Above Dragon Village, the sky was filled with gray clouds, which cast a dark shadow upon the assembling dragon tribes. A big stage had been set in the center of the village, along with a broad enough platform, on which hundreds of dragons gathered to come and attend the sentencing of two of their kind. From the youngest hatchling to the most seasoned elder, each and every one of them had seemingly appeared merely to view this amazing spectacle: the punishment of those who would dare break the ancient traditions.
The stage itself was carved straight out of the mountainside and was out of obsidian stone, with magic power added to reinforce it. It seemed its size and grandeur wonderfully reflected how important this moment was, reminding everyone present that, in fact, the Elders ruled over dragon tribes with an iron fist. Atop the stage, two people sat in chains; male and female, the parents of the God of Dragons, their proud wings now mangled into some sort of chains and their faces chiseled with defiance.
There, all around them, dragons of all tribes filled the space, murmuring amongst themselves. Their voices rose in a chorus of speculation, disbelief and condemnation. Many asked for the punishment, while others wanted to see judgment executed. The air buzzed with tension, as if the very realm itself was holding its breath.
And from the throng, one figure emerged: the head Elder, leader of the Celestial Dragon Tribe and he of the longest history of any among the dragons. He stood from a tall stone chair whereon he was seated, his wings spread wide. The shadow of his form fell right across the platform as he came up and out of the air. That stepped, powerful motion carried him easily onto the platform extending between which the two dragons knelt, taking attention all unto himself.
"Silence!" he bellowed, his voice echoing through the village like a thunderclap. The murmuring crowd fell silent, turning their eyes to the Elder. His shining scales sparkled in the dim light, representing him as a great power and source of authority. His golden eyes gleamed with an intensity that forced even the bravest of dragons to look away.
The elder looked at the two dragons bent on their knees. Beside the captive dragons, on either side of them, two guards were standing by holding within their claws the chains which bound the dragons to a kneeling position, the parents of the God of Dragons - once proud, noble creatures now prostrating before judgment by peers. Female was quiet, kept her eyes to the ground, but the male, father of the God of Dragons, held his head level and gazed about with defiance.
The elder took a pace forward; his wings opened wide, fluttering. He bellowed out the question, and his voice cracked out across the stage and into the hearts of every dragon in the audience. "Do you both know what the crime committed is?"
For an instant, there was nothing but silence. The crowd was holding its collective breath, for a reaction from the female dragon: its face stillness refused to betray any expression. Yet the father-the father of the God of Dragons-spitted in disgust, indignation writhing behind the balconies of his eyes. His voice boomed, derisive.
"Do you old fools believe that just because you make a rule, everyone has to comply with it? Who appointed you as the only ones to decide on what would be right for all dragons? Your 'laws' are nothing but chains, which tie us to your narrow interpretation of the world!"
Gasps rippled through the crowd at his impertinence. No one had ever spoken to the Elders like that before. It was unbelievable.
He darkened the face of the elder elder as rage twisted his face. He then smashed the elder father's head to the ground using sheer force, the brutality that resounded around the stage as the father crumpled under Elder's strength. Blood trickled down from the corner of his mouth, yet he raised a defiant gaze.
"Know your place!" the Elder snarled, his voice cold and unyielding. "You will learn that the laws of the dragon tribes are not to be questioned. You will pay the price for your insolence!"
The crowd remained silent, and the weight of the Elder's words hung heavy in the air. It was intimidating how the stern reminder of the Elders' authority could be met with such force by the father's act of defiance. Several of the younger dragons squirmed uncomfortably, an awe for the head Elder tempered by fear.
As the old man's body slumped to the ground, being motionless, the Elder turned once more to the crowd, his voice raised a final time. "Let this be a lesson to all of you. The laws of the dragon tribes have stood for millennia. They are the foundation of our strength, our unity. To defy them is to defy the very essence of our kind!"
He stood there, letting his words fall into their consciousness. The people did not utter a word, their gaze absolutely focused on the scene unfolding before them. The elders' verdict was, well and truly, to be absolute—no dragon could possibly stand against them and survive.
But just as the elder turned on the heels to speak again to the two prostrate dragons, something odd happened in the crowd.
A deep, resonant voice echoed through the hall, saying: "Know your place."
The words were so charged that it seemed they vibrated in the very air, shaking the ground beneath the crowd's feet. It was the same command the Elder had just given-but this time, it did not come from him. It came from somewhere far more powerful.
Unimaginably Huge Aura Suddenly it dropped upon the stage, freezing the Elder in his tracks. The pressure dealt upon him through the weight of the aura pressed him to the ground as his eyes widened with shock. It was an overwhelming magnitude he had never felt before.
The crowd gasped in horror as they felt the same crushing pressure, their knees buckling beneath them. Even the youngest dragons who never knew the feel of fear were brought to their knees by this invisible force. The air became heavy with dread, as if the entire realm had been plunged into a suffocating darkness.
The Elder strained at his head, but the weight of the aura kept him pinned down. He looked up, eyes wide with disbelief, looking for a source of such overwhelming power.
And then he saw him.
At the farthest edge of the stage, a figure emerged from the darkness, an aura speaking of divine power. Majestic and terrible, he was a young boy with two horns upon his head and so lovely that one felt they had seen something not of this world. His eyes glowed with an ethereal light, and he stood there like time itself was frozen.
He was the God of Dragons.
The crowd trembled in full of their fearful expressions at his appearance. None of them could move, and none of them dared to speak. All that was left for them was to watch in stunned silence as this young God of Dragons gets up and moves forward towards the head Elder.
"Know your place," he said in repetition, his voice calm, yet only unimaginable power in every tone.
The Elder now brought to his feet could hardly move, completely overpowered. For the first time in his long life, he was powerless before a force greater than himself. Struck by the realization like a blow, he knew at once that this was no ordinary dragon. He gazed upon a god.
Nothing less than the God of Dragons, tall and proud he stood. His aura filled the whole village and commanded respect in entirety. It was never necessary for him to raise his voice or instill fear in the hearts of those standing around him. All he needed was his presence to assure himself of his superiority.
Once so arrogant about himself and his privileges, the head Elder now quaked on the ground, twisting his features in fear and submission. The God of Dragons had come-and with him, no one expected what would befall him.
The head elder paralyzed, with the entire dragon tribe under the mighty aura of their true ruler. A new era was in the making because things would never be the same again for the old order of the Elders.