Chapter 1-Prologue
Once upon a time, so the saying goes, there once lived a handsome dragon with scales so shimmery white they sparkled like the finest of opal gemstones. His claws were the sharpest and could slice open a wild boar with one half hearted swipe. His eyes could bore through your very soul as you got lost in his molten gold color swirling with emotions. His teeth were strong and plentiful, able to tear through a knights armor in one great bite! His wings so big and so wide, they brought terror to those looking high above him.
He did not intend to scare anyone, as he did not think much of humans to begin with, and kept to himself. He once gave himself a headache by rescuing someone quite by accident as he was hungry that day and decided that the beasts attacking the human would make a quick meal, never suspecting that the human he didnt even give a single glance to would turn around and make a cult dedicated to him as their Guardian Deity!
His family would look at him and shake their heads, for he thought nothing of searching for his Shiliran like any dragon of age would have the drive to, to continue their race. For in the tongue of dragons Shilirans are those who keep the dragons heart safe from those seeking to use it for their own gain. A most sacred and coveted position, which the dragon covets and shows great possessiveness and treats as something to hide away from the world....
As time passes, like it is wont to do, happiness and tragedy comes and goes, as long lived beings like dragons can attest to. Most of the dragon race was hunted down and killed by those humans who once called themselves friends, due to greed and fear. Those that remained had to go deep into hiding, and learn how to blend in to the human race to stay alive, while others decided to sleep and became huge mountains with growth and earth covering them up over time, to sleep in an endless sleep of not death, but not living either.
Those once proud wings that sored above the earth, no longer flies as the emptiness can be felt in the humans who admired and felt protected under them. What was once a reality gradually faded into myth, along with many other races such as Vampires, Fae, Werewolves and such. Live became harder to live, while other parts became much easier. Life soon left magic behind, and became modern with science, and the whispers in the back of the mind that something more is out there, something more exciting have gradually faded from the life of adults, though some still remember, some still dream, and some still protect what hides in the shadows.
For life is ever changing, yet somehow always remains the same. Life goes on, though it always comes to an end. Every thought, every word spoken, every word written down, takes on its' own life and grows with each retelling. Again and again, the cycle never ends. That is to be expected though, and works in favor for certain beings, especially those who hold grudges, and those who seek revenge. Those who wait for long lost love, and those who wait for what once was to come back again.
The shadows hold secrets, so close to its bosom, to keep everything safe, and to hide those with ill intentions. Remember this my little one, if ever there comes a day when you step into those shadows, beware the deepest darkness, and look towards the grey for safety, as He still remembers, and a boon is owed, a debt to collect, in all things remember to whisper the name that must not be forgotten, Asmadori Feltera Skybor, for it is with him that you shall survive and right the wrongs of the past. It is He who shall be your salvation when all seems lost.
These are the words that have been passed down generations upon generations to the female children of the house of Laperl. And so the mother once again tells her daughter as a bedtime story until her death as a single mother to her 10 year old daughter Ranella Shidora Laperl, who locks it away in her memory to be hidden until such a time as she needs it. For this girl is the one whom shall finally fullfil the debt that is owed, finally, after all this time. Az shall finally be free.
As day turns into dusk, and dusk turns into night, Ranella grows up, and finally turns 30, and has a failed marriage of her own, betrayed by the man who swore to love her, never suspecting that he was using her because of who she was. A dragon slayer who grew up with her, though always kept his birthright hidden from her, and maybe, just maybe, in his own way, he does care about her. But that is still a tale in the telling, and Lenard has his own agenda, foolish mortal that he is.
The small redheaded child who would always smile up at him so devotedly with her pale amber eyes, and her red angelic lips, and pale skin kissed by sunlight, stares at him with heartache now that she no longer feels that he is the one for her, she takes her first step away from the gangly child that she grew up with, his mischievous blue eyes and his messy brown hair doesn't hide the fine soldier that he became, though their love has grown apart and his temper grew with the oftimes he was away.
As April 15, 2020 starts, Ranella starts her life free from the shackles that held her back. She walks into the coffee store to get her morning cup of black coffee, with 2 shots espresso, 6 tablespoons of sugar, a helping of french vanilla half and half, with whipped cream on top.
