The Insignia

Drowned Realities

Drowned Realities

(Soot POV)

I was in a new room, it was much nicer. It even had light, and a dry floor, The bars were shiny, instead of having the red characteristics of rust. It was clean too, something I noticed at first. No blood stained these walls, instead they were clean with a rosy smell to them. What were the humans saying? Were they saying that killing gave privileges? Or was it the complete opposite? Were they harvesting me for the reaping? What were these despicable beings having in store for me.

I heard a rustle of chains. "Hello?" I whispered, not knowing if there was anything beyond the walls. I heard a grunt, I jumped to my feet, "Who's there?" I whispered.

I peeked through a small hole in the wall, the room was empty, except for a large rock in the corner. I jumped in surprise as the rock moved and I met the silver eyes of the gray dragon. It was not a rock. "Hello Young 'un?" a raspy voice chuckled, his body heaved up and down as he laughed.

"Hello?" I said uncertain if it was safe to speak to another, after all it was a kill or be killed world.

"Don't be afraid," he whispered, "I'm not dangerous." He sighed, his eyes filling with sadness and a lonely glimmer. "It's been forever since I have spoken to someone, I think I almost lost the ability to speak." He continued rambling on, about how the humans were treacherous creatures and full of filth. 

"I'm Soot," I replied, not sure if he wanted my name. Suddenly, I noticed a long scar running down his back. It lay bare and jagged upon his grey scales, and its ugly pinkish color told me it hadn't healed right and that whatever caused it was violent.

He looked at me memories clouded in his silver, white eyes. "I fought in the Bloodrain War, my name is Decibel," he spoke his voice foggy with uncertain emotions. Surprise fell upon me, I recognized that name. Decibel? Where had I heard it before? I recalled my memories, searching for that one name. I gasped in realization. This straggly, old dragon was Decibel of Insignia, the leader of the Republic of the Fallen. He was the leader of the Republic. He had been the one to challenge the Nicholas Blood, the King, King Nicholas.

he had led my kind bravely, unlike me a shadow that was afraid of the sun. he was a hero, I was the victim. Not all victims get saved, and that's how villains are born. Things turn into monsters because of the isolation of light, in a dark world the only hope is to blend in. No one can be vulnerable in the dark world, if they are they will illuminate themselves, a single light in a vast world of darkness. light attracts predators, predators from the deepest pits of hell.

"Your Decibel," i whispered, staring in awe at my hero. He may have been weak and at the verge of dying, but he was still my hero, because I knew he illuminated himself in the dark and he lit much more than himself. He lit cities with his hope, he lit worlds, but Blood had turned him off. It wasn't that he had failed to finish, it was that he had started it that made him the hero, my hero.

"I'm going to sleep now," he said looking longingly at the window, I then noticed something I hadn't noticed before. Where his wings should have been were two swollen stumps, dried crimson stained them, and the horror drowned me, they had cut off his wings....

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I listened to the click, click, click of the windmill, as its arms turned again and again. Closing my eyes, I dozed off, listening to the world around me. Click. Click. Click....The sound turned off, I perked my ears, ready for any attack. The stomping of boots could be heard. Stomp. Click. Stomp.....I waited patiently, eyeing the silver bars of the door, I lifted my head, awaiting the cold gleam in the men's eyes as they dragged me to my death. Stomp. Click. Stomp.. Two men stopped in front of my cell, gazing down at me, their eyes trailing over my thin armor of black, blunt scales, and peering into my ice, blue eyes. I caught one of the men's eyes, he met mine, and I saw something I thought I never thought I could see in a human. Regret. Was he regretting doing this to me? Or did he wish he had just killed me earlier? Either way, it was impossible to know, after all they were humans.

The other man, with a graying beard yanked me to my feet and di the same routine as last time, taking me to the enclosed walls of the dome, or should I say arena. As I walked into death's chamber, I noticed something different. The humans were silent, eyeing each other carefully, their gazes worried and uncertain.

Creak. Creak. Creak. The gate opposite of me swung open and there stood the most beautiful creature I had ever seen....

"Angel. Angel. Angel," the people cheered, the noise vibrating the dome. I cringed at the obnoxious sound. Angel? Across from me in the arena stood a white dragon, feathers lining her white wings, I could see red stained their beautiful tips. Her eyes were a beautiful lavender, almost an orchid color. Even in her attack stance and raging eyes, she was pretty, her scales a shiny coat of armor, and a mane of the richest silvers. She was utterly the most fascinating creature I had ever laid eyes on, even if she was going to kill me.

She jumped into her air, her scales shimmering. The whole world froze for a moment, one minute she was there the next on top of me. Her claws dug into my flesh as she pinned me down, she hissed, sending a spray of saliva in my face. I groaned in pain as her weight pushed me deep into the sand. I could feel, cold, biting frost forming from her claws, an icy chill spread through my body. I screamed trying to rid my body of her freezing touch. I tried to rid it of the ice encasing me. It died in my throat all I could feel was the numb torture of myself trapped in the cold prison of ice. I breathed. In. Out. In... i sucked in no, air could be found, I gasped trying to find oxygen for my lungs, panic filled me. I tried to fight the cage I was trapped in, but I was like a statue, still and frozen. I panicked, as darkness began to filter in my vision. No. I couldn't die this way. I had to see the light. I had to illuminate myself.

I sucked in feeling a soothing warmth liquify itself in my veins, a fiery wave of hope, of seeing the light, of glory escaped me. I breathed, fire blew past my limbs, burning the ice prison that held me captive. Fire destroyed the cold and melted the encasing of ice. I breathed in, feeling a strange new warmth seal itself deep within my heart. I felt the urge of freedom. I felt all eyes turn to me. A look of surprise cast upon the white dragon.

I roared, a low, mellow sound, the crowd cheered, half in astonishment, half in wonder. She roared too, hers opposite of mine, it rumbled the stadium, people stumbled from their chairs, as the dome shook in the loud, harmonious sound.

I realized then, just as I swore myself to the light, that she was fighting for something too, and maybe together we could achieve it. I pushed myself down onto my knees and bowed, my black head laying on the sand pit.

To my astonishment she bowed down too, her violet eyes meeting mine. She smiled, her white teeth glimmering, it was something I had never seen, I had seen some with evil, some with malice, but never with happiness. What kind of dragon was this? Why did she make me feel so strange?

I realized in my own drowned reality, I saw her as a friend. I saw her as an ally. "Angel," I whispered. She shook her head.. No?

"Cinder," she said, her voice soft and melodic, a small smile tugged itself onto my lips....Cinder..... 

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Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed. I really loved writing this chapter. i also liked adding Decibel in it. No, he didn't die, by the way.. Rainbows and Unicorns to all... 

:) 

-Ella Winters