Glitch

Grandson of Naomi
Son of Willow
Glitch- The Cursed
Born from the bloodline of the Gatekeeper Naomi, the blood of the Shade runs in Glitch's veins. Born with a gift, a curse, and a destiny. Born with the power of both creation and destruction. Almost as soon as he was born he left his birthplace in Plague, as his mother Willow had no intention to take care of him. She had no reason to, the Shade would not allow one born with such a keen connection to it die. And that was Glitch's gift and curse. Perhaps even more so than his mother Willow, maybe even more than Naomi herself, Glitch carries the Shade within him. The moment he was born his red eyes flashed pure black, and he destroyed his entire nest. Thankfully his siblings and mother were unharmed, protected by the Shade. But the other unfortunate dragons that were nearby were not spared from his wrath. They were not dead, no, that would be too kind. They became shade-touched, servants of the great evil that lurks beyond normal vision. The young hatchlings' eyes returned to red, and he cowered in fear. He had not intended to cause this terrible destruction, yet there it was. And so he left. He would never be welcome in his birth clan again, and surprisingly he was alright with that. His siblings and mother held no love for him, and the feeling was mutual. He decided to head towards Ice territory. He had heard that Ice dragons did not ask questions, and that was what he needed. He didn't need dragons asking why his eyes tended to flash black, or where he came from, or who he was. Who even was he? Could he ever exist as an individual, beyond being descended from pure evil? No. Of course not. Ice it was.

It wasn't that easy. Why would it be? He had to travel through Wind to get to Ice. And unlike Ice, Wind dragons asked questions. Questions he couldn't answer. He didn't even have a name. Or did he? A memory, from when he hatched, forced itself to the front of his mind. Glitch. He was a Glitch. A voice, not his and not anyone's he had ever heard. Glitch. That would be his name. Maybe that would answer some of the questions, and prevent more. He also bought a hood at the nearest marketplace, to cover his eyes. Even when they didn't turn black, Plague dragons weren't always welcome in other territories anyways. A hood to cover his eyes would be a good idea. Glitch was about to leave the marketplace and continue on his journey, when a certain stall caught his eye. Breed changes. Naomi and Willow had both been Faes, like him. If he were another breed, would that perhaps change his fate. He shook his head. Scrolls were known to be unpredictable, and with the Shade inside of him it might just make it worse. It wasn't worth it. Glitch continued on his way.

Sometimes he wonders what might have happened had he made it to Ice with no further incidents. Would everything have been better? Or perhaps worse? But such was not his fate. The Shade would not stay silent for long. A dragon had been particularly persistent about questioning him, and he was tired of it. Meaning to turn around to tell him to get lost, Glitch felt a power within him surge outwards, and the dragon burst into blocks of color. Glitch lunged forwards to stop it, but whatever he had done was permanent. It was not like when he was born, when he had no understanding of life and death. This was different. Glitch tracked down the family of the dragon, only to find something even more strange. When he tried to apologize for what he had done, the clan had no knowledge of the dragon. After confirming that it was indeed the right clan, he asked again, only to be told that that dragon had never been born. After walking away, Glitch realized what had happened. He had completely erased that dragon's entire being. His memories, thoughts, impressions, all gone. Erased even from the memories of other dragons. Overcome with guilt and horror, Glitch ran away. And he promised himself. He would never, ever, use his power again. No matter what, no one else could die because of his curse.

Ice was still the best option. He could live there, peacefully. If he hadn't met her. A Shade-touched. He had not created her, and perhaps that was why she was still in control. Perhaps one of his weaker siblings had created her, or was interrupted before she was completely transformed. For whatever reason, she was like him. Given power she didn't want, a curse that would drive most dragons insane. For she too could create the Shade-touched, though she did not have the power of destruction like him. Against all odds, he fell in love. She had no name, so he named her Error, for the mistake that had been her creation. As she was protected by the Shade as well, he could not accidentally hurt her. The two lost creations of the Shade, the ones who had been given no choice in their fate. It was like they had been destined to meet, here on the edge of the icy waters that signaled the border of Ice and Wind. Both born in Plague, and both headed to Ice. If only fate had ever been so simple.

They were ambushed. At night, just as they had landed in Ice territory. A group of dragons had seen them, and apparently had followed them. There was nothing he could do. He refused to use his power, even on dragons like these, and he wasn't a great fighter. A small Fae against a large group of dragons was not a fight he could win. Eventually they left, probably figuring they were dead anyways, and Glitch crawled over to where Error had first fallen. He immediately knew there was no hope. Her wounds were too severe, combined with frostbite she would be dead in just hours. Glitch stared up at the sky, wishing that he could see the Shade. After all, it had caused all of this. Glitch felt that same power he had felt so long ago, and he felt fear surge through him. No. He had promised. But he couldn't stop it. As he looked on though, this power was different. Almost...opposite. He watched in awe as the same blocks of color surrounded her, and Error's wounds healed, leaving only scars behind. His power worked in both ways. He could destroy. But he could also heal. Perhaps a gift, left from the side of his family that was not under the control of the shade. Or perhaps it was he himself that could turn his destructive power into healing. He would never know, but he would never be so glad of it as he was right now.

Determined never to let something like this happen again, Glitch bought a Pearlcatcher scroll. He could not change his heritage, but he could become strong enough to protect his mate. As a Pearlcatcher he could also store memories in his pearl, and he immediately stored the memories of the ones he had killed. Perhaps the world had forgotten, but he would not. Maybe one day he could even make things right, once he had figured out what his magic could do. Until then, he would stay with Error, and if things went well, they might even stay with a certain clan that had offered them shelter. He had created a familiar to test his magic, a Scrapmetal Tracker, and it seemed to follow them around. Error had named it Glow, since it seemed to glow with the same strange magic that Glitch had used to create him. For now, life was okay. They had a chance.


Art by Arkardios

Art by EYESEARING