CHAPTER 10 – GUARDIANS OF THE WAY

"Today we're here with Ren Serenteithwyr, discussing one of the greatest interstellar organizations, the Order of the Radiant Knights! So Ren, who are the Radiant Knights?"

"Well, it would be easier to say who they aren't! Basics, transhumans, uplimals, dragons, even TAIs pledge the Pure Vow and take the torch of the Fire Eternal. I wouldn't be surprised, if we ever find aliens – I mean, besides dragonkind – if the Order offered them to join its ranks."

"Fascinating! Maybe I should become a Knight, eh? I always wanted to ride through space on a dragon."

"You can try joining, Josh, but I wouldn't gridcast on your keyboard! The Order has an incredibly rigorous training regimen. Only one in ten thousand applicants manages to go through it all and don the epic red-gold armor."

"All right then, maybe I'll try after a few more centuries. And what about their hierarchy, Ren? Do the Radiant Knights have military ranks or something like that?"

"No, no, they don't. Except for the Order's Grandmasters, Magus Dei and Aethernalis – who first founded the organization – all Knights are equal in standing, and important decisions are made by open discussions in general assemblies. However, there are some latitudes in this horizontal setup, stuff like older Knights holding more respect and authority, wartime chains of command, and dynamic establishment of departments or divisions when doing larger or more long-term projects. You know – anarchism, like those guys from the Autonomist Alliance, but with dragons instead!"

– "The Golden Ages Show", Point-Zero Ultracorp. archive circa 269 RE, Datalinks

999 RE, Terra Para, at the outskirts of Dragon Retreat

"He is a Grandmaster?" Veralla asked in awe. She kept glancing at Magus Dei and the dragons circling overhead, her attention torn between the two wonders.

"No, I have not held such a title for some time now," the old man replied as he reached them. He paused and looked at Airo, then extended his hand. Airo hesitated for several seconds, knowing the gesture was purely polite since he wore powered armor. In the end, he took the offered hand, and rose to his feet.

Above, the dragons continued to fly around the skyship, patrolling the area. A bright wave was approaching from Dragon Retreat. The Revenant. "May I see your face?" Magus Dei asked Airo.

He hesitated again. He harbored no good feelings for this man. He stood before the person who had imprisoned him for seven hundred years... and this was an opportunity to confront him. Airo retracted his helmet and glared at Magus Dei.

The merest lift of one white eyebrow was the only reaction the old man displayed. His keen purple eyes were alien and uncanny. "So, it is really you," he said quietly, more to himself than to Airo.

"You have a lot of nerve, showing up before me again," Airo said.

"I had no certainty of your identity before I interfered," Magus Dei said. He glanced at the skyship above. "And it is the duty of a Radiant Knight to aid others whenever possible, no matter their past deeds." He lowered his gaze and studied Veralla.

"Aid," Airo snorted. "Now that is a droll word. Give me one good reason not to strike you down where you stand."

"I acted on your behalf," Magus Dei said in a hard tone. "And I would have done so even if I knew beforehand who you really were. But you are free to do what you feel is right." He frowned, and inclined his head toward the dragonet. "And set an example to those around you for what constitutes righteous behavior."

Airo ground his teeth. His hand closed reflexively around the katana's hilt. He really wanted to kill this man. Not anywhere near as much as Ferrtau, yet he felt it a part of his revenge. He glanced at Veralla, who stared with fascination at the outlines of dragons above, and his anger turned into intense frustration. As much as he didn't want to admit it, the former grandmaster was right. He didn't like Veralla, yet he had come to accept her, recognizing her as the young soul she was – and she had already witnessed more misery than most do in a lifetime. Adding more to it would not be encouraging in any way.

Besides, what Airo had a harder time admitting to himself was the fact he couldn't really threaten Magus with harm – not after that spectacular display of power against Ferrtau. At least not now, when he barely stood on his legs, and his head felt like it was going to liquefy any second.

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A strike shuttle came out of the skyship's open bays, and descended toward the icy ground. It landed nearby, combat hatches opening automatically. "Will you come?" Magus asked patiently, his eyes not leaving Airo's.

"Oh, yes, oh, yes! Yes!" Veralla yipped excitedly. "Yes, we shall come! Right, Airo? Please, let us come!"

"All right," Airo said tersely. He reluctantly let go of his katana, and closed the power armor's helmet. His head was killing him. "Where to, anyway?"

"I imagine they will tell us," Magus said, turning, and started walking toward the shuttle, his robe waving regally in the wind.

***

Veralla had never seen so many dragons in one place.

In fact, she had not seen other dragons at all, until now.

