"The Dragon Of The Nephas"

There weren't always dragons in the valley. Though they had settled there not long after the vicious war between the Cratons (from planet Beyre), and the Legions (Planet X) forced them out from the deep crevices in the meadows of the isolated mountains. The Cratons were a well-known ally of mankind since the dawn of human civilization, and they readily waged war with any entity that dared to challenge them.

Well, now back to the dragons. Legend has it that they hailed from the Andromeda Galaxy, brought here through a black hole in the galaxy. It was here deep within the valley that they relocated to find a hiding space away from the humans.

My ancestors claimed that they arrived here billions of centuries ago. It is said that the dragons had once inhabited the Atoll lagoons on the faraway islands of the South Pacific. The atolls, known by scientists as "underground volcanoes," were later discovered to be activity caused by the fiery projection of the underwater (Red Sea dragons) who derived from the Indian Ocean. The violent eruptions were said to be a warning to all those who would attempt to go near their habitation.

The dragons were ancient creatures that got a bad name, often associated with stigmas such as the "fallen angels" from the holy bible, or simply spoke of through strange folklore as told through world religions. They were well aware that they had been sent to earth as a punishment for attempting to overthrow their many gods...Yet if they so wanted to destroy humans they could have easily engulfed the village in flames and left it in ashes long ago.

On the contrary, they were quite fond of humans and did what they could to adapt to their new Earthly plane. They quickly learned to interact with humankind, and many of them could speak over 5000 languages. However, the gods did not permit them to be exposed to the likes of everyone, nor could they communicate unless it were for a greater good. My lineage was one of the bloodlines that had once directly interacted with the dragon race. Unfortunately, that later changed due to the countless betrayals they experienced by humans. As a result, they learned to adopt a discreet life peacefully away from humans in the deep valley of our village of The Nephas.

Unlike the countless stories that they ate human meat, the dragons survived off the solar energy of the sun, and at night bathed in the moonlight. The Red Sea dragons particularly indulged heavily in the lunar energy during the full moon. They would often bask in the moonlight with the mermaids... splashing about in the underwater Ocean causing the tides to erupt.

As a little girl, I was often warned by my family about the dangers of dragons. I was instructed to never wander off deep into the village, for I could get lost deep in the valley where the dragons would find me and make me their prey. There were so many urban legends passed through the generations. Stories that depicted these valley dragons as malevolent creatures who were angry at the human race. That some of their most dangerous and fuming breeds would dig themselves deep within the Earth's crust, which was the cause for the heated core within its center.

"Many years ago our tribal families were entrusted by these creatures with much ancient wisdom. But it came with a price... To only keep this knowledge within the confines of our tribal villages. Not to share this sacred knowledge, nor the knowledge of their existence to the world. Now that we have betrayed that contract, the dragons have become our adversaries. They hide deep within the valleys, and seek to kill anyone in their path."

My mother's words still echoed in the back of my head...

Then there were numerous reports that family members had been abducted by the Red Sea dragons who teleported through the water to and from the North Atlantic Ocean. We were warned not to travel in the particular path known to be the Bermuda Triangle, as the Red Sea dragons in that region allegedly capture anyone close through means of the black hole they use for galactic travel. Humans were rumored to have been placed in different realms where they were held captive... or used as a food source they sold to allied alien races.

So you would have thought that growing up listening to all these horror stories would have terrified me. Left me traumatized from childhood and beyond. Made me steer away from any mention of these gargantuan creatures.

In fact... it was just the opposite...

I had become filled with an insatiable curiosity and fascination with this taboo alien species. And once I became old enough to wander from my tribal community on my own, It was like a ritual to visit the valley in search of my next encounter with the powerful yet serene creatures.

As dragons are not allowed to befriend humankind unless for a divine reason...Our meetings were always filled with a lesson, with each encounter being unique. I considered my dragon to be my own personal guru. I was his faithful understudy, and I gathered so much knowledge careful never to speak of anything that I saw nor heard.

My dragon's name was Aphaseous, a name name derived from Greek etymology, given to him by one of the Greek gods. The name was associated with Ephoros which translated as "overseer ". On each trip to visit Aphaseous, I would often learn to activate a special gift, or even obtain a message from my ancestors. This time ... I had something a little different I wanted to discuss. teleportation... space exploration... alternate universes and dimensions.

