The Ballad Of A Semi-Benevolent Dragon

Chapter 71: The Dragon Offers A Chance

Tideweaver cast a worried eye at Lakesong. He could remember back in the days of his youth when the wizened dragon's scales had not yet been so dull, and his movements had still been sharp. Yet the years had not been kind. Unable to achieve a Fourth Awakening and not reckless enough to try without a reasonable chance for success, his former tutor had instead accepted a gradual decline. Little by little, year by year, he had weakened. He was no longer suitable for frontline combat. Instead, he spent his time passing on his wisdom and knowledge. He was an excellent teacher, and all within their faction held him in high esteem.

For a Third Awakening dragon, Lakesong lived a very good life. Tideweaver's father valued him not only as a teacher but also an advisor. Lakesong's lair was in an excellent location, one rich in the magic and resources he needed to live his dwindling years in comfort. His family was highly regarded, and he had both children and grandchildren who had been well supported and were poised to rise high in their faction. Tideweaver had even made oaths - as had his father - to look after Lakesong's family should he pass. That was how highly they both valued his contributions to their faction.

Yet Tideweaver could not help but feel bitter. To achieve a Fourth Awakening was no small thing. Very, very, very few dragons ever reached that level. Tideweaver had been fortunate. He had inherited his father's talent, and he had received all the support and resources a dragon could hope for throughout his life. His luck had been excellent as well, and his Fourth Awakening had gone smoothly indeed. But in his eyes, Lakesong was no less deserving of a Fourth Awakening. Through no fault of his own, Lakesong had proven less fortunate. His talent was not the greatest, yet none could question that he had made the absolute most of it. Had Lakesong been a little more fortunate or had had his talent been even a little bit greater, he might have reached his Fourth Awakening.

It was cruel, and it was unfair, but Tideweaver's father had often told him that life could be cruel and unfair.

The words had always seemed... theoretical, but Lakesong's slow, lingering decline was anything but theoretical.

Tideweaver had once asked Lakesong what he would do when the weight of his years truly fell upon him, when even the dwindling strength he had now vanished. The other dragon had simply patted his chest.

"When that day comes, I will tear out my own heart." Lakesong had bared his teeth. "To be properly used by others, a dragon's heart must be given willingly. The heart of an old, worn-out dragon like me may not be worth much, but if it can aid my children even a little, then so be it. Besides, I would like to pass on the day of my choosing." His gaze had grown distant. "I was born in the Second Age. I was one of the last to be taught by Mother Tree before her turn to madness. She told me of great Sovereign Flame and his fall. How glorious a dragon he must have been. When my time draws near, I will wait until the day of his passing and then... I will do what I must. Hmph. To share the day of my death with such a dragon. It would not be a bad way to go, even if my end is not so noble."

Honestly, Tideweaver would prefer it if such a day never came. But such things were beyond his ability to decide.

"Has he still not come?" Tideweaver murmured. His father had sent word to Doomwing, asking him to examine Lakesong, to see if there was any hope whatsoever for a Fourth Awakening, or if that was impossible, if there was a method to further extend his life. Only centuries remained to Lakesong now, and while centuries may have seemed like an eternity for some, they were but a pittance to a dragon who had lived since the Second Age.

"He will come," Lakesong replied. Sensing Tideweaver's distress, he patted his flank with his tail. Once, long ago, Lakesong had been so much larger than him. Now, Tideweaver was bigger. "Doomwing gave his word to your father, and Doomwing is a dragon of his word." His eyes narrowed. "You are more nervous than I am."

"How can you not be nervous?" Tideweaver asked.

The old dragon chuckled. "I made peace with my decline at the end of the Fifth Age. It became clear to me then that a Fourth Awakening was beyond my abilities. If Doomwing tells me that there is no hope, well, I have lived without hope for more than an Age."

"And if there is hope?" Tideweaver asked.

Lakesong chuckled. "Then this old dragon will give it his all."

Tideweaver was about to reply when he detected something at the very edges of his awareness. It was a magical signature... and it was gigantic.

"This..." He straightened, and the lakeshore they were resting upon trembled.

