Chronicles From the End of an Age

A Dragon's Final Breath - 34Yrs BTA

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The Deterioration started three years ago. Gyssel remembered the day well, she had made sure to remember it, as it was the most frightening day of her life. She remembered waking up feeling tired, her body acting as though she had just been throttled in a fight. Gone was any of her previous strength. Flying had been tiring, talking had been tiring, and as she attempted to use her powers they were weak and unresponsive. She had tried to ignore it at first, not telling anyone in fear of what it could mean, but it was only a matter of time before the others noticed.

In the first month of The Deterioration she began to grow sick, and she could feel her bones grating against one another as she walked and flew. Scale rot began to infect her body, and the first few scales began falling out toward the end of the month. Others began to notice and looked upon her with sorrow and pity, which made it all the worse. Carers were offered and turned down. Family visits became more common, which she was happy for, but she could see the sadness in her children's eyes. They knew what this was as well as any of them. Six months in her abilities left her, the strength and power of gravity fleeing her grasp so she could no longer bend the element to her will, her body too weak to focus on power. A year later she lost the ability to fly, her wings far too weak to keep her aloft, forcing her to remain in a cave atop a mountain, watching the world pass by below her. Six months ago, she struggled to even walk, every step an excruciating expanse of willpower that was too much effort for an elder dragoness like her.

But now, three years had come, and Gyssel no longer felt the fear she had the first day. She knew that the day would be her last. She envied humans that. Their deterioration period was far longer than a dragon's, lasting decades, and no one knew when the final day would be. But every dragon knew, three years from the day The Deterioration began would be that dragon's final day on earth. It was the day that dragon died. No matter how powerful, how influential, no one could stop it. Not the ever-growing knowledge of human medicine, not the greatest and most knowledgeable life dragon, not even the power of equilibrium. It was as if some divine being decided that eventually a dragon's body would fail, not allowing any to live forever.

"Mum... are you awake?" came a rather timid and frightened voice to her right.

Gyssel opened her eyes, moving her head slightly to look up at the dragon that had entered her cave. Another elder dragoness, and Gyssel's oldest hatchling, Evoria. Gyssel allowed herself a smile, slowly raising her head, an action that took a pitiful amount of effort. Evoria's pale sky-blue scales had been polished and shined to perfection. Her talons had been sharpened, and the spikes running down her back cleaned and refined. Her wings shuffled on her back nervously as she looked at her mother with sad eyes.

"I... am now," Gyssel said, her voice sounding far too weak compared to what it had been not too long ago.

"How... are you feeling?" Evoria asked, knowing the answer already.

"Like death," chuckled Gyssel, "Oh, my daughter, don't look so upset. It had to come eventually."

"I know... it's just hard to see you like this. You have always been so strong."

"Well this will be the last day you have to see me like this," responded Gyssel comfortingly, "I am tired, Evoria, I have lived a long life, longer than most dragons, and I am interested in seeing what adventures lie beyond the end."

"If there is anything there," muttered Evoria.

"Ever the skeptic," rumbled an amused Gyssel, "Now, are you going to bring me up to where the others are waiting or not?"