The Ruler of Light

Chapter 2: The Magic of the Missing Emperor

A storm of pre-teen murmurs flooded the space, echoing through the clearing, but one glare from the military officer achieved the nigh impossible task of silencing gossiping 12 year olds. The general had an fascinating ability to tell all he wanted with nothing but a stare, which he used to great affect.

The thickest man beckoned them to enter the forest. As they rustled through the shady trees on the edge, the overall mood calmed down, but Preston sensed the opposite. Immediately, he realized not all was fine.
1. When they entered the forest, it seemed as if the shadows had swallowed them, and it was hard to believe they were still next to the train station, very hard.
2. The men had made no sound entering the forest, and even now not the slightest trace of them walked across the forest floor could be heard or seen.

These went unnoticed by the rest of the group, but Preston went on full alert, senses awake, legs ready to jump at the slightest sound. He paced forward in this state, refusing to let his guard down. Finally, they stopped, and in front of him was living proof this was not normal, proof that made him gasp, and not alone.

Gaping in front of him was a wide sunlit area, as far as he could see, forming a straight boundary with the dark forest. There were areas with trees, much larger trees, and a lake that went as far as he could see to the side, but that paled in comparison to the major attraction: dragons.

Dragons. Hundreds, towers of wings and scaly skin in every color and shape you can think of. Bellow them, he could see humans struggling to keep them in one place, and realized that it must be the area: the area where all of the nation's not completely wild dragons were raised, and where it was decided whether you were worthy and strong enough for a dragon, and if you were, what dragon would become your dragon partner as a dragon warrior.

"Follow me," the general said, and no one dared argue, especially since he had come to actually speaking. He walked, a slower, more careful pace now, down a path that led through the dragon territory and into the distance. On they went, and as they reached dragon territory, some kids screamed, others laughed, and most looked in awe and an edge of fear.

One particularly vicious one shot a bolt of lightning at the children. They are ducked and yelled, then looked and saw a force field had come into view, resisting the blow and calming many children who had assumed they were unprotected. More called out and scratched, but none were as angry as that Fulgura, which was the name of the species that had attacked them. At last, their goal came into view.

A large, flat building nestled on the edge of an relatively small mountain stood in front. They entered a lobby and went down a long corridor for a few hundred yards before turning into an empty room. As they looked around, the general and his men left, leaving them in a blank marble box like place. Then, in a whorl of color, the surroundings blasted into a very interesting place.

They found themselves in a bright forest of massive trees, situated hundreds of feet above the ground on a colossal branch, sitting in chairs carved out of the natural wood floor, or so to speak. As they sat around, a voice behind them said, " Welcome."

They spun around and saw a woman, who smiled and said, "Hello. I am Wong, and I will be your test instructor." She waved her hand and in front of everyone appeared a smooth, white, rounded plate, which was around the size of a porcelain plate. "Now, unless anyone has a fear of heights and wants to leave, let the- do you wan't to leave?" A tall, thin boy who had raised his hand nodded. "Very well," Wong sighed. With a wave, he disappeared. " Now, let the test begin! We will start by having you, and only you, tap the plate."

All obliged, and to their surprise, several people's plates, including Preston's lit up, in a complex pattern of lights and shapes. The one's whose plated didn't light up vanished. Then, Wong looked closely at every plate that lit up. Some were unsatisfactory to her, and their makers disappeared. Amber, Elaine, Eli, Emily, a girl named Calibri and 2 others passed. Then she came to his. " Well," she said after a minute of staring at it, " this is incredible. Your plate shows you have a magical affinity almost as powerful as Jay himself." "Jay?"

Jay was the emperor of Dracaldair until he disappeared 4 weeks earlier. He turned up 2 weeks later, but he was unable to serve and handed the power to Eldra, a member of the Dracaldair High Council. Though the details were hidden, he was said to have lost an arm and suffered other terrible injuries over the two weeks he went missing, and gave the Council some grave news.

"Yes, Jay. You are destined for a very great legacy and a powerful dragon, I'm sure of it." With that she waved her hand a final time and the tree, the branch, everything, simply melted away.

They reappeared in a dark, torchlit, stone corridor. They, waited tensed, for a few seconds before a deep voice reached out of the dark. " I am the Gryphon Master. Congratulations. You have physical ability, courage, and magical aptitude to become a warrior."

A silhouette appeared on the inky black mass in front of them, taking shape and becoming a tall, well muscled, dark skinned man, who stepped out of the shadows and looked down upon them. " Now," he said, " it is time for you to find the dragon you were destined for."

Again, yay! Jay is actually Jayden, and the Gryphon Master is of course Griffin. Wong is purely fictional and is no way related to any real person. And though Preston is named that, his personality, unlike some other characters, is created entirely by moi. Apart from that, just like it, comment, follow me and keep reading!