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[b][size=5][font=Century Gothic]Day 5 :[/b] [/font][/size][size=5][font=Century Gothic]Hieroglyph[url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/27744496]
[img]https://www1.flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/277445/27744496.png[/img]
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[indent][i][size=5][font=Century Gothic]I should have known.
I stood in front of a full lecture hall of students performing a demonstration of a minor teleportation spell I had spent the last few months perfecting, when it happened. First the lights flickered, a vibration coursing through the Academy’s tower. Not such an unusual thing to happen in a school full of mages practicing their craft. But then I noticed a thickening of the air. The current of mana that permeated the entire place seemed to be congealing, curdling. Almost as though it were closing in on us.
I could think of only one cause. But as I moved to bolt toward that central chamber, the crackling magic locked my legs and wings, rendering me immobile. Instead I could only roar out his name.
“Catalyst!”
The lights flashed out entirely. Then from the darkness, a glowing pink plume of smoke ascended to the ceiling. It circled a few times before taking the shape of the Imperial, swirls of mana wafting around him like a vast cloak.
“What is the meaning of this?” I demanded as his luminous gaze landed on me. “Have you – have you ensnared the entire Academy?”
Catalyst smiled. “Only for a short while, my friend. You’re angry, but you needn’t be. This is what needs to happen.”
Rage flared in my chest. How dare he address me as friend? This dragon had betrayed me more times than I could count. And yet, I had let him return. I had let him take his place in the heart of the school, thinking that the enhanced magic he offered was worth it. I believed that as long as I kept my eye on him, I could keep him in check. Only now did I realize the depths of my foolishness. I inhaled a deep breath, containing myself the best that I could muster.
“And just what is it that needs to happen? What have you done this time?”
An infuriating enigmatic smile twisted on his jaws. “Oh, you’ll see.”
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I love reading all this speculation. I love it so much. :)
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Day 5 : Hieroglyph
I should have known.
I stood in front of a full lecture hall of students performing a demonstration of a minor teleportation spell I had spent the last few months perfecting, when it happened. First the lights flickered, a vibration coursing through the Academy’s tower. Not such an unusual thing to happen in a school full of mages practicing their craft. But then I noticed a thickening of the air. The current of mana that permeated the entire place seemed to be congealing, curdling. Almost as though it were closing in on us.
I could think of only one cause. But as I moved to bolt toward that central chamber, the crackling magic locked my legs and wings, rendering me immobile. Instead I could only roar out his name.
“Catalyst!”
The lights flashed out entirely. Then from the darkness, a glowing pink plume of smoke ascended to the ceiling. It circled a few times before taking the shape of the Imperial, swirls of mana wafting around him like a vast cloak.
“What is the meaning of this?” I demanded as his luminous gaze landed on me. “Have you – have you ensnared the entire Academy?”
Catalyst smiled. “Only for a short while, my friend. You’re angry, but you needn’t be. This is what needs to happen.”
Rage flared in my chest. How dare he address me as friend? This dragon had betrayed me more times than I could count. And yet, I had let him return. I had let him take his place in the heart of the school, thinking that the enhanced magic he offered was worth it. I believed that as long as I kept my eye on him, I could keep him in check. Only now did I realize the depths of my foolishness. I inhaled a deep breath, containing myself the best that I could muster.
“And just what is it that needs to happen? What have you done this time?”
An infuriating enigmatic smile twisted on his jaws. “Oh, you’ll see.”
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I love reading all this speculation. I love it so much. :)
I hope you love it as much as I love reading these! And speculating about them, yes. :D Here, there is one thing that comes to mind. I remember very well that House Eros is, more or less, allied with House Aéternas... and that doesn't feel like a coincidence right now.
Other than that... bah. Hieroglyph is still his holier-than-you self. So quick to jump to conclusions of the worst kind. As for Catalyst... that is some show of magical prowess. As much as I haven't been before, this time I'm impressed.
I hope you love it as much as I love reading these! And speculating about them, yes. :D Here, there is one thing that comes to mind. I remember very well that House Eros is, more or less, allied with House Aéternas... and that doesn't feel like a coincidence right now.
