6,250 A.S. Mid Fall
After receiving my mission from the mysterious "A", I spent nearly five years searching for the descendants of the original fifteen and the weapons of the fifteen Dragon Riders that died in The Devastation.
My endless and arduous search came to an end when I succeeded in finding all of the descendants of the original Riders. However, I failed with the weapons of the Riders that died in The Devastation. But after receiving another message from "A", I quickly had the weapons of the Fifteen original Riders located and given to my fifteen comrades that agreed to help me and Lycaena in our mission to kill the Wyrm.
Today was the day we would put the Wyrm down once and for all.
I had the spell "A", gave me along with fifteen descendants of the original fifteen Dragon Riders and their ancient weapons. There was no way we were going to fail at destroying that monster once and for all.
   "Come on, let's go." I told the thirty dragons and people gathered behind me, all ready to leave Alagaesia, the only home most of them knew, except for Siku. He was the eldest of us all and knew what the Old Lands were like before The Devastation.
   There was a sound of jangling metal and saddles as we all climbed up our dragons and settled into our saddles in preparation for the long journey ahead of us.
   "Today, we end the Wyrm. Today, we liberate the world from the Wyrm's destruction and ensure it kills no one else ever again." I told them, rallying them to mine and Lycaena's cause.
   Over the past five years, the Head Rider had willingly sent a couple groups of Riders and Dragons out to explore the Old Lands because he clearly didn't believe me. Those Riders and dragons never came back or were heard from again. His folly in not listening to me caused him to lose his position as Head Rider, allowing another to take up the mantle.
   Risa and her NightWing were the third Head Rider since the Exodus began. She was all inclined to stay where it was safe, listening to what the other Riders around her had to say instead of ignoring them like her predecessor did; he was a good person he just became hardheaded when he had to prove or find something out.
Shaking myself out of my consuming thoughts, I looked back over my shoulder, looking at the fifteen arrayed dragons behind me with their fifteen Riders that were descended from the original fifteen founders of our order.
They were the key to ending this all. That's what it seemed like nowadays. Everything centering around these fifteen legends, families, and mementos of the future to come.
If we survive that is, a small part of my mind whispered, doubting our endeavors.
   "Ignore your troubling thoughts." Lycaena suddenly told me. "They are nothing but a distraction. All we should be worried about is the future of this world and the sole destruction of that monstrosity that now roams the Old Lands. So let us fly to victory or our final fight that will kill that despicable demon once and for all!" Lycaena said, voicing that last past to everyone else.
Dragons roared along with the battle cries of their Riders. I found myself roaring with them.
The air thundered with wingbeats as dragons lifted off, following Lycaena and I into the Old Lands that laid before us, and to where the Wyrm still lurked.

Days past with restfulness and anticipation of when we would arrive in the Old Lands.
   Doba, a descendant of the first leader of the Pyrrhian-Pantalan Riders, Akecheta, went as far as threatening to turn around and go back to Alagaesia where it was safe. For now, unless we defeated the Wyrm.
   It took a lot of urging from me and Siku to convince her to stay with us. We needed all fifteen descendants, not one or more short.
It was another two days of constant whining and threats of abandoning the cause they all swore to commit to before we finally saw the first of the Old Lands. They were worse than Lycaena and I remembered.
The land was all dark and sickly looking as if something had tried leeching all the life from it. The occasional withered up corpse of an animal was found, making us all want to throw up at the sight of anything dead or bloody.
I knew this had to be the Wyrm's doing. It seemed to relish the life it ripped out of Ila. Leading to the conclusion that it most likely fed off of living things given all the withered up corpses we kept finding. And most importantly that it was hungry and went to even trying to suck the live from the earth itself.
We either just delivered the Wyrm it's next feast, or we could kill it while it was weak and starved. Hopefully the latter.
"Are we almost there yet?" Garrik asked for the umpteenth time.
"Not unless you see something that looks like it shouldn't even exist." I snarked back in annoyance.
   Why did Garrik have to be so darn annoying? I asked myself.
"Well, I don't. Hey Nyla, you and your future seeing dragon see anything big and toothy about to kill us all in the next few hours or days?" Garrik questioned the twitchy dark skinned girl bonded with a NightWing.
Nyla was always twitching in fear which was understandable due to her being thirteen and handling intensive visions for her young age. As well as the second youngest of them all with Azami being the youngest with twelve years of age.
"That's not exactly how it works, Garrik." Nyla replied in a soft, shaking voice like she had trouble speaking or was just always frightful of speaking.
"Well darn. What use is future seeing kid and dragon if they can't even see the future when you need them too."
   No one made any comments to Garrik's words in fear of angering him or worse, making him a chatter box for the rest of the day.
   Hours past in silence as they all fell into a state of lethargy due to the lack of action and boredom.
   "You might want to give them an encouraging speech or something to boost their morale before one of them decides to leave like Doba tried to." Lycaena told me in a semi-exhausted voice as the long flights slowly took their tolls on Lycaena and the other dragons.
   "And what am I suppose to tell them exactly? That we have no idea where the Wyrm is and that we are just aimlessly flying around for nothing. Giving the Wyrm time to gather its strength while we wear ourselves out. Yes, that's a brilliant idea, Lycaena, why didn't I think of that." I snarled at her without realizing how damaging my words were.
   Lycaena didn't say anything else as I tried to apologize to her, leaving me to sulk in my own silent, empty mind.

