Chapter Text
Far away in a mystical land, people lived in harmony with some very special creatures. These creatures were called dragons, but they are not like the normal fire breathing, princess eating dragons that people here think of. There were lots of dragons in this realm, and there were different types of dragons as well. One type of dragon was the water dragons. Water dragons lived in the oceans. They were normally a shade of blue, very fast swimmers, and had venomous claws and a poisonous bite. The females of that species, however, could use the venom as a healing agent.
Another type of dragon was the earth dragons. Earth dragons were green, with brown speckled on their scales. They were bigger than the other dragons and built like tanks. They lived mainly in the plains. They were very spiky dragons and they could shoot their spikes to pierce their enemies. The females could even have their spikes explode.
Next were the air dragons. Unlike the other dragon species, the females were much more aggressive than the males. Air dragons were normally found in the mountains. All air dragons were different shades of gray, which helped them blend in to the clouds. Air dragons breathed a cloud of noxious gas and spit acid.
Finally, there were the fire dragons. These dragons were rare, because they were only found on volcanic islands. They were bright red, and could breathe fire as hot as magma. Since they lived close to volcanoes, they could fly like air dragons, but not as well.
People in this land lived in harmony with the dragons. Every person was bonded to one specific dragon when they turned 16. The dragons could speak telepathically to the humans, since dragon language was impossible for humans to understand. The dragons could also help their bonded by using their shed scales as part of mage jewelry, which people used to create and cast different spells. A long time ago, the dragons taught the humans how to use magic, but there were only a few who could use magic without assistance from magical items. These were called mages, and were trained in a special academy.
Now we must move on to the reason we are visiting this realm. There was once a great war that threatened to engulf the entire realm. It was a brutal war and lasted for a very long time. However, this war was only fought in two countries. One country, called Ris’ Valen, was ruled by a monarchy, and the people there flourished. It was surrounded by mountains, plains, an ocean, and a wasteland, but this country was green and prosperous. They had a university for mages, a school for knights and other warriors, and were a center of trade for the other countries surrounding them. They had lots of dragons there, and every one was content.
The other country, called Coronus, was a chain of the rare volcanic islands that produced fire dragons. It was always sunny and warm there. While crops were not the best, this country was best known for its mage school and the magical islands. This country was ruled by a kind old emperor who was a friend to the monarchy of the other country. All was peaceful in the realm.
However, the emperor’s eldest son was not pleased with the alliance between the two countries. He was a selfish man and believed that the people with the superior fire dragons should rule the realm. He was also a very clever man, so he laid a trap. He sent an assassin to kill the king of Ris’ Valen. On that same night, he poisoned his father. He told his people that the Ris’ Valen king had killed the emperor and that they were going to war against the country they were once friends with. The people of Ris’ Valen had believed that the assassin was from the emperor, and also declared war.
Now the war has been fought for close to 100 years, and no one remembers the reason the war began. The evil son died after seeing his plans start, but his ideas were passed to his descendants, who still follow his ideals. Both countries have suffered from the war. However, four people will soon meet and change the path of the war. This is their story.