Cassandra Pendragon
There we stood on an island of quiet while the flood of people seemed to break around us like the tide against the shore. The two girls tried to avoid my gaze, one from a lingering sense of embarrassment, the other because she was still trying to process what she had heard. The longer we stood there, the worse I fared myself, the fact that Serena actually knew who I was underneath my veils slowly sinking in. In a way I felt much more exposed than I ever had before.
Ahri knew, of course, and so did a scarce few others… my mom and Viyara, maybe even Reia, but they were as close to me as anyone could be. The rest… even Mordred was still blinded by my appearance, my stories, but they were just that: stories. Small windows that provided a mosaic picture, as much meant to reveal an aspect of the truth as to hide it in its entirety. Serena was another matter and I simply didn’t know what to say. For once I wasn’t afraid of rejection, though. I was afraid of what I might have done to her, to a person I actually admired despite our little problems. She was brave and diligent, a little stubborn from time to time, and she had never been meant to deal with my immortal family. If she continued down that path, her own desires would become hollow, crumbling under the pressure of a conflict I hadn’t only brought to her world but now into her very life as well. Unfortunately, she wouldn’t back down, this much I knew. Because I wouldn’t have either.
Unconsciously I manifested my wings and pulled them closer, the ethereal touch neither suffocating nor oppressive. A sad smile formed on my face as I saw their confused frowns, the curiosity and surprise in their gazes, but I only shook my head, concentrating on the bright, humbling purity of their energies. If Amazeroth was so determined to turn my whole world, my life into a weapon, I’d better start drawing some lines and this… this would be the first one.
“Do you trust me,” I asked, a question I was about as tired of as of apologies, but I had to know. It wasn’t directed at Serena, though. Her answer I already knew. Emilia… she hadn’t answered before. She had simply pointed out that it didn’t matter.
I hadn’t expected her to but she immediately knew I was talking to her. Surrounded by a cocoon of scintillating power that could have reduced her to ash from one heartbeat to the next she closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
“You? With every fibre of my being. How could I not? Apparently someone just like you has raised me. Your judgement? About as much as my sister’s… which isn’t that much. What do you want to do?”
“Make it right. The powers you’ve stumbled across are meant for a war that’s sure to come but I want you to have a choice. When the time is upon us I want you to be able to walk away.”
“I don’t…,” Serena began, her eyes glossing over as my energies began to seep through her skin.
“I know. You’ll never want to run. But you might come to think differently. I changed when I met Ahri… you already have someone you love and if it ever comes down to it, I want you to grab Emilia and vanish without ever looking back. Allow me to do this much. You don’t have to, but you’ll be able to.”
“And right now I wouldn’t?”
“No… the power you already used… I can feel it in you. The purpose, the intent behind it, it’s stronger, far more… complex than you can imagine and it isn’t mine. It’s Amazeroth’s and he doesn’t care. To him, your just a tool to… it doesn’t matter. Trust me, it will change you, it will break you when push comes to shove. Please, let me put an end to it.”
“How,” they both whispered.
“It’s still mine, which means I can set it free. I can make sure every spark you take in isn’t tainted. It won’t hurt but you’ll fall asleep and when you wake up I’ll be gone. Should you still wish to continue down this path upon my return… come find me. If you don’t I’ll have my answer as well.”
“Why me,” Emilia breathed haltingly, she was already struggling to keep her eyes open. “I don’t…”
“Because I like you. I truly do and I know you’re not going to turn your back on your sister. I won’t allow anything to split you apart… and this, this just might without my intervention.” I felt them tense in my embrace but a heartbeat later they relaxed, they slumped against my wings with a single nod. “Sleep,” I mumbled quietly and while their eyes closed and I pulled them even closer, I cast my mind back to a time when spoken words had still held the power of creation, to a place where no mortal had ever ventured on its own. A second later I voiced the first syllable and reality within the little bubble I had created bend and broke as the heavenly language, overflowing with transcendent power, rolled over my tongue for the first time in my life. It was simple, really. All I had to do was ask and creation would obey, unless I couldn’t overcome Amazeroth’s intent, unless I wasn’t strong enough to pitch my will against another immortal’s. Ahri believed I could. We’d see if she was right.
