Smaragdos's Story

Smaragdos backed up and kicked off from the land, soaring high to circle the lake before continuing on towards the mountains.

Smaragdos followed the voice of Irral, touching down far enough away to not interfere with what the great dragon was doing - but close enough to communicate. He watched and waited to see what would happen. He had much to discuss with Irral and hoped it wasn't too late.

While Irral's own power began to work its way into Gaia, a subconscious way of both thanking the planet and replacing what he took, he sensed the presence of another being. A low growl rumbled in his throat again. "Hofibavi drekim. Leor doutan de Gaia." he commanded, his power flaring. The wind picked up, the ground rumbled, and Irral's Light magic began to turn the Magic Circle beneath him Gold, filling in the lines with the molten metal as it began to harden. His eyes began to glow, and he grit his teeth. His words, spoken in Draconian, meant: "Foolish being. Remove yourself from Gaia."

This presence was much older than he was, he felt, and it wasn't a dragon, that was for sure. If anything, but normal logic, Eras would be stronger than Irral. But Irral was the Champion of Light, and a Corrupted Light Dragon at that - that had to count for something. Irral's magic would attempt to find where Eras' was intruding, and cut him off at the source. Despite his great strength, though, Irral could only replace the magic power he took from the planet - not what was already taken. At least, not all at once. If he was to give back to Gaia what he took, he'd need to rid her of Eras, so he was going to make a damn good try in doing so.

Eras fought for a moment against Irral, but sensed something peculiar. This dragon was strong- another being Eras couldn't get a grip on. His celestial self snarled. The downside to the foreign influences which had given Eras such reach. Eras struggled in vain against Irral- but was cut off entirely from the golden circle. He was cut off entirely as Irral continued what he was doing. Irral cursed and returned his attention to Ni'Thorne, across Siv'en.

Gaia, too, stirred in her sleep. She breathed in deep as some of herself was restored back- but lighter.

Irral huffed as Eras retreated from the pool of Gaia's energy, and then continued to replace what he'd taken to do his ritual. The Golden Magic Circle finished filling in, flashed once, the gold reflecting light into a singular beam, which then launched itself into the planet beneath. This was the replacement - the thanks for allowing him to borrow some of her Natural Magic. It was also a simple protection spell, aiming to keep Eras away long enough for Irral to notice, and chase him away once more.

This planet was weakened by Darkness. It needed to be Cleansed and Purified. It needed to be healed, and Irral was just the Dragon to do it.

A protection spell had little impact on Eras, however his grip on Siv'en was weakened yet again. Eras cursed to himself as he was thwarted from many angles- this dragon being another.
Something-someone- across the seas caught his attention.
Eras ceased pulling from Gaia, for the time being, using what had yet to be fully absorbed into himself to empower Ni'Thorne and Asvith, as well as call out to the Titans.

High above, the once-dead star Eras continued to faintly glow like blood, but no longer actively pulled at Gaia. Though stronger than before-monumentally so- Eras seemed dormant.

Gaia's reserves weren't so easily replenished. So many influences had set hand on Gaia. Parts of her life force were forever gone. She welcomed the light, accepting it's healing grace, and once again stirring to consciousness. She called to Irral a thank you of her own, flooding his mind with memories of Nightfall and images of the Champions. She called to him as she called to the others- to Frendor, to Yukiko, to Sigurd, to Aquari, to Smaragdos, to Malgerius- to the many other chosen Champions of Gaia.

At the edges of the circle that Irral constructed a shiver of raw energy coursed through hte golden tracings.A feather of peautiful red appeared in the air at the edge of the circle. More feathers, golden, red, and white. began dancing at the edge of the circle. On the ground the Phoenix Crest formed under Irral. Very briefly lifting him upwards as the raw magic swirled and danced.

In a way the world Spirit of gaia was thanked for her help. But then, raw magic began poking lile little shots of lightning, golden, red, blue, pink, white, green, and every color in between between the feathers and the ground. Each strike making the circle brighter, the magic growing stronger.

And then...

A swirling tempest formed around Irral as the feathers grew so numerous and unnumbered that it was hard to see before out of nowhere.

And just as sudden as it started it ended, the feathers and magic disapeparing. And then it happened

A tiny quiet voice spoke from Atop Irrals helmet.

"Where am I ?" It was a girls voice. Possibly no older than twenty, maybe even no older than ten ?

Irral closed his eyes as the feathers embraced him, lifting him off the ground as lightning and magic swirled around him. He smiled, this was all so beautiful, and it's very presence healed him slightly, removing some of the corruption from his body, dispelling it into the air harmlessly.

