SYNOPSIS:
Pursued by Blister and her SandWings after their narrow escape from Survilis, Aeris and Nia stumbled upon a mysterious haven, where Aeris reunited with a past Talons of Peace member. Together, the dragons continue their mission as they journey across the most dangerous part of Pyrrhia. As dangers reemerged and threatened the group, Aeris had to risk everything to protect Nia from falling into the claws of Blister.
____________________________________________
[scene begins with Nia being led by an older NightWing across a large field. A giant mountain stands in the distance, overlooking the valley ahead. Finally, the two NightWing stops in the middle of the field. A giant boulder with an unknown relic stands in the distance]
[SCREEN TITLE: 4995 AS]
[the older NightWing is revealed to be Vust. She brings Nia over to the boulder, showing her the glowing relic. It's revealed to be a rough, crystal sphere hovering above the boulder]
VUST: The stone has sat with our home for generations. [turns to Nia] A treasured relic that oversees everything we do. It gives us, protects us, and empowers us.
NIA: Whoa...
[the relic is rotating as it hovers, firing out strands of light in a random direction. Vust and Nia advance toward the boulder, staring at the stone floating above. The light emitting from the stone is reflecting off of Nia's eyes, which are wide open in awe]
NIA: What do you mean by "empower"?
VUST: Many, many years ago, before you hatched, [chuckles] this relic was given to us by a mysterious wizard. [mimic spooky voice] Wooo.
NIA: There are wizards?
VUST: That's what they told me. No one has an exact story. It crashed in the middle of our home one day, no one knew where or why. We just knew that this stone contains a secret.
NIA: What secret?
VUST: A life-changing one.
NIA: Huh...
VUST: A few of us held the relic, including me, and all of us had a vision. The same one. It was only after I had felt the stone that I got this. [points to the teardrop scale near her right eye]
NIA: [excitedly] So you can see the future?
VUST: That's right.
NIA: S-so... what's the secret? What was the vision that you saw?
VUST: [looks away and thinks for a moment] A chance for us. We saw how everything would end.
[scene cuts to Nia being chained against a pole. She struggles as she flails around, looking around the small, circular room. She sees a bit of sunlight peeking through the holes in the roof]
[Nia tugs onto her chain, trying to pull her talons off of them. She grunts in annoyance, eventually giving up and leaning back against the pole. The door to the room pushes open, and a flash of outside light bursts into the room, blinding Nia]
[Nia turns away, blinking multiple times as she adjusts her eyes to the brightness outside. She sees a silhouette of a SeaWing standing at the door, who begins to approach her. He is wearing a mask over his face, slowing to a stop in front of Nia]
[the SeaWing reveals himself with a symbol painted over his snout. Nia keeps her gaze on him as he walks across the room, dragging a small stool in front of her and sitting down]
NIA: You got stuff all over your face.
SAXE: It's paint.
NIA: [looks around and pulls onto the chain] What is all of this about?
[Nia sees a few other SeaWings entering the room, standing behind Saxe. She notices one of them carrying Aeris's bag, and another one is holding Aeris's knife, and she gasps]
SAXE: Last night, Survilis was attacked.
NIA: Yeah, no, shit, I was there.
SAXE: And then you and your SkyWing walked into our territory. [raises his talon behind him, and the SeaWing hands him Aeris's bag] You're heading for the Dark Sector, huh?
NIA: [surprised] H-how do you know that?
SAXE: Kid, [reveals the Talons of Peace symbol printed on his right arm] I worked for the Talons. I was disposed of a while ago, and I found this place. These dragons are good dragons.
NIA: Not really when you just came out and attacked random dragons.
SAXE: Not... random dragons. I know Aeris.
NIA: You do?
SAXE: I didn't know if I could trust him. [looks away] I heard he left the Talons a year ago. Now, all of a sudden, he just randomly showed up thousands of miles across the continent.
NIA: Where is he?
SAXE: Unconscious. He's fine. [stands up and tosses the stool aside] I'm more intrigued about you, NightWing. You know how to end the war. Is that why he's bringing you to the sector?
NIA: Y-yeah. Wait, how did you know about him?
SAXE: He and his girlfriend came by a few times to our sector. [walks to the back of the pole] Ain't no one ever mentioned anything about it.
NIA: Oh, oh, great. Yeah, so we can trust each other, can you get me out? These damn chains are hurting my wrists.
SAXE: What'd you think I'm doing?
[Saxe crouches down, unlocking the chains and releasing Nia. Nia holds her left wrist and winces, scrubbing it. She watches as Saxe walks past her, seeing the other SeaWings leaving the room. Saxe heads to the door, standing there and waiting. He turns around to Nia]
SAXE: You're gonna get out of this dirty ass room or not?
