Welcome to Gaia! ::

Dancer purred even louder when Michael wrapped his arms around him and snuggled into him until his head was resting over Michael's neck, effectively entwining them together on the big cushion. He knew Michael would be able to feel how contented he felt like this thanks to their bond. It wasn't long before he fell asleep like that, his purr going deeper so that it didn't sound off into the room as loud but was still fully felt by the vampire holding him.

They were deep enough in the cave that they couldn't hear much of the goings on in the main cavern or anything of what was going on outside. Truthfully, they were actually the safest ones on this island at the moment since only Ebony and her brood knew they were there...

The invading dragon cried out in agony, its wounds hissing with black smoke. The beast slowed its speed before turning wing, yet the wounds the siblings created on it seemed to heal almost instantly, their attacks useless against its aged and scarred hide. A toothy smile was on the beast's face as it charged Kane and collided into him with all of its weight, sending him hurtling away before turning to face Shira. It huffed slightly, eyeing her in a very uncomfortable way. The dragon flexed his claws and took off after her, intent on claiming his prize.

The dragon smirked. He had expected the children of Lao to do better, and he figured he should show them the truth of what they faced. The beast took a deep breath, but the roar he exhaled was unlike any roar normal dragons had. The pure power of his breath blew the steam away like mist in the wind, not unlike Lao's Thu'um. His roar produced enough wind to even shake the ground and trees, and they left him the opening to pounce and pin them beneath him.

" Heh... to think this is the power of the children of Lao Shan Lung. " It boasted. Its breath reeked of blood and ash, and his body began to crackle with infernal electricity. "Cry for me children. Cry for your parents!"

The dragon recoiled from the attack, its face and body on fire from such ancient flames. But no sooner did the flames start did they die, and the beast let out a triumphant roar for completing its quest. Two of the Mountain Emperor's children were dead. His wounds had begun to healk over when a faint battle cry in the distance caught his attention. A wicked smile crossed his lips as he turned to face the sun, seeing a giant black shape fast approaching him.

Lao landed before his foe, growling rabidly at the intruder."PROSSH!" He roared, the ground beneath his feet quaking at Lao's anger. No doubt Ebony would be arriving shortly, yet he figured he could deal with such an insolent dragon on his own. "You dare invade my dominion and slaughter my children?! My brother has corrupted you, but I will set you free presently! I WILL REND YOUR FLESH FROM YOUR BONES!" His claws dug into the earth before he lunged forward like a wild beast, aiming to literally rend the Hellspark Dragon to pieces.

Yet Prossh did not recoil in fear like most dragons would have, not even before Lao Shan Lung. His chest swelled before he let loose a roar, a horrid sound like a wailing banshee and a death rattle. The force of it knocked Lao back, his rust red scales chipping and decaying in matter of seconds. Lao let out a pained cry as he toppled over to the ground, feeling as if all of his energy was gone, as well as his might. He was in intense pain as dark energy crackled about his form, sapping the life out of him as Prossh triumphantly trotted towards him and circled him.

"Nicol wassss right... You are weak. Your children put up a better fight....Hehehe, too bad they are toast. They would have made good food." Prossh replied with cackling glee, preferring to goad over watching a Primal degenerate. Lao groaned and struggled to get to his feet, but couldn't get his footing; he was in more pain in this moment than anything he ever felt before.

Prossh roared in pain and recoiled from the barrage of attacks, backing away from Lao and trying to shake off the damage. He didn't bleed, though bits of his scales fell to the ground to reveal the virulent and unstable energy that sustained him. Lao had managed to get to his feet, albeit shakily and heaving. His nerves were still screaming in pain, though he managed a wheezing chuckle as he tried to stand tall. "There is nowhere for you to run now Prossh. Your Thu'um is strong, but now you face all of us. There will be no mercy for your soul from us or the Brood Mother."[/b] He growled, trying his best to ignore the pain. It surprised Lao that Prossh knew a Thu'um, let alone the Mark of Death. It's effects were more persistent than usual, especially for a dragon who wasn't a Primal. Lao narrowed his eyes as Prossh laughed, his skin still falling to bits as black, smoke-like electricity crackled from the open wounds.

