SYNOPSIS:
With Aeris captured by Blister's forces, Nia and Saxe are left with a choice of whether to continue their mission or save Aeris. The pair return to their previous stay, enlisting the help of SeaWings from the haven. The dragons must risk everything to rescue Aeris from Blister, including a chance of failure at delivering Nia to the Dark Sector. The decisions they make will alter the future of Pyrrhia forever.
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[scene begins in a dark hallway with torches planted on the walls. Two SandWings are dragging two chains, which connect to a collar around Aeris's neck. The two dragons pull the weakened Aeris down the long hallway, and lights from the torches reflect off of Aeris's snout]
[Aeris groans painfully and exhaustedly, barely able to open his eyes. His vision blurs as he tries to look around, and he feels an intense and agonizing pain on the back of his head. He turns down slowly, noticing the blade is still impaled through his stomach. However, the wound has been dressed to stop the bleeding]
[the two SandWings stop, and Aeris groans in confusion. He rolls his eyes and tries to figure out what's happening. He coughs a few times, spitting onto the ground. He hears a giant door opening, and a flash of light reflects off his face]
[the dragons drag Aeris into a large chamber, pulling him over to a wall, where they tie the chains to a thick pole. Aeris painfully reaches for the metal collar on his neck, pulling onto it]
[there is a giant opening at the end of the chamber, revealing the continent's end. Aeris sees the vast ocean in the far distance, and his eyes widen with hope. He sees a speck at the coast of the continent, quickly realizing that it's the Dark Sector]
AERIS: [coughs and moans weakly] Ugh...
[Aeris painfully places his talons onto the cold floor, slowly lifting himself onto his feet. He almost stumbles backward, panting in exhaustion and wincing from the stab wound. He shakily reaches for the blade in his stomach, holding onto it tightly]
[Aeris tugs on the blade, which barely moves, and he screams in pain. He releases the blade, dropping his talon in defeat and leaning against the wall with the blade still in his stomach. He slumps down, closing his eyes and lying his head against the wall, remembering about Nia]
[Aeris suddenly gets flashes of memories, but he barely reacts. He gets a haunting vision of his past when he is trapped in a cold cave. He sees himself lying on the floor, compressing himself and shivering. Aeris continues leaning against the wall]
AERIS (V.O): There is peace wherever you go. [pauses and exhales] A feeling... of a sudden stillness in everything.
[memories flash in Aeris's head again as he remembers his younger self suffering in the cave. He was small and scrawny, shivering, whimpering, and muttering as he prayed for a way to escape. Multiple bruises have been sustained on his snout and neck]
AERIS (V.O): It's fixating. You would tend to never let it go. It grabs you, embraces you, whispering in voices beyond what you know, begging you to let it in. A hope that you can escape all of it. [pauses] To have all your problems just... fade away.
[a group of SandWings are walking down the hallway, dragging another dragon along with them. They are heading toward the room that Aeris is currently in. The dragon that's being dragged is moaning painfully and coughing violently]
AERIS (V.O): But conflicting it, a darkness awaits within you. A terror in your blood, poisoning every nerve in your body, infecting every part of you until you are left with nothing.
[in Aeris's memory, his younger self is hyperventilating in the cave, slamming his talon onto the ground in anger. He seethes viciously, staring at the wall of the cave. His breaths are visible from the cold, and his tail begins to freeze]
AERIS (V.O): An instinct to survive. To fight. To do everything you can to grasp onto what you have left. It's terrifying, to know what it can do to you... to the dragons around you. And, in the end, a question fills your mind: "Did it change?"
[Aeris hears faint footsteps approaching his room, but he doesn't open his eyes. He continues his memory, seeing his younger self emerging slowly in the cave. He sees himself embraced by anger and hatred. He hears the footsteps growing louder as they get closer to the giant door]
AERIS (V.O): To that... yes. [pauses] Dragons can live their life without ever noticing it. But to know that something so simple, innocent, could shape you before you realize it. [pauses for a moment] An innocent child died that night, and his murderer was born. A survivor fights because he must.
[the door swings open, and Aeris opens his eyes. He sees a group of SandWings entering first, followed by an injured and exhausted Smolder, who is being dragged across the floor. Aeris watches as Smolder is tied against the pole opposite him. He notices bruises on Smolder's snout and a black eye that's barely visible]
[the SandWings lock the chains, keeping Smolder there. Aeris watches as the SandWings make their way out of the room, leaving only him and Smolder behind by themselves]
SMOLDER: [groans] What happened to her?
[scene cuts to Nia kicking a bin in anger, knocking all the items inside onto the floor. She screams loudly, grabbing her temples and walking around the room rapidly. Saxe is standing in the corner, having only one strap of his bag on his shoulder]
NIA: [shouts in anger] Nooooo!
SAXE: Nia. Nia...
[Saxe watches as Nia knocks a chair over and throws a flat pillow against the wall. Nia seethes angrily, falling onto her knees and huffing from her breakdown. She cries, holding tightly onto the letter that Aeris left behind last night]
SAXE: Nia, we...
NIA: Where is he?
SAXE: I-I don't know. [takes a step forward with both his talons extending forward] All I know is they took him. I don't know where, I don't know who, a-and this is all he left behind.
NIA: It's Blister. [turns to Saxe with tears rolling down her face] It has to be her.
SAXE: Three moons.
NIA: We have to save him.
SAXE: He asked me to take you to the Dark Sector. [takes another step forward] We don't know where Blister took him, and even if we do, we can't just dive head first. I can't risk losing you. It's what Aeris would've wanted.
NIA: I don't care what he wants, I'm going for him.
SAXE: Nia...
NIA: [shouts in anger] I don't care!
SAXE: [sighs] Hmm.
NIA: [slowly calms down and breathes] I-I'm sorry, I shouldn't yell at you. [sniffles and stutters] I-I just want to save him. [looks at the ground for a moment] He did all of this for me, and now he's helpless, and I can't just do nothing.
