Disclaimer: I do not own 'A song of Ice and Fire' nor 'Magic the Gathering'.
Author's Note: Hello everyone, it's been a while since i've posted a new chapter. Things have not been so great lately in my personal life, with the death of a dear family member and all the consequences that followed. I'm doing better now, after taking care of my mental health, and hopefully i can get back into writing more of this story. I've also recently re-read my previous work and i can see that i've gotten better as a writer, since i can see so many places i can improve on, i may even re-write previous chapter (wouldn't change the story, just the grammar so it flows better) as i have to use an online spell checker.
Anyway, this chapter started off as a simple concept of showing how Jon's magic has progressed since his first Mage Tower match followed by how he enters canon events, but the more i wrote, the more i kept revising, then life happened and i had to take a pause. Eventually, this chapter turned into a slog, writing and re-writing until i was satisfied enough with what i had writen.
It's been a while, so as a reminder, this chapter begins a new 'arch' in the story, where Jon and Niv will finally involve themselves into the canon events of MTG lore. As stated in previous chapters, Jon and Niv will meet their first Gatewatch member (outside of Liliana), I wonder how many people managed to guess right?
I would like to thank everyone who liked this story and has been stuck waiting for the next part. For those who have questions on why i chose this specific Gatewatch member, please check the end of the chapter to understand why i made my choice.
I will answer questions & respond to comments at the end of the chapter as well.
If you want to see what people & things in the story look like, i took inspirations from the following cards: Prismari Campus / Prismari Elemtal Token (Strixhaven version, but as a feline instead) / The Maelstrom (Planechase) / Ajani's Last Stand.
Chapter 11
Jon watched with fascination as, off in the distance, the strong winds from the localized thunderstorm picked up the magma from a recent eruption to create a deadly cyclone full of jagged, electrified obsidian shards. The Furygale was a notorious part of the Prismari campus, filled with dynamic magical energies constantly in flux, varied elemental gales and discarded rogue elementals. This roped off part of the campus, delineated by wards and warning signs, came into being over the years, with the abandoned creations of thousands of artist-mages coalescing around several square blocks of the campus. He knew it was an inherently dangerous place, but found the clashing elemental magic to be a source of wild, creative inspiration for him as he worked to practice with his various elemental styles. Besides, it wasn't like he was the only one who came up here, as the place happened to be a popular spot for students to duel each other without being interrupted by the Strixhaven faculty. In fact, he passed by two dueling students just a few minutes ago.
Jon kept his breathing steady and his stance relaxed as he got ready to start practicing with his magic amidst the chaotic elemental phenomenon nearby. As usual, he decided to 'warm up' with the element he felt the most affinity with, fire. Shifting from one stance to the next, he marveled at the primal feeling of creating flames at will with nothing but a gesture. Rumored to have its roots during the Blood Age, the Elemental War Dances as they are currently called mostly revolve around the manipulation of the elements, rather than their creation. Due to this limitation and how physically intensive the dances can be, most Prismari students prefer to learn the current elemental spells being taught, but the advantages the Elemental War Dances have over modern spells are casting speed and scalability. Those who successfully dedicate themselves to the art can become unrivaled masters over the elements, with masters able to wield them with their will alone. Firedancing sets itself apart from all the other dances by being the only one actually capable of generating its own element from the caster itself. It's an aggressive style, consisting of overpowering force tempered by an unflinching will to accomplish tasks and desires. Proper breath control and a resolute will are important components to the dance and the use of such a volatile force of nature. Fire represented energy and life, and that's what he felt flowing through his veins every time he wielded such a living element.
It was as Jon was about to move into the next Firedancing form when he noticed a gale of ice blowing in his direction, flinging sharp hail towards him. With barely a thought, he automatically shifted his body into one of his modified Firedancing stances and struck. His body pivoted on his left foot as he kicked a fire crescent that melted most of the frozen shards attacking him, but as he was about to be struck by the leftover hail, the momentum from his spin seamlessly carried the rest of his body into another modified stance. He took control of the ice in the air and pushed it away from him while changing it into a flowing watery tendril, stepping into a Waterdancing stance. A few months back, Jon would've had to change into an appropriate stance before he could manipulate the frozen shards attacking him, but now he could now shift between fire and water instantly with forms he had personally created, allowing him to switch dances with one move. Sure, he could have overpowered the environmental hazard with his Firedancing alone, however the purpose of his constant practice was to increase the proficiency of his altered stances, so that they became second nature.
