The Dragon’s nostrils flared. Frost was expelled into the air with every breath. Its eyes were locked on the floating island where my family and Svend all watched. Their faces were a mix of fear and awe at the sight of the massive creature emerging from the ground.
Knowing I did not have time to be careful, I quickly rushed to the island with all the speed my domain could muster. To my relief, the dragon did not move immediately and I was able to safely land on the island before anything happened. As soon as I arrived, a purple energy wrapped around me and the entire island.
“Any chance those functions we unlocked include weapons,” I asked as fell back to the entrance of the building.
“Mare says no but she can keep us safe from the cold,” Donte said as he replied to a voice that only he could hear. “… I am not saying that… No, you are not the boss of me… Fine… Mare also wants me to say you are an idiot.”
“How was I supposed to know the dragon would survive? I thought it self-destructed,” I complained without taking my eyes off the dragon in the distance.
The Dragon’s body shuddered as it spread its wings. Layers of ice were shaken free from its body and shattered to the ground. With a mighty roar, the dragon took flight. The air shook. Within the time of a single blink, the dragon was already on top of the floating island. Purple energy flared brightly, just in time, as the massive body crashed down.
The entire floating island was slammed into the ground by the power of the dragon. I was sent sprawling across the floor by the sudden impact, along with everyone else. To my relief though, other than some damage to my dignity, nobody was harmed.
I picked myself off the floor and looked up. The dragon’s claws were kept at bay by a dome of purple energy. The energy wavered precariously under the force of a single talon but managed to keep the dragon back for the moment.
A girl’s voice echoed out from inside the building. “Get off, you oversized lizard! I am not one of the ones you hate,” Mare shouted with annoyance.
The dragon kept its talon on the dome. The floating island was pinned to the ground and unable to move but surprisingly, the dragon did not lash out or strike the island. Instead, it spoke with a loud roar. “Do not try and deceive me. I can see the truth of all things. You are a scar on the world that should not exist. It is my duty to restore balance to the realms.”
“Ignorant reptile, if my true body was here, you would be begging to bask in my glory.” As Mare spoke, a symbol appeared prominently above the door of the building. It was not the Preateritum mark I had seen when we found the remnant but a small symbol I had seen a few times within the building. The symbol was a blood-red picture of a dragon sitting in a nest of branches. When the symbol appeared an invisible pressure, similar to a domain spread out. It was not a true domain. It was more like the memory of a domain that had once existed. Even as just a memory, it was pressure that felt like a vast ocean during a storm. It was a violent and chaotic force that sought to destroy everything in its path.
Despite the unrelenting pressure of the symbol, the force behind it was not very strong. Time had weakened what had once been an overwhelming presence into a simple picture. Even a normal person could probably stand in its presence, and yet, the dragon leapt back as if it had been struck by lightning.
Mare’s voice now took on a haughty tone as she continued to speak. “I am Dragon’s Nest. My name may have faded into the annals of history but you are old enough to remember it, aren’t you?”
The dragon’s eyes went wide in a very human expression of fear. Just from seeing a simple symbol, the creature I could not hope to fight off took a step back.
“That’s impossible…” The dragon growled as it took another step back, “You should not still remain. The shadow’s legacy was supposed to be wiped from existence.”
Mare’s laughter echoed through the cold air like bells ringing. “You cannot even begin to imagine the amount of preparation that went into my creation. I will not let anyone stand in the way of what needs to be done, especially not an ignorant lizard.”
The dragon’s eyes flickered from side to side as if expecting that some unseen enemy would suddenly appear. When a few moments passed and nothing happened, the fear started to fade from the dragon’s expression as it examined the floating island with trepidation.
“You… are damaged.” The dragon’s growl turned into a low chuckle. “You do not have the power to kill me, or I would already be dead. Perhaps I should finish what the others started and wipe the last of her stain from the realms.”
“Are you sure you want to risk that?” Mare replied confidently, “I may not be at full strength yet but my self-detonation is still powerful enough to obliterate you.”
“I should be dead anyway. Dying again, in exchange for restoring balance to the realms, is a fair price.”
I saw determination burn in the dragon’s eyes as it once again began to approach. Mare’s voice echoed in my ear. “Well, threatening it didn’t work. I doubt it will listen to anything else I have to say and we cannot fight it. Even weakened like this, the lizard is still nearly as powerful as Envy. See if you can talk to it, shorty.”
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I nodded silently. I had seen how tough the dragon’s body was when Sebastion attacked it. Even dead, an attack that could cut through mountains, barely left a scratch on the dragon’s scales. Even without the threat of the cold, we would not win a fight. Taking a deep breath, I set my shoulders and took a step forward.
The dragon’s eyes flickered to me for a second before focusing on the island once again. “Move aside little phoenix. You gave me this opportunity, so, I will not kill you. Flee now and you might not be caught in our battle.”
“I cannot do that,” I replied with a shake of my head, “While seeing this frustrating brat get what she deserves would bring me no small amount of joy, we need her help to save this realm.”
