I wake up from my bed and put on my robes and wash my face. My name is Toria. My mother is Jezebella; she is a servant to My father is Raven. When I hatched, Grel performed a sand divination to assess my aptitude. I have strong healing magic, and I possess impressive charisma. For this reason, Grel said my destiny was with the Crimson Flame Chapel.

  Since then, I have been studying under Chaplin Grel, learning healing magic as well as the ability to parlay.

  Out of all the other Accolytes, I have incredible skills, and it was for this reason that I became a Cleric at the young age of 17. Normally, I would need to be 20 in order to become a Cleric.

  Today is the day I shall go on my first mission to travel to Fae Land, visit dragon communities, and convince them to join Father's Horde. I am ready for this.

  I leave my room and walk towards the chapel; the sun is about to rise, and with it comes progress. I soon enter the chapel, and I see Chaplin Grel; he happily smiles and directs me to one of the pews. Sitting down, I wait. Soon other clerics and acolytes come in.

  Chaplin Grel then clears his throat and begins to speak.

  Grel: Good morning, everyone. I am happy to see you all here for the morning sermon. Now, I’m going to start us off by saying we are all proud of young Toria and his efforts to rise to Crimson Flame Clergy at such a young age. Now, this is quite common for some dragons, but please don’t be discouraged, young acolytes; your time will come. Now, we shall start with missions. All the clerics who choose to perform a pilgrimage, please stand and make your way to the altar to receive the maps.

  I would soon stand with four other clerics.

  We would soon rise and step up to the altar, and Chaplin Grel would hand us our maps. I was so giddy when it was my turn. I received my map, and before I could leave, Chaplin Grel placed his hand on my shoulder and said,

  Grel: Now please be careful, young one, though you did rise, you're still considered a child in the eyes of other dragons. Be wise and be understood.

  Toria: Yes, Chaplin, I will do my best.

  I then made my way out of the chapel, and as I turned the corner, I opened the map and found that I was going to Valest, a dragon community best known for their use of wind magic.

  Thinking about it Valest is on the Aurum Continent, and it was founded by dissenters from Primal Wind Dragon’s Vassal Hordes. The two vassal hordes of the Primal Wind Dragon are the Typhoon Horde and the Whirlwind Horde, one focused on dancing while the other focused on archery.

  The only problem is I forget which one is which.

  This is going to be interesting.

  I roll up my scroll and continue down the hall, but then I am completely caught off guard when I see Mother. I stop dead in my tracks.

  She soon smiles at me and comes over.

  Jezebella: Hello, my child, I am so happy to see you on this most wonderful of days.

  Toria: Thank you, Mother. I have been working really hard to become a cleric.

  Jezebella: I know Grel can’t stop singing your praises whenever I have meetings with your father, and he is so proud.

  I was caught off guard by that last remark.

  Toria: Wait, Father knows too.

  Jezebella: Why, of course, we’ve both been staying in the loop on your progress, and we have been preparing something for this day.

  Mother would then reach into her back pouch and pull out a slender cylinder; she would then recite an incantation, and the cylinder would transform into a full-length white cleric staff with a red dragon topper.

  I was completely blown away. This beautiful staff was for me; holding it in my hand, I could sense it was full of great power, and it was made out of metal.

  I looked at my mother and smiled, quickly hugging her.

  I was so happy.

  Jezebella: I’m so happy you like your gift. Your father and I had it made with a scale from each of us; it should be able to boost your magic greatly.

  Toria: Thank you, Mother. I love this gift, and please tell Father I said thank you too. I know he’s very busy.

  I would then hurry to the Wyvern Post; the best way for any Dragon Cleric to travel is by wyvern; in fact, it’s customary for Dragon Clerics to bond with at least one wyvern.

  I would climb the steps of the Wyvern post, and I would soon look around and call out to my brother.

  Toria: Adrio, Adrio, where are you?

  Adrio: Hold your horses; I’m right here, little brother.

  Soon he would come over in a burst of red and blue. He fired over me and said,

  Adrio: Hello, little brother.

  Toria: Adrio, you know I’m 30 years older than you. Why must you continue to belittle me when I’m your big brother?

  Adrio: In terms of age, you are the big brother, but physically you're a bit lacking now. I heard you became a member of the clergy, so where are we headed?

  I would let out a sigh and say

  Toria: We are going to the Aurum Continent; our destination is Valest, located on the far eastern side of the continent.