Whipping his watery tendril around him, Jon pulled all the nearby water from the melted hail into his liquid construct and moved on to practice with the next element, water. If fire was the element he had the most affinity with, then water would be the element he had the most progress with. Traditional Waterdancing is a fluid and graceful style, acting in concert with the environment and dealing with the flow of energy. In essence, this means that its practitioners are proficient in turning their opponent's own forces against them, employing defensive techniques that can easily transform into attacks and counters as they flow from one stance to the next, in mimicry of their element. Water is considered the element of change and as he felt himself push and pull the surrounding liquid, freezing it one moment and subliming it into a fine mist the next, he reflected on the versatility of this essential liquid.
It was the mutable nature of water that led Jon to question if he could make changes in any of the Elemental War Dances he was learning, so he opted to test out his hypothesis with Waterdancing. After much trial and error, and with the help of his counselors, he eventually succeeded in refining his own Waterdancing that he uses in conjunction with the original. His new style uses his lower body more frequently, something that wasn't significantly used in the original style, and focuses more in the quickness of the attack. Reminiscent of Firedancing, his personal Waterdancing makes use of sharp, quick punches that allows him to stay light on his feet and able to dodge incoming attacks. Unexpectedly, there was quite the overlap in both Firedancing and Waterdancing, like the need for strong inner discipline and proper breath control, that allowed Jon to first succeed in linking both dances via the unique stances he created. It was this personal success that motivated him towards his new goal, to create new stances to seamlessly unite all the Elemental War Dances and become a master of all four primary dances. With one last flourish, he condensed all the water under his control into one giant icicle and launched it into a slightly distant hill with so much power that it deeply pierced the earth and disappeared inside of it.
Having sufficiently warmed up his body and magic Jon pulled on his red mana once more, got into the appropriate initial stance and with a mighty stomp moved onto the next element, earth. Fixing himself upon the floor, he rigidly struck with strong kicks and punches that levitated rocks off the floor before sending them flying off. He learned that Earthdancing itself is a very diverse style, ranging from the rigid and collectively learned stances during the Blood Age to individually developed styles that were added by gifted practitioners over time. One thing they all have in common, however, is the need to firmly root themselves to the ground to be wielded effectively. It differs from the other Elemental War Dances by maintaining a distinct balance between offensive and defensive capabilities, balancing strength and defense to overwhelm opponents. Earth is considered the element of substance and thus has the greatest range of materials available for manipulation, many of which can be considered sub-elements themselves, like glass, magma, metal and sand to name a few.
Ironically, Jon had progressed farther with Magmadancing, considered an advanced version of Earthdancing, than with the base form itself. He theorized that the reasons for this development were twofold. First, the use of stone in a liquid state turns this dance into something reminiscent of Waterdancing, requiring more fluid movements and allowing a more supple combat style. Secondly, the heated nature of lava itself causes it to spread and cause damage if left unchecked, much like how fire is perceived by more prudent Firedancers. Though he could wield earth well enough, it didn't surprise him that he had more control with magma if you considered his proficiency with the two previous elements. True mastery of Earthdancing involves waiting for the right moment to strike and acting decisively when the moment comes, which normally means enduring the enemy's attacks until the right opportunity to counterattack revealed itself. However, classic Earthdancing felt too stiff and stationary for his taste, for he had been trained his entire life that you didn't weather an attack if you could dodge it. So, after his success in creating a Waterdancing style for himself, he chose to start working on crafting his own modified Earthdancing, with a focus on keeping himself mobile. Already he had started experimenting with alternate stances to overcome the dance's need to keep himself firmly rooted and it would probably be months before he saw any viable results, but he knew he would never truly master this element if he kept to the original style.
With one last earth quaking stomp, Jon sent out a seismic wave that raised multiple pillars from the ground of varying size and inclinations all around him. Having adequately prepared the field, he switched to Blue mana once more and shifted into the starting stance of the element that he had the least progress with, air. He deflected, eluded, and kept in motion as he imagined the surrounding pillars as attacking enemies, constantly moving from one stance to the next. Using circular, evasive movements, he would perform large sweeps and spins to build up momentum, releasing gusts of wind, miniature tornadoes and compressed balls of air that struck his rocky targets. However, when he attempted to perform any of the more complicated techniques, like the Gale Slice, his magic would either fail to manifest or come out as pathetic puffs of air. After months of training, self-reflecting and Airdancing study, it frustrated him that all he had to show for it were modest increases in the force of his winds and no additional abilities beyond what he had already been capable of in his Mage Tower debut. Unfortunately, the source of the problem had its roots not in the quality of his mana or even stances performed incorrectly, but in the spiritual nature of the art.
