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Chapter Text

WHAT IF?

A QUESTION ONCE UNANSWERED...
NOW FOOTPRINTS TO OTHER REALMS.

THOUSAND...

MILLION...

INFINITE REALMS.
INFINITE POSSIBILITIES.

WORLDS SHAPED ALTERNATIVELY ROOTED BY ONE SMALL DIFFERENCE, CREATING STORIES AND LIVES UNLIKE WHAT YOU KNOW.

THROUGH THESE UNIQUE, NEW TIMELINES, OPEN YOUR EYES TO THE JOURNEYS HAD SOMETHING CHANGED. HAD OTHER OPTIONS CHOSEN. HAD THE WRONG DECISION MADE.

AS WE VENTURE THROUGH VAST REALMS...
A QUESTION LINGERS...

WHAT IF?

Chapter Text

[5008 AS]

[Secretkeeper steps out of the long tunnel and finds herself standing in the middle of a quiet, dark rainforest. She hears birds chirping and flying above her as she maneuvers through the fallen trees and giant boulders]

[Secretkeeper looks at the bag hanging around her shoulder, which contains a large egg snuggled inside. She smiles and looks forward as she leaps over a flowing stream of muddy water. She continues venturing deeper into the forest until she arrives at the bottom of a steep slope]

[Secretkeeper crouches beside the slope and carefully removes the bag from her shoulder. She exhales quietly and places the bag on the ground in front of her. She reaches into the bag and cautiously removes the egg, holding it tightly between her talons]

[Secretkeeper notices a small crack over the shell, and she gasps when she hears a squeak from inside the egg. She smiles and watches as the crack spreads over the shell of the egg. A NightWing dragonet peeks its snout through the crack and squeals while emerging through the shell]

SECRETKEEPER: Oh.

[the NightWing dragonet blinks while staring at Secretkeeper. Secretkeeper extends one of her talons forward and slowly pulls the dragonet out of the shell]

SECRETKEEPER: [excitedly] Hi. I'm your mother! I'm going to call you Moonwatcher. You're so adorable, little one.

[as Secretkeeper removes Moon from the eggshell, she feels a noticeable weight from the egg. She holds Moon in one talon and the egg in another talon, and she tilts her head slightly in confusion]

SECRETKEEPER: Huh?

[Secretkeeper moves her head over the cracked opening on the egg and peeks inside, finding another NightWing dragonet snuggled inside. Secretkeeper gasps in awe and slowly lowers the egg onto the ground. She places Moon next to the egg, who crawls forward and climbs on it]

[Secretkeeper removes the other NightWing from the egg and watches as it yawns while snuggled in her talons. She smiles and watches as the dragonet squeaks and blinks at her multiple times]

SECRETKEEPER: Three moons...

[Secretkeeper notices silver teardrop scales over the dragonet's eyes and gasps. She turns to Moon, who crawls toward her and pulls herself onto Secretkeeper's arm. Secretkeeper notices the same teardrop scales around Moon's eyes as well]

[Secretkeeper holds both dragonets between her claws. The dragonets look at each other before turning to Secretkeeper and blinking in confusion. Secretkeeper lets out a slow exhale before closing her eyes and thinking. She mutters quietly and softly]

SECRETKEEPER: Morrowseer is going to kill me if he finds out about you guys.

MOON: [squeaks] Mama...

SECRETKEEPER: [looks at Moon] Moonwatcher, [turns to the other dragonet] Cometholder... both of you are too young to understand this, but you will not live in the volcano.

[Cometholder extends one of her talons toward Secretkeeper]

SECRETKEEPER: I'm not going to let that happen. You cannot, and you do not, ever walk through that tunnel. Don't let other dragons find out. Stay secret. Stay hidden. Stay safe. I love both of you no matter where we are.

•••

[5012 AS]

[Secretkeeper lands on a mountain by Jade Mountain with her two daughters descending after her. The three NightWings watch in the distance as dragonets from every tribe gather at the entrance of the Jade Mountain Academy. Moon turns to Secretkeeper]

MOON: I don't want you to leave me here.

SECRETKEEPER: Don't worry, Moon. This is your chance to meet new dragons from all over Pyrrhia now that the war is over.

COMET: We grew up in the rainforest for all of our lives. Do you think these dragonets want to hang out with weirdos like us?

SECRETKEEPER: [turns to Comet] You're not weird. [looks at both dragonets] None of you are. Just because you had different lives than the rest of them does not make you less than them. I know you'll find special dragons here.

[Secretkeeper opens her wings and lifts into the sky. Moon and Comet look at each other for a moment, and Comet shrugs. Comet opens her wings and joins Secretkeeper before Moon decides to hesitantly follow after them]

[as the three NightWings land between the crowds of dragons gathered at the entrance, Comet observes the area while listening to the loud and distracting murmurs and laughter]

SECRETKEEPER: Well, isn't this exciting?

MOON: You're sure you can't stay?

SECRETKEEPER: I'll visit you two. [looks at the mountain] This is the opportunity to write your own story, kiddos. But remember, you cannot let them know of your abilities. These dragons have not seen them in years, and they may not handle them well. Stay secret. Stay hidden.

COMET: [rolls her eyes] Stay safe...

MOON: [at the same time as Comet] Stay safe.

SECRETKEEPER: That's right.

MOON: But what if we make a mistake? What... what if we slip?

SECRETKEEPER: You won't. Just remember what we've practiced for the past four years. Whatever you hear in your head stays in your head. Don't say things from your mind.

[Moon and Comet nod. Secretkeeper smiles and pulls the two dragons closer to her. The three NightWings embrace for a long moment before Secretkeeper finally releases the two dragonets]

SECRETKEEPER: I love you, my little NightWings.

[Secretkeeper opens her wings and lifts into the air. Moon and Comet raise their arms into the air and wave as Secretkeeper continues flying away until she disappears behind another mountain]

MOON: There she goes.

COMET: Do you think she will-

[Comet senses an uncomfortable feeling around her, and she suddenly hears a voice calling her name from behind her. Her eyes widen and she lets out a quick and silent gasp]

UNKNOWN VOICE: Cometholder.

COMET: What?

[Comet turns around and sees there isn't a dragon behind her. She stares blankly in confusion for a moment before turning back to the crowd. She notices Moon watching her the entire time. Moon approaches Comet, who pinches her eyes]

MOON: What's the matter? Are you okay?

COMET: I don't know. I thought I just heard someone calling my name.

MOON: Maybe you're hearing things. [observes the crowd of dragons] It's pretty loud here, so you may have heard some mixups.

COMET: I guess you're right.

[Moon and Comet take a step forward when a SandWing suddenly pops out of the crowd and hands both of them two scrolls. The SandWing recognizes both NightWings, and she shrieks]

SUNNY: Three moons, you two are Moonwatcher and Cometholder, right? I'm glad both of you decided to join us. How was your flight here? Have you met your future claw mates yet? Oh, Starflight is happy to navigate you to your new rooms.

COMET: Oh, thanks. That's really great.

SUNNY: Sorry, I would like to chat with both of you longer, [shakes Moon's and Comet's talons] but I have to take care of a few other dragons as well. If you have questions, don't mind looking for me. You can meet with Clay, too. He's really nice.

MOON: Yep, got it.

[Moon and Comet watch as Sunny slithers between the crowd and hands other dragons their scrolls. The two NightWings unroll their scrolls and find lists of their future Winglets. Comet mutters her Winglet's names to herself, while Moon inspects hers silently]

MOON: Huh, I have a FlameWing in mine.

COMET: Yeah, I see him, too. Seems like your group's the only one with a FlameWing.

[the two NightWings enter the mountain and find themselves standing in the middle of a giant, crowded hall. Many banners and emblems hang above the hall, with the largest one reading "WELCOME DRAGONETS TO JADE MOUNTAIN ACADEMY"]

MOON: Too bad we're not in the same Winglet.

COMET: That doesn't mean we can't hang out. [observes the hall] We'll look after each other, the same way we did back in the rainforest. We'll have each other's backs. Let's enjoy this next chapter of our lives.

[Moon smiles, and Comet smiles in return. All of a sudden, Comet hears a loud ringing in her head, and she groans as she collapses onto her knees. She places her talons over her ears and groans in pain]

[Moon looks at Comet in confusion and crouches down to try to assist her. Many dragons around the hall turn and stare at the two NightWings. Comet groans and lets out a loud scream. Moon watches in horror as Comet stops screaming and recites a phrase]

COMET: Something is imminent. Someone is coming. Something is imminent. Someone is coming. Something is imminent. Someone is coming. Something is imminent. Someone is coming.

