Chaos: The First (3 page)

As the
heavens
became more and more
divided
,
the greater gods turned their backs on
what they perceived to be lesser beings. 
This included minor Gods, mortals, magical creatures alike.  With the neglect of their creators, some creatures became despondent or angry
and others didn’t care one way or the other
.  Stuck in the mortal realm, they began to mingle with mortals.  Some created families, taking to husband or wife mortals and sharing their essence with them to elongate their short lives.  Others created Kingdoms to rule over.  Some hid themselves, content to wander the
beautiful land, interacting with the creatures that were innocent and pure.  Many turned their backs on the mortal realm, living on a magical plane separate, yet parallel.

But not all creatures
turned their backs on mortals. 
Their brethren, the angels still watched over mankind. 
They guided them through their dreams, or whispered in their ear. 
However, after
time some angels felt forsaken and their innate goodness twisted into something else. 
As their purity became blemished their physical light
and
beauty changed into a dark contrast. 

Some remained half in the light and half in the dark letting human emotions rule their actions.  Others turned completely to the darkness and became demons.
  The world was changing and with it its inhabitants.

Before…
Earthly Greed and the Dragons

The war between the Gods raged in the heavens and its spillage
irrevocabl
y
changed
the Earth
.  Blood from the Gods dripped to the earth and created creatures of imaginable powers and strength. 
The Gods blood mixed with the Earth’s soil, b
onding those creatures to the
mortal realm.  The blood that touched the natural minerals unique to each region created the Great Dragons.  The Dragons represented the division of the lands, each holding unique talents within their magical blood.  Their magic was tied to their land, feeding off the matter that helped create them.

These lands were divided into
five
parts.  Land of Alexandrites, ruled by King Abelard, was a world of shifting hues.  The yellow dragon’s scales embodied the radiance of the crystal found in the mountains.  The dragon absorbed the lights through the aluminum matter which was reflected in the yellow scales of her body.  Green by daylight and red by luminescent light, her offspring radiated varieties of pinks, columbine, and soft red hues.  She sighed as she closed her eyes and sought contact with her brethren from other lands.  They were not faring well, and their magic was weakening as they fought the evil that began to pervade their lands. 

Land of Opal, ruled by King Anieli was ruled by the shifting hues of the diverse opals found in his region.  The matter reflected colors of whites, grays, reds, oranges, yellows, greens, blues, and blacks.  The dragons absorbed the depth of colors found within the silica.  Their scales shone like black oil, with the colors shifting in the sunlight and lifeless at night.  As the evil of God and mortals perverted the land, the dragons withdrew into their mountains, creating a shield around their precious lairs that prevented tainted souls from entering.  They withdrew their magic from the earthly realm and were now feared by mortals, being viewed as monsters and hunted for their magic, scales, ivory, and flesh.  Although they had the power to destroy, they retreated into their mystical mountains, watching in wary sadness as the land surrounding their haven was slowly being destroyed for the wealth Opals brought mortals through trade.  With the destruction of the land, their shields began to weaken, and dissension rang in the great halls between the Elders and younger dragons.  The question rang clear…tread on the line of extinction or destroy any who dared to enter their lands.  The younger charges threw off their Elders inhibitions as their loved ones were hunted and destroyed.  The only thing that held them back was the lesson learned from their brethren…to kill a human darkened the essence of the dragon.

Land of Pearl, represented the waters of King Acanthan’
s watery depths. ..Land of the M
erman. Yet mostly unexplored, the oceans and seas remained magical.  Instead of flying through the air, the great underwater dragons glided in the watery depths.  The white scales were tinged with the blues and greens of the oceans.  In the depths of the ocean, where the water obscured the light their scales were omniscient, glowing with health, vitality, and magic.  They refused to acknowledge the chaos of the land dwellers, misguided in their beliefs that the chaos wouldn’t touch them.  Until recently, they turned a blind eye to their land-dwelling brethren.  However, the murk from the constant excavation of gems and minerals began to run into the oceans by way of the many rivers that crisscrossed the land.  The pollutants dredged up from the mines began to affect the water inhabitants and those that lived and flourished close to land saw a marked decline in their numbers as babies were lost, malformed, or took the one and only breath after
being birthed.  With the loss of their precious children came the knowledge that the ocean and land were bonded in a cycle of ever giving and taking life.

