──────DICTIONARY FOR EMPIRATIAN──────
Aperta – open
Yaxin – close
Neco – kill
Alle hael – all hail
Imperator – Emperor
Keizer – Empress
Iwo asiwere! – you fool!
Iwe wotchuka! – you idiot!
Inu mwanyengerera! – you imbecile!
Gloria in gentis Empirati – glory to the Empirati nation
Sit Imperii in æternum vive – may the empire live forever
Hal, laba, saddex, afar, shan, lix, toddoba, siddeed, sagaal, toban – one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten
Carpe noctem – A spell which banishes the victim to an unknown world. (literal meaning: seize the night)
────────────THE BEGINNING────────────
From the beginning, the four elements lived together in unity, in a land called Ocula.
There existed Fire, the dragons of which called themselves the Empirati. Fierce and ambitious, they were not to be interfered with. There was Earth, the dragons of which called themselves the Kalibus. They were proud and indestructible, and had a deep kindness within them. There was Water, who called themselves the Aquarius. They were versatile and intelligent, and had an appreciation of the things which surrounded them. And there was Air, the dragons of which called themselves the Anima. They were free spirits, detached from worldly affairs. The four elements relied on each other in a balance called the harmonic convergence. Each one counteracted each other perfectly, and the elements appeared as if they would stay in peace for years to come.
But the course of history was changed forever when the Empirati threw the world into a vicious war, a war that would terrorize the lives of millions of dragons across the continent for an unspeakable length of time. At the centre of the war were the three infamous rulers of the Fire Realm. They were siblings, called Aedan, Azure, and Azaline
Aedan was the youngest of the three, and he was cold and calculating. He preferred to take down his enemies through intelligence rather than by brute force.
Azure was second oldest. She was more merciful than her siblings, but was no less fierce for it.
And finally, there was Azaline, the oldest of the Empirati Siblings. She possessed an air of danger unlike her siblings and was vicious and ruthless. She would slay her enemies without a single thought, without a drop of mercy, for she had none in her malicious blood. Dragons throughout the continent feared the Empirati Siblings, for they were the most powerful killing force the continent had witnessed in decades.
Legends from the old times have told of the power of elements, how dragons from each nation could do unimaginable things. The legends say that the Empirati could conjure fire from their talons; they had the gift of destruction. The stories tell that the Aquarius had control over the water; they could manipulate its shape, its form, and could even freeze it into ice. It was the gift of adaptability. The legends also tell of the Anima, and how they could control the air. They had the gift of freedom. And finally they speak of the Kalibus, and their ability to twist the foundations of the Earth and command it as they wished.
But no dragon has possessed an elemental power in the last one thousand years. The legends say, however, that a dragon called Ruqaya had the special ability to prophesise future events. One thousand years ago she revealed The Grand Prophecy:
When harmonic convergence has fallen,
And the Blade has been awoken,
When the Moon has returned,
And Three control the Land.
The time will come.
The choice shall be made.
To preserve Ocula or to destroy it.
───────────PROLOGUE──────────
A dragon sat gloomily inside a prison cell.
The thick grey walls surrounding him were derelict and frigid like shards of broken glass scattered across the floor. Cold iron bars were positioned everywhere around him, looming down inhospitably like a mountain. The grey bed was simply a plank of wood on legs; there was no mattress, nor was there any cushioning. The only thing Aurus had to keep himself warm was the thin grey blanket the guards had thrown at him when he first walked into the cell. The floor was icy and painful to touch with his bare feet, and the food Aurus received was usually nothing more than a few scraps of bread. If he was lucky he might receive some vegetables, but never anything clean.
Communication was forbidden between inmates. The last dragon who tried to talk to someone else was taken away. She was never seen again.
Guards regularly patrolled the narrow corridors, but they only spoke if it was necessary. Otherwise there was a constant deafening silence filling the atmosphere, or a quiet ringing sound, although Aurus was unsure where the sound came from.
A few minutes passed, until he could hear footsteps coming from the end of the corridor. Each step made a precise, distinct sound, making Aurus sweat as they grew louder and louder, until eventually, they stopped at the door of Aurus’ prison cell.
With a creaking noise that sent a chill down his spine, the door slowly opened, revealing the face of a tall female Empirati guard staring down at him with expressionless eyes. She had blood-red wings and a vacant look in her eyes.
“Empress Azaline wishes to speak with you,” she said, her voice devoid of emotion.
“Get up quickly,” she said, a little more force in her tone. He obeyed, rising as she had told him to do.
“Of course,” he said meekly, trying to avoid eye contact with the fearsome guard.
The guard took out a pair of rusted iron shackles and placed them onto Aurus’ talons. She then bound them together so tightly that his talons were aching and throbbing after she had finished shackling them.
“These are little uncomfortable,” he said sarcastically to the guard.
She responded by striking his arm swiftly with her talons, staining them with Aurus’ blood. Pain seared through his scales like a contagious disease – it was like needles that had been dipped in lava and pierced through his scales unrelentingly.
“Do not speak out of turn,” she said, her voice now full of threat and malice.
