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Lady of the Dragons

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Chapter 1: Once a Great City
Before the dawn of history
Before the land and sea
There have been two
There will always be two
This we always knew
This was always true
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Seattle, Washington. One of the most magnificent cities in the world. Now reduced to a smoking place of destruction and despair.



It had been a year since Othern and Earth had merged together and the devastating war between the Darkfull, Lightfull, and humans had started. Many cities were left in such a state around the world. Much of the beauty of the natural world in both planets had been desecrated. No one cared. No one really seemed to notice. It looked as if the only thing on the minds of the three warring factions was fighting pointlessly. For what purpose? For what reward? That question still had no answer.

Those who are not fighting were either wounded, missing, dead, or wandering. Darkfull, Lightfull, and humans alike. Many people at first tried to live in the remains of the cities and scavenge for supplies. Most perished. Many starved to death or died from lack of thirst. It was common for a survivor to get caught in a battle and die. A good number of survivors simply went insane and killed themselves. The war trudged on and on. There seemed to be no end in sight.

How long would the suffering continue? Until all sides were exterminated? Even then, what would the winners do? Their world was gone, merged together with pieces from each one sewed together to create strange new lands. And even then, these new lands held other terrors and hardships other than the war. How could they pick up the pieces? Were they even any pieces left to pick up? Despite this, the war kept on going. And it's going on.

Was this the end of the world?
In the ruins of Seattle, a large battle was going on. The general looked over the city from the Space Needle, also ravaged by the fighting. It was a base for a few units of soldiers. Now the Darkfull and Lightfull both began bombarding it with attacks. Casualties were heavy for him. This damned war was really starting to break him. He was only in his mid-30's and he looked like he was 50. Wrinkles were drawn into his pale skin deeply and his eyes were dark with the depression of war.

"Fuck them." The general snarled, watching as a Darkfull ripped two soldiers in half like they were made of paper. "We're going to lose this base to those magical freaks."
Another younger man was standing next to him. He was missing an arm. His constant duties in war required him to be near or on the battlefield at all times. There was no time to get a mechanical arm. "Sir, shall we retreat?"
"I'll die sooner than I'll surrender to them." He spat.
"Sir, units three and two are completely wiped out. One has lost nearly half its soldiers and four has lost a quarter. Nearly ten thousand people have died. I strongly suggest we leave."
The general watched the human soldiers shoot and fight the Darkfull and Lightfull. Many had horrible injuries, yet kept on battling the opposing sides. One woman's leg was bended at an obscene angle, and yet she dragged herself and kept on shooting. A Lightfull soon put her out of her misery. Then a Darkfull proceeded to kill the Lightfull. "Dammit."
"Shall I give the signal?"
"For what?!"
"To retreat."
"Hell no! Get the bomb."
"E-Excuse me, sir?"
"Get the bomb, you deaf idiot!" The general spun around and yelled at the younger man. "The bomb! We're going to blast those fuckers!"
"S-Sir, I don't think we should!"
"And why not?!"
"They're might be survivors out there! They'll get caught in blast and they'll die!"
"Just send out the warning!"
"They won't make it in time!"
The general pushed the younger man out of the way and walked toward the command board. "Fuck you, you cowardly ass! I'll do it! I don't care who gets blasted in the process, I just want those damn things dead!" He slammed down on a button.


Out in the city, a loud voice echoed over the ruins of the city.

"Attention, survivors! Please evacuate the area! A bomb will be detonated in approximately an hour! Please head toward the red beam in the distance! There will be a shelter that will protect you! Countdown has begun."

A large brilliant beam of crimson began to illuminate in the distance. It began to move in quick circles, making the overhead clouds glow a red hue. The voice spoke again.

"Fifty nine minutes and fifty nine seconds remaining until detonation."

Survivors around the ruins heard the warning...




 
seraphina.jpg


She was running. Faster than ever, past the beams of light, a blur of light brown and orange. She stopped to dodge an incoming bullet, slamming her side against a large piece of rubble to her left. She flattened against the barrier, listening for the sound of battle. Breathing hard, cheeks flushed red, the girl took off again, darting quickly across the scattered battlefield, making her way through the ruins. To the red light, she needed to get to the shelter in time. If there was one thing she understood, there was no way meeting a Othern would save her from the bomb's explosion. Wind rushed through her hair as she sprinted. She was lucky, already quite far from the worst of the battefield. What were the generals thinking? Dropping a bomb on civilian areas? She thought it was ridiculous, the way the army was handling the situation. Reaching the end of the rubble passages, she stopped to look around. In the distance, there was a fight going on. To get to the shelter, she'd have to run through the battle. She didn't like the idea of that.

