Sins of the Fathers

“Millennia ago, our world was once ruled by the Empire of Dragons. For eons, they reigned supreme over the earth, all other beings subject to their arrogance and cruelty.

Then, came the Destroyer, Rikotanto, Master of the Darkness, a dragon who with his six Heralds, plunged dragonkind into war.

The world itself was forever scarred, and to this day, we can see the signs of great battles and the memories they left behind.

Eventually, the last few dragons, with their great magic, united and sealed away Rikoltanto and his Heralds, and the world was finally left at peace.

With the Empire gone, the other species were left to prosper and grow, the greatest being humanity, who using the remnants of magic leftover, healed an abused world.

However, the Darkness rose once more, and the world was threatened by the return of Rikoltanto and his Heralds.

The last four dragons, using ancient magic, created Champions from their offspring. A bridge between dragonkind and humanity.

Drakoni.

These seven warriors would be the defenders of life and Light.

Mikaelis, the firstborn, could wield fires that burned like the flames of Infero.

Maris, the only sister, for whom the oceans and rivers followed her beck and call.

Aeris, whose wings could go faster than any dragon, and who could bring the strongest tempests in his wake.

Terris, with the power to control the earth and create whatever his mind imagined heart desired.

Petris, his twin brother who made the mountains tremble and the ground quake under his feet.

Maneris, the youngest, could control the world with his mind and manipulate it to do his bidding.e

And finally, Neonis...who was truly the most powerful. For all Magic, was useless before him.

The Champions were then introduced to the world and gave their Oaths to protect it. Together they fought countless battles against the Darkness.

But they...

We...were arrogant, and prideful. Scorning those who were under our protection, we were too focused on being Champions, and not protectors. In our efforts to fight against the Darkness, we were causing more destruction than our enemy.

Neonis however, was different. I scorned him, for not having horns, the mark of a dragon. But he, of all of us, knew what it meant to be a protector.

Having interacted the most with humanity, Neonis saw all that they were capable of.

Their moments of crippling fear, and marvelous courage.

Their times of devastating war, and wonderful peace.

Their capability for endless hate.

And boundless love.

And so inevitably, he fell in love. With a human girl who showed him the beauty of humanity.

When Rikoltanto's Heralds started to break through into the world, again we took up our arms and fought.

The battles were brutal, we who had been so arrogant due to our victories against the forces of Darkness were woefully unprepared.

We learned the hard way that there were beings beyond us.

Against the Sixth Herald, one of the last dragons was lost.

And Neonis, fueled with rage and hatred, accused our Father of cowardice, for had he taken the other's place, he would not have died.

Their battle was horrendous, brutal, and only with our interference was the Father able to survive.

Neonis fled, running to his beloved, and tried to live his life in peace.

But we, in our naivete, under the Father's orders tried to bring him back.

In that battle, the mountain known as Rialyn, became the lake we know today.

In that battle, she died.

And Neonis took one of my horns in revenge.

We returned home empty-handed, but Neonis, consumed by hatred, allowed himself to be corrupted by Rikoltanto.

He became the Seventh Herald.

Amassing the forces of Darkness once more, he plagued the land and ravaged the world. Once more we set out to fight our brother. Our fight was only one day long.

That island is still uninhabitable.

We tried all we could, to convince him to return to the Light. But eventually, we were forced to use all our might to defeat him. Unable to kill him they sealed him away deep within the earth, separating him from the magic that fueled him.

We lost two brothers, that day.

Since then, having learned our lesson, we have dedicated ourselves to not only protect humanity and all other life that inhabits our world, but learn from them, and love them as Neonis did.” Mikaelis finished, as he stared at the hundred youth that stood before him. Not all of them were his own, in fact, only two were. The rest, his nieces and nephews, all of them had participated in the fight against Malsar, the First Herald.

And too many of their brothers and sisters had fallen against him.

They needed to know what exactly they were up against.

Mikaelis was weary, and he was old. Grey had become an old friend the last few decades.

“Almost a thousand years have passed since that day. And we had hoped that peace would remain still, but today has proven us wrong. The arrival of the First Herald and the destruction that he caused was nothing short of horrendous. Five cities fell before we could intercept him, over 6 million lives were lost. We cannot allow that to happen again.

Fortunately, this time we were finally able to kill him. Proving that they can die. What that means, however, is that they had much time to grow their power in the Anti-Magic realm. So they are far more dangerous than when my siblings and I first fought them. It means that Rikoltanto himself, having never managed to breach this world since the time of his Sealing, has grown far stronger than when he first rose up against the Empire.”

“What is it that we must do then? Uncle?” Mikaelis stared at the oldest of them, she was lanky, but strong, with silver hair and eyes as cold as steel, thirteen horns crowned upon her head.

“If the Heralds are returning, we need every advantage available,” Her brother stated, he was shorter and stocky, with hair darker than coal but with eyes as fiery as the forges that he loved to be in.

So much like their father.

“You are both correct, Amata and Kreinto, which is why we are going to the one person who understands the Darkness better than anybody else in the world.”