[Nia quickly follows Saxe and the other SeaWings out of the room. She steps onto a wooden dangling bridge, seeing giant tents built over the giant lake. A few SeaWings dive into the lake, swimming rapidly as they head deeper]
[some SeaWings carrying vases turn to Nia in awe and confusion. Saxe leads Nia across the bridge, showing her around the place. Nia sees SeaWing dragonets leaping and diving into the lake, laughing loudly]
SEAWING DRAGONET #1: Whoo-hoo!
SEAWING DRAGONET #2: Come on, Olan. Get in here with us.
[Nia notices SeaWing adults dragging nets stuffed with fishes flapping around violently. She continues after Saxe as the two dragons step onto another bridge, and she tries to balance herself to avoid falling off]
SAXE: Pretty nice, huh? [turns to Nia] When I first came here, I knew this was a haven for other SeaWings out there... like me. I thought that, you know, if others can have their giant palaces and kingdoms, a little place like this would be cool.
NIA: You built all of this?
SAXE: I had a little help.
[Saxe waves to the SeaWings walking by on the other bridge. Nia turns to him and thinks for a moment]
SAXE: After the... [stutters] the whole war thing, and then the Talons thing, a lot of us lost our home. It's not really easy to live when Blister would just suddenly drag you into a war.
NIA: [silently] Mhm.
SAXE: So we started over. It's not as grand as the Summer and Deep Palace, but we're taking the little steps. We had about two hundred SeaWings here. We're really strict about who walks in here and who doesn't.
NIA: What do you mean?
SAXE: Five hundred SeaWings came by and looked for a place to stay. A lot of them were defects, and we couldn't let them in. We needed dragons who are strong and look after this place.
NIA: [looks around the lake] So this place is only exclusive to SeaWings, huh?
SAXE: Yeah. [sighs] But they're thinking of expanding it to be a haven for fugitives from other tribes, too. Something like Survilis.
NIA: And you?
SAXE: I'm not completely on board with what they want to do. When you open the door for dragons you don't know, they could turn out to be anybody. And most of the time, it's for the worst. You've been to Survilis, see what happened. Same thing, Sand Sector? Shit has been a mess.
NIA: So you don't trust anyone?
SAXE: Why'd you think I attacked your SkyWing? [turns away] Assume everyone will betray and backstab you, so when it happens, you're a step ahead. We were ready to leave him behind.
NIA: But you didn't. See, you trusted me.
SAXE: Listen, NightWing, their decision wasn't influenced by you one bit. Follow me. There's something I want to show you.
[scene cuts to Saxe and Nia arriving at the shore on the other side of the lake. Nia sees the haven in the distance, feeling the wind blowing at her snout. Saxe approaches five giant boulder columns standing on the sand. Small waves are rushing onto the shore]
[Nia approaches the columns, seeing names inscribed on them. She walks closer to them, reading the names in her head]
SAXE: This is everyone we've lost. Some of them weren't SeaWings. We encouraged everyone who's come here to honor the name of a dragon they lost. We used to get a lot, but it's not piling up as much now.
NIA: That's good...
SAXE: The price of this war. Their ashes rest within this place. [looks at the columns] Everything is so fragile now... that... you don't even know when's the last time you're gonna live.
[Saxe takes a step backward, while Nia continues staring at the hundreds of names on the columns]
NIA: It's beautiful.
SAXE: If we let the wrong dragon in, this place would end up in rubble. It's hard finding places like this out there. That's why we have to be careful. Can't lose everything we've built.
[a moment later, Nia and Saxe enter a giant lodge, where tables are scattered neatly across the room. Nia sees a few dragons having meals and conversations with each other. She also sees others hanging banners and posters along the walls]
SAXE: A lot of them, we took in.
[a SeaWing approaches the two dragons]
SAXE: Nia, I want to introduce you to my wife. [turns to the SeaWing] Issha, this is Nia. She was brought here by Aeris.
ISSHA: [waves to Nia] Welcome.
NIA: You built this place, too?
ISSHA: A lot of us did. It's a job we share among everyone who lives here. [looks at Nia] We gotta look out for each other... the continent ain't doing that nowadays.
NIA: [mutters to herself] I guess that's true.
ISSHA: So where did you come from?
NIA: Sky Sector. Go further than that, it's a NightWing village.
ISSHA: Well, [points to herself and Saxe] both of us were from the Sea Sector. Aeris and his SkyWing came by a few times to visit. Those were some fun days.
NIA: I-is he okay right now?
ISSHA: We currently have some of our guys looking after him. Nothing bad will happen to him, so don't worry, NightWing.
[scene cuts to Aeris, who's strapped around a pole. A SeaWing approaches him, pulling the pouch off his head and revealing his face. Aeris groans, blinking a few times as his vision readjusts. He sees Saxe standing in front of him with his arms crossed]
AERIS: Saxe?
