Three Weeks Later Part 2

Three Weeks Later Part 2
Alden

The ‘allies’ Owain had sent were a diverse, rabid horde. Lesser dragon shifters, corrupted humans with cybernetic enhancements, dark mages wielding forbidden spells – they swarmed from every direction, like locusts descending upon a bountiful field. They clawed, they bit, they blasted, their eyes burning with a blind greed for the now-exposed riches of Talos.

Akon, a roaring inferno, incinerated entire waves of attackers, his flames licking at the sky. Ashton caused the very ground to buck and shatter, swallowing dozens of foes whole. Ayden unleashed torrents of water, drowning the enemy in sudden, violent deluges. Adrik, a shadow-clad whirlwind, moved with lethal precision, his obsidian scales gleaming, his blade a whisper of death.

And Layla. Oh, Layla. She was magnificent. The black diamond at her throat pulsed with a furious light, amplifying her innate elemental manipulation. She molded fire into whips, water into crushing fists, and earth into impenetrable shields. Her ruby hair seemed to crackle with energy, her sapphire eyes glowing with an incandescent fury. 

But for every ten we struck down, twenty more appeared. They seemed inexhaustible, fueled by some unseen, malevolent force. The magical protections of Talos continued to crumble, the very air growing heavy with the stench of dying magic. The beautiful, ethereal glow of the kingdom was replaced by the harsh glare of exploding spells and the chaotic flashes of dragonfire.

I saw Adrik take a glancing blow from a corrupted mace, sending him stumbling. Akon, momentarily distracted by protecting Layla, was swarmed by a horde of shadow-shifters, their claws tearing at his fiery scales. Ashton, trying to shore up a collapsing wall, was struck by a blast of dark energy, his green scales momentarily dulling. Ayden, fighting off a dozen attackers, let out a guttural roar of frustration. 

We were being overwhelmed. Slowly, inexorably, the tide was turning against us. The sheer numbers, combined with the systematic draining of Talos’s inherent magic, were too much. This wasn’t a fight for territory; it was a fight for survival against an enemy that wanted to consume us.

Then, a new presence. A cold, calculating aura swept through the battlefield, silencing even the most fervent cries of the attacking horde. It was a power that made the black diamond at Layla’s throat throb with frantic warning. Owain. He had arrived. He stood on a distant hilltop, a stark figure against the chaotic backdrop, his white hair gleaming in the flashes of magic. He didn't move, didn't fight. He simply watched, his grey eyes like chips of ice. And then, he shifted.

A blinding flash of multi-colored light, a roar that vibrated through the very core of the Earth, and there he was. The chromatic dragon. Its scales shimmered through every color of the rainbow, not in a beautiful display, but in a terrifying, chaotic dance of elemental power. Fire, water, earth, air, shadow, light – all swirled within its colossal form, a living embodiment of ultimate dominion. It was a creature of such immense power that even the Eargon brothers, in their magnificent dragon forms, seemed to pale in comparison.

Panic, cold and absolute, seized the attacking forces. Even they knew. This was not their fight anymore. This was a god descending. 

With a single, effortless blast, the chromatic dragon annihilated a significant portion of the remaining Talos defenses. The ground shuddered, buildings crumbled, and the air filled with the screams of the dying, both friend and foe.

“Retreat!” Adrik roared, transforming into his black dragon form, desperately trying to shield Layla with his body. “Fall back! Protect the queen!” 

But it was too late. The chromatic dragon moved with a speed that defied its size, its massive claws sweeping through the air, creating miniature hurricanes of raw power. It didn’t target to kill, not immediately. Instead, it was targeted to capture.

One by one, the brothers were struck, their forms reverting to human, their powers temporarily nullified by the sheer overwhelming force of Owain’s dragon form. They fell, stunned and disoriented, but alive. Layla, still fighting, still channeling the diamond’s power, was the last. The chromatic dragon descended, its multi-hued eyes fixing on her, on the pulsing black diamond in her chest. A tendril of pure, raw energy lashed out, wrapping around her, lifting her effortlessly into the air.

“No!” I shrieked, launching myself forward, my lava-snail form a pathetic, glowing speck against the colossal dragon. But it was useless. A flick of its tail sent me hurtling into a crumbling wall, my ancient bones protesting with a sharp crack.

I watched, helpless, as Layla, struggling against the binding energy, was drawn towards the chromatic dragon. Her eyes met mine, and in them, I saw not just fear, but a dawning horror. She knew. She knew what Owain truly wanted.

Then, darkness. A wave of pure, consuming shadow, emanating from Owain’s dragon form, enveloped us all. A final, guttural scream from Layla, abruptly cut short. And then, nothing.