Yozora

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WRITE ABOUT HIS JOURNEYS HERE

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Chapter 1 - Humble Beginnings
Log 1 - 9/10/2020
I started off pretty good on my quest to find my father, someone gave me a tip that he was spotted near The Scarred Wastelands and so I’ve begun my trek there. It’s been three full days of searching and so far I’ve found naught. However, that isn’t going to deter me in the slightest! I will not give up on him! Though I have found something quite curious... a few hatchlings cluttered around a small pool of water. I’ll check it out once they’ve made themselves scarce, rather not get into a fight with the mother if she’s around.

Log 2 - 9/15/2020
I found no sign of the mother the entire time I've been here. I camped out nearby, staying away from any other creatures or dragons while keeping an eye on those hatchlings. No parents at all, for 6 days, the 6 days I've been searching this part of the Wastelands. Perhaps I should go up to them, check on them, see how they're doing. Lone hatchlings in this place are pretty much vulture and cannibalistic dragon fodder. I'll feel horrible if I know my abstaining caused these young ones to die.

Log 3 - 9/17/2020
I left the moment they grew old enough to growl. Eventually I made it back home... accidentally. I need to keep going on, no matter how much I want to stay.

Log 4 - 9/17/2020
I decided to take a new approach because these notes don't make any sense to me. Without any other leads I headed into Arcane territory for a fresh start. I managed to pin down a dragon who might be able to help me, a gifted Magician who could interpret the images in the Smoky Sphere I found with my dad's belongings. He determined my father was alive (thankfully), and was in a place with very dense magic. He couldn't pin down exactly where but at least I have something. He also gave me a device that detects magic so I could follow the trail. After thanking him, I headed on my way.

Log 5 - 9/29/2020
I've found my way to the Windswept Plateau, sorry, the wind currents here are something else. I almost lost my page a few times already.
Anyway, I've met a clan here who mentioned I was headed in the wrong direction or at least that this was not the lair to search and most likely a dead end. Very few Ridgebacks make their home here for long, sporting only two males, I asked if either of them recognized anything I was using to search for him. I had attempted to use the device I was given but it seems the winds were interfering.

The larger of the two seemed puzzled, he didn't recognize my father's belongings but thought long about 'the place with very dense magic' I was told about in the Arcane lands. He told me it was unlikely that any dragon here would be able to help me on my search, however, if I could figure out the type of 'dense magic' where my father supposedly resided, it would bring me closer to which lands to search. Unfortunately dense magic resides in any number of places across Sornieth, in any of the territories.

His best guess was Arcane, Water, or Lighting, but he assured me they were only just guesses. My best lead was still the dense magic the Magician told me about.

The Ridgeback claimed Lightning because that was where we Ridgebacks originate, and that father may have found his way through there if he were searching for something himself or about our species as a whole; Arcane, because the unpredictable magic radiation could easily be considered dense magic to dragons unfamiliar with the territory; and Water... well he said there wasn't much thought to this but the Tidelord was said to be missing, so perhaps dragons amongst this flight may have heard something about my father simply by extension of their own search.

It has been a good while since I spoke with him but his thoughts are good ideas. The clan leader welcomed me and told me to make myself at home, but I must admit I'm rather agitated knowing I have leads to follow up on.

The dragons seemed sad to see me go but understood. I get the feeling they don't see new travellers very often and were excited by the prospect of a temporary clan member to tell stories of their journey. They understood though, so alas they wished me well. They made sure I ate well before I was sent on my way.

I ended up taking a wrong turn into the Twisting Crescendo on my way out, tales do not lie of the powerful winds here. Before my pages are torn from my log altogether, I hope that there is more to find in the next lands I uncover. I have a few leads and potentials now so I'm not heading out blind. Let's hope one of them pays off.

