Awesome Competitions! Write a Story; Win Some Pets!!

[Merlin's Heir]

>:D
Yes.

[Lucifer's Vessel]

Oooh I haven't been here in forever. I'm totally going to try to come up with an entry for this.

[TheSongOfTheStars]

Yeah. I'll try to have an entry.

[The Pirate Dragon]

Mark!

[Nocte Luna]

I've never done one of these before, but this prompt is kind of irresistible.

[Musicality]

Oh wow, I totally have to do something for this one XD I'm not much of a fantasy writer at all but ya know, first time for everything.

[Ranger of the North]

>:D
Yes.

😈

Oooh I haven't been here in forever. I'm totally going to try to come up with an entry for this.

Yay!

Yeah. I'll try to have an entry.

Woohoo!! *high-fives*

I've never done one of these before, but this prompt is kind of irresistible.

Haha! Glad to have you along!

Oh wow, I totally have to do something for this one XD I'm not much of a fantasy writer at all but ya know, first time for everything.

Oh, awesome! Good luck! /salutes

Mark!

[Zailune]

Hi ^_^ I haven't entered on this before and I don't write super often but I figured I'd enter for fun - I just finished part 1 which is a little over 1,000 words. Hopefully it's not too terrible :p I'll try to finish the other part(s) soon.

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We've been walking for around three weeks now, and our supplies are running low. After all, we could only take for this trip what we could carry on our backs, and foraging isn't so easy in these lands. My brother won't stop complaining, but I don't necessarily blame him, considering we've been following a lead which may or may not even amount to anything. What a waste of time and effort that would be, right?

…

The Kingdom in the Sky. A magical kingdom surrounded by clouds and protected by harsh storms that wreck the lands below. This kingdom is filled with untold riches offered to any outsider who can manage to reach it and complete the challenges offered by the King. Supposedly, even an elder drunkard can complete these challenges, and my brother and I are much better equipped than one of them to handle anything. The real problem is finding the darn place.

“Brother, I'm hungry.” Marcus whined. He gripped his spear close to his body as his stomach growled, almost angrily. I shook my head, annoyed by his constant complaining.
“You know just as well as I do that we have to be careful with our rations. If we manage to run out before we find our destination, we're screwed. Stop complaining.” I growled. My brother seemed to tear up a bit. Maybe I was being a little hard on the kid... “Look, we could only pack so much and our chances of foraging are limited in this barren land. You'll have to deal, alright?” I added with a bit of a calmer attitude. He nodded, and wiped his nose with his sleeve.

We continued further, walking along a thin path, one edge dropping off far into the clouds below us. The air was foggy and the ground cracked with each step, making the both of us terribly nervous. However, we had a mission to fulfill, and we weren't going to let our fears get in the way of it. After some time, we managed to pass this particular area successfully, and hugged after stopping to thank the Gods for our safety.

We then continued even farther, though I extended my arm to stop my brother when I noticed a strange sight. Up ahead, there appeared to be a scar in the earth. It wasn't the scar of an average earthquake or storm. No, this scar shimmered and tore like lightning across the ground for as far as our eyes could see through the fog. It left us feeling uneasy, and filled the air around it with a strange aura. This was not the work of a human. This did not appear to be the work of nature. This scar resonated 'magic'. Perhaps even dark magic.

My brother and I continued along the distorted path, watching as the scar continued as well. It went on for miles upon miles. I felt my body start to shake. I turned to my brother, who was staring at me. Perhaps he was looking for reassurance. I decided to be brave, and put on a confident facade. It didn't stop him from being terrified, and it sure as heck didn't stop me either, but I knew for his sake I had to fake some level of calmness in this situation. Being his elder at 15, I knew I just had to give the right example, and for his sanity's sake.

