Origins of
the Child of Chaos
You see her
sitting in a shadowed corner. Finally, the Object of your Search is in your
reach. Healer, Destroyer, Child of Chaos, currently going by Eclipse Drekidottir
this Life Turning, a beautiful female of athletic build, long straight hair of
a rich copper colour, skin tanned by the sun, eyes the colour of new green
leaves of spring. There is an air about her even from the distance between you
that speaks of immense power. You approach the female warily, all the many
rumors suddenly running through your mind about this one. How she has Healed
many a deserving and undeserving soul with a touch or a thought. Yet there are
an equal number of stories about her snuffing people out, just gone, not even a
body for survivors to mourn over. Other times leaving them broken of body
and/or mind, unable to even manage basic needs on their own.
You come to a stop at the table as she lifts her gaze up to you. She slowly looks you over from head to toe and back up. Finally done, her eyes meet yours. As you stare into their depths you see sadness, loneliness, despair, mirth, joy, amusement, and a gambit of every emotion known to Humans, but what catches your attention the most is the deep, crushing weariness that over shadows it all. For a brief moment, no longer than the space between two heartbeats, you feel that weariness enshroud you, nearly buckling your knees with the weight of it. With your next heartbeat it is suddenly withdrawn.
Finally, she speaks, her voice low and melodious. “Well. Ye have found me at last.” Her words surprise you, but before you can say anything she continues on. “Yes, I’ve known ye were Searching and Why.” She sighs and looks away. “I cannot Teach ye what ye want. My abilities are not Learned…” Her voice trails off as she waves a hand at a chair in invitation. “Ye might as well sit. Ye’ll not Believe until ye hear the Truth.” She takes a sip from her glass as you settle in. She looks at you once more. “Get comfortable, we’re going to be here awhile.”
At her signal, a woman brings food and drink and sets it before you. As the woman leaves, you look back to Eclipse and see her staring off into space. Starting from the outer corners of her eyes, a black colour starts to creep in, from the inner corners, silver colour emerges. Soon the two colours completely drown out all colour from her eyes, filling them completely, and start swirling chaotically together. Her voice now has a distant, ethereal quality, heavy with Age. “We must travel back through the Mists of Time, to Its Beginnings and then some. Are ye sure yer prepared for such a journey?”
Her head shifts slightly and those weird eyes settle upon you. A chill washes over you, making you suddenly doubt your purpose, your drive and determination that have kept you going until this point. Are you truly prepared to seek the answers you want? Are you really sure what you seek is worth such a journey as she is suggesting? Are the answers you hope for going to actually be favorable, or not, as she says? She gives you ample time to decide as the questions and doubts suddenly race about your head.
After a long time of consideration, in which you apparently ate the meal before you in, you finally look up at her. You realize with a start that her gaze has never left you the whole time. Finally, you nod that you are ready to journey wherever she leads. She gives another sigh that seems to be a mixture of disappointment and curiosity. Before you can even think to ask, she starts to speak.
“Very well.” Her eyes blink at long last, once. When next she speaks, her voice is deep, masculine, rumbly, like what an earthquake would sound like if given a voice. “Let the Journey begin.”
A mist suddenly appears at your feet and swirls around the both of you. It rises rapidly, swirling and twisting until it cocoons you both. You feel a gut wrenching tearing, as if your Spirit is being torn from your mortal coil. You become a bit sick feeling and disoriented for what seems like an eternity. Then it fades and the mists clear.
When you get your equilibrium back, you find yourself looking upon a beautiful vista. Fresh, vibrant, wild, and untamed, you think this must be how the world once looked. Before Humans came along and changed it.
You mote a large form close to you and turn, not to find Eclipse Drekidottir beside you, but a rather large bronze coloured Dragon. You stumble back in shock and fear as the beast turns its massive head down and around to look at you. That same voice you last heard before the mists issues forth. “Relax, Searcher. We stand before the Dawn of Time.” He turns his head back to look over the view. You follow his gaze, wondering what all of this has to do with what you seek.
As you look, you notice forms flying over the treetops. You realize that they are Dragons. You unconsciously move closer to the one next to you and you hear a deep, rumbling chuckle. As you stand there and watch, the vibrant and many hued creatures scatter across the new world hither and yon. Some even pass right by you, close enough to touch, and don’t seem to notice either of you. You look questioningly at the Bronze next to you.
“We are outside of their Reality. Observers only.” You nod in understanding at the short explanation. “Keep watching.” Obediently, you turn your gaze where his now looks.
The next creatures to appear were dark and unsettling. Some were beautiful to behold, while others were so hideous as to make one ill just at the sight of them. You watch as they too scatter across the world. The evil that emanates from them is as heart stopping as the good you’d felt from the Dragons had been breathtaking. You notice after their passing that you were practically cowering against the Bronze. He makes no comment as he directs your gaze to a third location.
Once more you watch as forms start to appear. At first, it seemed as if the very stars came down from the sky to twinkle and flit amongst the trees. As several of your heartbeats go by, you start to distinguish the many and varied Fey Peoples. As you watch more, you note them breaking off in groups and conclaves to settle places of the young world. You notice that unlike the Dragons or Other Creatures, you get no sense of Good or Evil from them.
When you start to look to your Dragon companion, he speaks. “Thus the first races spring into existence. Dragons, Demons, Fey. Good, Evil, Neutral. And the Birth of Time has come and gone.”
The mists appear at your feet again. You shift nervously, remembering how you felt last time. It slowly swirls and engulfs the both of you. Though you do get a bit sick and disoriented, you do not get that tearing sensation this time, nor does it seem to last as long as last time.
When the mists clear like before, you find yourself, and the Bronze, standing in a cave. You look around curiously and see a tilted table with a creature sitting before it. You feel the Evil radiating off it, and conclude that this must be one of the Demons. As you observe the scene, you are aware that the Demon is female.
While she wasn’t hideous, she wasn’t beautiful either… well, maybe in a strangely exotic and evil way she could be, if you’re into that sort. Her skin was as black as onyx and just as smooth as the stone when polished. Her fingers and toes ended in razor sharp claws, the colour of blood. Her wings were wrapped around herself like a cloak, the first claws on each clasped together just below the soft spot of her throat. What you see of her body is shapely, long legs, tapering arms, slender, swan-like neck, small hips, and her chest was neither ample or small. Her face was oval, with high cheekbones, full, lush lips, and almond shaped eyes and solid red like her claws. She had long, flowing, blood red hair as well. It came down to the midpoint of her back. There was only one oddity that broke the beauty of her face though, and that was the blood red horns that grew from her temples and spiraled and curved upward.
