FSE

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There was once a curious fairy fluttering around a vast forest and minding her own business. She had white skin, snowy white hair, and blue eyes. Upon one of her usual strolls, she came across a group of humans gathering around a campfire. They all had long, dark hair and dark brown eyes. They were natives of the land, and they wore tribal uniforms. The one that appeared to be the eldest stood over the others, as though preparing to tell a story.

"Tonight, my children, you will learn the story of one of our own who many believe to have become a monster," he started. "But whether or not it's actually true remains a mystery." The fairy overheard and flew up into a nearby tree, being careful not to be seen, and awaited the old man to tell his story. "Stories tell of a legendary creature who hides himself in secrecy at a place called the Trinity of Shadows. A Hellfire Dragon known only as Ridley. This creature is said to have scales stronger than diamond, and is believed to breathe corrosive acid instead of traditional fire, but that burns more than the hottest flame. It has also been known to fly faster than the fastest winds blow.”

“Because of the Hellfire Dragon’s incredible strength and seemingly unstoppable might, it is often feared, as well as revered, as a god among dragonkind. However, Ridley is said to be much different from the average Hellfire. Some people say that he was once a human, one who made a grave and costly mistake. Over five-hundred years ago, a human by the name of Ridley came to the Trinity of Shadows to slay a dragon, so that he may earn fame and fortune among his people. He wasn't looking for just any kind of dragon, however. He was after a much bigger prize that no man had dared attempt to claim.”

“However, to get to this particular dragon, he would have to go through the Moonlight Forest, where it stays dark, always. Then, he would have to cross the Collateral Wastes, a sinister wasteland, as the name suggests, filled with numerous pools of acid. Lastly, he would have to ascend Mt. Chronicle, which is believed by many to be home to the Hellfire Dragon. He knew that once he reached the top, the battle of his life would begin.”

“Many have tried to get through the Trinity, but all have failed. Some became forever lost in the forest, either dying of starvation or killed by the local wildlife. Most others perished in the wastelands, dehydrated or otherwise falling into the acid pools. None have ever made it far enough to even see Mt. Chronicle. But like all the others before him, Ridley decided to proceed into the Trinity of Shadows, despite what was said about this place. He courageously crossed the forest, conquered the wasteland, and became the first to reach the base of Mt. Chronicle.”

“He scaled up the dreaded mountain with relative ease. When he reached the top, he had quite a shock. A large, black figure flew over him and almost knocked him off the peak. Ridley took his blade and stabbed it into the ground and braced himself. He took his sword back out, looked behind him, and saw the figure flying back over him. When it finally landed, he was able to get a better look at it, realizing that the attacker was the creature he had been searching for. The one that many believed to be only a myth. It was the Hellfire Dragon.”

“Ridley realized his golden opportunity. If he slayed this mighty creature, he would gain power, fortune, and fame beyond anyone's imagination. He drew his blade and charged. His battle with the creature was ferocious. Little did Ridley realize what he was really getting himself into. As their battle raged on, the dragon realized it was on the verge of defeat. It attacked Ridley with a last resort attempt. When it tried to attack, however, Ridley ducked, and then thrusted his sword upward, straight through the dragon's chest and deeply pierced its heart. The dragon shrieked and then collapsed on top of him as it took its last breath.”

“Ridley struggled to get out. When he finally did, a figure began to manifest above the dead dragon's corpse. When it finally shaped itself, it was clear that it was a spirit from an ancient time. The spirit began to speak to Ridley. ‘You have destroyed one of our most sacred creatures.’ The spirit pointed to him and continued by saying, ‘Now you must pay for your mistake.’ And with a simple wave of its hand, the spirit began to transform the human before it.”

“Ridley began to feel intense pain all over his body, the very kind of pain that would drive lesser men to suicide. The spirit had forced him onto all fours and ensured that he couldn't move. His skin began shedding off and was replaced by scales as black as the night sky. His fingers were replaced by three razor sharp talons, and his thumb turned into a shorter fourth that allowed proper balance. The same happened to his feet as his body began to grow in size.”

