Kagiso stood up and blinked quickly, while his eyes adjusted to the brightness. He stretched his arms and yawned. The Black Dragon walked towards his private bathroom and stopped. He tilted his head to the side and wiggled his toes.
“Were the tiles always this warm? Huh, I never noticed. Ah, and the temperature in the room is lower…or have I been radiating so much heat that I didn’t notice?” Kagiso wondered as he scrolled through the long list of holographic monitors before him. The Black Dragon swiped, poke and prodded the morning away. He received a notification and smiled.
*
Kagiso bolted towards the finish line, like a cheetah, while Raymond barreled to the end of the track like a lizard. The two brothers squinted, before their limbs became blurs. The Three Horned Wyrm stretched his neck, and the Black Dragon reached out to the finish line. The path contracted, and a few trainees gasped and cheered. The rest frowned, stood up and turned around to see.
Raymond let out a mighty roar, and Kagiso sucked his teeth. Duke chuckled, before he heard an even louder cheer. The Three Horned Wyrm turned around and another newborn Dragon, with an elongated body, spiraled towards the finish line. The Azure Wyrm tunneled down the track at incredible speeds. He twisted, grabbed the air and pulled himself across the finish line. Gloria cheered the loudest and her sisters giggled.
*
“Are you done yet?” Domanique asked impatiently. She resembled a Minotaur with two unequally sized horns. The muscular Dragon folded her arms impatiently. “No, I am still deciphering the text. These scrolls are confusing.” Duke rumbled, and she laughed at his frustration. “Oh, I know.” Domanique replied and the four-armed Dragon sighed. She crossed her legs, closed her orange eyes and meditated twenty metres above the stone tiles. Duke’s eyes darted from left to right as he and his Astral bodies compared the specifications, for the technologies on the monitors, to the blueprints in his mind palace.
Not too far away, on a balcony overlooking beautiful gardens, was a tall stone tower with balconies facing every direction. The tower contained a seemingly endless number of aisles, and an equally endless number of shelves. On them were scrolls, books, data disks, hard and holo-drives that contained everything the Dragons had learned. The studious newborns gathered at the Library of Truth, after their morning exercise, to study and prepare for the final exams.
“You still haven’t found it?” the Azure Dragon asked, and Gloria giggled. “Give up. It does not exist, if it is not here.” She rumbled confidently and Kagiso groaned. “There must be more than speculations and theories on the subject. How can so many be aware of something and know so little about it at the same time?” he rumbled angrily.
“Easy friend. The absence of evidence is not the evidence of absence.” Shen rumbled playfully and the beautiful, feathered Dragon squinted at him. “What are you implying?” She asked curiously. “Indeed, friend. Do share.” The Black Dragon added. “What you call developing, my people know as cultivation. My mother passed on the name Shen to me, as her father passed it on to her. From son to daughter, and then from daughter to son. Old and young. Male and female. Yin and Yang.” Shen rumbled reverently.
“Wait. How would she know you would be reborn as a Wyrm?” Gloria asked, with a hint of disbelief. “My Chi.” The Azure Dragon replied and the other two stared at him. “I beg your pardon?” Kagiso asked with a raised brow. “My Chi. The true source of all strength. I believe you call it Mana or was it, Chakra?” Shen asked, and he stroked the hairs on his chin.
“Your village drinks from the same well. I suppose it would depend on the number of people and the size of the soul.” The Black Dragon deduced, and the Azure Dragon laughed. “Ah, but that is the point. The seed was sown before my time. I am but one of many who will watch it grow.” Shen rumbled proudly and Gloria’s eyes sparkled with joy. The two Dragons saw a long line of Wryms standing side by side. They stretched across the horizon, where a jade light and a golden Dragon rose slowly. Jane flashed before Kagiso’s eyes.
