“Evil holds it’s firm fiery hand over the land of Memnon. All that once had been good in this world…is lost. Indeed, I remain the single last person who remembers what once existed here. I am documenting these memories so that those who find them will know. I do not have much time; the evil ones are tracking me.
Before the smoke, there was light. Before the demons, there were angels. Before the war, there was peace. Before we were slaves, we were dragons.
I am going to show you how my world ended. I am going to show you how Armageddon came to past. I am going to show you how hell came to earth”
Komodo gazed gloriously from the tallest mountain, upon the land he called home. Doing so, he felt, was privilege that everyone should seize, for even though Komodo was un-educated in regards to the other realms of the world, he was certain that not all of them could be as beautiful as his. There is, after all, only a certain amount of blessings that Aphrodite can distribute. Unlike Komodo, however, the others of his kind rarely had the patience to fly the height required merely to gaze upon the entire land. Komodo never understood why this was, for every instant he spent admiring the forests whose trees stretched towards the heavens or the thousands upon thousands of lakes that travelled for miles and glittered majestically in the sunlight brought joy unto his hearts. How fortunate he felt to behold beauty wherever he searched, from the ground to the wondrous and endless sapphire sky. He had been away for several weeks on a hunt and never had he been more delighted to return home.
So entranced in the beauty of his surroundings, Komodo failed to notice the magical presence of another entering his mind, and was evidently startled when a booming voice snatched his attention.
“Komodo! Get down here. Now.”
“Elder Sagacity? What’s wrong?”
“You are needed.”
This was troubling. Sagacity was by no means violent. Yet Vulcan himself would have shuddered at the power behind his tone. All the happiness and tranquility Komodo had possessed evaporated in an instant, and his mind became plagued by worries. What could possibly have transpired to make Sagacity summon him so jarringly?
Spreading his wings magnificently, Komodo released a roar that rumbled downwards, conveying a message to those below that he was about to descend. Then, faster than most his age would dare, he began to dive downwards, returning to his homeland.
Within five minutes he had reached his destination; a clearing on the outskirts of the forest Unitas. This was the meeting place of the Elders; the oldest and wisest of all. They were also the biggest and scariest and their old age caused their skin to transform into a ghostly white, unlike the hatchlings who were green and the adults who were red. To be summoned by an Elder such as Sagacity would usually only occur when one was to be honoured or punished. Which of these was fated to Komodo, he was unsure.
Out of the 24 Elders, only three were present however. Along with Elder Sagacity were Elder Durran and Elder Hopian. Komodo descended lightly a few feet away from where they sat, bowing his head as a gesture of respect. Sagacity stared down upon him.
“I apologize for intruding into your mind without permission, Komodo. However, know that I would not do so if the situation was not dire. You are needed.”
Komodo looked up into Sagacity’s eyes. What he saw was alarming; gone was the love and devotion that so obviously illuminated Sagacity’s presence. Instead, his eyes were empty, as if all the light had been drained like water from a cloth. What had happened whilst Sagacity had been on the hunt?
“Forgive me, noble one. I must enquire: what has become of the remainder of the other Elders?”
“Much has happened since you departed”, said Durran calmly, his voice consumed with a sadness that furthered Komodo’s uneasiness. “They’re all gone”
“Gone?”
“Taken. Let us show you”.
Komodo bowed his head again and closed his eyes. This, unlike before, was not a gesture of respect but rather preparation for what he knew the Elders were about to do. The Elders were combining their magics and entering his mind to show him what had transpired. Komodo never once forgot what he saw.
An army of millions upon millions of insects was marching upon a desert wasteland. They were a savage race, driven by their desire for blood and their lust for riches. Their bodies were hairy; they had no wings and walked only upon two legs. Despite their size, they had great instruments of war that spat fire. Wherever they walked, they tore down all beauty and dissolved it into nothingness. The Elders had sensed their arrival and had called upon the ambassadors to meet these things, in order to negotiate before they arrived on the homeland. This consisted of twelve negotiators and battle trained warriors, sent in case things did not pass well. Which they did not.
Upon sight of the ambassadors, the insects without warning released their terrible animals of war- large green beasts with trunks that released powerful bolts of fire, great flying birds that did the same. The ambassadors and the warriors defended themselves honourable, however the insects and their beasts were too numerous to overcome. Within an hour, they had triumphed.
The Elders, outraged by what had occurred, emptied the land and led a full charge into battle. The results, however, were the same. Seven days the battles were fought, and within seven days all but Sagacity, Durran and Hopian has been captured or sent into the next life. These insects, these demons, had won.
Komodo awakened from the trance. Words cannot describe the mixture of sorrow and anger that had grown inside of him. Part of him wished to stop and morn the loss of his brothers and sisters. The other part wished for nothing but vengeance.
Within the next few days, the insects arrived on the border of Komodo’s home. The enslavement of the remaining Elders did not take long, however Komodo who was consumed with rage, took several weeks to subdue. Using the remainder of his magic, he created a way of documenting what had happened, into the stones of the once beautiful mountain. There he told of how his world was turned to ash. How the trees were chopped and burnt and the lakes were drained. How the once clear sky became covered in sheets of black fog. Komodo’s people were defeated. Those who were killed were eaten. Those who were captured were put on display for the insect’s amusement. As for Komodo, the last one to be captured, his soul was broken and he became a blind slave, unable to summon the courage he had once felt to defend his homeland. Indeed, who would have believed that this pathetic sad lizard had once been a mighty dragon?
Joe Staton.
