Viethro

Viethro
Warrior of Light



"Let the radiant light color our world!"

Some time had passed since Viethro was diagnosed with his gembond infection. He tried to keep his head up and continue his studies, but he had a rough time fighting his own depression. Dread overwhelmed him whenever he'd walk by a mirror and even looking at precious gemstones only reminded him of his illness. He'd try to cope with his problem by taking long walks in the warm sun, but it didn't take long for the other young dragons in his clan to notice his insecurity and start teasing him to pieces.



From embarrassing nicknames like "Crusty" to mocking his appearance by holding gems against one's face while sticking their tongue out, Viethro was getting zero empathy and all mockery. Some dragons even avoiding being near him, claiming they too would get infected. One day when a foolish youngling tried biting off one of Viethro's gems to "sell" it, he stomped his feet into the ground and a blinding light pushed all the young dragons back with a mighty force.

"STOP IT!! STOP IT, JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!!"

Viethro turned tail and ran to the nearest forest on the horizon, humiliated by the other young denizens. He ran as far into the forest as his little feet could take him and he fell to the ground and wept. Where was his beacon of hope? Where was the light at the end of the tunnel? Why did his bright hopes and dreams flicker out to be replaced with this?



Seasons changed and Viethro had grown up. The Skydancer's gembond had only gotten worse, but he sharpened up. He wasn't as emotionally sensitive to his infection and went on to learn many useful spells. He was now residing in the Hewn City, where the light didn't have to shine on his humiliation and he could study in peace and quiet. The scribbling of his pen quill echoed ever so slightly in the dark temple halls and he was accompanied by the dim light of candles. Wax dripped from the small beacons and not a soul was in sight. Even the sounds of crunching leaves could be heard echoing down the halls!

...

Crunching leaves?



Viethro put his pen down and whipped his head over his shoulder. He definitely heard a footstep in his domain... he cautiously slinked to the ground, keeping his head and wings low as a subtle growl escaped from his throat. He heard another footstep, causing his heart to skip a beat. Who dared to enter his sanctuary just to mock him again? He slowly sneaked along the cold, stone floor, ready to confront his invader... he stopped at a corner. He listened. Nothing happened. He slowly lifted one foot and stepped in front of the other, stretching his neck to peer along the corner.

"YEEEH!!" A shrill voice screeched, making Viethro scream back. He stood up on his toes and faced a dark-colored Spiral, who was tied in a not and both dragons just screamed at each other, totally breaking the silence of the dark temple walls.



"Who are you?!" Viethro demanded as the Spiral spoke over him, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt!" Both dragons just spoke over each other in shock, then finally slowed down their babbling as they took time to look each other in the eyes. The Spiral's eyes were large and round and... dark! Had a Shadow dragon sneaked into Viethro's presence??

"Please, allow me to explain myself!" The Spiral proceeded, noticing the uneasiness of the Skydancer. "My name is Dauraneva. I come only for research purposes!"

"Research, eh?" Viethro responded, his heart still pounding. "What exactly ARE you researching? The study of ambushing?!"

"N-No, certainly not!" Dauraneva answered as she untangled herself. Her eyes looked offended by such an accusation. "I was just curious about the darkness that surrounds this pocket of the region!"

There was a moment of silence and Dauraneva eyed the ground. "Well... and I wanted to see what Light culture was like compared to Shadow culture, and well... I wasn't especially welcomed by your kind. By the looks of your reaction, I can see you agree with the rest."

"Tch... if you ask me, ALL the dragons here and shallow and selfish." Viethro spat in response to Dauraneva's impression.



The lack of violence between the dragons gradually put them at ease. In fact, they started to enjoy each other's company. Viethro had learned that the Spiral was here to see Light dragons' view on the darkness, something she sees as sacred. But their tales and beliefs of the dark being an evil source of corruption only made her a target for hostility. Viethro empathized with Dauraneva and proceeded to share his own woes with her. The dragons understood each other and formed a bond between each other, despite not knowing each other for even three hours. What started off as a hostile encounter gradually turned into exchanges of woes, then turned into jolly mirth. They shared notes with each other about their own elements and Dauraneva smiled.

"You know, Viethro? If your own clan was giving you a hard time, you really ought to come visit me!"

"Visit YOU?" Veithro responded with amusement in his voice. "But don't you live in the Tangled Wood?"

"Is that bad?" Asked Dauraneva.

