Chapter 5: Forgotten History

Back within the caverns of the Hidden World, the haze that was the Drunn had

begun to subside, leaving only small strands that lingered on for a few moments

before evaporating as well. Now that anything that was living in the Hidden World

had ceased to exist, the Drunn's purpose had been fulfilled, and no longer needed to

occupy the amount of space it had covered. As it became clear to see again, it

became clear that almost no dragons had escaped the underground kingdom,

outside of Toothless and a few lone dragons. Statues of various breeds and species

of dragons lined the walls and bottoms of each of the Hidden World's caverns, their

body and facial expressions contorted to resemble the horror and confusion they had

felt before being consumed. While some had fallen to the ground mid flight,

crumbling upon impact, most had managed to be glued to the surfaces they were

consumed on, or had landed on a soft surface that broke their fall. Two of these

included the statue of Stormfly, which still resided safely on the platform of

mushroom she had landed on, and further down the caves underneath the

waterfalls, the statue of Light Fury floated within a rock pool, which prevented her

from sinking.

Almost none of the crystals shone within the caverns. None of the eggs in the

nursery glowed as there were no dragons to care for them. Even the mushrooms

and other plants seemed to radiate sadness and death, as they appeared to have

shrivelled up, following the tsunami of Drunn that had engulfed them. Truly, there

appeared to be nothing alive within the caverns of the Hidden World. However, after

a few moments of absolute silence, the sound of a talon scraping against the

rockwork echoed through the kingdom's halls. Before long, another one could be

heard in a different direction. And then another, and another, and before long, almost

a sympathy of talon steps could be heard within the halls. However, there was

something off about the sounds that emitted from them. Unlike normal dragon talons

which sounded either soft or relatively loud depending on a dragon's size, almost all

of the talonsteps sounded rough, jagged, or even a bit chunky. They resembled the

sounds of rocks colliding with other rocks, rather than an animal's claw landing on

the ground. While the lack of light from the crystals failed to illuminate all of the

Hidden's worlds caverns, there were still some areas that even the faintest glow of

crystals managed to illuminate. Within those spaces, many of the statues that had

been smashed or dislocated appeared to be emitting a purple hugh from their

cracks, as their pieces appeared to be magnetising back together, attempting to

reform the shape of their dragon. While some were more successful than others, as

soon as they at least resembled a dragon's body, the purple glow suddenly grew

stronger within their eyes, while their previous expressions contorted to convey

mindless anger or rage. They now longer possessed the lifeforce of a dragon, but

were nothing more than stone corpses reanimated by a higher power. And that

higher power had just arrived.

…

As Charizard made his way through the caves of the Crossworlds Temple, Toothless

tailed close behind, eager to get some answers about what had just occurred.

Although still a bit hesitant about whether this dragon was trustworthy or not, the

idea of Charizard being like other normal dragons had been completely ditched. I

mean, his tail is constantly on fire, he has crystals that can make portals to who

knows where, Toothless thought to himself, while gazing around at the crystal

covered walls. He can talk like a human for crying out loud! That's not something I

would consider a dragon capable of doing. The questions surrounding Toothless's

saviour just kept piling up the more the Night Fury thought about him, yet he decided

to continue following him, thinking that he would get some answers from whoever it

was they heard earlier. Probably this Elderess Charizard mentioned a couple of

times. Toothless thought, while observing the crystals that lined the cave's walls.

Toothless saw that almost none of them looked naturally grown, and rather they had

been seemingly planted in rows and sorted by colours. Maybe if he has the answers

for what just happened, he might be able to explain where the heck we are.

Toothless guessed they weren't in any of the lands they had explored and mapped

during his time with Hiccup, yet given all he could see were walls and crystals, he

couldn't really confirm if that was the case.