Their eyes widened in understanding.

“Congratulations, you both finally get to meet your father.”

The rest of the youth behind them shivered in excitement, whispering the legends, many having wanted to meet La Falita Drakoni.

It seemed, as though a thousand years of history did nothing to diminish his legend. For some reason, this generation seemed fascinated with the perceived villains in whatever story they could find.

Mikaelis could never understand it, but Aeris was the one most attuned with the times. Mikaelis unfortunately couldn't really get a hang of...social media.

Or pop culture for that matter.

Regardless, they soon left the others, and found themselves high in the air, flying over the city.

“Look well young ones, it is they that we protect. For now, we've established but a fragile peace. As soon as the next Herald arrives these people will riot and panic. That is why we are here, protect and comfort them.”

“Yes, uncle.” Both replied as they neared their destination. A large tower, that scraped the heavens, made out of black iron, yet with enormous runes, stories tall that were glowing an eerie blue.

A warning beacon to all, of what lied underneath.

Entering from the top, they found the rest of their uncles and aunt, waiting for them. Together, they began their descent.

“Uncle, why a tower? If...father is below the earth, why build a tower above him?” Kreinto asked while observing the empty walls, seeing if there was anything important about them.

“The tower serves two functions, first as a warning to all to avoid this location, although not because Neonis is here, but because this tower and the land surrounding it serves as a magical dead zone. All these symbols on the walls outside you see force magic away from us. Should Neonis ever have escaped his imprisonment, he would have been forced to go up the entire tower before even getting a scrap of magic.”

“Is that why you're all in full armor as well?”

“Indeed, though it has been almost a thousand years, we do not know Neonis' current state, it is better for us to be fully prepared for anything.” Aunt Maris said while tightly clutching her trident, her armor, once a vibrant ocean blue, was now faded and heavily scratched. A testament to the thousands of battles she had partaken in.

“If there is anything we learned from our last battle with Neonis, it is that he is not to be underestimated,” Aeris said, his armor was actually very well kept, a shiny light blue with white accents with barely any marks of damage.

Finally, after hours they arrived, the twins noting how different the architecture was, the cold metal giving way to even colder stone.

Amata was the first to feel it, her limbs grew weak and her head faint, she stumbled in shock as if the very life was being sucked out of her.

“Easy,” Uncle Mikaelis said as he steadied her, “these effects are common to those who are unused to magical dead zones.” Turning to Aeris, who was supporting Kreinto, they continued forward until they reached a stone block. Nodding to Terris and Petris, the two cracked their necks as they grabbed the stone and pushed it out of the way.

The horrible grinding noise grated all their ears but they bore through it as light finally entered a chamber for the first time in almost a millennium.

The first thing that assaulted them was the stench, Amata and Kreinto almost immediately vomited, their aunt and uncles were also clearly uncomfortable but managed to hold their stomachs. The smell was immediately eviscerated by Maris' magic, using the water to clear out the chamber vigorously, but as the horrendous odor went away, they noticed the magic start to coalesce around a center point.

“You...should not...have returned...” The voice began, harsh and deep, they could then hear liquid dripping on the floor, and the smell of iron gave relief to their abused nostrils as the figure coughed. Staring inside, they saw a hunched figure, the light from the hallway just barely missing him. Large chains were laid all over the floor, as Mikaelis provided more light, the twins gasped at the appearance of the man before them.

He was gaunt, horribly so, and they could see every rib with detail. His arms and legs were skin and bones and his long shaggy hair was knotted and grimy.

In other words, he was filthy.

The chains that would have held him were almost all off, the only ones still left were the ones attached to his hips, chest, and neck. His wings were dark and misshapen from lack of use, and his black eyes were sunken, cold, but burning with hatred.

“Why...are you...here...” He demanded before coughing grotesquely.

Maris made more water and used it to both provide a drink and clean him. He drank greedily and paid no mind to the water on his body. The slightest traces of magic being absorbed by him, granting just enough strength to speak.

He figured that it was a final courtesy.

“Are you here, to finally kill me?” He rasped out, shivering from the cold water.

“No, we need your help.”

It started with a sharp gasp, then a chuckle before he was dying of laughter and coughing out a lung. They let him calm himself while staring impassively.

“And what?” He snarled, “Could you possibly need me for?”

“Rikoltanto is returning. We've already slain one of his Heralds.”

“Then why would you need me?" He asked, his head slightly turned as he faced his brethren, "You seem to have the situation handled if you can finally kill them.”

“You more than anybody, know the Darkness.”

“Then perhaps I should ask, what makes you think, that I will help you?”

“I don't expect you to help us.”

Amata and Kreinto walked forward.

“But I do hope that you would help your children.”

He paused in shock, staring hauntingly at the twins in front of him, finally taking in their physical features. He could see what came from him, his eyes, her hair.

And he could see what came from his beloved, her eyes, his hair. A mix of everything in between in their faces.

Neonis shuddered and hunched over, silent tears falling onto the cold, stone floor. Rage, confusion, grief, and so much more fueled him.

“You really are just like your father, Mikaelis.”