~CHAPTER 6~
Nubian winged across the sky. He sighed deeply, feeling like every one of his bones ached with despair. His only love… Algific… and she hated him. He could still remember her, kicking him with her back talons. “I don’t want to be in a relationship with you.”
That sinking memory made his heart feel like he was at the bottom of the ocean. What is there to life? If no one loves me…
He could still see Algific, flapping not far from him, her eyes scanning the horizon. Her eyes… they were so beautiful, he could feel himself sinking into them…
“Nubian. Nubian! Hello?” Fangtooth was waving his talon in Nubian’s face. “You okay? Listen, Fireburst and I… we want to ask you something. Did you have any weird dreams last night?”
“Weird dreams?” Nubian echoed. No. I had some dreams about kissing Algific on the lips, but there is no way I’m telling him that.
Nearby, Endwhisperer dropped a few feet, giggling uncontrollably. Stupid, Nubian told himself. I forgot she was a mind reader.
Then the memory hit him. A black, eyeless dragon, chasing him. A bloody war. A dragon on a pile of skulls, laughing insanely.
“Yes, actually. Something about the ‘Eyes of Chaos’. Hmm. What’s the Eyes of Chaos?”
All of the dragonets’ faces went white as IceWing scales.
“Uh…” Nubian said uncertainly. “Was it something I said?”
He looked to see where all of the other dragonets were staring. He turned to see Endwhisperer, her face gaunt and colorless, her eyes milky and her mouth sagging, revealing long vampire fangs. She began to chant in the same raspy voice as the dragon from the dream:
.
Pyrrhia may be at peace
But all the happiness will cease
A time will come when darkness again shall rise
Spreading eternal fear and dimming skies
.
For once the prince shall die
Anger and revenge shriek their cry
Horrors and blood will stain the ground
As it did back thirty years around
.
For Chaotic Eyes will rise again
If the six dragonets will not end the pain
.
The first a dragon with scales of red
Her family murdered; her spirit dead
Finding hope is difficult, you see
But her courage and chivalry help her succeed.
.
The second with eyes of the dark
Moonlit fangs and telepathic marks
Her secret is divulged, now they know
But the question is: will they stay or go?
.
The third a dragon with wings of sea
Failed and banished, they never heard his plea
Seeking revenge and promised death
He will sacrifice but not hear his wrath
.
The fourth is a long lost prince
But nobody knew his name since
A mystery and forgotten past
Confusion will be his question asked
.
The fifth is a dragon that’s rainbow-bright
Her scales can be hidden from view or the color of light
She will help along with the other five
Into a tunnel of fear is where she will have to dive
.
The sixth had a troubled life
Of abuse, slavery, and powers of ice
A spy for the enemy is what she used to be
Before she turned and tried to flee
.
To find their way to the chaotic eyes
Seek the SandWing in disguise.
From there the clues to find the way
Hidden under the light of day
Though they find a way to end it all
A traitor arises and one will fall…
“Three moons.” breathed Fireburst. “A prophecy?”
“Are you saying that you’re precognitive, too? AND YOU NEVER TOLD US?” said Fangtooth, although there was no hatred in his voice.
“Um……. yes?” said Endwhisperer in a small voice.
“Doesn’t matter. We’ll still be your friends.” said Fireburst. She wrapped her wing around the NightWing protectively, and she winced.
“Ow, you’re so HOT.” Endwhisperer complained. “Uh… I mean the burning type, not the… other meaning.”
Gaboon giggled, hues of yellow and gold mixing with her cheerful purplish-pink. Nubian thought it was an eyesore.
WHY on Pyrrhia can’t she just be a sensible, dignified color, like pale gold? Or pale blue, he added, thinking dreamily of Algific.
She gave him a hard, stern look, as if he had drooled on the rocks. He looked down and he actually had. Whoops, he thought. Gotta make sure nobody else saw that. He cleaned it up with his tail, trying to make it look neat, but instead it smeared all over the ground and his tail.
Camel spit. Or rather, Nubian spit. This is embarrassing.
Fireburst said, “Well, what do we do about the prophecy?”
“Maybe we should try to figure it out.” said Fangtooth.
“Hmmm.” said Algific. “Scales of red- that could be Fireburst.”
The SkyWing snarled. “My spirit is not DEAD.”
“Well, your family is.” said Gaboon. Fireburst shot her a glare.
Algific continued. “Eyes of the dark… End? Wings of sea- probably Fangtooth. Rainbow-bright- Gaboon, obviously. Powers of ice- possibly me. But who’s the long lost prince?”
“Me.” Nubian heard himself say. It came flooding to him, flashes of a huge, imposing stronghold, dragons bowing as he made his way past, playing with his royal siblings.
It didn’t make sense, though, how he could have forgotten all of this. What else had he missed?
“You’re a long lost prince?” said Algific, staring at him with her beautiful borealis-eyes. There was something in her tone that gave him confidence. Was it admiration? Bewilderment? Or just plain amusement? Nubian could never tell with her. Her voice always sounded chilling smooth, and emotionless, the kind of voice that sent shivers down his spine but always drew him even closer to her.
“Are you faking?” said Fangtooth, his peridot-green eyes scanning him closely. “Just to be part of the prophecy?”
“No. I have memories of visiting the palace, dragons bowing…” As he described them to the rest of his winglet, the memories appeared in his mind, blurry, but yet vivid enough to know that they were real memories.
Fireburst frowned. “I’m not convinced of that.”
“It’s true.” said Endwhisperer. “I can see the images in his mind.”
Algific scowled. “But I studied the SandWing history. And as far as I know, there has never been a Prince Nubian.”
Fireburst’s tail swung back and forth the way it did when she was thinking. “But what if… what if your name ISN’T Nubian? Could you be animus-cursed, like me?”
That never occurred to him. Could he be under a curse? Is that why his memories were blank?
“But for there to be an animus enchantment, there has to be a place to hide the scroll…” Fireburst said, her eyes moving to the strange beetle-ring on his claw.
“Take it off, Nubian.” she advised. He nodded, slipping the golden loop off.
Right as he took it off, he felt a blinding blaze of agony. His whole head scorched furiously as the pain spread, shooting through his veins like lava. He grew and grew, until he was absolutely humongous, nearly four times the size as his friends. His scales rearranged themselves and became a strange off-white instead, his claws growing longer and sharper.
But the most frightening thing was that he remembered. He was a prince, an animus, who tried to do amazing things with his power. He made dangerous and beautiful creations, powerful weapons he used to kill his enemies. But it went too far. He turned insane and started to murder his family, slaughtering them one by one. He remembered hundreds of dragon corpses around him, laughing insanely. It was awful, horrible torture, watching himself annihilate innocent SandWings and having not a drop of remorse or guilt.
Then it dawned on him. He had created the animus enchantment, to stop him from killing and to cease the murderous spirit. When he put on the ring, it put him into a deep sleep for thousands of years, so the other dragons could be safe from him. His name was not Nubian. He was Prince Barren, the last SandWing animus.
But he didn’t want to be. The memories of his family’s murders were too unbearable, too awful. He looked down at his friends, who were staring at him, open-mouthed. He picked up the ring. The scroll on the back read:
I enchant this scroll to have the wearer transform into a male SandWing named Nubian, with no memories of his former self.
Barren sighed deeply. Tears ran down his eyes. He held up the ring and said, “Some things…. are better left forgotten.”
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