A few moments later, Toothless noticed that the walls of the caves were expanding,

causing the cave to grow in width and height. While crystals still lined the walls, the

ceilings were now void of any crystals, and instead looked as if they had been

smoothed out and carved, creating almost a flat ceiling with edges on opposite sides

to separate the walls from the ceiling. This observation surprised Toothless, as he

had only seen rock carved that perfectly in human civilisations like Berk. Is Elderess

a human. Is this some sort of human society with talking dragons? Before Toothless

could speculate some more, the cave suddenly ended, and the two dragons entered

a large hall, illuminated by the moonlight that shone through an open space in the

ceiling. The hall was shaped in a circle, with a ring of crystals outlining its walls,

occasionally breaking to reveal an entrance to another cave. Each cave looked

almost identical to the one Toothless had just emerged from, appearing heavenly

sized and spread out. Looking towards the ground however, Toothless finally noticed

that the ground had also been smoothed out like the Great Hall at Old Berk, and

exiting each tunnel, including the one behind him were lined pathways that all

converged into the centre of the hall. Within the hall's centre stood a tall yet wide

crystal, which shone a orangy yellow glow underneath the moonlight, while smaller

blue crystals, similar to the ones Charizard possessed back at the Hidden World,

were lined around the crystal.

After taking a few moments to gaze in awe at the scenery around him, Toothless'

attention was drawn towards the crystal at the centre of the hall. While the crystal

itself didn't seem too impressive, given what they had back home, the Night Fury did

notice what appeared to be a figure obstructed through the crystal. It appeared to

resemble a dragon, yet Toothless couldn't quite make out its features. "Master,"

Charizard spoke towards the crystal, presumably to the figure behind it. "I

successfully reached the Hidden World and found…the alpha". Toothless could tell

Charizard had stalled saying that out loud, presumably given how shocked he was to

learn he was the alpha. "However, there have been…unexpected challenges that

have arised as a result." Confirming Toothless's suspicions, the figure Charizard had

addressed emerged from behind the crystal, although to Toothless's surprise, the

crystal had actually distorted the dragon's size, who towered over Toothless and

Charizard. He had orange luscious hair that ran down his neck from the top of his

head, and an orange underbelly of scales. Although his red scales and orange wings

once shone in any light, both were now faded, a reminder of the dragon's fleeting

mortality. Grey prickly hair ran down his back, resembling chewed grass, and

although his blue eyes were more tired now than in his youth, they still possessed

the life and spirit he had in his youth. Supporting this, his horn still stood proud above

his nose, despite the centuries his death had been delayed by the crystals that

surrounded him.

"Ah, well done Charizard," Elderess complimented Charizard. "You found the Alpha,

and in good shape too." Turning his attention towards Toothless, he gave the Night

Fury a warm smile. "You must have a lot of questions my boy "Elderess guessed, to

which Toothless nodded in response. "Well, let's start off simple then. What's your

name, little one?" Toothless stood forward. My name is Toothless sir. I was told you

could help me save my home. Is that true? Unfortunately, Toothless growls and roars

were almost inaudible for Elderess, as he was less familiar with the 'old language'

than Charizard was. "Oh my, does he not know how to speak our language,"

Elderess suspected the Alpha's world had been isolated from their societies, but the

full extent shocked the ancient dragon. "No master. He's completely primitive, for a

lack of worlds." Elderess knew his apprentice only added that last part out of respect.

He knew what the boy was like; straight to the point without a hue of excitement. It

almost saddened him a bit that Charizard has been so focused on his studies over

the years, that he never got a chance to have a youth. "Well then, perhaps we

should assist him with that first," Edleress proclaimed, ignoring his thoughts. "Way

ahead of you," Charizard agreed, who Elderess examined was holding pieces of a

green emerald. He guessed Charizard had grabbed one off the walls of the cave

behind them, eager to deal with the Night Fury's communication issue ASAP.

Sure enough, once he was given the approval, Charizard clenched the shattered

gem in one set of talons, as he stomped down on Toothless' paw with the other.

Screeching in pain, the Night Fury fully extended his mouth, giving Charizard the

perfect chance to shove his talons down the Night Fury's throat, along with the gem

shards. Toothless gagged as he shut his mouth, but not before Charizard quickly

removed his arm, preventing saliva from tracing his scales. "Dear heavens

Charizard," Elderess criticised from behind. "Was that display really necessary?" As

Toothless turned away coughing, Charizard turned towards his Elderess with a

disapproving look on his face. "Well master," Charizard responded, "if we're here

asking questions, I think I would like to address my own about this being the alpha."