Flexibility and following the path of least resistance are key to Airdancing, for this style has the notable distinction of being almost purely defensive, striving to use the opponent's energy against them. Masters of this dance were renown for their spirituality and pacifistic nature, for air was considered the element of freedom, thus they strove to emulate their chosen element by detaching themselves from worldly problems and concerns. In fact, one of the things he learned during his research is that Firedancing, the elemental dance he has the most affinity with, is considered the spiritual opposite of Airdancing since it values aggressiveness and passion against passivity and peacefulness. In this instance, Jon's predicament stemmed from the fact that he couldn't bring himself to achieve this placid mentality, because ever since his first Mage Tower match he had come to realize that he relished competition. Few things brought him more satisfaction than challenging others and coming out on top, whether in matches, classes or even in his trips across the Multiverse. To snuff out this part of him would be to go against his very nature, and he couldn't see himself doing so. All he could do was keep practicing until he found a way to bring these two conflicting views together.
Distracted with his Airdancing practice, Jon didn't notice the ambush until he unintentionally dodged the strike by the width of his hand and saw the assailant crash into one of his practice pillars, shattering it into pieces. Jumping back into a Firedancing stance, he got a good look at what attacked him and inwardly cursed. The rogue elemental, composed entirely of crystal shards with a fire filigree covering its surface, looked like a malformed leopard and it was glaring at him. Worse, its flaming shell and crystal body would make his regular Firedancing ineffective and, based on how fast it struck at him, his Earthdancing would be too slow. Waterdancing would be the perfect counter for it, if he hadn't just shot all the water in his vicinity into a distant hill and Airdancing offered no practical options beyond avoiding attacks. Although, now that he thought about it, perhaps this life or death situation could be the catalyst he needed to succeed with a particular element he was having trouble with and if all else failed, he still had other options. Having quickly analyzed his options and chosen a plan of action, lightning covered his body just as the elemental struck once more and he dashed in a straight line as far away as he safely could while avoiding the scattered rocks and pillars.
Coming to a stop some distance away, he faced his ambusher and prepared to wield the element he was having the most trouble with, lightning. Jon quickly stilled his turbulent emotions and cleared his agitated mind in preparation for his next spell. As the rogue elemental charged towards him, he gathered both Red and Blue mana as he moved his arms in a circular motion, building up power while simultaneously keeping both mana separate from each other inside of him. When his opponent was close enough that he could see the gemstones in its eyes, Jon lunged forward with his right arm straightened out and two fingers pointing straight at it while simultaneously colliding both Red and Blue mana by channeling them towards the front of his outstretched digits. However, instead of a mighty bolt of lightning to smite down his enemy, a huge explosion of fire struck both Jon and his opponent, flinging both in opposite directions from each other. Rolling to a stop on the floor after his involuntary flight, Jon quickly took stock of himself. Luckily, he didn't seem to be seriously injured, just a sprained ankle and singed arm, but his opponent, to his chagrin, looked unscathed.
Lightningdancing, an advanced form of its base element, was unique among the dances in that both Red and Blue manas were required to generate lightning, even though only Red mana was necessary to manipulate the body's own bioelectricity into a self augmenting spell. Considered to be the purest form of Firedancing, and also its most powerful and dangerous technique, there have been many experienced masters throughout history who were unable to generate this element because they did not possess inner peace, thus earning the epithet 'cold-blooded fire'. A Firedancer who harbors inner turmoil, when trying to generate lightning, would only cause an explosion, which was what would happen every time he tried this technique. For the life of him, Jon didn't know why he couldn't generate lightning as he had everything he had ever wanted and more, like being a planeswalker for magic's sake!
Jon didn't want to do this, for it felt like admitting defeat, but he was left with no other choice. As the elemental charged towards him once more, he gathered some Black mana and prepared one of the spells his mother had taught him for situations such as these. When it had crossed the halfway point between them, it leapt off the ground, majestically soaring high into the air as it pulled back a flaming claw to strike him down when it reached the jump's zenith. He had but a moment to appreciate the beauty of the flames reflecting off its misshapen scintillating body of his enemy flying towards him before releasing the violet bolt he had created. With no way to dodge the spell hit his opponent, making its flames immediately snuff out and the shards making up its body lose cohesion in the air. Taking a few steps back, he watched the shards splatter across the floor in front of him as a violet vapor wafted off each of the sparkling, inert crystals. Verifying that there were no more dangers present, he finally relaxed and took a seat on a nearby rock lying around as he reflected on the day's practice. It was only when he felt Nivaeron closing in through his familiar bond that he finished his mental evaluation of the day to pay attention to his familiar. Based on the excitement and restlessness he felt emanating from him, Nivaeron either needed his help with some convoluted scheme or preposterous invention.
Nivaeron landed gracefully in front of him and wasted no time in trying to win him over. "Jon! How's my wonderful, favorite brother doing on this fine day?"
Jon rolled his eyes at the obvious attempt at flattery. "I'm your only brother Niv. Technically, you're my familiar."
"Bah, details." Nivaeron waved a claw in dismissal.
Knowing how impatient his brother in all but species could be when he wanted to, he sighed before jumping right into it and just outright asked him. "Can i help you with something?"
