Hours before arriving at Trinity Stone Village ^

Blue Dragon POV

It is an early morning, around half past six o'clock and the selected dragons such as I, our riders, and selected magii users are littered around the widespread field. All chatter dies down when the familiar face of Headmaster Jackson makes his way to a make shift stage in the front of the field to assign us a village.

"Thank you all for getting up so early to get your assignments. As you know, you lot are specifically chosen to retrieve this generation of chosen one's from these villages because they have a history of breeding some of the strongest magii users and dragon riders in our community. Also, the four villages that have a choosing ceremony today have the most people in terms of population. For this reason, we will task some of you by being on standby if a village is to have more chosen ones than anticipated. With that being said, listen for your names to be called and your assigned village."

Headmaster begins rattling off names as I ask Marcus, my riding companion, a question through bond-link. Bond-link is a mental connection that is established only between a dragon and their rider. It has the same principles as mind-link, but mind-link only works between us dragons, no rider has ever been able to listen in on a dragon's mind-link conversation with another dragon. This is because dragon riders are only able to communicate with their dragon companion, nobody else's.

'What village do you want to be assigned to?' I bond-link him.

'Trinity Stone.' Marcus replies back.

'Why?' I inquire.

'For the past couple years, the ones who have been selected to retrieve chosen ones from Trinity Stone Village all rave on and on about a girl who provides them with cookies. But not just any cookies, all who have tasted them say that they are the best homemade cookies in the community.' Marcus replies with enthusiasm. I just snort, of course my rider would only be in it for the food.

My mind drifts off again as I subconsciously see my aquamarine scales glitter in the penetrating sun. Marcus grabs my attention when he whistles and begins walking towards a group of people whom I assume are assigned to travel along with us.

"Hey everyone, my name is Marcus and my dragon's name is Oceanus." My rider says.

"Hi, my name is Aiden, to my left is Joel, and to my right is Clay." Aiden introduces. Aiden is wearing both green and blue, meaning he must be very graceful and perceptive, a dual-wielder. Clay, a dark haired guy, is wearing all grey, a tell tale sign of an air wielder. Joel, a dirty-blond haired guy, is wearing all red, a fire wielder.

"Hey everyone, I am Lucas and here is my best friend, Ampiere." Lucas says.

'Nice to meet you Ampiere, I am Oceanus.' I mind link her.

'Likewise.' She replies. Ampiere must be of fire elemental decent, her unmistakeable scarlet-red scales tell me that she is purebred. I see two more guys approaching us with a larger figure behind them.

"Nice to meet you everyone. I am Justin and this is my dragon Beau." Justin greets. Beau is a fair leafy-green looking dragon who waits for his rider to finish introductions.

"And I am Alex." The dragon rider beside Justin adds. Everyone introduces themselves once again, and I notice that Beau seems somewhat anxious.

'Nervous?' I ask him. Ampiere also enters the conversation, having nothing else to do.

'If I am being honest, yes. I was supposed to do this last year, but my rider fell ill. The year before that, I did not possess enough strength to be able to make the journey. I am slightly anxious to know what a choosing ceremony is like.' He replies earnestly.

'You have nothing to worry about, these ceremonies seem to be rather boring in my opinion, but sometimes we get an interesting chosen one. For example last year, there were twin dual wielders, both possessing the others' natural elemental opposites. One had air and water, the other had nature and fire.' Ampiere tells.

'Yes, sometimes these ceremonies can be rather tedious, but it is an important task that is required of us. Nonetheless, we should be visiting a rather interesting village today.' I voice my opinion. This catches both of their attention, so I continue speaking, retelling everything Marcus told me about Trinity Stone Village to the other two dragons. At exactly 7 o'clock, the ten of us head out for Trinity Stone Village, a 5-hour journey, 4 and a half if you make good time.

