~Raize~

They're idiots! Idiots! Idiots! Idiots! IDIOTS! How dare they keep me here! I was getting so close. So very, very close. I could feel it. The power, seething just below the surface, but now.... I won't be able to reach it. Not now that I'm trapped in this damned place. Aaargh!

I was warned of this as well. I was warned they would try and stop me. That they would trap me. They say they are just worried about me. But I can see the truth. They are afraid. Afraid at what they know I'm capable off! This place won't hold me! I'm going to get out and complete my goal. I will get revenge for my father. I will destroy A.O.D.H and everything in it. Why can't they see that!

Hmmm. No more screaming in rage. I need to think. That's what I'm good at. Thinking. I may be trapped in here but that won't stop me. I just need to figure out a way to continue. There are stone walls and some sought of straw nest. Maybe I can make something? Wait. No. They have mind dragons. They'll figure it out. Unless I learn how to block them out, how to hide myself from them. There is this technique I've heard off. Something about clearing your thoughts. It'll be difficult... but worth it. But then they'll figure out what I'm trying to do and then stop me. Grrr!

Calm down Raize. You need to think. Deep breaths, close eyes. Huuuh. Okay. Now think. You know how to get out of here. You just need to do so.

* * *

It was getting colder. At first it was just a subtle chill in the air. A cool breeze. Then the temperature started to drop. Icebergs began to appear in the horizon and large grey clouds began to crowd the sky. The ocean below was writhing, sending up white spray and mountainous waves. The wind got stronger, creating dangerous updrafts. There were no birds anywhere in the vicinity, and the only living creatures were four dragons struggling with the growing weather.

'How far have we got to go?' Retrix's mental voice spoke through a mental link that Merene had created between the four of them, helping speech in the air.

They had left the farm in the morning, after saying a quick goodbye to Darren and his family. It had been a small stay, but Silver was glad that she had seen them again. Next time hopefully it would be a bit longer. After that they had flown the rest of the way across Australia and over the Indian Ocean, flying toward Antarctica.

'Well, the cold weather is a good sign," Merene replied.

'A good sign?' Silver still a little fearful of the cold, after her previous experiences she knew that it could be quite destructive.

'Yes, we are getting close to Antarctica. After that it will be a straight shot into Dominion range,' the mind dragonesses said in a cheerful tone.

'And that's where we will find this Syndicate place?' asked Retrix.

'Yes,' Zepos spoke this time.

They had filled him in on their mission that morning, and he had seemed a bit hesitant afterwards but still decided to go. He had been rather quiet for most of the trip, separating himself from the other three dragons and only asking the occasional question that he needed answered. He wasn't the liveliest of dragons.

'Land!' Silver said, looking forward into the horizon and seeing a white mass slowly growing.

She was looking forward to a rest. While the cold weather wasn't really a bother to the other three dragons, the rate in which her shell was decreasing in temperature was making her quite uncomfortable. She hoped it wouldn't get to bad, but the arctic was a cold place. They were lucky it was summer. In winter it would nearly be unliveable.

The dragons flapped their wings slightly faster, eager to reach solid land. They were all a little exhausted from the flying for so long. The arctic coastland was surrounded in ice, but afterwards it became a mixture of grey and brown with the occasional green tufts of barely growing grass. Mountain ranges rose in the distance as well, and Silver wondered which one was the one they needed to get to.

The sun was getting low again and after a day of travelling the four dragons decided it would be better to find a reasonable place to sleep before continuing their search for Eldawin's Syndicate. If it was anything like Sky Mountain the dragon haven would be protected by some sought of illusion, or at the very least hidden extremely well.

Merene spied out a cave through searching a number of animal memories and lead them down toward it. To their relief it was a rather spacious place with enough room to fit four dragons comfortably. It was also a little warmer then out in the open. The wind that was whipping around had been getting stronger the closer they had gotten to the large continent, but inside the cave it was minimal. Though it did create an annoying amount of noise outside.

They all lay down in a circle, getting as close to one another as possible to save warmth, besides Retrix. He was naturally cold, and having been into the void numerous times the temperature was nearly warm for him. Instead he sat near the entrance of the cave, looking outside deep in thought.

The night slowly wore on. Zepos and Merene fell to sleep but Silver found it difficult. She was affected the most by the cold, and it was beginning to get a little uncomfortable for the dragoness. Eventually she couldn't take it any longer and got up from where she was laying, being careful not to wake the other two. She shook herself off and beat her wings a few times to warm them up. She turned toward the cave, and hesitated.

"Sorry," she said, "I didn't know anyone else was still awake."

Retrix snorted slightly, looking back at her. He was nearly invisible in the darkness of night, and it made Silver slightly uneasy. She knew hardly anything about the void dragon, other then he was also the only one of his species alive on the planet. Unless of course he had parents that were also void dragons.

"You weren't bothering me," he said, returning to looking out into the sky.

The dragoness hesitated. Now that she knew she wasn't alone she felt a little stuck for words. Especially with Retrix. The dragon intrigued her somewhat as well. Anything different did, and she had a number of questions that she had wanted to ask him, though she hadn't found the opportunity to do so yet. Deciding to just go with it she padded up to the entrance of the cave.

"How's your leg?" she asked.

He glanced at her, silent for a moment, before answering, "It'll get better."

"That's good," Silver let out a silent sigh, this was going to be a little more difficult then she thought.

Another bout of silence swept over them as Silver tried to think of something else to say. It was hard to start a conversation with someone who wasn't willing to talk back, but she wasn't going to give up just yet.

"Retrix," she started, getting the drake's attention, "Are you the only one of your kind?"

