The Guide for the Lost
"Wake up. Please, wake up!"
That was the first thing the dragon heard, both in his dream and when he woke up. The black scaled groaned as he opened his yellow reptilian eyes and quickly noticed a fellow black-scaled dragon on top of him. He quickly assessed this dragon's appearances and quickly deduced that the dragon was a she.
The memories of what happened was blurry. The black scaled noticed the sky was black. He also smell a rather sharp smell, one that he had smell for a couple of times now.
It was the smell of blood.
More specifically, the smell of blood on a wet soil. A spilt blood, to be exact, as there was nothing natural from that. He then turned towards the source of that smell, and quickly found what it was.
A dead red-scaled dragon. The blood around him was boiling, identifying him as a fire-breathing dragon. The black scaled wondered how he was killed, but another dragon demanded his attention.
"Hey, can you get up?" said the black dragon. "We need to get back."
"Get back? Where?" said the black scaled, confused.
"A safe place, so you can continue on," she said.
The black scaled, still confused by the cryptic remarks, did not trust her. The female dragon, sensing what was going on, said, "Trust me. You don't want to be surrounded by the dead."
"What...happened?" said the black scaled.
"A battle happened," said the female dragon. "You're caught in it. We are not yet saved. The battle rages on. Look up north."
The black scaled stood on his four legs and turned to see a couple of dragons fighting against a storm. Why would they do that? The dragon knew that even dragons must yield against nature, so why were they so determined to fight a storm?
Still, the more the dragon looked at it, he noticed that the storm was unnatural. It was a dangerous magic that went out of control. He wanted to go and take a closer look, but the female dragon stopped him.
"No, don't," she said, shaking her head. "It's their fight now. You cannot join them."
"Why not?"
"Because those dragons are beyond what you're capable of. They're monsters, for the lack of a better term. Their attacks are collateral, so I suggest you stay away and get to a safe place."
The black scaled could sense some motive in the female dragon's voice, but with the urgency in her tone, and the condition of the battlefield, he agreed to her suggestion and walked away from where he lay unconscious.
The black scaled walked through the battlefield, looking at the dragons and the soldiers that both survived and did not survive an apparently devastating battle that he did not remember. Why was he there? What happened to him to be caught in a battle? Who was he? He asked all these questions to his black dragon companion.
"I guess it hit your harder than I thought," said the female dragon. "Do you remember your name? Were you with a partner?"
"Partner?"
"A dragon rider. The dragons involved in this battle are partnered with a rider. Are you one of them?"
"I...don't know. I guess I come here by my own."
"How about your name?"
"That's the thing. I don't know."
The female dragon nodded in confirmation. "Guess it hit you harder than I thought."
"What hit me?"
"I don't know. It's something you must find for yourself. But do not worry. Memories will return."
"When?"
"Only when you're calmed, and you're safe. Come on."
The black scaled did not understand, and he clearly wanted to know. The female dragon seemed to know everything he had lost. Still, complete trust came a long way, though there was no one he could relate to, unless he could talk to the dead, of course.
And speaking of death, except the part where he could see the dragons fighting something from afar, he could not hear anything else. It was silent. So silent, in fact, that it was so eerie. It felt like walking through a graveyard.
"Surely, the battle was not this devastating," said the black scaled. "I might ask you what happened, but I can't remember it myself."
"The battle against the north," said the female. "The greatest battle of this time. Have it come back?"
"No, sorry," said the black scaled. "I don't remember anything before you woke me up."
"Really? How about strong memories? Your hatching? First mating? Friends? Families?"
"I can't even remember the name my parents gave me."
The black scaled noticed that the female seemed rather disappointed that he had not recovered from his amnesia in the slightest. So, the female said, "There must be something you remember. Try harder."
"I know I am a dragon." The black scaled looked down to his legs. "And black scaled. I know I have wings and I can fly."
"I'd tell you to fly, but I don't recommend it," said the female. "Unless you need a little bump to jog your memory."
"I might as well do that."
The black scaled could feel his wings opened and he moved them as he jumped. To his surprise, instead of the air pressure pushing him up, he was pulled by gravity and fell on the black, blood-soaked soil. Groaning, he wondered what happened, until he turned to see one of his wings.
It wasn't there. One of his wings had been blasted off, apparently by a very powerful fire breath or something else. His surprise quickly turned to a grimace as he felt pain on the part of his damaged wings, and he roared as the pain intensified.