“You know? By law, after their military service, fully matured Dragons can choose their profession, own land and even sire children. I can see us ruling over a territory of our own one day.” The beautiful Golden Eyed Dragon rumbled affectionately. She walked her fingers up the Azure Dragon’s neck, and he blushed. Shen turned to face his beloved. The clouds parted and a ray of light shone down on the couple on the balcony. “Aye. I would love nothing more.” he rumbled sincerely, and the Black Dragon cleared his throat. “I’ll just excuse myself.” He muttered and vanished quickly.
*
“Shen’s lineage is interesting, to say the least. I suppose his union to Gloria would protect his territories from any threats, while they grow slowly. I would hate to think that they are just using each other. Their affection seems sincere. However, it is strange how some things have turned out. Have you been whispering in our ears from the shadows? Is that how Jane knew what she did? No, from what I have heard and learned: everyone discovers their own truth. That is why they believe it so vehemently.” Kagiso pondered as he wandered into the cafeteria and ate mindlessly.
“Raymond warned me of the dangers of foresight. Yes, my brother has discovered a new truth and freed himself of doubt, while I have learned a new truth and burdened myself with responsibility.” The Black Dragon thought, and he placed another empty wooden plate on top of the pile.
“What Shen doesn’t realise is that he has lost the ability to choose. If I am correct, then we chose our professions when we chose our paths. I chose to learn each skill, spell and technique currently at my disposal.” Kagiso concluded. He stood up, with a renewed resolve and marched out of the dining hall.
“I slept when it pleased me, not only when I was tired. I trained long after my body told me to stop, and I studied more than most could in a single lifetime. My choices led me here and so I must follow through. But how does one go about becoming the Dragon King?” The Black Dragon wondered, and he stopped outside of the tower doors.
“And I’m back here again. Clearly there is something I must learn here, but what and how? How do I learn the answer to a question no one has ever asked?” Kagiso muttered, and Jane flashed before his eyes again. The Black Dragon’s purple eye stung, and he shut it quickly. “I know she knew the answer. She learned to hide it over time, but she spoke of that ambitious goal often when we were children. A fairy tale. A child’s dream. My reality. A child.” The Black Dragon thought, and he remembered what Gloria had said earlier.
“Luck? Or faith? Did she stumble on this truth, or did she seek it out? Does it matter? Yes, it does. If she knew then…Clyde could as well. A world with three Kings? He was there. Kenpachi will know how Jane fell. I did not feel her presence in that maelstrom Clyde calls a soul, but I must confirm it first.” Kagiso thought. He wondered the aisles for hours and followed the traces of the enraged energy signature.
“You have not left to eat yet, have you? Mei would scold you if I told her.” The Black Dragon rumbled coyly, and the slack-jawed Dragon glared at him. “I’m not lying. She would. She fears you will push everyone away. I am afraid you will focus on the past-”“-excuse me, your majesty., but I do not care for your fears. As for Mei, I appreciate her concern. I will speak to her later. She should focus entirely on her own efforts.” Kenpachi rumbled with a mixture of gratitude and apathy.
“What about you? Should you not be able to focus on yours?” Kagiso rumbled angrily and the slack-jawed Dragon slammed the book shut. He furrowed his brow and his eyes glowed red. “I do. Every second of every waking hour.” Kenpachi rumbled malevolently. “And then what? Will you spend a lifetime stewing in an ocean of rage? What will you do afterwards? Who will you fight after you have avenged your family?” The Black Dragon rumbled warily.
“My King’s enemies. I will cut down anything He places in my path. Do you believe in Karma, your majesty?” the slack-jawed Dragon rumbled regretfully, before he turned around and spoke quietly. “In a way. I believe actions have consequences.” Kagiso rumbled humbly.
“Good. Who can we be honest with, if we cannot be ones with ourselves? I too believe Clyde’s betrayal is a consequence of our actions. As well as anything the Universe decides to do with our families. Oh, you looked shocked. Aye, your majesty. The Dragons of the Emerald Isles did not all perish. There are reports that the fiends hauled some of them away.” Kenpachi rumbled without breaking eye contact. An eerie silence enveloped the two, and the lamp lights grew dimmer.
