Three days ago, in Ulrich's lair, Thor was trapped in his pandemonium of madness. He gave in to his anger and was again surrounded by his swirling maelstrom of darkness. Ulrich's voice was the last light before extinguishing within the blackness. "Let your anger go."
No, I will never let it go.
A purple cloud covered his raging eyes as lightning struck across the surrounding ground. He flapped his wings, and Thor's storm grew violent and heavy like the purple aura glowing around his body. He summoned a black ring of dark energy that orbited him; with his final cry, he released it. It stretched outward in a shockwave, and Thor's wrathful magic destroyed Medusa and her army from his memory.
His vision brought him back to the fairytale-lovely crystallized cavern, and soon two unrecognizable entities appeared before him. Perhaps he knew them, but Thor no longer perceived them as friend or foe. To him, they were nothing.
Thor, stop!
Thor didn't react, as the voice was no longer familiar. Instead, he hung his head as his chest swelled, with each breath deeper and heavier than the last. The screaming storm continued circling him until he was entirely consumed by it. When his magic dissipated, his once ruby scales had turned to ebony; wisps of dark Aether tickled his hide as Thor's wings became wafting shadows. The purple veil over his eyes glowed eerily through Thor's unblinking trance, and all that he saw from that point forward was darkness, and all he heard were whispers from demons and the void.
Thor, no.... His mind was twisted and corrupted, and he no longer understood her. He felt a light touch on his snout, but he didn't know who was there. Was it a friend? A foe? Instead, he remained idle. No, this isn't you. This darkness isn't who you are. Please, answer me.
The stranger's words jumbled together, but clear as crystal, another voice entered his mind: Join me, Destroyer of Worlds. The time has come for you to serve the Dark Master.
Yes, Master.
Thor didn't even try to fight his new master's orders, and he was more than obliged to obey. He lifted his head and roared before opening his massive jaws, exhaling his new and terrifying breath. His once Divine fire changed to a black Aether beam with writhing ropes of lightning, and he blasted a hole through the side of the mountain; once the falling rock debris cleared, Thor launched himself skyward in one leap and flew away from the Aurora Peaks.
The dark voice echoed through his subconscious again: Yes, come to me, Fallen One, and join me at the ruins of Alfheim. I shall be waiting for you.
The brilliant blue ore moon rose above Thor as he continued his predestined course. He floated for hours until the sun hovered over the horizon behind him. However, his eyes snapped open when he heard a voice calling out from the light: Thor! Thor!
His wings struggled to keep him adrift, and Thor's head thrashed about as he moaned and groaned. He rocked himself back and forth as he began spinning out of control. Yet, his head filled with a harrowing ring, and he was back under the dark influence that drove his purpose. However, Thor could no longer continue to abide by the Lich's control when the voice cried out again. Thor! Where are you? Thor!
The dark purple veil vanished, and Thor's eyes returned to normal as he stopped in mid-flight. He whipped his head around, thrashing about in place by clawing at his horns, and let out a roar that made the heavens cry. The distraught dragon attempted to return his handler's call, but his mind was still addled. He could hear Selena, but he couldn't answer her; Thor was in a constant battle fighting off the Lich's magic.
No... no!
Selena's voice twinkled within his subconscious. He turned around and saw a slithering shadow disappear into the fading mountains behind him, and Thor immediately flung himself after the silhouette. My dear one, is that you? I'm here. I'm right here.
His futile effort to communicate with her made him give in to the anger that brewed within him. She was right there, and he couldn't speak to her, let alone sense her presence. He knew it had to be her with Silver, and they were looking for him. Fear and dismay made his heart race as Thor realized that Selena perhaps couldn't feel his aura, too.
The Lich's dark and sinister voice filled his thoughts. You belong to me, Destroyer of Worlds.
The necromancer's black magic continued its ever-consuming hold over him, and Thor began his long descent into the Black Bog Forest as he struggled to fight back. He flared out his wings to slow his fall, but his eyes drooped, and he came to a sliding crash onto the forest floor. The earth rumbled and quaked, and Thor's vision darkened and blurred.
