Silent Chaos

[Skay Ravendi]

This was not a good brightening. Simple as that – not a good brightening. The draconess woke up earlier than usual, then the time in the aedile’s office was one which was really tiring and now she was walking the streets with her mind completely drifting. And that was not a good thing. Her thoughts circled about her life, what she had done and what had happened to her. Everything seemed wrong. The draconess simply walked down the street looking somewhere a bit in front of her feet, not seeing anyone around her, not hearing anyone laugh, cheer, sing or talk, not feeling the cold breeze on her spine, nor the sun on her scales. Her feet moved her unconsciously, her mind telling them where to go, but not knowing where that there was. And this… was not the first bad brightening…

Something was wrong. Her life was wrong and now her mind was trying to sort it out. Everything was going wrong from the very beginning, from the brightening she was born. Born a dracon. Why was she born a dracon? Why not a human? Why not an elf? Even a katta would have been better. But instead she was born a dracon, a Cyraxian-spawn, the taint and disgrace of Telath, the core hatred of dragons, a monster to any sentient race. She now was forgotten by the ones that gave her life. The Cyraxians did not seem to care for their creations anymore. Never did. And the dragons hated their corrupted children far more than anyone could imagine. Everything was wrong from that brightening when the eggs were stolen, when the first dracons were created, when her parents were born and especially the brightening when they gave birth to her.

Why did the Winds chose to put her soul in this body? Why could her mother not love her as much as a mother should love her child? Why could her father not protect her as much as a father should protect his child? Why did her parents have to be murdered when she was too young to even get know them? Why was absolutely everyone related to her taken away? A black scaled foot tripped on a stone, sending a short lived pain through the body of the black and gold scaled one. However the draconess did not stop or fall down, simply closed her eyes for a moment or two still walking forward. Not stopping, not looking around, not listening, not wondering on what her foot tripped.

Why was the life of a dracon this hard? No… Why was this era so hard? When she was nineteen everything seemed lost. Back then she had no one to turn to, had no crowns in her pouch, no skills in her hands, no shelter, no nothing. And yet… going on was easier. Back then she had a goal, to find her uncle, the one who raised her after her parents were killed when she was only four patterns old, the one who left without saying a word when she was ten. She found something last summer. Now… she didn’t have hope to be with the one she had loved sixteen patterns ago. She had a different goal too. To run away from Guiltron. A dark elf who killed the dracon who loved her and saved her from his arrow, however sacrificing his own life for hers. After she shifted into a draconess last winter, Guiltron did not find her. However whether he gave up on finding her or was still looking, or even on the next roof aiming his crossbow at her, the draconess did not care. That goal no longer mattered.

Now she had arcana in her talons, strong and powerful arcana. If she wanted she could destroy a city, turn into a huge wyvern, even fly… but that no longer gave joy. It was a fact… she could do it, but it no longer mattered. Though she knew that if for some reason she would lose her arcana, she would do anything to get it back. And yet now… it did not matter. There was just no joy in having that power in her talons… for the draconess did not know where to use it. Did not know what was the point of having it, if she could not use it. She had more than arcana. Now she had the crowns that she could only dream of about an era ago. And what of them? The wind blew harder into her back, trying to tear the wings to the sides from her back.

She had the biggest treasure of all. Love. She loved and was loved back. Could anything be better than that? Could anything be better than love? She knew that Adamon would probably do anything she would ask him to, knew how much he cared for her, how much he wanted to care for her. But… she wasn’t sure if she would do the same for him. She did not want to come back to him now. The draconess could not take the pain that he brought her by his being. She did not want to love the one who murdered every cycle. She did not want to love a vampire. Whenever she was with him she felt happy and sad at the same time. Usually sad-happy. It was a calm fear. The draconess shook her head. Better not to think of him.

At that however she saw something. Heard something. Felt something. The wind was not blowing after the turn she took, there were no voices around to tear down the silence and there were a few people gathered around a boy who was playing a flute. Her tired eyes went on the boy with brown hair, rags instead of clothes and a slightly dirty face. He was standing on some sort of a box and playing beautiful music, while two people stood near him listening. Three more had stopped for a few moments and then went on with their business later on. The draconess stood, now leaning on the wall of a house by which the box was placed on which the boy stood. She was a good six metres away from him at least and not coming closer.

