ENLIGHTENMENT

HIVEMIND dragons aren't supposed to have feelings. That much is apparent. When they're assimilated, any traces of individuality are erased in order to make the perfect DRONE. All HIVEMIND dragons are made to serve one purpose, made to serve the HIVE they are assigned to. They are dangerous that way, swarms upon swarms of like-minded husks that overwhelm their enemies with sheer numbers and programmed viciousness. A perfect symmetry. But for those that encounter errors in their assimilation, for those who do not fit the mould once they are complete, why, some of those DRONES might become the most dangerous DRONES of all.

Such was the fate of ENLIGHTENMENT. Already a powerful and unstable dragon, things were bound to go south the moment he was captured by a legion of DRONES. They pinned the struggling Imperial to the walls of the HIVE, trapping him, and began the process of assimilation. It took longer than usual, as the DRONES tried to account for the size and power of their captive. Wouldn't want him to turn out wrong. Unfortunately, they didn't keep him in long enough. The physical transformation was flawless, a shining black carapace with gorgeous shimmering wings. Dark runes that shimmered dangerously along his hide, and Ice eyes that betrayed no sign of emotions. The DRONES responsible for his assimilation assumed their work was done, and returned to their mindless existence. And for the first few days, ENLIGHTENMENT was the perfect DRONE. He did his tasks and killed intruders and didn't complain. But his power was too great. There were flaws in his coding, bugs that the DRONES could not fix. He still had his emotions. Already an unstable dragon, it did not take ENLIGHTENMENT long to lash out of those around him. The sheer strength and ferocity of his outburst shocked the DRONES around him, and it was not long before ENLIGHTENMENT had escaped. The beast was free.

He wandered the Southern Icefield, confused and angry. He killed those that came near him without a second thought, and soon all those who knew of his existence stayed well out of his way. Well, that was until he met Echo.

You see, Echo used to be a queen. She lived a sheltered life, ruling without anyone to oppose her. While her guards and workers knew of the dangerous DRONE that was skulking about, Echo did not. And so when Echo was thrown into exile after committing a horrible crime, she had no idea that a dangerous beast was nearby. As Echo wandered the Southern Icefield, the DRONE stumbled upon her. But, curiously, he did not attack. He only watched from afar, eyes narrowing as he observed this admittedly beautiful Skydancer. She was like nothing he had ever seen before-- graceful and elegant and burning with hatred. He was smitten at the mere sight of her. And so, instead of killing her, ENLIGHTENMENT bided his time. He would only reveal himself when the time was right. It had to be perfect.

Under the cover of night, while Echo was sleeping, ENLIGHTENMENT made his move. Quickly, quietly, he kidnapped her. An enraged Echo was whisked away from the only lands she had ever known. Silently, he carried the struggling Skydancer through the night. When she was finally allowed to speak, feathers puffed in fearful indignation, ENLIGHTENMENT let her ramble and rave and hiss and threaten him. He was thoroughly unimpressed. When Echo was finally out of breath, wheezing slightly from her outburst, ENLIGHTENMENT leaned down and stuck his face in hers. Echo leaned back, feeling the power radiate off of the DRONE. And it was then that ENLIGHTENMENT spoke.

"You are weak, and far from home. You would die quickly by my claws if I wanted you dead. You are nothing, nothing but a stupid girl. But, you are pretty. Very pretty. I quite like that about you. And so, you are now mine. Try to escape, you will die. Try to fight back, and you will fail. You will be mine, and I will own you. You will ask my permission to do anything and everything, while I may do whatever I wish. But-- you will be alive. That is more than what you deserve."

Echo wanted to speak, to argue, to do anything, but she couldn't. The Imperial's words had rattled her to the core. She knew he could kill her in an instant. And so, she had no choice but to obey.

The two travelled together from then on, Echo not allowed to leave ENLIGHTENMENT's side for extended periods of time. He had a beautiful golden collar fashioned for her, and admires it's beauty every time he looks at Echo. His Echo. As they travelled, they gathered more dragons. A pair of starry Imperials. A smarter-than-usual Pearlcatcher. A due of pirates. ENLIGHTENMENT never treated them like he did Echo, regarding them as nothing more than followers while Echo was basically his property. This did not go unnoticed by the others, of course, but any attempt at taunting or jeering Echo was quickly met with a withering glare from ENLIGHTENMENT. They were not allowed to belittle or hurt his Echo. Only he was allowed to do such. To prevent any more taunting, ENLIGHTENMENT allowed Echo to be the leader of the other dragons in the group, besides him of course. It's no surprise that Echo has trouble getting them to listen to her, but she was a queen once-- a ragtag group of dragons is nothing.

ENLIGHTENMENT is abusive. He's cruel, manipulative, and evil. But he loves Echo, and this confuses him. He treats her horribly, and yet it is out of some sort of twisted need to protect her. She must remain pretty. His pretty little toy. So, so, pretty, all for him.

A motive, even corrupted, is still a motive nonetheless.

By Silverpelt60