Before Elderess could respond back, Toothless turned towards the two and let out an

agitated roar. "WHAT THE HELL?! What did you just shove down my -

A moment of silence arose as the shock settled in the Night Fury. The sound that he

had just emitted wasn't his normal low growls or roars, but rather resembled a

human's voice, similar to the two dragons in the room with him. Looking down,

almost as if he expected his voice to be a visible object, Toothless stared in shock.

"Wait..that came from…me?"

"Ah, most excellent," Elderess explained, clapping his talons. "You now you have a

voice like the rest of us." His smile then turned into a judgemental frown towards

Charizard. "Although I'm pretty sure there were more HUMANE ways of assisting

him, Charizard."

"Well, the sooner we catch him up, the sooner we can resume our plans," Charizard

responded blankly. Despite being his apprentice, Charizard had managed to gain a

sense of spunk, which Elderess tolerated, yet still found annoying. Ignoring his

apprentice's attitude, he turned his attention back to Toothless. "Well then, why don't

we try that again. What's your name, boy?"

Although Toothless didn't register the question for a moment, he quickly realised and

spoke. "My name is Toothless, and I'm a Night Fury sir." Elders chuckled slightly.

"Toothless huh? That's a bit of an unusual name." Charizard rolled his eyes and

decided to move things along. "Almost as much as a Night Fury being the king of

dragons." Elderess gave Charizard a warning look. "Charizard…" however, the

damage was done, as Toothless shot a hostile look at the orange dragon. "Well,

unfortunately for you, I AM the alpha, and due to that fact, I happen to have an entire

kingdom of subjects, friends and family that got turned to stone. STONE! By

whatever that 'Drunn' thing was!" Toothless had only had his voice for a few

minutes, yet he was already yelling at the top of his lungs. Elderess merely hung his

head, while Charizard growled in annoyance. "So right now, I think it would be pretty

REASONABLE for me to get some answers right now! Like where I am? Who are

you? What that thing was and where it came from? And WHY FOR THE LOVE OF

ODIN AM I TALKING LIKE A HUMAN?!

Charizard had to refrain himself from scoffing at the Night Fury's outburst, although

Elderess still noticed, and let out a lengthy sigh. It seemed as if the Night Fury's

world had been completely isolated from the other realms following the war's end,

and although he knew it wasn't his thought, it drained him knowing how much he

would have to explain the full extent of their kind to the alpha. "Listen your majesty,"

Elderess eased, hoping Toothless would listen to him. Luckily, Toothless did turn his

attention back to Elderess, despite giving Charizard a dirty glare. "I promise you that

all your questions will be answered in time, but in the process, you will need to learn

the true history of our species."

…

Within the bows of Mount Eradicus, the master of the Drunn was waiting. Both

waiting for his underlings to fetch as many crystals in their realm as possible, as well

as for the rest of them to finish construction on his new lair. Given he had been

trapped within the lava turned rock over the course of five centuries, Kandikis only

saw it fit to centre his new temple in the heart of his former prison. Almost all of the

lava that had cooled overtime had been carved out of the volcano, and replacing it

was a three story spiral that grew from the lava pool below. Within the centre of the

structure, caves were being carved out both to provide storage for crystals as well as

weapons. Tunnels that led outside the volcano were also being carved within the

volcano's walls, on the same level as the structure's levels. At its peak however, the

spiral flattened in a circular platform, which at its centre lay a purple gem, big enough

to even rival the size of a fully matured dragon. Gazing at the crystal, eyes shut as

he savoured the return of his power, approaching talonsteps interrupted his moment,

and Kandikis turned around to face the dragon that was approaching him.

Kandikis possessed a long spindly looking body, resembling the shape of a snake,

with talons shaped like Eagle claws that attached to arms with edged horns sticking

out at the shoulders and elbows. A line of similarly shaped horns lined his backside

from his neck all the way down to his tail, where a long tail blade as sharp as a

sword curled pointing upwards. Over his shoulders sat a lengthy yet tattered robe,

purple in colour yet with gold emblems resembling the face of a three horned dragon.

Kandikis himself had piercing yellow eyes, which also resembled a snake similarly to

his body, yet his snout stretched out with two edged nose holes that pointed towards

the sky. His brows were heavy yet curved, and although to bulky horns pointed out of

his skull towards his backside, a long glass looking horn grew out of the centre of his

head, coursing with a purple glow that eerily reassembled the beast the dragon

controlled.