For the moment, Seraphina crouched behind another chunk of a building and watched. She decided to wait until the battle died down a bit before continuing to run. As she settled down, her backpack flopped against her thigh and she pushed down on her knees, sweaty palms against her legs. Though she was squinting to watch, her hands were shaking. She was absolutely terrified. Almost everyone she knew was dead. And she was running.

She often stopped to consider what would have happened if she, too, had died. The thought always made her feel nauseous. She was running on adrenaline, on the rush of a new world, or a different species, of magic. If she was going to die anyway, she might as well discover what was going on.

She took a deep breath and let it all out. It was good to take a break. She was running out of breath.
 
"Aaaaaargh!!!" The cry of wounded soldiers echoed throughout the streets of Seattle, bouncing off of the walls of nearby buildings with sickening clarity. Chaos was all that could be seen, with scattered fragments of debris hurtling in every direction as magical and physical explosions alike were reducing all standing structures to rubble. From an alleyway, a shout rang out. "Run Gary, theres no time!" said a soldier, waving to his fellow to retreat. With a tear-stained and blood-strewn face, his companion nodded quickly, hefting his rifle and falling back. The soldier then turned to face the swarm of Darkfull that were attempting to break through their barricade, his face grim and resolute. He was the last line of defense in this part of the city, as all of his squadron but Gary had been killed. Squaring off his shoulders, he let out a defiant bellow. "COME OOON!!! LET'S GET THIS OVER WITH YOU FREEAAKSS!!!" Flicking his weapon setting to fully automatic, a stream of bullets flew towards the Darkfull, barely making a dent in their formation. Time seemed to slow as the Darkfull closed in on him, firing a wall of dark energy blasts that headed straight for him. Unloading the last of his M16's magazine, the soldier dropped his weapon and fell to his knees, his hands in prayer. As he resigned to the inevitable, a single tear fell from his eyes, splashing onto the cracked and battle scarred street below.

A blast of light suddenly erupted around the soldier in the form of a nexus shield, causing the Darkfull's magical bursts to richochete back towards their senders. With harsh screaming growls, several of the charging Darkfull fell from their own attacks. With a flurry of light, Suavari glided down from the rooftop of a nearby building, landing at the soldiers side. The soldier opened his eyes, shock immediately flashing across his features. "Earthling," said Suavari to the soldier compassionately, "please remain calm and do not be afraid. All will be well." Rising into the air, Suavari flew away quickly, the soldier floating in the small nexus bubble right beside him. Suavari quickly continued scanning the ground for more survivors, his focus closing in a small girl who was running desperately through the ensuing battle, attempting to get to red beacon that was the safe zone. As he began his descent, a ballistic missle sped towards them, causing Suavari to swerve eradically. Quickening his pace, the Lightfull landed next to the survivor girl, light from his form illuminating the surrounding area. "Earthling," Suavari said in his haunting voice, "I can provide you safe passage to your destination. Will you trust me to do this for you?" Suavari glanced around as Darkfull began to take notice of his arrival, galloping in a sickening frenzy towards him. Looking urgently to the girl, he said, "Please decide quickly, as time is not favoring us."
 
Valos sat down in the middle of a circle of corpses, looking up dreamily at the sky. He heard the sirens go off, then that horrible loud voice telling him to go somewhere. Then a large red light happened to appear from nowhere. Valos ignored all of it, arranging the bodies in a more neater circle. He didn't care if he died. Or did he? Maybe he wouldn't die. Or maybe he would. Death was not an important subject to Valos.

Valos spotted a lone cockroach scuttling around. He proceeded to kill it and place it in the center of the circle. He stepped back and admired his work. Then he frowned. Something was missing...

In the distance, Valos heard a scream. Then a thud. And other noises. Curious, he forgot about his work immediately and began to walk over to where the sound was coming from. He felt a strange presence in his magical senses; it usually meant another Othern was nearby. He popped his head over some rocky debris and spotted a Lightfull speaking with a human. Hmph. The strange people with no magic powers. Instead, they lived with the strange contraptions that they created. He didn't know how they were able to survive.

