… And as his brother lay upon the mountainside, May’uri wept. His great tears, imbued with his ancient powers, fell to the valley below. Crystalized and unbreakable.

Through these tears, humanity received a gift: Magic. Contact with these tears infused the dragons power to them. Granting humanity a power they were never meant to have. Over countless decades this power was sought out. Nations grew under the influence of the Draco Stones—the name given to May’uri’s tears by the First Mages.

This was the origin of magic, and possibly the greatest tragedy in human history.

Vincent slammed shut the book he’d been reading. In all his years, he’d never heard the tale of magic’s origins. And as he sat there—dumbstruck by the supposed origins, the powers of an actual dragon given to humans, he wondered. Are the Draco Stones real?

If he were to believe the tale he just read, there was the possibility that he could unlock his own magical abilities. All he would have to do is find one of these stones. Therein laid the problem. If the stones truly did exist, it was clear by the diminishing number of mages, that the stones had been lost to time.

This would require yet another trip to the library, however, night had already fallen meaning there would be no one to assist him in his search. And with the sheer size of the library, he would need all the help he could get to find what he was after.

Someone quietly knocked on his door.

Visitors were already rare for Vincent, but for someone to arrive at his door in the middle of the night? It must not have been urgent news since whoever had knocked did so as lightly as possible. But there must have been some importance since they came at this hour. Gliding across the room, he cracked the door open. On the other side stood Lea. “What are you doing here?” asked Vincent. Keeping his voice to a whisper.

Instead of answering the question, Lea pushed her way into the room. Remaining silent as she made her way over to his desk. Silently flipping through the book he’d just finished.

“You didn’t come all this way just to see what I was reading, did you?” Vincent accented his question with a raised brow. Letting out a sigh, he walked to her side. “There, you’ve seen it. Now, can you go?”

Lea still remained silent.

Vincent wasn’t used to being the more vocal of the two. Clearly, something was troubling her. Taking a step back, he turned to look toward the floor. “Fine, what’s going on?”

“Insolent child,” Lea spoke. Her voice distorted. As thought three others were speaking at the same time as her. When she turned to face him, her eyes pulsed with magic. Flames burned within the whites of her eyes, her pupils constricted to thin slits. “You have read my story and still, you do not recognize me?”

Vincent was confused. Cocking his head to the side as he narrowed his gaze. His mouth curled as he pondered over the text he had just read through.

“Your kind has been rather ungrateful for the power I bestowed upon them,” Lea laughed. With the additional voices, it almost came out as the sound of grinding stone.

Vincent stumbled back. Nearly tripping on his own feet as he tried to put distance between the two. Slamming into the wall, his eyes grew wide; rushing blood and his pounding heart echoed in his ears.

Lea pulled back into a toothy grin. “So, you recognize me now, good. She closed the space between them. “Do not fret,” the voices reassured him. “No harm has come to this one. I am only borrowing her mind for this moment. For you see, I have a quest for you. One that I trust you will have no qualms with pursuing.” Lea pivoted so her back was turned to Vincent. Walking back toward the desk. Brushing fingers across the pages of the tome. Casually flipping through them as she went on. “The Draco Stones, my tears. As you know, they hold much power. Power I know you desire. I see it in your heart.

“But sadly,” she continued with a laugh, “your mother was unable to pass her spark to you. Leaving you without.”

Vincent swallowed hard. Trying to swallow down the fear he felt. He was speaking to May’uri. One of the Primordial Pure Dragons—the first of their kind, those birthed from the cosmos themselves. A powerful being nearly on the same level as a deity. Even in the borrowed body of Lea, this dragon would be able to kill him without effort. He needed to be careful in how he approached this situation. “Why me?” he finally managed to croak out.

“I have been watching your studies,” the dragon laughed. “The subjects you research, it all is one big cry for help. For power. You desire magic. And it so happens, I am one who can give you what you seek. If you accept my offer, you might even become the most powerful mage to ever walk the earth.”

Vincent could feel sweat beaded down his back. But he could also feel what felt like static dance across his skin. The air crackling with magical energy, radiating off of Lea’s body. Even though she had no power of magic herself, the dragon’s power was temporarily fused with her. What Vincent felt was not even a display of power. This was simply the magic residue that lingered from his possession spell.

If the dragon could effortlessly put out this much power, just how powerful would he be if he tried? Just how powerful could he be if he listened to the dragon?

Thinking back to what he’d read, Vincent recalled accounts of those who struck deals with the dragon. Many of them ended with tragedy. Death, enslavement, the loss of all they loved; there were countless ways a deal with the dragon had become a fate beyond the cost of his favors.

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“What …” Vincent’s throat began to dry. Lips cracked as he continued to speak, the taste of blood in his mouth. “What do you want from me?”

“I want what is mine. I want my tears back.” The request seemed mundane when you listened to it. But clearly it was far from that. “Your kind has taken from me. I will let humanity keep their pathetic imitation of my power. But the source, my tears, I wish to return to me.”

“The Draco Stones,” Vincent spoke. Flinching as he watched Lea’s eyes narrow. “Your tears, how can I return them to you? They have been lost for centuries now. Forgotten, as no one has ever spoken of them. I can’t return something I can’t find.”

“Finding them will be an easy task for you,” the dragon spoke. “I will provide you with the means to locate them. Since they are a part of me, they are never lost to me.”

“And you need someone else to retrieve them? Why?”