[Comet eventually snaps out of it and returns to herself. She jerks forward and breathes heavily with her eyes shaking. She trembles and feels Moon placing her talons over her back]

COMET: Moon...

MOON: Are you alright?

COMET: [shakily] What... w-what the hell was that?

[a SkyWing steps forward, and Moon and Comet turn to look at him. The SkyWing reveals himself to be Flame, and his scarred and damaged eye startles both NightWings]

FLAME: Something is imminent? Someone is coming? What were you saying?

MOON: Comet, what was it?

COMET: I don't know. M-my head... [grasps her head and rubs her temples] it feels like my mind is tearing itself apart. Something is bleeding into my mind. Someone is speaking to me. He's crying. He's calling for help. He's begging. He's in pain. I don't... I don't know what is going on.

FLAME: [demands aggressively] Who? Who is he?

MOON: [shouts at Flame] Leave her alone.

[Moon observes the crowd of dragons surrounding her and Comet. She slowly calms down and turns to Comet next to her, who is breathing heavily while placing her talons over her face]

COMET: Three moons, three moons, three moons...

MOON: Why am I not hearing this?

COMET: Moon...

•••

[Comet sits on a bench, watching as another NightWing walks past her. The NightWing reveals himself to be Starflight, who stops next to a concerned Moon and stores a wristband in a drawer]

STARFLIGHT: It seems stress has overtaken and triggered you, which explains the sudden impulse. [chuckles] You scared everyone in that room. Some dragons were getting really worried.

COMET: [pinches her eyes and sniffles] I don't know what's going on.

[Moon stands straight and approaches Comet, stopping in front of her. She grabs both of Comet's talons, prompting her to look at her. Moon looks at Comet with a worried expression]

COMET: Moon...

MOON: Sis, what it is, or who it is that you saw, you need to tell me. [pauses] What happened to you there, and the call you heard outside the mountain, it's not a coincidence. You said someone is calling your name?

[Starflight, curious, approaches the two NightWings. He stands next to them and offers a soft stress ball to Comet. Comet looks at Starflight for a moment and slowly grabs the stress ball off his talon. She squeezes the ball a few times and sighs]

COMET: Moon... remember what Mother told us. Stay secret.

MOON: We just freaked out the entire academy. We need to understand what exactly you saw and what you heard. [pauses] Remember what you told me? "We'll look after each other's backs"?

[Comet looks at Moon for a moment and sniffs]

MOON: I can't look after yours if you don't tell me the truth. I'm your sister. You can trust me.

COMET: He's crying. He's trapped. He's been in pain for centuries. He's begging for my help. He said something was coming for Jade Mountain, something devastating. He is asking for help.

STARFLIGHT: He?

COMET: I know.

MOON: I know?

COMET: I was... I was responding to him. [nods before speaking shakily] I-I understand.

MOON: Who is he?

[Comet looks at Moon for a long moment. The two dragons stare at each other. Comet turns her gaze to Starflight, who stands as still as possible with a blindfold over his eyes. Comet thinks for a moment before deciding to blurt it out]

COMET: Dark... Darkstalker.

STARFLIGHT: [shocked and surprised] Darkstalker?

MOON: What? Who is he?

COMET: He just told me something else.

STARFLIGHT: What?

COMET: He wants us to free him from his trap.

STARFLIGHT: Trap?

MOON: Where is he now?

COMET: [looks at Moon and Starflight with a worried face] Right beneath us.

Chapter Text

[3012 AS - AGATE MOUNTAIN]

CLEARSIGHT: This mountain will crumble, the whole side will collapse, and soon, it won't be the tallest mountain in Pyrrhia anymore.

[Clearsight and Darkstalker stand beside each other on the cliff of Agate Mountain, facing the sun dipping below the horizon. The two dragons tangle their tails together, facing the purple afterglow overtaking the sky. Three moons begin to appear in the darkness]

DARKSTALKER: [smiles] If you're going to compare me to something, at least do better than a collapsing mountain. I thought you'd be able to come up with something better than that.

[Clearsight laughs slightly and wraps her claws around a wildflower from the ground. She slowly snatches the flower off and holds it in front of her. Slowly, she begins to dismantle pieces of the flower and watches as a gust of wind carries them away]

CLEARSIGHT: No matter how much I tried, no matter how many different choices I made to pull us away from this path we're on... we find ourselves facing the destiny we feared.

DARKSTALKER: The destiny you feared, Clearsight. [turns to her slightly and notices her doing the same] If you just give me a chance, trust me a bit more, I'll give you the future I promised. We are so close to the future both of us saw. Once I get rid of my enemies-

CLEARSIGHT: Trust you? [turns to Darkstalker and stares at him in disgust, scoffing] After everything? Indigo? The earrings? [pauses] Dragons told me I was crazy for eating every word you said.

[Darkstalker looks at Clearsight as she continues to scold him. He remains silent and lets Clearsight speak out everything from her mind. Clearsight hushes her voice down softly and sniffles]

CLEARSIGHT: For years, I did everything I could to steer us toward the future we once dreamed of. I don't know when it was that you chose to abandon me alone on that path. Maybe it was when you lost your mother. Or maybe it was when you realized there are threats that you can't prevent or avoid.

DARKSTALKER: [scoffs and chuckles] Nobody ever threatened me. The assassin? He could barely break my scales before that SeaWing killed him. My father? You saw the look of everyone's eyes when it happened. And the queen? I can enchant the palace to bury her right now.

CLEARSIGHT: You want to kill anyone who stands in your way? Is that your only solution to every problem you face? Just command a dagger to wash away your conflicts and endanger everyone else?

DARKSTALKER: Almost all of my enemies are dead. A few more steps and we will fulfill our promises.

CLEARSIGHT: There are no promises when I get nothing out of it.

DARKSTALKER: But that's my point, Clearsight. [smiles and holds both of her talons as he faces her] My powers can give us everything we need. Anything you wish for, any dragon you want dead, it can happen. The future you're afraid of right now, I can erase it and form a new one.

CLEARSIGHT: No future can satisfy me if we can't agree on what we want. Not if the things we want cannot coexist. Not if we can't lay a claw on things we believe to be right or wrong.

DARKSTALKER: Please, give me one last chance. Trust me one last time. When all of this is over, I'll give you everything you want.

CLEARSIGHT: [slowly removes one of her talons from Darkstalker] What I wanted died a long time ago. The Darkstalker I dreamed of soaring to the lost continent together is gone. I'm looking at him but I can't see him.

[Darkstalker looks at Clearsight's eyes and notices them trembling. He looks as Clearsight removes her other talon from his. The two dragons stand and face each other, watching their shadows fade away as the sun disappears]

CLEARSIGHT: I had devoted everything to him. We were happy, and we loved each other. [looks at Darkstalker in the eyes] But then he saw different things and left me.

[Darkstalker begins to become frustrated. He suddenly takes a step forward and startles Clearsight, who flinches and takes a step away from him. Darkstalker leans toward Clearsight]

DARKSTALKER: Don't you understand? These dragons have hurt us long enough. [attempts to convince Clearsight desperately] Now... now, I can remove the pain from our lives, from our future dragonets' lives. They will grow up knowing nothing but paradises.

CLEARSIGHT: I should've known that you were always going to turn out this way. [tears begin to roll down her eyes] To fall despite how many times I tried to save you.

[Darkstalker lunges toward Clearsight and grabs her wrist, twisting it painfully. Clearsight winces and looks at her wrist trapped between Darkstalker's claws. She turns to look at him in horror, feeling threatened by him for the first time]

DARKSTALKER: If you don't love me, just tell me. [pauses and seethes angrily] I am not misguided. I have done everything to get us to where we are. I don't need saving. The future is imminent, and you are going to learn to like it.

[Darkstalker watches as Clearsight slips the moonstone bracelet from her wrist toward his. He quickly lets go of Clearsight and pulls the bracelet off her claws. Darkstalker holds the bracelet, breathing heavily while looking at it]

[Clearsight gasps in horror, watching as Darkstalker inspects her moonstone bracelet. She watches as Darkstalker slowly turns his gaze toward her. Darkstalker stares at Clearsight and holds the bracelet tightly between his claws]

DARKSTALKER: [exhales in relief and approaches Clearsight] After all this time, you still love me. You are haunted by terrible futures that will never come true. I will ensure it.