Again he was slow at answering, "I think so."

"Who were your parents?"

This time he glanced at her, seeming to be struggling with something. With a sigh he looked back at the sky, "My father's a light dragon named Syol, my mother a darkness called Herron."

Silver smiled slightly, glad that she had finally gotten him talking, "My father was a metallic dragon, Elron, and my mother a fire called Scarlet. I also have two brothers, both fire, Raize and Blaze. They were my clutch mates."

"You weren't the first metal dragon?" Retrix glanced at her, seemingly in surprise.

"No, my father was," she replied.

"And where is he now?" the void dragon asked, interested.

This time it was Silver's turn to hesitate, "He died."

Retrix was silent, shocked, "I..."

"Don't say your sorry," she looked at him with a grim smile, "Everyone says that. It's annoying."

"Okay," he looked down at his feet.

"What about your parents?" she asked him, wanting to keep the conversation going, "What happened to them?"

"They were captured by A.O.D.H," he replied, seeming glad at the change of subject, "I saw them a couple of times when I was there, but never got a chance to talk to them."

"Well, we can get them out. Once Eldawin's Syndicate and Sky Mountain join forces we'll be nearly unstoppable."

He smiled, "I guess so, though it is hard to believe that A.O.D.H would ever fall."

"Don't worry. It will," Silver said with confidence.

Retrix nodded and they once again descended into silence. The wind outside howled loudly as it picked up somewhat and the sound of ocean waves crashing in the distance created a strange harmony of nature. It was a different landscape, especially at night. There were snowfields in places but Silver was quite surprised to see how barren Antarctica really was. It looked like a desert, but grey instead of brown, and cold instead of hot. She had heard it been called the largest desert on earth, but had wondered how such a place could be so. Now that she was here, she understood.

"Hey, if you don't mind me asking," Retrix spoke up, "But are you and Zepos... you know... mates?"

Silver chuckled slightly at the question and looked back at the sleeping lightning dragon, "No. Maybe some day though."

"Why not?" he asked, "Not to sound rude but it's pretty obvious you love each other, or at least he loves you."

"Yeah, I know. I guess I'm not ready to settle down with someone just yet. There have been many things happening lately and it honestly seems like a bad time to start a family, and I don't feel ready to start a family either. I don't like being held back."

"Aah, I understand," Retrix nodded.

The dragoness laughed, "You should try find someone as well you know. Being the only one of your species it's your duty."

"Eh, maybe," he shrugged, "If some dragon comes along that lifts me off my feet then why not?"

Silver shook her head with a snort, "Well there are many of us out there. I'm sure you'll find one. As far as I know, Merene hasn't gotten a mate yet."

He looked back at the mind dragoness with a slight frown, "Maybe. There just seems to be something a little off about her though."

"Off? What do you mean?"

"Oh, occasionally when I was fighting you and I came back from being in the void she shimmered, like an illusion, but right now she seems as solid as ever," he shrugged, "Though maybe that was because she was trying to cast illusions over me when I came back. I don't know, it didn't happen every time."

"She is a bit off a strange dragon," Silver agreed, "But she's a good one."

"Hmm," he didn't sound convinced.

She frowned at him, but let it slide. A dragon like him would be paranoid of a lot of things. She let out a yawn and shook herself. The day had been long, but even though her body was tired she enjoyed talking with Retrix.

"Tell me more about your element," she said, looking at him, "I know you teleport and you breath that strange purple laser thing, but I don't really know how it works."

"Oh, yeah sure," the void dragon shook himself out of his thoughts, "I teleport by 'ripping' space and time. I don't exactly know whether it's another dimension or just another place entirely. What I do no is that the void has absolutely nothing in it. No light, gravity, heat, oxygen, not even time. It's just an endless thing of nothing. That's why it is so cold, because there is absolutely no heat. The coldest possible temperature. I think that's like negative two hundred and seventy three point one five degrees. Complete zero. That's why the cold doesn't bother me that much."

"Then why do you go there?" Silver asked, "No offence, but it's a pretty horrible place."

He laughed, "You get used to it. Yes, when I go there I can't breath, see, and it is very cold, so I wouldn't be able to be there for more then a couple of minutes at a time, but it's a useful place to store things, and as you said, teleport."

"And what about the energy you breath?"

"Oh, that is basically a elongated portal into the void. Whatever it hits gets transported there, besides a few things, like the metal in your shell, other dragons elements and clay for some odd reason."

"Clay?"

"Yeah, weird that."

Silver snorted, "Is there a way you can make it harmless, so that it doesn't kill everything it touches."

Retrix nodded, "Yes. If I think hard enough I can close the end of it off so it just acts as a force of freezing cold that simply pushes things it touches. It can still kill things, but not nearly as easily."

"That's pretty cool," she said.

"Yeah," he yawned, "How about your element? The way you use it is very interesting."

"I'll tell you in the morning," the dragoness said with a grin, "We should get some sleep now, while we can."

"But.... Aargh fine. I am getting a bit tired."

She nodded and turned to walk back to the place where she had been sleeping before, "Goodnight Retrix."

"Night Silver," He curled up at the entrance of the cave, letting the cool wind brush over his scales. The metal dragon snorted slightly and lay back down near Zepos and Merene, glad for the opportunity to have talked to the drake. Now she understood him a bit more. With a small smile she closed her eyes and let her tiredness overwhelm her, falling to sleep. 

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Hey guys! New chapter! This ones a bit off a shorter one, but important. Vote if you enjoyed and comment what you thought. The next chapter will be out soon. See Ya!

Pennator^^