Aftermath x Name

Dawn arrived as usual to the lands known as Dragon's Eden. The mountains were reduced to crumbling heaps and great rock formations to rubble. Fertile mud reduced clear streams to muddy trails, and countless trees stood upside down..

Amidst this section of earthen chaos, a golden merkaba flickered like a firefly.  It was clear that the last embers of it's flame were dying out, but it still wouldn't budge, and kept the behemoth of a dragon at bay.

That dragon glittered under warm rays of sunshine, casting rainbows off it's glossy onyx scales. Shaking out it's silver-white mane, it looked up at the general and snorted. It seemed impatient..waiting for the airborne star to come down and tangle with it again. This was the only being in hundreds of years it could fight with to it's heart content. But the human seemed to be changing now. After 8 days of tireless battles and minimal recovery, as it expected, the human's eyes were dimming and that all consuming light was starting to show the whites of its eyes. Fox shaped eyes the color of chestnuts...dazed and weary. 

Gliding into the air, the dragon hovered face to face with the merkaba encased human. Over the days and nights it had drawn close many times, sizing up the male's appearance and committing it's scent to memory. The human didn't shy away, a tacit understanding between the two.  It was in a fragile state, and merely held its place in the air to defend.  The dragon observed for a few moments..before bumping it's snout lightly against it.

The merkaba rippled..then completely shattered.

"Ah!" 

The cry of the human as it came to its senses spurred the dragon into action. The form which could melt steel turned much smaller, soft and malleable. It caught the human before lowering to the ground, looking down on it curiously.  At the same time, the human gained clarity, recent memories of their time together rushing forth.

Gazing into piercing dragon eyes, the human stammered while raising a hand. 

"B..b..b.."

Hearing a thundering heartbeat and seeing cold sweat, the dragon leaned in to bear witness. After so many years of silence..what would this human's first words be?

"Big dragon!" 

"...."

"What?"

"Big!"

"..a big dragon!"

"...."

One human and one dragon looked at each other. And then that human threw a punch to knock the big dragon down..

He remembered quite a bit of their last 8 days together. No dragon who dared beat him up should be left standing!

The offender in question dodged the blow easily, and watched as the human became more and more upset. Cheeks puffed, the youth bit down on his own lip until it showed red. He threw a couple more highly skilled right hooks. He was furious, but there was also a fair amount of confusion in the eyes.  The longer the dragon dodged and watched, the more pensive his gaze, and soon, the dragon coiled around the form that was shaking like a reed with anger before him.

"Evil dragon!" 

Squirming and making a fuss, the human fought relentlessly. Without the force of it's merkaba however, the strikes were little more than a kitten making biscuits. The dragon huffed and closed its eyes, wrapping up the naked limbs and laid its head on a patch of grass. 

"Yes. I'm an evil dragon. And you're a little fool. Do you know where you are?"

It was only after this question that the human stopped flailing and trying to bite. He couldn't understand why the scales on the dragon were so hard before. Now they felt like rubber.

All around there seemed to be destruction, but his memories revealed that these things were half his fault. As for where this was, it should be the Peril Training Grounds within the Estate of Seers..and a few miles out, was the Tower.  Thinking to this point, the human looked up at the clear blue sky, bewildered.

The sun shone softly on his face and he couldn't help struggling to reach a hand out. This..was not the sky that he remembered. The ever dark ceiling of wards designed to snuff out all light. Nor the bloody sky that rained dying creatures and putrid blood. This..was entirely different!

Seeing nothing familiar, and hearing only silence, his thrashing heightened in intensity. Whether conscious or not, something had occurred to him, and immediately filled him with dread. 

"LET GO!"

"Why should I let you go?" The dragon scoffed, nonchalant.  "Where do you have to be, 900 years late?"

"..Tower!" 

"What obligation do you have at the Tower?"

"Stop  Teacher!" 

The dragon took a good look at this frantic human for a few moments. He growled softly. "Is it possible you haven't learned to speak the language of beasts properly?"