"Aphaseous!" I shouted at the top of my lungs as I ran down the grassy pathway of the deep jagged valley. I glanced up at the hilltops where the tall mountains stood before me. My friend was nowhere in sight.

"Aphaseous!" I shouted once more, this time feeling as if my lungs were about to burst. My voice echoed loudly within the deep grooves of the valley. It was early morning when nearly most of the village was asleep. But dragons... they NEVER sleep...only rest.

I climbed up the steep mountain terrain that was set before me. The massive cliff-side served as a narrow, dangerous pathway with its nose to the sky. I stumbled over a few rocks and scraped my elbow on the bitter birch on my way to the top. There at the tip of the mountain, sitting upon the tip of the edge is where I found my dragon friend. He was resting just below where the sun rises every morning and graced the land.

At the tip of the mountain top is where a great deal of the sunlight would gather. Perfect for dragons to recharge. Aphaseous sat there with his head facing the sky. His eyes were closed tightly. He was in deep meditation. The freshly risen sun provided a great deal of energy which was high vibrational and extremely nutritious for dragons. Aphaseous had once told me the earliest you can catch the sun rising was the best time to tap into this energy. Being the elder amongst the dragons, he was always the first one to go charge.

I sat down next to him and patiently waited for him to acknowledge my presence. Though dragons weren't the angry hostile creatures humans painted them to be, one thing I knew not to do was to disturb them.

"Oh... Why hello there Naomi." Aphaseous said finally as he slowly opened his amber-colored eyes. His deep roaring tone trembled ferociously, causing the ground to quake before me. His sovereign aura exuded a regal authority that I felt deep within my core chakra. I was in awe and never ceased to be amazed by this gigantic entity. I felt honored to be one of the only humans, if not the only human in the appointed tribes to be permitted to still engage with such magnificent beings.

I was so overwhelmed with excitement that I didn't know where to begin in presenting my petition to my friend in regards to what I requested during this conclave. Fortunately, dragons were beings with many psychic abilities such as telepathy. Aphaseous read my mind before I could utter a single word.

"You do realize metaphysics within the Earth realm does not permit humans to engage in physical space exploration don't you?"

I gazed into Aphaseous's deep eyes, which appeared to glow when he was passionate about something. At the time, planes had not yet been invented, nor any other craft that could fly. My friend often liked to speak as few words as he could so that he could conserve his solar energy. And it was the nature of a dragon to speak in riddles if you will, as they loved to challenge one's mind. Not in a competitive manner, but the way that elders do to help their apprentices utilize what they have learned.

Now, there were advanced civilizations in space, ones that surpassed the scope of knowledge that was currently known to man. These alien races were the only ones to be able to travel physically from one planet to the next. This was through their development of different spacecraft ships, which happened to be aerodynamic and varied in design.

"So... You are going to help me build a spaceship?" I asked with a grin. Light-hearted yet serious at the same time. My dragon friend tsked as he did when he was getting ready to drop a wealth of new knowledge on me.

"Making a spaceship would not only be difficult to build, but the materials that allow for it to move throughout the solar system aren't easily found on Earth. The resources used to create these crafts are not plentiful, thus dragons are not permitted to touch any of the resources from planets that we do not originate. This is technically irrelevant since dragons travel by means of spiritual portals."

Aphaseous paused momentarily, his head rising up toward the sun that was ablaze. His scales glistened in the summer rays as he took in all of the glory of its power. He then cleared his throat and continued saying...

"The original island in the sky that we are from contains many of these elements used to create space crafts. However, it is now forbidden to us who have been removed from this paradise."

I realized that my friend must have been feeling extremely energized from his sunbathing, as he hadn't spoken so many words for quite some time.

"Dragons can alternate between physical and spiritual bodies. Humans on the other hand cannot. The only way a human can achieve space exploration that does not defy the laws of metaphysics...as created by the gods... is by way of astral projection."

"Astral Projection?" I was completed bewildered, as I had never heard this term before. I was highly inquisitive about the topic at hand, and anxious to begin my next chapter of enlightenment. My dragon guru explained that astral projection was a way in which humans were permitted to temporarily leave the human body, with their souls enabled a specific time and length of the distance they were allowed to travel within the universe. My eyes lit up, as I could see what he was getting at. Yet upon seeing my reaction, I could tell that he was rather displeased.

