Disclaimer:  “A Change of Seasons” was written by Mike Portnoy and preformed by Dream Theater from the CD, “A Change of Seasons”.

 Claimer:  All characters present in this story is of my property and the concept of wardran is also mine, so I ask that no one uses it with out my permission.
 

 Shino paced back and forth as he debated to read the piece of parchment that Nessil had shoved into his hand.  Do I want to know why she left?  Maybe she isn't comfortable around us.. maybe.. I have to read it!  He opened his hand, taking the parchment in both and opened it slowly.  Upon it was Nessil's beautiful writing, spelling only a few words.

  The tree that the moon reflects it's shine.

 Shino thought for a moment, "There aren't any trees like that here.  Well, wait.. yes there is.."  Shino rushed off back into the forest.  He had came to the spot Nessil had left from, hoping somewhere in his heart she would return.  He came to a stop near an old tree, one that would have been covered by green vines of all sorts in the spring and winter.  Now, it was covered in a dense blanket of snow, it's branches straining to keep upright from the weight.  He inspected the tree, smiling as it's bark gave off an eerie glow at night.  He set his hand on the bark, feeling warmth coming from it momentarily before it faded off.  His hands searched through the snow, knocking it off as he felt the knot hole.  He inserted his hand, feeling a scroll with in.  Pulling it out, he opened it slowly.  His eyes moved along the scroll, the words being said by Nessil's voice in his mind,

 Shino,
  When you read this, I will be gone.  There is something I have hidden from you and Mana.  This is something that I am not proud of.  You two have saved my life, and your race has turned out to be a wonderful and brilliant people.  I am sorry to say this, but, Ariketon sent me.  He came to me in a vision while I was passing by the temple of Ariketon.  He asked me to say there was going to be a war and all wardran were needed.  Then he would find a way to destroy all of you instantly.  I don't know how he would accomplish this, but I do know what I have done is wrong.  I must atone for this.  Now, I am going to the north.  I don't want you to follow me.  You might get hurt if you do go.  Shino, this is hard for me to go on, and what I am beginning to feel is odd.  I have spent my life as a priestess of Derratus, only to betray her by following an order of one of the gods that is against my own.  May Myris and Derratus forgive me.
       Nessil.

 Shino gripped the scroll in his hand tightly, holding back a flood of tears as one of the people he thought he could trust was against he and his people the entire time.  He lifted his ears at the sound of footsteps behind him, turning to see Mana's eyes locked on the scroll.

"So you found it."

Shino felt the wood of the scroll crack and collapse in his hand, his eyes locked on Mana angrily.  "You knew?  And you didn't tell me?"

Mana shook his head, his hazel eyes falling on Shino's angry ones.  "Shino, you must understand... she-"

 "She lied to you and I.. and sent my father and the clan into the face of danger, so don't you dare stand up for her."

 "You didn't let me finish.  She feels guilty for what she has done, so she is going to go and maybe help bring our people home.  If you can't forgive her for what she has done and see what she is trying to do to atone then everything I have taught you means nothing.  I taught you to be valiant, to be strong and most of all, to be merciful.  If you can't do that for her now, then you truly don't love her."

Shino turned his back from Mana, thinking about what he said for a moment.

"What time do you wish to leave, Shino?"  asked Mana, already knowing Shino was willing to go after Nessil.

Shino, on the other hand, had to think for a moment.  "Tonight.. as soon as possible."  replied Shino, and that was all Mana had to hear.

 Mana stood atop of the ledge leading down to the path, waiting as Shino appeared from the forest, dressed in his new attire.  Mana laughed as he looked over Shino in his nearly loose black leather pants, and a black muscle shirt set under his fitted chest plate.

Shino looked down, his black wings closed tightly over the plate.  "Its hard to move in this, Mana."

Mana shook his head, laughing slightly still.  "I know Shino, that's why I don't wear a chest plate."

Shino lowered his head, his ears dropping.  "Why do I have to wear it then?"

Mana shook his head, "Don't ask me." he replied.

Shino set his hands under the armor, twisting it over his chest to let it rest better.  "Mana, do you think we can catch up with her?"

Mana looked over to the horizon, nodding slowly.  "She may be fast because she is an elf, but we are faster."  Mana opened his massive wings slowly, flapping them with quick thrusts downwards.  "Come on Shino, you'll have to flap your wings a bit harder than normal to get into the air."

Shino nodded, opening his wings too.  He felt the weight of the chest plate pull down on him as he tried to lift up, flapping harder as his body slowly lifted from the ground.  His wings strained, but they lifted him upwards, higher into the cold air.  Mana had already began to take off, his tail helping him turn around to see Shino slowly follow.

 Terran watched the two fly off, sighing as Caster stood behind him.  "Caster, do you think they'll return?"

Caster sighed, "Who knows, but I have faith in them."

Terran nodded, contempt with that answer.  He turned around, Caster stepping to the side to allow him passage first.

 Shino soared over the treetops, the rising sun coming up on right of him as Mana flew to the left.  The armor he wore was no longer heavy as his body had gotten use to it's extra weight.  The cold air slipped against his skin like needles, but he didn't seem to mind.  His wings would flap every so often, and then allow him to glide for awhile.  Mana soared next to him, allowing the winds to keep him in the air as his wings were much larger and made it much easier for him to soar above the earth below them.