SAXE: You can do what he wants. Believe me, it's the right choice. He would want you to finish the mission.
NIA: There's no mission. [exhales and shakes her head] He saved me from the MudWings. He went through all of it... for me. [swallows hard] A-and now he's in danger, and I can't help him.
[Saxe thinks for a moment, breathing silently and looking at the floor. He sees the items scattered on the floor after they have been knocked out of the bin. He grabs a piece of a crumpled scroll, holding it in his talon and looking at Nia]
NIA: He may not matter to you, but he's important to me. [turns to Saxe] So I don't care if you try to stop me, but I'm going to him. [slowly reaches for the sheath strapped to her ankle, sliding her claw along the hilt of her knife] And if anyone tries to, I'll kill them.
SAXE: [closes his eyes and sighs in exasperation, muttering to himself] He matters to me, kid. [walks over to Nia and crouches down] But think about what we're giving up if something wrong happens.
NIA: You can't ask me to just let him die.
SAXE: I'm not. But that's what he would want. There's a reason he threw himself out there last night. He knows you're the key to stopping all of this. [points at his own chest] I know Aeris, kid. And I know he wouldn't do what he did if it wasn't for you.
NIA: We are... [voice breaking] so close. [looks away and sniffles, letting a drop of tear run down her snout] We did everything we could just to get here. And every single time, [slams her talon on the floor and exhales] he always protects me.
[Saxe crouches there in silence, watching as Nia continues explaining about their journey together. Saxe sees Nia's tear falling onto the floor, and he looks at the ground]
NIA: When I got scared, he told me no one would hurt me. Now they have him... [sniffles and wipes the tears from her eyes] and they're gonna hurt him. [to Saxe] You don't want to come, then let me go.
SAXE: [mutters to himself] He'll kill me.
[Saxe hesitates, standing up reluctantly and grabbing onto the strap of his bag. He heads over to the door of the room, waiting there for Nia. She turns to him in confusion and sniffles]
SAXE: Come on.
NIA: Where?
SAXE: We'll head back to the haven. If Blister does have him, she'll be waiting for you. We're gonna need more dragons to get us in and out. [sighs] But I'm still strongly against it.
[Nia quickly stands and walks past Saxe, opening the door and exiting the room]
NIA: We're going.
[scene cuts back to Aeris and Smolder, who are sitting opposite of each other in the room. Aeris tries to break the chain connecting the wall to the collar around his neck. Smolder is covering his face with his talons, groaning in annoyance]
SMOLDER: What are you doing?
AERIS: Trying to get out of here.
SMOLDER: [scoffs] Those chains are built with the strongest metal in Pyrrhia. You'll rot before you can even make a dent in it. [quickly adds in] And fire ain't gonna help, too, if that's what you decide on doing next.
AERIS: How'd you end up like this?
SMOLDER: You know why.
AERIS: You shouldn't have helped us.
SMOLDER: If I hadn't, you would've been dead. You should be grateful that at least some of us still give a crap about this. [looks at the large opening and smiles at the giant ocean ahead] Otherwise, most of us would've been gone a long time ago.
AERIS: Your sisters are a pain in the ass.
SMOLDER: You think that's bad? Imagine being their brother. I'm lucky none of them ripped me apart.
AERIS: You should've snapped their necks the moment they hatched. [looks away] Just do us a favor and save us from this war.
SMOLDER: It would've made me like them.
AERIS: And your brothers?
SMOLDER: They're fine. I guess that it makes you a better dragon if you're not fighting for the throne.
AERIS: I worked for Burn for years.
SMOLDER: Yeah, I can tell. [continuously points at Aeris and the giant door] Both of you love killing dragons. [sighs and leans his head against the wall] Burn love watching others suffer.
AERIS: [raises one of his eyes] I don't.
SMOLDER: But you stayed and you continued doing her job. You continued slaughtering dragons for her even though you knew what she would do.
AERIS: I...
SMOLDER: Every time you kill a dragon, you're only getting her a step closer to the throne. You spent your life playing the pawn for others. First, it's for Scarlet, then Burn, and now even the Talons want to exploit you.
AERIS: You're against the Talons?
SMOLDER: Good idea, just wrong execution. They could've saved us all, but now they're clowns running around the continent spreading lies, getting more dragons to join their little band. Dragons like you.
AERIS: I didn't have a choice. [louder] You think I want to fight in this war to begin with? Do you really think I asked for all of this? [pauses and seethes] I grew up in a shitty orphanage, and the moment they dragged me out of there, they put me in a war. I-I watched so many of my own dragons murdered that week.
[Aeris pauses for a long moment, gaining his breath again. He looks away, then finally turns back to look at Smolder. Aeris exhales and looks at the ground, cupping his talons together]
AERIS: A lot of us never had a choice. Some of us fought days and nights just to have a little taste of freedom. Others gave everything, and they never had an option. You might think we're all mindless puppets played by our queens... but it's our only way to survive.
[Aeris leans against the wall with his snout lifted slightly upward. He tugs on the chain and twirls it around his claw]
AERIS: But I don't think any of you would understand that. You and your sisters lived in royalty for years. You grew fat with all those freedoms, [counts his claws], lazy with all the privileges, that you forgot not everyone has them. Then your sisters dragged the entire continent down to its knees.
[Smolder sits there in silence with his arms crossed. He continues listening to Aeris]
AERIS: Let me ask you a question. When did any of you have to survive off your own talons? [shrugs and turns away] I'm assuming never, but you can go ahead and change my mind.
[the door to the room opens, and six SandWings walk in. Aeris keeps his eyes on the SandWings as they approach him in unison. He bares his teeth at one of the SandWings while another releases Aeris's chain from the wall]
[the two SandWings pull Aeris onto his feet, while the others stay close and watch. The SandWings hold their spears close to Aeris, who raises his talons into the air. One of the SandWings nudges Aeris's back with the spear]
[Aeris turns to Smolder, seeing him still sitting there. The two dragons meet eyes]
SMOLDER: Listen to what they say. Just... don't do or say anything stupid.