Other than that... bah. Hieroglyph is still his holier-than-you self. So quick to jump to conclusions of the worst kind. As for Catalyst... that is some show of magical prowess. As much as I haven't been before, this time I'm impressed.
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[b][size=5][font=Century Gothic]Day 6 :[/b] [/font][/size][size=5][font=Century Gothic]Scion
[img]https://www1.flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/797308/79730725.png[/img]
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[indent][i][size=5][font=Century Gothic]Being the son of an Aberration queen gives me no real status, but my mother still calls me a prince. Because it is I who will inherit the fruit of her ambitions.
Even after Enigmyron revealed to us the extent of his knowledge and we pieced together a scheme, there were depths to Mother’s plans that none beside me knew. And I’m good at keeping secrets. Still, I could not help it that my heartbeat raced in anticipation when the day arrived at last to carry it out. The nine of us stalked in the shadows, creeping upon the back of an illustrious stone structure in the heart of Brightwing territory.
“Here,” said Innocence, smiling as she nudged away a section of brush to reveal a hidden cellar door.
The group of us slunk down the stairs, the dark space illuminated by my bright gaze. Here we found a storage space filled with banners, tables, and other ceremonial supplies. I crept around a candelabra, spotting Innocence as she waved us forward.
“This way,” she whispered, “to the sanctuary!”
My pulse beat faster still, sweat beading on both of my heads. Almost there. Once we reached the heart of the Sanctum, all we had to do was take out a few priests, and then the ritual could begin…
Several robe-clad dragons shrieked as we burst into the domed chamber, one pink skydancer knocking over a stand.
“Clear the room.” Enigmyron’s synchronized voices echoed from the walls as he strode toward the center dais, eyes flickering with violent intent.
The sound of a drawn sword rang out from behind us. “We will not flee from you,” a voice declared.
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Day 6 : Scion
Being the son of an Aberration queen gives me no real status, but my mother still calls me a prince. Because it is I who will inherit the fruit of her ambitions.
Even after Enigmyron revealed to us the extent of his knowledge and we pieced together a scheme, there were depths to Mother’s plans that none beside me knew. And I’m good at keeping secrets. Still, I could not help it that my heartbeat raced in anticipation when the day arrived at last to carry it out. The nine of us stalked in the shadows, creeping upon the back of an illustrious stone structure in the heart of Brightwing territory.
“Here,” said Innocence, smiling as she nudged away a section of brush to reveal a hidden cellar door.
The group of us slunk down the stairs, the dark space illuminated by my bright gaze. Here we found a storage space filled with banners, tables, and other ceremonial supplies. I crept around a candelabra, spotting Innocence as she waved us forward.
“This way,” she whispered, “to the sanctuary!”
My pulse beat faster still, sweat beading on both of my heads. Almost there. Once we reached the heart of the Sanctum, all we had to do was take out a few priests, and then the ritual could begin…
Several robe-clad dragons shrieked as we burst into the domed chamber, one pink skydancer knocking over a stand.
“Clear the room.” Enigmyron’s synchronized voices echoed from the walls as he strode toward the center dais, eyes flickering with violent intent.
The sound of a drawn sword rang out from behind us. “We will not flee from you,” a voice declared.
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Hah, sorry Scion, I don't think it'll be so hot with the inheriting anything. XP Not unless the local mages actually decided to support your mother, of course... which could be, I suppose, but I don't think so. I mean, Catalyst might. He always struck me as one who doesn't mind... competition in the slightest. But Urias? No, I don't believe it. This is a demon thing and I feel like Urias doesn't have a very high opinion on demons, all things considered.
Not to ignore the swordsdrake, of course, I bet that's Daybreak and Khufu will get to say "I told you so." Still, whoever they are, they are a key person to keep the intruders occupied and very important... but it'll still boil down to the magicals, I bet.
