Chapter 2 #3
I raise my mental shields, blocking out the pain with glacial frost. The magical hum of friendly creatures beckons me as I follow my familiar shadows out into the Mysticwoods. Leaving my physical form behind entirely, ensuring he can never wholly shatter my mind as I let my imagination take flight.
I become a flying armored bear, then a phoenix, then an iridescent dragon, just like the one I once saw flying through the peaks of Eldoria.
Freedom flows through me as I catch an updraft, gliding into buttery clouds, pretending the thundering is from distant lightning instead of my bones breaking once more.
A scream claws its way out my throat, heart bruising itself, thumping against my ribs like a caged bird.
I stick like sap to my sweat-drenched cotton sheets, my skin boiling like a hissing kettle.
My eyes snap open, latching onto reality as nightmares and memories meld, threatening to drag me back under as their talons sink into my fluffy pink brain, mincing it apart.
I twist my searing flesh into the sheets as my vision comes into focus, revealing white flames slithering up the surrounding walls. I gasp, only to suffocate on clotted smoke. Sully bursts through my door with tidal wave after tidal wave of water until the flames sizzle out.
My eyes grow wide. There’s nothing but ash where the wall of our cottage used to stand. I shudder at the devastation of my uncontrolled magic lashing out during my nightmare. My gaze falls on my trembling hands, waiting for Sully to bellow at me to get out.
I broke his promise. I burnt the fucking house down. Part of it anyway.
I am a fucking curse.
A deep laugh rumbles out into the chilly night air of my now open room. I stiffen, gaping up at Sully, sure I’ve lost my mind.
He drops his large hand to my shoulder and smiles. “That’s what I get for letting a dragon sleep under my roof.”
A laugh bubbles up in my chest at his silly comment, while tears prickle the back of my eyes at his continued kindness and patience with me.
We move my charred bed to its temporary new home in the living room. Sully brings out a fresh blanket from the closet, tucking me in tight.
I twist and turn restlessly, afraid of falling asleep and burning down the rest of the house. The scratching of a chair has me sitting up as I watch Sully sit beside my bed.
“Let me tell you a tale, little one. The story of the great Eclipse War.” He speaks softly, his voice brimming with a dreamlike presence.
“Once upon a time, there were great Celestial bodies who could control matter, creating stars and worlds alike. Our world, Elyndor, was created and ruled by a Celestial named Savorah Arabella. Each of the Celestials governed the worlds they created, controlling the very balance of magic and power. They rode on great Celestial Dragons, beasts bigger than the mountains of Eldoria, allowing them to travel the heavens.”
“Is that why those with white hair are called Arabellians?” Sully nods. His sweet smile wraps around my heart like a soothing hug. “What happened to the Celestials?” I murmur, conjuring dreams of Celestial beings riding cosmic dragons, soaring through the stars.
“The moon became ice blue, eclipsed in shadows. Then a darkness followed. Celestials dimmed from the sky, falling with their dragons, their worlds losing their magic along with them. This cataclysmic event is known as the Celestial Dimming.”
I attempt to picture a world without magic, shuddering at the possible loss of what links all living creatures, a part of the very life source of their souls. I’d be utterly hollow without it. I wonder if that’s what it feels like to be a corrupted monster of the Blackwood.
“What happened to them? The worlds without magic?”
“They became what we now know as humans, those who have lost the ability to wield magic. They look similar to Elarians but are shorter, with round ears, dull-colored eyes and hair, muted senses, and their strength and agility weakened.”
I gasp at the thought of transforming into a magicless form. A part of your soul forever lost. I can’t begin to fathom their ache of emptiness, how hard life must be for them.
Sully continues, “The change in the moon brought with it monsters of pure pitch.
The remaining Celestials were terrified of leaving their worlds without magic.
So, they rallied together to fight in the battles of the Eclipse War.
It waged for many millennia as more and more planets were lost to the monsters.
Meanwhile, on Elyndor, chaos broke out between the warring Fae species vying for power in the absence of Savorah, who had left to fight in the war.
