War of the gods

The rain pelted down with force over the Plateau, the dark skies lighting up regularly with lightning as the wind picked up in strength with each stubborn collision with the rocky edges. Etharia watched her charge with wary eyes, counting in her mind the seconds that passed, trying to give the girl enough time with her thoughts to be respectful. Once she reached the hour mark she moved forward, leathery wings spread wide, one of them over the small Irena, shielding her from the cold water droplets.

“You’re getting rusty, teacher, I heard you move” the teasing tone made Etharia hope that things weren’t as bad as they seemed with Irena and she gave the child a small smile.

“I’ve been here for a bit over an hour, but it seemed that you needed the time to think. You have a whole palace to be by yourself and yet here you are in the pouring rain, getting wet for no reason.”

Irena lifted her gaze up guiltily, wide sad eyes looking older than the two hundred years she had “I needed to be away from everyone” gathering the last drop of courage, after debating with herself for a few hours here on this edge, she grabbed Etharia’s hand in hers “Tell me about us.”

Before she even had time to open her mouth to answer, Irena went on in a breath “Father has forbidden anyone to talk about the past, no one will tell me how we came to be, no one will tell me what is our purpose and..no one will tell me about my mother” the last words were whispered and they tugged at Etharia’s heart.

Lifting her hand from Irena’s palms she caressed the girl’s cheek, gaze softening at the sight before her “You are so much like your mother, she was a brilliant being too, but you are asking me to go against the laws of your father”

“Yes, I am. I’ve had several visions last night, visions that confused me even more. I need to know everything from our past to understand the future. Please.”

Sitting down with a sigh, Etharia glanced up at the sky “It seems you picked the right spot to not be overheard. What I tell you now, however, will change the way you see both the world and your father.”

When Etharia closed her eyes all of Irena’s focus moved to her, anxiously waiting for the things she yearned to know. The energy from the guardian’s magic made the earth beneath them vibrate, the small pebbles moving on the ground. Holding the palms of her hands in her lap, a small globe of light expanded into a dome around them, freezing the rain drops into the air and shielding them from the weather. With a wave of her hands the frozen water moved together to form the image of two dragons, tangled together, clawing and biting at the other.

“I always wondered what exactly is your magic made of, it’s so...different from mine or any of the others” Irena glanced away from the crystal dragons just as Etharia opened her eyes, keeping her focus on her magic.

“Lets take things one at a time, we have a lot to talk about and I’m not sure how much time we can linger here for until someone comes for us.”

“Yes, you’re right” feeling her cheeks redden at the small admonishment, Irena turned back to look at the dragons.

“Long before the first humans, the world belonged to dragons, a species as ruthless and untamed as the elemental powers coursing through their veins.

It was a dangerous eve for such small beings as mortals, the vicious battles between dragons reshaped mountains and forests, burned crops and animals, slaughtered innocents all over the globe and at the death of such a magical saturated creature, it’s energy was absorbed by the earth around them, eventually altering the flow of energy inside the planet. It took hundreds of years for even the slightest sign of magical ability to be seen in a human, but dragons were the sole reason these fragile beings developed elemental affiliations." as Etharia spoke the two creatures before them clashed together, breathing fire shaped crystals at each other before circling the dome.

"The world had a name, long forgotten by the ones living in it now. It was given this name by our mother's ancestors thousands of years ago. Rinhek, the forbearer, as all dragons worshiped the Earth mother and believed they were her children."

"Humans had no magic in them at first, a species at it’s beginning in the world, raw, fresh and extremely cautious. They lived in small tribes, scattered across the continent, farmers, shepherds, hunters and even fewer among them as herbalists.

The third eve was tragic for humankind, many of the cosmic bearers, later known as meji, dying when their powers erupted for the first time. Hatred boiled deep in the hearts of men, not only did dragons destroy their hard work and killed them in their rages, but now they also cursed them with elemental magic. From the lack of options and helplessness, their hatred turned to their own, families torn apart as the wielders of draconian sorcery were killed for their unwanted powers. For the simple man who prayed for sun, rain, and food, the elements belonged to no one, and to show even some semblance of control over them was against nature itself."

Making a small pause in her story, Etharia waved a hand and the two dragons blended together into a figure of a man, long hair tied tightly at the base of his neck, long robe and a gnarly staff on which he leaned on.

" The death of one meji brought forth Xivollurom, The Great Light. One of my sisters, your aunt Larthera has everything written down, I can tell you only what I've heard and seen from my mother and the fractured images I've seen from father."

"Your grandfather was one of the many humans to develop elemental abilities. Talaron was a young herbalist, part of the Unna desert tribe. His powers awakened when he was near death, having gotten lost on the dry steep hills of Lonilar. As the days passed, the lack of water was bringing him close to his end, but as he dropped to his knees in exhaustion, roots filled with sweet nectar sprung through the stone, summoned by his own will to live. After that moment, his magic poured in every potion and ointment he created, making his tribe prosper with his ability to create plants based on his needs. This, of course, brought the suspicion of his tribe upon him and he was burned alive when he used those powers to save two children from a deadly scorpion sting."

Irena watched in fascination as the figure of her grandfather moved along the story, the fractured crystals trying their best to depict him

" It was then that our mother, Emynthinos, dragon queen of the eastern winds decided to save him, a way of apology that he suffered by the dragon’s gift. She had felt his suffering and regret in the Krino, the ancient soul link she shared with all beings magical, and bound his soul into a new vessel, one forged in dragon fire."

" So much suffering for something they had no control over" Irena whispered, rubbing her hands together, parts of her visions already starting to make sense.

"I can't promise you a happy story, things have not been kind to Talaron, nor us or humanity, I can only promise you the truth." breaking the spell she held on the shield and crystal figure, Etharia got up from the ground, holding out her hand for Irena to get up" We have lingered enough today, we'll continue tomorrow after training, but I have one condition"

Knowing full well that she couldn't refuse anything now that she found out so much, Irena nodded in agreement, accepting the hand she was offered "Anything"

"You will have to tell me about your visions after we are done with these stories"

"Of course. I'm afraid you will have to help me if things are as I think" Irena worried her teacher will have a different role in everything