Land of
Sapphire
represented the burning mountains of King Cledwyn.  The dragons rose from the fiery depths of the mountains and they fought with the humans for dominance.  For each innocent life they took, their scales turned crimson with blood and their essence black with hatred.  It began to change their innate good nature, turning them into the beasts that legends made them out to be.  As they flew over their lands, burning those that wandered too close to their breeding grounds, mother Gaia wept for the loss of life, human, immortal, and dragon alike. They were the examples
that held back the Dragons of Opal.  They watched in shock and dismay as their fiery brethren turned into mindless beasts with each innocent life lost.
  The mortal counterparts of King Cledwyn watched in dismay as his Kingdom succumbed to the greed of materialistic and magical wants as their search for both pillaged and raped the land and the people that were defenseless against royalty and Dragons.

Adamas, the
Iceland’s
were antithesis to the burning mountains of Sapphire. Covered by ice that averages a mile in thickness, the cold, dry, and
windy landscape
is a desert of bleak white snow and ice.  The creatures found in this icy
climate adapted through years of evolution.  So extreme in temperature, it is the one place almost uninhabited by man.  98% of the land is covered by the
Arctic
Ice sheet.  Rivers of
ice flowed
slowly
through the ice shelves.  On the periphery of the blue ice, the fisherman Kingdom of King Adamas rose proudly.  A strong, resilient people, their lands protected them from the turmoil of their neighbors.  They lived side by side with the people and creatures of the ocean, forming a kindred relationship and alliance through marital bonds and friendships.  The diamond dragon flourished there, with their blue tinted icy scales and potent breath that countered even the hottest flames from Hades.  Virtually cut off from the rest of the world, their land remained in relative peace because the diamonds of the realm were not accessible under the frozen tundra. 

With the coming and going of each year, the human population was almost obliterated and the magic and technology that created a learned society left humans in archaic turmoil.  As the human population struggled, waging a losing war against the Dragon realm, thousands of years past and more creatures flourished.  Some horrific and evil, born of the rage and hatred.  Others were profoundly good, innocent, and joyous, born from the blood of the minor Gods that cherished their human children. 

The Dragon Elders, whose wisdom was great and memory long, yearned for the times when they held court with the human kings.  Their symbiotic relationships fed the land…but as time passed the knowledge of the dragon kinship was lost by their mortal brethren.  The dragons withdrew from the human lands withdrawing their ancient wisdom along with them. 

But within their magic they felt a change within their earthen mother through the blood of the mighty Gods.  A new time was coming as they felt a presence greater than any God tread the Earth.  They waited with bated breath as their magical minds touched this omniscient being and waited for the sign of change.  A great change was coming, and soon all inhabitants, magical and mortal, would have to make a choice on which side they would take up arms. 

Chapter 1

He was beautiful.  Zoe remembered the first day she
’d
laid eyes on him.
Her and her handmaidens were laughing over the antics
of the children splashing in the ocean when her eyes were caught and bound by the black
,
mysterious depths of his. He stood half in the water as the waves gently pulled
at
his calves.  If she weren’t overwhelmed by the intensity of his gaze she would have realized that the water circled him, as if bowing down to his innate force.  She would have noticed the small silver fish brushing against his leg
s
through the clear blue water,
as if vying for his favor. B
ut all she saw was the intensity in his gaze
as they locked on her
.
He stood still, as if one with the Earth and all her senses tuned into the Aura that surrounded him.  His physical appearance
would have
created a swell of female admiration
but strangely enough only she was aware of him.  S
he saw his Aura
which was unique, brilliant, and bright.  Most humans softly glowed with their inner souls.  Those that were pure shone white, and as life transgressed on hopes and desires, they beca
me
tainted, subdued, and murky
with the burdens carried by
all
men. 

She saw this because she was different.  Her lineage bore the mark of her
Elvin
and A
ngel
ic heritage
even though her line was gradually diluted by human blood.  She was one of the last of her lineage, and her dwindling skills attested to the rift between Gods and mortals.  During
this
time of turmoil
as Gods clashed with Gods which filtered down into the mortal realm
,
much history
of the old
was lost.  With the lo
ss
of their history
,
her people also lost the knowledge of the old ways.
What she did retain of her ancestry was the ability
to see the true self of people and with this gift she saw the swirling colors of this man who so intently scrutinized her.

She felt his presence as he gently touched her mind.  Through their connection she knew she was looking at something more.  His Aura swirled with varying shades of grays, blues, and purples. 
His Aura contained every color held by the great Dragons that wandered the Earth. 
Even though the knowledge was lost, she knew she beheld an omniscient deity.
Her heart stood still
and
pounded with awareness, fear, and amazement.  Gods have not been seen in the realm of man for centuries and she knew she was not mistaken. She turned to see if any of her handmaidens noticed the incredible being so close, but they were otherwise entertained with the children splashing in the water.  When she turned to stare back at the stranger he was gone.