Mana's eyes scanned the land, searching for anything he must know is down there in case he and Shino had to make a landing.

Shino on the other hand, looked before them, on guard incase he and Mana were about to fly into something that they couldn't fly into.

Mana's eyes beheld the images of the vast fields of snow coming into view.  No life seemed to roam their pure boundaries, for no food was available.  Soon, the forests seem to become farther apart, scattering to allow the snowy masses to dominate the land.  Mana swayed his tail to the side, flapping his wings and moving over and to the other side of Shino.  He glared down at something moving through the snow, watching a long line of them.

Shino looked to Mana, blinking in confusion and then looking down to the line.  Shino growled, they were humans.  Long lines of them with their horse drawn carts followed by the small dragons of Ariketon to protect them.

Mana flapped his wings hard, lifting higher into the air, yelling over the air passing over his ears.  "Shino, lets not be seen, we don't need a battle right now."

Shino nodded, flapping his wings vigorously, lifting higher than Mana within a few seconds.  Mana followed, watching the people below move oblivious to their presence.  Just as the two raced within the air and the head of the train became visible, a burst of fire raced past Mana’s left wings, scorching the feathers’ tips.  Mana hissed, moving his head over to the direction of the flame’s origin, spotting a dragon racing towards them.

Shino lunged downwards, his wings folded back as he descended down to the train.  As he came close, he opened his wings suddenly, zipping over their heads, the sheer velocity of his mass sending some of the horses in a spook and some carts flying backwards.  He could hear the women and the children scream, but that didn’t affect him in the slightest.  Instead he turned around, his wings still causing such violent movements that the train was sent into a panic.  He could hear dragons race to him, wanting to shed his blood over the pure snow.

 Mana darted to the right of the massive dragon moving in the ram him.  A deep growl formed in his throat, becoming barely audible with in the sky as the dragon made another lunge to him.  He could hear the dragon’s frustration as it made short grunts, spouting black smoke from it’s flared nostrils.

The dragon cocked it’s head back suddenly, expanding it’s lungs to their fullest just before golden flames spewed from it’s mouth to Mana.

Mana slipped over it, moving forward to the dragon quickly, his fist moving to the head of the dragon.  Mana heard a slight crack as his fist met the dragon’s brow, the great creature jerking back with a painful screech.  It cocked it’s head back again, angrily pouring flames into the air, but Mana was already behind it.  He gripped it’s left wing in his hand, snapping the bone in half.  The dragon flapped it’s only functional wing now, struggling to stay aloft before it finally began to fall to the ground below.

 Shino smirked, flying back as the falling dragon crashed on top of the smaller dragons coming to him, crushing their smaller bodies under the massive weight.  Shino lifted his ears upwards, listening to screams to the end of the train, knowing that had to be Mana landing.

The people watched him in fear as a few reached for their weapons of choice.

Shino looked to what seemed to be the leader, growling to him.  “Leave my companion and I be, Human, or you shall pay for attacking us.”

Mana walked up from the rear, his face looking blank as the people regarded his magnificence with his age.  He stopped by Shino, looking to the leader as well.

The man regarded Mana as he towered over both he and Shino, stepping back as to get away from him.

Mana hissed slightly, feeling his feathers ruffle upwards as a chill blew against them all.

Shino looked about, spotting a woman clinging to her child.  He couldn’t help but to feel sorry, but he knew that one day, that child would kill his own kind in a heart beat.  He made his hands into a fist, growling slightly as the woman brought her child closer.

Mana kept in a silent stance, his eyes locked on the man who seemed to be unnerved by Mana’s mere presence.

From the left of Shino, a man mounted on a horse came rushing to him, a sword drawn forward.

Shino glanced to him, lifting into the air as Mana merely lifted a finger up.  As the man rode by, Mana’s blue aura rose up, the blade bending back as it’s tip met against Mana’s finger.

Shino landed beside Mana again, looking towards the mounted warrior as the people gasped at the destroyed sword.  A cold smirk crossed Shino’s face as Mana lowered his hand.

Mana spoke dryly to Shino, his words coming out in their own language of the wardran, “tel su evael eht snamuh dna eb no ruo yaw, yeht era ylno gniwols su nwod.”

Shino nodded, opening his wings slowly, flapping them to allow himself back into the air.

Mana followed, speaking to the people as he moved into the air.  “We let you live now, only because you have your young with you, even if you wouldn’t do the same for our people… we aren’t barbarians like you.”  Mana turned in the air, moving north once again as Shino slowed to join his side.

The two wardran soared in the air, now high over the people who were trying to get back to their own journey.

 The man mounted on his horse ran ahead of the train, rushing deep into the plains as he kept his eye out for the two wardran who had attacked them.  He couldn’t believe his dear sword had been destroyed by the larger one.  Looking up into the sky once more, he rushed into a small patch of trees, hiding a camp.  He came to a stop, dismounting quickly.  Before him stood six men clad in full armor.  He tossed his sword to their feet.  “Two wardran, one young, one older.  I thought you said the elf took care of all the wardran!”

