The universe died.

Parasites. All of them.

Worlds without the breath of magic. Worlds whose source keys went into slumber, drained to its heart. After all the training underneath Sielet-Tiamat, the parasitic pain never left zir mind. Their first attack on one of the planets full of parasites, who looked so much like the men who lived upon their world. Instead of swords who breathed the same magick, whose armor glanced off each blow, these ones threw out power from death-bringing instruments, who rejected magic into its being.

All the colours on those dying planets dimmed and blurred. Monochrome to darkness. Sukoalie, 'one who breaches the stars' in the tongue of elder ones. A spoken name, to be breathed into importance. If zhe tried to look past the dying magic, zhe could see the beauty those planets could be. Until more pain entered their mind, and zhe crossed zer scaled tail around zer legs.

Questions bespoke a break in scales. They were their world's powerful defenders, their side of the Astral Sea remained bright. Sukoalie considered the pit below, where two of his kin flapped their wings, dropping one of their own to the ground. Spikes proved good seats for a view of the punishment of Bahamut. For those whose minds couldn't see the parasites.

Zer heart stirred with the call to protection. Many agitated hisses filled zer head, while dragons coiled around their spiked seats. They were in the belly of the mountain, where the cities of the dwarves lived in their small houses of stone and beautiful masonry outside. Tall spires which dared touch to the same height of their peak.

Everyone saw the threat, and with the dragon's power, they would bring magic back to a dying Astral Sea.

Deep drums sounded from the high seat of the clan Elders. Among them, a large male of a dragon, whose scales burned with hot coals. Orange highlighted the strength around his limbs, setting his dark scales alight with the flames he expelled from his mouth to bring attention to the leader of their clan; Muzat-Bahamut. Only leaders of clans ever were given the title of Bahamut.

A part of zim longed to be gifted by the Astral Sea for a chance. Ever since zhe was a hatchling, zhe dreamed of being a star-treader.

Screeches broke zer train of thought.

Blood splattered the pit floor, staining the dirt. Scales dropped, piece by piece as some warriors ripped the scales out of the smaller dragon's body. No one dared take their gaze off the punishment. All for fighting the thought of parasites.

Except it's what they are, and they will never change. They refuse to listen, to see through the grey fog of their creation. Sukoalie shifted zer feathered wings against his flank, while Mazut-Bahamut's eyes glowed with fury. Beneath zim, one of the men of the bipedal kingdoms.

"Attention, my clan," Mazut growled, his voice thundering above the screeches. "Know the corruption is reversible. Every dragon able needs to shed their scales of their grip. You will be cleansed in the mirror source," he spoke to the small dragon in the pit, who had stopped screeching after an appropriate amount of scales had been collected, their power and glow lost. "Clean your scales of the smog of the other worlds."

"Sukoalie," a voice whispered to zer left while the cleansing continued. A broodcarer flew down from their spikes to breathe ice onto the smaller dragon's flank. A gentle process, his own broodcarer had done it as a hatchling to calm his nerves.

"Sukoalie."

"Yes, Vielrir?" Suko dared turn zer head to the dragon on the spike next to him. Zer younger broodbrother.

He craned his neck closer. "Are you going to the next recovery for the source key?" His little feathers puffed between his scales. "I want to come."

"It hasn't been a full pass since you left training," Sukoalie pointed out under zer breath. "It is also not up to me. It's up to Mazut-Bahamut and the Second-Flames." he returned his attention to the pit when the broodcarers flew off with the smaller dragon in their clutches. What happened next, Sukoalie never learned to know. Some dragons flew off with the purification meeting over, but as Sukoalie opened up zer wings to the wind, Mazut-Bahamut's voice rumbled with low tones in zer bones and heart.

"Sukoalie."

Sukoalie caught the wind, and flew up to the high seat, landing on the rocky bridge. Maw touching the ground, zhe made zerself smaller in the shadow of the clan leader. "Yes, Lord Mazut?"

Beneath his large claws, the man whose gaze held passive emotions. Smaller than zim. Zhe could open their mouth and swallow the man whole. Except the man knew how to save the source keys.

Besides, the bipedal races were often too stringy. Their bones easily cracked and lacked nutrients. Never stopped some lone dragons in partaking in some meals when the kingdoms offered up 'sacrifices' to the Astral Bahamut. Sukoalie would do many things for the clan, but eating tiny flesh flies because the kingdoms had no room in their stone holes was not one of them.

"Your portal technique is immaculate," Mazut-Bahamut spoke above his head. "We have gotten tales of an awakening key." He twisted his neck down to the man. "Speak zer name: Sukoalie. They will listen to your words, for I will share the news to the warrior group."

"Sukoalie," the man said, his voice a different tune in zer heart. "Take a look at this, hear it within your mind."

Sukoalie kept zer nose pressed against the ground while the man pulled out a chip from their source key. Sukoalie closed zer eyes, allowing the mind to span across the Astral Sea. Faint images played in zer mind, expansive cities of metal, smog, and technology beyond what even dwarves could create without magic. Around it, plains and forests. An entire planet begging to be released with its key.

"Could you portal swift strikers to this planet?" the man asked.

