{Extracts of the hidden journal of the Wise Black Dragon Taevarth, Dragon of the Elves, found in a cave in Mt Greer, the tallest mountain of the Elven Kingdom}

Taevarth Journal Entry #1

I have started this record to keep track of the happenings while Zariel is asleep, it has been 3 hours since Zariel began his slumber, my brothers and sisters all learnt to shift form to humans, although we yet to grasp a ‘normal’ form we can enter tribes without much worry of them treating us like a threat.

Taevarth Journal Entry #13

Zariel has been asleep for 6000 years now, the civilizations are steadily growing, the Elves I watch over and guide have become more peaceful. Zariel told me of the mistakes people on his planet made with pollution and the beauty on his earth had declined, I saw how sad he was about that so when he awakens I shall make sure he comes to my continent seeing the beauty he spoke about with such sadness. I told the Elves that preservation of the worlds nature is important to the future, they have designated themselves as the guardians of nature, they have experimented with magic and I believe they are onto something to help the plants and trees.

Taevarth Journal Entry #29

Zariel had been asleep for 231 000 years now, the Elves lifespans are increasing, from the meeting I am having with the others it seems my race has the longest lifespan at 130 years, I'm sure it will keep increasing. The oldest Dwarf was 110, Draconian at 103, the Beastmen at 94, Demons at 89, Humans at 43 and the Mer-people as we have started calling the race Nerreth looks over is 23. I have gotten this information from my sibings who told me who the oldest member of their race was, I shall study further into this, I can’t wait to see how old the races will be able to live until they stop evolving.

Taevarth Journal Entry #47

Zariel has been asleep for roughly 40 000 years, Medreth has started to change, he's less aggressive and more... cunning, he's planning something I know it and the others do too, even Raggy is suspicious. I distract myself with work to forget about the fact our family is changing and Zariel is gone for now. So, I’ll just continue with the updates of the humanoid species evolutions.

The highest lifespan of each species had increased dramatically, the Elves can live up to 300 years now, the Demons at 260, the Mer-people who were the biggest increase were up to 220 the Dwarves at 180, Draconians at 150, Beastmen at 140 and Humans at 120, the human growth rate has slowed but I have figured out that the higher a person is in mana the longer they live, since Elves seem to have the highest affinity for magic they have the longest lifespan, us dragons are basically magical creatures so I believe our lifespan will be incredibly long.

Taevarth Journal Entry #52

Zariel has been asleep for about roughly 500 000 000 years now, he should be awakening in another 500 000 000 years. We have been watching over the world as he has said, we have looked after the different species. The humans being raised by Medreth have become greedy and hot tempered, Medreth says he has nothing to do with it but I suspect he pointed them in the wrong direction. He always liked chaos and now that Zariel isn't here he believes he can do what he likes, even Varenth, Medreths sidekick, tried talking some sense into him but nothing worked, Medreth encourages the humans to enslave the other species and that they are the superior race, humans were the oldest race but certainly not the superior one, the other species are getting angrier and the other dragons cannot hold them back much longer, there will be a war and for the first time in a long time us dragons will have to leave our caves.

Taevarth Journal Entry #66

It has been 900 000 000 years since Zariel first went to sleep and there have been many wars, we had to fight Medreth and locked him in a cage deep under the earth, we found more of that metal that Zariel used to make a stick and beat us with and smelted it to make the cage, I still have nightmares about the day we caged Medreth and his screams of fury. Varenth named the metal Zarilian in memory of the days that all that metal was used for was to teach us a lesson, we do not speak of Zariel to the other species, he is a much more powerful existence than us and the other species believed we were the apex predators, as selfish as it was we needed to remain that way for us to remain on top.

Taevarth Journal Entry #100

Civilisation is so much more peaceful and advanced, there has not been a war in 500 years and they have found a way used magic to help with their everyday needs, they use magic enchant objects with mana and certain affinities like a sword with the fire affinity will burn someone as it cuts through them. They enchant carriage with air magic so they don't have to use wheels and the rides are much smoother, although those enchanted carriages are incredibly expensive, only royalty and incredibly important or corrupt nobles tend to have them.