One of the men stepped forward, “Well Luscious, a few have slipped.”

Luscious paced back and fourth, his hands held behind his back as his brow was set in frustration.  “How can I bring the villagers to the New Continent to join those there if we have dragons being killed from wardran attacks?”

The man regarded the question for a moment and then chuckled.  “Luscious, you think too much.”  The man looked down to the bent sword, kicking it.  “What did they look like?”

Luscious thought for a moment, remembering Mana’s hazel eyes instantly.  “The bigger one, pure white wings, hazel eyes and light colored hair.  The younger, pure black wings, dark eyes and dark hair.”

The man thought for a second, laughing.  “Be more descriptive.  There are many clans that fit that criteria.”

Luscious nodded, “The younger one had eight wings, no horns and a rather long tail.  The older, eight wings also, cut down horns, and a scar on his face.”

The man nodded then, “The younger must be of either Black Wing or Silver Arrow as the older has to be Manifestation of Psidus Mind.”

Luscious gasped, “Manifestation?  That’s the wardran Sinton had claimed as his property.”

The man nodded, “But Sinton is dead, he died when NeoAnnos fell.  Now Manifestation and this younger wardran are free, and any other wardran that was in Neo Annos is as well… allow any other wardran to go to the north and they will die there too.”

 Mana crouched low as he watched the great half horse, half bird creatures called kershians.  He couldn’t see Shino on the other side of the herd, but he knew he was there.  The kershians held their horse like heads to the snow, pushing it aside to get to the remains of the grass below.  He watched their ears move around, making sure they don’t stop in either his or Shino’s direction.

Just as a large bull neared him, he quickly pounced forward, his wings opening quickly to allow him to half glide half run over the snow.  The herd went into a rush, but Mana kept his eye on the bull he wanted.  From in front of the bull he saw Shino rush in from the front of it, dodging other herd members.

Shino leapt onto the bull, his strength bringing the larger creature to the snow with a thud.  It gave a screech, the others leaving it behind as they moved farther and farther from the three.

Mana gripped the kershian’s head, twisting it swiftly to the back.  The creature fell dead with the quick snap, Shino letting go and standing up.  Mana picked up the limp body, slinging it over his shoulder after his wings closed, nodding to Shino as he walked off to eat their catch.

 Shino cleaned his hands of the blood from his meal.  It had been a long time since he had eaten meat raw, but he loved the taste.

Mana also cleaned his hands, looking to the setting sun.  Mana sighed, resting back against the warmth of the nests he and Shino made out of fur and branches in the snow.

Shino kept sitting up, looking into the almost clear sky, watching a few clouds roll by.  He chuckled, thinking of the good times he had spent in his life time in the city of NeoAnnos, almost unable to remember anything beyond that.

Mana on the other hand, slowly closed his eyes, his large body relaxing and resting from the traveling he and Shino did during the day.  His hazel eyes closed slowly, allowing him to drift off into sleep.

Shino kept awake, looking around attentively, his ears shifting from side to side to listen to the sounds of the winter creatures around him.  He could hear faint sounds of something stepping into the snow, the slushy water compacting itself under the feet of the being.  Shino kept still, only allowing his ears to listen to this movement, knowing that if he moved, they would know of his presence too.  Shino glanced over to Mana, unable to hear his breathing.

Mana’s ears were pointed towards the movement too, and his body remained completely still.  The foot steps became closer and more rapid, as if whatever it was had suddenly decided to run.

Shino stood up quickly, the figure coming into his eyes as a large thing standing on two legs.  He growled, his mind snapping to think it was a human.  That thought slipped from his mind quickly though, as it ran faster, beyond the speed of a human.

Mana also stood up, growling deeply as his blue aura lifted around him.  The aura swirled around the running figure, which was now moving even faster, but it didn’t slow or show any signs of distress from Mana’s power.  Mana gasped, his power never having no effect on his targets before.  He rose his aura higher, the blue turning a bright green.

The figure still made not sign of stopping, but instead it passed the two by, thrusting them back into the snow onto their backs.  Scrambling to their feet, both Mana and Shino beheld the sight of a shining figure clad in golden armor.  He smiled to them, his thin lips seeming chapped and scarred.  He leaped into the air, disappearing with a sudden gust of wind.

Mana and Shino stood fixed on the apparition that had dissipated before them.  Never in their lives had they ever seen such a thing.  Both turned to each other and then back to the spot.  “We should be on our way.”  Stated Mana, looking into Shino’s eyes, trying to hide his surprise from his adoptive son.  Shino nodded, opening his wings swiftly as Mana did the same.  The two lifted into the air, flying north once again.

 Arishawn walked through the dense camp, looking over the young wardran who were there.  He didn’t know if his son would be here, but the drive to find his lost child kept him on.  He stopped, looking around further as the long strands of hair that were once part of his bangs hung behind his shoulder, the beads holding them clanking against each other.  His hair was very short now, save those few strands that showed his true status and age from it.  He felt a hand set on his shoulder, “Lord Arishawn, I asked around, your son isn’t here… but I have news of him.”

