Take a breath, it’ll be worth it.

The void expanded vastly before her. An endless expanse of life. The forest stretched as far as I could see. It was hard to believe how small it truly was, how this was the last, untouched forest on this planet. On my home. The only reason it was still alive, still worth fighting for, was the lives that made their home in it. My magically brethren.

I had to go through with it. This was the decision made by the original prophets. They set this in place. They set me in place. My duty to bring the life back to the world. I was born for this, raised for this. This was my destiny. I was the only one who could wake it. Wake the beast that will bring life back to the world. Allow the forests to take back their world.

Slowly, I turned, facing the gaping hole before me. Light not daring to penetrate the darkness. Without my night vision I’d be going in blind, however, it only allowed me mild shapes. Finding him endangered my life, I won’t know it’s him till it’ll be almost too late.

I took step after step, my feet not making a sound. I avoided the masses of rock formations. Running my hand across each one, trying to determine the dragonskin. Out of all the rock formations, there was no dragonskin. The beast should be in here, this was his last known location. It didn’t make sense. He couldn’t be moved nor would anyone want to move him.

A soft wind blew across my face, I froze. The warm wind carried the telltale scent of sulphur and death. A magnificent death. The small timezone to survive, to allow the world to survive was almost up.

Why awaken me, when you know the danger that could come of it? The voice was deep, inhuman, surprising. I wasn’t warned it could communicate.

“I’ve come to request your assistance. The time of the prophecy has come,” I called. I looked around, trying to find him.

The prophecy, he snorted. Air blasted my face. One calls on me, awakens me, declares the world is dying and I must save it. It says I shall agree and I shall destroy life. Destroy all lives who does not hide. Then, as the sun sets on my destruction, one shall emerge and survive the ordeal. However, you do not declare the world is dying, you simply ask for my assistance, am I free to deny this? Is the world not dying?

“The world is indeed dying. Humans themselves have destroyed forests full of our mythical breathing, polluted sacred waters in which we bathe the innocent before the gods, they have enslaved us to secrecy under threat of being tested on. The time of the prophecy has come, and we demand your aid.” My voice shook, my body shook. My heart beat rapidly in fear of his denial.

Tell me, does the end justify the means? What you are asking me to do, is it worth the chaos that will come from it. I will rock the world, open it up from the inside, burn your concrete jungles to the ground along side what is left the planets nature, I will flood the land, further polluting the seas with the dead of the guilty. Tell me? Is it justified?

Was it truly justified? Did humanity deserve this. The result was a clean slate, a redo, they would have their normality ripped from them. As appealing as it was to me, was it what others desired? The planet was dying. Which end justifies which means? Mass chaos, nature fighting for itself only to return to its once glorified state? Or to be over ran by concrete and plastic, fake forests that glow in the night, blocking the stars. Each come to the same solution. Each will reach a clean state, however, one will turn the planet into a nuclear wasteland.

“In the end it will all be the same, by aiding us now, you are only prolonging the inevitable. Humans are relentless, they will rebuild. They will rebuild stronger. But right now, they must be humbled. They must remember where their precious life came from and why they should embrace it rather than overwhelm it. To remember their greatness they must recall where they came from.” I no longer shook. I was sure of my decision and of myself.

Very well. Climb onto my back and you will travel with me. Travel with me to awaken my brothers and sisters. Wasser, water, Feuer, fire, Zefferus, wind, Erde, earth, and Deyja, death. We are all needed to bring this world to it’s knees. We will return the planet to it’s former glory. Burn away the hate and crime, wash away the pollution, blow away the plague of lost sight, kill the ignorant who ignore their rightful duties of being human, and finally, breathe life into a new era. The era of wisdom.

The rocks began to move. Up and down, protruding further and further from the floor of the cave. A section of wall uncoiled and lashed out angrily. Feet formed and talons flexed, the roof shuddered and shook revealing long sharp wings. They moved carefully, creating a cool wind tunnel in the cave. I gripped the other wall for support. But as I hung there it too began to move. I pulled away, and eye, white and murky watched me. Nostrils flared and began to glow with a white hot fire. A sound, indescribable rang over the cracking and grating, the dragon move its head out from the wall and shook his head. He blew humid air on me, and curled his scaley lip. I stared in awe at the miraculous beast. He was spectacular. Made of rock and stone for centuries the ultimate disguise fell away as his body shuddered. White and silver plates shining through, brightening the cave. Eccentric designed were carved deep into his scales, his wings shimmered a gold as he moved them. He was truly a sight someone could never forget.

We have work to get done, come with me and we shall work together.

I felt myself nod, absently I crawled onto the nap of his neck and tied myself to one of the spikes on his back. He moved toward the light, toward the opening. And as he flew out, for the first time in several millenniums, he kissed the world with the precious gift of dragon’s breath. Unlike his siblings, his cry did not sound of grating metal, his was almost musical. The birds danced below us and called up in fright as the great beast flew across the sky, its wings darkening the world below it.