Therony flew directly for him, the potent fire already gathered in his maw. Obsid took off as well, narrowly avoiding the stream. It's impact further hindered the barrier, turning it razor thin. Those outside Turuchan could see inside without the help of the airborne crack. They figured the Destroyer only sought out destruction. The living Wyrms inside would only serve as appetizers. Dragon or not mattered little.

"Therony..." His younger sister could only feel the loathing hatred. She was a little short of two and a half centuries when he and Tiandark started the blitz on the magical plane. Only heard of what her brother did... Even now as she saw the Shadow, she saw him.

Thousands of eyes were on this scene, across several dimensions and gaps in between. The Bard Society dreaded this day. His soul twin was sleeping when she felt her very core burn, her sky blue eyes opened peering up at the tranquil saffron colored sky of the world she was on. The very group both of them were in demanded her inclusion into this battle. Her portal opened and the huge black dragoness took off into it. To a task she did not wish to do ever...

Preonus, also under slumbering hours, Therony's burning, waning mindset gave the silver warrior nightmares. She stood against a shadowy enemy that would not die. Never rest, never yielding. It prayed on her fears and took those she loved. Until her own wounded, exhausted self remained...  Tesh shot up when the massive claw came down at her. Intensity bombarded her skull, his friend from another world felt the heavy duress her little white pal suffered. Not saying a word, she followed their link back to his mind and hissed as she bounced back against a barrier stronger than what he normally crafted. One time did the silver feel this before... he couldn’t. He didn't... She tried a different method, acting as a silent neutral observer, she saw every development with her mind's eye, not receiving a backlash for doing so.

The bard felt Obsid's teeth sink into his wing deeply. The Shadow did not turn transparent for reasons none knew of. He took every blow both Wyrms dished out at him, bloodied  but delivered a vicious strike to the lackey trying to follow up on his success from below. Therony's two-bladed tail came down like a guillotine tearing the smaller Wyrm clean in two. Both parts thudded hard onto Turuchan's outer grounds, like the first victim its gem exploded sending both dragons upward in a violent draft. Obsid crashed into the barrier and found Therony's fire breath waiting. With the constant abuse their battle inflicted, the dark dome shattered completely before fading out of existence.

Obsid, smoldering and reeled, his form still held onto the chieftain armor of the Silver Rose and only served to draw more ire out of the one attacking him. Therony's wounds mended minutely with the death of the other wyrm but it served a great purpose in invigorating the Shadow Dragon. It's horned head stood higher than that of the embattled white across from him. He pooled its energy into strength instead of healing.

The storm battered the combatants and helped Obsid's burns just as miniscule. However, his voice bore a hole into Therony's mind. I give you credit... I can see why he wanted you... The gem on the white's being suddenly shined with his aura. Even in this state, Therony felt that sinister force and danger.
Twinie emerged from her portal in the air, at a distance not far from the prepared troop outside Turuchan. Being closer only intensified what she felt from her changed twin. Her arrival drew the attention of some before the flash of lightning and the Wyrm's light overtook them all.

The Shadow Dragon's heart felt like it twisted into knots and the source of it was only a few wingbeats away.

Obsid's form transformed before all eyes upon it. The Wyrm was no longer on legs but a vast serpentine body. The ivory color tinged sharply. If anyone else was close enough they would view the underbelly up to the point where it did not rest on the ground, stained in the darkest of crimson.

A set of seven heads glared at the little rogue; Every mouth bared, acidic spittle rumbling through its crevices. The gem in its center held nothing but the murkiest colors. Obsid's transformed claw still remained intact, the other took on the appearance of a sickle. The chieftain's armor could not contain the thick neck of the central head, it dropped to the ground and was trampled over by the moving Wyrm.

Serve me and you shall live. IF not I'll tear your limbs and add it to my collection.

Therony had two weaknesses in this state. With the Hydra looking Wyrm baring down on him, The Shadow Dragon could not maintain its altitude. His mind, despite all the cloudy fury could not overlook the immense darkness. It seeped into his own being, and that started to trigger his curse. He crash-landed and was sprawled out.

The lone dragon who could match Obsid's terrifying form, if she desired, was that of Twinie. She roared then took off toward the battle. If she did not help her spiritual double, then everything would be lost. Her own beating heart and soul. Her huge form placed the army below in a wide blanket of shade. She felt the emergence of the cursed mark first.

"Queen or not..." Star looked down at Lady Vaughnen and Rama. "I will go help him." The silver took off falling into the draft of the other dragoness.