Aurus became silent and followed the guard on in silence. As he walked through the corridor, he could see the desolate faces of dozens of other dragons of all elements who had been imprisoned just like he had been. They all looked at him strangely, their eyebrows furrowing into a frown, as if they were trying to remember the last time they had seen the face of another friendly dragon.
Darkness seemed to fill the air like a dense fog, clouding his vision and playing with his mind.
Aurus gulped as he realized the severity of the situation he was in. He had been demanded an audience by none other than Empress Azaline. Dragons all over the continent feared seeing, much less being forced to talk to the most horrifying of the Empirati Siblings. In Aurus’ tribe there were horror stories about her, and how she sometimes liked to eat the corpses of her victims for fun. Her ruthlessness was infamous across the whole of Ocula.
No sane dragon would ever dare to fight her.
In front of the guard, Aurus could see a large metal gate towering above him, as well as hear the sound of cheering and chatter beyond the gate. As the guard approached the gate, Aurus saw the words inscribed on to the gate: Azaline’s Court.
He was going on trial.
Once the guard finally reached the gate, she began to incant some words in a language Aurus did not know,
“Aperta. Gloria in gentis Empirati,” she uttered in a low, resonating voice. As if she had commanded it to, the ancient door slowly creaked open with a hideous hissing noise; it reminded Aurus of the sound of burning twigs.
A blinding light burst out – it was the kind of brightness that seared into your retinas and made you shut your eyes tight for fear of going blind; a brightness that would make fresh snow look grey and dull. It was a brightness to rival the sun itself.
Hastily, the guard stepped in.
“Get in. Azeline does not tolerate tardiness,” she said in a sharp and disapproving voice. Aurus obliged, stepping inside the room.
Inside Aurus could hear the voices of dragons speaking amongst each other, as if they were discussing what they would do with him.
But as he walked in, the chatter stopped, and the voices were replaced by a sudden silence that seemed out of place and unnatural.
Surrounding Aurus were thousands of dragons from the Fire Realm staring down at him with astonishment, as if they had never seen a dragon that looked like Aurus.
Gargantuan pillars were positioned symmetrically around the room. They all had the same prominent symbol engraved onto them. The markings could be seen everywhere in the room – on the sandy ground, on the ornate seats, even on the glass ceiling.
Perhaps it’s the symbol of the Empirati, he thought.
He could see the Moon and the night sky through a dome above him. The Moon was a special kind of light, the kind which wished only to hold the stars above and help them shine all the brighter. It was a warm brightness that hugged you no matter what, and within its safety Aurus could feel his own soul resonating inside him all the more clearly. After all, his kind drew power from the Moon.
But tonight, the Moon was glowing crimson-red; something seemed unnatural about it.
Above Aurus, sitting on a dark throne, was Azaline.
Her size was so overwhelming that she seemed to overpower all the dragons in the room simply by being there. She had sharp coal-black wings, ingrained with violent streaks of red, that were so enormous that they looked as if they could blot out the sun. Staring deep into Aurus’ soul were Azaline’s bloodshot, deranged eyes. They were unwelcoming, and as cold as a chilling midnight wind. But there was a deep fire that burned within; a fire that could burn right through your spirit.
“Gloria in gentis Empirati,” she cried, her voice reverberating wildly through Aurus’ skull, rumbling throughout the entire room.
“Sit Imperii in æternum vive!” responded the dragons fiercly, bowing down to Azaline as low as they possibly could. Azaline’s eyes narrowed as she turned to face Aurus.
“So, another member of the pathetic Resistance,” she said, malice dripping out of her voice like a vicious poison. “Tell me, do you really think you have any power, little worm?”
“Haven’t enough dragons suffered at your hands?” shouted Aurus.
Azaline snorted. “Hmm, I’m not quite sure. I think I could do with a little more suffering to be entirely honest with you,” she said, laughing, hatred flickering violently in her deep-red eyes, “Face it. You’re just part of a useless minority of dragons who cried just because of a little spilt blood.”
Aurus was mortified at Azaline’s words. Sadness filled him at first, but it was replaced by a flare of rage which shot up suddenly from his heart. He thrashed out, but the shackles prevented him from moving.
“How cute. The moon dragon is trying to escape. What do you even call yourselves – the Ararus? The Arinus?” she said, sharpening her talons on a sharp piece of metal.
“We are the Aururi,” said Aurus, growling with enmity.
A smile crept across Azaline’s face.
“Do you know what day it is today?” she said, her voice filled with menace. “Or should I say… night?”
Aurus’ eyes widened as he realized what Azaline was saying.
“No – please – no, there’s no way,” he said, gasping. “The Night of Power.”
The malicious grin on Azaline’s face widened further until it had spread from ear-to-ear. But although her mouth curved into a smile, it did not reach her crimson-red eyes.
“Yes. Tonight is the night of power, and with its pure elemental strength I shall burn the treacherous Moon tribe to ashes for once and for all! Gloria in gentis Empirati!” she bellowed, her wings spread out casting a dark shadow over her crooked throne.
She turned towards Aurus. “But first, I have some other business to attend to.”
Azaline leapt from her platform and landed next to Aurus, towering above him ominously, her cold eyes piercing through his soul like a knife slicing through flesh.
