Dragon’s Eye - The Kingdom of Nerelai

IV

    The Dragonborn began to laugh “ha ha ha!, did you say you are a dragon slayer” he grinned “well you failed at that title since I am still alive, all you manage to do was make me angrier and take my left eye” he said pointing to where his left eye once was. Sanin snapped back and realized where he was, the translucent room was still shaking. 

    Sanin gave him a small smile and a mirthless chuckle. “What is so funny, boy?”, said the Dragonborn. With a soft voice Sanin said “you have not felt it yet have not you, you are weaker” as he said that he started to age, his hands got wrinkles, his face got pale and older, he got shorter, his bow felt heavier, even so, this was happening he kept smiling. “Look at you, you are an old man now, my armor keeps me from aging and keeps me from dying”, said the Dragonborn and laugh evilly “you will turn to dust and I will spit on your ashes, you wasted your life just to keep me, a prisoner here, so much for the great dragon slayer”. The shake stopped and they were no longer in the time prison. Sanin stood tall, smiling and looking back, suddenly there he was on the field where all began, he was looking at the kingdom of Nerelai. 

    The small place he knew was no more, it was now a vast exacting lively city. The market was full of people of all kinds; elf folks, humans, hybrids, lizardmen, fairies, anthropomorphous animals, golems, dwarfs, giants, harpies, merfolk, and centaurs. In the center of the kingdom stood tall the statue of the knight who defeated the dragon long ago. Beyond that, the grand castle resides where many kings had lived and continue to rule the land. Not too far away was the mage’s tower, the mages studied the ways of arcana plus a selected few of them live there. 

    “Alas I am back”, said the Dragonborn and grinned maliciously. An enormous ball of fire that had been stopped long ago also returned and it was headed towards the mage’s tower.

    Epheria was worried that headmaster Kathifa would notice her miscolored eyes. She put on her mage hood which she never does since she likes to show off her shiny orange-dyed hair.

    Epheria was heading down the stairs when she bumped into headmaster Kathifa “Uff, oh my heavens, I am so sorry headmaster”, said Epheria. Headmaster Kathifa spoke with a soft voice “oh Epheria, where are you heading with such a rush, how come you are wearing your hood?, I love seeing your shiny orange hair”, “Uhm well I felt a draft and I did not want to get sick”, said Epheria nervously while she slowly walked pass by her “I will go now, to pick up the daily materials for you headmaster”, her voice went high pitch for a moment. “Remove the hood, my dear, I will not repeat myself”, said headmaster Kathifa with a firm tone. Epheria felt an intense arcana emanating behind her. Ever so slowly Epheria removed the hood and turned towards the headmaster, showing her eyes, her now green left eye was glowing. Headmaster Kathifa stared intensely “Epheria what did you do?”, said Kathifa. Suddenly a huge explosion shook the whole tower, the ball of fire had struck it and it was starting to fall. Kathifa was wearing several rings in her hands which all began to glow and in an instant time stopped, everything was still, the tower was not falling, Epheria was not moving. 

    Kathifa sight and touch Epheria “Ahhhh! the tower is … not shaking anymore”, said Epheria looking at the headmaster, “What happened?”, said Epheria. “A nuisance“, said Kathifa “Follow me”, said Kathifa with a strong voice. She opened a hole in the wall and started to float outside, “I do not have any rings headmaster”, said Epheria. Kathifa pointed towards Epheria, one of her rings glowing intensely, and Epheria started to float towards her. The two of them flew above the city. Epheria saw how time had not resumed, then looked back at the headmaster’s rings and most of them were glowing. She smiled “Wow you can control so many rings at once, that is impressive”, said Epheria. “Practice my dear, now focus, I see the nuisance ahead”, said Kathifa. The two safely landed on the outskirts of the kingdom. 

    Kathifa looked at the man in dark armor, and looked around, and noticed an old man wearing some strange attire. She got close to him and looked at the jade necklace around his neck, she smiled. “Who is that headmaster?”, said Epheria. “Oh just an old stubborn, shirk, pretermit, fool but determined man”, said Kathifa “We met long ago when we both were…”,  Epheria interrupted her “He is so old, headmaster you do not look like him”. Kathifa gave her a look “Do not be rude, humans just age faster and have shorter lifespans, but the jade necklace I gave him long ago should keep him from perishing”. Kathifa touched Sanin on the shoulder, Sanin got startled and opened his now heavy eyes wide. “Oh my heavens, Kathifa is that you”, said Sanin with a raspy voice, smiling. They both look at each other for a moment. “Well am glad you are still put together”, said Kathifa. Sanin had a hard time standing up, he used his bow as his alpenstock “Only a few scratches and wrinkles, but I still have my charms”, said Sanin. “Eww are you two flirting”, said Epheria. “Epheria Myrtle Pummel Stronghold mind your manners!” said Kathifa “Ah no, do not say my full name is embarrassing”, said Epheria.

