Chapter Text
Many stories often start at the beginning, with happy lights and descriptions, that was not the case for Winter currently.
He had been laying in his bed for nearly a whole day now and he knew his end was close, his scales were dulled by age his voice was past his prime and his bones felt so fragile they could snap at any moment.
As he felt his eyelids wanting to droop ever so faster he recounted how he got here, his family in the IceWing kingdom growing up had been the worst constantly expecting him to fit into the perfect box they had molded for him.
His father Narwhal was the one whom taught him the heavy handed tradtions, the physical excersizes that would last hours too long, the hunts that caused him to be frozen to dead and the correction slaps that scarred him the worst.
His mother Tundra somehow was even worse yet she never once touched him, she taught him the impossible to follow lessons, the dreadfull IceWIng ettiquite and the disgusting treatment methods of superiority that felt like her personal creed.
Combined it would already be a bad live but then came the fact that he wasn't an only child, his elder brother Hailstorm was always the perfect one, the golden child yet deep down both him and Winter got along well.
Then there was Icicle Tundra's little prodigy, she was always angry never once smiled and always lived a path that felt like a superiority trip.
When the eyes of their parents were away Hailstorm and him often did acts that would be called 'unroyal like' things such as charity for the outer village's, making snow dragons and even a snowball fight if they had prepped the perfect fortifications with their ice breath.
Of course they had to watch out for Icicle as she was essentially always looking for a way to one up them and take Hailstorm's spot as the perfect one, a lustfull drive that still powered on through their entire childhood Winter realized.
Everything was perfect until that moment when the minor moments of light were rudely torn away, during a routine scouting trip or illegal outing (he couldn't remember which one it was due to how long ago it took place) Hailstorm was kidnapped by SkyWings. Taken away in his place as a sacrifice so Winter could live, he did not understand why his brother chose him over allowing Winter to be taken back then but it still hurt.
The moment he returned his fate took a turn for the was, he was already the worst one but now he was the black sheep as Icicle took up the place of Hailstorm with glee.
He got treated harder, hit harder became the physical punching bag behind closed doors and in the open he was the ignored one.
So when he got a chance to go to the academy he took it and boy was that a decision he didn't reject at all.
He made new friends, got treatment for trauma he didn't knew he had and even fell in love... a shame that love turned out to be just as tainted as the IceWing order system.
Everything was going okayish when his life again was tossed into turmoil thanks to Sora the MudWing and her hatred for her sister.
Looking back on it when the bombing incident took place he understood partially were Sora was coming from, that grief and pain of loss was so strong that he saw a reflection of himself in it.
So much sloth in the form of melancholy and grief had taken root in Sora that she acted out irrationaly, and nearly succeeded in killing Icicle an incident that still parly reminded that suprisingly he still cared a bit for his lustfull sister.
That love however was put to the test when it turned out she was forced into working for Scarlet after Sora's troubles were taken care of.
It caused him to be in shock that she would even consider such a motion, but when he learned that she did it all in the name of lust for seeing her brother again (not in a romantic sense of course) it made sense to Winter.
After his sister was restrained and imprisoned for attempted murder on the DoD, he went out with his friends and clawmates in search of Scarlet and his brother finding him stuck in a shell thanks to the soul sucker's scroll being wielded by a faulty RainWing named Chameleon.
When the curse was lifted his brother had lost all memories of his time with him turning him into a blank slate that was needed to be filled again.
It was shocking to him his pure and strong brother reduced to a quivering mess because of animus magic, it made him learn to never once alter someone body and mind forcibly.
Of course he needed to return back to the IceWing kingdom it was where his brother would be happily reunited and he would't be a failure in his circle system, oh how foolish he was.
Back in the IceWing kingdom things went even worse, his mother deliberately put him in first circle so Hailstorm could challenge him via the diamond trial to combat.
And of course seeing as his brother wanted to keep his place the challenge took place, in the process seeing something rare on his mother's impassive face joy that he was suffering.
