"Finished staring or are you just going to stay like that until you die, mortal?" The Dragon asked with a glint in his eye. His voice deep and guttural with an accent that told it wasn't his first language at all. The great behemoth leaned down slowly and brought his eye close to the girl waiting for an answer.

"M-Monster!" It was all she could say other than just screaming from fright. She was rooted in place, paralyzed by the predators stare.

"Mmmm... hmph. I believe myself to be much more than any regular old thing that goes bump in the night. However you may call me whatever you like. It makes no difference to me. What intrigues me though is your presence here. Tell me, oh scared little lamb, who are you? How did you break the seal on this place? For how long have i been asleep? Do you know who I am? I have many questions to ask. I hope you can answer." His calm demeanor was betrayed by his impatience to know his own situation.

"I'm Moca." She said through tears and a choked throat. The monster seemed cordially to her but she had heard about intelligent beasts. They were the worst kind of magical monster. They would entice you and make you drop your guard around them only to attack when you expect it least, they had no compassion for humanity. This black lizard was the epitome of what she had feared as a child growing up in her small hamlet. Her father and brothers would always tease her about the boogeyman or ghosts coming in the night to snatch her away. This was only made scarier by the fact that in this world it could actually happen. Now right before her eyes was her was she believed to be her executioner. She couldn't say anymore.

"I guess introductions are in order then, I can't give you my full name but I am Talavernax. Also known as the world's calamity, savior of the northern realms destructor of the west. Both saint and sinner, god and demon. I have many titles that list my achievements... hmmm but you don't seem to care about that child. Tell me. Have you given up on life?" She was silent, she didn't want to speak to this monster anymore she didn't care what it had to say she just wanted it to get it over with. "Those eyes are resolute." The dragon spoke. "They are not the eyes of a quitter only the eyes of someone who has accepted death. I can respect that but it won't do if my only source of information is like this." The dragon then breathed and suddenly a purple glow shined from between his scales engulfing his whole body in the light. Talavernax then reached a claw out towards the girl, she closed her eyes waiting for what she thought was the inevitable, then there was a light tap on her forehead and a warmth spread through her entire body. It was the most soothing thing she had felt in her whole life.

In that one instant, Moca felt like she was back home with her family again, her two older brothers practicing in the fields of wheat. Her father sharpening tools in his shed constantly making a racket. Then, her beautiful mother sitting next to her sipping tea and smiling at her family on the porch. It was a peaceful day in their little hamlet and she could feel happiness indulge her as she too sipped her tea and breathed in the crisp morning air. And then it was gone.

Moca sat there again in front of the dragon. She couldn't describe what had happened it was a memory of better times and it just made her feel safe and happy. That wasn't all she reached around to the back of her head and noticed that the bump was now gone and her vision wasn't blurry anymore. She looked again at the eye of the dragon. Was this some sort of bewitchment? She thought. She could now feel a connection with him. There was no hostility coming from the dragon it was actually a warmer feeling. Did this beast... care?

"Yes i do." He smiled revealing the razor hidden behind his jowls. "I have just performed a contract with you seeing as you were the one who unsealed me and that you do have some strength in you it's not a waste. We are now bonded I have seen your memories and thoughts. It must have been hard. Losing your family to a disgruntled noble, on the run for most of your life from government officials and slave merchants. Walking through the muck and grime trying to find something worth living for. Desperately clinging to life. Believe me Moca I know what you're going through and I can tell you this for sure It will never happen again."

She could feel truth in those words she was happy in the thoughts of salvation from this evil looking creature but she had to be sure. She lifted her hand and reached for Talavernax's snout. He was close looking her straight in the eye with a great intelligence once she touched his head she felt a surge of images. Fragmented memories of millennia’s seeming to break every rule of common sense she could think of. Giant gleaming cities filled with hope, great ruins filled with death. Every kind of tragedy and miracle stretching across eons was there. It was too much and it ended in that eye staring back at her from the abyss and giving her a beacon of hope. She was caught now, it didn't matter if all of this was a twisted fantasy created by the dragon in an attempt to break her, she couldn't resist and hugged the head of Talavernax all the while crying and sobbing. Letting it all out in front of him.

   A few hours passed and Moca had calmed downed and was now seated in a crossed legged position her demeanor was back to the strong woman she was before no longer afraid for her life. Talavernax smiled another toothy grin and came close to her. "So you now understand a bit of what I am and i think it would take far too long to recount my experiences so let why don't you tell me a bit of current events. I only saw the strong memories that you have and although i see that the world has changed. I'm not sure to what degree. What year is it and what do you call this place?"

