The first time they visit the lake, Vanki is eighteen and terrified of what the visit entails. He grips the reins with trembling fingers, forcing himself forward despite fear scraping at his throat like rising bile. He had begged the King to choose a different place through the days leading up to the trip, his attempts proving futile in the face of determination settled behind the King's eyes. Vanki did not know where the dread came from, but it was there, and it was relentless in its nagging as each day passed, marking the day when the inevitable would happen.
As they ride uphill into the forest, he keeps glancing up at the sky, expecting a dark cloud to descend any moment. His logical side is aware that it is much too soon for her to awaken, but fear recognises no logic.
It never happens. When they arrive, Vanki is separated from his best friends, though Amber's excited chatter is still audible from a little distance. The King leads him along a path around the lake, to a large stone stella - a shape familiar enough for Vanki to freeze. When he notices the engraving on it, he stops dead in his tracks, eyes widening, sufficient to earn a chuckle from the King.
"You have reached the age at which we should honour your origins, my dear boy," the King smiles, gesturing towards the boulder carrying his mother's symbol.
Vanki is too stunned to speak at first, his hand shaking when he reaches out to touch the sun-warmed surface. "It's..." He doesn't finish the sentence, his hand caressing the stone with the tenderness of a child still longing for his mother. He turns back, the question evident in the crease of his brow.
"The King had it retrieved from where she was taken," the Queen explains, then places her hand on her husband's forearm. "Perhaps we should give you a moment alone."
He nods, watching them go before turning back to the stella. He steps closer, pressing his forehead to the stone. He did not know if this decision was the right one, if it would come to haunt them later, but he was glad to have her back in some form. The spring she had guarded had long dried anyway, and here he had a chance to visit her without awakening his grandmother before due time.
Vanki takes a moment to sit down, resting his head against the stone as he speaks of his life. He tells her that he is safe now, taken care of and loved in a way only she had before. He also promises to come see her from time to time, even if she doesn't expect him.
By the time he returns to the right bank of the lake, Sar and his father are splashing in the water, while Amber is struggling, to put it lightly.
“Come on, get in here, cherry,” her dad calls. Amber is standing on the pier, enveloped in a large towel and looking at the water as if it were her greatest enemy. Vanki chuckles, amused at her apprehensive expression. She's drenched from head to toe, and if Vanki were to guess, her clumsy self had fallen into the water.
“Pa, I won’t go back there unless you promise never to do that again.” The statement is full of panic and protest. She can hear her mom and Vanki laughing from the side and narrows her eyes at him with a warning, "You are going to pay for it, traitor."
“I won’t, I swear,” the King is standing in the lake next to Sar, and if she’s honest, the water hardly reaches their chests, and she would have to put in a lot of effort to drown. But they're both having a bit too much fun, with their shoulders shaking with suppressed laughter, and that is triggering Amber’s anger.
“Don’t laugh at me! I’m scared!” She exclaims in disbelief, while Vanki sits next to her mother, eyeing her with an expectant raise to his eyebrows.
“Just trust me, okay?” Her father draws her attention again, motioning for her to step in, and Amber nods, unable to reject him, even if her panic hasn't fully subsided yet. Her brother, who's by his side, waves his hand, inviting her in again with a slightly mischievous expression. “I would never let you drown, I swear. Vanki won't let me live it down.” He claims, as if Vanki's revenge was the only reason to keep her alive.
Amber hesitates, but takes a tentative step in, tossing the towel at Vanki's head in retaliation for making fun of her. He catches it, shaking his head at her childishness before turning his head to the Queen. She offers him a reassuring smile, far too perceptive not to notice the underlying tension in his shoulders. "How are you feeling?"
Vanki shrugs, not quite sure himself; it felt odd yet comforting to have his mother within reach, even if communication was out of question. "I don't know if she can hear me." He confesses, his gaze returning to the stella across the lake, unyielding in its power, yet isolated into a world of its own.