Arishawn turned around quickly, his eyes meeting with the army leader, Arigove.  “What news do you bring me Sir Arigove?”

Arigove looked around and then back to Arishawn. “Your son is alive.”

Arishawn’s heart skipped a beat.  His son was alive, he knew that much now and he felt so much better.  “Do you know where he is?”

Arigove shook his head, but another wardran stepped next to him.  “This is Ryker of the Golden Arrow.”

Ryker nodded to Arishawn speaking quickly.  “I saw Shino almost everyday in the mines of NeoAnnos.  He use to give messages from the human guard of us, Sinton, to the wardranian workers.  Then he stopped doing that when he was six and started training with Sir Mana.. I mean Sir Manifestation until we all escaped.  I think he stayed with Sir Manifestation.. That’s all I know.”

Arishawn looked up into the sky, “Sir Manifestation of the Psidus Mind… no better teacher for my son.”

 Mana soared over the mountain trails leading to the Northern Sanctum.  The moon was high and the stars shone brightly.  “Shino, look down there.”  Mana pointed down to the trails, a white figure moving about them slowly.

Shino blinked, giving Mana a quizzical look.  “Where do those trails lead?”  asked Shino.

“To the Northern Sanctum, where the rest of the wardran should be.”

Shino nodded, “I see.. I wonder who that is.”  Mana tilted his head to the side, making calculations in his head quickly.  “Nessil!”  He dove down swiftly, his wings coming almost completely closed.

Shino gasped, following quickly behind him.

The figure stopped and turned, seeing Mana and Shino coming in.  Quickly, it rushed off, moving expertly on the path.

Mana’s blue aura rose, forming a ring around the figure, but it didn’t stop, instead it only sped up, beyond the speeds of an elf.  Mana growled, flapping his wings to gain enough speed to keep up.

Shino did the same, quickly passing Mana due to his smaller size and shorter wings.  Just as Shino was coming close enough to get a good look, the figure dissipated into the air.  Shino came to an immediate halt, Mana coming to his side.  The two looked about, wondering where the figure could have gone.  “Mana, where could they have gone?”

Mana shook his head, “I don’t know, but whatever it is, it is powerful.”

 Arigove flew through the camp, the other wardran watching him.  “First legion, prepare to move out, we must attack now!”

 Arishawn looked up from the cinders in his fire, standing swiftly as a few of his fellow clan members rose with him.  “Arigove calls us, let us go.”  The first legion rose into the air, their wings beating as one as they moved onwards in the direction of the New Continent.

 Shino and Mana landed in a clearing in the Northern Sanctum Forest.  The snow was thick and hard to walk through, but they had to rest.  Both climbed up into a tree, resting against the trunk.  They wrapped their wings around themselves, drifting off into sleep.

 Arishawn awoke slowly, the events of the battle before nothing but a blur in his mind.  The last he remembered was feeling a shock through his body then a blinding pain before everything went blank.  He looked around slowly, his surroundings seeming to be like some kind of laboratory.  He tried to move, but oddly, he couldn’t feel his legs.  Looking down, his eyes went wide with horror.  Where his thighs and down were stood two metallic legs to serve as prosthetics.  He couldn’t feel his tail either, but when he moved it around he could hear the metal scraping against metal.  He growled, surprised when it sounded monotonous and odd.  His eyes drifted up, locking on something moving to him.  He growled, the mechanical sound of him echoing through the lab.

A frail looking human came into view, two specs set on the tip of his nose.  He chuckled lightly at the state of Arishawn.  “I have done it…”

 Shino awoke to the sound of something below him.  He slowly brought his wings back, hanging down as he tilted his head to the side.  Below him a large wolf like creature gazed up at him.  It was golden with a huge mane and almost human like front limbs.  It stood on it’s hind legs, a overly puffy tail almost covering them fully.  It’s deep violet eyes kept on Shino, waiting for him to come down.  Shino lowered his ears, growling slightly, hearing Mana move about on the other side of the trunk.

Mana looked down to the creature, a smile crossing his lips.  “Don’t worry Shino, that’s a Towhtsts.  He’s one of us.”

Shino stopped his growl, his ears raising upwards.  “What?  But he’s not a wardran.”

Mana laughed, standing up on the branch.  “Yes he is.  When the god Neco joined with Myris in the struggle against Ariketon, he gave the wardranian clan the Towhtsts the ability to transform into creatures like what you see below.”  Mana jumped from the branch, landing on his feet as the Towhtsts turned to him, speaking in the wardranian language.

“Ohw era uoy?  Yhw era uoy ton htiw eht srehto?”

Shino landed beside Mana, looking between the two as Mana replied.  “Ew era ton htiw eht srehot.  Ew hcraes rof na lfe deman Nessil.”

The Towhtsts rose an eyebrow, laughing as he now spoke in the language of the humans.  “An elf you say?  I’ve seen an elf move through here.  She was in quite the hurry to get to the front line of my army.  Say, who are you two?”

Mana spoke first, looking the Towhtsts in the eyes.  “I am Manifestation.”

Shino thought to himself for a moment before he answered.  His army?  “I am Shino.”