He could feel the eagerness rolling off of Nivaeron. "Actually, yes! I need your help."
His shoulders slightly sagged as he prepared himself for whatever shenanigans Nivaeron would ask of him. "Can it wait? An elemental ambushed me dur-"
That was as far as Jon got before Nivaeron's rage and protection instincts flooded through their bond. "WHAT?! WHERE IS IT? Nobody harms my squishy brother and gets away with it!"
Damn it, he forgot to keep his mouth shut. Recently, Nivaeron had been treating him like he was the hatchling in their relationship, probably because he was now slightly bigger than a draft horse. "Calm yourself Niv! I took care of it." He pointed towards the crystallized remains of the elemental. "Honestly, i'm not as weak as you think i am."
Despite his control, Nivaeron must have felt something from him over their bond. "I do not think you are weak Brother-Jon. What is troubling you?"
Great, he wasn't going to let this go until he told him, and he would know if he lied. "I had to use one of mother's spells to kill it because i wasn't good enough with my elemental magic."
Nivaeron's response to his admittance towards his failure was, surprisingly, a scoff. "So what? You're a dragon! I can feel it in your veins even if you don't look it, and dragons don't hold back when challenged. What's important is that you've triumphed and the other is dead at your feet."
Jon was left nonplussed for a few seconds at Nivaeron's simple yet profound response. "Wow Niv... that was very wise of you..."
"Of course it was!" Jon marveled at the sheer size of his brother's ego for a moment before the snapping of Niv's claws brought his mind back. "Hey, you know what would cheer you up? Helping your caring, loving brother."
Jon chuckled at his brother's antics. He was a handful most of the time, but it was moments like these that made him realize he never regretted him entering his life. "Fine... what do you need Niv?"
"I need you to take me somewhere." Nivaeron stated.
"I know you miss me carrying you around Niv, but aren't you a little big for that?" Jon teased before going for the kill. "You're no longer a hatchling for me to give you rides like i used to."
Nivaeron immediately spluttered a reply to his jesting, though he failed to hide his embarrassment. "Not like that! I need you to skinchange with me so we can visit another plane, you dummy."
Jon waited until he had his laughter under control before replying. "I know, i'm just fooling around with you Niv. So, where to? Let me guess, Kamigawa?"
Nivaeron cleared his throat before mumbling a response. "Esper, actually."
A slight feeling of trepidation transmitted itself from their bond as Nivaeron avoided looking at him. Jon felt an inkling of suspicion that he knew why as he fixed his gaze upon him. "Can you remind me which plane Esper is located in? For some reason, i can't seem to remember any location with that particular name in our travels."
Jon could feel the nervousness coming from their bond getting stronger after his question. "That's because... Esper IS the name of the plane?"
There were so many things Jon wanted to yell at his familiar at that moment but instead all that came out was a resigned murmur as he closed his eyes and pinched his brows. "Niv..."
"Please..." Begged Nivaeron as he lowered his snout to his eye level, in an attempt to look cuter.
Jon chose to remind his wayward familiar on why his request was a terrible idea as he fixed his gazed right into Niv's draconic eyes. "Do you remember that time when i asked mother if i could planeswalk to new places myself? How she spent the ENTIRETY of the next day warning the both of us, in very vivid details, on how many things could go wrong while traveling to an unknown plane? Because i do, do you?"
"But i know about where i want to go, so it wouldn't be unknown." Nivaeron countered.
Nivaeron's response took Jon completely by surprise, such that there was only one thing he could possibly say. "How?!"
"I read about it in a journal!" Nivaeron replied with such confidence that it felt as if his phrase answered all questions.
Jon closed his eyes once more and counted to ten in his head until he started to speak once more in a measured tone. "I'm sorry Niv, i must have hit my head somewhere while fighting that elemental, but it sounded for a moment like you just said that you want us to planeswalk somewhere we have never been to before, something we were explicitly warned against, because you READ ABOUT IT IN A BOOK!?" He was only aware after he had finished talking that his voice had been increasing in volume until he was yelling at the end.
"It's not just a book, it's a planeswalker journal! I asked Uncle-Gazaleth if he knew anything about planeswalkers a few weeks ago out of curiosity, and he answered me by lending me some books from his private collection." Nivaeron explained as he defended his request.
"He gave you a planeswalker journal? Just like that?!" Jon asked in disbelief.
Nivaeron replied by stating what he saw as obvious. "Well, yeah. All the founders know by now that i'm not native to this plane, so why would they hide that knowledge from me?"
His hands slapped his forehead and dragged down his face as Jon processed what he was told. "Niv, what made you think i would go along with this crazy idea of yours?"
