“The Era of Scales,” Henry began as his gaze slid across the book before him. “It is an ancient story, before any true recorded history. But we shall learn about it all the same, now please all look this way.”
Henry raised a hand with his palm facing upwards. A brilliant scarlet light formed above his palm, igniting into the air as crimson lights danced off of the walls—The waves of heat began to form genuine, physical barriers and the world before my very eyes warped into the world of Henry's creation.
“Before any humanoid races took over this great continent, long before any of us knew of the word ‘magic,’ Dragons ruled the world in the ‘Era of Scales.’” Henry’s words sounded like an ethereal echo, the real world even seemed like a distant itch that I could barely feel. I could still feel the hard wood of the desk I sat before, I could still feel the rough graining of the chair against my back. But I couldn’t see any of it—Instead, I saw a brilliant, familiar world.
I must have been thousands of miles up in the air, so far up that the continent looked like a miniscule spec in the distance. So much of the world looked different to what I thought I had known, and I thought: Could a continent really change so much?
I couldn’t see the semi-circular mountain range that guarded where Berinia lay in the modern day. Even the Dwarven mountains that I had yet to see in person looked flat, like grand rocky plains instead of the soaring peaks that I imagined.
Gone were the grand cities of the world, gone was the nearly endless desert that consumed half of the central lands of the continent. Gone was any sign of life outside of the serene foliage covering the lands, even suffering itself almost seemed to be gone in such an idealistic wonderland.
“The Five Scales, Ghidul, Infulme, the Gentle Light, Ellenia, and Helden. They all remained in their domains, respecting the rule and might of their neighbors.” Henry’s ethereal voice echoed around the room like some sort of god of his new world.
“But slowly, this world changed,” My view shifted against my will to the far north. To a single peak, it almost looked small for a moment—But it was still unbelievably massive. It pierced the heavens so violently that clouds split asunder, it was a great blade cutting the sky in half. “When an icy beast left his domain. His pride was harmed, his rage fueled by those who worshiped him as the god of all dragons.”
“Helden spread his grand wings wide. Frozen death followed in his every motion.” A terrible roar sent the entire ethereal world into a spiral. Frozen air that felt so real I thought my skin would turn to ice washed across my face. A flash of silver scales flew past faster than I could hope to keep up with—From beginning to end it took only a heartbeat for the gargantuan beast to leave my view, yet in that time over five hundred feet must have been crossed.
The world turned slowly, following the shadow in the distance. The beast so large that the clouds it flew through parted ways, splitting open to reveal a path in the sky. Snow and ice fell with its every wingbeat, caking the already white earth in yet more of its eternal winter.
“His rage focused upon another scale. Upon Infulme, the great wyvern who boasted that not even Helden’s winter could prevent Infulme’s flames from burning.” The world blurred as it accelerated to follow alongside Helden, the great icy dragon obscured just enough that I couldn’t make out details. The world beneath grew frost covered with every mile that Helden passed—A straight line through the jungles, a line of frozen death.
“Infulme refused Helden’s enraged cry for an honored duel. Helden’s pride could not take this, his rage could not be contained. And soon ice began to rain across the lands of fire.” We were above Alcor now, observing from an orbiting view above the section of the continent.
Flames washed down from a crimson beast, fire so pure it burned with an iridescent white color. But, layers of ice still spread, unffettered by the heat. Walls of flames ate away at the ice all the same, meltinf just to freeze over again. Forests were set alight like millions of torches, animals scorched into nothing but ash. Rivers were carved out from the tidal waves of ice melting into the ground, valleys were carved from the gargantuan beasts wrestling whenever one managed to grasp the other.
It was a blur of silver and crimson, of snow and fire. An incomprehensible form that began to climb higher and higher into the sky, splitting into two distinct figures. One, a beacon of brilliant light so bright after days and nights of fighting that it stood out brighter than the sun itself. A furious inferno spreading, an enraged death knell to damn the world alongside him. Infulme lit the sky itself on fire. Another, a titan of frozen death who could only laugh.
“The three other scales took flight, but they spread their wings too late.” The inferno grew brighter, but Helden refused to back down. His great mass blocked out the new star like an eclipse, his claws large enough to carve rivers slashed effortlessly. The Wyvern’s wings were severed, his screams of rage turned to pain as his own blood fueled his flames.
The star fell from the sky like a comet. Blurred lines of brilliant white flames licked at the open wounds of the dying Wyvern. His corpse impacted with the force of a calamity, his flames spreading through the endless jungle that consumed the heart of the continent.
“Too late did the three remaining scales arrive. The damage had already been done, the rage of the forest was to be felt next.” A great green serpent rocketed out of the jungles. Its fangs bared towards the frozen titan, but it was clear the wyrm was no match for the frozen dragon.
Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.
“Ellenia took flight. She bared her fangs, but she was soon defeated. Helden had his fill of blood, the forests were burning, his point was made. Ellenia was left to live, limping away back to the remnants of her dearest home.” The world shifted around, following the bleeding mass of the wyrm as she slowly descended to the ground. Her ancient, bleeding body reduced to nothing but slithering along the soil. Her arms torn away so she could not walk, her magic depleted so she could no longer fly. The great wyrm of the forest closed her eyes, a deep seated green glow taking her over as the moon sat high in the sky. Countless green scales split from her, flying away with the last of her life and will imbued into them.