Fate dealt Vaughnen a terrible starting hand in her new role as Queen. Not only she had to follow her cousin's historic reign,  she had to deal with these turn of events. The chaotic dragons managed to infiltrate the clan ranks,  and nearly destroyed the Shadow clan outright. Plus she had to worry about the Destroyer Shadow coming to life and restarting its reign of terror.

She could not see that dragon in the sky anymore. The abandoned one of Sol Orb's clan took up her view. Her  empty eyes closed out of frustration. "Rama, we deal with that Wyrm."

Therony's senses went into a systematic shutdown. He could not hear the cries of the others. The battle that waged just beyond his claws. The curse fed on the lingering hate he held. Those who remained on the ground saw the rainbow burning mark on his flaxen underbelly. History told them  to attack him but Rama's order was specifically for Obsid.

To this time the bard's darker side did not generate mist. It started to seep out from his very body. The curse doing so to sustain its host's survival. Unlike the natural state of Transparency, the curse's generation of it stole all life within its grasp. The ether rich grasses below him turned grey then broke apart unable to keep even their basic form. It went to heal the tatters remaining in his wings. Then to the broken back limb he gained during the ungraceful landing.

His soul struggled for sanity, the curse was still too strong. In his pursuit of justice, it did become bitter revenge. Now that vengeance condemned the reawakening. It felt he was hanging off a cliff over an empty void. With each death that occurred outside his dormant body, the curse drew in that released aura and fueled the next set of changes. More horns rose from his head, each one storage for the increased strength. The half-blood's body expanded out bit by bit, piece by piece. His death mist continuing the cycle as it followed the silent shadow.

That mindless void snapped at his heels. This too his scarred soul felt. A vicious dark reawakened by both him and Obsid. As much endurance he held,  felt that grip weakening. Maybe he should of taken his muses' lessons that much more to heart. He lost his hold and plummeted that much closer. Now he latched on another outcropping with one hand to it all.

Acortesha followed his plummet through their link, but with him this faint and she physically on her world. Could not do anything through those means. Her eyes drifted downward to the crystal charm gift. His fire was nearly out. That was when her idea came to light. She clasped her own hands around it.

The darkness preyed on his fragile mind. He should of listened to his father's warning. They had Obsid dead to rights under the ancient accords. Rama and Lady Vaughnen saw the truth and yet...  His ebon talons tore into the surface, chipping away the haven he held.

It felt like he was immediately slapped, not from below but above? He glanced up painfully. No one. Just a trick on his breaking mind. His drooping eye caught the arm still hanging on. It felt as solid as the rockface it held onto. Lady Tesha's manacle burned a deeper place in it. The small purple light did not waver or lessen. Her gift held a place in his soul, and now would not relinquish it. But what could he do? The curse was too strong... was he to dangle here forever?

Turuchan's forces took a beating, Obsid's true form did not hold back any magic or power. The storm overhead acted as another source to inflict damage on his enemies. Bolts shredded through the ranks. Others felt the Wyrm's misbegotten limbs up close. Acidic breath tore into dragon and surroundings alike. These Guardians and chieftains were old, their powers diminished. But those of the chaos had remained strong.

Twinie held her own but possessed injuries. Obsid's actions to her synchronized twin were unforgivable. The Sun was blocked out but she drew in its power still, her flame gaining its fiercest intensity. Her burst,  as large as a barrage of missiles tore directly through one of the outer heads. The Wyrm did not roar out instead its sickle did, she avoided the initial cleave but a severing wind suddenly surrounded the large black tearing into her own hide. The wounds forced her to land, Obsid's attention changed to other group of kin attacking. Hers deviated from the Wyrm to that of the altered white. The darkened magic in him grew and receded at a heartbeat's pace.

The Shadow Dragon that was Therony lashed out at anything, trying to awaken. Which personality did not matter. The body wanted to move, this guise was one of instinct and it smelled the battle and its sustenance, death, around it. By now with if he stood, the dragon would match his sister's height.

I hope we got rid of our hate in the end...

I treaded on both sides of the eternal battle of good and evil.

Your heart is what you make it out to be. You fight so much it amazes how strong your heart is.

Why was he hearing these voices now? He knew who it was. Another ploy of the inner darkness? No, there was no sinister tone behind it. Therony's fading psyche placed each one correctly. The memory attached to them.

This is your pain and your relief to come. Face it with determined eyes.

I know it hurts. But with Lassarina's seal gone you have to come to grips with this otherwise it will completely consume you. Remembering will help with that goal. Try to see through the shadows my son.