The dragon that approached was far less detailed than Kandikis, having a dull

brownish grey colour, while any horns, spikes or fins seemed to have been

completely detached at some point. Cracks were present all over his body, which

occasionally emitted a purple glow from the thing that gave life to his body. Purple

eyes sat in two hollowed out eyeballs, while underneath an expressionless mouth

was placed with cracks all around its lips and snout. To most, it would appear to be

just another statue revived as a soldier for Kandikis's army, but in reality, he had a

higher purpose than any of them. At least, according to what Kandikis dictated.

"Ah, Sentinel," Kandikis addressed the general in a slimy voice. "I take it you and

your men have cleaned out any remaining crystal hoards in this realm?" The stone

general nodded. "Indeed my lord, about three caves were located out from the

Pekomos village, and although their supplies were short, there were still a decent

load of crystals." Supporting his report, a dozen troops exited one of the tunnels,

each carrying a load of crystals. Upon seeing them, Kandikis frowned. "These are

only transport crystals," he bemoaned, before letting out a winded sigh. "No matter.

Now that my power has returned, I should be able to draw energy from the shadow

ether to manipulate the properties of the transport crystals." Looking past his higher

up at the titan sized gem behind him, a hint of confusion crept to Sentinel's facial

expression. "If you don't mind me asking sir, how did you manage to find a shadow

ether, let alone one of that size." Kandikis turned with a smirk of pride. "Glad you

asked. Unlike other crystals, shadow ether is not naturally grown, rather it must be

forged through a combination of dark magic and a suitable material. Luckily, thanks

to my intellect and quick thinking, the material was in short supply." Revealing the

element in question, Kandikis pointed his tail towards the lava pool that surrounded

the structure. "However, its main purpose remains unused." Kandikis growled,

stroking the gem with a pointy talon. Sentinel tilted his head in confusion. "Which is?"

Kandkikis rolled his eyes, irritated at his second in command's lack of brain. "The

reason you were created, imbecile!" Kandikis sneered, turning towards Sentinel. "To

find the new guardians, who, if I am mistaken, you have not!" Sentinel did not

express any emotion, yet bowed his head. "Apologies sir, but we do not know where

to start. Pekomos village was completely void of anything regarding the prophecy

you spoke of, and we have not gained enough troops yet to search every realm."

Kandikis glared at him for a moment, before grumbling to himself, remembering the

general did not realize the full extent of his power. "Never mind searching! My lovely

pet can spread between the cracks of the realms at ease, allowing me to observe

every spec of each world." Upon saying this, a gust of Drunn appeared from the

ground in front of Sentinel, sliding along Kandikis's arm and forming into a ball in his

hand. As he contemplated the orb, a thought occurred. "Yes, it would be wise to have

a physical presence," he muttered to himself. As the Drunn dissipated, Kandikis

turned towards Sentinel and the troops that had come behind. "Send an equal

amount of your soldiers to each realm, yet only use half of the crystals you have

found." Kandikis gazed back at the shadow ether briefly before continuing. "We will

need bigger group soldiers to get the jump on a Titan."

…

As Elderess sat himself in front of the crystal at the centre of the hall, Toothless

decided to sit down himself while Charizard remained standing. Preparing his old

voice for the lengthy exposition he was about to begin, Elderess closed his eyes, and

began.

"Before Mankind. Before the Dinosaurs. Before life on Earth itself, we've been here.

Like any living creature, we were conceived at the dawn of time by our mighty

creator, God. From within his kingdom in heaven, God birthed the first realm, and the

future home of his children and species like the dragons; Earth.

