Empyreal Dragons

Understanding the Dragons

Lovech Kingdom 

As Syrah opened the door to the Throne Room, Reyna was pumping in anxiousness. 

Taking a step into the legendary Throne Room for the second time, something felt off about the room from the first time she was here. 

The air in the room was scorching as Reyna’s skin started to match the hot temperature in the room.

The vibes that the room was projecting was scarier than the first visit as the tense hot air was pushing into Reyna’s brain, telling her to leave and never come back. This room was not the same room she saw the last time she came, no... it felt like she walked into a war zone. 

As Reyna decided to begin walking into the Throne Room, there was a missing presence that Reyna noticed immediately. Reyna sharply turned her body around as she could no longer feel Syrah’s presence next to her. 

But, there Syrah stood, at the door, smiling. 

Reyna rose an eyebrow.

“Why aren’t you coming in?” 

Syrah was excited. Excited because Queen Reyna was now meeting the Queen Mother that gave birth to Dragnior, Queen Irma.

She is meeting her mother in law without even knowing it, Syrah thought

“I am afraid that from this point on, I cannot walk in with you.” 

Why can’t Syrah come with me? Is there something preventing her from coming in?

“But, I will be able to watch you from the entrance of this door.” 

Syrah saying those words gave Reyna a slight relief.  At least she’ll have someone here just in case something happens to her, but how much could she really do from a doorway?

As Reyna kept walking more into the room, she was now closer to the middle of the room. 

There… She remembered that that's where the green dragon laid. The beautiful green dragon that looked so real, painted on the floor of the room. 

Looking down at the ground to see the large green dragon, there was nothing there on the floor. 

“No, I know that there was a green dragon here.” Reyna mumbled to herself trying to remember 

Is the statue still there at least?!

Widening her eyes, Reyna looked to see if the statue was still there above the big chairs and there it was … along with another dragon statue that stood right beside it. 

There was a second dragon that wasn’t there before? Where did it come from? 

“Syrah, was there always 2 dragon statues?” Reyna questioned

Syrah looked over to where the statues were. 

Queen Irma must’ve moved herself from the floor and over next to her husband behind the golden chairs. They probably both felt the presence of Reyna coming. 

“Yes we did.” Syrah replied 

Reyna was confused but decided to ignore the floor and started walking over the big dragon statues that hovered over the 2 golden chairs sitting dominantly in the room. 

A King and Queen’s chair… 

As Reyna kept walking closer to the dragon, there was a sudden “wash” that came over her as she suddenly wanted to express all her doubts and concerns. 

A sudden gust of emotions making her spill out her secrets as she now wanted to express what has been hurting her for the past couple of months that she reminded dead in eyes of the entire world. 

“I was Queen to the Red Crest Kingdom,” Reyna spoke as she faced the statues “A Queen of a Kingdom who was very undeserving of her, even when she did everything to make sure that the kingdom was safe.”

Syrah was now jumping in her skin as she was ready for the connection pull to kick in. 

The connection that the Queen Mother and Royal Father present to people once a person touches their  stoned bodies.

Being impatient as she watched Reyna slowly take her time to adjust to everything. Syrah called out.

“Those statues are amazing to feel under the hand of the touch my lady. Would you like to touch them?” 

Reyna glanced her eyes over to Syrah and Syrah’s blue eyes sparkled more than usual. Reyna nodded her head in slight trust to Syrah who was once an enemy, but now was the biggest attachment to ever grace Reyna’s side. 

Reyna didn’t question what Syrah said, but what Reyna did question was why her body was naturally accepting everything so easily. 

Reyna was a cautious person and with a mother like Eva, Reyna always had to be on guard with everything. But not once since she came to the Lovech Kingdom has she been on guard. Even when Syrah was beating her ass, when she recovered super fast, she never questioned anything. 

Reyna was now going crazy with questions, because one side of her brain was telling her to be scared, but the other half was forcing her to stay calm. 

Picking up her right hand like she has done this before, Reyna could feel the blood rushing throughout her body wanting to touch these statues.

“I thought that I had everything  when I married Aaron, but I was betrayed. Aaron stabbed me through the heart and then... he stabbed and killed our unborn son, Zahn Rose-Crest, heir to the Red Crest Throne.” Reyna spoke as she could feel tears beaming in her eyes “And for what! Just so that his mistress could have his baby?! A bastard child that is innocent but I hate it, because of its parents.” 

