Their timepiece had shown a long time had passed since they left Cora. When they woke up to see outside of the transparent torus, they rejoiced by the success of their space expedition. The boughs of the first tree were weighed with flowers. As far as you can see, it's green and they felt the magic was calling them. They hugged and kissed their loved ones and celebrated their survival.

They roamed on their new home called Earth, relishing the warmth of the star. They found that, just as they predictied, the magically enriched water and soil had been distributed throughout this young world. But, that's not all, Earth's own native life has been enriched with magic, creating many intelligent life forms.

Both Quazi and Zenai agreed that Earth inhabitants must have their world to rule and shape, as they are the original occupants. So, they decided to create a city, Anyar, for them, by separating the earthly plane from their city. However, they loved earthly creatures like their own children, as it was their lifeblood, their magic gave birth to them. Therefore, the gate of the Anyar was always kept open.

They wandered through Earth, occasionally meeting earthly races teaching their crafts, and language, and looking from far away as they navigated through life. Then, there were some Quazi and Zenai, who lost their loved ones in the disaster in Cora, fell in love with a certain earthly race called humans, and decided to create families with them. They passed their magical abilities, except the animal forms, to their children, thus creating a very powerful magical race that surpassed every other creature on Earth.

However, the elders in the Corish Quazi and Zenai community told youngsters that it's all the better for the new human race to keep in the dark about very dangerous and advanced magical practices. Mainly, because they felt the new race is very competitive and may seek forbidden knowledge without caring about consequences.

The memory of one of their own accidentally killing their word was still fresh in everyone's mind. Therefore, others kept their distance yet didn't interfere with the lives of their kin and progeny, as they thrived, but insisted on the value of keeping the peace among all creatures.

However, unknown to their happiness, evil was brewing in the new world. The evil that had followed them. It started small.

The young black dragons who lived in earthly plane outside of Anyar, were displaying aggressiveness towards their peers and had trouble controlling their fire-breathing skills. Soon, some of them had gone rogue and had destroyed human settlements. The black dragons who completely lost their humanity weakened the magical bond between the Quazi and Zenai, making Quazians too, magically weaker.

They couldn't understand where or how the dark shadows were emerging. In desperation to save their races and Earth, they looked deep into the matter. Their discoveries were nothing short of shocking. The shadows growing in the darker side of Cora must have latched onto one or more black dragons who fought in the front line and had come to Earth. Black dragons being the creatures who breathe purified fire were immune to the effect of dark shadows, but the humans were the perfect hosts for the shadows to influence.

Then how were the black dragons corrupted? The question soon answered that a group of humans had been practicing dark arts near the black dragon settlements in the Southern mountains. The dark magic seeped into the soil poisoning the bleeding heart flowers. It seemed that ingested dark magic had caused them to be violent, and eventually lose the ability to shift.

When they found the reason was the tainted bleeding heart flowers, the remaining Zenai were brought back to Anyar and cleansed. But, the dark magic that tainted Earth was affecting the First tree, the source that kept the magic alive.

They were deeply disturbed by these revelations and determined to remove the shadows from Earth. Yet, upon the destruction caused by rogue black dragons, humans had turned against them, slaughtered every one of the remaining Zenai in the Southern settlements, and turned against the other creatures. The more bloodshed only will fuel the shadow's intentions.

Stravros is a young Zenai who was born into the third Corish generation, the last generation to see their ancestors before they passed away. His family highly respected the old ways. When he was just around 50 years old, the great rift, a natural disaster that was the largest of its kind, happened in the Cullinan highlands, injuring a few of Quazi inhabitants including one of his family friend's mates. Due to the injuries, she chose to pass away young.

Losing his mother was hard for her son, Esrion, who happened to be just a bit younger than Stravros. Having to share the loss of family and kin, they became best friends. Both of them were very powerful, had a thirst for knowledge, and became the leading researchers in runic science, in the Red Star Research Institute. They also received much praise for their work on pocket dimension creation in magically enhanced spaces.

Even though they liked the idea of easy space travel, they were highly opposed to Felix's portal creation, as they, along with their families, believed that the boundary around them shouldn't be disrupted. This created some turbulence between Stravros and his mate, lovely Nexus, who's an assistant senior researcher in the F team. Nexus called him a traditionalist, many others called the opposite side the same. However, it was only for a little while, until the voting favored the F team.