“You are going to spend the rest of your life searching for your family. Please do not forget to see the family you meet on your journey.” The Black Dragon rumbled, and a single tear rolled down his right cheek. His purple eye glowed and a glimmer of hope appeared in the slack-jawed Dragon’s emotionless eyes.
“If you have seen anything…Please, tell me.” Kenpachi rumbled desperately and Kagiso’s heart nearly sank into his stomach. “Don’t.” He thought, but the words escaped his lips. The slack-jawed Dragon’s eyes bulged. He looked down, nodded and thought hard. “What do you need to know? Everyone that comes here is in search of something. You carried the knowledge I needed, not these books or scrolls.” Kenpachi rumbled with a steely glare.
“I need to know how Jane died. Were her cells consumed?” Kagiso rumbled and the slack-jawed Dragon felt his fear. “Hm, perhaps I should care about your fears. They are our people’s fears now, my apologies.” Kenachi rumbled humbly and the Black Dragon smiled at his shame. “I am just one Dragon. I do not know if I deserve that much consideration yet.” He rumbled sincerely and the slack-jawed Dragon nodded.
“Then you are already on your way to earning it. Jane took her own life. It was in a single moment. However, she spent her body, her hearth and her entire soul in an attempt to destroy the enemy.” Kenpachi rumbled, and Kagiso felt how much he respected her. “What is it? You seem even more puzzled than before.” The slack-jawed Dragon rumbled curiously.
“I suppose she is no longer here to tell her truth. Jane dreamed of becoming the Dragon King.” The Black Dragon whispered proudly and Kenpachi smiled. “I know, and now you are wondering if her fate was a result of her Karma.” He deduced, and Kagiso shook his head. “No. Joining the enemy would have been the easiest way to achieve her goals. However, Jane chose death. I am wondering if her last act was patriotic or defiant? She forged her own path. To have another steal her crown…” the Black Dragon thought out loud.
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
“Hmm. No half measures. An excellent Dragon through and through. The world was robbed. So, you believe she had shaped her own destiny? A life beyond the consequences of your actions, and one where you suffer the consequences of others. The realm of monarchs.” The slack-jawed Dragon rumbled reverently.
“Perhaps that is why Clyde and Riekes left us. They believed their ambitions were kingly.” Kenpachi added. “No offence, I understand Riekes holding such ambitions, but why would Clyde?” Kagiso asked and the slack-jawed Dragon gave it some thought, before he answered. “I suppose with the elders gone; it is my secret to keep or to share now. Coincidence, your majesty?” Kenpachi asked suspiciously.
“Karma, a meeting of two paths. Whether they meet up again is a matter of choice.” The Black Dragon replied, and the slack-jawed Dragon scoffed. “The Emerald Isles are magical lands and seas teeming with all sorts of life. Fauna and flora that required Ki to hunt or cultivate. Frigid forests and dense jungles with insects the size of your head. That is where we found Clyde. A pale child on the brink of death. And my father sired him without a mother.” He said, and Kagiso’s eyes bulged.
“Aye, a Blood Pact. And like that, my brother was born with the knowledge of everything he was and wasn’t. Born with the burden of reaching the peak of a mountain, he had no way of climbing on his own.” Kenpachi added, and the Black Dragon thought long and hard. “Could he have known about his rebirth? Could he have learned of his egg at any point in time?” he asked, and the slack-jawed Dragon lowered his head.
“Learned? The Dragons of my clan are born with an awareness of its existence. To build a thirst for power when we are young, and a deep sense of pride when we finally obtain it. I know now the rage he felt. The despair after every obstacle. They must have seemed like evidence of his inevitable failure, but that does not excuse what he did.” Kenpachi replied, and the ocean of rage foamed and frothed.