[a SandWing shoves Aeris out of the room. The other SandWing closes the door behind the group as they escort Aeris across the stronghold. The dragons arrive at a giant catwalk over a large cavern. Aeris looks down, seeing many SandWings and MudWings gliding from below. A SandWing nudges him forward again]
[cuts back to Smolder, who is sitting by himself in the lonely room. He jerks upward in surprise, noticing another group of dragons entering the room. The dragons grab him, pulling him onto his feet and escorting him out of the room]
SMOLDER: W-where are we going?
[across the bastion, the dragons finally arrive in an abandoned storage room. A SandWing shoves Aeris onto the floor, approaching past him and walking away. The remaining SandWings from the group leave the room]
THORO: You're a really hard dragon to catch, SkyWing.
[Aeris turns to where the voice came from, seeing Thoro sitting on top of a crate, sliding his claw along the blade of his knife. He hops down from the crate, approaching Aeris, who's getting up onto his knees]
[another dragon arrives behind Aeris, kicking him on the back of his head and knocking him onto the ground. The dragon is revealed to be another SandWing assassin, Aracnyd. He grabs the chain connected to Aeris's collar, pulling him up]
AERIS: Three moons...
[Aracnyd wraps the chain around Aeris's neck, slowly strangling him. Aeris grunts as he tugs on the chain, trying to get it off his neck. He looks at Thoro in front of him, seeing him smirking as he watches Aeris choking in agony]
THORO: [to Aracnyd] Keep it that way.
[Aeris continues tugging onto the chain while Aracnyd holds it back. Thoro approaches Aeris carefully, raising his talon forward and grabbing Aeris's snout. Aeris shakes his head, knocking Thoro's talon off his snout]
[Thoro chuckles and shakes his talon. He looks at Aeris for a moment before punching him hard across the snout. Aeris grunts and Aracnyd releases him as he collapses onto the ground. Aeris painfully gets up before being pinned down]
[Aracnyd raises his knife and stabs Aeris's tail, impaling right through it and puncturing into the ground. Aeris grunts, moving his talon agonizingly and trying to reach for his tail]
AERIS: [weakly] She's gone. None of you will find her.
[Aracnyd grabs the knife on Aeris's tail and pulls it off, releasing him. Aeris's tail immediately curls toward his talon, and he grabs it in pain. Aracnyd walks forward and stands across from Thoro]
THORO: [grabs Aeris's neck and drags him across the floor] You think we wouldn't know? [pauses] We've seen what she would do. We've seen how both of you grew for each other.
[Thoro drags Aeris against the wall, pinning him there. Aeris looks at Thoro in pain, placing both his talons on his arm and trying to pull him off of him. Aeris's fear is visible on his face]
THORO: She would be here any minute. [slides his claw along the blade impaled in Aeris's stomach] And if she doesn't...
[Thoro flicks Aeris's talon away and stabs his talon with his tail. Aeris groans, looking at his bleeding talon and wincing. Thoro raises his tail and slides it along Aeris's snout, who cringes]
THORO: Time's ticking.
[Thoro finally let go of his talon from Aeris's neck. He walks away from Aeris, approaching a table across the room. Aeris watches his pain, holding his bleeding talon with the other, wincing]
THORO: Consider yourself lucky Merastat isn't in this room. [picks up one of the scrolls on the table and looks at it, smiling] He would've clipped both your wings a while ago.
[Aeris hears footsteps in front of him, and he turns, seeing Aracnyd heading toward him with a rusty, metal bar. With one swing, Aracnyd bats Aeris in the snout with the bar. Aeris falls onto the ground with his blood splattered next to him]
[scene cuts to Nia and Saxe pushing open the vault as they return to the haven. Nia immediately runs forward and opens her wings, flying as quickly as possible toward the village in the distance. Saxe quickly follows after her]
[the two dragons land outside a large lodge with a distinct roof made of red straws. Saxe stops Nia, eyeing her to stay outside. He pushes through the door, and Nia leans against the porch. Inside the lodge, Saxe notices Issha wiping the floor with a broom across the lodge. He exhales slowly, making his way over to her]
[as Saxe arrives closer to Issha, she notices him, and she lays the broom along a support beam]
ISSHA: You're back?
SAXE: No, w-we barely left. The girl is waiting outside, and we um... three moons. There was an ambush last night where we stayed, and they took Aeris. I tried to convince her to continue the mission, but she's-
ISSHA: She doesn't want to, right? So you're back for...
SAXE: We're pretty sure whoever took him were Blister's dragons. We're gonna head out soon and find him, but... [sighs in exasperation and turns away] we're gonna need a few dragons. It's not particularly safe going alone.
ISSHA: Right, yeah, yeah, I get that.
SAXE: I'm asking whether you'd like to come with us. It's fine if you don't, it's dangerous. [turns and rubs his temples] We can't really-
ISSHA: Sure.
SAXE: [confused] "S-sure"?
ISSHA: Yeah, I'll come with you. [rolls her eyes] I've been stuck in this place for the last few years, maybe leaving ain't so bad.
SAXE: But-
ISSHA: It's dangerous? Bullshit. Both of us came from the Talons, we've dealt with situations worse than this. [walks past Saxe and stops, slightly turning her head] You said you need a few other dragons?
[scene cuts to a group of four SeaWings dealing leather cards. As the last card is dealt, the SeaWings hear a knock on the entrance. The group turns to the door, seeing Issha standing there with her talon on the wall. She raises one of her eyes at the SeaWings]
ISSHA: Wanna get out of here?
RILL: Where to?
ISSHA: [stands straightly] Saxe wants to talk. Meet us in five.
