Around three years would have passed on Aeartha. But here on Ehayor it was always a never ending day. Griswa Malaes and Yesdar would be 12 years old now. They thrived hard to master their commanding all these years. They trained, they struggled, they mastered certain techniques. One day as they were sitting in their cave home that they had been granted for their own living, they recalled whatever they had gone through and how far they had come. One incident was how they learned more about the categories of commanding and the backstory of Fheniz, six months after they had started training on Ehayor.
There were many types. Fire, energy, lightning categorized as Energy Commanding, sand and minerals, metals, water and everything else as Universal Elemental Commanding and then, Time and Dragon as God's Commanding.
Fheniz explained all of them one by one as their interest piqued. Everything else was understandable and common sense, but their keen interest had developed for 'God's Commanding'. Fheniz elaborated well-manneredly. Time and Dragon Commanding were two types of commanding that only Gods could master, for normal living beings it was near to impossible. Time as you know would stop for no one, no one could control time, but the case was different when someone was a God.
Dragons were creatures who were universally known as 'Gods of Creatures'. Dragons like any other living being, were also made up of universal elements obviously. But they were hard to tame and control, dragons could have one or two masters whom they would listen to till they weren't wild, but commanding the dragons was different, especially the most powerful and dangerous dragon species.
"Wait, we have one!" Yesdar exclaimed.
"Have what?" Fheniz questioned, his curiosity piqued.
"A dragon."
"What?! Show me! Why did you guys never say that?! Why were you hiding it?!"
Yesdar ran to get the dragon. Griswa and Malaes still sitting on the ground,
"Because umm, we didn't know what to tell you, I mean you know we need meat for 'him', I guess it's a he? And umm we don't have any. And we didn't know if we could ask anything to nourish him for his growth. We didn't know the rules of this planet, if dragons are strange creatures to Master Ehayor and people of this planet, then they might kill him, that's what I feared." Malaes spoke with hesitations in between.
"But now you know, as I am speaking about Dragon commanding...."
"Yes exactly, Yesdar just needed an excuse to expose it, because I had restricted these two to not say anything about the dragon." Malaes cut Fheniz before he could complete.
"I see."
"But somehow it's surviving, we are not feeding it, but it's still growing." Griswa took his chance to speak.
Yesdar called Griswa from a distance, addressing that the dragon wasn't listening to him because he only listened to Griswa. This indicated Fheniz that Griswa was the master of the dragon and he began to think something. Meanwhile Griswa got up and went inside their cave home with Yesdar. They came out with the dragon. Fheniz to his surprise saw that the dragon was quite big, from the entrance itself. He inquired Malaes, "How old is it exactly?"
"Umm maybe... how many months would have passed here?"
"Six I would say, according to Aeartha."
"Then that many." Malaes completed her answer.
"So it was just born and it's been six months now and it has already grown this much." Fheniz's mind rushed with curiosity and confusion.
"Uh, yes?" Malaes replied.
Griswa and Yesdar reached Fheniz. "There he is." Yesdar said as he pointed towards the dragon outstretching his hand.
"Let me see." Fheniz said as he stood up and started observing it like he was in desperate need of knowledge. He scanned his scales, wings, eyes and the patterns with utmost understanding.
"Quite calm, ay?" He said.
Fheniz asked them to wait and rushed over the Gate of Ehayor hall, to recollect what he had learned and collect a book. Fheniz was not just a learner or teacher of commanding, he was also a scholar. He was exceptionally knowledgeable carrying both basic and complex understandings of various concepts and theories, creatures, plants, technology, history and other general knowledge about the universe and beyond.
He searched in the library and returned with a book. The book had ancient writings that he could understand but the others couldn't, obviously. He turned pages till he reached the required page and started reading, the trio stood near Fheniz, looking at what he was reading irrespective of understanding.
"Let's see." Fheniz continued. He began after he read everything he needed to. "Hmm, looking at it, it's actually a Kyzarihyovik, exactly what I thought."
"The what?" the trio asked in sync.
"Looking at the patterns, the eyes, and it's calmness, it's tail and everything else, it matches the description here. Let me explain everything, listen closely." Fheniz commanded.
"These dragons are energy dragons who would feed on not just meat but they feed on energy if they do not have any alternative. They take decades and decades of years on an average of standard universal time, to grow completely, to become adults. They usually follow only one master, they are not dangerous when they are born and keep a calm nature in their childhood, but when they are on the line to become adults, they become one of the most dangerous creatures in this universe. Their actual size, as they keep growing by time and after they are complete adults, is extremely big, too big I would say, that's why the dragon is of Yesdar's height already. In just six months."
"Oh so it's been six months here? You know we don't know how many days have passed here, but I thought any dragon would grow this much in six months, wouldn't it?" Yesdar asked.
"Well maybe, but let's calculate according to Aeartha's time."