“It does not excuse it, but it explains it. It is also the second time, today, that I have learned about the strange practises off-world. I am both shocked and impressed. Slow and agonising sacrifices and conflicts that spur evolution in place of structured programmes to maximise every individual’s potential. Survival of the fittest. Did our choices lead to the Ascension Trials?” the Black Dragon rumbled, and his sympathy irritated the slack-jawed Dragon.
“What you speak of is complacency and stagnation. Shackles and chains in the form of knowledge and power. Would you have every Dragon suckle from the same teat? Share the same secrets? Wear the same scales and think the same way. What of the ever-growing number of mortal species that live in their territories?” Kenpachi rumbled angrily.
“They have surprised us once before; they may do so again. Look around you. Have you noticed them wandering around, or have you grown too tall? I would treat them equally. Grant them the same freedoms and responsibilities that we have. I would share all truths with them, so that, like the traitors, they may discover whether they have the Traits to govern entire territories.” Kagiso rumbled hopefully and a smile crept across his face.
“You would halt the entire expansion effort? Uproot your kind and replace them with humans, dwarves and elves?” the slack-jawed Dragon rumbled with a hint of disgust. “No, I will have us raise entire nations and crown our own monarchs.” The Black Dragon rumbled confidently, and he stared deeply into Kenpachi’s eyes.
“The Kings and Queens of Kings and Queens? I remember an arrogant fool of a mortal who sat on such a seat. A seat you mangled around their corpse and trod all over, if I am not mistaken. What you speak of is Godhood and worship.” The slack-jawed Dragon rumbled. Kagiso felt his fear and looked down at the book in his hands. The text on the ivory cover was barely visible. “Deities and Divinity. An introductory…” he read quickly. “Why not?” the Black Dragon muttered, before he knew it.
“Have you lost your mind?” Kenpachi whispered angrily. “No. What have we been doing, if not laying the foundation for such a reality? We could govern entire galaxies, or more, with Their nigh limitless energy and our ways. Our eyes would reach every corner of The Universe and our influence would shape Its future forever.” the Black Dragon rumbled, and a few voices gasped, whistled, scoffed or laughed hysterically.
Kagiso turned around quickly, when he felt dozens of eyes on him. The Black Dragon looked around and noticed the enthralled, shocked, disgusted and hopeful expressions. The newborns in the library had gathered, along with a few of the librarians nearby, when they heard and felt the heated debate.
*
Kagiso tossed and turned on his bed. He grimaced, thought back to the incident in the library, and pulled the covers over his head. The Black Dragon turned onto his back and stared at the ceiling.
“Why do I open my mouth and say the things that I do?” Kagiso whispered to himself, and a little girl giggled. The Black Dragon sat up and scanned the dimly lit stone dorm room. The night and thermal vision monitors expanded instantly and stretched across his field of view. He alternated between the two and scanned the room quickly. Kagiso frowned and closed his eyes. He activated his sonar with a thought, but all he saw were the sound waves created by his own heartbeat. “Perhaps you are Gods.” The Black Dragon wondered out loud. He opened his eyes and an old woman emerged from a shadow in the corner.
“I assure you I-”“-by The Universe!” Kagiso exclaimed, before he vanished. “-am no such thing.” Grace said, before she covered her mouth and giggled. The five hundred metre tall Black Dragon reappeared quickly. “You are no mere mortal, either.” He added, and the old woman smiled. “And yet, I am often as helpless as one.” Grace replied with a hint of sadness.
“Who are you?” Kagiso asked carefully. “I am…well, it doesn’t matter what my name is. The only thing that matters is that I am Her father, and that She is my daughter. Puzzled? I know. Genetics are strange and interspecies relations are even stranger.” Grace rumbled, before she laughed at the Black Dragon’s expression. A voice whispered angrily, and the old woman rolled her eyes. “Fine. I just wanted to say goodbye. We would never have met otherwise, nor shall we meet again. Remember to sing to her when she cries.” Grace rumbled lovingly, before she returned to the shadows.