Suddenly, a bright light rippled through the sky. It wasn't like lightning. It was too slow, and horizontal. The sound of....trumpets? We both stopped, listening closely. It did sound as though trumpets were blaring through the sky. I looked at Marcus to see a nearly traumatized expression. I went to him and hugged him tightly, whispering calming words into his ears. Neither of us had ever seen or heard something like this before, and it was terrifying, but I couldn't have expected it to affect him so deeply. He whimpered like a hurt dog, and tears dripped down his face. I felt like an awful brother. I simply shouldn't have brought him along. He's too young for this sort of “adventure”.

“It'll be okay.” I reassured him, hugging him tightly in my arms. “I promise. We'll be back home to mother soon after we find this place. Remember why we're doing this.” I said, holding back tears myself. I'd made a terrible mistake in bringing him along, yet I feel that his presence is the reason I'm not acting the same way.

I wrapped my arm around his side, and slowly we both rose. I held him tightly against me as we walked closer to the sound and through the fog. Was this even fog? Or clouds? We'd traveled so far up, I couldn't honestly tell at this moment. I thought to myself about why we'd come here. Yes, we had to do this. We had to succeed. We had to bring wealth to our home, or else...

I shook my head. I tried to keep reassuring, motivational thoughts on my mind, rather than worrisome ones. How else could I proceed? For that matter, I needed to set an example for my brother. My brother, who I'd selfishly dragged along. If anything were to happen to him...

I closed my eyes tightly for a moment and released. Darn! I thought. It was difficult to control my thoughts. I need to focus. I need to be brave. I NEED to stop being selfish, scared and bratty, for the sake of my mother, for the sake of my brother and for the sake of myself.

We walked for some time more. My legs were growing tired, but I forced myself to continue. Clutching my brother, I could tell he was beginning to weaken as well. We might need to take a break soon. I spotted a large, protruding rock which seemed to create some shade, not that that would be necessary in a place or time like this. I directed Marcus to sit near it, and I joined him. I reached into my bag, pulling out some berries we'd picked when we were still in a more forest-y setting. “Here.” I offered them to him. He looked at me with a worried expression.
“Aren't you hungry?” He asked. I shook my head, suggesting I wasn't.... which was only sort of a lie. He took the berries and munched them down. I smiled as I watched him eat, and put the remainder back in my bag. I was, to be honest, a bit hungry. I could deal with it for now, though. “Brother?” He asked softly. I saw what appeared to be defeat in his face.
“Yes, Marcus?” I inquired.
“Does the Kingdom in the Sky exist?”

[Merlin's Heir]

---

[Musicality]

I looked up, we had been running for days. We had been caught, captured, and escaped. Done the unthinkable. Then again, who would think they could escape the Emperor? He had eyes everywhere. Had enslaved all the magic to his control. Thought he had, until he met us.

We had been born in captivity, raised in confinement, told to be good, to be obedient. But, you can't stop a seer. Syla had seen things, things she knew she had to stop. She couldn't just sit back as everyone around her died, as the world crumbled. So she brought me along. Her sister. The one person she could trust.

And here we are now, staring out into the distance. Watching for a sign, a sign that we were doing what was right. We watched the heavens, tried to read the stars as those before us. Kept on going, running, towards what might be our doom. What might be our downfall. Yet, that little bit of hope. The little flicker of a flame. It kept us running. Kept us dancing, smiling, laughing. Enjoying every moment as if it was our last.

There was every chance we would die. Every chance that nothing would ever be the same. But the same would be worse. At least if we keep going it will eventually change and that change, be it for better or worse, will wake up the masses. The masses that can make a change, even if we can't.

"Lana!" Syla gasped, pointing to where I was been focusing on in the clouds.
"What is it?" All I could see were clouds.
"The dragon!"
I reached over and checked her forehead, "Are you feeling alright?"
She readhed over and put her hands over my eyes, I felt a burning sensation and put my hands up to try and pry her off, only to find I couldn't move. "Look up my sister." She spoke sternly and I was forced to obey.
"You're covering my eyes."
"No, do not see. I want you to look. Look as a blind man sees."
"What are yo-" I stopped and I realised what she meant. There it was, a dragon emerging from the clouds.