SAXE: You came a long way.
AERIS: Where is she?
SAXE: She's fine. Sorry about that, [points at the wound on Aeris's temple] our guys didn't know if they could trust you. [pauses] I don't even know if I can trust you right now.
AERIS: You could've just said something. [exhales] What are you here for?
SAXE: We need to discuss the recent attack in Survilis. Thirty-six dragons died last night, and hundreds more were injured. Who is following after you?
AERIS: How do you know someone is following after me?
SAXE: Survilis blew apart the moment you showed up. They gotta be coming after your NightWing.
AERIS: Blister. She's trying to get her talons on Nia.
SAXE: [raises one of his eyes] She's trying to take your girl again?
AERIS: You piece of shit. [flails around and grunts as he struggles] Get me out of here.
SAXE: I need to see what you would do first.
AERIS: We were fine if you and your stupid SeaWings didn't attack us. [sighs] It's me. Aeris. Remember? The same SkyWing who used to visit your sector and piss off Sobek.
SAXE: Yeah. [chuckles] Her.
[Saxe walks away, turning around and staring at Aeris. Aeris tries to move his talons, but he can barely move an inch without Saxe noticing]
AERIS: She would yell at April for going through her stuff.
SAXE: I know. I do remember. But that was three years ago. You were in the Talons then, but you're not now. I don't even know if you have any relationship with the queens or the princesses.
AERIS: When did you become so protective?
SAXE: I have to. I thought that we were safe, and then last night happened, and now you're showing up in our territory with a target on your head. Pretty soon, Blister and her goons are gonna show up.
AERIS: Well, get me the hell out of these damn strings and I'll leave before they can even find out.
SAXE: [groans as he grabs his head] You still talk way too much.
AERIS: Get me out or I'll do it myself. One of the choices will involve you dying. [eyes his tied wrists] Come on, let's not turn this place into a mess.
[Saxe groans in annoyance and approaches Aeris. The scene cuts to Aeris and Saxe walking into an empty room. Aeris holds a pouch of ice over the wound on his temple, wincing and groaning as he slumps down onto a sofa, sighing in relief]
[Aeris notices Saxe sitting across from him with his gaze fixed on him. Aeris turns away for a moment, looking back at Saxe and seeing him continue staring at him]
AERIS: You gonna look somewhere else or just stare at me?
SAXE: This trip you're taking... it's not something that you can't do.
AERIS: You've ever had anyone go out there? Any of your dragons?
SAXE: A few. But even though only some of us ever get to go out there, we still have protocols to follow. It's dangerous out there, some may even say the most dangerous place in Pyrrhia.
AERIS: [scoffs] I've been to worse.
SAXE: The sector is about five hundred miles away. [groans as he picks up a bag from the ground and tosses it across the room] It's a day flight from here if you fly nonstop. I can help you guys get there, but it's not a guarantee I will. Blister is still after your tail.
AERIS: [sits up in surprise] You're willing to help us?
SAXE: Of course.
AERIS: Horus told me about a group of dragons around here who attack dragons trying to get across.
SAXE: [stands up from his seat] Well, he ain't lying. It's a whole mess out there. You know, [motions a circle with his talon] after Blister took control of the entire southeastern part, she flooded the entire place with her dragons. We will definitely run into one of her dragons.
AERIS: You don't have to come if you don't want to. Just stay back here, keep your face hidden, they won't find you.
SAXE: Believe me, I'm very tempted to stay, but part of this is my fight, too. That's why we both joined the Talons, right? So we can end this fight, [stammers] s-so we can end all the fight. If I let both of you walk out there, and the next thing I get is a message that they killed you... I feel like part of it is on me.
AERIS: [sighs] You do what you want. [stands and walks over to Saxe] But I have to warn you. You're safe, you have a home, and there's no one going after your head. If you do this, there's a chance that you'll lose all of that.
SAXE: [raises his talon toward Aeris] We got a deal?
AERIS: [shakes Saxe's talon] Your call.
[Saxe smiles as he walks past Aeris, patting him on the back. Aeris stands there, head turned away from the door. He hears the door open, and his ears twitch as he hears the door shut. Aeris closes his eyes, nodding for a moment]
[scene cuts back to Survilis, where Blister and her dragons are investigating the ruins. Blister flips debris over, revealing a crushed and injured SandWing lying underneath. He has sustained multiple scars along his snout, and a pool of blood sits next to his snout]
[Blister scoffs, walking away and arriving at a destroyed alley. She heads deeper into the alley, noticing a red talon sticking out of a fallen ruin. She drags the debris away, revealing the dead Reela with her eyes closed]
[Blister stands there for a long moment, keeping her gaze on Reela's corpse. She looks at her neck, seeing the Sky Imprint, and she exhales. Blister sits down on the debris next to Reela, thinking for a moment]
BLISTER: Your creation's your undoing. [turns to Reela and sees her stab wound] And he didn't even hesitate... not at all.