Suddenly, a deep darkness engulfed the room. A cold shiver ran down Kagiso’s spine. He closed his eyes and was greeted by a familiar all-encompassing light, and the dark silhouette at its centre. The Black Dragon’s worries washed away, and he opened his mouth to speak.
“She knows better than to meddle in my affairs. What did she tell you?” the child asked angrily, and she approached steadily. “She said she was your father, genetics are strange, goodbye, and remember to sing to her.” Kagiso replied honestly and the incessant humming stopped. The little girl stepped forward, and the room wobbled. The Black Dragon opened his eyes and scanned his surroundings. He chuckled at the darkness of space and the colossal planet under his bed.
“Parents am I right?” the little girl said jokingly, and Kagiso closed his eyes. A towering presence lit up the darkness and the powerful energy signature emitted a rainbow of colours. The colours painted a mosaic of a titanic Dragon covered in pink flowers. The flowers wilted and the stained-glass painting shattered. The pieces rose and pieced themselves back together. However, the painting had changed. Blood-red flowers bloomed, and the Dragon writhed in agony.
“Fabtastic! You are learning to see. What is perception? What is reality? Am I a child? Or am I a Dragon? Do you know why it is called the Library of Truth? Do you know why we revere the stars and The Universe? Am I boring you with these questions? How can you see the future when you are blind to the past?” the child rumbled, and her voice rattled the Black Dragon’s bones. He let go and his consciousness slipped out of his body. Kagiso let the girl’s voice guide him through the passages, out of the dormitories, down the paths through the forest and to the entrance of the Library of Truth.
“Protect The Universe and It will shelter you. Learn from The Universe and It will teach you. Revere The Universe and It will bless you. These are obvious truths that even beasts understand.” The little girl said, before her voice became a whisper. The Black Dragon snapped out of the trance and inhaled sharply. He looked around frantically, but there was nobody around him. Kagiso’s back bulged, before he spread his wings and took off. The Black Dragon’s eyes glowed, and he scanned the library.
“Where in The Universe am I?” Kagiso asked out loud. He hovered over the shelves and drifted towards the north. A pale blue glow emanated from the lampposts, and the writing on the spines became too difficult to read. Suddenly, shadows emerged from beneath the shelves and darted across the aisles. “I would say there isn’t a soul in sight, but I don’t think I’m alone.” The Black Dragon thought. He flapped his wings and secreted a wispy sphere of Mana and light from his body. The inter-dimensional pulse washed over everything. The light scattered the shadows and silenced the whispering.
“I don’t even know what I am searching for. Ugh! The wicked do not sleep and weary lies the head that wears the crown.” Kagiso rumbled with a mixture of boredom and frustration, before he folded his wings and dove headfirst towards the ground. The Black Dragon raised his head and shoulders, spread his wings and pulled up. He vanished, slowed down and appeared in front of a shelf with his wings closed.
*
“Have you seen your brother?” Mei asked and Duke blocked Domanique’s head kick. “No, not for a few…days!” The four-armed Dragon replied with a grunt, and he threw a powerful right hook a few split seconds after he had spoken to throw his opponent off. The Minotaur Dragon narrowly dodged the violent swing and hopped fifty metres back. “I saw him circling the skies over distant shelves…earlier!” Domanique replied, with a well-timed grunt of her own. She swung her hips clockwise, crouched and swept Duke’s feet with her muscular tail. He flipped over backwards and landed gracefully on his toes.
“He was at the library again? That’s every day now.” The Penguin Dragon said, and she twiddled her thumbs nervously. “I wonder if he’s okay.” Mei muttered. She spread her wings, stretched out her right hand, grabbed something and vanished. The Penguin Dragon appeared above the library. She retracted her wings, plummeted and vanished. Mei appeared near the doors and waddled inside. She brought up a map and two golden Dragon eyes materialised above her shoulders. The Dragon bone plated bones spread pairs of bright white wings, before they blinked and looked around.
