This story has been translated into English for your convenience.
Prologue:
Great peals of thunder shook the fog-covered hills. Where the fallen clouds were thickest, over a deep valley, roars and shrieks cut through the layers of moisture.
Suddenly, a great creature exploded up from the dense cover, his wings straining to propel him upwards.
"Cephei!" An earsplitting roar followed the creature. "You cannot escape from me!"
Cephei did not respond, his vast rune-covered wings taking him ever higher into the sky. The huge ruby encrusted in his chest cast out faint red light that reflected off the billions of water droplets in the air.
More roars of fury echoed up through the fog, eventually fading with distance.
Still, Cephei flew, vivid blue eyes squinted against the water pelting his mighty face. Angling upward, he broke out of the clouds, greeted by the endless expanse of the night sky.
This was an alitude that was virtually unreachable, the air being thin and frigid. Cephei gave no thought to this, however, his body naturally acclimatizing.
Instead, the great dragon focused his gaze on his surroundings. In the distance, he saw the peaks of several mountains, and gratefully settled down on one. He left his wings open to cool, and dipped his head in the grief he'd been keeping at bay.
His sons, brutally murdered...
His mate, hidden far away...
His friends, either dead or missing, and countless others with the same fates...
Painfully, he turned his eyes to the stars above.
"Our world is in shambles...Oh, how we need someone, a hero, to save us from Oblivion..."
Prologue:
Great peals of thunder shook the fog-covered hills. Where the fallen clouds were thickest, over a deep valley, roars and shrieks cut through the layers of moisture.
Suddenly, a great creature exploded up from the dense cover, his wings straining to propel him upwards.
"Cephei!" An earsplitting roar followed the creature. "You cannot escape from me!"
Cephei did not respond, his vast rune-covered wings taking him ever higher into the sky. The huge ruby encrusted in his chest cast out faint red light that reflected off the billions of water droplets in the air.
More roars of fury echoed up through the fog, eventually fading with distance.
Still, Cephei flew, vivid blue eyes squinted against the water pelting his mighty face. Angling upward, he broke out of the clouds, greeted by the endless expanse of the night sky.
This was an alitude that was virtually unreachable, the air being thin and frigid. Cephei gave no thought to this, however, his body naturally acclimatizing.
Instead, the great dragon focused his gaze on his surroundings. In the distance, he saw the peaks of several mountains, and gratefully settled down on one. He left his wings open to cool, and dipped his head in the grief he'd been keeping at bay.
His sons, brutally murdered...
His mate, hidden far away...
His friends, either dead or missing, and countless others with the same fates...
Painfully, he turned his eyes to the stars above.
"Our world is in shambles...Oh, how we need someone, a hero, to save us from Oblivion..."
Chapter 1: Assessments
A gentle breeze tugged a few flower petals from their branch, letting them drift down through the warm spring air with the sunlight. A stray petal brushed against the snout of a young dragon, who snorted and opened his eyes.
He stretched his wings, leisurely digging his claws into the bark of the tree he slept in. The air was perfumed with the refreshing smell of Negiri blossoms, and the soft trilling of Mierfets added pleasant background noise.
"Oolange!" A voice suddenly burst out, startling the young dragon.
"Treigiri, what's up?" Oolange greeted the other male, whose vibrant red, orange, and yellow scales glittered in the light filtering through the leaves as he leaped from branch to branch.
"Why are you still sleeping? Have you completely forgotten that it's assessment day?"
Oolange felt a jolt of shock. How could he forget?
"We've got to go!" Treigiri urged, then dove from the massive branch, snapped his wings open, and took off.
Oolange followed suit, his wings beating hard to move him faster. Being slightly smaller and lighter than Treigiri, he caught up quickly, angling easily upwards so they didn't collide.
Wordlessly the pair dodged around huge clumps of hanging moss, speeding toward the largest tree in the sun-dappled forest.
Upon arrival, they braked sharply and dropped onto the smooth bark of a branch.
"Hurry along, you two!" A great copper and white female ushered them through the vast opening in the trunk. "Your masters are several rows up."
"Thanks." Oolange said, then hurriedly followed Treigiri.
Just as the female had said, their masters were seated on their perches a couple rows away from the entrance.
Oolange landed gratefully next to Eirdren, his master.
"Cutting it awfully close, aren't we?" Imshalar, Triegiri's master, said disapprovingly.
Oolange had to take a few moments to discern the glimmers of amusement in both of the elder dragons' eyes. Before he could say anything, though, a resounding clash from the giant gong at the bottom of the hollow trunk silenced the chatter filling the air instantly.
With a jolt, Oolange realized just how crowded the tree was. Had the whole forest come for the annual apprentice assessments?
"Pay attention..." Eirdren murmured almost inaudibly, and Oolange returned his wandering focus to what was going on.
A troop of three dragons was rising from the lower reaches of the tree, coming to hover in the center of the empty airspace.
The one on the left, a glittering deep orange male not much bigger than Eirdren, spoke first.
"Greetings, and welcome to this year's apprentice assessments. As is the custom, all apprentices that have been trained for four years to this point must participate in the assessments to assure that they are ready to become fully fledged dragons."
