• THE FEILD WAS quiet, the breeze swept through and brushed Raion's hair and made the sweat that ran along his face sting. Raion found signs of the women and children, many limbs, blood, and shreads of clothing. There was nothing that he could do for them now, he refused to admit that Marie had fallen and searched on, but when she was nowhere to be found, he gave in. The entire village, gone and it wouldn't have mattered if he had come a few seconds earlier or a whole decade earlier, the deed had been done, everyone he knew and loved were dead, burned, eaten or torn appart. A long journey began back to Anitia's shack, it was the only place where he could go, and the only place where he could get answers about his blade. Raion fissured his blade, then sheathed it in its scabbard hooked on the side of his belt, he could feel the life coming from his blade, asking for more bloodshed. The moon loomed over him like a prize to the dragons, victorious and great. Then it vanished as he entered the shadows of the woods, and the creatures in the night surrounded him, he walked on climbed over fallen trunks, crossed rivers and slowly got closer to that little shack, it was lit like a gold lamp. Raion squinted, and brushed his hair out of his eyes, he had found it and was assured as his steps drew him closer. Anitia was already waiting for him outside, a grim look on her face, she was still in her younger looking version, Raion blushed and hid it behind his hair and shadow.



    'Why!? Why did it have to end this way!?' Raion yelled and slamed on the table. 'Dont hurt my table, it had nothing to do with your failure,' She looked at him and gave him a cup of molask, a bitter sweet choclate drink, 'it was not thous fate to save the village is all, now drink before the wind taketh the warmth.' Raion gave it a look, 'Aye,' he glanced over his shoulder, she was there, the white elf girl. Raion felt awkward, a rummble in the pit of his stomach, 'I don't suppose you have anything edible?' Raion asked, uncertain if he was hungry or not. 'Aye, Harere make us dinner.' Anitia called, so that was her name Raion though, Harere. 'Thank ye.'Raion said. Anitia gave him the look of a fool, she shook her head, 'No, I thank thee.' Raion looked up at her, 'Why?' Raion asked, Anitia smiled. She looked over at the blade and sheild, they looked worn and torn, as if they had been through a thousand battles although they were new to Raion, Anitia knew better. 'So, does thou have skill with thy blade?' 'Not as much as I like there to be.' Raion replied, Harere came in with food with the steam still coming off it. 'Well, how about with the dragons? Did thou kill many?' 'No, they either managed to evade me, or I killed them by luck alone, some of which I can't recall killing, it was my body that did it without the consent of my mind.' Anitia smiled, 'Did thou face a larger one?' Raion's eyes grew wide, 'Aye, I do recall killing a very large one, but only because I managed to climb aboard its back, I slashed out the back of its neck.' Anitia smiled again, 'Very well then, tommorow we will begin thou's training with thy blades, and thou will earn a dragon companion.' Raion was sickened, 'How can I make a companion out of the very thing that slew my mother!?' Raion slamed the table, "Did I tell thou not to hurt my table it has--' 'Shut your bitching trap!' Raion yelled, the room fell silent. Harere took a step towards Raion and put her hand on his shoulder, 'Thou must eat, please.' Her voice was smooth, like the wind itself, Raion fell to the female grip, he ate.