Suddenly, she sharpened her blood-stained talons and slammed her massive claws onto his fragile neck.
Aurus let out a shriek of pain. “You will never win this war,” gasped Aurus, “There will always be others just like me, waiting to bring you down.”
Azaline roared and slashed his neck until blood was pouring out of him ceaselessly. Her claws ripped through the dragon’s wings, shredding them as Aurus shrieked in agony, until finally, his tortured screams of pain stopped.
“Finally that nuisance is out of my way,” said Azaline, growling. “The Moon tribe shall suffer dearly for their crimes.”
The Moon Tribe, Ocula
Azaline hovered in the air, the Moon tribe in front of her. She could feel the immense elemental strength coursing through her veins as the blood-red moon shone down on her like a relentless beast waiting to be released.
The Night of Power occurred every one hundred years. It granted the special ability to use the elemental powers to all dragons.
Thousands of Empirati soldiers flew by Azaline’s side as she prepared to set fire to the Moon tribe. They had their wings spread out loyally, their hearts bound to Azaline like a dog to its master. Azaline took a deep breath.
One thing was for certain – the Moon tribe would not make it out alive tonight.
Suddenly, fire erupted out of Azaline’s throat like a raging volcano releasing its scorching magma. They billowed and roared ruthlessly, destroying anything that came into its path. A horrifying tornado of fire was created as the other soldiers began to breathe flames. Screams could be heard below as buildings were burnt to the ground mercilessly. Corpses were laid everywhere as the fire spread across the entire Moon tribe like an infectious disease. Entire forests were burnt to ashes.
Azaline laughed. “How ironic. The Moon tribe destroyed by the Night of Power,” she said, pure ecstasy running through her like a stream of burning hot magma. She looked around her and surveyed the once green landscape, now no more than ash and charcoal. The air was heavy with the rancid smell of burning flesh; the Moon shone its blood-red light on the tenebrific land where a sombre mist hung, and dead bodies filled the terrain for miles to come.
The Moon tribe was extinct.
─────────CHAPTER ONE─────────
TEN YEARS LATER
Azriel was not the kind of dragon who payed attention in lessons (or to anything, for that matter).
Right now Azriel should have probably been paying attention to what his Ancient History teacher was saying, but instead he was daydreaming about flying – he loved to spread his wings in the cool summer air, free like an Anima should be. He was also simultaneously daydreaming about large mice flying gracefully into his mouth. Azriel’s mouth was watering just at the thought. Yum.
“Azriel, who was the first Empress of the Fire Realm?” his teacher, Miss Scandre, said suddenly.
“Uhm… well… I definitely know the answer to that… I just need to erm…” Azriel began to say, “On a side note, did you know that mice are, on average, the tastiest animal on Ocula?”
Scandre’s eyes narrowed. “JUST ANSWER THE QUESTION AZRIEL,” yelled Miss Scandre, her face as red as a tomato.
Next to Azriel was his friend Zephryd who was frantically trying to mouth the answer to Azriel. “Poo…” Azriel said uncertainly, not sure that this was the right answer.
The class burst out in laughter. “Oh wait, no, Roo…” Azriel said, Zephryd nodding her head up and down in fierce agreement. “AHA! RUQAYA!” he exclaimed, delighted he had got the correct answer.
A look of disappointment washed over Miss Scandre’s face, as if she was hoping Azriel would get the question wrong. “Yes,” she said drily, “Ruqaya was the first Empress of the Fire Realm who ruled one thousand years ago. It is believed that she was the foreseer of the Grand Prophecy, which prophesised the Great War.”
She continued. “The war began as a result of Azaline’s destruction of the moon tribe, but quickly turned into a full-scale war when the Aquarius treacherously attacked the Empirati in retaliation. As noble dragons, we, the Anima fought alongside the Fire Realm as allies. However, the deceitful Kalibus joined the Sea Empire in an effort to stop the Empirati. And the war continues today as a result of the ill-advised decisions of the Aquarius.”
Anger flared up inside Azriel; he detested how the Empirati were portrayed as heroes for burning an entire tribe to the ground.
Zephryd simply looked bored – she was the smartest dragon in the class and already knew all the stuff they were supposed to learn for this entire year. She was also Azriel’s best friend and was always helping out Azriel with homework assignments; he was hopeless with them – even a mouse could have probably done better on some of the assignments.
“Now, everybody, as you are probably aware, we have an exam today.” said Miss Scandre.
“WAIT, WHAT?” replied Azriel in a surprised tone, probably a bit too loudly.
Zephryd rolled her eyes. “You absolute dummy – you forgot about the test, didn’t you. Again.” she said, exasperated.
“Well, it’s not MY FAULT that the test decided to be today, is it?” said Azriel in retaliation.
“The test did not DECIDE on anything, Azriel. Miss Scandre told us the test would be today, like, three months ago.” replied Zephryd.
“Well then the test should have done a better job of making itself noticeable,” replied Azriel in a snarky tone.
Zephryd sighed. She knew there was no reasoning with Azriel.
Miss Scandre started walking around to hand out the test papers. A sick feeling started to arise inside of Azriel like a stomach ache from eating too many mice (or maybe it actually was a stomach ache from eating too many mice, who knows). Azriel hated tests – he had got nothing but Fs, the worst grade possible, all year.