The grand golden male all the way to the right spoke next.
"The rules are simple." His huge wings swept through the air, making Oolange crave the day when his wingspan would be that large."Cheating by any means will automatically disqualify you, and you will be required to complete another year of training. So long as you pass each of the tests, you will be introduced as a full-fledged dragon."
Now it was the center dragon's turn. As his eyes shifted to her, Oolange felt his heart leap into his throat. It was Lady Aerionai! And the golden male was Lord Gaarethe! How hadn't he realized that?
"Firstly, I would like to say that I have high hopes for all the apprentices being assessed today. There is no doubt in my mind that you will all grow to be fine dragons someday."
The beautiful white she-dragon's gaze seemed to fall directly on Oolange, and he trembled slightly as her golden eyes focused on him.
"Now, you each have one minute to converse with your masters before the first task gets under way."
Oolange shivered once more as Lady Aerionai's hypnotizing stare slipped away from him.
"The only thing I can tell you is that everything is within a thousand dragonlengths of this tree. Follow your training, Oolange. I have faith in you." Eirdren looked into Oolange's eyes.
Oolange nodded with determination, opening his mouth to say something but being interrupted by another loud ring of the gong.
Lady Aerionai spoke again. "Now, the first task is to locate and retrieve your master's auranium necklace from the surrounding forest. Do not even entertain the thought of taking a necklace other than your master's; you will be disqualified. Ready yourselves, now...Begin!"
Oolange shot off his perch at blinding speed, tucking in his wings to fit through a small hole in the wall of the trunk.
Cheers followed him and the other apprentices as they rocketed out of the tree from various points, quickly muffled by the thick bark.
HIs months of training kicking in, Oolange flared his nostrils wide and parted his jaws slightly, taking in the jumble of scents and searching for Eirdren's.
A very faint trace caught the young dragon's attention, and he focused on it, stroking swiftly to follow the delicate trail.
Other apprentices occasionally came into view or crossed his path, but Oolange stayed concentrated. The scent swiftly grew stronger, along with the cloying smell of Chimdrin fruit.
Wrinkling his nose, Oolange backstroked a couple times, slowing down so he could more accurately follow his master's smell.
It only took a few minutes for the apprentice to spot the auranium necklace, its normally luminous yellow pendant pulsing faintly.
He snatched it from where it dangled off a Chimdrin-covered branch and sped back in the direction of the Gathering tree. He happily escaped the overwhelming odor of the fruit trees, stroking swiftly into the tree through a different, larger entrance than by which he'd left.
Roars of approval rang out as he flew to his master's perch.
"Excellent work!" Eirdren cried out as Oolange landed, panting.
"You're second back!" Imshalar smiled proudly, even though Oolange wasn't even his apprentice. It was well known that he and Eirdren were life-long friends, and they often aided in the teaching of each other's apprentices.
Eirdren returned his auranium necklace to its place around his neck, and the pendant immediately glowed much brighter. The brilliant yellow provided a nice contrast to its wearer's deep green color palette, its light glinting off his emerald scales.
The others returned shortly afterward, Treigiri coming in nineteenth.
"Would've gotten here faster," he panted, "but I hit some bad wind currents and they blew me off course."
"You still did excellently." Imshalar praised him, his purple auranium necklace reflecting off his pale blue and white scales.
Once all the apprentices had returned, they had a few minutes to rest.
The time passed quickly, and soon the elegant Aerionai was calmly issuing instructions for the second task from where she and her companions had perched.
"Your sense of smell and your speed in flight have been evaluated. Now, your minds and your magic shall be tested."
The rich orange male, whom Oolange remembered as Braelin from past years, stood. The energy bundles stored in his tail shone brilliantly, seeming to extract the light from the air and absorb it.
Anticipation surging through him, Oolange leaned forward, eyes wide.
Tongues of flames suddenly sparked in the vast expanse of the tree trunk, hovering as if suspended by strings.
"There is a flame for every apprentice being tested today. Each of you may hear a faint whistling, or music. This is being emitted by your particular flame." Braelin explained, then flicked his wings open. The floating fires disappeared. "Follow the sound, find your flame, accept it into your essence, and you will acquire your destined breath weapon, as well as gain your full magic. Beware, though! If not properly accepted, the flame will disappear and your chance will be gone until next year. Ready? Begin!"
Oolange was suddenly aware of a distant trilling sound. Excited, he listened harder, then dove from his perch, trimmed his wings, and ascended sharply up the trunk. Carefully, he angled himself so that he would not stall.
The muscial trill grew slightly louder. Resorting to a method Eirdren had taught him, he closed his eyes, allowing his other senses to guide him.
A slight odor told him to back gently right, and the faint music steadily grew in volume.
Feeling a change in the air, Oolange halted his ascent and opened his eyes. A flame was dancing tantalizingly behind a thick clump of moss, but it was emitting no sound. At least not to him.
Going back to his intense concentration, the apprentice flew ever higher, the delicate music now almost overwhelming.
Feeling that he was extraordinarily close, Oolange opened his eyes once more.
