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SILENCE OF THE DRAGONRIDER, PART 4.4a
So it's been a really long time! Because of that, and because I reached a good breakpoint, I'm posting a partial update. This is only like 1/3 of the chapter since it's a long one.
Chapter Index
4
The cliff was oddly-shaped. There were several wavy rock pillars, stretching upwards in writhing, unbroken shapes, almost as though they had been scorched and shrivelled by flames. While they bulged out, bud-like, at the tips, they seemed almost like they had been cut to make them flat at the top. From a distance, it looked like numerous winding branches growing from a shrub. Even stranger was that this was in the middle of the desert, and there was nothing else like it to be found in the area.
Under the crescent moon's thin light, the crag—or stone forest, perhaps—was guarded by an ominous quiet. It was from here that Ba'ul had been summoned across a great distance.
Without exchanging a single word between them, Judith and Ba'ul were aiming for this specified place. Anything they needed to talk about had already been discussed by the time they approached. For the two of them, there was now nothing else except finally getting there. They had discarded any option of escape. In Ba'ul's opinion, since they already had their eyes on them once already, they could probably find them anywhere. Judith had no intention of hiding, anyway. At the time, she had recoiled when they had first been summoned here—a place she had been thinking of going—but in the end, she saw it as a timely offer.
As they continued flying across the desert's night skies, Ba'ul slowed down as the crag he was aiming for came into sight.
"What a strange shape... Is that the rock?" Judith still voiced the question, even though she knew the answer through Ba'ul's consciousness. As they drew closer to the cliff face, the tension swelled even further, and the silence felt unbearable. However, Ba'ul communicated his will only briefly.
Be prepared.
Judith nodded silently.
Ba'ul soundlessly entered the space between the strangely-shaped rocks. Under the barely-there moonlight, the cluster of twisted stone pillars blended with the eerie shadows, becoming reminiscent of monstrous creatures. The flattened shapes atop each pillar didn't seem natural at all. They were almost like pedestals for placing something, Judith thought. Below her, Ba'ul trembled uneasily. Soon, a noticeably larger pedestal appeared among the pillars. It looked like the other pedestals were all surrounding it.
"Over there, right?"
Ba'ul slowed down and carefully landed on top of it. As Judith climbed down from his back, the sound of stone crunching under her feet echoed dreadfully loud and reverberated between the columns of rock pillars.
Silence. Even though it was in the middle of the desert, there wasn't a single insect chirp. She glanced at Ba'ul, but he showed no signs of moving from the spot where he'd landed, almost as though he'd become become part of the rock. Judith closed her eyes. Without even knowing why she decided to do such a thing, she opened her nageeg, extended it beyond her, and explored the state of her surroundings.
Her heart nearly stopped. Suddenly, it felt like she was surrounded by something enormous.
"Well, well. You have an interesting trick, there."
Judith opened her eyes at the unexpected voice—and was subsequently speechless.
There was a bird—if there was a bird big enough to swallow even an adult whole. It was standing there, without making a sound, not even ten paces away—just when in the world had it appeared? Even under the darkness of night, she could see that its entire body was wrapped in flame-like crimson trails. Whether it really was burning, or else simply looked that way, Judith couldn't tell. Its proudly-raised head was coldly looking down on her from far overhead. She wondered if the voice from a moment ago came from this bird. However, she felt like its demeanour didn't match. Whatever it was, though, it was big—and it wasn't just its body. The magnitude of the will that could be felt from within was, in a word, crushing. Overwhelmed, she took a step back.
At that moment, loud roars erupted all around her.
Judith looked around in shock. How long had they been there? There was something huge atop every single stone pedestal surrounding the rocky area. She couldn't clearly distinguish them due to the darkness of night, but among the large figures, no two were the same. Some had scales, others were covered with fur; some had horns, others fangs; some were equipped with beaks, others shells—
Dragons.
Many bizarre shadows surrounded Judith, each one crying out in its own way. Were they threatening her, or mocking her? At the very least, they didn't seem welcoming.
She recalled a memory of a distant dream. An assembly of dragons. A place I shouldn't be. She narrowed her nageeg. She simply couldn't bear to take them directly.