    The days that came were full of training to become the best with his sheild and blade, whether it was on horseback, or on foot, he was always pushed to his limit. Harere was always waiting outside for him to get home, Raion liked this and was always surprised to see her waiting. At the end of every day Anitia and Raion scouted the dragon nests for their pick of the litter, they had found their dragon, it was a young western dragon, full of life and vigor, Raion would one day face it and if he could deliver a knock out blow, and nurse it back to health, the dragon would be bound to Raion by the chain of life. Killing a dragon was one thing, but knocking it out without killing it? This was a whole different topic, dragons never gave up, even after their final breath they fight, and one being so young, Raion was going to need all of his days of training. Anitia was relentless, and she was a wizzard, so she had many ticks up her sleeve, obsacle courses, weight lifting, mind puzzles, and everything on swordsmannship. Raion was slowly cuy and polished into shape, everyday better than the last, always waiting for the next thing, and then one day, that dragon. 'Aye Raion, enough for today, exterephion!' Anitia's magic wore off, and the obstacle course vanished, Raion in mid swing slashed the nothingness. So they returned home, 'Tell me Raion, does thou feel stronger?' Anitia asked, 'Aye.' Raion replied without a shudder of a doubt. Harere was waiting by the door, Raion smiled the day was still so young. 'Aye, Harere...' Raion began to hesitate, 'does, does thou wish to accompany me to the hills?' He looked at her, she had turned red, bright red. 'Aye, if you do not wish to come with me I can go--' 'Yes, I wish to come.' Harere replied quickly. Raion walked along side her, and they climbed the hills and sat, there they watched the sunset. 'Does thou wish to get strong?' Harere asked, Raion watched the sun get closer to the horizon, 'Aye, I do.' They watched the sun inch closer to the horizon. Harere put her head on his shoulders and grasped his arm around hers. 'Thou will return everyday correct? Safe, and sound?' Raion couldn't answer, he could feel her breathing, and his body taut and stiff. 'A-aye, I will return to thee everyday.' He clenched his fists, she had not asked if he would return to her spesificaly. They watched the sun inch closer to the horizon, until the stars was all that remained.





    The training and pain grew, as Raion grew his body became more robust, broader and stronger. No longer a child he did the male work around the house, where Harere could see him, in all his glory. The days always seemed to grow longer and Anitia grew colder in her methods of punishment on the training feild, 'Your too slow, move your feet, REPENTE!' A wave of fire erupted out of the abyiss, Raion side steped cut down a m oving target, back punded an other and switched positions with it for cover. 'Foolish female wench! Does thou wish to char thee?' Raion knew that would anger her, he expected another trick. 'Raion, sweetheart! Your body will make a perfect decorational trophey!' A shiver ran down Raion's spine, < oh no. > he though, 'I think it time!' Raion looked up, 'Time for what?' Anitia jumped into the air and landed at his side, Raion went to greet her, but was shot down by the swing of Anitia's staff, 'Foolish boy!' Raion grabbed her staff in mid attack, swung hisbody over it and ran along it til his foot met Anitia's face, he kicked her with an iron boot. Anitia tummbled across the floor, and exploded in a cloud of dust, and when it cleared Raion discovered a doll. 'Damn her to hell.' Raion cursed beneath his breath. He looked around, his sences sharpened, he was prepared to strike at a moments notice. 'Hashalta!' Raion turned in the direction of her shout, raised his sheild and stepped back. Raion looked around, the ground rummbled beneath his feet, < got you. > he thought, and impaled his blade into the ground, still fused with his hand. He grined, Anitia was going to strike from beneath, a little to late did he realize that she was emerging from behind. Raion flipped forward and brought his blade up and out, brushing Anitia's hair. A second attack of her staff to his legs, Raion cleared the attack and made one of his own, using not only his weapons but his limbs as well. A swing of his blade, a kick, a sheild bash, he grew tiresome yet Anitia seemed to be arising from a well taken nap. Raion took several attacks, and his knees grew weak at times collapsing to avoid another strike to his face. Anitia was strong, very strong, Raion forced himself to fight more, he sweapt his blade wrecklessly, and Anitia made him pay the price, 'Have you been paying attention to my lessons?' She slapped him across the face, it sent him flying. During his journey through the air he fell unconscious, but his body did not respond to it and continued moving. He moved his body around to make his feet meet the floor, he ran in Anitia's direction, she cast a spell and it bolted out of her staff. Raion ran right through it taking all the damage with him, and still moved. His chest was charred, and his flesh was exposed, 'Foolish boy, do you want to die!?' Anitia yelled, but Raion couldnt hear her, so he ran on and sweapt his blade, Anitia stepped out of the range of the blade's tip, the blade cut the air so forcefully, Anitia was unable to breath for a moment, the shock sent her to her knees. Raion sent his foot through the floor, then the other, and sweapt his blade back and forth, the air rippled and he casted a spell, by sheer force the laws of physics bent to his will and Raion forced the spell out of the air. It shot out towards Anitia, she managed to absorb it with the staff, and at that moment Raion sweapt his blade down on her staff and cut it in two. Anitia punched his groin, Raion fell back and managed to somehow get back up and continue, Anitia knew something was wrong at that point. 'Raion, get a hold of yourself!' She yelled out, 'I've had enough of this, Cerent!' A shock wave poured out of Anitia's location, Raion was impackted and fell back. Anitia saw her opening and she moved in, she drew her wand and impacted it into Raion's stomach area, She casted an electric spell, it went right into Raion, and out. Raion's body registered the state he was in and collapsed.

