The Dragon Queen of Thelvadore

Clearing my throat, I tried to get the conversation back on topic. “Regardless. Thank you for the information. I shall do as you suggested and seek out the Temple for more answers. Perhaps they can be of assistance.”

I left out the fact that such a visit would be problematic in its own right.

The main issue was that I, as a Goddess, couldn’t just walk through the doors of another one’s temple unannounced. It wasn’t just basic etiquette amongst the divine, it was also a matter of magick and intent. To barge into another’s place of worship is, in the terms of the divine, like breaking and entering with intent to harm. There are some circumstances in which it might be… if not acceptable, then at least forgivable, but whatever reason I had to visit the Church of Altis, it certainly wouldn’t qualify on that level unless the balance of life and death on Satien over would be in jeopardy.

That meant announcing my own presence to the world at large, or at the very least, to the divines that called this world their home. Which meant that, if I didn’t want to do that, I would have to send a messenger beforehand, requesting access without the traditional announcement due to outside influences.

At the very least, Altis and I weren’t on hostile footing. Our relationship might not necessarily be friendly, but given Altis’ nature, I would at least think them courteous enough to think about it properly. Then again… Vuthe had jumped the gun two times by now, and given my own presence here, I, personally, might have also escaped my fate at least once. I couldn’t speak with any certainty on that, given how I had arrived in this world, and Abyss’ involvement, but it wasn’t out of the picture either.

Well, no use worrying about it. I’d figure something out in the future. It wasn’t time sensitive, but it was an important matter, after all.

Gathering my thoughts I paused for a beat, allowing Nyx to compose herself again and refocus her attention. “There is another thing I would like to speak to you about. Earlier you spoke of your reputation, and how it came to be. As far as I am aware, Fate magick as a whole is either non-existent, or so rare as to make no practical difference. Given that, it is hard for me to accept your explanation without further inquiry. Can you perhaps tell me how exactly this luck manipulation of yours works?”

The mage nodded, shifting in her seat. “To be perfectly honest, Gravewalker, I am not fully aware of the details either. What I can tell you is that this isn’t a spell in the traditional kind. It is a blessing I have received from the Goddess of Divine Favour and Fortune, Pleonexia. Even the reason why I obtained this blessing is uncertain to me. As you are no doubt able to surmise, my loyalty belongs to the Shepherd of Souls. While I am not such a traditionalist as to be hostile towards other churches, my duties have not given me much time to intermingle with other faiths, nor do I have a particular desire to do so. From all I can remember, this blessing has been with me since my manifestation, most likely. As to how it works… Well…”

She paused, taking a moment to search for the right words. “I apologise for only being able to say this much, but it just… does. It is like a thing I can concentrate on and wish for. It doesn’t cost me any of my magic to use, and for quite some time I thought it didn’t have any immediate and obvious drawbacks. But through repeated use and closer inspection I realised, at some point, that drawing upon it does carry the drawback of inflicting the opposite effect upon me and those around me after the fact. Sometimes immediately, sometimes days, or even weeks, later.”

A part of me had been a bit distrustful of her words, given my own understanding of magick, but this explanation made a lot of sense. If it wasn’t magic, but instead a blessing, then it was a form of divine authority, a fragment of it granted to Nyx by the Goddess Pleonexia. Such blessings usually didn’t fully conform to the laws of magick, as they overrode those laws with their divine intent.

Divine authority and magick were two sides of the same coin. One was chaos, the indomitable will of the universe at large, hard to control. It was a fundamental force of the multiverse, generally referred to as Magick. The other was order, the counterforce meant to prevent all of existence from succumbing to entropy. It was the reason it was called divine authority, because it was originally meant to be the administrating force that kept everything in balance.

It also made sense that, if she carried this blessing since her… manifestation, then she likely would’ve only known how to use it instinctually, learning more about it through repeated use. Such often happens in cases like these, unless the recipient of a blessing seeks out the deity who had given it to them. And even then, not all deities care to explain themselves or the details. Some simply took joy in seeing mortals experiment, others might value the process of understanding and seeking new knowledge. There were a plethora of reasons, all of them unique to each deity.

The one thing that did stand out, however, was her word choice. In specific, the use of the word ‘manifestation’. I had already tagged her as some form of spirit being, at least in part, but this pretty much confirmed it.

Spirits weren’t ‘born’, they manifested. Either through divine intervention, a powerful spell incantation, the will of the land, or other influences. The only constant among all of these possibilities was the fact that all required a truly immense amount of intent behind it.

“A blessing would most definitely disobey the laws of creation as we know them. Thank you for the explanation. Although, I must admit, I’m a bit surprised at how straightforward you are with your nature. So far I have gotten the feeling that you don’t like to draw attention to it, correct?”