The 4 and a half hour journey flys by quickly, never losing our starting pace. I am quite impressed with Ampiere and Beau keeping up, I am known to be a fast flyer. On my saddle, Marcus, Aiden, and Joel sit in a comfortable silence. Riding on Beau is his rider, Justin, along with Alex, leaving Clay and Lucas to ride Ampiere.

We fly high over the village, searching for a clearing but stop when I feel a slight pull in a different direction. I inform the other dragons of this, asking if they feel it too. Once Ampiere confirms that she feels a powerful presence, along with Beau, we decide to follow my gut. I head our group in the direction of the aura, leading our group to a stage area just large enough to fit everyone comfortably. I guess we are going to witness the ceremony rather than wait it out in a clearing like we normally would. I tell Marcus why I didn't land in a clearing and he tells the others. They all agree that we were right to follow the aura, as it is in a dragon's natural instinct to scope out the area for potential dangers.

The ceremony starts in 40 minutes, beginning at twelve-thirty in the early afternoon. Nobody really bothers us. Ampiere, Beau and I just wait in silence, lost in our own worlds as the selected seven chat about their daily doings. Just a minute before the five minute warning bell is chimed, a feminine figure approaches the stage and walks straight up to Aiden.

If she is nervous about our presence, she hides it very well, covered under a mask of confidence. The child is quite stunning actually, her plump lips casting a bright smile, showing off her pristine white teeth. It is easy to tell that this girl can care for herself. Yet, there is something about the way she acts that makes me think that there is a story behind her mask, waiting to be read by proper eyes. She has silky white hair, not a dull white that can resemble an elder's hair color, but a beautiful white that resembles an angel. Her features are very symmetrical and proportional. Her pale grey eyes can be mistaken for steel blue, twinkling in happiness. Taking a glance at her figure, she has an nice amount of muscle on her arms and seems very fit, her pale skin tone giving off an ethereal glow in the sunlight.

She exchanged words with Aiden, handing over wrapped platter of delicious smelling treats. I can smell the desserts from here. I could listen to their conversation, but I do not feel bothered to.

'COOKIES!!' Marcus yells out through bond-link. I wince at the loud noise ringing in my head. 'Sorry.' My rider mumbles in apology.

'It is fine. The female, she is quite fair, is she not?' I reply, in hopes of setting my rider up. He just laughs through bond-link.

'I am a little too old for the girl Oceanus, but thanks for the suggestion.' He continues chuckling. I just roll my eyes. Human customs are so strange. The girl walks off the stage and heads back into the crowd. The bell chimes not too long after her departure from the stage, and all of the 15 year olds begin getting into line. As the time to start to ceremony grows closer, the line expands. I sense a great amount of power coming from this village's new generation of 15 year olds. I feel a penetrating gaze looking at me and see the feminine figure at the end of the line, from before the ceremony, looking at me in curiosity. Not the type that is asking what am I capable of, no, she looks at me like she wants to know what I know. The 15 year old searches my eyes, wondering what knowledge I behold.

'This shouldn't be possible.' Ampiere mutters through mind-link. I tear my gaze away from the young girl and look at Ampiere.

'What is not possible?' I ask.

'I was beginning to get bored with all of this waiting, so I started shifting through the minds of the 15 year olds in line. I wanted to know whether or not they were nervous, what they hoped for if they were to be chosen, and what's going through their minds right now. I was quite amused with some of their thoughts until I reached the end of the line. I wasn't able to slip into her mind, the girl who gave the homemade goods to Aiden. It's like she just blocked me out, which shouldn't be possible, only trained minds at the Academy can put up mental blocks." Ampiere says in confusion.

'That is very strange. Maybe she has a strong mental capacity, but that isn't right. She shouldn't be able to block you out whether or not she has the strength for it because she has not been trained, as you said.' I conclude.

'Maybe I can try and enter her mind when she gets closer to the stage, it should be easier to access it then.' Beau suggests.

'We can try that." I say.