“Find him.” The Penguin Dragon instructed, and the Eye Drones vanished. She waddled over to a metal bench and sat down. Her limbs were shorter than most Dragons’ and her stature was the least intimidating to date. Many passing by swooned, stared and blushed at her. Mei hummed and fiddled with the hundreds of monitors spread out before her. She kicked her legs and watched as the light blue screens multiplied by the second. A drone picked up the Black Dragon’s trail, and the Penguin Dragon tugged at the golden thread it had left behind.
“Recall or Teleport. Teleport please. I need to learn how to activate these mentally. Then again, that would only be if I let my opponents get too close. I should make Leech and Detonate the other two functions. Whoops. My inventory is full.” Mei realised as she rummaged inside her satchel. A monitor with six boxes popped up in front of her and she scratched her chin.
“Hmm. I’ll make a few more drones, halt production, and carry the rest with me. Ninety-nine of everything, but these three. Stasis and Devour. Burrow and Detonate. Burrow and Leech. Hmmm. I’ll play the rest by ear.” The Penguin Dragon thought, and a sinister giggle escaped her lips. A cold shiver ran down Kagiso’s spine, and he spun around quickly.
“Oh, I thought you were someone else.” The Black Dragon muttered, and Mei tilted her head to the side. “What’s wrong? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” She asked, and he laughed uncontrollably. “See? Now I know She’s toying with me. Have you ever met the Master of this island?” Kagiso rumbled, and the Penguin Dragon giggled at his irritation and frustration.
“Small girl, incredibly powerful. Likes riddles and impossible tasks.” Mei rumbled proudly. “Ah! Then you know my suffering very well. Have you ever heard, seen, smelled, touched or tasted anything on The Universe’s origins, nature, constitution…if that is even what I am supposed to be looking for.” The Black Dragon tried to explain, before he gave up halfway.
“Well, where have you searched for this something?” the Penguin Dragon asked curiously. “Everywhere, Mei. Everywhere. My eyes can reach every corner of this library and yet I do not see what I am looking for. Or anything relating to the topic.” Kagiso rumbled, and his frustration turned to apathy. He waved his left hand, and a map popped up before Mei.
“Hmm? You weren’t lying. Many barely discover anything in the time they spend here.” The Penguin Dragon rumbled, and the Black Dragon laughed at her. “If a map impresses you that much, then you may have it. You’re so strange.” He said, and his frustration melted away. Mei pouted and scowled. “Says the one who learned everything and nothing. Who searches for something they do not know? How would you recognise it if you saw it?” she rumbled angrily, and Kagiso raised a single brow.
“What?” The Black Dragon asked. “Exactly, you’re the strange one.” The Penguin Dragon added, and he laughed. “No, time. I have not discovered anything in the time I have been here. Am I supposed to learn what others have? Is that even possible?” Kagiso wondered, and Mei barely gave it any thought.
“Of course. There are many ways to learn. Some species pass their knowledge down through languages and speech, others through practises and actions. Others share what they know through their genetics. Evolution is the birth rite of all The Universe’s creations.” The Penguin Dragon rumbled reverently, and she spread her arms. The Black Dragon saw young animals learning to hunt, elven children being scolded and praised by their parents. Flowers grew thorns and stars became black holes. He blinked and smiled at the starry sky above their heads. It turned a dark shade of purple and stars faded one after the other.
“It’s almost morning. Have we been here all night?” Mei rumbled in disbelief. “I will catch up with you later. I know what I need to do.” Kagiso rumbled confidently. “By The Universe. We’ll be late for the final exams.” She stressed and her drones rushed towards the entrance. “It’s alright. I have all the time in the world.” The Black Dragon rumbled ominously. The Penguin Dragon looked up, and he had disappeared mysteriously. She scanned her surroundings and didn’t detect a trace of his energy signature.