"Doomwing," Lakesong replied. "He has made his presence clear as a courtesy." He grinned. "When he greeted us, he was concealing most of his strength. He is displaying it more openly now, though it lacks the sharpness it has when battle draws near. Think of it as another form of greeting, one that balances respect with pride."

And what strength it was. Ashheart's strength had been like a volcano: a fountain of pure, undiluted power that threatened to erupt at any moment. Doomwing's presence was different. It was utterly controlled and composed, less a sledgehammer and closer to a scalpel. When Tideweaver had fought Ashheart, it had felt overwhelming, like being tossed around by a force of nature. Tideweaver had never fought Doomwing, but he had seen his battle with Quakeclaw. Fighting Doomwing would be a nightmare, his every weakness and mistake exposed and capitalised on by someone who possessed a terrifyingly versatile array of weapons.

Sure enough, Doomwing soon appeared. The primordial dragon banked over the lake and then landed nearby. As he landed, his telekinesis reached out, and not a single ripple spread across the lake. Tideweaver's father appeared soon after, and the two greeted each other.

"I am here to examine Lakesong," Doomwing rumbled.

Lakesong did not hesitate. He stepped forward and greeted Doomwing. "Great Doomwing. I am honoured."

"You've grown old," Doomwing murmured. "I remember well your contributions during the Fourth Catastrophe. Few dragons of the Third Awakening did more than you."

"Those were good days," Lakesong replied. "I was strong then, young and strong." He chuckled. "I am old and weak now, but... still, I must know. If absolutely nothing can be done, then so be it. I will continue as I have without regret. But if there is any chance at all..."

"A dragon should not die with regrets," Doomwing replied. "I would ask that you lower your magical defences. The examination may feel... awkward, but you must endure."

Lakesong nodded. Although it would have been trivially easy for Doomwing to simply smash through his magical defences, doing so would grievously wound him. Moreover, asking was a sign of respect and acknowledgement. "Very well. Do what you must."

Tideweaver shared a look with his father as Doomwing examined Lakesong. He was well versed in scrying, detection, and analytical magic, yet he could only recognise a few of the spells and techniques Doomwing used. It was humbling. Ancient runes joined the lesser spell craft, and Tideweaver shuddered as the air rippled with symbols he could not quite see or comprehend. Lakesong himself did his best to stay still although occasionally, a growl or hiss escaped his lips. When a sudden twitch almost disrupted a formation that Doomwing had carved into the ground beneath him, the primordial dragon's telekinesis reached out to hold Lakesong still.

Tideweaver tried to glean some inkling of the results from Doomwing's expression, but the older dragon's expression was inscrutable. He neither frowned nor smiled, and nothing about his posture or body language gave anything away. Instead, he seemed to be regarding Lakesong the way he would a particular intricate and difficult puzzle. At last, however, Doomwing's magic receded, and Lakesong sagged. He would have fallen, but Doomwing supported him with his telekinesis, a sign of respect, Tideweaver thought, for it would have hurt Lakesong's pride greatly if he had collapsed.

"So...?" Lakesong asked, shaking himself. "Is... is there hope?"

Doomwing took a long moment, considering his next words carefully. "Do you know what must be accomplished during a Fourth Awakening?"

Lakesong nodded slowly. "I have some understanding, but I am told that only those who have experienced it can truly explain."

Doomwing raised his claw. "The body of a Fourth Awakening dragon is immune to the ravages of time. Age cannot weary them. In fact, they only grow stronger with each passing year, though that difference is one of degree rather than the qualitative change experienced through Awakening. For most, the hardest part of a Fourth Awakening is bodily reconstruction. In essence, during a Fourth Awakening, a dragon's body is completely destroyed and then reforged into something far superior. For you, this part of the process is the problem. It is why you have never felt the urge to Awaken further."

Lakesong's claws clenched. "I see."