  Adrio: Oh, then this is going to be fun. I learned that to get to Valest, you have to fly through a canyon home to a large community of dust jokes.

  Toria: Why not fly around the canyon??

  Adrio: That’s because the Dust Jokes have set up several Sand Twisters to purposefully make it so getting around the canyon is impossible.

  Toria: Noted. I’ll make sure to cast Red Wall to keep the sand away from us.

  Adrio: Great, now let’s go; I’m already suited up with a harness.

  Adrio and I would then walk over to the diving platform, and Adrio would take flight. The diving platform stood at 16 feet above the ground, and I was nervous, but soon I would dive down. I was freefalling, but then, out of nowhere, Adrio came by, and I grabbed at the grapple claw hanging from his chest. It all happened so fast.

  But soon I was soaring through the sky, hanging from a grapple hook and looking around; the view was incredible.

  I couldn’t help but be in awe.

  Adrio: Hehe, enjoying the view, little bro?

  Toria: Yeah, this is incredible, mind-boggling even.

  I never knew flying could be like this; it made me wonder what it would be like to use my full dragon form.

  I learned that the reason why we even use Wyverns is because using our full Dragon form takes a great toll on our bodies and should only be used in dire circumstances. I am a Crimson Mist Dragon, and my full Dragon form takes after my father, meaning it resembles a standard dragon with wings for arms, a long neck, and so on.

  Coming out of my thoughts, I didn’t realize how fast we were going because we had just left the Rainbow Continent and were now across the sea.

  Toria: Adrio, are you using some sort of enchantment?

  Adrio: Not really; it’s an innate ability exclusive to wyverns; it’s called Aero. It’s basically a speed boost while in the air; it saves a lot of time actually.

  I didn’t question it. The reason why my grip is holding so well is because of my innate ability. Draconic Strength innate abilities are the bread and butter for us, Fae.

  We soon arrived at the sand-covered Aurum continent with its many buildings and spires made from pearl and gold. As we were traveling overhead, we would come in contact with harpies. They were wearing golden armor, a signature of the Kingdom of Charity’s army. The harpies then spoke up and said,

  Harpi: Greetings, young dragons. Please state your intentions and destination.

  Toria: I am Toria of the Crimson Dragon Temple, and this is my brother Adrio. We are headed to Valest to do some missionary work.

  Harpi: Ah, very good. Please mind the dust jokes within the canyon as you pass through and remember the Hierophant is watching. Have a good day.

  The Harpies would then fly off, and I breathed a sigh of relief. Harpies are common aeronaut soldiers; they have Aeromancy as well as the ability to weaponize their screeches. You would have to be insane to challenge a Harpy Aeronaut.

  The Canyon would then come into view, and I did see six giant sand twisters along both sides of the Canyon. It was going to be impossible to fly around the Canyon; that much was true.

  As we entered the canyon, I cast the spell Red Wall. This was a fire-aligned barrier spell. If the Dust Jokes sent sand element attacks our way upon coming into contact with the barrier, they would turn to glass and fall to the ground.

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  And as soon as things were quiet, sandbeams came flying at us, and they would instantly turn to glass and fall.

  Adrio: Thank you for casting Red Wall.

  Toria: You're welcome. I just thought I'd make things more practical for us.

  Adrio: Praise the Dragon Mother for that.

  We would soon encounter geysers of sand, and Adrio was on point, avoiding every geyser with professional precision.

  But as a last-ditch effort, the Dust Jokes would create a massive sandstorm to disorient us, and Adrio would shout out,

  Adrio: This has gone too far.

  Adrio would then ignite himself, and he looked like a comet shooting through the sandstorm and out the other end. Soon we were under the beautiful clear sky, and in the distance was Valest.

  Adrio would soon land at the gates to Valest and stretch his wings.

  Allowing me to get on my feet, and I couldn't help but fall to my knees.

  Adrio: Hehe, I love how first-timers get wobbly in the knees. Hehe.

  Toria: I’m not wobbly, Adrio.

  Adrio: Sure thing, little brother. Now, why don’t you set up lodgings for us? I don’t really have the people skills you do.

  I would soon rise to my feet and walk into Valest. The village was relatively small, with only 4 large dome dwellings. In the center of town was a beautiful pale yellow tree with cyan and white-colored mana circling it. The dragons here were all elderly and dressed in white pious robes with pastel yellow adornments.

