Chapter One - Retreat

Explosions shook the ground and toppled parts of the mountain. Hardened rock that weathered thousands of battles, fell onto my outstretched wings. The rocks bounced off seemingly weighing as much as pebbles, as my arms embraced one of my kind.

Nɑˈktnəl looked at me through her uninjured eye, a mana strike having rendered the other blind, blood seeping from her head and flowing down her snout. I cannot imagine what she saw in my eyes as I protected her from the debris, but I could see into hers.

She looked worried. In pain. No doubt for the first time in her life, she felt fear. I smiled at her. A smile without happiness, full of regret and sorrow.

"Ehldər, run." she whispered to me.

I smiled again.

"No. You will run. And you will lead the rest in retreat. Go back home, tend to the wounds, and learn from your mistakes."

Another explosion rained down stones onto my wings while arrows began to pierce my back. I winced but kept my smile.

"I told you all the folly you were making, but no one learns without a few mistakes. Make sure not to make anymore Nɑˈktnəl."

A golden light enveloped me as I began the ritual. All mana flowed from the environment and into me. Tears fell from Nɑˈktnəl's eyes as my voice was amplified for all greater beings to hear.

"You are all to return home under the guide of the new Praɪm, Nɑˈktnəl. Learn from your ways and be greater. I relinquish my role to send you all home."

Golden lights appeared in multitude, briefly outshining the sky. Hundreds of my kind, teleported away to safety, back to our original nest.

I looked back to Nɑˈktnəl for the last time and smiled as her golden light began to fizzle, her figure now blurry.

"Guide them well, Praɪm."

Her light disappeared and so did any others. Good, now to finish this, I thought to myself.

As another set of rocks began to fall, my wings flapped causing them to fly back up, embedding them back into the mountain. I turned around to face my aggressors and began to speak.

"Could we take a break? I'm quite tired."