#gamecrown96

           “How much longer ‘till we reach that temple?” Drake asked after a while.

           “What are you, five? Pulling the ‘are we there yet’ joke?” Grayson jested.

           Drake made a mocking face. “Answer the question.”

           “Look for a ravine.”

           “What, like that one?”

           Drake was pointing just ahead, towards a sharp drop off.

           “Exactly like that one.” Grayson said, approaching the crevasse.

           Peering down, Drake and Grayson saw a monument. Statues of winged ladies littered the grounds below that were built into the wall of the wide ravine. Some statues were intact, though cracked a bit, while others were missing arms, heads, sometimes even entire torsos. Great murals were etched into the walls, recounting the genesis of the land, and all the havoc that He has wrought upon it. Pillars stretched high above the floor, supporting the ceiling above and preventing it from coming crashing down on any inhabitants that happened to be taking shelter. There hadn’t been any in a long time, however, since the stairs leading down to the southern temple of the goddess had crumbled down to the rushing river below long before the arrival of the two travelers.

           “You know what to do.” Grayson commented, not even looking at Drake.

           The mage placed his hand on Grayson’s shoulder and, after a few moments, they had teleported safely to the ground below. Now that they were within the temple, it seemed more magnificent compared to staring down from the land above. The pillars seemed taller, the details of the statues were clearer, and the stories painted on the wall more gruesome than before. But they were looking for a library, if one had even survived this long.

           The two split up, Drake remaining on the same floor while Grayson descended to a lower one. But after thorough searching, no books or maps were found. Grayson ended up discovering Drake in a small room, a small purple butterfly flitting around his hand.

           “Find anything?”

           Drake shook his head, dismantling the butterfly and pulling the mana back into his body. “Absolutely nothing. Just some spare parchment.”

           Grayson let out a long sigh and sat down next to his friend. “I knew the draco hatchery would be hard to find, but this is ridiculous.” He pulled out the small black egg. It was smooth, a deep void black with galaxies stretching across its oval form. It looked more like an onyx stone instead of an egg, especially since it could fit in the palm of his hand. “I wonder how long dragons can survive in an egg.”

           Drake chuckled. “Millions of years, Grayson. I can check it for life, though, if you want me to.”

           Grayson shook his head. “No, it’s fine. Save your magic for when we actually need it.” He sat there with Drake for a bit before standing up again and stretching. “I’ll get a fire started. We should stay the night here.”

           A silent dusk-till-dawn is what followed, but Drake often found himself wide awake, thinking about how things have changed since the Magic Library. He recalled that ass time passed, the badlands grew more vast, taking over town after town. More people died to the creatures, the empire doing nothing to prevent it. It was bad luck to oppose the badlands. The emperor was focused on retrieving the dragon egg anyway, so it wasn’t like he cared. Drake and Grayson hadn’t seen another living being since they left the magical library a year ago. They often wondered where Mia had ended up. They couldn’t explain how they ended up together after going through that portal, but it wasn’t like they were complaining.

           Neither of them bothered to keep watch overnight. No monster would go near the temple and they were out of sight from any mercenaries. It was the safest place they had stayed in a very long time. As a result, they had the best sleep of their lives.

           The next day’s journey was uneventful to say the least. Until they reached where the badlands ended, at least for the time being. Trees were finally blooming with beautiful flowers and the cheerful chirping of birds grew more common as they ventured deeper into the decorated pillars of hardwood.

           Then they heard voices.

           The two froze, making glances at each other as they approached the source of the sound, Drake splitting up from Grayson to take a flanking position. The two came up on a clearing after the voices had stopped. But it was empty; no signs of life.

           Confused, Grayson stepped out from his hiding place. There was no camp, no fire, no sign that anyone had been there except for patches of dry grass covered in footprints, but he had no way of knowing just how old those footprints were.

           Then, snapping twigs from behind him, followed by a familiar voice.

           “Um, excuse me?”

           On instinct, Grayson drew his sword, spinning around and aiming at whoever was behind him. But he couldn’t believe his eyes.