[Blister turns away, looking outside the alley and seeing her dragons dragging survivors across the street. She nods and pushes her tongue against her cheek, staring at the ground]
BLISTER: So much for everything.
SANDWING #1: [shouting from outside the alley] Stay down!
BLISTER: This is what you get in return. [picks up a pebble from the ground and fiddles with it in her talon] And the queen you work for won't even remember or honor you. Nor my sister.
SANDWING #2: Get them out of there!
[Blister listens to the screams outside the alley, barely giving them any attention. She tosses the rock at a wall, which bounces off of it and drops onto the ground. Blister hears more screams outside]
BLISTER: But I'll pay for it. [stands up and looks at Reela] I'll take down your SkyWing... and slaughter my sisters and their little queens. Seems you would be proud of it, won't you, sister?
[Blister walks out of the alley, leaving Reela's body there. She approaches her dragons, who have captured a dozen survivors from the attack. She stares at the survivors for a moment, listening to them whimpering and begging for mercy]
[Blister notices a dragonet holding on tight to her mother. She crouches down and looks at the dragonet, grabbing her snout and pulling it toward her]
BLISTER: Hello, little dragonet. Where's your father?
SANDWING DRAGONET: [crying] He's... dead. [sniffles] Because of you.
BLISTER: Oh. [looks in the distance, seeing many dead SandWings sprawled across the street. She turns back to the dragonet] That's a shame.
[Blister stands and orders two of her SandWings to follow her down the street. The SandWing dragonet continues crying in her mother's arms]
[scene cuts to Saxe arriving in front of a vault. Nia turns around, seeing the haven in the distance. Saxe grabs onto the handle of the rusted metal gate, dragging it open and waiting for Aeris and Nia to enter first. Aeris holds right onto his bag]
[inside the vault is a wall that has been overtaken by the nature around it. Saxe pushes through the leaf vines, revealing a cramped, dirty tunnel ahead. Aeris looks down the tunnel, coughing and covering his snout. Nia cringes at the odor inside the tunnel]
[Aeris stares down the tunnel, remembering an event from his past. He breathes quickly and quietly as he continues staring at the darkness deeper in the tunnel. He begins hearing screams in his head]
NIA: Aeris. Aeris?
[Aeris snaps out of his head, and he turns to Nia, who raises one of her eyes at him]
SAXE: We had SeaWings and MudWings dumping all their waste and junk here many years ago.
NIA: Can't we take another way out?
SAXE: It's better if we stay underneath. This will bring you about twenty miles away from here. [turns to Aeris] Wouldn't want to run into any dragons up there.
[Saxe turns toward the tunnel and heads into it. Aeris follows closely behind, and Nia finally walks after them reluctantly. After taking a few steps into the tunnel, Nia turns around, seeing a bit of light from the vault]
AERIS: Nia, let's go.
[Nia turns back to Aeris and Saxe as they head down the tunnel. As they continue deeper, a few fireflies begin to glow in the dark tunnel, lighting up the area around them. Many more fireflies begin to light up as well, brightening the entire tunnel]
[Nia watches in awe and laughs, tapping a few of them with her claws. Aeris stares in awe as well, raising his talon forward and watching as one of the fireflies lands on his claw]
AERIS: I've never seen so many of them before.
SAXE: It's safe for them down here... away from all that's happening up there.
[the dragons continue walking down the tunnel with a swarm of fireflies following after them. A few more fireflies land on Nia's claws, and she laughs as she inspects them closely]
SAXE: You two ever heard about what happened down here? [turns back to Aeris and Nia while continuing walking forward] I told you about it. Two months after the war started, Blister's influence spread across this entire part.
AERIS: A hundred and seven of them hid down here. Yeah, I know the story.
SAXE: No one ever figured out the real number. However, a lot of us thought it was around two hundred. [scratches his snout and exhales] Almost a third of them were dragonets.
NIA: [chuckles] Dragonets?
[Nia looks at Aeris and Saxe in confusion. She sees a few vines dangling from the roof of the tunnel. She also sees strange writings on the wall, which have faded over time]
SAXE: [to Aeris] We have to tell her.
[Nia turns to Aeris again, seeing him staying silent. She waits for a moment, sighing quietly before building up the strength to speak]
NIA: What happened here?
SAXE: A lot migrated from their tribes since Blister came. Most were MudWings and SeaWings, but there were a few SandWings, too. They formed their own group and took care of each other like family. The night they stayed down here, dragons out there would shut all of the exits.
