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Nejireru's story, page 1 This takes place sometime after Yagami's arrival at Alabaster Cove (Yagami's story, pages 1 through 5). What appeared to be a meteor to any that might have seen the phenomenon, fell from the twilight sky. It hurtled at amazing speeds, hitting the atmosphere and igniting as it appeared from out of Nowhere. It was a man, but not just any man, for he appeared unharmed by the inferno, sleeping through the roar of the wind rushing past his ears until he heard a voice: Awake, my son. You have arrived on Alskyr. As consciousness returned, the psychic link broke; he moaned and reached out as his eyes opened. Realizing where he was, his body seemed to spasm and the flames around him flared with great intensity: his descent slowed, until the time he landed, when he righted himself, touching down lightly on both feet. The flames disappeared and he was bathed in the ghostly darkness of dusk. Which was probably a good thing, for what was left of his clothing had been reduced to char. He looked around and swore; it appeared that he had landed in the middle of a grassland completely devoid of humans. And their clothing. "What am I supposed to do," he growled, "weave a grass skirt?" He looked up at the sky, watching the first stars emerge from the heavens, and took a deep breath. Somewhere, finally, my brother is looking up at this same sky. It was almost as if he could feel his presence, they were so close. A shiver of anticipation coursed through him; he had not seen his brother in so long. Days? Months? Years? It felt as long. He remembered the first time they had been separated. The brothers had been very young, literally a handful of years old. After a while, Nejireru's abilities had proven to be too strong for their mother to handle. Yagami, by nature, had always been cool and collected, but Re was hot-tempered. He had a bad habit of breaking things when he got mad. They had lost several family pets to his rage. Their father had relished the day he took his son home with him. It was a strike against his inferior human love-toy. He liked to prove his superiority over her every chance he had. He loved her expressions of impotent rage as he put her back into her rightful place. He loved that she fought back so willfully. And so, Nejireru had grown up apart from his twin in a distant realm, under alien circumstances and a different set of rules. His favorite place there had been, and remained to this day, something he could only describe as a fire garden. Trees and vines were trapped in a perpetual autumnal state; flowers' flame-colored blossoms, a spectrum of color ranging from deepest wine-red (almost purple) to brilliant lemon-yellow, never wilted; and the temperature never dipped below a balmy 85-degrees Farenheit. In that garden Nejireru's gifts had flourished like fuel added to a bonfire. But never was he in complete control of them so that, while they grew, he was forced to suppress them. It was a great lesson in self-control, but a problem that continually infuriated his father. He became obsessed with Re, in strengthening and controlling those powers to his own ends. In many ways, he impeded his son's progress. Forever independent, Nejireru had finally had enough and broke free of his father's grasp. Like a magnet, he had sought-out his twin brother. And then he found the key to his success: the control over his powers was restored when he found Yagami. They had been teens at the time. Yes, he thought, smiling to himself, I felt then like I feel now. Strange, he considered, how his father had seemed reluctant to bring his sons together again. Couldn't they do more damage together than apart? Wasn't that a demon's final duty in this world, to create more chaos? He knew their potential destructive power! So why would he knowingly keep them apart … unless he had other plans? Without knowing any details, he had discovered his father's hidden agenda. The demon, understanding the implications of bonding with a dragon, realized that bonding to a creature of similar elements -- in Yagami's case, to a water dragon -- might actually enhance his sons' abilities. By instigating a prompt reunion between the siblings, he might miss a rare opportunity! By keeping them apart for now, he might actually facilitate his cause later on. So it had taken persuasion, in the form of Nejireru's incessant pleading (much to the half-demon's resentment, for having to stoop so low) and a sudden revelation to change his mind: what if both sons bonded to a dragon? Either way, they would be forced to remain apart for a little while longer, long enough to find a bond. That suited the demon just fine; Re wouldn't like it, but he knew how to deal with a little disappointment. And so while Nejireru awaited his father's decision, no doubt pacing the floor impatiently, his father had sent "feelers" out, minor demons and imps to discover which available dragons might enhance Nejireru's abilities. Fire dragons had been his first choice; all had a certain command over the element and some were even composed of fire… But then he had discovered the xenodragons. Each had a fierce disposition, an inherent need to populate, and had great potential to create havoc in their wake. Such a nightmarish creature would be a perfect match to his fiery son's violent temper. The armor on its body would physically protect it from his rage. And wouldn't luck have it that these dragons would hatch on an island of Alskyr? Nejireru was never a party to his father's plans. The wily old demon knew that if Re had been, he would have fought his every suggestion. As it was, Re knew his father was up to something, but he was too blinded by his desire to be with his brother to discover exactly what. Perhaps Yagami would know, but for now, he could only curse his father impotently and continue on his way, hoping that he might somehow undermine him. "Damn you, Father! Why do you always have to meddle in our destinies!" he shouted up to the skies, fists clenched. Waves of heat radiated from his body, glowing softly like foxfire. "Now where the hell am I supposed to get some clothes. I'm sure a naked man strolling into town would go over real well…" Without a clue, he finally shrugged and headed north. It was as good a direction to start as any. ~ ~ ~ It wasn't long before he had found an establishment, a ranch whose pastures were inhabited by some of the oddest "horses" he had ever seen. The lead horse, what he could only assume was the stallion from his knowledge of terran horses, gave a warning whinny, watching the equally strange man until he had passed them by. They weren't about to let him approach, but he didn't need a mount anyway… Reaching the main structure, Nejireru easily slunk inside, found the sleeping quarters, and picked out some comfortable clothing before sneaking back outside. The slumbering residents had no idea there had been a prowler in their bedroom. He could have had a little fun with them, but stirring up the natives was not his objective yet. In fact, he was determined to go unnoticed until he had an idea of where he was, where Yagami was, and what the best course of action would be. His father had made it adamantly clear that this would be a one-way trek. His abilities had been greatly strained just sending Re to this distant world, a fact made obvious to him by his inability to speak to his son except in his dreams. Even then, it had taken a vast amount of strength. Similar limitations, though of a different nature, had been demonstrated in conversations through the twins' half-brother the incubus. What it came down to was that over such a great distance, the receiver's defenses (conscious and instinctual) had to be in a weakened state, and what better time to break through than when he was sleeping and vulnerable to suggestion? So Nejireru had been left trying to figure out a way to get back home again. If it came down to his reliance on the native population of Alskyr to get there, there was no way he would wreak havoc on its citizens until it was safe to do so! What a drag, he thought to himself, but maybe while I'm here I can find out what it is Yagami sees in these little humans. ~ ~ ~ page 1 ~ 2 ~ 3 |