Contrast
Chapter one: Death's Plea
- The only things I remember from that night are cold night air, the sharpness of the knife, and my killer's silhouette.
- I had been on my way home from the store. I had decided last minute to run to the nearby convenience shop to grab some necessities so I could have had some much needed extra minutes of sleep in the morning. School had been tough on me, extra homework and piles of books to memorize for the coming exams. It was late. I was tired. I took a shortcut. Why couldn't I have just taken the main road?
Needless to say, someone else was roaming that path. That someone ended my life. I was grabbed, the blade kissed my throat in farewell, and all went black. A moonlit murder. Things like that were common in my busy city, and I doubt many cared about my disappearance. Just the end of another life. But was this really the end for me?
- I was certain it was. That was it. My last living moments. But then I realized I was conscious. With a gasp I sat up and opened my eyes. "I- But- He-" I stuttered, looking around, confused and disoriented.
"Be at peace, young one." Came a female's soothing voice, and I calmed down a little. I took the time to examine my surroundings, but that didn't work out well, as it was pitch black. All I could gather was that I was sitting on stone, and that there was someone else nearby.
- I hesitantly called out, "Where are you? Who are you? What is this place?"
- A flame lit the area, suspended in the air near the ceiling. My mind didn't linger on the blatantly incorrect physics at play here for very long. I set to gaining my bearings. I was in a cave. The fire illuminated some crystals hanging from the ceiling. But it also revealed something else.
- Standing before me was the most beautiful beast I had ever seen. It was a reptilian creature, body covered head to toe in tough looking, obsidian coloured scales. It's legs faded into a navy blue, and it's claws, a deep purple, like the tone the sky would turn as the sun set. There was a golden mane running from the top of it's head to the bottom of it's long neck, like a horse's. It had two black leathery wings folded against it's sides. Shocking silver eyes were focused on me. Was this... A dragon?
- Despite my astonishment at it's elegance and beauty, I jumped back in alarm. First of all, dragons didn't exist, and if they did, who said this one wouldn't rip me to shreds or burn me alive? I pressed my back against the wall of the cave, looking for an exit.
- "Oh dear. Sorry for startling you." The voice returned, and I realized it was the dragon who had spoken. "I don't want to hurt you." She reassured. "You have questions. Ask them."
- "Who are you?" I began with, not as afraid but still cautious.
- "My name is Dyla. I'm the Guardian Deity of Falkru, which is where we are located." She answered, sitting down. Her tail curled around her legs like a cat's might and I noticed she had a golden spike on the tip.
- "Guardian... Deity? Like, you're a god?" I asked, slowly growing less nervous and more curious.
- "I guess you could say that, yes. A minor one. I work under Sulik and Sukaal. They are the true gods. They created me and six others of my kind to defend the world's seven sectors. Our league is called the Lodrakas." She explained.
- I gave myself a while to process everything. A lot was going on. I was incredibly confused. "Sulik and Sukaal, you said? Are they dragons too?"
- She chuckled. "No. They have fur and feathers and warm blood. Nothing like my kind."
- "... And where'd you say we were again?"
- "Falkru. My domain. More specifically, a small area of Falkru known as Hiruvon. This is my den."
-
'So I'm trapped in a god's den. Furthermore, a dragon god that is still perfectly capable of slaughtering me. What a good day I'm having.' I thought.
'Not to mention the fact I was just killed.' "Do you know how I got here?" I queried next.
- Dyla hesitated. "Not completely." She decided to say. "I know you came from far away and before you came you were in distress. I can view any location in the realm the Gorah--Sulik and Sukaal--control. As I was viewing the lands I heard a whisper. I tried to locate the noise but failed, meaning you aren't from the Gorah's land. I could sense your feelings and decided to help. I teleported you here. Why I could hear your plea, I'm not sure. But that is how it happened."
- I took a moment to think about that. "I was killed before I came here." I finally said.
- This made her pause. She seemed as confused as I was now, but didn't show any sympathy. "Almost." She corrected. "My guess is that I pulled your spirit back in your last moments."
- For now, that was a good enough answer for me. I could find the missing pieces of this crazy puzzle later. I was just happy I was alive.
- Dyla interrupted my thoughts. "Any more questions?"
- "Yeah, so, uh, what do I do now?"
- "Hop on my back. I'll take you to the surface. I'll explain more there." She turned and crouched down, flicking her tail in what I assumed was an invitation to climb aboard. I tentatively walked over and hauled myself onto her rough, scaly back. I wish I'd held on tighter.