See through them? Why did that come up now? He peered down in that void. Something did move in it,  struggling for freedom. It lashed through the shadows, moving it about like water. He stared as hard as he could.

A pause held his soul in check along with his friend's help. Therony still fought against himself. This bottomless sea of darkness would remain till the curse was shattered. But he threw the other heritage that  clams him. That of the Shadow Dragons. They were not monsters, just like him. The two were attached but not equal. He tried to use that power with his rage filled heart before with that mentality and it left him here hanging on. No. He wasn't that at all. The eldest of two proud, great dragon chieftains. They saw the good in him. He had to do the same with his mixed blood. He accepted it in his mind but not the deepest recesses of the heart. As much as he fought, the dark nature did the same with stronger intensity and each time. It won.

Therony's stubbornness, his friends on his homeworld and across the dimensions would not let it end here, lost to the evil he does hold. The half form let go and dove down into the void...

The Shadow Dragon's red eyes snapped open as it slowly rose to its feet. Friends and enemies alike saw it. His deadly mist seeped back into its body,  its mark left by the grey landscape and the bodies Obsid killed off willingly and his curse subconsciously for survival. The infinity mark on its underbelly faded away into obscurity as Therony's will turn iron clad.

Obsid was only a few slithers from running over him and even less to take out his soul twin and sister. The Wyrm's hoary but big wings could not lift its girth. It along with them peered at the bard. Star sensed his presence and not of the evil. His twin did as well. He launched himself into the air, directly for that massive gem in its center.

Rama and the remaining dragons saw the Shadow Dragon and took it as a cue to press their attack from every direction. Lady Vaughnen on the Fire Guardian's back crafted her own runic spells for a while did not stop her barrage despite her own fading strength. Their attacks were steadily harming the Wyrm but the larger creature could take out a lot more of them. Their thinning numbers however would not accept failure or death easily. Like a ceaseless swarm, those able still attacked.

The Shadow Dragon's tail lit up. Holding no runes or the ability to speak, the magic he invoked ran only in the depths of his mind. The tail punctured the gem, sending a fissure crack in Obsid's core. While many attacks targeted this point, his enchanted yet tainted edge finally broke through the surface. A huge runic circle engulfed them both. His body was healed but he still held damage on other levels. Every one coming back to the forefront.
For all the pain you caused me... you shall get in return ten fold!

Star and Twinie flew back just in time to avoid the influx of energy and  flame. The others did not stop their onslaught either, redirecting it to where The Shadow struck.

For the disguised chieftain, it was the end. Every fiber of his being and soul felt the immense agony Therony endured and the force he still held, combined with everyone else was far too great to survive. His heads all rang out in agony as one by one they took their last breath, vaporizing under the fury of the spell. The center one glared down, seeing his own stone explode. The Shadow crashed to the ground again but under more of his own power. Even as the force pushed all of them back, the rogue Shadow still glared. Obsid's fading mind saw that dragon of light once again from his dreams, imposed onto Therony's posture. No sympathy or concern. Those words it spoke the last coherent thought he could hold as his whole body followed that of his other heads.

Destiny is final only in death. Life chases after Destiny's tail, running blindly right into its bared teeth.

His death cry foretold of the Wyrm's aura exploding into a shower of light that only three could see. Stiaiak, his sister and himself.

The rains overhead finally dulled down to a steady light burst and with it washed Therony's anger completely away,  and with it turned his attention what and who lurked behind his red and gold wings. An army, wounded but one nonetheless. He couldn't fight nor face them. They in all likelihood saw him as the destroyer.

He stood ever still, his mind settled on every one of theirs. That is the end of one aberration, if you see it fit... I shall not fight back. But do it quickly, lest the curse in me returns. Pivoting his head just enough to see Star on a even level and Twinie still looming over him but not as vast as normal. He gave a small smile before everything faded to black. His first time holding control of this side and pouring everything into that one Penance spell...

A week later.

Xianvor stood before the main rookery, directing his clan once again. The Shadow Chieftain found himself shocked at the turn of events. Stiaiak was now recovering at the Spring Island just as he did weeks ago.  However, it was clear that he would not fly again. A result of Obsid's breath. Not once did he or ever suspect that one of the chaos was behind their troubles. It would take generations for their numbers to rise again. If it ever will but for now, they had to live for the day. Because it was clear the future held many mysteries.  