    Raion woke, Harere was at his side, 'W-what, happened?' Raion asked, Harere looked at him she turned and brought a bowl of soup to his side, 'Here, you must eat.' Raion didnt argue, he tried his hardest to eat, but pangs of pain ran in and out of his body. Harere saw this, and stopped, she placed her hand softly on his chest, and she forced him to lie down. 'You are not well, please sleep.' She told him. Raion looked to his side, Anitia was there, and she was not looking well, 'What happened to you?' Raion asked, Anitia turned her head, 'Foolish, you forced a spell out of nothing, and I absorbed it, it was too much for me though, it was one high level spell, but its structure was weak, because of that absorbing it was no problem, although the power behind it was amazing. I couldnt handle it. My body can not hold so much power.' She spoke this with fear in her voice. Raion could not remember a thing, how did he cast a spell? His mind ran back and forth between one though and an other. The lights grew dim, he fell into a deep sleep, where he spoke with Beatrice, 'Mother, is that you?' Raion spoke, she turned 'Raion, why have you called me?' She responded, Raion extended his arm, 'Help me.' He said, and Beatrice looked at him and blew him a kiss. He woke, alone. The room was quiet, and the dim light of the sun's rays pierced through the cracks in the wall, a gold tint covered everything. Raion attempted to step outside, his foot hurt < how did that happen? > he thought, every step he took sent shots of pain running through every part of his body. He could hold on too long, he needed to find Harere, or Anitia. Outside the wind was cool, and there was Anitia and Harere, they were casting spells, < some sort of practice? > Raion looked on, he stepped closer, they seemed so close yet his condition made them so far to reach. 'Raion! What is thou attempting!?' Harere exclaimed, she ran to him, 'Thou must rest!' Anitia walked over to him, and knelt beside him. 'You are one stubborn boy.' She hit him across the back. He blanked out. Anitia watched him collapse. 'Get him inside, and lets get this potion done so he can be ready for what is to come.' Harere did as she was told and took Raion inside. Anitia smiled, 'You know you dont have to be constantly watching over him. You should know that best.' She spoke into the nothingness, and yet there was a soul that could hear her. Anitia moved on, and went looking through her curse items. She found what she was looking for, and placed them in a poket on the inside of her robe. The time was near, and Anitia knew that Raion was going to die soon, she went outside where Harere was already waiting. The area smelled of ozone, Anitia moved in and joined her, time was short and time would not wait for them, time had already cursed them.

