The world would never change.
The strong would suppress the weak, lording over the less developed species of this world, using them to set in motion plots and schemes to destroy others with strength in order to take more lands under their names, more pawns to discard with just a passing thought. 
It was sickening. The once proud, loving, peaceful people that watched over the lesser beings of the world, protected them as they first opened their eyes to the sun with a mind now capable of independent thought instead of just the brutal savagery of their animalistic instincts, they had been corrupted. The beings that once thought themselves above such petty things as greed, lust, vanity, and all other such sinful things the lesser species seemed to cling to so dearly they had all fallen to this…disease of the mind twisting them into monsters who had forsaken the teachings of the elders. It had started long ago, this corruption, with the most subtle yet damning of things…
Pride
Slowly it had taken hold. The ideas that didn't matter before such as family names and having certain ones made you better than those without began to take root. It wasn't long before it wasn't even just the name but rankings within those of the same name began to flower. Hierarchy after hierarchy, power struggle after power struggle, the once peacefully existence was starting to unravel. Within that power struggle the other corruptions began to take place. Greed ran rampant as those who declared themselves the most powerful families took lands and lives and declared it their right to have… all because of a name.
Even after the centuries of this corruption slowly eating away at the fabric of their society there were still those opposed to it. Don't get me wrong, they had not been spared the corruption, but had taken notice of their fall and instead of giving into it and instead of giving into it and becoming a blight among their people and causing further infection they fought against it. Their idea was simple, the damage couldn't be repaired but it could be stopped before the complete destruction of their people.
That is where this story begins, with one such being among the opposing force. One thing should be understood before they are introduced. To fight the ever growing corruption there were punishments put in place by the opposing forces when it seemed one was stepping too close the the line. The ones found to be leaning farther towards corruption were put into a coma of sorts. a magically induced state when the body is suspended in time yet the mind still processes it's own thoughts. This state is to give the guilty time to reflect on their actions and mindset in order to strengthen their own resolve against the outside forces that draw them into the ever growing darkness. These suspensions could last from a week to thirty years depending on the situation. The being in our story, well they are a bit of a repeat offender…Eyes that resembled a pool of mercury slowly opened in the darkness. Slow ragged breathes filled their air. Thoughts lazily passed by. How long have I been out this time? Ten years? Twenty? She waited in the darkness and silence, taking a deep breath. The air burned her lungs and she coughed violently. This was unusual. The air in the chamber of punishments was usually purified yet it smelled musty and old. Confusion flooded her mind as the oppressive silence surrounded her. Surely someone should have been here by now to unlock the magically sealed door above her and welcome her back to the waking world. Her eyes flickered from one side to the other of her dark and confined prison. She could hear nothing, see nothing. What was going on? Someone should be here to open this prison, this… tomb… this stone structure that she was forced to lay in that no matter how she looked at it reminded her of the boxed those other species placed their dead in. Fear threatened to invade her mind with the simple thought of what if no one comes? Would she be stuck in here until she died of dehydration and hunger? Just from the thought she felt her mouth become more dry than she had ever experienced and it hurt to swallow like her throat was cracking from the lack of water. She calmed herself, extreme hunger and thirst were normal side effects of the body recalibrating to the time lost in sleep. Still… of all the times she had been punished this was worse than she had ever experienced before. Maybe she had been sleeping for the maximum of thirty years and the effects had been just exponentially worse? She didn't know but what she did know was that she couldn't stand this anymore. She pushed at the stone lid above her and slowly slid it off to the side until there was just enough room for her to slip out.Why was everything so dark? She let her mind project outwards to where she knew a light should be, one that responded to the magical energies in those that will it. slowly a crackling and a flickering of a dull white light appeared. This confused her further as it should have been strong and radiate throughout the place with a pleasant hum. Her questions shattered in her mind as she took notice of the state of the room she was in… if it could be called that anymore. No, it reminded her more of the caves she had seen the primitive species living in than her home. Only the pillars were still there letting her know she hadn't been moved. Though the structure she once knew was crumbling and decayed, almost blending in completely with the rock walls that hadn't been there before. Her mind was numb as she finally let her feet drop to the floor from her prison. Dust and dirt puffed up around her, covering her simply woven white sleeping dress and shoes turning them gray and causing her to cough as she struggled to breath through the cloud. She glanced back at her once prison and her mercury eyes widened. The arcane circles on the prison, they were flickering and dying. They were meant to last a millennia or longer before needing recharging and yet here they were, their magic being depleted. So that was why she had woken, but what did this all mean? What had happened? She carefully made her way over to the half broken light source and with all the strength in her body she managed to tear it from the wall. It remained lit as she stumbled backwards, clinging to her only source of light. Slowly she made her way around the room she had woken, looking for any way of escaping this place. Luckily there was a passage, it was half collapsed and looking like the rest of it may fall in at any moment but it was her only hope now. It was a tight fit. She had to crawl on her hands and knees and at times squirm on her belly to fit through but after what seemed like hours in the small passage with only the noise of her own movements around her she found herself looking at the entrance to a natural looking cave. She made to free herself from the small confines of the tunnel and fell forward. The tunnel had come out not at ground level but several feel above it. She fell forward with a gasp as she plummeted towards the ground with her light source only to see some source of light coming right back up at her. She squeezed her eyes shut as she was about to crash into it only to be surprised with the sound of her breaking into a pool of water that wrapped around her like icy hands crushing the breath out of her. She quickly kicked her feet losing her shoes as she rose the the surface. It was an underground lake. it has been a mirror surface she had seen when she fell due to the stillness of the water. Her teeth chartered as she brushed the long silvery hair out of her face. She kept a tight grip on her light source knowing that if she dropped it she would probably never see light again. She made her way back to the wall she had fallen from and Slowly followed along side it, shivering and struggling to make her frozen limbs follow her orders.

