Chapter 33: Interlude: The Birth Of A City At The Death Of A Dragon
On a day once thought of as the last, dawn broke upon a vast snowy valley filled with trees stretched out before a group of strange individuals. They gathered on a jagged ridgeline devoid of ice, awaiting the approach of a monster whose name would be removed from history, if they could slay it.
When an atrocity occurs, be it large unwarranted destruction or unfathomable cruelty, a new name is used.
The greatest heroes from around the world came to an agreement long ago, people will stand behind each other, but not the ideal to describe a disaster, and so they would be named as such.
This now gigantic dragon, would henceforth be known as 'The Destroyer'.
Nobody knew why an Elder Dragon, known as caretakers of the land, would absorb the energy from a world tree. Such power could not be contained without corrupting a being, and so his body was twisted into a colossal monster of an unimaginable size.
"Won't the world rip itself apart?"
The first person to speak up was a woman of the cloth.
Her neat brown hair was tied into a bun, her sidelocks braided back with bright green eyes and elaborate gilded white robes gave off an air of importance. She held her hands over an injured man's bloody arm.
"Even if both are destroyed, I doubt it would lead to that. You lost souls never cease to impress, faith magic without chanting is no easy feat"
His sharp voice was in stark contrast to the gentle tone of his healers. Having rolled up his black and blue robes arm to show the severity of his wound as it was slowly healed.
"I guess it would sound strange to say I have faith in my own ability"
"Is that how it works-"
"Can someone lend me some magic over ere'?"
A tall half-dragon girl interrupted their banal conversation with a request for help. Belonging to a nomadic race known as a 'High-Drake', she bore resemblance to a fire dragon and human. With pearlescent crimson scales on her large arms, raptor-like legs and thick tail.
If an unfamiliar stranger came across a being like this, she would almost be considered a monster. However, those experienced in the world would see them as a valuable asset to befriend. Standing seven human feet tall and with an athletic physique, she often found herself approached far more than she wished.
"Will it work?"
"It'll work. Jus' don't expect it teh' land"
"That's fine. Is this cross beam enough?"
"Outta dead trees? Should be right"
Nobody would expect the half dragon to be the kind more interested in contraptions rather than earning through warfare, nor would they expect her closest friend to be a human almost as tall as her.
Born into a barbaric society, then sold into slavery, it was a miracle she survived, even if she often wished that was not the case. Cursed with immortality thanks to alchemy experimentation, her life was filled with far more tragedy than most could handle.
Her bright red hair and glowing right eye only helped to warn others of her nature. Her height unfortunately omitted the opposite effect of her half monster friend, resulting in estrange interest from powerful individuals.
Once she was aware what her fate may be, she tried to take her own life rather than be bred to create an army of tall warriors. At the last second, she was saved through holy magic, but she succeeded in damaging herself enough to be infertile.
After many unwanted attempts, her condition was realized and she became the property of the court alchemist to be used in the experimentation the king wished for most, immortality.
Like a cruel joke, the experimentation was successful. Using a holy chalice to hold a mythical bird's blood, all it took was the single drop that could be held without it turning to ash, to be ingested by the girl who was all but dead.
That single drop gave her body the properties of both the Phoenix and Grain, but the Alchemist didn't realize until later why she was granted such power.
On the precipice of death, she rejected both gifts as she yearned for death.
She shared the Phoenix's wish and Grails justice.
In rejection of power, she was accepted as worthy. Her desire was not of sin, but of need, and thus she stood in the fires of a burning kingdom, set ablaze by unstoppable wrath of an impossible union.
After all was done, she closed her eyes and experienced true horror. All who had been slayed remained in her vision, but not those she loved.
The church would claim these fires to be holy retribution, and the only thing that remained in time was the girl at the center of it all. As kingdoms crumbled and religion faded, she lived day to day, pursuing magic so that she may hide herself from the world.
In all fields of research, illusion was always considered inferior in every way, until the fruits of her labor became realized.
A spell made famous by its single use by an individual who betrayed their noble family and established her nation, a spell that would kill its user but make another of the same flesh became a swansong.
Through that final act, an army would rise, for she could not die.
In an act that she considered an attempt as suicide, she incidentally created life.