“His legs began to bend backwards, into the shape of most animals. His hair shedded, and a pair of horns grew from his head. His spine extended from under his skin, resulting in seven spikes on his backside. His eyes started to burn, and changed from dark brown to a soul piercing red. His entire skeletal structure began to change in every way. A pair of large wings extended from his back, and a tail grew out, as did a sharp blade at the end of it. His neck extended to the proper length of most dragons. The back spines followed and turned into neck spines. The spirit lowered its hand. Ridley's pain had finally stopped.”

“When the angry spirit was done with him, Ridley had become the very creature he had slayed. He was now a Hellfire Dragon. The spirit began to speak again, ‘You are no longer human. You will, from this point on, live life forever as the very creature whose life you have taken. Your punishment is an eternal life of eternal loneliness. You will be feared and hunted by many. You will never grow old, and never grow ill. You will grow close to others, only to watch them whither away and die, while you continue to live on, sulking over those losses.’ Ridley could only hang his head in shame and guilt. But then the spirit continued, ‘However, if you wish to be mortal again, then heed my words carefully. You must find a dragoness who will love you for who you are, and take all your pain and loneliness away. Her love for you must be true. But the person you are now can never know true love. You will have to change your ways. Remember one thing. This will only break your eternal life, not your form. You can never return to the life you once knew.’ And with his last words, the spirit vanished.”

“Ridley felt it necessary to remain in the Trinity of Shadows. Word of Ridley’s fate quickly spread throughout the land, and ever since that dreadful day, no one has dared to challenge another Hellfire Dragon. Only those brave or foolish enough would stand up to them. No one had heard from Ridley since then. It is believed, however, that he still lives atop Mt. Chronicle to this very day. And that, my children, is the story of a fallen warrior cursed to live a life of loneliness."

After listening to this heartbreaking campfire story, the little fairy remained in the tree until the natives were all asleep. She finally came down and changed into a human herself.

“I wonder if any of this is real?” she said to herself. “I guess there's only one way to find out.” She turned back into a fairy and began her little adventure to the dreaded place known as the Trinity of Shadows.

As the young fairy began her search for the Hellfire Dragon's lair, she started thinking to herself.

"Now let's see, if I'm going to find Ridley, I'll have to do what he did. Now where were those places again?" She puzzled as she flew, unaware that she was crossing a forest without light, when suddenly, the sound of footsteps caught her attention. By the sound of the pattern, she guessed it was a group. "What was that?" she said to herself, listening to the footsteps come closer and closer. All of a sudden, an ax flew by her and hit a tree. She turned around and jumped at the sight of the blade. When she turned back, she saw a group of creatures she had never seen before.

They looked like reptiles, but they stood upright like humans. They wore furs, and were equipped with steel weapons. There appeared to be five of them. The center one was clad in iron armor, and looked at her with intimidating, yellow snake eyes. He gave an order to the other four.

"Get the fairy." As soon as he said it, the others began to chase her. The fairy turned tail and started flying as fast as her little wings could take her.

"Sweet ancestors!" she said as she flew. After flying for her life about halfway through the forest, she found a hiding place inside a hole in a tree. She quickly got quiet and waited for the creatures to leave.

"Where'd she go?" one of the soldiers asked.

"Looks like she got away," the leader answered.

"Should we keep looking?"

"No. It's not worth our time. Let's head back before the sun rises. We don't want to keep Lord Ridley waiting." Soon after the creatures had left, the fairy was flung out of the tree hole.

"Ow! Who did that?" She looked up and saw a squirrel chattering angrily at her. "Wow. Okay, then. Next to being chased by ferocious reptiles, that was the strangest thing that's happened to me all day." She turned back to face where the creatures had left. "But were they talking about 'the' Ridley? The one from the story? Maybe I should follow them." And so she did. She followed them quietly out of the forest, and into the wasteland.

"Watch your step, people. The edges of those pools can be very slick." the leader stated. The fairy continued following.

