05/12/10: I finally got around to revamping Illy's petpage and petlookup :) I finished the artwork riiiiight before I broke my fingers ^.^;; So I finally used it in this shiny new petpage layout :) The content itself needs to be revamped, and I have retired Illydir's ancient adoptable set. Look forward to a new set once these fingers feel better :)

Statistics In Depth Appearance Companion

Statistics In Depth Appearance Companion

Statistics In Depth Appearance Companion

Statistics In Depth Appearance Companion

I. The End Aftermath

I would love to say that everything that happened was beyond my control... but if I said that, it would be a lie. Every single thing that happened to me was a consequence of my own actions - but I find that I still regret none of it.

If one were to look at me, it would be clear to them that I am a child of the sea. I was born in those waters, I loved those waters, and now... I can't even bring myself to go near those very waters I loved then...

There was a civil war in the underwater kingdom, born of the jealousy between the nobles and the royal family. The king was fair, and his heir far too kind to have the ability to rule. The young princess rose from the carnage as our leader, vibrant and glorious, breathtaking.

But, despite her ascent, and despite her fair rule, many lives were lost in that war, on both sides. One side fought for the old ways, one fought for new. But in this case, the old ways were victorious... but still so many people died for a simple reason - the nobles wanted more power. I knew it for a fact.

I was a general in the kingdom's stationary army before the war even began. I was trusted with the safety of the royal family via the main gates. If anyone slipped past, it was my responsibility to get rid of them. But when the civil war began, I was reassigned to active duty, to defend my king and his family.

I had a wonderful set of parents, as well as two lovely younger sisters... my own family was always stuck somewhere between middle class and poverty, so being able to become general gave them the opportunity for a better life. I always felt our king was fair to us, so I had no problem flaunting my strategic skills and military prowess to get a higher rank. The kingdom was relying on me to lead them through the war with the least amount of casualties. But I failed them.

The nobles got their hands on my family, and I failed to see the light that a truly loyal member of the army would see. I wonder how many of those soldiers would let their families die so that the king could live...? I did not have that ability. My family was my life. And if fighting against the king is what would save them, then I would fight and be charged with treason once the kingdom won. So long as I seemed to be doing what they wanted me to do, so was my family safe.

I killed many of my former comrades, blood on scales - I saw the prince cave in to the pressure of inheriting a kingdom, and consequently saw him flee through the waters during a brutal battle toward the surface. My hands, stained in crimson...

The princess lead the kingdom through the nobles' forces in an organized effort much like the one I would have taken. It took a few years, but the war finally did come to an end.

...the nobles did not keep their promises. In their anger at losing, they lashed out on the creatures nearest to them - their prisoners, their hostages. Not just my family, but the families of many other soldiers fighting on the wrong side as well. However, it did not soften the blow.

Do you know what it is like to have your entire life torn away from your very eyes? Not many do, not many are like myself. Not many people realize the extent of the depression, the madness, the emptiness... not many at all.

In my own fit of rage, having been unable to slay the nobles myself, and therefore unable to stop the amount of guilt I felt inside, I took off through the waters, streaming through, racing against nothing but my grief, which always could catch up with me. I paid no attention to where I went, nor how far or long I traveled; I just knew that if I kept going, somehow, some way, something would change. I just hoped it would be for the better.

I eventually found myself lying on a beach somewhere, staring at a magestic floating city. The city seemed as if it were floating on clouds, and I knew that I wanted to go there.

But I had to return myself to the waters soon, for I knew that I would very easily die from lack of moisture on my scales. As I slipped back into the waves, I silently cursed, for the the very first time, the royal family. Not for the war, not for the battles. But for the ability to exist on both land and water. It takes powerful dragon blood to live outside of the waters with no ill effects on health, and my blood was not strong enough. My blood was mixed, the blood of a peasant, and I was very aware of it being so. I cursed the royal family in my jealousy as I gazed upon the castle in the clouds.

I know that it was unhealthy, but whenever the thought of my slaughtered family entered my mind, I would drift lazily on the surface of the water, gazing into the clouds, and dreaming of flying through them. I was so tired of the sea, the feeling of the water against my skin seemed to exhaust me. Snaking through the liquid depressed me. I wanted to move that way through the air above. I wanted to walk with the solid ground beneath my claws. I wanted to feast upon small land creatures instead of fish... so tired of the sea.

