Chapter 1: Uninvited Guests

13th September 5545, 10 years before the descent of Omnipotence
South Azurlantis

“All units, this would be our final assault! Our mission is to infiltrate enemy base!” declared twelve-year-old Zach McCarthy to his party of 30 armed ‘men’. They cheered in excitement, clutching their weapons tight in their fists. Their eyes blazed with intensity, and their limbs itching to land victorious blows on their enemy. They marched with pride, advancing towards the silvery, cardboard castle model which towered majestically in the light which penetrated the forest canopy.

Clad in lightweight training chain mail and armed with wooden shields and swords, they call themselves the Gryphons, after the legendary beasts who were known to be the fearless gladiators of the ancient era. Likewise, these Azurlantean youngsters, led by Zach, were raised to have the true courage of Gryphons in their hearts, for they will become the Azurlantean heroes of tomorrow.

“Sector Alpha, escalade up and breach the ceiling! Sector Delta, storm the moat and we’ll break in through the main entrance! Let’s show that dope Hyder and his punks the true power of the Gryphon Alliance! Attack!!” commanded their talented leader, his sword pointing towards the castle.

In a flurry of excited screams, the troops charged towards the castle. They efficiently divided into their respective teams, eager to engage into combat. They leaped over the moat like frogs, the first half of them clambered up the castle wall like frenzied spiders. The other half, led by Zach, thrashed the castle entrance and darted in like a furious swarm of bees.

At the instant they step foot into the square room, the warriors swished their swords frantically in the air, hoping to strike first before the enemy could react. The shrouded figures in the dimly lit room stood still, as if they were stunned silent. Zach started whacking his petrified opponents and then his comrades followed. The enemy had put up no form of defence whatsoever.

As the light from the holes in the ceiling illuminated the room, the excited uproar of the battle immediately turned into an awkward silence. Zach’s eyes widened in shock as he lowered his sword. The ‘enemy’ was only a couple of haystacks positioned upright to seem lifelike. They crumbled onto the floor into a messy heap.

“Now!!”

A scream coming from the ceiling ruptured the silenced. To the horror of the Gryphons, it was the enemy. Their leader stood with his arms crossed at the ledge of the roof, looking down and grinning at Zach. The enemy troops laughed as they surrounded the whole ceiling, aiming their slingshots at their opponents in the room. They were all wearing goggles. There was a staggering moment of suspense which turned the leader’s smile upside down.

“I said now!!!” he yelled impatiently.

The enemies suddenly pelted egg-like bullets onto the Gryphons which burst upon contact, filling the room with a thick cloud of white dust. Zach had anticipated such a move, and with one snappy command, his army shielded their eyes and braced for enemy assault. The fog immobilized them, depriving them of their visual of the enemy. Excited screams echoed from the ceiling and then followed a shower of water balloons which exploded upon them on contact.

The castle suddenly shook as the rightful keepers of the castle descended into the room. They thrashed the infiltrators like dummies, disarming them before punishing them hard with their rubber clubs. Soon everyone engaged themselves in fierce combat, laughing and squealing in the thrill of a heated free-for-all. Zach tackled his arch rival hard onto the floor as they wrestled like savage lion cubs.

“Nice plan, Hyder, definitely the dumbest you’ve ever pulled out,” muttered Zach as he struggled to free himself from his rival's leg lock.

“Thanks, Zach. You led this clowns right where I wanted them,” replied Hyder as he dodged Zach’s punch. They soon got up, knocking down a few others in the way before continuing their brawl.

“Numbskull!” shouted Zach as he managed to land a kick to Hyder’s shin.

“Troll ass!” yelled Hyder, pouncing on his foe without needing to recover. “Nitwit,” he insulted again.

“Idiot!”

“Dork!”

“Dragon!”

Hyder was about to land a punch when he noticed ‘dragon’ wasn’t an insult. He stopped in his tracks when Zach suddenly looked up and froze. He looked up and gulped in horror.

“DRAGON!!”

