Dragon Prince: A Warrior's Journey (Under Editing)

Chapter Twenty-Three: Through the Looking Glass

After a bit of convincing, Queen Zubeia had let Ezran, Rayla, Stella, Sierra, and Zym hitched a ride on the Dragon Queen and they could be seen flying through the night sky. Flying nearby, Soren, Callum, and Bait were riding Pyrrah with the mirror that Viren had stolen from King Avizandum two years ago and Ibis was riding Pantala to make sure the mirror won't be accidentally dropped.
"So, this Fallen Star person who's returning, if they're a Fallen Star, was there a time when they were just a star?" Ezran asked the Dragon Queen curiously.
"His name is Aaravos," answered Queen Zubeia. "And yes, he was a star. A Startouch Elf. One of the Great Ones, respected and loved by all until we uncovered long-hidden treachery." They soon flew towards the moon, covered by the silvery moonlight. "Hundreds of years ago, before Avizandum was King of the Dragons, the Dragon Queen, Luna Tenebris, mysteriously died." Sierra exchanged a nervous glance with the others. "Luna lacked a suitable heir and the other dragons fought bitterly over who should ascend in her place. As the conflict swirled and escalated towards inevitable violence, the great leader of the Sunfire Elves, Queen Aditi, stepped in to break the peace. The Archdragons trusted this wise and kind leader, and agreed to abide by whatsoever she decided." Sierra remembered Queen Janai's stories regarding her legendary grandmother. "But before she could bring peace to the world, Queen Aditi went missing!" She remembers the mystery of Queen Aditi. "Chaos and confusion erupted, and war threatened to tear Xadia apart. As now the elves suspected the dragons had killed their queen. But truth came from an unexpected source. A young human girl discovered a great secret of history." Sierra glanced at Ezran, taking a random guess that he's the young human girl's descendant. "A dangerous deceiver was revealed: It was one of the Great Ones, the Startouch Elf: Aaravos! For a thousand years, Aaravos had been pulling invisible strings like a puppet master." Rayla looked wary about that. "Every great crisis the world faced, seemed the work of some ingenious and powerful leader. But in each case, it was secretly Aaravos... whispering in their ear."

"If these leaders were ingenious, why were they listening to someone so evil whispering in their ear?" asked Ezran.
"Aaravos was able to give them something they wanted very badly," Queen Zubeia replied. "Aaravos chose as his instruments people who had strong minds and strong hearts... But who had an insatiable thirst and fascination with magic." Callum and Soren can be seen flying on the back of Pyrrah. Callum looked into the mirror while holding the Key of Aaravos. "Aaravos could offer them access to the great mysteries of the universe." Callum tossed the Key of Aaravos in his hand and looked back at the mirror.
"Mages," Rayla spoke up, worried about Callum and Sierra.
"Yes, mages were his prey," Queen Zubeia confirmed.
What happened over a thousand years ago? She wanted to know one of them could outsmart this dangerous Startouched Elf. But something's not adding up...
"So, what did you do?" Ezran asked her. "How did you stop him?"
"A Startouch Elf is no ordinary enemy," admitted Queen Zubeia. "Our adversary was literally a being from the heavens with vast and mysterious powers." Sierra glanced up at the starry night sky, something bad had probably happened. "Even after Avizandum and I allied ourselves with the other Archdragons, we could not risk a direct confrontation." She frowned at that, Aaravos sounded very vengeful and agitated. But something's still not adding up. "We had to beat Aaravos at his own game. We could not let on that we knew of his crimes and treachery. We had to conspire, and plot, and deceive this deceiver so that at the exact right moment, he would lower his guard and we could imprison him forever." No wonder he's angry, figured Sierra with a flinch. "A magical prison was created, meant to hold this villain for eternity. Part of its power is that no one knows where it is. Each of the Archdragons had a clue, a piece of the puzzle, but not one of them had the complete picture. Avizandum was given an enchanted looking glass, so he could keep watch on Aaravos and make sure he remained trapped and helpless."
"That's pretty clever," Sierra admitted. "And a little risky."
Rayla sat up, spotting the Storm Spire. "The Storm Spire. We're here."
They soon flew towards a large pinnacle at the top of the mountain, a bridge of wood and stone ahead of them while on the other side of the bridge, was a large building, cut into the stone. It looked slightly rough and worn, but still beautiful as it reaches out to the sky, while at the very front, was a massive door engraved with beautiful runes.
But Ezran saw an outline of a person on the pinnacle. "Hey, there's someone on the pinnacle."
As soon as they landed, gasps of horror could be heard once they recognized the elderly Skywing Elf. It was Osiris. One by one, the traveling companions had each paid their respects to the fallen, elderly Skywing Elf. Zym had whimpered sadly and nuzzled him sadly while Callum comforted his dragon son. Rayla had placed Osiris in a more comfortable position and Ezran watched on with great sadness and empathy. A conflict of emotion was evident in Soren's eyes.