He wasn't sure how long he was out. Minutes? Hours, maybe? All he knew was he heard chirps and growls. Thor's eyes fluttered open to find that black whelplings surrounded him, and he recognized they were feral Nidhoggr hatchlings: he counted four. He tilted his head as one of the younglings inched closer, bobbing its head up and down, sniffing his snout. Thor growled, and they scuttled away—he couldn't help but think they looked cute. Thor's nostrils flared as he fell to disbelief that these hatchlings were the same monsters that attacked Alfheim, and he remembered Tiamat, the hatchling that gave her life to save Selena.
One of the whelplings approached with slow steps, ignoring Thor's fixated and curious gaze. As it got close enough, the dragonet sniffed him again. When their noses touched, the baby Nidhoggr twittered, and the other three moved forward. The hatchlings ran around Thor after they each took a turn to smell him, and after satisfying their curiosity, they dashed ahead and ran in circles.
Thor turned his attention heavenward as the whelplings chased each other through the emerald sea of pines. The Lich's voice was gone, but his magic was still there. Thor could no longer hear Selena calling for him, but he was back in his right mind for now, and his colors changed back to normal. What have I done? I am so sorry, my dear one. I promised that I would never leave your side.
His heart swelled, but his head snapped up to the unusual sounds echoing in the distance. Without warning, the Nidhoggr hatchlings scattered through the green lush in fear of the booming voices. "Listen up, maggots. Spread out. Captain Battleraven only wants prized fighters."
Thor crawled on his belly and inched his way closer to the strangers and, through the thick and twirling branches, witnessed a flock of mercenaries wandering across the clearing. He did his best to remain hidden—as much of a dragon his size could—behind a nearby large thick tree root slithering out from the ground.
One pirate caught sight of the fleeing hatchlings, pulled out a blowgun, and fired it at the closest feral Nidhoggr whelpling. It staggered and dropped to the ground after succumbing to the tranquilizing dart; the pirate bagged the whelp in a sack and threw it over his shoulder. "These nasty little beasts will put on a good show in the coliseum. Double the bounty for the bigger ones."
Out of anger, dark flames plumed from Thor's closed maw. His snarls and growls, however, drew the attention of the mercenaries. The pirate that snatched the baby Nidhoggr ordered a few of his men to scout ahead and investigate the sound source. As they crept closer to the root, Thor emerged from the shadows and let forth an eruption of black Aether fire.
The pirates dodged his deadly conflagration, and the rest of the crew leapt from the trees and surrounded the dragon. "What have we here? Captain Battleraven would triple the bounty for your capture."
He had enough of their nonsense; Thor roared and swept his tail across the ground, creating billows of dust that made the pirates stagger back and rub their eyes. However, as he unfurled his wings, several mercenaries pulled out their blowguns and fired brown darts that were strong enough to pierce his rock-hard hide.
Instantly, Thor's eyes began to sag, and his muscles melted as he lost all motor control and slid back down. His vision blurred, and Thor's last sight was the pirates throwing heavily weighted chains over his limp body.
"Rise and shine, dragon." His eyesight recovered, and Thor jerked awake, greeted by cage bars while a strange man stood post to his prison cell door. Without meaning to, the jeweled mess hanging from the man's neck attracted Thor's attention, and his wide-brimmed hat hid part of his greasy old face in the shadows.
Thor whipped around and found himself trapped in a large jail cell—stripped completely barren, minus a large pile of hay stacked in a corner—made entirely of metal on board a massive, wooden vessel of black oak and steel. His wings were tied down to his sides by chains, and adorned around his neck was a thick collar tethered to the floor, banging against the sapphire from his harness.
He bellowed, and fire erupted between his fangs, but the strange man shook his head, clicking his tongue against his teeth. "I wouldn't do that if I were you. You see, we're airborne on the Blood Diamond. My ship and fleet are currently as high as the mountain tops. If you burn down my boat right now, you will plummet to your death while trapped in that metal cage." Thor snapped his fangs but held back his readied attack, extinguishing his ember fury in plumes of smoke. "That's much better. I trust that your living quarters are to your liking?" Thor's eye twitched as he assumed this man to be the unfortunate Captain Battleraven began pacing in front of his prison cell. He snarled as the brute pulled out a brown dart his crew used to bring him down. "Do you want to know why these are perfect for bringing down dragons? They're crafted from dragon bones and can pierce through anything. You were not an easy haul."