Valos jumped over rock and landed near them. He stared at them with tired looking eyes. They would make good bodies for my artwork. He thought to himself. They should die. He took a step towards them, but as he did the horrible voice echoed through the ruins again.

"Forty minutes remaining until detonation."
 
Humans were fools. Make an announcement that everyone can hear? Well, so be it.

Koska looked down at his fellow Darkfull from a broken rooftop. It could have been a shelter no more than a minute ago, capable of holding out rain, but not capable of keeping the Darkfull out. His partner had caused it to collapse, killing 3 humans inside. :Let's stop them from getting there,: he said with a flick of his tail. Then, without waiting for confirmation, he jumped toward the next house toward the red beam.

As he went, his eyes gleamed orange. Each place his gaze fell, a human would double over in pain, but not for long. His partner kept tearing them down, leaving little piles of human guts wherever they went. How convenient of them to round up all the humans. As the two moved closer, they found more and more. In their speed search for a sizable group, they started skipping a couple. Occasionally they would leave someone screaming or stopped in fear.

Their trip came to an abrupt halt when a sudden blast of light erupted. Koska dodged behind the chimney, and from there, he saw the blasts redirected toward his partner. Fool young ones, he thought. Why were they never more careful? Koska peeked around the corner and saw the Lightfull take off. His eyes narrowed, but it wouldn't do to chase. The killing spree was done, but the opportunity was not lost. There would still be plenty of people cooped up in one place, and that was still plenty of opportunity to cause havoc and keep the humans scared. Koska continued on toward the red beam.

It wasn't long, however, before he slowed again. On the road bneath him was a circle of bodies. This was no Darkfull's work. They had a purpose, and to arrange the bodies so was a waste of time and effort. Or if it was a Darkfull's work, she would deserve a penance. Koska decided to trust his instincts, though, and continued on a little slower, still keeping to the roof. His eyes now were yellow. Perhaps the bodies had been some human ritual, and if he were to come across a human, he had found they would strike on sight if his eyes were orange or red. Yellow, however, sometimes let him pass by without heed.

Words echoed again. Koska flipped around and back to check behind him before continuing on. It was a good thing he had decided to proceed with caution. Before him he found a Lightfull with what looked like a human package, and before the Lightfull was another human. He sat, weighing the consequences of attacking and surveyed the area around him. This would cost time and possibly take more out of him than he had. Going to the red beam would be a better opportunity, but he still harbored the anger of having seen his partner killed. It didn't matter if that young Darkfull had been a fool. She had still been a Darkfull, and Lightfull were the enemy.
 
seraphina.jpg


He came down beside her, half in flight, a blur of white until her eyes adjusted to the creature before her. Seraphina stumbled backwards, falling onto her behind. She was startled by his appearance, but also by his kindness. The look in her eyes suggested more than just curiosity. She was compelled. The light from his body emanated through the area and he was almost too bright to look at directly. Earthling, he told her and her assumptions were confirmed. He was... one of them. She rose from the ground, rather slowly, as if her mind was still processing the information. His voice... it was stuck in her head on replay. Her heart was pounding. boom boom. She could hear explosions all around them. Her breath was escaping her.

This was her chance. To leave everything behind and join this war. She was nervous, but determined. Nodding, she reached for the creature's hand, putting both of her hands on top of his. She had decided. She would follow him. Not just at this moment, but in the future as well. In a world where everything she knew was falling apart, Seraphina was searching for something new, something to cherish. He was... a creature of light... a different species, someone who could lead her into this other worldly war. She wished for nothing less.
 
Cocking his head to the side in curiosity, the Lightfull allowed tendrils of light from his form to swirl around the girls hands, grasping them in a magical embrace. "You are different from the rest. Most do not have such bravery as you do. A commendable quality to be sure, my young Earth child." Suavari said softly, looking into her eyes with interest. The sound of sizzling asphalt ripped his attention away from her abruptly, as a large energy blast struck the ground just inches from where they stood. Pulling the girl closer to him and rising quickly into the air, Suavari began to glow brightly. With a flash, several hologram copies of himself and the human cargo appeared in a large circle around the Darkfull. Using this momentary illusion to retreat, Suavari turned towards the red beacon, flying as fast as he was able. Hurtling through the sky, the screaming whistle of rushing air was all that could be heard while the trio sped over the smoke of a thousand fires.