"To put it in terms you can understand, think of your body as a vessel that contains energy. During a Fourth Awakening, that vessel is smashed apart, and the energy it contains is used to reforge the vessel into a better form. Your problem is that even in your prime, your vessel was too small. It simply could not contain the power required to reforge your body. That is why you did not feel the urge of Awakening. Though your mind did not know, your body instinctively understood that it did not have the power required to complete the process."

"What happens if you fail?" Tideweaver found himself asking. "What if the vessel cannot be reforged?"

"For most, the result of such failure is a swift death. The soul cannot linger long without a body. Those of particularly great power or whose strength is almost at the required level may, with tremendous effort and good fortune, reconstruct a body... but that body will not only be weaker than a Fourth Awakening body but far, far weaker than their original Third Awakening body. In short, they will be crippled, and almost all of their remaining lifespan will be consumed. I have encountered several such cases in the past. Most of them would have preferred a swift death to the crippled agony they ended up having to endure."

"Is there no way to increase the size of the vessel?" Tideweaver's father asked. "No spell, no treasure, no rune?"

Doomwing shook his head. "Using conventional means cannot work. Three main factors influence the size of the vessel: the body, the mind, and the soul. Lakesong's body is far past its prime, and even in his prime, it was not enough. As for the mind, that at least, has always been in Lakesong's favour. Even now, his mind remains sharp and formidable. As for the soul... manipulating the soul at that level is beyond any dragon remaining in this world."

The awkward phrasing made Tideweaver glance at his father.

"Dawnscale and Soulseeker." The words were not spoken by his father. Instead, they were conveyed to him by magic. "They alone would have had the strength and skills. Dawnscale is gone from this world, fled after the Fourth Catastrophe. And Soulseeker is dead by Doomwing's own hand, deservedly so."

"Long ago," Doomwing continued. "There was a dragon who suffered from similar limitations. He, however, was able to achieve his Fourth Awakening although he perished in battle against the Broken God."

"How?" Lakesong asked, leaning forward. "How was such a thing accomplished?"

"It is true that overfilling the vessel will eventually lead to death. After all, the amount of power a dragon can hold is not infinite. If their limits are exceeded for too long, the excess power will soon destroy them. That is why our bodies usually cease to absorb magic once we have reached our limits and why hatchlings are never given items containing too much magic, lest they accidentally harm themselves. But... the process of undergoing a Fourth Awakening does not last forever. Even if the vessel cannot hold enough power for a successful Fourth Awakening under normal circumstances, it might be possible to achieve a Fourth Awakening if the vessel could be reinforced just long enough to withstand the immense pressure of shoving in sufficient power."

Tideweaver's father stared. "That... sounds like madness. As you say, reinforcing the vessel is extremely difficult. Enhancing the body can be done, yes, but the mind and soul are not so easily enhanced. And even enhancing the body can only produce minor increases in how much power can be safely retained. What you are suggesting involves the forceful addition of far more power than that. Perhaps an order of magnitude or more. Yet you say this was achieved."

"Mother Tree," Doomwing replied. "The gods were not in the habit of interfering with things like Awakenings, or so she told me. However, the dragon in question was one she considered a dear friend. Using her great power and understanding of living things, Mother Tree was able to not only massively strengthen the dragon's vessel but also fill it with vastly more power than it could ever have contained normally. He immediately attempted a Fourth Awakening. Even with Mother Tree's aid, he almost died. Had he been even a few moments slower, his body would have shattered prematurely, unable to contain the extra power. But he succeeded... and with a successful Fourth Awakening, his vessel naturally increased to a new, larger size. From what she told me, it wasn't a particular good Fourth Awakening. Indeed, she seemed certain that any Fourth Awakening achieved in that manner would be of low quality, but it was a Fourth Awakening. The resulting body was truly free from the ravages of time."

Lakesong was silent. Slowly, he lifted his gaze. "Then... can such a thing be done again? Mother Tree had daughters, some of whom are mighty indeed."

Doomwing shook his head. "Such a feat took all of her skill and power, and no dryad living is yet a match for her."

"Then..." Lakesong had to drag the words out. "What can be done?"

"The methods of the past are lost to us," Doomwing replied. "But... in truth, I believe there may yet be a way."

"Truly?" Lakesong blurted.