The Towhtsts’s eyes went completely wide in surprise.  “Sir Manifestation?  Wow, I’m of the Psidus mind too, in fact I lead them.”

Mana blinked confusedly, looking to Shino momentarily.

As he was about to speak, a gruff voice came from the forest.  “Judgmentelleos, what are you talking about?”

Judgmentelleos’s eyes went wide for a moment, then back to normal, but now, he seemed to be aware of his surroundings.  “I don’t know..”  He put his hand on his head, shaking it slowly.

From behind a tree came a golden winged wardran.  He had long spiraled horns, curving backwards and his golden tail swayed from side to side.  He stood a good seven feet tall, that being the maximum height of most Towhtsts.  His eyes were a bright yellow, much like the noon sun.

Judgmentelleos slowly morphed into his other form, his features much like the other wardran, just smaller with golden brown hair.  He turned around, showing an odd pair of eyes.  The left was crimson red while the other was a sky blue.  Judgmentelleos shook his head again.  “I don’t remember what happened.”

The other wardran came closer, Mana recognizing him as Tatari, the leader of the Towhtsts.  Tatari stepped up behind Judgmentelleos, setting his hand on the younger wardran’s shoulder.  “Let us go young one.”  Tatari looked to both Shino and Mana, speaking to them next.  “And you two may join us at the lair.”  Tatari turned around, walking with Judgmentelleos behind him.

Mana and Shino followed slowly, their eyes looking about.

 The lair was empty, only Tatari and Judgmentelleos seeming to inhabit it.  Tatari stopped as he came to the large cavern leading underground.  “Sir Manifestation, it is good to see a wardran of your power around here, but why are you not with the army?”

 “Shino and I escaped from NeoAnnos and we are here now searching for Nessil, a priestess of Derratus.”  Replied Mana.

Tatari nodded, having seen an elf come through his home.  “I’ve seen one.  She seemed to be quite in a hurry to get to where she was going.  If I remember correctly… I also saw something clad in armor come through here too.”

Shino nodded, “Sir Manifestation and I saw it too, but it disappeared when we tired to get close.”

Tatari also nodded, “Yes, it has been the same for me.”  Looking up into the sky, Tatari turned to the side slightly, “Let us go inside the lair, it seems it wants to snow.”

Mana followed waiting momentarily for Shino to join his side.  Shino looked up into the sky swiftly, seeing raven clouds form over them.  Shino stepped next to Mana, following Tatari into the lair.  The lair was warm and lit by a fire that Judgmentelleos had obviously made.

The younger wardran sat in a corner of the cavern, seeming to play with some kind of paint on the wall.

Shino watched him with one eye brow lifted upwards.  Seeming to catch this look,

Tatari spoke softly.  “Judgmentelleos has the sickness of fiction.   He doesn’t know what is reality and what is in his mind.  He slips in and out of this often, suddenly thinking he is a god one day or a clan leader the next.  He’s been like this ever since he killed a Ruby Dragon.”
 “A Ruby Dragon is a sacred creature of Ariketon is it not?” asked Mana.

 “Yes, and it is said that one will be cursed if it is killed.”  Replied Tatari.

 “How did he kill the creature?”

 “Stabbed it through the head.”

 “Isn’t it that the only way the curse can be set is if it is stabbed through the heart?”

 “I believe so.”

 “Then the sickness of fiction is set in by another god, probably Tetrakaton.”

 “I don’t think Tetrakaton is able to do such to a living being.”

 “But it is out of Ariketon’s power to inflict the sickness of fiction.”

 Tatari thought for a moment, realizing that too.  “You are right, but isn’t it also out of Tetrakaton’s power as well?”

Mana shook his head.  “He is capable of doing so.  He has done many times when it comes to the noble Ice Wolf Tribe when they attacked the dragon hatcheries.”

 The Wardranian Army remained silent, waiting to hear from the legion that had set out a few hours ago.  They had heard the signs of a vicious battle, but now the commotion had died down, leaving everyone in anticipation.  Slowly, the remaining army began to lose all hopes when a single figure came from the horizon.  Many rushed to the figure, finding it to be Arigove.

Blood dripped down his forehead, trailing over his eyes and to his chin.  His wings were missing many of their flight-baring feathers and one of his horns cracked half way through.  He coughed, his lungs attempting to get the blood held within them out.  He finally felt the strength to speak come to him, muttering softly to the crowd around him.  “Odd.. Weapons… all dead…”

The wardran gasped, then suddenly knowing their greatest warriors had perished.  One young warrior helped Arigove stand, supporting his weight onto his lean body.  They walked slowly to a small log, Arigove sitting on it slowly, his body aching all around.  Arigove’s tail supported him, keeping him from falling back out of sheer exhaustion.

 Mana chuckled slightly, listening to the amusing voice of Tatari as he spoke of the days he was a young one.  “When I was five, I thought I could take on an Emeraldo Dragon.  That thing beat the snot out of me so quickly it wasn’t even funny.  I remember walking to a limp for weeks.”

