Back to the past - AGAIN! I wonder how many times Chronos is gonna do this to me...and if it knows I get indigestion.
Where - or WHEN - could Chronos have sent us this time? It's nothing like the water world we had to paddle through--
WHOA! Watch your step, Arya! W-We're so high up, I can't even see the ground from here...!
ACK! How does anybody live up here, I wonder? Unless...it's just dragons?
(Hello. Welcome to the world of light. Now...LEAVE!)
A world of light, huh? I guess Chronos could've sent us to worse places, for sure. As far as time traveling goes, this doesn't seem too bad...
Maybe. But something about this place just doesn't feel right!
(I can hardly believe my eyes. We've not seen creatures like you for hundreds upon hundreds of years!)
(I'd like to help you...but I'm not sure if I trust you. A battle will decide my course of action for me!)
What's it saying, Ned?
(sigh) Exactly what you'd expect it to.
What's wrong? You've been making this scrunched up sort of face ever since we battled the Soft Dragon.
Erm... Well...it said something weird. It said...it hadn't seen "creatures" like us for hundreds of year.
Are human beings gone in this part of the past? And...did our time meddling cause it?
(Of course human beings are gone. This is a place for beings of justice and light ONLY!)
(So I'll have to send you two creatures away with a great flick of my righteous tail!)
(Humans! You ARE humans, right? You must be from down on earth! Oh, this is so exciting...)
C-Can you tell us more about that? Are you from earth too?
(Yes, I am. I live in the swamps down below, but the Great Lysk let me into the world of light, on account of my good behavior!)
The...the "Great Lysk"? Arya, do know anything about that?
If anybody did, it'd either be you or your dad. I'm in the dark here!
(No, no, you're in the light! Ugh, I guess what they say about human intelligence is true. But what about human battle prowess?)
A-Arya - I don't think we're welcome here.
What are you talking about? This looks like the friendliest place in the world! Besides, the Ancient Dragons from the Great Sea didn't trust us either, right?
Maybe you're right... I mean, it IS really nice here. It's all warm, and colorful. There's nothing scary in sight...besides the dragons, of course.
Aw, Ned - what's so scary about a Sunfeather Dragon? Isn't it so cute and soft? I'm gonna go give it a hug!
(Begone, foul sinners!)
Uh - you might want to back away from that dragon, Arya.
Phew...I thought for sure that Sunfeather Dragon we met back there was gonna bite your head off...
Don't worry, Ned - I've got a hard head, even without a helmet like yours. But I wonder what's making these dragons so aggressive...
(Are you running into trouble here, humans? How strange - and how strange, too, to see folk like you.)
(We don't usually have trouble here in the clouds. We all like to flit amongst the rainbows, sing songs, eat til our bellies are full...)
(But I've never battled with humans or trained dragons before... Say, can I try it?)
(I see humans! Out for a stroll, maybe? Not for long, though...)
Huh?
(The dragons of the world of light are all whispering about you. You're causing a bit of a stir!)
(In fact, I hear Valkov is on the lookout for you. I'd love to get a battle in before it finds you two!)
Ned? You're getting all pale again!
Hey, hey, are you okay, Ned? You've gone as pale as that Cloud Dragon!
Someone, or something, named "Valkov" is after us... And no matter how pretty this "world of light" is, I'm terrified!
But we've never met this Valkov before, right? What if they're super nice? What if they want to make us honorary world of light-ers?
(Oh...I don't know about that. Valkov is pretty strict. Valkov is Lysk's guardian, after all - it protects us from dark thoughts.)
B-But we don't have any dark thoughts! At least, I don't think we do...! Do we, Arya?
Dark thoughts? I'm just thinking of battling this dragon!
I know you're scared, Ned. I don't really know what's going on either, but we don't need to jump to conclusions or anything!
Chronos always sends us back in time for a reason... I just wish we knew what it was before "Valkov" or "Lysk" or whoever catches us!
(Pssst... Over here...)
Hold on - I hear something whispering from under that archway. A dragon...?
(I see you're asking questions. Good! If you start letting your mind wander, you'll be facing down Valkov in no time. And I'd like to see what you can do!)
(THERE you are!! Mischievous humans, scuttling about the world of light like little bugs!)
H-Hey! That's not...really nice...
(Your dark thoughts have upset the Great Lysk, and that is the one thing I cannot abide!)
Dark thoughts?! Wh-What's all this about dark thoughts?! We're GOOD guys! We don't have dark thoughts!
(ALL humans have dark thoughts. Even dragons. But this world of light is no place for creatures like that. )
(I will cast you down to the world below - for the glorious Lysk and the world of light!)
That Valkov dragon REALLY didn't seem to like us... It's pretty unusual to run into that kinda hatred in dragons, Ned. What was it saying?
It kept mentioning how people and dragons with "dark thoughts" aren't welcome here...that dark thoughts bother the "Great Lysk"...