  I was soon approached by one of these dragons; she was elderly, and her yellow scales had almost completely faded away; her eyes were pale green in color.

  She spoke with a calm voice and said,

  Dragon Eldress: Welcome to Valest, the Dragon Village of Scholars. How can we help you, young dragon?

  Toria: Hello, I am Toria of the Crimson Dragon Temple. I have come as a missionary to try and convince one of you to join my Horde.

  The Dragon Eldress would sigh, saying

  Dragon Eldress: I figured a missionary would come sooner or later. You are more than welcome to try, young dragon, but I can assure you that no one is interested in leaving Valest, not after leaving our former Reagle Horde, but I will set up lodgings for you and your companion.

  The Eldress would then take me to a lodge, and I would guide Adrio to it.

  After getting rested up, I would soon meet with some of the locals. I would then discover that Valest was mainly made up of elder dragons. Some were so old that they couldn’t walk and mainly stayed home. I didn’t even know dragons could get that old.

  But I did learn that these dragons were all part of House Typhoon, meaning they were all soldiers at one point, but they chose to retire and take up the role as scholars and piety, and this is what got them exiled; they were deemed a waste on House Typhoon's resources.

  I did, however, find one young Dragoness; her name was Erica, and she was possibly the youngest Dragon here, and she mainly served as the village doctor and tree maiden.

  Apparently the tree in the center of town was magical; it was a gift from the dryad’s. The tree produces bountiful golden melons that Valest uses for sustenance.

  I didn’t think I could recruit anyone here, but I gave it a try. I got in the center of town and started my speech, calling out to anyone who would listen, and so far some elders would listen and then get bored and leave. I continued on only until my voice was hoarse.

  I then went back to the lodge only to be met by Erica, and this was my first time seeing her, and she was beautiful. Her scales were smooth with a summer orange and pink color scheme, her eyes were as beautiful as violet flowers, and her dress was the mere embodiment of a beautiful desert flower.

  Erica: You are an idiot.

  I could barely speak.

  Erica would let out a sigh, and she handed me a flask; drinking from it, my throat was mended instantly.

  Toria: Wow, that was amazing. My throat feels so much better.

  Erica: I bet it does. Next time, don’t give a 6-hour-long speech in the sun. The Aurum continent may be a paradise, but it can drain you if you push yourself too hard.

  Toria: noted.

  Erica: What brings you here anyway? Valest is made up of elderly dragon warriors looking for a peaceful retirement. What would the Crimson Dragon King want with us?

  Toria: I’m not sure; I was simply told to come here by the Crimson Chaplin.

  Erica: Uh huh, sure, please remember the dragons here simply want peace; they have no intention of serving your lord and never will. I hope you can respect that.

  Erica would then walk off.

  I would then turn in for the night.

  The next morning I got up and said my prayers and then left. Adrio had already left to do some scouting around the area. I would go to the medical office, and I saw Erica caring for an elderly dragon.

  She was using some medicine; I would come over and ask.

  Toria: May I help out? I do possess healing magic, and I might be of some assistance.

  Erica: No, thank you. I have this handled now. Please go away and go give your speeches somewhere else. I would then leave the clinic.

  I would walk across the courtyard to get to the lodge when I saw a dragon collapse right across from me. I hurried over to him and quickly began checking for any wounds; the only thing I could detect was that his mana was nearly depleted.

  Fae are special creatures. Mana is like our blood; we need it to keep going, so when it’s nearly depleted we get incredibly weak, and without it we die.

  I would quickly summon a Mana wisp, and I would help this old dragon get comfortable as the Mana wisp would restore him.

  Elderly Dragon: Thank you, young man. Thanks to your efforts, I can keep going a bit longer.

  Toria: You’re welcome, sir, but your mana was so low it bordered on nearly diminished, and as far as I know, for a fae’s mana to be that low, they have to be using a great deal of it unless it’s being drained from you.

  Elderly Dragon: Well, my boy, you’d be correct; our mana is being drained. You see that lovely tree over there?

  I would look at the tree; it was as lovely as ever.

  Toria: Yeah, but what does that have anything to do with it?

  Elderly Dragon: Well, that tree looks so radiant because it’s draining the mana from our elderly bodies.

  Toria: How can that be when I feel just fine?

  Elderly Dragon: That is because you are resistant to that tree's draining effects; as for the rest of us, our resistance is greatly diminished; we are highly susceptible to that damned tree.