Earth was a luscious land, filled with life and peace for all that inhabited it. But one

day, a sinister force reached out from the darkest shadows to corrupt the innocence

of Earth. They poisoned the minds of the human race, giving them untold knowledge

and abilities, yet cursing them with mortality. As such, God banished them from his

paradise, yet he allowed his other creations to continue to exist among them, guiding

them towards being the best versions of themselves. As time continued on, Earth

saw many changes that were made in order to help the human race, and while this

transpired, God created new realms for his most powerful species, the dragons to

inhabit, known as the nine realms. Although each distinct from one another, each

realm allowed dragons to flourish based upon their unique attributes and skills. The

realms included the Archipelago, Kumandra, Avalar, Pyrrhia and Pantala just to

name a few. As different species continued to evolve on Earth however, every

thousands of years, a change would occur within each realm that evolved our

species in some way. They were carried out by beings known as the titans, the most

powerful dragons, in order to prepare our race for the day when The Lord called us

back to Earth. However, just like how the darkness crept its way into Earth,

eventually, our species fell victim to the darkness that corrupted many within the

human race. One such soul was the purple dragon Malefor, although once a fellow

titanwing, soon grew too ambitious with his power, and sought to reshape all the

realms, and eventually Earth, into his own image. Although many dragons opposed

his ambitions, there were some who decided to follow the fallen titan, and so came

the war. A war which lasted for centuries, between the Titans who fought for freedom

and goodness of our kind, and the Fallen, who dreamt of domination over all that

was living. Though it seemed as if the Fallen would win, our side eventually turned

the tide and won the war, through the unity of five Titan Wings power that

vanquished the dark lord. These 5 became known as the Guardians, the most

powerful, noble and selfless dragons of generations. Following the war, Malefor and

the rest of the Fallen were banished to hell where the darkness that had corrupted

them resided, and peace was reinstated between the various dragon civilisations.

However, anxious of what might happen if Malefor or any of the Fallen returned, the

Guardians and their allies decided to isolate each of the realms from one another, in

order to contain any threats that may emerge. These included human colonisations

that had managed to migrate from Earth to the realms during our war, as well as

members of the Fallen who had managed to escape their banishment. Before the

realms were sealed off for good, the original Guardian united one final time to forge a

prophecy, which claimed that if any evil becomes a great threat to the realms, then

no evil shall rise, without witnessing a Titan's might.

As Elderess finished, Toothless sat there in disbelief, still trying to comprehend what

he had been told. It was all…so much to comprehend. Glancing over at Charizard,

he saw that the orange dragon was giving him a bored look, as if the information

Toothless had just received hadn't been the most world shattering news of his life.

The Archipelago was a realm? Furthermore it was only one of nine, created for

dragons to inhabit, which humans only happen to inhabit due to the consequences of

some war that went on for hundreds of years? The more he tried to comprehend it,

the more his brain hurt, which caused the Night Fury to place his talons on his head,

scrunching his face in the process.

"I understand this is a lot for you to take in, my boy," Elderess acknowledged, "but I

believe it is important for you to know in order to understand why you have been

brought here." Looking up, Toothless took a few moments to fully comprehend what

he had been told, before taking a deep breath. "So, let me see if I'm correct here.

The reason my home was attacked is because it is actually a part of a set of realms

that connect to a great 'dragon war' which occurred centuries ago?" Elderess

nodded. "About five to be exact." Toothless stroked his chin in response. "And the

thing that attacked my home, was some sort of evil dragon contained in my world to

prevent another war from starting?" Elderess shook his head. "Not exactly. That

force was not a dragon, but rather an entity that serves an evil dragon. And it wasn't

confined to your realm originally, yet somehow it has recently managed to transverse

them, despite there being no source of transport crystals outside of this temple."

Toothless raised an eyebrow in response. "Transport crystals? Are those the things

that Charizard used to bring us here?" Charizard rolled his eyes, yet Elderes was

willing to answer his question. "Indeed. They are small blue crystals that draw energy

from the barriers between realms, which allow us to create temporary portals to

travel between them." Elderess then spread his wings, directing Toothless' attention

to the crystals around him. "This temple is one of the last remaining crystal hoards in

the realms, and it houses hundreds, if not thousands of transport crystals, as well as

other gems that contain magical abilities. For example, the yellow gems contain

small sparks of energy that can give a dragon's elements a temporary boost in

power. A pink gem can support natural life like plants and fungi, while a red gem can

allow dragons to switch elements and powers with one another." Toothless noticed

that there were leftover pieces of the substance shoved down his throat on the floor,

and upon further inspection, he realised they were green gem shards. "So the green

shards give dragons the ability to speak like humans," Toothless guessed.

