. Or to any god that would listen.
"Syrax! Please! We have to –"
She couldn't finish, as across the area, a deep and terrible rumbling hum echoed. Louder than any sound Vhagar, one the largest dragons alive, ever produced. Every other sound ceased after. It shook Rhaenyra to the bone, freezing her place, and visibly trembling.
Syrax, on the other hand, suddenly bellowed at a specific place, locating it finally.
It was way lower than expected.
Rhaenyra slowly followed the dragon's gaze. She sucked in her breath, staring in terror at what she saw.
Right under them, bellow even the deep waters of the ocean, there was a great blue glowing bulge. It covered a large distance in the water, making it trash more harshly than she ever saw.
She kept looking as the trashing gave way to the water starting to spin, forming an enormous swirl. The glow became brighter as it moved closer to the surface. And she began to see the outline of whatever it was.
It was then, that terror turned to horror.
Out of the ocean, three rows of massive, bony plates, like gigantic shark fins rose. Arranged in parallel lines, each pulsated with blue light, and a new constant hum reached her ears. Just as loud as the rumbling from before.
Rhaenyra's heart sank, and Syrax herself also seemed at a loss before such sight. Like a mountain, the being slowly broke through the ocean, veiled by tons of water and fog, releasing a new hum of his own. She could only look, mouth open, white-faced, as it kept rising, and rising, and rising, until its shadow loomed over her and Syrax like the great northern wall. Maybe even towering over it too. And it was standing on the seabed, meaning they were witnessing just part of it's total height.
It moved its body, dropping giant waves back to the ocean, breathing out a hurricane from it's mouth. The fins almost hitting the princess and her mount. It turned until was standing directed at both of them. Giving her a chance to see it better.
Two muscular, powerful long arms, ending in clawed, four-fingered hands. Two massive, almost elephantine legs.
A massive, seemingly endless tail with smaller bony spikes running along its top, that was almost as long as the rest of its body was tall.
A head that seemed much more like that of a crocodile that she heard descriptions of since young, with powerful jaws lined with dagger-like teeth.
Calling it big would not be doing it justice.
It's eyes opened, and Rhaenyra never felt more small than now. Just one eye was big enough for her to look like the tiniest ant to ever live. The blue burned stronger than any fire, like twin coals and gleaming with a fierce, predatory intelligence as it bored at them, head leaning forward.
Rhaenyra couldn't move, her body betraying her due to fear. Her mind failed to make sense of what was in front of her. It couldn't be some form of dragon. The end of Valeria would not be enough to keep the knowledge of such a being's existence a secret. Syrax didn't fare any better, her aggression long gone.
The behemoth backed away, breathing sharply through it's nostrils. Then it eyes narrowed. It took a step forward, foot making the ocean itself shake under him with a resounding impact. He reared back, arms rising to its lean chest, clawed fist closing. He leaned forward, jaws wide open.
And with the sound of the greatest war trumpet or a demon in the deepest of hells.
It roared into the heavens, awakening thunder and lightning around it.
So loudly, that even gods heard it.
And there it is. A quick lil thing I had to get out of my system.
Recently, as I stated at the start, I got into a new/old obsession, and it was G-man himself. Rewatching the MV movies, some of the classics, and now after just experiencing Minus One movie and the Godzilla X Kong trailer, I HAD to do something.
Much like it was with "Water and La Brisa". This just for fun, could be a one-shot, or even get a new chapter down the line.
Who knows ?
Oh, if you want some visual reference, the final moments are inspired by the Minus One Imax poster, but with the MV design in it's place
Anyway, this is all folks. See ya next time.
Peace.