"Yes, though I can make no guarantees, and it is something that verges on madness."

Stolen novel; please report.

"Please, tell me." Lakesong squared his shoulders. "Even if it is madness, allow me to decide for myself. After all, it is my life at risk."

Doomwing bared his teeth in a smile. "Well spoken! A dragon should have such courage. Very well." Magic settled over the area, swift and total, and Tideweaver realised that whatever words Doomwing spoke now would not be heard by others. "What I am about to say is highly speculative. I would not have it shared, not until we are surer of its success." His eyes narrowed. "For what I am suggesting may not only assist with those seeking a Fourth Awakening but it may also help in the search for the path to a Fifth Awakening."

Tideweaver's father recoiled as if struck. "A Fifth Awakening?"

"I suspect that the Final Catastrophe shall require such," Doomwing replied. "And... after much thought and consideration, I have begun to realise certain... possibilities."

"Speak," Tideweaver's father rumbled as he added his own concealment magic to Doomwing's. "None shall know of the words we exchange here." He glanced at Tideweaver and Lakesong. Both of them nodded swiftly. Inside, however, Tideweaver could hardly express his amazement. A clue to the Fifth Awakening? After all this time?

"The method I wish to suggest was something inspired by the Fourth Catastrophe."

"The Mad Vampire?" Tideweaver's father snarled. "A wretched creature."

"Indeed... but did you know that during my final battle with him, his raw power greatly exceeded my own, at least momentarily?" Doomwing chuckled grimly. "His strength was several times my own. Had he been more experienced in wielding that might and had I not prepared so thoroughly, I met well have fallen."

"How is that possible?" Tideweaver's father asked. "Vampires only came into being in the Third Age. He was the mightiest of them by far, but to outstrip your power by such a margin... I would not have believed it if you had not spoken those words yourself."

"Blood magic of the highest order," Doomwing replied. He paused. "Blood magic is... special. I have learned a great deal about it, and I have developed methods that mimic some of its effects. But true blood magic, especially of that level, cannot be used by anyone in this world except the vampires. It is a... gift they have due to their origins. The astral parasites that make them what they are were not made by our gods, nor were they born upon this world. They are from... elsewhere." He looked at Lakesong. "The Mad Vampire was human once, and as you know, humans are far weaker than dragons. I knew the greatest of them, and even now, in your condition, Lakesong, you could have crushed him with ease. So how then could the Mad Vampire attain such might?"

Doomwing's eyes gleamed like molten gold. "For vampires, there is something called Blood Ascension. It is... a contest between them and the parasite that dwells within them. A Perfect Blood Ascension is a perfect union between host and parasite, and the result is a being comparable to a Fourth Awakening dragon. But the Mad Vampire was something else. His parasite was different. It... was endless hungry and greedy. Rather than come to a perfect union, the Mad Vampire achieved Supreme Devouring Blood Ascension. He consumed his parasite, utterly and completely, taking on all of its strengths and the great and terrible hunger it possessed. I believe that is what drove him mad and what granted him the power he possessed, for by the time he rose to become the Fourth Catastrophe, he had slain all who opposed him, including the Original Progenitor, the father of the vampire species, as well as the other Progenitors, his... vampiric siblings who were the first to be turned by the Original Progenitor. I suspect that whatever means he used to consume his own parasite was used to consume theirs as well."

"An abomination," Tideweaver's father hissed. "Truly worthy of the miserable death you gave him. But how can this be used on Lakesong's behalf? You once told me that dragons could not become vampires."

"That remains true. Our souls and bodies are not vulnerable in the way that humans are. We cannot be parasitised. What is relevant is the blood magic the Mad Vampire employed. Using his blood magic, he bound his very being to the vampire homelands. The rich currents of magic that flowed through it, the power gathered by blood sacrifice and other horrors, all of it was linked to him. All of it flowed into the vessel that was his being," Doomwing said.

"Even with what you've told us," Tideweaver's father said. "How could he contain such might? Even a primordial dragon could not endure that amount of power."