She nodded, for the first time offering the faintest hint of a smile. “That’s correct, yes. It is not that I’m hiding it, but I dislike talking about it, since most would draw false conclusions from it. However, given your obvious knowledge and wisdom, I do not feel like you would do the same, Gravewalker. You are familiar with the Shepherd of Souls, and appear to be quite knowledgeable in regards to magic. Not to mention that I’m pretty sure that you’ve already surmised what I am long before now. The presence I felt earlier… You are no mere lizardkin, are you?”

That had me chuckle. “Is that what people call me these days?”

Nyx nodded in response, her gaze flicking towards the direction of the temporary hospital room for a moment. “I heard many of the men talking about you in such a way. Truth be told, I doubted such from the very beginning, although I hadn’t thought you to be this powerful. It is clear, to me at least, that you are not a mere Beastkin. Maybe one of the draconic races? A Wyvern, perhaps? A drake?”

I couldn’t help another chuckle, leaning back in my chair, crossing arms in front of my chest, and flicking my tail absently in amusement. I hadn’t thought I’d get to see this more open side of Nyx, given how stoic and cold she usually was in her mannerisms. But I didn’t dislike it. Truth be told, I even found it a bit refreshing.

Nyx was someone who was in a similar position to mine, even if on a completely different scale. We both kept quiet about our nature, and we both couldn’t quite identify with the rest of the people around us, even if for differing reasons.

“How about this: I’ll tell you mine, if you tell me yours. Only fair, right?”

She paused, eyes uncertain. “Would that truly be fine? After all, I’m nothing compared to you, Gravewalker.”

I waved that concern off with a flick of my tail, shaking my head. “I don’t like to think that way, Nyx. And regardless, I have the feeling we will meet again in the future. A bit of trust wouldn’t hurt, and it’s not like I’m trying to keep it secret either.”

Another pause followed, before she finally let out a soft sigh and nodded. “Very well. My nature isn’t really a secret, as I said. I’m an Acherontia Mothkin, a half-spirit born from the presence of death. My source is the ancient battlefield towards the south of Brane, although I am not nearly as ancient as the place itself is.”

It took me a moment to place Brane, but eventually nodded when I remembered where it was. Nestled along the Adulesei Jaxo, the mountain range coming from the Dragonfang Mountains and cutting into Fendalyr, Brane was one of the six or seven major cities on the continent. It used to be part of the slaver kingdoms, in specific the closest one to Thelvadore borders. That meant that Nyx was likely born as a consequence of that war.

“I remember that battle. One of the first losses Thelvadore suffered before we were pushed back into our own territory. If my memory serves me right, it should have been the first appearance of Flame Dragon Chatan, which heralded the end of the war.”

Nyx eyebrows rose. “You know about that battle? I knew you were ancient, but to think you are that old…”

The tone with which she delivered the comment made me laugh. “Child, I’m far more ancient than that. That battle took place perhaps… seven centuries ago? If that. It was the beginning of the end of the war and of Thelvadore.” My laughter slowly died down, replaced by a resigned reminiscence. “If only I could’ve joined our troops on that day… But alas, it was not to be.”

Shaking my head, I tried to regather my thoughts, feeling surprisingly melancholic and emotional at the memories flooding my mind. Vuthe truly did care a lot about her people, the deep regret I felt at the thought of being unable to help really hammered that home.

“Regardless. You told me about your own nature, now it is time for you to learn mine.” I gave her a small smile. “I’m a dragon. A trueblooded Shadow Dragon, to be exact. I used to rule these lands, so long ago, together with my friends and my people. It’s been a long time since then. Time, I fear, that hasn’t been kindly to the memories of my kingdom. Otherwise people wouldn’t be nearly as accommodating to a young woman with jetblack hair calling herself Vuthe de Thal.”

As I had expected, my declaration had Nyx eyes widen, her face paling rapidly. The typically so reserved and collected woman was completely unable to hide her reaction, her aura leaking shock, surprise, and a complete lack of comprehension of what I had just said. It made me chuckle softly.

“A… dragon…” She finally managed to stammer out after nearly a minute of silence. “Dear Shepherd who watches over us all, give me strength…”

I gave her some more time to recollect herself. Unsurprisingly, she was now a bit tense, although less out of fear and more out of uncertainty. It was clear as day that she didn’t know how to act in front of me now. Really, it was kind of adorable.

“No need to be so tense, child. Nothing changed between us. In any case, I do believe that this was all I needed to speak to you about.” I got up, giving her a warm smile. “For now, you should rest. No doubt there are a great many things you need to think about, both about this conversation, and the events that transpired. And I’m sure that the Branch Director would like to speak to you as well.”

“Of course, Gravewalker,” she got up as well with a bow. “I do appreciate you taking your time to talk to me. If you have any further questions or requests, please, just ask. I’ll do everything in my power to help.”

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