Work Text:
It is rare in the extreme; indeed, it only grows in no more than a few places in the known world, and none are easy to find or access. They are guarded secrets, guarded heavily by those who have accepted chains longer and stronger than the thread of life that once held them to this world.
It is the Ayngondaia Lawn, a rare and special flower with an extraordinary ability. There are those who say that the flower lives indefinitely, even once plucked, until the price of a life is demanded of the bearer. Then it vanishes forever, giving of its own energy to the one who held it dear, allowing them a moment's respite to run away to fight again another day. But the tale behind the blossom is more poignant yet.
It begins long before the founding of Norad or the Sechs Empire, when humanity was yet young and peace was universal among the species. There lived two friends whose favorite place to meet and study was a field near their homes, a field full of vibrant golden Daia flowers the size of a human's hand. They grew in abundance, but only in that place, and had a mild but refreshing scent; the aroma of an entire field was not overwhelming.
Ayngon, a young human woman, was a student of the arcane arts, and had decided to devote her life to the study of healing magics. Her friend, Ame, was a Jakkatsune, or Jaxtail, of the element of air. Together they were experimenting with expanding upon the Cure spell; the day was calm and clear.
Suddenly a great storm arose; all four elements were aroused to a fever pitch; the wind did roar, the earth shook; the rain sluiced down with terrific force as lightning warped the daylight into a strange and horrifying thing. Though Ame summoned a shield into being against the storm, it was not enough to prevent Ayngon's being picked up by the wind...
Moments later, or perhaps eons, Ame ran to Ayngon's fallen figure, the scent of ozone still strong. "By Terrable and Ventuswill, by Fiersome and Aquaticus, I defy thee! I deny thee! I decry thee!" the despairing Jaxtail cried out into the terrific storm, standing over Ayngon's unmoving figure. "I am old, and my life is nigh done. Give the spark in my soul unto Ayngon, that she may live and fulfill the potential of her years!"
Ame's words were called out in despair. Never did the Jaxtail dream that such a prayer would be heard... But the nature of the storm changed.
The winds eased and the ground ceased to tremble so; the lightning flickered and died and the rain tempered to a gentle cascade, soothing where moments ago it had been vicious. The elements themselves swirled together to coalesce into four distinct figures.
Four Draconic figures.
And their expressions did range from stoic and severe to quite contrite indeed.
"It is rather too late for thy friend, We fear," spoke the Divine Dragon Whose wings were made of flames. "The Flames of My Lightning have taken her life. That is the end."
"The human will be reborn," said the one at whose feet the earth never ceased to tremble.
"There is no way to turn back time," was the sympathetic but definite statement from the third.
But the fourth Dragon shook His mighty head, His sinuous length coiling around the unmoving human figure. "Step aside, mortal creature. Thou wouldst not wish to be caught up in this." His length covered the entire field; around Him the rain began to fall once again. "I am Aquaticus, Dragon God of Water; Transformation is My Domain. By My command, let this life We have claimed not be without reward; though her soul has moved on, may her will continue!"
There was a brilliant flash, then... darkness. When Ame awoke, there was no sign of the Divine Dragons, nor of Ayngon.
Nor was the field as it had been, for there was yet an abundance of grasses, but there was only one flower. And it too had changed, for it was now larger than a human's head.
But the greatest change of all was the field itself, for it had sunken into a great pit from which there was only one exit. Slipping through the narrow passage of stone, Ame's steps faltered upon seeing a similar chasm with no other exit but that same path, in the middle of which an ancient relic of bone turned its head. Waiting around no longer, Ame Escaped home to tell the strange and horrible tale, adding in one further detail:
"I had a dream, there in the dark. Four voices spoke to me as one. 'Thy friend as thou knew her is no more,' they said, 'and for that we grieve with thee. Know that her will shall never die, and the lawn where you once worked in peace will bring new life to those who bear a flower from its confines. Yet such a thing cannot come without great risk, for great evils might yet arise. We grant thee this knowledge so thou may spread the tale of Ayngon's Daia Lawn and its gift of life as thou choose, mortal creature. But thou art warned to choose wisely."
There is little known about where the lawn can be found, for the entrance to this cavern is well guarded and quite secret. The Jaxtails never shared their knowledge, and now there are but two in existence, and they never speak save for the fulfillment of their new task... Guarding the Guardians.