Altair

Even as a hatchling, the spire called to him.

Altair was born to a clan of traveling merchants- a nomadic, ragtag group of dragons. His mother was a florist, while his father her salesman. He was born among the deep crags of the Crystalpine Reaches, its arcane energy settling itself deep into his blood. Despite being of the ice flight, it was undoubtable that something about the arcane had worked its way into him. He was the first-born of his clan of this region- the majority of his kinsmen hailed from the nomadic Wind flight.

While his family bore him no ill will, the sharp divide in their personalities quickly grew apparent. His family was a fun-loving sort, always hoping to hold small festivities and social get-togethers. Meanwhile, Altair had a tendency to shy away from these loud, boisterous gatherings- often resorting to finding small nooks and crannies in the crags away from his family where he could simply lose himself in his thoughts.

When his family would finally come looking for him, it would often be nightfall before he would be discovered. Still and silent, they would find the youth staring unblinking deep into the stars- breathlessly entranced by their beauty.
Amongst all of his curious fascinations, the stars always dominated his thoughts. Deep within him, there was a primal desire to fly up and reach them- to lose himself in their heavenly light.

Amongst the deep cliffs of the reaches, there was always one feature which Altair adored above no other. A strange, tall mountain with an oddly flat peak- stretching further into the sky than any of the other crags. At the spire, dark violet clouds swirled, crackling with bright arcane energy. It was impossible to simply fly up to the peak due to this arcane storm- it was undoubtedly a no-man’s land for dragons of other flights, a place of no return.

Still, staring into its reaches, the tower called to him.

As Altair grew older, he found that he was outgrowing his old hiding spots. While the crevices he hid in were of a suitable size for a hatchling, spots which comfortably accommodated a fully grown imperial were nearly impossible find. His precious time alone became a rarity- and the more time he spent around his talkative family the more unnerved he grew. An important part of him had gone missing, and now that he was fully grown, his family had begun to make preparations to continue onward on their travels.

As the day of their departure edged closer, Altair found himself growing more desperate. His restlessness has begun to settle into his bones, his days of staring into the stars were slowly fading away from him. Soon, they would be lost to him forever. On the night prior to his family’s departure, Altair had decided.

Silent and secretive as a serpent, the imperial rose from his nest, and crept past his slumbering kin. There was a soft breeze- yet the sky seemed cloudy and starless. As Altair quietly exited the camp, he caught sight of his mother’s slumbering face. Something deep, cold, and painful filled his chest.

Beside his family’s camp, a small patch of blue flowers bloomed. He knew his mother often frequented this spot. Even when he shied away from her, she would always try to reach out to him, and leave him gifts and messages through her precious flowers.

Whistling softy in the breeze, the blue petals seemed to glow with a faint light. Carefully, Altair plucked a few of the healthier blooms, and then returned back to camp to lay them beside his slumbering mother. She didn’t stir, but the flowers seemed to illuminate her gentle, motherly features. Altair took in the image of his mother one last time, then turned away.

Forget me not.

Without looking back, he made his way toward the spire.

It took several hours, but Altair soon found himself nearing the base of the mountain. As he neared the tall spire, the wind had begun to pick up, and the air around him seemed tense- charged. Arriving at the base, Altair stopped to stare upwards. This was it, the point of no return. He could either turn back, or continue onward. In spite of himself, Altair hesitated. The image of his mother’s gentle sleeping face filling his mind.

He shook it off. If he had stayed, he knew he would only bring his family down- and he himself would always be left wondering, always left longing, for something they could never give him. This was something he had to do for himself.

Energy surging through him, Altair launched himself at the cliff- his claws scraping sharply and digging deep into the rock. Tooth and claw, he began to scale the mountain- as the charged wind billowed on his skin.

The higher he climbed, the more intense the storm above him raged. Bolts of arcane lightning crackled and raged about him, the wind had strengthened to a gale. Several times, the imperial was almost blown off by the strength of the storm, but each time he steeler himself against its fury- determination hardening his heart.

The higher Altair climbed, the faster his heart seemed to race. He was nearing something spectacular, something no dragon had ever seen before. Something that his blood called him to bear witness to.

Finally, he had reached it- the throat of the mountain. Scrabbling, Altair graves himself over the flattened peak, spilling his exhausted body onto its smooth surface. His eyes were squeezed shut with perspiration and exhaustion- catching his breath, Altair lay there for several moments.

It was time. Shakily, the imperial rose and opened his eyes.

It was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

The storm had swirled about the spire, creating an open eye into the night sky at the center of the peak. The stars were closer than the imperial had ever imagined, bright, brilliant, and beautiful. Below his feet, the glassy smoothened surface of the peak reflected the sky like a mirror- his entire being seemed cloaked with the stars and the brilliance of the sky.

Suddenly, a bright bolt of lightning streaked down from the sky. It crashed into the peak, shattered and raced towards him. Altair had no time to react before the arcane bolt surged into him, filling his body with the power and fury of the sky.

To Altair’s surprise, he felt no pain. The strike must have lasted less than a second, but time for the imperial seemed to still. As his body overloaded with the arcane energy, he felt something in him begin to change. The arcane bolt seemed to weave itself through his body, creating an intricate display of light. The reflection of the stars below him seemed to leap up onto him, painting him with their brillance as if he were a canvas.

Then, it was over. Looking down, Altair gazed into his reflection- his newfound color and power originating from the stars.

Spreading his wings, Altair lifted himself into the sky, flying deep into the stars above him- invisible in the night. He would dedicate his life traveling the skies and learning their secrets- for he was now one with the stars.