Once Upon a Story [ SLOW UPDATES ]

The Reincarnated Dragon Slayer (2)

Word count: 2571
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As the full moon approached, Ignium felt the earth's rage. Volcanoes erupted without rest, spreading earthquakes deep below the surface. Tunnels collapsed, and magma poured from every crack in the dirt. Down in the depths, it was chaos.

"Do we have to attend the council meeting?"

"Nynnyth and Calrocret will be there."

"Really?!"

"Yes, now, fetch your brothers. We're leaving in a few minutes."

Lunaris dashed off while Nexus read the letter he received. They were halfway through the moon cycle, living in ever-worsening conditions, and Zephyr had called an emergency meeting. Nox and Caedos would be present, making it one of the few times the brothers would speak face to face. Nexus wasn't nervous, but he didn't like talking to Nox. It usually ended badly.

Chosyth and Hoko rolled down the stairs, landing in a pile at the bottom. Nexus raised a brow at them.

"Really?"

They chirped and ran toward him, clinging onto his legs as he walked around. When the Lunaris returned with her brothers, they snickered, seeing Nexus trail his feet from the extra weight.

"Hoko, leave Master alone," Lussios ordered. She growled but listened, flying to perch on his shoulder. Chosyth dropped, sitting at Nexus' feet. The group left the shop, entering the most fortified area of their home. They called it the Goron Hub after the earth elemental's ancestral tribe: the Gorons.

They met with Zephyr down the center hall, and he brought them to the room where the council awaited.

"I hope you know this is a recipe for disaster," Nexus told him. Zephyr smiled and opened the door without replying. Lunaris was the first to enter. She immediately whistled for the two dragons in the room. Nynnyth ran out from under the table with another dragon: white with glossy red eyes. They jumped into her arm, licking her cheeks.

"Your scales are radiant today, Calrocret," she giggled, kissing his head. He chirped, climbing on top of hers. She held Nynnyth in her arms and ran to her spot behind Caedos.

"I see you're in good spirits, Luna."

"Of course I am," she giggled. "I get to see my little Calco."

Caedos held back a chuckle as Nox visibly rolled her eyes. Her brothers took their places: Lumus with Nox and Lussios with Nexus.

"My, you look grey," Nox said, greeting this brother.

"Funny of you to say," Nexus replied. "Your fine lines are even more pronounced than before. At this rate, you'll be a bag of bones by the end of the week."

"Gentlemen," Zephyr intervened before an argument erupted. "We must proceed with the meeting. There is much to discuss."

The men glared but settled comfortably in their seats. Zephyr breathed; he avoided a disaster. The awakening was one thing, but an argument between the brothers would likely cause an apocalypse of its own.

"I thank you all for joining us today," he started. "I'm sure you can all guess why I've called this urgent meeting. The situation in our tunnel systems is getting dire. We've lost over half of our territory so far and are at risk of more tunnels collapsing each passing day. After much discussion with Elder Nox, he has concluded that we will not survive the next full moon. Given the severity of the current events, it is highly plausible that the seismic activity will collapse all the tunnels, if not flood them with magma long before Mount Obsydia's eruption."