"Precisely," Elderess responded. "Although they provide an easier method of

communication, their original methods of communication are not lost." Hearing this,

Toothless quickly let out a few growls and roars, and sure enough, they remained the

same as before.

Releasing that they were getting off track, Toothless decided to draw the

conversation back to his questions. "Hold up. If that thing - the Drunn, wasn't a

dragon and just some sort of weapon, then who was the one controlling it?"

Charizard gave a low growl, and Elderess hung his head. "That would be Kandikis."

Toothless looked at the two in confusion. "Kandikis? Who the heck is that?"

Charizard suddenly turned towards Toothless in anger, but not towards the Night

fury, but towards the dragon he spoke of. "Who is he? Only one of the scummiest

dragons to ever walk the realms. Unlike most normal dragons, Kandikis was born

without any powers, so he decided the best decision was to go to the Dark Lord,

which resulted in the Drunn. However, the Drunn isn't an elemental power, but rather

a mindless plague that turns everything to touch to stone." Charizard gripped his

talons against the floor and his tail suddenly exploded in a fireball, causing Toothless

to shield his eyes with his wings "He could have come to the Titans for help, but

instead the decomposed rat tail decided to ruin the lives of hundreds of innocent

beings!"

"Charizard!" Elderess shouted, not approving of his apprentice's tone of voice,

regardless of who he spoke of. Charizard turned towards his master before hanging

his head in shame, his tail dimming in the process. "Apologies master." Although he

didn't see it, Toothless had given Charizard a look of sorrow, as it was clear that

Kandikis had taken something, or better yet someone from him. If anything, it made

him understand a little more why Charizard was so transfixed on the prophecy.

Speaking of which, Toothless turned back towards Elderess, and asked the biggest

question he had. "This prophecy you speak of, does it have something to do with the

Alpha?"

Charizard scoffed. "More Like the alpha has something to do IN it. "

"My boy, the original guardians were formed and led by the King of Dragons,"

Elderess explained, "meaning since the guardians must now be reformed, you are

the one who will lead them."

Toothless stood in shock, as if he had eaten a hot pepper, and was trying

desperately not to choke on the heat. "Me? Lead them?" Toothless stuttered "Wait

What? That can't be right?" Charizard smirked, "My thoughts exactly." The insult

didn't even register with Toothless simplify because of how much shock he was in.

"I'm not a titan wing." Toothless tried to reason. "How can I lead a group of these

so-called titans, when I'm not even one myself?" Elderess gave him a sympathetic

look, as he had a suspicion the Night Fury would struggle to accept the news.

"Toothless, a titan is not a creature, but rather a title bestowed upon a dragon,

following an action or display of power, selflessness, or courage. Given the dragons

in your realm see you as their king, then that role as well as the title of Titan must

have been earned in such an event. Am I correct?"

Toothless thought back to the day he protected Hiccup from Drago's bewilderbeast,

who had just become Alpha after killing the original. He never strived nor intended to

take the role of alpha, he was just protecting his friend from a hostile force. Yet

becoming the king of dragons was a result, and now he guessed becoming a titan

was also a result. "Ok, I understand what you're saying, but…look, I can't be the

leader of a group of special dragons because to be frank, I don't deserve to be. In

the span of one day, I've already gotten my best friend hurt, seen all my friends and

family turn to stone, and fail to protect all of my subjects from an invading threat. If I

can't even save my own wife from danger, then what hope do I have leading multiple

dragons to save multiple worlds?"

Before Elderess could respond, Charizard stepped in front of Toothless. "So because

of that, you're content to just let your species die. You would turn your back on your

destiny, simply because you deem yourself not worthy?" Toothless stood his ground,

making himself seem bigger despite being shorter than Charizard. "If you're so

confident that I can lead these Guardians, then tell me who they are." Toothless

challenged, before sarcastically adding. "Maybe it'll improve my morale." Charizard

gave him a stern glare, lowering his head "You're looking at one kid," Charizard

growled softly. "And with our help, you can find the other three."

Toothless had to refrain himself from laughing of pure hopelessness. "You?!