    'Hey, wake up.' Anitia's voice called from afar. 'Thou must wake.' She repeated, and Raion forced himself to open his eyes. 'Here, eat.' She handed him food. RAion reached up and grabbed the plate. RAion noticed that he did not ache as much, he was healing well. 'Harere, after he is done, I need you to work on him a bit more.' Anitia spoke, 'Understood my lady.' She replied. Raion sat up and ate, it was good and in no time at all he was done and Harere used her abilities to heal his internal structure, as well as his scars and bruises. So she had been taking care of him, that made him happy. 'Harere,' Raion spoke, 'Was thou worried? For me?' His courage plumeted to hell. 'Aye.' She replied and Raion's courage returned. 'It is nice to be wanted, and cared for, does thou care for me?' Harere asked, Raion processed this question, his lips did not want to speak the words that his mind sent. "A-a-a-' He was having trouble, 'O-of course.' Harere smiled. 'Alright Raion! Time to see how your well you have healed!' Anitia yelled out, she grabbed him by his wrist. 'Here put this on.' It was armor, a chest plate with a leather skin tight torso extending down. Pants made of tough leather and plates of steel, and leather boots with steel sections, Raion still wore his metal forehead plate and cloth that covers the bottom half of his face. Gold hair and eyes, he looked like no normal human. He dressed himself in the armor, then wraped bands around his torso section to protect the leather from weather tear. He slipped on his gloves, hooked his sheath to his belt, latched his sheild to his back and walked outside. 'What is thou planning?' Raion asked, Anitia looked at him, 'Today thou will fight with thou's partner dragon. Thou will move in and knock him out, the task will be hard, and if thou damages the dragon too much it will die, thou must find a way to achieve its unconciousness without death.' Anitai told him, Raion though about how powerful dragons can be, and how they continue battel seconds after death. The task seemed imposible, but Raion was assured that he would be able to complete this. 'Do not dishonor thou's dragon ither, or it will not respect you.' Anitia added, 'and most of all, dont think of the dragon lightly.' Anitia walked with Raion to the dragon nesting area, and there was Raion's dragon target. It had grown rapidly, twice the size and with battle scars, it was already having dragon young of it's own. Raion looked about, 'Tonight is the last night the dragons nest, after today they take off tomorrow and another year thou must wait.' Anitia told him. Determined that he could stand a fight with his dragon, Raion stood straigh, and walked into the feild, 'Foolish, does thou want to be shared amoung the mouths of several dragons?' Anitia yelled out, and then she turned to face the pasture they had walked and she looked up, 'I hope thou knows what thou is doing.' She turned and gazed at Raion, he walked on courageous, and strong. Raion was actually scared out of his mind, as he reached the plateau the dragons turned and stared him down, each with a hungry look in their eyes. Raion got closer to his target, walking no less than two feet away from a dragon, he stopped when he reached him, and pointed at the dragon, instantly the dragon knew it was a challenge, it seemed happy, like it loved to fight. The dragon accepted Raion's invite and it lowered it's neck, Raion climbed aboard, and they flew off. As they flew Raion couldnt help but think that if he succeeded, he would be on this dragon's back much more offten. Fear made the gravity around him much stronger, and his stomach wrenched beneath every breath, his mind unclear on what course of action he was going to take, all he knew was how horrified he was.