  "Hmmm it's the year 1049 AS and we are in the kingdom of Selestia. I was born here so i don't know much about other countries but i know we border the ocean and two other countries, the countries of Marcest and Dancor. And for our current location I know we are in a forest near the mountains that part Selestia and Dancor. Between the village of Nern and Daria." She finished and looked up at him. She could feel that he was troubled by something but she didn't know what. "Do you disbelieve me?"

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  "Ahh no, no I just think I've been gone for longer then I thought. Tell me how did you get here? How did you break the seal?" He was now pondering and waiting in anticipation of what she would say.

  "I fell down a hole hiding from slavers and ended up in this place. I touched a purple crystal... it was the color of your eyes. What is this seal you speak of there was nothing here but that crystal was that it?" Talavernax looked incredibly confused now, this place should be a tomb and the area above should be a hilly grassland. He looked around and made his scales glow again. She was right this place was a domed cave with two exits. No pillars, no walls, no inscriptions sealing him just an empty cave. He looked back at Moca.

  "Haha, so you did nothing but activate the ritual stone. You are lucky you have some inborn mana else you would have died on the spot." He said, making Moca wince in the process. "I guess the world really has forgotten me." He smiled. "We should rectify that." Then he looked at Moca again closely. She was a women of about 18 with fiery red hair with dimples on her cheeks making her look quite young and innocent. However her piercing blue eyes that now had a glint of purple in them, told of wrath and horror. Her pointed jawline had given her a models looks, no doubt the reason why slavers had sought her so fervently. This also gave her a very toned figure resulting from a life on the run. But right now she looked worried about what he had said.

  "What are you going to do?" She said, worry apparent in her tone.

  "We are going to make this country and this world a better place starting from right here." He then started glowing again and lifted his head up to the ceiling.

  "Wait what are you doing?!" Moca shouted but it was too late.

"ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" The dragon's maw opened wide and let a purple energy flow from eat. The Breath was a concentrated beam of energy that bored through the ceiling of the cave vaporizing anything in its path and Breaking into the sky shooting up into the sky.

  Everyone in the continent saw the beam of light. Some were amazed, some terrified, others god smacked at what could have caused such a phenomenon. Armies doing battle Stopped in their tracks. Monsters of legend hid away from the light. Even the most steadfast and hardy man, good and bad alike, felt a cold sweat run down their backs. Court mages and wizards ran to convene councils and warn their kings and people of the potential danger that light could bring. There were uproars everywhere you went and chaos began to spread. If this wasn't a sign of a new era then nothing was.

  It took 10 minutes for Moca to get her ears to stop ringing. With the big dragon with a dumb grin on his face trying to hold his amusement in and failing considerable, she felt that her troubles had just begun.

  "No little misses hop on were going for a little ride." Talavernax then lowered his head and ushered her on. With a bit of reluctance Moca climbed up and onto the top of his head and held onto the horns on the top of his head. She had a feeling she wasn't going to like this. Right on cue Nax lifted his head up and spread his four wings and with one powerful flap a whirlwind was created that lifted them up and straight through the hole. The G-forces made her lose her grip but he had angled his head to compensate for her as he knew it was going to happen. They rose higher and higher into the air with Moca screaming her lung out as they went. Finally they broke the cloud line and he had leveled out cruising at a leisurely pace.

  "Would you stop that please?!" She yelled with tears in her eyes. This one was more of a loose cannon than an ancient guardian.

  Moca then almost stopped breathing for a moment. The sight in front of her was amazing, she was now among clouds and angels, the very description of heaven was at her fingertips. She couldn't imagine that her life would change so drastically so fast. She had ran out of tears already but if she had more she'd weep at the sight of the rising sun. Light cascaded across the clouds dancing and shimmering in happiness. She suddenly remembered the jealousy she felt towards the birds and smiled.

  "Hahaha, I'm sorry little dear but centuries underground can make you a bit ancy if you know what I mean." He was twirling in the sky and flapping his wings tasting freedom for the First time in millennia can make anyone excited. No matter how old or experienced. "Now should i keep flying in circles or do you have a destination in mind."

  "What are you going to do?" She was now curious what his goals were he obviously had secrets but she couldn't get them through the bond she had with him. All she would get is a headache from the info dump.

  "I told you i'm going to help." He smiled keeping as vague as possible. She didn't like that answer but she probably couldn't push it. " The village of Nern is close only a days ride away along the north of the mountains." She told him and they were off. Flying through the clouds at an alarming pace in only took around 30 minutes for them to see the town in the distance. At this Talavernax stopped and lowered to ground just inside the edge of the forest. He lowered his head down and let Moca get off. She was actually a bit sad that the ride was over. Nax just laughed reading her emotions again and told her they would be aloft soon enough. He Then told her what he was planning.

 "We are going to take over that town." He said calmly as he pointed his claw in it's direction.

  "....What?"