AoH Karma and Convexity 35 pt1

Throbbing. That was all Certo felt. Throbbing in his head, his shoulder, his chest. "How could I let this happen?" He scolded himself. "I promised I promised I would protect her."

Everything spun as Certo opened his eyes. Overhead was a sky full of stars. The moons hid beyond the horizon as if scared to show themselves. The lingering smoke in the sky cast a fiery glow across the land.
The black dragon groaned in pain as he blinked himself awake. Amp, who had been sitting beside him turned when he heard the noise. The young dragon looked nervous when he say the fierce eyes of the older male stare up at him.
"What… what happened?"  Certo's eyes rolled about in their sockets as he looked around the campground. The dragons had moved far away from the battle ground, at least a half-days flight. All around, he could hear the soft moans and agonized cried of wounded sentries. Nearby, a pair of ice dragons tended to a burn on an earth dragon who was instinctively fighting against them. The earth dragon lashed the ground with his heavy tail, shaking the earth with each thump.
Certo struggled to lift his head and groaned at the sudden pounding he received from doing so.
"Easy now." Amp warned. "You're not in the best of shape to be moving much."
Certo lifted a paw, only to find that a cast of ice frozen over his right shoulder.  His limb felt numb, which was probably for the best. He could see a deep cut beneath the ice which now kept it from bleeding out. The memory of receiving the injury did not come to him and he turned his gaze to Amp who looked even more forlorn the longer he stared at it.
"How long have I been unconscious? All I remember was…seeing Volcanus and then, Tectonica… The ground rushing up at me and.. nothing."
Amp stared silently for another minute. "You've been out for about a day Certo. We've…lost a lot since."
Certo's heart sank as he looked around the campground. Most of the wounded were laying down trying to rest in spite of their various injuries. The smell of blood and burned flesh weighed heavily in the air.  
As Certo continued to scan the campground, Amp found himself growing more and more restless. His spines stood on end and buzzed with anticipation. When he could not take the pressure any longer he cleared his throat. "Certo… I don't know how to tell you this…Crona…" Certo turned to stare him straight in the eyes, striking fear onto the younger dragon's heart. "She's gone Certo. I don't know how else to put it."
The black dragon's eyes grew wide and his mouth fell open. His heart skipped a couple beats before pounding against his chest wall. "Sh-she's gone? Like dead gone?" His mouth suddenly felt dry and his throat muscles tightened making it harder for him to breathe.
"I… we don't know." Amp shook his head. "Right now she's just missing. No one has seen her anywhere. We don't think she's dead, but it may be a possibility."
"No…no she… she has to be somewhere. She couldn't have just disappeared without saying where she was going. Has anyone talked to her since the…"
"No one has seen her since the battle."
"Where's Nitrus? He must know something!"
"He's with Cytros. They're busy…"
"Amp, I need you to take me too them. Right now!" Certo barked, grabbing the attention of a couple passing guards.
"Certo, I…"  A sudden growl from Certo caused the guardian to step back hesitantly. "Alright, but I'm warning you, it's not going to be pleasant."
"I don't care about pleasant! I just want information!" Certo snapped.
"Alright, I'm just warning you is all." Amp explained, trying to calm him down. He had not seen his friend this agitated in a long time and it reminded him of how truly frightening the black dragon could be.
Amp led his through the camp, giving Certo a good look at all the wounded sentries that lay about the burned field. The ground was already uncomfortable to sleep on but with their wounds and heavy armor it must have been nearly unbearable. The farther away Amp led Certo from the camp, the more the smell of death filled their nostrils. Certo's scales rattled in recognition of the scent. The few bodies that had been recovered, lay in shallow holes, dug out by the earth dragons lucky enough to have survived the battle. The sentries still worked to bury their fallen; barely acknowledging the young males, if only to tear their attention away, for a second from the fact that they were putting their own to rest.
At the edge of the burial grounds, Nitrus sat alongside Cytros. Both dragons seemed to be discussing something in private, judging by their hushed tones. Certo could have cared less.
"Nitrus!" He barked, rather loudly, demanding the attention of the ice dragon.
The guardian did not need to ask why he was there. He had been anticipating this since there had been no signs of Crona after the battle.
"You should be resting right now young dragon." He muttered darkly, eyeing the icy cast over the the black dragon's shoulder.
"I don't need rest right now." Certo replied, a chilled tone in his voice. "I need to find Crona. Do you have any idea where she might have gone or what happened to her?"