"Wow. This place is really creepy," she said to herself. She followed them up until they reached the base of a mountain. When they went inside a small cave, she decided to fly up to the peak. When she reached the top, she noticed a much larger cave entrance. Large enough for a full grown dragon to fit in. "What might be in here?" she wondered. She decided to explore, and entered the cave.

Once she was deep enough, light started fading away until all that was left was the light around the fairy. "This cave is even creepier than the wastes." She turned around and started flying backwards. "I wonder where I am?" She suddenly bumped into something. "What was that?" She reached behind her and felt something gooey and sticky. "Ugh! What is this?" When she pulled out her hand, it was covered in a green colored goo. Then she heard a growl.

She turned around and met a pair of crimson eyes. She chuckled nervously, "You can have this back." She wiped the goo on a scaly nose. The creature before her made another growl, and then blew smoke out of the nostrils, sending the fairy flying out of the cave. When she recovered from the blow and dusted the smoke remnants off of her skin, she heard the growl again, then turned around shuddering.

She looked into the cave and saw the red eyes coming closer. And as they came towards her, the sound of heavy footsteps could be heard. A figure came out of the cavern. It was only then when she realized that it was a dragon, with a body black as night, silver horns and spikes, and a blade at the end of the tail that curved very slightly to one side at the bottom half and slightly the other way at the top, with pricks at the base. The wings and underbelly were a very dark violet. The very sight of this creature immobilized her in fear. The dragon stood at least ten feet tall on all fours. She began to speak slowly, "Are you Ridley?"

The creature responded to her in a sorrowful tone, "Indeed, I am Ridley. But why are you here on my turf?"

"I only wanted to know if the stories about you are true," she told him.

"Or more likely just another hunter wanting to claim my head," the dragon responded.

"No! I would never do that. I really am here to learn about your existence," she exclaimed. Ridley only looked at her suspiciously.

"Well, you are a little too small and scrawny to be a hunter," he proclaimed. "And you're certainly not human." He then asked, "Those who seek answers are often disappointed in the end. If you're here about stories, which one would it be?" The fairy gave him a confused look.

"Is there more than one?"

"One speaks the truth, the other is filled with lies meant to convince those who hear it to leave me be. Though even through these stories, they rarely do. One tells the curse, while the other talks about it like a blessing." The fairy maintained the same expression.

"I heard of the curse, but I think I'd like the blessing better."

"If you've heard the curse, then you've heard the truth. I am little more than a monster."

"You were human. You all make mistakes." She tried to comfort him, "It's not like you knew what would happen."

"I was human, yes," he said angrily, "and I knew perfectly well what would happen. I just didn't believe that it would." He continued furiously, "I will speak of this no longer to the likes of you. You are but an intruder who pollutes my land, and you'll find that I don't take too kindly to uninvited guests. Now get off my mountain!"

"But I was only trying to..." she said in a nervous tone.

"Leave!" the dragon shouted as a light of green energy formed in his mouth. He suddenly launched a corrosive stream at her. The fairy screamed as she flew out of the way. She was able to avoid most of the acid beam, except for her arm, which was barely struck, but enough so to leave a burn mark. After being hit, she flew off the mountain, and went back to the forest.

---

After flying for over half an hour, the fairy started to feel weak, hungry, and tired. She had made it just to the edge of the forest before finally collapsing from exhaustion. She had been out for quite some time before coming to. When she finally awoke, she realized she was in what seemed to be some kind of tree house. She looked beside her and saw a basket of fruit. She fluttered over to it and picked up a grape.

"Don't mind if I do," she said as she started chowing down. While she was enjoying her grape, she heard the floor squeak behind her. She swallowed the grape hard and turned around. She looked up at a huge bird standing over her. She jumped back in surprise and pressed herself against the wall. Its feathers were a combination of red and orange, and its eyes were the color of amber.

"Hey, don't be afraid. I'm not gonna hurt you," the bird assured with a chuckle.

"Then quit looking at me like I'm lunch," she replied.

"Sorry," he added, "So how does it feel?"