"She can," the Queen assures him, "Trust me. She cannot respond, but she feels your presence."
"I don't want to be like that," he mutters, his voice quiet as he voices his greatest fear. "I don't want to ever be like that, aware but unable to-"
The Queen places a gentle hand on his shoulder, drawing him out of his thoughts. "You don't have to do the sleep, Vanki, nor do you have to shift," she promises, and he nods despite the knot in his stomach foreboding the contrary. "We wanted you to have this as your own water source."
"So, I'm the guardian..?" he doesn't finish, but the Queen understands, confirming his assumption with a hum.
"If you choose and if, for whatever reason, you feel the need, this place is yours to guard and derive power from," she explains, but her soft tone does nothing to soothe his anxiousness.
He gets up, taking a few steps to the edge and submerging his fingers into the water. It vibrates around his fingers, the sense of recognition washing over him in the same ripples that his hand sends through the water. It feels strangely symbiotic to connect to something as if it were an extension of your very being, an integral part of you. His eyes fall shut as he takes in the sensation of the water swirling around his fingers and places his other hand on the ground, allowing the warmth of it to speak to him.
Perhaps he was meant to become the guardian of this lake. Perhaps there was more he'd have to protect. If the connection with nature was his heritage, Vanki could embrace it in a way that his grandmother had failed to do.
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So I have a lovely discussion with Ozerix, one of my readers in NotHS (Notes on the Holy Sovereign. Imma shorten it bcs man is it mouthful😅) regarding dragon's morality and Waxaklahun's cold and insane attitude. I think I want to share it in here too !
Regarding the dragons' morality... I wonder, how much of it was ingrained in their biology, or the result of their culture instead ?
Neuvillette probably the one that popped first in the mind, he needed 500 years to adapt to human society, but even then he was still quite reserved until his SQ. But remember, Neuvillette is a Sovereign. They're the gods of the dragons, & gods have different psyche than mortals. So I think Neuvi couldn't be the representative of all dragons in regard of their morality.
And in Natlan, it seems the Saurians have a rather similar concept of family to humans. For example ;
• Chasca's Qucusaurus family, complete with human drama & all.
(Chasca's momma bird even nags her about grandchildren like typical mothers lol.)
• The family of Ayo (Kachina's tepetlisaurus) in 5.3 AQ. He had grandparents who behaved just like human grandparents ! I was actually quite shocked when I played that part of the quest.
(I HATE the AQ with burning passion, but this part ? I have to admit, it's genuinely heartbreaking.)
• One could argue that their similarity is the result of them evolving alongside humans, thus attaining some of our behaviours, but it seems this familial relationship has been there for a long time. Remember Lianca ? She was raised by a dragon matriarch, & she proudly call herself her daughter. That sounds very human-like to me.
I also theorized that WUK is the same type of dragons as Scylla from Remuria, the Prince of the Vishaps, or at least a Sovereign's attendant. It wouldn't be far-fetched to assume that WUK used to serve under Xiuhcoatl. And since these kind of dragons directly served under the Sovereigns, perhaps they too have the Sovereigns' detachment from mortal feelings. Kinda like Zhongli & his adepti, a god & their immortal servants.
(But the difference in their attitude is kinda funny tbh. "Oh, I shall seek an audience with the new Hydro Sovereign. Though I'm afraid I do not count as a Dragonborn now😓" vs "THE PYRO SOVEREIGN MUST DIE. MY SON FAILED TO SLAY HIM." What did Xiuhcoatl do that merited that attitude bro😭)
So maybe WUK's cold attitude towards his son is caused more by his personality/belief. Plus, seeing your civilization declining probably makes anybody to become more jaded & pragmatic, anyway. But then again, this is just my personal interpretation !