"Unfortunately not." Nitrus shook his head. "The last we saw of her was just after Volcanus showed up. After that, is ye to be discovered."
"I'm assuming you were unconscious the whole time." Cytros stated, taking a step forward, giving nitrus a nodded to indicate that he had the situation under control. "Voltrus sent one of his soldiers to guard you and Crona, but when we returned, he was dead."
"Dead?" Certo nearly squeaked like a startled hatchling.
"His wounds were not inflicted by Titanus, I can assure you that. His wounds came from someone, or something else."
Certo felt a chill run down his spine and he ruffled his wings in response. He had a feeling deep in his stomach that he knew the source of the sentry's death. "Where is the body now?" He asked after a tense silence.
"It is being buried as we speak." Cytros reported. "I would request you let those who have fallen, rest in peace though." The sudden hostility in the fire guard's voice made Certo feel guilty for attempting to make such a request. He hung his head, staring at his feet in silent thought as the full force of the situation began to weigh itself upon his shoulders.
As he was thinking, soft footsteps slowly pulled his gaze back up. Certo's spines quivered irritably when he saw Voltrus, Cryus and Mateo approaching them.  The water guardian glowered at the black dragon while Mateo only looked away in shame.
"Everyone has been put to rest." Voltrus reported glumly.
"Anything else beyond that?" Cytros asked, giving a quick glance at Certo.
Voltrus's muzzle scrunched into a frown. "There was… something."  He glanced down at Mateo who approached the fire guard and ice guardian before pulling a shard out of his crudely constructed breast plate. Cytros inspected it and passed it to Nitrus who eyed it curiously between his claws.
"Certo?" He lowered the fragment so the black dragon could peer at it in the moonlight. Certo studied the object for a long time, before looking up at the guardian in confusion. "It's a bone fragment." Nitrus stated coldly.
"It was lodged in Iscerus's throat." Voltrus reported. "It's not his."
The guardians growled to themselves. Only the apes used the bones of other creatures to form their crude weapons to mangle others.
"So what now?" Certo muttered, his heart sinking deeper into his stomach.
"What do you mean, what now?" Nitrus asked in almost a mocking tone, as if he had just asked a stupid question.
"We have to find Crona." Certo replied, his spines beginning to stand erect in instinctive defense.
"I'm sorry Certo, but we can't afford to." Cytros sighed, shaking his head, knowing that his words would harm the young dragon more than any wound.
"What do you mean you can't afford to?" Certo demanded, his body temperature rising in anger. "We have to find her right now!"
"Look around you Certo." Nitrus growled. "We don't have the dragon power to organize any sort of search party. We have wounded and dying who may not even make it back home. Does that not matter to you?"
"It does!" Certo snapped. "But you don't understand the situation! Crona has to be found! If the apes have her then they'll use her and then…" his voice trailed off as he looked around at the snoozing dragons. "Everything we've lost and fought for… it will have all been for nothing."
"I wish we could spare the effort." Nitrus sighed, his exhaustion beginning to get the better of him. "But we ca not afford to lose our entire guard. Not on just one dragoness. I'm sorry, but the situation does not balance out in our favor right now."
Certo sighed, broken-hearted at being unable to convince the most powerful and influential dragons on his side to support him. "Then you go on ahead." He muttered darkly. "I'll look for her myself."
"You're in no shape to be searching for anyone right now, Certo!" Amp snapped, before his father in-law could say the same thing. "In your physical and mental state, you're doing more harm than good to your cause."
"I'm fine Amp!" Certo shot back, turning his fierce crimson eye on him. "I have to keep a level head because Crona's life depends on it."
"Oh, so now her life matters to you?" Every head turned to a disgusted looking Cryus. "If you care about her so much then why is she missing?" Certo glared at the water guardian and curled his lips.
"Cryus that is enough." Nitrus scolded.
"But this proves my point." Cryus continued, ignoring his superior. "You bring trouble, bad luck and misfortune to everyone around you. Crona stood by you despite my pleas and look what happened."
"Are you saying this was Certo's fault?" Amp snarled. "Because I'll have you know, he has a stronger bond with Crona than you ever will."
"Stay out of this Amp! This is between me and the darkness here!"
"All of you! Be quiet right now!" Cytros growled. "This petty squabbling won't help the situation any."