The female dragon moved towards him and said, "Yeah. I did warn you."
"Why didn't I feel that pain before?" said the dragon as he recovered from the pain. "And why didn't you tell me?"
"Either way, the shock is sufficient," said the female.
"Why are you so fixated in returning my memories? Just who are you?"
"Someone you should trust if you want to get out of here," said the female.
"For once, just tell me the truth, will you?"
Before the female dragon could say something, the black scaled could hear a guttural sound coming from a nearby pool. It sounded like a dying dragon who had their throats cut off. As he walked towards the pool, however, he was surprised by the emergence of a dragon from within the pool. It apparently had a full complement of scales before, but they were already mostly gone, on top of the fact that its body was decaying. No smell came out, however.
The female dragon then said, "Get back from that dragon. Slowly."
The black scaled had reservations trusting the female dragon, but she was still better than the dragon in front of him, which clearly was terrifying to look at and was already dead from the look of it. He walked back slowly, but then he noticed the pool under the undead dragon started to move towards him.
The female dragon's voice became urgent. "Oh, screw that. Get back, now!"
The black scaled quickly knew the danger and ran towards the black female dragon. However, he was too late for a second. The black pool hid a depth hidden from the black-colored surface, and from that depth came out the claws of the undead dragon pulling the black scaled's leg towards it.
The black scaled struggled to get free, completely surprised by the strength and the speed this undead dragon had. The female dragon got the black scaled's front legs as he was being dragged into the black pool.
"Use your magic!" exclaimed the female dragon as she pulled the black scaled towards her. "Get it away from you!"
The black scaled knew he was supposed to have an elemental magic in his disposal, but he did not remember it. But then, desperate, he tried to let out something from his body, and he succeeded.
To his surprise, he was also a fire-breather. He used his fire to burn the undead dragon's head, causing it to shriek in pain. The shriek was so unnatural and ghostly, causing the black scaled to shudder. However, the drive to survive made him realize that it was a chance he needed to exploit. The dragon then pushed himself away from the black pool. The female dragon then said, "Run."
The black scaled did not need someone to remind him that he was in danger. He quickly stood up and dashed away, following her. After some distance away, the female stopped, apparently exhausted.
"It won't be the only attack from it," said the female. "We need to hurry."
"What the hell was that?!" exclaimed the black scaled.
"An Unsent," said the female. "There's bound to be more than one in this battlefield, so we must hurry."
"Unsent?! Like a lingering ghost?! What the hell is going on? How can there be dragon ghosts?"
"Not just dragons. Humans, too. Their unnatural deaths have created the Unsent that can never move on. They prey on healthy souls, and once they have corrupted that soul, the soul will not be able to move on, even after death."
"If they're souls, then why are they here? How can I even see them?"
"We are not within the safe zone. This area is a place where the living and the dead wanders. When that line is blurred, those things will hunt. That is why it is important that you get to the safe zone now."
"I don't even know who the hell I am! Who are you? I demand answers!"
"Do you really need a more concrete answer than that?! Look, dragon, I don't care if you trust me or not, but trust me. You don't want to become an Unsent."
"I need answers before I can trust that you are not one of them! Also, my name is Asheogar!"
This surprised the black scaled. He did not even know his name before. Now, he spitted it out rather casually. The female dragon smiled.
"Good. I will give you this, Asheogar. All your answers will be answered once we reached the safe zone. Right now, I only have my words. But I don't need to remind you that we are at risk of being consumed here, and you only have me."
"What if you're an Unsent? How can I know?"
"They try to corrupt you by touch. Have I tried corrupting you?"
It seemed to have convinced Asheogar that he could trust the female dragon. The female dragon nodded and said, "Knowing the danger, I think it's best if we make a run for it. Come on."
Asheogar and the female ran, with the black scaled following the female. Asheogar had many questions to ask the female, but knowing the urgency of their safety, and the fact that this female was the only one who knew what was going on, gave him no alternative. She was the only one that he could trust, for there was none other.
As they ran through the desolate wasteland, Asheogar noticed some survivors, both humans and dragons, being confused. However, unlike Asheogar, they somehow knew what they were doing. Asheogar also noticed black butterflies near them. Even ravens. He always knew ravens were messengers of the dead. Every time a raven was around, death was always around.