He didn't know at the time but his mother was what he later would figure out to be a character type nicknamed a sociopath, specifically the kind that loved to sap joy and happiness in order to feel it on their own.
When the day of the Diamond trial came he mentally prepared himself only to again learn that it was a scheme meant where he would fail again, the diamond trial was just a rigging tool meant to dispose of failure's permanenlty and make the selected participant the winner by default.
And if that wasn't bad enough the NightWing being held there Foeslayer was what he later would come to learn the soul sucker's mother, though she wasn't a colossal monster like her son.
Either way blood was going to be spilled... except his brother couldn't and that is when he realized what it truly meant to be family.
In exchange for taking the 'win' Hailstorm would let him go as long as he fled with Foeslayer out of the IceWing kingdom and never returned, and so he did learning that in the end the IceWing kingdom was nothing but a festering den of gluttony and pride that never would change.
When he left Foeslayer of at Possibility he met up with Peril whom was there earlier at JMA and he distrusted her still for once being Scarlet's champion so he attacked, causing him to end up badly burned and unconscious for the events that went on with Scarlet and Chameleon.
Later learning that Chameleon actually was Peril's father and that he wanted her to follow in his footsteps, something that went horribly wrong as just like with his brother Hailstorm he tried the wrong direction via forced body changing.
Although again Winter would later learn through introspection that Chameleon was just another victim himself, struck with so much self envy that mirrored himself that it was painfull to think about.
He knew that Chameleon had heavily harmed Kinkajou the annoyingly energetic RainWing but still, he couldn't deny that he felt a mirror when he looked at the self envy aspect of the faulty RainWing.
So when the soul sucker's scroll was taken away from him he could understand why they would lash out so greatly during their reunion later on he heard down the pipeline.
For him the masks he made with animus magic were his only way out, now without anything to hide his ugly truth Chameleon was forced to live with the painfull truth of his own face and deep down he felt a pang of sympathy for the poor RainWing wishing he could have been there to help him.
With Scarlet however he had no interest in helping out, her blind wrath perfectly led to her own downfall at the hands of her daughter.
So much anger and spite it was a wonder she could even live with herself after the venom that Glory left behind, her death was anything but a service for a wraith living far past her prime.
The incidents at the Sky Kingdom let them to getting the Soul sucker's scroll with his animus powers, which he argued to be destroyed of course it was far too dangerous after seeing what it had done to his brother and the pain it had caused.
During the indecisiveness of it all Peril whom was NOT working with Scarlet anymore destroyed the scroll releasing the soul sucker from his binds and learning that his love yes his love had actually been communicating with the soul sucker whom went by the name of Darkstalker.
The soul sucker unsuprisingly then enchanted him to be a loyal goody two shoes to him and praise every action and move that he did at least letting him life because of the words his love Moonwatcher had said.
After that it was just a rapid paced round of getting things done for that soul sucker, first quickly visiting the RainWing kingdom to go fetch the NightWings there and apparantly foil a royal plot, then head towards the old NightWing kingdom and all that.
Honestly he didn't care much about the Soul sucker's plans, what he did care about however is what Darkstalker did in order to accomplish them.
He enchanted every NightWing to do his bidding, made Anenome the SeaWing princess want to murder the royal SeaWing line and most importantly he sought extinction of his race that he achieved via a few ways.
The worst of those ways was the plague which costed his former queen whom he didn't dislike to lose her life, it was enough for him to vow eternal vengeance against the soul sucker.
But that didn't happen as he was still under the spell when his friend's Qibli's past came knocking, turns out Qibil was part of Pyrrhia's biggest crime syndicate and that Vulture in his endless greed wanted to become king of the SandWings.
Of course that was foiled but the old bird still managed to escape, leaving a nasty reminder to Qibli of a deed left unfinished and also causing Winter to learn of Qibli's abuse.
That abuse made him resonate with his former friend even more... a thing he would come to regret later on as during their time in the SandWing kingdom he lost his love.