Mana thought about his past, remembering himself to be a rather adventurous child.  In his time he had managed to drive his fellow clan members up the wall.  “When I was three,”  Mana began, his eyes fading off into the void of the past.  “I remember going through the mountains with out permission.  It had been my first time away from the lair without someone there to guard me, so naturally my father was up and after as soon as he figured I was gone.  I remember the rocks especially slippery that morning due to a rain we had the night before.  My hands would slip ever now and then, but my tail would keep me from falling to my demise.  I remember losing my footing on an odd ledge, almost falling when my father came leaping down.  He had caught me, but I was in so much trouble that day.”  Mana chuckled as he remembered the speech his father had given him.  How he longed to hear his voice again, but his father had passed so many years ago in one of the many wars between the wardran and the humans.

 The air filled with the smell of smoke and burning flesh.  Each wardran in the army looked up to the direction of the scent, knowing that it’s origins couldn’t be good.

A young wardran sitting by the quickly recovering Arigove stood up, his fists tightening into balls.

Arigove looked up at him, catching the frustrated expression on his face.  “Megadette calm yourself.  If you rush into this, you might not make it out.”

Megadette looked down to his leader, biting his lower lip.  “But Sir Arigove what if its the humans at work?”

Arigove shook his head.  “It doesn’t matter young one, they have amazing power due to their odd weapons.  They seemed to have shot flaming iron from what seemed to be hollowed out swords.  We have never faced such a thing, so we must be careful.  A single hit from the flaming iron will kill even the most powerful of us.”

Megadette looked down, a sense of helplessness falling over him.

Arigove looked to the direction of the scent, the smell of death flaring in his nostrils.  He turned his head away, the scent becoming relatively weaker.  His head snapped back as his ears caught the sound of a constant roar.  Looking around quickly, he noticed other wardran hearing this too.  He stood up slowly, his legs still aching a bit.  Almost instantly, he felt Megadette by his side, helping him stand steady.

Over the horizon, in front of the rising moon, the eerie glow of orange lit the sky.  The others came into attention, some taking into the sky to see what this glow was coming from.  Quickly, those who were on the air flew over to Arigove, one of the larger warriors landing first.  “Sir Arigove, the human army is on their way.  They are setting ablaze to the land.”

Arigove nodded, speaking loudly.  “Attack full force, but beware of their blazing iron, one hit has the power to kill you… ATTACK!”  Arigove rose his hand into the air, the wardran around him taking to the skies or running on foot instantly.  Megadette stayed behind with the tired Arigove.  Both watched, wanting to go and join their brothers in battle.  Finally, despite his condition, Arigove quickly took to the air, joined by Megadette close behind.

 Tatari stopped in his story, the odd scent invading his senses.  Like all Towhtsts his sense of smell was ten times better than the other kinds of wardran.  He stood up swiftly, looking out as Judgmentelleos stirred from his sleep.

“What is it?” asked Mana.

Shino looked up to Tatari then to Mana, wondering what was happening.  “Death…”

Mana’s eyes gained a quizzical look.  “What?”

Tatari took another breath as Shino rose to his feet too, his eyes kept on Mana to sense what he might be thinking.  “The scent of death, old corpses fills the air.  We must go to the battle fields.”

 Megadette swooped down on the remaining humans.  All around him his fellow warriors fell from the sky as they were hit by the flaming iron.  Megadette rolled to the side, feeling a shot narrowly miss his magnificent wings.  He opened his wings, the wind catching them and allowing him to soar forward.  His hand met with the face of a man, pushing him off of his horse instantly.  The man rolled, the hooves of another horse digging into his head and gut.  Megadette flapped his wings viciously, lifting upwards only to feel the unimaginable pain of a flaming iron slice through his left wing.  The force of the iron tore the wing to pieces, leaving only a mass of bloody feathers flying through the air as Megadette quickly lost the ability to fly.  He fell to the ground, sliding as the last of the mounted warriors turned around, running to him.

Megadette stood up quickly, swiping his tail to the legs of the first horse to him.  It fell to it’s side, pinning the man under it as an arrow dug into Megadette’s left arm.  He broke the arrow, wincing in pain as he lifted his head to see three warriors dash to him.  As they came closer two more joined them.  Megadette looked around, his brothers fighting viciously as they were surrounded by the dead of the humans and their people.

From what he could see, in terms of numbers only ten percent of the wardranian army were alive.  He took note of the humans, seeing they only had ten more to kill, but besides the five on horse back, there were those with the iron cannons, or guns as they called them.

As the warriors rushing to him came closer, Megadette saw no other options.  He couldn’t run with his arm shot and a wing missing.  He held his hand forward, his index finger slowly glowing a light blue color as he brought it forward.  His lips formed the words Desperation’s Cry as the warriors lowered their swords to swipe at him.  He made a quick movement of his finger to the side, a trail of energy in the form of an arc remaining.  It raced forward, slicing through the horses and men.  As the men fell to the ground, they all gave a momentary scream of agony before they went silent.  Megadette heard another yell coming from the side of him, a man rushing forward with his sword drawn.

Before he could react, an elf leaped forward, slamming the man to the ground.

She snatched up the sword, digging it into the man’s skull.

Megadette gasped, looking over the gorgeous elfin woman.

Just as she was about to jump, a red streak flashed by, followed by a splash of crimson liquid to the ground.