    The sky darkened as the sun moved into a group of clouds, Raion and the dragon flew thorugh the clouds and emerged to see the sun in all its glory. The clouds looked like whitened land, rushing past under them. The dragon pressed on, the wing’s beating rushed air to and away from Raion, it made him queasy, more than he already was. A large mountain rose up past the clouds, and the dragon began to decend and the maountain’s bottom half came into view, greens and browns, white snow and a large flat area in between a group of lesser mountains, a plateuo almost, with hills and clifs surronding it. There were daisies, sun flowers, dandy lions and green grass, it could not have been more peaceful. Raion looked on and the dragon landed, Raion stepped off, he looked into the dragon’s eye’s they were red with vivid black raddiating out from the center. Pangs of fear ran down Raion’s spine, he could barely remember the last time he fought a dragon, what did I do that allowed me to kill so many of them off? he though. Raion turned and walked away from the dragon, the field was full of bright colors and the smell could not have been sweeter. The Dragon did the same turned and flew a few yards away from Raion, they turned to face each other. Raion picked up a stone, tossed it up cought it, tossed it up cought it, the dragon gave a nod of understanding. Raion looked down at the stone, then up into the clouds, ’Its time.’ He flung the stone as hard as he could into the air, it flew up reached its climax and began to fall. Raion drew his blade and shield already fused, he readied himself, the dragon glared at him and stretched its wings into the air, its wings blocked out the sun. The stone grew closer to the ground, it hit, bounced, and rolled across the floor. Raion burst in a fury of movements, the dragon kicked in and took to the sky, looking down he saw Raion cutting away at a tree. Raion cut into the thin tree, two cuts one diagonal downwards, and the other near the bottom in a horizontal cut. It formed a spear, Raion kicked it out of its place, spun and sheild bashed it into the air it flew straight and true. The dragon moved into action whipping his tail he knocked the spear out of the air, but did not notice the sveral other spears Raion had created and flung towards him in such a short amount of time. The dragon was struck twice once in the soft skin on the inside of his leg and the second bounced harmlessly off its scale-armoured chest. The rest of the spears flew past, or the dragon evaded them. The spear lunged in the inside of his leg was a bothersome splinter, the dragon flew high into the sky and let himself free fall in a spinning motion, the spear fell off carelessly not able to handle the wind resistance. A careless move on the dragon’s part, Raion was already in full sprint towards him, when the dragon struck the ground on all fours Raion was in mid flight blade in half swing, the dragon blew his blaze, Raion cut straight through the fire, sheilding his eyes, the only part of his face that could be seen. His leather armour intensified in the heat, his armour chest plate grew orange, then black as the air cooled it. Raion landed on the dragon’s snout and the dragon took violent measures to knock Raion off, swinging its neck back and forth, then clawing at Raion with its stubby arms. Raion held on not knowing what would happen if he were to fall meters from the dragon, a blaze of fury, a claw to his mid section, a tail whip down the center? The dragon roared and blaze spat out just inches from Raion’s feet, the heat made Raion boil and sweat. Raion quickly defused his sheild and clenched a scale and pulled, he coulkd see the dragon’s eyes were in a fury of anger. Raion flinched and almost fell off slidding down the dragon’s snout as it flew into the air. Raion swung his arm and defused his blade, which then flew straight and true towards the dragon’s right eye, but the dragon managed to evade at the last second and his eyelid was slit slightly diagonaly downwards. The dragon kept the eye shut, bleeding furiously. The blade continued on its path and stuck the dragon’s upper tail section where the tail meets the weist. Raion, eyes shut, scared, and weaponless held on, the dragon attempted to claw Raion off, and failed misserably, shaking his head more to knock him off. They were now high in the sky, and getting higher as the dragon unknowingly kept flying uppwards.

    Raion crawled closer to the dragon’s left eye, and attempted to jab it, but his weak state of fear made his jab worthless and gave no progress. The dragon began to do summersaults in the air, Raion held to anything and everything he could. The dragon quickly began to spit out burst of fire and flying into them, the scorching heat in the air was too much for Raion, he began to slip. Raion instinctively threw his hand out and grabbed on, then in the flash of a moment, the dragon threw his head up, and the wind pressed Raion down, Raion took the opportunity to stand and run across the dragon’s snout, jump past his head down its neck onto it’s body, the dragon began to beat his wings down on Raion. Time was short and Raion crawled down to reach his blade, now they were above the clouds, Raion pulled his blade free from the wound it had created, shifting slowly and avoiding beging knocked off by a wing beat, Raion turned and crawled back, he saw his target, the dragon’s neck, he was going to slit that neck until he was covered in blood, but he would have to hold his anger. A wing beat to the face dazed Raion in his mid swing for the dragon’s back and spine, when his vision returned another wing beat knocked him flat against the dragon’s back, Raion clenched his blade and impaled into anything he could. Raion heared a yell and then he felt weightless, he opened his eyes, his blade was stuck at the root of the dragon’s wing and moved, crunched, and cut with every wing beat the dragon attempted, Raion quickly tried to pull the blade free, and when he did the force of the pull sent him flying off the dragon. They both fell to the ground, the dragon tried to fly with one wing but failed and fell along with Raion. The dragon did not take his impending doom lightly, he took his anger out on the falling Raion, clawing and tail whipping. As the ground came closer the dragon summersaulted and tail whipped Raion towards the ground. Thats was the last thing Raion saw, a tail smacking into him then the dragon getting smaller as he fell quicker than it, then pain, and nothingness. The dragon watched Raion’s last moments, falling and then hitting the ground with a thump, the dragon then closed his eyes for his moment, the ground consumed and numbed him and made all his dreams come true in a flash of fury and death.