She sat there writing and muttering. Occasionally she would curse and wad up the paper and toss it angrily across the room, and start over. Suddenly she pauses, her head raises slowly and swivels slightly to look in your direction. Her eyes narrow and she speaks. “Tampering with Time, Bronze?” Her voice wasn’t all that pleasant to hear. Something about the tome and pitch making your skin feel like there were tiny bugs crawling all over you.
“Not at all, Demoness. You know as well as I that it cannot be done.” The Dragon turns to you as her own eyes cut in your direction as well. “Meet the Child’s Mother, Searcher.” You start in surprise at his words and stare at him wide eyed in shock. Unwillingly, your eyes slowly turn to the Demon.
She chuckles low, making both your heart race and your stomach flip-flop. “Are we talking about our Daughter, Bronze? Or is it Son this Cycle you have come from?” You nearly fall over at her questions as now gape between the two.
“Daughter. She rarely takes a male form at each Turning.” His whole tone and demeanor was as bland as if they were discussing the growth of a tree.
Your mind reels at their exchange. Eclipse Drekidottir was born of a Demon and Dragon? But… how? She looked so Human. Not to mention the two were polar opposites. Your mind skitters away from any questions on even how they would have achieved a matting. The obvious differences in forms making it hard to grasp alone, never mind the actuality of a union. You notice her staring at you with both amusement and curiosity. “And what does this one Seek?”
You feel that crawling sensation across your skin increase, your heart beats a little faster still, and your stomach now roils. You feel the urge to tell her everything. What you desire and are looking for. How it has taken you so long to get this far and all that you went through in the process. Your confusion at, and since finding, Eclipse. You start to open your mouth to do just that, but are cut off abruptly by the Bronze. “Enough Demoness. You know that isn’t allowed. The Past is the Past. No trying to gain an advantage from the Future.”
She turns her gaze away from you, and you lose the compulsion to spill your guts to her. She pouts at the Dragon. “Ah, Bronze… and after all we’ve been through to bring our child to Creation?!”
The Dragon hisses lowly. “We are done here.”
As the mists swirl around you yet again, you hear her low chuckle. “It may not be allowed, Bronze, but that’s never stopped me before, has it?!” She laughs very evilly as the mists envelop you. The sick and disoriented feeling is only slight this time, and the mists clear quickly.
The Dragon beside you huffs in clear annoyance, his words just hammering it home. “Damn evil, conniving bitch!” In spite of everything thus far, or perhaps because of it, you bust out laughing. To see such a noble and dignified creature grousing like a common fisher wife is far too amusing. The Bronze eyes you until you can get yourself back under control. He then just gives you a one shouldered shrug. Still chuckling a bit, you finally look around, eager to see what your next location will yield. You blink in surprise as all you see is a grey void surrounding you. You look to the Dragon for an explanation, but find him gone.
In his place is a rather cute looking… well, Fey of some sort, but you can’t pin down exactly what. She giggles at you, or more accurately, your expression. “I am the proof that Elves and Faerie should not combine.”
She was short, standing no more than three and a half feet tall. There were beautiful, multi coloured butterfly wings upon her back, nearly as big as she was. She even had an acorn cap on her wild , chestnut hair. How she could have found one that large was either Magic, or… The thought of trees producing acorns that large was rather daunting.
There her similarities to the Faerie ended. The rest of her was all sharp angles and slender features. She had the large slanted eyes and the pointed ears of the Elves. Her body was the almost androgynous body of one too, though her chest said she was female with small, pert breasts.
Even her clothing was as mismatched as she was. Her pants and boots were what an Elven hunter would wear, while her top was a one shouldered gauzy affair in multiple layers and shades of green that flaired out at her hips. She smirks at you as you finish checking her out. “I am called Wieva. Shall we continue?
Everything starts shifting and blurring immediately shut your eyes before the chaotic mess makes you throw up. You hear a low snicker, and feel a tap on your shoulder. “You can open your eyes now, Searcher.” You crack one eye open and see there’s no bad acid trip going on anymore. You open both eyes fully with a sigh of relief and look around.
You are in another cave, oddly lit by large branches with flames burning one end. It is filled with a bizarre assortment of things. Large chunks of crystalized rocks, volcanic glass, odd shaped parts of trees, bones, and a half eaten…. Was that a Dragon? Oh, no, just some sort of creature that at first glance resembled one. That though, was a Dragon, and a familiar looking one at that. Slightly smaller than your companion at the start of this seeming trip down memory lane, it is still obvious that this Dragon is the Bronze. Perhaps at a younger time?
As you study him, he is poking about in the things scattered and heaped within the chamber, looking extremely bored. From the corner of your eye you catch movement. Turning, you behold a strangely looking creature with shimmering wings. Next to you, Wieva lets out a small hiss. You flick a glance her way and see an expression of anger and disgust on her face. Before you can ask her what is wrong, you hear the Dragon’s voice, drawing your attention back to the room.
“There had better be a good reason you are bothering me, Fey.” The fact that he doesn’t turn to look towards the new arrival screamed arrogance, and the tone bespoke the fact that he was full of himself and his power. It was so opposite the calm and dignified manner of the Bronze you had traveled with that it left you to wonder if they were in fact the same person.
The Fey gave a nervous sounding laugh. “There is. At least, I’m hoping the strange bauble I have found is. Knowing how the Great Bronze of Dragon Kind finds and collects such oddities, I quickly thought to bring it to you.” He stopped speaking and fluttered back a bit as the Bronze swung his head around to stare at him.
The two stared at each other, one nervously, the other coldly until the Dragon grew impatient and growled. “Well?”
“What? Oh! Yes, sorry. I was waiting to see if you were going to eat me or not.” The Fey laughed weakly. As the Dragon’s eyes narrowed at his words, the Fey hastily and clumsily groped for a pouch on his side. Finally, getting it off after much difficulty, he upends the contents into his hand. The item looked to be a glowing rock. It was the size of a good skipping stone, and just as flat. It glowed an eerie black, and even with the distance between you, it left you feeling unsettled and leery.
The Dragon snatched it out of the Fey’s hand and looked it over closely. After a bit of study, he sharply looked up at the Fey. “What do you want for it?”
