The Forgotten Zodiac

"What?!" Cynyr said in shock, startled at what he heard coming out of the gentle-natured boy's mouth. "What the heck's wrong with you?! Why would-" He cut off when he saw the tears dripping down Werr's cheeks. The living shadow stared at him for a moment, then turned and raced away to go help their friends. Their friends. Not just Cynyr's.

He understood now.

He raced down the hallways until he made it outside, just in time to hear the pained screams of the dragons. All three of them. Zephyr and Vaira's young voices roared skyward as several of the cannon shots hit them at the same time, but the worst was Naybirn. The shots didn't hurt him as bad as they did the other two, with him being so big and his scales being so thick, but the ones firing at him went for his delicate wings and his eyes. Now, with both wings broken and hanging limply, he was trapped on the ground.

Cynyr lunged forward and grabbed Seria right when a cannon blast shook the ground. She yelped, not expecting the move, then gasped "C-Cynyr?! What's going on?"

He shook his head in answer, then turned to the others and shouted "Our only hope is to find and eliminate Obelisk! He's controling Werr and making him attack us with the soldiers! Avoid the cannon shots at all costs, because if you get hit, you're dead! No hope!"

Vaira brought up a front leg to protect the baby drakeling in her pouch from getting crushed by a cannon shot, then bellowed her challenge. Zephyr joined in, along with Naybrin's deep, thunderous roar.

"Where the heck could he be, then?" Forin shouted over the blasts of the cannons and the roars of the dragons. Of course, he had Diana on his back and was moving about swiftly to avoid the cannon fire. "What should we do, try and intercept him on the way here?"

"I don't think we have to!" Nate called, though his voice was lost to the increasing noise. Two horses were in full-gallop, headed their way; however, no one saw the iron-wrought carriage until it had already past them, charging full-speed through the castle gate and into the castle itself. Really, Cynyr never should have left, but now, the gates slammed shut and the steel doors locked with a click that might have been loud, if it weren't for the already roaring dragons.

The cannon fire started up again the second the door was closed.

Everything according to plan.

Cynyr snarled, then set Seria down and ran towards Naybrin. He jumped up and landed on the dragon's back, then said "Take out the cannons!" He raced up the dragon's long neck as Naybrin swung his head around. The living shadow grabbed onto his horns and called out for Naybrin to bring him close to the castle, where Cynyr used the Alpha dragon's height to get him into the courtyard. "Keep the others safe and don't let Seria try to come after me!" he shouted, already racing into the castle.

Naybrin thrummed out his assent, then pulled his head back and attacked one of the cannons, crushing it between his teeth.

Cynyr ran back to the throne room, killing any soldiers he encountered. He didn't care that he was killing them, not in the slightest. All he cared about were his friends. "Werr!" he called, shoving the doors to the throne room open as, one by slow one, the booming of the cannons outside started dwindling.

Werr was limp in his throne. Blood trailed down from his mouth, the bandages around his wrists already starting to blossom with red as blood spread underneath them, too quick for them to soak up. Darkness crackled around his seat like electricity; it was flooding into the needles, which were causing so much pain that Werr's body was literally tearing itself up. He remained limp as it stopped for a moment, just as Cynyr came into the room.

"No...more..." Werr gurgled, his voice hoarse and weak. He looked exhausted already. It was easy to tell that he wouldn't last much longer. Obelisk stood behind his throne, and he reached down and patted Werr on the cheek with his shriveled, disgusting hand.

"What was that? More? Very well then." Obelisk withdrew his hand, and the crackling started up again. He stepped away from the throne, advancing on Cynyr. "Ah, the dark beast returns. Wonderful to see you again. I hope you've been doing well, because I'm going to beat you within an inch of your life. Then I'll make you watch Werr die. And then I'll kill you." He stretched his arms out, as if welcoming a friend into a hug. Darkness gathered in each hand, and it was easy to see his gnarled grin.