[one of the SeaWings throws their stack of cards onto the table. The scene cuts to Saxe drawing a straight line across a copy of Pyrrhia's map. He marks the location of the nearest Blister's stronghold. Nia takes a closer look at the map while Saxe turns to the other dragons and speaks with them]
SAXE: It's the only one within a day's flight from here. [turns to the map] It ain't too far from here. We'll get there within three hours. [to the other SeaWings] Get your things, we'll leave in ten minutes.
[the SeaWings disband, walking away. Saxe exhales silently, turning to Nia with an annoyed expression]
SAXE: Happy?
[cuts to the dragons flying past a large river violently rushing below. Nia flies next to Saxe, watching him clutching onto a scabbard strapped around his body. He lies his talon onto the knife, clenching it tightly]
[scene cuts to Aeris being thrown across the room, colliding against a table and knocking it over. He rolls over, groaning with a painful burn along the side of his ribs. Merastat approaches Aeris, unsheathing a dagger from the pocket on his leg. Givor sits in the back of the room, watching Merastat arriving in front of Aeris. Merastat grabs the chain attached to Aeris's collar, tugging onto it and pulling him up]
[a few drops of blood roll down Aeris's snout as he coughs exhaustedly. Merastat crouches down, raising the dagger toward Aeris's snout. He points the knife at him, sliding the blade along his snout and creating a painful cut. Aeris winces in pain, jerking around and batting the dagger out of Merastat's talon. Merastat picks up the dagger again, holding it under Aeris's chin and lifting his snout with it]
[a drool of blood rolls down along Aeris's snout, drenching the ground next to him. Merastat looks at Aeris's stabbed wound on his talon. He sees the poison slowly lingering up Aeris's wrist, scoffing and turning away. Merastats stands, walking away from Aeris and approaching the other side of the room]
[Aeris sits there in pain with his neck chained to the wall. After a moment, a group of SandWings arrive next to him, lifting him onto his feet and escorting him across the stronghold. Aeris can barely walk from the pain and exhaustion, almost slumping onto the ground before one of the SandWings knocks him awake]
[Aeris is eventually escorted into a small chamber with a metal chair at the center. He is sat down by the dragons, and the SandWings clipped him onto the chair, preventing him from leaving. Two of the SandWings stand in the room, all watching Aeris struggle as he tries to move his talon]
[a SandWing grabs Aeris's head, pulling him backward. Aeris grunts as his head hits against the backrest. Aeris looks forward, seeing a SandWing approaching the room. His eyes widen in horror as he realizes the dragon is Blister]
[Blister enters the room, followed by two SandWings behind her]
BLISTER: What would it take for you to realize, Aeris?
AERIS: Shouldn't you be out there?
BLISTER: [chuckles] Ahh, Aeris, if I were my sisters, you would've easily fooled me.
[Blister raises her tail toward Aeris, who watches in fear. The tail slithers around Aeris's snout similar to that of a snake, slowly wrapping itself around Aeris's throat and choking him. Blister snatches Aeris's snout, holding it tightly and watching the pupils in his eyes shrink in horror. Aeris trembles in fear]
BLISTER: Don't forget who I am, Aeris. [shoves Aeris backward] You hear me?
AERIS: You are nothing to your sisters. Burn will wipe your whole army within days.
BLISTER: War isn't always battle and bloodshed. All it takes is a knife to a throat. Burn's dead, her dragons fall into chaos. No one knows what to do. You strike your opponent from the inside, they're already dead.
[Blister scoffs and turns away. Aeris groans as he straightens himself in his seat, muttering quietly]
AERIS: Asshole.
[Blister stops in her tracks, frowning from what Aeris just said. She slowly turns around, eyeing Aeris sinisterly. Blister takes a step toward Aeris, who stares at her defiantly. Blister shoots her tail toward him, stabbing him in the arm. Aeris screams, breathing heavily and looking at Blister's tail impaled through his arm. Blister jerks toward Aeris, grasping his snout and speaking menacingly]
BLISTER: I killed my mother, don't think I wouldn't kill you, too. [hushes her voice viciously as she leans closer to Aeris, sliding her talon along the side of his face] You're lucky you're a bait, otherwise, you would've been dead like your little bitch. [smacks Aeris's snout with the back of her talon hard] Understand?
[Blister retracts her tail from Aeris's arm, and he winces in pain]
BLISTER: "Crimson", dead at the talons of Blister. Imagine what the continent would think. [stands] Pieces are falling in places. Mother's treasures are mine, the dragonet, mine, and I will burn the continent, including your little group of rebellions. [stares at Aeris] And you'll be my first.
[Aeris doesn't respond. He sits there silently, spitting a few drops of blood onto the ground. Blood is trickling down his nose as he sits there. He watches Blister scoffing and turning away, leaving the room and walking down the catwalk. Aeris turns to the ground, groaning in defeat. The guards within the room are still surrounding him]
[scene cuts to Nia and her group of SeaWings arriving near a stream. They crouch behind a fallen log and a giant boulder, scouting Blister's stronghold in the distance. They see a few SandWings and MudWings guarding in the air. Saxe takes a few steps forward, stepping onto the cold, flowing stream. He squints his eyes, raising a binoculars toward his face. He looks through the binoculars, noticing a few SeaWings are stationed within the stronghold as well]
PLECO: What do you see?
SAXE: Stay close to me.
[in the stronghold, one of the SeaWings is strolling along the walls. He scouts the place, looking into the sky and seeing dragons departing and arriving at the stronghold. He wipes the sweat off his head, adjusting his helmet. He looks around for a moment, silently sneaking behind a barrack. He pulls out a small pouch from the pouch strapped on his leg. Out of nowhere, Saxe emerges from behind him, Saxe shuts the SeaWing's snout shut, throwing him against the wall]
[the SeaWing struggles to stand up, and Pleco arrives next to Saxe. Pleco stomps the SeaWing in the snout, slamming him against the wall and knocking him out. Saxe looks at Pleco, who crouches down and rummages through the pouch around the SeaWing's leg. Pleco grabs the small pouch, stuffing it into his bag and turning to Saxe]
PLECO: Something for later.