"Well..." Viethro responded, unsure how to answer that question. It wasn't so much the Tangled Wood alone that bothered him, but he never left the Sunbeam Ruins at all. The dark pocket of the Hewn City had been the closest thing to traveling to another region he'd ever done. "...I don't suppose it shouldn't hurt anything. I suppose I've been sitting here all alone for long enough. A little fresh air should do me good!"

"That's the spirit!" Chirped Duaraneva. "I must say, you're the nicest Light dragon I've ran across so far on my journey." The compliment made Viethro smile.




The Grand War




Viethro had been staying with Dauraneva in her Shadow home. There was a bit of culture shock, but as long as he stayed with his best friend, Viethro felt safe and secure. Dauraneva never teased him for his gembond and they often had encouraging words for each other. One night, Viethro was walking alone in the woods in search for a flower to surprise Dauraneva with. While he was wandering in the dark woods, he encountered the shocking sight of an injured dragon, laying limp on the ground! This startled Viethro, so he checked for a pulse. The dragon was still breathing, relieving Viethro, but he was still quite concerned. He gently lifted up the injured Mirror and brought them back to Dauraneva. It was no flower, but Viethro still felt like it was important to further examine the body.



Viethro and Dauraneva helped nurse the Mirror back to health, and when they opened up their eyes for the first time, they appeared to be of the Nature element.

"Are you alright?" Dauraneva asked. "Can you see and hear okay?"

"Um... yes." The Mirror responded, looking quite confused. "But where am I?"

"You're in the Wispwillow Grove." Responded Dauraneva. "Can you tell us where you come from?"

"I'm from... Everglade..." The Mirror responded, sounding disoriented and weary. "I was serving first line for Lady Mevia, but something knocked me out of the air and I don't remember anything else." They looked around again, widening their eyes in shock. "Have I really gone this far??" Viethro and Dauraneva eyed each other and offered food to their visitor in exchange for more information.



The Mirror explained that their clan was in a war against a far off Arcane clan. It seemed silly for such distant clans to be fighting, but their leader saw it as necessary. Their ally had been attacked by these destructive mages and their leader had already been facing hardships from other elements destroying nature. It seemed like everyone Viethro met had some kind of awful predicaments following them.

"Do you think you can take us there?" He asked. "Maybe we can help!"

"But Viethro!" Dauraneva interrupted. "It's dangerous out there!"

"I don't care." Said Viethro. "If you don't want to face the dangers, you don't have to. But this dragon has seen enough and it doesn't seem fair to just send them off without backup!"
Somehow, Dauraneva knew she wasn't going to change Viethro's mind, so she let him and their Mirror guest go.



Viethro had arrived to Everglade of the Viridian Labyrinth. He met this Mevia leader, who turned out to be quite the dignified Coatl. He could tell she wasn't going to let anyone walk over her without a fight and she didn't seem very happy to see a traveler come through, despite bringing her soldier home safely.

"What's your deal?!" She asked in a bossy tone. "Come to beg for handouts just because you were so nice to little Woodwing here?!"

"No, no, Your Highness!" Viethro responded with a bow. "I swear, I only brought your soldier back because they were wounded in my path. I ask NOTHING of you." Mevia was intrigued by the title "highness". She laid back and felt more obliged to listen to this traveler. Woodwing thanked Viethro for his help and before he left, Mevia raised a wing.

"Wait!" Viethro stopped to face the Nature leader as she called him. "Tell me your name."



Viethro overstayed his welcome in Everglade. He was no longer a guest, but instead sweared to serve Mevia in this war against the Arcane clan, Sokuna. He knew far too well what it's like to be belittled and treated like a parasite. He proved his worth by responding violently again to a denizen's wise crack about his gembond. Mevia saw great power in him and wanted to use him to eliminate their foes. Viethro gradually gained more high praise in Everglade for his war efforts and immense power in his Light element. Was THIS the bright future he had dreamed of? Fortune and fame for his ever powerful element? The praise made Viethro happy, but soon, that praise was beginning to fade as Viethro's true colors began to shine.

"All troops, gather round!" Mevia's voice bellowed through the forest. "I said ALL troops, gather round, NOW!"
Viethro and the others lined up before their leader, bodies stiff and wings clamped to their sides.



"These menaces to Nature are REALLY grinding my gears!" Mevia complained bitterly. "They just took out ALL our Riverscale allies and NOW they're starting to team up with Shadow dragons! We're COMPLETELY outnumbered! We need to think of a better ambush plan and split into groups!" She snapped her wing at her ambitious Light subject. "VIETHRO! Go make up a group of soldiers and get your butt out to the Sunbeam Ruins! My spies say that the Arcane leader is going there for some petty royal meeting."