"How does what feel?" she asked.

"Your acid burn."

"Oh, that," she said looking at her burned flesh. She gently touched it and felt pain. "Ow."

"Wait here." The bird flew off. About a few seconds later, he came back with a peculiar plant in his mouth. It looked like an aloe leaf, but it was white and seemed to have a glow around it. He broke a piece off, and handed it to her. "Rub this on the wound," he said. She gave him a strange look and began to rub the burn mark with the end that was oozing. In the blink of an eye, the wound disappeared, as did the pain.

"But how... What is this?" asked the fairy. The bird smiled and answered.

"It's called Miracle Aloe. A very rare plant with instantaneous healing effects." He made an expression of startled realization, "Where are my manners? The name's Zephar. I'm a phoenix, if you hadn't noticed already."

"Oh!" the fairy said as she flew up and wrote her name in sparkles, "I'm Alicia."

"Well, Alicia," Zephar said, "what were you doing up at Mt. Chronicle?"

"Exploring," Alicia immediately replied.

"Really? That's not exactly a good place to explore," Zephar said with a disturbed look.

"Why not?" she asked.

"Because of Ridley and the Urkrai," he answered.

"What's an Urkrai?"

"A very cold, vicious, and intelligent reptilian race. They live for battle, and are believed to have fought other races to extinction. They serve the Hellfire, but why that is, I do not know." He looked at her cockeyed. "You must have a death wish for wanting to go up there." he added with a puzzled look.

"I was curious," Alicia replied.

"Well, your curiosity almost got you killed. You're lucky you only got the fume of Ridley's breath."

"I know," she said in disgust.

"Ridley's a real nasty piece of work, isn't he? Usually, only the very brave or very foolish climb his mountain, “ he explained.

"Yeah, I noticed," she said holding where the burn used to be, "I wonder which I am."

"You could be both. Seems to me like you have taken some sort of interest in him."

"Yes," she said gladly, "I heard a story about him."

"Was it the one about his curse?" the phoenix asked.

"Yes," she answered.

"You heard the story, heard about where he resides, and you went looking for him anyway?" he asked again.

"I'm a fairy. We're a curious bunch."

"I'm surprised your kind aren't extinct yet," he said sarcastically.

"Well, it's kind of hard to kill us."

"That's no reason to put yourself in harm's way."

"I know. But I can't help it." Zephar jumped up and flew to a perch, then looked down at her.

"Tell me something," he started, "do you know why Ridley attacks anyone that shows up?"

"No idea," she answered.

"Because he's afraid," he told her.

"Of what?" she curiously asked.

"Everyone. He's all alone, and doesn't believe he is worthy of anyone's love and kindness. Some who meet him think he's evil and look upon him in fear. Because of this, he pushes them away before they have a chance to hurt him first. At least that's what I believe." Alicia gave Zephar a positive look and responded.

"Well there's only one way to know for sure." She fluttered toward the window, but was stopped by Zephar.

"Wait a minute! You're not actually thinking of going back up there, are you?" he said in a nervous tone.

"Oh, I'm not going back up there." The phoenix gave a sigh of relief, until the fairy spoke again. "No, ‘we're' going up there, together," she said with a smile.

"Are you crazy?" he said nervously, "I can't go back up there."

"Back?" she said with a puzzled look, "You've been up there before?"

"Only once," he replied with a nervous expression, "I went up there for the same reason you did. I managed to get out, but not unscathed. I lost a lot of feathers, and I'm lucky I didn't end up as fried chicken. I'm too scared to go back."

"Come on," she said, pulling on his wing, "Aren't you even a little curious?"

"Not anymore," he answered.

"Come on," she said beggingly.

"No," he argued. She began to stare at him very sadly with endearing eyes. He tried to resist, but eventually gave in with a huge sigh. "Alright, fine. I'll go." Alicia cheered happily and flew out the window. "I just know I'm gonna regret this," Zephar said before following her out.