Nivaeron gave Jon a very sly look as he revealed his secret weapon. "I thought that i could convince Gazaleth to let my very responsible brother learn some of the spells from the Mystical Archive with me."
The shock of his familiar's statement was so great that Jon's jaw falling open was his only answer, but soon enough the capability of speech returned to him. "The Mystical Archive? That impossibly large wing inside the library where most people are forbidden from entering? The one said to contain a copy of every spell ever created in the Multiverse? That Mystical Archive?! You're lying!"
Smug satisfaction was radiating off of Nivaeron like a blinding sun. "Feel free to check our bond, Jon. You know i'm telling the truth."
He checked, because he couldn't believe it but no matter how hard he looked he couldn't disprove what Nivaeron had told him. It made no sense! "How did YOU get access to the Mystical Archive? You're the biggest troublemaker i've ever met in my life!" Jon exclaimed in disbelief.
"I'm a dragon, Jon. A very endearing, intelligent, young dragon that they adore. Gazaleth and his siblings have pretty much adopted me as an honorary nephew. Why do you think i call him Uncle-Gazaleth? So, what do you say?" Nivaeron proudly replied.
It made so much sense once he said it out loud. There have been only five dragons since the birth of Arcavios and suddenly one more appears, who is practically a hatchling to boot. Something never before seen in all their long lives in this plane. Of course they would spoil him! Worse, he actually believed Nivaeron could pull off his request and get him permission to enter the Mystical Archive.
After a suspiciously long moment of silence, Jon spoke once more. "I haven't agreed to anything yet, alright? Tell me what you know about Esper."
Nivaeron spent the next couple of minutes speaking about everything he learned from Cruxius' journal, the detailed accounts of his home plane that he left cataloged and the descriptions of the magical alloy that he had invented and how it had impacted life on Esper.
While Jon may only have been a planeswalker for a few years now, he thought he had enough experience with planeswalking to know what to expect by now. Feeling as though you just traveled faster than light and simultaneously remained in place? A common occurrence. Tasting the aether and seeing reality twist in impossible ways? Completely normal phenomenon. Leaving bizarre trails and inverted currents of energy while moving across the unfamiliar, alien environment between planes? That's just par for the course. So when both he and Nivaeron unexpectedly encountered a tempestuous swirl of aether that violently funneled them away from their original destination, while they were planeswalking no less, Jon had no idea what to do beyond magically holding on to his familiar and hoping that whatever this was, they would survive it.
After a few turbulent moments in the Blind Eternities that lasted forever, Jon and Nivaeron abruptly popped back into existence and tumbled along the rough terrain until they lay sprawled together on the ground. Groaning in pain at the unexpected landing, Jon lifted himself off his familiar and checked through their bond to see if he had suffered any serious injuries. With confirmation that Nivaeron was fine, if slightly concussed, he found that they had arrived at what appeared to be the top of a rocky mountaintop after a cursory glance of their surroundings. There was a steep cliff a few paces ahead and off in the distance he could see both a large number of people running away from their current location and splattered patches of red next to what he assumed were bodies.
Jon barely had enough time to ponder if they shouldn't be running off as well before hearing an extremely haughty voice declare something extremely worrying behind him. "Might as well destroy all of Alara, now that it no longer serves my purpose. I can think of no better way to test my glorious return to power."
'What did we just planeswalk into?!' Jon thought to himself as he quickly turned around. He saw what appeared to be a roughed up albino lion-man sprawled out in front of a large horned dragon. The draconic being moved with radiance, he was smooth and sleek, a study in armored scale stretched over lean muscle. He seemed larger than life and grandiose, hovering in the air with nothing but his magic supporting him, not even deigning to use his wings to keep himself aloft.
"Please, there's no need to destroy this plane! You already have what you came for, just leave us be!" The lion-man begged the grandiose dragon in front of him.
'I'm in Alara instead of Esper? That phenomenon must have...' Jon thought to himself before the dragon's word really sunk in. 'Wait... destroy the WHAT?!' His mind screeched in horror once he processed what he heard.
Jon barely had time to come to terms with what the lion-man said before the dragon telepathically addressed him. 'And who are you supposed to be? No matter, i shall soon find out.'
An immense and domineering pressure suddenly invaded his mind, demanding his unconditional surrender. The psychic attack brought him screaming to his knees and gripping his head as it tried to sift through his memories. Besides him, he could see his familiar sprawled onto the ground, roaring in agony as he felt the assault to his minds through their bond. He could feel the soul-tendril, similar to how his skinchanging functioned, rummaging in his head, so he tried the first solution that came to mind and instinctively lashed out with his innate ability. Surprisingly, the onslaught against his mind stopped, though he could feel that the soul-tendril was undamaged when it left his head. Kneeling on the floor and free from the mental torture, he looked up to take stock of the situation and saw the grandiose dragon slowly turning his horned head towards him.
