War of Dragons

I was tired of being controlled by her. The queen was like a parasite in my mind. She was slowly gnawing down at the whole of my being until I was only a husk of what I used to be.

I used to live in the forest, hunting and exploring with my dragon clan. I was the only human, but I had the spirit of the Great Phoenix. In a desperate attempt to save the phoenix kind from the shadows, he gathered all his magic in attempts to repair the rift in our world and therefore banish the shadows. He died alongside the last of the phoenixes. 

In the remnants of the magic, the first dragons were created. I was also created. I’m not sure why, though. Nobody could ever keep up with me.

A few days ago, I received a message from the queen of the Northern Lands, which was where my clan was located at the moment. She offered me an honorable position as her warrior. I was to kill any and every beast that posed a threat to Her Majesty

My dragon clan agreed immediately, and I would bring honor. They would be staying in the Northern Forests until I could return to them. I said my goodbyes and left for the palace.

“Welcome!” The queen smiled warmly at me. The palace looked like a prison to me. I was used to running free under the shade of tall trees and roaming the undergrowth. She took me around the castle, and then took me to the room. I went inside and they closed the doors behind me. I heard the rhythmic thump of marching, and it stopped outside of my room. I wasn’t sure if this meant I was a prisoner. Just in case, I looked around. There was nothing that I could use as a weapon. Luckily, I always carried daggers. I took out the one in my hair, placed it in a pocket, and then passed out on the bed.

I don’t remember much after that. The last 5 years have been a blur of killing beasts.

The queen summoned me to her royal chambers one day.

“Your Majesty,” I bowed. 

“Meyre,” she said. “There’s been…a new development. Your dragons, they have decided to go against my rule. As my sworn warrior, I am ordering you to get rid of them.”

No.

I unsheathed my daggers

“I have offered you my service all these years, but then you decide to do this to me. Here’s one thing you don’t understand. I will protect my family,” I stalked towards her, growling/ I lunged, but then I missed and darkness filled my vision.

“No, I’m afraid you don’t understand,” she whispered somewhere. I whipped towards her voice, raising my daggers cautiously. 

“I am the last one to hold shadows in this world. You will obey me, even if you have the spirit of your ‘Great Phoenix.’ It’s a shame you have none of his magic, though. I would have enjoyed the fight.”

I whirled behind me and she sent her shadows into my body as I lost all consciousness, screaming. 

I won’t be controlled. 

Or will I?

I’ve become cold now. I used to feel love, but now…I am the killer of the creatures I love. Their fire could never free me from the dark abyss the queen has trapped me in. I want to throw up. My family’s blood is on my hands. She sent me to kill Farina today, the beautiful azure dragon I always had admired. I wanted to die, but the shadows in my body forced me to move forward with the promise of a kill. 

I should've become stronger. I can’t fight the shadows off. I’m going crazy. But a strange force of magic has come out recently, and it has helped me fight off the shadows.

I hear a rustle above me. Suddenly, a fiery blaze engulfs me. 

I hear the war cry of the dragons. I move and launch myself at the nearest thing I can see.

“Help me,” I sob, while I feel something splatter onto my hands. “The last wielder of the shadows - it’s the queen.”

My dagger hits another mark, and I see the blue.

The blue I always admired.

Farina.

“Farina!” I cry. I regain control of my body, and start to run. I try to dig into the well of magic that helped me to fight off the shadows. I could feel the shadows rubbing off.

Then the queen started to whisper in my mind.

“This magic isn’t real. Come to me, I command your presence.”

The shadows take me away and I see myself kneeling before the queen.

“I SHOULD KILL YOU!” I scream. “I’VE FAILED MY FAMILY. THE LEAST I COULD DO IS KILL THE PERPETRATOR!”

Her shadows close in on my mind.

“I am your master.” The shadows growl. My will is entirely taken away from me yet again.

“You have failed at killing the one dragon I wanted you to kill. One! Farina was the whole reason I have you killing them. She started the rebellion! So now, I’m going to make you kill the leader of the clan itself.”

“No, please,” I sob and sink even lower. The leader kept me alive until today.

The woman’s ungodly shadows send me back to where I was just killing my family.

And I find myself in the midst of a bunch of dragons.

One in particular looks to me.

Marina, the legendary water dragon.

Our clan leader.

Before I can even process it, my hands grab daggers and lunge. Her guards stopped me, thankfully. 

“Our plan!” Marina roars. “Engulf her in flames!”

My sight is suddenly filled with brightness. For some reason, the flames don’t burn me. I can’t find any dragons, either.

I am faced with the spirit of my ancestor himself.

“Meyre,” the Great Phoenix breathes. “You have been so brave, my girl. Now, allow the shadows to leave you. You are a phoenix. We will fix you and ban shadows from our world forever.”

He places a palm on my shoulder and I transform, channeling him.

I am a phoenix. 

The flames leave my vision, and hundreds of dragon eyes are on me.

I shift to a human. “I’m…okay now. We need to kill that woman.”

A hundred roars agree with me. I shift into a phoenix and we fly to the northern Castle. 

The dragons all roar to let the queen know we’re here. We wait.

“I was hoping you’d show up!” the queen laughs.

We’re faced with hundreds of shadow monsters. And then they lunge.

I surround us with phoenix fire and become a human.

“Guys,” I say. “I’m so sorry I killed our family. But I don’t deserve to give you any apologies. To beat these shadows now, we need to combine our power. Family is stronger together.”

I hold a ball of phoenix fire in my hands. Farina gives me a smile. I move to one dragon after another, all of them adding magic. All of them after the other. I lift the phoenix fire barrier, and everything blows up.

I wake up, and hundreds of humans surround me, all shivering and cold. I tried to summon phoenix fire to warm everyone up, but it was gone. All of our magic was sucked away when we banished shadows from this world. 

We might be broken, but we were always stronger together.