Seriously? And you're telling me there are three more just like you that I'm supposed

to find and lead in order to save my home." Toothless had to turn away, to hide the

lack of hope in his eyes. "If that's the case, then you might as well take the role of

Alpha for yourself."

Charizard had to stop himself from clawing his snout off, as he buried his face in his

talons. "That's not how it works, you rock head! AAAAARGH! Why are you so

difficult?" Elderess suddenly stood up, causing his shadow to loom over Charizard.

"That's enough. Leave the boy alone." Charizard quickly turned towards his master

in shock, before bowing his head. "Forgive me master. I let my emotions get the best

of me." Elderess let out a sigh, as while he had trained his apprentice to be the best

he could be, dragons were still dragons, and emotions such as rage could never be

removed. Leaning down to meet Charizard's height, he glanced over at Toothless,

who still had his back turned. "My boy, I understand this prophecy means a lot to

you, " Elderess whispered. "You've devoted your whole life to it and I'm proud of you

as such. Yet, you have to understand that not every dragon is like you." Charizard

glanced back at Toothless briefly, considering what Elderess was saying. "I

understand master, it's just - I didn't think the Alpha would be completely separated

from our ways." Elderess gave him a sarcastic look in response. "Well, our realms

have been separated for centuries. A lot can change in that time. Plus, this is a big

role for any dragon to accept, regardless of who they are." Charizard then fully

turned back towards the Night Fury, unsure of what to say. Elderess recognised this,

and put a talon on his student's shoulder. "Just let me handle this Charizard. I can

convince him." Glaring at the Night Fury a little longer, he turned toward his master

and nodded, taking a step back as Elderess approached Toothless.

Although his footsteps were surprisingly soft, his shadow still alerted Toothless,

causing him to turn around to face the ancient dragon. Although he was at least five

times his size, strangely Toothless didn't feel as threatened as he should be. He

expected the giant dragon to instruct him with a commanding tone, but instead,

Elderess just gave the Fury a warm smile. "My boy, I understand this is a lot to take

in, and it should be. New worlds, a new voice, and a purpose that seems greater

than you could imagine. It is completely normal for a dragon to believe he isn't cut

out for something like this. Which is why I don't want to think about that." Walking

back towards the crystal at the centre of the room, he beckoned Toothless to follow,

which the Night Fury did. Upon doing so, he waved a talon over the crystal, which

revealed a visual of the Hidden World in its prime, before the Drunn attack. Toothless

gasped, not just in awe of the crystal's abilities, but also at the sight of seeing his

home once again. "Think about the people the Drunn took, and how they will

continue to suffer if Kandikis is not stopped," Elderess reasoned, as a silhouette of

the fallen dragon suddenly appeared on the crystal. Toothless could hear Charizard

grow in the back, probably at the sight of the dragon he hated. "You don't have to

lead the titans Toothless, you just have to find them, and bring them back here." The

crystal's image then swapped to show the silhouettes of five dragons, all in flight.

"Once you find them all, we can stop Kandikis once and for all, and you can return to

your home, as well as your friends and family." Toothless looked up at Elderess,

expecting there to be more, but almost like he was a mindreader, he looked down at

the Night Fury, and gave a soft smile. "That is all I ask from you. No more. No less."

Looking back at the crystal, and how it seemed to be displaying whatever image he

wanted, Toothless suddenly had a thought. "Elderess, sir? Is it possible to show it to

my friends and mate at this moment?" Elderess lowered his hand, which caused the

image on the crystal to fade. "The crystal requires the memories of a dragon to

portray its images." Toothless lowered his head in sadness, understanding Elderess

had probably never seen them before. "However," Elderess spoke up, urging the

Night Fury to lift his head. "While I can't portray their images, you certainly can."

Toothless's ears suddenly shot up, as Elderess invited him to stand in front of the

crystal. Replicating the movements Elderess performed, Toothless waved his paw

over the crystal, and to his shock and delight, an image of him with all his friends and

family appeared before him. He stood in front giving his signature toothless grin,

while Light Fury stood next to him, with the same smile that he had Fallen in love

with back on Berk. Stormfly had her wings wrapped around the two, clearly in the

middle of laughing, while Hookfang, Meatlug, Barf, Belch, and even Cloudjumper

stood on each side, smiling toothy grins in different positions.