Sukoalie huffed out a breath, and the man's cloak billowed. "I could." Zer eyes strayed up to Mazut. "You are planning another attack, yes? Is this planet's source key truly awakening?"

"The shards don't lie, Sukoalie," Mazut scolded. "You will take a group of experienced and new trained fledglings alike. It is time they experience their first battle against the parasitic behaviours of these strange living men."

"I will take them, Lord Mazut?"

"Of course." Mazut-Bahamut scales shuddered into embered flames. "Their metal contraptions with no heart can't withstand us forever. I will be sending my Second-Flames to distract from them, giving your swift team a chance to dive into the planet's pulling embrace."

"Where you will then fully awaken the source key and release its full energy," the man said. He relinquished the shard into his cloak, but the images in Sukoalie's head remained. All that was left was to call out to the Astral Sea, and breathe out into its beauty to take zim across the expanse.

"It will be done." Sukoalie stood up. "Who is coming with me?"

"I have already told most of the experienced swifters," Mazut spoke in his thunderous tone. "I wish for you to take your broodbrother, Vielrir. He is new, but I see his potential." His gaze hardened. "Know your duty, Sukoalie, and go with the blessing of Astral Bahamut." Mazut stretched his wings. "All of them await you at the nebula dias, you will go."

Sukoalie took the dismissal and flew off to rejoin his broodbrother on his spike, where he had waited for him.

"What did Mazut-Bahamut say?"

Sukoalie released a breath. "I am to lead a group of swifters through a star portal," zhe said. "You are to come for your initiation flight. However, you are to stay at the back and watch out for danger only. If Astral Bahamut is merciful, we will be finished and back in time for the grand feast."

"Is it true those strange ones break dragon eggs they find with the source key? That they hunt us for sport?"

Sukoalie frowned down at zer brood brother. "It..." Pain entered zer mind, and zhe went silent. "My first initiation flight, their metal vessels chased us around their solar home. Our leader took two down before they shot him with..." The memory pressed on zer mind, shifting and changing. "I don't know, but we lost many a great dragon for the source key."

Instead of fear, only bright curiosity shone in zer brother's grey eyes. No more questions escaped his maw, so Sukoalie continued, "I am taking you to the nebula dias. Mazut has already gathered some warriors and fellow initiates. Remember your duty, and everything will be well. Magic will be returned to them, and there can be peace in the Astral Sea."

"The nebula dias?" Vielrir bounced in place, and when Sukoalie took flight, zer brother followed behind. "I've never been so high up above our home, Suko!"

"Well, keep your breath light, and wind and stars will carry you."

Past their mountain clan, they flew further into the sky. Protective scales stretched over his feathers to ready for the next journey. When he looked beneath him, the land was but a speck, while mighty oceans surrounded them. Huge mesas were home to the flock of wyverns, who acted as more scout details for prospective awakening source keys.

All dragonkind worked together to protect the Astral Sea's life. Up above their mountain, the dias in the sky, carried by misty rocks and filled with clouds. Several dragons sat on the edges of the star shaped rock, and Sukoalie indicated for Vielrir to take a seat, out of the way of the more experienced warriors. Zhe rolled his shoulders, then stepped in the middle of the engraved universe.

"You understand our role in the upcoming flight," Sukoalie spoke to all of them, big and small, new and trained. "Be wary of the smog, and stay in the sky. We find our sources, and return home." Zhe planted zer claws into the divots, whipping zer tail back and forth as magic rocked in zer wings.

Stars twinkled above zer head, above the lands of zer home. Vielrir continued to bounce in spot, shifting his wings back and forth in agitation. Opening zer maw, zhe allowed the images to take over instead. Energy rippled between zer teeth, exploding outwards above the dias. Many of the experienced warriors joined in to lessen the burden of creating a portal across the unending Astral Sea, the home of Astral Bahamut. As long as zhe kept up the image, the Astral Sea would take them anywhere, including to the source keys.

Another blast of energy, and the portal opened to match the dias at their claws. Before zhe could take flight and lead, a sudden grip of dread clawed its way through zer scales. However, zhe was no seer, so he ignored the odd feelings to indicate for the experienced warriors to take the lead. A scarred female flew up into the portal first, with all of them going one by one.

Zhe dug zer claws into the mural, zer feathers ruffling, Vielrir, without any of their agitation, flew up into the hole of the Astral Sea, disappearing with the rest.

I am Sukoalie, I am one who breaches and travels the stars by the grace of Astral Bahamut.

Zhe opened his wings in full, ready to leap into the portal.

Wherever a source key awakens, we will be there to give it more life, and return what has been drained from the outer Astral Sea.

For parasites the strange ones may be, tales of awakenings in their hearts proved a saving grace. Zer mind tickled through the incoming pain. If a hatchling could learn how to fly, could the strange ones also learn to communicate and listen to the magic still deep within their planet homes?

All the questions, torn apart by pain. Before zhe took flight, zhe dared take a look at zer scales. Black-speckled twilight, a reflection of the Astral Sea. Another breath of the world, and zhe opened zer wings, and took flight.

This universe will breathe in proper, for I am an Astral Dragon.