They were released from their shackles of unforgiving laws. It was a must right now, they had  to come together.  Seven of the ten main clans needed new chieftains.  The Head Guardians also had dire need of new blood as well. Turuchan needed repairs as well. Now this once sealed off land had heavy traffic. Other clans came in to rebuild what was lost here, others traveled for Turuchan to fix the damage there. But for the first time as long any of Shadow blood could remember,  they came to visit. Trying to reestablish what was lost since Amabai's time.

The Rider female siblings rested on the shores  of the Western Voids, their one time home. Mystic's leg still delicate but they had to come here to rest. They worked together as the temporary chieftains in this rough time. The title implanted on them by Lady Vaughnen herself. They spoke about what happened on those days. They wanted to know how Obsid held out his identity from both of them for this long. But more importantly about their elder sibling...

Lady Vaughnen, the Queen of Turuchan, took things very slowly. No one of their populace was injured or killed, but the Palace and its territory westward needed rebuilding. Also the relationship among the dragons needed mending. Many questioned who was friend or foe once word got out that the Silver Rose chieftain was actually a Wyrm. It was a painfully critical process not to have the other clans set the restrictions imposed on the Shadow upon them.  She herself suffered severe feedback from the battle, her own magical reserves were harshly drained. Then there was that other matter...

Rama stood before his superior, Flameshe. The magma dragoness, took in account every detail the subordinate gave. They took heavy losses as well, their numbers dwindled down not because of battle alone but age. The other clans automatically assumed that their numbers remained high. The All-Father demanded the tests to halt when Bleu Rider was slain, further hampering their numbers. Silently each of the Exalted Guardians was thankful for when he said to start them again. But with who tore a line between the siblings. Bleu Rider saw it through her son's eyes. The Wyrm were not going to remain idle much longer.

Therony's eyes finally opened, the once again silver eyes took in their surroundings. He slept for the entire week.
"Twinie?" He held his belly, just to make sure that rune was not on there.
"You took a huge risk, again." His soul twin stood only a foot taller than his normal mini height. "That's twice you played with fire."

They stood on Cyrasis, more correctly on the Star Element Tower. The four elemental seas extending far beyond their eyes could see together. Overhead a twilight sky sent its silent warmth upon the pair.
"I cannot be burned." Therony hopped onto his feet then regretted it, a immense headache weighed him down.

"You know what I meant." She faced him, tears in her eyes. Her body shivered despite the heat flowing around. "The evil in you."
"Aww twinie." He frowned. "I couldn't let go what happened." The bard stared at the stone surface. "Besides I now know, my curse is not the same as..."

"If it reached a certain point, I would had to kill you. The Bard Society told me that."
Therony staggered back. "So you were at that world!?" She nodded, the one right before he went to Acortesha's. The fear that drove him back from the brink then. "Would you if it ever won out?"

Between them not many words were necessary for understanding. "I don't know T. I do not know... that's why you can't change!" She didn't want to find out.
"Level with me then. Would you deny me of being me?"

"No. Never!"

Therony walked up, until he was looking into her lowered gaze. "I am a Shadow Dragon. No different than I am one of the Silver Rose. My dear twinie, I can't deny it much as you or anyone else could. I've accept it and with out that side... I'm certain I wouldn't be here on my creation speaking to you." She wanted to speak but his claw draped itself over it. "I nearly did turn again. I know. But because of you and friends like Lady Tesha. I also realize I can fight my curse."

She moved his ivory hand away. "But why take that risk?"
The Unseen Bard shrugged. "Why not? If people can believe in me, why not me too? I'll fight for those I care for with every ounce of strength in these bones of mine. If I do any less, I'm no help to anyone."

"Tail and tail?" She whispered.
"Indeed." He took a deep breath facing upward at the sky. "What lies ahead matters not as long I remember what makes me..."

"OH!" She yelped. "I have a letter for you." She slapped the back of his rock head and one sailed out of his mouth.

"...Good to see you still have your humor." He held his head with both claws. Their unique bond still working in fine order. "Ah, hey? Who turned out the lights?" Once the darkness faded, he saw his ebon double waving, returning to her regular size but still resembling his guise. She held her tiny friend and his note in her claw. "You're right. If I don't fight with my all, I'm useless to everyone."

"That wasn't what I said!"
"So you are the only one who can adlib?"

He flailed his arms slowly, before taking up the letter. "Alright. Alright." Her portal opened. "Take care T." She sat him back down on the edge of the tower, before walking into her dimensional portal.

"You too Twinie of mine. You too. Much lies ahead for us both."