[Darkstalker steps closer to Clearsight until both dragons are touching each other. Clearsight sobs and collapses toward Darkstalker, embracing him. Darkstalker holds Clearsight tightly, feeling her trembling body against his chest]

[Clearsight continues to sob and lets her tears roll down her snout and onto Darkstalker's shoulder. The two NightWings embrace, and Darkstalker places his snout over Clearsight's shoulder as well. He listens to her uncontrollable cry]

DARKSTALKER: It's okay. It's okay. I know you are scared. The nightmares in your mind are gone, Clearsight. No one will dare to hurt you ever again. [shushes Clearsight as she continues to cry] Our future is finally here. Everything we ever wished for.

[Darkstalker releases Clearsight, who recovers herself and stands. She brushes the tears from her eyes and sniffles. She looks at Darkstalker and notices him smiling slyly, and she turns to her wrist. She notices the moonstone bracelet has been placed back on her wrist]

DARKSTALKER: I'm sorry, Clearsight, but I can't let this happen again. I can't let her be the wall between us and our destiny. [grabs Clearsight's talons and holds them tightly] From now on, everything you see will be happy futures for us and our dragonets.

[Darkstalker picks up a small stick from the ground and inspects it. He smiles and holds the stick toward Clearsight, allowing her to take a long look and slide her claw along it]

CLEARSIGHT: What is this?

DARKSTALKER: A gift... for a particular SeaWing.

[Darkstalker and Clearsight hear loud rumblings in the distance, and they turn their heads. The two dragons watch as the earthquake ensues and ominously creeps toward Agate Mountain, shaking it violently]

•••

[in the Night Kingdom, the city is filled with panicking NightWings as they flood the streets. Among the dragons, Fathom and Indigo navigate through the waves of dragons shoving each other]

FATHOM: We're gonna have to get out of here.

INDIGO: Where's Clearsight?

FATHOM: She's saving all of us. She'll put Darkstalker away forever.

[out of nowhere, a stick glides through the sky and strikes Fathom in the arm. Fathom winces and collapses onto the ground, clutching his bleeding arm. Indigo crouches next to Fathom and places her talons over his arm]

INDIGO: Fathom!

[Fathom desperately attempts to remove the stick, but it remains lodged in his arm. He watches as many NightWings run past him and Indigo, all opening their wings when they suddenly gasp in fear and scream]

[Fathom and Indigo look into the air in horror, finding Darkstalker hovering above the kingdom with Clearsight beside him. The two SeaWings, along with many NightWings, scream as they watch Darkstalker land on a stage]

[Darkstalker stands straight and stares at the terrified NightWings in satisfaction. He feels a thump on the stage as Clearsight lands beside him. Clearsight looks at the crowds of NightWings and lowers her head in disappointment]

DARKSTALKER: The kingdom exits are closed. Any NightWing who attempts to leave will face a painful death.

[Darkstalker steps toward the edge of the stage, watching as Fathom desperately attempts to remove the stick impaled in his arm. Darkstalker turns his attention to Indigo and groans in disgust. He raises his talon forward]

DARKSTALKER: Fathom the SeaWing. Stand.

[Indigo watches in horror as Fathom listens to Darkstalker's command and stands. She turns to Darkstalker and notices him giving her a smirk. She seethes in anger]

DARKSTALKER: Well, it seems the puppet is freed.

INDIGO: [shouts] What did you do to him?

DARKSTALKER: What he should've done a long time ago. [cruelly] Listen. [pauses and smiles] It's a simple enchantment, Indigo. He'll follow what I say regardless of your defiance.

INDIGO: Let him go. He's not supposed to be your toy.

DARKSTALKER: Right... and you're not supposed to be here, SeaWing.

[Indigo watches as Fathom twists his head toward her, and she gasps. She stumbles and collapses backward as Fathom gets on top of her and pins her down. She gags as Fathom places his talon around her neck and chokes her]

INDIGO: Fathom... please...

DARKSTALKER: You should've left.

INDIGO: [attempts to shout] Clearsight... help me...

DARKSTALKER: [raises his talon into the air and speaks to the surrounding NightWings] Watch!

INDIGO: [to Fathom] Fathom... stop... please...

[Darkstalker smiles menacingly and listens to the horrified murmurs of watching NightWings. With a twist of his talon, he commands Fathom to snap Indigo's neck and kill her]

[the NightWings gasp in horror and watch as Fathom stands and steps away from the dead Indigo. Darkstalker smiles in satisfaction and turns to Vigilance, who stands among the crowds]

DARKSTALKER: [points at the ground in front of him] Here.

[Vigilence suddenly appears right before Darkstalker, trembling in horror. Darkstalker steps off the stage and approaches Vigilance, who is kneeling. Darkstalker grabs Vigilance's snout and raises it until she meets him eye to eye]

DARKSTALKER: Why so terrified?

[Darkstalker stares at Vigilance's eyes and watches as they shrink. He smirks and lowers himself until he reaches head level with her. He leans toward Vigilance and whispers sinisterly]

DARKSTALKER: Don't worry. Yours won't be as painful as my father's. But it's not going to be a quick one, either.

[Darkstalker twists his talon again, and a dagger soars through the air. The dagger shoots toward Vigilance and slices her throat before stopping in Darkstalker's talon. Vigilance gags and clutches the trail of blood trickling out of her neck]

[Vigilance gags and reaches toward Darkstalker, who stares at her in disgust and shoves her backward. Vigilance slowly collapses backward and succumbs to blood loss. Darkstalker looks at the NightWings surrounding him and the dead queen, watching them kneeling and bowing in fear]

[Darkstalker smiles and listens to Clearsight approaching him from behind. He extends his talon forward and takes Clearsight's, holding it tightly and shaking it in reassurance]

DARKSTALKER: The first promise fulfilled. My enemies are dead.

[Darkstalker raises his other talon and twists it. He turns and watches as Allknowing appears in front of him. He tilts his head and stares at her, watching as she shakily lowers herself onto her knees. He takes a step toward her and leans down]

DARKSTALKER: Show me the way to my throne.

[Allknowing trembles and shakes her head nervously. She watches as Darkstalker stands straight and exhales. She looks at every NightWing surrounding her, all crouching down to Darkstalker, Clearsight, and Fathom, who just arrived by Darkstalker's side]

•••

[Darkstalker stands in the middle of the palace's throne room, facing two elegant and decorated thrones in front of him. He looks around the room and finds NightWings surrounding both walls]

[Darkstalker extends his talon to his left, and Clearsight slowly takes it. The two NightWings begin to take their steps toward the two thrones. For every step the two dragons take, a glimpse of a shattered and oppressed continent flashes]

[Darkstalker and Clearsight sit down on their thrones, facing the giant rooms and the thousands of NightWings in front of them. Darkstalker watches as Allknowing stops in front of him]

ALLKNOWING: Your Majesty.

DARKSTALKER: [flicks his claws sinisterly] Send the IceWings a message for me. [pauses and smirks] Let them know the name... Darkstalker.

Chapter Text

SYNOPSIS: Hvitur, a faithful IceWing who would devote everything to fulfill the prophecy, was tasked to retrieve a prophesied SkyWing egg. However, during his infiltration into the SkyWing palace, he found himself—alongside the egg—captured and murdered under the claws of Burn. But what if he wasn't captured? What if he had escaped and acquired the true, prophesied SkyWing? What if, as written, there was a SkyWing among the Dragonets of Destiny?

____________________________________________

[5005 AS - SKYWING PALACE]

[Hvitur breathes heavily and listens to the stampede of SkyWing guards running down the hallway. He leans against the wall inside a dark storage room, watching shadows of SkyWing talons passing through a small crack under the door]

[Hvitur looks down and reveals a SkyWing egg tucked between his talons. He leans his head back and exhales quietly. He raises his left talon and places it over a shrapnel lodged in his stomach. He winces as he grasps the shrapnel tightly]

[Hvitur carefully lowers the egg on the floor, reaches into his bag, and removes a leather brace. He raises the braise up to his snout and inspects it. He looks down at his talon stained in his blood trickling out of the stab wound]

HVITUR: Come on… come on…

[Hvitur places the brace over his snout and shuts his own mouth. He begins to tremble as he lowers both of his talons on the shrapnel. He wraps his claws around the shrapnel tightly and winces]

[Hvitur tugs the shrapnel and eventually pulls it out of his stomach. The brace stops him from screaming as he painfully crouches down and places the blood-stained shrapnel beside him. He digs through his bag and removes a roll of bandage]

[Hvitur unrolls the bandage and carefully dresses his wound. He winces in pain as he cuts the bandage and returns it to the bag. He leans back against the wall, breathing heavily as sweat runs down his temple]

[the SkyWing egg sits in front of Hvitur, lying against a sack of potatoes. Hvitur removes the brace from his snout and reaches for the egg. He picks up his bag and straps it around his shoulder. He limps toward the door and leans against it, listening to the faint footsteps trampling down a distant hallway]

[Hvitur pushes the door open and steps into the empty hallway. He turns to his left and finds an open gate at the end of the hall. He breathes heavily and smiles, quietly shutting the door behind him]

SKYWING GUARD #1: There he is!

