Aithne Melgren has been in the shadows too long. She has been forgotten, she has been ignored. But she goes for the Riders Quadrant in hopes to escape, to have freedom. To soar through the skies with her very own dragon.
But she has something speci...
It is a grave offence against Malek to keep the belongings of a dead loved one. They belong in the beyond with the god of the dead and the departed. In the absence of a proper temple, any fire will do. He who does not burn for Malek will be burned by Malek. —Major Rorilee's Guide to Appeasing the Gods, Second Edition.
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The sun burns our eyes as we stand in morning formation. "Calvin Atwater," Captain Fitzgibbons reads, his voice solemn as always. He sat behind me in Battle Brief. Now he'll sit in spirit.
There's nothing special about this morning. Our first trial on the Gauntlet made the roll longer, though it was to be expected. It's just another list on just another day...except it's not. Well, not really. For me it's simply another list of meaningless names.
But for others, for violet...It's not like the first day anymore. We know more than half of the names as they're called. But it doesn't matter. They got a chance to flourish, but they didn't put in enough effort to live.
"Newland Jahvon," he continues. 'Who names their kid Newland?' We have to be in the twenties by now. I wonder, if I ever die, would my name get called one and then cease to exist?
"Aurelie Donans." The brilliant woman who died right in front of us during our trial at the Gauntlet. It was a shame. She had a fire in her, but it seemed that she wasn't trying hard enough.
The bruise on my neck has healed, thankfully. I kept it hidden from anybody's view so that no questions would be asked, and it worked. I fight the urge to bring my hand and cup my neck, to massage the ghosting pain.
🐉 ~🌷
I'm in the second-year dorms, specifically Aspyn's dorm room. She approached me yesterday intending to drag me out for a 'hang-out session'. But I sadly didn't have any spare time yesterday, so here I am today.
Perhaps I should have stalled some more. Because she has me by my arm, yanking me towards the ravine on the other side of the college.
I sigh, exasperated. "Why, exactly couldn't we have had this, session in the dorms?" My eyes blankly stare into her surprisingly excited ones.
"Well, there's something I found a day ago and I think it might be related to the figures you were seeing. It might be the trigger." Now I'm intrigued.
A few weeks before our trial on the Gauntlet, the transparent human embodiment that only I could see had increased tenfold. I didn't have anyone to go to, well, except Aspyn.
So I told her when it started, what they looked like, and why I worry. So she came up with some experiments to see if we could determine exactly what they are.
We tested stones to see if they triggered anything, close friends in case that was some sort of medium, but we found nothing.
Now, Aspyn has seemingly found something that is the trigger that we are looking for.
We pass by the healing quadrant, out into the open, grassy terrain. The lazy afternoon sun shines onto us, gleaming like a burning star.
I walk on my own now, not being dragged across the ground. Out in the distance, I spot a hazy bright body which looks identical to a dragon.
'Heh, that's impossible. Dragons don't come out of the vale.' Well, except for the time that the white dragon swooped in to save me.
We move closer and closer until the speck of dot becomes visible. My eyes widen in disbelief, shock, and everything in between. Because what I'm seeing, should not be seen.
A winged creature is laid down on its stomach, a pile of blood pooling under its hind legs. I turn towards Aspyn and exclaim, "What is this?" I thrust my hand towards the injured dragon.
Who I instantly recognize as the one that saved me from falling to my death.
A smile rests on Aspyn's usually cold face. "I saw a white dragon that was injured a few days ago and I thought that it might be linked to you!" She chirps.
I stare at her in horror. "And you didn't decide to, I don't know? Help it?" I yell. She looks taken aback by my outburst, but I can't help it. But I see something else in her eyes, something almost similar to deception. I decide to ignore it, instead focusing on the dragon.
I harshly sigh and immediately run towards the animal. Landing on my knees, I rip out a piece of fabric from my attire and tie the black cloth around the wound. I let my eyes wander around her body, assessing it for any other gashes.
Not finding any, I glance towards where Aspyn stands, her face looking solemn. Once her eyes clash with my own, I find nothing but an ocean of guilt. I move my gaze back towards the dragon.
With the gash now tied, the bleeding has stopped and the dragon is breathing steadily. I shift to look at Aspyn and ask her with a low voice, "Could you go to Xaden or some higher up and cover for me? I'll be out here for a while."
She doesn't say a word but she turns back and walks away. I can only think of that as confirmation.
I peer at the dragon's long body and get up. Her body must be at least 70 feet high, which is a generous estimate. I walk over to the dragon's snout and drop next to it. Compared to the dragon, I only reach halfway to its ankle.
The sun is setting, as I gaze at the sky. The ball of fiery energy lowers itself from behind the clouds, hues of various colours scattered across the sky.
The fluffy clouds hinder the view of the sun, but it's hard to miss such a bright ball hanging up in the skies. A few minutes—which felt like hours—later, the ruler of the sky takes its rest and my eyes flutter close.
1024 Words
A/N Hello my wonderful readers! I hope that you all are well :) I have finally updated with an extremely small chapter as I have had many tests in school 😔 I hope you enjoy and don't forget to drink some water <3