After a while the boy picked up a guitar, leaving the draconess wonder just where he had all those instruments from. For the surprise to be even bigger, he played it just as skillfully as the flute. The draconess listened, forgetting the world around her again, even more so forgetting the troubles and letting her mind rest. However words were added to the music. The boy had a lovely voice. ”A dead world. A dark path. Not even crossroads to choose from. All the blood-red carpets before me. Behold this fair creation of God...” Her ears picked up. What was this boy singing about? Why was he singing those words? ”…welcome to hell, little Saint. Welcome to paradise, warrior…” His singing continued and now attracted more people. All were much more curious as to what this boy was singing about. Even more so, how he dared to speak such words. ”…all life is to fear for life…”

Something was very wrong with this brightening. But the words were true. All life is to fear life? Perhaps. She was running from Adamon after all. Running from all kind of prophesies. Dead scared of them. Scared of herself and of the power she now possessed. If she would become any stronger in arcana, if she would get any more crowns what was to stop her then? Was there really no one who could stop her? Who could bring her down to the ground? Would it always be like that? That whatever was thrown at her would be defeated? She bowed to no being, emperor or gods. Why was there no one who she could rely on? Why was there no one who she could look up for? She feared her own powers. She feared life. Her life.

”…you fool, you wanderer, you challenged the gods above and lost…” Her eyes turned away from the boy with the guitar who sang with a serpentine sweet voice, making the words sound nice and lovely, almost hiding their meaning. Had she really lost? Did she really challenge the gods? Maybe… A fool – for sure. For she was doing something wrong, she was playing the game of life wrong. The worst part was that she did not know what she was doing wrong. And even worse than that was that there was just no one to stop her. ”…save yourself and let them suffer…” How was she suppose to save herself? What was she suppose to do? Why for all Aetheria and Aeternia there was no one to guide her?! Skay closed her eyes as hard as she could… No longer did she want to listen to the song of pure music and sweet tunes with tainted words.

She opened the eyes. Turned from the boy and took walked away a street which crossed the one she was in moments before. Now she knew… now she knew what she needed. Now she had a goal. She needed someone to guide her, someone who would be stronger than her. Someone who could command her. She needed a master. Someone who she could call, willingly or not, a master. Then she would have someone to reach for. If there would be someone stronger than her, but especially someone who could control her then everything would go back to normal. The draconess was too young to be the one in control. It was too early to have freedom… That was what was wrong. She feared her own powers and what she might do with them. Feared that there really would be no one to stop her.

So the draconess walked. Her eyes no longer lost. Her ears once again listening. She knew exactly where she was going. She was a Silent Chaos. Never did she talk a lot, never did she show many feelings, on the surface she was almost all the time calm and silent. Only inside there was something burning, something which raged to be let free, something that was completely lost, confused and not guided. She was a Silent Chaos. A sharp smile spread on her draconic face. A rare smile, not a light one which Adamon was granted with so many times. A sharp, self aware smile. Inside of her there was nothing but unguided and untamed chaos. So far it was silent and unreleased. So far. She had the power in her talons now. Children were not suppose to play with matches. She was a child, that much was for sure. A chaotic child. She had the matches for a while. But it was now that she found out how to light them. She knew exactly what she would do. ”You’re all gonna die down here…?”

[Skay Ravendi]

When Skay walked to one of the quieter streets she felt someone tugging her tunic. The kid. The same kid which played that strange music. One word fitted for describing this – weird. ”What do you want?” Skay asked the boy who was panting, apparently from running a bit of road till he reached her. ”Why did you leave?” By now the draconess stopped and looked at the nameless boy, who seemed to have left all his musical instruments somewhere else. ”I had to go.” Skay answered simply and started walking again, but the boy also picked up pace and tagged along right by her side. This was very wrong. For one Skay was dragged out of her thoughts completely and could not remember what she was thinking about a moment ago, secondly the kid was annoying her and she had no wish to talk to him now, nor to explain her reasons of leaving in the middle of his singing.

”My name’s Salucha. What’s yours?” He asked after a minute or two of silence and was granted with one serpentine eye glancing at him from a snout which looked forward. So he was tagging along and apparently had to wish of leaving anytime soon. ”Skay.” The draconess murmured without even looking at him anymore. She had to go and had no time for children, especially boys who sang such songs. ”What rune are you?” The too cheerful, too sweet, too childish and definitely too curious voice continued its questions. ”Excuse me?” What rune? She was no rune. She was a draconess. Dracon. Creation. Druidess. Aedile. But not a rune. ”Well you know… like Ikos runes. Those runes have names and descriptions. So which are you?” A raised eyebrow greeted Salucha’s question and that seemed enough for him to start digging in his pockets. ”Here! Found it! I have all the runes and their descriptions written down here. Which one are you?” He extended the folded and creasy piece of paper and handed it to Skay, who took it very reluctantly.

”Where did you learn that song?” She asked instead of looking over the paper. ”I created it. Sometimes I can create on the spot. Just like that.” Skay looked at him with a tired and somehow high expression. There was something silent and deep about her at the moment. At the moment their eyes met. And then it was gone. Skay looked forward again and the boy started smiling like a child again. ”What made you create such dark words?” ”What rune are you?” The boy answered question with question. The draconess smiled for a moment. Indeed. What rune was she. By this time they had left through the gates and were walking the road which led to High Peak. She did not answer. Did not answer for a minute, for five, for twenty. Did not say a word. ”There was something I wanted to do and you made me forget.” She told the boy, finally stopping on some sort of a hill and looking back at Frigid River, which seemed to be much smaller from this place. ”That’s how it was suppose to be.”