The firebird raised its head in a brief cry—Judith thought it resembled Ba'ul's voice in some ways—a signal which led the other dragons to all fall silent. However, even as they became completely silent on the surface, the sensation of their presences remained the same. She nearly suffocated under the almost-physical pressure that closed in on her from all sides. Just what sort of place had she ended up in? Judith felt her presence here was extremely shortsighted. Looking at Ba'ul, she found he too was thoroughly wilting. She finally understood the fright behind his mental image. The terrifying ones—it was unmistakeably them.
The giant bird spread its bushfire-like wings. That alone was enough to whip up a gust of wind. By extending them greatly on either side, it seemed all the more huge and intimidating. Its beak opened wide.
Judith felt a sudden chill, like the surrounding temperature had abruptly dropped. The cold air pierced through the core of her body, snatching away its warmth. As she began to feel faint, she saw many glowing particles floating around her. Appearing from within her body, they drifted away and towards the firebird's mouth—
Amidst her hazy awareness, Judith heard Ba'ul cry out. Ba'ul, who'd kept motionless until now, sprang up as if he had kicked off from the ground and put himself between Judith and the firebird. From there, he glared at the bird and made a low growl.
Judith immediately felt the chill that had possessed her disappear. She felt just a little unsteady, but it was nothing severe. When she looked, Ba'ul and the bird were still glaring at each other. There arose a silent commotion from the surrounding pedestals. The firebird was doing something to me, and Ba'ul interfered—as comprehension dawned on her, the bird screeched.
It looked as if the bird's huge form was swelling even further. No, its whole body was glowing. The light of midday arrived for no more than an instant. The light was accompanied by a shockwave. Ba'ul's body was blown away as carelessly as a dry leaf. He was sent high over Judith's head, slamming against the ground behind her and rolling several times.
"Ba'ul!" Judith rushed over without thinking, and Ba'ul responded in a frail voice. She realized she was unharmed; had he somehow dealt with the shockwave just now? While supporting Ba'ul's side, she glared severely at the firebird. The bird folded its wings, showing no signs of even the slightest discomfort. She didn't think she'd be able to resist whatever it would do next, and she bit her lip. At least this time she would defend herself; resisting the urge to tremble, she stood with Ba'ul at her back.
Making a gesture that, in a human, would correspond to derisive laughter—at least, as far as she could tell—the bird began to open its beak once more.
"That is far enough."
The firebird's movement stopped. Judith looked up. It was the same voice she'd heard at the beginning. When she looked, there was a large creature leaping towards her from one of the surrounding pedestals. Despite its huge body, its movement could even be called elegant as it lightly landed next to the large bird.
What appeared was a golden-yellow beast. It resembled a fox covered in soft, long, golden fur. However, where its neck should have been grew a human-like torso, and even though it walked on four legs, it also had arms resembling those of a human.
"While your ire is only natural, this one has committed no sin. Should you kill her, it will be no victory," the golden fox said to the firebird.
The same voice as before. So it was the yellow-gold fox that had spoken. Judith was surprised that the fox's mouth was moving as it talked. Even as the voice echoed directly in her mind, she also definitely heard it with her ears. She stood up.
"The dragon's...speaking...?"
The fox gave a fox-like smile—or so she imagined. "Hohoho. Dragon—what a nostalgic name that is. It is also but one of the many names given to us by humans. We ourselves are familiar with the title of Entelexeia. Firstly, welcome, Judith of Temza."
Judith was flustered at hearing her name called by a nonhuman being, one with a voice that gave some impression of an old woman. However, it was only natural if she thought about it; it was they who had summoned herself and Ba'ul here. Entelexeia. Judith remembered the Elder of Myorzo referred to them with that term.
<For what reason did you leave the Drifting One?>
Suddenly, a different "voice" resounded. It was a masculine voice that was intimidating, or could even be called forceful. It echoed not in her ears, but only in her mind. The giant bird thrust its head before the golden fox as if to command it, and was staring intently at Judith. Evidently, it seemed displeased by the golden fox's interruption.
<Let our youngest child speak, not the human.>
Faster than Judith could open her mouth, she heard yet another "voice" from one of the surrounding pedestals. When she looked in its direction, there stood a beautiful animal that resembled a deer. Its whole body was emitting a faint bluish-white glow. All at once, multiple "voices" arose all around her. It was actually thanks to restricting her nageeg that she could understand that the mental images contained enormous approval. Otherwise, had it been fully open, she might have fainted. Having been indicated, Ba'ul stirred uneasily.