[Hvitur gasps and looks at the other end of the hall, finding a squad of SkyWing guards pointing at him. Hvitur watches in horror as Burn and Scarlet emerge from behind the guards, both staring at him sinisterly]

BURN: IceWing!

[Burn and the SkyWings charge at Hvitur, who holds onto the SkyWing egg tightly as he runs down the hall. He turns his head around and watches as the dragons pursue closer to him. Hvitur opens his snout and breathes a plume of frost in front of the dragons, barely stopping them]

QUEEN SCARLET: Close the gate!

[Hvitur watches in horror as his only exit begins to close in front of him. He continues running faster, tucking the egg close to him. He hears loud roars creeping closer and closer to him from behind. He stares nervously at the shrinking exit]

[Scarlet leads Burn and the group of SkyWing guards after Hvitur. Scarlet opens her snout and breathes a blast of fire toward Hvitur, who drops and rolls under the closing gate as it shuts between him and Scarlet]

[Hvitur recovers himself and opens his wings. He leaps into the air, flying away while holding tightly onto the SkyWing egg between his arms. He looks behind and watches as the SkyWing palace disappears as he dives into a thick cloud]

[Scarlet pounds the closed gate in anger as it reopens. She steps out of the palace and looks at the sky, noticing that Hvitur has disappeared. She seethes and stares at the hovering clouds in anger]

•••

[Hvitur folds his wings as he descends into a cave beneath a mountain. He walks through a hidden opening and eventually arrives in a circular cavern. Hvitur’s eyes widen when he notices a group of dragons surrounding a MudWing on the ground]

[Hvitur gasps and runs over to the group, shoving past them and recognizing the MudWing to be Asha. He looks at her eyes, which have rolled backward after she exhaled her final breath. Hvitur breathes quietly and staggers as he takes a step backward]

HVITUR: H-how… how did this happen?

WEB: She was caught in a battle on her way here. [lowers his head in disappointment] She was able to deliver the MudWing egg before she passed.

[Hvitur looks to his right and finds a nest filled with four other prophesied eggs. He thinks for a moment and lowers his head, staring at the SkyWing egg between his claws. He raises one of his talons and slides his claw along the shell]

WEB: I’m glad you made it back, Hvitur. I really do.

HVITUR: We have to make it worth it. [looks at the rest of the dragons around him] A lot of dragons died to make this happen. [pauses] We have to.

[Hvitur stands and turns to the nest. He limps painfully toward the nest with the SkyWing egg in his talons, placing it beside the other eggs, completing the Dragonets of Destiny]

•••

[THE BRIGHTEST NIGHT]

[Hvitur emerges from the shadow of a tunnel and joins Kestrel, Dune, and Web as they surround the twitching eggs. Hvitur watches in awe as a crack spreads across the shell of the SkyWing egg. The other dragons lean closer to the eggs and watch them closely]

DUNE: It’s hatching.

[Hvitur keeps his gaze on the SkyWing egg as a dragonet emerges from it. The dragonet blinks and places her claws around the shell. She turns her head toward Hvitur and blinks multiple times. Hvitur remains speechless as Kestrel speaks to the others]

KESTREL: We’re going to need a name for her. [smiles and turns to the SkyWing dragonet] I’m thinking of Pyro.

DUNE: That’s a terrible name for a Dragonet of Destiny.

KESTREL: Well, do you have any better idea?

[Hvitur extends his talons toward the SkyWing dragonet, who places her claws on them curiously. The dragonet climbs onto Hvitur’s talons and sits on them as Hvitur pulls her closer to his snout. Hvitur stares at the dragonet, who yawns and extends her arms forward. Hvitur smiles and chuckles]

HVITUR: Swift.

[the other dragons in the cavern turn their heads to Hvitur, who holds the SkyWing dragonet carefully between his claws. Hvitur smiles and shows the adorable dragonet to the others]

SCARLET: What?

HVITUR: Her name is Swift.

KESTREL: [shouts] No! She should be called-

DUNE: Kestrel. [pauses] Hvitur retrieved her… he should get to choose her name.

[Kestrel grumbles and turns to Hvitur in frustration, watching him playing with Swift as she crawls around his arms. Kestrel turns to Dune and scoffs as she pushes Web aside. Kestrel watches as the MudWing egg begins to crack]

WEB: The MudWing’s hatching.

•••

[SIX YEARS LATER]

[Swift leaps at Kestrel and attempts to slash her but misses. Swift grunts and recovers herself, dodging Kestrel’s attack as she swings her wings at her. Swift rolls forward and throws a punch at Kestrel’s snout]

[surrounding the room, Clay and Tsunami watch as the two SkyWings fight. Clay winces as he watches Kestrel punch Swift hard across the snout, causing her to spit a few drops of blood]

KESTREL: Fight! You’re a disgrace to the SkyWing.

[Kestrel spins and swings her tail at Swift, hitting her in the snout and knocking her onto the ground. Swift stumbles backward, breathing in exhaustion as a trail of blood runs down her temple. She brushes another trail of blood on her snout]

[Kestrel gets on top of Swift and pins her down. Swift punches Kestrel many times to no avail, trying to get her off of her. Kestrel places her talon over Swift’s snout and pushes it against the ground. Swift groans and breathes heavily]

KESTREL: This is what happens when you let that IceWing train you. [scoffs] You will die the moment you walk out of this cave.

[Swift wheezes for air and gags. Her eyes begin to roll backward as she slowly falls unconscious. Kestrel groans and steps off of Swift, releasing her. Swift immediately rolls to her side and reaches for her neck, gasping for air]

KESTREL: You’re dead, SkyWing.

[Swift sits up painfully and watches as Kestrel passes by the other Dragonets of Destiny and leaves the room. She drops her head in disappointment and watches as a blue talon extends in front of her. Swift looks up and finds Tsunami reaching for her]

TSUNAMI: Come on, get up.

[Swift looks at Tsunami’s talon for a moment before grabbing it. Tsunami pulls Swift onto her feet, and she gives her a nod gratefully]

SWIFT: Thanks.

TSUNAMI: Don’t feel too bad. You will never win against Kestrel. [pauses and looks at the exit where Kestrel left] She’ll cheat her way to victory and then excuse herself because she’s a teacher.

SWIFT: I just want to prove myself to her.

CLAY: [arrives next to Swift and places his talon on her shoulder] There’s nothing you have to prove to Kestrel. You’re a great dragon, and maybe some dragons don’t recognize it yet.

TSUNAMI: [to Clay] To be fair, she’s had it the worst out of all of us. [looks at Swift] I think it’s because you’re a SkyWing that Kestrel felt you’re her responsibility. But then again, Kestrel has always been an angry lizard.

SWIFT: I need to show her that I can handle being outside of this mountain. [pauses] We all heard of how dangerous it is out there, how many dragons died for us to be here…

[Swift stops and looks down at the ground. She takes a long moment to breath before continuing]

SWIFT: Asha would’ve been standing with us… right here. The continent has laid its responsibility on us. We only have one chance out there when we leave this place. We need to make sure all their lives are worth this moment. Prophecy or not, there is a chance some of us won’t make it back… if not all. [thinks for a moment] I want to be able to watch you guys.

TSUNAMI: [snorts] Well, you don’t have to worry about me. I can definitely take care of myself.

SWIFT: Then it’s our responsibility. All of us have spent our lives together under this mountain. We need to ensure each other’s safety… like brothers and sisters… no matter our scales.

CLAY: I like that a lot.

[the three dragons suddenly hear a voice calling out for Swift from behind. They turn around and find Hvitur lingering in a dark tunnel and waving his arm to catch Swift’s attention]

HVITUR: Swift.

SWIFT: Uh… [to Clay and Tsunami] I’ll be back.

[Swift runs off after Hvitur, and the two dragons head down the cave, disappearing from Clay’s and Tsunami’s sights. Clay and Tsunami look at each other for a moment]

[Swift follows Hvitur down a dark tunnel, eventually arriving at a small room with a large opening to the view of the vast Pyrrhia. She finds Hvitur standing and facing the continent ahead of him. The light from outside illuminates Swift’s face as she creeps closer to Hvitur]

SWIFT: Is there something you’re looking for from me?

HVITUR: Look.

[Swift listens to Hvitur’s order and turns her attention to the blowing trees and giant mountains through the opening. She watches in awe and turns her head upon hearing Hvitur speak]

HVITUR: In a week, that is where you will be. All of it. [looks at Swift] You, and the other dragonets, will save the continent. Then… [sighs] when everything is over, all of us can go home.