'Yes, I want to know if it was just me or if she can truly block me out.' Ampiere states.

"Greetings- " Aiden begins his practiced speech. I tune it out for the most part, just eyeing the enormous crowd. Aiden finishes his speech, and the ceremony commences when Marcus shouts aloud.

"Let's begin!" The crowd applauses and the first kid in line makes his way to the stage. When he places his hands on the stone, nothing happens. The 15 year old boy walks off the stage in disappointment and sadness. Seeing the faces of children whose dreams have been crushed is my least favorite part of the choosing day. More kids go up to the universi di scitis stone with no glow in response, they all walk off the stage, joining the crowd of their fellow villagers. It isn't until one brunette boy walks up to the stage and places his hands on the stone. For a split second nothing happens, then the stone glows red. A fire wielder. Joel looks at the boy in newfound excitement while Aiden announces his status to the crowd, the first 15 year old has been chosen. The crowd never losing its excitement, the ceremony continues, and majority of the young one's in line are human, yet the chosen ones begin to grow in number as well.

'Marcus, I am going to mind-link Star back at the Academy. I can sense that we will have a large, powerful batch of kids to take home. We need more dragons, some to carry luggage, the others to bring the kids.' I tell my rider. He agrees with me and returns his attention back to the ceremony. I mind-link Star, Headmaster Jackson's dragon, telling her to send more dragons. She asks me to predict how many chosen ones Trinity Stone village has, and I tell her my honest opinion. My specific species of dragons are able to wield/form water and predict ones power as they grow and train at the Academy. I am one of the more consistent dragons of my species to predict correct.

'I can roughly say a good 30-32 chosen ones are expected to come back to the Academy with us.' I honestly say.

'Wow! That's the most any village has ever bore. I will send six more dragons immediately to aid with retrieval.' Star responds.

'Thank you Star.' I say, closing the link. A couple more magic wielders are chosen, when a dark-toned boy walks up to the stage. He is oblivious to it now, but he will be very powerful in the future based on his pre-awoken power state. A pre-awoken power state is the power level one has before they touch the universi di scitis stone. The reason for this is because when chosen ones touch the stone, the power they have inside them is awoken, which is why the stone glows. They don't have the capability to access their powers until their first few days at the Academy. As an example, if a nature wielder is weaker, it may take him till the end of the weak to be able to use his abilities, if he is stronger, he may be able to access them the first day of lessons.

The 15 year old touches the stone and it glows bright, brighter than most other chosen ones, symbolizing that he will be powerful in the future. What makes him different, and the reason I can tell he is more powerful than some, is because the stone is glowing two bright colors. This young one is a dual wielder of both air and water, similar to Aiden. The crowd gasps, it is not too often that someone is chosen as a dual wielder.

The silence is broken by the girl at the end of the line wildly cheering. The boy on stage looks to her and smiles a relieved and awe-stricken grin. Maybe the two know each other, but this shakes the crowd from their trance and cheers uproar. The villagers are shouting praise, I hear many different voices chanting his name. When the cheers die down, Aiden announces his status and the cheers pick up once again. After this, the ceremony continues on as before. So far, there are 26 chosen ones and nine people remain in line.

No females have been chosen, which is to be expected. There are four girls in front of the line, four boys behind them, then the curiosity stricken girl. Each of the girls saunter up to the stage in a snobbish way and touch the stone cockily. When nothing happens, their faces fall a bit, but seem like they couldn't care less.

'Beau, try and see if you can get into her mind now.' I remind him.

'Alright.' Beau says. A minute passes. 'I can't enter, it's almost as if her mind is impenetrable.' He huffs frustrated. This is extremely abnormal. I am also unable to read her pre-awoken state. She must be so powerful that her power is subconsciously protecting her from any threats. I am very curious to know her status now, even more so than before.