Megadette couldn’t make anything of it as it happened, but then it all hit him clearly as the woman fell to the ground.  He rushed to her as he heard the man who had fired yell in desperation for help.  Kneeling down next to the woman, he looked down into her lifeless eyes.  Setting his hand over her face, he closed her eyes, sighing.

 Judgmentelleos kicked up the pure snow as he followed Tatari, both in their animal like forms.

Mana and Shino flew above them, having no problems keeping up with the pair.

Tatari followed the scent carried in the air, knowing where it lead to had to be the battle field.  Most of his clan members had already gone there, save he and Judgmentelleos of course.  They rushed up a hill, hearing the flapping of Shino and Mana’s wings as they gained altitude.

What appeared as they near the hill made them stop in their tracks.  What appeared to be an ocean of corpses came into view.  Both wardran and humans lay on the blood-soaked ground, the stench of death looming around.

Mana had a look of disgust on his face as Shino’s expression turned to both grief and surprise for the sheer mass of death.  Shino moved onwards suddenly, his wings flapping as fast as he could move them.

The other three wardran watched him momentarily as Mana silently followed.

Swooping low to the ground, Shino spotted a familiar figure.  His heart sank as he came to a landing next to the corpse, looking down at the familiar face.  It was Letifer, his uncle.  He knelt down to the body, feeling tears run down his cheeks as set his hand on Letifer’s shoulder.  Looking beyond Letifer, Shino saw two more familiar sights, Vysen from Neo Annos and Juutera from his own clan.  He heard Mana land behind him, the much older wardran slowly whispering a prayer to Myris for the dead.  Standing, Shino wiped away his tears, looking around further for his father.

Mana turned his head to the sound of flapping wings, seeing a few other wardran with Arigove.  A smile crossed his lips as he watched his young clan mate.

Arigove landed before Mana, the wardran behind him continuing on.  Mana embraced him, as he did the same.  “Uncle Mana, I can’t believe you’re free.”

Mana nodded, “Well, I would have never thought I would have gotten out of there.  What are you doing here on the battle field?”

Arigove chuckled, “Dearest Uncle, I’m the general.”

Shino turned to Arigove, looking at him with a desperate look in his eyes, “Do you know the clan leader Arishawn?!”

Arigove looked to Shino, nodding solemnly.  “Lord Arishawn and I went into battle together, but in the commotion I lost sight of him.. Since then I haven’t seen him.”

Shino looked downward and away, whispering “Father..”.  Shino opened his wings, lifting into the sky to continue the survey of the fatalities.

Mana shook his head, “The poor boy.  That there is Lord Arishawn’s son.”

Arigove’s eyes went downcast, “Really?  Hmm, the poor kid.”

 Shino flew over the battle field, spotting Megadette from the air kneeling next to something.  Shino’s eyes caught the spot where Megadette’s wing once rested, now only a bloody mass of shredded muscle and bone greeting the eye.  He landed behind Megadette, getting a closer look of his injury.  “You might need to get that tended to as soon as possible.”

Megadette turned, nodding.  “Yes, I know.”

As Megadette turned, Shino’s eye caught a lock of purple hair, his heart sinking.  No wardran had purple hair.  He stepped to the side, suddenly feeling like he would suffocate.  It was Nessil.  His lips remained parted as he stepped next to Megadette, his eyes locked on the now pale face of his beloved Nessil.  Shino fell to his knees, setting his hand on her face, caressing her cold cheek.

“You knew her?”

Shino nodded to the question, warm tears flowing down his cheeks.  “Her name was Nessil.. I.. Loved her.”

Megadette looked to the elf and then back to Shino, standing slowly.  “I’ll leave you be then.”

Shino brought the limp body into his arms, holding her like a mother would her child.  He leaned over, his forehead touching hers as his body was racked with tears.  He allowed his hand to move along her soft and silky hair.  He closed his eyes, allowing his tears to fall onto her corpse.

 Mana passed Shino, looking down on the younger warrior as he mourned.  He shook his head, knowing it would be pointless to go to him now.  Flying on, he needed to see if there were anymore humans.  Soon the bodies became more scattered till he left the battle site all together.  Continuing forward, he felt it harder to breath as if something were blocking the air.  He began to cough violently, feeling it harder and harder to catch his breath.  He brought his legs forward, allowing his feet to land on the ground softly.

Looking around, he felt it a bit easier to breathe while at ground level.  He folded his wings behind him, his hazel eyes scanning the terrain.  Everything from plant life to the small bugs seemed sickly and struggling for life.  He walked past them, dark clouds looming over his head as the moon was soon completely covered.  As he walked, he noticed a vast amount of charred land.  It still smoldered from the immense heat it had been put through, but it had gone out so quickly.  He could still smell the scent of fire, so it had to have been put out very recently.  He looked around, searching for what might have done it, but only seeing vast emptiness.  His ears fell back, touching against his shoulders as he caught the scent of something coming close.

Mana growled, crouching down to enable him to move quickly if needed.  From the distance he heard something roar, but it sounded odd, almost unreal.  Mana’s ears shot to the direction of the sound, keeping locked onto it.  His muscles tensed in anticipation as he held his breath.  First, a pair of glimmering horns came into view, followed by the massive head of a dragon.