“Huh? Oh, nothing. Nothing at all.” The Fey had been fluttering backwards, but froze as the Bronze’s eyes narrowed once again. “Really. I have no use for it. Whatever it is. Nor does anyone I know. As I said, I thought of you immediately.” The Dragon seemed to accept this since his gaze dropped back to the rock. The Fey quickly zipped out of the cave.
You hear a soft sigh from Wieva, and when she speaks, her voice is very sad. “So begins the downfall of Dreki… and myself.” You start to look at her, but that crazy psychedelic mess starts again. You instantly snap your eyes closed.
You feel a tap on your shoulder again, and hear a low, rumbling chuckle. When you open your eyes, you see both Wiera and the Bronze beside you in that featureless grey void.
“I take it the Searcher isn’t doing well with your way of moving about.”
“Do they ever?”
The Dragon dipped his head, ceding the point to the smirking Fey. Both instantly sobered and looked to you. You shift, a bit uncomfortable under their combined stares. Finally, the Dragon spoke. “Our next destination is not… pleasant.”
Wieva nodded at his words. “Both Dreki and I are uncomfortable going there. She hates it however.” She gave a soft sigh. “I really can’t blame Her in truth.”
The Dragon let off a puff of smoke from his nostrils. “No. But I see your confusion, Searcher. Shall we travel then? The sooner we go, the sooner you have answers, and the sooner we can be done with it all.”
The Fey gives a nod of ascent. The surroundings started to go all chaotic coloured again, but this time it was muted by the swirls of grey mists that weren’t so hard now to deal with.
You are able to keep your eyes open on this jump, and you watch the scenery take shape. Vague at first, as if seen through a thick fog, features start to quickly sharpen until the environment is finally in place. You are in yet another cave, though immense in size. Apparently the inhabitants of this Time loved the things, having not yet seen a dwelling in all the traveling. “Houses won’t be invented until you Humans evolve into existence.” You look sharply to Wiera, wondering how she knew what you were just thinking.
The Dragon’s rather bland sounding voice catches your attention. “There have been enough Searchers to know the various questions.” You had already gotten vague hints to the fact that you aren’t the first to seek something that only Eclipse could give.
You turn your attention back to the cavern, letting the exchange go. The place was hot, uncomfortably so. There was a dull red glow about the place and the only source of light. Spotting the rivers and streams of molten lava about the place, you surmise that they are the source for both the heat and the lighting. In the middle of the subterranean area you see a figure moving about, but cannot make out what they are doing or who they might be.
The Fey clasps your shoulder and you are now standing on a burr jutting out from a stalactite that hangs low over the area. Wieva and the Bronze hang in the air on either side of you, not in the least perturbed that there is nothing under their feet. Now that you are above and slightly to the side of the large slab of bedrock surrounded by lava and looking like an island, you can see that the figure is the Demon you’d met earlier.
Using Magic, she was pulling lava from its river and drawing strange runes and symbols on the larger end of the island. The same Magic, the lava only sunk so far down in the rock and stayed there. Glancing to the smaller end of the island, you note many of the same symbols and runes on that end. Only am area wide enough to walk through was left empty to complete the circle they made. Looking back to her, she finishes completing the circle she was working on. She stepps backa few paces and utters a word in a strange language. Your heart starts to pound in your chest and you have this overwhelming sense of dread.
Time ticks by in heartbeats and you wonder what she is waiting for. At long last a large Bronze Dragon comes winging into the cavern. Your head snaps around to look at the Bronze next to you. The expression of terrible pain and hurt on his face gives you pause. Looking closer into his eyes, you see the beginnings of insanity.
On the other side of you comes the soft, agonized voice of Wieva. “Yes, Searcher, that is Dreki just arrived, thanks to the evil stone given to him. In the centuries he has possessed that stone, it has given him snippets of information as to what the Demoness has been doing and why. All controlled by her, of course. Just enough information to get him intrigued at first, then riled up as time went by, but never enough to find and stop her. Until now.”
The arrogant and roaring voice of the Dragon pulls your attention back to the scene unfolding. “DEMON! STOP THIS FOOLISHNESS! YOU PLAY WITH OLD AND DANGEROUS MAGICS BETTER LEFT TO FADE AWAY!”
The Demon gave a menacing laugh in response. “So, it was a Dragon that got my little trinket. Excellent! Come, Dragon, try and stop me.” It was clear she was taunting him, trying to draw him closer.
Also obvious was the fact that the Dragon thought himself more than capable of doing just that. “SO BE IT, EVIL ONE! DESTROY YOU I SHALL!” He had been hovering close to the ceiling of the subterranean chamber. With a snap of his wings that was deafening, he dove for the Demon shooting white hot flame from his mouth at her.
She danced back several paces, taking her to the mid-point of the island. He altered course accordingly to still come at her, flying directly over the circle. Your jaw drops and eyes widen as the beast is abruptly halted and slammed into the ground with enough force to vibrate the whole cavern. It was as if gravity finally tired of his huge bulk defying it and reached up to bring him back to earth with a vengeance. You could see he was badly broken in many places and surely must be dead.
The Demon laughed in victory, then whirled and strode towards the opposite end of the island. Your attention is jerked back to the Bronze as he starts to stir. You are stunned he is still alive. His eyes open and they blaze as his gaze settles on the Demon. His voice was over brimming with pain but also held determination and conviction. “It will not work. You will be destroyed before you can complete your goal.”
A low husky voice beside you distracts you from the event below momentarily. “I was trying to delay her as I contacted the rest of Dragon Kind to what was happening.” Voice thick with remembered pain makes you look closer at him; you see that the insanity has grown a bit more. “I could not, however, allow her the chance of more subjects for this evil event. So, I kept the location of the cave hidden, thinking, broken as I was, that an opportunity would present itself to destroy her before her plans bore fruit. I was foolish in it all, and it was my undoing.”
Wieva continues in a low voice full of memory. “The Dragons in turn told the Fey. Dragons are magical creatures. Their Magic comes from within themselves. The Fey, however, understand Magic, and being close to Nature as we are, our Magic comes from the Earth itself. Since Dreki wouldn’t tell the rest of his Kin were they were, the Dragons turned to us. With the information they had, we quested the Weave and soon located the old Magic.”