An almost perfect copy of the Phoenix Witch who believed it worked and immediately attempted to kill herself but was stopped by the original.
These copies did not share her ability to regenerate, however they shared something far better in all their eyes, the Grails power to never age.
Thus, copy after copy sharing the same thoughts, memories and body all connected to a single mage. Capable of using illusion mage, whispers spread of an army of shadows, it didn't take long for the interest in a long ridiculed school of magic to be thoroughly investigated.
"You should really learn some earth magic. Enda"
"I don't want to hear that from you. Myrddin"
"Then what about me? You know it could be useful"
In all her life, she never sought out power or love, she just wished to be left alone, however this man would drag her back into the light.
To him, this world was entirely foreign. Its culture, creatures and magic didn't exist where he came from. However, plenty of what he did know from his world would prove extremely useful.
He often found himself fascinated by historical weaponry, but died young in a war defending his homeland. Dying as just one of millions, he despised the modern machines of death and believed it to truly be the end.
To his surprise, he was reincarnated into a world filled with magic, not gunpowder. And so, his interest in weaponry blossomed once again until he happened to come across something unbelievable.
A Relic.
Weapons of unbelievable power that chose their wielders and grew alongside them.
No single relic is the same and all are blessed by the spirit of war. Each has a desire to be used by those who could achieve the most, and the man reincarnated to an unknown world was chosen. He named this relic; Heika.
At a glance, it was a simple dark green wire grip waiting to be fitted onto a longsword, but to him, it was any and every weapon he wanted at the drop of a hat.
The man had acquired strength he never thought possible in this strange land and new body. With short silver hair and clean shaven angular face.
Sporting strong amour built by their half dragon party member, it resembled a combination of historical and ancient designs from Greece to Japan, tying his interests and home together.
He was initially surprised he wasn't the first from his world to visit this strange world, but slowly over time and exploring, he theorized these two versions of Earth, both Father and Mother, shared far more than he could ever understand.
"If something like this happens again, well, could really help in rebuilding. Just saying"
"I... I'd prefer not getting involved"
"I know, I never going to force you into anything, as long as you consider it"
She had never thought it was possible for another to accept how she was, and through him, she learned the world was filled with regular people that didn't see people as a resource to be used, but to be cherished.
Over time, these two individuals learned they needed each other, each for their own reasons that eventually led their feelings to blossom.
The man was kind, far kinder than she could ever be herself.
Sometimes she wondered if he was just stupid, or cared for everyone more than his own safety, he piqued her interest. She had never seen someone go to such lengths for others without pursuing his own goals.
Everything he did was always in the service of others, he was a truly selfless individual in a selfish world.
"You too Rider, I know you're laughing on the inside"
"How the hell you know that?"
"I came across a monastery in the mountain range behind the capital of Macht. They trained monks"
"Huh, you sayin' you're gonna punch a dragon?"
"Hah, no. Just... I learned a lot from there, and, who inspired that order long ago"
He nodded towards Enda, who had no idea of the impact she truly left on the world as she forgot any and all who perished that she cared for. Memories of the souls that originated in this world would be wiped from her mind and leave a tear running down her face when they departed this world.
To these mysterious monks, they called her 'Mana Fist' and strived to achieve what she could do like no other, use the mana within her veins to push her strength beyond human comprehension.
"Oh, well then. Maybe I'll visit em' in the future. Ragh' now, we got far bigger problems"
She pointed towards the rising sun, and the shadow emerging from the horizon, slowly blocking out the light completely.
A dragon so big it could carry a nation upon its back was approaching at a high speed, causing avalanches on the snow covered mountains in the far distance.
"We're out of time. Will it work?"
"I'll get you there, one way or another. Ya'll got a plan? Cause it can only take two of yeh'"
"We have a few"
"Good, get on"
The reincarnated man and robed wizard headed towards the makeshift craft of enchanted bone now resting against two dead trees cut and reinforced together by Enda and her copies.
"If you can't do it, please, just come back"
"It'll be fine, it always is"
"Please... Takuya"
"I will, I promise. If I can't... I'll come back"
She used his original name out of desperation, a final plea to stay with her.
In the end, that's all she wanted.
Just a bit more time.
The both climbed onto the thin contraption, placing their feet into the footholds and held tight.
