Before Winter, before Primoria

IV - Klaryn, the Decay creature

The three Winters had to walk. Seeker knew how to move through the matter of the air as if he was flying, but Whi'lar and Li'han barely managed to stay on the air, and if not did well, floating was quite dangerous, if they fell, the magic that conformed them would take several minutes –or maybe an hour– to rearrange.

Finally, the eldest Winter stopped in front of a specially scary-looking mountain.

"Here," he whispered, "here the drain is stronger. Inside"

Whi'lar could feel it, not as accurately as The Seeker, but he knew something powerful was inside that mountain. Yet, he didn't see any cave entrance.

"How... are we supposed to get in?" asked Whi'lar.

"The power of things concealed." Seeker simply said "you must look where there is not. That's how it had managed to stay hidden."

"I see it," said Li'han suddenly, she had her eyes half-closed.

"How?" asked Whi'lar, still just seeing a big, solid mountain.

"You must belive it is there, your unconscious must know."

The Winter focused. There is an entrace there, he told himself, it is there, I know it is.

Suddenly, he distinguished a large part of the mountain where the storm was not stopping, but rather continuing, as if it could go inside the rock.

"I found it," murmured Whi'lar.

"Are we getting in?" asked Li'han, The Seeker nodded.

"You'll need to levitate, I'll go last, if you fall, I'll catch you."

The young Winters exchanged looks, they would need to trust the old Winter. With still fear in their hearts, Whi'lar and Li'han focused in the mountain entrance and moved toward it with their minds, it took them quite an effort, and when they arrived, both were gasping.

The Seeker arrived a few seconds later, putting his feet in the snow of the mountain with elegance. The entrance standed just before them, like the mouth of a deadly, hungry creature.

They got in, walking carefully, the cave was even bigger than the mountain seemed to be, and in the distance, they could see a dim turquoise light. They took another step, and heard an unusual crack.

Whi'lar looked behind him, a big rock fell in the cave entrance, blocking it.

"Curse the Universe," murmured The Seeker.

"Why didn't it closed when we tried to get in?" asked Li'han, in a whisper.

"It is not meant to keep creatures away," answered Seeker "It is meant to keep creatures inside."

"The magic drainer," said Whi'lar, "but, why would he seal himself?"

"Possibly, he didn't" answered Seeker, walking forward.

Then, the cave shaked, like an earthquake.

"Who dares to enter my realm?" shouted a voice, the three Winters then noticed the big, black figure standing in front of them, it uncoiled, It's neck was so tall the head with a pair of red, penetrant eyes almost reached the sealing.

"Who are you magic thief?" Shouted Seeker back.

There was a strange sound filling the cave, like two stones hitting each other. Then Whi'lar realized it was the creature laughing.

"Magic thief you call me?" he asked, "Magic should only belong to the ones who deserve it, and need it."

Whi'lar heard the sound of a bird unfolding its wings, and noticed it had come from the creature before them. Wings, a long neck, eyes like blood. It was a dark dragon.

Those creatures where made of an evil, ancient magic, known by the Winters as Decay. Whi'lar used to think the dark dragons had extinguished many millennia ago, killed by the allied Winters and Las'tars.

Or maybe they didin't died at all, they were keep inside a prison to rot into madness.

The realization made Whi'lar wide his eyes. "Then speak your name, murdered of the Las'tars," insisted The Seeker.

"I am Klaryn, the last of my kind." The name itself send a chill through Whi'lar.

"And what do you think you are doing, dark dragon Klaryn? How do you dare to take the magic of Primoria to you?"

Klaryn smiled, showing a row of deadly, pointy teeth. "Are you trying to challenge me, lesser creature?"

"Get away," Seeker murmured to the young ones. "You will rot here, Klaryn, and we will not let you steal another single spark of magic" he then souted to the dragon.

"What?" asked Whi'lar, confused.

"We are not all getting away alive, run, I'll distract him."

"Oh, but you are a creature that resist the cold season, aren't you? That's exactly what I need" started speaking Klaryn.

The Seeker pointed his finger at the cave's door, a bolt of magic came from it, and was able to lift the rock enough to Whi'lar and Li'han to get through.

"NOW!"

The two Winters ran as fast as they could, and when they were bending, Whi'lar risked a look toward Klaryn, he had lifted his enormous paw, and started absorbing The Seekers magic escence, as he did, his scaled turned pale blue, and his eyes became a pair of light blue orbes.

"Yes, with the magic of a Winter I can finally open the gate." He said, still absorbing Seeker's magic.

Whi'lar and Li'han kept running until they reached the mountain cliff.

"We must levitate, it's the only way we can have an advantage to Klaryn," Whi'lar said.

"We can't!"

"We need to reach the others before Klaryn does. If we don't, we are doomed."

Li'han closed her eyes and took a breath. "Then let's do it".

And they jumped toward the void.

❄❅❆

Meir paused, again, thinking about the Seeker's sacrifice, it seemed darkness had existed since the beginning of Primoria, and the Winters had always been the ones fighting the evil at any cost. He couldn't help to think the similarity it had to their very own situation.

"Don't stop! We need to know what happens!" Said Aaliyah.

"Uh, sorry" said Meir, and took a breath to continue.

"Do they beat Klaryn at the end?" asked the winterian boy.

"Don't ask him to spoil the story!" complained Aaliyah.

"Don't get impacient, little one," said Meir chuckling, "we are about to reach the end."

He took a breath again, and continued.