Short Story - Petals of Fate (Part 1)

    The Great Dragons were born during Terrania’s infancy, conduits of her lands, seas, and skies created to help shape the landmasses alongside their caretakers, the Old Gods. As the conduit of Terrania’s Skies, Anticuopal often lived far above Terranian society, keeping watchful eye on the world above from the safety of the clouds’ cradle. Every dragon had their own society that they brought into the world, something to motivate them to stay within their domain. The youngest created the sirens, a race steeped in tradition and the arts. The second-youngest mothered the cerosens, a race known far and wide for their beautiful architecture and celebrations. Finally, Anticuopal, the eldest, created the griffins, a race which used their intellect to win many a war and gain much of the clouds as their territory. Once the leader of such militaristic shows of strength, the eldest dragon soon found himself growing distant from his creations, wishing to explore beyond his assignment and discover what the lands and seas had to offer.
    These quick peeks eventually became full visits, which eventually became extended vacations from the clouds. Anticuopal had found such colorful folk down in the world below, engaging with their endeavors and aiding in their constructions, much to the chagrin of his younger siblings. Eventually, however, this became normal to the three of them, and Anticuopal was overjoyed to have even a taste of these beautiful, vibrant experiences he had been missing out on for so long.

Artist: Skiterring

    Meanwhile, the griffins saw such abandonment as a punishment from their ruler. “We have grown too fond of conquest,” announced their high priest, “The Sage of Intellect has left us behind for such hubris! We must adapt!”
    And so they did.
    All of the griffins pooled their resources and began seeking higher intelligence, as they believed it would bring their sage home. Years passed, schools were built, and study of the arcane, alchemical, and beyond trained their youngest minds to become the generation to fix their heretic society. Marbled pillars made of solidified cloudstuff stood tall above the fallen swords of their rivals, battlefields became laboratories, and libraries were built that peeked below the cloudy canopy to observe the world below. Some would swear they saw their god playing with those on the surface, but the more time passed, they began to forget what said god even looked like.

Artist: Skiterring

    Anticuopal, all the while, had fully integrated with the mortals on Terrania’s surface. Teaching the cerosens of intelligence, he aided in the construction of their own libraries, schools, and museums. He himself even took on the role of teacher at the prestigious School of Arcane Artefacts, Magics, and Alchemy, where his tenure would last many, many years. The cerosens, children of the Sage of Beauty, became just as much enthralled with the pursuit of knowledge, taking on the traits of two of the dragon siblings in the process. Their society would become a shining star upon the world’s map, cementing their place in Terrania’s history.
    All the while, Anticuopal would remain a teacher, until one fateful day where it all changed, forever…