"You are right. But blood magic of the very highest level does not simply affect the body but also the soul. He used more blood magic to reinforce his vessel, to strengthen it until it could, at least during battle, contains all of that might and more. So when I faced him, I faced not simply a vampire, but a being who contained every last scrap of power that could be drawn from every land he had laid claim to."

"How did you slay him?" Lakesong asked. "Even for you, such a foe..."

"His strength was not his own. It was stolen from the land and the rituals and the horrors. I severed the bonds he had to those things, so he had to face me with his own strength alone. He was not equal to the task." Flame kindled in Doomwing's jaws at the memory. "What I suggest is using blood magic upon Lakesong. We could find a place of suitable power and temporarily bind it to Lakesong. The correct place would grant more than sufficient power. As for his vessel, more blood magic would be used to reinforce it. It would not hold for long, but... it would hold long enough for an attempt at a Fourth Awakening."

The suggestion was intriguing, but Tideweaver saw the problem at once. "But you said only vampires can use blood magic, and the Mad Vampire was unique amongst them. Yet he is dead, and no vampire remains that can match him."

Doomwing's smile was toothy. "There is one yet who may."

"What?" Tideweaver turned to his father.

"Your friend," his father murmured. "The one who fled the vampire homelands and sought our aid, the one who revealed many of the Mad Vampire's secrets to you. The Mad Vampire's son."

Tideweaver gasped. "The Mad Vampire's son lives? Why -"

"No harm will come to him." Doomwing's voice snapped out like a whip, and his power surged. It was only his exquisite control that kept it from forcing both Lakesong and Tideweaver to their knees. "Any who seek to do so will face my wrath. Marcus has more than proven his loyalty and worth."

"Peace," Tideweaver's father said. "I know well Marcus's worth. He has indeed proven himself."

Doomwing settled. "Marcus is the Mad Vampire's son, but he is not his father. In fact, I doubt there is anyone in this world, living or dead, who hates the Mad Vampire more than him. But Marcus is strong, and within him dwells the potential for greater strength than any vampire remaining. One of my doppelgängers has been in contact with him. He recently dealt with a failed Blood Ascension, and... his own parasite has begun to stir in earnest. I believe that it will not be long before he attempts a Blood Ascension of his own. If that goes well, he may achieve a Blood Ascension completely opposite to his father. Rather than devouring his own parasite, he may establish a perfectly symbiotic partnership. There will be no power stolen, only power freely given. And with that power..."

Lakesong's eyes widened. "He may be able to use Blood Magic similar to his father."

"Yes," Doomwing replied. "And should he succeed in Blood Ascension, there are things he has left in my care that he will finally be able to use. For the parasite in Marcus is descended from the one in his father... and though it is not so voracious, I suspect it may be able to consume the blood and parasites of others to bolster their strength." He paused. "There was one who served the Mad Vampire. Marcus told me of him. A vampire named Sergio. He did not serve by choice. In the end, he died helping Marcus escape his father. But before they parted, he entrusted Marcus with priceless treasures... vials of blood taken from the Original Progenitor and the other Progenitors. The Mad Vampire made sure to drain all the blood of his fellows before slaying them, and he kept it in case he ever found further use for it. That blood is ancient, but the magic to preserve it was good. I have reinforced that magic over the years. It remains... and within it remain fragments of the parasites those ancient vampires once possessed."

"Fragments that your friend may be able to consume to heighten his power," Lakesong whispered.

"Yes."

"Then... how long?" Lakesong asked. "How long before your friend can attempt his Blood Ascension?"

"It will be close," Doomwing replied. "It may take as long as a few centuries before he is ready, and the time you have left is also measured in centuries." He sighed. "if Dawnscale were here..." He shook his head. "Her astral magic would make an attempt far easier and more likely to succeed. Yet she is gone. Still, I believe in Marcus. I believe he will achieve Blood Ascension before you pass, Lakesong. And once he does, we can begin to plan for your own Fourth Awakening." He smiled thinly. "Between the two of us, I have no doubt that Marcus and I can achieve some semblance of the blood magic his father employed."