The bird cried out once more, and Judith recognized a mental picture of rebuke there. Indeed, the deer backed down, and the surroundings sank into silence. The bird was apparently the leader of this strange-looking company. Judith swallowed a lump in her throat.
<I ask again: for what reason did you leave the Drifting One?>
Although Judith was afraid, at the same time, she was also angry. This bird—dragon—Entelexeia obviously wants to blame me for leaving Myorzo. Without even knowing how I felt, living there. What's so wrong with me going outside?
"...I came here because I wanted to know about my dad."
The bird's eyes narrowed slightly.
<Your father, is it? You would ask me about that man?>
This time, there was clear scorn there—maybe even loathing. Judith's mind sustained a strong shock. How can they possibly hate Dad? There's been some mistake, or at least—they must have something wrong.
"It was after he met you all, wasn't it?! That Dad ended up changing. It's because of that—I think Dad died because of that. Tell me, please. What did you all say to him? What did you do?" The question was already close to a shout. In it she said the unspoken demand: Give him back, give back my Dad. You murderers—
The dragons—the Entelexeia could understand thoughts.
<Watch your place, human!!>
There was a sudden, silent roar. Ba'ul shuddered, unable to move under the tremendous blaze of those emotions.
<...Were it not for the persuasion of the Great One, I may have joined the Dark One in the ranks of battle.>
It was a voice like grating steel. To someone who couldn't hear it, it really must have sounded like a dragon roaring. Judith nearly started to faint yet again, even as she narrowed her nageeg even further. She was just starting to finally recover from the firebird's earlier attack, but her footing became unsteady, her vision darkening. The next thing she realized, she was on her hands and knees. She'd lost her balance and couldn't breathe.
"Do wait, Fierce One—our great leader," the golden fox calmly interjected. The fox turned to face Judith, whose face had gone pale, and took a step closer. "It would seem that you know nothing. Is that not so? In that case, I shall let you hear what occurred regarding your father. Thus will you understand the reason behind our wrath—so long as our great leader will permit it."
The fox shifted its attention to the bird as if examining its expression. The bird made a sound in its throat like a growl.
<Do as you will, Wise One. However, I will not wait for long.>
And so, the golden fox—the Entelexeia, the Wise One—began to speak.
About the very beginning.
About the calamity that befell Temza.
About the sins of Hermes.
Chapter Index
4
The cliff was oddly-shaped. There were several wavy rock pillars, stretching upwards in writhing, unbroken shapes, almost as though they had been scorched and shrivelled by flames. While they bulged out, bud-like, at the tips, they seemed almost like they had been cut to make them flat at the top. From a distance, it looked like numerous winding branches growing from a shrub. Even stranger was that this was in the middle of the desert, and there was nothing else like it to be found in the area.
Under the crescent moon's thin light, the crag—or stone forest, perhaps—was guarded by an ominous quiet. It was from here that Ba'ul had been summoned across a great distance.
Without exchanging a single word between them, Judith and Ba'ul were aiming for this specified place. Anything they needed to talk about had already been discussed by the time they approached. For the two of them, there was now nothing else except finally getting there. They had discarded any option of escape. In Ba'ul's opinion, since they already had their eyes on them once already, they could probably find them anywhere. Judith had no intention of hiding, anyway. At the time, she had recoiled when they had first been summoned here—a place she had been thinking of going—but in the end, she saw it as a timely offer.
As they continued flying across the desert's night skies, Ba'ul slowed down as the crag he was aiming for came into sight.
"What a strange shape... Is that the rock?" Judith still voiced the question, even though she knew the answer through Ba'ul's consciousness. As they drew closer to the cliff face, the tension swelled even further, and the silence felt unbearable. However, Ba'ul communicated his will only briefly.
Be prepared.
Judith nodded silently.
Ba'ul soundlessly entered the space between the strangely-shaped rocks. Under the barely-there moonlight, the cluster of twisted stone pillars blended with the eerie shadows, becoming reminiscent of monstrous creatures. The flattened shapes atop each pillar didn't seem natural at all. They were almost like pedestals for placing something, Judith thought. Below her, Ba'ul trembled uneasily. Soon, a noticeably larger pedestal appeared among the pillars. It looked like the other pedestals were all surrounding it.
"Over there, right?"
Ba'ul slowed down and carefully landed on top of it. As Judith climbed down from his back, the sound of stone crunching under her feet echoed dreadfully loud and reverberated between the columns of rock pillars.