NIA: [horror begins to creep on her face, and she stutters] W-what did they do?
SAXE: They poisoned the entire tunnel. Smoked down the entire place. Within twenty minutes, every single dragon in here suffocated and died. No one survived. [turns to Nia] Not the rich or the poor... old or young.
NIA: All of the dragonets?
SAXE: [repeats slowly] Every single one.
NIA: So Blister killed all of them?
AERIS: No.
NIA: [looks at Aeris with a confused expression] What?
AERIS: It's the other sister.
SAXE: Burn saw it as an opportunity to get rid of them. She thought that by doing so, she would get rid of Blister's dragons. [pauses] She heard about it, flew all the way here with her dragons for it, and then left.
NIA: [to Aeris] How did you know about it?
[Aeris and Saxe look at each other. Aeris thinks for a moment while looking at the ground, giving Saxe and quick nod of approval]
SAXE: Because... Aeris was one of Burn's dragons.
AERIS: I was out there that night.
NIA: [scoffs nervously] Y-you're kidding. Aeris, this isn't true, right? You couldn't-
AERIS: I did. None of us are good dragons, Nia. I did what I had to because I didn't have a choice. [moves aside and pulls a vine on the wall, revealing a dead SeaWing] If I hadn't done what she told me, I don't even know...
NIA: What would she do?
AERIS: It was either April or them. I did what I had to protect her.
[the dead SeaWing's limbs have been overtaken by the vines. Nia notices a few leaves are growing over his eyes, and she cringes in disgust and horror. Aeris drops the vine and covers the corpse]
[Aeris walks around Saxe with his arms crossed, trying to shrink and hide himself. Nia sees a few more remains of dead dragons ahead, and she closes her eyes and looks at the ground]
NIA: [turns to Saxe] You know about this?
SAXE: About a month after Aeris became a Talon.
NIA: [to Aeris] A-and you didn't tell me anything about this?
AERIS: If I had, would you have followed me this entire time? [pauses and looks at the ground in guilt] I've done bad things, [slowly adds in] a lot of them, and all of them were because I didn't have a choice.
NIA: All these dragons down here...
AERIS: I heard their screams. There were waves of them trampling each other to try to run, begging for us to let them out. [scoffs and turns away] I almost did, but they stopped me.
[scene cuts to Aeris standing out of the tunnel, hardly able to swallow. A forest is burning in the distance, and Aeris can hear the faint shouting of SkyWings surrounding the forest. He sees a few dragons diving through the canopy and into the fire]
[SCREEN TITLE: 4993 AS]
SKYWING #1: Subject thirty-two. Fugitive. Find him.
SKYWING #2: Movements detected... southeast border.
[Aeris is stationed outside of the tunnel, and he hears quiet wailing from inside of it. He stares at the tunnel, closing his eyes and considering what to do. As he reopens his eyes again, the scene cuts to him being attacked and pinned by the other SkyWings]
AERIS: Nooooo!
[Aeris watches the tunnel move farther from his as the SkyWings drag him away from it. Aeris grunts and flails around, attacking a few of his own SkyWings before being knocked into the mud again]
[one of the SkyWings grabs Aeris's snout and pushes him hard against the ground, stopping him from getting up. Aeris groans loudly, reaching for the SkyWing's talon and trying to get him off of him. The SkyWing slams Aeris's snout against the ground hard, weakening him]
[Aeris's talons are bleeding, and it is revealed that he has been attacking a few of the SkyWings who tried to stop him earlier. Nine SkyWings are lying on the ground unconsciously, a result of Aeris's attack]
SKYWING #3: Get him down, get him down.
[Aeris exhales in exhaustion, slowly calming down and regaining his energy]
SKYWING #4: Sedate him.
[Aeris struggles to break free from the grasp of the other SkyWings. Another dragon arrives and cuffs Aeris's snout, preventing him from opening his mouth. Finally, Aeris is stabbed in the neck with a drug, and he begins to flail weaker than before]
[Aeris struggles, hearing the screams in his head as the drug slowly knocks him out. He tries to lift his talon, but they droop onto the ground as he falls asleep]
[scene cuts to Aeris sitting in the lodge by himself, rubbing the injuries on his left talon. He has sustained a few injuries on his neck as well. After a moment of waiting, he sees a silhouette approaching the lodge from outside]
BURN: [outside] Don't let anyone in.
[in the current day, Aeris, Nia, and Saxe are still standing in the tunnel. Aeris raises his talon and tries to continue speaking, but he decides not to, dropping his talon and exhaling. He shakes his head and after a moment, he finally speaks]
AERIS: I couldn't look at myself after that. [looks at the ground] April couldn't look at who I was then. It was a few months before I found the Talons.
NIA: So you're a bad dragon?