“Your kind has assured that I can never touch them. Fearful of what would happen to them. Afraid they would lose their gifts.” There was venom in the way he spat the final word. Despite his promise to allow humanity to keep the ability to use magic, it was clear the idea of anyone but the dragons using magic sickened the entity. “In exchange for reuniting me with the lost parts of my soul, I shall grant you the ability to wield true magic. Though I shall only give you a spark as strong as any others of your kind. Only advancing and evolving your understanding and power after you have retrieved each tear. Five in total.”

It would be a lie if Vincent told himself he was not tempted by the dragon’s offer. But his mind continued to linger back to the telling of others’ deals with May’uri. It was a great risk to try and trust the dragon. One he was not sure he could justify. Even if the dragon was right in his desire for magic.

Mother, he silently prayed to himself, what am I to do?

Lea, puppeted by the dragon, went to leave the room. “One day. You must make your choice by then.”

As Vincent closed the door to his room, his legs gave out and he collapsed to the floor. Relieved to have gotten out of the situation unscathed. However, he knew he was far from free of the troubles ahead. With what little time he had to choose, he couldn’t just sit around as he originally intended.

Sunlight poured into the room. Stirring the young boy from his sleep. After the excitement from the night before, Vincent had fallen asleep where he had landed. Everything that had happened felt like little more than a dream. The missing tome from his desk reminded him it was all real. How had he missed the dragon taking away the tome?

What am I to do? He let the question dance around in his mind. Certain that he truly didn’t have a choice to begin with. If he refused the dragon, chances were, his life would be forfeited as a result. And even refusing May’uri would do little. If Vincent didn’t play into the dragon’s scheme, he would just find another, more willing pawn. He might even force me to be a willing pawn.

Opening his door, Vincent was startled by Iris standing beyond the threshold. Arm raised and ready to knock. Had she been paying even the slightest least bit of attention, she would have began pounding on his chest.

“Great timing,” proclaimed Iris. “Come quick, there’s been an incident.” Before Vincent had a chance to respond, Iris took off.

He followed her through the monastery, passed the courtyard, and into the library. Where they found Lea huddled up in a corner. Tears streaming down her face. Off to the side were countless volumes and scrolls. Scorched beyond repair or recognition.

Many of the acolytes and teachers had abandoned their classes to come check on the commotion. Some were still helping to clean up the mess left by the fire. More and more books being brought to the pile.

In one load of ashen pages, Vincent thought he recognized an illustration. If his eyes were correct, it was from a book on the Arcalius Magistrate. One of the first volumes he had read after being welcomed in with open arms.

“What happened here?” Vincent asked.

Iris shook her head. “We’re not entirely sure. Lea showed up this morning to find many of the books destroyed. We can only assume someone snuck in overnight. Maybe they lost control of a fire spell. Or the books were destroyed on purpose; no one really knows.”

Vincent looked to Lea. He’d always liked her. In his time at the monastery, she had treated him well. Been a friendly face who—unlike Iris—had kept a good distance from him. Not trying to force a closer bond than they had naturally formed with one another. There she sat now, broken. Had the dragon done this because he never answered to accepting the deal? Using Lea to get to him? Destroying knowledge as to remove anything that might tether him to this location, when the dragon needed him to venture into the world?

It was Keep Ankaa once more. A home he loved being stripped away from him. If it was the dragon who did this.

Abbot Xander was the last person to arrive on the scene. Usual kind face distorted by rage. “What is the meaning of this? Whoever is responsible for this act of vandalism needs to step forth and admit their wrongdoings, now!”

None of the students or instructors said a word.

“This is unacceptable,” barked the Abbot. “Hundreds of years, gone! These volumes cannot be replicated or bought. Generations of our Order will have to go without. And I demand the culprit show themselves.” When he still received no answer, he turned to more drastic measures.

Using the ashes of the books, Xander began to write arcane runes upon the floor. Placing them around the edges of a triangle encircled by what looked to be a snake biting its own tail. With the utterance of ancient words, the outline began to illuminate itself with a blue-yellow glow. “We’ll have to ask you all individually if this is your doing. When I call you over, step into the circle. It will weed out the liar.”

And so, one by one the Abbot summoned the residents before him. And one by one, they all failed to come out as guilty. Until he called upon Lea.

“Did you destroy the tomes within our halls?” Xander asked. His voice tired from repeating this phrase a couple dozen times before.

“Of course not,” Lea replied, her voice filled with hurt. As the answer left her throat, the light from the Abbot’s spell turned an eerie green. Her voice broke out into hysterics. “What? No. No! You know I would never! This monastery, this library is my home. Please, there must be some mistake.”

“I’m sorry,” Xander regretfully replied. “The spell does not lie. You indeed were the one to—”

“She wasn’t,” Vincent spoke up. All eyes fell on him. He ignored the crowd. Keeping his focus on the Abbot. “She didn’t do it. But I might know who did. If you’ll allow me to speak with you in private, Abbot Xander, I will tell you all I know.”

“It’s nice you want to protect your friend,” Xander spoke softly. “But I’m afraid what is done, is done. And miss Lea is sadly to blame. All that’s left now is her punishment. And for this offense, it can only be exile I’m afraid. She’ll have to leave our hallowed halls, never to return.”

Lea had already been crying, but those words caused her emotions to explode out. It was a wonder anyone could retain that much water in their eyes alone.

Vincent stood frozen in shock. He wanted to do something, but the Abbot seemed unwilling to listen. “May’uri,” he blurted out before he could think. “The one who destroyed the books, May’uri. A dragon, he was controlling her. Please, you have to—”

All eyes fell on Vincent. From the kindly Abbot, to Iris, even to Lea. They all stared at him. All alight with the same flames he’d seen the night before.

Hope fell from his heart. “I’ll accept your request.”