"You're right." Cryus muttered, leering at Certo. "Not while we have this failure in our presence. You're a pathetic, inferior excuse of a friend Certo."
That was the last straw. Certo lunged for Cryus, claws outstretched and body glowing with karma. The blue dragon was expecting the attack but not the ferocity. The black dragon slammed into his opponent. The two tumbled down the hill, rolling over and over, biting, scratching and snarling in each other's faces.
At the bottom of the hill, Certo pinned Cryus and arched his tail blade high, like a scorpion preparing to use its lethal weapon. "I have had enough of you and your kind!" Certo hissed, his voice warping with the negative energy around him. "You say I'm a stain on existence but it's you who taint our world!"
"That is far enough, both of you!" Claws grabbed Certo by the tail and yanked him back away from the water dragon. Cytros hurled Certo onto the hard ground, briefly stunning him, causing his control over karma to fade. "We are not supposed to be fighting each other! And you, Certo, should be setting the example!"
"If Cryus…"
"Silence!" Cytros gnashed his teeth in the young male's face. "Not another word! You are both way out of line right now! So I want you two to separate until further notice! Do I make myself clear?"
Certo glared back at the fire breather, not with hate, but discouragement. Discouraged at the fact that he was once again on his own without the support of anyone else to stand by him.
The black dragon gave an aggravated huff. With a curt turn and flick of his tail, he sent a gust across the campsite and walked away, leaving the council members in silence.
"You know he's going to go on his own." Nitrus said, glancing at the fire dragon out of the corner of his eye.
"I know. But even if we tried to stop him, he would just find another way."
"So you're just going to let him go?" Mateo gasped, shocked that they were not planning on lending their support to the black dragon's cause.
"I have made the situation clear and Certo knows what is at stake." Cytros replied without turning his head. "It may be because he has feelings for her or something more. But it seems that he cannot bring himself to live on without Crona."
"So you're saying she might be out there still?" The young ice dragon looked back at certo as he trudged away.
"I am not saying that in any way shape or form. But I am saying that it is a very possible reality that he must face eventually."
"Then i'm going to help him." Amp snorted, his quills standing on end and buzzing with electricity.
"No Ampus!" Nitrus barked, stopping the young dragon in his tracks. "You are a guardian, not a sentry. We need you here right now for support."
"Bur Nitrus, we can't let…"
"This is not open for discussion Ampus." The ice dragon growled, narrowing his eyes at his son in-law. "You have your own duties as a guardian and you must abide by them."

The aches in Certo's body were all that told him he was alive. Alive and awake and not in another of his terrible nightmares. Right now he wished he were in a nightmare; then he could wake up and find his best friend beside him. Another sigh grazed the landscape as he spread his wings. The air felt unusually chilly against his hide.
"You're going the wrong way." Certo turned to see the Mateo walking towards him, and he curled his lip on instinct. Mateo stopped several yards away. "I can help you Certo. I know where how to get to the ape's territory."
"Can you?" Certo growled, narrowing his eyes at the ice dragon. Mateo was probably one of the last dragons he would have preferred to be relying on for assistance in this situation.
"I can," he nodded. "But you have to answer me one thing."
Certo's wings ruffled in irritation. "And what is that?"
"Do you care about Crona that much that you would risk your own life just to find her? She might be dead for all you know."
"She isn't dead!" Certo hissed, the savage sound carrying with the wind. "And I wouldn't be lying when i said that if we don't find her, our entire future as a species will be at stake."
Mateo felt a rock settle deep inside his stomach. "What do you mean?"
"That's a secret between her and me." Certo snorted, turning away from the pale blue dragon. After a moment he glanced back over his left shoulder to see Mateo hanging his head slightly in disappointment. "But I'm willing to trust you if you will trust me on that topic. For her sake."
This seemed to lift Mateo's spirits slightly and he bobbed his head in understanding. "Then follow me." His armor clattered loudly as he sprang into the air, trying to get as much wind beneath his wings. Certo leaped after him as Mateo headed off in a  southeastern direction.


Crona's vision grew faded as she fell in and out of consciousness. She could make faint glimpses of the ground beneath the tree branches that flew by beneath her. Each time she thought she was coming around, she would smell something strong, that resembled a cross between cinnamon and wet silage. Each time her nostrils picked up the scent she would almost immediately fall back asleep. Her mind was blank and darkness seemed to cloud itself around her.