She, Airo, and Magus Dei boarded the small, sleek shuttle, and the aircraft took off on its own, piloted by an AI. They quickly ascended toward the skyship. Veralla watched the approaching exterior of the hulking vessel with lively curiosity. They went through one of the launch bays, and entered an enormous hangar.

There was a large human who waited for them at the docking station. He was also wearing red-gold armor, and Veralla paused mid-step. But then she noticed the armor was different in shape, and the human's aura was not frightening at all, so she relaxed and looked around.

The other dragons were coming back aboard, flying through the launch bays and folding their massive wings as they landed on the flight deck. They had different colors, each of them sporting a dazzling array of spots, stripes, markings, and other unique body traits like horns and spikes variations, crests and wing shapes. Veralla hrrr–ed in joy and dashed to get a closer look at them.

She slowed down as she got nearer, however, realizing how incredibly huge the other dragons were. She surreptitiously glanced at herself, feeling rather tiny, as she was smaller even than most humans. Her hesitation lasted only for a second though, before her joy at the sight of more of her kind overwhelmed her again, and anyway she figured her size was due to her still being young, while those dragons over there surely were all adults and probably of great age, like Magus Dei.

Veralla trotted over to the group of dragons. She noticed now some of them had red-gold armored humans by their side, just like she and Airo were together. She came before the gathered crowd and greeted, "Hi, nice to meet you all!"

Everyone hushed and looked at her, both dragons and humans alike. Veralla had gained experience with large groups of people during her stay in Dragon Retreat. Yet now her webbed ears angled back, and she felt anxious facing real, huge dragons.

One of the dragons who had no human companion, a male with white-and-blue patterned skin, snorted loudly. "Huh, look at this runt," he chuckled. "She looks so ugly with those scrawny limbs and stumpy wings. And her scale color is like the inside of a black hole!" He and two other companionless dragons beside him rumbled in amusement. Veralla shrank in shame.

"Shut your arrogant jaw, Alomar!" a crimson-colored dragon with golden eyes said sharply. "That's no way to treat newcomers, especially fledglings!"

"Ah, yes, newcomers," Alomar said haughtily. "I forgot we were supposed to save the world or something. Well, I had my share of fighting today, even if it was a rather boring affair. No use to hang around you whelps anymore." The white-blue dragon stood and went to the other side of the hangar, the rest of the companionless dragons following him.

The crimson dragon snorted, watching them go. She turned back to Veralla, and said, "Don't mind Alomar, he's just a low-flying mooncalf. What's your name, little one?"

"Oh," the dragonet said mildly, "my name is Veralla."

She was both surprised and pleased when her name again caused a whirlwind of commotion and amazement.

"Veralla! Just like the Goddess!" the crimson dragon exclaimed enthusiastically. "What a high honor!"

"And you look so unusual, too!" said another dragon with large frills along the spine. "Er, I mean, in a positive way," he added quickly.

"We are pleased to meet you," one of the humans said with a polite, yet broad smile.

The group of humans and dragons started to introduce one after another. At last, the crimson dragon announced: "Right, right, we're now all presented and proper. I suggest–"

"Wait a wingbeat, you didn't introduce yourself, Lu–"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah!" the crimson dragon interrupted, trying to shush the heckler. "All right, I'll do it." Her golden eyes filled with embarrassment as she met Veralla's gaze. "My name is... Lung," she said.

"Oh," Veralla said, tilting her head. "I think it is a nice name! Why do you seem so... disappointed with it?"

"My name means 'dragon' in one of the Ancients' languages," Lung explained tersely. "It's ridiculous! It's like somebody would name a dragon 'Draco'." She curved her neck downward, and looked at her companion. "Why'd you name me like this, Teha?"

"Now, now, don't grow upset," said her companion, Tehalix, and patted her foreleg. "I think it's a beautiful name, otherwise I wouldn't have chosen it, you silly smartjaw."

Veralla watched Lung's companion, and she reminded her of Kiana. Tehalix' Islander features were very similar, though her azure hair and green eyes were different, and she also had a stockier build. The dragonet felt a pang of sadness at the memory of her friend, and inhaled deeply. She did not want to become lonely like Airo. She focused her attention back on the humans and dragons before her, and asked, "Are you all Radiant Knights?"

"Oh yes, we are," Tehalix laughed softly. "We are here to guard the galaxy from all evil and always bring forth the light of the Fire Eternal!"

"Can I become a Radiant Knight, too?" Veralla asked.

"Of course you can!" Lung said easily. Suddenly, her expression grew serious. "But first, do tell us what happened out there. We learned there was a terrible battle, and then we barely came in time to save you from the... the Lightbringer."

"Oh, you mean Ferrtau?" Veralla's wings twitched uncomfortably. "Yes, I can tell you what happened. It was very terrible, as you say. If it was not for Airo, I think I would have died."