She had  no idea how long she followed that wall before she found herself grasping onto a reachable ledge. She was frantic as she struggled to pull herself out of the water, her muscles straining to work against their frozen state. It was probably to rush of adrenaline that drove her to finally manage. her body scrapped across the rough ground a She shivered and curled up into a ball. The air was cold and chilled her almost as much as the water had. She felt her consciousness dimming.No, wake up. If you fall asleep now you'll never wake up again.With that though she struggled to open her eyes and grab the light source as it flickered in and out. She somehow was able to force herself to her feet and take a stumbling step forward. She had to get out of this place, to find her people, to find out what happened. She didn't know how long she had been walking, falling, getting back up again. Her mind was numb. She had long since stopped shivering despite still being frozen to the bone. She didn't even realize when a pinprick of light had appeared. She only became aware when she exited the mouth of the cave and was instantly blinded by light. Her steps continued forward through the blindness and she lost her footing. She let out a scream as she fell. And fall she did. Searing pain shot through her body as she found her vision returning, becoming used to the light that now surrounded her. She lay on her back at the bottom of a cliff staring up at where she had come from. There was no trace of the cave she had been in. It was hidden too well. Her mind was strangely calm as the suns warming rays beat down on her. She ran through diagnostics on her own body:three cracked ribs if not broken, left arm broken, right shoulder dislocated, right leg broken at least two different places, multiple cuts and bruises either from the fall or her stumbles in the cavern.She could feel her consciousness fading once again, but this time she didn't fight it. One last thought crossed her mind before it drifted off into oblivion…At least I got to see the sun again…

Boom… Boom… Boom…

The earth rumbled, it shuddered as the sounds of thunderous footsteps approached the surrounding area, as the rocks juddered and bounced from the footsteps of an approaching force, travelling ever closer with the new noise began to resonate throughout the mountain range that once belonged to a proud civilisation. The wildlife of birds began to scatter and hover amidst the sky, circling the unknown creature that lurked on the other side of the mountains. Rocks, boulders and trees swayed with the ever increasing presence, and rumbles and claws like sounds gripping onto the mountain rocks were ear wrenching, as two enormous wings grew out of the mountains!

Boom… Booom… Boooom…

The sounds became much more louder, the wings grew higher and higher, covering most of the mountain range in a shroud of dark, with the emerging dragon finally revealing himself out from behind a mountain! His claws tightly clenched the top of the mountain with ease, stretching out his whole body as if the Titan Dragon was asleep for many millennia. But now, something had awoke the slumbering dragon, gritting his teeth, puffing out his chest whilst his tail waved and flowed like a royal cape. It was clear that this was no mere dragon… For this was Maldrenth: The Titan Dragon, born during the Primordial Years of the Gods. 

With a deep breath, inhaling the fresh air of the world he was born into, the Titan released a mighty roar!  The roar pierced the sky, the clouds had spread out like an explosion, and the whole mountain ranged rumbled viciously upon Madrenth's entrance onto the world's stage. He has returned home after what seemingly felt like an eternity. The roar echoed for miles, allowing such a bellow to be a message and sign of the dragon's return. The Titan smiled, chuckled even from having roared with such a prideful boast. Yet as he looked down, he noticed the land around him, filled with life, yet the once civilization that existed in these here mountain range were gone. It confused him greatly, slowly turning left and right, examining each the old, decaying homes and temples of Ancense Ruins.