When Crona was finally able to stir in her sleep, she could hear the sounds of muffled voices and footsteps all around her. After slipping in and out of sleep for a few more hours, she was finally able to open her eyes. The world was blurry and distorted. It took a few minutes for her to focus herself enough to make out her surroundings. All around were large sticks, carved into spears, others with sharpened bones bound to them. Various animal skulls from smaller prey decorated the walls around her. Stacks of herbs, smaller sticks, and various other plants had been pushed aside leaving a wide open space in the middle of the room where she lay. The hut was not made of stone like the dragon pavilions but of wood. It almost seemed cozy.
"Sleep well?" A gentle voice whispered in her ear.
A shiver ran up Crona's spine as the words tickled her ear drums. She cooed softly and shrugged away from the voice. "Almost too well." She opened her jaws wide, giving a loud yawn; she was still feeling rather weak even after having slept so long. She rolled over slightly, expecting to look into the blue and crimson eyes of Certo.
"Good to hear." Neros smiled wickedly when her stare locked with his. "Get her."
Crona felt a heavy hand clasp down on her muzzle as she tried to scream. Two large apes, with recovering burn marks on them, lifted her off the floor and tightened their grip on her. Another muffled cry escaped from between her teeth as she struggled to free herself from their grasp. Her instincts kicked in, freezing time in its place. Again she tried to wrench herself loose before realizing her limbs had been bound previously, holding her forelimbs against her sides and her wings tied together. Neros had thought ahead this time, anticipating for her to try her usual method of escape.
The dragoness pulled her snout from the grasp of the first ape. She bit down hard on one of the hand that was holding her and reached back to try and bite the other. She released time, causing the first ape to squawk in pain, releasing her from his grip. Once partly freed, Crona was able to get the last two inches she needed to snap at the second ape.
"Hold her you fool!" The mandrill hissed at his bleeding partner, struggling to avoid being bitten himself.
"Must I do everything myself?" Neros growled. Crona suddenly felt a heavy blow strike her in the stomach, knocking the wind out of her. She gasped and struggled to regain her lost breath. Three lassos dropped around her neck and tightened, partly cutting off her air supply. Crona choked as she struggled to twist free from the nooses. A sudden violent pull slammed her against the wall, stunning her further. The apes that had grabbed her before retook their hold on her, lifting her off the floor of the hut and restraining her firmly.
"She seams to recover a lot quicker form the herbs than most creatures." An ape growled, tightening his grip on the rope.
"Indeed." Neros nodded, taking a slow, deliberate step towards the dragoness. Crona stiffened and she struggled to get away. "Don't bother Crona. You're in ape territory now. Even if you manage to get loose, you have thousands of apes who will readily track you down and drag you back here. So you may want to just save your energy for me."
"Oh, believe me, I'll give you all the energy you want." Crona hissed, baring her teeth. She began to concentrate on the blue mist. Its presence was very faint, but it was better than nothing.
"Good to know." Neros smirked as he brought his nose close to hers. "Now how about we talk about what you're going to do for me."
"I'm not doing anything for you!" Crona snapped at him, nipping his snout in the process before being yanked back. "There is no force on earth that will get me to aid you in any way, shape or form!"
Neros scrunched his nose up at the stinging left by her teeth but made no attempt to make her pay for the gesture. "I tell you what Crona. Here's the way I see it. You can either help me now and I can spare the lives of your friends for the time being. Or you can help me after the apes annihilate that entire city of yours. It's up to you whether or not you want more casualties on your head."
"You don't have what it takes." Crona leered at him, her tail flicking angrily on the floor.
"Oh come on now. You should know better than that." Neros snickered. "If it means being able to rid the world of every impure dragon, then I'll go the extra mile to do so." The albino dragon began pacing about the room in the manner that frightened Crona the most. "As of right now I have a thousand apes ready to spring an attack on your fellow dragons. After that fight with that blundering blue behemoth, I'm sure they're all exhausted and severely weakened. Easy pickings for  any ape."
"What did you do to Titanus, Neros?" Crona grunted against her restraints. "I know you had to have had some part in what happened to him."
A grin spread across the male dragon's face. "You'll be surprised to know that I had nothing to do with him."
"Your words carry about as much weight as the air you breath. now tell me what you did!"
"I'm telling the truth." Neros snorted, sending a gust of dirt into the dragoness's face. "He came to me asking to team up and destroy my brother. But because he wanted you for… himself, I rejected his proposal."
