"Well, now I'm worried we'll have to fight him. He's not going to be happy we've gotten through his ward," Ardrin said, straining his vision to see through the ward and into the depths of the massive cave that spanned nearly a hundred meters across.
"With any luck, he'll recognize this mana, but if not…" Taegin trailed off, not wanting to finish the thought. "That's comforting," Bernar said dryly with a curled eyebrow aimed at him.
The three began to move through the cave after Bernar conjured a small sphere of light. He struggled to keep it outside of Taegin's barrier, but quickly found that it was easier to keep it half-in, half-out. As their path became clearer, the cave walls became much more visible, revealing details they might not have noticed otherwise.
"This cave was made with mana. Look at the walls, you can almost see the rippling in the stone that would match a dragon's steps," Ardrin noted with utter fascination, prompting the others to look at him with surprised looks and raised eyebrows. "W-What? I've always sought knowledge, and this level of mana manipulation is unlike anything I've ever seen," he said with a defensive shrug.
"You're right, but have you noticed they're getting… smaller?" Bernar asked, unsure if he was right, prompting Ardrin to inspect them more closely. "They are getting smaller. Well, not smaller, rather less spaced out," Ardrin said, curiosity reigning over his tone as if he were a child seeing mana for the first time.
As they continued to walk, the rippling continued to decrease in spacing, though the cave walls kept the same width throughout. "Do you feel that?" Taegin asked, speaking curtly since it was taking nearly all his concentration just to keep the barrier up.
"Aside from the mana beginning to seep through your ward, I think I can sense it growing denser. Almost like it's condensing to a single point, much like the ripples on the walls," Bernar noted, getting a nod of agreement from Ardrin just before Bernar's light gave out. "What the…?" Bernar halted, trying to summon another one that hardly left his palm.
"Who dares enter my domain?" a voice resounded from deep within the cave, though how deep, they couldn't tell, as it felt like whoever, or whatever, was speaking was doing so aloud and in their minds. The voice was deep, like the rumble of a distant thunderclap rolling through a deep-cut valley.
It wasn't harsh, by any means, but to their minds and ears, it was deafening.
"We've come seeking your help, Great One, under the guidance of Warden Erumon," Taegin called out in response, since he was only a little less affected by the dragon's voice. "And how can I know you're who you say you are? You might only be saying that to hide your true intentions," the voice said with obvious suspicion laced within it.
"You may read our minds and cores, Great One, but you will find no such guile within," Ardrin managed, knowing all too well what this being was going to do. "It has been well over a millennium since anyone other than I has set foot in here, so how did you manage to break through my ward?" the voice asked, its tone still suspicious.
"Have you been here so long that you've forgotten the mana used by your own kin?" Taegin asked, receiving a curt snarl from the voice before it spoke. "Those traitors were also my kin, and yet you think that alone will bring me to trust you? If so, you are sorely mistaken," the voice's tone rose to almost a shout, increasing the mana pressure around them.
"Warden Erumon said that it would not be an easy task to convince you, and it seems he was right. Perhaps this will help you trust us," Taegin said, lowering his barrier immediately, nearly slamming him and the others into the stone beneath their feet. They couldn't bear to look in the direction of the mana's source, but they could feel a sense of curiosity permeating through it.
"What sort of trickery is this? You would go so far as to rid yourselves of the only chance you might have had against me, slight as it may have been?" the voice asked, pulsing mana momentarily.
I think it's moving toward us. Are you sure that was a good idea? Bernar sent Taegin with a pained look. If this doesn't help, nothing will, he replied, feeling the density of mana increasing, likely signifying that the dragon was coming their way.
However, instead of a heavy, rumbling footfall, they heard something more akin to the steps of a man, rather than a beast's. With concerned, yet curious looks, they peered into the darkness ahead of them and did their best to find out what was happening.
A snap came from the far end of the cave that echoed throughout it, repeating itself innumerable times before finally fading out. As soon as it did, the cave walls began to shift and move, creating various dimples that ran the length of them. Mana spawned in these dimples, gently illuminating the area as they lit up from back to front, revealing a tall, dark silhouette at the far end of the cave.
"Who are you, really?" the voice asked, taking a few steps closer, as the figure's broad shoulders rose and fell according to its breathing. "Great One, please. Look into our cores, and you will find no ill will coming from us. We're not here to fight you; we need your help," Ardrin struggled, doing his best to keep his speech calm and consistent with the others' demeanor.
Another pulse of mana came from the silhouette and ravenously entered their bodies through their chests, wrapping like a vice around their cores. Bernar and the others could not only see what the dragon was looking for, but it was like their entire lives were laid bare before him; from their happiest moments to their darkest secrets.
"One of you has experienced this before, I see," the voice said, its mana shifting ever-so-slightly to focus more on Ardrin. "But it appears you were telling the truth. You may now raise your heads without fear of punishment," it continued imperiously, prompting them to do just that in a calm and controlled fashion.
What the fuck do we do now? Bernar sent Taegin. "Such harsh language from one so young. Is that how they speak in this age?" the voice came, much less forcibly and without appearing in their minds as well as their ears. "M-My apologies, Great One. I meant no offense," Bernar immediately bowed again as his face flushed with embarrassment, since the other two were forced to follow his gesture.
Before they raised their heads again, there was an almost imperceptible movement in the residual mana in the cave that prompted the three of them to realize this figure was standing before them. Slowly, like the gentle flow of a river, a pale hand was outstretched and placed within their fields of view.
"There is no need to apologize for your habits, Bernar, as they are merely a byproduct of your environment. It is I who will likely have to adapt after being in here for so long," the voice said, subtly motioning for them to stand normally.
As their eyes traced along the figure's body, they realized that its boots were a pale white with red accents that swirled along their center, quickly followed by a white robe cut at the knees that split from the height of his waist. A solid belt of pure mana held his robe tightly to his body, swirling with multiple different colors, much like the ward at the entrance.
The multi-layered robe had folds of white and red near its mid-chest and clavicle, and broad shoulders to bear its weight, leading into a strong neck and sharp jaw. Piercing mismatched eyes met theirs, with one being a bright violet and the other a deep scarlet, beneath a scarred set of silver eyebrows.
His hair was cut reasonably short, though still long enough for a loose strand to hover over one of his scars while the rest were swept back neatly. At his temples, there was a slight hint of scales being hidden with mana, though they were hardly noticeable.
"We're honored to meet you, Great One," Taegin said, placing a hand across his chest and slightly tilting his head.