Fear blossomed in his gut as he felt the horned dragon's incredulously annoyed gaze land directly on him. His glowing green eyes silently stared at him and for a few seconds Jon fooled himself into thinking that he was beneath the draconic being's interest. That hope vanished faster than smoke in the wind when the psychic attack mercilessly tore into him, inflicting on him much greater agony than before. He soon felt himself clutched tightly between the dragon's metaphysical grasp, trapped and unable to do anything to stop him. However, his soul still refused to surrender, his willpower unyielding as he ended up being shoved into the deepest recesses of his mind against his will, even as the dragon violated his mind.
'Oh? Your psyche is still intact? Interesting...' Jon heard the dragon muse inside the absolute darkness that was his mental refuge. The dragon then started his interrogation with a simple question. 'Who are you?' Unconsciously, memories flickered all around him, from presenting himself as Jon Snow in Winterfell, to all the fake names he gave out in his planar travels and even as he introduced himself to his Prismari classmates.
'Vess? As in Liliana Vess? Why do you carry her name?' Continuing his interrogation, every memory related to his mother flickered around him once more. From the first time he met her, to her beginning his magical education, his birthday when he was adopted, all the locations they traveled through in the Multiverse, enrolling in Strixhaven, and so on. Jon could feel the dragon focus on three particular points in his memories, which were Nivaeron, everything related to his skinchanging and his mother's reveal of her demonic contracts.
'Liliana, a mother?! Ha! I see she's still up to her old tricks, though admittedly this is a new twist.' The dragon chuckled to himself. The dismissive attitude shown towards his mother angered him, even in his diminished state. It seemed like the dragon noticed that as well. 'You really see yourself as her son, don't you? I wonder, would you do anything to keep her safe? Hmm... i don't know if i should erase you from existence for daring to be a dragon's equal or let you live due to your status as Liliana's prized minion...' The dragon paused for a moment, contemplating his choices. 'I've decided, i'm going to-' Before Jon could learn what his captor had decided, he felt himself being released from his grasp, whereupon he immediately sunk into complete unconsciousness.
The first thing Jon became aware of as he gradually regained consciousness was the profoundly deep agony his entire being suffered from. However, he soon felt a gentle warmness enveloping him all over that slowly diminished his torment to something be could bear. As soon as the pain subsided to a level of aching discomfort, he realized that he was laid down on the rocky ground, his head supported by something soft. Confused by the circumstances he found himself in, he opened his eyes and found Nivaeron besides him, becoming visibly relieved as he awoke. Opposite him on the other side was the albino lion-man, who he could now see had a nasty scar over his left eye, with his hands on his chest and deeply concentrated on whatever he was doing.
It seemed Nivaeron could no longer hold himself back as his head approached to gently nuzzle him. "Jon, you're alright! Thank magic, i was so worried."
Jon checked their bond and felt waves of joyous relief wash away the corrosive despair that had been consuming the young dragon. He could scarcely imagine what Nivaeron must have felt from his side of their bond to make his familiar feel such distress. "Niv... what happened? The last thing i remember was..." Brief flashes of his traumatic experience threatened to make him freeze in terror, but he forced himself to continue speaking. "The dr-dragon inside my head. How are we st-still alive?"
Jon tried to stand up but was gently pushed back down by the lion-man. "Lie back down, child. I haven't yet finished healing the damage caused to your soul."
"My soul was damaged?!" Jon murmured in shock.
Nivaeron nodded in response as he revealed what happened. "I couldn't feel you through our bond and you were screaming non-stop... I didn't know what to do. I'd never been so scared in my entire life..." He then turned his gaze to the lion-man. "That's when... umm..."
The lion-man answered Nivaeron's unasked question as he continued his healing. "Ajani."
Nivaeron continued his explanations. "Ajani rushed towards you and said he wanted to help, and since i had no other choice, i let him. Even after you stopped screaming, i only felt our bond again when you woke up."
"The bond survived because of your unusually robust soul, it almost seems like there's some draconic aspects to it when i look at it. I'm not sure if a normal soul would have survived the ordeal you went through." Ajani hypothesized.
Jon didn't know what to do with the knowledge that his soul was somewhat draconic, so he put it aside for the moment and asked his previous question once more. "I still don't understand how we are still alive though. Why did the dragon stop?"
"I managed to chase him off." Ajani answered him as he removed his hands from his chest, seemingly finished with his healing if the lack of pain was anything to go by, then turned his blue, one eyed gaze towards him. "I must thank you as well, Jon."
Bewildered at Ajani thanking him, he asked the obvious question. "Thank me? What for?"
