Ephalon - Triumvirate
Chapter 1 - Desperation
Coming of the hybrids
The second Era
Birth of the hybrids
No one could have guessed what would happen next, not even I, as there had been no precedent of such an occurrence. With every generation of children that were not exposed to the horrors of the war, an innate curiosity began to grow and bloom among them.
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There was peace, and therefore there was no danger of them being killed by merely interacting with other species. It was only a matter of time before they began to explore the more 'distinct' aspects of themselves. This intrigue led down the path of procreation.
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Given the noticeable differences in anatomy, one would have expected such a thing to result in at most the spreading of an odd disease. However, a 'miracle' happened?
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The advent of the hybrids was upon us.
Dragon infighting
​ Although dragons fascinate me, I do have to confess; their power is to be feared. Their sheer size alone is a testament to this, and that's not even taking into consideration their ability to breathe fire or fly. Indeed a terrifying adversary under any circumstance.
Their arrogance, however, is their prime flaw, and given that there were no more mutual enemies to rally against; it was only a matter of time before they started infighting. Thus began a period of bloody battles for each other's territories.
These battles resulted in an outcry from part of the dragon community to instate a leader to keep the peace and govern them all. It goes without saying that their arrogance hindered this from coming to pass in a timely manner.
Hail the Dragon Queen-Empress
Against all the odds, Celestus rose to the top formally becoming recognised as the Dragon Queen-Empress. Her power was undisputed, and you either followed her, or you bowed down to her. I am sure I need not speak of the 'other' consequence if one were not to adhere to either.
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She took up her station atop of Mount Arramore from whence she ruled over dragon kind. Although, she in fact, ruled over Erafar and all of its inhabitants.
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Her inauguration was officially the end of the second Era bringing with it the start of the third known as the Reign of Celestus.
Co-operation
It was during this time that I came of age, though I can assure you I did not 'play' with the youths of other species! Rather, I preferred to live inside my books for the endless search of knowledge. At any rate...
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The starting years of the second era were challenging; however, over time the species learned to 'tolerate' each other. In some instances it went beyond that, managing to co-operate on special projects, which resulted in the creation of entirely new inventions.
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I'll admit, I harboured resentment towards the other species, the Ancients in particular. Since it was they who killed my father, which subsequently forced my mother to take his place on the field of battle where she, in turn, contracted the disease that ended her life.
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Thankfully, not all the youth of this generation had been exposed to the horrors of war.
Birth of humanity
Alright, I'll admit, this turn of events peeked my curiosity. One must, however, consider that the hybrids in the earlier years of Ephalon were very odd looking. There was little cohesion to there appearance. Most of the older generations shunned them, and as expected the youth merely copied this behaviour. To me personally, I was just fascinated by how such a union was even conceived.
It took quite a few generations, but eventually, a 'perfect' mixture of Ancient and Cenebrian blood resulted in the birth of humanity, a hybrid that possessed neither strengths nor weaknesses of either parent.​
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This begs the obvious question, why were they recognised as a new species and not merely another hybrid? There is a simple answer to this; they prospered in numbers beyond the progenitors.
The miracle of Celestus
To understand why this particular dragon birth was exceptional; I must first explain a few fundamentals of dragon reproduction. Unlike, most other species copulation between two dragons has the inherent possibility of creating an entirely new subspecies, one that potentially could be superior to either parent.
That alone is not enough to state that any birth is a miracle; however, the circumstances of this one were quite unique. One day an abandoned egg whose occupant was considered to be dead, shattered and revealed a child with four wings and a rare tri-horn atop her head. For many years, she survived alone, fighting for her survival from the very beginning.
Even though I grew up in this time, I do not yearn for it. My never-ending quest for the truth drives me ever onwards. I seek knowledge and understanding of all, and I shall record it for others to embrace however they see fit.
The birth of the hybrids as well as humanity was a most intriguing happenstance and perhaps looking back at it now, one that was required for the future existence of life on Ephalon.
The crowning of Celestus marked a significant shift in the tapestry of Fate, one that would ultimately lead us all down a path we could never have imagined.
