𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔡𝔯𝔞𝔤𝔬𝔫 𝔤𝔢𝔪 [advanced, open]

The gem was heavy and cool in his hand. If he closed his eyes, he could imagine that it was a river stone that had been smoothed over by thousands of years of erosion. But it was not a common rock. It was something far more precious than that. It was as clear as glass save the suspended white cloud of magic within it. It pulsed with power, like a living thing. The sensation was familiar in his palm, but he remembered the surge of electricity he felt when he first touched it five years ago. Now it was practically an extension of his body.

His other hand was placed on the flank of a panting dragon. The creature was muzzled and chained to the ground. It wriggled when he touched it, but he knew it wasn’t capable of freeing itself. His men were adept at capturing dragons. This one was young, he guessed fifteen or sixteen years old and about the weight of a single-horse wagon. Its scales were a gray color that matched the heavy cloud cover above their heads.

“And what’s the power?” Ichiro asked, dark eyes flicking up to the handful of men standing nearby. All were dressed in the black and midnight blue of the Ascended Order. The first, a slender man named Boqin, cleared his throat and answered:

“Telekinesis, my lord.”

A look of subtle surprise passed over Ichiro’s face and he seemed impressed as he regarded the small dragon a second time. “That’s a mighty gift for such a young creature.” As he said it, a few rocks near the head of the dragon began to levitate. Ichiro, unphased, strode to face the dragon and held out the gem. “Fighting will only prolong your suffering,” he stated coolly. One of the rocks shot toward his head. He side-stepped it with ease and then released a sharp whistle. A few seconds of silence followed before a strong gust of wind bellowed through the tops of the bamboo trees and a dark, twisting shape appeared in the skies. Ichiro’s dragon was longer than an old oak tree, and his middle as thick and sturdy as a boulder. He landed in the clearing with a thud that shook the ground beneath their feet. His fearsome maw open to release a shuddering exhale as he greeted his rider.

The young dragon struggled as he realized what was about to happen. He must have sensed the power radiating off of Hibiki, the dragon the color of the night sky. It was an unnatural power, as palpable as electricity on the air. Fittingly, thunder clapped in the distance.

Ichiro knelt by the head of the young dragon and placed his free palm on its snout. “Please,” it begged in its grinding, reptilian voice. Dragons rarely tried to communicate with strangers in human tongue, despite being capable. It was too unnatural for their vocal cords to mimic the softness of mammalian speech. But the young dragon pleaded anyway, and Ichiro’s noble mouth formed a disapproving frown.

“Quiet,” he commanded, and the dragon complied except for a low, uneasy whine. The creature watched, eyes widening, as Hibiki prowled closer so that his head peered over his master’s shoulder. “Quiet now, little one,” Ichiro murmured, his voice gentle. As he said it, the orb in his palm flashed with a blinding white light.

The young dragon’s head hit the ground with a sharp thud. In an instant, his wriggling, breathing body had been transformed into one of solid stone. He would remain there forever, as much a part of the landscape as the hills and trees. Eventually moss and vines would grow over his paralyzed body, which was now as peaceful as a deep slumber.

Ichiro stood and ducked under Hibiki’s looming head before walking back to his men. “Let us return,” he prompted, referring to their fortress which was tucked into the nearby mountain. It had once been a palace for an emperor, but he had adapted it to suit his own purposes. Today it housed all of his forces, mostly foot soldiers, dragon hunters, and the few riders that remained. It would only be a short walk to return to the safety of the walls.

Hibiki knew he was no longer needed. He launched into the sky and disappeared over the tops of the trees, off to hunt and sail freely in the clouds he had summoned. The surrounding area housed no predators that could threaten him, especially with his growing collection of powers.

"Oh, and retrieve the chains. We can reuse them for the next one."

Hanako watched from a distance as Ichiro approached the small gray dragon that was chained, prone, before him. The dragon’s serpentine body was quivering, legs clawing at the ground, in his desperation to escape. But there was no escape, was there? Over the past five years, Ichiro and his men had gotten very good at capturing and subduing dragons. Hanako’s hands curled into fists at her side, but she did not move, expression impossible to read as she watched Ichiro – the man she loved. Surrounding him were several soldiers of the Ascended Order, outfitted in similar colors as Hibiki, Ichiro’s dragon – black, and a deep, glittering midnight blue. Hanako herself was dressed in similar colors, but she stood a distance away from Ichiro, staying out of range of the dragon gem’s magic, and staying out of Ichiro’s way. Hai stood a little ways off from Ichiro as well. Hanako narrowed her gaze at him, but still said nothing.

In one of Ichiro’s hands was the dragon gem – the thing that was supposed to stop the Druun once and for all. She listened as Ichiro asked what the dragon’s power was – telekinesis – and watched as the little grey beast tried to fight back; the rock that was no doubt intended to end Ichiro’s life missed as the man stepped out of the way. In response, Ichiro let out a sharp whistle, and Hanako knew what its purpose was – a summoning. From the distance, there was a blast of wind that caused the bamboo trees to wail and moan. A dark, twisting shape snaked down from the sky, rippling with strength and power. Hibiki slammed to the ground next to Ichiro, jaws cracking open in greeting. Hibiki was massive, extending tens of feet in length, his form rippling with muscle and strength. Next to Hanako, her own dragon let out a guttural rumble, and she reached to her right, laying her hand on the dragon’s snout to calm him down a bit. Rin was nothing if not impulsive, and currently he was less than pleased with Hibiki. When Ichiro lifted the gem, bringing it closer to the chained dragon, Hanako closed her eyes and looked away – and yet she still saw what happened in her mind’s eye.

Saw the dragon gem fill with a sudden brilliant light, the glow rippling outward to wash across the grey dragon. Saw as the dragon’s body stiffened, its sides growing still as the breath left its body. Saw as its scales lost their gleam and became dull; as its eyes darkened and its life faded away, leaving only a stone skeleton behind.

She did not open her eyes as she heard Hibiki leave, and as she heard Ichiro begin the journey back to the fortress. She focused on the dragon beside her; listened to the air that thundered in his lungs, at the magic that prickled beneath his scales. After a long moment, she opened her eyes, and stared into Rin’s gaze. There was no need to speak; were both thinking the same thing.

Ichiro… something had changed.

Five years ago, when he’d first told her of his plan for the dragon gem, of his idea to banish the Druun once and for all, Hanako had believed him. The first few dragons that given their magic to the dragon gem had done so willingly; they had been old, and had wanted their deaths to further the battle against the Druun. But with each dragon that the gem devoured, something within Ichiro had begun to change. As Hibiki swelled with the stolen magic, Ichiro’s heart had darkened, like the dragon gem had cast a shadow over him.

The Ichiro she’d fell in love with – the Ichiro that loved her – was still in there. She had to believe that, because if she let herself lose hope, let herself accept what Ichiro had become, then her world would be finally sundered. Ichiro and Rin were all she had left; she would not survive the loss of either of them.

She closed her eyes again briefly, and exhaled. She lifted her right hand, and stared at the ring that was wrapped around the third finger. Ichiro had given it to her, before… before. Before everything had become dark and uncertain. She clenched her hand into a fist.

Hanako’s face settled into an impassive mask again, and she headed after Ichiro. But within, a storm was raging.