    Kathifa looked back at the man in dark armor, “Sanin, while am glad to see you, you did not follow my orders all those years ago”, said Kathifa. “Who is the scary ugly looking man?”, said Epheria, “That is my oldest foe”, said Sanin. “Sanin, that is your only foe”, said Kathifa with an annoyed expression on her face. “Sanin after all these years of learning all I could about arcana and dragons I learned that only a person with the powers of a dragon can kill those who possess such power”, said Kathifa. She looked back at Epheria and smiled “I think my dear newcomer here might be just what this kingdom needs, you see on the day you both vanish into the time prison, the remnant of the fight was a jade eye, naturally I studied it and locked it in a magic vault, which Epheria found and now that eye has become part of her”. “What!”, shouted Epheria “Are you saying I am part dragon now?”. “You will start manifesting all the things a dragon can do, with time you can master these feats”, said Kathifa. 

    Kathifa moved her hands in circles and time started to flow again. “Headmaster the tower is falling”, said Epheria. “Oh dear, thank you I forgot”, said Kathifa then another ring began to glow and the tower stopped falling and was restored to its former condition. 

    “No one can stop me now, no… what happened, why is the kingdom not in ruins, why is nothing in flames, where are the screams of terror and anguish?”, said Dragonborn. Then he looked to the left of him, at the other side of the field, there were standing Kathifa and Sanin both smiling. “Who is that? No matter, no one will stand in my way” then he turned back into the huge fearsome dragon from all those years ago. He roared so loud it resonated throughout the kingdom. 

    “Headmaster I feel kind of estranged”, said Epheria. The green eye was glowing strong, her whole body then got covered in a green aura. “What is that down there?”, said Dragonborn. A huge light emanated from her body and it went up into the sky, it could be seen from all over the kingdom. “It appears being close to the source of the powers have triggered your newfound abilities dear”, said Kathifa. “Give it all you got young one”, said Sanin. Epheria was smiling and had a determined look in her eyes. Her body was now covered in green scales, she had grown a massive tail, her nails were sharp and strong like claws, she had huge wings, which she used to soar into the sky. “Allow me to introduce myself”, said Epheria “I am…”, “I do not care”, said Dragonborn, and using his right claw stroke Epheria to the ground. “That will teach her not to mess with me, now to destroy the kingdom”. He felt his claw being moved. “That was quite rude, manners as my headmaster always says, and never interrupt when someone is introducing themselves”. Epheria moved aside the claw of the Dragonborn. “Like I was saying, I am Epheria the lady with a dragon's eye!”, said Epheria. She flew up high in tremendous speed and with her left hand struck hard in the face of the Dragonborn knocking him to the ground, the whole place quaked when he fell.

    “Headmaster did you see what I did”, said Epheria looking down at Kathifa. “Focus dear, the battle is not over”, said Kathifa. The Dragonborn used his tail and whipped Epheria while she was distracted and Epheria's dragon tail stopped the attack as if it had a mind of its own. “Clever tail of mine, not very kind of you to attack people in the back”, said Epheria. The Dragonborn got mad and opened his mouth, launching a ferocious ball of fire at Epheria. Epheria smiled and open her mouth, she produced herself a green ball of fire but it was not as big as the one Dragonborn had launched. Kathifa smiled and all her rings began to glow, suddenly the green ball of fire started to get bigger and bigger, it even absorbed in the process the attack launched by the Dragonborn. “This cannot be!”, said the Dragonborn. Epheria pushed the gargantuan green ball of fire towards the Dragonborn and it exploded with him. 

    “No! I am eternal, I am power, you will never get rid of me!”, shouted the Dragonborn. The Dragonborn was destroyed. Kathifa inspected the remains and found a black dragon statue with one jade eye. “Better lock this up”, said Kathifa and put it in a wooden box, and locked it in her magic vault. 

    The kingdom of Nerelai was now at peace once again, knowing the evil had been eradicated from the land. Sanin was glad he avenged his family. Kathifa was now going to help Epheria master her new abilities. Epheria was excited that she was now a mage, perhaps not how she expected it, but she was happy. 

    In the magic vault resided a slime creature, that was curious what was in the new wooden box, it made its way to the box, the box began to shake.