She falls silent and you return to the show below. The Demon had turned and had been studying the Dragon. Eventually, she sneered at him. “You know not what my goal is, Dragon.”
“So, tell me.”
The Demon tilted her head slightly, a considering look on her face. Shortly she shrugged. “Why not… You won’t survive the spell anyway.”
“I was still trying to delay her. I knew she wouldn’t be able to resist gloating, even to a captive audience that she planned to kill. The pleasure and satisfaction of revealing the horror of her plan would be too much to resist. I had thought I already knew what that was. I was so very wrong…”
Below, the Demon stalked back and forth in front of the Dragon. “I have found a way to take the Magic of two magical creatures; combining them together, and with the substance of your form, I can Create a new creature.” She turned away and strode to the other circle. “With my will and desires, I will make a Tool od Destruction.” She stepped into the incomplete circle and turned to face her magical component. She quickly brought lava from its flowing bed and made the last sigil to complete the circle. “This Tool will be able to Destroy the very Universe.”
The Dragon’s eyes widened in horror. “Are you mad, Demon? If you do that, you will destroy us all, yourself and your Creation included.”
“No, Dragon, I and my Tool will be outside of Time.” The Demon started laughing, low at first, but it quickly rose in volume. Suddenly she spoke another word in that strange language. Making you sick to your stomach briefly.
The Dragon let out a blood curdling scream that wrenched your eyes in his direction. The magnitude of the Demon’s words sunk in as you watched his physical form start to melt like candle was next to a flame. Other parts of him were breaking, crumbling, flaking off and turning to dust.
Wieva is the first to speak this time. Her voice raw with the atrocity below. “Debate had gone up on how best to approach the situation, but no solutions were being found. In the end, a handful of us from both Kinds slipped away.” She points with her chin, and you see the group arriving, her amongst them. “By the time we had arrived, this was going on, as you can see. When I saw what was going on, if I hadn’t already know Dreki was a Dragon, I never would have guessed. I knew he would prefer death than what was happening, and I am one of the few Fey that knows how to kill a Dragon.”
“Yes, to say that that was painful, is a gross understatement. I could feel my Essence being torn apart. My only consolation through it all was that Demoness was losing part of herself as well. Though, apparently she thrived on it.” He directs your attention to the Demon, and she seem to be enjoying the ordeal. “I do not have memories of this time as Wieva does, except as I watch the past, as we are doing now, it is all a haze of pain and fear.”
They fall silent again, allowing you to concentrate on the action going on now. You watch as the Fey that is Wieva rushes towards the Bronze, while the rest of the Fey/Dragon party goes after the Demon. The group went at her with tooth and claw, fire and magic, and weapons. You center your attention on the Fey and the Dragon though, only briefly glancing at the fight.
The Fey comes to a halt a short distance from the Bronze. She seems to cast a spell, a bright light starts to make her and the Dragon glow. You sense something is wrong a heartbeat before the glow winked out and her form crumples to the ground.
”The magic was cast correctly, but I hadn’t accounted for the Demon’s magic. It was twisted horribly wrong, and I was ripped from my earthly form. A wrenching I never want to experience again.”
“I too was torn from my mortal form at long last. At first all I felt was immense relief and happiness that the pain was finally gone. But then I felt a terrible Wrongnesss.”
In spite of the attacks upon the Demon, you see a foggy substance break from her and move to the center of the island. At the same time, you also see the spirit forms of the Bronze and Fey. From them small forms also break away and float to join the one in the middle and the pieces converged. The combination turned grey for several moments, and then broke apart into two equal pieces. One was beautiful to behold. The most amazing colours twisted together, surrounded by the purest white light you had ever seen. The other was so black, it reminded you of a void trying to suck all the light from the Universe. They hung there briefly before starting to take on humanoid shapes.
What was left of the ruined form of the Dragon started to break apart like clods of dirt hit upon a hard surface. The particles and pieces whirled together like dust caught in a wind. A tendril shot out and wrapped around the Bronze, sucking what was left of his spirit within the vortex. Next it shot to the Fey, pulling her in too. After that, the whole thing rotated and spun about towards the two forms in the middle. Another tendril emerged, but this time it started wrapping around the two forms until it looked like ribbon draped all over them. It then shrunk inward, constricting and pushing them towards each other. Unexpectedly, there was a blinding flash that caused you to squeeze your eyes shut to preserve your sight. When you open them, you find a very exotic creature now standing there.
It was clearly female. Long slender legs tapered down to large, long, narrow feet that ended in claws. She stood upon the balls of them, making her look taller. Her hips fanned slightly and her waist was tiny. Her arms were thin and merged into hands with unusually long fingers that also ended in claws. Large leathery wings protruded from her back at the shoulder blades and rose above her head a good foot and hung just below her knees. She also had a tail that came down and snaked along the ground a good foot and a half. Her face was narrow and sharp, the eyes were almond shaped and slanted. They only had two colours, black and silver and they swirled wildly at the moment. Her skin was covered in small scales, except the larger ones along her ribs, outer arms and legs, sides of her neck, across her collar bones and hips. The smaller scales were a light grey, while the larger ones were in varying shades of darker grey. Her wings were also a very dark grey. Besides her eyes, there were two other features about her that stood out, one being the spiraling horns that came from her temples the same shade as her wings, and the other was her hair. Hanging down her back to her butt it was wild and wavy, and looked like flames with oranges, reds, and yellows. All in all, she looked much like how a Dragon would look in a hybrid Human form, with only the horns and wings showing her Demon heritage.
Her wings snapped open then folded down and around her, clasping just below her throat and covering her form completely. She looked around and saw the fighting going on at the small end of the island. She moved in that direction, striding with purpose. With a look, Fey and Dragon alike were shoved aside as she approached the Demon. She stood there studying her Creator.
The Demon stared at her with wide eyes for a brief moment, then a purely evil smile grew on her lips. “Destroy my enemies, Tool.”
The female looked to the Dragons and Fey then turned back to the Demon. “Begone.” The Demon’s triumphant look changed to one of shock just before she winked out of existence.
The mists returned, flashes of chaotic colour dancing along its surface. You feel nothing as it covers you and the next thing you know, you are blinking at Eclipse sitting across the table from you once more. Her eyes, so much like the female’s still swirled with their black and silver colouring. It was her own melodious voice once more issuing from her lips. “And now ye know, I did not learn my Magic. It was stolen from a Demon, a Dragon, and a Fey, warped and changed.” She looks down for a moment, and when she looks back up, her eyes are once more green like new leaves. “Eat, then go rest. The Journey is far from done.