"Does it confuse you Lao, wondering why your body aches, your bones quake, and your soul screams? How fortunate that all of you are in one place, convenient for me...." Prossh asked, his body beginning to vibrate a little as his tail began to fall apart, the scales seeming to peel off like ash. The odd energy stayed however, humming with power. "Your brother has shown me power unlike any other, and he bestowed unto me a gift that you should know well...."

Lao's eyes began to widen as Prossh seemed to vaporize before his eyes, his body falling apart to reveal the spiteful energy he was comprised off. What was left when the skin came apart was black smoke that crackled with electricity and hummed with power, the very essence of a Hellspark dragon's soul. He had little time to react, and knew that his family's life was in danger. He used his remaining strength and spun himself around, using his massive tail to swipe his children away. Arden and Shen where sent sprawling intro the trees, and Lao's wings batted away his daughters to push them aside with their brothers. Prossh began to dissolve away, letting loose a final roar that shook the earth before it shot towards Lao. His back was turned, and Lao gave his wife a soft smile before the blast hit him full force, his smile replaced with a paralyzed look of pain. The sheer force of the attack sent him sprawling forwards, sickening snaps and guttural tears ringing out as Lao roared in pain,

The dust had settled, and Prossh was gone. Lao was on the ground, his wings torn and broken. His tail was bent in an awkward position, and his scales were either torn off, shredded off, or burnt away. Bones were sticking out of various points of his body, and the great dragon's eyes were closed. His chest wasn't moving.

Arden was the first to get up, and let out a yelp as he rushed to his father's side. His head tried to get under his father's paw, but felt only dead weight. "MOM! Come quick! Dad's hurt!" he shouted, trying to use his crystals to heal his father. Nothing was happening and Arden's panicked yelping drew Shen's attention. Both sons were prodding their father, yet Lao did not stir.

The children were huddling to each other and the side of their mother, the ground beneath becoming damp from tears. They didn't seem to notice the wind picking up in intensity, or the sky darkening as angry storm clouds formed in the sky. The land itself seemed to mourn the passing of the Mountain Emperor, the heavens ringing out in displeasure as rain began to fall. Arden and Shen huddled closer to the broken body of their father, trying to find anything to hold onto, anything that could give them a small moment of comfort. After all, Lao just sacrificed himself to save them, to keep them out of the blast's way and protect them from his fate. The rain was coming down harder, and only Ebony could hear the faintest of a whisper carried in the wind beyond the howling. One by one, the children slumped over into the ground, as if something had just put them to sleep; Ebony was the only one awake to see the culprit.

The figure was clad in a tattered black robe, his facial features obscured by the a somber veil across the face. The figure was a good head taller than she, though any other physical characteristics would be near impossible to figure out due to the obscurity the robe had. As a powerful gust of wind blasted towards the mourning dragoness, the hooded figure seemed carried by it and glided along the ground as if it were floating. The figure slowly lifted an arm, revealing a skeletally thin hand to point towards the broken body of her husband, and in a raspy voice it spoke:

"Oh Lao..... what hast thy done?"

The figure turned to Ebony, a strange noise akin to cackling coming from behind the veil. "You, Chosen of our Mother. Thou must be Ebony, the jewel of my brother's eye. Despite such woeful circumstance, it is glorious and heartwarming to finally meet thee." The figure stated, and floated towards Lao's corpse. The bony hand rested on his side, the figure seeming to wheeze and sigh before pulling away. "Praise to our Mother! It would appear that my timing is most fortunate. Tell me oh sister-in-blood, what has passed to leave him in such a state? His body is shattered, yet I hear his soul cry in pain. The land reeks of our brother, the Betrayer, and such devastation can only be wrought by His hand. I beseech thee, time is of the utmost essence. Speak quickly!"