SAXE: You could've put him down in other ways.
PLECO: Why? Give him more time to piss around? Take your shit and get inside.
[Saxe picks the helmet off the SeaWing's head, wearing it. He also grabs the Blister armband from his arm, wearing it as well. After getting everything ready, Saxe emerges from behind the barrack and walks toward the street. He advances nervously, looking at the tents stationed along the street. He turns around, seeing Pleco peeking his head from behind the barrack. Pleco gives Saxe a nod before quickly leaving the area]
[eventually, Saxe arrives at the back entrance of the bastion where they are holding Aeris. He infiltrates the bastion, acting casually as he walks past a group of SandWings, who ignore him. He smiles in surprise, continuing down the hallway and figuring out where they are keeping Aeris]
[outside the stronghold, Pleco returns to the rest of the group, who are hiding behind a giant load of debris. He turns to Nia and nods]
ISSHA: Alright, next step.
[later, the group attacked three other SeaWings within the area, knocking them out unconscious and stealing their pieces of equipment. Pleco, Ramoa, and Sardine disguise themselves as SeaWing guards as they enter the stronghold. Sardine holds onto his spear tightly, watching MudWings and SandWings stationed on the watchtower overhead]
[the fourth SeaWing in the group disguises himself behind a barrack as he perches there and scouts the surrounding areas. He watches the three other SeaWings for a moment before turning to look at a pair of MudWings walking along the walls of the stronghold]
[as the three SeaWings make their way closer to the bastion, Sardine signals discreetly by using a shard of glass to create a glare for Nia and Issha to continue the next step]
[scene cuts to Issha leading Nia as they slowly sneak across the street. Issha rushes forward suddenly, dragging Nia along with her as the two duck beneath an unoccupied tent. Issha grabs Nia's snout, shutting it and keeping her still as the pair watch a group of SandWings dragging a giant crate along the street]
ISSHA: [to Nia] Stay down.
[Nia nods, and Issha peeks from beneath the tent, seeing a few guards entering the bastion. She also notices a dragon purchasing a severed leg of a cow from a nearby market, and she groans in disgust at the sight. She sees Pleco, Ramoa, and Sardine splitting apart and approaching their next designated locations]
[Ramoa looks at where Nia and Issha are hiding, waiting for a moment as a group of MudWings pass by. After the MudWings leave, Ramoa gives Nia and Issha a quick nod as their signal to continue moving]
ISSHA: [quickly standing up] Alright. Go, go.
[as the two dragons swiftly make their way over to the entrance at the other end of the bastion, barely avoiding the SandWings strolling past them. Nia enters the bastion first, and Issha follows behind her as the two arrive in a large dome. Nia notices a few gardens with unknown floras being grown]
[Issha looks above her, seeing a few holes in the roof to allow sunlight into the dome. She quietly makes her way toward the door, opening it and slowly looking up and down the hallway. She waits for a moment to make sure it's clear before signaling for Nia to follow after her. Nia plucks the knife from the sheath on her leg, holding it carefully in her talon, just like how Aeris instructed]
[the two dragons arrive in a large room filled with many explosives that were used by Blister during the war. Nia's eyes widen in horror as she gasps and flinches backward. She turns to Issha, who also has the same horrified expression as her]
[back in the room where Aeris is being contained, he jerks forward and tries to pull his talons off the clamps on his seat. He is now wearing a brace around his snout to prevent him from opening his mouth. A SandWing guard grunts irritably, approaching Aeris and hitting him in the snout with the butt of the spear. Aeris groans, and his head droops to the side in pain. The guard scoffs and walks away]
[Aeris exhales and thinks for a moment as he raises his head upward again. He clenches both of his talons as he begins pulling again. The guard approaches him again, preparing to beat him with the spear. As the guard jabs the spear toward Aeris's head, he dodges swiftly, causing the spear to knock against the backrest instead. Aeris quickly takes the opportunity to bite onto the spear, pulling it off the guard's talon and swinging it at him, slicing him across the neck]
[the guard drops onto the ground in pain as the other guard runs toward him. A guard swings his spear at Aeris, but he ducks his head. Aeris opens his mouth, releasing the spear and allowing it to drop onto his talon. Aeris spins the spear, using his leg to kick the guard away from him. He jabs the spear against the clamp on his left talon, releasing him and grabbing onto the spear. Aeris drives the spear right through the guard's chest, killing him]
[Aeris breathes as he uses the spear to cut the clamp on his right talon, releasing himself and dropping the spear onto the floor. He painfully stands, stumbling forward and spitting a drop of blood onto the floor next to a dead SandWing. He sees the other injured guard crawling away weakly, clutching onto his bleeding throat. The guard leaves behind a trail of blood as he tries to get as far from Aeris as possible]
[Aeris scoffs, looking at the spear on the ground next to him. He grabs it, limping toward the injured guard, who begs Aeris to let him go. Aeris shakes his head, driving the spear through the guard's leg and pinning him there. The guard screams, and Aeris quickly steps on top of his snout, stopping him. Aeris smirks as he stands over the guard]
AERIS: Your little queen wants a war?