Reyna gently placed her hand down on the dragon’s head as her tears started getting heavier, she was crying. Closing her eyes, tears were falling onto the statues and her head was pounding… but through the sadness, there was a voice that called... 

“Reyna Rose…” 

Lovech Kingdom; Dining Hall

“Dad! Look!” Zahn walked up his father with liquid in a bottle 

Dragnior stared at the liquid before Zahn laughed. 

“This is the antidote that we all made. My antidote is for the hemlock poisonous plant! ”

Nodding his head in approve, Dragnior was accepting that Zahn was growing up. Zahn's is no longer a little boy as he is: learning the dangers of the world, avoiding those dangers, and how to push past them. 

Eva may crazy, but she sure does know how to spark energy into the palace, Dragnior before a wave of wind grazed against his neck 

Zahn felt the same wind as his body reflectively shook from the sudden gust of wind. 

It was a feeling that the Empyreal Dragons feel as the shock connects the Empyreal Dragons.

Reyna met "them" Dragnior thought to himself

“Mom finally met them! They are going to love her! I know it!” 

Dragnior nodded his head at his innocent son, but wasn’t sure if they would like Reyna. 

She is strong, but in order to become the wife of a Dragon, you must face your past to present a better future. 

So what will Reyna do when Irma shows her the past that she lived through? 

Her being able to accept it or deny it will be the deciding factor on whether or not she will come out of that interaction alive or dead. 

Where… ?

Reyna Rose...

Reyna opened her eyes as she heard  her name, but then, she suddenly widened her eyes in horror. Her eyes were lying to her, her eyes were making up things as she was looking at her settings. 

“Where am I?!”

Using her small grey eyes to look at her surroundings, she could see was a lot of metal bars banding themselves together to connect into the shape of a box. 

Reyna’s body position was sitting down on the cold rocky surface underneath her. There was a smell of rotting flesh and blood as her brain slowly realized where she was. 

She was in a dungeon with cages all around her, and she herself was in a cage.

“W-Where am I? W-What’s going on?” Reyna panicked

… 

“AHHH!” 

“NOO! PLEASE SAVE ME!” 

Reyna eyes widened and her heart began to beat irregularly. With her shaking body, she kept looking from left and right to see where the yelling sounds were coming from. Pain now filled her heart as the mind was now covered with the cloud of confusion. 

She was into of a cage... a cage that shouldn't exist as she was just in the Lovech Kingdom... 

Hearing heavy footsteps moving towards her, Reyna looked up at the door of the cage and saw 2 tall guards there … staring.

“W-Where is all that yelling coming from? W-W-What’s going on-on?” Reyna stuttered 

The guards looked at each other before they both looked back at Reyna. 

“The King, Augustus Livingston, bastard son to King Mayfair Rohan, has ordered your execution among the other prisoners. There is an audience, for today is to celebrate the removal of the weakest.”

Drop… 

Reyna couldn’t feel her heart beat anymore within her chest as she registered the guard’s words. 

Execution? I-I’m going to die? Why am I dying? WHERE THE HELL AM I? 

As the brain went silent after the words that the guard spoke, Reyna watched everything that was happening, but wasn’t mentally conscious enough to fight back. The guards opened up the cage door and grabbed one arm securely to make sure that there was no chance to break free. 

As they began walking, Reyna’s body subconsciously walked too. Her body was subconsciously walking itself to its death and didn’t even realize because her brain stopped understanding. 

I was just inside of the Throne Room touching the head of a statue and crying, how did I suddenly end up walking to my death? 

After walking for a few minutes, there were voices of cheering, laughter, and yelling as the guards began leading her to a huge brown door that stood tall and intimidating to the human eye. One of the guards pushed the huge door open with brute strength as the door creaked itself open. 

Watching the sun’s light from outside force itself onto my face as the door fully opened, Reyna could see that the door opened to a coliseum full of men, women, and children. Hundreds, no... Thousands of people sitting in the coliseum.

Shivering at the sight of everyone, the guards hit Reyna’s back and she jumped as they forced her to keep walking to the middle of the coliseum.

There laid a chain neck brace and a lot of blood splattered on the floor. Reyna’s face scrunched up at the sight of the blood, but what hurt most was that this wasn’t the blood from just one person. It was the blood of many.

As the guards moved her to the chain neck brace, Reyna could also see that there was a piece of the floor that was black. Moving her eyes to look around other spots of the floor all the other parts were marble white.

