Varro: The Keeper of Dark

The ground trembled. Varro, who had been hibernating in a deep and dreamless sleep, suddenly awoke. Irritated at the muffled sounds of intruding humans, he forced himself up and slowly began to stretch out his magnificently large body. It was now covered in an array of shimmering black and charcoal grey scales. He noticed the sheen they now possessed -metallic grey with flecks of ruby red - and how they came alive despite the surrounding darkness. This was undoubtedly a result of the two days of uninterrupted sleep he managed to secure in his underground home of Ypresia.

Varro was a descendant of the Seraphim lineage, meaning the more energy he could accumulate from resting, the more powerful and brilliant was his might. It was said in Lagosian lore, that his lineage was amongst the most rare of the dragons as it possessed a dormant magic that kept the remaining kingdom’s forces in equilibrium; a particularly necessary force during the new reign of humans.

His was a chaotic and highly charged energy - so much so that it only made sense that Varro found himself beneath the ground protecting himself as well as this very magic only few knew he possessed within. All others it would appear were completely misinformed and believed this dark magic could instead be found somewhere in the walls of his volcanic home. And so Varro spent most of his days observing unimpressed the myriad humans and wizards who went to great lengths to conjure hidden portals in an attempt to locate a mere ounce of Seraphim essence for some ridiculous cure or key to limitless power.

‘Silly humans’, he often thought to himself. Surely it should not be that difficult to imagine that such potent magic wouldn’t be so easily discoverable and at no cost. His warnings to them were often futile and went unheeded - the consequential damage his responsibility to disguise. He often shook his head in apprehension at the sight of their attempts to penetrate through these walls and at times would even find himself in an abrupt fit of laughter. Unfortunately, he did not have anyone with whom these moments could be shared.

Today, he stood behind two humans: one clearly an army general judging by his size and demeanor and an older wizard who appeared in a frenzy. Both were heavily adorned in what could only be King Gex’s colors: black, yellow, and the unmistakable blood red from a dye supposedly infused by the blood of his human enemies. He knew the sight of them could only mean one thing - another war was approaching.

“You will find me by your side”, he made no effort to hide his indifference towards inter-realm disputes. They were common and they were lengthy, but he had no choice. His presence was needed to ensure no opponent used too much magic in a way that would jeopardize them all. He began to prepare himself for the arduous journey ahead which for Varro meant shutting the men out and demanding protection for two weeks of unperturbed rest.

~

Meanwhile, on the other side of the realm, somewhere in the thick of the Lagosian forests stood Mira, looking down adoringly at her new creation. Her baby dragon – Cipher she decides to call her – gazes back at her with pale yellow eyes brimming with excitement and fascination for her brand new colorful surroundings. Mira basks in her daughter’s love which feels like a sweet penetrating warmth, not unlike the sensation coming from the burning brilliant sun above them both.

The possibilities Cipher brings into Lagosia are endless, Mira thinks to herself. There hasn’t been a newborn in ages; the Magistry, humans, and dragons alike will want to lay claim to the rarity that is her golden daughter. Marvelled by her reflection in the light, Mira melts in her daughter’s eyes once more. She will need to hide her.

Mira is not sure she can do this for the Grimarae see through any wizard incantation and the Diamainte will recognize their own kind, even if her blood only carries a small amount of the realm’s purest kin. She will have to consult with the Sylibis. It will know the truth of her creation but it will also give her the guidance needed to protect Cipher from the many enemies of her new life - one she would have never been born into had it not been for the beginning of yet another Aquarian Age, a time where the veil between realms is at its thinnest and magic at its wildest and free-flowing.

She would wait a short while until Cipher was slightly more grown; luckily dragons aged in a matter of months. They were safe in the wooded meadows for now as the thick acres of vegetation provided somewhat of a smokescreen to the outside forces. Besides, it would take a month before Cipher’s magic would start to become distinguishable to those who could sense it.