“Giving what little life she had left in her ragged bones to do so, she scattered her scales, using them to build a barrier said to still stand to this day; preventing the endless spread of the Elven deserts.” Ellenia faded away slowly, not even dust remained of her. Only a motherly love for the forest beneath her, dozens of figures approached with tears in their eyes. Praying to their dying goddess of life.
“Ghidul, the Mountain Mover lowered his gaze. His stagnation left a careless aura to spread amongst him and his kin. It was not their war, for Ghidul did not care for his brothers and sisters, only for his horde. But he did care for one scale, the gentlest of them all. The mother of all who seeked her warmth.” The world shifted around once again, showing a view within a deep cavern. Gold and metals sat piled larger than mountains, a beast sitting within this horde wearing scales so adorned that he himself had become the most valuable treasure of this horde. He slowly stood up, shaking his great hide as the earth itself bent to his will.
Every step from his four massive legs split the world asunder, it was as if he could walk through mountains as easily as I could walk through air. My view of the world changed once again, returning to the view from far, far above.
Mountains themselves were being moved, pulled along like they were a cart being moved by a horse. Countless thousands of drakes pulled at the mountains, tugging them into a familiar semi-circle to sit around Berinia.
Days and nights passed, all the while Helden remained in place. A joyous smirk spread across his scaled lips—Satisfaction in his own work. Pride in the fact that he had just killed two other scales. His great laughs could be heard across all of Enadalle, his proclamation so damning that it was undeniable.
“I AM THE ONLY GOD OF THIS WORLD!” It was no statement, it was a challenge. It was a pride filled proclamation which dared anyone to oppose him. He invited their rage, he invited it so he could revel in their blood.
“Among all the Scales, only one had never succumbed to pride or rage before. The gentlest, warm light of a mother. Yet now she had just watched her once dear friend butcher her dearest children.” A pain-filled scream sent my head ringing. I reflexively raised my hands to my ears, desperately covering them as a scream that threatened to shatter the sky wailed across eternity.
The view once again shifted. Helden sat upon his mountain, the clouds splitting apart in his mere presence. His azure eyes however narrowed when night turned to day, when a new star began to rise in the south.
Even Infulme’s death didn’t burn as brightly. Even the stars which illuminated and warmed the planet could not compare to her. The Gentle Light, her heat and rage so powerful that the stars themselves would bow before her.
Helden spread his wings wide, a joyous roar escaping his lips as he took flight to greet this new challenger.
The view once again shifted, I was now thousands of miles away. Far above the collision just beneath me. A frozen shadow collided with the heat of a star, the frigid north melted in an instant—And a shadow fell to the earth, broken, battered, deceased.
“The Golden Light had avenged her kin, but in her rage she had killed herself. Decaying within her own living scales she turned to the horizon, taking flight beyond any limits of Enadelle. Beyond the edge of the world, while Helden’s corpse carved a new mountain range, separating his forsaken lands from the rest of the world,” Henry’s voice no longer sounded as Ethereal as the illusion he had crafted began to fade away.
“Deep underneath the continent, Ghidul writhed in his guilt. His kin left him, the Draconian’s left Enadelle. Ghidul however imprisoned himself—Forever forsaking himself to hold the continents together, where even the shifting plates could not overpower him.” Henry let out a heavy sigh, slumping forwards into his seat as the illusions entirely drifted away.
I raised my hands to rub my eyes. So many vivid images felt burnt into my mind—So many things that I hadn’t been prepared to experience. I glanced at Silva, at least reassured a little that she had a similar reaction to that as I had.
She had her gaze locked firmly down into her desk, her gaze distant and her body shaking. I reached a hand out to her, placing a reassuring grip on her shoulder just as the bell rang out once again.
“Ah—I suppose there isn’t time for questions today,” Henry sighed, leaning back in his seat. “I hope you all have a nice lunch, and I will see you tomorrow.” He didn’t even wait for the students to stand up before he was already on his way out of the door.
“T-Thanks…” Silva muttered a little as I retracted my hand. She slowly forced a smile up to her face.
“That was… intense.” I replied in a lowered tone.
“Yeah…” Silva trailed off. She glanced up at the same time I did, noticing the quickly emptying room. “Wanna go and get lunch?” She offered.
“Gladly.” I smiled in agreement—Blushing softly as my stomach growled its own opinion. A soft chuckle filled the air from both of us as we stood up, heading out of the classroom. But, nearly as soon as I was in the hall I felt the odd sense of being watched again—But when I looked around there was nothing out of the ordinary.
“Something wrong?” Silva asked as she looked back at me, only stopping once she realized I had done so a few paces before.
“It’s probably nothing, let's go.” I shrugged the feeling off. It still itched at the back of my mind but I did my best to ignore it while keeping an eye out. Silva however didn’t look like she quite believed my words, a quizzical look covering her face—One that I just gave a reassuring smile to answer.