“W-Why is the floor black?” Reyna mumbled to herself

“You will see when it is time.” A guard answered

Reyna flinched as she didn’t expect a response from the guard. 

Blinking her eyes to try and keep the tears that were started to swell in her eyes, Reyna felt fear.

I am dying again ...and I don’t even know why...

Reyna lungs started to weaken from the amount of oxygen she was taken in. Her heart was beating faster and was way too irregular to handle causing her breaths to become shorter.

Trying to exhale that breath that she was holding subconsciously, Reyna started squirming in the guards’ arms trying to gasp for air.

I don’t want to die, Reyna thought to myself as she finally let out the breath that her body forcibly held. Coughing now from the lack of air, Reyna began trying to recollect the air that her heart wasn’t controlling.

Finally making it to the neck braced collar chained, the guard put her down and clicked the neck brace around her neck so now she couldn’t escape death. 

I know I should’ve ran, I should’ve avoided death because I already died once and I was given the chance to be reborn and I wasted it by being caught again. 

But, I couldn’t. 

Everything seemed just like last time when I was walked by the guards outside, being told that that’s what the King wanted, everything flashbacked into Reyna’s head deeply as she just couldn’t do anything.

I AM STILL WEAK! 

Nervous at what was going to happen next, Reyna moved her body to see how far she could move before something hot burned my foot.

“Oww!” Reyna yelled

 She was now standing in the space where the black spot was. The spot was still fuming hot. 

Whatever made that black mark on the ground beneath me is going to do it again, Reyna thought

Looking up into the crowd, Reyna could see people coming to a stop with their cheering and laughing. By the time the horn blew for the third time, the entire audience was completely quiet. Frowning, I looked back and forth between the audience stands.

“FOR MANY YEARS WE WERE FORCED TO BE PLACED WITH THESE WEAKLINGS WHO DON’T KNOW THEIR PLACE,”

My head started moving and my eyes looked around frantically to see where the voice was coming from.

“BUT THIS ONE IS THE LAST ONE THAT WE MUST GET RID OF BEFORE WE CAN BE FREE OF THE WEAK ONES!”

The last one? Now with energy rushing through my blood, my eyesight became keener as I looked throughout the crowds and saw a family isolated from others that wore beautiful formal wear. 

There was a man standing with a smirk on his face as he was in a separate space in the coliseum with an older woman, 2 girls and 4 boys all eating lavish foods and drinking while he made the speech.

“MAY THE LORD OF FIRE BURN DOWN THE WILL OF THIS EVIL MONSTER!” The man standing yelled out and point up into the sky

I frowned as I decided to follow where his fingers were pointing up into the sky. Not seeing anything but the sun at first, I was confused on what the hell I was supposed to be looking at. Squinting my eyes to even get a better look, I couldn’t see a thing.

Maybe he’s bluffing just so he gets one of his guards to kill me themselves while I’m looking up at the sky.

Just as I was about to turn my head away, I heard someone yell from the audience and stand up to point.

“There he is!”

Squinting my eyes once more, I could now see a black figure in the distance coming towards me with rapid speed. My shoulders fell and I could sense the urge of danger coming towards me. 

Knowing that there was nowhere I could go, I could only stand here and watch this black figure come closer to me as my nerves started to become unstable.

As the black figure came closer and closer, I could slowly make out that the figure wasn’t black, but instead it was a red color. The red color zoomed by the sun faster than light travelling through air as the figure became bigger and bigger the closer it got to me.

“KILL HER! SHE IS IN HIS SNIPER RANGE!”

“KILL THE WEAKLING!”

The crowd started to go crazy with words and happiness as they began cheering for the red figure to kill me from the far distance. But instead, the creature came closer, and it was then that Reyna knew her life was over.

As the creature was now in front of Reyna, it looked down at her face while its spiking wings fawned themselves out stretching the length of the creature. 

The creature flapped its wings to lower itself on the ground as it’s huge claws dug into the ground beneath it with force that began cracking the ground from the pressure. The creature looked down at Reyna.

The scales that were covering its body began to harden more as the creature’s pupils became smaller. The creature was in question at who was in front of it as its nostrils opened so the creature could sniff the area around Reyna. 

The creature sneered as it kept sniffing Reyna’s surroundings, as her heart was beating badly in her chest. Suddenly, the creature tilted its head before moving back and looking Reyna in her eyes. 

She was face to face with a … dragon 

The dragon scales started flaring as Reyna stared in its eyes looking for … hope. Hope that it wouldn’t kill her, but that was a risk. This is an ancient creature that lives for danger and death. 