It was an incident he had no control over as his animus enchanted form resisted the forcefull earring placing from Qibli that was meant to block out the control of the spell, causing him to ruin a flower pot and wound Qibli again not something he did on purpose yet Moon blamed it all on him and since then she never looked at him with that truly wanting look again.
After that it was done he had no more friends he could face and so headed to Possibility only to discover Foeslayer was gone, the events that transpired from there on hurt the most still much later when he learned of what truly happened as he had been left about in the dark of what truly transpired.
It turned out his friends had ignored the lessons he had learned as apparantly they forcibly forced the soul sucker into a body of a one year old dragonet with NO MEMORIES.
The moment he learned that he cut out the occasional contact he had with his former friend group permanently, that perversion that way of treating others it was something he had learned was not okay yet they still did it.
He couldn't excuse it even if it was a desperate struggle as their friends claimed, and so he had resigned himself to a lonely fate in Possibility.
Days turned into weeks, weeks turned into months and months into years until Winter had reached the conclusion of his route in life unable to let go of the painfull past that haunted him.
He had not sought out any other connections after learning the truth about what his former clawmates had done, he had no more trust left to give after that betrayal and yet still there was at least someone here.
Currently around his deathbed stood probably the only one whom cared for him, Riptide the mayor of Possibility just like Winter he was also a quivering wreck about to hit the hay permanently soon.
Yet in his final moments he at least was here to say goodbye once, still it wasn't without tears if he could he wanted one more go one more chance to correct the mistakes and make a proper ending.
As that thought entered his mind he could feel his eyelids droop one final time, it was about time to let go off this vessel and move on even if the didn't want too.
The last thing he could hear before things went dark was Riptide's mournfull sobs as he drifted away hoping for a better live not being able to note the cold azure butterfly softly drifting by outside Winter's residence.
***
Life in the rainforest had been simple and happy for Peacemaker, he had gotten married had 2 perfect dragonets and he had even been able to influence the existence of a strawberry song that was the national anthem of the local NightWing village he had lived in.
So lying on his deathbed he should have been happy, in the care of his 2 hybrid dragonets and his loving mate he was lying on the rug looking at the wooden ceiling one final time.
Yet there was this aching feeling in his body that didn't want to let him move on, that wanted him to get up and cry though he wasn't sure why but his instincts just wanted it.
Looking back at his life it had always been a bit strange, his mother's shocked face when he talked about his nightmares, his friend Moonwatcher's looks when she saw him every time and the random moments when he would wake up crying tears for unknown reasons.
He had thought his passing would be peacefull just like his mother whom... upon looking back upon it seemed to want to tell him something but couldn't.
It ached him badly what it was that his mother wanted to tell him, yet in these last moments of light he knew instinctively this and his current feelings were connected so why couldn't he answer it.
His life over all had been quiet, never once was there a stressfull situation besides Queen Glory being kidnapped but... Well that resolved itself somehow later, the details of how still being foggy to him and honestly not noteworthy.
As he waited for death to claim him he decided to seek answers in his minds, dig deeper then he normally would for an explanation and find the truth his body wanted and for once go beyond what he knew.
His mother before dying was always a bit... out of it when she heard the name of the ancient NightWing legend Darkstalker.
A fearfull monster whom was said to have returned and... dissapeared under strange circumstances when he came about to be.
In fact the day he was born Darkstalker whom had been threatening the entire world was mysteriously gone, he had heard so from other older NightWings that the day he came here with his mother was the day all darkness dissapeared.
Were he and that monster connected... or was he that monster?
This question took over his mind, he could barely speak after all and had no interest in doing already knowing from the looks of his love and 2 dragons he had sired that he was dying.
Just when he started to linger on the question the blockage that was holding back the truth shattered... he remembered everything, the strawberry, the plague, the hurt he caused and most importantly the betrayal he suffered.
He wasn't Peacemaker the strawberry loving NightWing/RainWing hybrid but Darkstalker the NightWing/IceWing thrice moonborn animus hybrid, and his entire life had been following a pre written line madeby his former best friend Moonwatcher.