Another serving wench comes and places a plate before you. You dip into it ravenously. Once done, the same woman comes and leads you to a room. You fall to the bed exhausted, you last thought was of Eclipse settling back into her chair as if she planned to be there all night.
You come to a stop at the table as she lifts her gaze up to you. She slowly looks you over from head to toe and back up. Finally done, her eyes meet yours. As you stare into their depths you see sadness, loneliness, despair, mirth, joy, amusement, and a gambit of every emotion known to Humans, but what catches your attention the most is the deep, crushing weariness that over shadows it all. For a brief moment, no longer than the space between two heartbeats, you feel that weariness enshroud you, nearly buckling your knees with the weight of it. With your next heartbeat it is suddenly withdrawn.
Finally, she speaks, her voice low and melodious. “Well. Ye have found me at last.” Her words surprise you, but before you can say anything she continues on. “Yes, I’ve known ye were Searching and Why.” She sighs and looks away. “I cannot Teach ye what ye want. My abilities are not Learned…” Her voice trails off as she waves a hand at a chair in invitation. “Ye might as well sit. Ye’ll not Believe until ye hear the Truth.” She takes a sip from her glass as you settle in. She looks at you once more. “Get comfortable, we’re going to be here awhile.”
At her signal, a woman brings food and drink and sets it before you. As the woman leaves, you look back to Eclipse and see her staring off into space. Starting from the outer corners of her eyes, a black colour starts to creep in, from the inner corners, silver colour emerges. Soon the two colours completely drown out all colour from her eyes, filling them completely, and start swirling chaotically together. Her voice now has a distant, ethereal quality, heavy with Age. “We must travel back through the Mists of Time, to Its Beginnings and then some. Are ye sure yer prepared for such a journey?”
Her head shifts slightly and those weird eyes settle upon you. A chill washes over you, making you suddenly doubt your purpose, your drive and determination that have kept you going until this point. Are you truly prepared to seek the answers you want? Are you really sure what you seek is worth such a journey as she is suggesting? Are the answers you hope for going to actually be favorable, or not, as she says? She gives you ample time to decide as the questions and doubts suddenly race about your head.
After a long time of consideration, in which you apparently ate the meal before you in, you finally look up at her. You realize with a start that her gaze has never left you the whole time. Finally, you nod that you are ready to journey wherever she leads. She gives another sigh that seems to be a mixture of disappointment and curiosity. Before you can even think to ask, she starts to speak.
“Very well.” Her eyes blink at long last, once. When next she speaks, her voice is deep, masculine, rumbly, like what an earthquake would sound like if given a voice. “Let the Journey begin.”
A mist suddenly appears at your feet and swirls around the both of you. It rises rapidly, swirling and twisting until it cocoons you both. You feel a gut wrenching tearing, as if your Spirit is being torn from your mortal coil. You become a bit sick feeling and disoriented for what seems like an eternity. Then it fades and the mists clear.
When you get your equilibrium back, you find yourself looking upon a beautiful vista. Fresh, vibrant, wild, and untamed, you think this must be how the world once looked. Before Humans came along and changed it.
You mote a large form close to you and turn, not to find Eclipse Drekidottir beside you, but a rather large bronze coloured Dragon. You stumble back in shock and fear as the beast turns its massive head down and around to look at you. That same voice you last heard before the mists issues forth. “Relax, Searcher. We stand before the Dawn of Time.” He turns his head back to look over the view. You follow his gaze, wondering what all of this has to do with what you seek.
As you look, you notice forms flying over the treetops. You realize that they are Dragons. You unconsciously move closer to the one next to you and you hear a deep, rumbling chuckle. As you stand there and watch, the vibrant and many hued creatures scatter across the new world hither and yon. Some even pass right by you, close enough to touch, and don’t seem to notice either of you. You look questioningly at the Bronze next to you.
“We are outside of their Reality. Observers only.” You nod in understanding at the short explanation. “Keep watching.” Obediently, you turn your gaze where his now looks.
The next creatures to appear were dark and unsettling. Some were beautiful to behold, while others were so hideous as to make one ill just at the sight of them. You watch as they too scatter across the world. The evil that emanates from them is as heart stopping as the good you’d felt from the Dragons had been breathtaking. You notice after their passing that you were practically cowering against the Bronze. He makes no comment as he directs your gaze to a third location.
Once more you watch as forms start to appear. At first, it seemed as if the very stars came down from the sky to twinkle and flit amongst the trees. As several of your heartbeats go by, you start to distinguish the many and varied Fey Peoples. As you watch more, you note them breaking off in groups and conclaves to settle places of the young world. You notice that unlike the Dragons or Other Creatures, you get no sense of Good or Evil from them.
When you start to look to your Dragon companion, he speaks. “Thus the first races spring into existence. Dragons, Demons, Fey. Good, Evil, Neutral. And the Birth of Time has come and gone.”
The mists appear at your feet again. You shift nervously, remembering how you felt last time. It slowly swirls and engulfs the both of you. Though you do get a bit sick and disoriented, you do not get that tearing sensation this time, nor does it seem to last as long as last time.
When the mists clear like before, you find yourself, and the Bronze, standing in a cave. You look around curiously and see a tilted table with a creature sitting before it. You feel the Evil radiating off it, and conclude that this must be one of the Demons. As you observe the scene, you are aware that the Demon is female.
While she wasn’t hideous, she wasn’t beautiful either… well, maybe in a strangely exotic and evil way she could be, if you’re into that sort. Her skin was as black as onyx and just as smooth as the stone when polished. Her fingers and toes ended in razor sharp claws, the colour of blood. Her wings were wrapped around herself like a cloak, the first claws on each clasped together just below the soft spot of her throat. What you see of her body is shapely, long legs, tapering arms, slender, swan-like neck, small hips, and her chest was neither ample or small. Her face was oval, with high cheekbones, full, lush lips, and almond shaped eyes and solid red like her claws. She had long, flowing, blood red hair as well. It came down to the midpoint of her back. There was only one oddity that broke the beauty of her face though, and that was the blood red horns that grew from her temples and spiraled and curved upward.