AERIS: [thinks for a moment] I'm neither.
[Aeris turns and continues down the tunnel. Nia and Saxe look at each other, and Saxe gives her a nod. The two decide to follow after Aeris as the three dragons tread down the long tunnel]
[scene cuts to the three dragons finally arriving at the end of the tunnel. Aeris pushes through the gate, revealing the sun dipping from the horizon. He walks through the field, followed by Nia and Saxe]
[the dragons arrive on top of a hill, standing there and admiring the sunset. Aeris sees a vast continent still ahead of him, and he breathes slowly and quietly]
[cuts to later that night, when the dragons arrive at a small village. Aeris and Saxe have rented a room in one of the huts for the three dragons to stay at. Aeris drops his bag onto the floor, groaning and stretching his arms]
AERIS: How much was it?
SAXE: Eight hundred credits.
AERIS: Three moons.
SAXE: Don't worry, no one will find us here. This village's too small for Blister to notice, anyway.
AERIS: We should still stay inside. [walks across the room, grabbing a wrapped bread from a bowl and taking a bite from it] You said this place has a lot of dangerous dragons.
[Nia climbs up a step, leaning her face against the window and peeking outside. She sees a couple of dragons pushing and pulling their carts up and down the gravel street]
[there are only seven huts in the village, which are hidden in the middle of a giant forest. Nia sees nothing but darkness behind one of the huts. She steps down from the step, seeing Aeris finishing his bread and throwing the wrapper into a small bin]
AERIS: The water works.
NIA: [walks over to Aeris, shuffling past him and arriving outside a room with a little pool of water] Oh, three moons, they have a tub. I'm showering, damn, I haven't had one of these in a while.
AERIS: We went to the lake, like, five days ago.
NIA: Yeah, but these are clean water. [walks into the room] And then you shower, too. The NightWings are not gonna like it when you are into their sector smelling like that.
AERIS: [sighs in annoyance] Kid...
SAXE: [leans against a wall and sits down, looking at Aeris] Had a great time with her, huh?
AERIS: [smiles slightly] Mhm.
NIA: [muffled voice from the other room] You guys better not come in here.
AERIS: Take your time.
[scene cuts to later that night, when Saxe is sprawled across the room, snoring loudly. Aeris and Nia are lying next to each other on the other side of the room. Aeris is staring outside the window, and the light of the moons reflects off his eyes]
[Aeris's ears twitch as he hears Nia roll behind him, but he doesn't turn around. He raises his injured talon in front of his face, turning it and looking at the cloth covering the wound inflicted by Blister]
[Aeris closes his eyes, and memories of his past begin rushing into his head. He quickly opens his eyes, and everything around him is quiet. He groans quietly as he rubs his temple and sits up]
[Aeris slowly treads across the room, picking up a few items from the floor and tossing them into a bin. All of a sudden, Aeris stops, turning slightly. His ears twitch a couple of times, and he listens to incoming voices outside the hut]
UNKNOWN DRAGON #1: Head around the back.
UNKNOWN DRAGON #2: They gotta be here.
UNKNOWN DRAGON #3: Search the entire place.
[Aeris steps quietly toward the window, leaning against the wall to avoid being seen. He grabs the curtain and pulls it to block the window, and he steps back. Aeris sees the silhouettes of the dragons through the curtain. He makes his way over to his bag quietly, opening it and revealing a knife]
[Aeris grabs a small piece of scroll and a makeshift pencil from the bag, scribbling down something frantically and muttering quietly]
AERIS: "If I don't return by sunrise..."
[Aeris drops the scroll onto the floor, revealing the texts that he wrote. The text read, "IF I DON'T RETURN BY SUNRISE, TAKE HER FOR ME." Aeris slides the scroll next to Saxe, putting the pencil back into the bag]
[Aeris sighs and thinks for a moment, and he suddenly hears the door to the hut swinging open. He quickly grabs the knife, approaching the door of the room. He turns around, watching Nia and Saxe lying there. He opens the door, closing it slowly]
[Aeris arrives in the hallway, hearing dragons entering on the other side of the hut. He takes quiet steps down the hallway, peeping and seeing two MudWings slithering into a room. He sees two other SandWings accompanying the MudWings]
SANDWING #1: Look through every room.
MUDWING #1: Guarantee you, they're not even here.
[Aeris quickly dashes across the hall, entering another room, and the SandWings turn to where the noise came from. One of the SandWings looks at the other in suspicion, nodding ahead and telling him to go to the room where Aeris is]
SANDWING #2: [to the MudWings] I told you they're here.
