New World - A New Beginning

"We've arrived, Jay," said Asthia as she approaching a massive arch hidden among the trees.

I looked at the structure and frowned. It was destroyed, rubble all around it, and moss growing on every stone. I looked at Asthia, seeking answers. She just shared my look and laughed.

"Well, we haven't opened the door yet, right?"

"R-right," I answered, still not convinced. The hidden kingdom of the dragonkin, was behind this arch? I took a deep breath and closed my eyes.

I was nervous, to say the least. Not only was I going to discover a lost civilization for the first time in centuries within Auroria, but I was human. It was so simple, yet so controversial. I was the enemy of dragons, the hunters of their kind. There was no way they would take kindly to a human casually strolling into their protected domain that they had kept hidden for so long.

I looked over at Asthia. She seemed to be concentrating on the archway, maybe the entire structure was an illusion? No, that was unlikely, I wasn't really sure what to expect.

Suddenly, a light blue light emanated from each stone as they started levitating, floating back to the arch, completing it. After a few moments, the archway stood there in its former glory, completely reconstructed.

Asthia merely smiled at my shocked expression as she took my hand.

"Just wait until you see what's on the other side," she said, winking as she hopped through the archway, dragging me along with her.

A weird vibration spread throughout my entire body, tingling every nerve and body in excitement. When I opened my eyes, my mouth quite literally dropped to the ground.

There was no such thing as ground wherever I was, all I could see were small islands floating around each other, a massive temple sitting on the center-most island. Wooden bridges connected the floating landmasses, and I could make out the striving population just from the entrance.

I squinted as one of the islands shifted, revealing the sun. All of a sudden, the scene burst into life. Fluorescent rays of every color shone through the cascading waterfalls that ran down into nothingness. Birds roared as they passed through, gracefully gliding through the numerous buildings and islands.

Wait, those weren't birds. They were dragons! Small dragons flying in packs! Each baby seemed to shine with a different color, maybe they each had different binding attunements?

The sun radiated on my naked arms, slightly burning all the cuts and rashes I had gained throughout the trip. Even with the slight pain, the calming warmth from the massive red ball that was setting in the West wrapped around me like a warm blanket in the midst of a cold blizzard.

"Welcome Jay, to Lares, the lost kingdom of Auroria," announced Asthia pridefully. Her pride was fully justified considering the beauty of this place. I couldn't even answer her, my eyes just shaking at the marveling view.

The cool smell of grass entered my nose, refreshing my tired mind. Could smells even rejuvenate exhaustion?

My admiration for Lares was suddenly cut short as multiple presences suddenly surrounded us. I reflectively reached for my knife but realized I was too late. We had been completely surrounded by dragon soldiers completely clad in gleaming black armor, what was it made out of? If I had to take a guess in terms of stones I was familiar with, I would've guessed obsidian due to its darkness, but I had no idea what the equivalent was in Auroria. Massive spears directed right at me in all directions.

"Stop!" boomed a voice, resonating through my head. All the guards immediately lowered their attack stance, planting the rear into the ground with the head straight up.

I looked over at the source of the command. A man draped in golden robes appeared, escorted by two more guards clad in dazzling red armor. He had short red hair and yellow eyes that roared with power, almost like they were dragons in themselves. His two black horns on his head had a slight tint of gold to them, but the closer I looked, it seemed like the gold was just raw intensity inside them. A humble golden crown sat around his head, resembling more a laurel wreath than a majestic crown.

He's the king, I immediately thought. I locked eyes with him, both of us judging the other. Before I could say anything, however, he immediately turned towards Asthia, his fiery intensity dropping instantly.

"Asthia!" he screamed, running towards the little girl.

"Dad!" she exclaimed, hugging him tightly as he swept her up in his arms.

D-Dad...? Asthia you little... You definitely kept this from me on purpose. I didn't know if I was supposed to be angry or not, it's not like I really cared if she was the princess or anything, it was just a slight shock. I just sighed, deciding to forget about it.

Plus, didn't she say her father was strict? This doesn't really look strict at all, I thought as I watched both of them embracing in tears. I guess strict didn't necessarily mean unloving, I thought as I corrected that preconception in my mind.

"Go see your Mom, she'll be so happy to see you. I'll have a talk with this young man, okay?" he whispered to Asthia, and she nodded and headed off into the endless horizon of beauty.

He straightened up and cleared his throat before addressing me.

"Welcome to Lares, young man, I am Irox Darck, the Dragon Emperor. May I know your name please?" he asked politely.

"Jay Cadmium," I responded. I didn't know what was considered correct here, so I decided to only answer what I was asked. The last thing I wanted was to enrage the emperor.

"Jay, you brought Asthia back, didn't you?" he asked. I nodded. "Judging by your condition and hers, you also protected her, didn't you?" I nodded again, the cuts and tears on me speaking for themselves. There was no need for words as the smallest of tears appeared in his eyes before he calmly wiped them away.

He regained his composure gracefully before continuing.

"It has been centuries since we last saw anyone other than our own, please, follow me," he said, gesturing me to follow him through the winding passageways that led to the massive palace up ahead.

I thanked him, slowly walking alongside him. He didn't seem alarmed that I was a child. Maybe Asthia's unusual intelligence and maturity (sometimes) were common amongst the dragonkin children?

He looked at me, a painful smile across his face. I could tell it wasn't easy for him to see the species that had almost wiped out his entire kind, but the fact that he was acting honorably was something I respected greatly.

"We have much to discuss, young Jay."