We spent another week searching for the Wyrm, still finding no trace of it.
Lycaena finally started talking to me again a few days earlier after I "apologized enough" for her.
We were currently camped by a small pool of water in a semi-arid climate when Nyla suddenly screamed.
"What's going?" Was the common words shared by most of the group as everyone tried to figure out what was going on and why Nyla was screaming in the middle of the night.
I rushed over to her where Siku already waited, comforting her as best as he could.
Siku was the eldest with an age of around eighty but looking like he was in his early twenties and took on most of the responsibilities Lycaena and I couldn't, including looking out for and taking care of most of the younger Riders and dragons.
"What happened?" I asked him, looking into his worried ice blue eyes.
"I don't know. One moment she was asleep. The next she was screaming and ranting about darkness and death."
   Then twisting words tumbled out of her mouth in an eerie, spine tingling voice.

   "Beware the bleeding beast,
Beware the gathering feast,
Beware the blood and rock of Northern
breach,
Beware the snare of iron 'neath.

Cast the Beast into the pit,
Only if the glass and iron hit.
By the Ape's wrath and Hunter's faith,
The iron shall hate.
Switch the twining of the Fate and the Beast
shall quake.

Blood shall reign and fire shall rain.
Two of blood harboring the Beast's final
pain."

   Nyla choked out in her unfamiliar eerie voice that freaked them all out before passing out. Even her NightWing fell to the exhaustion of the prophecy's taxing toll.
"So...anyone want to explain what just happened?" Azami asked, looking down at the Nyla's unconscious form.
"It sounded like a prophecy—," Lani started.
"—regarding our certain pest problem." Lori finished for her twin.
"So, that was our supposed future?" Doba asked in a shaky voice. "Two of us are going to die to finish this monster off."
"Not if we kill it first." Garrik said, grinning as he cracked his knuckles.
"We can't be certain yet what is going on. So we might as well just stay calm and wait till morning when Nyla is awake to find out some answers." Flynn spoke above all the chattering that broke out from Doba's and Garrik's words. His calm words quieted them down. For now.
"Thank you." I mouthed to him.
He nodded his head in acknowledgement and went back over to his DriftWing.
Flynn so happened to be the previous Head Rider's son and had a knack for calming people down. I was grateful to have him instead of another annoying, complaining Rider.
He snd Siku seemed like the only ones that took this whole matter very seriously. As seriously as me and Lycaena. The others were committed, even if they didn't show it, to the cause. But they still needed to take this more gravely. Garrik especially. He caused why too much trouble.
"Come on, you should get some sleep. Siku and Icedriff are going to keep watch first." Lycaena told me, luring me back to the peacefulness of sleep while Siku and Icedrift watched for us all.
Lying back down by Lycaena's warm side, I slipped back off into a peaceful, dreamless sleep that used to be filled with sweet dreams of Ila that quickly turned into nightmares.