[Hvitur unties a pouch strapped to his leg. He holds the pouch toward Swift, who looks at him in confusion as she reaches for it. Swift opens the pouch carefully, revealing a sheath with a dagger inside. She removes the dagger and drops the bag onto the ground]

HVITUR: I kept it after Asha died. She would have definitely wanted you to have it, Swift. [pats Swift on her shoulder] You know, I almost died when I found your egg. I was lucky to make it out of the palace with you safely. [chuckles] I’d imagine a world where I didn’t. But, there were dragons who weren’t as fortunate.

SWIFT: I’ll get it done, sir. Trust me.

HVITUR: Do it…

SWIFT: [smiles] … for all of us.

•••

[Swift walks down the mouth of a cave, staring at the four silhouettes of dragonets awaiting her. She smiles as she straps a bag tightly around her chest and joins the other dragonets]

STARFLIGHT: Looking good, Swift.

SWIFT: Thanks.

SUNNY: [squealing excitedly] Eek! Three moons, we’re gonna leave the cave for the first time in our lives.

SWIFT: [looks at the other dragonets beside her] All of us know our mission, what we have to do. The fate of this continent lies in our claws now. Pyrrhia has suffered from the war long enough. Dragons have given everything for this moment to happen… for us to exist. Now it’s our turn to return it. We’ve been prepared for this. So let’s give it all we got… for Asha, for us… and for the future dragonets.

[Clay smiles and nods]

[the five Dragonets of Destiny step out of the cave and dig their claws into the soils of Pyrrhia for the first time. They feel soft breezes blowing at their faces, and Swift takes a deep breath]

[one by one, the dragonets open their wings and depart from the cave, leaving Swift as the last one remaining. Swift turns around and finds Hvitur standing behind and waving her goodbye]

[Swift smiles and gives Hvitur a nod of reassurance. She spreads her wings and leaps into the air, pursuing the dragonets. She joins the other as they soar through the sky, kickstarting their journey towards destiny]

Chapter Text

[waves roar as they rush deeper into the black, ash shore before retreating to the ocean. Many birds call from above as they descend into the distance. A loud explosion detonates in the distance, startling the birds scattered along the shore]

[Luna gasps as she opens her eyes and awakens to the noise of the explosion. She coughs, rolls to her side, and spits a mouthful of water. She groans and takes a deep breath. She attempts to stand, but she quickly realizes her foot has been stabbed by a wooden pole]

[Luna looks ahead of her and finds a giant, wooden vessel stationed on the shore beside her. She notices the vessel has been cracked and destroyed after arriving on the shore]

[Luna winces as she grabs the pole on her foot. She holds onto it tightly and shakily tugs on it. She seethes and takes a few more deep breaths before yanking the pole off her foot. Luna screams in pain and drops the pole onto the ashes beside her as she collapses]

[Luna’s chest rises and drops as she breathes heavily. She extends an arm forward and attempts to drag herself deeper into the shore. She slowly gains enough strength to push herself onto her feet. She limps and looks at the island ahead of her in horror]

LUNA: Three moons…

[the entire continent is covered in ashes after the previous eruption from a volcano ahead of Luna. She grabs the Flamesilks tangled around her chest and neck and pulls them off. She continues to limp deeper into the island and farther away from the seemingly endless ocean]

[Luna ventures across the island and looks around. She observes the ashes-scattered land as she steps through piles of tiny stones. She stares at the volcano standing in the distance]

[later that night, Luna sits alone in a dark cave with a pile of Flamesilks in front of her. The Flamesilks dimly light up the cramped cave and provide a source of heat for Luna. She manages to find a few squishy berries, which she stored in a small pouch she’s crafted]

[Luna stares blankly at the Flamesilks pile and recounts what happened. Faint images of fighting against the HiveWings and being tossed across the ocean fill her head. She raises one of her talons in front of her and stares at it]

LUNA: [weakly] Brother, wherever you are now… please be safe.

[Luna lowers her talon hopelessly and lets out a loud exhale. She slowly lowers her head onto the ground, revealing tears emerging from her eyes. She stares at the blank and dark walls of the cave before closing her eyes and drifting to sleep]

•••

[Luna finds herself standing in the middle of Misbehaver’s away and gasps in horror. She looks ahead of her and finds an endless path with empty pedestals surrounding her. Luna breathes heavily as she looks around when she suddenly hears a mysterious voice calling for her down the path]

MYSTERIOUS VOICE: Luna! Help me!

[Luna quickly recognizes the voice and turns her head in the direction of where it came from]

LUNA: Blue?

BLUE: Luna!

[Luna takes a step forward before finding herself confined to one of the pedestals. She stares forward and attempts to move her arms before realizing they have been paralyzed. Her eyes tremble in horror as she faces a stone slab with her friends’ names inscribed on it]

[Luna squints her eyes when she hears another familiar voice. She gasps upon realizing who the voice came from]

QUEEN WASP: Oh… helpless SilkWing. Look at yourself.

[Luna suddenly regains control of her limbs when she finds herself standing in the middle of a dark dome. She breathes quietly when a giant pedestal suddenly falls from above, creating a loud bang and startling her. Luna grunts as she dodges hundreds of pedestals falling from above her]

QUEEN WASP: You think you, a mere, little SilkWing, can control your fate and stop what is inevitable?

LUNA: [shouts] You’re not real! I know this is all an illusion.

QUEEN WASP: Do you? Are you even sure of what you see, Luna?

[Luna becomes immobilized as walls of endless reflections trap her. She looks around in all directions and finds thousands of her reflections staring back at her. She trembles and takes a few steps backward before she comes face to face with hundreds more of her reflections]

QUEEN WASP: Maybe if you were good enough, little girl, you could’ve protected them. Maybe… if you were better, you could’ve saved all of them from what was about to happen.

[Luna blinks and stares at the vast continent of Pantala ahead of her. She looks at the burning hive collapsing in the distance, with many SilkWings emerging from it before swarms of HiveWings catch them. Luna watches in horror as the HiveWings stab the SilkWings in the necks and inject them with their paralyzing toxins]

QUEEN WASP: And all of it… is your fault. You could’ve prevented all of this. You had a choice, and you made the wrong one. All you had to do was ignore it and stop pretending you were a hero, and none of this would’ve happened.

LUNA: Stop, Wasp!

QUEEN WASP: And now… all of them must die.

[Luna appears in a dark void and notices everything has gone silent. She looks down at her talons and notices water reaching up to her wrists. She takes a step forward and splashes through the water when she finds an injured SilkWing ahead of her]

[Luna gasps and runs toward the SilkWing. She crouches down next to the dragon and rolls him over, breathing in horror upon seeing Swordtail’s face. She looks at his pure white eyes as if he had been controlled by the Otherminds]

LUNA: Swordtail…

[Luna senses a strange feeling behind her, and she slowly turns around. She finds nothing ahead of her, and she grabs her temple in confusion. She turns back to Swordtail and immediately comes face to face with his sinister grin]

[Swordtail shoots his talon forward and grabs Luna’s neck, choking her. Luna gags and stares at Swordtail’s white eyes and blank expression. She grabs his talon and attempts to escape from his grasp]

LUNA: Swordtail, it’s me!

[Luna gasps and awakens from her nightmare, jerking forward and breathing heavily. She finds herself sitting on a soft bed in the middle of a cozy room. She looks at the blanket over her body before noticing the wound on her foot has been patched up with soft bandages]

[the sunlight from outside breaks through the window shades, illuminating the room. Luna finds messy scrolls and opens books scattered all over the floor. She groans and rubs her eyes as she continues to observe the room. She raises her talon, lowers her head, and pinches her eyes]

LUNA: Three moons…

SCORCH: You’re awake?

[Luna chokes on her breath and turns to where the voice come from. She extends her talon toward the dragon, who reveals herself from behind a shelf. The dragon is holding two plates of breakfast and staring at Luna]

LUNA: Who… who are you?

SCORCH: It appears you’re in a shock.

LUNA: [breathing heavily] No, I’m not. Where am I? [waits a moment before adding in] Tell me where I am and get me the hell out of this place before I toast your snout.

SCORCH: [approaches a table unamusedly and places one of the plates on it] Ah, I'm afraid that’s not going to work. Let’s not resort to violence… especially not in my home. [walks over to Luna and hands her a plate of mixed berries] I’m Scorch. FlameWing. I’m resistant to fire, so your fire strings are not going to work on me.

