Lysard Direfaust's Story

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The sudden rush of sensations were all so new and strange, yet most of them felt so right it was almost frightening. The feeling of the Dragon's musculature flexing and stretching was most unusual, but Shadow hot used to it almost as soon as he flapped his wings when he took off for the first time. The feeling of the bones and muscles of his wings moving to keep his body aloft was all so new, as was the feeling of having a tail. All these muscular and neural changes took a few seconds of getting used to, but thanks to a calm mind, Shadow was able to adjust to it all quite rapidly. How the others were faring in their efforts to adjust to this form was anyone's guess, but gauging by the rate at which they took flight they had done so almost as quickly as he did.

Shadow's form soared higher and higher into the air as he continued to circle above, awaiting everyone else's ascendance into the skies.

Once all the Dragons were in the air, Shadow banked northwest and led them all on a long and smooth flight. Their first flight. It felt wondrous to soar through the air on his wings as he watched the Earth below him go by with great speed. The sounds and sights from the skies were second to none, with the rolling landscape ahead ever shifting on a level he could never see from the ground before. The colors and shapes of the trees, hills, mountains, small villages, large cities, and other such sights, which were usually quite stale as a human, took on such a new perspective from the air as a Dragon. The change in his eyesight was also quite astounding as well. His eyesight during the day was perfect, and for whatever odd reason Shadow had better night vision as a human, but as a Dragon the world around him took on a slightly blueish hue and living creatures seemed to glow.

Within his mind he was questioning what was going on, but his Dragon form seemed to be answering his questions as he flew. The glowing forms of the life forms of the Earth were in fact the energy signatures which their bodies gave off. Whether in day or night, their bodies would glow brightly enough for him to see, even through solid objects. Squirrels nested safely within tree trunks, small mammals underground, humans within their homes and inside castle walls could not hide from his vision no matter how deeply buried or how well hidden they may have thought they were. Meanwhile, the sun's light was filtered through a special lens within his eye which evened out the light on the surface of the world so there was no glare or interference, allowing him to see the world with perfectly balanced perception of light and color.

As they continued on their journey, Shadow took note of a few more changes in his ability to perceive the world as well. His body could feel the presence of not only the Dragons following behind him, but the subtle feeling of the other beings beneath him on the surface of the Earth as well. However, this sense was limited to within about a mile of his current location. No matter how far away he could see a creature of the Earth, he had to be within that range to feel their presence. Somehow, Shadow knew that this sixth sense would continue into his human form as well when they transformed back from Dragon form. Another change was the balance of his senses. His sense of smell, sight and hearing were all highly augmented, while his sense of touch and taste seemed to have taken a small dip. How the others would experience these changes was up to debate, as not even Shadow's inner Dragon seemed to know exactly how they experienced the differences, but he had a feeling that they'd be similar to his own for the most part.

About three hours into their flight, the sun was high in the sky and the land was disappearing fast. Up ahead was the open ocean, leading away from the continent of Etherea and towards another location high on the Earth to the northwest. Where they were headed was unknown, but Shadow did know that it was going to provide quite the revelation for them. Questions would be answered, but new questions would undoubtedly arise to take their place. So long as Shadow got an answer to a single question looming in the back of his mind, he would be satisfied. That Dragon from earlier, Maglissos, was so powerful that Shadow could still feel the presence of its energy despite the fact that it had taken up a stationary position somewhere in the far west. Their current destination was not far from where he was, but it was far enough that they would be safe from that overpowering weight of his presence within a certain distance.

Hours went by like minutes, and as the sun began to set beyond the horizon, a single large island came into view ahead. Slowly, a single large mountain in the center of the island began to rise in their view, and the peak of that mountain was their final destination. One by one, Shadow and the others began to descend towards the mountain peak, and a strange form began to come into view as they drew closer. Bit by bit, Shadow was able to see the form of a preposterously large Dragon curled up like a snake come into view. The Dragon's head alone was bigger than Shadow's Dragon form in its entirety, but its eyes were closed and its body was unmoving as if it were dead. Shadow and the others landed one by one, walking into place before the mightily massive creature as it opened a single eye on its head and looked down at them.

The creature before them was a deep, crimson red with what appeared to be two mouths, a smaller one on top and a larger one on the bottom. It had two wings towards the upper third of its back, and four legs with which it would stand quadrupedally on were it to stand up. In its current state, Shadow had to look directly up to see the eye that was gazing down at them, as its body was absolutely immense, even by Dragon standards. Shadow estimated that this Dragon, if it were to straighten out, would be well over fifteen hundred in length and stand upright on its four legs at over two hundred feet. It was amazing that this mountain was even supporting the massive Dragon, and the chances of defeating such a beast seemed non-existent. The Dragon's head rose slightly as it turned its attention to the five Dragons which gathered beneath it with a large, yellow eye with a slit for a pupil gazed down to the depths of his soul.

"... Finally... You have arrived" Came a thundering, yet surprisingly weak voice within Shadow's mind.

Shadow then understood what this creature was as the words of the Goddess Dragon rang through his mind.

... In ancient times, the evil Dragon Maglissos sought to expunge the light from this world. As a consequence of his actions, he was sealed away by the power of the Divine Dragon in a realm beyond time. He has now escaped, as the power of the Divine Dragon weakens as its life draws nearer to its end...

This massive Dragon before them was none other than the Divine Dragon itself, though its power was waning as its life was drawing to an end. Shadow had a feeling that he and the others would in fact bear witness to this event, as it seemed the mighty Dragon before them was struggling just to keep its eye open.