"So why did you let him live? If you're so bent on killing us all, then why didn't you just rid yourself of Titanus right then and there?"
"Simple. Each of you has brought me something I could use. You provided me a way to easily achieve my ultimate goal. That little petty female provided me a way to turn my brother against himself. And the one you call Titanus was my key to capturing you myself."
"You're sick!" Crona spat. "You're sick and twisted! I hate you! A lot of dragons died because of you!"
"And more will come unless you agree to help me."
"Not in your life!"
"I can spare you myself. I won't let any harm come to you." Neros continued in a calm voice which only seemed to aggravate the dragoness further.
"All I'm hearing is words from you Neros. So you can spare me more of your lies. If I don't get to you, Certo certainly will, and we both know how that is going to turn out!"
Neros stopped his pacing and fixed his prisoner with his ruby eyes. "Well then I don't have anything to worry about. I did away with my twin after I had you in my possession."
"You lie!" Crona shouted. She would not allow herself to believe any of the words that came from this traitor's mouth. But deep down she felt a stab of pain in her heart and a knot in her stomach.
"Like I've been saying Crona. I'm not lying." Nero's squinted at her with a stern frown upon his muzzle. He turned his side to her and lifted his tail blade. The tip was dark with dried blood from a few days before. "It was too easy to cut out his heart when he was out like a little hatchling. It reminds me of when our little sister died in her sleep."
Crona scowled at him. "You're not fooling me that easily. That could be anything else besides blood."
Neros's expression turned bitter. "Open her mouth!" Before Crona could respond, the apes restraining her grabbed her muzzle, forcing her jaws open. The white dragoness screamed as she tried to fight their prying fingers. She could taste the dirt and filth on her tongue now and it made her cringe even more. If they continued pulling they would eventually break her jaws completely.
The blue mist that Crona had been concentrating on before was still gathering about the hut but nowhere near as much as she needed. "Let me go!" She screamed in her head.
Just then she felt a cold hard blade against her tongue. Neros held it there causing Crona to freeze, in fear of getting cut with the deadly weapon. The albino dragon snickered and wiped the dried blood off his blade and onto her tongue. The apes released her jaws and pinned her to the floor. Crona gagged, coughed and spat, trying to get the horrid taste out of her mouth; but the taste of mercury refused to leave her.
"Tell me now that you don't recognize the scent of Certo's blood." Neros scoffed. "You can't honestly deny that you know his scent." Crona continued to spit the dried blood out. "Well?"
She felt sick inside, tainted. Yet with all the sputtering and choking, her hyper-sensitive jacobs-gland forced her to recognize the scent of the blood; Certo. Her fit came to an abrupt halt once her mind was able to register the smell. Her mouth hung open in dismay and her eyes lifted to Neros.
"You… you didn't." She murmured.
"You tell me Crona." Neros snarled. "Surely you've spent enough time around my brother to know his scent by now."
Crona's eyes were wide like water dishes. "You… killed him…He didn't even do anything to you." Her eyes were beginning to grow wet with tears, and the blue mist faded away. "He didn't even have a chance to defend himself."
"All the more reason to deal away with him so you have nothing left to hope for." Neros explained casually. "If her were still around, you'd remain bent on the possibility of him coming to your rescue, like we both know he would. So I thought it might be best to nip that possibility in the tail right away." He gave a slight snicker and Crona felt her heart dissolve inside her chest. She hung her head, staring blankly at the wooden floor. Was he lying? He had to be. There's no way Certo could be dead. But everything Neros had described had been because he was there. Nothing had been stopping him from murdering his brother while he was unconscious. It had been the perfect opportunity.
Crona's tongue hung out the side of her mouth. The taste of blood sickened her, but nowhere near as much as the fact it had been Certo's. Her eyes lifted to look at the albino black dragon. There was no way she could hide from him the truth that she recognized the scent of her closest companion. This dragon could kill his own family in cold blood without a second thought or regret. Crona could not seem to grasp how someone could be so cold and heartless. It made her furious; even more so than when she had discovered the news of the black dragoness doing the Dark Master's bidding. It was because of this dragon here that so many would suffer for a thousand years. The reason for her mother and her childhood friend's demise was standing within mere feet of her.
"So what will it be Crona?" Neros narrowed his eyes at her, trying to sense her intestines. "Do I have to give you a demonstration of what will happen if you don't do as i tell you? Or will you just be a good girl and aid me willingly so no one else has to get hurt? At least not in this time."