---

After making their way out of the forest and through the wastelands, Alicia and her new friend, Zephar, ascended to the top of Mt. Chronicle, where they were hoping to find Ridley once more. Well, one of them at least.

"Alicia, I have a very bad feeling about this," the phoenix said with a nervous tone.

"Don't worry so much, Zephar. It'll be just fine," she replied in an excited way. They finally reached the peak where Ridley supposedly should still be. "I'm sure this is the place where I saw him." She looked around for the Hellfire Dragon, but did not see him.

"If we're going to confront him, we'd better do it now. The sun's gonna come up soon," Zephar said with a concerned expression.

"So? What's the big deal?" she asked.

"It always rains on the mountain during the day, and I'm not such a big fan of it," the phoenix answered.

"It does? Why?" she asked again.

"Nobody knows," he replied. "Can we just find him and go home?" They stopped talking and entered the cavern entrance where Alicia first encountered Ridley.

"Why is it always so dark in here?" Alicia asked in a frightened voice.

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe because it's night and we're inside of a cave?" Zephar said sarcastically. The fairy went from frightened to angry and responded.

"Well you didn't have to say it like that, you big jerk."

"Touchy," he said while walking through the darkness, "How can something so small have such a big temper?" As he was walking, he bumped into something pretty hard. "Ow! I think I bent my beak." He gently rubbed his beak and felt something in front of him. "What did I bump into?" he asked himself as he felt through the darkness. He touched something, then his eyes widened.

"What is this? Feels scaly." He felt upward and touched something sharp. "Ow! Something just cut me!" While he was looking at his feather finger, he heard a quiet groan. His eyes widened again, and he cautiously stepped back. "Alicia, where are you?" he whispered.

"Over here," she answered.

"Bring your light over here," the phoenix requested. Alicia's body light was the only thing that could be easily seen in the total darkness. She fluttered over to him and shined her light over in front, revealing what Zephar bumped into.

"Sweet ancestors," they said simultaneously as a figure came into light.

"It's Ridley," Zephar said in shock at the thought of bumping into him. Then he looked at him curiously. "Why isn't he doing anything?" Alicia fluttered up to the dragon's frontside to see what was up with him. "I think he's sleeping."

"Are you sure?" Zephar asked. Alicia fluttered up to his chest to listen and see if he was breathing.

"I'm positive. He's definitely sleeping," she said when she heard his heartbeat. "So that's what a dragon's heart sounds like." When she lifted her head off of Ridley's chest, his paws suddenly moved, and the claws dug themselves deep inside the rock hard cavern floor. His eyes tightened, and his face tensed up. Alicia and Zephar jumped back, thinking he was waking up.

"What's he doing now?" Zephar quietly asked. Alicia fluttered over slowly, and gently opened Ridley's eye. She saw it vibrating rapidly.

"He's having a nightmare," she told the phoenix.

"How do you know?"

"His eyes. They're vibrating so violently." she said, now concerned about the dragon.

"What do you suppose he's dreaming about?" Zephar asked.

"Well, knowing him, maybe it's not a dream. It's probably a bad memory," the fairy suggested.

"I've got a good idea of what it is," he implied. Ridley's heart rate started to increase rapidly. He started to breathe heavily. His entire body started to tense up. His teeth showed themselves as he started to bite down hard. A green light started to glow from inside his mouth. When he could no longer stand it, his piercing red eyes snapped open with a terrifying glare.

He jumped to his feet and shouted in pain. As he shouted, he fired a corrosive beam of green light at the wall. After he had unleashed his rage, he panted heavily, then began to calm down. His body began to relax, and his grip on the floor eased up. He turned around and saw Alicia and Zephar, who both looked shocked at his reaction. He looked at the fairy and began to speak.

"What are you doing here?" he said irritably. "Did I not make it clear that I'm not interested in your company?"

"Yes, but I was never a good listener," she said with a nervous expression. Ridley suddenly turned his attention to Zephar.

"And what are you doing back here, phoenix?"

"Look here," the bird said in an angry tone, "I didn't want to come here. She talked me into it." Ridley looked at them in disgust.