The figure chuckled once more, bowing slightly at her request. "Of course, thou hast the right to such. Lao is the Primal of earth, from which all life thrives and springs. I am the youngest of our brood, the last to be born. I am Vovin Straga, chosen by our Mother to guard the Twilight Graveyard." He watched intently as Ebony stripped Lao's body of his scales and move his body. It was her right as his surviving mate to bury him properly and give him his rights, though Straga wasn't concerned for the body. His thoughts lay on the small glowing ball of light that remained where Lao's body had been, gently floating in the air and beaming with an air of calm.

"Lao was my idol, the sturdy rock from which the Brood Mother's children could stand on. I owe upon him and his kin a debt that I may never be able to fulfill. I understand thy grief, and my heart is heavy with sorrow. But Mother has let me out from my home to personally ensure Lao reaches his destination." Straga replied, slowly pulling the veil from his face to show Ebony what he looked like. He was gaunt and pale, as if never having seen the sun before any day of his life. The skin seemed stretched over his face, his breathing so ragged and harsh that it appeared he was ill. He kept his distance from Ebony and turned his back to her, looking up at the angry sky with a sigh.

"Tell me sister, art thou familiar with the legend of the eagle? When an eagle reaches half of its lifespan, when its beak is dull and its talons are weak, it will find the highest peak it can. Once there, the eagle will scrape its beak against the rock to sharpen it, and then rip its talons out and pull out the bad feathers. Such a process is painful, and the eagle will risk starvation and death for this. However, the eagle that survives descends from the peak reborn, stronger than ever now that its body fits its mind and soul." Looking back at Ebony, Straga's eerie face twisted into a smile. It was painfully obvious he didn't smile often.

"And thus I plan to pay my debt to Lao in full. The Betrayer's arrival is nigh, and Lao is in no shape to defeat him. I sense that Mother has toyed with his soul, but he lacks the time and place to discipline himself to fully use such advantage. This will be difficult to ask, but I beseech thee to allow me to perform my duties Ebony. Let me take him, so that he may sharpen his beak, grow new talons and feathers, and Lao may descend from the peak reborn into the dragon he must be." Straga stated, fully facing Ebony with a serious face. As much as he hated to say it, he needed Ebony's consent to take Lao's soul, for it would not leave her unless she willed it.

Straga took a deep breath, exhaling in such a soft whisper it would be impossible to hear without supernatural aid. One by one, the children began to stir from their magical slumber, each one more confused than the last. Their eyes fell to their mother, watching in mixture of fascination, grief, and awe as she burned off her Mark. It was her tie to their father, and with it gone there would be nothing left to tie their father here. Shen hung his head low, feeling himself washed in a sea of emotions. Strangely, Arden seemed calm; far too calm for this situation. Only he seemed to notice Straga, watching as the spectral figure glided above the ground with unnatural silence. For a brief moment, his eyes met with his uncle's, and his mind was awash with memories and thoughts. In an instant he knew, and his eyes fell to the ground with revelations he was far too young to know.

The dragon rested his hand on Ebony's shoulder, his eyes narrowed and a frown on his thin lips. She had lost much today, was forced to suffer such indignity. Straga had seen plenty of Lao's children and descendants pass, but it was rare to see a direct child pass through his realm. And tonight, he would have his older brother as a guest. What perhaps concerned him the most was that he had never known such suffering, but he had seen so much of it."Tonight the heavens and earth will mourn the loss of their king. You do not deserve such indignities, to know such sorrow. With Lao gone, there is little reason to prevent the Betrayer from manifesting here. Someone must warn the people here that his coming is nigh." Straga stated and let Ebony go. The rest of the children finally noticed Straga, though he didn't bother to turn and face them. "Rest, but do not tarry for too long. Something wicked this way comes."