[Aeris is leaning against the wall inside his room, listening to the approaching footsteps of the SandWings. He hushes his breathing, and he rushes toward the darkness of the room]
[the two SandWings enter the room, looking around for Aeris. One of the SandWings heads deeper into the room, pulling a portable lantern from his belt and flicking it on. He lights up the area around him, holding it forward. The other SandWing follows from behind, watching his back]
[out of nowhere, the SandWings hear a chair drop onto the floor, which startles both of them. One of the SandWings approaches the chair, crouching down and looking at it for a moment]
SANDWING #1: Come out here, SkyWing.
[the SandWing doesn't get a response. He smirks and shrugs as he slowly stands. Suddenly, Aeris emerges from the shadow, driving his knife across the SandWing's throat. The SandWing coughs a pool of blood onto the floor. Aeris throws his body aside, charging at the other SandWing, kicking his arm and knocking him onto the floor]
[the SandWing swings his tail and manages to land a clean cut across Aeris's chest. Aeris groans, raising his knife and stabbing the SandWing in the talon. He kicks him onto the floor, quickly getting on top of him]
[Aeris pins the SandWing there, struggling to hold him down as he flails around. Aeris grabs the SandWing's snout, shutting it. He raises the knife, stabbing the SandWing multiple times, who flails weaker with each stab. The SandWing tries to scream, but he is unable to with his mouth shut. Finally, he stops flailing, and Aeris lowers his head onto the pool of blood]
MUDWING #2: [outside the room] Is everything alright in there?
[Aeris quickly pulls the knife out of the SandWing's neck, groaning as he stands. The two MudWings arrive at the entrance of the room, seeing Aeris standing over the dead SandWing. Aeris notices, running toward an open window and leaping through it]
MUDWING #2: Hey!
[Aeris lands awkwardly, strapping his knife into his scabbard and running away from the village. He pinched the wound on his chest, trying to stop the bleeding. A few drops of blood drip onto the grass as he runs. The MudWings signal for the rest of the squad to go after Aeris. Aeris turns around as he continues running, seeing the squad pursuing after him]
[back in the hut, the commotion outside causes Saxe to jerk awake. He blinks exhaustively, rubbing his eyes and sitting up. He immediately notices that Aeris is not in the room]
SAXE: Three moons...
[outside, Aeris is trying his best to lose the incoming dragons. He pants, spreading his wings open and lifting into the air. The pursuing dragons open their wings and lift into the air as well. They chase after Aeris as he leads them as far away from the village as possible. Aeris notices a thick forest below him, and he folds his wings, diving toward the canopy]
[the squad dives after him as well, breaking through the canopy and arriving in a dark forest. They hover around, looking all over the place and trying to locate where Aeris is]
MERASTAT: Spread out.
[the squad breaks apart, with each dragon heading in a different direction of the forest. Aeris is hiding behind a thick tree, breathing heavily and trying to calm himself down. He hears wingbeats all over the forest]
MERASTAT: You can't hide from us, SkyWing.
[Aeris groans as he leans his head against the tree, wincing from the cut. He wheezes in pain, peeking from behind the tree, seeing four SandWings scouting the other side of the forest]
MERASTAT: Let's make this easy. All Blister wants is a little chat.
[Aeris stares blankly ahead, listening to more SandWings and MudWings crashing through the canopy and joining the squad as they continue searching for him. The squad leader points at different areas of the forest, signaling for the others to search that area]
MERASTAT: Blister was right about you. We never needed this many SandWings to kill one dragon. Show yourself, SkyWing, and Blister will have you alive. [pauses] Or I'll kill you myself for torching my tail.
[Merastat continues to play with Aeris's head, hovering there and looking around him as he continues to speak. Aeris refuses to reveal himself, painfully making his way behind another tree]
MERASTAT: No? That's fine. [chuckles sinisterly] We'll take the dragonet and destroy everything you care for... starting with the Talons.
[Aeris wheezes in anger. A SandWing hovers over to where he's hiding, but he notices that Aeris has disappeared. Out of nowhere, Aeris emerges, putting the SandWing in a chokehold and dragging him away]
[cuts to another SandWing, who's still searching around. He sees a silhouette of a dragon in the distance, and he flies toward it. As he gets closer, his eyes widen in horror as he sees the body of a dead SandWing dangling over a thick branch]
[the dead SandWing has had his throat slit, and his knife has been stolen from his sheath. Aeris quickly appears behind the SandWing, clenching his snout, and drives the knife from the bottom of his snout, killing him. Aeris drags him away]
[as other SandWings continue to search the forest, they see two SandWing corpses dangling from the branches. Two knives are thrown out of nowhere, hitting them in the neck and killing them]
[Aeris quickly turns and hides behind a tree again, gripping onto his wound as the blood continues to drench his claws. He winces quietly, leaning back against the tree in pain as he puts pressure on the injury]
[across the forest, Merastat flies over to a tree, and he suddenly notices a bloody talon stain on it. He smirks, turning to where Aeris is hiding. A group of SandWings are investigating the corpses in the distance]
[Aeris is still hiding behind the tree when he suddenly hears Merastat calling out for him]
MERASTAT: It's like that night, huh?
