Dragons gave Jonathan his powers—not the golden cave.
My head spun, struggling to rearrange the information I'd spent years carving into my memory from reading Jonathan's memoirs so many times I supposed I could recite every chapter word for word. Those texts were so convincing—as if reading them had allowed me to enter Jonathan's mind and see the world through his eyes. Was any of it true?
A blurry memory of white feathers flashed before my eyes.
Kaoru.
Art told me that the Templars had spent centuries researching dragons and formulated all kinds of theories about their role in this messy world. Could he have been right when he said that one dragon's death could mean the end of an entire class of powers?
I stiffened. What about the other dragons? There were at least twenty here alone and probably a lot more somewhere on this island or close by. And what about Arok? He just demonstrated incredible powers of healing, just like Kaoru. What would happen if he died?
"Willow."
I twisted my head to look at the golden queen's scarred face. Her eyes were humorless and hard—as if she recalled a painful memory. "I understand that what I am about to tell you must contradict everything you have been taught about our world. You will likely have many questions as I unravel the past, but I need you to listen carefully first. I will answer any questions you may have after."
My throat knotted, clenching so tight it felt impossible to breathe, let alone utter a sound. Instead, I nodded, careful never to let my eyes leave hers.
Queen Pangea's shoulders dropped half an inch as she raised her head and looked past us to Arok.
"You too, Miss Piper," she quickly added.
Piper didn't nod in agreement, but she didn't argue either. I guess that must've been enough for the queen.
"Long ago, before humanity existed—before the air could sing, the sea could dance, and the flame could roar, there was earth. Barren of life and silent as the darkness ruling the lands. It was an era of nothing, where time had no meaning.
"No one knows how long this world existed like that, but one day, a young star emerged from the unending darkness, disturbing the somber peace. The darkness thought nothing of it as it was merely a speck of dust in its vast domain until the day it fell.
"The young star crashed into the ground and split the surface into seven major sections. The shift formed mountains and valleys where no apparent inclination had been before, grinding rock to sand and releasing the burning magma from its core. However, what made the darkness coil was the intense, white light gushing from the star's heart, pushing the shadows back.
"From the light came warmth, and with it came the wind and sound."
A startled gasp fled past my lips as a cough sounded behind us. A faint feeling of acute relief brushed my drumming heart when I realized it was Alia. It meant she was breathing.
Queen Pangea cleared her throat, attracting our devoted attention again.
"The star rejoiced in its creation and called for its friends to witness the transformation. Curious, more stars approached, but none dared fall like the young star had done.
"The darkness riled at the sight of its once-bleak sky now twinkling with hopeful lights, all because of one single star. However, the star's light was yet too bright and powerful for the darkness to act. So, it waited, hidden beyond the light."
Pangea exhaled and looked back toward the row of dragons still glowing between their shadowed scales.
"Oblivious to the danger, the star continued admiring the sight of the silence transforming into something living and breathing. Eventually, the star shed a tear, but when the tear came into contact with its blazing surface, it turned into a droplet of the clearest liquid. When the tear hit the ground, a green stem flourished, lush leaves uncurling and reaching for the star.
"However, before the new life could take its first proper breath, the plant wreathed and the leaves charred until none of it was left. Startled by the death, the star began to weep. From its tears rose the oceans, but the star feared its intense energy might lead to evaporation before any life could be formed. So, it transformed into an eternal flame, leaving its immense power to scatter throughout the world until it was no bigger than the palm of a hand.
"The darkness immediately noticed the shift in power and went to snuff out its light and return the world to what it was before. The elements that the star had given new life and purpose refused to stand by as the darkness destroyed their mother.
"In their current state, they were bound by laws and reliant on each other, unable to protect the unaware flame. So, the earth molded bodies from its toughest substance.
"It gave the bodies wings to soar through the air, claws and teeth to defy even the fiercest mountains, and scales to withstand the hottest flame and dive through the brutal oceans.
"Each element fused with a body, which released them from their laws and allowed them to control their elements without depending on the others.
"In the nick of time, the dragons chased the darkness back, protecting the vulnerable star. However, the star felt bad for the darkness and gave it purpose, too. It split the day, offering the darkness the night, where all would sleep and peace would reign.
"The darkness seemed content, but the elements struggled to trust the new alliance and built an island around the star, where the elements could ensure the star's safety and forever reject the darkness."
The tip of my tongue itched with the urge to spill my burning questions. Was this the island that once harbored this alleged star? Was the star still here? Were the bodies of the elements the first dragons?
But I kept my lips sealed. I gathered Pangea would answer them at some point throughout her story.
"Centuries passed where life evolved, starting from the ocean, advancing to the ground, and eventually even conquering the skies. Even the darkness had grown fond of the concept of life and molded creatures that thrived in the night.
"The world soon became a vast place, and the elements struggled to keep up with maintaining order. To ease the burden, the elements agreed to forge a new lineage of creatures modeled in their image with a fraction of their power.
"Dragons were born, created to protect the star while the elements returned to their natural state so that the world may evolve without divine intervention.
"As all other animals and living organisms, the dragons bred, evolved, and their numbers grew, but none ever left the island and their beloved mother behind. That was until Jonathan somehow found the isolated island and stumbled across the golden cave where he encountered a young dragon born of the sea."
I held my breath as a thousand scenarios flashed past me, and a million emotions threatened to tear my lungs apart. Jonathan—the explorer, the peacekeeper, the king—face to face with a dragon. I wondered what went through his mind at that exact moment. Did he know dragons existed, or had they been creatures of lore and fantasy?