Thor roared through his clamped fangs. I will kill you all as soon as I get the chance.
Of course, he knew that the captain couldn't hear him. "That's a nice little piece of treasure you have there. Too bad we couldn't remove that gem. Believe me; we've tried. However, your enchantments to protect that saddle don't mean anything to me, Thor." The captain snarled when he saw the dragon's shocked reaction. "Oh, yes. I know you: the queen's precious commodity, Thor, the Divinity Dragon. I was disappointed at how easily we could capture you, but hopefully, you will be worth our while.
"You see, I run sort of a... business. My crew collects prized fighters to battle in my stadium—entertainment and gold. You, too, will be made to compete in the arena fights just like my other prisoners." Thor snaked his head around to see a horde of pirates coming from down the corridor and encircling their captain; he was disappointed when they ignored his growing growls, but they made haste when the captain pointed to the imprisoned dragon. "Get ready because it's time to fight." Battleraven turned around and took his leave while his minions approached Thor's cell to escort him out.
Despite Thor's large size, the Blood Diamond was a magnificent ship that could easily accommodate forty dragons his size. The pirates led him by the leash with his wings still chained to his sides, preventing him from flying to freedom out of the arena. They made their way to the circular hall open to the natural elements packed with pirates.
Captain Battleraven occupied a throne directly opposite the stadium entrance; he stood from his seat and spoke over the mass of cries. "My fellow felons, welcome to the arena. For the first event of the evening, we give you an exciting battle. Introducing two extraordinary creatures of magic and might, prepare yourselves for Thor, the DRAGON!"
The arena gates opened, and Thor stepped forward towards the fighting area. As the crowd saw Thor emerge, they cheered madly; these brutes were ready to embrace the upcoming bloodshed. "And his opponent, who you know and love, I give you the Many-Eyed Giant!"
The beast stepped forth into the coliseum. When Thor whipped his head around, his jaw dropped when he saw it was a massive gryphon with hundreds of eyes all over its eagle head. The All-Seeing Argus.
Its beak opened while it squawked and screeched, digging its talons and hind lion paws into the dirt. Its feathered wings were chained down to its sides, like Thor's. His thoughts flashed to when he and Selena first fought another Argus during their search for Ragnarok, and his heart yearned for her companionship.
The audience's cheers edged the beast on; the Argus swiped at Thor, but he backed away and prepared himself for the fight. Feeling remorse for the gryphon, he didn't want to fight back, but his rage grew as the beast threw strike after strike. The Argus pecked at him with its long beak and launched a flurry of slashes, but Thor continued backing away, his back arching like a hissing cat. He remembered his first encounter and how elementary his skills were—as Thor was now thrice his opponent's size, perhaps more.
Thor made a warning slash for the Argus to stand down, but the creature wouldn't listen. Leaving him with no choice, he let forth his deadly torrent of black Aether, but he aimed his blast past the gryphon. It recoiled but then launched itself towards him in a desperate attempt to win the fight. Thor dodged and directed his breath attack directly at the beast, the dark Aether incinerating the All-Seeing Argus, and when he clamped shut his maw, a pile of ash remained of the creature.
The fiendish audience applauded and cheered for Thor's flawless victory, but he refused to take a bow for his performance. However, Battleraven sneered. "Well done. Come forward, dragon, and bask in your newfound glory. We may have found ourselves a new champion. Pray don't disappoint us, dragon."
Thor hung his head as Battleraven's crew escorted him back to his cell. He felt horrible and wished that the gryphon didn't have to attack in a blind frenzy; he dreaded what other creatures the captain had planned for Thor to battle. Is this to be my new life? He feared he would never see Selena again.
The pirates abruptly left after locking him up, but before Thor could make as much of another step, his head grew fuzzy and light. He saw two of all before him before fainting to the sound of the Lich's dark command: Come and find me, Destroyer of Worlds. I will be waiting for you at Alfheim.
