Emma's Story

---

He’d almost lost track of how many days it’d been since he first started walking. The truth of the matter was, he wasn't even sure where it was he was going. This was the first time he’d stepped outside the farm to his knowledge, and it was already starting to feel like one big regret. But, it wasn't like he really had a say in the matter. Twice already he’d been abandoned and left for dead, with not so much a friend in the world. And now as he wandered the lonely back roads, he felt like a boy without a purpose, every step bringing with it new questions. He’d yet to figure out what it all meant, what it was he needed to do. His heart weighed heavy on his soul, and if one thing was for certain, it was that he couldn't help but feel as if the sands in the hourglass were running dry.

Overlooking a cliff, he could see himself standing on the horizon, expressionless as the pair locked gazes for the briefest of moments. As a breeze ruffled his hair, he shut his eyes and it was then everything went dark, and he awoke to find himself in a cave (like he had many times in his dreams). They’d always seemed so realistic, and he was always left searching the labyrinth of dark corridors to no ends, having yet to find his way out if there was one. It was only the singing… her singing… that brought him any real sane sense of mind. He knew very little of her, but what he did know was that she was by far one of the most beautiful creatures he’d ever laid his eyes upon.

She looked like a frail porcelain doll, standing there on her bare feet in a white dress with her flowing pink locks cascading over her slender shoulders. He yet urged to reach out to her as she stood there, hands folded as she continued her sirens song. Cassius would try to call out only to find himself fall silent, and as he stood, he could see the shadow of a dragon standing behind him, hunched over on all fours. Its roar shaking the cavern, flames began to consume them all, and it was then that he awoke, flat on his back beneath the midday’s sun.

A nightmare, one of several that had reoccurred over the course of the last few weeks. They’d gotten worse ever since he left for the Anatolí capitol, Notia… since. It wasn't long after he was born that he’d been left to a farmer and his wife somewhere outside the empire, in the nation of Halinor, a place he’d remain for the next sixteen years. Nothing more than a peasant, it was a hard life Cassius had, one that was suppressed only from the love and support of his stepparents. Growing up playing in the fields with his younger brother, he’d always been the outcast looking in; the black sheep that was a little different from all the rest. And nobody ever knew what to make of his dreams. Every time he closed his eyes as far back as he could remember, she was there… the pink-haired girl who always seemed to be in need of saving.

Cassius’s life really took a turn for the worst when he was only ten years old due to a deadly strain of tuberculosis that ravaged his little village. He’d lost his stepmother and his stepbrother in that outbreak, and things didn't get any easier from there. The dreams only persisted, and life continued. Crops still needed harvesting, so Cassius struggled for the next four years until his ambitions lead him to pick up a sword for the first time. In the coming years, his determination only grew, and when he was sixteen his stepfather knew it was time that he discover the truth for himself. He’d had so many questions about where he’d come from and why his parents didn't want him. Furthermore his heart was leading him beyond the countryside, to a cave where he knew a girl was desperately waiting for him.

With only a sword to remember his stepfather by, it was only a few days later that his little village was burned to the ground, taking everything from poor Cassius. Nowhere to go, he knew it was time for his adventure to begin… and it wasn't going in the slightest the way he had hoped it would. Two days without food and hardly any sleep would do that to you. Stomach rumbling as he lay there, watching the clouds pass by through the break in the trees, he just barely made it to his feet long enough to grumble. “Two miles until Skystead… you can do this.” A small lively town sitting in Halinor, just outside the southern border of Anatolí, it would be the perfect place to lay low for a while as he planned out his next move.

By the time he reached town, he had realized that a hungry belly and broken back wouldn't be enough to pay for a room for the night. He hadn't a cent to his name, and had nothing with him but the clothes on his back and a sword at his side which he wouldn't trade for all the silver in Anatolí and Halinor combined. Settling in a tavern at the edge of town, he glued himself to the bar and couldn't help but mull over the establishments name since he’d first walked in. “Why do you call this place The Screa-…” It was at that very moment he took notice of the drunkard on the other side of the bar, swinging his sword around and yelling to himself. For a moment Cassius only stared before finally it all started to come together. “So that’s why this place is called The Screaming Swordsman!”