Why would it spare a mere weakling like me? 

Pressing her lips into a thin line, Reyna looked at the ground and could feel her tears covering her corneas. She knew what was going to happen, and the audience yelling for the death to happen didn't help.

Shaking uncontrollably, Reyna moved her eyes to face the truth. Face the destiny that was written for her again as she was looking death in its eyes.

"WITH THIS LAST SLAVE, WE WILL BE RIDDING THE WORLD OF USELESS FOOLS! GO DRAGON! LET THIS b***h DIE!"

Reyna could feel her eyes lower as she was trying to keep them open. But, the anxiety was too much for her, so her stayed on the ground looking up at the dragon who kept its eyes on her the whole time.

The dragon, stood beautifully in the face of the sun blazing down on the coliseum.

Feeling contempt with life f*****g her over constantly AND beating her ass, Reyna rose her arms open to embrace the death and threw her head back with the eyes closed.

“At least I won’t be getting f****d up anymore.” Reyna said as she felt the sun creep along her neck making her skin hot

Hearing a growling sound come from the dragon, Reyna knew that it was now my time to go. Nodding her head yes, she sat there ready for death…. 

The death that took away her son and a piece of her heart as it killed her once more. The death that's been waiting for her since she woke up again and has been reborn. 

The death…The death… that never came for her. 

“What’s going on?”

“KILL HER BEAST!”

Confused, Reyna opened her eyes to see what the dragon was doing. The dragon was now standing, literally hovering over top of her with its head bent down to be closer to her.

What is it doing?

Throwing her arms down at her torso, the dragon seemed to have sighed as it’s nostrils blew at hot air from them and onto her body. Not understanding what was happening, Reyna stood still. 

The dragon was satisfied with Reyna's reaction as it slowly lowered its head down, allowing its mouth to be closer to my face.

Looking into the dragon’s eyes, there was a voice calling ... 

To live…

Reyna heart thump with power in her chest as the dragon’s pupils got bigger with anticipation.

Do you want to live?

A deja vu moment... I have felt this before... a voice... 

"I do... I w-want... to live."

As Reyna kept staring into the dragons eyes, she could hear a rumble coming from the chest of the dragon. As the dragon sneered at Reyna, it began lifting its head up to look at the audience around them. 

With one swift motion, the dragon opened its mouth and sent out hell firing flames onto the crowds of people.

“RUN!”

“AHH!”

Scared by the sudden outburst, the people in the stands began running from the fire that unfortunately caught them with no surprise at all. The dragon squinting its eyes before turning to face Reyna again. The dragon bent its head down once more and lifted out its tongue.

Reyna eyes widened trying to figure out what it was trying to do, but the dragon dropped some saliva from its tongue and onto her. Within seconds, Reyna's whole body was covered from head to toe with dragon’s saliva.

“Ewe!” Reyna complained trying to wipe the saliva off 

“What are you doing! Kill her and the dragon!”

Forgetting where they were, Reyna looked up at the top of the coliseum and she could see archers placing their arrows in position. Knowing what this meant, Reyna slowly rose to her feet despite the pain that she was in and waddled over to the dragon’s body. 

Getting close to the dragon, Reyna rubbed her hand on its hard scales and  hot smoking skin as the dragon looked down at her. 

“W-WE NEED TO GO!” Reyna yelled 

The dragon’s eyes squinted once more before spreading its wings and slowly rising into the air. Looking back and forth from the dragon to the archers, Reyna was trying to make sure that at least the arches won't hit the dragon, since her time to live life was already up.

“Please leave!” Reyna yelled out among the blowing winds of the sky

The dragon tilted its head before extending it’s claws and grabbing my body in its hands? In its feet? I don't know.

As the archers fired, the arrows landed right in of Reyna and dragon as the two looked at each other in concern. They needed to leave now. As the archers were preparing their bow to handle another s**t, the dragon lifted its wings and fully took off away from the scene.

Reyna took a deep breath as she watched the coliseum get smaller and smaller the higher they got away from everything. 

Feeling her eyes wanting to close themselves from the rush of adrenaline leaving her body, all she was left with was a painful body and a confused mind.

...

With Reyna's consciousness making her body wake up, Reyna started to open her eyes, as pain spelled itself throughout the muscles and bones of her body. 