  Toria: But why still stay here if that tree is essentially killing you?

  Elderly Dragon: Where would we go? We are too old to fight, and we have little use outside this village.

  Toria: But what about the kingdom of Charity? Surely they will welcome you with open arms.

  Elderly Dragon: they would but all of us are from the eldest generation of wind dragons, and our pride prevents us from seeking their aid.

  Toria: So you're willing to die rather than seek help because of your pride??

  Elderly Dragon: Exactly. Now allow me to rest before I continue on with my day.

  I would walk off; I was appalled by this. Why would the Dryads do this to them? I would have to speak to the eldress about this.

  Upon reaching her, she practically admitted that what she was doing was in fact foolish, but she had no shame in it.

  I left the Eldress; I was so mad. Was Dragon Pride truly so great that it overrides common sense? As I entered the plaza, I noticed someone standing at the front gates.

  It was a human with deep red hair; he was wearing a white and tan-colored robe. I thought it was odd that a human would be here; nevertheless, I chose to approach him.

  The human stood at exactly five feet, so I towered over him. He smiled at me and said,

  Welst: Greetings. I am Welst; I am a blessed sent from the Kingdom of Charity.

  Toria: a Blessed??

  Welts: Yes, we are a particularly new type of Fae that was recently discovered. We are Fire elementals, and when we are born, we are accompanied by a Phoenix as our twin. Our Priestess has devoted herself to the pursuit of medical knowledge, and we have followed her example.

  Toria: I see; well, there isn’t much you can do here. Everyone here would rather die than accept any sort of charity.

  Welst: I know this is why the Hierophant sent me here to speak with you and one other Dragoness here; if you could fetch her for me, I think we can help each other greatly.

  I was curious; I had learned that the Hierophant was an all-knowing and wise Fae who could make the sun and moon dance in his hands, but surely he wouldn’t have foreseen my movements.

  Either way, I would take Welst to Erica. She was busy praying to the tree when I got Erica’s attention. She turned around and seemed surprised to see Welst. She then explained at that moment that members from the Ministry of Hospitality have come several times.

  Welst then told Erica that he wanted to speak with her privately; the three of us would then meet in the lodge.

  Welst: Now, then, let me start by explaining that the Hierophant is incredibly aware of the problem facing this dragon community.

  Erica: Really, then he can save these old dragons.

  Welst: Yes, he can, but those old dragons would rather die than accept his help. This is why he has sent me.

  Erica: But why didn’t you come sooner?

  Welst: Because I, along with this Crimson Mist Dragon as well as yourself, were mere children at the time of this plan’s creation.

  Toria: Wait, you mean the Hierophant had this planned out in advance?

  Welst: Exactly, his Holiness can see many things; he created this plan several decades before this community's creation.

  Erica: I see, so what is your plan?

  Welst would then begin to share the plan; the main problem was the tree, the lifeblood of this community as well as its greatest struggle. Welst had brought with him a Phoenix Ovum, a red glass oval-shaped gem that held a flame; it belonged to his eldest sister. It is an infinite source of mana, and if we used a fusion spell to fuse the ovum with the golden tree, it would resolve the mana-draining problem.

  Welst explained that he had prepared a fusion ritual, but it required two other participants in order to work. Erica and I agreed to help. Welst Adrio, who had been listening the whole time, exclaimed his excitement and went out to get front row seats. The three of us would then go out to the tree, and we would get in key possessions. If you looked overhead, you would see that we would form a pyramid around the tree.

  And soon we started the ritual; we each invoked our magic, and the spell circle that would appear formed into a delta as we each did our part for the ritual. Mana would start to glow and rise around us, taking the form of red dragons and phoenixes, and the pentagram would form a great light.

  We were basically conduits; the mana flowed through each of us, and soon the tree was consumed by a red geyser of light.

  Welst than held the Phoenix Ovum aloft, and it soon flew upwards and soon landed onto the tree, and there was a blinding light that soon exploded into a plume of concentrated magic, and we would all pass out.

  I would soon awaken, and when my vision cleared, I saw the tree; it was now a neon orange color with leaves that glowed like radiant diamonds with neon blue flowers that were iridescent in the light.

  I then saw Erica lying on the floor; I came over to her, and she would slowly come to. Upon seeing the tree, she was amazed; it was a thing of beauty.

  We then found Welst; he was in one of the buildings, but he was surrounded by at least twenty-five dragon eggs.

