Chapters:

Prologue

3271 years ago 

At the battle of the Dragon Temple

Haro stood upon the ruins of the temple and its many once great leaders of the council.

They lay there in their ashen tombs, smouldering amongst the rubble and ash that now remained of the once glorious building that was home to the Order.

His dragon, Kronôs, stood nearby, his red scales glistening from the flames that surrounded them. His blue eyes shone like sapphires, his tail as sharp as a blade and his jaw was the strength of ten trolls.

Haro stood as he mourned his fellow riders…his comrades…his friends.

The sky was darkening. Clouds threatened to rain down upon the ruins of the city. Dragons filled the skies as they flew to fight or flee.

‘We need to regroup. The city is lost, Haro,’ Kronôs said in a deep resounding voice.

‘It is never lost my dear friend. The city will be rebuilt and its inhabitants restored. I do not give up hope. Not yet. But you are right, we need to gather the allies we still have left, we need to stop him before the war reaches the world of men, elves and dwarf kind.’ Haro bent down to close the eyes of an elven woman who stared back at him with no emotion. Her soul now travelled to the high heavens with the rest of her friends…and kin. He breathed in deeply and closed his eyes for a heartbeat. He re-opened them and climbed upon Kronôs’s back.

‘We fight for freedom, we fight to protect, and we fight for JUSTICE!’ Kronôs roared, his blue flame engulfing the darkened skies above.

Haro roared his battle cry with his sword high above his head.

With two great beats of his wings, Kronôs seamlessly cut through the air. Roaring as he went.

The Union’s armies were already pouring fourth through a portal into the mortal realm. A portal sustained by the Union’s leader, the monstrous and vile God of death and shadow, Taurus.

A number of fifteen or twenty thousand strong stormed into the portal. Haro looked in disgust as he saw magisters and dragon riders of the order, had band together with the enemy.

The city had already fallen. The army now marched to their next target.

Haro and his dragon flew towards the ancient Dragon Portal. With dragons and their riders following behind him, he led the few remaining members of the Order through the portal. It exited out into the Cold Mountains.

With speed and agility, Haro led his fellow warriors and friends to each of the cities. They needed to form a resistance, a last stand against Taurus and his army. The last fight for freedom.

Standing in front of the King of Windale, Haro said, ‘your majesty, a dark army marches towards this city. We need to call for aid, from the alliance, men, elves and dwarves will stand beside us in this hour of need. We must act quickly before this city falls.’

‘We cannot kill a God! And what Gods we pray to, never grant us aid. What do you suggest we do? I cannot send my men out there to be slaughtered!’ The King said.

‘My king. They will be slaughtered whether they are out on the fields in battle or not! You need to fight, else all is lost! You cannot think that he will leave you in peace. He is marching here as we speak. He will be here by dawn. You must act quickly!’ Haro replied.

‘Then we prepare for battle! Arm all men who can wield a weapon! Sound the alarm, get the women and children away from the city. Take them to the mountains.’ The King decreed.

The city was abuzz with activity. Walls and doors were being fortified, armour and weaponry were being distributed and the women and children made ready to travel deep within the Lefr Mountains.

The King asked Haro, ‘what of Hammerfall?’

Haro hesitated before replying, ‘it has fallen, my King. We could not get there in time. It was overrun when we entered through the portal. There are too many of them, Taurus has been planning this for a very long time.’

‘So be it. We will hold them here. It will be a good day to die.’

‘I’m hoping it won’t come to that, my King. Let us pray that it won’t.’ Haro mounted once more on the back of his dragon, ‘let us round up what remains of the Order, we have a battle plan to discuss, Kronôs.’

‘Yes! We will fly swift and true!’ He bellowed a great echoing roar across the city before beating his wings into the sky once more.

Dawn had approached, and true to Haro’s word, the army had reached the city of Windale. Catapults were lined above the walls and archers defending the towers. Windale and its men were going to put up a fight.

But in the moments of the battle horns, a great black dragon had flown over the enemy army and landed mere feet from the city gates. Upon the back of the great beast, sat Taurus. A wicked grin upon his face as he addressed the King, ‘King Baltar, your resistance is futile. I will crush this city to the ground and kill all who stand amongst the rubble.’

‘Threaten us all you want, Taurus! We will still fight you till the death! I will not allow you to pass!’

‘Valiant words for a dead man! My dragon will feast on your bones, and I will send this city to the smouldering abyss.’ Taurus uttered some words under his breath, the skies blackened and lightning streaked the skies once more. An all too familiar sight to Haro.

Portals opened up inside the city, the streets were overrun and screams could be heard over the thundering skies above. An earthquake threatened the foundations of the city, buildings began to crumble and men scattered. But the catapults and the archers began to fire upon the great masses that loomed below them.

It was a day doomed for failure. The menacing laughter of Taurus could be heard, his great beast rose above the ground and bellowed black flames across the city. The battle was already lost.

Haro had received news of elves and dwarves making their way to the Highpass. The last stand. The final battle.

With the alliance, men, elves and dwarves acted quickly to each other’s defence. Drawing Taurus and his surviving army to the Highpass. Six months had passed since the fall of Windale, and Taurus’s army fell city, town and village in turn as he laid them to waste. The mighty King fell at its walls as the city burned.

Upon the plains, Haro and Kronôs fought side by side amongst his fellows, but also against them as dragon and rider fell before him. Men and women whom he had known as friends had died as traitors.

It wasn’t surprising that beast, man and dragon fell before Kronôs. His scales were tougher and his breath was hotter, every dragon he took down, their powers were absorbed by his body. He grew stronger and stronger on the battlefield. He was the only dragon with such capabilities that graced the skies. The powers he absorbed, he used against the enemy. He was unstoppable. And the resistance needed unstoppable.

After learning that no mortal blades could harm Taurus, four mages approached Haro. Knowing who he was, and what he was capable of, the mages agreed to bore their souls into Haro’s blade. They named themselves, the Qwen, after plunging the blade into the earth, they chanted and circled around the blade. A bright blue glow emanated from it and suddenly the Qwen were absorbed into the blade. He renamed it, Soulblade.

Without a moments tally, he climbed upon Kronôs’s back and plunged the Soulblade deep within Taurus’s blackened heart, as he was vulnerable during his chanting. His black dragon was nowhere to be seen. Upon insertion of the blade, the skies cleared and a shockwave had exploded from Taurus himself.

It had destroyed everything within miles of the blast. But everything had suddenly grew silent.

Haro lay dead, the blade lying next to him. Kronôs somehow, still drew breath. He had climbed out of the smouldering crater and limped from the battlefield. He collapsed on the outskirts of the shockwaves blast.

A remaining few dragons still clung to life, they managed to stay clear from the main blast. After resting their weary bones, they travelled back to their portal to rebuild what was left of their ancient city.

No one knows if they ever had sealed the portal. Only a journey to the Cold Mountains would reveal such a secret.

Next Chapter: Chapter 1