"Father." The words were like a dagger in Ibis's heart. How could this happen? His fingers curled around his staff for reassurance as he struggles and yet fails to steels himself. He soon snapped out of his grieving thoughts when he felt Sierra's hand on his hand.
He can see himself in her eyes like a mirror, but their surface is glassy, hollow as is his. She wrapped her arms around Ibis and squeezed her dad tightly. Sierra felt Ibis's strong arms wrap around her. She shut her eyes and let her whole body relax into the embrace. A silent sob escaped from him. Warm tears were sliding from Sierra's face too.
Once inside the mountain and the mirror had been brought inside along with everyone else, Queen Zubeia took them into her chambers. "Osiris was more than a great mage, he was a great friend and a caring grandparental figure. Losing him is heartbreaking, but the world will face cascades of heartbreak and loss if we don't stop Aaravos. Ibis, Sierra, I am sorry for what happened to your father and your grandfather, I hope we can find out who did this to him."
"When I find out who did this..." Ibis clenched his fists.
"Somehow, you have my mate's looking glass," Queen Zubeia said to Callum.
"I'm pretty sure that means the mirror, right? Yes, Lord Viren stole it," Callum responded, he looked at the mirror. "I never knew what it was or whose it was until now."
"The looking glass is enchanted and linked to an identical mirror in a magical prison," Queen Zubeia explained. "When no light reflects off its surface, it becomes as clear as a window and you can see clear into the prison itself."
"The prison of that Aaravos guy you mentioned earlier?" asked Sierra.
"Indeed." Queen Zubeia nodded.
Callum looked at the enchanted mirror. "In darkness, gaze upon a fallen star, that's what's written on this mirror."
"So, we need to darken the cave to look in, but the sun's comin' up and it won't be dark enough to see through the mirror," Rayla said, pointing to the faint rays of sunlight peeking into the chambers.
"A little sunlight won't be a problem." Queen Zubeia started murmuring a spell and a loud rumbling could be heard from above. The group looked up to see the once pale pink and blue sky becoming dark and lighting dancing above, turning the entire cavern dark.
As the room was now enveloped in darkness, the glass of the mirror began to glow brightly, allowing them all to see something — or rather someone inside. The mysterious someone was a Startouched Elf. He has midnight blue skin and long, layered white hair. The exiled elf's back is towards them as they gazed around. The room looked like a parlor or library — shelves lined with books and plush chairs carefully placed around a marble floor. After a moment, the mysterious elf turned to the mirror, looking quite confused as they walked closer to the glass. So, that was Aaravos. Sierra took out her bow from her back and when she pressed the button, it transformed into a sword. Standing next to her was Ibis, who started holding his Skywing Elven staff.
The trapped elf's confused expression turned to one of annoyance before he suddenly flexed one hand towards the mirror and the mirror started glowing brightly. Sierra took notice that Callum was holding onto his elven staff in his right hand. His staff has a brightly glowing blue stone in the middle, curled by metal plates resembling the wings of a bird. Sierra had found it after she had moved out from her old home and gave Callum's late birth father's staff to him for his birthday last year.
"Zubeia, you haven't aged a bit. You look as young as ravishing as the day you betrayed me." Aaravos's voice was eerily deep and calm as the darkest part of the sea, but Sierra sensed he had went through something terrible in the past and was hiding it remarkably well.
"I don't like this," Ibis muttered loudly before Aaravos turned to look at them.
"So, these are the champions you gathered to try and stop me? They're nothing, but pathetic children!" Aaravos sneered. He looked at both Rayla and Ezran. "The whining child king, in over his head and he knows it. The Moonshadow Elf assassin, who can this be right? Isn't capable of killing?"
"I think that's a good thing," muttered Sierra.
Aaravos smirked, he turned his attention to them and gazed at Soren. "The failed son, whose father wishes he had never been born."
"Oh and what's this? Is that a half breed?" Aaravos smirked at Sierra, who gave him a sharp and yet wary glare from her. "Why am I not surprised that these will start to exist again?" It took a good deal of control for her not to say anything, Sierra increased her glare on him and was about to step forward to destroy the stupid enchanted mirror or yell at Aaravos when Ibis placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.
"Sierra, please." When she stared up at Ibis, she saw a silent plea in his mournful sky-blue eyes. After letting out a calming sigh, Sierra leaned against her father's side and let him place a protective arm over her shoulders.
For a brief moment, Aaravos's eyes had a flicker of emotion at the duo's bond being performed in front of them. Love? Grief? Guilt? Regret? Slight jealousy? Whatever emotional flicker he had, it had disappeared as quickly as it came. Probably to insult Ibis or Callum next.
