As the girl and dragon made their way through the seemingly endless array of monstrous trees and lush growth, they suddenly came upon a large expanse. In the time they had been in the deep woods, it seemed the night had finally passed.

Sunlight beamed down from the heavens, lighting the landscape ahead in a yellowish tone. At the center of view was a tree much, much larger than any of the others they had come across. This tree was the size of a small city and stretched all the way up into the very clouds above. Dozens of small structures were built at its base, and some even stood hanging off the side. Windmills slowly turned to the wind’s wake in the distance.

A calming breeze brushed past Ceres and Nakir, briefly lifting the girl’s hair before dissipating as swiftly as it had come. The two mustered their already physically and mentally exhausted selves for the long hike down to the quaint structures below.

“Wait,“ Ceres said, “maybe only I should head down there.“

Nakir turned his head to meet Ceres’s pensive look. “And why’s that?“

Ceres’s look soured and peered up at the dragon with disdain. “Why do you think, idiot? The sight of a dragon would only make everyone here turn tail and run.“

“Ah, right. One moment,“ Nakir said before conjuring a small spell. A tiny azure light emanated from the dragon’s heart, then faded. A single chime rang out into the air. Nakir now appeared as a tall man wearing expensive clothing. His azure eyes burned a brilliant blue. “Now they’ll see me as a normal, everyday human. A simple spell of illusion is mere child’s play before the might of-“

“Yeah, yeah. I get it. Let’s just get down there already. My feet are killing me.“

Upon reaching the village, an old man sat atop a wooden crate took notice of a young girl with remarkably strange limbs, and a tall handsome man with black hair and a beard. “Hey, you two! Come here.“

The two heeded the man’s call and met him where he sat. A large wagon was behind him, along with two black horses tied to it grazing on the grass beneath their hooves.

The old man wore simple clothing and had a white, bushy beard. Light shimmered off of his bald head. “The name’s Old Man Hadrik. Welcome to Ymiris’s Rest. You should be glad you met me before any of these wackos got to ya first.“ The man gave a short chuckle.

“Wackos?“ Ceres replied.

“Yeah, well. A lotta folks here now are followers of a cult. Real fanatical ones, at that.“ Hadrik explained.

Ceres looked past the wizened fellow. The village was similar to her’s, but the landscape was full of hills and sunlit wheat fields. The place practically glowed beneath the rising sun.

“Looks peaceful enough,“ Ceres responded. A pang of sadness struck her heart once more at the thought of her lost home.

“Well, they aren’t particularly dangerous, or anything like that. It’s what the Goddess would do to them that I’m afraid of. Divine punishment isn’t always so precise, that’s why I’m leaving here as soon as I can.“

The man had a large assortment of goods in his wagon. All things from weapons to food supplies lined its innards.

“Goddess?“ Ceres chimed.

“Yes. The goddess Ymiris, creator of all things natural. Don’t tell me you haven’t heard of the Goddess?“ Hadrik’s face quickly morphed from a smile to a frown of dismay.

It seemed Ceres could not take a single step without running into yet another thing she was totally unaware of. How could her mother and father never have known of these things? Why hadn’t the elders ever educated them and the other children?

Nakir quickly changed the subject. “My heavens, good man. It seems we have not introduced ourselves at all. I am Nakir, and this is my… erm… daughter? Yes, daughter. Ceres is her name.“ Nakir let out a nervous cough.

The man’s demeanor became pleasant once more. “Fantastic meeting you two. You seem to be on quite an adventure, same as me. The folks here also aren’t used to strangers. Learned that the hard way. Anyway, would you be interested in any of my goods?“

Ceres gestured to Hadrik to wait one moment before whispering to Nakir. “We could really use some of this stuff. I’m starving.“

“Right,“ Nakir whispered back, “the only problem is that I’m completely broke. What about you?“

Ceres gave Nakir a look that could kill.

“Look, it’s not my fault your village was decades behind the times-“ Nakir began, before receiving a swift punch to the gut by Ceres. “I’m sorry, sir. It seems we have no money left.“

Hadrik wanted to comment on the odd abusive relationship the two had, but decided to keep to himself. “Anything to trade?“

The only thing Ceres had that was of any value was her father’s silver dagger, but she had lost it after her brush with death in the Greatwoods.