As the papers slowly came around to each student, he thought of all the ways he could horribly mess up the test.
What if the paper’s so hard that I can’t do a single question, he thought, panicking. What if every single dragon does better than me?
Finally, the test paper reached Azriel. He quickly scribbled his name down in ink and prepared to start the test, his wing trembling with stress.
“Begin,” she declared.
He quickly lifted the test paper open with his wing, still rapidly shaking with fear. He read the first question out in his head: Name the 11 dragons involved in the Battle of the Sun.
Azriel felt the panic churn inside him like a jolt of electricity inside his stomach. His limbs grew tense and his heart rate became increasingly rapid as his breathing became shallow.
How am I supposed to know that? Azriel thought. He anxiously scribbled down an answer: mice.
He turned the page worriedly and read the next question: Who was the first Empress of the Fire Realm?
Aha! he thought excitedly and quickly wrote down his answer – ‘Ruqaya’. Azriel took a deep breath of relief. Perhaps this test won’t be so bad after all.
He flicked over the next page, hoping for another easy question. But his wish was not answered as Azriel read out another puzzling question inside his head: Which animal has an average breathing capacity of 100 ML/kg2J-3, is ambivolextrous, and is commonly found in grass?
The panic suddenly returned to Azriel, shocking him again and making his heart beat like a drum. This was why he hated tests so much; they were like torture devices designed to make your brain scream in agony and make your lungs contract in fear.
But luckily, he had his trusty backup answer to save him: mice. Now, Azriel was well aware that the chance of him getting that question right was very low, but through some quick calculations, he found that you were more likely to get a question right if you actually attempted it.
As he looked around the room, he caught Zephryd’s eye, who shot him a disapproving look. Azriel meekly turned back to his paper and continued to answer the questions.
He peered at the next question: If two dragons leave from Point A conjunctively at sunrise and fly east for forty-five minutes, how long will it take for one dragon to reach Point B, assuming that the dragon in question is enraged to a factor of 9.
Azriel didn’t even bother read anything past ‘conjunctively’ – he knew there was no point. Half-heartedly, he wrote down ‘mice’ for his answer again. Maybe he would get lucky and somehow the answers were all mice. His face drooped at the thought – that would never happen in a million years.
Silently, he answered the questions one-by-one, his fear of failing surging with each question and his chance of success decreasing with every page. Why oh why do tests even have to exist, he thought, wailing inside his head miserably.
Azriel glanced up at the clock. Three minutes left. The hands of the clock seemed to speed up as he felt time slipping rapidly between his fingers like an hour-glass counting down to doomsday.
Finally, the clock reached 2:30pm.
“Put your writing equipment down immediately,” spat Miss Scandre, glaring specifically at Azriel.
But Azriel continued to scribble down his answers haphazardly, unaware of what Scandre was saying,.
“AZRIEL THAT MEANS YOU TOO!” she yelled, her snow-white wings spread out in fury and frustration. Startled, Azriel dropped his pen in panic and looked up at Scandre, who was leering down unkindly at him, her grey eyes piercing through Azriel like an arrow.
“Psst!” came a voice beside Azriel. He turned his head to see Zephryd waving at him. “So, how was the test?” she said, grinning.
“Um, it was… alright,” he said miserably.
“I found it really easy – what did you put for that question about the ambivolextrousy of animals?” she asked, jumping up and down with excitement, “Oh, never mind, it must have been a giraffe, because, as far as I know they are the only animals who have a breathing capacity of 100.”
Azriel’s heart sunk. He had put mice for that question, in the hope that he would somehow get it right. “I put mice,” he said in a low voice, now knowing for sure he had got the wrong answer.
“Mice… maybe that is the answer,” Zephryd replied uncertainly, trying to spare Azriel’s feelings.
“Does it even matter?” Azriel said, his voice full of pain, “I probably failed the test anyway and got another F.”
Zephryd put her wing around Azriel. “Hey. It’s okay if you don’t do amazingly on this test,” she said soothingly, “There’s more to life than just exams. You’ll do better next time – I know it.”
Azriel smiled and looked at her. “Thanks, Zephryd.”
Meanwhile, Scandre was preparing to mark the exams; she took out a black, dusty runestone, and began to carve a symbol into the stone. Slowly, the rune began to glow and shake, and a gleaming light shot out that looked as if it could blind Azriel if he stared at it for too long.
Pens suddenly flew into the air and began to scribble down ticks and crosses on each of the tests; the papers were marking themselves.
Azriel was actually not terrible at Runes – he was about as good as Zephryd at it. Runes could be used to do simple tasks such as cleaning dishes or organizing items. Using them for violent purposes, however, was strictly outlawed in the Air Nation.
As the tests continued to be marked, Azriel began to become increasingly worried about how he would do. What if I failed? he thought anxiously, What if I got the worst score in the class?
It was like a tornado of nerves hitting Azriel all at once. His heart was pounding. Beads of sweat rolled down his face. His breathing became rapid.