Chapter two: Bland and Beautiful
- Dyla began walking. She entered a tunnel I hadn't noticed before, and mere seconds later, she lurched into the air, and my stomach lurched with her. I'm surprised I held on to my dinner. I cried out in surprise and nearly fell off, but managed to throw my arms around her neck in time to regain balance. I held on for my life as she sped straight upwards, presumably out of the cave. Soon I saw light and closed my eyes against the sun's bright rays as we emerged from the cave and out into the open. After the damp coolness of the cave it was nice to be out here in the warmth. I blinked a few times as my eyes adjusted, then examined my surroundings. It looked like a typical forest. I glanced behind us and my stomach jumped when I saw the land suddenly end in a cliff, dropping steeply.
- Dyla noticed my expression and chuckled. "Yes, we came from that canyon." She confirmed my suspicions. "Anyway, I think it's time I asked you some things. If you don't mind of course."
- I wrenched my gaze away from the cliff and nodded. "Go ahead."
- "Well, what's your name? What species are you? How old are you?"
- Her second question caught me off guard. "Excuse me? Did you just ask me what species I am?"
- She nodded. "I've never seen one of your kind before. I'd say you were an elf or something of the like, but you don't share their features, and I don't sense any magical essence in your spirit."
- 'So I'm in a world without humans?' I asked myself in my mind, growing more intrigued by the minute. "I'm a human." I answered. "My name is Matthew. I'm eighteen."
- "A human..." Dyla mumbled. The word sounded awkward when she said it, and I could tell it was foreign to her. "Well, welcome to Gaitzus, Matthew."
- "What-zus?"
- "Oh, apologies. Gaitzus. That's the name of this planet."
- "Ah, I see."
- "What was your planet called?"
- "Earth."
- She made a grumbling noise and I got the feeling she wasn't impressed. "That's an awfully bland name. May as well call it 'planet'."
- I chuckled. "I guess we aren't as creative as you guys."
- As if to put emphasis on her point, she flew low to the ground, gathered some dirt in her paws, and tossed it at me. "Earth." She repeated.
- I spat the dirt out of my mouth and brushed it off of my face. "Hey, watch it!" She laughed.
- Soon after, we landed. She let me climb off, then she asked, "What other creatures live on your planet?"
- "There are a lot. Dogs, birds, cats--"
- She cut me off with a sniff. "Met a cat once. Called me a giant scaly bat. Little beasts are so full of themselves."
- I snickered. "I can agree with that. Cats don't talk where I live- or, rather, lived, though. Only the humans can talk."
- Dyla seemed surprised by that fact. "That's not very fair! I can't imagine what it would be like to live without the gift of speech!" Then her curious expression returned. "You have dragons, right?"
- I shook my head. "Nope. No dragons, griffins, phoenixes, or any of those. If you even have the last two. We considered them mythical. Non-existent."
- "Wow... Not even any unicorns?"
- "No unicorns." I confirmed. It felt weird, talking to a supposed deity, and I was the one amazing her.
- "I never want to visit your boring homeland." She decided, making me laugh. "Anyway, this is Dyzetra, the nearest town to my home. It's named after me, and I'm familiar with all the inhabitants, being near to my den as it is. Most would consider it an honour to meet me, but they are used to it. Mind you they still treat me as someone of far higher rank than them."
- "Er, should I be acting a bit more..." I looked for the word.
- "Like a peasant?" She suggested. "No, I don't mind. But if you meet one of the other powerful beings of Gaitzus, act accordingly."
- "You mentioned six other dragon guardians, right? What are their names?"
- "They are Lodrakas, not mere 'dragon guardians.'" She corrected. "And their names are Zash, Wazirik, Syaki, Kodra, Quarren, and Rezikel."
- "And there are other gods?" I asked, overwhelmed by all these foreign names.
- "Yes, but you'll have plenty of time to learn about that later. Let's head into town."
- I looked around. I didn't see any signs of a town anywhere. We were surrounded by dense trees, and it was nearly silent. But I didn't comment as Dyla began leading me away. Suddenly Dyla disappeared. "Um... Dyla?" I called out. There was no response. I kept walking, anxious now that I was alone. "Dyla?"
- The dragon reappeared beside me. She laughed awkwardly. "Sorry. I forgot about the barrier. Give me a few moments." She disappeared again before I could ask what she was talking about. Then, all of a sudden, the forest around me changed and wooden buildings appeared out of no where. Dyla was back at my side.
- "What the hell just happened?" I asked, bewildered.
- "What's hell?" She asked, eyes wide, curious, and innocent.
- I had to force myself not to laugh at how childishly stupid the question was. "Never mind. Just answer the question."
- She blinked, visibly confused. "Very well. There is a magical charm protecting this town. Anyone who I or the people who live here deem unwelcome is oblivious to it's existence. I just modified it to allow you."
