Dagon got to his feet, letting Bella up. He offered her his hand, but she refused it.
"So, now that that is done with, what is the purpose of me coming here?" Dagon asked.
"I don't know, you tell me." Bella said with an attitude, brushing dirt off of her armor.
"Well, I assumed you'd know, since I saw you and your dragon in my dream." He said, nodding at the silver dragon.
"Her name is Ellira. And yes, I do know why you are here, I was only screwing with you." She said.
"Just a question," Sephtis spoke, "but do you intend on helping us bring down the kingdoms? Or not?"
"Depends." Bella said. "I'd have to see your chances first."
"I refuse to take my daughter into a suicide mission. It simply will not happen." Ellira growled.
"Daughter?" Gena asked.
"Yes, she calls me her daughter, since she raised me like a mother." Bella spoke. "Pay it no mind."
"I understand how that feels.." Gena mumbled, glancing at Dagon, who ignored it.
"Follow me." Bella said. Dagon, Gena and Sephtis began to follow her, but she stopped them. "Only Dagon and Sephtis. The rest of you stay."
"But, Bella-"
"Ellira. I will be fine." Bella said.
"Why can't I go?" Gena asked.
"Because, you already know this story." Bella explained. "Now then, follow me."
Dagon glanced back at Gena, then placed his hand on Sephtis's shoulder and walked behind Bella into the tunnel.
The tunnel went on for what seemed like forever, dragging on and on sluggishly, until it began to turn and, at the end of it, Dagon could see a faint light.
Bella turned and stopped Dagon and Sephtis just before they exited the tunnel into another cavern.
"You are not to tell another soul about what you see here. Am I understood?" Bella spoke.
"I don't think you really are in a place to threaten me." Dagon teased.
"You may be able to best me in a duel, but when it comes to dragon combat in the air, me and Ellira will always best you."
Dagon shrugged. "Who knows. Maybe you can, maybe you can't."
"Whatever." She said, exasperated, "that does not matter now. I want you to swear you will share this with no one. Not a single soul. Am I understood or not?"
"Yeah, fine." Dagon said.
*Does this girl get under your skin, Dagon?* Sephtis asked in amusement.
*What do you mean?*
*You are usually quite kind hearted, but when it comes to this girl you are really quite aggressive.*
*She is the one that starts it, not me.* Dagon insisted.
Sephtis gave no response, on a slight chuckle.
"Alright." Bella said, "then follow me."
She turned and entered the chasm. Dagon and Sephtis followed.
For the most part, it was empty, but Dagon's eyes were instantly locked on the object at the cave's center.
A large oval object with what appeared to be roots going into the ground from it. It gave off a pale purple light that pulsated with magical energy. On it we're four strange indents, each a different shape, though all of them were similar to that of a dragon's scale.
"What… is that?" Dagon asked, awestruck. For some reason he felt inexplicably drawn to it.
"This," Bella spoke, "is the Egg of Chaos."
"The Egg of Chaos? Wait, so that is a dragon egg?"
"Yes. The egg of a dragon god to be precise. Do you know what the Four Dragon Gods are?"
"No… I can't say I do."
"The Four Dragon Gods are what this land was governed by." Sephtis suddenly spoke. "Once upon a time, four immensely large and powerful dragons ruled the land, each having their own region of rule. The humans, dragons and Kin all served the Dragon Gods, and thus the Four Kingdoms were formed, one for each god."
"Yes." Bella said, "But eventually, the gods saw the corruption of land and withdrew into their caves to slumber until the day the Dragon King came to wake them. They each are sleeping within their respective temples, one in each kingdom. The humans have tried to find and enslave them, but they were never successful."
"Why did they leave instead of preventing this entire war?" Dagon asked.
"We don't know their reason. My personal guess is that no matter what they did the humans' corruption would not change. If they resorted to force, the humans would resent them, if they warned the humans, they wouldn't care." Bella shrugged. "So is human nature. In the end, greed is the true cause for every action humans make. They are truly the embodiment of greed."
"Okay, but I don't see what this has to do with the egg or freeing the dragons." Dagon said.
"Well, allow me to explain." Bella said. "You see these indents in the egg? Each one is meant to be filled with a single scale from one of each of the Dragon Gods. When each indent has been filled and the egg has been filled with the magic of the gods, it will hatch. Legend has it, the dragon that will come from this egg will bring about a new era, but whether it is good or bad is completely dependent of the heart and intentions of the person who hatches it."
"In other words," Sephtis spoke, "if you hatch the egg with a corrupt heart, the dragon will be a demonic being of destruction, but if you hatch it with a pure heart, it will be a divine being that brings about an era of prosper and peace."
"Fitting that it is called the Egg of Chaos." Dagon said. "The potential to bring destruction, or to bring peace."
"Yes. And my job is to watch over the egg and find the true Dragon King. I am the person meant to test that king, to see if they have a pure heart, or a corrupted soul." She pointed a finger at Dagon. "And you are my first candidate. Whether I kill your or not, depends on whether or not you show me you are deserving of the title of Dragon King."