Finally, the pens returned to their usual positions. The papers had been marked. Scandre slowly rose from her seat and walked towards the papers. Painstakingly, she picked them up, and began to hand them out one by one to the students. An array of expressions could be seen as they received their papers. Some were ecstatic, others seemed dismal upon seeing their score.
Azriel tensed as Scandre stepped towards him. Slowly, his paper came out of her hand, and onto the table. Azriel glanced at his grade.
He had got an E.
“Hey, I actually didn’t get an F!” he said with a hint of joy in his tone.
“Good job, Azriel,” said Zephryd, who was beaming at him.
“Let me guess what you got, an A?” he said sardonically.
“Yep, as usual,” she said, grinning, “Although, I have no idea what the right answer for that question about breathing capacity and ambivolextrousy was – a giraffe apparently was not the right answer.”
Azriel flicked through his paper to the question Zephryd was talking about and looked at it, expecting to see a wrong answer. But instead, he saw a tick next to what he had wrote.
The answer really had been mice!
“I actually got that one right,” said Azriel.
“WHAT?!” cried Zephryd, looking over at Azriel’s paper, “How was the answer MICE?”
Scandre glared at her. “If you had read the question, Zephryd, you would have seen that it said RELATIVE breathing capacity, not the overall value,” she spat.
Zephryd banged her head on the table. “How could I have been so stupid?” she wailed, as if her life was over.
“Well, at least you got an A.” Azriel said thoughtfully.
“Yes I know, but it’s so annoying when you’re just one mark away from getting one hundred percent!” Zephryd moaned.
Azriel shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “I only got an E.” he said bitterly, his hatred of tests worse than ever before.
Zephryd turned towards Azriel. “Don’t worry. I know you’ll do better next time. Besides, an E is an improvement over an F, isn’t it?” she said calmingly.
“I guess so.” he said, still gloomy.
Zephryd nudged him with her wing. “It doesn’t matter what you get in tests. I still think you’re pretty great.” she whispered to him, smiling at Azriel.
Azriel beamed at her, grateful he had such a great friend like Zephryd.
Suddenly, the school bell rang. Scandre looked up icily at the students. “You are dismissed.” she said, her voice filled with resentment.
Azriel flew out of the classroom, and out into the great, wide, city of Edreyna. Dozens of tall buildings built from sand and clay surrounded him like a dense forest. The wind swept past his face carelessly as he flew through the clean, crisp air of the Air Capital. The clouds watched inquisitively from above, smiling down at him gently, sailing across the open sky, and the gleaming sun playfully shone down onto Azriel’s cloud-white wings.
He took a deep breath in and smiled. This was where he loved to be the most – free and liberated; no worldly desires to bound him to the earth.
Below him, in the distance, he could see the eight great rocky mountains of the Air Nation – their size was so immense that they seemed to be as tall as the floating island of Edreyna.
Other dragons surrounded him, flying freely like Azriel throughout the soft, blue sky. Azriel rolled gracefully in the air and glided, enjoying the cool summer breeze and the gentle rays of sun.
I wish I could stay out here forever, he thought, pure happiness filling him like water being poured into a cup.
Then he remembered his mother.
What is she going to say? Azriel thought, panic starting to enter him, I hope she won’t be disappointed. He couldn’t bear to see that crestfallen expression on his mother’s face when she would see how badly he did in the test.
At least, she might be happy that I got better than what I usually get, he thought. But he knew he was lying to himself. No self-respecting parent would ever be happy with such a terrible grade.
Azriel flew on in silence, hoping for the one thing which he longed for. Acceptance from his mother.
After some time, he could see his home in the distance. He flew towards the sandy building and landed nervously onto the ground, almost trembling with fear.
He looked at the door anxiously for what seemed like hours. Slowly, he placed his talon onto the knob, and prepared to knock. He could feel his own heartrate hammering inside of him. What will mother think? he thought, sweat dropping down his face. Will she accept me? Will she still love me?
A few painstaking moments passed, until Azriel eventually mustered the courage to knock the door.
Footsteps could be heard in response. They slowly grew louder and louder until the door finally opened, revealing the face of another Anima: his mother, Hermonah.
She looked at him. “Hello, Azriel,” she said warmly, “Come inside.”
Azriel opened his mouth to say hello, but his mother had already walked inside. He followed her in silence, his head down. Slowly, he sat down inside the living room of his house.
His mother turned towards him. “So, how was today’s Ancient History test?” she asked curiously.
“Oh, uh, well, it was… alright, I guess,” he stuttered, ashamed of how he had performed.
Her eyes narrowed. “Let’s get straight to the point, shall we? What grade did you get?” she demanded, a hint of irritation in her tone.
Azriel gulped. “Well, I – I got – a little better, than last time – I mean I didn’t do awful, per se, but – I guess I didn’t – um – do fantastically either,” he stammered, terrified of what his mother would say. Please don’t be mad, he thought.
“Azriel.” she said, in a low voice.
He looked up, pain in his eyes. “I got an E,” he gulped, a sheepish look on his face.
She gave him a withering look. “An E,” she said, her eyes piercing through Azriel, “That’s not exactly great, is it?”
Azriel hung his head in shame. “No,” he squeaked.