He also noticed black pools around them, and dragons and humans that had clearly died for a while emerged from them. Asheogar could see one of them speeding towards another individual, who was a human. The human seemed to be scared and ran towards a different direction but was quickly consumed by the black pool. Asheogar had no time to save him or even react, because it was so quick.
He realized that it was far too dangerous to stay. At least he got the female black dragon who seemed to know what was going on. He still had many questions, however, but the urgency of their survival did not permit a stop for questions. The female seemed serious about it, so that was the point where he could try and trust her.
They ran and ran until they the female said, "The safe zone!" Asheogar looked forward to see a place where there were not bodies and camps for the survivors that made it. However, this revelation also came with the fact that the attack towards them became intensified. The black pool started to caught up with Asheogar and started attacking him. One even caught him before the female dragon used some sort of energy to cut the Unsent, causing it to let out the blood-curling shriek that made Asheogar shudder.
"Come on! It's not long now!" exclaimed the female. Asheogar, with renewed determination, started increasing his pace, running and running until his mind went blank, with only one word repeating in it: run. He ran like hell was catching on to him, and before he knew it, he had crossed the safe zone. A loud shriek gave him the answer as he returned to reality and turned around.
The black pool stopped pursuing them and one of the Unsent tried to cross, only to be burned by a dark blue flame into ashes.
"Nice work, there, Asheogar," said the female. "Can I call you Ashe, though?"
"Yeah, that's fine," said Asheogar. "And sorry to have doubted you."
"No worries. I still need to warn you that this isn't over yet."
"Why? This is the safe zone, right?"
"Yes. The Unsent will not attack you here. Have you remembered your past?"
"I know my name, I know my element, I know I was hatched in front of my parents, and I worked with the Order," said Asheogar. "Guess a little sprint can make your mind clear, huh?"
The female dragon did not answer. In fact, her face turned serious. The confused Asheogar then asked, "What's wrong?"
"That means it's time," she said. "Ashe...look behind you."
Asheogar turned around, expecting something surprising. It was very surprising...and rather morbid.
He saw many dragons and riders that were laid across the plains, all in different states of injury. Asheogar took care not to disturb them, though he was rather confused that they were not reacting towards a mid-sized dragon walking through them with care. Maybe they were too fixated with trying to save lives that they could not even be distracted.
Asheogar then realized something. Why was he walking through them? He had an impulse to keep walking, apparently expecting something at the end of the camp. He wanted to know. He wanted to see.
He then reached one part of the wounded camps to find a black dragon. This dragon looked rather familiar. He was dying and was comforted by a human who cried as he heard reports, apparently medical reports of the dragon's condition.
"He saved my life, doctor," said the human. "If it wasn't for him, I'd not be here talking to you! Save him, goddamn it! He's my partner!"
Asheogar felt sympathy against this rider. He seemed to know this human, too, but where? He was an Order member, so he should be someone he knew, right?
Before he knew it, he moved to the human and said, "Harry...". To his surprise, the dying black dragon also said, "Harry". The human heard the dragon, but not Asheogar.
Then the revelation came.
"Ashe? Asheogar! You're alive!" said the human to the dying dragon. "He still has a chance."
"No, Harry. Don't you understand?" said the doctor. "He was already poisoned by a slayer's weapon and was struck down by a stray attack from the Northern dragons. If he survives, he won't be able to fly."
"Ashe will understand, doctor. Not all dragons need to fly. Right, Ashe?"
"Only he took more than one weapon. Harry, his wounds are beyond healing magic and any known medical knowledge. Only a miracle will save him."
Asheogar wanted to know the dragon that was in front of him. Why was he also named Asheogar? Draconic names were not that common, unlike human names.
"So, have you connected the dots?" said the female's voice behind him. "You don't need a genius to know that."
Asheogar quickly got to his conclusion, which surprised him. He turned towards the female and said, "That dragon...is me. I am dying."
"There is no miracle," said the female shaking her head. "Your death is certain."
"Why...didn't you just tell me about it?" said Asheogar. "It would save you the trouble of trying to convince me."
"Your soul is still left in the battlefield because you were too fixated to the safety of your partner," said the female. "In the final moments before he lost consciousness, it developed into an obsession. However, you never managed to retain any memories of what happened because of the trauma caused by the injuries."
"Then why did you keep this from me?"
