King Grey was a man who had lost the ability to express emotions. A truly cold man. He can't express simple human emotions such as happiness or excitement.
He died under mysterious circumstances. His life was full of sadness and regrets. His only w...
What my eyes saw, my brain refused to believe for a moment. It really was a dragon in all its glory.
From her snout to the end of her tail, she was clad in pure, white shimmering scales.
With beaming amethyst eyes that gazed down at me, while menacing, carried an oddly tranquil quality. Around her eyes were golden markings that went down her neck and spread around her body and tail.
The dragon's wings were pure white adorned with white bladed feathers that put swords made by master smiths to shame.
"We finally meet." She said with a smirk, revealing rows of sharp teeth.
"Forgive me for my outburst earlier." I said, regaining my composure. "I thought the dragons went extinct."
"That's what the lessers think since we stopped making contact with them."
I raised one eyebrow in confusion and suspicion. "Lessers?"
"That is the term we Asu-" She sighed. "We Dieties use to refer to the three races of Dicathen."
Dieties... huh. "So you mean to say Dragons are Gods?"
"Pretty much."
"I am honored to be in the presence of a diety." I bowed in respect. "I apologise for my rudeness from earlier."
"Fufufu, you will be forgiven if you lick my boots." I heard a feminine voice other than the dragon say. Although this one sounded a bit childish.
I raised my head to see a girl, no older than 7 or 8, looking down at me. She had a smirk of superiority and quite possibly, sadism on her face.
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She was slightly taller than me. Her sparkling blue eyes stared at mine mischieviously. Her long white hair shone in the light of this cave lustrously.
"Oya oya! What are you staring at, lesser? Come on and lick my boots. Quick." She commanded, lifting her right leg.
"This isn't the way to treat a guest, Sylphiette. Apologise to him." The dragon rebuked the girl sternly.
"But isn't he just a lesser? He should do everything I say."
"You have a lot to learn, Sylphiette." The dragon sighed.
"Who is this girl?" I asked.
The girl in question snapped her head in my direction, stared at my apathetic eyes without hesitation and smirked. "Be grateful of having the pleasure to know me, lesser."
"I am Sylphiette Indrath, the Goddess of Love." She announced proudly.
"Goddess of Love?"
"Correct. I am the most beautiful of them, after all." She struck a sassy pose with her hands on her hips, head held high and eyes closed in self satisfaction.
'Is this girl delusional?'
"It is a pleasure to meet the Goddess of Love." I bowed in case she actually was a Goddess.
"Fufufu, no need to be so formal, kid. We aren't going to kill you." The dragon said.
"We aren't?" The girl asked in a disappointed and betrayed tone.
I stood back up and addressed the dragon. "Diety, regarding the questions you promised an answer to ; I am waiting curiously."
***
I sat on a small stone platform, the massive dragon sitting a comfortable distance away from me. Sylphiette sat cross legged on a crudely carved throne of stone, her head resting on her hand, overlooking us with a bored expression on her face.
"Ask away, boy." The dragon said.
"First question; do you have an idea about how I was able to survive the fall from the cliff?"
"Of course I do, I was the one who saved you after all." The dragon, whose name I had learned to be Sylvia, replied with a grin.
"Why?"
"Because you are an interesting kid." She replied with a creepy smirk on her already intimidating face.
"Second question; why did my ability malfunction when I was climbing the cliff and who is Aether?"
Sylvia chuckled at my question for some reason while Sylphiette straightened up attentively.
"Oya, don't get ahead of yourself! Why would a lesser need to know about Aether?" Sylphiette inquired in a commanding tone.
"It's alright Sylphy, he is a descendant who has already unlocked a Godrune." Sylvia replied, to which Sylphiette's eyes widened in disbelief.
"No way... this little brat?" She muttered in a not so silent voice.
'Little brat' would be words apt to describe Sylphiette more than me in my opinion.
"Anyways, to answer your question, Aether is not a person. Aether is a form of energy, just like mana. The ancient race of humans, called the Djinns used Aether."
"Aether is different from mana in many ways, however. It is a more... fundamental and potent form of energy than mana. While mana can be used to control the elements, Aether can bend the very fabric of reality." Sylvia informed. "Aether also has its own will. You cannot control Aether; only plead or manipulate it to do your bidding for you."
"Your ability of superspeed works on Aether." Sylvia said.
"That explains why my ability malfunctioned. Aether has its own will." I muttered to which Sylvia nodded in response.
"Did you ever wonder how do the humans keep the city of Xyrus afloat?" Sylvia asked me. I nodded at her question.
"Its because Xyrus isn't the technology of now. Xyrus is a creation from thousands of years ago by the Djinns. So are the dimension rings humans use."
"That makes sense." I muttered to myself.
"Though Djinns are a long extinct race, Djinn blood lives on in deviants like emitters and seers. Humans with a high enough concentration of Djinn blood and mental fortitude to wield Aether are called Descendants."
"And since I can use an ability requiring Aether, that makes me a Descendant."
"Absolutely correct." Sylvia smiled.
"Now, coming to the topic of Godrunes. Simply, they are the marks on your body that enable you to use Aetheric abilities." Sylvia said. "You should have one on you too."
"I want to see it for myself. Strip." Sylphiette spoke in a commanding tone.
This girl...
Nevertheless, I removed my shirt.
"Turn around."
"Its true..." Sylphiette muttered to herself.
Sylvia used some sort of magic and summoned a glass panel in front of me. As she clicked her claws, the panel's surface became reflective. I saw my back and there it was; a mark on the base of my back. It looked somewhat like the tattoos Sylvia has.
I put on my shirt back and sat on the rock facing Sylvia again.
"I hope that answers your questions." Sylvia said.
"One last question; you said you can help me get out of here. How?"
Sylvia nodded at the question. "I will create a dimensional rift that will take you to the human kingdom. However, it will take some time to form. Until then, you can stay here or train in the forest."