Awhile later someone shook my shoulder frantically, waking me up from a deep sleep.
I was about to ask what was going on when a cool hand clamped over my mouth, preventing me from speaking.
I couldn't see who it was but as the seconds past I could make our jet black hair and ice blue eyes and realized it was Siku.
I tried to motion to him to remove his hand. However, he shook his head, looking over his shoulder at something in the dark of the night.
I watched as well, waiting to see whatever this thing was.
Then, finally the thing moved, and dread filled me. It was the Wyrm.
The Wyrm slowly slithered by, its oozing black tendrils sweeping over everything. Those soulless blood red eyes eagerly searched the ground for its next meal.
I prayed to the ancient gods and goddesses of my human ancestors for safely from this monster. I didn't believe in any deities even when Ila told me stories about them. It was only now that I truly believed in them, hoping they were real.
The Wyrm slowly moved on into the darkness, leaving us alone in the cool night.
When Siku was sure it was gone, he removed his chilling hand, letting out a breath of relief.
I don't know when I even felt so relieved in my entire life. We managed to not let the Wyrm know we were here and not get eaten by it either.
"Thank goodness it didn't hear us."
"Surprising since Garrik and Croc both snore like sawing logs." Siku joked.
I laughed gently but it wasn't for long.
"Hey, which way was the Wyrm going?"
Siku's brow furrowed in thought while looking back at the way the Wyrm disappeared off to.
"East. Why?"
I cursed under my breath.
"Whoa. What's with the foul language. I know you've spent a lot of them around the Dwarves but did you really only pick up cursing from them?"
"We don't have them for funny jokes, Siku." I told him in a serious manner. "Hurry and get everyone up. We're going to the Evertree."