The dragon’s attention was now fully focused on me as it spoke. “Explain.”
“A great threat is approaching this ream, a being even more powerful than yourself. Following him is an army of millions of Demonkin. If his invasion succeeds, death will be a mercy. Dragon’s Nest is the only defense we have against the foresight of one of the Demons hoping to bring an end to this realm. I have heard stories of dragons, of how they are the protectors of nature and balance. Would you condemn the realm and every living thing in it because of a structure too weak to harm anyone?”
The dragon hesitated as it looked at me in confusion. “What are Demons and Demonkin?”
“The Vitiates,” Mare interjected with a word I had never heard before, “Only worse, they spread their corruption like a plague wherever they go.”
The dragon’s eyes narrowed as it looked at the floating island for a long moment. “If you speak the truth, little phoenix, then you are right. I cannot condemn this world to death. However, I also cannot let this remnant roam free. The shadow’s legacy is a danger to more than just a single realm.”
I could see the indecision in the dragon’s eyes as it seemed conflicted about what to do. After nearly a minute, the dragon let out a long breath of frosty air that left a layer of ice on everything it touched.
To my amazement, the dragon suddenly began to shrink. The beast that had been bigger than a castle was getting smaller and smaller. The dragon continued to shrink until it was the size of a house, then all the way to the size of a horse before an amazing metamorphosis began to take place.
The bright blue scales started to dissolve into the dragon’s body, revealing milky smooth porcelain skin. The horns at the top of the dragon’s head began to flatten and smooth into silken hair. Taloned claws transformed into delicate hands and feet.
In just a few moments, where there had been a vicious monster, now stood a beautiful woman. Clothed in a vibrant blue dress made from small scales, her flowing silver hair reflected the light of the sun with a luxurious sheen. Only her eyes hinted at the dragon she had once been, retaining their bright blue reptilian appearance.
When she spoke it was no longer in the gruff growls of the dragon but instead an entrancing singsong voice that soothed the heart. “I will verify with my own eyes the words you have spoken. Until then, I will remain here to keep an eye on this vile place. Should your words be lies, I will kill you, little phoenix, before destroying this stain on the world.”
I recovered from my slack-jawed amazement at seeing the terrifying dragon transform into a beautiful woman and nodded. “You are, of course, welcome to stay but, if you find that I am speaking the truth, will you help us fight the Demons?”
“Vitiates are a threat to all life. I will kill them but that does not make me your ally. Once the threat has passed, I will still destroy this remnant.”
Nearby, Svend chuckled nervously. “Is there any chance you can at least undo the frost you spread across the city? My people are safe underground but they cannot remain there forever.”
To my surprise, the dragon woman actually looked embarrassed as she turned to look at the city and the chaos she caused. “I am sorry about that. The nature of my rebirth was… volatile. I am ice given flesh. Being reborn through fire has considerably impacted my control. The ice should melt naturally. I will not create more.”
Svend nodded solemnly as he looked out over the city. Most of the people had been underground before the freeze hit but this was still a considerable disaster. Crops and livestock were all ruined beyond hope. The local wildlife for as far as the eye could see was completely frozen over. It would take years before the city could recover from something like this.
I wanted to comfort Svend but did not know what to say. A dragon was a force of nature. Nobody could have stopped her. The most I could do was revive the few people caught in the ice with my golden flame. With any luck, they could still enjoy their lives without too much disconnect caused by the revival.
The dragon woman did not seem to understand the full scope of the destruction she had caused and walked past all of us towards Dragon’s Nest. As she approached, the large double doors slammed shut in her face.
The voice of Mare rang out again. “Overgrown Lizards sleep outside.”
The woman just smiled as she placed her hand on the door. There was a sound of something breaking as thick cracks spread across the hard material. “A dragon goes where she pleases.
The door was broken open with a snap and the woman entered the building without being stopped. However, now that the dragon was not openly violent, it was not long before two boys flocked to her side. Donte and Charly were both excited beyond reason at the prospect of meeting a real living dragon. Before the woman even knew what was happening, she was bombarded with a torrent of questions.
“How did you transform like that? Can all dragons do that?” Donte asked excitedly.
“Were you alive during the time of the Preateritum? What were they like?” Asked Charly.
The woman held up a hand, forcing the boys to stop. “Dragons only share knowledge through trade. If you wish to learn, you must first pay something of equal value. I am particularly fond of diamonds but gold and other gems work too.”
Donte rubbed his head in embarrassment. “I don’t have anything like that. Is there anything else we can trade?”
“Knowledge can be traded for knowledge. I am unfamiliar with this realm. Depending on what you know I could be convinced to answer a few of your questions.” The woman replied in a very business-like manner.
Donte nodded. “Can you at least tell us your name? Do dragons have names? Mare keeps telling me I should call you Lizzie.”
The woman’s eyes narrowed and I could feel the temperature in the room drop despite the purple energy that still protected us. “Call me that and I will add one of your arms to my next meal.”
Donte nodded nervously and stayed silent. “Names are important to dragons and not shared lightly. For now, you may call me Vissna.”