"Astral projection requires meticulous training and practice under the guidance of a guru. The training is lengthy, and there are some dangers to be concerned with." He said sternly. Although he did not want to dive too much into details... I prodded him until he gave in...

"Being that the soul leaves the body, your organs will stop momentarily. If you do not return to the body within the time frame you were assigned, or if you happen to get into an altercation with an advanced astral entity... the attack to your sutratma (or astral cord) will likely cause you to suffer a permanent death."

The sutratma he explained was the spiritual cords that connected a human to the astral world. Connecting the mind, body, and soul, and ultimately helped to sustain the life force of the human. Before I could ask any further questions about the subject matter on hand, My guru pal shared with me some very vital knowledge that I would have otherwise not have known except for by divine intervention.

"The Legions, those who have not set foot on Earth for thousands of years will be arriving soon. It's important that I prep you for battle. We don't have much time to spare for they are seeking a vengeful conquest ."

Aphaseous assured me that he would train me for battle, and equip me with all the skills necessary to defeat the Legion army. Yet beforehand, he instructed me to never share this information about the supernatural with anyone. Not even my immediate family. Over the course of a few weeks, Aphaseous trained me in vigorous war techniques that combined the use of magic with physical combat strategies.

He gave me the blood of mermaids, known to create a powerful medicinal potion when combined with Mountain Arnica to make an extremely powerful antidote for healing, especially in the cases where one would face life-threatening injuries. He also gave me the wings of a phoenix that he had killed, enabling me to fly. The serum that was created from the DNA of a phoenix was said to give man immortality. Yet it was not actually immortality exactly, but it enabled the rebirth of a human who had passed away. This serum was only to be applied in extreme life-threatening situations that could not be remedied by the mermaid potion.

After six faithful weeks of training alongside my best friend and personal guru, I felt powerful enough to face the Legion armies that were set to arrive again shortly after 2000 years. Feeling fully equipped to handle just about anything, Aphaseous presented me with one more useful tool during my quest to protect the Earth from Planet X.

"Here. It was conceived using the finest crystals from the caves where we used to dwell, and formed through the molten lava of our habitats in the Atol Lagoons."

He held up what appeared to be a weapon high into the air. I gasped in utter amazement when I came to the realization of what this particular weapon was. A SWORD!

My guru had appointed me with a huge and beautiful sword with a crystalline blade that had appeared to be sharpened with his keen teeth. The sword shone brightly within the rays of the sun, sparkling like diamonds in the daylight... Like a beautiful twilight phenomenon.

The next thing I knew, Aphaseous tilted back his head and with a jilted force leaned in forward. A massive explosion of volcanic flames erupted from his mouth and consumed the sword. I was completely puzzled. Was this a joke of some kind? What was the purpose in taking the time to design such an intricate weapon, just to destroy it before my very own eyes? To my disbelief, the sword was not destroyed at all but instead illuminated with the mystical enchantment of dragon fire.

The sword now possessed the magical and eternal properties of dragon flames. Aphaseous directed me to place my hand under the flame. To my astonishment, my hand was not scorched after making contact with the blazing inferno. He explained to me that the sword was designed with a crystal blade for the purpose of weakening the Legions, as this element was not tolerable for their kind, serving as a type of kryptonite for them.

I was now at the final phase of preparation for war. However, I still had this aching desire within me... an inclination to forewarn my Nephanian village of the upcoming invasion. Yet this reveal, in the wake of me attempting to forewarn the others, would set the village in a panic, my guru warned. The chaos would partake the entire community, causing more damage than good as foretold by Aphaseous.

He said in confidence that with my training, supernatural abilities, and weapons, there would be no need to forewarn any of the villagers. That I alone would be enough to defeat the legions, as there was no guarantee the Cratons would fight this second time around.

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Unbeknownst to Aphaseous, my heart would bypass all reasoning. As I would not only share these secrets with my friends and family, but I would use them for my own selfish intent. Making a deadly mistake... One that would lead the human race astray, and cause a lifelong companion to become an estranged enemy.

I would spend my entire life not only paying for this wrong but attempting to right it...