What happened next was difficult to put into words. Like a living, breathing being reality began to weep, torn asunder between two warring forces. My own, unbendable will, my strength, my desires crashed against a pillar, older and more adamant than existence. I felt the raging tide fill me up and empty me out again, charring heat, almost like a lover’s touch, and bone wrenching cold, inexorable and scarring, gnawed at the fragile form I was stuck in. First I lost my vision, the two peaceful smiles the last thing I knew before my world was swallowed by raging silver and iridescent blue, then the rest of my senses disappeared, devoured by the forces I had unleashed and couldn’t tame, at least not like I was.
“Change,” I felt Ahri whisper since I couldn’t hear her anymore. “Spread your wings.” And I did.
From one heartbeat to the next I felt my core pulse, an irresistible wave of power, but it wasn’t directed outwards. My form shimmered and flowed, the curtains I had created to keep the insanity at bay, to protect the Garden, Free Land, maybe even Gaya from turning into stardust and memories, wavered but they didn’t falter. For a single moment, drawn out into what felt like years, I hovered on the edge, almost lost in the storm of the past I had called forth. Memories became reality and reality turned into a dream, running through my fingers like the fog of aeons past. But I had grown. I had vanquished my past before and I wasn’t afraid. Not anymore.
A snarl formed on my face, a silvery tongue lolled out between fangs, sharp enough to tear through angels and demons alike, my wings became more substantial, less like a longing from ages long forgotten and more like a promise made real, and I opened my eyes, my senses restored. It wasn’t the world I knew that awaited me, though. I still saw the bright light, engulfing us in a bubble of unyielding strength, the panicked expression as the people around us slowly realised that something was wrong, I heard the fearful exclamations, the thundering heartbeats, I tasted the acidic tide of despair and worry as the dragons, fey and kitsune slowly came to understand that their world was held by magics, unknown to the mortal world and I felt the roaring power of each word I uttered. It was nothing but a superficial coating, though, another veil and now I saw what waited on the other side.
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Shadows and mirrors, each one reflecting my own power back at me, prevented me from going deeper, from annihilating the shackles that filled the sparks of my energy with a purpose that wasn’t my own. Or maybe it was. I rose to my haunches, the sisters still held safely between my wings, and stared at my reflection, allowing the truth to sink in. Large, slanted, burning eyes, filled with silvery flames and blue sparks, stared back at me from a feline face, protected by soft, silvery scales, almost like fur and a glowing, hollow crown. A long, sleek, sinuous body, covered in a rippling, silver coat, supported huge, scintillating wings of power and slimmed down towards seven tails, exactly like my own, only larger. Slender but strong legs ended in gleaming talons, each one a scythe that cut through reality with every movement. In a way I looked like a fox but the draconic influences were very much there. It wasn’t only the scales and wings, though. Right above my heart I saw the outline of my core pulse and burn, the tides of power made visible to the naked eye, like a carbuncle. I was beautiful beyond comprehension, I was deadly, I was powerful and I wouldn’t be denied.
My snarl turned into a smile, my fangs tearing through the illusion as I felt my powers take a hold of the mirrors. “Shatter,” was all I said as a shower of broken purpose rained down all around me. My vision wavered, a long tunnel opened behind the tear I had created and at its end an infinite shadow, wearing a broken crown, waited for me. Between the void and reality we hovered, still apart from the world of our siblings but not quite tethered to the realm of the living anymore.
What followed wasn’t a fight, it wasn’t even a conflict. As if it had been mine all along I broke Amazeroth’s hold, I removed his will from every spark of power that wasn’t used to fuel the wards against our siblings. As soon as Serena, or anyone else for that matter, would draw upon the infinite stores, woven deeply into Gayá’s structure, he would lose his dominion. I could have gone further, I could have followed the glowing pathways to their creator, I could have challenged him right then and there and, for the life of me, I was sure I wouldn’t have failed, but I didn’t.
My own words still rang in my ears and as much as I hated his meddling, hated the sacrifices he had demanded, hated him, he was still what kept us safe from the churning abyss, from the predators lurking in the twilight beyond the veil. It wasn’t time. Not yet. Once… once I could really call this form my own, once I could marshal all I was without fear of losing control, without endangering everyone around me… we would meet again and it’d be more than a fleeting memory on the cusp of a dream. And as for his puppet who had made my life miserable since the moment I had opened my eyes… the Emperor would be my very first meal, the first drop of blood that would run down my throat. Over the seas, across the distance, my voice reached the hollowed king, just before I allowed the raging tide of power in my veins to subside: “I’m coming, I’m coming for you. This isn’t your conquest, this is my hunt. Run, puppet king, run, but remember, there’s no place you’ll be safe. No matter where you hide, in the end you’ll be mine.”