"Where am I?" her voice rang out as soon as his feet touched the ground.

"You are finally awake." he spoke softly. Opening his golden eyes, he gazed upon his pet Phoenix, and reached out, offering her a gentle hand to help her to her feet. "I had to take you to Gaia in order to wake you.... and it worked. How do you feel, my dear?" very rarely did Irral ever speak this softly to anyone. His tone was nothing but affectionate and gentle. After all, how could he not be so helplessly in love with his pretty bird?

From where the brown haired girl laid on Irrals helmet like it was a lounge chair beside a pool, Henrietta briefly looked around, the design upon the ground continued to glow with an etherial calmly and very safe feeling light. Like as long as she was neat said light pattern, or even Irral directly, she could be safe as could be. Safe as she always was. But the helmet was not exactly the most comfortable thing to lay on. Though she had, as a Macaw slept and prched on it.

But she wasnt a Macaw. far from it, she was a Phoenix. "I was asleep ?" Well she had been asleep, somewhere, infact Irral took such good care of her one might have thought she was infact dead but Irral knew otherwise. when he asked her how she felt. She smirked. "Starving, you wake me up, but no breakfast ?" What time was it ?

She took his hand, she stared at him briefly, she knew the voice, but couldnt place the face. "Joe ?" Meaning his old Arendelle guise of Old Man Joe, the same guise he was using to hide or was cursed to ? Henrietta didnt know for sure, but everyone thought her a boy! "Is that really you ?" She took his hand.

But at his nod she let go and launched herself at him while screaming in joy, hugging his head and upper body to the point that if he were a normal man he'd be laying flat on his back with her breasts in his face smoothering him. But Irral was not just any old guy, IUrral was the first Son of Light and twin brother of Kanwar. "I MISSED YOU!!"

He was there when she hatched from her egg, she was a tiny thing compared even to Old Man Joe, he cared for her day after day, and many points she was feared too sickly, but thanks to his love and care, she pulled through every time. Irral had kept her so secret and carefully cared for she didnt have to want for anything whatsoever.

A phoenix. A creature of legend, Smaragdos had only read of the great bird and had never set his eyes upon one. As the spectacular of light and feathers unfolded before him Smaragdos knew something special was going on. Then, she emerged, and Smaragdos stayed back and quiet while the two reunited.

He did notice, however, a gentle twinkling of what may have been starlight ascend from the circle and Irral and the feathers. Gaia had spoken to him. Smaragdos recognized the signs. He blinked a couple of times, eyes adjusting slightly as a few shades of red across the planet grew a bit brighter, yet easier to look at. In the distance, to the southeast, Ni'Thorne still stretched into the sky.

"Champion," Smaragdos, very omen-like, addressed Irral, "You've returned just in time."

Irral couldn't help but smile when Henrietta tackled him into a hug, wrapping an arm around her waist and embracing her gently. He placed a gentle kiss on her chest before lifting his head out of her breasts, and kissing her forehead. He only smiled at her mention of waking up hungry, and stood, hooking an arm under her hips to lift her up and let her sit on his shoulder, where she often perched while transformed.

"Old Man Joe is but a fragment now. I've awakened, myself. You may now call me Irral, my pretty bird." He said smiling and giving her leg a gentle squeeze.

He turned his head towards Smaragdos, and narrowed his eyes while searching for his memories. Ah yes, he thought. The lost child whose memories he restored when he first came to this planet all that time ago. He blinked slowly and turned to face the other Dragon.

"Pray tell, child. What am I in time for?" he asked.

Easily perching on Irrals shoulder, just like she always had in her really ugly macaw form for so long until that moment. Feathers briefly formed in place of her beautiful brown hair before she briefly shivered, any latent magics from the awakening fading and returning to Gaia directly in thanks for helping wake her up. Some of her feathers formed something akin to a headband like crown upon her head.

To any commoner of any form, the headband crown was just that, a simple elegant yet pretty headband crown of a sort.

But to Irral, {and to an extent, Light herself] they knew exactly what it was, the crest of the Phoenix Clan of the Eagle Empire, long thought dead. but thanks to Henrietta, somehow still alive.

"Irral, Joe, Old Fuck, you're still the same sweet guy regardless of what your name is, Ya cute Lommox" Henrietta, even in her parrot form, was indeed a smart mouth, but also hilariously innocent compared to Irral, sure she had pet names and insult names for rthe guy, but she actually never meant any of them, it was more like she said it for comical effect and to get a smile.