Hah, sorry Scion, I don't think it'll be so hot with the inheriting anything. XP Not unless the local mages actually decided to support your mother, of course... which could be, I suppose, but I don't think so. I mean, Catalyst might. He always struck me as one who doesn't mind... competition in the slightest. But Urias? No, I don't believe it. This is a demon thing and I feel like Urias doesn't have a very high opinion on demons, all things considered.
Not to ignore the swordsdrake, of course, I bet that's Daybreak and Khufu will get to say "I told you so." Still, whoever they are, they are a key person to keep the intruders occupied and very important... but it'll still boil down to the magicals, I bet.
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[b][size=5][font=Century Gothic]Day 7 :[/b] [/font][/size][size=5][font=Century Gothic]Daybreak[url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/33292167]
[img]https://www1.flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/332922/33292167.png[/img]
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[indent][i][size=5][font=Century Gothic]With the Sword of Illumination in hand, I stared past the elegant stained glass windows that encircled the sanctuary toward where a familiar dragon mounted the front dais. My brother. Or, one who had once been my brother.
“Is this the gratitude I receive for saving your life?” I asked him, careful to keep my voice steady. “You would desecrate the very place I hold most dear?”
At first I hadn’t a clue how the Aberrations had managed their way into the very heart of Sol Sanctum. After all, the entryway had an assigned guard at all times. And then I saw her crouching in the corner with a small grin. Innocence. Of course. All this time, I’d been teaching her the Sanctum’s secrets…
By the Eleven. Khufu had been right.
The Aberration that was once Enigma set his many-eyed gaze upon me, tails flicking. “Perhaps,” he said, “I am not what you thought you saved. I am your brother still, Daybreak. Your blood, always. But I’m more than that. And I will show you.” He turned to the Aberrations around him. “Take out the rest of the priests and prepare the chamber. I will handle the High Priestess myself.”
Palms sweating, I threw up the blade before me just in time to block the Aberration in mid-dive. Sparks flew up as my steel met his claws. A feral growl rose in Enigma’s throat as his muscles coiled, attempting to throw my balance.
Remembering Khufu’s instruction, I instead broke away with a spinning step, creating ground between us.
“Having a weapon does not make you a warrior,” the Aberration snarled, circling like a great cat that had just cornered its prey. “You’ll soon see.”
My mind whirled, desperate. Exhaling a long, slow breath, I flowed into a starting stance - feet squared, knees shoulder-width apart. I could almost imagine Khufu’s hands guiding me to the proper place. That two-head strike he had taught me. How did it go again?
And the more difficult question - could I bring myself to use it?
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Day 7 : Daybreak
With the Sword of Illumination in hand, I stared past the elegant stained glass windows that encircled the sanctuary toward where a familiar dragon mounted the front dais. My brother. Or, one who had once been my brother.
“Is this the gratitude I receive for saving your life?” I asked him, careful to keep my voice steady. “You would desecrate the very place I hold most dear?”
At first I hadn’t a clue how the Aberrations had managed their way into the very heart of Sol Sanctum. After all, the entryway had an assigned guard at all times. And then I saw her crouching in the corner with a small grin. Innocence. Of course. All this time, I’d been teaching her the Sanctum’s secrets…
By the Eleven. Khufu had been right.
The Aberration that was once Enigma set his many-eyed gaze upon me, tails flicking. “Perhaps,” he said, “I am not what you thought you saved. I am your brother still, Daybreak. Your blood, always. But I’m more than that. And I will show you.” He turned to the Aberrations around him. “Take out the rest of the priests and prepare the chamber. I will handle the High Priestess myself.”
Palms sweating, I threw up the blade before me just in time to block the Aberration in mid-dive. Sparks flew up as my steel met his claws. A feral growl rose in Enigma’s throat as his muscles coiled, attempting to throw my balance.
Remembering Khufu’s instruction, I instead broke away with a spinning step, creating ground between us.
“Having a weapon does not make you a warrior,” the Aberration snarled, circling like a great cat that had just cornered its prey. “You’ll soon see.”
My mind whirled, desperate. Exhaling a long, slow breath, I flowed into a starting stance - feet squared, knees shoulder-width apart. I could almost imagine Khufu’s hands guiding me to the proper place. That two-head strike he had taught me. How did it go again?
