Raphael

Flying Purple Nightmare-Eater

written by khry

As my feet touch down on the pleasantly warm grass of the Sunbeam Ruins, I am greeted by an armor-clad Snapper, who nods politely. “Howdy.” he begins, “You must be the Radiant Friend I was told to expect?” I nod in response, bowing my head low. I unfurl and flap my wings to demonstrate their brilliant purple shine. “The name’s Glaucus!” the Snapper says enthusiastically. ”What’s your name, friend?” Raising my head, I take a paper from my bag and hand unfurl it, holding it out for the Snapper to read. I had memorized its contents, as I had written them myself.

“Greetings, my name is Raphael. I’m a kind of dragon known as a Radiant Friend, specifically purple. That means I help those who are afraid of the dark, or who have trouble sleeping. Clan Leader Ayano of Lumenstar has requested my presence at his Lair in the Sunbeam Ruins.”

Glaucus nods and smiles once more, “Follow me, Raphael.” As we both walk across the sun-blessed plains, Glaucus looks at me inquisitively. “Y’know, I can’t help but feel something familiar about you.” I shrug. As a Radiant Friend, it’s entirely possible that there’s something comforting about my presence that he has simply misidentified. After a moment, he seems to shake the thought off. “Anyways, Ayano told me that your jobs gonna be takin’ care of the hatchlings in the nursery. There weren't much darkness out here for the little ones to be all scared of when we lived out by Luminax… ‘cept when the windows gotta shut for bedtime… but ever since we moved to the Hewn City, they ain’t been sleepin’ right for sure.”

When we make it to the nest, I take in its architecture. It’s a wide marble structure, domed at the top, with large double doors leading into it. As Glaucus shoves open the doors, I see gleaming marble platforms, raised about to my knees, where eggs and a few hatchlings lay in the nests. As I was told, the hatchlings are wide awake, mewling at the darkness of the room. There was some faint light coming in from higher up, through glass windows on the dome, stained and otherwise, but the ones on this level were closed.

Looking around, I see four hatchlings. Two Aethers, huddled together near one of the nest platforms. A Coatl, hiding behind a pillar, and a multi-colored Veilspun, shaking in an empty nest. I move forward, sitting down in the main walkway down the center of the building. The hatchlings pay little attention to me, but I prepare to sing regardless. My voice is a precious thing, magic imbued into it innately. But it also takes some magic to be able to speak at all, so it’s quite an exhausting process, which is why I speak so little.

In the early days, I would be nervous, but now the tunes come naturally to me. I would stutter, miss a note. Not so much anymore. I feel the magic flow through me, from my wings, from my feet, from my hands, up my spine, into my throat. On instinct, as though I was breathing, I hear the music leave my mouth. A simple structure, really nothing extraordinary.


Immediately, the hatchlings quiet. The Aethers release each other, the Coatl peaks out from its cover, and the Veilspun brushes away its hair from its face. Behind me, Glaucus shifts. I don’t want to break my concentration to look, but I am amused to imagine his expression.


I hear their little claws tap tap tap against the marble. Their inquisitive little gazes draw my attention as they slowly gather around me.


I hear one or two of them chirp little laughs, before being replaced with yawns and fluttering eyelids. One Aether collapses into another, and the Coatl stretches to its full length before slumping down to sleep.


I pick up the sleeping hatchlings and return them to their nests. I first scoop up the two Aethers and return them. Then, I coil the Coatl back in its place. The Veilspun has returned to its bed of its own accord.


When my work is done, I watch the hatchlings sleep for a bit longer to ensure that my magic has fully worked. As I’m walking back towards the entrance, I see Glaucus completely still, mouth agape. “Well I never…” he begins before he trails off, following me out. “I ain’t never heard someone sing like you, where’d you hear that tune, if ya don’t mind my askin’?”

I quickly scribbled on a spare piece of paper from my bag, ‘made it up myself’. Upon reading this, Glaucus laughs heartily. “Well, we’re real lucky to have you around, Raph!” As we walk together, he raises an eyebrow at me. “Y’know, I was gonna show you to your room, but seein’ as we’re passin’ by…” he turns and looks to a hut nearby, “we were wondering if you’d be up to something a little more challenging.”

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