Maldrenth bellowed with a commanding voice as though he asked himself, hoping to find some form of intelligent life left within these hallowed, yet bountiful mountain ranges.

She felt as if she was floating, lost within the darkness of her own mind. There was nothing but silence and it wrapped around her like a cloak of death. Am I dead?  She thought she must be, why else would she be here in darkness unable to move, feel, hear. If this is death, it's not so bad, almost like being asleep again.  She then felt a tug deep within her soul. What was that? It happened again then again until she felt like she was being pulled, like her whole body was rising. That's when she heard it. A roar pierced through the darkness, starting off as nothing more than a whisper but steadily growing louder. She saw a pin prick of light above her steadily growing larger. Or was she moving closer? As the mighty roar finally ended she found herself immersed in light.

The near dead woman once again opened her eyes. Her vision was fuzzy, just like her mind but an ever growing clarity was coming over here. Pain shot through her as she fully awakened once more. Oh yeah, she was injured after having fallen off a cliff after waking in that cave. She couldn't seem to move so just lay there in confusion. What had woken her from her slumber? What had pulled her back from death's dark embrace? She surveyed the mountain towering above her. Her mind felt even more confused. Was the mountain always so godly tall? She didn't remember it reaching so devastatingly high before. It was almost like another mountain had been placed upon the one she remembered. 

A booming voice then rumbled through the land what has happened here… where are the people of these lands!? Her eyes widened. No, it couldn't be… it wasn't a mountain that had become godly tall, but a dragon, a titan of a dragon perched on top the mountain she had slubered so long within. A new will burned within her like a fire scorching her from the inside out. Slowly an  painfully she raised a hand the the air and gathering what energy she could she shot forth a Sun burst. It was pathetically weak but served her purpose as it shot forth into the sky like a signal flare. She hoped it would get the mighty dragon's attention, that it would see it was not alone. Her breath came in ragged gasps as her arm fell back to the ground and a new wave of pain courses through her from the action. She let out a small cry and tears formed in her eyes. She didn't care if the dragon ate her the moment it found her, or crushed her, her death would come quicker then and not be so fortuitously drawn out. The only thing she knew was she did not want to be alone when she died, not when there was something so close that would know she had been alive, that she had existed even if just for a short while. She didn't want to leave this world as if she had never been there in the first place, as if she had never existed.

There it was, from the corner of his eye, the Titan witness the burning glare of a Sun Burst spell being used as a signal flare. Someone WAS here, and is trying to catch the dragons attention! Maldrenth lowered his head and watch the spell rise up and 'poof' with a small smoke like tail that pinpointed the near dead woman's position. As the dragon lowered his neck and began to follow the small faint trail of the smoke, there he saw the girl cry out in pain with those fragile tears forming in her eyes, for it was such a sight that wounded the Titan's heart, for a memory flashed before his eyes of his having died once before. However, it was from the grace of the Gods of Revaliir that granted him life and purpose anew, it was only fitting he shows that kindness in return, a rare trait in dragonkind beside their stubborn pride.

Maldrenth reached out with his left hand, fully aware of the child's state he gently scooped her with care and grace before slowly lifting up back to his original entrance position. The calmness of the altitude and weather would welcome Lily's skin, although such heights maybe cold upon contact, she was about to feel the warm embrace of the raw magical property's of a Dragon was has been blessed by the Gods. From what was once the dragon's white glistening eyes, glowed a meadow green which was soon followed by the outline of the entire dragon's body having an aura of green.




The Titan Dragon spoke in a calm manner to Lily, reassuring her life and safety was under his care, invoking the spell and healing properties of 'Greater Heal', healing all but the most serious of wounds upon her body, a warm gentle touch would be felt upon her skin for it was not long before the same green aura was now around Lily's body from head to toe. Maldrenth's left eye continued to gaze upon her body, watching like a hawk to witness her body's progress of recovering such dastardly wounds, his mind began to wonder how did a woman such as her arrive here of all places? Was she alone? Can she even understand him? Regardless, all that mattered to the dragon was Lily's recover to a more stable condition.