[the guard whimpers as Aeris picks the knife off his leg. Aeris watches as the guard continues crawling, barely inching forward. Aeris drives the spear down on the SandWing, killing him. He grabs the spear off of the body, turning to the door of the chamber. He huffs in anger, holding onto the spear tightly and pushing the door open. He walks down a hallway, arriving in a room where he finds a group of SandWings and MudWings having a drink together]
[later, Aeris exits the room with both of his talons stained with blood. He seethes in anger as he continues down the hallway. Blood is drizzled all over his face. As he continues making his way across the stronghold, all he leaves behind are halls filled with dead dragons and blood scattered everywhere. He finally overworks himself, collapsing against a wall in exhaustion and dropping onto the floor. He releases the spear and lets it fall onto the floor next to him]
[Aeris looks at the blade stuck in his stomach, and he reaches for it. He grasps it tightly, breathing heavily and pulling himself up again despite the pain. He picks up the spear with its tip drenched in blood from the dragons he killed. He limps down the hallway, turning and arriving back to the room where he was held earlier]
[Aeris stands in front of the door exhaustedly, grabbing his pendant around his neck and remembering about April for a moment. He takes a deep breath, takes a step forward, and pushes the door open. As Aeris arrives in the room, Merastat, Colofin, Thoro, and Goriv turn to him in surprise. Aeris stares at the dragons in anger, snapping his spear in half and using one end as a blade and the other end as a baton]
[Thoro hops off the crate he's sitting on, joining the other assassins as they face Aeris. Aeris cracks his neck, raising his weapons to eye level as he carefully approaches the dragons. Goriv rushes at Aeris first, swinging his machete at him. Aeris dodges, jabbing him in the chest with a baton and slicing him in the side of his body with the tip of the spear. Aeris grasps onto him, spinning him and throwing him away]
[Colofin approaches Aeris, raising a large hammer and hitting Aeris in the shoulder, pinning him there. Aeris groans in pain as Thoro kicks him backward. Aeris rolls, summoning enough strength to stand. He holds tightly onto his weapons, joining the fight again. Thoro swings his hammer again, but Aeris blocks his attack and slices him across the chest. Thoro groans in pain as Aeris throws him aside]
[Merastat and Colofin approach Aeris, and Merastat strikes Aeris with a dagger, barely slicing him across the snout. Aeris grabs him, punching him hard on the back of his head and kicking him onto the ground. Colofin charges at Aeris, who ducks beneath his attack and slides behind him. He attempts to stab Aeris with his tail, but Aeris grabs onto it. Aeris quickly takes the opportunity to drive his blade through his tail, leaving him screaming in pain]
[Aeris bats him across the snout with the butt of the spear, knocking him onto the ground. Goriv returns to attack Aeris, but he stops him and kicks him in the chest. Aeris grabs a crate, lifts it, and throws it at Thoro, which crashes right through him. Aeris runs at Colofin, dodging his tail and pinning it onto the ground. He kicks him across the snout, stabbing his tail with the blade and picking him up. Aeris spins him around, shouting in anger and throwing him through a shelf and into a wall]
[Merastat runs at Aeris, tackling him and disarming the weapons from his talons. Merastat pins Aeris onto the ground, but Aeris grabs his talon and snaps his claw, causing him to shout in pain. Aeris headbutts Merastat in the face, causing blood to drop from his nose. Aeris rolls him onto his back, stomping onto his snout and dragging him through a crate]
[Aeris seethes in exhaustion, looking at the ground and taking a few deep breaths. He wipes his nose, approaching Goriv, who is standing up. Aeris eyes him furiously, charging at him and kicking him through the crate. Aeris sits on top of him, and Goriv groans as he swipes his talons all over Aeris's face. Aeris retaliates by batting his talons away, punching him multiple times across the snout to weaken him. Aeris grabs Goriv's tail, using it and stabbing him multiple times in the neck, finishing him off]
[Goriv's blood is splattered onto Aeris's snout. Aeris lays his talon on Goriv's body, pushing himself onto his feet. Aeris slowly turns around, facing the three remaining assassins. Aeris, now without his weapons, breathes for a moment and spits onto the floor before raising his talons in front of his face and preparing for another fight]
[Aeris runs at the assassins, leaping into the air and slamming onto Colofin. He grabs him, swinging him and throwing him at Thoro, launching both dragons across the room. Merastat attempts to drive a blade at Aeris from behind, but he dodges, snatching the blade off of his talon and driving the blade right through his chest. Merastat groans as he slumps onto the floor, dead. Aeris holds onto the blade carefully, turning to the two remaining assassins]
[Colofin leans against the wall as he pulls himself onto his feet. Thoro painfully gets up next to him, clutching his stomach in pain. Aeris stares at both dragons ragefully, preparing to continue the fight. Before Aeris can launch himself at both dragons, a SandWing tail impaled him through his body. Aeris sees his blood at the tip of the tail in front of him, and he breathes shakily]
[the tail retracts from Aeris's body, and he collapses onto the floor, revealing the dragon who stabbed him to be Blister. Another SandWing assassin, Gambel, accompanies Blister from behind. Aeris grasps his stomach painfully, trying his best to prevent his blood from spilling onto the floor. Blister arrives behind Aeris, grabbing him by the neck and lifting him. Aeris is too exhausted and agonized to even fight back]
BLISTER: No one clings to life as hard as you, Aeris. In times, the continent will learn. And no one... [shouts in anger] will stand against me.
[Blister slams Aeris onto the floor. Aeris lets out one silent exhale, looking at the sun setting through the giant opening of the room. Unaware, Blister is suddenly attacked from behind by Saxe, who knocks her onto the ground and lands next to Aeris. Aeris looks at Saxe in confusion, seeing him giving him a look of apology]
AERIS: [weakly] Get out of here.
[suddenly, Nia and Issha arrive in the room, surprising both Aeris and Blister. Issha is carrying an explosive in the shape of a cactus that she took from the room earlier. Blister immediately charges at Issha]
BLISTER: She's mine!
[Aeris tackles Blister from behind, knocking her onto the ground and pinning her there. Blister grabs Aeris by the neck, lifting him up and choke-slamming him onto the ground. Aeris groans in pain as Blister drives her tail through his other arm]
NIA: [cries and tries to reach for Aeris] No!
[Gambel tries to attack Nia and Issha, causing Issha to drop her explosive. Saxe arrives from behind and knocks him away. Saxe stabs Gambel from the back multiple times, finishing him off. Aeris continues holding back Blister and giving the others enough time to escape. Nia tries to run back to Aeris to help him, but Issha scoops her from the ground and carries her away]
NIA: [flails around violently] No, no, Aeris.