[Luna looks at the plate of berries extended toward her. She lifts her head and looks at Scorch for a moment before slowly receiving the plate. She picks up a few pieces of raspberries and tosses them into her mouth. She watches as Scorch grabs hers and eats before picking up a glass jar of Flamesilks]

LUNA: Hey, that’s mine-

SCORCH: [cuts Luna off] You know what is really cool? [refers to the Flamesilks while looking at Luna] These fire strings. Their heat is stronger than any of the fire breaths I’ve seen before.

LUNA: They’re… they’re Flamesilks.

SCORCH: Flamesilks, huh? [looks at the jar] That’s neat. I found them sitting next to you while you were asleep. Do you carry them with you as a heat and light source? Who manufactured these?

LUNA: They’re not manufactured. I… I make them. [raises her talon and drops it] T-they come out of my wrists.

SCORCH: Well, that’s interesting.

[Scorch walks over to Luna and hands her the jar of Flamesilks. Luna watches in surprise as Scorch sits down on the ground across from her and faces her. Luna inspects her Flamesilks in the jar for a moment before turning to Scorch, who bites a mouthful of soft bread from her plate]

LUNA: Not really…

SCORCH: So I’m assuming you’ve never been here before? [chuckles] I mean, no one can live in this place aside from me, anyway, so I’d say my assumption is correct.

LUNA: [thinks for a moment and sighs] I was hurled across the ocean after I was caught in a storm.

SCORCH: Really? From where?

LUNA: Pantala.

SCORCH: [nods] Pantala…

LUNA: [lowers her plate on a coffee table in front of Scorch] My friends are in trouble back there. They need my help. [gets up from the bed and limps around the room] Can you please lead me out of this island?

SCORCH: SilkWing. [repeats again after Luna ignores her first call] SilkWing.

[Luna stops and turns to Scorch, seeing her staring back at her. Luna sighs and walks back to the bed before flopping down on it. She looks out the window and thinks for a moment before speaking]

LUNA: [looks at the bandages over the wound on her foot] Thank you… for helping me. But I really have to go. I don’t know if you understand, but my continent is in trouble. My friends are in trouble.

[Scorch listens as Luna continues to speak]

LUNA: There’s a queen who's been oppressing my tribe for decades. [looks at Scorch] She took everything and gave us nothing. Thousands of SilkWings have lived their entire lives under somebody else’s claws.

[Luna looks down at her talons and thinks for a moment]

LUNA: I have friends with plans to stop all of this, so we have a chance at this. But if I wait long enough, and all of them fall into their claws too, then the chance is gone. If I can do it right now while I have a little bit of hope, but I don’t, and when that hope is gone… then it’s on me.

[Scorch thinks for a moment and nods]

SCORCH: So that’s why you want to get home.

LUNA: Mhm. Just want to help them.

SCORCH: [stands while holding her plate] I understand. [pauses and leaves the room] You ever been to Pyrrhia?

LUNA: The… the Distant Kingdom?

SCORCH: Yeah, it’s close by. It should only be an hour or two flight.

LUNA: [stands up from the bed, picks up her half-filled plate, and follows after Scorch] What’s on the Distant Kingdom that we should be going there?

SCORCH: Some dragons you should meet. [turns around and looks at Luna] Oh, you’ll love them. Great dragons. They can help you with any sort of trouble about dragons doing something they shouldn’t.

LUNA: Wait, what? W-what are you talking about?

SCORCH: The Winglets.

LUNA: Winglets?

SCORCH: Extraordinary group of dragons who oversee all activities in Pyrrhia. [quickly adds in] They basically keep the continent in order and put troublemakers’ asses in place.

[Scorch stops and turns to Luna, who stops behind her as well]

SCORCH: If you want to stop a maniacal tyrant, then you’ve landed at the right place. I’m the dragon who knows the dragons you’re looking for. And the dragons you’re looking for dealt with a maniacal tyrant before.

LUNA: We… we’re heading there right now?

SCORCH: Yeah. [shrugs] You said you’re running out of time, right? Then let’s go get your friends and save your continent.

[Luna follows after Scorch as the two exit a hut. Luna looks ahead of her and stares in awe at the giant range of mountains across the wide sea. Scorch steps next to her and turns]

SCORCH: Well then, let’s not wait.

[Luna smiles and joins Scorch as the two dragons open their wings and lift into the sky. The two dragons dash across the sky and fly across the open sea. As Luna gets closer and closer to Pyrrhia in the distance, she feels more confident]

LUNA: [thinks] Don’t worry, Blue. I’ll save all of you.

Chapter Text

[MUD KINGDOM - 5004 AS]

[a MudWing carries her egg as she treads along the muddied path. She gazes to her right and finds a stream of MudWings rolling and scattering in the giant pond of thick mud. She lets out a sigh as she climbs up a case of stone stairs]

[the MudWing steps forward until she arrives at the wooden door of a worn-down hut. Raising her talon, she pounds on the door lightly, waiting a few seconds before coming face to face with another MudWing as the door swings open]

PEAT: I thought we agreed on a later time.

CATTAIL: Look, I really need the credits so I can get the hell out of this place. Can't we just make the transaction right now?

[Peat rolls her eyes and invites Cattail into her home. Cattail smiles as she passes Peat, stepping into a tight, cramped room with papers scattered everywhere. Cattail observes the single-room home, navigating through the sea of papers below her talons]

PEAT: [points at the soft cushion on a chair] You can place your egg there.

CATTAIL: Seems like you had a few breakthroughs as a scientist. [exhales in relief as she places the egg on the cushion] Got yourself a nice place to stay in the neighborhood.

PEAT: Retired. I'm retired now. But, yes, this I would say is one of the nicer places in the kingdom.

CATTAIL: Certainly better than the place I live. [groans as she sits down on a soft couch and faces Peat] The whole continent is in a huge mess. No one knows what they're going to do next, not even the Talons.

PEAT: I guess the first thing you shouldn't do in the middle of a war is trusting a bunch of idiots who have nothing to show but promises.

CATTAIL: It's why I need the credits. I lost almost everything to them.

[Peat fixes two glasses of tea on the table. She slides a glass toward Cattail, who picks it up and blows on it. Peat adjusts her glasses and leans backward on her seat. She gives Cattail a look and tilts her head]

PEAT: And you are willing to sell your own child?

CATTAIL: A dragonet will not survive if its mother doesn't. I believe if they're with you, someone who is stable and has found herself a perfect place to be comfortable in for the rest of her life, they will end up becoming a better dragonet. At least, better than me, certainly.

[Cattail blows into her glass before taking a small sip, followed by a long gulp]

PEAT: Alright. I understand.

[Peat drops the pouch of credits onto the table, as promised. Cattail looks at Peat for a moment before reaching for the pouch]

[10 YEARS LATER - 5014 AS]

[Clay sits by the desk, writing a research paper and basking in the sunlight fired through the window. He removes his glasses and thinks for a long moment, listening to the sound of the door opening behind him]

PEAT: How's your class?

CLAY: It's alright. Nothing much today besides preparing for the presentation. I ran a few rehearsals with the other MudWings.

PEAT: Huh. Sounds boring.

CLAY: [smiles slyly and chuckles] Hey, it's what you used to do before you became one of the queen's most renowned scientists.

PEAT: [removes the satchel from her shoulder and hangs it against a wall] Doesn't do much aside from sitting on a desk and writing reports.

CLAY: Ain't that what I'm doing right now?

[the two dragons chuckle before the room falls silent. Clay sits up in his chair and turns to Peat curiously]

CLAY: Well, how's the situation out there?

PEAT: The sisters still couldn't decide who to sit on the throne, but isn't that just the everyday thing? I also heard the NightWings are forming an alliance with the SeaWings. It seems like they are done with Moorhen and her crappy policies.

CLAY: Oh.

PEAT: Nothing changed over the last decade. No progress. [slumps down on the couch] I guess we'll never know when this bloodshed ends.

[SKY KINGDOM - 5025 AS]

[a tall SeaWing decorated with jewel pins a spear against a SkyWing's neck. The SkyWing reveals herself to be Scarlet, and blood runs down her nose and mouth. She coughs a mouthful of blood onto the ground beside her as she moves her talon over her stomach, which has been pierced by a sharp dagger]

[the destroyed field the two dragons are in is scattered with corpses of SkyWing and SeaWing soldiers. Carriages are set aflame, and weapons are pierced onto the ground. In the distance, a flag of the SeaWing army is planted on a hill, flapping beneath the pouring rain]

[the SeaWing hides their face behind a mask. Their chest rises and droops with each heavy breath. They pin the spear closer to Scarlet's neck until a small trickle of blood rushes down Scarlet's body]

[the SeaWing raises their talon and grabs onto the mask. They slowly removes the mask and drops it onto the ground, revealing their face to Scarlet]

QUEEN SCARLET: I anticipated this day would arrive... Tsunami.