"Can't.." 

"How shameful for a General.."

"Go back..to empire.." 

"You can't. There's nothing waiting for you there.."

"..minions are waiting!"  Tears fell unabated from the human's eyes. He touched them, confused, and his voice quivered as he tried to show them off. "..Sick.."

The dragon raised its head.  "You aren't sick. Those are tears.."

"Important.." 

"Your minions?" The dragon scoffed and spoke frankly of what he knew from the past. "Minions are pawns. Expendables for the General's cause. I saw hundreds die before Generals even decided to lift a finger. You used them as you would kindling."

"NO!" 

The human shook its head furiously, eyes red. A weight was bearing down on it's heart and it could neither figure out why nor express it. Clutching at his chest, he hunched over, lashes glistening with fresh tears. It was hard to breathe. This was worse than fighting the big dragon all day. The thing in his chest was tightening, getting smaller and smaller.

"Minions..important...special."

"This  is the  problem  with you humans." The dragon snorted, annoyed. "You always develop feelings for things you shouldn't.."

Uncoiling from the human at last, the dragon adjusted it's size for better interaction. Drawing near, he gently nudged the wet cheeks dry and tried to instruct him. "Generals are meant to consume their minions, understand?" 

The glossy scales felt cold yet radiated warmth. Though the head was generally hard, the snout was soft and part of it's mane felt like warm goose feathers. The human immediately calmed and blinked with big wet eyes. With this docil appearance, the dragon finally relaxed.

"Give! Minions! Back!"  Hurling a fist into that soft snout..the same one that had just comforted him, the human yelled in upset.

It seemed he had found a good spot. The dragon instantly jerked away and roared in agitation. It wasn't that it was gravely injured, but it still hurt!  "You little-!"

Seeing the smaller formed dragon scrunching up it's snout and roaring, the human pointed, lips raised in amusement. 

Those upturned lips made the ghost of a smile, which looked natural on the face that had clearly never smiled. That smile radiated a pure and honest warmth. The light in his eyes was veiled with mischief and two breathy hiccups were the first vestiges of laughter to come from his throat.

"Insolent!" The big dragon could appreciate none of this, however. Dwarfing the human in size, it's scales turned razor sharp and the luscious mane around it's head stood on end and sparked with lightning. He was livid..  "I saved your life and comforted you! How could you attack and laugh!" 

Sunshine from above illuminated an artifact sticking up from the ground. The human's attention quickly shifted and it ran towards it. He bent over, showing his butt, while a dragon grew angry and summoned lightning.  "Little fool. I'm about to send you to heaven. Don't think your rear will cover the cost.."

It closed in, contemplating a direct strike or rather to eat the cheeks laid bare before it as a snack.

"FOUND!" 

Before taking a bite or raining down lightning, the dragon stopped. A shining emerald coin was thrust in its face by a youthful hand whose nails were shimmering gold. The dragon frowned, it's momentum diverted. It narrowed it's irises to focus..

On that coin, was the seal of the Tortoise kingdom. And judging by the ghostly wisp of energy attached to it, a thing not of the living had been carried away recently..and that thing left an energetic trail for someone to find.

The dragon sighed, relaxing it's scales and hiding it's fangs. He had plenty of time to seek justice for himself. "Do you know who that is?" 

"Minion!" 

The dragon frowned. Minions possessed soul ties to their General, so it wasn't odd that the human could detect an energy signature left behind. The strange thing was that this signature was recent, and every being from the Great War should have perished long ago. The dragon looked around the area with a raised body, scenting the air. Nothing was amiss at the moment. Looking down at the human who held the emerald coin like a treasure, he contemplated many things.

"You want to find your minions?" 

"Mn!" 

"..but they're not at the Tower." 

The dragon paused briefly. He knew the human was an emotional sort even if it didn't realize it yet. Thus he kept his voice calm. "The Tower was destroyed a long time ago." 

