Koro stumbled against a tree, growling as he felt something dark circulate through his veins. His arm was bleeding badly from Jerik’s attack; blood stained his pants and ran down his arm like a river, the wound refusing to close. The young dragon hand spent hours wandering around the forest with no luck of finding Kira. His hopes of finding the girl before his uncle got to here were starting to fade. His eyes filled with tears as he fully realized what was happening. His family was being torn apart and he had become part of the so called plan to break it down.

Koro let his head drop, eyes closed tightly. He cursed in a tongue few had heard in centuries, though it came to him easily. His eyes opened slowly and his face lit up faintly when he noticed a pair of footprints in the snow that didn’t belong to him. Fenn had come this way. Koro lifted his head to see how far ahead his uncle had gotten. Thankfully it wasn’t too far; he could see the silhouette of the elder Valkir.

He took off at a run, ignoring the pain that shot through him. He’d gotten no more than a few feet from his target before his strength began to fade. Stumbling, he kneeled down as Fenn stopped and looked up. An evil grin spread across the older dragon’s face. Koro growled, but was unable to stand.

“Kira, come on down girl. No reason to hide.” Fenn’s face had quickly switched to a softer smile. He was faking, Koro knew, but Kira… she was still too young to catch on. The girl looked down at Fenn, she was at an angle that Koro would be in plain sight, but she didn’t seem to see him. “Come on, let’s go home.”

“Kira! Don’t listen to him!” Koro yelled at the top of his lungs. Tears streamed down his face as Kira jumped out of the tree, landing next to Fenn. ‘No… she can’t hear me?’ He scrambled to his feet and stumbled over to his sister. He tried to place a hand on her shoulder, but it passed through. Koro closed his eyes, he knew he wasn’t dead but it felt like it. He wanted so badly to pound on Fenn, knowing what he had planned. When he opened his eyes, his hate only grew when he saw his youngest sister in Fenn’s arms, out cold. He had knocked her out as soon as she was within reach. “I swear it, Fenn, You’ll pay with your life,” Koro growled at his uncle.

“I look forward to that attempt, Koro. However, in that time, you’ll likely be better off killing the one you’ve been trying to protect; you’re no match for me.” He laughed as a black portal opened in front of him. “Take some time to get used to what you are now, and then come find us.” Fenn stepped through the portal closing it behind him. Koro’s heart was now filled with rage and regret, he spun an slammed a fist into the nearest tree. A massive black mark appeared where he hit, the taint slowly turning the tree itself jet black.

“I might have to take you up on that offer… Either way, you’ll die, Uncle.” Koro whispered under his breath, tears still blurring his vision. He held a hand out, palm up. A black flame formed in place of the ice blue he was used to seeing. “Let’s hope I haven’t lost normal skills.”

The tainted dragon glanced back toward his home again and whispered an apology before walking toward the gates. Beyond them was the portal to the human realm, somewhere he could test and learn his new skills without worrying too many friends. He didn’t want to leave Kara behind, but she was in better hands with their father than she would be with him.

Along the way Koro came to notice that his body would fade into the shadows around him. At first he was worried, and then he came to notice it could be used to his advantage. It would make traveling easier, he could move from shadow to shadow unseen with ease.
He stepped up to the gate after several hours of walking. The runes on the lock had faded the glow no longer a brilliant blue. Koro was forced to kneel closer to the lock in order to read the runes. It took him seconds to piece together what would have taken the elders’ hours. He spoke the Valkir spell that was carved into the metal, the clicking of rusted mechanics worried him a bit. That worry was washed away as the lock snapped open and the gate lifted.

A massive portal stood before him in the shape of a dragons’ eye. It had always been referred to as the watcher. As the portal overlooked the center of the temples placed in the human realm. Koro shook his head, trying to clear his mind of any doubt. He stepped through the portal as the gate closed behind him.

***

Kira woke in a small cavern, her head was clouded, but she couldn’t recall what happened. The girl pushed herself into a sitting position, letting the blanket that was covering her fall. Her entire body ached. She glanced around, spotting a silver goblet with iced water. Picking it up carefully, trying not to spill its contents with shaking hands, she took a drink, thankful for the cold now running through her.

“Ah, good to see you’re awake. I was starting to worry,” A deep voice echoed through the cavern, Kira turned to face the one talking. “I’m your uncle, Fenn, if you don’t quite remember.”

“Fenn?” her voice was shaky, and it seemed her memory was slow as well. Though, she did recall the name and the fact that he was family. “What happened?” She asked, greatly confused.

“You took a bad fall. You’ve been out for a few days.” Kira’s mind wandered; maybe that was why her mind was so clouded. “It’s good to see you’re alright now.” He gave a smile, “rest a while longer then, when you’re ready I’ll be outside.” Kira watched as he walked away. She realized late that her wings were stiff and sore. She moved to stretch them and flinched as she felt a tear. Her body warmed to the point she couldn’t concentrate on anything, as a result she fell back, dropping back against the makeshift bed.

The half-blood drifted into a restless sleep.  Voices cried out at her in tongues she couldn’t understand. She felt pain, fear, and sorrow, all of which didn’t seem to be her own. A dark rain fell on white landscapes, turning things into a nightmare.

Kira didn’t know it, but Fenn was now standing over her. Watching as sweat ran across her face and neck. He knew well enough what was happening, despite that he didn’t wake the girl from her nightmare. A grin spread across his face.

“Good, things are already starting to go according to plan. Now I just need to keep her oblivious to the ruin.” Fenn laughed as he walked back outside, a laugh that echoed in Kira’s dreams, forcing a fear on the girl that would never fade.