She sat there writing and muttering. Occasionally she would curse and wad up the paper and toss it angrily across the room, and start over. Suddenly she pauses, her head raises slowly and swivels slightly to look in your direction. Her eyes narrow and she speaks. “Tampering with Time, Bronze?” Her voice wasn’t all that pleasant to hear. Something about the tome and pitch making your skin feel like there were tiny bugs crawling all over you.
“Not at all, Demoness. You know as well as I that it cannot be done.” The Dragon turns to you as her own eyes cut in your direction as well. “Meet the Child’s Mother, Searcher.” You start in surprise at his words and stare at him wide eyed in shock. Unwillingly, your eyes slowly turn to the Demon.
She chuckles low, making both your heart race and your stomach flip-flop. “Are we talking about our Daughter, Bronze? Or is it Son this Cycle you have come from?” You nearly fall over at her questions as now gape between the two.
“Daughter. She rarely takes a male form at each Turning.” His whole tone and demeanor was as bland as if they were discussing the growth of a tree.
Your mind reels at their exchange. Eclipse Drekidottir was born of a Demon and Dragon? But… how? She looked so Human. Not to mention the two were polar opposites. Your mind skitters away from any questions on even how they would have achieved a matting. The obvious differences in forms making it hard to grasp alone, never mind the actuality of a union. You notice her staring at you with both amusement and curiosity. “And what does this one Seek?”
You feel that crawling sensation across your skin increase, your heart beats a little faster still, and your stomach now roils. You feel the urge to tell her everything. What you desire and are looking for. How it has taken you so long to get this far and all that you went through in the process. Your confusion at, and since finding, Eclipse. You start to open your mouth to do just that, but are cut off abruptly by the Bronze. “Enough Demoness. You know that isn’t allowed. The Past is the Past. No trying to gain an advantage from the Future.”
She turns her gaze away from you, and you lose the compulsion to spill your guts to her. She pouts at the Dragon. “Ah, Bronze… and after all we’ve been through to bring our child to Creation?!”
The Dragon hisses lowly. “We are done here.”
As the mists swirl around you yet again, you hear her low chuckle. “It may not be allowed, Bronze, but that’s never stopped me before, has it?!” She laughs very evilly as the mists envelop you. The sick and disoriented feeling is only slight this time, and the mists clear quickly.
The Dragon beside you huffs in clear annoyance, his words just hammering it home. “Damn evil, conniving bitch!” In spite of everything thus far, or perhaps because of it, you bust out laughing. To see such a noble and dignified creature grousing like a common fisher wife is far too amusing. The Bronze eyes you until you can get yourself back under control. He then just gives you a one shouldered shrug. Still chuckling a bit, you finally look around, eager to see what your next location will yield. You blink in surprise as all you see is a grey void surrounding you. You look to the Dragon for an explanation, but find him gone.
In his place is a rather cute looking… well, Fey of some sort, but you can’t pin down exactly what. She giggles at you, or more accurately, your expression. “I am the proof that Elves and Faerie should not combine.”
She was short, standing no more than three and a half feet tall. There were beautiful, multi coloured butterfly wings upon her back, nearly as big as she was. She even had an acorn cap on her wild , chestnut hair. How she could have found one that large was either Magic, or… The thought of trees producing acorns that large was rather daunting.
There her similarities to the Faerie ended. The rest of her was all sharp angles and slender features. She had the large slanted eyes and the pointed ears of the Elves. Her body was the almost androgynous body of one too, though her chest said she was female with small, pert breasts.
Even her clothing was as mismatched as she was. Her pants and boots were what an Elven hunter would wear, while her top was a one shouldered gauzy affair in multiple layers and shades of green that flaired out at her hips. She smirks at you as you finish checking her out. “I am called Wieva. Shall we continue?
Everything starts shifting and blurring immediately shut your eyes before the chaotic mess makes you throw up. You hear a low snicker, and feel a tap on your shoulder. “You can open your eyes now, Searcher.” You crack one eye open and see there’s no bad acid trip going on anymore. You open both eyes fully with a sigh of relief and look around.
You are in another cave, oddly lit by large branches with flames burning one end. It is filled with a bizarre assortment of things. Large chunks of crystalized rocks, volcanic glass, odd shaped parts of trees, bones, and a half eaten…. Was that a Dragon? Oh, no, just some sort of creature that at first glance resembled one. That though, was a Dragon, and a familiar looking one at that. Slightly smaller than your companion at the start of this seeming trip down memory lane, it is still obvious that this Dragon is the Bronze. Perhaps at a younger time?
As you study him, he is poking about in the things scattered and heaped within the chamber, looking extremely bored. From the corner of your eye you catch movement. Turning, you behold a strangely looking creature with shimmering wings. Next to you, Wieva lets out a small hiss. You flick a glance her way and see an expression of anger and disgust on her face. Before you can ask her what is wrong, you hear the Dragon’s voice, drawing your attention back to the room.
“There had better be a good reason you are bothering me, Fey.” The fact that he doesn’t turn to look towards the new arrival screamed arrogance, and the tone bespoke the fact that he was full of himself and his power. It was so opposite the calm and dignified manner of the Bronze you had traveled with that it left you to wonder if they were in fact the same person.
The Fey gave a nervous sounding laugh. “There is. At least, I’m hoping the strange bauble I have found is. Knowing how the Great Bronze of Dragon Kind finds and collects such oddities, I quickly thought to bring it to you.” He stopped speaking and fluttered back a bit as the Bronze swung his head around to stare at him.
The two stared at each other, one nervously, the other coldly until the Dragon grew impatient and growled. “Well?”
“What? Oh! Yes, sorry. I was waiting to see if you were going to eat me or not.” The Fey laughed weakly. As the Dragon’s eyes narrowed at his words, the Fey hastily and clumsily groped for a pouch on his side. Finally, getting it off after much difficulty, he upends the contents into his hand. The item looked to be a glowing rock. It was the size of a good skipping stone, and just as flat. It glowed an eerie black, and even with the distance between you, it left you feeling unsettled and leery.
The Dragon snatched it out of the Fey’s hand and looked it over closely. After a bit of study, he sharply looked up at the Fey. “What do you want for it?”
“Huh? Oh, nothing. Nothing at all.” The Fey had been fluttering backwards, but froze as the Bronze’s eyes narrowed once again. “Really. I have no use for it. Whatever it is. Nor does anyone I know. As I said, I thought of you immediately.” The Dragon seemed to accept this since his gaze dropped back to the rock. The Fey quickly zipped out of the cave.