“Actually, we have one thing.“ Nakir pulled a silver dagger out from his suit jacket. It was the very same dagger.

“I thought I lost that! Why didn’t you ever give it back to me?“ Ceres chastised Nakir.

“It seems it slipped my mind. Sorry, my dear daughter.“ Nakir let out a nervous laugh, fearing yet another punch to the stomach.

Ceres let her anger go, however, and swiped the dagger from his hands. At first glance, it appeared as a normal dagger. Eyeing it closer, it seemed to have been engraved with strange symbols and lines across the shiny blade. The hilt was also wrapped in an extremely high quality fabric.

Ceres stored the dagger in her back pocket. With a slight nod, she thanked the man for the offer but refused him all the same.

“I see, that is quite a shame. That dagger is quite something, indeed. If you ever change your mind, meet me in Aza in a couple days. I’ll be staying there for quite a while.“

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Ceres and Nakir left the merchant and continued further into the village. Several businesses lined the dirt street, and the great tree loomed over all. Bustling people walked along. Men, women and children alike. Their smiles and laughter rang out among the chirping birds all around. A certain tranquility took hold of the lonesome girl. If fate had led her here, if the future had led to her meeting a dragon of all things, what was in store for her now? She took a deep breath and pressed on, a weary Nakir trailing behind her.

The two observed the many shops and spoke with many of the kind residents of Ymiris’s Rest. A great many of them were kind enough to offer them free helpings of pastries and the like. Later in the day, too, they were offered a place to rest for a few hours. After a long nap, they both awoke as the tide of night rushed across the sky. At the behest of Ceres, they left the inn and hiked around the golden valley. Nakir had begun telling her of the faint memories still clinging to his centuries-old mind.

“Hmm. My oldest memory has to be just after my creation. Most dragons, no matter how many memories they have lost, still remember their birth and their origins. The Five Dragonlords were a prideful bunch. I’m sure they made us that way.“

Nakir told this to Ceres atop a golden hill. The two sat atop it, gazing skyward. Nakir’s words had a faint echo to them that rang out in the wind. The cover of night slowly crept back onto the land and gave everything but his words a muffled effect. The cold night air began to settle on them, and it painted Ceres’s visage in a blue luminance.

“Understand, Ceres, that my kind may be immortal, but with each and every death our memories are almost completely lost. I would argue losing one’s memories is a fate worse than death, and to be doomed to this fate for eternity is a curse I weep to bear.“

The two fell silent for a time.

“Nakir?“ Ceres said suddenly.

“Yes?“

“If this is Ymiris’s Rest, does that mean this is her grave? Could we visit her?“

Nakir sat up and twisted to look upon the great tree that took up much of the surrounding horizon. “A few of the villagers did say there was a path that led underneath the great tree, yes. That may be where Ymiris sacrificed herself.“

Nakir briefly transformed back into a dragon and flew them both to the base of the great tree. Transforming back under the cover of trees, the two walked up to a large opening at the very base of the tree. A trio of what appeared to be knights blocked their way. The one at the center, who seemed to be the leader, stepped forward to confront Ceres and Nakir.

“Halt! You have reached the path to the resting place of the Goddess. What business do you have here?“

“I am Nakir, and this is my… erm… confidant Ceres. We are devout followers of the Church of the Goddess, and wish to look upon the place in which all creation was born.“

The soldier looked at the two with an eerie suspicion, but eventually let them pass. Before they entered the opening, the soldier gave them a final warning. “The Goddess may have perished, but her broken soul lingers. You may look upon her grave, but do not under any circumstances listen to the whispers. While she is all-knowing, her whispers have harmed many who follow them too closely. You have been warned.“

Ceres and Nakir wandered into the cave. Nakir created a small flame that hovered above the palm of his hand. The small light flickered within the heavy ocean of darkness as the two ventured below.