Mira could leave Cipher here when she needed to forage for food and eventually when she would go to consult with the Sylibis. She breathed a sigh of relief at the thought of how for now everything seemed to be working in their favor. She wasn’t sure this would always be the case and began to doubt whether she would be able to protect her legacy from the undeniable trials ahead. She shook off any negative thoughts and decided she would use what remaining time they had left to try and discover all the ways Cipher would undoubtedly change their world forever.

~

One crisp afternoon, Varro found himself, albeit reluctantly, high in flight towards King Gex and his army grounds. The dark outline of his midnight body against the dusky sky made him appear as though he was charioteering the night, leaving behind sparkles of dark red, black, and grey in his stead…

Varro never thought of himself as scary per se but he was aware of the effects a fast-moving dark mass could have on the other inhabitants of the land. For this reason, he flew as high as he could and his vision lay fixed on his destination and on what he was hoping would be a timely trip. It wasn’t until he started to approach the Lagosian forests that he started to sense something that felt off. Not off perhaps, but foreign and very unusual. From the corner of his eye, something gold flickered and he knew instantly something was not right. Someone in the realm must have been breaking the rules of magic again, and if there was a presence of gold, surely forbidden levels of alchemy were also at play.

Varro began his quick descent to where he last spotted the golden flickering light. He landed upon a meadow and became still, waiting patiently for the surrounding nature to quiet following his arrival. The leaves of nearby trees continued to rustle and the stalks around him waved furiously until eventually they calmed. He hoped he hadn’t scared off the rulebreakers and caused them to run or hide any further.

Once the land was still, Varro began to shuffle around in search of the culprits. Within a matter of minutes, Cipher appeared in front of him and Varro, for the first time in his life, was completely mystified.

‘What in the seven realms is this!’, he exclaimed. He had seen younger dragons but never ones emitting such powerful golden light. Why this dragon’s aura was unlike any he had ever felt and his mind began to race as he imagined the infinite consequences her existence could have for him and for the realm.

Cipher remained calm and stared back at Varro with intrigue. She didn’t need to speak out loud, as dragons spoke to each other telepathically, so she reassured him in this way she was not a threat. It was at that moment that Mira appeared on the horizon and Varro made the rash decision to grab Cipher by the neck and vanish into the now dimly lit sky.

~

Cipher had no understanding whatsoever of what was going on. She knew her mother would worry for her but she also felt so much peace in the company of this new older dragon. She found his ruby red eyes delightful, and she couldn’t look away from his dark scales and the way they danced as they flew under the moonlight. Varro was sensing the heat coming from Cipher but once again, found it to be unparalleled to the fire that normally defined his kind. He began to feel sudden stirrings of unfamiliar emotions: tenderness, affection, love? He would not get carried away. For now it was his duty to get to the bottom of this abomination and to determine which forbidden forces were at work.

Varro continued to soar over the Lagosian plains and towards his volcanic ashen home of Ypresia. He feared she would not appreciate her new temporary home like she would the meadow but then he abruptly reminded himself that she was merely a situation that needed to be dealt with. He began to grow concerned over her increasing will over him and the mixed emotions they accompanied. A force like this could spell trouble for his renowned darkness.

When they approached his lair, Cipher’s scales began to glow. At first, the colors started as a warm molten amber but their brightness increased until the whole entire cave was alight with a yellow hue. Moments later, a warm energy began to emanate from her and, Varro, towering above Cipher began to feel his own magic disarm and was suddenly lulled into a calm and peaceful sleep.

~

When he awoke, he felt strangely renewed and a few moments passed before he was able to recall exactly what had happened. He couldn’t help but feel like his entire being had received a warm embrace. He felt like he had been showered with such pure light energy; the kind he never imagined he would experience in his whole entire life as a glorified gatekeeper.

He began to feel Cipher more prominently beneath him, she was curled up so close her proximity surprised him. He didn’t know what she was, where she came from, or how she was even made but he knew he had to do whatever it took to protect her light - both from the opposing forces of the realm and possibly even from the oldest and darkest force of them all: himself.