Btw if WUK is truly masquerading as humans in Natlan’s WQ, there's Legba, who claimed that "I, too, had many such... brilliant children." I find it disturbing tbh. Och-Kan had siblings ??? I wonder if we'll meet them- the ones who are alive, if there's any- in the future.
(But ngl, Waxaklahun/Legba here sounded more... nostalgic ? Soft ? Towards his children ? Perhaps it was the human Legba's true personality seeping in, but I find it... very contradictory with how he treated Och-Kan. Maybe he does not find his previous children to be failures, hence the praise. Or maybe... he used to be kinder ? Tbh I think the second option will be intriguing from the narrative perspective. Imagine seeing the evolution from a caring father to a cold sage driven mad by the fall of his civilization.)
Current crack theory: Khanrei’ans are the half Vishap people we keep hearing rumors about.
Anti-Celestia, anti- archons, underground, little to no connection to any other country, rely on ‘forbidden Magics’ and fucking self made gundams, weird eyes, constant talk about sinners.
Past that all I’ve got is just Vishap!Kaeya and how that idea makes my brain vibrate
"So, the goal is to consume the most of the stick?" Their brow arches in question. A game of taking over territory between their mouths? Modern games and amusements are very strange to an ancient creature such as they. 'What stops one from simply eating the whole thing from the start?' Azhdaha's internal question goes unasked.
He listens to Itto's chattering that might be an explanation. The chocolate covered biscuit sits between each of their lips on either end. This process seems to entail both of them inching towards the center.
If one were to call Azhdaha is 'shameless', they wouldn't be exactly wrong. A surprise attack to catch the enemy off-guard is the best option as far as he knows. And thus, they close the distance and devours the rest of the biscuit. The Dragon King pulls back and licks their lips.
"There. I have won. What is next, Itto?"
"Hell yeah! You've totally got it, senpai!"
Given Itto's serial losing streak, one would think him wary of such a game. Except, it was one he could actually win! Why, you ask? Because it was basically playing chicken, of course! Someone always pulled away before they got too close, and it was no different with him... but it was still fun, in its way. He happened to be particularly good at snagging a little bit before the end, knowing which plan to enact before the very end.
And considering his senpai was pretty new, well--it was pretty obvious how it would end.
Or, so he'd thought.
Itto had begun steadily at first, nibbling his way down, before the closure between their faces caused the Oni to abruptly stop halfway, too shocked to continue. They were close. Too close. Super duper close even though the Geovishap had really nice eyes and--
The Oni was too stunned to speak as Retuo snapped up the rest of the pocky stick at the cost of contact between their lips that wasn't exactly shy. The thrum of Geo resonance made it all the more sweeter despite the way a deep flush painted over his features to an unbearable swelter that could've melted a diamond.
Had they just kissed?
Between that and the unfortunate chocolate flavor of the pocky, a dizziness overtook the Oni enough to send him sprawling dizzily on the ground, the heat from his blush coupled with the daze of an allergic reaction soared him to the heights of sheer vertigo.
"Jus'... gimme a sec. I'll be fineeeeee, eheheheheh..."
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Description: The Vishap is often depicted as a winged serpent, though they can also be depicted as composite creatures.
Myth: Vahagn Vishapakagh (Vahagn the Dragonreaper) was said to have battled and Vishap, thus earning him his title. Other stories seems to suggest that rather than an individual, vishap are a species of dragon.
Facts:
Vishapakar, or Vishap/Serpent Stones, are said to be depictions of Vishap.
They are commonly found near bodies of water, and usually appear as cigar-shaped stones.
Despite representing serpents, they’ll often be fish or bull-like.
Vishap is at times worshiped as a water spirit, while other times it is seen as an antagonistic force.
The entomology of Vishap is uncertain, meaning either water monster or massive monster.
Vahagn Vishapakagh is a god of fire, thunder, and war, who was said to fight the dragons of Armenia, thus earning him his title of Dragonreaper.
Azhdahak in Armenian folklore was a man-dragon, and the king of Medes.