To say the least, Cassius hadn't gotten very far in his quest, and things weren't starting to make any more sense to him than they had before he left. With his physical state in decline, he simply collapsed there on the floor of that tavern, not a worry in the world as he experienced the best nap he’d ever had. And best of all he could close his eyes, and know she’d be there… waiting for him.

… Meanwhile elsewhere…

The empire was in a state of disarray as word spread fast of the Empress’s imminent announcement. In the capitol of Notia, every drunkard in every inn speculated on its whereabouts; merchants whispered amongst themselves, thieves colluded together, and nobles were in a tizzy. It was a rare sight to see the Empress announce anything, so when she did, the whole city was in ire.

---

Draconic Caverns
Inner Sanctum

---

It hurt. Not physically of course, but there were no words that could describe the searing pain piercing her heart like a knife. Emma coughed, falling to her knees, her song cut short by the sudden pain in her chest. Blood splattered against the floor, staining the gravelly earth of the cave. The Dragon turned, narrowing his large green eyes and fixing them on the figure in front of him. Emma's breath caught in her throat, her ability to recognize the Dragon's uneasiness making her lips quiver in despair. She stood, facing the large reptile and smiled. "I'm fine," Emma promised before taking up her song once more, the sound of a beautiful falsetto reverberating off the walls of the cave.

Liar.

She stopped when there was a change in the Dragon's breathing, it sounded peaceful, as though it were having good dreams. Quietly Emma backed away, leaving the reptile to sleep and walking towards the room in the cave she considered hers. It didn't actually belong to her, very few things did, but it was quiet and had the best view of the stars so Emma had claimed it as her own. For as long as she could remember Emma had been trapped within the confines of the cave, knowing her fate was to be here until she died. Her only knowledge of the outside world came from the books Lady Shreya brought her and even then it was limited to the words copied onto the pages.

Emma collapsed on her blanket, wiping the salty blood from her lips. It was getting worse lately, the coughing coupled with blood nearly every time she sang. Fear made her heart clench once more. Emma was dying, she knew it, the Dragon knew it, but she had yet to say anything to Lady Shreya. The Dragon Keeper was a talented magician, but Emma knew not as to whether she was a healer. To pin her hopes on the woman who was meant to watch over her would be unfair. At this point it appeared as though Emma would never see the world before she died, her fate was bound to this cave and dragon.

Tears stung her eyes as she covered her mouth with both hands and lay on her side, her figure slowly curling in on itself. This wasn't how she wanted it to happen, she wanted to die outside of these walls, she wanted to explore the world and find the boy that constantly lurked at the edges of her dreams, close enough to see and yet just out of reach. Emma couldn't leave though, not with a dragon she had to watch over and a Dragon Keeper ensuring she couldn't leave. Besides, where would she begin looking? And when she found the boy, then what? What if he was simply something she made up in order to cope with the loneliness of living in a cave? Emma dried her eyes with the heels of her hands. It was a silly notion, to think that she could go outside and travel on her own.

Her stomach growled and she sat up, wondering if there was anything to eat. The pink haired girl was nearly always hungry, it always seemed to her that there was never enough to eat. She stood on shaking legs, using the wall to support herself with one hand, the other pressed firmly against her middle in order to silence the hunger pangs. Emma traveled along the length of the cave, going to the large main room where there was sometimes food. To her surprise, there was a roll of bread waiting for her, which Emma gladly dug into. Her mind wandered to the boy that frequented her dreams and not for the first time she questioned as to whether he was real or a figment of her imagination.

The darkness almost extends indefinitely as far as those emerald green eyes could reach deep within this labyrinth that many had titled as the Draconic Caverns. However, it does not bother the lone figure clad in a white dress. Why so? This individual is after all very familiar with every nook and cranny that she could call it her home, but she would rather call it prison. That was more fitting as noted by the Dragon Keeper, Shreya. This place was not holy sanctuary or any of that sorts. It is a cage from the very beginning, but time and constant bigotry had muddled the truth.