"..."

"Your 'Teacher' is dead." 

"What.."

"The Human Empire..is no more." 

"...."

Eyes widening, the human struggled to process those words. In the end he still couldn't comprehend it and stumbled up to the dragon with uncertainty.  "..Gone?" 

The dragon looked deep into the eyes that showed both fear..and much more deeply hidden..relief. "Yes. Gone. Everything you knew is gone. It's over."

"Who.."

"Me. And my kind." 

"M-minions.."

"I didn't kill your minions." 

"..lying..dragon.." 

"I would sooner eat you than lie to you. Serves no purpose.."

Silence reigned as the human grappled with the gravity of everything spoken.

Never mind that he had yet to learn of his great sleep..but all of a sudden the Tower and Human Empire were gone. All at once the human wished to be fluent in the beast tongue. There were so many questions to be answered, but he could not even ask them properly..

"Teach!" He gestured to himself, patting his chest emphatically. 

Of all the things to be said. The dragon didn't expect this. 

"Teach!"

Thinking about it, if they could have more than one dimensional dialogues it would be great. There was still a lot of mystery surrounding the Tower and it's inner workings, and despite calling the youth a little fool, there was nothing but tomes of knowledge and arcane secrets in the human brain. It would be a shame to waste it.

Not to mention the currency from a distant land being found in his territory. Investigating was a given. Keeping the human by his side for now seemed best. Who knew if it would still be around if left alone. 

"Alright. I will teach you. But you must do as I say and follow me closely. Are you capable?"

"Mn!" 

"Then, you are my minion now." 

"You are my minion now ~"  The human smiled, nodding along and copying with gusto. He thought his pronunciation was pretty good for a beginner.

"Don't copy me. I'm not teaching anything yet."

"Don't copy me! I'm not teaching anything yet!" 

"I mean it.."

"I mean it!" 

"Little fool!" 

"Big dragon!" 

"..." 

  Seeing the face illuminated with joy, the dragon lowered his head and furrowed it's brows. Looking weary, it drew closer and bumped the little head that had finally lowered it's guard.  "Listen to me. Do not repeat, alright?  Behave." 

The human saw the amethyst eyes of the dragon up close. That clear and radiant space eclipsed by a thin obsidian pupil was mesmerizing. The dragon swallowed and cursed in his heart. This tactic was called 'Charm'. One only did it when attracting mates.  But it was an asset when others wouldn't shut up.

In a docile and dazed state, the human nodded and kept staring into those clear pools. Its hands that were once vicious, reached out and offered some gentle strokes to the warm snout within reach.

The dragon stiffened, and suddenly sneezed, blowing that human miles into the air. 

Thank goodness it was a high level mage! He rushed up, lowering his body and changed it's consistency in the air. When the human landed, it was on soft and bouncy scales. The human snapped out of it and frowned, pounding against the dragon's body with balled fists, and biting into the rubber scales as it flew them around. "Tricking dragon!" 

"Yes.. I used a trick. It wasn't on purpose. Don't tell anyone."

"Tricked me!" 

"Quiet. Unless you can fly.." 

"..." 

The human sulked and frowned. It didn't matter whether he could understand what was happening. Touching the dragon and getting enamored against his will brought a familiar feeling. Maybe in the past he had been tricked a lot? Despite the hazy memory, he had to make himself clear. 

"No. Tricking."  Slapping the dragon's neck a few times, he warned fiercely. 

"Fine. Though I might still do it if you're being a little fool. Don't blame others if you deserve it." 

The human calmed down.. and eventually splayed out on the dragon's back, gazing at the light blue expanse with mounds of clouds overhead.

Rolling to his side, he looked down with big eyes, scanning the mountain plains, lush hills and crystal waters. Dragon's Eden was a large haven for old dragons. Those who fought in the Great War often clashed with the modern dragons and had complex feelings about regulated humans. The myth of the Eden dragons was that they didn't have connections to one another and didn't even have a society, yet the human's eyes beheld several dragons of all types, mingling in the air and diving in and out of mountains with food and other goods. 