Chapter 2 - The Truth
Log 1 - 9/30/2020
It feels as if I'm going through a constant cycle. I returned to where my journey began and yet I'm so close! So, so very close to Starfall Isles but things don't feel quite right. I want to believe he's that close, but I can't. I know he isn't, the notes don't make any sense! Why wouldn't he at least tell someone where he was going!
....
How could I be so blind... they're singed.

Log 2 - 10/01/2020
One of my father’s notes mentions an unnatural power. At first I thought it was only a metaphor but now that I think about it, I’m sure he’s referring to the Lightning Farm of the Shifting Expanse. That is where I am headed next; there must be a clue there.

I flew over the Carrion Canyon; it’s full of what looks like dragon bones. It reminds me of the Abiding Boneyard in the Scarred Wasteland: it’s empty and devoid of life and hope. Why do I have such a bad feeling about this search and what it will yield?

Once I reached the Highland Scrub, I found a Lightning clan; they took me in. The clan leader says there are plenty of Ridgebacks here, the Expanse being the Ridgebacks’ original territory and there is bound to be at least one that knows my father. The one Ridgeback in the clan, a female named Fighter, wanted to help me but I told her this was a quest I must complete alone.

For a whole day I asked around the Expanse, questioning Ridgebacks from various clans about the whereabouts of my father. Most of them knew nothing; one dragon told me he recognized the magic-detecting device I had and told me it was an obsolete model, over twenty years old. He also told me that some acquaintance of his, Vigilance, was once a military officer who oversaw patrols across the Shifting Expanse. Vigilance lives near the Sea of a Thousand Currents now, working in search and rescue, and he suggests I go look for her there; there is a good chance she heard something about my father while she did patrol work.

Near the end of the day, though, I received another, different lead. An old Ridgeback who lives in the Highland Scrub told me she knew my father a long, long time ago. She said he was brave and honorable, although she was quite old, so perhaps her memory had gone rusty; a dragon with “a heart of fire and a mind of lightning” wouldn’t have abandoned his son... would he?

Anyway, she told me he always wanted to go to the Tangled Wood; perhaps there’s a clue there. My father’s notes do mention the that subregion a few times so it isn’t outside the realm of possibility. Remembering what the Magician had told me, I asked the dragon if there was any dense magic in the Tangled Wood and she said that although she had never been there, she had heard stories of shadows engulfing everything in that land so perhaps.

Here I am, in the Lightning clan’s lair, scrawling these words in ink. I don’t know which lead to pursue; they seem equally likely to yield results. I’ll have to pick one eventually; the clues out there disappear with each passing day and I can’t sit idly by letting them fade away. I have to see my father; I’m too deep in this to just give up. I don’t know what I’ll do if all my effort yields nothing.

This search has drained all my energy and consumed my soul. If I don’t find my father, I’m afraid I will become nothing. I have to find him if I wish to save myself.

I’m preparing to leave. The clan was kind enough to spare me some of their supplies; it should be enough to last about a week or so. Fighter, who had become quite fond of me, is sad to see me go. She told me she knew our paths would cross again but I'm not so sure myself.

I think I know which lead to pursue now. I hope it yields some results. First, though, I’ll need to take a quick detour back to the Scarred Wasteland to pick up the last of my father’s notes. I have to reread them to see if there are any last clues I overlooked...

Log 3 - 10/2/2020
I've decided to grab my father's notes then head for the Shadowlands. After getting the rest of the papers, I flew East to reach the forests and came across a strange cave bordering the two flights. Its opening was like a toothy mouth, I felt a strong pull of magic from it. If my leads about wherever my father is really happens to be full of magic, I figured I ought to check it out. Lighting down, I entered the cave and found myself surrounded by small lights with a door carved into the stone ahead, guarded by two familiars. They allowed me to enter and I was greeted by a magic-imbued cave, larger than what should fit in the exterior's view.