Next up are the boys, one by one they step up to the stone. I realize now that two of the boys are twins. The first boy walks to the stages and puts his hands on the stone, it glows purple. A dragon rider. I love seeing the excitement displayed on kids faces when they realize they will get a dragon companion. One of the twins repeat the first boy's actions, and is chosen to be a dragon rider as well. The other twin also receives dragon riding. I look over to Marcus and the other dragon riders, they all clap with such enthusiasm, excited to be able to teach more students. The last boy of the group walks up to the stage, and I can tell he has a bigger build than the other 15 year olds with some muscle on him. He puts his hands on the stone and it glows red. A fire wielder. Now, last in line is the girl who has seemed to catch everyone's attention.

She gracefully walks up to the stage, not like the other girls her age. I look around the crowd and see many people intently watching her. The magii users of the village standing to the side of the stage, where the chosen ones are, share knowing smiles. Female elders of the village all wear encouraging smiles. Lots of the stronger looking male elders, most likely the seasoned village warriors, all look somewhat proud to see the girl on stage. For everyone else, the crowd wore indifferent faces unless the 15 year old was apart of their family. But for her, it seems that most of her village supports her and her ambitions, whatever they may be.

The 15 year old walks up to the stone and pauses for a split second before placing her hands over the universi di scitis stone. The crowd is tense, waiting for an answer to the unasked question. A few seconds pass before the brightest glow yet shines from the stone. The glowing color the only one given to those chosen from the gods, gold. Everyone looks at the girl in awe, us dragons, the magii users, dragon riders, everybody.

She looks up at Aiden and shares a secretive glance. Aiden somehow comprehends what she is asking for, walking off to retrieve something, before returning with the Stone of the Blessed. I guess she was trying to ask Aiden if he could get the stone, just to be sure. This stone given to us by the gods and only glows for those who truly posses the power to wield an element and ride a dragon. In short, we will all find out today if the all knowing stone has made a mistake.

"Imperium." The girl says.

'Why did she just say "power" in Latin?' Beau asks.

"What is imperium?" My rider questions. I roll my eyes, of course it would be my riding companion who does not know Latin, the traditional dragon language. The girl looks around sheepishly, as if realizing she has done wrong.

"I named this material imperium because I did not know what it was at first. I saw it about to be trashed in my village's blacksmith shop, and I felt this overwhelming aura of power coming from it. Thus, imperium, the literal translation of the word power in Latin." The girl responds. I look at her with utmost respect, she not only embraces the traditional Latin language, she is fairly intelligent with her reasoning.

If I did not know of the Blessed Stone's history, what she said would be the best possible conclusion of what to call the substance, especially if it is as unknown as it was to her. I see that I am not the only dragon who respects this young girl, both Ampiere and Beau have come to the same conclusion as I.

"Interesting." Marcus wisely says, hint* hint* sarcasm.

'Really? Interesting?' I say through bond-link.

'It was the first thing that came to mind.' My not-so-intelligent rider tried to defend. I love my companion and all, but for a 36 year old, he can be quite dull.

The girl puts her hands on the Blessed Stone in intense concentration. I don't understand what she is doing until I can feel her miraculously flowing her energy into the stone. Many students at the Academy do not learn how to energy transfer until the second term of year 1. I am astounded at what she is capable of, there is no doubt that she will impact the magii community one way or another. If I was shocked before, there are no words to describe how I feel when I see the stone glow all four colors.

She can wield all elements. Ampiere and Beau are voicing their opinions via mind-link, my rider along with everyone else on stage is shell shocked. The crowd cheers in an uproar, the utmost praise will be given to this village as soon as the news reaches the Academy, which will definently reach the Elders. I am just absorbing everything in bits.

1) She is the first ever female dragon rider.

2) She is the first chosen female to wield two elements.

3) She is the first person ever to wield all of the elements.

4) She has a knowledgeable vocabulary of Latin.

5) She is the first ever person to wield more than one element and be a dragon rider.

Goddess so help this delicate girl, for I fear that she will be in harm's way very soon.

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