The rush of emotions that she had was now gone as she could feel pain flowing through her body freely with 

“Foolishness human, I gave you the saliva from the tongue of ancient power and you dare to move your puny arms to wipe it away?”

Hearing a voice talking to her, Reyna turned her head around and her eyes came face to face with the dragon that took me away from my planned death. Feeling her heart beat horribly once more, she could hear that voice in the back of her head again.

You chose to live...

Looking into the dragon’s golden eyes, hearing within her ears the ringing of his voice over and over...

Shaking her head left and right, Reyna decided to ignore those thoughts as she stared at the dragon. The dragon growled slightly with a titled head and a scowl. 

“Did you not understand the language that was specially used to communicate in the tongue of your wishes?”

Reyna eyes widened as the dragon’s mouth moved to actually SPEAK?!

As her body moved instinctively, jumping backwards away from the dragon, the excitement that Reyna had towards this creature now turned into fear.

How is the dragon talking?! Why is the dragon talking?! WHY CAN I UNDERSTAND IT?!

Confused with what was happening, the dragon sighed before moving its body closer to Reyna one step at a time. Flinching with every step it made, Reyna began to look around to try and avoid the eyes of the beast. 

“STOP IT!”

Reyna’s body stopped moving on its own as she was stuck. Moving her head to look back at the dragon, the dragon sneered before laying itself down on the ground as his head laid beside me. 

“The addressed way to call the presence of me, is Doryu.”

Doryu? That name sounds familiar...

“Doryu?” Reyna asked confused 

Doryu raised an eyebrow that she didn’t even know existed as he stared at her. 

“Where does the presence of your being come from?” Doryu demanded 

Reyna cowered back in fear from his hard spoken words. No one would want to look him in his eyes anymore for he struck indirect fear even into her heart made of steel from her crazy mother. 

Avoiding his eyes at all costs, Reyna once again looked around the area that she was stuck in. Looking right and left, Reyna could see that there was a beautiful sight in front of her. 

There sat a sunset that glided the colors of a rainbow as it shined brightly in the face of me. 

The wind that blew through her curly hair traveled down the spine as she shivered at the touch of the wind’s love for her. Surrounding Reyna and Doryu were huge rocks that structured themselves beautifully as they stood tall.

“Wow.” Reyna blurted out stunned by the sight

“The ancient one calls out to nature as life grows after gathering the energy for it.”

Feeling her face fall at Doryu’s words, Reyna turned to look at him confused.

“What the hell are you talking about?” Reyna tried interpret his words

Doryu's face scrunched up as his eyes looked around our surroundings, almost like he was trying to think of some other way to express his words.

“N-Nature. It’s… beautiful.” He spoke nervously

Reyna face twitched as a smile was trying to form on her face from his nervousness. 

“It is beautiful. Lovely even.” Reyna said looking back at the sunset

 Reyna could hear Doryu's head move itself around as he sighed. 

“My name is Reyna Rose.” Reyna explained turning to at Doryu 

Doryu’s eyes widened as his huge head lifted up immediately. 

“You… You are the woman of the Red Crest Kingdom? The previous Queen who is now living under the roof of the man named Dragnior?” He asked 

Reyna nodded her head fast. 

“Yes, YES! Do you know where I am? How did I get here?!” Reyna panicked 

Doryu looked into Reyna eyes deeply with sorrow, his wife was a piece of work. 

“That meddling woman! I spoke the words for her to understand not to touch the ways of time. And the meddling woman decided to test the fate of life anyways.” Doryu mumbled as he rolled his eyes 

This dragon is so… human like, Reyna thought to herself before Doryu refocused himself 

“The words you spoke named the information you wanted to understand more about… dragons.” 

Reyna didn’t understand a word he said, but she knew the word "dragons". Her mind began to rush in a spiral of questions. 

I went to the Throne Room to know more about dragons… but then I ended up almost dying… and now I’m actually TALKING to a dragon… I… I… 

“I give up.” Reyna said in annoyance 

She no longer knew what to comprehend. Doryu looked at Reyna and smiled slightly with his sharp teeth showing themselves. 

“You are going to experience the memories of the first human to interact with the Empyreal Dragons.” Doryu said 

What?

“You are going to see the life of the eternal being, the Royal Empress Irma. The First Queen of the Lovech Kingdom and the green dragons of the everlasting skies.” 

"I am … going to see the memory of Queen Irma…?" Reyna questioned 

Doryu nodded his head and looked out at the beautiful scene surrounding them. 

"Welcome... the to Dragon Realm."