Zariel should be waking up soon, the worst part about him waking up will be explaining where Medreth is and what has happened to his Draconians, Raggy was so depressed by it when he had the seal Medreth with us, although he'd never tell us this Medreth was his favourite, and we were okay with that, they suited each other but no one expected Medreth to go so... wrong.

We are all gathering at Zariel's cask today, we can't go into the cave with our real dragon forms, we've grown quite a lot, but we are staying in our dragon forms for sentimentalities sake.

The Draconians had their capital city next to this mountain which caused all the crystals in the cave to be mined out. They didn't even realise how important the cave was to their history but I couldn't blame them for that. As a final note, I will say this, welcome back Zariel, I’m sorry about the world you have come into.

I had spent my time dreaming, and talking with Timera, I learned that this hibernation thing is for immortals to rest their minds, for them to live so long without taking a break is dangerous, Timera said because it was my first hibernation it would be longer than the rest. As long as I slept at least once a week from now on my hibernations in the future would be cut down significantly. The time I spent dreaming was mainly just random crap my brain comes up with, I don't get the movies I watched where the actors dream of their memories, I''ve never had that and I have way more memories than them. Unfortunately, I started to dream of my memories which made me pissed I could no longer be mad at those unrealistic movies, I dreamt of the dragons and of the days I was on Earth, I dreamt of the Draconians and of Revin and Mari and their little child l'll never see, wasn't much of a loss though considering that reptile babies aren’t that cute except when they're my little dragons. 

After what seemed like only a couple of hours I opened my eyes, to absolute darkness, for a second I thought I hadn't opened my eyes it was so dark. I lifted my arm up to feel the cold stone that was my cask, I sighed remembering a billion years had passed, the dragons will be so big. They grow up too fast, I wasn't there for it but I moved on quickly, I wanted to see them soon so I used magic to melt the lid away. 

I sat up and looked around and realised something, I was no longer in the cave.

{Nerreth POV}

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It had been a while since we had gathered outside the cave to wait for Zariel, Taevarth was the most excited since he could not stop talking. I sat on my cloud waiting for him to come out. We had all stayed in dragon form because it was the form Zariel was most familiar with.

"Maybe you got the day wrong?" said Ragnarok after Taevarths initial excitment had died slightly, now he frowned.

"I think something is wrong..." Varenth said.

"I agree, wasn't there meant to be something protecting the cask outside the cave, they were your golems right Varenth?" Taevarth inquired, sounding worried.

"That's what I meant before, normally I can sense my creations once I'm at a certain distance, and I can't sense anything, not my golems and not Zariel's mana trail"

"Oh shit..." Raggy said quietly, all the dragons turned into human form and ventured into the cave to check on the room Zariel was in, we saw a hole in the wall at the back of the cave, it led into a room that looked carved with mana, inside it was... empty.

"Who could have done this? The humans? The enslaved most of the Draconians and explored this continent, it wouldn't be a surprise if they found this cave"

"It was probably those damn human heroes, always adventuring and shit, they probably thought Zariels cask was an artifact from the ancient times"

"Okay we split up and go to each of our countries capital cities and ask if they have they cask, we don't know for sure it's the humans, they've changed their ways" I said, Taevarth looked heartbroken, even though he was the most intelligent out of all of us he had always been the most childish and the most adoring of Zariel.

"Whose going to ask the Draconians and the Humans, they don't have a dragon overwatcher" said Raggy, I volunteered for the role and we all separated to find Zariel.

===~===

It seemed the room I was in was a treasury or a storage room of sorts. There were piles of golden coins and chests with swords and shields laying about, the room was massive with white colums and a hard smooth floor, I didn't know what any of the materials were but that wasn't what was important, I needed to know where I was.