"Understood!" Responded Viethro before taking off to gather troops. It had been a long time since he stepped foot into his own home again, but it was no time to get nostalgic. This was war! Among him were three Imperial comrades who were just as intrigued to be stepping into their old, ancestral land.



They had arrived on site and camped out until they could ambush the enemy's queen. They waited... and waited... and finally, they could see the army of dragons marching on the horizon. The group split up to prepare for the ambush. They attacked, but Viethro was displeased to see that their queen was not with them. But that didn't stop him from wanting to take these enemies down, with no success. It dawned on him just how much of a threat these dragons really were. He had only ever fought up to three dragons at a time, but at that moment, he faced dozens. They outnumbered him. Their magic was far too strong. Fear struck him and he made off like a cowardly mouse. Swerving through the fighting dragons, he targeted some nearby ruins to hide in and recollect his thoughts. He leaped through a window and to his surprise, he landed right on top of another dragon who was just peering behind the ruined cathedral. He unintentionally pinned the stranger down, but as he gazed into their eyes, he knew then that this was no stranger.



"Dauraneva!" Viethro leaped off of Dauraneva, but didn't look too happy to see her. He narrowed his eyes at her. "What are YOU doing here?"

"I'm... helping these dragons." Dauraneva answered boldly. "I'm sheltering in this shaded spot and sending them healing spells." Viethro flicked his tail.

"What?"

"Well... you've been gone in Everglade for months now." Dauraneva explained. "I was getting worried, so I was going to come find you, but... I ran into injured troops, too! But these were Sokuna troops, and-"

"I've been working my tail off with these Nature dragons who needed MY help, and YOU, in return, have been working for the enemy that caused all these problems?!" Viethro roared, causing the Spiral to wince.

"Viethro!" Dauraneva replied in shock. "YOU'RE serving these Everglade forces??"

"Only because THEY finally see me for the shining beacon that I am and don't mock me for this STUPID disease!" Viethro snapped. "You SAW how badly that poor Mirror was injured back in the Wispwillow Grove. So why would you turn your tail and completely betray us?!"

"How could I betray anyone if I never picked a side back then?!" Dauraneva argued. "Viethro, THESE dragons are suffering, too! You must understand that-"

"I understand, alright!" Viethro interrupted. "You're just not loyal like I used to think you were. I thought we were supportive friends, but then you had to go and side with the very enemies that injured that helpless creature that you saw with your own eyes! You Shadow dragons are all the same! I should have listened to the denizens of my clan... NONE of you are to be trusted!" Dauraneva's eyes widened and her voice quivered.

"V-Viethro..."

"Oh, I'M sorry, does the truth hurt too much?" He asked sarcastically. "You CHOSE to betray me!" He lowered his voice and said "But of course, now that I know you've been around those dragons, perhaps you could make the BETTER choice now and come with me to Everglade. I'm sure you'll have quite the insight for Lady Mevia."

"N-no, not that..." Dauraneva squeaked, staring right past Viethro. "Your troops...!"

"What about them?" Viethro peered his head out the window and widened his eyes and gaped open his mouth. The ground rumbled before him. "But... it's impossible!"



The Imperial troops by Viethro's side had perished. The other soldiers were long gone and were replaced by a great beast which slowly arose to the sky.

"I... I thought those were just an old legend!" Viethro stuttered. "I can't believe it! It's... it's..."

"...an Emperor." Dauraneva whispered. Viethro stared a little longer, then sprang out the window with his wings spread out and a loud cackle.

"It's true! It happened! It REALLY happened!!" He laughed as he marveled at the beast.
"Viethro!!" Dauraneva cried out. "What are you doing?!"

"Only marveling at the TRUE powers of the Lightweaver!" Viethro cackled. "With this great beast, I will eliminate EVERY enemy that dared to threaten MY reputation! I've made the impossible happen and soon, ALL glory will be mine!"

"You're wrong!" A voice shouted. Viethro glared at the direction of the voice, only to make eye-contact with a dragon of laughable size. A Fae, wrapped in royal garments.

"Ahah! I know who you are." Viethro mocked. "You're that little prince brat from Sokuna! Your clan has become quite infamous."

"Who are you?!" The Fae demanded. "And what do YOU know about this Emperor?!"

"Oh, really no need for introductions!" Viethro laughed. "Soon I will be known as Viethro, the King of Light! I've seen the light for what it REALLY is and how it's been treated with such belittling." He rose his wings up menacingly. "But no more games! I'm here to show the TRUE power in the light! No more shall anything be obscured by the darkness. The Lightweaver will reign over all and anyone who dared to mock me will bow under my wings!"