“I’m extremely disappointed in you, Azriel. An E is not an acceptable grade,” his mother said, her voice full of dismay.
Azriel hated disappointment – it was worse than anger or rage; he would rather that his mother had scolded him or screamed at him.
He felt ashamed of himself. He felt hurt at what she had said. He felt like hiding away from the world.
Azriel turned his head away from his mother as tears began to swell up in his eyes.
“I’ll just go to sleep, then,” he said dejectedly. His mother made no response.
Azriel walked up the stone stairs, and into his room. Without bothering to do anything else, he collapsed onto his bed and thought about what his mother said.
Am I really a failure? he thought, sadness echoing through him like sound waves ricocheting off cave walls.
Maybe I am. Maybe some dragons just aren’t destined for anything. Maybe I’m one of those dragons.
His mother’s disappointment weighed on him like a load trying to crush him. I am a failure, he thought, a crestfallen expression on his face. I’m probably nothing but a burden to my mother.
Tears suddenly began to flow out of his eyes as he thought more and more about what she said. He sobbed into his pillow, his mind filled with nothing but sadness.
After some time, his eyelids began to droop as he became drowsy from exhaustion.
Eventually, darkness engulfed his vision.
Azriel could hear a faint voice coming from a distance.
“Rise, young one.” the voice said gently.
Azriel squinted. A tall female dragon, with blazing orange wings, was standing in front of him. She had amber eyes that had a warmth and safety within them, staring deep into Azriel’s soul. “Who – who are you?” he said, still sleepy.
The voice replied.
“My name, is Ruqaya.”
─────────CHAPTER TWO─────────
Azriel was at a loss for words.
“You – you’re Ruqaya? As in the first Empress of the Fire Realm?” he gasped, unable to believe what he was hearing.
She smiled. “Yes, young one, I am Ruqaya, the founder of the Empirati and foreseer of the Grand Prophecy,” Ruqaya said, a kind-hearted expression on her face.
Azriel looked around him. He was standing on snow-white fluffy clouds that filled the scenery for miles to come. The gleaming orange sun shone welcomingly from above, basking the landscape in aureate rays of light. It was like some sort of fantasy land.
“Wh – where am I?” he asked, his eyes darting from place to place.
Ruqaya’s eyes twinkled. “Your conscious mind has drifted to the Mindscape, but your body remains in the physical world.”
Azriel frowned. “So… I’m dreaming?”
“Yes… and no,” she said, “The Mindscape is the intermediate between physical and spiritual. It is like being caught between two realities, like an ambivalence between life and death.”
Azriel raised his eyebrows in confusion. “Okay, I didn’t understand a word of what just came out of your mouth.”
Ruqaya took a deep breath. “Imagine that you have a stone, and you can throw it into two pits.”
Azriel nodded. “Okay.”
“Now, let’s say a dragon throws the stone in between the pits. The stone is not quite in one pit, nor is it in the other. It is the same with the physical and spiritual world – when the stone is thrown in between, you enter the Mindscape,” Ruqaya said.
This made a lot more sense to Azriel. But he was still puzzled with respect to why he was in the Mindscape to begin with.
“Ah… now I understand,” he said, tilting his head up and down in agreement. “So, uh, why am I here anyway?”
Ruqaya smiled. “There is something very special about you, young one, although you do not yet see it.”
Special? he thought, frowning. Azriel thought of himself as anything but special – he felt ordinary and pathetic. Maybe she meant special as in extraordinarily useless.
“Child, you have been given a gift that has not been seen since my time; a gift that was once thought to be lost forever.” she said, smiling.
Azriel’s raised his eyebrows. “A gift?” he said, confused.
Ruqaya looked gently at Azriel. “Yes, young one. You have been bestowed with the gift of the air elemental powers.”
A silence passed over the realm.
Azriel was dumbfounded. He had air elemental powers? “I have… what?” he said, astonished, “There’s got to be some mistake – I’m about as ordinary as you can get,” he said, sceptically.
A warm look appeared on Ruqaya’s face. “Azriel, you are anything but ordinary,” she said gently. “You have traits in you that even you do not recognize. You possess such loyalty and compassion that I have not seen in any dragon for thousands of years. You are worthy, Azriel.”
Azriel’s mouth curved into a smile that reached his eyes. Perhaps he wasn’t so useless after all.
“But why – what’s the point of my powers?” he questioned, his eyebrows furrowed into a frown.
Ruqaya’s smile faded, replaced with a fiery look of determination in her eyes. “You must defeat the Empirati Siblings, Azaline, Azure, and Aedan, and you must restore the harmonic convergence, before it is too late. Tomorrow night, you must fly to the Ruins of the Moon tribe. That is your destiny, Azriel.” she said.
A thousand thoughts flickered through Azriel’s head.
“I – I need to defeat the EMPIRATI SIBLINGS, and fly all the way to the Ruins of the Moon Tribe?!” he shrieked, shocked at her insane request.
The Ruins of the Moon tribe were miles away from the Air Nation – it would take days for him to get there.
“Yes,” she said, her expression grave, “There you will meet three other dragons, one from each of the elements. I warn you to stay safe – particularly with the Empirati dragon – she has… temper issues.” Temper issues? he thought, frowning. I wonder what she means by that.
