Memories of an Ice Dragon: The first regret.
From the distance, I saw Valkyon dressing in vermilion scales, shifting into his dragon form ready to come and meet me in the sky. How could he, how dare he turn his back to his own blood and defy his brother like this!
He should have listened, as a dragon, he should have stayed with his kin where he belongs. Instead, he chose to return to those bastards with the tail between his legs like a puppy! This only proves my point; the influence of that rotten guard has turned Valkyon into a waste of a man that will never be able to honour his lineage.
He even DARED to refuse my last offering to give Eldarya what it deserves! True freedom can only be achieved through the destruction of this tainted world and its miserable inhabitants!
They have chased innocents to death, unfairly punished faery races for being true to their nature, turned a blind eye to unforgivable crimes that benefited their interests, and every.single.day, spread a web of lies and manipulations to keep the people of Eldarya submissive and ignorant to the reality we face.
And Valkyon, after ALL that the Guard of Eel has done, after all of their lies, their barbarism against the dragons and the aengels, the unfairness toward the powerless ones, chose to remain with them. HE CHOSE to fight his OWN BROTHER!
Now I remember why I didn’t take him with me when I faked my own death to leave that disgusting warren. He is too guileless, too dewy-eyed to face the cruel truth about this world. We stand over our race’s legendary blood, and the least we can do, the least I CAN DO is set them free.
Their sacrifice has only been useful for the faeries to kill themselves, to chase power and dominance through pain, suffering and agony. It was not enough forcing us to exist in hiding and fear, they have also doomed many other people to a runaway life through their contemptible methods and their desperate search for control.
This is not just about me. I am just the head of the revolution of the ones who walked into the light and opened their eyes.
That day, all of it would come to an end. We were going to drag Eldarya to his imminent destruction. All of us were willing to die if that meant that the rest of this world would chase the same fate. Valkyon was aiming straight at me, and he even had the pathetic winged human on his back in a coarse attempt of fighting me. Truly hilarious.
Heading straight to the city’s shield, my steady flight was wrecked by the insufferable rays of the sun that was shining upon us like a silent beholder of our fight. Inevitably, he decisively rammed into me just before I reached the shield.
I clashed, lashed and thrashed trying to break free, but he held onto me with his massive body, refusing to let me go as if the future of Eldarya depended on it. As I struggled, I saw from the corner of my eye that stupid wretch focusing on my neck.
I viciously roared, letting blue flames escape my snout and nostrils burning Valkyon’s wing, who finally got out of my way. The audacity! Letting that piteous creature ride him to try and aim at my weak spot! Even THAT was too low for him. Just when I thought he couldn’t be more of a disappointment, he manages to surprise me again. Was that what he learned during my absence? Cheap and filthy tricks?
After he drifted away, he started circling me, both of us spitting fire trying to keep each other in line. Honestly, I was surprised; I was not aware that my foolish brother could manage to unwind his dragon form.
Even so, he could not stand a chance with me. After all this time denying his primal self, no matter how hard he tried, he could not still match my skills. With all my strength, I charged against him, and even though he tried to counterattack, I dodged his lunge and ploughed into the shield.
Unfortunately, it didn’t break as easily as I thought, shoving me back while I was spewing flames to knock it down. I headed straight to the crystal room trying to slip away from my brother, but he rushed after me, and casting flames, he tore one of my wings.
I howled in pain and rage as I was failing, trying to retaliate in vain. I had to fight back, I COULDN’T afford to lose like this, LOSING BECAUSE OF HIM!
Out of desperation, I grabbed onto my brother and I managed to destabilize him, dragging us both as we pierced the delicate roof of the crystal room. Within a second, we both crashed into the damaged crystal. As fast as I could, I got to my feet with blurry eyes and a spinning head.
I felt my blood boiling under my skin. Could not he see what I was trying to do?!? Did not he understand the scope of my project?! I was doing this FOR US! FOR HIM! I WAS THE ONE WHO HAD TO FIX THE MISTAKE THAT THE INSIGNIFICANT ELDARYANS COMMITTED!
I didn’t hear anything anymore. I didn’t see anything apart from my brother’s figure, now human-like. My vision was clear: I had to finish this, and nothing else would matter after I destroyed this damn stack of blue crystals.
With the last growl, I got close to my twin, sinking my silver claws in the flesh of his chest. I pushed forward, feeling his ribs and limbs slang against my weight. His face twisted in pain and furrowing a brow, he glanced over the aengel one last time before looking back at me.
He didn’t seem angry or scared, it was like… He expected it. A heavy feeling sank into my chest. Unable to do anything else, I removed my claws from his chest and he collapsed to the ground, almost noiselessly, his wings like a shroud.
I quickly returned to my human form, and my little brother’s eyes were still locked into mine. We stared at each other, without saying anything for some ageless seconds before Erika rushed to him and plunged him into unconsciousness.
I was incapable of taking my eyes off him. I have witnessed more deaths in my life than I can remember, many of them executed by me, but nothing could compare to what I did that day. For once, I had regrets. For once, I questioned if what I had just done, was worth the trouble. I decided to stop thinking at all. It would not matter anyway, since the end was near.
The floor was trembling and the screams of the people out there were the symphony of such an awaiting moment. I closed my eyes and I waited, waited for the moment that would finish all.
Hello! It's been a long time! This little thing you just have read is the first part of "Memories of an ice dragon", a small tribute to Ashkore and not this... Spoilt thing called "Lance" in a new era. I've had this idea in my drafts for a long time, but I needed to polish and it has taken me a while since life turned a bit... complicated, recently. Anyways, I plan to do small passages of Ashkore's life during his duel after TO's events which you can also read in AO3. So, if you have something to propose, let me know in my ask box! If you have liked it, consider stopping by my masterlist.
tagged: @rbraeden