And the more difficult question - could I bring myself to use it?
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She's poised and ready! I think she'd do it if she had to, the fact alone she drew her sword on him despite being her own kin is indicative enough she means what she sets out to do! But will she have to?
She's poised and ready! I think she'd do it if she had to, the fact alone she drew her sword on him despite being her own kin is indicative enough she means what she sets out to do! But will she have to?
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[b][size=5][font=Century Gothic]Day 8 :[/b] [/font][/size][size=5][font=Century Gothic]Candra[url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/72611346]
[img]https://www1.flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/726114/72611346.png[/img]
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[indent][i][size=5][font=Century Gothic]Everything had fallen so nicely into place.
The Brightwing Clan had been so eager to embrace us, to assimilate our kind among them. It was, I suppose, not the first time a reborn breed of ancient dragon had arrived to make a home among them. And perhaps a different group of Aberrations may have fit in just fine. But I was a Queen of higher ambitions. I knew the old legends of what we once had been. I remember when Sornieth was a feast of decay for us to harvest as we pleased.
And how fortunate it was that I had the right tool fall into my hands in the form of Enigmyron.
While the dragon-demon hybrid battled his way across the sanctuary with the sword-wielding priestess, the rest of us dispatched the other clergy easily enough. I laughed to myself as I watched Scion use his bright gaze to blind a yellow Nocturne. Using their beloved Light against them, I love it.
I took it upon myself to blow out the two candelabras at the front of the chamber, plunging the sanctuary into darkness save for the translucent glow of the stained glass windows. Finding a golden altar against the wall, I dragged it into the center of the chamber.
“Are you ready, my son?”
Scion came forward. “I am ready, Mother.”
The High Priestess, noticing him moving toward the altar, whirled around to throw herself in his path. But Enigmyron ensnared her by the wings and yanked her back against himself. “That’s right, my sister. Watch. Watch as the Aberrations’ dreams come to fruition.”
Alas for poor Daybreak. I shall not write the grisly details of the ritual that followed, save that the high priestess had a front-row seat to Scion’s horrendous, glorious transformation.
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Day 8 : Candra
Everything had fallen so nicely into place.
The Brightwing Clan had been so eager to embrace us, to assimilate our kind among them. It was, I suppose, not the first time a reborn breed of ancient dragon had arrived to make a home among them. And perhaps a different group of Aberrations may have fit in just fine. But I was a Queen of higher ambitions. I knew the old legends of what we once had been. I remember when Sornieth was a feast of decay for us to harvest as we pleased.
And how fortunate it was that I had the right tool fall into my hands in the form of Enigmyron.
While the dragon-demon hybrid battled his way across the sanctuary with the sword-wielding priestess, the rest of us dispatched the other clergy easily enough. I laughed to myself as I watched Scion use his bright gaze to blind a yellow Nocturne. Using their beloved Light against them, I love it.
I took it upon myself to blow out the two candelabras at the front of the chamber, plunging the sanctuary into darkness save for the translucent glow of the stained glass windows. Finding a golden altar against the wall, I dragged it into the center of the chamber.
“Are you ready, my son?”
Scion came forward. “I am ready, Mother.”
The High Priestess, noticing him moving toward the altar, whirled around to throw herself in his path. But Enigmyron ensnared her by the wings and yanked her back against himself. “That’s right, my sister. Watch. Watch as the Aberrations’ dreams come to fruition.”
Alas for poor Daybreak. I shall not write the grisly details of the ritual that followed, save that the high priestess had a front-row seat to Scion’s horrendous, glorious transformation.