[the dragons dive through the opening, leaving the bastion and flying off]
[Nia watches in horror as Blister stabs Aeris in the chest again with her tail. She grabs him tightly, sinking her claws into his body and throwing him across the room. Aeris falls onto the ground, lying there in pain. He tries to get up again, but Thoro stabs him in the back with a knife, and he screams in agony]
[Aeris turns his head to the explosive on the ground, and his eyes widen from the realization of the familiar explosive. Blister picks him up from the ground, grabbing his head and lifting it. Aeris exhales for a moment, thinking about his memories and April. He eventually gets a glimpse of Nia in his head, and he finally builds enough strength to breathe a plume of fire toward the dragonflame cactus explosive]
[Blister watches in horror as the fire comes into contact with the explosive, setting it off. The explosive detonates, creating a huge explosion and destroying the entire room. Thoro immediately jumps in front of Blister to shield her from the explosion. The bomb sends many pieces of thorns at the dragons, some hitting Aeris in the chest and neck. The explosion knocks Aeris out of the bastion and sends him colliding against the ground hard. Aeris's vision blurs as he watches the room of the bastion engulf into flame. The room begins crumbling apart, falling and destroying the side of the bastion]
[Aeris lies on the ground near a cliff overlooking the great ocean in the distance. He exhales and smiles, lying there and staring at the speck of the Dark Sector in the distance]
[Aeris hears wingbeats, and Nia arrives next to him. Saxe and Issha also join the dragons as well. Nia immediately hugs Aeris, holding onto him tightly and crying]
NIA: Three moons, I thought they killed you.
AERIS: [stammers] I-I... thank you.
[both dragons embrace for a moment while Saxe and Issha stand behind and watch. The rest of the SeaWings join the group as well. Aeris and Nia give each other a look, and they smile]
[Aeris slowly sits up, and Nia helps him as she pulls him up. Suddenly, Aeris slumps back onto the ground, lying there and shuddering in pain]
NIA: Aeris?
[Nia notices all the wounds inflicted on Aeris, including the explosion and the thorns that impaled him. Saxe looks with a horrified face at the poison from all of the stab wounds inflicted by the SandWings]
NIA: [puts her talon under Aeris's head, trying to comfort him] Aeris... Aeris.
[Aeris groans and slowly clutches for the stab wound in his stomach inflicted by Blister. Nia looks at his talon, seeing it completely drenched in blood, and she gasps and flinches backward. She notices the poison spreading along his leg as well]
NIA: No, no, no, no, no. [cups her mouth and tears begin forming in her eyes] Get up, please.
[Aeris exhales painfully, placing his weakened arms around Nia's head and embracing her. A drop of tear runs down his eyes, and he releases her slowly. He rolls in pain, turning to watch the sun dipping below the ocean. Aeris raises his talon toward the Dark Sector in the distance, pointing at it and smiling]
AERIS: There...
[Nia continues crying and turning to where Aeris pointed, noticing their destination. She looks at Aeris again, laying her head on top of his body and sniffling. She turns her head to look at him, seeing him smiling at her proudly]
NIA: No...
AERIS: I always imagined this is what the end of the war would look like. [grabs Nia's wrist gently] It's your turn now. Save the continent. End all of this. For them, and for us.
NIA: [shakes her head and her voice begins to break] No, no, no, I-I can't. A-Aeris...
AERIS: Please...
[Nia continues crying, and she holds onto Aeris's talon tightly. The other SeaWings watch the two dragons from behind. Saxe stands there and exhales, watching his old friend slowly succumbing to his wounds]
[after a moment, Nia gives Aeris a nod of affirmation. With his dying wish acknowledged, Aeris smiles before his eyes roll back, giving his last breath. Nia screams and cries frantically at the loss of Aeris. She lies her head over his body, whimpering and sniffling]
[scene cuts to later that night, when Nia and Saxe arrive in front of the giant gate of the Dark Sector. Issha had taken her SeaWings back to the haven prior to their arrival. Nia continues sniffling, while Saxe tries to comfort her]
[Saxe slowly leads Nia toward the gate, and he slowly gives a loud knock against it. With this single move, a surge of hope is spread across the continent, igniting a change in the war]
[inside the sector, Nia is met with an elderly NightWing with a missing eye. Before she heads into the compound with him, she turns around and takes a look at Saxe, who gives her a nod. She smiles and sniffles before heading into the compound with the NightWing]
[both Nia and the NightWing sit across from each other with a lantern between them. A crystal is floating above the lantern, capturing their visions to be recorded to end the war]
TRUTHSEEKER: Beneath the rest of the former monarch...
NIA: B-beneath the rest of the former monarch...
TRUTHSEEKER: Hope shall dawn and peace shall march.
NIA: Hope shall dawn... [sniffles as she thinks about Aeris] and peace shall march.
TRUTHSEEKER: [to Nia and smiles] Continue.
[Nia nods and continues reciting the new prophecy]
TRUTHSEEKER: If she who finds the stone to end all terror...
NIA: If she who finds the stone to end all terror...
TRUTHSEEKER: The sand and the army shall belong to her.
[Nia and Truthseeker give each other a look as they complete the new prophecy. The crystal between the two dragons spins rapidly, emitting an aura all over the room. Nia watches in awe as Truthseeker captures the aura from the crystal]
[Truthseeker slowly raises his talon toward Nia and gives her a tap on the head, transmitting the prophecy to her. She smiles and sniffles in joy at the same time]
TRUTHSEEKER: [to Nia] Our future lies within you now. You are the dragonet of prophecy, your destiny awaits you now.
[Nia smiles for a moment, and she begins having memories of everything she's been through. She remembers her time growing up in the NightWing village, living in the Sky Sector, meeting Aeris, and the adventures she had with him]
NIA (V.O): The continent wasn't always perfect. Blood rained from the sky, and dragons tried their hardest to survive. A lot of us fought with everything to give ourselves another day.
