Song of Silence

1:12

Shouto POV

I adjust my cape as I walk toward Spring. I clutch a Summer Stone in my hand.

Summer Stones are orange gems that slowly expand the longer they're exposed to oxygen.

I mount Spring and ride off into the mountain pass. The tunnel becomes smaller as I continue, but my suspicions about Spring are correct: she is a gift from the seasons. I know this because she doesn't react to the shrinking tunnel, and when it becomes too dangerous for me to ride on her, she begins to shrink until she is the size of an ant, and I am similar size. Finally, we reach the end of the tunnel. I dismount, still tiny, and approach a tiny door carved into the stone walls.

I pull out the Summer Stone, now a bit bigger, and put it into the hole in the door.

It slowly cracks the door until it blows in. I raise my dagger, but nothing comes at me. Inside, there is a wooden path. When I step on it, however, I see something else. Another path, leading into the darkest black I have ever seen. My heart speeds up. The path looks like it's covered in crystals and every part of me wants to follow it, but I turn to the wood path.

After about fifteen minutes, I realize this is a mistake. As I run through the wooden tunnel, I contemplate where my life went so wrong. How did I end up running away from a giant lizard? Well, technically, the lizard is normal sized and I am small, but technicalities. The point is, there is a reptile much bigger than I am chasing me away from its nest. I see the crystal path and my heart stops again. I freeze. I can hear the lizard, but I don't move.

Finally, I follow the strange path. I run until I don't hear the lizard. After that, I walk. The path is beautifully haunting. Light pours from orange crystals, casting shadows down the makeshift hall. I move slowly. Finally, I reach I giant cavern. It's is completely made of stone. The only light comes from a flaming torch by the entrance. In the middle is a pedestal with two objects: a gold crown embellished with bright rubies, and a curved sword.

"Who daressssssss approach the sssssssword and crown of the prophesssssssssy? And where issssss your tribute?"

A huge dragon comes out of the shadows. It has teal scales, and based off its size, it is the oldest dragon I've ever seen. It's scales are a vibrant teal which contrast the orange of its eyes beautifully. I placed Autumn on the pedestal by the crown.

"My name is Shouto. I've come for the second clue of the Silent Stone." I speak, holding myself. "Is there a name by which I may call you?"

The dragon curls upon itself, surrounding me.

"I am Leossssssski, the lassssssst Eldred Dragon. You are not like the other boy, nor hisssss exssssplossssssssive friend."

"Other boy?" I ask.

"He gifted my hisssssss crown to watch, to protect. The other one gave me the sssssssword as a peasssssse treaty."

"When did they come?" I blurted out.

"I have not left this cavern in sssssssscenturies!" Leoski bellowed. "I have no concssssssssept of time!"

"My apologies." I knelt. "I only need the next clue."

"The Ssssssstone issssss mine. If you find the Sssssssstone, it will not be free."

"What do you mean, the Stone is yours? It was my great-grandfathers?"

"Your great-grandfather sssssssstole the Ssssssssstone from me when the war was bad. I demand it be returned!"

"But we need it to end the war with King Tomoura!"

"You have deeply offended me, boy. You shall not leave this cavern alive!"

The beast began to move, and I stepped back nervously.

Suddenly, I sneezed. The room exploded. I was thrown backward into the tunnel. The doorway collapsed in on itself. I could only see the dragon's eye.

"Go, boy. You know what you need. You have a fate beyond my cavern. But the Sssssssstone musssssst be returned to Dragon Kind."

"I understand." I moved closer. "I will do everything in my power to return the Stone of Silence to you. I swear it on my life."

With that, I turned and ran up the path way back to Kind Chandler's castle.