Lakesong took a deep breath. His old, weary frame shook for a moment, and then he began to laugh. "Hah! To think there might still be a chance. Very well! I will hold on as long as I can!" He grinned. "Your friend, does he need any resources? I have plenty to spare!"

"I will let you know if there is anything he might need that you can provide."

"I am truly glad that hope is not yet lost to you, old friend," Tideweaver's father said, gently patting Lakesong's back. "I will ensure you have everything you need to prolong your life until Marcus has achieved Blood Ascension. Yet, Doomwing, how does this relate to a Fifth Awakening? If power alone were sufficient, then Sovereign Flame would have achieved it long before his death, he was that mighty."

"I have pondered long and long upon that question," Doomwing said. "And like others, I have concluded that power alone is insufficient. There must be something that was present there at that final battle that no longer remains in this world. Otherwise, I believe at least one of us would have reached a Fifth Awakening."

"The gods," Tideweaver's father said simply. "Their power is gone from this world. It is why the Fourth Awakening dragons after us are weaker, and not simply because of their age. The power of the gods left its mark upon us, for we lived while they still walked this world. But all the gods are dead, and none of their power remains."

"Some of it must remain." Doomwing patted his chest. "I know well the power of the gods. One of them was my dear friend. The spear that struck me and nearly slew me was unmistakably a spear of god-metal, and the power that flowed within it was unmistakably that of the gods." He bared his teeth. "The world remembers, and the Six Catastrophe found a way to pull some measure of that memory into the Waking World." He flexed his claws, as if imagining the spear that had been driven through his chest. "Even Dreamsong cannot fully replicate what the Six Catastrophe did, but... as I said, the world remembers. If it is the power of the gods that we seek, then there is one place in all the world that must remember it best."

Tideweaver's father flinched. "You speak of Spearfall."

Spearfall. It was there that the Broken God fell, wounded to his death by a divine spear forged using all the lives and powers of the gods. It was there that great Sovereign Flame, mightiest of all dragons, fell, the only one in all the world, save the gods themselves, to leave a wound upon the Broken God.

And it was a place that no being had gone since the end of the First Age, for the world itself was broken there. Cowardly dragons had gone there after the battle, hoping to lay claim to the Sovereign Flame's remains and those of his fellows, the legends of old. None had returned.

"Yes." Doomwing nodded gravely. "Mother Tree herself warned me against ever going there. The world was wounded deeply, so mighty was the blow the gods struck to slay their foe. That wound is like the bitterest of poisons. All who set foot there have perished, and even Mother Tree's roots withered and died the moment she sought to probe beyond the outskirts. I went there myself after... my battle with her. I could not see into it, and I felt, deep within, that setting even a single foot inside would mean my death. I went again at the end of the Fifth Age, and nothing had changed. But I am stronger now than I was then, as are we all. It may be possible, if we all work together, to venture into that place. And there... where could the memory of the gods and their power possibly be stronger than there? And if I can harness some of that power..." Doomwing touched his chest again. "I felt it. I felt it when I was on the verge of death. As that spear of god-metal brushed my heart... god-fire... a heart of god-fire is what a Fifth Awakening will grant me, if only I can reach it." He laughed softly. "Imagine that our plan for Lakesong works. Now imagine doing something like that on an even grander scale, but on the land where the gods unleashed their full strength."

Tideweaver's father was silent for a long time. At last, he spoke. "You... speak of madness. But... it is madness of the best sort. If all goes as you plan, if everything works as you wish..." He laughed, long and loud and happy. "Then perhaps even a Fifth Awakening is not beyond your reach... and from there..."

"What was done once can be done again," Doomwing replied. "And if it is the power of the gods that is required, the fire that burned mightily within them, then that same fire will burn within me also." He and Tideweaver's father locked eyes. "And I am not some petty dragon. You and the others have fought by my side for all these Ages. Why would not I not share my fire with you?"

"Hah!" Tideweaver's father laughed. "I truly hope you are right, if only to see the look on Quakeclaw's face when he realises that a Fifth Awakening will require your aid. Truly, that would make living all these Ages worth it."