    Three figures watched at a distance, they watched as Raion fell for miles being struck by the dragon on the way down. ’Its almost time. Get ready.’ Anitia said, her voice cold and harsh, ’Aye.’ Harere replied and picked up the supplies. ’Wait a few moments, make sure thou’s died.’ A third person spoke from the trees. ’Aye, he is strong, I should know.’ the figure added. Anitia looked up into the trees and nodded. They watched, Raion hit the ground, Anitia looked on not twitching, blinking, moving as Raion thumpped, bounced and rolled like a rag doll. Harere flinched and turned away, she began to cry. Anitia watched the dragon land on top of Raion, eyes fixed on them, she remained motionless. ’Say the word.’ Anitia spoke, a few seconds passed and all that could be heard was Harere’s tiny voice whimper and cry. The figure replied, ’Now.’ The trees rustled, ’Is thou going to look for thy blade?’ Anitia asked, the figure stopped for a second and found the question too trivial to answer and moved on, the trees shook as the figure’s jump caused a rush of wind to sweep them. ’Very well.’ Anitia spoke, and looked on into the feild of daisies, sunflowers and dandy lions. Then Raion and the dragon in the middle of it all, it looked beautiful. Anitia walked forward and Harere picked the supplies up and moved, ’Is he...’ Harere chocked on her question, and Anitia answered quickly, ’Aye.’ Her voice cold and icy. They got closer to the impact, the dragon’s eye was still bleeding, and the other was half opened, lifeless. ’Harere, move the dragon.’ Harere nodded and raised her arms into the air, she began to glow white and she yelled words only known to those of her tounge. the dragon was wrapped in the same white aura, and slowly rose, moved to the right and was gently put back down, the aura left. Anitia moved towards Raion, she moved an eyelid open, his eyes were rolled back into his sockets, pupils gone, his gold eyes began to haze away in blood. Raion’s gold hair was now a bloody orange. Anitia moved in to remove Raion’s forehead plate and pull down the cloth that covered the bottom half of his face, Harere moved in to stop her. ’Don’t, please, thou would not have wanted us to see.’ Harere said, and kept her head down eyes fixed on the floor, avoiding Anitia’s glare. ’Aye, we can at least respect that much.’ Anitia agreed, and slowly brushed her hand across his chest, then down the left arm, and grabbed his wrist, and layed it across his stomach. ’The shackles.’ Anitia spoke, and Harere handed her a pair of shackles, grey and rune warded by magic of the golden age, the strongest of magic. Harere clenched a large bottle of red thick fluid, and moved towards the dragon’s mouth. Her hand glowed white and the dragon’s mouth opened and rose to her chest hight. She dumped the red fluid into the dragon’s mouth, and it gently slid down its throat. Anitia placed the shackle around Raion’s wrist, and then did the same for the other wrist. She placed Raion’s wrist over eachother, and her hand over them. She spoke softly, the runes glowed and Raion began to trembled violently, and slowly stopped. Anitia picked Raion up, ’Thou is heavy for a dead boy.’ She spoke sweetly into his closed lifeless eyes, and a bloody tear made a trail across his face, and made its way into the cloth, and disapeared.