There, not ten feet away, was his flame.
He was mildly surprised that he'd found it so easily, but that was of no consequence. Eirdren's training was widely renowned as some of the best that could be given.
Now, Oolange rifled through past lessons in accepting energy through his essence. He'd done it several times, so he felt no anxiety at the relatively familiar process.
Well, maybe just a little.
Anxious or not, he carefully hovered closer, letting his mind open. He could feel the collective pulse of energy now far below him, but that was not his for the taking.
Instead, he focused on the tightly packed bundle in front of him. Its appealing music was now filled with an undercurrent of deep thrums, hinting to Oolange that there was immense power inside.
Eagerly, he reached out with his very being and let the energy begin to entwine itself into his essence. A thrill of adrenaline coursed through him, but he concentrated on the flame.
It took only a few seconds to complete the task, and when it was over he felt the mighty strength filling him.
Roaring in triumph, he folded his wings and dove straight down, gathering much speed as he went.
As he neared the gathering, he used his instinctive magic to slow his descent, and reopened his wings at the perfect moment.
He hung suspended in the center of the tree, then glided over to his master. With surprise, Oolange realized that he had grown considerably in the acception of his flame. Now, instead of barely coming up to Eirdren's elbow, his head could just graze the bottom of his master's chin.
Eidren seemed to ooze pride of his apprentice. "You are truly remarkable, Oolange. That was the fastest claiming since the Lady Aerionai and Lord Gaarethe were apprentices!"
Oolange raised his chin proudly.
Treigiri arrived shortly afterward, his head now level with Imshalar's. When he spoke, his voice was slightly deeper.
"Is it normal to feel this powerful?" He asked, smoke trailing from his nostrils.
"Absolutely." Imshalar nodded, smiling a little. "Have you tested your breath weapon?"
"Yes. Fire!" Treigiri exclaimed with glee.
"Oolange, what about you?" Eirdren turned to his apprentice.
"Umm...I haven't actually tried it out yet." He shuffled his wings awkwardly.
"Well, what are you waiting for?" Treigiri urged, looking excited.
Oolange hesitated, then shrugged and summoned up the power within him. Then, opening his jaws, he let the energy flood out.
A great shock wave shook the far side of the tree, bowling some of the dragons perched there straight over.
Oolange immediately clamped his mouth shut.
"Extraordinary!" Imshalar said. "That is a rare gift. You are very lucky, Oolange."
It took a while for all the apprentices to finish with the second task, and several returned in shame.
Oolange felt a pang of sympathy for those who had to undertake another year of training, and averted his gaze when their masters sadly greeted them. He would pass, he knew it.
Lord Gaarethe rose to his feet, and the tree grew quiet once more.
"Your third and final task has arrived. Working in tandem with your master, you must create your auranium necklace that marks you as a grown dragon. Be mindful that this is not easy to do, as it requires your master to share their ancestral memories with you, along with your rendering of the proper magic. When you are ready, you may begin."
Oolange was surprised. There were usually four tasks, with the very last being the creation of the auranium necklaces.
Shrugging it off, he turned to Eirdren.
"Are you ready?" His master asked.
"As ready as I'll ever be." Oolange stated, his tail wrapped around his feet anxiously.
"Then let's get started. You know what to do."
Oolange nodded, tapping into his now vast well of power and beginning the ancient recitation.
With his eyes closed in concentration, the young dragon could feel the magic his master was weaving pulsing against his scales. Memories that weren't his flooded into his mind.
Light danced across the insides of his eyelids, but he did not falter in his steady stream of the ancient language. Already the spell was solidifying, the shared power of master and apprentice condensing into a tight mass of energy.
It only took several minutes for the process to be over.
When he opened his eyes, Oolange was thrilled to see his auranium necklace suspended by leftover magic in the air.
The pendant itself was a rich purple, with strains of blue swirling in its depths.
"Go ahead." Eirdren said, sounding sad.
Oolange felt a flash of affection for his master. They had grown very close over the last four years. Now, when Oolange slipped the necklace over his head, he would no longer be an apprentice.
He hesitated a little longer, and then a little more.
"Come on, now. Get on with it!" Eirdren urged.
All at once, Oolange snatched the necklace and pulled it over his head. The pendant instantly started shining like a miniature star, and Oolange felt exhilarated.
He was officially a full-fledged dragon! No more getting up at sunrise for training, though he might miss it a little. No more being left behind when his master went on long hunting trips to help feed the community. None of those boring excursions to the Elchen part of the tree that they lived in.
Treigiri was overjoyed. His pendant was a brilliant shade of blue, matching his eyes.
All over the Gathering tree, former apprentices were spreading their wings in excitement, wanting to be off on their cermonial week-long flights.
When the last young dragon had slipped it's necklace on, Lady Aerionai launched off her perch and gracefully hovered where all could see her.
"Young ones," She spoke with endearment,"We are so glad that you have joined the ranks of the adults. Now, you must be on your ways. Your first adventures as fully-fledged dragons begin today!"
Oolange cheered along with the crowd. Joy filled him from nose to tailtip. His first journey was about to begin!
Little did he know....