"The shock of the revelation might cause the memories that led to your final moments to come rushing in, which might do you no good. The battlefield and this place are a limbo, a plane between life and death. It is the moment of judgement and acceptance. If you're simply being told that you're dead, you might not even have a chance to accept it and end up being an Unsent."
Asheogar looked at his dying body as he looked at himself. Memories slowly came to him as of how he was mortally injured. He was flying with his partner, Harry, to fight against some Northern dragons when a stray icicle hit his wing and he was downed and was quickly involved in a fight between the Dragonsbane and the rest of the alliance. The Dragonsbane was fighting a losing fight due to the involvement of hellhounds, but they managed to put in a couple of attacks, even if it was futile in winning the fight in the whole.
One of those attacks apparently came out of anger and desperation of losing. The slayers found a downed dragon and attacked him out of pure malice. This dragon, who knew the danger, shielded his rider partner as he was stabbed by spears and swords laced with a dangerous magic that could kill dragons. Even in pain and suffering, the dragon kept protecting his rider as they had trusted each other. This dragon knew that he would die, but the rider would survive, free to continue his life as he saw fit.
This dragon was Asheogar himself, who finally remembered the final moment of his conscious self. He did not know what happened when he closed his eyes, only that he heard the sound of ripping and cutting, then the feeling of warm blood sprayed on his scales.
Then, another question came to him, one which he directed towards the female dragon.
"Who are you?" asked Asheogar the female dragon. "The truth this time."
"There's no point of holding the truth when you're in no danger of becoming an Unsent, is there?" said the female dragon with a smile.
Then, to Asheogar's astonishment, the black dragon's feature slowly changed. She was slowly covered with feathers, most of it covering her wings, turning them into a pair of avian wings. Parts of those feathers grew between her horns as her red eyes slowly turned pitch black. She was also coated with an aura of darkness that seemed to muddle her features further, except she quickly made them dissipate, apparently to show Asheogar who she was.
"Oh," said Asheogar, astonished by this transformation.
"I am a death dragon, Ashe," said the female. "A guide for lost souls."
"I...never suspected you as one before," said Asheogar.
"Even with my powers over death, I cannot save souls that are in danger of becoming an Unsent. Our role is to guide, not to reap souls."
"Then, why can't you guide the Unsent?"
"They have died a violent death that was neither heroic nor honorable. While we tried to treat death as equal, not all souls can be saved without the souls acknowledging that fact. Some of those deaths were far too horrific, and the realization of it, even with a guidance, will still turn them into an Unsent."
"How horrific?"
The female dragon looked away, and said, "Something you might not even imagine could happen to a dragon. It's better you stay away from that, or you'll lose your only chance of moving on."
"So, I need to move on? Is my body tethering my soul?"
"Your willpower is commendable, but in the end, it will fail. It won't be long now."
Asheogar turned towards his body and saw his rider looking at him. He seemed to be looking at his rider back, but he was still standing in place. He wanted to say to Harry to let him go, but he knew he could no longer do that. His body was failing, and before long...it expired.
He looked at his rider, who cried over his dead body. Asheogar wanted to try and comfort his rider, at least to make things easier for him. He knew he and Harry were inseparable, but he wanted the human to move on. To know that there was a future given to him by Asheogar. It was the only gift he could give to a friend...and a brother.
"You alright?" asked the female.
"Yeah," said Asheogar. "I..."
"You wish you have time to say something in the end, right? Harry will understand."
"I...haven't always be kind towards him," said Asheogar. "I sometimes thought that I haven't done something worthwhile with him. I never could understand human feelings, but I do know he loves me like a brother. But...aside from love, what did I get?"
"You got what everybody gets," said the female. "You got a lifetime."
Asheogar smiled. She was right. He had a lifetime, and he used it well.
"It is time," said the female. "Let's go."
Asheogar looked at the female and said, "Let's." They then walked side by side as Asheogar followed her into a portal. It then closed behind him.
Asheogar's soul was one of many who were saved during the final fight between the Northern dragons and the Order and their allies. This fight claimed many lives, and many of them were left wandering the Earth until they could find peace. The death dragons bid their times to wait for these souls until it was time for them to understand that they were no longer a part of that world.
The dragons believed that they joined their ancestors upon death, which was not just a simple belief. It was the truth. However, these dragons would not know about it after their deaths, and it was the end of a road called 'life' they continued travelling on.
All life had a beginning, and an end. It was the nature of things.