The hooded man arrived in the summer, late one afternoon in the end of June; he was limping, evidence of a long journey on foot. He entered through the Eastern Gate, one of four entrances to the walled city of Jomo. The visitor had made it less than one hundred yards inside the wall when he was stopped by a bearish man who had stepped onto the stone pathway.
"I am Nami, Guardian of the Eastern Gate of the Holy City. None shall pass without permission. What brings you here, stranger? What is your name?"
The outsider slowly lowered his hood to reveal his weathered features. Sand colored hair fell about his face, almost to his shoulders. A dark red scar began an inch below his left eye and split his face in half on a diagonal to the bottom of his right cheek. The robes he wore were a faded emerald: years of exposure to the sun had dried the life out of them. His eyes were steel grey.
"My name is Torion, I am a Holder. Word has spread throughout the New Realm. Word of a death. Is it true? Has the last of the Greats died?"
Nami knew he should not be disrespectful to a Holder, yet he did not answer. Instead, he allowed his bullish facade to dissipate and he dropped his head in prayer.
"May I see him? I have heard legends of the mighty Xarder my entire life. Was he truly the greatest Protector from the Ancient Realm?"
"We must hurry Torion, for his burning will be held tonight at dusk. The entire city will be in attendance. I think they are prepping him with prayers and gifts for his next life. Follow me, and please keep up."
The Guardian turned on his heel and swiftly set off for the city. From their position a half mile away from the Sacred Square, they would be hard-pressed to make it in time.
A quarter-hour later, they arrived at the Sacred Square. No one from the city was in attendance yet, and the two men found themselves alone with the giant carcass of Xarder the Protector.
"Do you know his story?" asked Nami.
"Only the legends that have been told."
"It has been such a long time that no one alive even has ancestors who know the true story. Nevertheless, I will tell you of what I know. Over three thousand years ago, back when our world was in the Ancient Times, mankind was in turmoil. War and famine had dominated the realm for decades. One night, a man who was attempting to flee our Holy City and test his fate on the high seas that rest two-hundred miles from here stumbled upon something in the mountains. It was a giant nest; the story goes that it was the size of a hut. Within the nest were five broken eggs: each the size of an adult man and the color of a deep fire. Dragon eggs. As you and everyone else in the realm know, dragon eggs, even broken, are capable of magic. The eggs must be ground into a fine powder and then released off of a mountain top. Luckily, the man knew this and ground one of the eggs into the ground until it was a fine powder, and readied himself to release them off the mountain. When the ash began to blow away with the wind, he whispered this: 'Please help us come together as a people, not as enemies.' And then, nothing happened. After a few hours of waiting, he decided to head home to Jomo and leave the next night. When he awoke in the morning, the city was quiet. He did not hear angry mobs, he did not see fires burning, he did not see anyone that had been killed over night. What he did see? A giant dragon perched in the Sacred Square. It was Xarder. A beautiful teal Protector. And, in the coming weeks, word had reached them that the other cities in the realm had been blessed with dragons as well. In the valley city of Rivem, there was the crimson Protector Cymmu. The port city of Grimi was now home to the magenta Protector Irretet. The coal black Protector Tirevi guarded the mineral town of Borru. And lastly, the hill country town of Slybi became the home of the canary yellow Protector Moldriss. These Protectors brought peace to our lands for over three millennia. And now, Xarder, the oldest and last of the Protectors, has left us."
Torion did not know what to say. He knew that as a Holder it was his responsibility to assume authority in the Holy City. But how would he assume authority of a city that had been protected by a dragon for so many years?
"Well, sir," came a flat voice that ripped Torion from his thoughts, "Shall I show you to your throne?"