Maldrenth questioned that was followed by his curiosity as to both who exactly was this woman who he holds in the palm of his hand, and how did she even arrive in such abandoned lands such as a ruins of all places. The glowing aura that had surrounded Lily and Maldrenth slowly faded once the dragon saw she was in a more acceptable status to stand on her own feet in his hand and able to talk. The palm of the dragon's hand in Lily's size was like a giant landscape with a moving solid earth beneath her feet, with rock and boulders to here side, and tall tower like claws that provided shade against the warm sun.

Here it comes… She saw the Dragon reach out to her and thought it would be the end. She was overcome with surprise when the Dragon did not kill her but picked her up with such care that it didn't cause her more pain than she already was in. She let out a small gasp as she was lifted into the air so high. The air was so calm and cool up here. Despite the fact that she had been freezing from the water in the underground lake not long before the cool air from the high altitude was soothing against her burning injured body. Her eyes went wide as she felt the Dragon use his magic and saw the powerful green glow that wrapped around the Dragon like a cloak. She could do nothing but nod to his calming words as she lay in his hand and just let whatever was to happen, happen. As the green glow of his magic defended upon her and filled her every cell she had a sharp intake of breathable and her eyes widened as her body seized as the overwhelming magic of this titan burned through her body. Her wounds healed at an astounding rate that her body was not used to from healing magic, or maybe it was just the severity of the wounds, she couldn't hold back a small cry as the rapid change in the state of her body was jarring and almost made her lose consciousness. It was the warm touch of his magic that kept her mind from descending into the darkness once again. His rumbling voice seemed to hold her in a conscious state more than anything though. She could feel a power behind his every word. He had called himself Maldrenth, king of the mountains not long before, the name seemed vaguely familiar but she could not seem to place it.

When the healing had finished she lay there for a moment breathing heavily and took a mental status check of her condition. She was healed of almost every injury, the only things that remained were those that had been most serious, and even those were now in stable condition. She then sat up and looked around. If she had not known she was in the palm of a dragon she could have sworn she was on a mountain. He spoke to her again in his voice that drew her in like a child hearing from the gods themselves. She managed to get to her feet and give the titan a bow before responding, "I thank you greatly my Lord Maldrenth and am forever in your debt. I thought myself dead until your mighty roar stole me away from the clutches of death. It drew me back to the world. As for who I am, I am known as Lilith Aeron." She paused and a look of uncertainty swept across her face. "A-as to where I come from, it never had a name, but I was put to sleep to reflect upon my thoughts and actions and when I awoke… everything was gone. I am sure I woke in the same place I was put to sleep but the few things that remained looked like ruins of a time long past, no they looked more like they had passed that state and were almost completely absorbed back into nature. I woke not long ago in a cave within this very mountain you gracefully stand atop now and barely made it out into the world before I was blinded by the sun and fell." She looked down at her feet and said quietly, "I fear much more time has passed than I first anticipated." She looked back up to the Dragon and with a hint of sadness in her voice said, "I fear I may not be of much use to you O Great One but if there is anything I can do to repay your kindness please do not hesitate." 

Who this dragon was still was escaping her. She knew she had heard the name Maldrenth before but where… She vaguely recalled overhearing it somewhere but where and what was spoken would not come to her. She was a bit hesitant as she asked, "If I may ask my Lord, I believe I have heard the name Maldrenth before, but I cannot remember where or what about. If you would not mind, would you enlighten me upon who you are? It feels like something I should know but, alas, do not."

Maldrenth smiled that the girl thanked him for his kindness and saving her life, it has been a long time since such words were spoken that resulted the Titan to chuckle like an old human man. The winds continued to breeze calmly around the two, with the once warm healing aura finally vanishing from the outline of the gigantic dragon that still holds the girl in the palm of his hand. A little gift to Lily had to be made, as Maldrenth planted her on top of his head, and allowed the girl to rest and ride on the Titanic dragon, whilst he began to move around and stretch his enormous body. 

Boom… Fwwooosh…. Booom…. Booom…. Fwwwiiish… Booom…Boom….

The sounds of the Titan dragon walking on all fours, his extremely long tail slowly wavered like a royal cape with the dragon walking over mountains with ease until they reach solid flat ground on the outskirts of the ruins, with the two overlooking the vast ocean waters. With the small walk, which in the body and eyes of Lily may have felt like an adventure or roller coaster ride, Maldrenth gently picked her up from his head and gently put her on the mountain edge, where she may properly stand and gaze at the dragon in his whole enormous body before her very eyes.