On the blank back page of the book, he took out a complete black pencil and started calculating, the trio didn't understand what he was doing but their curiosity piqued as they leaned on. Fheniz wrote down a formula and started doing a sum, he looked back at the previous pages about the dragons' information and wrote what was given.
"Ok, then umm this is standard universal time, and this is Aeartha's... so to calculate it, we do this and then this, after that, this and this.." he kept murmuring till he finished the sum.
"Here we are, it'd take 70 years on Aeartha for this dragon to become a complete adult. Then he'll stop growing, that's when we'll know the peak size."
"How did you do it?" Malaes questioned.
"Nothing much, just math and physics."
"Would you teach me that too?"
"Sure, some day, we'll have to start with the basics first."
"70 years, damn that's a lot." Yesdar expressed his opinion.
"But here's what I was thinking, Lord Griswa you are the master of the dragon, right? As it listens to you?" Fheniz asked, regarding to what he was thinking earlier, then.
"I guess yes. Cut the lord." Griswa replied.
Fheniz continued, "Then, this is the best opportunity, he listens to you, and right now he'll remain calm even if he doesn't get any meat. It'd feed on energy of here and there and also the sun of Ehayor. And the final necessity, you are a born-god. Why not learn Dragon Commanding? This dragon will be your best asset."
Malaes and Yesdar both agreed and supported Fheniz's idea.
"I guess I did it once." Griswa replied.
Fheniz's curiosity piqued. Griswa explained him about the Shiyahval incident, when his instincts had made him act desperately and probably he commanded Malaes's dragon Silyahun, that day to save all three of them. Malaes' memories flashbacked. Fheniz noticed uncomfortable expressions on her face. He inquired a little seriously, "You know I was wondering, you didn't say your story when we met the first time."
His words grabbed Yesdar's and Malaes' attention. "Let's be clear about one another ya know." He demanded Malaes and Yesdar to share their stories and how they met Griswa. Fheniz knew about Griswa and his legacy at least, but he had no idea about the other two. He wanted them to share their stories to develop each other's trusts even more. In return he would share his story, if they felt one sided and he assured that there would be no judgement. After all, he also knew the problems of Aeartha being an Aearthaling himself.
They both felt the urgency that Fheniz was demanding, even if they were uncomfortable, they knew it was better to tell him everything. Griswa didn't share any opinion and indicated that it was entirely their decision and he had no votes.
Yesdar took the step after a while, and began. He narrated his story from a one to hundred about what all events took place, Malaes took a step forward to cut him in between when he was about to tell her story, blending it with his own. But she only did that to narrate her story herself.
After listening from the first word uttered to the silence of now, Fheniz broke the after-silence with "My condolences." sympathizing to Malaes' loss of her father Sivera, and Yesdar's struggle in the slave order.
"Too much to bear on your shoulders, I understand your pain. Yahunyens, these bastards haven't left yet." He continued, his facial expressions indicating his anger for unfairness.
The trio got interested to know more about Fheniz when he remarked, "These bastards haven't left yet."
They asked him to continue, it was his turn to say everything about him. Fheniz took a deep breath and started his tale that he wished he had forgotten.
I was born in Venlores city in the state of Rothen in the country of Gerwanis on Aeartha. Gerwanis wasn't a prosperous country; it was more of a village country, with small buildings when I was a kid. As a child, I was inquisitive, always wanting to know everything. I spent my time learning from the news of the world, many articles, and radio topics that mostly discussed the Yahunyen Empire or the Government of Yahunya, the prosperity of Mackenas, and its rise to the largest economy through technological advancements.
However, beneath Yahunya's success lay the suffering of trillions of Mackenasians. The world news used to expose the dirty politics and the dark side of the Yahunyen Empire and their history of ruling over the world for thousands of years. The news of Rothen also mentioned the history of suffering of the Gerwanisians under Yahunyen rule. One day, a piece of news shook me: Yahunya's scientific departments had developed a super-large destructive machine called the 'Death Ray.' It was sent beyond the atmosphere of Aeartha and positioned to aim at one of Aeartha's moons which was around 200 million kilometers away.
The Yahunyens wanted to test the power of this machine to show their dominance and the insignificance of the rest of the world. They claimed that the destruction of the moon would not harm Aeartha as the moon was too far for its fragments to be pulled by the planet's gravity. The media was filled with sensational headlines: "Most Powerful Conquerors Ever," "Destroyers of Cosmos," "Sovereigns Undefeatable, Inevitable."
I thought all this was fine yet baseless; maybe they were powerful, and they had once ruled Gerwanis. But I didn't care much. What interested me was that they were aliens, they were not from this planet and their aim to destroy a whole satellite of the planet. I was always drawn to the cosmos, admiring the beauty of the moons, stars, and the universe beyond. I sought knowledge from anywhere I could find it, understanding the gods and ancient history, the formation of universes, and the concept of the omniverse.