The sight almost broke the Night Fury, as he felt a tear of joy and sadness begin to

form. Yet he stayed strong. Regaining his confidence, he placed his paw on the

crystal, leaning in close and whispering to his friends. Don't worry guys, he cooed in

his dragon tone. I'll see you guys again. I promise. With that, he stepped away from

the crystal, and as his family's faces faded, he turned towards Elderess and

Charizard, with a new sense of determination fueling the Night Fury. "Alright. I'm in."

…

After a couple of hours to fully prepare for the journey ahead, both Toothless and

Charizard were ready to travel to the first realm. In that time, Elderess had fully

explained to Toothless the three realms they would be travelling to recruit the

guardians, as well as any important details the Night Fury should know about the

realms. The biggest word of advice Elderess gave Toothless was to 'expect the

unexpected', as each realm was quite different from one another in their own way. As

for Charizard, he was put in charge of crystal management, as Elderess had saddled

him with a bag of blue crystals for transport. Toothless had asked why they didn't just

bring each Titan back to the temple before searching for the next, to which Elderess

had explained that if Kandikis was able to catch you while transporting, then the

security of the temple may be compromised. The bag also had a list of descriptions

stating the title's each titan would have, which Toothless guessed was how they

knew the Alpha was the Guardian of his realm. Finally, after being fully informed by

Elderess, Charizard took the Night Fury down a sub cave which led to an

underground stream, which to Toothless's surprise, was inhabited with fish. While

Charizard had attempted to explain how the pink crystals attract different species

due to their smell, Toothless didn't really pay attention, as he was too busy catching

and then chowing down on a salmon. However, after that ordeal had concluded, both

Toothless and Charizard were ready to go.

As the three dragons stood at the end of one of the caverns, Elderess handed

Chrizard a couple of blue crystals, and similarly to what he did in the Hidden World,

Charizard smashed them against the ground, forming a gateway to their first realm,

Kumandra. "Remember," Elderess warned the two before they stepped through the

gateway. " Kandikis will likely sense you the moment you step one talon into that

realm. Your best chance is to locate a large civilization of dragons, before asking

around for their Guardian." Charizard nodded. "Understood master. We will not fail

you." As he stepped through the gateway, a question suddenly arose in Toothless'

mind, causing him to turn towards Elderess. "What happens if the dragons in this

realm have forgotten about the prophecy, like my world did?" Elderess stepped

towards Toothless and placed his talons on the Night Fury's shoulder. "Do not

threaten my friend, for as true as God has a purpose for every creature big and

small, so is it that a soul of light will always aid another." Although a bit confused at

first, Toothless gave a closed smile in response, before turning away to step through

the portal. "Good luck young dragonets," Elderess farewelled as Toothless stepped

through the gateway, which closed shortly after. "May God and the ancestors guide

you safely," Elderess wished, hoping they would at least have some time before evil

located them.

…

Unfortunately, almost as soon as the two had stepped foot within the new realm, the

darkness that lurked within the shadows sensed their presence, and as Elderess

expected, so did its master.

"So, the new guardians were gathering resources in a hidden crystal hoard,"

Kandikis slithered, staring at the projection of Toothless and Charizard in the crystal.

"And here I thought they were all gone." Hearing a noise behind him, Kandikis turned

around, and jumped slightly. "Sentinel!" Kandikis sneered at the sentient statue.

"Must you always have to make your presence so dramatic?" The commander gave

him a blank look. "What do you mean? I've come to check if you've found the titans."

Kandikis rolled his eyes and pointed towards the crystal. "Indeed. They've just

entered Kumundra, and judging by their load, I suspect they intend to be entering

more than just this realm." Sentinel gave him a blank side eye. "I'm confused sir. I

thought all the crystal mines were destroyed following the end of the war." Kandikis

smirked. "As I did, yet it seems there's a huge hall hidden somewhere within the

realms, and if I had to guess, where's there's a farm, there's a farmer." Sentinel

walked forwards towards the crystal, gazing at the two dragons projected within.

"How is it logical, Given that a crystal hoard would have to be maintained for this

long while being hidden from the Drunn." Kandikis growled, his eyes burning brighter

along with the hatred in his heart. "Elderess…"