Ajani sighed as he looked at where the dragon had been previously hovering. "You must understand Jon, Nicol Bolas had just achieved his goal of using this conflict to return himself to his former glory. Once he succeeded, he decided to test his newly restored powers by destroying Alara, which now included Naya, my original home. I don't know exactly what you did to distract Bolas like that, but you managed to get that damned dragon to stop gloating mid-sentence. There was still a bit of the Maelstrom left, so i jumped into it and used the meek swirl of energy remaining to invoke his essence and created a soul effigy of him while he was preoccupied with you. I don't believe even he would have been arrogant enough to let me get away with that if you hadn't turned his attention away, so i feel that your help was instrumental in saving this plane."
His blood ran cold with terror when he heard just exactly whose attention he had brought upon himself. Nicol Bolas, the planeswalker his mother had specifically warned never to get in the way of, not unless he considered a violent death a mercy. A being so powerful that they could negotiate with four demons after being greatly weakened from the Mending. 'That was Nicol Bolas?!' Jon screeched in his head. He was so shocked at realizing that he had met the extremely dangerous elder dragon planeswalker that he barely noticed Ajani lifting him off the rocky floor, helping him stand by himself.
Ajani's guilt ridden eyes looked upon Nivaeron and Jon as he placed his right hand upon his shoulders. "I must also beg for your forgiveness while i'm at it. It shames me to admit that i took advantage of that monster setting his sights upon you to guarantee the survival of my home. No matter how unintentional your arrival may have been, both of you were instrumental in saving Alara."
Jon quickly disabused Ajani of any self-blame. "You saw a chance to save this plane and took it. i might have done the same in your position." Something niggled at the back of his mind after he spoke, as if he was missing a key detail. It was as he thought on his words that a suspicion formed in his head. "I remember you mentioning planes before. You wouldn't happen to be a planeswalker, would you?"
Jon's suspicions were confirmed when he saw Ajani's eye shift between him and Nivaeron. "You mean... the both of you are as well?"
"Actually, it's only me who can planeswalk, i just bring him along for the ride." Jon said while pointing his thumb at his familiar.
Nivaeron slapped Jon with his wings. "Rude!" He murmured to himself.
Extending his hand, Jon formally introduced himself to his fellow planeswalker. "My name is Jon Vess and this handsome fellow besides me is Nivaeron."
Ajani chuckled at the byplay between them and shook his hand. "Ajani Goldmane. It hasn't been that long since i became a planeswalker, so i don't know if i'll be able to offer much help."
"Don't worry, my mother helped me out when my spark ignited, so it would be a pleasure to return the favor. You can even follow me and i'll show you where i'm studying."
Ajani smiled at Jon's earnest invitation as he guided Jon down the mountainside. "I think i'd like that, but i should warn you to hold off on planeswalking for the next few days. Your soul is still somewhat fragile and as a healer i feel responsible in making sure you're back to full health. In the meantime, you can follow along with me if you choose and i'll show you what my home has to offer."
Jon consulted with Nivaeron over their bond before responding. "Sure, our original plan's ruined anyway, so might as well make the best of this situation."
As Ajani and company made his way back to his pride, he couldn't help but contemplate how circumstances had brought him to this point. Starting with Jazal's murder and the subsequent ignition of his spark as he first planeswalked to Jund. Encountering Sarkhan Vol for the first time, where he advised him to take hold of his anger and use it, along with his newfound gift as a walker, and track down his brother's murderer. Wandering the Qasali valley and finding his first lead at the ruins of Antali on his quest for vengeance. Confronting his childhood tormentor Tenoch over his suspicions and taking serious injuries in the fall over the cliff that followed. Vanishing into the Blind Eternities and spending the next two weeks in the care of Elspeth Tirel on Bant. Learning from Tenoch's mother that Marisi was involved in the attack on the pride, confronting the legendary hero and being told to seek out the dragon Nicol Bolas. Meeting Kresh and Clan Nel Toth, who swore to help him slay the dragon, and helping Kresh settle his grudge against Rakka-Mar. Asked to lead the armies of Naya by Zaliki and Mayael and discovering that Zaliki was responsible for Jazal's death, but that he had been misled into doing so by Marisi. Realizing that with Marisi being slain by Zaliki, his quest for revenge would go unanswered and all of it culminating in the showdown between him and Bolas, and the unexpected arrival of young Jon.