Cynyr stalked forward, snarling and flicking his tail back and forth. "Let him go," he growled, unhalting in his advance towards Obelisk. "I swear I won't let you hurt him. I don't care what happens to me, but I won't let you hurt him or any of the others." His body started smoking, turning into a literal shadow. Cynyr concentrated, closing his eyes as his entire solid form melted away into a wisp of shadow. His yellow eye opened, a single glowing point in the shadow that was shaped like his reptilian form. When he spoke, he voice was haunted and ghostly, like an undying spirit. He didn't waste energy on words, simply swept forward like a wave, giving himself up completely to the dark energy he felt inside him.

He had to hold off Obelisk until she got here.

"So, you plan to fight fire with fire, eh?" Obelisk laughed, shaking his head. "Useless. Useless!" He twisted his hands, actually trying to manipulate Cynyr's movements now by moving the magic around him. He dragged at Cynyr's new form, attempting to suck him into none other than the magic that was feeding Werr's agony. With Cynyr's energy, it would mean death for Werr.

Cynyr snarled and pulled at Obelisk's energy, fighting with everything he had in him. He managed to keep his energy to himself, not allowing Obelisk to take any of his powers. He surged back, hissing up at Obelisk as he kept the dark lord distracted and concentrated on him.

A blast of fire slammed into Obelisk, lighting onto his bandages.

Welk kept the stream of fire going from his hands, a determined look on his face. He looked bruised and beaten, but capable of fighting.

It had all started with Werr, Cynyr and Welk. Now it was going to end with the three of them.

Obelisk screamed, though it was more of rage than pain. He brushed the fire away, but it had already eaten through most of his bandages; what was left was the shriveled and black, disgusting flesh of Obelisk himself. His nose was worse than Cynyr's could ever be, the bone itself grated away, leaving just the two holes. His eyes weren't there; just empty sockets of nothingness. Skin was burned away around his face, showing the muscle around his jaws. His tongue hung loosely down as he panted with sheer rage. "You see what they did to me?!" Obelisk screeched at them, blasting a wave of Dark Magic at Welk, continuing to attempt to push Cynyr into the electricity. "You think I wanted to be like this?!"

Cynyr pulled hard against Obelisk and managed to shift back into solid form, panting. "Welk, what're you doing?!" he shouted. "Get away!"

"No!" Welk snapped. "Werr's my best friend, you're my brother, and the people outside are my friends too! I'm not leaving until we stop this! All of this!" He was replused by Obelisk without the bandages, but for some reason, he also felt sad. He blasted out a bit more fire, then said "No. I don't think you wanted to be that. But what you're doing now is cementing what you are! That form is you, whether you want to be it or not! And it doesn't have to be!" He stopped his attack, glaring up at the being that had hurt his friends so much. "I hate you. I hate you with everything I have inside me. But I also feel bad for you," he said. "I know what Cici said. I know what happened to you. But I have news for you, buddy; you're not the only one. We've got our own scars! Not as bad as yours, granted, but they count! Look at Cynyr!" He pointed at his brother, who looked away. "He's found a way to look past his scars, while you've literally rotted in yours! It doesn't matter what you look like." He looked up at Obelisk without a trace of anger or resentment. Just simple, quiet understanding. "It's what you choose to perceive yourself as," he said, then readied fireballs in his hands.

Obelisk spluttered at that, hissing with rage. "You think you can win me over with...with dead words and meaningless comparisons? Don't even try to fool me, you idiot! Your words are worth as much as a pile of dead rats, you--" He had been preparing another attack, but it was cut off along with his words as another person spoke.

"Obelisk. Welk speaks the truth." Cici had come in from a back entrance. She looked a little scraped up due to the guards attempting to stop her, but she didn't seem all too hindered by her wounds. "You've rotted away under that black skin of yours. Your heart and soul are as dark as the magic you control."

"Shut up, you! I'll slice your head off!" Obelisk screamed at her, a dark blade forming in his hand.

Cici flew up to him, hovering at eye-level with him. "You poor, unlovable beast...Orion, what have you become?" She murmured ever so quietly, placing a gentle hand on his head. She had only great sadness in her voice and in her eyes. Obelisk seemed to freeze for a second.

Then he stabbed the sword into Cici's gut, starting to laugh again as she fell limp, golden blood spilling onto the floor. "Cynyr...Welk..." She whimpered, tears starting to crawl down her cheeks. "Get Werr and run...g-get out of this room, at least..."