QUEEN TSUNAMI: Look at what you've done.

QUEEN SCARLET: Your mother taught you well, child.

QUEEN TSUNAMI: You will never understand the look on her eyes when I killed her in the arena. Nor were you when you watched as the IceWings killed my father in your pit... [seethes] while you were entertained.

QUEEN SCARLET: War claims a heavy price, child. In the end, we come closer to death the more we fight in these battles.

QUEEN TSUNAMI: Well, then your time is up.

[Tsunami swings the spear across Scarlet's neck, slitting her throat. Scarlet gags and attempts to cover the pool of blood rushing quickly out of her neck. She breathes raspily and slumps to her side, dead]

[Tsunami breathes heavily and lowers her spear, staring at Wasp's corpse]

QUEEN TSUNAMI: Even in your last breath, you didn't even cry.

[Tsunami hears footsteps approaching behind her, and she turns her head slightly. She watches as a SeaWing general approaches her]

SEAWING GENERAL: Your Majesty, the field has been cleared out. There are no signs of surviving SkyWings. We are awaiting your next move.

[Tsunami looks down at the ground and stares at the rain droplets splashing on her bloodied talons. Memories of her parents' deaths flash through her head as she closes her eyes. She takes a deep breath before reopening her eyes, staring at the general]

QUEEN TSUNAMI: We move forward. The kingdom cannot stand without its queen.

SEAWING GENERAL: I understand, Your Majesty. I will notify the rest.

[the SeaWing general turns away from Tsunami and rushes off in the distance. Tsunami finds herself standing alone again beneath the pouring rain. She watches as the rain washes away the blood on her talons]

[Tsunami looks ahead of her and gazes at the silhouette of the Sky Kingdom and Scarlet's palace standing across the storm. She raises her spear once more and taps it twice on the ground]

[NIGHT KINGDOM - 5019 AS]

[Starflight charges at a NightWing with a dagger in his talon. He swings the dagger at the NightWing, who dodges swiftly]

[the two NightWings are fighting above a pool of bubbling lava. Many NightWings surround the two combatting dragons, observing the fight and cheering loudly. Battlewinner watches pleasingly, giving nods of approval with each landed attack]

[Starflight leaps at the NightWing and plants the dagger into his shoulder. The NightWing lets out a hoarse scream, using his remaining energy to kick Starflight in the stomach. The NightWing falls onto his knees in exhaustion and places his talons over his shoulder]

[Starflight recovers himself and picks up the dropped dagger on the ground. He shouts at the NightWing in anger as he takes a few steps forward]

STARFLIGHT: Come on!

[the spectating NightWings cheer and chant in favor of Starflight. Starflight observes the crowds and finds Battlewinner hidden behind two large NightWings. He gives her a nod before turning his gaze back to the injured NightWing in the fight pit]

[the NightWing painfully returns to his feet and runs toward Starflight, screaming. Starflight quickly takes the opportunity of the defenseless dragon and drives the blade into his stomach. Starflight smiles and watches as the crowds go quiet]

[the NightWing in the pit lets a drop of tear roll down his eye. He feels the blade piercing deeper into his stomach and spits a few drops of blood onto Starflight's shoulder. Starflight pushes the NightWing backward slowly until the two dragons stand on the edge of the fight pit, right above the lava]

STARFLIGHT: [leans his head against the NightWing's] Rest well.

[Starflight lets go of the dagger and watches as his opponent falls into the lava. He wipes the blood rolling down his temple and turns to the cheering NightWings. He observes the spectators and finds Battlewinner clapping in approval]

[Starflight smiles and raises his talon into the air, rallying the NightWings]

[following the intense fight, Starflight is escorted by a squad of NightWings down a long, dark path. He unwraps the dirty bandages on his claws and tosses them onto the ground as he continues forward]

STARFLIGHT: What is there that Her Majesty wants to show me?

[the NightWing squad remains unresponsive, eventually leading Starflight into a dark chamber, where they find Battlewinner and her guards awaiting them. Starflight steps forward and smiles]

QUEEN BATTLEWINNER: I was truly impressed by your fight today, NightWing.

STARFLIGHT: I made sure to put on a good show for everybody.

QUEEN BATTLEWINNER: Yes. Yes, they do. It's why I have summoned you here.

STARFLIGHT: What for?

QUEEN BATTLEWINNER: I would like you to meet your opponent ahead of your next fight. She's... different from the dragons you've fought so far, but that's exactly what the NightWings really want.

STARFLIGHT: Who is it?

[Starflight hears chains pounding above him and raises his head. He finds a large cage being lowered between him and Battlewinner. As the cage slowly comes to a stop in front of him, one of Battlewinner's guards removes the cover from the cage, revealing a gray RainWing lying inside]

STARFLIGHT: [confused] A RainWing?

[the RainWing appears thin and malnourished. She has her snout chained to prevent her from using her venom spits]

[Starflight observes the RainWing slowly as he circles around the cage. He notices parts of her scales are attempting to camouflage. He turns his gaze to Battlewinner, who stares at him pleasingly]

QUEEN BATTLEWINNER: We found this one lost outside the rainforest. Easily picked her up and brought her back here.

STARFLIGHT: She got a name?

QUEEN BATTLEWINNER: Glory.

STARFLIGHT: [nods] Alright. Let me know when you want me to kill her.

[JADE MOUNTAIN - 5015 AS]

[two SandWings sit on the cliff of Jade Mountain, overlooking the vast continent ahead of them. The younger SandWing points at the rainforest in the distance before lowering her talon]

SUNNY: Do you think this war will come to an end soon?

THORN: Things are escalating, and there are no signs of any peace resolution soon.

SUNNY: So we're just supposed to sit there and watch as the sisters lay waste to our home?

THORN: When blood is involved in anything, dragons like us never have a say. [pauses] But we are those most impacted. [turns to Sunny] In time, you will understand.

SUNNY: [scoffs and plucks a flower from a small crack] Hmph. Why can't everyone just get along and live peacefully? Isn't that so easy? Can't dragons go a day without some arguments and hatred, and ripping each other's throats?

THORN: [chuckles] Trust me, Sunny. If everyone has a heart like yours...

[Thorn sighs and watches as Sunny stands up and walks toward the mountain]

SUNNY: Jade Mountain is always so quiet. We're so far away from all those fights down there.

THORN: For years, the mountain has been a symbol of peace. Despite the decades of war, this mountain still remains, completely unaltered from the corruption of dragons.

SUNNY: Perhaps in another life...

THORN: [chuckles] No, no, no. It's true.

SUNNY: [returns to Thorn and sits down] I don't want to go home.

THORN: Me, too. Safety draws farther and farther away from the den every day. If this war continues at this scale, the whole continent will burn itself to its knees. [pauses] And when the smoke disappears and the last drop of blood has been drawn...

SUNNY: ... will they finally understand that sharp blades were never the answer.

THORN: I believe there are good dragons out there. [turns to Sunny] I know there are dragons who you can become friends with, dragons who you can rely on, dragons who will stand on your side in this war.

SUNNY: But... right now, everything seems hopeless.

Chapter Text

[3011 AS - QUEEN LAGOON'S ISLAND PALACE - KINGDOM OF THE SEA]

INDIGO: [breaths trembling] How... how did it happen?

FATHOM: I don't... I don't know.

INDIGO: Everyone at the banquet is dead. He's coming for us next.

FATHOM: No one is going to hurt us, Indigo.

[the two dragons breathe heavily as they speak, voices sounding devastated. They are revealed to be hiding within an abandoned home across the palace. Fathom slowly stands, making as little noise as possible and approaching a window]

INDIGO: Why did your grandfather do this?

FATHOM: I'm not sure. I think the animus got to him.

INDIGO: If no one stops him, he will kill everyone in that palace. He won't stop until the whole kingdom is dead.

FATHOM: Worse. [turns to Indigo] At this scale, he will murder the whole continent if he has to. There is no one in Pyrrhia who can stand a chance against him.

[Indigo gasps at the revelation and looks down at her talons. She turns to Fathom, who continues peering through the window. Fathom watches as SeaWings flock out of the palace and listens to the faint screams]

FATHOM: [looks at the floor and shakes his head in guilt] I can't stop him.

INDIGO: [a tear runs down her eye] What are you going to do?

FATHOM: [turns away from the window and returns to Indigo] Get out of here. [crouches down in front of Indigo] Listen to me, we cannot stay here much longer. We can still stop this. If we can get the message to other tribes, we can gather enough dragons and possibly stand a chance. But we can't do that if we're dead, okay?