Silence. Even though it was in the middle of the desert, there wasn't a single insect chirp. She glanced at Ba'ul, but he showed no signs of moving from the spot where he'd landed, almost as though he'd become become part of the rock. Judith closed her eyes. Without even knowing why she decided to do such a thing, she opened her nageeg, extended it beyond her, and explored the state of her surroundings.
Her heart nearly stopped. Suddenly, it felt like she was surrounded by something enormous.
"Well, well. You have an interesting trick, there."
Judith opened her eyes at the unexpected voice—and was subsequently speechless.
There was a bird—if there was a bird big enough to swallow even an adult whole. It was standing there, without making a sound, not even ten paces away—just when in the world had it appeared? Even under the darkness of night, she could see that its entire body was wrapped in flame-like crimson trails. Whether it really was burning, or else simply looked that way, Judith couldn't tell. Its proudly-raised head was coldly looking down on her from far overhead. She wondered if the voice from a moment ago came from this bird. However, she felt like its demeanour didn't match. Whatever it was, though, it was big—and it wasn't just its body. The magnitude of the will that could be felt from within was, in a word, crushing. Overwhelmed, she took a step back.
At that moment, loud roars erupted all around her.
Judith looked around in shock. How long had they been there? There was something huge atop every single stone pedestal surrounding the rocky area. She couldn't clearly distinguish them due to the darkness of night, but among the large figures, no two were the same. Some had scales, others were covered with fur; some had horns, others fangs; some were equipped with beaks, others shells—
Dragons.
Many bizarre shadows surrounded Judith, each one crying out in its own way. Were they threatening her, or mocking her? At the very least, they didn't seem welcoming.
She recalled a memory of a distant dream. An assembly of dragons. A place I shouldn't be. She narrowed her nageeg. She simply couldn't bear to take them directly.
The firebird raised its head in a brief cry—Judith thought it resembled Ba'ul's voice in some ways—a signal which led the other dragons to all fall silent. However, even as they became completely silent on the surface, the sensation of their presences remained the same. She nearly suffocated under the almost-physical pressure that closed in on her from all sides. Just what sort of place had she ended up in? Judith felt her presence here was extremely shortsighted. Looking at Ba'ul, she found he too was thoroughly wilting. She finally understood the fright behind his mental image. The terrifying ones—it was unmistakeably them.
The giant bird spread its bushfire-like wings. That alone was enough to whip up a gust of wind. By extending them greatly on either side, it seemed all the more huge and intimidating. Its beak opened wide.
Judith felt a sudden chill, like the surrounding temperature had abruptly dropped. The cold air pierced through the core of her body, snatching away its warmth. As she began to feel faint, she saw many glowing particles floating around her. Appearing from within her body, they drifted away and towards the firebird's mouth—
Amidst her hazy awareness, Judith heard Ba'ul cry out. Ba'ul, who'd kept motionless until now, sprang up as if he had kicked off from the ground and put himself between Judith and the firebird. From there, he glared at the bird and made a low growl.
Judith immediately felt the chill that had possessed her disappear. She felt just a little unsteady, but it was nothing severe. When she looked, Ba'ul and the bird were still glaring at each other. There arose a silent commotion from the surrounding pedestals. The firebird was doing something to me, and Ba'ul interfered—as comprehension dawned on her, the bird screeched.
It looked as if the bird's huge form was swelling even further. No, its whole body was glowing. The light of midday arrived for no more than an instant. The light was accompanied by a shockwave. Ba'ul's body was blown away as carelessly as a dry leaf. He was sent high over Judith's head, slamming against the ground behind her and rolling several times.
"Ba'ul!" Judith rushed over without thinking, and Ba'ul responded in a frail voice. She realized she was unharmed; had he somehow dealt with the shockwave just now? While supporting Ba'ul's side, she glared severely at the firebird. The bird folded its wings, showing no signs of even the slightest discomfort. She didn't think she'd be able to resist whatever it would do next, and she bit her lip. At least this time she would defend herself; resisting the urge to tremble, she stood with Ba'ul at her back.
Making a gesture that, in a human, would correspond to derisive laughter—at least, as far as she could tell—the bird began to open its beak once more.
"That is far enough."