It was all too much for him, the guilt, the shock, the pain, he didn't want to go out this way there were still things he had to do mistakes he had to fix.
Yet here he was lying in a dying body that could barely do anything, this wasn't his future, this was his tomb and Qibli, Kinkajou, Moonwatcher and his mother had won the game against him.
Why, why do they get a happy ending but he doesn't, he knows he's evil, he knows any sane dragon wouldn't grant him a proper ending, but still he... trusted them to choose better and yet here he was rotting away his last minutes in a shell that wouldn't even have his name on the tombstone.
So for the first time he started crying his fake family rushing up to comfort him thinking that he's afraid of death... and yeah it's partly that but the bigger pain comes from the trust lost, the truth known, the fake path he lived in that moment it was as if all those whom hurt started stabbing daggers into his existince as those he wronged materialized in front of him.
''You were my son yet you still took my live. I didn't want to kill you yet you weren't afraid of doing the same to me you're a disgrace.'' a regal looking IceWing specter said.
''I had no connections to any of your wrongdoings, yet your cruel plague took my life.'' Another regal looking IceWing specter said.
''You sealed me away just because I was threatening your friendship, you aren't a true dragon just a pitiful excuse for one.'' another purple SeaWing looking specter said, however the final specter that appeared in front of him hurt the most.
''I did my hardest to try and give us the happiest future, yet you never could do better, you never could just improve, I still love you dearly but I know that I had too look past that and see the monster you truly became yourself and the countless futures I made by sealing you.'' The last specter said the words hurting so much because they are true, because they connected with what his former lover would say.
In the end he had failed her once again, a second chance ruined because he again couldn't not only let go of the past but also couldn't just accept the help he got to get over his toxic trauma.
He wanted to move, to correct his mistakes, to not die as a monster in memorium but as a true hero, yet fate had spun the tale for him and these were his final minutes.
Fate, a cruel reminder that once he had the options to choose and how he always thought that he was in control yet in the end he wasn't this hybrid failure body of his being the cruelest sting.
As the tears continued to flow he knew that he was closing in on his last seconds, he could feel his eyelids drooping heavy but he wasn't going down without a fight.
Or so he thought as the last thing he felt were his talons failing him as the world went dark, making it clear that fate was done with his pitiful attempt at resistance.
His final thoughts before drifting of being one simple wish 'I want to start over please it's all I ask.' not knowing that his wish was heard as a butterfly entered Darkstalker's room in the rainforest.
***
The first thing both Winter and Darkstalker felt upon waking up was... a weird jarring sensation that they were death yet at the same time weren't.
Where they both found themselves was what appeared to be a throne room with velvet coloured banners, white marble pillars and a plush purple carpet with yellow ends lining the floor, right in front of them on a purple throne sat a weird scavenger they both had never seen before.
He was dressed in a... black suit tailored of a cloth they had both never seen before, with white gloves bloodshot eyes a lanky frame and most importantly a very long and pointy nose that could service as an improvised cheese knife.
''Welcome both dear guests from the failed heroic trickster whom fell down the darkened path and the emperor who learned his path yet still lost it and transitioned into the hermit by force, to the Velvet room.'' The mysterious scavenger said with a calm and controlled tone as he looked both of them in the eyes.
The moment both Darkstalker and Winter realized that they were both next to each other they backed of in shock ''You! What are you doing here!'' both said in unison clearly keeping distance from each other Darkstalker still having his suprisingly oversized body in this reality.
''Y-you should be dead, gone in the form of Peacemaker. Permanently unable to bother me... clearly it seems they failed so I will do the job myself have at you soul sucker!'' Winter said with an angry tone bearing his fangs at Darkstalker clearly not happy with him being here.
''So you were also responsible for that tomb of a body I awoke in. Normally i'd restrain myself you dirty IceWing but you're close to forcing my claws!'' Darkstalker said also bearing his fangs which were way bigger than Winter's as he also took on a hostile stance.