You hear a soft sigh from Wieva, and when she speaks, her voice is very sad. “So begins the downfall of Dreki… and myself.” You start to look at her, but that crazy psychedelic mess starts again. You instantly snap your eyes closed.
You feel a tap on your shoulder again, and hear a low, rumbling chuckle. When you open your eyes, you see both Wiera and the Bronze beside you in that featureless grey void.
“I take it the Searcher isn’t doing well with your way of moving about.”
“Do they ever?”
The Dragon dipped his head, ceding the point to the smirking Fey. Both instantly sobered and looked to you. You shift, a bit uncomfortable under their combined stares. Finally, the Dragon spoke. “Our next destination is not… pleasant.”
Wieva nodded at his words. “Both Dreki and I are uncomfortable going there. She hates it however.” She gave a soft sigh. “I really can’t blame Her in truth.”
The Dragon let off a puff of smoke from his nostrils. “No. But I see your confusion, Searcher. Shall we travel then? The sooner we go, the sooner you have answers, and the sooner we can be done with it all.”
The Fey gives a nod of ascent. The surroundings started to go all chaotic coloured again, but this time it was muted by the swirls of grey mists that weren’t so hard now to deal with.
You are able to keep your eyes open on this jump, and you watch the scenery take shape. Vague at first, as if seen through a thick fog, features start to quickly sharpen until the environment is finally in place. You are in yet another cave, though immense in size. Apparently the inhabitants of this Time loved the things, having not yet seen a dwelling in all the traveling. “Houses won’t be invented until you Humans evolve into existence.” You look sharply to Wiera, wondering how she knew what you were just thinking.
The Dragon’s rather bland sounding voice catches your attention. “There have been enough Searchers to know the various questions.” You had already gotten vague hints to the fact that you aren’t the first to seek something that only Eclipse could give.
You turn your attention back to the cavern, letting the exchange go. The place was hot, uncomfortably so. There was a dull red glow about the place and the only source of light. Spotting the rivers and streams of molten lava about the place, you surmise that they are the source for both the heat and the lighting. In the middle of the subterranean area you see a figure moving about, but cannot make out what they are doing or who they might be.
The Fey clasps your shoulder and you are now standing on a burr jutting out from a stalactite that hangs low over the area. Wieva and the Bronze hang in the air on either side of you, not in the least perturbed that there is nothing under their feet. Now that you are above and slightly to the side of the large slab of bedrock surrounded by lava and looking like an island, you can see that the figure is the Demon you’d met earlier.
Using Magic, she was pulling lava from its river and drawing strange runes and symbols on the larger end of the island. The same Magic, the lava only sunk so far down in the rock and stayed there. Glancing to the smaller end of the island, you note many of the same symbols and runes on that end. Only am area wide enough to walk through was left empty to complete the circle they made. Looking back to her, she finishes completing the circle she was working on. She stepps backa few paces and utters a word in a strange language. Your heart starts to pound in your chest and you have this overwhelming sense of dread.
Time ticks by in heartbeats and you wonder what she is waiting for. At long last a large Bronze Dragon comes winging into the cavern. Your head snaps around to look at the Bronze next to you. The expression of terrible pain and hurt on his face gives you pause. Looking closer into his eyes, you see the beginnings of insanity.
On the other side of you comes the soft, agonized voice of Wieva. “Yes, Searcher, that is Dreki just arrived, thanks to the evil stone given to him. In the centuries he has possessed that stone, it has given him snippets of information as to what the Demoness has been doing and why. All controlled by her, of course. Just enough information to get him intrigued at first, then riled up as time went by, but never enough to find and stop her. Until now.”
The arrogant and roaring voice of the Dragon pulls your attention back to the scene unfolding. “DEMON! STOP THIS FOOLISHNESS! YOU PLAY WITH OLD AND DANGEROUS MAGICS BETTER LEFT TO FADE AWAY!”
The Demon gave a menacing laugh in response. “So, it was a Dragon that got my little trinket. Excellent! Come, Dragon, try and stop me.” It was clear she was taunting him, trying to draw him closer.
Also obvious was the fact that the Dragon thought himself more than capable of doing just that. “SO BE IT, EVIL ONE! DESTROY YOU I SHALL!” He had been hovering close to the ceiling of the subterranean chamber. With a snap of his wings that was deafening, he dove for the Demon shooting white hot flame from his mouth at her.
She danced back several paces, taking her to the mid-point of the island. He altered course accordingly to still come at her, flying directly over the circle. Your jaw drops and eyes widen as the beast is abruptly halted and slammed into the ground with enough force to vibrate the whole cavern. It was as if gravity finally tired of his huge bulk defying it and reached up to bring him back to earth with a vengeance. You could see he was badly broken in many places and surely must be dead.
The Demon laughed in victory, then whirled and strode towards the opposite end of the island. Your attention is jerked back to the Bronze as he starts to stir. You are stunned he is still alive. His eyes open and they blaze as his gaze settles on the Demon. His voice was over brimming with pain but also held determination and conviction. “It will not work. You will be destroyed before you can complete your goal.”
A low husky voice beside you distracts you from the event below momentarily. “I was trying to delay her as I contacted the rest of Dragon Kind to what was happening.” Voice thick with remembered pain makes you look closer at him; you see that the insanity has grown a bit more. “I could not, however, allow her the chance of more subjects for this evil event. So, I kept the location of the cave hidden, thinking, broken as I was, that an opportunity would present itself to destroy her before her plans bore fruit. I was foolish in it all, and it was my undoing.”
Wieva continues in a low voice full of memory. “The Dragons in turn told the Fey. Dragons are magical creatures. Their Magic comes from within themselves. The Fey, however, understand Magic, and being close to Nature as we are, our Magic comes from the Earth itself. Since Dreki wouldn’t tell the rest of his Kin were they were, the Dragons turned to us. With the information they had, we quested the Weave and soon located the old Magic.”
She falls silent and you return to the show below. The Demon had turned and had been studying the Dragon. Eventually, she sneered at him. “You know not what my goal is, Dragon.”
“So, tell me.”
The Demon tilted her head slightly, a considering look on her face. Shortly she shrugged. “Why not… You won’t survive the spell anyway.”