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Oh, my, my. Sorry I missed a step there, yesterday sure could have gone better. But everything's fine now! At least on my end. Poor Daybreak indeed, seems I have overestimated her. And the cavalry wasn't in time to stop the ritual, hmmm?? Interesting. I do have to wonder if that was on purpose (having allied with Candra after all) or not. And if not... will the Aberrations actually succeed in what they wanted? There is still plenty of things that could go wrong both with and without outside interference. Eeep, dramatic to the very end, as always. <3
Oh, my, my. Sorry I missed a step there, yesterday sure could have gone better. But everything's fine now! At least on my end. Poor Daybreak indeed, seems I have overestimated her. And the cavalry wasn't in time to stop the ritual, hmmm?? Interesting. I do have to wonder if that was on purpose (having allied with Candra after all) or not. And if not... will the Aberrations actually succeed in what they wanted? There is still plenty of things that could go wrong both with and without outside interference. Eeep, dramatic to the very end, as always. <3
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[b][size=5][font=Century Gothic]Day 9 :[/b] [/font][/size][size=5][font=Century Gothic]Revelation[url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/56776839]
[img]https://www1.flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/567769/56776839.png[/img]
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[indent][i][size=5][font=Century Gothic]An unnatural stillness lay over the Clan lands. As I completed my daily rounds, I sensed a strange tension in the winds - as though a warning lay in the very air around me.
Something, somewhere, was very wrong.
Spotting a column of smoke ascending in the east, I wasted no time. I rallied together two other faithful dragons of the Day Guard, Emilia and Ghosteye, and then surged forward as fast as my paws could carry me. The smoke rose from the direction of the Sanctum. By the time the three of us arrived, it had grown so thick that it blotted out the very sun itself. I winced. Without a source of direct sunlight, my abilities would be hindered. Would I still be able to project my barrier of light? I drew my golden axe, squinting through the haze.
“Be watchful,” I commanded the other guards, but then I saw it.
A single Aberration walked amidst the swirling ash and smoke. Unhindered by the environment, it seemed to stir up a wave of rising embers with each and every step it took. Its body was the ghostly white of aging bones, speckled with crimson flecks. Curved black horns rose from both of its heads, and an eerie red aura trailed about its inky-black wings. Dread crouched deep within me. In all my days of serving as Brightwing’s Captain of the Guard, I had never encountered anything like this.
And then it looked at me, and I felt as though my very soul had been set ablaze. I cried out, flinging my axe from my grasp as it seared my hands. Beside me Ghosteye did the same thing, abandoning his shield.
The creature was stepping nearer.
As fear clutched my chest, I closed my eyes and focused. Sunlight, Revelation. Imagine the sunlight. I must conjure the barrier. How could I protect my clan if I could not even protect my fellow guardsdragons?
As the Aberration drew near enough, I heard it utter one quiet phrase. “All shall burn.”
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Day 9 : Revelation
An unnatural stillness lay over the Clan lands. As I completed my daily rounds, I sensed a strange tension in the winds - as though a warning lay in the very air around me.
Something, somewhere, was very wrong.
Spotting a column of smoke ascending in the east, I wasted no time. I rallied together two other faithful dragons of the Day Guard, Emilia and Ghosteye, and then surged forward as fast as my paws could carry me. The smoke rose from the direction of the Sanctum. By the time the three of us arrived, it had grown so thick that it blotted out the very sun itself. I winced. Without a source of direct sunlight, my abilities would be hindered. Would I still be able to project my barrier of light? I drew my golden axe, squinting through the haze.
“Be watchful,” I commanded the other guards, but then I saw it.
A single Aberration walked amidst the swirling ash and smoke. Unhindered by the environment, it seemed to stir up a wave of rising embers with each and every step it took. Its body was the ghostly white of aging bones, speckled with crimson flecks. Curved black horns rose from both of its heads, and an eerie red aura trailed about its inky-black wings. Dread crouched deep within me. In all my days of serving as Brightwing’s Captain of the Guard, I had never encountered anything like this.
And then it looked at me, and I felt as though my very soul had been set ablaze. I cried out, flinging my axe from my grasp as it seared my hands. Beside me Ghosteye did the same thing, abandoning his shield.
The creature was stepping nearer.
As fear clutched my chest, I closed my eyes and focused. Sunlight, Revelation. Imagine the sunlight. I must conjure the barrier. How could I protect my clan if I could not even protect my fellow guardsdragons?
As the Aberration drew near enough, I heard it utter one quiet phrase. “All shall burn.”
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