3 Voice
#3 of Voice
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There were once three dragon species which thrived on their corners of the great world known as Pangrandin. They lived apart from other species, the avians and the lupines and the ursine and bovine, and a great many more. Eventually the dragons of Pangrandin spread out and mingled, and the pure dragon lines became diluted. Mutt dragons became common, and these new generations spurned the importance of lineage as anything more than a point of interest.
Still, there was a vast amount of unexplored territory. Beasts roamed, and thusly the bulk of the population remained in familiar territory. Dragons, the most powerful of species, became a race of hoarders and adventurers, claiming territory and squandering it. Some became greedy and ravaged border villages for goods and treasures. These dragons tainted the name of their kind, and soon all dragons were viewed as evil. Many were forced out of their homelands by the fierce wolf and eagle guards. The land of the beasts and dragons was declared a danger zone, and only a few other species dared live there. The dragon population dwindled and eventually calmed. The banished became peaceful, using their small amounts of magic to dispel the beasts in areas and erect villages.
In a small dragon settlement, a powerful magic presence set in. It was so powerful that the village and surrounding forest became soaked in this aura, and the people could not pinpoint where it came from. At the same time, a child was born. His father named him Vadim, as his mother had died from the stress of birth. The dragon babe grew well under his father's care. All the while, the powerful presence never faded. Growing up, Vadim himself was deemed magic-blind, as he could not tell that the presence was there at all. How shameful it was to be magic-blind. Every other dragon could sense magic, but Vadim could not! What was this aura that his dad would complain about? To Vadim nothing was there but air.
Feeling out-of-place, Vadim eventually decided to leave. When he reached adulthood, he packed his bags. As he left, so did the powerful presence that had plagued the dragon village for eighteen years. He headed to the mountain, a tiny lump on the horizon obscured by trees. He flew for a long long time. He had no specific goal for this flight, perhaps vague ideas of freedom or an affinity for the earth. He had always felt at home with soil and rocks; perhaps some of his ancestors were land dragons, though his village mostly hosted those of flight.
He had heard that the wild was dangerous, but he did not happen across any of the beasts of legend. Perhaps they were not real; legends made up to scare children so that they wouldn't wander too far. He did plenty of wandering in his youth, and never did he encounter a monster.
Finally at the mountain, he spotted a cave. He would rest there, maybe reside there for a while. He flew inside, landing delicately. It was lit by translucent white stones cut into vaguely squarish hunks. The hunks were mounted on the walls somewhat sporadically, but provided ample lighting. Obviously the cave had been used before. Whether the minerals were a natural light source or enchanted, he could not tell. Curious, Vadim wandered into the throat of the cave.
It took him into the depths of the mountain, and emptied into a large pitch black chamber which he overlooked from a cliff. He could just make out the vague form of... something. Perhaps a smaller mountain within the larger one. How peculiar. Yellow eyes opened, reflecting the stone-light. This was no small mountain! For each eye, Vadim was the diameter. It spoke, voice shaking his blood and soul: "What magic has entered to awaken me?"
Vadim could only be tiny in front of the colossal creature. "There is no magic, only a humble dragon named Vadim."
The eyes centered on him. "No magic you say? A lie, but maintain it if you insist. What brings this Vadim into my cell?"
"Curiosity and an uncaring, stupid courage. And you? What brought you into your cell?"
"Pangrandin herself has trapped me here. Years, so many years have passed. I once ravaged the lands, but the mother spirit Pangrandin, she has locked me away to protect her children from me. I will live in this mountain forever. Nothing could free me."
"That sounds lonely. Will you really live here forever?"
"It is something of a curse to be unaging. As long as air flows from that tunnel and the river provides me with life energy, I will survive in this prison until time itself ends or Pangrandin releases me. Perhaps the river will change course away from the mountain, then maybe I will die. Maybe Pangrandin will grow sick of me and kill me for good."
Vadim sat on the cliff and dangled his legs. "You sound like you've thought about this a lot. What is your name?"
The yellow eyes looked elsewhere in contemplation, before turning back. "My name is Dumow. You seem to be friendly, small dragon. Are you unafraid?"
"A bit afraid, but then it's only me at risk."
Dumow chuckled, seemingly amused. "Only you? Vadim, Vadim, no need to be hard on yourself. You have taken a risk by being in my presence, but only you? You are quite valuable."
"Thank you, but I am just a magic-blind young dragon with no treasure to my name. Say there is value in that, and it will be you maintaining a lie."
"Magic-blind, eh? Why do you say that?"
"Where other dragons sense magic I do not."
"I understand now. You cannot sense yourself, after all, and anything lesser than you is just too insignificant. You must have suffered through a confusing childhood. No lies here, you are most certainly one who has been chosen by Pangrandin to wield her powers. It is very amazing that you have gone so long without as much as an inkling of this. You could free me if you wanted to."
"I am? I could?" Vadim's face contorted in awe and confusion. "Say I was, I wouldn't. You seem polite, but you did ravage the lands. It would be bad to let you out, wouldn't it."
The yellow eyes rolled. "I am too impatient for this."
White teeth emerged from a crack in the darkness. Dumow snapped up Vadim, crushing and swallowing him. Vadim was killed, and his magic became Dumow's. Dumow hastened to cast a liberating spell, but the mountain shook. His newly consumed magic was seeped from him by the earth. The cave crumbled, blocking his only light source and porthole to the outside world. Pangrandin was apparently angry at the death of Vadim.
In the earthy chamber Dumow would die, he suddenly knew this. The hollow mountain held great reserves of air, but it would not take him to forever. He cursed his misfortune, but he would stick it out to the end. He refused to give up and perish just yet.