"Alright, any final words?"
"Wait for me, Enda"
"How about wishing us luck?"
"Go bring peace"
"Tssh, aint neither of you need any more luck, ya'll have plenty"
"Be safe Takuya... Please..."
The High-Drake grabbed her ornate bow she left leaning against a nearby rock. A massive war bow made of a monster's horn with glowing red, blue and green runes lining up and down each shaft. Then, within a sealed metal case, she pulled out an arrow covered in a thick mist of deep purple miasma.
"Wait!"
A shout came from a man clad in a red and black armored surcoat. Breathing heavy, he made his way up running and hopping from rock to rock.
"Why are YOU ere'?!"
"Because I tried to stop it as well! You need to use faith magic to cleanse the scales before you can destroy them!"
"Where's your sword?"
After he finally reached their position, they noticed he was unarmed. Something unheard of for a man in his position.
He threw the battered and broken remains of a sword hilt to the ground, landing with a loud thud thanks to its heft.
"How?"
"I went all out, and I was punished"
"So be it"
She knocked the arrow, aimed up above the rising sun and shot.
As the arrow flew her bow broke and a line connected between the craft and projectile.
After a small delay, the craft followed as if it weighed nothing.
All four watched in silence and the copies fled to shelter, with every second that passed, the dragon grew closer and each flap of its giant wings blew the snow off mountains and snapped the trees underneath.
The holy woman created a barrier of light around them as it sore overhead and they began to fear the worst.
A second later, in less than the blink of an eye, a blade cut through their barrier and the ground in-between the group.
It came from within the dragon itself and soon they heard the sound of a thousand small pops as it sliced through its neck in a circular motion, beheading it from within.
The colossal monster's head fell to the ground fast, leaving a crater in the valley behind them as the main body slowly gilded before crushing one of its two mountain peaks in the distant Nala mountain range and covered the frozen landscape with blood.
After half a minute, they saw a single robed man slowly descend from the skies above with a confused look on his face, clutching his elaborate grimoire as he created enough wind to land safely.
Enda looked around and saw the same confused look upon everyone's faces.
Not a word was spoken and Myrddin handed her his grimoire.
When a mage hands another a book of their own spells it's a symbolic action meaning far more than mere words could convey.
A sense of failure, resignation, defeat, and a promise to grow.
As he handed it over, he turned to the last page.
A note was written by another addressed to Enda.
'What I do next will save the world, but take everything from me. My past, present and future. You may be the only one who can remember me-'
She began to weep as she read, her tears sizzling to vapor before they could hit the ground.
'I fight because no one else can. You are the only one that can change that, so allow me to be selfish for once. I love you Enda, never forget that, and please. Never forget who you are, not a discarded tool, but the woman I fell in love with'
They all read the message in silence, then all parted except one, each in their own direction with heads lowered.
Enda fell to her knees, the holy woman tried to comfort her.
"Please... Just- leave me alone"
She screamed.
She tore into herself and tried to rip out her own heart.
Once again, she found herself unable to perish.
As day turned to night, she kept trying to tear herself apart in a desire for death, screaming at the pain of each scratch into her flesh, each rip on her body, and each time it healed to a perfect state.
The holy woman couldn't bare to watch, or let her know she remembered the man who was once born into the same world as her, and so she left as well.
Enda got her wish, to be alone once more.
She hated it.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Aardartem
Aardartem I often alluded to these events in earlier chapters and when writing it for a *short side story* in a rewrite part (Specifically for Chapter 1 Part 3), it quickly exploded into a massive story (You probably guessed that much by the length of this chapter).
So, I thought it would be fitting to dedicate an interlude chapter to the events that began the city our story takes place in. I experimented earlier in a similar short side story with third person writing, so I gave it a proper attempt. If you like or dislike this style please leave a comment about your preferences.
Feedback is extremely important so I can improve, after all, I started writing 6 months ago with zero experience and I failed English class so I'm kinda learning as I go.
As always, more to come.
While this story started off as a single little image in MS paint connecting schools of magic in the best way I thought logical, something far different was born.
I won't change the chapter order unless people want this to be the new prologue yet, even if I think it's rather fitting, until after I finish rewrites for chapter 2 and 3.
Thank you for reading.
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