By the time everyone was up, the sun was already starting to rise, inciting me further to get to the Evertree as soon as we could.
   If my hunch was correct, then we needed to get there now before it was too late.
   "Why are we getting up so early?" Jomo asked, his midnight skin darker than Nyla's subtle warm brown skin.
   Jomo was one of the younger ones at fourteen  and bonded with a LeafWing.
   "Because we can't sleep around all day. We have a duty to the world to fulfill and we can't—why are you laughing?" Azami started in an annoyed tone that turned to vexation.
   "Because you said doody." Jomo said, barely keeping the spreading smile off his face.
   "Sometimes I wonder why I haven't killed you yet." Azami said emotionlessly.
   "Well someone woke up on the wrong side of the grass this morning." Jomo said, trying to be funny and failing miserably, which resulted in a bloody nose from Azami before Akeno—he was one of the more mature ones in his late twenties and bonded to one of the BeetlwWing-NightWing descents—restrained her from down anymore damage to Jomo.
   I honestly had no idea how these fifteen hadn't drove m up the wall yet or how I was still sane even somewhat.
   "Come on, we don't have time for this unless nonsense if you all want to save the world from death and destruction that the Wyrm will wreak once its insatiable hunger returns after devouring the Evertree."
   That shut them all up. They were all annoying but all of them had someone they cared about in Alagaesia that they wanted to protect, and this was the only way to ensure that they would be.
Everyone hurried up, packing up everything they had.
As soon as we were all ready, we set off at a breakneck speed for the Evertree before it was too late.
It wasn't long before we saw the Evertree along with the hulking, black oozing form of the Wyrm.
"That's the Wyrm!" Doba exclaimed in fear. "It looks like something out of a nightmare."
"Eh, it don't look that scary." Garrik said.
"You haven't seen it in action yet." I told him with venomous words. He thought the Wyrm wasn't that scary but he had never seen what it can actually do.
   "Well he's about to." Lycaena said, a low rumble forming in her throat.
The Wyrm turned around as the approached, fixing them all with its four blood red eyes. Its rows of razor sharp teeth gleaming with faded blood in the rising sun.
   I could feel some of the others hesitate to take action against the Wyrm and I didn't blame them. The Wyrm was not something you wanted to mess with.
   "Guys, I know you're afraid—,"
   "I'm not afraid of anything!" Garrik yelled in annoyance, acting more like five year old than a thirty-one year old.
   I just shook my head, ignoring his weirdness.
   "Like I was saying, I know this Wyrm is scary and something none of you have never seen before, but we have to kill it to protect the people we love and the rest of the world from its wrath. So if any of you want to turn back now and go home then go. Anyone who stays I hope you help me and Lycaena kill this monster once and for all. I'll give you all a few minutes to think it over." I finished, my heart thumping wildly in my chest as I saw Riders and dragons alike conversing with each other on this life changing decision that could very well kill us all.
Then each of them came forward, pulling weapons and vowing to see the end of this monster for once and for all, even the younger Riders.
I freed my glimmering amber colored sword from a similar sheath and raised it about my head.
"Together as one!" I yelled
"One as together!" They all echoed.
   The thirty-two of us surged toward the oozing black monstrosity moving toward the Evertree, weapons flashing in the blood red light of the rising sun. Even the sun knew there was going to be death today, and it would be the Wyrm's.
   The Wyrm turned around at the thundering sound that threatened to shatter the sky.
   The beast hissed at us, and swatted at us lie flies with its long, greasy looking tentacles.
   The Wyrm missed every time and got more frustrated when we rebelled with dragon fire, magic, or strikes from our weapons which were coated with my blood, the blood of an immortal, mortal, and one who didn't inherit magic through birth.
   I made sure to follow the instructions from "A", correctly. Only through her instructions could we properly kill the Wyrm.
   "Everyone make sure to stab the Wyrm at least once with your blades. It has to have my blood in its system in order for us to kill it. And I need someone to cover me while I prepare for the rest of the ritual that will kill this thing." I told the rest of the Riders, getting responses from all of them.
   Lycaena and I quickly approached the Evertree with Azami and Panther, her RainWing, watching our backs. Azami was young but she was skilled with a sword, skilled enough to fight an elf. And she and Panther were the first ones to strike fatal blows to the Wyrm by taking out two of its eyes, one with sword the other with RainWing venom
   "Remember, a whole circle around the base in order for this will work. The blood will act as a conduit between the two and the Evertree's energy will overwhelm the Wyrm and kill it for good." Lycaena reminded me.
   "Okay." I responded to her, drawing my blade and pressing it to the palm of my hand.
   For Ila. For my ancestors' home. For everyone and thing that this monster has killed.
I pulled the blade neatly across my palm, watching as the crimson blood welled up to the surface, like lava rising through cracks in the earth surface.
Clenching my fist, I got up and allowed my blood to drip in a circle around the expansive base of the Evertree.
It seemed like hours past as my continuous cycle of cutting my palms were repeated over and over again. I never knew it would take this much blood but then again I forgot the enormousness of the Evertree during my five years of searching.
I almost passed out three time, but Lycaena and the Evertree's energy kept me strong and conscious enough to prepare for the spell that would ultimately kill this demon once and for all.
   As my task went on so did the raging and ferocious battle. Battle cries and pained screams filled the air with the high pitched screeches of the Wyrm in pain or frustration. It pained me to know that some of us might not make it out of this battle alive, yet they all knew the dangers and that some of them might not make it back alive to their families. I hated the fact that I sort of forced them to join but I had no other choice and they knew it too. To win a battle there had to be sacrifice.
It had to be an hour past before I finally finished.
My hands shook with exertion as I put my sword away into its sheath with my bloody and slippery hands.
   Would my hands every be the same? Or would they shake like this forever as my testament to this crucible cause?
"Ignore the scars of the past and focused on the future which will most likely crumbled away into nothing if this things kills us all." Lycaena reminded me.
"Thank you."
"Of course. Now hurry, there is no time to waste."
   Placing my hands against the thrumming energy trunk, I uttered the words of the spell "A" gave me. Energy from the Evertree rushed through me with my blood acting as a conduit for the overwhelming energy to zone in on.
   A loud, deafening, horrible shriek filled the air as the spell took effect. I know it was the Wyrm suffering, and I was glad that it did suffer. This was its punishment for all the wrong it had done to everyone and thing around it that deserved justice for its actions.
   The energy threatened to overtake me as well as the spell went on, trying to expel the demon from this world forever. I could feel myself slowly slipping away and I didn't care. Every battle had to have a sacrifice in order for there to be a victor, and I would gladly pay that price and I knew Lycaena would too.
   Then someone touched my shoulder.
   I looked to see a dark skinned man next to a green LeafWing. I didn't know their names but I had a feeling that I knew them.
   "Thank you, Viserra." A familiar voice said to on other side.
   I turned to see Ila. She was as beautiful as the day she died nearly five years ago.
   "Ila—," my voice broke with sadness and joy.
   "Ssh. We will take it from here now." She said gently. "I'm so proud of you, Vis. You did it, and you and Lycaena will be remembered for it forever. Now, rest my love, for we will see each other again but not soon. Centuries will pass before we see each other again, I promise you this. Goodbye, my Vis." Ila said, and then there was blackness.