B-But how can I make these dragons understand that we don't have dark thoughts!?
(Of course you do.)
Now where'd YOU come from?!
(All living things have dark thoughts. Even the desire to battle can be a dark thought - and that's what I'd like to do right now!)
I'm so confused! What the heck are "dark thoughts"?! Are they good or bad?! Are WE good or bad?!
Um...I feel like the dragons are really getting to your head, Ned-- YOW!
AAAAGH! WHAT HAPPENED?!
It's okay! This Rogue Dragon just poked me...! But, it's sort of strange - there aren't many dragons that look like the Rogue Dragon around here...
(You two're interesting! Fight me!)
(Hehehe! How wonderful! If humans like you can tromp around in the world of light, then so can dragons like me!)
A-Are you saying you're...evil? You ARE a Witch Dragon, after all...
(Silly human boy! There's nothing evil about witches - or humans, or dragons like me! Although some dragons here don't quite understand that.)
(It's all a bit hypocritical - considering this world was created from the Solar Rock: stolen from human witches!)
WHAT?! These dragons stole the Solar Rock from witches down on earth?!
Huh? The same Solar Rock they worship on Illumina back in our time? This is amazing, Ned!!
(Is it true? Is it true? Some humans have come from down below to shake things up in the world of light?)
Well, not exactly "down below", a-and we didn't want to shake things up!
(Too late for that! Just by being here you have made many dragons remember things that the Ancients prefer we forget...)
(...Things about humans, and different ways of thinking. Many dragons love to think, you know! About all kinds of things!)
(In fact, I believe Luzra will be paying you a visit soon. Luzra is like me - Luzra believes you must have a bit of mischief in life.)
(Human boy, I think your friend agrees with me. She's been itching to battle this whole time, and I have too!)
(Hello, humans. I thought at first you'd come to return the Solar Rock to the witches down below, but now I see you were unaware of our stolen magic.)
(Perhaps it's better this way: you two can figure out on your own what you want to do in this world. Mistakes are good. Doubt is good.)
Um...there's a powerful dragon we know who sent us here to get your kind to help us in the future. At least, that's what I thought, but now I'm not so sure.
(How interesting. Instead perhaps it is you that will help us. My kin must understand that they cannot have light without shadow.)
(Permit me a battle with you, if you please. I do so love creatures like you!)
So you're telling me that the Ancient Light dragons have made the world of light SO perfect, that there's no room for any other ways of thinking?
You can't play any tricks or make mistakes or... I guess if I thought this way, I'd never have become friends with Eliza.
And maybe dragons would never have become friends with humans... And then, my dad would kinda be out of a job.
And I never would have met you...
(UGH, are you two done squawking? We dragons of light have a perfect world up here, and we don't need you muddling it!)
(Oops - I had a dark thought!)
WHOA! That arrow nearly hit me!
What're you-- ACK! Me too!
The culprit couldn't be that innocently whistling Cupid Dragon, could it?
(Tee hee! If you're scared now, just you wait until the Great Lysk gets ahold of you!)
(Ah, humans, breaking the peace - just like back in the old days, when we dragons coexisted with you on earth.)
(Funnily enough, life was rather exciting down there. It's peaceful up here, but, well...)
(I shouldn't be entertaining these thoughts, but perhaps I miss some of the old ways. Humans like you, at least, made life a joy.)
(Battle me, won't you? Win or lose, it'll be an experience!)
I keep wondering why Chronos sent us here. Maybe it was to fix things? To get the dragons here to return to earth?
And embrace other kinds of dragons? And people like us? I didn't even know there was a time in history like this...
Maybe I could write about it!
Ned, that's a great idea!
(I hear the sounds of new ideas! Well, not so much new as not heard in a long time. I've always enjoyed sounds like this!)
(And I haven't had the opportunity to stretch my wings against humans in a while. Shall we battle?)
Ned, don't look now, but this dragon's been following us for a WHILE now - I think it's finally got the courage to talk to us...well, talk to you.
(I've been watching you two this whole time. I think you're finally ready to confront the Great Lysk, and perhaps change its mind. )
(My name is Solden - I am the only Ancient Light dragon born on earth, and not here in the clouds. Long have I tried to get our kin to return to our origins.)
(With your coming, perhaps it is finally time to return the Solar Rock to the humans, and rejoin our old friends down below.)
(But before all that, I'll need to give you one last test - to see if you are ready to face Lysk. Lysk will read your thoughts and know all your intentions.)
(Now, face me, if you are ready!)
(... ... ... )
Urrgh... I can't understand this dragon. It's like...it's thinking in images, or maybe feelings - but not words!
It's OK Ned! If we just be ourselves, it'll know what our intentions are.
I know you're afraid of dragons, and Lysk is afraid too - but there's a lot of love in both of you. And I love you, and dragons, too!
*blush*
L-Lysk's thoughts are changing...it's saying that it might enjoy a battle...and befriending new sorts of people...