I tried using telepathy with the dragons to no avail, it seems I can't get a good lock on their minds for some reason. Suddenly I heard a creaking at the massive doors at the front of the room, they were engraved with two angels on either side holding the inner frame of the door, looking like they were the ones pulling the door open. When they door was wide enough I saw who was actually opening the door, two soldiers were pushing with all their might, I had hoped so because those doors looked to be several tonnes.

As the soldiers pushed the doors I inspected them, they were human it seems and not that strong, I could analyse that much at least. Walking between the doors that were now opened enough for three humans to walk shoulder to shoulder through, a man in a white mantle with a golden trim, he wore a dark blue robe underneath the mantle and looked regal, kingly. I realised as soon as I looked at his head he was a king after all, he had a crown made out of a dark silver like the stick I used to 'educate' the dragonlings and Ragnarok with... perhaps they found more? His face looked to be in the early 50's with a short, red beard and stern eyes and face, like a army general who had seen too many wars.

"Who are you? Did you come out of the Dragon's Cask?" his eyes narrowed, he looked pissed but not surprised... interesting.

"I did indeed, was I expected?" I swung my cane in a circle, it was a good cane so I buried it with me in the cask.

"You were, the great dragons themselves expect you, whatever you have done I hope you get punished justly, seize him!"

"Yes my king!" the soldiers responded simultaniously, they marched towards me.

Arrest me? What had I done? And the dragons asked for me? did they perhaps arrange for me to be here I wonder? The soldiers grabbed my arms and dragged me out of the treasury, they hauled me along the corridors with the king in tow, I tried to make some conversation to make the trip less boring.

"So what's been happening these past billion years? Anything cool? Gosh I hope something cool happened otherwise I'll have to do something drastic"

The king and guards tensed at that.

"Not like blow up the city! I'm not evil... well the dragons might think I'm evil but kids always go into that stage where everyone is the enemy, the lessons I taught them were valuable I swear, I have been thinking since you said that whole thing about 'dragons and punishment and justice' and I realised the dragons description of me may have been the wrong impression"

The king humphed and sneered at me.

"the great Blue Dragon Lady Nerreth said you would not put up a fight, it seems she was right... the dragons gathered at our palace and said we had in our treasury an evil man inside a cask of a coffin, they said this man uses brute force for the most petty of things and leaves people behind for his own selfish reasons"

I sighed and shook my head.

"Kids am I right?" I chuckled, no one laughed. I decided to let thing go with the flow, it would be funny to see their shocked faces when I greeted them. I stayed silent and let them lead me to the dragons, I started to sense some familiar pulls, I noticed it was the minds of the dragons but they were blocked off... like they had walls. I smiled, they had certainly grown.

"We are here great dragons of this world, we have brought the evil one. please deliver punishment!" the king bowed down as well as the massive crowd that had gathered, we were on what seemed to be a plateau off the palace, it was absolutely colossal with a barrier around it, a large crowd of what I can only assume were nobles and other members of the royal family were here. Good.

another thing that was there were 5 figures I knew very well, but there were supposed to be six. I was grateful that Nerreth, Taevarth, Lyth, Varenth and Ragnarok were here but... Medreth was not. All the dragons were in their dragon forms, they had gotten much bigger, almost as big a 4 story building but they could easily fit on the plateau. Raggy was 

Guards let me go while I was deep in thought, everyone had hateful looks on their faces, the dragons were absolute here, anyone who was hated by the dragons was hated by the public that revered them, it seems even Raggy was a point of influence.

"Come forward" said Nerreth in a queenly tone, I saw the others trying not to giggle or laugh. I was biting my lip trying not to laugh either, all eyes were on me so the public didn't see them trying not laugh, some smirked probably mistaking me trying not to laugh as nervousness.

"You have committed a severe crime against this world Zariel" said Varenth speaking up.

"Come closer" Lyth said quietly, she was in front of new people so her shyness must be acting up.