Mana smirked, knowing no dragon could ever defeat him.  As it’s body came into full view, Mana’s eyes widened as an entire legion was behind it.  Mana growled, opening his wings now to take to the air.  Just before he could flap them, the dragon spoke to him defiantly.  “This is all that is left of the so called great Wardranian Army!?  Ahaha, just one of you pathetic creatures is all I have to destroy?!  This will be easy.  King Serenos will have the Old Continent in no time.”

Mana didn’t answer, but he stood up, showing his defiance to the threat.  He could hear the men laugh as they all prepared their weapons which were mostly guns and javelins.  Mana lowered to the ground, closing his wings.  He knew that if he was going to fight a dragon he had to be quick on his feet and not in the air.

The dragon rose it’s head into the air, it’s jaws opening very slowly as crimson flames spewed from it’s mouth.  From that instant did the humans open fire.  The flaming balls rushed to Mana, but to their surprise, Mana began to run on all fours, dodging each ball as it touched down.  Mana stood up, skidding to a halt as a ball crashed to the ground before him.  He glared to the army, feeling the heat of the ball move across his body.  Mana stood his legs apart, arms out to his sides partially, his tail holding his balance.  In the blink of an eye, Mana was back down on all fours, rushing to the dragon.

Before anyone could react, Mana’s foot collided with the chest of the dragon, a hollow sound resonating within the beast.  Surprised, Mana fell back, landing to the ground as the dragon gave a victorious laugh.  “Silly creature, you cannot defeat me!  The humans made me to be invincible!”

The men gave a laugh, then a deafening roar filled Mana’s ears as they all rushed to him.

Mana looked around himself swiftly, knowing that he couldn’t possibly survive this all at once.  For the first time in a long time, he felt fear surge through him.  He opened his wings to fly, but before he could make a single beat, he felt something holding him leaned back.  He brought his hands forward, meeting the end of a javelin.  He didn’t feel the pain, but he knew it was there as he felt wet warmth flow down him.

He closed his eyes, images of his past flowing through his mind, his childhood, the first time he arrived to NeoAnnos and finally the young, scared child that was Shino sleeping before him that one night.  He opened his eyes, watching another javelin pierce his body, then all of the sounds became silence and only a soothing voice echoed through the land.  “Let it all go my Manifestation.”

Mana suddenly felt so very tired, his eyes closing partially as blood began to come from his mouth, the humans now surrounding him fully, stabbing another javelin into his dying body, the rest watching him die.  From the slits of his eyes loomed a figure, clad in golden armor.  The figure looked down to him, holding his hand out as time seemed to slow around Mana.  “Come to me Manifestation, your time..”

Before the figure could finish, its presence began to fade as Mana found himself slipping in and out of this consciousness.

“Come to me…”

As the figured uttered those words, Mana’s eyes shoot open, startling the men around him as they looked upon his sheer size.  “I’m not done yet Myris!  Shino needs me.. One last time!”  Mana opened his mouth, a blood curdling roar escaping him, his own blood lifting to the air as he felt all of what could be sanity leaving him to just his instinct.  The roar’s sound seemed to fade and hollow out as his blue aura turned black, rushing around the dragon and men around him.

 Arigove looked up from his spot next to the tearful Shino.  He patted Shino’s back, glimpsing to the sky as he saw a black dome rise into the air.  Other wardran also looked up, standing and quickly flying off to see what was the commotion.  Shino looked up, finding the golden figure standing in the horizon.  As if attracted to it, he stood up, rushing to it as it suddenly darted off in the direction Mana had gone in.

 All around Mana his power surged and pulsed, the bodies of the humans rising upwards.  They floated there for a few moments, the black aura seeming to create maggot like creatures upon the bodies.  The maggots crawled over the men, sending some into a fit of screams as they entered into their skin, pushing their muscle upwards till it was forced to rupture from their skin.  This continued on until a mass of flesh rained over the land, the maggots separating the flesh from the bones quickly and hungrily.  The dragon, on the other hand, hadn’t been affected, but Mana’s now cold hazel eyes locked on it, the massive plates of armor on it’s body denting inwards.  The dragon stepped back, roaring out as it fell back, it’s entire being collapsing on itself.  With the implosion, the entrails of the dragon squeezed through the plates, allowing the red life of the dragon to leave it.  Mana’s black aura faded into the sky as his body now was surrounded by nothing but flesh.  Feeling his mission to destroy the threat to Shino and the other wardran done, he closed his eyes, a smile on his face.

Notes:
 Judgmentelleos is portrayed like the character in “The Test That Stumped Them All” by Dream Theater.
 The Sickness of Fiction is Schizophrenia.
 Megadette is the name of a musical section in a song by Dream Theater called, “Fatal Tragedy.”
 The ‘language of the wardran’ is actually English just backwards.  Example, “tel su evael eht snamuh dna eb no ruo yaw, yeht era ylno gniwols su nwod.”  is  “Let us leave the humans and be on our way, they are only slowing us down.”
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Started:  April 27, 2002
Finished:  May 28, 2002