[Aeris's eyes widen as he begins having traumatic memories of the night he lost April. He listens as Merastat's voice slowly grows louder and more sinister. Aeris breathes heavily]
MERASTAT: We thought that after we'd lost you, you'd be gone forever. [scoffs] But now you're back. It has to be you. [turns to the other SandWings] You couldn't save her then... you won't save her now.
[Aeris continues to stay hidden]
MERASTAT: There's something... different about you, SkyWing. [pauses] You would've shredded all of us on the spot then, but now, you're afraid. You kept hiding, playing as the prey. Maybe the Crimson did die... and all that's left is just Aeris.
[Aeris seethes in anger, quickly turning and flying straight at Merastat. Before he could react, Aeris grabbed onto him and pushed him through the branches and trees. As the two dragons collide against a large tree, Aeris loses grasp on Merastat as the two dragons plummet onto the ground]
[Aeris quickly stands, charging right at Merastat and tackling him. He quickly snaps his arm and puts him in a chokehold. Aeris grabs Merastat's tail, pointing it right at his neck]
[the rest of the SandWings surround the two dragons, and Aeris holds the tail closer to Merastat's neck. Merastat struggles to grab Aeris's arms to release him, and he slowly falls unconscious]
AERIS: [whispers to Merastat and seethes] Tell them to back away... or I'll snap your goddamn neck.
[Merastat weakly signals for the SandWings to lower their weapons and take a few steps backward. Aeris looks around him while keeping Merastat under his arm, making sure no one attacks him from behind]
AERIS: Now tell them to go back home. [waits for a moment, but Merastat doesn't react] You hear me, you damn son of a bitch?
[Merastat tries to raise his talon, but he begins to run out of air. He gags as he struggles to get Aeris's arm off his neck. Aeris leans his head closer to Merastat's ear and whispers in a menacing tone]
AERIS: Is this what you want?
[all the dragons stay still, barely making any movement. Aeris continues choking Merastat while the other SandWing watches. Suddenly, a sharp knife breaks through the canopy above Aeris, falling toward him. Aeris quickly rolls away, dragging Merastat along with him]
[Aeris watches as Thoro, Girov, and the other SandWing assassins arrive. Aeris holds onto Merastat tightly, who is still gagging, but weaker than before. Aeris groans as he tries to figure out what to do]
AERIS: Stay away.
THORO: [lands in front of Aeris] Blister told us Merastat and a squad would be able to take you down. Here we are. You are a continuous surprise, SkyWing. Doesn't matter how many dragons are after you... [shakes his head and smirks] you always figure out how to survive.
[Thoro takes a step forward, and Aeris raises Merastat's tail closer to Merastat's neck. Aeris remains firm, keeping his distance from Thoro]
AERIS: Stay the hell away.
THORO: But is that what you really want? [tilts his head slightly] To live? [looks away] Run, clinging onto your life, so afraid to let it go. But what is it that you're living for? Because the dragon you're looking for isn't here.
[Aeris watches as Thoro smirks as he plays with his head. Suddenly, a dragon stabs Aeris from the back with a blade. Aeris groans weakly as he slowly looks at the blade impaled through his stomach. He slumps onto the ground, releasing Merastat and revealing the dragon who stabbed him to be Colofin]
[Merastat collapses onto the ground and grabs his neck, gasping for breath. He painfully sits up, looking at Colofin standing completely still next to him. He hears a dragon breaking through the canopy, and he looks above him, seeing Blister descending onto the area]
[Aeris lies there in pain, spitting blood onto the grass. He can barely sit up with the blade still stuck through his stomach. He breathes heavily as he watches Blister land next to the SandWing assassins]
[Colofin walks over to Aeris, raising his tail and preparing to finish him off. Aeris closes his eyes and awaits his death]
BLISTER: Don't. [flicks Colofin's tail away] He's a bargain. Go back to the others.
[Blister walks over to Aeris on the ground, laying her talon on his snout and grasping him. She sees Aeris's eyes weakly moving and looking at her. She smirks, staring at him cruelly]
BLISTER: This reminds me of someone.
[Blister slams Aeris's head multiple times against the ground, knocking him out. After a moment, she stands, ordering her dragons to take him away. Three SandWings arrive and pick up Aeris, lifting into the sky with him]
[one by one, the dragons begin lifting into the air and leaving the forest. The assassins begin to leave as well. The only remaining dragon is Blister, who is standing still and facing the dark village in the distance, breathing slowly]
[finally, Blister opens her wings and joins her dragons as they bring Aeris away from the area]