Reminded of the ordeal Jon and Nivaeron went through with his introspection, Ajani used his ability to gaze upon his spiritual essence of others to examine both of their souls once more, seeing their incorporeal bond and how it affected them. Looking into the deepest recesses of their being to see exactly what kind of person they were, he felt nothing but joy at seeing the inherent goodness brightly shining inside of them, but that's not all he saw in their incongruous souls. The changes to Nivaeron's soul weren't as obvious as Jon's, though he could still see the bond awakening a repressed potential, exponentially increasing the dragon's mental capability. Jon's soul, on the other hand, showed visible draconic traits reminiscent of his dragon companion. Spectral claws, scales, a tail and even wings seemed grafted onto the child's soul, remarkably similar to the dragon besides him, but those traits weren't what held his attention. Rather, it was the pair of familiar curved horns growing out of his forehead that held his attention and the worrisome implications it raised. It's a good thing Jon offered to learn more about being a planeswalker, as it would give him the perfect excuse to check up on him from time to time, swearing he would do everything in his power to keep the shining beacon of good inside of them from being corrupted by the megalomaniac he recently faced.
Author's Note: For the first half of this chapter, i tried to show how far Jon has come along on his training. He hasn't just become more powerful but become more proficient as well, gaining more finesse and control over his elemental magic, where he no longer has to 'switch' to a corresponding dance by creating his own personal style. Prismari magic is surprisingly similar to Avatar Bending techniques so i used it as inspiration for Jon's magic, translating it into something that exists in the magic universe. Eventually, Jon won't even need to move a muscle to wield the elements, but he's not there yet, and not to forget that he also knows other magic beyond elemental spells. Jon's greatest strength will be the sheer breadth of spells selection that he will be able to call upon.
As for the second half of the chapter, this is how i chose for Jon to begin his involvement into canon events. For those who are wondering why i chose this moment or even Ajani as Jon's future mentor, it came down to timeline constraint. Gideon would be an excellent mentor to Jon, there's no denying that, but he'd have nothing to teach him magic wise and Sarkhan Vol at this moment is sworn to Nicol Bolas, so he wouldn't be a very good mentor, especially when considering he is temporarily mad at this period in time. The events of Alara unbroken felt like the perfect moment for Jon to begin involving himself into the story (Eldrazi will be released and Liliana will find the Chain Veil in one year), otherwise he'd miss a lot of opportunities for interaction, like involving himself in the events of Scars of Mirrodin (next chapter). Even though Jon can't really use White and Green mana, Ajani DOES have a very specific overlap in his magic with Jon's, in which he will be able to mentor him, but i won't spoil it yet.
It wasn't a very impactful change in canon and practically, nothing changed, so why did Bolas react like that to Jon defending himself? Take a look at it from this context, Bolas, who before absorbing the Maelstrom, managed to out-telepath Jace Berelen, a gifted mind mage. Canonically, Bolas can converse telepathically with someone while also speaking to someone else. Another canon fact is that Bolas has an inborn ability that causes a mind-shattering effect with the slightest caress. Then, having finally achieved his plans and empowering himself, some human child not only noticed the attempt at invading his mind but managed to counterattack, even if it was ineffective. Nicol Bolas, who self styled himself as the mind-ripper, among other names, didn't automatically succeed at casually invading someone's mind. It's the equivalent of reaching for a sweet snack without and being bitten by an insect.
As for Jon supposed connection with Bolas? I will say right now is that it's very, very indirect, but there IS a link between Jon and Bolas. The only hint i will give out is this: There's a reason skinchanging is a Black/Blue/Red mechanic in this fic (sorry Beleriond).
Time for some Q&A
Archangel Xireon Chaos God: You were the only one to take a guess, so thanks for that. Sorry, that the correct answer was neither of them, but Ajani, as you just read. Read above for my explanation, but that doesn't mean neither of them won't appear in the future...
Beleriond: During my research, i learned that Liliana's contract isn't written down in something as mundane as paper or even parchment. In fact, Liliana carries the contract with her all the time, etched into her very soul (see 'Demonic Tutor', Duel decks: Divine vs Demonic edition). Whenever she uses her magic, the contract shows up as glowing purple lines in her skin.
Iron M. Writer: Hope everyone enjoys what i have in store for Jon and canon.
BeetleRUs: If Niv Mizzet discovered what Jon is capable of with Nivaeron, he would do everything he could to get his claws on Jon and kill the competition (Nivaeron). He'd have no qualms about 'morals' or 'ethics' when dealing with such an interesting ability and turn Jon into one of those lab rats that live in constant torture (for science!).
Yeah, Nivaeron feels childish because he's at the moment approximally (checks notes) three and a half years old, with the mentality of a seven year old. He went from sending emotions over his bond to simple speech to childish nicknames to regular names in that time, so mentally, he's developing quite fast and will soon stop being so childish, on par with an adult human mind in a few years (though he'll still retain a few immature traces). For more information, take a look at previous chapters, where i explained about Ancient Ravnican Dragons.
kazikamikaze24: Thank you!
Adum: I kind of saw it as a generic coffee shop that serves baked goods, but i see what you mean. Starbucks doesn't have a monopoly on the concept of a coffee shop, and i totally agree with your sentiment regardings Starbucks.