Crona stared silently at him with nothing but emptiness behind her eyes. Neros frowned and was about to ask again when the dragoness spoke. "No. It… It's… It ends with you."
Before Neros could speak a tremor rippled through Crona's body, casting a brilliant white aura about the hut. The light blinded the apes, causing them to loosen their grip on their ropes and shilled their eyes from the stinging light. Neros stepped back in fear as Crona bent her head forward, lowering herself towards the floor. The blue mist suddenly appeared in her mind's eye, still faint but she would not be so forgiving about using its power.
A mortified shriek burst from Crona's throat as she thrust her head towards the sky, blowing the roof off and sending bodies flying in all directions. The apes hooted and howled as they were flung through the air, slamming into nearby trees, huts and weapons on the ground. Neros's world spun out of control as he was flung , full force through the wall of the hut before it was blown to in nothing but splinters. The pale yellow dragon hit the ground hard, tumbling over rocks, roots and groups of scrambling apes. Neros rolled to a stop and did not move. The piercing scream of the young chronicler stung the eardrums of her captors, causing them to cringe in pain and fear.
The aura billowing in a dense cloud around Crona shot straight into the sky, parting the grey clouds before disappearing. A moment later there was a loud boom as a time portal burst into existence. Thick plumes of white, smoke-like clouds surrounded the warped field and lightning crackled across the sky.

Miles away, the two adolescent male dragons huffed along tired from the constant flying over the past two days. Mateo, having been wearing his heavy armor the entire flight, was able to rest only by Certo's support. The black dragon was growing more and more fatigued the farther they flew. The once luscious green forest below had now grown dry and withered. What few leaves that managed to cling to their mangled branches, were just as dry and lifeless.
At last Certo was unable to fly any longer, even using the wind itself to push him along. Mateo gave a startled curse when the black dragon hit the ground at an awkward run, waking him from his slumber and dropping him in the process. The ice dragon was about to snap a tasteless remark until he saw his escort collapse onto the hard dirt.
Mateo's heart skipped a beat as he rushed over to him. "Certo, are you alright? What's wrong? Are you hurt?" The panic in his voice only seemed to irritate the fatigued black dragon.
"Tired." Certo wheezed, trying to catch his breath while attempting to fall asleep. "Need…Rest… Crona…"
"Just rest." Mateo nodded. "I'll keep watch for the time being." He was answered with a light growl as Certo's breathing fell into a shorter rhythm. The young sentry sat down, glancing at the trees around them, their finger-like branches reaching over them as if to trap them on the ground. His violet eyes made quick, weary sweeps of the opening between the tree trunks, looking for any sign of movement. After several hours of nothing he began to grow bored. When he found him hanging his armored head, and beginning to nod off, he snapped back up to attention. Certo was helpless in his current, sleep-deprived state. He would need the support and watchful eye of someone to protect him.
"While we are awake, those who sleep depend on us to keep them safe." Voltrus's voice echoed in the back of his mind. It was the first words of advice the lightning guard had given him once he had accepted his apprenticeship. "You must be strong physically, and mentally. And this armor will allow you to become both. It's a physical and mental reminder of the burden we all carry each night and a reminder of what our purpose is. Cherish it and respect it, always."
Mateo got to his feet and marched around the small clearing where the black dragon had laid to rest. Being here was probably the last place he wanted to be. So why had he gone when he could have easily just pointed Certo in the right direction? Was it his own personal guilt for losing his friends?  Was it because he felt that he owed it to the feral for mistreating him for so long? Or was it something more? The blue dragon stopped his pacing and stared at the scars on Certo's body. There had been something in his voice earlier when talking about Crona that made the situation sound far more desperate than what he was letting on. He desperately wished to know the full truth; but Certo had vowed to secrecy and he would have to accept that. Perhaps in time he would understand for himself.
Hours passed by at a slow and tense pace. Mateo was beginning to nod off again as he continued pacing around in circles. He did not realize that his circles around Certo were growing wider and wider until a rumble shook the skies. His attention snapped up to the dull clouds overhead. They had been drifting along slowly, but suddenly rippled violently as a surge of magic energy ripped across the sky. A moment later the wind screamed through the trees, bending the trunks and sending Mateo off his feet.