"You'd better have a good reason for coming here."

"We do!" Alicia stated, hoping that the dragon would listen, "I know why."

"Why, what?"

"Why you push others away."

"Is that so?" he said as he looked at her curiously, "Enlighten me, then."

"You're simply afraid," she started, "Not many people can come close to living as long as you have, and to make new friends, only to watch them disappear while you live on... I know what that's like." Ridley looked at her unblinking and astonishingly, as though she hit the nail right on the head. "You refuse to grow close with others because you don't want to feel that pain anymore. Because of this, you push others away first, as a way to protect yourself." Ridley stood motionless as he stared at her. He took a few steps back, lowered his head, and closed his eyes. As he did, a tear came down from his right eye and slowly dripped down his cheek.

"Everyone I knew in my human life, friends and family… they're all gone now. When I was turned into the Hellfire, I couldn't go back. Humans would run at the very sight of me, and those who stick around would sooner fight me to the death. I would've been forced to kill them all. So I secluded myself here. I've made very few friends over the centuries. Many look upon me in fear. Soon I became afraid of outsiders. Humans only seem to show up here for my head. Others have less sinister plans in mind, but because of my own fear, I always drive them out, as you said, to protect myself. For a long time, it's just been me and the Urkrai. But they're not exactly the best company, save for a select few. But it's not enough to fill the empty void in my heart. They're just soldiers trained to follow orders. Sometimes, I wish someone would put a sword through my heart, just to put an end to the torment and emotional pain."

"That sounds awful," Alicia said as she started to feel bad for him.

"More than you can imagine." he said silently, "That's why I've secluded myself, and why I prefer to remain alone." Alicia fluttered up to him, feeling less afraid of the dragon now.

"If it makes you feel any better, fairies and phoenixes can live for a very long time. You don't have to be alone. Just give us a chance," she said with a comforting smile. She gently touched his paw. When he felt her tiny hand's touch, he jerked away, as though he was afraid. "It's okay. I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to be your friend. If you don't believe me, then look me in the eyes." Ridley stared at her straight in the face. But looking at his red glare made Alicia feel uncomfortable, as though he was glaring through her soul. Ridley broke his gaze, then thought to himself for a moment. He looked back at her.

"Alright," he said doubtfully, "I'm willing to give you a chance."

"Yes!" she said in a happy tone. "May I ask you a question?"

"What is it?" he asked.

"Is everything in that story true?" Ridley could only give a sad expression.

"It's not something I like to talk about." he said shamefully, "But yes, it is true. I was a human who was thirsty for fame, fortune, and power. I slayed a Hellfire Dragon to get it, and the spirits repaid me by turning me into one." He looked at his paw with sadness in his eyes, "I'm forced to live in this form, and live a life of loneliness."

"You mean an eternal life? One that you would mostly spend alone?" the fairy asked. Ridley nodded slowly. "Is the counter curse also true?"

"Yes, according to the spirit that did this to me. But how am I supposed to find the right dragoness? One that will truly love me, despite my history?" He looked away to hide the tears that came down his cheeks, but Alicia had already seen them.

"I'll stop talking about it now. I can see it hurts you deeply," she said apologetically.

"It's fine." he answered as he wiped the tears with his paw. "Your names?"

"What?" she said curiously.

"You failed to introduce yourselves. Or rather, I never gave you the chance to."

"Oh. Well, I'm Alicia. And this is Zephar." Ridley bowed his head respectfully as a greeting gesture.

"Pleased to meet you," he replied. After the greeting, Ridley gave a yawn and was very close to passing out. "Listen, I've had a long and very depressing day. If you don't mind, I'd like to go back to sleep."

"That's fine," Alicia assured. Zephar started looking around the dimly lit room, then asked a question of his own.

"Where are we supposed to sleep?"

"Anywhere that's comfortable enough for you." Ridley laid down on a soft bed made of leaves and chipped up grass, which made it very soft, and just big enough for an adult dragon. He closed his eyes slowly and peacefully, eventually going into a deep sleep.