Alas, it was not of her concern. Her duty is to be the self-imposed warden, caretaker, and protector. By far, she had done that without much of a flaw. After all, the world still stands and continues to experience the abundance and prosperity promised to them by the Draconic Faith. The same could be said about her. She remained standing in front of the entrance to the inner sanctum where the mythical dragon and the current Diva could be found. There was nothing there for now and so, she attuned her senses to the wards entrusted to her care.

It would appear the Dragon has resumed its slumber while the Diva was consuming the bread she had placed there to be eaten. Everything was in normalcy as always. But, she knew that was only for a limited time. Stones had already been cast to the waters and the ripples it emitted are colliding with each other. Soon, waves will be created and washed over everything. Till then, she will do what she does best, be patient. Haste only makes waste. That is what she believes in.

Turning her back on the way towards the outside world, she entered the sanctum. This area was nestled deep within the earth and protected by confusing paths to detract any uninvited guests. But to Shreya, she has the layout of this complete vicinity recorded perfectly in her head. In summary, she could never get lost unless she has every intention to do so. Furthermore, this place seemed to have more of a history due to the ruins of old structures and even statues lingering about. It suggested that there had been once a thriving metropolis, but why deep within the caverns. A question that have been lost or perhaps not. Who really knows?

For now, she walked the path where the Diva, she had taken the pleasure to name as Emma is. She still remembered when the female infant had been given to her care, announcing it to be the next Diva as the one before had now perished. During the interim, she, the Keeper, maintained the Dragon's peace by her own means until the child had grown able to recite the prayers to calm the giant lizard, so to speak. It had been a troublesome and enlightening period of her existence. An opportunity to raise a babe into an adult was challenging along with her responsibility to keep. But now, she retracted to her former duties, though, she would not deny that this Diva was practically interesting in every sense.

"Emma." Shreya announced her presence to the Diva as she had finally arrived. She had been away from the pink-haired girl for a very long time and even if there are three existences in these caverns. Her company had always been the most rare. "You should rest after that bread. The Dragon will awaken soon enough." It's only during those kind of moments that a Diva could take rest and to keep her strength, the Keeper must ensure her functionality. "You'll be of no use if you can't do your part." Cruel that may be, but that was the plain truth for both of them. They have their roles and they have to adhere to that. until then.

---

There was solace to be found in the dark and damp hollow, a silence that very few dared to listen for in their lifetime. He’d been there many times, wrapped in darkness’s cruel embrace, locked in a labyrinth of no escape. As he lied there on the cold stone floor, he could just barely make out his reflection staring back from under him. Only, it wasn’t his reflection he saw anymore, but that of the pink-haired girl who struggled in much the same position as he did. Crimson painted her beautiful ivory lips, and he could only watch motionless as she writhed with torment in her lonely prison of solitude.

It was then that his own throat burned with anguish, and he fought through the overwhelming sorrow that took a hold of him as he tried with all his might to call out to her. There were no ends he wouldn’t travel to see her spared of such suffering, and tears only swelled in the boy’s eyes as he could do nothing more than bare witness. "No gold, huh?" Waking to the sound of an unfamiliar voice, he instantly noticed his face was wet, and that neither sweat nor tears attributed as cause.

The taste of blood hot on his tongue, he hesitantly reached for the pendant around his neck before choking on his own fluids. Coughing up blood, his eyes broadened, reminiscent of his dream. “Impossible…” He muttered to himself, sitting up and quickly reaching for the handkerchief tucked away in his back pocket. Horrified, he’d hardly paid notice to the fact that everyone in the inn was staring. “The hell…” Trying to collect himself, he looked up only to see that of a child’s eyes staring back at him.

Cassius was however more troubled by the alarming semblance of symptoms he’d just experienced - akin to his vision. At the same time he was taken back to a much darker time from his past. Both his stepmother and stepbrother had no chance when stricken with tuberculosis; the uncontrollable coughing fits… and the blood. No... he had to draw the line there. As much as he loved and missed them, they’d taught him a valuable lesson. That death wouldn’t come as easy for him. It would have to try harder, because he wasn’t planning on giving up.

