Who knew what would happen after stealing some bread from a street stall? Certainly not Nagan. Nothing out of the ordinary should have happened, considering stealing food to survive was the norm. But fate, destiny, karma, whatever you wanted to call...
He had expected Az to come out, an egg in his arms, yet that wasn't what happened. The next person was ushered in, and then the next. No one came back out. It was beginning to unnerve the rest of the students, including Nagan.
It wasn't as if anyone bothered explaining to them what was going on either. Even Madam Arcloven simply raised a brow and refused to speak when Nagan looked at her for an explanation. By the time Nagan stood before the doors, he felt unprepared for what laid beyond.
"Good luck to you, Nagan," Professor Fai said as Nagan approached the doors. The phrase was simple and common, but he knew it held a deeper meaning.
The future you've chosen isn't an easy one. Good luck.
When he opened the doors, he was surprised by the darkness he was met with. An inky barrier. Nagan could feel the hums of magic from beyond it. Even itself seemed to be whispering a warning: Enter or delay, O foolish or brave, for what lies beyond cannot be turned away.
Without another thought, Nagan passed through the barrier.
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What laid beyond the barrier...was not what he expected.
At first, he was floating in darkness. He felt...nothing. It was as if he was nothing himself. An idea rather than a person. This should have alarmed him, yet he found himself realizing he couldn't feel any emotions either.
Something was pulling him up. Like strings slowly lifting his spirit and drawing him towards his destination wherever it may be.
Where was he going? Why was he here? He couldn't remember, and couldn't care to remember.
The energy shifted. It became thicker and more ominous. He felt something brush past him, and it slowly circled around him until it reached his eyes. It was...calling to him. Asking him to follow.
The longer it called, the more frantic and forceful it became. The call shifted from desperate pleas to fierce curses to cries of despair. The strings had stopped, and his lips were sealed shut.
Then there was a scream.
In an instant, his strings were cut, and his eyes snapped open. His heart was pounding furiously as he gasped for breath.
Once he was finally able to breathe normally, he realized he couldn't recall all that had happened. It was as if it never happened in the first place. But the scream...Nagan thought with a shiver. For as long as he lived, he would never forget the sound of the scream.
The embodiment of pain.
He shook his head and decided to evaluate his new surroundings.
He was in a circular room with 8 pillars. Each pillar had something different carved into it: A dragon, a wyvern, a drake, a fae, a lung dragon, a lindworm, a wyrm, and an amphithere. As his gaze went higher and higher, he soon realized there was no ceiling. Above was only a blank sky. A light shined at the center. This tower was much too high to be in Carvolier...was this an entirely different realm altogether?
"Welcome, Nagania Elvar," a deep voice rumbled from behind him. Nagan whirled around only to be met by two serpentine eyes.
Silver scales glistened as she moved back smoothly. Eight wings fluttered at her side. She was an amphithere.
She hummed. "You have quite the aura around you, young one."
Nagan didn't know what to say to that. "Who...are you?" he asked instead.
"I have no need for a name," she explained fluidly, "for I do not exist. I am only here as an aid for you and your dragon to connect."
"And where is here?" Unease began to pool in his gut, fearing he already knew the answer.
"A realm in between realities," was the simple answer, "but let us not delay any further, for the time here will not stop for you, little time mage."
A white mist began to radiate off her as her gem eyes focused on him. He couldn't move.
"The battles to come will be unforgivable, yet you already stand at the center of it all. Your spirit tested, your will questioned, your resilience pushed to its limit. Resilience. Your core. How far will you bend before you break? How far are you willing to stretch to achieve your goals? Will it be enough or far too little? What will motivate you in these trying times? Fear? Love? Power? Choose your path carefully, time mage, for time will be your ally as well as your enemy.
"Ah! There! One calls to you! She soars above the rest. She is willing to stay by your side throughout it all. Just as resilient as you are as well as loyalty running deep within her veins. Yes. I believe she will be the right choice for you. Go now, Nagania Elvar, for she is waiting for you."
Once again, Nagan felt himself plunging into darkness.
"Nagan?"
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The way back wasn't nearly as bad as the way there, yet Nagan collapsed to his knees feeling drained. At least this would be the last time I ever experience this, Nagan thought tiredly. But...who said my name?
It was male...or at least, he thought it was male. He wasn't so sure now. The more he tried to remember, the more he forgot. The mysterious voice soon faded from his thoughts, yet it left a distinct pang of—
Nothing. He heard no voice.
The room he was in now was still in the shape of a circle and had the eight pillars, but each pillar was blank and the floor was made of sand. A few feet in front of him sat a large egg. Easily larger than his head.
The egg's shell was smooth and was black with royal purple spirals decorating it. Nagan nearly laughed as he realized the spirals nearly matched the color of his clothes. He stood to walk closer to the egg and realized the spirals swayed lazily across the surface. They even rose around it like a mist. How odd...he thought as he reached out to touch it.
Without any warning, the spirals shot out and latched themselves to Nagan's arm. Before he realized what happened, there was a dragon egg sticking to the side of his arm.
"What?!" He shook it gently, trying to get it to let go, yet the egg seemed to cling onto his arm tighter.
Don't tell me it already has a conscience, Nagan deadpanned before turning his attention to the egg. "Hey, do you think you can at least loosen your grip a bit so I can hold onto you properly?"
The egg seemed to consider this before slowly letting go until it dangled off his arm, only to cling on again once it was repositioned. This is not happening.
Nagan sighed deeply and pinched the bridge of his nose to ease the oncoming headache. "Thanks," he said before turning and kicking open the only doors he saw.
On the other side was Master Dagmire's office. Only Master Dagmire, Az, and the others who went before him were present, and due to the loud noise he caused, all eyes were turned to him.
"I'm done." On more levels than one, he thought irritably.