"Cici!" Welk cried, horrified at what had happened to her. Tears immediately formed in his eyes, and he somehow knew that Cici wasn't going to be following them out. He sniffled, then ran up to the throne and pulled Werr into his arms, holding him close. "Cynyr, come on!" he shouted, pressing Werr's head next to his neck and sprinting towards the door. He sniffled, then ran out, wishing he could've known Cici better before this.

Cynyr paused at the door, looking back once at the beautiful light fairy, then said quietly "We'll never forget what you did for us." Then he turned and followed Welk out, the great doors closing behind him.

Cici closed her eyes, smiling in spite of her tears. "Obelisk...you're so sad...I can feel it, being this close. I'm sorry, old friend...but you know that I have to..."

"I hate you," Obelisk growled, trying to get Cici off of his blade, but found that his hand went right through.

"I know." Her body started to fade as she performed a task she had once seen one of her sisters do to seal Obelisk for the very first time. Light surrounded her, then engulfed Obelisk, then started to spread outward. Obelisk screamed, of course, and there was a slight rumble beneath their feet as Cici disappeared entirely, an orb of light forming around the dark lord.

The orb was slowly swallowed up by the ground, dragging Obelisk back to his tombs in the molten, pressurized core of the earth. Back into the realm that he was supposed to spend the rest of eternity in, and the place he never should have left.

For those outside, nothing seemed to change, for the longest time. Then light suddenly overcame the entire castle, making it shimmer and gleam brightly. The cannon fire stopped immediately, the living guards and soldiers dropping unconscious immediately. Obelisk screamed from somewhere inside, and it could be heard for miles around. But that soon sounded muffled, and then there was nothing. Utter silence. The glowing eventually subsided, but it remained gleaming, as though something had scrubbed the black from every corner, from every crevice of every rock in the palace walls.

If anyone went to investigate inside, they would find nothing but Cici's still-shimmering blood and her torn gown, the scattered remains of Obelisk's burned bandages, and a thin crack along the tile floor where the ground had closed itself up again.

Cynyr tilted his head down, sighing quietly, then looked up and said "Is everyone okay?"

Seria nodded, then said "We're all here and alive." She didn't bring up Luen's absense, not wanting to upset Forin and Diana or make Nate feel bad. "The dragons took the worst damage, but they're okay. Nate took care of the Werr clone." She said the last line very quietly, not wanting the real Werr to be upset. "Are you all okay?" she asked, moving forward towards them. She stopped in front of Cynyr and moved a hand up gently, letting him rest his muzzle in her hand.

He closed his eyes, sighing quietly.

She moved her head forward and kissed him softly, not caring what shape or form his body had taken. All she needed to know was that it was him. Cynyr. The one she loved.

He didn't kiss her back, only because he was afraid of hurting her. She pulled back after a moment, turning to Welk and Werr.

Welk was sitting on the ground, holding Werr close and sobbing quietly. He looked up at Seria as she knelt down next to him, his eyes begging her to help his friend.

She gently took one of Werr's wrists into her hands and slid her fingers around the needle, holding his wrist. She generated a healing spell and started pulling the needle from his wrist, healing as she pulled it loose. Once it was out, she moved on to the next one, removing it as well, then up to his neck. She removed that one the same, gently passing her delicate fingers over the skin where it used to be. She unwrapped the bandages from him, then healed any other wounds he had from Obelisk's torment. She leaned forward and kissed his forehead gently, tilting her ears back, then stood up and moved on to the dragons.

Werr remained limp and helpless, his eyes only halfway open. He wasn't entirely sure what to do anymore, to be honest. He felt...somehow relieved, though he couldn't really move due to exhaustion. He managed to open his mouth, but no sound came out when he tried to talk. For a second, he was afraid his voice had been sealed again, but he reassured himself by forcing out a quiet moan. There was no longer any damage to his body aside from his serious need of rest. His mind would repair in time. He knew that to be true, though he doubted he'd ever fully trust Nightlash ever again. Or for that matter, Hurst and Blackwood...