One day as I drifted toward my very favorite beach, the one with the best view of the flying castle, I saw a being there that had never been. Cautiously, quietly, I approached, with barely my eyes over the water. I knew she saw me, and she smiled across the water to me, awaiting my approach. She sat near the edge of the calm waters, hugging her knees together, and held her hand out to me. I touched my nose to her hand, trying to smell anything that may be suspicious on her mind. All I sensed was calm.

It was rude, I know, but my golden eyes strayed from hers to land upon the beautiful wings erupting from her back. She was a faerie, a beautiful one at that, with a soft smile, a calm aura, and amazing wings. I stared at those wings in envy, and I know she noticed, because her words gave me away. "Would you like them?"

I was silent, taken aback. "...excuse me?" I asked to verify her words. She smiled warmly at me and repeated herself. "Would you like wings? I can grant oyu your wish of exploring the skies."

A hundred thoughts ran through my head, most of them melding together to make something so incredibly incoherent, but there were two major thoughts that I can remember crossing my mind. One was of joy, of happiness that my dream could come true. The other was of a more intelligent caliber. It warned me of the dangers of trusting a stranger.

The image of my parents lying motionless on a blood covered stone floor, my sisters huddled with them, lacerations. Pain, agony, fear, terror, despair. Blood. These images and feeling flooded through me, and I knew I needed to escape from them. "...how?" I found myself asking.

The faerie smiled again, to reassure me of her sincerity. "I am a light faerie, dear. I have powers that many do not comprehend. So long as I have your permission, I may alter your body to suit your desires."

The entire situation seemed suspicious. I told myself ffity times to turn back into the waters. She waved her hand and a piece of parchment fell from seemingly nowhere into her hands. Turn back, I warned myself. Danger, danger. But my willpower was weak, my thoughts too desperate. I had not noticed when, but my blood appeared on the paper, signing myself off to her.

I can remember, for the shortest amount of time, gliding through the skies in wonder... but my wings had halted in midair, pressing tightly against my sides no mstter how hard I tries to move them. I remember the ground rushing up to meet me, I remember great pain.

My memory at this point is not clear. All I can remember for the longest time was mostly darkness, and bursts of agony, terror, despair, cold... what I remember the most is the water. Being thrown into icy water that seemed to stab at my skin, my limbs locking together, and not being able to breathe. My lungs choked with water that I could previously exist in, my lips turning blue from cold that I previously hadn't known existed.

I remember feelings. Pain, fear, panic, dismay. These feelings seem to last eternity in my memories...

I wish I was strong enough to speak of more... my comrades say that if I try to delve any further to dig up the past, I will fall into a traumatic relapse. I cannot remember because my mind does not want me to.

However, I do remember, quite clearly, the image of a powerful red dragon. This dragon, so powerful that he knocked through a stone wall with just a fist, standing in a human form with no wings, just curled horns, illuminated by the dancing flames behind him.

He pulled something from a bag and unfurled it. My eyes widened at the sight of the contract I had signed so long ago. "Hey," a loud, clear voice asked, in a way that sounded harsh but offered kindness. "This yours?"

I was vaguely aware of being in my own human form, but I was entirely aware of the wings I had present on my back - I recall now that I was kept in the small cell with my large wings as a statement of my captivity - and as a test, I fluttered them, lifting myself just inches off of the ground and toward this new creature, landing lightly in front of him. I remember that I was smiling, but my cheeks were wet, when I nodded. My legs gave at the sound of ripping parchment, and my ears stung with the shriek that the faerie gave off when she felt the bond sever.

I remember that she was thrown into the room with us, her wings bound, and the red dragon pulled her up by her hair, holding a knife to her exposed neck, screaming at her to apologize for the terrible things she had committed. She only smiled, her lips twisted in a sadistic sneer - a far cry from the warm smile she had given me when we first met - as she said, "He'll remember me for the rest of his life. I enjoyed every moment of our time together, dear. I know you did as well."

More blood splattered onto the floor, and as her body fell limp with a thud, I came to a realization. As I cried with as much strength as I could possibly find, as a great red dragon wrapped his arms around me in comfort, as the wildfires dimmed in the background...

It was over.

I. The End Aftermath

Artwork Fanart Clones

Artwork Fanart Clones

Artwork Fanart Clones

Painted Customs

Painted Customs

Links In Family Links Out

Links In Family Links Out

Links In Family Links Out