Just as the blur of the city below was beginning to become nothing more than a hypnotic stream of bleak colors, Suavari angled downwards, gliding towards a deserted parking lot. Alighting slowly upon the concrete, he set the humans down gently, removing the nexus shield from around the soldier. Closing his eyes and settling into a meditational hover, pulsating beams of white light began emnating from Suavari. After a few moments of silence, nodding with satisfaction, the Lightfull touched his feet to the ground and allowed a final wave of light to pass through the surrounding area. "I sense no harmful presenses nearby. Your travels shall be safe from here." Suavari said warmly, smiling at each of them.
 
Valos followed the Lightfull and the girl as they flew, running fast beneath them. As he studied the Lightfull, something about him felt...strange. What was it? It felt like it was...familiar? This feeling was unknown to Valos and only drove him to seek him out more. He ran quickly and jumped over the rocky bleak landscape, watching until the Lightfull landed somewhere with the girl. Valos watched them for a bit before jumping out. He walked a bit towards the Lightfull, not caring about the human girl either way. The magical senses seeping from Valos felt the Lightfull and the strange feelings came back. Familiar, but how?

Valos pointed at the Lightfull. "You." He said.
 
Leone was sneaking through the ruins of Seattle, heading towards the red beam in the distance, her father's rifle at her back and her baseball bat fastened to her belt. She had considered choosing a route around the battle that now surrounded her, but that would have taken too much time. All around her, Darkfull, Lightfull and humans were massacring each other. She tried to make herself as little visible as possible, hiding behind piles of brick and anything else she could possibly hide behind while darting from one shelter to another. She hoped Giandor, her Darkfull companion, was alright.

Running towards the remains of an old truck, she stumbled and fell to the ground. Clumsy, she thought. She quickly got up and looked around to see if anyone had catched a glimpse of her. It appeared she had remained unnoticed. A sigh of relief escaped her lips and she kept making her way towards the red beam of light.
 
"Thirty five minutes until detonation."
 
Koska watched as the Lightfull flew away. A streak ran by on the ground, but Koska withdrew. They were going toward the light, but straight line by flight wasn't necessarily the best way to the red light on foot.

Every so often, he encountered others. There was only one red beam and everyone wanted to get to it. For some time, now, he had been following some humans, but when the road forked, he decided to take the other fork. Before him, the fork opened up, and he saw a truck. A shadow darted across the floor when he looked away. What was that? He took a silent step toward where he had thought he had seen movement. Known dangers were one thing, but here he wasn't sure. Darting forward might mean a fast death. His eyes started turning orange.

Oh. It was just a human girl. His eyes faded back to yellow, and his tail flicked in annoyance. Koska's speed picked up, but he kept his eyes on her just in case she decided to try anything. Was she trying to hide? It seemed silly to jump from hiding spot to hiding spot when everyone was just rushing toward the red beam.
 
Suavari's warm smile faded as his eyes settled upon the Darkfull who stood just paces from the three of them. The voice that ensued from it sounded harsh and calculating, however tone mattered nothing to the Lightfull. The scent that was wafting from this fellow Othern's aura was familiar, causing Suavari to narrow his eyes in a contemplative and yet wary stare. Placing protective shields cautiously around them all, the Lightfull glided within talking distance of the Darkfull. "It has been over a century since I have caught wind of your scent Valos," said Suavari sternly, "yet then you were still young, and not so hardened with the cravings of death and bloodshed. If it is vengeance for you fathers death that you seek, you will not find it here. I nearly gave mine trying to protect him, from the very creature that turned you into what you are." Though he could shed no tears, a sadness seemed to dim the light around Suavari's glowing form.
 
It seemed to Leone as if she had been hiding forever. Perhaps it was time to go into the open. She looked around and saw that most people were too concerned with getting to the shelter to pay her any notice. Yet, she was not sure if she would take that chance. For now, she decided, she would stay in hiding.

"Thirty five minutes until detonation."

...or not. She was moving to slowly. For a moment, she stopped and looked around. You're being paranoid, she told herself. Nobody's after you. She hoped she was right. It was time to stop hiding. She took a deep breath and ran. This time she didn't care to look for a new hiding place. All that mattered was to get to the red beam, preferably alive.
 