  Welst: Ah, you're both awake. Good, I am about to take my leave.

  Erica: Are these eggs?

  Welst: Exactly, they are the residents of Valest. now. I wish to share the His Holiness’s plan for this settlement.

  Welst would then clear his throat and say

  Welst: In the following years to come, there will be a dire need for dedicated healing facilities outside the Kingdom of Charity and the Ministry of Medicine. For this reason, he wished to create such a place here soon. A construction team as well as other healers will come to make this place into a greater healing facility, and for that reason, His Holiness wants both of you to be the leaders of this community along with your new family.

  Erica and I were shocked; we didn’t know what to do with this information, but I took Erica’s hand and looked towards her and said,

  Toria: If you're willing to do this, Erica, I am willing to stay here and help you raise these dragons and build a community that all of Fae land can be proud of.

  Erica: I don’t think I have much of a choice, and if the Hierophant planned this out before any of us were born, it must be his will. It would be a shame to spit in his mouth.

  Welst would soon take his leave, and since I wouldn’t be coming home, I would have Adrio send a letter to my parents in my stead.

  POV shift

  Jezebel has been eagerly expecting Toria to come home at any moment; I can’t blame her. He is the first of our children to be sent out on a mission, and I do so want to see how my son is doing since I didn’t get to see him off.

  I am currently in the throne room with Freznic and Dimonty; we are busy planning a meeting with the local human villages. In recent years, the villages were hit by a series of bandit attacks, and they are asking to meet with me mainly to get lumber to restore their homes, but since these are the same villages that have organized several attacks on my temple, putting my family in danger countless times,

  They want to weaken me and take more lumber than they actually need, and they don’t understand that I’m not responsible for how much lumber they can take; that is up to Aeos, since his presence is what adds the magic to the forest, and every few hundred years I have to explain that to them again and again because humans have incredibly short life spans, and the only thing that remains the same is their resentment and hatred for us Fae.

  I have learned that some humans actually accept the Fae, but the villages in the immediate area are followers of the Holy Human Empire who want to kill all Fae, so each time these meetings come up, I have to take several precautions; for example, they have tried poison, snipers, and stabbing me, as well as taking hostages, all of which have failed, but humans don’t learn; they simply try more creative ways, and by this point, I’m immune to almost every type of poison known to Fae Land. I have to send a letter to the Ministry of Knowledge almost every year to check if there is any new type of poison.

  Hell, they’ve even hired assassins, and each time they try to take my life, it ends with me denying their request and heading back to the temple, and it leads to a raid attempt.

  By this point I see it as yearly culling so the villages don’t get too crowded.

  Dimonty has been by my side through all of it, and his insights have proven invaluable. By this point, he’s my second hand, and through all of it, Dimonty still has a smile on his face, and he’s a bright ray of sunshine through all of it.

  It amazes me how he can be so happy despite the hell those humans put us through.

  The meeting is soon interrupted by Jezebella; she’s holding a letter and has tears in her eyes. I quickly stand up and rush towards her; the meeting is then put on hold, and we begin to discuss the letter.

  Jezebella: I’m so proud of Toria Raven, but I want to hug him one final time.

  Raven: I know, but the Hierophant chose him for that role; we can’t go against his design.

  Jezebella: I know, but if I had known he wouldn’t be coming back, I wouldn’t have let him become a cleric.

  I wrap my arms around Jezebella, and she gently cries into my chest. I can understand why Jezebella feels this way; her family was taken from her, and her brother and eggs are all she has left by this point. She clings to the family she has to help her cope with that grave loss, and this is a problem I don’t think she’s fully come to terms with, and this is why separation hits so hard for her.

  Raven: Jezebella, we can still visit him, you know.

  Jezebella: Yes, that’s true. I want to be alone right now. Excuse me.

  Jezebella would then walk to her room; I would look at Dimonty, and he would give an understanding nod and follow after his sister.

  I’m honestly not going to lie; the fact that I will never see my son again does hurt me hard. I didn’t have a lot of time with him as I did with my other children; that is mainly because I was off doing a mission for the Prime Fire Dragon.

  So this was going to be the first time we would get to bond and catch up; still, I would go to my room and do the next best thing: I wrote him a letter, and I would do my best to express my pride and love for him.

  I smile upon finishing the letter and having a tear fall from my eye as I have it sent; I think to myself,

  “Toria is going to do so many great things.”

  End of Episode