As the new dragon appeared Henrietta remained safely upon Irrals shoulder, Like a watchbird, However clearly curious as to the new arrival and how the newcomer addressed her.... foster father was a good term for her still sleepy bird brain, Rather respectful.

"Nightfall," Smaragdos stood slightly taller as he recounted the tale of ages past. Briefly, for Irral was the one who restored these memories after all.

Smaragdos interrupted himself towards the tail end of the tale. Draachstill had been disturbed. Something was going on in the Exalted Mountains, something big.

Irral's face was rather blank while Smaragdos recounted the history of Gaia to him. It was clear that he didn't care much for the history of the planet. If anything, he spent the duration of the tale's recounting idly preening Henrietta's hair with his fingers, combing it and making sure it was clean.

When the other Dragon finished, Irral finally looked to him. "And what part of that had to do with me and my bird?" he asked. "I will help rid Gaia of whatever is leeching her life energy, and to an extent I will help heal the planet, but I care not for the history of the planet, or the petty squabbles of Gods." he stated simply.

There was one thing for sure: The Spirit of Gaia was sick. The planet was sick. Irral had the power to both put a stop to, and reverse this sickness, and he was already planning on doing it. Darkness must be purified. If Irral has to destroy a star to do that, then so be it. The Light will prevail, even if it needs to be absent.

The petty squabble of the Gods was unfortunately the unavoidable. It was the petty squabbling which had led to the creation of Gaia in the first place. It was the petty squabbling through which the Children of Gaia came to exists, and it was through petty squabbling that the original Wyrms and Dragons of Gaia were created. It was unfortunate for the Children of Gaia that their fates were so tied to forces so...well, petty.

But such was the nature of Gaia. He wished it was as simple as exterminating the leech. Eras was more than just another celestial force- he was the creator of Gaia.

"As Gaia grows weak, Eras lays claim to her breath- as he was the one who gave it to her. Eras has a tie to Gaia that is unmatched. To rid Gaia of Eras completely may kill her. His colossi were sealed once - they how he tortures Gaia - but they have returned. Over in the Exalted Mountains Ni'Thorne has risen. Most had forgotten that much of the mountain was comprised of he."

Smaragdos could not say what that all had to do with Irral and the Phoenix, other than that they were here. The rebirth of a phoenix was always an omen - and Smaragdos couldn't help but see what he saw.

"Then we kill the Colossi." Irral said simply while Henrietta concerned herself with fixing his hair, idly braiding it. He allowed her free reign - knowing she meant no harm. Irral's eyes searched the horizon for a moment as he thought. To kill a Colossi, a link between gods.... that would be no easy feat, even for him. But he was the Champion of Light. The first and most powerful Champion of Light, and these Colossi were avatar's of darkness, if nothing else.

And it was his sacred duty to eradicate darkness.

"What can you tell me of this.... Ni'Thorne? What are his powers and weaknesses?" he asked. Other questions of course applied as well. Size, strength, etc. Irral's Golden eyes were strained with focus and determination, and he was eerily still.

"There is a stone in which Ni'Thorne was trapped...but it's impossible for it to have returned," Smaragdos looked west, "We should hurry if we are to go."

Smaragdos knew not how Ni'Thorne rose.

Of course his inquiry wasn't fully answered. His face now looked bored. Going into a fight blind. Very well - it'd be like just any other fight against the Darkness then. No matter, his Light conquered all. And if it couldn't, the Corrupted Light would destroy it. Irral began to float in the air as Smaragdos looked west.

There was certainly a strong, dark presence there. Blinking slowly, Irral began to float lazily in that direction for a few meters, allowing Henrietta to get a good grip for when he took off. And when he did, the sound barrier broke immediately, and the sonic boom rang out across the landscape. Irral quickly accelerated to Mach 3 and then maintained that speed easily. Light streaked behind him, and all who looked upon it felt a sense of hope if they were free of Darkness, or dread if Darkness dominated their being.

The Champion of Light was on the move.

Smaragdos watched the two depart for Ni'Thorne, who stood stooped on the horizon. The sonic boom of Irral taking off masked the great crack of Ni'Thorne as his leg was blown clean off. Ni'Thorne was clutching a mountaintop for stability. The few citizens of Skyfall still alive in the small town on his shoulder continued to scream their heads off- they were too far yet to jump to safety.

Irral stopped suddenly, and hovered. Ni'thorne was being taken care of, by the look of it. But in the distance.... another colossus was lurking. Actually, Irral could sense a few, scattered throughout the planet. But one stood out among the rest: the Colossus of Darkness.

Out there.... somewhere in the desert.... Irral rocketed off again, this time, looking for Tenebyx. Colussus of darkness.