INDIGO: And what about the rest of the SeaWings?

FATHOM: We can't save everyone.

INDIGO: [nods shakily] Okay.

FATHOM: Alright. Let's go.

[the two SeaWings leave through the back door of the abandoned home. Fathom observes the area to ensure both dragons are safe, and Indigo turns her attention to the Island Palace in the distance. She gasps in horror watching explosions run up the whole building]

INDIGO: Fathom...

[the palace croaks as it leans onto its side and collapses into the sea. Indigo cries in horror while Fathom leads her far away from the area. The two dragons pant as they run down an alley, bumping into other panicking SeaWings]

[the orange sun slowly hides itself from the horizon, illuminating a yellow beam over the collapsing kingdom]

[Fathom and Indigo continue across the kingdom when many fireballs begin raining from the sky, impacting and destroying the homes and SeaWings in the way. Indigo screams and watches the SeaWings engulfed in flame, who are crying for help. The heat from the explosions reflects off the two SeaWings' scales]

FATHOM: This way.

[Fathom pulls Indigo away as the two dragons find an alternative route. The two dragons see the other islands of the Sea Kingdom across the clear sea as they run. Suddenly, one of the islands detonates. A growing cloud of smoke emerges from the island as the palace standing upon it collapses alongside the island]

[the entire island sinks to the bottom of the sea, and Fathom and Indigo freeze in place as they watch in horror]

FATHOM: He's becoming too powerful...

INDIGO: The SeaWings there...

[Fathom grunts as he continues leading Indigo farther and farther away from the Island Palace. Indigo looks up at the sky and finds Albatross gliding over the island. Albatross summons many explosives and launches them in the direction where Fathom and Indigo are standing]

FATHOM: Three moons.

INDIGO: [shouts] Run. Run!

[the two SeaWings attempt to open their wings and lift into the air, but the explosives collide with the area and knock them away. Indigo screams as she is shot across the island]

[moments later, Fathom awakens to find himself surrounded by toppled buildings lit aflame. He blinks and adjusts his vision, eventually noticing blood running down his temple and finding himself pinned by heavy debris. He watches as Albatross stands down the alley with a SeaWing caught in his talon]

[out of nowhere, Indigo arrives behind Fathom and helps lift the debris off him. Fathom pulls the debris away as well and manages to wiggle himself free. He winces and grabs his leg in pain]

INDIGO: Come on. We have to get out of here before he sees us.

[Indigo turns around and notices a sharp pole impaled through Fathom's leg. She gasps and quickly crouches next to him, attempting to help him stand up. Fathom feels a sharp pain as he applies pressure on his leg and screams]

[in the distance, Albatross slices a SeaWing's throat and drops their corpse onto the ground. He turns his gaze and finds the two SeaWings struggling to escape]

FATHOM: [to Indigo] You have to get out of here.

INDIGO: I can't leave you.

FATHOM: He won't stop. [pleads with Indigo] Please. The queen is dead. The tribe is dead. You have to be the one to get the message to the rest of the continent.

INDIGO: [tears appear in her eyes] I can't... leave you...

FATHOM: It has to be you, Indigo. There's no other way.

[Indigo releases Fathom's talons as she feels his scales one last time. She stands and watches Albatross creeping closer toward Fathom]

FATHOM: Go.

[Indigo opens her wings and lifts into the sky. Albatross roars and enchants a spear to be fired at Indigo. The spear shoots forward, but it stops midair in its tracks when Fathom enchants it to freeze, allowing Indigo to get away]

[Albatross turns his attention to Fathom, who groans as he slowly stands. Fathom enchants the sharp pole in his leg to shoot toward Albatross, who dodges]

[Albatross raises his talon and enchants for a nearby collapsed wall to slam Fathom against a building. Fathom groans as he collides hard, collapsing onto the ground and watching as Albatross approaches closer to him]

[Fathom slowly wiggles his talon behind his back, hiding a dagger behind his body. He stares at Albatross, who stands over him with a menacing smile on his face. His eyes are barely recognizable to Fathom]

FATHOM: [mutters quietly to himself] I'm sorry, grandfather.

[Fathom enchants the dagger in his talon to fire at Albatross, who quickly steps out of the way and barely dodges it. Albatross catches the dagger in the air with his animus magic and enchants it to be sent back at Fathom]

[Fathom's eyes widen in horror as the dagger pierces through his chest. A slow stream of blood trickles down his chest and onto his talons, which are slumped next to him. He coughs weakly and turns to the dagger stuck on his chest. His vision blinks to a close as his final view sets on Albatross stepping away from him]

[Fathom's body slumps to the side, joining the many dragons killed during the massacre. Albatross's footsteps recede as he continues down the alley, stepping over the scattered SeaWing corpses]

•••

[Clearsight emerges from her vision and gasps. She breathes heavily as Darkstalker arrives next to her and relieves her. She trembles and shudders as she turns her eyes to him]

DARKSTALKER: What happened? What did you see?

CLEARSIGHT: That's not supposed to happen. None of that was supposed to happen. He wasn't supposed to...

DARKSTALKER: Clearsight, talk to me. What's going on?

CLEARSIGHT: Madness ensued in the SeaWing's palaces. I saw the same thing again, but this time...

DARKSTALKER: What?

CLEARSIGHT: It's here. In our kingdom.

[suddenly, the door to the room they're in swings open, startling Clearsight and causing her to shriek. The two NightWings turn their gaze to the door, with Clearsight's talon on her chest, and find Whiteout standing there]

DARKSTALKER: Whiteout?

WHITEOUT: Father said the queen wants to talk to you.

[Darkstalker and Clearsight look at each other in confusion]

•••

[Indigo is on her knees at the foot of Vigilance's throne. She breathes heavily after a long and exhausting flight, trying to spread her words to the continent]

[Darkstalker, Clearsight, and Arctic stand beside Vigilance, who sits on her throne and seemingly unbothered by Indigo]

INDIGO: Everyone from my kingdom is dead... Albatross isn't going to stop. He's going to come for the rest of the kingdom, and eventually, yours. You need to take this time to gather everything you have against him.

CLEARSIGHT: [takes a few steps toward Indigo] Indigo, slow down. Describe to me exactly what happened.

INDIGO: [sobs] Albatross slit Lagoon's throat before killing everyone in that banquet. He attacked the rest of the kingdom and laid waste to our islands. If you don't prepare your defense now, he will do the same to this place.

[Clearsight backs away and returns to her previous position, standing next to Darkstalker]

DARKSTALKER: What do you think?

CLEARSIGHT: It's very similar to my vision...

QUEEN VIGILANCE: [to Clearsight] Is she crazy?

CLEARSIGHT: I do believe her, but... on that scale... it's something that sounds impossible.

DARKSTALKER: Madness from overused magic can lead to a few deaths. But a whole kingdom collapsing?

INDIGO: Please, please. [sobs and leans forward] Everyone here is going to die.

QUEEN VIGILANCE: [flicks her talon] Guards. Please take this SeaWing to be observed by the Ocular. Let them know to look for signs of possible issues with her head.

CLEARSIGHT: [turns to Vigilance with concerns on her eyes] Your Majesty...

INDIGO: No, no, no. Please, you have to listen to me! [screams and flails as the guards drag her away] No! No! Please.

[Clearsight watches with guilt as Indigo's cry recedes as she is dragged further and further away from her]

[following the meeting, Clearsight and Darkstalker walk along the streets of their kingdom. The two dragons pass by many approaching NightWings]

DARKSTALKER: [catches up to Clearsight] They don't want to believe her.

CLEARSIGHT: I don't, too, but my vision is beginning to tell me otherwise. [turns to Darkstalker] Almost everything she said in that room was something I glimpsed at.

DARKSTALKER: Have you talked with her?

CLEARSIGHT: I will later today, when she has calmed down. For now, I think she's still in a state of shock, which is likely the reason why she exaggerated what she said.

[suddenly, unbeknownst to the two NightWings, a fireball glides across the sky toward the NightWing palace. The fireball collides with the building and catches everyone's attention. Both Darkstalker and Clearsight watch as the side of the palace collapses in horror]

[as more fireballs rain from the sky, Clearsight spots Albatross hovering over the kingdom. She watches him motioning his arms and enchanting more explosives to be summoned and fired at the kingdom]

[as the attack topples the palace and puts the kingdom into a panic, Clearsight gets a glimpse of a new future: a continent where every kingdom is set ablaze by Albatross's madness. Her horror exhales through her trembling breaths as screams of NightWings envelop her]