The ice dragon rolled and tumbled backwards over rocks, fallen branches and logs, clawing frantically to keep himself grounded. Behind him, the sudden gust of wind woke the sleeping black dragon. Certo's head shot straight up and immediately back down as a broken branch narrowly missed hitting him in the head. The ground began to shake and a great fissure split the ground beneath Certo and Mateo's feet, forcing them to quickly take flight. The earth opened up into a gaping, black canyon.
"What in the ancestor's name is going on?" Mateo shouted over the noise of splitting rocks and shattering tree trunks. "I've never even heard of such a catastrophic event happening on such a scale." When Certo did not make any verbal response, Mateo lifted his head to look at the black dragon. Certo squinted as if he were trying to look at a certain scale on the ice dragon's head. "What is it?" Mateo gave the black dragon a frightened and suspicious stare; Certo's eyes did not move. Slowly the armored male turned his head. Off in the distance, a nearly minuscule spec on the horizon, was a faint white light. It shot straight into the stratosphere, casting a ghostly glow over the land. "Sweet mother of all ancestors," Mateo squeaked. "What is that?"
"Crona!" Certo beat his wings hard, propelling himself forward, blowing Mateo back in the process. The ice dragon called out to him but his voice was carried away by the wild windstorm kicked up in the black dragon's wake.


Apes charged and scattered. All were bumping into one another, grabbing their weapons and scrambling to subdue the white dragoness.  Lightning cracked overhead, causing the mandrils to jolt in response, turning their attention away from the young chronicler.
Crona walked towards the edge of the platform which was the floor of the now demolished hut. Her eyes were pure white, glowing with empty ferocity. She scanned the ground as the apes began to mass beneath the tree, contemplating how to attack her. Without wasting another minute, she leaped from platform and over their heads with a single beat of her wings. She shrieked as she dove down and the apes scattered, leaving a wide open space for her to land. Before the barbarians could turn their attention on her, the tree she had been in exploded into a spray of wood chunks and splinters. The apes closest were hit the hardest by the flying shrapnel, falling to the ground with wood chunks lodged into their bodies.
The apes closest to Crona snarled angrily and closed the gap in around her. "You dare to challenge me?" The dragoness hissed. She lowered her head, arching her back and began to tremble. The apes paused momentarily until they heard the voice of the white dragoness rip through the air. From out of nowhere, blue wisps of energy appeared as Crona forced the magic to come to her aid. The blue mist crackled under the strain of being dragged along before being absorbed in the the chronicler's body.
Two apes crept forward cautiously, their spears leveled at her, ready to strike her down.
"Don't kill her!" Neros fumed, his voice bringing the apes back from their primal instincts to defeat their foe. Crona hissed hearing his voice and thrust her head to the sky, spreading her wings to their maximum length. A burst of energy erupted from her body engulfing the apes and hurling Neros into another tree. When the albino black dragon lifted his head, the apes had vanished; their bodies turned to dust. Strange gurgling noises emanated from the back of Crona's throat. Overhead, the portal continued to warp as magic spiraled into a confining barrier over the forest; Crona was trapping them  so they would not be able to escape.
Fluid began to build up around her eyes. At first Neros thought they were tears forming, but soon realized that this was not the case. Magic began to leak from Crona's eyes, nostrils and clenched jaws, pooling into a puddle at her feet. A shock tore through Neros's body, stunning him briefly. Crona lifted her head as if to stare at him with wicked eyes, and a bolt of fear struck the albino in the heart. He could no longer feel the rush of the wind which he relied on to sense the world around him. He gave a quick exhale, trying to stir up a gust of wind only to have his breath attack absorbed into the white dragoness.  
Crona took a step forward, snapping a twig, and Neros gave a squeak. After getting his nerves under control, he lunged forward, blindly. The magic which had been pooling together on the ground, leaped up in front of him, forming an electrical barrier. Neros cried out in pain and was hurled backwards again. The rocks and hard roots hurt as he tumbled backwards over before slamming into a pile of baskets, filled with bones and rocks.
As Neros picked himself up he could hear the footsteps of the chronicler drawing closer to him. With each step, more magic would pour out of Crona's body, increasing the size of the pool. The dragoness had reached her capacity and now the blue mist was spiraling all around her body, trying to get in and out at the same time. Neros had never felt so afraid in his life. Partly because he did not know this dragon as well as he did his own brother, and partly because he had never felt such a terrifying force in this world.