Aaravos smirked at Ibis. "The Skywing Elf who can see the best in humans, and thinks he's anything like his dead mother or father." Aaravos laughed and Ibis looked ready to strike the mirror. "Oh, did I speak too soon?"
Sierra placed a hand on her father's arm yet again. He glanced at her, his blue eyes stormy with fierce anger and grief. Sierra cringed at the sight of his raging expression. It only took her father a moment to come back to his senses, his expression was filled with regret for accidentally scaring his beloved daughter. Sierra gently held his hand and squeezed it, slowly and surely calming him down.
"How entertaining." Aaravos mused. "And my favorite, the human mage, who was tainted by darkness before the half breed freed him from my hands."
Callum didn't say anything to the exiled Startouched Elf, but he only frowned at him with an angry glare. He didn't use Dark Magic, he was hit by it by accident. Luckily, Sierra used her magic to get the trace of Dark Magic out of him.
"NO!" The elf stiffened in surprise and turned to look at Ezran, who stood in the midst of the group. "Shut up! Just shut up!" The young king then turned his attention to the elf in the mirror, his eyes brimming with anger. "You forget that Rayla was the one who killed Viren, so you are wrong about her! And you are wrong about my other friends too! Sierra's family have never abandoned her! Ibis is a great Sky Mage as his parents were! Callum is the first human to be connected to one of the Primal Sources! And Soren isn't a disappointment!"
"And you're wrong about Ezran too!" Soren added, gripping the handle of his blade. "So, watch your mouth! We will stop you!"
"Oh, my time has come, my return to this world is inevitable!" The group looks to the mirror in worry as Aaravos seated himself down in a chair, still sporting a smirk before he blew a kiss at their reflection, before the mirror shattered and he disappeared.
"It seems like he was trying to shake others up with his words, so he could be lying," Sierra spoke up, her eyes flashing. "We need to do something, and fast before he breaks out of that prison."
"He's right, we have to do something," Ezran agreed. "Guess we can't go back home now, not until we put an end to that plan. But first, we have something important to do before we do anything."

The funeral they held for Osiris on the top of the Storm Spire was a quiet one. They stood around the fallen Skywing Elf's body in silence for what felt like hours after they had covered it with a white blanket and sprinkled blue roses on it.
"So, what does one do normally at a funeral for a Skywing Elf?" Ezran asked, carefully he looked to his friends.
"We normally take the bodies up to a high mountaintop like this and cover them, and then a mage says a spell that does something to the body, so the deceased elf becomes one with the sky and wind," Ibis explained, but he soon sighed mournfully. "I... I can't do it. I know the spell, but..."
"I can do it with you if that's okay," Callum offered him gently. "We'll send him off together."
"And I can help you guys too," said Sierra softly.
The Skywing Elf mage nodded. The three of them murmured a set of words and drew a rune into the air before it faded. For a moment nothing happened, but then a powerful breeze began to send the scattered flowers off the platform before the blanket was blown off and a flock of beautiful white birds took off into the sky.
Ibis looked down, but he noticed Sierra gazing at him mournfully. He can see himself in them like a mirror, but their surface is glassy, hollow as is his. She wrapped her arms around Ibis and squeezed her dad tightly. Sierra felt Ibis's strong arms wrap around her. She shut her eyes and let her whole body relax into the embrace. A silent sob escaped from him. Warm tears were sliding from Sierra's face too.
As they walked further into the cave, they could see the Dragon Queen angrily pacing the room and letting out loud huffs while her tail thrashed, clearly agitated. Sierra had seen Zym get like that before to know the Dragon Queen was angry. Once everyone had returned, the Dragon Queen let out an annoyed snarl. "This is all connected, someone is working free Aaravos. But who?"
Soren kneels to scoop up a large shard from the mirror. "My sister."
"How do you know?" Rayla asked curiously.
"It's like she said, it's all connected. It must have been Aaravos whispering to my dad all along. Now, he's gone, Claudia is powerful, desperate, and she's picking up where he left off," explained Soren.
"Makes perfect sense." Sierra nodded in agreement.
"Plus that's her bracelet." She glanced to where he pointed to see the old familiar snake chain bracelet on the floor, unfortunately cut in half. Well, that solidified Soren's statement about it being his sister at least.
"Then we have to find Claudia and stop her," Callum said firmly.
"How? I spent every moment of the last two years of my life huntin' for her and I failed!" Rayla cried out, frowning.
"We don't know where she is, but we do know what she's looking for, we have to find it first," said Ezran, before turning to the Dragon Queen. "Zubeia, you said Aaravos' prison is a secret, that each of the archdragons had a piece of the puzzle. With their help, could we solve it before Claudia does?"
"Hmm, perhaps Rex Igneous, the Archdragon of the Earth. He may hold a clue to the prison's location," The Dragon Queen stated. "Rex lives beneath the great mountain of Umber Tor. Come! We fly!"