Still groveling amidst the filth on the floor, he pulled himself up onto one of the bar stools before taking a second pass at the child. At first, he seemed ordinary enough, but there was something in his eyes that spoke of experience Cassius did not yet possess. “Can’t say my stepparents left me any. Gold, that is. Or, if they did, it burned with the rest.” Even for a farmer’s son, he still could not recall ever being this down and out. At only sixteen, Cassius hadn’t the faintest idea of what it meant to survive on his own.

"Where are your parents and what happened to this stranger?"

Turning his attention to the man sitting at the table across from them, he sat up, struggling to speak up. ”My name is Cassius, stranger.” He hadn’t any answers for what was wrong with him, so figured it was best he simply said nothing of what just transpired. As if he could just pretend it never happened. He did wonder one thing though.

What was such a peculiar child doing in a place like this...

---

Draconic Caverns
Inner Sanctum

---

Her name was called, Emma looked up, pink hair bouncing as her golden eyes settled on the figure before her. Shreya. It was startling to see the Dragon Keeper whose absence had left quite a hole in Emma's heart. It was lonely here, trying to keep the dragon at bay on her own with no one to talk to but the walls and imaginary friends she came up with. It mattered not how many of these figments Emma managed to conjure, they all ended up nameless and faceless due to the fact that Emma had never encountered another human aside from Shreya. Aside from her there was the boy in her dreams and whether he was real or not Emma could not say.

She nodded her head at the woman's words, never one to take Lady Shreya's words lightly. "Yes Ma'am," Emma finished the bit of bread left in her hands, attempting to not look greedy or guilty as she swallowed and brushed crumbs from her face. "If you don't mind my asking, before I go off, where did your travels take you this time?" Emma was always curious to hear about the outside she wasn't allowed to see. She had read about great mountains that touched the sky and whose peeks were dusted with feather light frozen water droplets called snow. She had gazed at illustrations of trees and grass, both of which she has never seen or touched. Her senses had never known the pleasure of being tickled by spring air, something most would have taken for granted.

Of course Emma had heard thunderstorms, sometimes the claps would rattle the cave and cause stones to shake loose from the ceiling, peppering her with a rock shower. One time there had been lightning so bright it lit the cave up like daylight and had caused the dragon to rouse from his great sleep and roar, which in turn made more rocks fall. Emma awaited eagerly, wanting to hear about the world she would never see. She shifted her weight from one foot to another as a cough made its way from her throat. Quickly the girl covered her mouth, feeling blood splatter against her fingers. Twice today? That was rare. Normally it only happened when singing. Emma began to feel light headed and she sunk against the wall, the energy in her legs slowly slipping away as she slid into a sitting position.

The Diva was rather curious of the outside world and that is within reason. Emma had grown up inside the caverns unlike her predecessors who had the chance to live beyond these stone walls. "Ease your excitement. it would not be good for your heart." Her tone did not hold any sort of resentment. She simply spoke in care for the seemingly deteriorating health. In the end, she was no fool. She knows more than anyone thinks they can perceive and as such, the pink-haired girl seemed to forget one thing. "It seems you have forgotten. I am bound to this place as its Keeper as you are being the Diva." Her eyes of emerald haze did not leave Emma's form. That was the simple truth. Her physical form cannot leave this place. She was the Eternal Guardian of the Dragon and its chosen Diva. She was in every essence a prisoner of her implied duties.

Although... "I could tell you about a land beyond the seas of this continent we are in." She could project herself in another way outside the caverns due to her magic. In that way, she could manage to interact with others and to see certain things which otherwise would be unavailable or out of her reach. Actually, the reason for her extended absence is her desire for solitude and the mechanisms she had put into motion must not be revealed yet. At the same time, she had always treated other Divas in this manner. Interaction with them are very few, but Emma was a bit different, since she did raise this girl by herself. This is probably why the pink-haired girl feels her absence strongly than the others.