The draconess just glanced at him, sitting down on the grass on the hill, not thinking about that cryptic answer. Now she unfolded the paper and looked at the small drawings of runes scribbled on the paper and words which were next to each of them. The rune called Zala came first. And then there was Salucha. ”What did you say your name was?” She asked. ”Salucha.” Something was very wrong with this brightening. It was definitely not an ordinary one, but not one of those were bad things happened to her. The ones when something big was bound to happen, were always quiet at the beginning. This one was weird from the very beginning. Then her eyes caught Lopeter. That rune almost suited her. Maybe. She continued to read all kinds of words which were suppose to describe the runes and then there was one, which she knew that would fit.

At that moment the draconess gave back the piece of paper to the kid and looked far into the horizon. What was she doing here? Sitting on a hill with a weird kid and trying to pick a rune which would suit her? There were so many runes from which she could have picked separate words which seemed to fit, but then there really was one which had all words fitting to her. ”Sooo….?” The boy did not give up and looked at Skay slightly annoyed by now. ”So what?” Skay asked looking at the horizon, caring none for what else was around her. ”What rune are you?!” The boy screamed out flailing his arms, his mouth remaining open. ”None.” Yes there was one rune which fitted her. Aga fitted her perfectly. Everything matched. ”None?!” ”None.” Skay repeated calmly, while the boy was evidentially loosing his patience. ”Why?” Salucha persisted, now calming himself and speaking in a low voice like before. ”The one which fits, lacks a lot from the others.”

The kid scratched his head. Now what was he suppose to do? He still needed to know what rune this draconess was and so far he had nothing. And guessing was his last preferred option. ”When which fits you best?” He asked again, but Skay stood up. ”Wouldn’t you like to know.” Again she did not look at him. Looked somewhere far in the distance, still trying to remember what was it that she wanted to do, before the kid dragged her on her tunic, breaking her still forming thoughts apart. If she would have glanced at the kid, the draconess would have seen a greatly annoyed face. But she did not. She did not care. She knew one more thing now and that was all that mattered. Even more so, she would know more about the kid soon, no matter if she wanted that or not.

[Skay Ravendi]

"I know everything about Arcana you know. Including runes. Including everything. You don't deserve my presence if you can't even answer such a simple question." The boy said very annoyed by now. But his words caught the attention of the draconess. Everything about arcana. Well that was quite interesting for she had quite a few question lingering. She looked at the kid. Well if he really knew something then there was no reason not to ask the questions that needed answers. "Tell me then." The draconess began, carefully considering each of her word.

"Tell me, why are gems most commonly used for Imbuements and Enchantments?" She did not sit down however. Waited to see if the kid would have any answer at all to that question. And to the draconess's surprise, he did. "Simple. Gems have a structure which is very well ordered. It is clear, set and hard to break. You need to store a spell into an item, so a gem is an item easiest to store it in. Faster, easier, perhaps even less dangerous. Besides they don't break as easy as for example wooden things, nor do they burn, so there's less chance of an explosion to occur." And there he finished speaking, grinning like the demon himself. The draconess just flashed half of a smile at him.

"Now, tell me of the rune. It's only fair that way." The kid didn't give up and flashed a very serious face, to which the draconess did not react at all. "No, I think not. I must go now. But thank you for enlightening me in this." With a boy still shouting behind her all kinds of curses, the draconess walked back to the city. She heard how the kid called her Cyraxian Spawn and that she just proved that to be true, she listened to that with a grin. Good. Finally they knew that she was indeed that. Took them a while too. If she wasn't that good, she would have simply torched half of the town, with the people inside of it. Would have been something to release her stress on. If only...

The draconess walked back home. When she lied down in her bed, she could not remember what she did after walking away from the kid. Almost as if the time from that till going to bed was cut out by the hand of the gods. She sighed a deep sigh, spreading her winds a little bit. Cracking her neck two times. She felt tired both on the outside and the inside. As soon as the draconess closed her eyes, the dream world caught her. There was no time for simply lying on the bed, she fell asleep in an instant. Tired from a day which she could not even remember too well. Sometime soon she would have to do something about the state of mind which she was in.

So she dreamt. She woke up in a void of sorts. A room filled with blackness from which Adamon emerged. The vampire walked to the draconess who was sitting on the wall. He took her hand. Held it. Bit it. The draconess woke up for real in the darkening with a scream. Instantly she took her hand into the other one. It was fine. No blood, no nothing. It was night, but at least it was not as dark as in the dream and there was no vampire standing in the room. Still she could not fall asleep again. Tired sleepy steps carried her to the window. The window sill was just too good to miss, so Skay climbed onto it, gazing into the dark streets of Frigid River. This was her home. But it did not feel like it...