When he awoke, Thor was greeted by Captain Battleraven banging on his metal bars. "Rise and shine, dragon. It's time for you to make me more gold." Thor snarled, but the captain ignored the dragon's threats and returned to the arena as his mercenaries arrived to lead Thor out of his cell.
The stadium grew packed and ready for the next fight as it had before, and Captain Battleraven had already taken his seat on the throne above the pit. "My fellow fiends and felons, let's welcome back Thor, the dragon!" Thor stepped through the opened gates, only to be greeted by the howling fans. His lips curled into a menacing snarl, which seemed to add to the audience's anticipation. "It's time to bring out the creature of death itself."
Thor turned around and shook his head in disbelief when he met with a smaller weight Nidhoggr; the undead dragon wasn't much larger than the whelps he had encountered previously, but it still hissed upon seeing its massive adversary. The creature advanced to the arena, ready to make its assault. Soon, the two dragons threw themselves upon the other in a melee of claws; the clash amused the spectators as the two dragonkin broke away and circled each other.
The young feral was surprisingly strong and quick; shaking off the pain from the fresh gashes, Thor got into a defensive stance by showing his unscathed side, but the Nidhoggr paused its attack and began sniffing him with curiosity. While the area was stunned in confusion, a small whelpling—the one the pirates bagged before Thor's imprisonment—ran from the shadows and joined its companion. It exhaled a small black Aether stream that melted the chains binding its friend's wings.
The crowd began yelling their boos when the fight paused, and before Captain Battleraven could intervene, Thor heard a sudden roar over the coliseum. The once impressive frigate trembled and rocked. Several Nidhoggr around his size flew overhead, belching their black Aether blasts that decimated the audience and parts of the ship; black meteors rained over the sky pirates.
While the captain and his crew made their escape, the two ferals rushed towards Thor and used their Aether breaths to melt the chains that bound him. Through the combined might of their magic and Thor's strength, the metal snapped off his body, and they assured him he was free with chirps and clicks before flying away to join their brethren.
Stretching out his muscles for the first time in a long while, Thor unfolded his colossal wings, swept himself skyward, and soared into the night. During his hasty escape, he didn't look back to see the massive Aether dragon leading the flight of Nidhoggr and burning down the pirate fleet, nor did he witness Captain Battleraven's grim defeat. Thor couldn't feel her Divine presence due to the dark magic still consuming him. Instead, he kept moving forward and flew away from Battleraven's smoldering ships as fast as possible.
Yet, the Lich's voice returned to him. Come to me, Fallen One.
Thor snarled as he struggled to remain aloft, but the deathly ring shattered his ears, and his flight caught turbulence. His slits rolled into the back of his head as the Lich's command overcame his mind, but Thor continued fighting for control.
Growing tired and weary, he suddenly spiraled again from the sky; after gaining a slight moment of sanity, he focused on catching his flight and strained his wing muscles. However, the fall was too great, and Thor slid and crashed back down into the earth, his massive weight making the ground shake. With the lingering darkness threatening to overcome his subconscious, he felt like he was hit with the captain's sleeping darts again as he faded into slumber.
As his eyes fluttered open, Thor caught the faint rays of sunshine glistening through the dull clouds. He shook his hide like a wet dog and flinched from his aching muscles and wings, but Thor desperately wanted to make it back to Selena. Fighting through the pain, he took to the skies again, determined to return. That necromancer could not hold him back forever.
Much to his relief, the harrowing call remained silent during his trip back. Thor was still far from Heaven's Tear, and he pushed himself to the limit as he increased his speed; the desperate dragon flew as fast as his wings could carry him. Even as the evening soon settled upon the world, his muscles burned like they were on fire, but Thor saw he was almost at the summit and pressed on through the night.
Finally, he made it back to Silver's library while it was still the early dawn, but to Thor's dismay, Selena and the others were already gone. He peered over the horizon to see if he could spot them, but his friends were nowhere to be found.
Sodden and stricken with grief, Thor made his way to the pavilion. He started pawing at the dirt until his eyes scanned over his golden bracelets and chain, along with the dragon totem the Aynu gave him, and he immediately bellowed in despair. Thor collapsed to the ground beside his old treasures and lapsed into a deep slumber in exhaustion, only for his dreams to remind him of her:
"It seems that the hatchling has developed... an attachment to the girl."