“As the stars aligned, creating a Celestial Convergence, the Celestials hoped this would empower their magic, allowing them to recharge their fallen kin and end the darkness for all. Instead, a great power awoke deep in the darkness: the Voidbringer. This unknown being sucked all the life essence and light out of anything he touched.”
“He sounds terrifying. How did Elyndor survive?” I ask, pulling the blanket to my chest, attempting to cast off the chill the name sends shivering down my spine.
“In a desperate attempt to save the worlds they created, the Celestials sacrificed their immortality. Falling down to their planet as their magic rippled out, cloaking their creation in a magical shield. Protecting them from the Voidbringer’s touch.”
“That’s why we say Celestials Blessing! An homage to their sacrifice, their blessing. But wait, what happened to Savorah?”
“She lived a long mortal life. It was said her Celestial presence gleamed through her skin as if woven with the heavenly night sky, marked by the constellations above. Her eyes were said to be made of gold, and her hair shimmered like starlight. Her once mighty Celestial Dragon, guardian of the skies and keeper of ancient magic, fell into a deep slumber as her powers dimmed in the broken bond from her rider. It’s believed that the towering mountains that divide the Highlands from the Midlands rest atop her sleeping beast, hence the name Dragon Spine Mountains. ”
“But the shield must have failed! Parts of our Mysticwoods became corrupted, turning into the Blackwood,” I argue with frustration.
“That’s a less happy story, little dragon.
” I cross my arms and huff, waiting for him to continue despite his warning.
“Well… after Savorah’s sacrifice and ascension, she united the world, bringing a prosperous time of peace.
Then, a thousand years after the Eclipse War—1000 AE, After Eclipse—it’s believed the Voidbringer found a brief crack in Elyndor’s protection.
Just enough for a single drop of blood to land on the surface before sealing back up.
No one knows what caused that brief moment of shield weakness, but that’s all it took.
Corruption propagated in the soil; political unrest spread across the world.
Parts of the Mysticwoods became contaminated, becoming the Blackwood, growing ravenously across our lands. ”
“This is when the Ellian Knights come in!” I chime.
“Glad to see you do listen during my history lessons.” He smiles before continuing, “A faction of exceedingly strong magic wielders teamed together in 1200 AE, forming the first ten Ellian Knights, who were all Elarians, the dominant Fae race of Cascara. They bonded with magical flying creatures, and this bond was forged with an Arcane Glyph, giving the Ellian Knights another magical power beyond their Celestial Gift. It allowed them a telepathic connection with their mount, too. The earliest bonds were so strong that death of either beast or knight would lead to equal demise. They fought back against the Blackwood, slowing its growth.”
I sit up in bed, jumping into the story.
“On the night of a Bloodmoon, the Voidbringer’s corruption made its way into the Ellian Knights.
Five of them sought more power, upsetting the balance of magic.
Then the other five attempted to kill them by severing their Arcane Glyphs, killing magical beasts and riders alike.
Unfortunately, one escaped: Vyzon. He retreated to the Blackwood, entrancing Elarians and other Fae species through the power of black magic.
He became the leader of the Wuvon. This marked a dark period in the Great War of Cascara.
Many cities vanished off the map in the bloodshed of the battles between the Ellian Knights and the Wuvon.
The Blackwood rapidly expanded, dividing into tendrils, snaking across the continent. ”
I let out a stretching yawn, cueing Sully to take over as I curl up in my blanket.
“Gildora, one of the most powerful descendants, was a Phantom Veil manipulator, a unique subset of Shadowmancing. She could create illusions that deceived all senses, indistinguishable from reality. This allowed Gildora to trap Vyzon long enough for Raeya to wield her plasma, burning him into oblivion. Without a leader, the remaining Wuvon were disorganized, suffering heavy losses, retreating back to the deepest depths of the Blackwood. They knew the threat of the Wuvon remained, so they founded Gildorea Universitás of War, to train all those willing to join the Golden Legion’s efforts, ensuring no more civilian life was lost. During this time, Savorah was lost, believed to have died in the Great War.
“Thankfully, before this, she anointed a queen to rule in her stead, keeping the political peace allowing Cascara to prosper...”
His words continue as my mind drifts off into dreams of Celestial Dragons and brave Ellian Knights who protect all those in need.