“Have you spoke to the other dragons?” Azriel asked curiously.
“No,” she said sadly, “I have been unable to contact them through the Mindscape. I can only observe and hear them. But you possess a special spiritual link to Mindscape, allowing me to communicate with you.
Me? I have a special spiritual link? he thought doubtingly. Spiritual was probably the last word Azriel would use to describe himself.
A pressing thought suddenly popped into Azriel’s head. “Ruqaya,” he said, “Why are you in the Mindscape anyway?”
Her face twisted at the question. “I was trapped here.”
Trapped? he thought, horrified.
“Who trapped you?” he asked.
Ruqaya’s face hardened. “I was banished here by my own brother, Omicron. Five thousand years ago, I founded the Fire Realm, and declared myself its Empress. It was a time of great prosperity for the Empirati, a time of peace and kindness. However, my brother Omicron was resentful and malcontent with his position as a Minister in the Empire.”
“Because he felt that he should be the ruler and not you?” Azriel interjected.
Ruqaya nodded. “Precisely. Omicron wanted to have total control over the Empire. He viewed me merely as an obstacle to his gaining of total control over the Fire Realm. On the Night of Power, he gathered his allies and supporters, and burned down the homes of any dragon that refused to join him. It was a savage night. There were corpses of dragons scattered everywhere amongst the streets. The forests which used to be so green were black with ash after Omicron unleashed his vicious attack. Those who remained loyal to me were killed, including my only child, Epsilon. But after several hours, he demanded my presence at my palace. Gathered there were the only remaining citizens of the Fire Realm. Omicron gave me a decision – I was either to give up the crown and let him become Emperor, or face death. But I refused to give in just to save my own life, when there were countless dragons who still needed me. Omicron simply laughed and told me that death was too merciful a punishment for me. He incanted an Empirati spell that I had never heard before: Carpe Noctem. The spell banished me to the Mindscape, where he intended for me to suffer for all eternity.”
Azriel had his head down. Ruqaya didn’t deserve this. “I’m so sorry, Ruqaya.”
“Do not be, young one,” she fiercly responded, “I do not seek pity, nor do I seek sympathy.”
Ruqaya had a stern, but regal look on her face. “Your time is short, Azriel. Soon it will be time for you to wake, and tomorrow night you shall embark on the perilous journey to the Moon tribe, thus beginning your quest to defeat the Empirati siblings.”
Azriel nodded, feeling the weight of the responsibility that had just been handed to him. “I understand. Thank you for your wisdom, Ruqaya.”
Ruqaya smiled. “Any time, Azriel. Know that I will always be with you to guide you and help you. When you are sleeping, remember that you are not alone, for I will always be there.”
Her words echoed inside Azriel. I am not alone, he thought happily.
“Farewell for now, young one.”
Abruptly, Azriel woke up with a start, and banged into a large metal object.
“OW!” he yelled, looking to see the thing he had hit his head on. It was… a shield.
A shield?! he thought, dumbfounded, Why is that even there?
Azriel yawned grumpily, and slowly started to get out of bed. He looked out his window onto the horizon, where the golden sun had just begun to rise. It glowed vibrantly across a spectrum of colours – yellow, orange, and red. The sky was soft and blue, with no clouds for miles to come.
Time for school, he moaned to himself.
Quietly, he tiptoed out of his room, and creeped down the cold, stone stairs. His mother was still asleep. Phew, he thought. Otherwise he was sure she would have taken the opportunity to reprimand him about his grade from yesterday’s test.
Silently, Azriel opened the door, and stepped outside and breathed in the clean, crisp air.
Azriel loved the outdoors. It was the only place where he was truly free – no parents to tell him what to do.
Slowly, Azriel lifted into the air, and flew off into the direction of Edreyna, the Air Capital.
After an hour of flying he finally reached school, where he quickly rushed in to find Zephryd.
I’ve got time, he thought, Still thirty minutes until school starts.
Zephryd was sat down inside a classroom, intently reading a book that she had borrowed from the library.
“Hi Zephryd,” Azriel said cheerfully to her.
Zephryd barely looked up. “Oh, hi,” she replied in an absentminded voice.
Is she even listening to me?! Azriel thought frustratedly.
“ZEPHRYD!” he yelled into her ear.
Zephryd jumped. “WHAT WAS THAT FOR?!” she yelled back at Azriel.
“You weren’t listening to me!” he protested.
Zephryd had a sceptical look on her face. “Well, you could have been a bit less vocal about it.” she responded testily.
Azriel rolled his eyes. Sometimes Zephryd could be so annoying. “Oh, alright. Anyway, I have a question about some stuff.”
Zephryd yawned. “I’m all ears, go right ahead.”
Azriel took a deep breath. “Okay, so I met this magical lady in a dream, also she was Ruqaya, oh yeah, and also I have air elemental powers apparently? Oh, and I have to defeat the Empirati Siblings, I think.” he rambled, not pausing for breaths.
“WHAT?” she shrieked in astonishment, “Azriel. Slow down. You had a dream, and you saw RUQAYA. As in the FIRST EMPRESS OF THE FIRE REALM.”