''What do you mean were responsible?! I didn't know anything about that moons forsaken punishment my... former clawmates forced upon you until it was already done.'' Winter said the anger still clearly visible in his movements but now a bit more subdued ''Still that doesn't mean that I don't mind finishing their faulty job, even if I had nothing to do with what happened to you.'' he added his aggresion rising a bit again.
''So in the end they decided to abandon you as well, now you know how I felt when everything is taken away from you Winter. How does it feel, painfull, lonely, hurtfull, because if so good! That's what you IceWings get for taking away my entire family!'' Darkstalker said with anger his normally composed mask gone in favour of anger, just as about to make the first move however the scavenger interfered.
''I'd advise against fighting in this space dear guests. You were dragged to this plane by my master because you both wanted a second chance correct? If so wouldn't it be wastefull to throw it away for some petty vengeance?'' The scavenger said with a calm and controlled voice though with a slight undertone of warning at what would happen if things go wrong.
''Wait stop for a second... so you're saying this monster here wanted a second chance and you're planning on giving it to him.'' Winter said pointing at Darkstalker before letting out an unimpressed snort ''Well spoiler alert he already had one and he sacrificed it pursuing his own selfish goals, I sincerely doubt he's going to chance if he failed once.'' he added wih a tone that sounded unammused and unwilling to allow that to happen.
''I didn't waste my second chance Winter, I followed my destiny and failed there is a clear difference between the two.'' Darkstalker said regaining some of his composure before turning to the weird scavenger ''Whom are you anyhow mr... scavenger it's weird you speak our language and that you're addressing us as guest.'' he added to which the scavenger gave a creepy smile glad that he finally was getting the attention he deserved.
''I'm glad you asked dear guest, I am Igor proprietor of the Velvet room and the one whom has been assigned by my master to oversee your... rehabilitation even though the current form of the Velvet Room doesn't reflect that.'' Igor said with a calm and controlled tone gesturing around the throne room ''Before you ask though the Velvet room takes on the form suited most for it's current inhabitants, it seems you 2 dear guests had some... blue blood so too speak.'' he added which caused both Winter and Darkstalker to freeze for a moment uncomfortable with that realization.
''That... was a long time ago I am no longer a prince, it's just Winter now.'' Winter said with a bit of guilt in his voice turning away which Darkstalker observed.
''So you too experienced the wonders of the IceWing education system, good to know that I wasn't the only one whom suffered through that travesty.'' Darkstalker said with a smug and sarcastic tone trying to hide his discomfort at being called royal blooded.
''You got a problem with me soul sucker? Because if so just state it out loud, I don't want to deal with more vague speech then necesarry.'' Winter said again with an aggresive tone as Darkstalker just chuckled out of dark amusement.
''I don't have to tell you squat when you already know what I have against you IceWing. Be glad that I didn't just finish you off when Moon asked me to spare you.'' Darkstalker said his smugness and sarcastic nature still there though he recoiled inside at the mention of Moonwatcher before turning to Igor ''But enough semantics it would be rude to ignore our host whom so graciously brought us here, you mentioned something about a second chance could you detail more?'' he said clearly ignoring Winter as Igor took a moment to bring out a file that appeared out of nowhere on a desk besides him.
''Very well dear guests, my dear master Philemon whom I doubt you have heard of has decided to give you both a second try. This was because your will to live and start again was so strong that he couldn't ignore it ... even if his duties were required in an entirely different realm where I normally get my guests from so you two are an exception.'' Igor said as he opened up the file carefully reading through it meticulously.
''Then let me guess my dearest Igor, the guests you normally recieve are all scavengers not magnificent dragons like ourselves.'' Darkstalker said with a calm and conversational tone.
''Correct failed trickster though from where I normally conduct my business they call themselves humans though I doubt that'd matter to you.'' Igor said with a calm and controlled tone smiling a bit as he pointed at the two ''Regardless both you and the forgotten Emperor have been given a second or third chance in your case at live as I stated earlier. However in return my master wants you to take on trials, ten to be exact in order to prove you both have learned what caused your downfall originally.'' he added as he crossed his legs and Winter bristled a little at the comment.