Father.

Father?

Father?

Valos's head suddenly produced a throbbing pain. He strained his memory to the brink in an attempt to salvage some picture of his father's face...He saw nothing. He ground his teeth in frustration. The Lightfull knew about his father. But his father's...death? His father died during the merging? He refused to believe that. He tried to think deeply about his decisions, but when your mind is as unstable as a Lightfull/Darkfull hybrid, it was difficult. He managed to say,

"You...knew my...father?"

Valos remembered almost nothing of his parents, let alone his father. He lifted up his right hand. It was very large with each hand thick and claw-like. It gleamed a dull yellow in the faded light of the ruins. This hand was the only clue to his father. He knew his father had the same hands and that Valos had inherited it from him. It glowed slightly with magic. He flexed each finger.

He then decided. He had to stay with the Lightfull. He was the only lead on either of his parents he had.

"Do you know...can you..." He couldn't ask a question. He wasn't even sure what to ask.

Don't kill him. Valos thought firmly. You can't kill him.
 
Suavari smiled, gently allowing the shields around the humans to fall, as a sign of trust towards the hybrid. Though the Lightfull disapproved of contact with any form of Darkfull, whether it be in part or in full, Suavari had once had an intimate connection with Valos's father and felt he would be doing him an injustice by acting hostile towards his son. Gliding a bit closer, Suavari held up his hand. Streams of blinding light issued forth, creating a life-size, projector-like movie. The scene showed a small portion of Lithern, with the civilians in mid-step, as if life had been paused.

"Yes, it is true. I knew your father." Suavari said softly, his eyes hazy and distant, as if his mind was deeply immersed in a time long past. "More so, perhaps, than even yourself. However, at this time, as we are all in great danger, rather than telling you of what I know of your father....I will show you." Immediately, the scene before them began to play, the life-size memory entrancing them all in its clarity. It first depicted a scene of great anxiety, showing glimpses of people talking hurriedly. As if a smoke passed through their sight, the scenery changed, transporting them to within the house of the Lithern council. A great discussion was ensuing. Magical inscription pamphlets could be seen, haphazardly strewn across the meeting table. Though the text was blurry, it vaguely told of a power crisis with the cities transport gondolas, labeling also the vital materials that would run out if they were to shut down.

The scene changed once again, appearing within the city courtyard. Glowing light orbs flitted all around, weaving their ways amongst the people. The face of the councils spokesman was hologramed on each one. The Lightfull was speaking to the civilians and informing them of something involving the crisis. From the reaction of passersby, it was lukewarm news, being neither hot nor cold. Suddenly, the movie zoomed into two Lightfull amongst the crowd. It was Suavari, carrying Valos's father on a stretcher, aided by one other. Just as it was about to change once more, the scene before them flickered and died. An explosion had just gone off to the right of the group, sending chunks of a nearby building hurtling towards them. One of the stones struck the soldier in the head, knocking him to the ground and killing him instantly. Suavari just had time to create a large shimmering barrier between them as a corner of the building came crashing down upon the group.

Scooping up the girl, Suavari turned to Valos. "We must leave this place!!! It is no longer safe for us here." Flying high into the air, a sonic boom erupted as the Lightfull resumed his frantic race towards the red beacon.
 
seraphina.jpg


Strange things were happening. The creatures of Light were speaking to one another in harsh tones, as if trying to gauge some level of antagonism from another. And yet, the one who had saved her was ever bright, beaming in his kindness and overflowing with a passionate heart. The environment changed upon his words and memories began to play across the sky. Seraphina was entranced by it, spinning around twice only to realize that it was real. The visions of someone else's mind were being displayed on the landscape. She almost couldn't believe her eyes. Is this... magic? She wondered.

An explosion erupted close to them. Seraphina leaped, the chunks of debris barely missing her as they hit the soldier Suvari had saved. She watched, horrified by the scene, bringing her hands to cover her mouth. The trembling girl was too shocked to move and for a moment, would've been hit by falling debris had not Suvari opened his bright shield to protect them. Teary-eyed, she said nothing as he picked her up and flew off, speaking to the one called Valos.

Her eyes could not leave the dying soldier below. Just moments ago, his life had been saved. And so easily, he had left them.

 
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