[scene cuts to Maz standing behind a counter in her shop, reading a scroll. She suddenly hears fireworks outside, and she rushes over the counter and runs out of the shop, seeing fireworks lighting the sky]
MAZ: What?
[Maz notices a group of SkyWings standing on a stage in the distance, with Avalanche announcing to a giant crowd of dragons below. Reckes stands proudly behind Avalanche]
AVALANCHE: The future of Pyrrhia is near. [pauses] We couldn't have done it without all the amazing dragons who've put their lives before ours, securing a safer and better place for all of us. We thank you.
[Maz smiles while standing in her shop, watching the celebration take place]
AVALANCHE: And... to Aeris. The Great Crimson. [pauses] The best SkyWing we could've ever asked for. A hero, a savior... an angel who brought hope to the continent. We are in debt for everything you've done for us. Thank you.
[in the Sand Sector, Oska and Sear help in the rebuilding process of the place. Sear is lifting a stack of planks as he descends above a building being constructed. Oska is walking along the street from below, dragging heavy bags with her. She turns to a group of dragons presenting a banner of Aeris on the front of a remodeled compound]
NIA (V.O): Thirty-three days. It's how long we've been away. There's this impossibility of this mission that only dragons could've dreamed of. Around the continent, dragonets only ever dreamed of the end of the war. A chance to rebuild. A chance of alliances. A place where everyone, big or small, can come together, and grow together... as a family. It is what Aeris would have wanted.
[scene cuts back to the grown Nia, standing on the stage and speaking to the dragonets of the Jade Mountain Academy. She looks at the blinking eyes below the stage, smiling as she continues her speech]
[SCREEN TITLE: 5012 AS]
NIA: So that's what I expect from each of you as you stay and study here. You will treat each other as your family, and you will learn together, [chuckles] laugh together, and... [think for a moment about Aeris] trust one another.
[Sunny claps behind the stage, and Tsunami nudges her. Nia gestures toward the arch at the entrance of the door, revealing a giant banner waiting to be unveiled. All of the students turn to where she directs, watching as Clay and Glory prepare to reveal the banner]
[Nia gives the two dragons a nod, and they reveal a giant banner honoring Aeris. All of the students clap in awe, admiring the hero who brought hope to the war. Nia speaks again, and the students turn to her]
NIA: Every one of us is here today because of him. [holds back her tears and sniffles] He was the spark of light that Pyrrhia needed... for a long, long time. He was the reason this academy existed, so we can learn to work like we used to.
[Clay and Glory root for Nia as she continues her speech, and she smiles]
NIA: I implore you. Learn. Every student here has an opportunity none of us had when we were young. Please take advantage of that, and I hope that all of you will have the best time here in Jade Mountain.
[the crowd erupts and cheers. Nia turns to the Dragonets of Destiny, seeing them applauding as well. She smiles, turning to the banner of Aeris and remembering about the time they had together]
[scene cuts back to the past, where Nia is sitting on a bleacher with many other dragons around her. Some of the dragons are SandWings, SkyWings, MudWings, and even IceWings. She is listening to Saxe marching around the five columns and speaking to the crowd]
[SCREEN TITLE: 5000 AS]
SAXE: About a year ago, we secured ourselves a new prophecy. One that would shift the war forever. [points at Nia and smiles] So, why not give her a round of applause?
[the other dragons turn to Nia and clap, and she looks at the ground shyly. She looks at Saxe again, walking along the shore and feeling the little waves rushing onto his talons. He lays one of his talons on a column, looking at the names inscribed onto it]
SAXE: [exhales] These... names were the price of the war. These dragons are our beacons, they light our paths and tell us to keep moving. Most of us wouldn't be here today without them.
[Nia looks at her talons as she fiddles with the pendant that Aeris used to wear. She tugs onto the knife that Aeris gave her as well]
SAXE: Today marks the beginning of a new millennium. It's an event many could only dream of in their lifetimes. [grabs a sharp flint from a SeaWing holding it for him] This is for the dragons who've fought for us, protected us, and died for us. This is for those who can't be with us today. Please, if you would step forward and honor their names for our celebration of this day.
[the crowd cheers loudly, with many dragons whistling and applauding. Nia cries in joy as she claps, sniffling and letting a few drops of tears run down her eyes]
[many dragons step off the bleacher and walk toward the columns, grabbing their sharp flints and inscribing names onto the columns. Nia sits back at the bleacher, waiting for the others to finish and disperse across the haven]
[after the crowd slowly disappears from the columns, Nia hops off the bleacher and approaches the columns. Saxe waits for her as he stands next to one of the columns with a reserved blank spot at the center. He raises his eyes at her, and she smiles]
[Nia reaches for a sharp flint buried in the sand, picking it up and raising it toward the boulder. She punctures the flint into the column, slowly sketching out Aeris's name on it. After she finished, she took a few steps backward, looking at the name]
[Saxe walks and stands next to her, looking at the name as well. He puts his talon on her shoulder, giving her a nod of approval]
SAXE: For years, I've never thought that any of this would happen.
NIA: Thank you... for everything you guys ever did.
[Nia and Saxe talk with each other as they walk away from the columns, making their way back to the village and reuniting with the other dragons. Aeris's name is left on the column, where he shall be honored and remembered forever]
_____________________________________________
EPILOGUE
[Smolder suddenly hears footsteps approaching in front of him, and he flinches back in fear. He watches as a silhouette of a dragon emerges from the shadow, and he trembles nervously]
[the dragon steps out of the shadow, revealing to be a SandWing, and Smolder's eyes widen in horror]
BURN: Hello, brother.
[back at Blister's stronghold, a pebble suddenly rolls off the debris. Suddenly, a dragon emerges from the debris, groaning in annoyance. The dragon is revealed to be Blister, with the side of her snout slightly burned. She groans furiously, pushing the debris off her and stepping out of the rubble]