When, the disaster happened and fear engulfed Cora, Esrion's and Stravros's aging family members decided to pass away, and many third generation also followed, as they could not think of life out of Cora. Stravros was devastated by his mate's loss due to the accident, yet he couldn't think of passing away when his adolescent daughter asked him pleadingly if there was any way to find a new home. Even though Esrion would have preferred to follow his father into the afterlife, he'd never leave his friend, who's like his brother, behind. Finally, Stravros and Esrion decided that, they would leave Cora for a new home, and became the pioneers of creating the Biopod.

Being two of the oldest, yet most powerful members in their society, their opinion was highly regarded. Therefore, when they suggested a need to separate Anyar and be connected only by a doorway, everyone readily accepted the idea. Young Neina, Stravros's daughter decided to live outside and eventually started a new family with a human. The life on Earth was wonderful for two old friends.

When young Zenai, including young Neina, succumbed to dark magic, they were sad and felt angry by not thinking of the possibility of shadows attached to them. Most of their people haven't lived a long life in Cora, and their magic was closely intertwined with the First tree, and its withering left them weaker. They rescued young Neina who was hurt badly and was almost killed by her own family. They couldn't leave their people to die.

They decided to create a pocket dimension to imprison the shadows, and seal the doorway. The remaining Quazi and Zenai should go to cold sleep, as it will take a long time to naturally cleanse the land, and the tree will recover with time. Yet, the problem couldn't be solved that easily.

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Contrary to what many people think, that your magic doesn't cost you anything, it always does. Healing magic does cost you empathy and kindness. The battle magic will take your courage and anger as a price. Dark magic is going to cost you, your goodness in heart. Protective magic costs you a part of yourself, that's what you're willing to sacrifice to protect yourself or someone you love.

Neina begged her father to let her, as they were the reason that disturbed the peace, to let her close the portal. Many young people volunteered. Esrion and Stravros both thought young people must stay, they are all either fourth generation like Neina, who was young when they left Cora, or later generations who were born on Earth. Esrion argued that he was alone and that he could do that. Stravros scolded him saying he's been in the family for over 1000 years, and absolutely not alone.

Although, a lot of humans hated their kind, there were still older humans who knew the truth of their origin. In one of the oldest human dwellings in the Southern province, they had a friend, a wise old woman. Even Though, considering they are much older than humans, it was kind of a cultural habit, you talk about your decisions with someone whom you regard as wise. Also, she's similar to whom the Corish people called "oracle", a person who can glimpse into the past and future.

"Greetings Sri Devi Amma, thank you for receiving us." Esrion and Stravros sat on the ground in front of her.

"Greetings my lords." She took their hands in her old wrinkled hands.

"Sri Devi Amma, we discovered what happened to our kin, the darkness had come a long way." Stravros unburdened their findings to her.

"I am determined to remain behind, our people need the guidance of Stravros. Please, Sri Devi Amma, convince my friend to give up." Esrion said in a pleading tone.

She closed her eyes, took their hands in hers, and let their magic flow through her. Some old memories of their lives and unknown faces and images flashed through their minds. After a long silence, she opened her eyes, and they were filled with tears.

She took a vellum and wrote something in a trembling hand, as her tears dropped on the letters.

"My lords, you must excuse the old woman, for the tears. I can not decipher what I see, yet my heart will feel the pain of the wounds from the past and future alike.” She took the tightly rolled vellum and gave it to them.

"I can only say that your people are blessed to have you, but they will learn to lead their own, as your paths will lead you away. You may or may not understand what the magic is telling you through my words. But, there's always hope. Good day to you, my lords, I am honored to serve you." Esrion and Stravros bent over the vellum trying to understand what it said. Esrion scoffed and stood up.

"Brother, this is madness, why should we both stay behind? And why should we take the key, give me one reason to let Anyar be opened again to humans." Stravros sighed. He had enough arguments before this and it's only going to intensify.

"Ezra, look, what did you see when Sri Devi Amma took your hand? I saw myself outside of the door, I felt the years of weariness like I lived thousands of years."

Esrion turned to his brother. He gulped.

"A family, I saw a family, only one clear face, a beautiful girl, I felt immense sorrow, and..and proud." he looked away.

"Like a father." he whispered.

Stravros put a hand on his friend and adopted brother's shoulder.

"Hope for the love and salvation." He quoted Sri Devi Amma's words.

"It has to be us, we brought magic to this world, and we are to protect it, for our born and unborn children" Stravros tore the velum in half.

"What the..brother, we can copy it in two!" Esrion gasped.