The idea of infinity and what lay beyond it intrigued me. I learned about the Origin, a point beyond omni-infinity where everything began. A quote I heard, "Even infinity has an end." inspired me deeply. It fueled my ambition to explore beyond the known universe, to find the Origin and uncover the ultimate secrets of existence. I declared, "My goal is to find the Origin of Everything!" Aspiring to be the first to do so and to see the unimaginable beauty at the end of the worlds.
One day, it was announced that the 'Death Ray' experiment would occur. The entire world was in awe, filled with curiosity and anticipation. There was live coverage on the radio and televisions, devices that allowed people to watch events unfold in real-time. Everyone was eager to witness the seemingly impossible.
But then, something went terribly wrong.... the machine malfunctioned. As it prepared to fire, the energy it accumulated became too much for its materials that were used to make it. Electric sparks erupted, breaking the aiming handle. This critical malfunction caused the Death Ray to veer off its target and the gun completely rotated in the opposite direction aiming directly at Aeartha instead. The world watched in horror as the situation escalated. Attempts to abort the mission failed, the machine was unstoppable. There was chaos everywhere, prayers wouldn't work. The beam's intensity increased to a 100%, and with only a few seconds left... the unthinkable happened.
The Death Ray fired a high radiation beam, striking Gerwanis right at its center. I myself noticed that ray of thin light falling on the ground like a shooting star in the night, unknown of what destruction it was about to cause. This day became known as the 'Black day/night of Gerwanis'. The devastating beam killed billions, painting the sky a dreadful shade of red as clouds split apart, reflecting the bloodshed below. Even in the countryside where I lived, the impact was profound and the once peaceful country was a land of blood and toxicity in mere moments. The failed experiment and its catastrophic outcome stamped a harsh lesson into my mind: "Knowledge and carefulness are never enough."
This tragic event marked a turning point for me. My insatiable quest for knowledge now carried the weight of this newfound understanding. The destruction I witnessed reinforced my determination to explore the cosmos and unravel its mysteries, but with a greater sense of caution and respect for the power such knowledge held. I resolved to pursue my dream of finding the Origin with an even stronger commitment to understanding the balance and consequences of wielding immense power.
Growing up in the shadow of this tragedy, my desire to learn intensified. I delved deeper into my studies, focusing on the intricacies of the universe. My interest in the cosmos transformed into a scholarly pursuit. I explored the histories of gods and ancient civilizations, seeking patterns and wisdom from their experiences. The more I learned, the more I understood the delicate balance of power and knowledge.
But then I realized one thing, that beam would have never destroyed the satellite. As it struck Gerwanis, the land didn't even split apart, even though it killed billions. The Yahunyens had claimed that it would destroy the satellite into pieces, which was a body of greater mass than the country of Gerwanis. That made me realize how overconfident, how lamebrained their claims were, and just to prove their power which was already known, they conducted a stupid, baseless experiment. How much they try to prove the world that how graceful they are and yet in the end they always prove themselves so disgraceful. Literally it was a massacre and there was no rebellion, the world didn't oppose anything, they didn't wish to go against the Empire, because this incident, planted even more fear inside the minds of the people of the world, they thought if they were already this powerful to wipe out a country in one blow, then there was no certainty that the world would win against this mighty Empire.(Fheniz felt the most frustrated and angry when he narrated this part)
All this happened, and then as I traveled in desperate need of knowledge, I found the Gate that brought me to this world. To Ehayor where I found Master Solopensar Ehayor. I have no idea why that gate was open that time, it was like fate had decided that for me and called me here. Then I trained here for 37 years of Aeartha's time in Master Ehayor's guidance.
That is my story.
Fheniz ended with a sigh, the trio didn't even interrupt and let his story finish from one to all. That day, they all learned to support one another even more because they were all victims of the unfair world of Aeartha.
Back to the present after three years.
They pondered over Fheniz's story, the dragon whom they named 'Ferion' also grew loyal and Griswa thrived to master Dragon Commanding. As they sat in the cave home, they were summoned by Fheniz indicating a new problem's arising.
Doubt Clearing Information:
1) How did Griswa, Yesdar and Malaes survive their three years on Ehayor? And what about the dragon?
They survived on edible vegetation available in the desert and water plants. The dragon only fed on the natural energies from the surroundings. Information was given by Fheniz.
2) If Gate of Ehayor is located in the deserts near Shiyahval, did Fheniz visit Mackenas to find a Gate to enter the world of Ehayor?
No. There are actually two gates that are present in 9 worlds that connect them to one other. These two gates are always counted as one Gate only. The 9 Gates are called "Schinong Gates". More explanation about Schinong and the nine worlds, and the gate which Fheniz passed through to reach Ehayor, will be given as the story progresses.
Pronunciations:
Kyzarihyovik: [KAI]+[ZAAH]+[REEH]+[YO]+[VEEK]
Venlores: [WEN]+[LO]+[RES]
Rothen: [ROW]+[TH]+[EHN]
Gerwanis: [JER]+[WAA]+[NEES]
Ferion: [FEER]+[YAN]