A large Imperial came over to me. I had a strange sense of unease about him since he had too many horns and he was jet black. He explained this place, "Fantasy" as he calls it, a haven for subspecies dragons. He showed me a few doorways that led to matching lands similar to the flights' runes carved on the doors. I felt an odd draw to a few, especially Lightning's door, but did not let myself get drawn in, instead continuing with the Imperial. I asked if there were any Ridgebacks residing here and he mentioned one that was in the hibernal-grounds. Taking me there, he had me stop before a magic barrier, saying if I were to pass it I would fall into a deep slumber as the others inside. The Ridgeback was close by, a black and red one that was incredibly large. I could tell it was a female, with a monstrous Skydancer curled around her in similar colors.

Alas, it was not my father, and I let the Imperial know. He shook his head and said that was the only Ridgeback residing here, he offered to let me rest for the night and figure out my next stop. I accepted and he led me to a singular alcove with a cushion bed and a desk, I spread my materials on it, looking through them. Before he left, he noted the materials had an ashy smell to them, as though burnt, and I told him I figured it was a lightning strike that charred them. He nodded in agreement, then mentioned the Fire flight as an idea or the hot waters of the Tsunami Flats, but I would not be sure why my father would go to the Fire or Water domain. He simply let me be then, and I pondered heading further into the Shadowlands, though the suggestions of the Water and Fire flight sat in my mind. I also still have that hope of the Arcane holding him, as that is a flight full of magic.

Log 4 - 11/22/2020
My first steps into Arcane territory were met with pain. A wayward arcane bolt from an up and coming battle mage struck my wing and punched clean through the membrane. Without the ability to fly, I was grounded and would be for a year or so that it would take for this to heal completely. As I contemplated that rather aggravating setback the smell of smoke wafted up into my nostrils. No... No! The pages were burning to ash in my claws. My clues had burned to dust all because of some stupid... as I looked up I saw the most beautiful creature I ever laid my eyes upon. An imperial who looked just as upset about the whole ordeal as I did.

As I approached, she apologized over and over again for her mistakes and that she'd take me back to her clan's lair for healing. When I arrived I was greeted by smiling faces and a chattering crowd. It was the warmest welcome I'd received yet on this journey of mine and it took the edge off the pain of loosing my pages just a little bit.

I stayed for six months before the guild of battlemages began talking about moving to Nature's domain. They felt that the change in scenery would be better for the kids, I agreed. Arcane territory was no place for a child, not for my children anyway. That was the other thing that had happened. I fell in love with that Imperial, her name was Penumbra. We'd grown closer over the months as she mended my wing at twice the pace it would've naturally taken. We'd grown so close that we started a nest together... as lovers of all things. As I saw our kids, I knew that what I'd been searching for for so long didn't matter to me anymore. My father wasn't there for me but I was going to be there for those kids.

Log 5 - 11/23/2020
We moved to Nature, something Pen had been endlessly nervous about. To brighten her mood, I gave her a special trinket, a ring that I had found a while back in great condition. She was delighted and soon after I'd see her wearing it every moment.

The clan moved to a small Lesser Lair on the outskirts of the territory and for the next year I watched my kids grow and learn to fly, just as we'd petitioned for this new territory but then the worst happened. A band of Plague Fanatics attacked. We fought back valiantly but we couldn't stop them from destroying everything. Many of our guild died in the fight. Many including my Penumbra.

We were approved for a Mighty Lair soon after and moved. My children and I grieved and that grief turned to hate. That's when I knew what I had to do. One morning, with rain pouring down from the clouded sky above, I went to my children, now adults themselves, and told them what I had tasked myself with doing.

I needed to hunt down the Plague members that did this and introduce them to the afterlife.

Chapter 3 - Vengeance
Log 1 - 11/23/2020
I found myself in another clan but it's back in the Twisting Crescendo of the Windswept Plateau. This is closer to The Scarred Wasteland, a good place to hide out for now. Besides, I've learned how to keep my pages intact amidst these winds. The clan leader of the prior clan was great allies of this clan leader, Artemis, and redirected me here to stay for now as she knew of my quest of vengeance and this would be a great place to start. With this referral, I was immediately welcomed in.

