Aspharr

Aspharr

Son Of The Tidelord

“Do you trust me?” Ember asked with a wink. Aspharr laughed; she said such silly things at times. An outsider would have been surprised to learn that they were friends. It wasn’t just that they were of opposing elements. It was because their personalities clashed magnificently: Ember, small and fierce, was the very definition of “hothead”, whereas Aspharr, in his finely-made clothes, was cool, calm, and collected.


But they were friends, and Aspharr did trust her. Even if they hadn’t been friends, he would have at least listened to her, for Ember was no ordinary Fae. The Flamecaller herself had summoned her to the Great Furnace. There, Ember had been bestowed the Forgefire, a powerful relic that partook of the goddess’ magic.


A small Fae, an enormous power...yet she still had time to have fun. Aspharr had been glad to show her around the Sea of a Thousand Currents. He was proud of his homeland, and he had every right to be: His father, the Tidelord, held sway over this domain.


Now he gawped at Ember, feigning terror. “Why do you ask such a question? Is there something heinous awaiting me inside? You know, if anything happened to me, my father would throw a fit.”


“There’s treasure inside, great treasure. It’s waiting for you.” Ember wiggled her eyeridges outrageously. “If you complete the Tidelord’s Trials, you will receive a great reward. You’ll show it to me, won’t you?”


“Bah,” Aspharr snorted, but he was grinning. They teased each other like this all the time. He guessed that Ember, a Fire dragon, was nervous about going into the cave, where there was the possibility of falling into a tidepool. Anyway, they would be returning to the Sectonian Empire soon; perhaps he could find a souvenir for her inside.


The cave wound deep into the ground. It was cool, and unlike most seaside caverns, it smelled brisk and fresh. There were ocean-connected pools here and there, and they refracted light from outside, sending it across the walls in rippling bands.


“It’s awfully pretty,” Aspharr thought. But there was something else, a feeling that he’d forgotten something important....Yet he was oddly comfortable down here. The murmur of the waves, from outside, seemed to put him into a trance. When he reached the end of the tunnel and saw only a small stone pedestal in the middle, he wasn’t even disappointed. Almost without thinking, he placed his pearl atop it. He would have a look around—


The sound rushed away, like water draining from a bag. Suddenly it was completely silent—like the bottom of the sea. Aspharr blinked as if rising from a dream.


That was it: he’d dreamed of this place before. Or maybe...he’d had a vision of it?


The cavern walls suddenly glowed with silvery-blue light. As Aspharr stared, the light collected at the cave’s zenith, coalescing into an orb of water. It floated gently towards him. There was a dark form inside, and when Aspharr realized what it was, he cried out in delight.


The water orb popped open—and a Water Sprite hovered before him. She looked just as delighted to meet him, and she reached out, patting his cheeks, his nose.


“Greetings, Tidelord’s son! I am Liva of the Element of Water.”


“I’ve seen you before,” Aspharr gasped. “A vision...Maybe it was a long time ago.” The memory was vague, but it was there. He’d been young and his prophetic powers had just begun to manifest. He’d glimpsed a cave like this, heard that playful voice....


And Liva smiled. “I am sent to serve the Tidelord’s chosen children. Your father has instructed me to deliver his magic—and the protection of the Light, which your clan now serves.”


She picked up Aspharr’s pearl. Light spread through the orb until it was glowing, filling the cavern with silver radiance. Liva lifted it, and Aspharr instinctively reached out. Strange reflections played across the pearl’s surface, and he found himself drawn into them even as he took his pearl from the Water Sprite.


Visions surrounded him as power flooded his entire body. He felt the magic rushing through him, opening his mind. Suddenly he couldn’t just see the room; he could see beyond it—


He was standing on a grassy plain with lightning dancing overhead. Something moved in the distance. Something huge. It was bearing down on him....


His dream-self lifted his arms. Blue sparks danced upon his clawtips, twining into an orb of electric-blue water. “The Water Orb Spark.” He knew that voice—all Water dragons did. Aspharr listened, enthralled, as the Tidelord boomed, “A spell that easily leaps to the mind, and just as quickly flies from one’s claws. It can cast light even in the darkest realms...and sweep aside those who would stand in your way.”


Aspharr’s dream-self flung the orb. It blazed like lightning as it smashed into the charging Thunderstomp. The rhinoceros bellowed as a great swirl of water engulfed it, sending it tumbling away.


“And the Tidal Wave. The god’s voice became hushed, foreboding. Now Aspharr’s dream-self stood on a hill, facing a massed army of harpies. “A deadly spell, not one to be used lightly. It does not merely sweep aside those who would stand in your way—it destroys them.”


The air seemed to open, and a great wave of water thundered through, filling the ground, the sky. It collapsed onto the harpies, drowning them completely, and their battle cries were lost in the all-consuming roar of the water.


Aspharr shuddered...and the vision was gone. As he clutched his pearl, the light faded rapidly. He was no longer in a cavern; in fact, he couldn’t see a cavern anymore. He was once again standing on the shore, and before him, there was only an unbroken wall of stone.


“So did you find any treasure?” Ember chirped, and Aspharr spun around. Her fins fluttered impishly, but there was a very knowing look in her eyes. Liva swooped around her and then landed on Aspharr’s shoulder.


“Y-Yes...I did...” He was still processing what’d just happened. As he stumbled after Ember, he blurted, “How did you know?”


“The gods keep in touch. I mean, they are siblings, after all. Let’s get going, Aspharr; you took such an awfully long time in there.” She stuck her tongue out at him, and Aspharr laughed. He held his pearl and Liva close as he followed his friend back to higher ground.


~ ~ ~

Aspharr thought a lot about that day many, many moons later. News had come from his homeland—the Tidelord had disappeared. His prophecies were no longer heard, and though visions still came to the seers, no one could discern what had happened to their god.


He was despondent. Sornieth had been racked by so many terrible occurrences. There were rumors of monstrous beasts in the Southern Icefield, and in the Sunbeam Ruins, several clans had fled from the rampaging Emperor. The Sectonian Empire was safe—but for how long?


He recalled the visions his father had sent him, too. Visions of the power contained deep within him. Would it make a difference? Could his magic perhaps be used to undo those disasters?


Liva shook her head firmly when he voiced his concerns. She placed her hands on his pearl, forced it back down. “Everything is as it should be,” she said, and despite his misgivings, Aspharr felt that it was true. “Your power should be stored away for another time, for when it is truly needed.”


“But, Liva-Tan, the Emperor...our clan...” Other clans had scattered, and many dragons were missing. He didn’t want that to happen to his clan. He had a good home here; it was where he’d met many of his closest friends, including Ember. He didn’t want to leave.


“No one is leaving. And the gods didn’t flee. They never do. They are simply elsewhere.” Liva’s expression was both stern and sympathetic. She reassured Aspharr, “The Sectonian Empire is here to stay. If not in the Sunbeam Ruins, then elsewhere in Sornieth—but they will stay. And so will you. Your place is with this clan—and theirs, together with you.”


It wasn’t the softest of pep talks, but to Aspharr, it was comforting. His father had vanished, but he was still here. He would protect his clan, when the time came. If it came.


Some dragons might have shied away from that great responsibility, but not Aspharr. He had seen the visions; he knew that he could defend his home if need be. And if, somehow, he failed, all was not lost—his clan would defend him, too. Within him, not only was there the Tidelord’s blessing, there was also the protection of the Light: the goddess...the Sunbeam Ruins...and the clan.


~ written by Disillusionist (254672)

all edits by other users

Breed Changed From Bogsneak To Pearlcatcher on October 1st, 2017