"However, you should take your rest." Shreya noted as she approached Emma who collapsed to the ground. With a minute wave of her golden staff, a golden clear light enveloped Emma. It lifted the girl into the air. "When you wake up, I will speak to you of that land." She noted seamlessly as she walked along the pathway which leads to the room which had been dubbed as the Diva's chambers. Of course, it wasn't extravagant as one would think. It's rather simple and contained only the bare necessities. Emma was soon laid down on her bed and she covered the young girl in her blanket. "Now, close your eyes." Her free hand gently wiped the blood on Emma's mouth and hands. She was aware of the Diva's condition. It was a must in her position and an integral part to whatever scheme she intended to implement. "Dream your dreams until it's time."

With that said, Shreya removed herself from Emma's side and soon out of the Diva's room. She now proceeded to where the God of the Draconic Faith had been enshrined so to speak. Her presence was unnoticed as the Dragon who she had kept satisfied and in placebo peace remained asleep by the Diva's lullaby. "Bringing endless prosperity to the chosen people..." She muttered ever so softly under her breath. She walked towards the sleeping Dragon and placed her hand on it's snout. The touch seemed to be welcomed as the Dragon bellow what could be said as a gentle sigh of relief. That is right, the two of them had been together ever since the beginning of this all. "What do you think about that..." A small smile appeared on her lips as she uttered the Dragon's name which was lost to a whisper of a dream. As for her smile, it disappeared like an illusion.

Afterwards, Shreya left the Dragon's Altar and retreated to whatever part of the Inner Sanctum in where she could not be disturbed. She sat upon the stone-made chair and closed her eyes to rest it. She could feel the stirrings called change coming upon this land. All she had to was stay still and be patient, and that was no problem for her. Her eyes of green opened once more as she remembered what she had the wind had told of her earlier. An announcement from the Empress, how fetching and how appropriate. It made her think of many things and for now, she would leave it at that. For in the end, the Empress will come to her soon enough like always.

---

Draconic Caverns
Inner Sanctum

---

Of course Emma had known that in the end Lady Shreya was right down the hall. At least her physical body was, but no amount of shaking or stomping around could bring the woman back when she was projecting herself outside the cavern walls. "I mean where you went mentally," the words tasted weird on her tongue, as though Lady Shreya took a dream trip rather than using her magic to look outside the walls. Still, the concept was exciting. Emma wanted to know what the world looked like, she wanted to feel the warmth of the sun on her skin and the tickle of grass underneath her feet.

Collapsing had not been part of her plans. Now Lady Shreya knew, she knew and Emma felt like a fool for trying to keep it from the Dragon Keeper. She had wanted to try and fix it herself, to show a bit of independence but her plans had backfired. The Dragon Keeper knew of everything that went on within these walls, so why wouldn't she already know about the illness that was slowly devouring Emma? Dream your dreams, Emma echoed the words of Lady Shreyah in her mind. What should she dream of? The mysterious boy that lurked at the edges of her vision? Or perhaps something from one of the few novels in the pile in the corner of her room?

Emma only caught a glimpse of him, he was speaking to a boy, sitting in what appeared to be a tavern. At least, to her knowledge that is what a tavern should look like based on the descriptions in her books. "Cassius, my name is Cassius." She awoke with a gasp. After year of wondering, watching, attempting to reach out to this dream boy-he finally had a name. "Cassius," Emma whispered, trying the name out on her tongue. It felt familiar and yet tasted foreign. She wanted to keep this to herself in case it was some sort of fever dream or her mind was pulling at strings, desperate to have some connection to the outside. Emma lay back down, listening to the deep breathing that meant the dragon was still asleep.

Good, she did not want to stand before him and sing. At first it had been scary, presenting herself to the reptile and trying to quell him with songs. She had a few crammed in her mind by Lady Shreya, some of the popular works of other Diva's but after a while attempting to memorize those lyrical pieces grew rather bland and so Emma would come up with songs of her own invention, which sometimes proved to only upset the dragon more but for the most part he seemed almost amused by her efforts. Emma was glad that even the dragon seemed to have a sense of humor and he would lay there eyeing her until she used one of the older songs he was used to in order to send him back to his dreamscape.