It was a beautiful day, clear and warm. A light breeze blew in from moonward. A flight of dragons flew in perfect formation, looking like an arrowhead in the sky. The outside of the formation was ancients, their huge wings making the outside line of the arrowhead ripple. Inside, the next layer, was all adult dragons. Their wings working that much harder to hold formation. The inside was all juvenile dragons. They were the ones setting the pace, since they couldn’t fly as fast as their elder brethren.

     The flight moved slowly through the sky. You might expect such a gathering to be noisy, but it was strangely quiet. The huge silver dragon in the lead seemed to exude a pall on the rest of the group. The group flew over the seaport city. The usual greeting that such a group would normally get when the people of such a city would see such a spectacle was not to happen this time. While the streets were all full, no one made any sound. They stared up at the dragons and watched as they passed over, then hung their heads and followed the procession down to the seaport.

     The seaport was cleared, there were no ships in the harbor. Strange at such a busy port as this. Outside the harbor, they were lined up in a long series of rows, all the rails facing the city crowded with people. People… elves, drow, dwarves, fay, centaurs and others. There was no ill words, no conflict. Races that had for centuries had fought each other were there together with no hint of malice. It had been this way for the last century. Since an ancient dragon had made peace in the lands. Fighting the preconceived notions of all the races and his own people, he brought two planets peace. It was a lasting peace as he was now named emperor.

     The dragons landed. The Juveniles took the docks and the adults were behind them, they circled the harbor ring all looking out towards the harbor. The ancients were behind them, rather crowded, but there was no complaint. The people moved in amongst them and gathered where they would. There was no complaint, there was no fear. A century ago, this would have made for a bloodbath. Now they seemed to gather together as if for comfort.

     The large silver ancient landed on a pad that had been made for him so long ago, but for him, such a short time ago. He knew this day would come and with it the awakening of his people. He knew that none there fully understood yet just what this would mean. He wasn’t sure he understood himself.

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     Michael stared down at the small boat. It was hard to believe that one little thing would trouble him so. The other dragons were quiet as were the people who were in attendance. A little elf mage said words over the boat then turned and looked up at me and nodded. I gently pushed the boat out into the harbor. I heard the other dragons shift behind me. Strange how everything seemed to come into focus. I watched at the boat drifted out from the shore. For some reason even the ripples the boat left were etched upon my sight. I shook myself and took a deep breath and let a long stream of fire out. The boat, which had been soaked in pitch went up in flames. I heard a strange high pitched keening sound and realized that it was coming from me. I heard my keen echoed by all of the dragons present. The only thing that I could think was;

“Goodbye Haladoria.”

     I tilted my head back and let out a roar of rage and pain against the mortality of my people. My eyes were tight closed fighting tears that dragons couldn’t have. I opened my eyes and looked up to a scene from hell. The sky above the harbor was a sheet of flame as all of the dragons were screaming and flaming. It calmed me somehow. I looked over to the docks and there were people hugging the dragons and crying.

Arienach, in my mind, screamed; “Gods Michael, make the pain stop!”

What was left of the human side of me understood, but could not conceive the anguish of a creature that had lived for untold centuries. I reached out to him as best I could.

“Please, please make it stop, please, please.” He whimpered in my mind.

I looked out across the docks and understood what each of the dragons were feeling. Suddenly I feared for my people. This was only the first of what would become many scenes of tragedy as each lost more and more of those that they had become so close to. They had no means of coping as they had never cared before. I had given them a blessing and curse. I now knew the extent of each and I had no clue how to help them. With the pain I felt, I wasn’t even sure how to help myself. I collapsed on the pad still watching the dragons scream as darkness gathered on the edges of my vision and closed till I saw no more.