"How was I supposed to know?" You countered.
"Because you were supposed to keep watch!" Karnak snarled at you.
You both turned to the battlefield ahead of you and watched the stars get swallowed away.
"It's time," he whispered.
As an array, everyone marched forward into the darkness. The vines gripped at your legs and your eyes strained to see. Some dragons fell back and some began to sprint. Everyone seemed to have their place in this void of war, except for you. You got closer to the darkness and saw the Shade's temple.
"That's the goal, kid!" Karnak yelled. "Once we destroy that, the war is over!" You could just barely make out his words as everyone yelled over the horror they faced. Hands of black appeared from the ground and sky, gripping at dragons as they trotted. You lifted your wings to the sky, and felt the power of an old myth. Icarus was the name, you recalled. Fly too close to the ground, and you get mauled by the hands. Fly too high, and the darkness is sure to find you. The tower radiated like a beacon, urging you to go and fight and win.
Karnak was still running along the ground, shaking off his legs. Many dragons fell, but so did the shade. It was slowly pushed back further and further away from the fresh plants that decorated the land. You used magic from the air to challenge them, their magic strong, but not stronger than the combined might of yours and the other warriors on the field.
As you flew, you managed to take a glimpse behind you. What you saw was unfathomable- The horizon, from here in the murk, looked fresh with hope and joy. There were few dragons left to fight, but the ones who were left were determined to guarantee they did not die in vain.
You had covered more distance than you thought, getting lost in the adrenaline. Distracted, a Shade limb grabbed at your wing and tore it. You tumbled down, not far from the beacon.
You flinched in pain, but kept on walking. Karnak was beside you.
"Kid, go back!" he yelled. "Go back! It's not worth it!"
You were unphased. You persisted like a warrior should.
You began to see things, these small creatures in the horizon. It was the Shade, you thought indefinitely.
"Kid! Go home! You're poisoned!"
You blinked away his hysteria. You could see the beacon. You lunged for it, only to be grabbed again by the shade. You got a good look at the beings in front of you, and they were... Hatchlings?
Hatchlings, with eyes of pure black. Trying to shake off the Shade that was pulling you down, you trod forward. Karnak came over to you, and snapped at the Shade near your foot. They diverted their attention from you and settled it on taking down Karnak.
You were free.
"Go, kid! Run! You can do it!" Karnak was becoming swallowed by the shade, much like the other dragons had.
You ran towards the beacon, and you hit it with your bolts of magic. It trembled, but did not give. Many dragons before you had worn its structure to where it was now vulnerable.
You hit it again, and you snapped at it with your jaws. It shook, and with a tumbling sway, it toppled to the ground.
A hiss rolled over the plains, and the shade disappeared from the land. They rolled back like a receding tide pulled by the moon. The daylight appeared back and you fell to your side.
"Karnak?" you called, unsure.
There was no response.
The Shade were gone, however. The horizons were cleared.
It was hard, you thought, to know you've just barely succeeded.
Your wing burned, but a few dragons who had battled with you knelt down next to you, easing your struggles. A few mages tended to your wounds, but they let you be on the battlefield.
"Thank you," they whispered again and again.
In the back, you could see the few surviving Imperials dig through the rubble, performing a ritual only they knew.
Win key: Emperor