Azriel nodded sheepishly. “Okay, I know it sounds like a stretch, but when I went to sleep, I saw a dragon, and she told me that I was in a place called The Mindscape, or something like that.”
A look of realization appeared on Zephryd’s face. “I’ve read something about this – what did you say that place was called – The Mindscape? I’ve seen it somewhere…. the library!”
Oh no, not the library, he thought, moaning to himself.
Zephryd grabbed Azriel’s arm and pulled him towards the library.
“I can walk perfectly fine on my own, Zephryd!” he protested, struggling free of her grasp.
They scrambled into the library.
“Follow me!” she said, peering over a collection of books. “Ugh, where is it, where is it… AHA!” she exclaimed in triumph, taking out a dusty old book.
“Here it is,” she said proudly, “A Guide to the Spiritual World. It mentions a lot of stuff about the Mindscape – it’s like some sort of place between the physical world and the dream world – like a bridge between realities.”
Azriel nodded in agreement. This was similar to what Ruqaya had told him. “Yes – this is it. Ruqaya told me something like that as well. Something about spirits and pits and rocks I think.”
Zephryd gave Azriel a blank look. “… right… anyway, what else did Ruqaya tell you?”
“Well, she told me that I have… air elemental powers?” he said uncertainly.
Zephryd’s mouth was hanging wide open. “YOU HAVE WHAT??” she shrieked.
“Air… elemental… powers….?” he squeaked. Zephryd looked so fierce she looked as if she might pounce on Azriel at any moment.
“Okay,” she said, taking deep breaths. “Let me find a book on that.”
She scoured through a row of books until she found one.
“Right, this one might provide some insight on your new found ‘powers’,” she said sceptically, “It’s called The Art of Air Control.”
Zephryd flicked through a few pages. “Why don’t you try this basic form?” she asked.
Azriel was nervous. What if it was just all a dream? he thought anxiously. Maybe I’m just being crazy.
He peered at the book. It showed a dragon lifting their arm up and thrusting it forward to produce a gust of air.
Azriel tried to do the same. Slowly, but shakily, he lifted his arm into the air, and thrusted it forward.
Without warning, a colossal whirlwind of air blasted out of his hand and destroyed multiple bookcases. Books were scattered all over the ground. Students looked at Azriel, their mouths hanging wide open.
Oh no, now I’ve really messed up, he thought worriedly.
“Quick, run!” he whispered to Zephryd. She nodded and flew out of the library through the nearest exit with Azriel.
Azriel was panting with excitement and exhilaration. I actually have air elemental powers! It wasn’t a dream! he thought excitedly.
Zephryd was in awe. “Azriel, that was amazing!” she shrieked, “Although, your control could definitely do with some work,” she said, grinning.
You need to tell her, a voice said in Azriel’s head. You’re only delaying the inevitable.
The smile faded from Azriel’s face.
“Zephryd,” he said sadly.
She looked up at Azriel.
“What?” she questioned.
“Ruqaya told me something else,” he continued, his head turned away from Zephryd.
“What did she tell you?” Zephryd asked worriedly.
“I – I need to go.” he said, his voice almost cracking.
Zephryd’s expression was downcast.
“Why? Why do you have to leave?” she questioned, pain in her voice.
“Ruqaya told me I need to go the Ruins of the Moon tribe, and that I would meet other dragons there with powers like mine. My destiny is to defeat the Empirati Siblings,” he replied, his eyes swimming with tears. “I need to go.”
Zephryd grabbed his arm, a fierce look in her eyes.
“NO! You can’t just leave. You can’t just… AIGH!” she screamed, tears filling her eyes. “I won’t let you leave, Azriel. I’m not going to let you just leave everyone!”
Azriel looked at her. “Zephryd. I have to. It’s for the greater good.”
“But what about your friends, Azriel. What about ME?” Zephryd questioned, her voice filled with agony.
“I have to,” he said.
Azriel felt heartbroken. He didn’t want to leave his friends behind. He didn’t want to leave Zephryd, his best friend, behind. But he knew he had to. This was not just about him. This was about Ocula.
Zephryd finally loosened her grip on Azriel.
“I know,” she said quietly. “I know you have to go.”
In the distance, Azriel could see the blood-red sun setting over the horizon, and the moon slowly rising into the clear, cloudless sky. I need to go, he thought.
“It’s time, Zephryd.” he said.
Zephryd looked at him, and then leapt forward to hug Azriel.
“Goodbye, Azriel,” she whispered.
“Goodbye.” he replied, separating from Zephryd’s embrace.
Azriel lifted into the air and flew off into the horizon, the glowing moon staring back at him compellingly.
He was leaving his old life behind.
And starting a new one.
Fantasy
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Have you ever watched Avatar The Last Airbender? This really reminds me of it! Aside from the dragons.
I like how your dialogue sounds natural and realistic!
This was a fantastic story. Dragons have always been an obsession of mine. The first part was sad and frightening with the Moon Tribe getting wiped out, but now a young hero has been chosen. I like Aziel’s personality. He seems on the surface an average Joe, but he will be the one to help save the world. I hope there’s more to this story.