“I was still trying to delay her. I knew she wouldn’t be able to resist gloating, even to a captive audience that she planned to kill. The pleasure and satisfaction of revealing the horror of her plan would be too much to resist. I had thought I already knew what that was. I was so very wrong…”
Below, the Demon stalked back and forth in front of the Dragon. “I have found a way to take the Magic of two magical creatures; combining them together, and with the substance of your form, I can Create a new creature.” She turned away and strode to the other circle. “With my will and desires, I will make a Tool od Destruction.” She stepped into the incomplete circle and turned to face her magical component. She quickly brought lava from its flowing bed and made the last sigil to complete the circle. “This Tool will be able to Destroy the very Universe.”
The Dragon’s eyes widened in horror. “Are you mad, Demon? If you do that, you will destroy us all, yourself and your Creation included.”
“No, Dragon, I and my Tool will be outside of Time.” The Demon started laughing, low at first, but it quickly rose in volume. Suddenly she spoke another word in that strange language. Making you sick to your stomach briefly.
The Dragon let out a blood curdling scream that wrenched your eyes in his direction. The magnitude of the Demon’s words sunk in as you watched his physical form start to melt like candle was next to a flame. Other parts of him were breaking, crumbling, flaking off and turning to dust.
Wieva is the first to speak this time. Her voice raw with the atrocity below. “Debate had gone up on how best to approach the situation, but no solutions were being found. In the end, a handful of us from both Kinds slipped away.” She points with her chin, and you see the group arriving, her amongst them. “By the time we had arrived, this was going on, as you can see. When I saw what was going on, if I hadn’t already know Dreki was a Dragon, I never would have guessed. I knew he would prefer death than what was happening, and I am one of the few Fey that knows how to kill a Dragon.”
“Yes, to say that that was painful, is a gross understatement. I could feel my Essence being torn apart. My only consolation through it all was that Demoness was losing part of herself as well. Though, apparently she thrived on it.” He directs your attention to the Demon, and she seem to be enjoying the ordeal. “I do not have memories of this time as Wieva does, except as I watch the past, as we are doing now, it is all a haze of pain and fear.”
They fall silent again, allowing you to concentrate on the action going on now. You watch as the Fey that is Wieva rushes towards the Bronze, while the rest of the Fey/Dragon party goes after the Demon. The group went at her with tooth and claw, fire and magic, and weapons. You center your attention on the Fey and the Dragon though, only briefly glancing at the fight.
The Fey comes to a halt a short distance from the Bronze. She seems to cast a spell, a bright light starts to make her and the Dragon glow. You sense something is wrong a heartbeat before the glow winked out and her form crumples to the ground.
”The magic was cast correctly, but I hadn’t accounted for the Demon’s magic. It was twisted horribly wrong, and I was ripped from my earthly form. A wrenching I never want to experience again.”
“I too was torn from my mortal form at long last. At first all I felt was immense relief and happiness that the pain was finally gone. But then I felt a terrible Wrongnesss.”
In spite of the attacks upon the Demon, you see a foggy substance break from her and move to the center of the island. At the same time, you also see the spirit forms of the Bronze and Fey. From them small forms also break away and float to join the one in the middle and the pieces converged. The combination turned grey for several moments, and then broke apart into two equal pieces. One was beautiful to behold. The most amazing colours twisted together, surrounded by the purest white light you had ever seen. The other was so black, it reminded you of a void trying to suck all the light from the Universe. They hung there briefly before starting to take on humanoid shapes.
What was left of the ruined form of the Dragon started to break apart like clods of dirt hit upon a hard surface. The particles and pieces whirled together like dust caught in a wind. A tendril shot out and wrapped around the Bronze, sucking what was left of his spirit within the vortex. Next it shot to the Fey, pulling her in too. After that, the whole thing rotated and spun about towards the two forms in the middle. Another tendril emerged, but this time it started wrapping around the two forms until it looked like ribbon draped all over them. It then shrunk inward, constricting and pushing them towards each other. Unexpectedly, there was a blinding flash that caused you to squeeze your eyes shut to preserve your sight. When you open them, you find a very exotic creature now standing there.
It was clearly female. Long slender legs tapered down to large, long, narrow feet that ended in claws. She stood upon the balls of them, making her look taller. Her hips fanned slightly and her waist was tiny. Her arms were thin and merged into hands with unusually long fingers that also ended in claws. Large leathery wings protruded from her back at the shoulder blades and rose above her head a good foot and hung just below her knees. She also had a tail that came down and snaked along the ground a good foot and a half. Her face was narrow and sharp, the eyes were almond shaped and slanted. They only had two colours, black and silver and they swirled wildly at the moment. Her skin was covered in small scales, except the larger ones along her ribs, outer arms and legs, sides of her neck, across her collar bones and hips. The smaller scales were a light grey, while the larger ones were in varying shades of darker grey. Her wings were also a very dark grey. Besides her eyes, there were two other features about her that stood out, one being the spiraling horns that came from her temples the same shade as her wings, and the other was her hair. Hanging down her back to her butt it was wild and wavy, and looked like flames with oranges, reds, and yellows. All in all, she looked much like how a Dragon would look in a hybrid Human form, with only the horns and wings showing her Demon heritage.
Her wings snapped open then folded down and around her, clasping just below her throat and covering her form completely. She looked around and saw the fighting going on at the small end of the island. She moved in that direction, striding with purpose. With a look, Fey and Dragon alike were shoved aside as she approached the Demon. She stood there studying her Creator.
The Demon stared at her with wide eyes for a brief moment, then a purely evil smile grew on her lips. “Destroy my enemies, Tool.”
The female looked to the Dragons and Fey then turned back to the Demon. “Begone.” The Demon’s triumphant look changed to one of shock just before she winked out of existence.
The mists returned, flashes of chaotic colour dancing along its surface. You feel nothing as it covers you and the next thing you know, you are blinking at Eclipse sitting across the table from you once more. Her eyes, so much like the female’s still swirled with their black and silver colouring. It was her own melodious voice once more issuing from her lips. “And now ye know, I did not learn my Magic. It was stolen from a Demon, a Dragon, and a Fey, warped and changed.” She looks down for a moment, and when she looks back up, her eyes are once more green like new leaves. “Eat, then go rest. The Journey is far from done.
Another serving wench comes and places a plate before you. You dip into it ravenously. Once done, the same woman comes and leads you to a room. You fall to the bed exhausted, you last thought was of Eclipse settling back into her chair as if she planned to be there all night.