Nate had just finished cleaning blood off of his sword, looking somewhat upset, but he said nothing. Rather, he moved towards the castle to help up a couple of the guards who were just waking up. Forin was sitting nearby with Diana, looking grumpier than ever. Spy was curled up in Lily's arms, who was leaning against Jag. They all looked weary (though not as exhausted as Werr), but triumphant.

Welk pressed their foreheads together, not saying anything. He let his touch do the talking, comforting Werr in a way that words couldn't.

Cynyr watched them for a moment, then moved over and nudged Welk gently. "Come on," he murmured. "Take him inside, to his room. He needs to sleep and you look like you need some sleep yourself." He licked Welk's face lightly, taking silent notice of his black right eye and the cuts across his arms, along with the terrible bruise around his neck from the chains. The living shadow nudged Welk up and sent him towards the castle, following quietly behind him.

It took all of Seria's strength to heal Naybrin's broken wings, but she eventually managed to get him all healed up. Zephyr and Vaira had both insisted on him being healed first, even though Zephyr was wounded the worst. Two cannon shots had hit in the same place, causing double the damage and breaking his scales there. When all three dragons were healed, Seria looked weary, but was still functioning.

While Seria finished healing Vaira, Boko slid out of the female dragon's pouch yet again, scurrying off into the capital city. He crawled up the side of a building (much to the distress of the villagers who were just now returning, as they had fled once the cannons had gone off), lapping up the tears of none other than Airlia.

She was a mess; she had been helping the townsfolk out and to a safer area during the fight. She, however, had been hit by a stray cannonball, as showed by the hole in the roof next to her. One of her wings had nearly been torn off, and was now limp and as useful as a wet rag. Her arm was twisted the wrong way, bone sticking out in two places. She had fallen unconscious upon being hit, but she was starting to wake up and feel the pain, which had started her tears. Which, naturally, had attracted Boko.

Vaira moved her head around to follow Boko, obviously emotionally attached to him, and spotted Airlia. "Healer!" she said, jerked his head down to Seria. "The Amnairian girl is injured."

Seria nodded and climbed up onto Vaira's head at once, holding tightly to her horns as the dragoness lifted her up. Once she was close to Airlia and had stopped moving, Seria jumped off of Vaira's head and knelt next to Airlia, quickly touching all of her wounds. "Airlia? Airlia, sweetheart, can you hear me?" she asked, brushing the girl's hair aside.

Boko jumped onto Vaira's head once Seria was off, winding himself around one of her horns and gnawing on the tip with his toothless teeth. It was a sign of affection for Drakelings; they would scratch grooves in each others scales upon meeting one another for the first time. Licking the horns of a dear friend or relative was common. Vaira's horn was a bit too big, and he was teething, so he had settled for gnawing. Not that Vaira would be able to feel very much of it.

Airlia moaned, then suddenly moved forward and grabbed Seria in a hug, shaking a bit. "Th-the cannon...that was terrifying...i-is it over?" She whimpered, obviously scared still. "The p-people, are they okay?"

Vaira purred softly, understanding that Boko had different ways of showing affection for her than a normal baby dragon would. Since she had pretty much adopted the infant, she knew they would have to learn to accept each other's habits and traits.

Seria hugged the girl tightly, saying "Yes, yes, it's okay. It's over. All of it is over. Everyone's okay. Shhh..." She picked the Amnairian up and said "Don't worry. You're okay now." She turned and stepped up onto Vaira's muzzle, letting the magenta dragon take her back down to the ground. Once she stepped off, she looked up at the others and said "Come on. We all need some rest." She set Airlia down and made sure she was steady, then started helping the others gather themselves and head inside.

The castle was warm and inviting now, vastly different from how it had been before. No longer was an invisible shadow of darkness hanging over it. The maids had apparently already recollected themselves, as a young one approached and counted them before running off again, obviously to help prepare the number of rooms they would be needing. The beds that awaited them were warm and comfortable.

The maids led Welk (as he wouldn't let them take Werr from him) to the master bedroom. It was already lit with a number of candles, giving it a comfortable dimness that one could easily sleep in. Werr was asleep before his head hit the pillow, although his grip remained tight around Welk's shirt.