- "Oh. I see." First mythical beasts, now magical charms. Today just keeps getting weirder.
- Then I looked around at the town. The buildings were small and skilfully carved from wood, save for a marble temple at the end of what I presumed was the main pathway. I heard voices from inside but wasn't close enough to figure out what they were saying. I'm fact, that was the only source of noise. No one roamed the streets or even seemed to be in the other buildings. I looked to Dyla for an explanation.
- "Hm... What day is it today?" She asked me. I was going to reply with 'Wednesday' when her eyes lit up. "Oh, right, Anmes. The folks who live here hold meetings in the temple every Anmes. We'll have to wait for a little while to speak with them. I wouldn't dare interrupt."
- "Um... Anmes?"
- "Don't tell me you have different days on Planet." She turned to look at me, the amusement in her eyes at her joke sparkling just above her awe.
- "Yeah, apparently we do. It's a seven day week. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. The last two are break days." I explained.
- "Interesting. Here we have five day weeks. The days are Anzou, Anthiste, Anmes, Anxeith, and Ankoi. Ankoi is our day of rest. The weeks make up the seasons and kiliks."
- "All these weird names..." I muttered frustratedly under my breath. "I'm going to assume kiliks are like our years. But you don't use months?"
- "I don't know what 'month' is. We have four seasons. Salet, the warmest, followed by Cressatay, when it begins to get colder, then Friras, where snow falls in some places, and then Nitva, where any wilted flowers bloom once more and the cold whether is banished." Before she could continue her explanation, there was a whistling noise, like a bird singing a tune, containing about five or six notes. Dyla smiled. "That's the end of the meeting. Our conversation will have to wait. Come, it's time to meet the village!"
Chapter three: Discoveries
A few moments later odd creatures began streaming out of the shining temple. They were bipedal and both furry and scaly. They all varied widely in appearance, but had a few consistent features. They had a head shaped like a dog’s but with the qualities of a dragon’s, some having scaly muzzles and spikes and such. They had the ears of a dog, and some had horns as well, differing in shape and colour. Their eyes were reptilian. Some were more wolfish, with furry paws and short claws and less scales, while others were far more lizard like, with spikes and dragon paws and some even bearing wings. I studied them, awed into silence.
Dyla chuckled beside me. “It isn’t nice to stare.” She scolded playfully, flicking me with her tail.
“Ow!” I hissed, flinching. “That hurt.”
One of the villagers walked up to me, inspecting me closely. “Casa ta wiem, Dyla-dayu?” He asked, prodding me with a spear-like weapon that was made completely of bone, except for a red gem sitting at the base, where the weapon curved upwards. He was a bit taller than me. He had four long, feathery whiskers sprouting from the tip of his fluffy white snout. There were twin horns sitting behind his ears and a third pointing from his forehead, all ivory in colour with blue tips. He had a chestplate made of some kind of dark blue stone, possibly sapphire, with holes along the back for his blue spikes. The shoulders of the armour were spiked.
Dyla rolled her eyes. “Varksis, Trozo. Wiem ta ekji niemut.”
He lowered his weapon. “Erska. Riyx?”
“Kah proz. Kah natau tsi rozik nas. Ku maxt viranu.” Dyla turned to look at me. “I kinda forgot to tell you that only I can understand and speak your tongue. I’ll translate for you. He’s asking your name. Say ‘Riyx Matthew.’ I’ll explain everything later.”
I sighed. This was a lot to take in. I met the red gaze of the creature and said, “Riyx Matthew.”
“Riyx Trozo.” He replied, dipping his head. “Yai ta tal mehane?”
“Does that mean his name is Trozo?” I asked Dyla.
She nodded. “He also asked why you’re here. I’ll handle it.” She looked back at Trozo and the two launched into a conversation.
Another one of the villagers walked up to me. She wore a dark purple cloak with a big hood that covered her head. I could only see the tip of her rough red snout poking out of the shadow. The cloak had markings all over it in red, and had a blue trim. “Drava, Matthew. Tal ta ekji niemut Dyla-dayu, hm? Ekji niemut dayas ta ekji niemut nas. Metra tal proz rozik nas. Utris. Tal ta ferdra.” Then she laughed. “Actually, Dyla was lying when she said she’s the only one who can understand you. My name is Ziir. I am a… Is shaman the correct word? I have a strong connection to the spirit world and excel with magic. Dyla gave me powers as she did my predecessors when I was young, and so I share her ability to speak the language of any creature I meet. It is good to meet you, Matthew.” She gave a small bow.
I sighed in relief. “Oh, good, I was worried I’d only be able to talk to gods. Nice to meet you, Ziir.”