"Welcome to Dragon's Eden. My home."

"Home?" 

"Yes. Home is.." The dragon thought about how to present the concept to a little fool. "Safe. Warm. A place you want to rest in." 

Since he wasn't really a little fool, the message wasn't lost on him. "Want..home." 

"My home can be your home. Just behave and I won't kick you out." 

"Evil  dragon." 

"I said only if you  don't  behave, little fool.."

"No little fool!" 

"Then, what are you called?"

"000"

"What?"

"000!"'

"That's.. not a name."  The dragon made a face and dove down into the busy market place. The markets flanked both sides of a thin and serpentine river, the clear waters showing the gleaming gemstones lining the bottom. Beech wood colored buildings bearing a glass sheen housed stores selling different commodities. At this point one could see men and women and dragons milling about. Some swam through the air and others rode on big palm stones.

The human was too engrossed in looking at everything to care about the dragon anymore.  "Name not important." 

"Hm. Then, I will give you a name. Don't blame me if you hate it." 

Mulling over it for a while, the dragon growled softly. "Jinxing." 

Pausing, the young man's eyes flickered. He didn't say anything, but didn't seem to hate it.

"Gold star, is its meaning.." 

The war dragon raised his head proudly. "You should love it. My naming sense is better than most." 

Staring at what looked to be a pinwheel stand, the human eventually looked back at the dragon.. which was a lot smaller now and hovering beside him. "Love?" 

"..."

Did he really have to explain this?

"Love is..how you feel about your minions. You want to find them..and keep them close and protect them. They are in your heart and it hurts if you can't be near them or know if they're safe. The feeling of having even a part of them with you, fills you with good sensations. Can you understand?" 

Eyes growing wide, the human jumped excitedly. "Jinxing loves minions!" 

"Rather than loving minions, it's more that you love your own minions. And, they were your family, I suppose."

"Family." 

"That's right." 

"Jinxing loves family." 

"Hm. You've said the name twice now. I guess you like it after all." 

"Jinxing name big dragon!"

"No. I have my own name. Listen well.."

On the market street of Dragon's Eden, an obsidian dragon rose high into the air. Many dragons used charms to hide their true form. A mask of types, no dragon could believe another dragon's appearance until they fought. Only then would the truth of their affinities come out.

If there was any way to trace them however,  it would be in their secondary form. No one knew the purpose of the secondary form until humans arrived,  and during the Great War it helped with many covert operations. The fact that many dragons still used it now was just a matter of convenience. 

Jinxing looked up as the big dragon made an obsidian ring around the sun with its body. It represented that mythical ouroboros, biting its own tail. The dragon shined as bright as the sun and spun rapidly. And from within that ring, a being descended..

The male in question seemed to be sculpted from white jade.  It's body was muscular and lean, assaulting the eyes with perfect proportions.  The color of shadow, his hair fluttered in the wind like spider silk..framing a sharp and handsome face with dark prominent brows but gentle eyes.

Faintly coral lips pulled upward in a smile, accenting amethyst eyes that were shining with a familiar quality. Standing before Jinxing, was none other than that big dragon. Tall and unyielding, his presence drew plenty of open stares.

From the humans perspective, it was clearly a dragon of the strongest clan types, overflowing with regal dominance and beauty. Many dragons in passing inclined their heads deeply. It was both a polite and submissive gesture, but extremely subtle. 

Quite a few had seemed to realize just who it was that had descended, but wisely didn't rush up and make a scene.  Others aptly ran for their lives.

Pointing to his own face, the dragon advanced on the smaller Jinxing, reaching out for the hand that had clenched worriedly into a fist.

"Tian  Ci. Birth name Ci. Clan name Tian. It means 'Thorn', in your language.  Do not forget this face, or this name. It is the most important to your survival.."