I woke up to a shinning blue sky filled with snow-white clouds. It was so beautiful that I never wanted to take my eyes off of it or forget about my brief conversation with Ila.
   My eyes shut slowly as tears rolled down from the corners of my eyes.
   Ila was truly dead but one with the Evertree. A protector and speaker along with the other dragon and Rider and so would Lycaena and I centuries from now. It was a duty I looked forward to.
   "Viserra?" Lycaena called.
   "I'm alive Lycaena." I responded back.
   "Can you move?"
   I tried lifting my leg, finding that I could with ease. It was like all my fatigue and wounds had been erased and my energy restored.
   "I'm fine." I told her sitting up.
   Instead of finding her were I thought she'd be next to my side, I found her in a circle around someone I couldn't see.
   My heart seized up as I quickly realized that someone had died or was on the brink of death. Scrolling through the familiar thirty faces I had come to know, I quickly crossed off the people and dragons I saw. I hoped it wasn't one of the younger kids. I wouldn't be able to forgive myself it my crusade had got them killed.
   Pushing myself up, I walked over to the circle and stood at Lycaena's side, peering down at the person I least expected to be killed in this battle.
   Garrik laid on the ground in a dark pool of dark sangria blood. His MudWing, Croc, wasn't too far, his throat slashed as if sliced with a whip. I could tell that it had to be from the Wyrm's tentacles. The same for the bleeding hole in Garrik's chest.
   "Tell Gerta that these are hers now and her mantle to carry. Also that her daddy loves her no matter what." Garrik whispered quietly as he struggled with the words.
  I was shocked to the bone that Garrik was even a father by the way he always acted. He didn't even seem responsible enough to even take care of a Croc when he was hatchling, let alone a baby.
I was about to promise to do so when he warm brown eyes took on a cloudy sheen. There was nothing to tell anymore. Garrik was already gone.
   Siku honored his words, and removed a axe with and a pair of identical hatches with blades shaped in the form of a dragon from Garrik's side, holding them grimly.
None of us said anything as we reminisced all our memories of him and Croc as respect to their passing.
When our long moment of silence was over, we agreed to burry him on a small island near where we all thought his and Croc's birthplace would have been if not for The Devastation. We would have taken him back to Alagaesia but we were all too wounded and weak to carry their bodies back to Alagaesia. But we promise to leave a memento of him for his daughter and others to visit and remember him by.

It took us six months to do so and when we were done, we moralized his island with many trees and a statue of Croc and a stone plaque about his life and death.
It was little known to me at the time but this was a tradition that would be honored and carried on by my order for centuries to come as a way to memorialize the lives and deaths of Riders and dragons for all.
"I hope the island survives." Lycaena said wistfully as the island slowly faded away with our departure.
"I think it will. It looks like the Old Lands will return back to life. They may not be the same as they were originally but they are still the ancestral homes of humans and dragons alike." I told Lycaena, looking back at the seven forming land masses that would soon become Erdas.

P.S. sorry for the other unexpected death. I just feel like it makes the Riders seem less invincible than what I portray them to be in the series. There might be more mention of Gerta if I find a place to mention her in.
I'm also going to explain the island memorials because I don't know if I'll get around to it in the series, so here it goes.
The island memorials are islands for each of the seven continents to honor and remember their country's Riders and dragons. The islands were able to be visited at any time and were monitored by spell casters prior to the the Fall(Fall of the Alagaesia Riders) and their locations lost after the First Devourer War(needed a spell caster to find it so there was no dishonoring the graves). The statues are of the dragons and are decorated with small gemstones representing the dragon's appearance. These statues were roughly around twenty feet tell and were always on their four feet. A stone plaque was at the base of the statue to tell the life and death(including time of birth and death)of the dragon and Rider along with their accomplishments. The people of Erdas used to pay homage/worship to the statues(the Riders discourage this greatly because they didn't want to appear as gods)or just to their family members.
I might add more to this if I think of anything else. But this is it for now.