"We take half each, we close the doors and take the half of the key each, and guard." Stavros made his statement in 'no argument' tone, and after years of being friends, Esrion knew nothing could change Stavros's mind.

They created the pocket shadow dimension, with a doorway, the exact opposite of the gate to Anyar because the shadows grew from the darkness in Cora. The fallen great city, Nerynth, where their corrupted kin were slain, where the lifeblood of the Corish people spilled, brutally and ruthlessly, was chosen to install the doorway.

They designed a summoning ritual for the shadows and planned to force them into the shadow dimension. A few of their people, who still held onto their power even in the weakened state, accompanied Esrion and Stravros.

Planning was easy, but the deed was not. Even the best planning could go wrong.

They started the summoning ritual, on a deserted island nearby, as the whole area was destroyed with malice, it was easy to attract shadows. They smelled death and heard screams of war, and the shadows came, a roaring black tornado made up of smoke and it broke into pieces. Then, there were shadows no more.

Stravros saw his mate, lovely Nexus, she giggled. She used to do that when he kissed her and told her how much he loved her. Esrion saw his mother, his young mother smiled and extended her hand.

No, this is an illusion. With extreme difficulty, he summoned a fire ring. At the same time, he saw Esrion break from their illusion, and yell at others, breaking the trans state.

"It's not true, don't let them escape" he made a rising wall of ice around the ring of cleansing fire.

They urged shadows to the open gate. Faces of shadow figures contorted in various emotions, some screamed, and some maniacally laughed. The figures of their loved ones shifted back and forth to different personas, pleading to come with them or yelling in anger. But, Stravros and Esrion didn't waver their concentration and they shrank the ring, little by little, forcing them to the doorway.

Then one of theirs fell to the sword of the other. The killer had a blank face for a moment and realized what he had done, and he screamed in anguish.

"Esther, get hold of yourself." Stavros yelled.

Then another fell.

They were close to the end, the ring was circling the doorway, and the screeching shadows were sucked into it.

"Nooo, Rani, no,"

Esrion's loud cry was the only warning, Stravros felt a piercing pain and saw that an ice spike had embedded just above his heart. Esrion managed to break her stance, but not before the spike hit him. Stravros didn't care as he held his fire with determination. The last shadow figure was forced in and they closed the doorway.

They were all exhausted by the strain. Esrion came running to Stravros. The ice spike melted, but the dark magic is already poisoning him as the dark tendrils spread outwards from the wound. Stravros felt the rage within him. Dark magic is affecting him faster in his weakened state.

"Brother, no, let me heal you." Esrion held him as he sank to his knees.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, I'm sorry," Many of them weeping for the slain by their own hands.

"No, no use. Esrion, it's too close to the heart. If you try healing, you won't have enough strength to close the doorway. Take our people, close it. Come back, I'll try to hold myself sane until you come back. Go now."

Esrion left.

Stravros managed to get himself to one of the abandoned temples, he went deep down into the dungeons, as the Black dragons are strong when earth magic flows around. He also felt the distant sea around him.

His mind was plagued by dreams. They were good dreams, with sweet words, offering comfort. Some were telling him that, why Esrion should have a part of the key, he is unreliable and too sensitive, but you're strong. He understood how people were corrupted. Burning dark magic lessened the effects, but not completely. Esrion returned.

"The door is closed." he looked haggard.

Stravros took both pieces of vellum and gave them to his brother.

"Let me heal you." Esrion begged.

"No, you should live for some time here, we are away from the First tree and need our magic. You can't be here, I'm fading. Sooner or later, I will give in."

"Esrion," Stravros took a deep breath.

"I'm shifting to black dragon, you must pierce my heart and in one attempt, if my rage took hold of my form I would hurt you."

Esrion look devastated.

"No, brother, please come with me, I can keep you in cold sleep."

Stravros had thought about that. No, it won't work. The longer he remains by his brother's side, there's a chance that dark magic will affect him.

"No, Esrion, you need to find your mate. My corrupttion can affect your magic." Stravros looked at Esrion. He knew, Esrion also had exactly figured out that's the only way.

"You know that, right" he asked.

Esrion didn't answer. He broke the key in half, and took half the vellum and wrapped it tightly.

"Esrion, you should keep the whole. ''

Stravros protested as the broken key dropped onto his hand. Esrion absorbed heat around them and smiled.

"Go to sleep, brother, Good night, see you in the morning."

Stavros shited and curled up in his dragon form. He felt the key close to his heart, a promise of love and hope, and projected the last thought at his brother.

"Good night little brother."