Another loud cackle escaped the Titan lips, as his chuckling and laughter was brining forth the very magic of thunder and lightning from his mouth. With his wings raised up into the sky, he roared with a monsterous fury, releasing the power of 'Lightning Ball' into the ocean water, causing a large explosion that rose up into the sky. The sea galls from the waters screeched, like a flock they began to circle above the sky and feast the fish that were electrocuted. Maldrenth suspected as much that his return to the Realm has made his magic rusty, but still potent regardless, shaking his head at such a display. His attention returned to Lily once again when she not only began to explain her story, but asked how to repay such a debt. The titan rolled his eyes and did think of one thing in particular.

"Very well, if you insist. You can repay me… By living your new life to the fullest, and be sure that I do not ever see you in such a poor state of care again. Or else…"

Maldrenth playfully threatened, though perhaps in such a case the message maybe brought out as both misleading, yet serious. Just before the Titan was about to leave, he heard one last question made by Lily: "If I may ask my Lord, I believe I have heard the name Maldrenth before, but I cannot remember where or what about. If you would not mind, would you enlighten me upon who you are? It feels like something I should know but, alas, do not."  Now that was interesting, to think that there are those who are still around to somewhat remember who he is, or his very name being familiar. The clouds began to form on the edge of the mountain range, with only revealing the dragons neck and head, as he looked to the girl. His claw hand scratched his scale like chin and sighed before answering.

The Titan continued as he allowed Lily to get comfortable…

She was startled as the Dragon put her on his head. This was unexpected and she didn't quite know how to respond. He then started to walk. His gigantic form giving him such a quick pace for someone her size. The air rushed past her and she held on for dear life and closed her eyes against the rushing wind as the scenery changed quickly before her. It wasn't a long walk for the Dragon but for her they had traversed quite a ways and when the movement stopped she almost didn't dare open her eyes. When she did she was in awe at what she saw. A caste ocean lay before them. The light of the Sun fluttered across the water making is shine like a sea of crystals. She let herself once again be lifted as he took her from his head and placed her upon a mountain. From her new view point she could see him completely and he seemed even larger than she had thought he was in the first place. She was in awe of how magnificent he seemed of how to her he seemed to almost radiate a God like strength and power that took her breath away. Even if he hadn't introduced himself as the king of the mountains, she would have known he was the king of something. She really felt humbled to be in his presence, to be allowed to speak with him, and to have been saved by him. This really seemed like a once in a lifetime occurrence. 

She sighed at his answer. She really didn't feel like it was enough to repay her debt. She was a stubborn one though and would make sure he knew her thoughts. "Very well, as you wish, I will do my best to live, and if I ever come to be in such a state again, I'll make sure youre not around." She said with a slightly joking tone at the end before giving way to a short silence and speaking once gain, "Even so, until my life is lived this debt shall still stand. So if you are ever in need of anything, even if it's something small, feel free to call upon me." She would refuse to back down. She may be small compared to him, but her stubbornness as as big as the mountain she now stood upon when she felt the need to be.

She took a seat as he agreed to tell her about himself and she listened carefully. As he spoke her brow furrowed as she tried connecting his life with what she knew. She nodded as he finished and gave herself several moments to finish her thoughts before speaking. "The story is familiar, though not much the last part. My people were also there to care for those creatures. We are…were… much like the humans only we did not partake in their sins… at first. When you are surrounded by sin it will eventually find a way into the hearts of the weakest and slowly spread before it becomes a wildfire. We could not protect from the threats of nature that you did, but we protected from other threats. I recall what was said now. It was only in passing but the elders, I heard them say, 'Maldrenth is gone' that must have been you. We tried our best to stay out of the dragons sights, to not interfere in any of your kinds business. So most of us didn't know much about you or your deeds. It was only a name. A name that in that moment of passing, as it crossed the elders lips, there was a sadness. I'm sure they knew of your great deeds even if they did not pass along those deeds to my people." She felt awkward speaking of such things. Her people had helped the less developed beings of the time, humans included, but had always tried to remain behind the scenes as a light to guide without taking the role of leadership. Things had changed, long after she had heard those words, but they had changed and her people became corrupted. It bothered her not to know what had happened but she figured the corruption had won and they had killed themselves off by giving into such sin. "Thank you Oh Great One for sharing your story with me. It has answered many question that have long been circling my head." She said and stood once again. She looked out to the sea as many other questions fills  the place of those answered, circling about her head. She would find out if what she thought was true happened. She was determined to find answers in this new world she had woken into. The real question is if there was any civilization still left in this world or if it had all fallen much like the unfamiliar ruins she had seen.