“Ceres… I’ve been wondering about this for a while now, but what kind of person is your sister?“

Ceres was taken aback for a second at Nakir’s sudden interest in Asteria. Though, she realized she owed him some description. He had just saved her life, after all. “Well, she’s a light in the darkness. Whenever I or my parents would feel down, she always had a reason for us to keep fighting. Even during the long winters. I often wondered if she was born that way or she learned to be that way to help us cheer up. Me and my parents had never been very good at looking at the bright side of things, so Asteria was like a goddess to us. There was never a moment being by her side that I felt scared or doomed. She’s everything I lack.“

“I see,“ Nakir replied solemnly. “I once knew someone a lot like you, Ceres. That might be why I have this urge to help you. She was headstrong, but useless without the support of her sister. I tried for years to help her move on, but eventually she just… broke. It’s like she became a totally different person. She was completely lost after her family was taken from her. You aren’t like her in that way, though. You haven’t given up hope. It helps that you have something to hold on to.“

“What happened to her family?“ Ceres questioned, looking up at Nakir’s warm face illuminated by their guiding flame.

“That again is what pains me so. My memory is always fading. I can always remember the bits and pieces of the past, but the lines that connected them are always cut just as I try to recall them.“

Ceres looked back down to her feet as she walked, then to her draconic arm. She gently rubbed the black scales that lined it and a sad smile formed on her face.

“Listen, little one. I know I can’t be the guiding light that Asteria once was for you, but I’ll try my best. And if my best isn’t good enough, give me another punch in the gut, and I’ll try even harder. ‘Till we find her.“ Nakir finished saying this with an affectionate smile and a wink to the girl. His human face closely resembled his draconic face, worn with age but filled with a warmth one would not expect.

The girl and the disguised dragon soon found themselves in a small stone room. There was an ancient altar in the middle of it, with many markings neither Ceres nor Nakir had ever seen before.

Ceres slowly stepped forward to face the altar, and when she did, she began to hear the whispers the knight had spoken of. They weren’t normal whispers, however. She couldn’t understand them as a single language, especially not the one she spoke. They rang out like wind chimes carried through the air. It was as if a beautiful melody was being played in her own mind. The notes strung together and formed complex thoughts within her brain. She began to understand them somewhat.

“Angel… anisai… archon… moon… fate… enigma.“ The song was weaving into a completely new language, once unknown to the girl but now understandable.

Ceres’s head began to pound. It felt as if a hundred crashing waves were falling onto her head. She fell to her knees and groaned in pain.

“Ceres!? Are you alright? What’s happening, girl?“ Nakir frantically looked around for something, anything that could put a stop to whatever was harming Ceres. Focusing on the altar, he decided to destroy it. Transforming his right hand into a great black claw, he swiped at the stone, utterly annihilating it. A plume of smoke and ash was all that was left.

The whispers and chimes slowly faded from Ceres’s pained mind. The look on her face turned Nakir white with a fear he had not felt in decades.

With no time to react, magical energy erratically jolted out from where the altar once stood. The room began to rumble, and the ceiling began to cave in. Just before the stones would have crushed the two, the energy enveloped them in an instant. In a flash, they were gone, and Ymiris’s supposed grave crashed down upon itself.

Chimes resonated in the dark. A faint voice could be heard in the background, but it was extremely faint. The song wove together once more against the backdrop of night. “All… is… lost… twilight… fills… your… soul…“

“...Ceres! Ceres! Wake up! Ceres!“

Ceres woke up with a start. Nakir was above her in dragon form, worry twisting his face into one of true terror.

“Was that a nightmare?“ She asked him.

“Oh, thank heavens, you’re alright. Now, keep quiet. We seem to have been taken somewhere. Somewhere dangerous.“

At first, Ceres was deeply confused. Just a minute ago, they were walking together to see the Goddess’s grave. Then, she looked at their surroundings. This was not the grave. It wasn’t Ymiris’s Rest. Trees black as night stood as monoliths across a barren wasteland lit by a twilight sky. A shadowy mist enveloped the land, and the laughter of children echoed in the dark woods.

“We must hide, Ceres. We are not alone here.“