''You talk about trials as if they are necesarry for me to learn, I have already been tested enough in life. Give me one good reason why these trials are necesarry before I tear out this soulless abomination's throat!'' Winter said clearly not being able to hold down for much longer as Igor calmly observed Winter his grin never faltering.
''That's because dear guest you won't be taking these trials alone, you may have learned the lessons associated with them but the other guest hasn't.'' Igor said slowly reading through their combined file ''Still even if you have learned the lessons I doubt you have fought to prove you have, you see my master likes people like you whom resist the bigger person and defy fate and you two both matched that description at some point. You both screamed at the narrative for doing you dirty, and my master agrees so he's allowing you both to challenge it.'' he added to which Darkstalker pepped up a little whilst Winter maintained his suspicious and wary stature.
''Are you suggesting you're planning to have me cooperate with this... thing that claims to have once had a soul.'' Winter said his anger rising so high that he started tearing at the carpet with his talons.
''Yes... though I must add if either of you declines the deal isn't happening, my master specifically stated that both of you had to consent otherwise the deal was off the table.'' Igor said which caused both of them to freeze the anger that Winter was building up dissapearing like snow in front of the sun just like Darkstalker's confidence.
''A-Are you sure that's the only way... because I genuinely refuse to work with him of all things.'' Darkstalker said with a fearfull tone as Igor gave a nod.
''Absolutely sure my dear guest, no cooperation no second chance. I wish there were different terms but this is how my master specified it and so it will be.'' Igor said with a calm and controlled tone carrying just the slightest ounce of regret as both Winter and Darkstalker turned to face each other.
''As much as it pains me to say this... Darkstalker truce?'' Winter said with a voice carrying just enough restraint and spite that it wasn't rude as he raised his talon.
''It seems so... IceWing.'' Darkstalker said the name sounding more like a curse then a praise as he shook Winter's far smaller talon in agreement before he turned back to Igor ''Now tell me dear Igor, what form will these supposed trials take because I don't want to learn things that I know already.'' he added to which Igor got a bit more excited.
''I'm glad you asked dear guest, the trials you will face will each be connected to certain dragons you may have met, and may not have.'' Igor said with a calm and controlled tone as he lifted his fingers ''These trials will take forms as massive structures or civilized areas in which the host of the trial rules that location via a... let's say less then ideal method connected to one of the eight deadly sins.'' he added gesturing massively with his arms before returning and pointing his finger up ''The hosts of these trials will not know they have these trials unless specifically addressed about it, though i'd advise you save that when you're ready for the final confrontation meant to complete the trial.'' he added pointing a finger up in warning.
''This is sounding pretty confusing, is there a reason these hosts of these supposed trials aren't aware they have them?'' Winter asked clearly not liking what he was hearing.
''Oh yes, that's because each trial is connected to the collective unconsciousness ... Explaining what it is would be too long so for now dear guest know that I owe you an explanation for that, if you want a quick version the hosts of these trials have created a specific view the way their hearts and minds see the world and you'll be infiltrating them in order to challenge their broken ways. Your goal is to steal this thing.'' Igor said as he poofed a shining crown out of nowhere causing Darkstalker to get interested in it.
''That... looks like a crown fit for a king, may I borrow it please.'' Darkstalker said already approaching as Igor shook his pointy finger as the approaching massive dragon reluctantly returned.
''I'm afraid this is just an object for show dear guest, this is a treasure essentially a beings desire made manifest and something that maintains their trial's worldview in order. You both dear guests will be infiltrating their worldviews to remove them and correct their lies, in order to do so you will face countless shadows pulled straight from the collective unconsciousness.. that again in order to keep it short are beings themed around the worldview masking as dragons.'' Igor said allowing his words to sink in ''Some of these shadows are friendly whilst most are hostile, that depends on their assigned role either as guard or as just set dressing. Regardless you must make your way past them and navigate a route to the treasure with others if you wish to have a chance to succeed, if you make your way to the treasure then you can directly issue the challenge to the trial holder.'' he added to which Darkstalker reacted shocked.