There was no reasoning with the ambitious Skydancer and soon, the Fae had no choice but to flee. Viethro watched his work of art tear everything in its path and cackled with pride. Dauraneva had fled with Prince Foren and Viethro was the only dragon standing in the Emperor's presence.

"Cowards..." He spoke under his breath before bursting out laughing. "COWARDS!! They couldn't stand to see the true power of the light!" Viethro kept cackling and taunting. But soon, he came to the realization that he had made a grave mistake. One of the colossal heads glared back at the tiny Skydancer. As its piercing gaze struck through Viethro's eyes, he noticed something ominous about the eyes... a look of hunger and vengeance. For a second, Viethro's mind flashed as if he were looking into the same eyes as his fellow Imperial warrior who he had betrayed to turn into such a monstrosity. When his mind flashed back into reality, he knew he wasn't basking in glory. Fear struck through his veins as a pair of jaws unhinged before him, ready to snap him up like a tiny snack. He yelped and shielded himself with a wing as a blinding light flashed before his eyes.



All was silent. He felt neither dead nor alive. He lowered his wing and saw nothing but a haze of blinding light... light as far as the eye could see. He was floating in a blinding void. But he could still see something approaching... as the figure came closer into the view, it was no other than the Lightweaver herself, glaring down upon him. She didn't speak to him, but he knew what she was thinking. He was scared speechless. He couldn't move or say a word. All he could do was stare into the Lightweaver's eyes. It felt like he would be here for eternity, punished by his own guilt. But soon, the Lightweaver had disappeared and Viethro could feel himself fall to the ground.



It was still silent, but he could tell he was no longer in the void. Birds were singing and the breeze was carrying on, but there was no destruction. He could feel the grass beneath him and the sun shining on his face, but he still couldn't see anything. He placed a paw on himself to check if he was even still alive in his mortal shell. Everything was there! He stretched his wings and stomped at the ground, but he still couldn't see a thing.

"Where am I...?"

"You have the right to remain silent." An unfamiliar voice spoke, startling Viethro.



The Emperor had been defeated by the gods of Sornieth and Viethro was brought to Sokuna by Foren and Dauraneva. He was tossed into the prisons below the clan's surface as punishment for his crimes, but nobody ever came down to harm him. He stayed quietly in his cell, still unable to see anything. During his time of isolation, he learned that the Lightweaver had blinded him. Akiela, the clan's queen, would come down to his prison to question him pacifically, yet sternly. He had been isolated for about three months, and although he was fed properly, he couldn't take it anymore. He wept and pleaded for Akiela's forgiveness, all while confessing his guilt that was eating away at him. Akiela remained stern with him, but after hearing about his unfortunate conditions of gembond disease and permanent blindness, she couldn't help but pity him. She sighed.



"I understand that you're full of regret." Akiela spoke. "Surly, your actions were absolutely atrocious. Shame on you for letting your friends die and turn into that monster just for your own praise! Your own cowardly behavior threatened us all!" She paused to take a good look at her prisoner. "But I feel you're being put through enough punishment. You are NOT to set a foot off of this island or harm my children. But if you can redeem yourself, there may be hope for you yet. You are to follow ALL my rules and guidelines from now on."

Viethro took in the words like a thorn in his side, but lowered his head in submission.

"Yes, Your Highness."



Viethro has since set himself a mission to redeem himself and properly show that goodness that he sees in the light. He had mocked the darkness for hiding from the light, but deep down, he knew HE was being the true coward, always running and hiding from his problems rather than facing them. Mevia was also a prisoner in Sokuna, but just like him, she was set free from her cell and worked on redeeming herself... though, even she was disgusted with his facade and the fact that his own cowardly nature resulted in such an atrocity. But over time, she just couldn't hate him. Even Dauraneva eventually forgave him. It took time, but eventually, the whole clan was back to being relaxed.



Viethro, along with the other elemental leaders involved in the war, pleaded an oath to never commit such foolishness again and to only use his element to benefit the world. Viethro had always seen beauty and goodness in the light, but did he truly SHOW it? He separated himself from the rest of the clan for many months after the war, too ashamed of what he had done, but everyone's relationship slowly restored. Viethro is still blind and still hasn't found a cure for his gembond, but he's used this in his experience to rebuild himself. He still hopes to someday find a cure and possibly a spell that will restore his eyesight, but for now, he still works on his goal to redeem himself with the friends he's made, not by fighting, but by cooperating and seeing how many wonderful things can happen if elements just coexist. After all... for every area the light shines, a shadow is cast out with it.