A scream burst out from the frenzied battle cries. A huge shade had cast upon the kids in the castle, a huge head of a red lizard hovered above them, watching them intently. The dragon took a final whiff of them, and like a swarm of bees, the kids darted out of the room, shrieking in horror. Hyder stood frozen in terror as his eyes met the dragon’s. Zach quickly grabbed Hyder’s arm as they hurried after the other kids.

The dragon instantly burst into a rage, destroying the castle model with a single lash of its spike-tipped tail. It let out a series of thunderous roars as it stomped its way in pursuit of the boys. Most of the other kids had already alerted the others in the city, causing everyone to panic and evacuate their homes. Amidst the chaos, Zach and Hyder noticed an old man lying on the ground and a terrified young girl on her knees, wailing beside him. The boys quickly approached them.

“Young man, take my little Helena with you! Save her while you can!” muttered the old man in a frail, helpless voice. His granddaughter continued to weep in horror as the dragon advanced closer to them.

“No! I can’t leave you here!” shouted Zach. The boys helped the old man up as he leaned on Zach’s shoulders, struggling to his feet.

“Zach, take them with you! I’ll slow down the monster!” ordered Hyder.

“What? You’re insane! You can’t stop him alone!” yelled Zach in disbelief as he tugged on the girl’s hand. “C’mon! We gotta go!”

Zach was already almost at the peak of the hill overlooking the city when suddenly he noticed Hyder wasn’t with him. He turned around and gasped in shock. Hyder was standing before the great dragon, staring at it dead in its eye. His slingshot grasped tightly in his right hand.

“Hyder!” screamed desperately Zach at his cousin, hoping for him to at least think twice before he does something completely stupid. But Hyder did not answer nor did he turn around. It was too late for Zach to turn back now as Hyder would be devoured alive by the time he could get close to saving him. The dragon stopped in its tracks and lashed its tail to the ground in amusement of the boy’s futile courage.

Hyder aimed the slingshot at the dragon’s eye. His hands trembled with it as he clutched the projectile – a heavy, spike-like stone which will permanently blind the dragon if he scored a bulls-eye. He could hear Zach calling him repeatedly but he was keen on taking his shot.

Peculiarly, the dragon appeared to be ‘waiting’ for Hyder to take his shot, as if he was giving the boy a last chance to decide his fate. The boy valiantly remained the slingshot at hold and waited for the ‘right moment’, even though he would definitely succeed if he’d just fire without hesitation. But still, neither he nor the dragon made a move.

Suddenly a shower of arrows flew across the air and pierced the body of the dragon. The beast immediately burst into a rampage and spotted his assailants. It was the Azurlantean cavalry archers who appeared from the other side of the hill. Two of them dismounted to help Zach while the rest charged towards their enraged foe, waving their swords in the air.

Before the horsemen could advance close enough to rescue Hyder, there was an outburst of shrill cries which came from the forest behind the dragon. In a flash, a large flock of deadly winged, serpentine creatures appeared from beyond the trees and swooped upon the Azurlantean cavalry. It was the Wyverns, who appeared to be giving the dragon assistance.

The creatures swooped onto the horsemen, who desperately tried to fight them off with their swords. However the wyverns were excellent combatants when in flight, and aggressively slashed the men with their deadly claws. Some grabbed the men with their claws and took them to the skies, before releasing them later to plummet to their deaths. The horses went berserk and galloped around in a cowardly frenzy. The men were severely outnumbered as more and more agitated wyverns descended from the skies to attack them.

The dragon then quickly lowered his head and knocked Hyder to the ground with his snout. With a final deafening roar, it retreated back into the woods. A passing wyvern then grabbed Hyder before it glided back into the woods, after the dragon. Hyder screamed in pure terror as his hometown became more and more distant with every flap of the wings of his abductor. Zach noticed this and attempted to give chase after the wyvern, but a soldier grabbed him before he could take another step.

“No! Let me go! Hyder’s in trouble! Let me go!” lamented Zach in desperation as tears streamed down his cheeks. He struggled to free himself but the soldier only squeezed tighter. As the wyverns continued their relentless invasion, Zach wailed in exasperation knowing that he’ll never see his beloved cousin ever again.

His only true friend was gone, vanished, no longer in existence. It was the day Zach swore vengeance on dragons, in honour of the only person he cared for and respected dearly, like his own brother.