The firebird's movement stopped. Judith looked up. It was the same voice she'd heard at the beginning. When she looked, there was a large creature leaping towards her from one of the surrounding pedestals. Despite its huge body, its movement could even be called elegant as it lightly landed next to the large bird.
What appeared was a golden-yellow beast. It resembled a fox covered in soft, long, golden fur. However, where its neck should have been grew a human-like torso, and even though it walked on four legs, it also had arms resembling those of a human.
"While your ire is only natural, this one has committed no sin. Should you kill her, it will be no victory," the golden fox said to the firebird.
The same voice as before. So it was the yellow-gold fox that had spoken. Judith was surprised that the fox's mouth was moving as it talked. Even as the voice echoed directly in her mind, she also definitely heard it with her ears. She stood up.
"The dragon's...speaking...?"
The fox gave a fox-like smile—or so she imagined. "Hohoho. Dragon—what a nostalgic name that is. It is also but one of the many names given to us by humans. We ourselves are familiar with the title of Entelexeia. Firstly, welcome, Judith of Temza."
Judith was flustered at hearing her name called by a nonhuman being, one with a voice that gave some impression of an old woman. However, it was only natural if she thought about it; it was they who had summoned herself and Ba'ul here. Entelexeia. Judith remembered the Elder of Myorzo referred to them with that term.
<For what reason did you leave the Drifting One?>
Suddenly, a different "voice" resounded. It was a masculine voice that was intimidating, or could even be called forceful. It echoed not in her ears, but only in her mind. The giant bird thrust its head before the golden fox as if to command it, and was staring intently at Judith. Evidently, it seemed displeased by the golden fox's interruption.
<Let our youngest child speak, not the human.>
Faster than Judith could open her mouth, she heard yet another "voice" from one of the surrounding pedestals. When she looked in its direction, there stood a beautiful animal that resembled a deer. Its whole body was emitting a faint bluish-white glow. All at once, multiple "voices" arose all around her. It was actually thanks to restricting her nageeg that she could understand that the mental images contained enormous approval. Otherwise, had it been fully open, she might have fainted. Having been indicated, Ba'ul stirred uneasily.
The bird cried out once more, and Judith recognized a mental picture of rebuke there. Indeed, the deer backed down, and the surroundings sank into silence. The bird was apparently the leader of this strange-looking company. Judith swallowed a lump in her throat.
<I ask again: for what reason did you leave the Drifting One?>
Although Judith was afraid, at the same time, she was also angry. This bird—dragon—Entelexeia obviously wants to blame me for leaving Myorzo. Without even knowing how I felt, living there. What's so wrong with me going outside?
"...I came here because I wanted to know about my dad."
The bird's eyes narrowed slightly.
<Your father, is it? You would ask me about that man?>
This time, there was clear scorn there—maybe even loathing. Judith's mind sustained a strong shock. How can they possibly hate Dad? There's been some mistake, or at least—they must have something wrong.
"It was after he met you all, wasn't it?! That Dad ended up changing. It's because of that—I think Dad died because of that. Tell me, please. What did you all say to him? What did you do?" The question was already close to a shout. In it she said the unspoken demand: Give him back, give back my Dad. You murderers—
The dragons—the Entelexeia could understand thoughts.
<Watch your place, human!!>
There was a sudden, silent roar. Ba'ul shuddered, unable to move under the tremendous blaze of those emotions.
<...Were it not for the persuasion of the Great One, I may have joined the Dark One in the ranks of battle.>
It was a voice like grating steel. To someone who couldn't hear it, it really must have sounded like a dragon roaring. Judith nearly started to faint yet again, even as she narrowed her nageeg even further. She was just starting to finally recover from the firebird's earlier attack, but her footing became unsteady, her vision darkening. The next thing she realized, she was on her hands and knees. She'd lost her balance and couldn't breathe.
"Do wait, Fierce One—our great leader," the golden fox calmly interjected. The fox turned to face Judith, whose face had gone pale, and took a step closer. "It would seem that you know nothing. Is that not so? In that case, I shall let you hear what occurred regarding your father. Thus will you understand the reason behind our wrath—so long as our great leader will permit it."
The fox shifted its attention to the bird as if examining its expression. The bird made a sound in its throat like a growl.
<Do as you will, Wise One. However, I will not wait for long.>
And so, the golden fox—the Entelexeia, the Wise One—began to speak.
About the very beginning.
About the calamity that befell Temza.
About the sins of Hermes.