She chuckled again. “Glad to be of help.”
Before either of us could say anything else Dyla huffed. “Okay, that’s sorted out. Oh, hello Ziir. This is Matthew, he comes from outside of Raquii.
“Obviously.” Ziir replied.
“So, Matthew, these are the Ravaas. They are a somewhat uncommon species, but still not hard to find. Ziir, this is a human. They come from a planet called, wait for it,” She lifted up dirt in her claws. “Earth.” She snorted in amusement.
“Okay, that joke’s getting old…” I grumbled.
“Earth? Interesting. It makes me wonder what other undiscovered species live outside the Raquii.” Ziir mused, head tilted. “And such a bizarre language.”
“That’s far from the weirdest thing. They have seven day weeks, with completely different names!”
“Really? Wow. Well, you have a lot to teach me, Matthew-jur.” Ziir bowed her head.
“Jur?” I asked.
“Most of the creatures who live here use suffixes at the end of names to indicate that person’s status or similar things. You’ve heard a lot call me ‘Dyla-dayu’. Dayu is used for a god. Jur is for a male you respect. It’s alright if you just call someone by name though, unless they say otherwise.” Dyla explained.
“Oh. Some areas back where I lived did that too.” I said thoughtfully.
“Perhaps we aren’t all that different.” Ziir hummed. “Anyway, you must have come on business, yes?”
“Indeed. I mean, he needs a place to stay after all. Unless you want to sleep in my cave?” Dyla asked in a joking manner, looking at me.
“Er, no thank you. N-no offence intended or anything, but…”
“I understand. I was just teasing. Not many warm bloods are meant for cave-dwelling, anyway.” She dipped her head.
“Well, there are no empty houses at the moment…” Ziir mumbled, looking around. Then she turned back to Dyla. “He could stay with me if he likes. After all, I am the only one who can communicate with him here.
“What do you think about that?” Dyla asked, looking at me.
“Sure.” I agreed. “Sounds good to me.”
“Come, I’ll lead the way.” Ziir began walking away. Dyla and I followed her to the house situated nearest the marble temple. “As lead magic-user, I live near the temple, for convenience really. I take care of it, so it’s better to live right next to it than halfway across town.” She pushed open the door and I followed her inside. Dyla was too big so she stuck her head through a window.
I examined the building’s interior. It was a rather cramped and messy house. Plants I didn’t recognize were strewn about, there were books and bottles and other weird things all over the place, and everything was in disarray. Ziir shook her head in displeasure. “Apologies for the mess. My apprentice has a habit of leaving his things where they don’t belong.”
“No, it’s fine. My house wasn’t much better.” I chuckled. Then I grew curious. “Wait, you said apprentice?”
“Yes, I have an apprentice. Very skilled in the arts. Where the little rat is off to half the time is knowledge beyond even my power though.” She laughed. “His name is Kayez. He’ll be my replacement once my service here is through, as the tradition has gone for many years. You’ll meet him soon enough.” She walked into the room in the back and scowled. “My gods! I really ought to teach him a few things...”
I peered over her shoulder and saw two beds, one neat and one a mess, covered in various objects. “Wow.” I snickered.
“Ah, I know. Anyway, you can stay back here.” She opened a door into a side room with one other bed in it. “Make yourself at home. Come in and out of the house as you please. Until then, I really should be cleaning up a bit.”
I was going to suggest I help as thanks for letting me stay, but then one of her dragon-like hands started to glow and things began levitating. I watched quietly.
Dyla chuckled. “Did I mention Matthew comes from a realm with no magic?”
Ziir paused in what she was doing. “Really? Incredible…” Then she continued. “I found it odd that I sensed no energy in his spirit. You must be pretty amazed.”
“You bet I am.” I breathed.
“I have lots of things to teach you too then, I guess!” She said cheerfully. “Dyla-dayu, could you do me a favour?”
“Of course, Ziir. What needs to be done?”
“Go fetch Kayez. He couldn’t have gotten far, seeing as the meeting just ended.”
“Consider it done. Be back soon.” She backed out of the window and took flight.
I sat down on the bed. Now that my feet were off the ground and I was in a place I felt safe I realized how tired I was. I had been up far longer than usual. It had been around midnight when I, er, left home, after all. I hoped the time difference between the two worlds wouldn’t bother me too much. “Hey, Ziir? I’m going to take a nap. I’m exhausted.”
“Of course, go ahead. I’ll wake you if need be, but otherwise, I’ll ensure you’re undisturbed. Sleep well.” She turned away from the levitating objects for a moment to nod to me, then continued with her magical clean up.
I gratefully laid back and dozed off almost immediately.