"I am certain you have many questions for me, young ones, and I will do my best to answer you in the short time which remains for me here on this world..."

Shadow's excitement began to mount as the idea of his questions finally being answered came to a sudden realization as he awaited the Divine Dragon's words.

"You seek to understand the power you hold..." The Divine Dragon began, turning its head to face them completely, but not without physically exhausting itself and needing a moment to regain its composure.

Shadow actually felt sorry for the mighty Divine Dragon, as no being should be made to suffer such agony at the slightest movement such as turning its head.

"... Within your veins flows the ancient magical energies of Dragons which took the form of humans in times long since passed. Their power was passed through the ages, awaiting such a time as it was needed. With the rise of Maglissos, the Maximus Dragon which embodies corruption and hatred for all that breathes the air blessed by the Gods, this world is now threatened with global genocide. If he is not stopped, this world will become bathed in black fire which will extinguish the light of the Gods forever, and bring this world to a state of pure and utter emptiness for all eternity... My power now fades in response to his followers draining it from my body with ancient and forbidden magic which was thought lost to the passage of time, and with each passing moment my life draws closer to its end."

Shadow hung on every word, processing it and storing the information away for future reference should questions arise which require a look back into the past.

"... If Maglissos's power is to have a limit, the followers which now drain my power must be stopped. Each of them takes the form of a Dragon, and takes residence on a burial site for ancient Dragons of old who fought against the Dark One by my side so many eons ago. These creatures are incredibly strong, each being blessed by Maglissos with a small piece of his own power, and they are to be approached with caution. Despite your new strength in these forms, were you to fight even the weakest of them right now, you would all be defeated."

Shadow was a little taken aback by that information, and had to let out a breath, as he found he was subconsciously holding it.

"To ensure your safety, I will use what remains of my power to grant you a blessing of your own... With it, your bodies will become impervious to damage dealt by anything of this world which is not granted an equal and opposite blessing. As such, you need not fear the weapons of men in your current state... But mind you, when you take the form of a human my blessing will be as nothing until you retake the form of a Dragon once more."

The warning was taken in and stored away, and Shadow had a new respect for his human mortality with the words of the Divine Dragon ringing in his ear like an angry bee over and over again.

"Now... Receive what remains of my power, and become that which sealed away the power of Maglissos so long ago..."

With that, the Divine Dragon's head pointed up towards the sky and a red light now bathed the entire island. The Divine Dragon's second, smaller mouth opened, and a small beam of yellow light shot forth into the clouds above, slowly spreading and soaking them with its beautiful shimmer until it suddenly was all turned down and focused onto Shadow and the others. A feeling of warmth, resembling comfort, began to overtake Shadow as his body began to relax as it was slowly infused with the Divine Dragon's power. Each of the Dragons behind him received the same sensation, taking it all in before the light slowly faded. As it did so, the Divine Dragon's head slowly fell back to its original position when it was laying down, its eye almost closed as it spoke its final words.

"Now... My children... Take to the skies and protect yourselves... Protect this world which our kind have loved since the Gods gave it life, and do not suffer the wrath of Maglissos or the hatred which fuels his power........ Go..."

With those words, the eye of the Divine Dragon lost its light, its pupil fading to a dull grey as its form went limp, and the presence of its energy faded to nothing.

Shadow's head went down slowly, paying his respects to the mighty Divine Dragon's life as he felt its power coursing through him. All at once the cries of Dragons from around the world, no matter how far away, could be heard within the minds of Shadow and his comrades. The mournful wails could be heard as if they came from everywhere and nowhere all at once. Without even realizing it, Shadow's own Draconic voice resonated into the skies as he too began to mourn the demise of the Divine Dragon. The call of agony and sorrow rang out into the emptiness above him as he threw his head back and roared at the top of his lungs, shaking the ground and moving the air around him in a swirl of anger and sadness.

The cries faded slowly, one voice at a time, until none remained.

... All was quiet around him, not a single sound to be heard once the calls came to an end. None of the four Dragons behind him moved or stirred, despite the sadness they too felt for the passing of the Divine Dragon. But then, as if from out of nowhere, the presence of evil could be felt surrounding the island. That feeling of malice and ill will filled his senses, and Shadow's eyes glowed red as his wings were thrown out and opened to their fullest. Shadow once again threw his head upwards towards the skies as he roared at the top of his lungs, once again shaking the ground and causing the air around his body to swirl like a miniature tornado as he threw his wings downward and soared into the air.

All around him other Dragons bearing a magical symbol upon their chest appeared. The symbol was one which the followers of Maglissos had given him in ancient times to symbolize his power and majesty, but it was lost to Shadow's rage as he prepared to engage the enemies surrounding him. With a single roar from the largest of enemies before them, another Great Dragon of black coloration, the other Dragons all flew in towards their prey with the singleminded purpose of killing them and extinguishing the final light of the Divine Dragon from the world.

This was a fate Shadow was not about to let happen, as he and the opposing Great Dragon locked talons in flight and began a fast ascent into the skies above. The remaining enemies were a combination of multiple Dragon species, most of which were more common species such as Red Dragons, Thunder Dragons, Ebon Dragons, and Elder Dragons. Within the mix were a few rare species such as the Typhoon Dragon, which was very large and would need to be dealt with by Fallon's Ocean Dragon form if it was to be a fair fight.

One thing was certain... This was going to be a long and trying fight.