"Women are not allowed to become part of the Force."
Thor recalled those words of doubt as he and Selena spent many evenings together in Alfheim. There was no war, no Lich, no Silver. It was just him and her.
"I will never let you go... I promise I will find you and bring you back." Selena's voice was the light that chased away the darkness tormenting him.
As Selena hugged Thor in his dream, he recalled Ulrich's comforting words: "Selena's love for you would never leave this world. It will always reside in your heart."
As it reached midday, Thor was roused by the flutter of beating wings. He snaked his head around to see Ulrich, jumped to his feet, and stared down at the descending Divine. Ulrich made no reaction to Thor's sudden hostility as the green dragon landed close to the tower and fixated his glimmering emerald eyes upon him, his wings still fully extended. "It's good to see you again, Divine One." Thor didn't want to speak to him and greeted Ulrich with a long, menacing growl, but the Emerald Dragon didn't offend by the rude welcome. "You are still so twisted up inside. You're full of love, but your mind has been tainted."
Where is Selena?
"As far as I know, she and the others left to Dark Blood Hold." Thor's heart shattered from this dreadful news. "She and Silver did their best to find you after I sought solace in my fortress. I've been deep in meditation and isolation since your unfortunate absence. Still, I saw how Selena didn't want to abandon her search for you." Ulrich bowed his head to Thor. "Yours and Selena's energies are intertwined, and the bond you two share is unyielding. Your Aether connects you two."
Drawing back his building rage and vehemence, Thor paused for a moment before bending. As it should always be. He glanced at his pavilion and treasures before leaving, as he didn't care for them anymore; all he wanted was to find Selena again, and no amount of gold or jewels could ever replace her.
As he made his way heavenward, he heard Ulrich say, "Farewell, Divine One. We Divines shall watch over you two. Until we meet again."
Thor soared down the peak and through the ice-kissed air. Flurries of pure white greeted him as a newly black-blossomed sky sailed above and bequeathed the world with a bounty of snow. He attempted to reach out to Selena once more as a final, desperate act. He expected his call to go unnoticed. However—
Thor? Is that you?
Thor's eyes widened, and he came to a halt. Her voice at last, though it sounded a little different, he didn't care. His head thrashed around to look for her. My dear, where are you?
I'm at Blackheart Village.
He didn't question that she didn't seem very talkative, but instead, his heart filled with joy to communicate with her again.
He felt light as a feather, and Thor dove towards the settlement like a fired bullet, flying so fast that it made the air scream. He plunged through the clouds and began his descent as he drew closer, and the village was soon well within aerial view after escaping the cold cloud's embrace. His smoldering amber eyes shifted to a shade of red, and his pupils dilated into slits as he approached Blackheart's walls, but he noticed the heavily armed residents who guarded the top watched him like a hawk.
Thor hovered over the town as he looked around for any signs of Selena. I'm here. Where are you?
Instead of receiving an answer, he spun around when the citizens surrounded him. Before the dragon could brace himself, the residents attacked and threw a series of weighted chains to pin Thor down systematically. His roar shook the earth, and he fought back as best as he could, clawing at the ground and shackles, breathing out a barrage of magic attacks, but his efforts to escape came to a halt when he heard the familiar death ring that made him cower. Thor resisted as much as he could, but his mind and body weakened, and he was quickly captured.
The voice Thor thought was Selena's evolved into the Lich's familiar sneer, and the demon mocked the dragon. Where are you, Thor? Thor snarled at the cruel trick, and his eyes zipped past the faces of his captors. I told you that you belong to me.
One by one, the residents of Blackheart unveiled themselves as members of the Obsidian Order. The first guard on top of the wall laughed at Thor. "You missed your rider by hours. Don't worry; we will go after her next."
Thor barely had the strength to curl his lips into a snarl as his mind began to drift out of his control, and the Order finished binding his chains. A shrill shattered the air, and two large saddled Nidhoggr appeared over the horizon and landed beside the subdued dragon.
He conceded to the Lich's final calling; his vision blurred and faded to darkness when the Nidhoggr worked together by snatching his chains and carting him back to what remained of Alfheim.
*****