These dragons were tough, fighting for self-defense of Harpy beastclans. They felt a lot for dragons who've suffered losses and were willing to help someone in need. This clan's history lay deep but some of the documentation of it was lost so it was only told as stories. One of the stories that went around was the death of many Imperials around these parts and it brought me so much sorrow just thinking about it.

All of this time I still had the Smoky Sphere but had no use if it currently so I stashed it in the clan hoard. Artemis was fully trained in physical combat and she was willing to help me get revenge on the Plague clan. In fact, a lot of this clan's warriors were here and they were no weak and measly fleet.

Suddenly, the thundering of energies of various elements and magic was heard as we were getting prepared. This startled the clan as they haven't heard anything like this before, loud enough to empower the winds of the crescendo.

An Emperor dragon! A heavily disfigured being, four heads and extremities of seemingly stitched up Imperials came together to make this massive being. However, one head seemed vaguely familiar. Dark gray scales and the leathery purple hair of... Penumbra?

Log 2 - 11/23/2020
Nothing so truly awful has ever made me holler like coming to the realization that Penumbra is there but she's still dead. Her once beautifully faceted and vibrant pink eyes were faded and seemingly hollow. The other Imperials were aggressive, dragging around eachother as they started smashing things left and right. One tried to devour a Nocturne hatchling but I lunged and saved her before she could become a snack. Her breath was heavy and she murmered "Thank you." before flying off towards the Southern Icefield.

Many of the Wind clan's crew weren't prepared for this scale of a disaster to be presented to them so none of us stood a chance against such a wretched beast... but amongst one of the heads that was my wretched beast. I want to save her but just how can I do that?

That's it. I took the risk and flew towards my Pen, I feel so much smaller compared to her now. Some Imperial screeches later and finally we could fully make eye contact. This stare was held but that's when I noticed deep emotional pain in her expression, a feeling of loss. In that moment she attacked only for me to see the metalworks of the Flamecaller lock her neck and pull all the Imperials to the ground. I watched her get decimated right before my eyes, deities giving their hits one by one. Her. What was left of her.

Many of the dragons have vacated already but I couldn't leave. The final blow was made by the mighty Arcanist which separated their bodies... sort of. It was incredibly gruesome and hurt every part of me to watch. That's when I heard the sound of something dropping and I saw a glint of light from a small object. The ring. She had it on this entire time and here it was, right before me by the dead emperor. I heard talks of the deities discussing how they've never seen such freshly deceased Imperials make up an emperor like this before but my mind went into a haze. I put on the ring and closed my eyes. All I could think about were the memories I had with her.

Chapter 4 - Bound
Log 1 - 5/14/2022
It's been years since we've written anything. So much has happen to us. So much bad, so much good. We just haven't had the time. We've made so many friends, so many people that have helped us. It hurts to write with these fingers, but we will do it anyway.

We know now, that the Gods are not real, that it was all her. She had done it, for me, for us. She had wretched her body from the cruel cruse. I've done this all for him. I don't want to write about this, but they must know how we came to be.

When Penumbra was trapped in that cursed form, that rotting body, believe us, she still had her mind. Her memories were corrupted and mangled to the point of being unretrievable, but her core being, and her memories of Yozora, her love, was still there. He touched the severed head of his one love, her eyes blinking. The ooze–the pain of death is–awful. It cannot be described to mortals, those who have not been touched by the stench of death. But my love persisted, our love persisted, in death and life, and soon, we were one. One body, two mind, our bones and muscles twisted and broke. We passed out on the battlefield, the pain was too great, the pain of death was too great.

When we awoke in this strange new body, we were in a lab. A cold place of metal and plastic. Wire were attached to our skin, and a machine monitored our hearts. We observed our strange new body, and the thoughts we heard from each others minds.