"Stand down!" Celran commanded the moment he saw the dragon. "Lower your weapons."
From the storm-wracked clouds emerged a dragon of impossible scale, so vast that it seemed to part the sky itself. Its body was the pristine white of moonlight reflected on a still lake while golden eyes, immense and unblinking, glowed with a wisdom far beyond mortal reckoning.
The creature's serpentine form rippled through the air flanked by colossal wing-like membranes that stretched from a raised neckhood all the way down its sinuous tail. These sails undulated like divine banners, catching the sunlit air within the storm's eye and gliding forward with effortless grace. Four delicate limbs were tucked tightly against its body, vestigial-seeming in comparison its overwhelming majesty.
As the dragon soared closer, Aralynn's eyes widened. A lone figure stood atop its head, slowly coming into view.
Despite all her experience as a soldier, all her battles and near-deaths, Aralynn was frozen in place. The dragon paused, hovering just inches from the Blue Locust 2, its titanic form dwarfing the airship. The celestial membranes rippled softly, holding the colossal creature aloft. As it stared at the Blue Locust 2, incomprehensible power radiated from dragon—immense, ancient, and sacred.
Celran and the rest of the crew of the Blue Locust 2 immediately dropped to one knee as the figure on the dragon's head stepped forwards onto the dragon's snout, leaving only the party standing. The dragonkin captain was about to urge the party to kneel before the figure standing on the dragon's head spoke.
"Please rise."
The speaker was a woman, appearing about the same age as Aralynn. Her skin was as white and fair as snow, her eyes a radiant pearlescent gold.
Whatever she was, she wasn't human.
From the sides of her head sprouted two elegantly ribbed and blindingly white horns that contrasted her verdant green hair. Amongst the currents high in the sky, her hair danced unnaturally as if it had a life of its own, whipping around wildly in the wind. Her face was breathtakingly beautiful—soft, pretty, shapely, young, yet mature. She wore a simple white gown that had been cropped to show her shoulders. She also had a tail, almost one-to-one in appearance to her dragon's.
Looking around, she smiled gently, addressing each member of the party by name—even Derrick.
"Perona Aerel. Hadarai Galanodel. Amon Sneakily. Grango Weiauz. Derrick Zalanthr. And…" her gaze quietly settled on Aralynn. "Aralynn Faewind. I bring word on behalf of my father, the Grandmaster of the Sky."
Aralynn realized that hearing their names being hailed was probably the first time the party had acknowledged their full names.
Cozith leaned close to the party, whispering. "The Grandmaster of the Sky is Lord Zephyr's title." Cozith breathed out, trembling. "She said her father is Lord Zephyr, so that means…"
"You are correct," the woman said, smiling once more as she dipped into a graceful curtsy. "I am Elise. You may also know me as Avyndeis, The Messenger. I speak in the name of His Highness Zephyr—The Grandmaster of the Sky, the All-Seeing Watcher of the Heavens, the Peerless Skyforth Lord, and my loving father."
Celran bowed deeply. "Milady. What would you ask of us?"
Elise shook her head gently with an unreadable smile. "It is not your crew I have come for, Captain, but your companions."
As she spoke, a brilliant golden radiance flared from her eyes. Sunlight converged around her, coalescing into a crown-shaped halo that hovered above her head—majestic, serene and resplendent. The halo bathed all in its light. Elise spoke and her voice echoed through the sky.
"My message for you is this: beware the hand of twisted justice, the light that blinds, the smile that deceives. Beware the timekeeper's zeal, the angels' thirst, and the embrace of the fallen. Beware, avatars, of the gods and their rift and beware the end of time."
The halo faded, the luminous rays scattering in all directions under the sun. The party and the crew of the Blue Locust 2 were left in stunned silence.
"Milady, what does that mean?" Perona ventured.
Elise shook her head. "That is something you must uncover for yourself. Even I only understand fragments." Her gaze then slid back to Aralynn and something in her golden eyes flickered with amusement—or was that curiosity?
"Still… this is quite fascinating."
The dragon glided even closer until its snout nearly brushed the edge of the airship's deck.
"Aralynn Faewind. Step forward."
Aralynn obeyed, her talons clacking softly on the wood, her wings shuddering involuntarily as four golden eyes—those of the dragon and of Elise—settled on her. Aralynn suddenly wished that she'd had some time to freshen up, grab her boots, and be more presentable—not that it seemed to matter.
Elise smiled, serene and radiant—then raised her hands and gently cupped Aralynn's face.
Every nerve in Aralynn's body immediately lit up like fireworks. Her heart pounded like a war drum as blood rushed to her head. It was hard for Aralynn to breathe and control herself—she couldn't think of anything other than Elise with the goddess' hands cupping her face.
"M-Milady…?"
Elise's touch was incredibly soft, her fingers brushing over Aralynn's skin, tracing the edges of her winged ears, tangling briefly in the strands of wind-blown hair. She smelled divine, like fresh rain and sunlight. Her eyes, her skin, her voice—everything about her shimmered with an otherworldly grace.
That was the problem. Aralynn regarded Perona as a close friend and would never risk their friendship. Yet she couldn't deny that she preferred women, and Elise, goddess or not, was far too much for her heart to handle.
Elise seemed all too aware of this. Her knowing smile deepened and she leaned in, pressing her forehead to Aralynn's for the briefest of moments. "A shame," Elise whispered, drawing back with both regret and warmth in her eyes. "You've already been claimed by another as an avatar. Otherwise, I would've chosen you myself."
Aralynn thought she was going to positively implode.
With a graceful turn, Elise stepped back onto the dragon's head. The titanic creature began to slowly move away, lifting its snout from the deck as it floated back into the open sky.
Still crimson from her neck to her cheeks, Aralynn barely managed form a question in her head, however, her words refused to speak as she intended. She however tried her best to ask. "Milady… what do you mean?"
Elise only offered a gentle smile, tucking a shimmering lock of hair behind her ear and tilting her chin just enough to reveal the smooth curve of her neck. "You'll understand soon enough."
She then seated herself atop the dragon's head and the creature began to pull away. Celran and Cozith lowered their heads in prayer, offering words of thanks and blessing as the divine emissary departed, the storm clouds on the horizon parting to allow Elise and her dragon free passage.
Just before they vanished into the clouds, Elise turned. Her voice carried across the wind well enough but only formed words for Aralynn as if it were willed that way through divine power.
"One more thing, Aralynn Faewind. I don't know where she is, but your sister…" Elise paused. "Rhys Faewind is alive."