I walked right up to Nerreth at the front Raggy was leaning against her cloud she was hovering on, her body had gotten much longer and was curled up in a pile upon the cloud. She leant down to my face. I heard the audience gasp, they probably thought she was going to eat me.

"Your crime against this world, is not walking on its earth and speaking to its inhabitants and learning its culture... welcome back Zariel" she nuzzled me with her snout which was a tall as me, I pat her on the head and everyone else came forward, I gave Raggy a hug and a pat on the back, he hit me so hard on the back I almost fell forward, his strength had always been so abnormal for someone so old looking.

Taevarth nuzzled me like a puppy unlike Nerreth's calmness. I would have thought the situations would be switched but we all change I guess. Varenth put an earth pillar beneath my feet and raised me to his eyesight.

"It's good to see you Zariel but Medreth..."

People gasped as soon as they heard the name, I turned to see faces of horror and fear. I sighed and turned back to Varenth,

"What has that boy done now?"

“He… started a war, the humans he commanded destroyed and enslaved many people… the Draconians were scattered, half of them are slaves and the other half are hiding in their capital city and haven't come out in years, their birthrate is low and their population wasn’t that big to begin with when the war started, they were forced to fight to protect their land and the results were disastrous” Ragnarok was the one who spoke since it looked like Varenth was too distraught, now that I think about it Medreth was Raggy’s favourite student, no wonder Raggy had been so quiet.

“Medreth did this?” I asked.

“Yes, we have him in a Zarilian cage… we named the metal after you, it’s what the kings crown is made of and that stick you used to beat us with that damn stick” Lyth finally spoke out, not sounding as shy anymore. The others shuddered when The Stick was mentioned.

I glanced over to the king and his crown, the man was sweating like a pig. Probably because he just realised that he insulted a man who acts like a leader to the most powerful beings on this planet.

“I see now… where is the cage?” I looked back at them who all had downcast faces.

“The lava pit where we were born, he has been in there, Zirilian doesn’t melt and Medreth was immune to the lavas heat” Taevarth said glumly, I knew none of them were happy about sealing their brother away.

“I was told about a vision once, where Medreth rose some lava figures against the rest of us, attacking us, I realise now I may have taken the vision in the wrong context, perhaps it’s wasn’t as literal as I thought, take me to him”

The king looked up at me with fear in his eyes, all the other people in the area did the same.

“Lo- lord Zariel, I am sorry for my behaviour before, you should know I hold the dragons in the highest regard and I had never even hear-“

I waved my hand at the crowed of people and they all collapsed, at least the king stopped his incessant voice.

“What did you do?” Lyth asked, looking ready to cast healing magic.

“Relax, I wiped their memories of the past 3 hours and put them to sleep, so no one remembers me or you guys, is that okay? Although they will be a little confused as to why they’re passed out here but I’m sure weirder things have happened, I think” I was confused by Lyth being so protective. She knew me well enough to know I wouldn’t kill them.

“Yes… yes that’s fine” she backed off. I smiled and clapped my hands to get their attention and distract them from the depressing mood they had been in since Medreth was mentioned.

“Right! I’ve been asleep for a while guys in case you hadn’t noticed so the world has moved on without me, as I can already see from this castle and its inhabitants, so we’ll go to a nice place and have a long chat and then we’ll go see Medreth and I’ll see if I can do anything to help him, that sound good?”

They all nodded and spread their wings, Raggy whistled and summoned a Roc, they seemed to have evolved since I last saw them, they had grown and their wingspan was five men wide, it also seemed to have gotten more eyes, it had four eyes now still a red colour. Their feather colour had stayed the same with a dark black and brown. Raggy jumped on its back without its complaint but as soon as I neared it, it screeched at me like I was its mortal enemy.

“Sorry Zariel, they’re trained to only let demons and I ride them, you’ll have to fly yourself” he smirked and flew off, I guess they were all pretty pissed at me leaving to get some shut eye.

“Not like I had a choice…” I muttered and used Air Magic to fly into the air and catch up with my family.