''So you mean that I have to trust others again, yeah great because that went so well last time.'' Darkstalker said rolling his eyes with a calm and arrogant tone.
''Again dear guest it's up to you if you want to do so, but I want to remind you that your skills will both be regressed dear guests so for your safety i'd reccomend combining skills with others. It's the secondary exchange that we have to make in order to bring you back.'' Igor said before turning to look them both in the eyes ''Now I know that I left out the most essential part of how to find and take these trials, your feelings will automatically detect when the person holding the relevant trial for that moment. My master wants you to take the trials in a specific order you see, it's in order to maintain the fabric of the collective unconsciousness very complicated I know but for simplification that just means the order you defeated that evil at what moment.'' he added to which Winter drew a confused look.
''That's great and all Igor but you still haven't explained how to access these supposed trials, and you can't expect an IceWing to be kept waiting can you.'' Winter said to which Igor led out a little chuckle with his controlled tone.
''Still got a bit of that royal spirit do you dear guest? No need to worry the moment you find the dragon holding the relevant trial you have to figure out what keywords works best with their worldview, there is no system for getting wrong so guess all you want just know that once you're in you can only leave once you find a saferoom which itself is a gap in the dragons worldview that serves as a spot they have no oversight for. Aside from these safe rooms you can also find treasure littering these worldviews, take it it's just extra's that would be such a shame if they are lost because a trial is done. Finishing up there are also 'Will seeds' which are just the core sins formed into corrupted seeds showcasing the worldviews ruler's deepest desires. There are three of these in each trial claim then and once you return to me I will have my assistant fashion them into something usable for you 2 during your expiditions.'' Igor said taking a moment to catch his breath.
''And what sort of treasure can we find in these treasure chests? Because I'm not greedy but I want to know of the contents are worthy of our shared time.'' Darkstalker said clearly still unhappy with the fact that he is being forced to cooperate with an IceWing of all things.
''Gold, items useful in combat and much, much more. See it like a chest holding a mix of regular goods and... what was it animus enchanted objects you called them correct? Though of course scaled proportionally to the difficulty of the trial, so don't expect to pull out things that bring back the dead until you've cleared at least 8 of the challenges.'' Igor said which made both characters freeze at the mention of bringing back the dead.
''B-But that's implausible animus magic can't bring back the dead, you're speaking nonsense Igor!'' Winter said clearly not understanding what he was hearing.
''Oh... whoops slip of the tongue, forget I said anything.'' Igor said with that same allknowing smirk before reassuming his regular stance ''Still as I said it's worth going after them and collecting them, now dear guests do you have any questions left that aren't related to animus magic.'' he added to which both Winter and Darkstalker shook their head before he put down the file next to a pot of ink on a table 2 times as small of Winter and 10 times as small as Darkstalker and gestured to a specific point ''Please sign your name there please, I won't need a pen because I at least brushed up on the culture of your reality when coming here.'' he added which confused both dragons.
''I don't know whatever this 'pen' is you speak about so I will just assume it's something I'll never understand.'' Winter said with a grumpy defeated face as he put his talonprint on the file.
''Weird that that is the first thing we can agree on IceWing.'' Darkstalker said as he very carefully signed his talonprint being careful not to break the very small document or table supporting it as Igor smiled once they were both finished.
''Well dear guests it is a pleasure to know you both agreed to me rehabilitating you, I hope you make it through the first trial and we'll see each other soon because the velvet room is closing soon.'' Igor said as the Velvet room began to slowly start dissapearing around both dragons ''Oh and failed trickster don't be too shocked at your... new predicament.'' he added with that same chuckle that he was onto something only he knew as Darkstalker looked at him with confusion.
''What have you done I-''. Darkstalker tried to say before the lights went out and both dragons were whisked away, about to start their second and third chances at life filled with challenge's they had never faced before.