"Paralyzed by fear, Jonathan watched as the dragon rose before him, spreading its extensive wings. However, as surprised as Jonathan was to stand before a creature spun by fantasy, the dragon, too, looked at the human as if he were a creature of illusions.
"Curious, the dragon examined the human, looking past his puny skin and into his heart, where his soul swirled like the ocean waves in a calm lagoon.
"Whether it was fate or a cruel play of the rousing darkness, the dragon found himself staring at a mirror image of his own soul in a body that barely would survive a push from the purest of elements. Something fell into place between them—like two broken pieces finally mending.
"Their unexpected bond caused an invisible ripple of change to surge through the world. Their soul energies had fused, and the dragon's powers became Jonathan's, too.
"The magical phenomenon spread like dust in the wind, and just as Jonathan's memoirs vaguely describe, more human souls fused with those of dragons, and the Iridis were born.
"No exact explanation has yet been devised for the bond or why other dragons bonded with humans without ever having faced one, but—"
"Wait," Piper said, rubbing her temples. "I'm sorry. I know you said to bite back our questions, but I'm not sure I understand. Are you— Are you saying that our powers stem from our souls linking to that of a dragon? That my soul is connected to a dragon born of the sea like Jonathan's. What about the Iridis, who wields non-elemental powers—like light?"
Queen Pangea sent Piper a gentle smile. "That is correct, Miss Piper. Somewhere on this island, there is a dragon whose soul mirrors yours; however, the science is hardly as straightforward as—"
A scream suddenly tore open the air. We all twisted to see Alia awake, desperately scrambling backward on her elbows with eyes as wide as teacups. "I-is that a d-dragon?" she yelled, her chest rising and falling like the beat of a bird's frantic wings.
She twisted her head to look at us, fear carving deep lines of terror across her brow. "What are you guys doing?" she shouted, struggling to pull herself to her knees. "Why are you not running? You should be—"
Her voice trailed off, dying on the tip of her tongue. The fear in her eyes melted, slowly filling with disbelief followed by joy. "P-Pangea?" she stammered. "W-what are you—"
A low growl from the Arok made Alia stiffen again.
"Hello, Alia," Pangea said, her voice calm and soft, but I had a vague feeling that all Pangea wanted was to rush past us and wrap her arms around Alia. "It is good to see that we were not too late. You have nothing to fear from us or the dragons. They are our family."
Alia blinked. "F-family?"
Pangea nodded and raised a hand. One of the big, glowing dragons opened its wide mouth, and its throat started to glow with the light of a star. The dragon exhaled, and a flurry of endless sparkling cinders spread throughout the air, lighting the cave like a sea of stars.
I swallowed a staggered gasp when the shadows retreated, revealing an unexpected number of distinctive dragons reaching no further than the tallest dragons' backs—some were even smaller.
Their colors were as vast as the nuances of the Iridis blood, if not more. Some wore feathers, while others had scales of different designs, each with horns, antlers, or tusks spiking from their heads in variation.
"Atlas," Queen Pangea suddenly said. "Please assist Alia to her feet and follow us. Miss Piper, I trust you can assist Miss Aldwyn likewise."
Piper hesitated but nodded and lifted me to my feet without as much as a grunt.
"Will you be alright?" Caiden asked as Piper wrapped my sore arm around her neck.
I looked up to find his eyes resting on me, but instead of being greeted by the concern floating in those fervent eyes, I noticed subtle traces of ice lurking in the darkest shadows of his irises.
It was that damned mask again. I wanted to reach out and rip it off, but I guess reuniting with his long-lost mother should grant him a free pass. It couldn't be easy to navigate the person I knew and the person he was all those years ago with his mother.
I opened my mouth to kindly answer his question, but Piper was faster. "Get over yourself, Atlas. I've got her; go help the delicate Fire Iridis."
I quickly flashed Piper a warning glance, but she brushed me off. What was with her attitude?
Caiden didn't appear as bothered by Piper's snappy mood as I'd expected and continued past us to help Alia as asked. "What happened, Caiden?" Alia asked. "Why is your mother—"
"Follow me," Pangea said, turning her back on us to proceed toward the row of dragons. Without flinching, the dragons stepped aside, creating a passage for the lost queen to follow.
Eos and Art stepped up behind her, and we followed immediately after. The woman named Raelyn and the dragon, Arok, tailed us.
"Many of the narrations from Jonathan's memoirs carry a great deal of truth, but much has been redacted, and the dragons removed from their rightful place in history.
"I could spend days, if not weeks, unmasking what humanity has buried beneath lies, but time will unveil the details eventually. For now, time is sparse, and there are more important elements for you to understand first."
That sounded like an opening. "Why were the dragons erased from history? Why were they hidden from us when they are obviously the key to our powers?"
Pangea stopped in her tracks but didn't look back. "Remember how I mentioned that Jonathan's discovery of this island was unexpected?"
None of us answered, but I guess the silence was confirmation enough. "This island has been hidden from all but the dragons by the elements. Not even animals can pass the storm surrounding us without the Lagyssal's permission.
"It has long been considered whether he was guided by the darkness's everlasting grudge for the star in an attempt to weaken the star's defenses because not long after Jonathan's death, the island fell under siege by an invisible source. The star was almost lost, and the dragons were forced to retreat to once again protect the mother."
Pangea paused, clenching her fists tight. "This island has since been frozen in time until little more than a decade ago, when the first drop of golden blood emerged again after millennia of dormancy, warning a horrible fate."
My chest clenched when Pangea glanced at me from the corner of her narrowed eye. "The darkness is stirring again, and it's up to the dragons and their golden warriors to stop it, or the world as we know it will be lost."