I blinked, disorientated, as I fell to the ground shivering, the two warm bodies in my arms still safe and sound. Small but strong hands reached out for me and before I realised what had happened my head came to rest in my mother’s lap, even though I hadn’t let go of the two girls. Her large eyes hovered above me, filled with worry, while a golden tent obscured the sky and blocked out the confusing noise ringing in my ears, as Viyara and Sera moved closer. A gentle, warm darkness protected me from the searing sun and my tails stopped quivering. Damn, I’m exhausted, I thought while the smell of molten gold and stardust filled my lungs comfortingly.
“What have you done now,” my mom asked exasperatedly. “Cassy? Cassy? Can you hear me?”
“What I had to,” I slurred, trying to crane my neck to get a glimpse of my surroundings but all I saw were moving, golden scales and serpentine coils as they tightened around us. At least no one had tried to break my hold on the Brightblaze sisters and the two girls were snoring reassuringly, their deep breaths rumbling through me like thunder in a bottle. Or maybe I was just overly sensitive for the moment. “How bad is it?”
“Not that bad, but you scared the living hell out of us. What happened?”
“Had to stand up for my fiends and sent the big, bad uncle packing.” Alright, that hadn’t come out as planned. Groaning I tried again: “I broke another immortal’s magic. Shit like that comes at a price. A severe headache in this case and…” I eyed her shyly, urging her wordlessly to explain.
“A big hole in the ground but that’s it. Nothing happened to us, to anyone. But a better explanation wouldn’t go amiss. Quenda and Narros nearly lost consciousness and their soldiers,” she jerked her head towards he unconscious girls, “would probably like to cut a pound of flesh out of you, if they had the guts to push past two dragonesses.” Absentmindedly I stroked the closest patch of scaly hide I could reach and said: “Thanks. Which one are you?”
“The one who can talk to you directly,” Viyara complained in my thoughts. “Seriously, couldn’t you have warned me? I’m not always focused on your thoughts, despite of what you might think.”
“It’s better to ask for forgiveness than permission,” I mumbled. I was already feeling better, restored, but I wouldn’t have wanted to run a marathon just yet. “Sorry for scaring you.” I gently wrapped my tails around my mom and added: “all of you.”
“Oh well, I’ve gotten used to it,” she grumbled and returned the gesture. “You’re not in any danger, are you?”
“Not more than usual. Maybe even less. Did you… have you seen…?”
“Yes, but only because we’re tied together,” I heard with my ears and mind, a hint of awe echoing through every word. “Is that… what you truly look like,” Viyara asked while my mom wanted to know: “why can you suddenly transform?” The tension was gradually draining from my limbs and I even managed a quiet chuckle.
“It’s not. If you haven’t realised my appearance isn’t set in stone and that creature you have seen is just another expression of what I am. Just like this face. They both belong to me… maybe you’re right, the fox and the girl are both what I truly look like. And since when… not that long but only Ahri knew, up until now. This form is too fragile to channel any real amount of transcendent force. It might not be, once I fully develop, but for now it’s just too much of a risk. I don’t think I’d hurt myself but I’m not sure I could keep the chaos from spreading. Any further question?” My mom was already opening her mouth but Viyara was faster:
“Sera wants to know if your transformation is similar to hers. Is it tied to your bloodline?”
“Oh boy, she really is full of herself, isn’t she? Has she seen it? No matter… If anything it’s the other way around. But no… I think my transformation is… oh hells, I don’t even know where to begin. Look, you’ve already been told that the Pendragons are of my own lineage, or at least were created in its likeness, but my transformation is linked to something that happened later.” I sighed and snuggled deeper into my mom, trying to at least pretend like it was a normal conversation.
“Ages ago I took in the… essence of one of the first dragons. It changed me… it gave me hope and so much more. I’m not like other immortals. Neither is Ahri. We’re much more… human. We feel regret, hatred, love, joy, trust… our siblings don’t. That’s why I’m so adamant about keeping you away from them. They don’t… they aren’t like us. They are different… older, cold… deadly. They don’t care, they can’t. They have our strength, our magic, but none of our compassion. They don’t weep, they don’t laugh and if they do… trust me, you wouldn’t want to see it. In a way… my transformations are an echo of a promise I gave to one of the first creatures belonging to our line. It’s her strength that allows me to break a few barriers I shouldn’t be able to just yet. Satisfied?”
“Not in the slightest,” my mom immediately said but I still felt her tails tighten around me. “But it sure sounds like a conversation for another day. One where your fiancée is around as well.”