Chapter Text
Space, the final frontier, these are the voyages of Elvyz. His continuing mission, to boldly fail at stuff no man has managed to fail before.
This should roughly summarize my life and current situation. And yes, the name unfortunately was truly Elvyz.
As for the space part, floating in space was the closest thing that could describe my current whereabouts. An endless expanse of darkness, only illuminated by an ocean of star like speckles in every direction I could gaze at. No noise, no sense of weight, gravity or indication for up and down. You know the saying. If it looks like space, feels like space and tastes like space, surely it must be space.
If it wasn't clear enough already, I have absolutely no idea where I am and probably not even when I am with nothing for me to grasp on. Perhaps this is the place where a man goes, after boldly failing in life.
What do I know? It was January, Monday morning, freezing cold, or it was at least freezing cold before I got here. I was delivered here right from my usual commute. The frigid air, far below freezing point was cutting at my skin until it all ended with the last thing that would ever happen to me. A sporty four-ton truck running me over. So the best assumption must be that this is…death?
Apparently, that was the effect. The cause, apart from the truck was me only a few seconds ago, crossing the street and putting on my best impression of peak human multitasking. My eyes were glued to my phone, fingers all stiff from the cold and a headlight that was green. Though for which party crossing the street could've been topic of an argument, until I got a taste of the hood of said pickup truck.
That little kiss with the grill must've sent me into this black void, lit only by the previously mentioned distant specks of light I surrounding the place where I now floated. Only the weightless expanse and a chill temperature, perfectly suited for storing my consciousness, or a decent bottle of Moët. How I was able to feel cold at all without a physical body I do not know.
What was I even reading in the comment section I've been scrolling through while crossing?
No idea.
Was it worth dying for?
…maybe.
What would I miss? My job? Definitely not. Even though I had sacrificed years of my life crawling from degree to degree, intern to junior and died somewhere on my endless ranked match up the ladder. After finally landing in a somewhat comfortable office job recently.
Friends? I haven't interacted with them much after graduation… so another maybe? Though to be fair, having someone to talk with would be highly appreciated right now.
My parents?
Those abusive pieces of s…something, who saw nothing but an unfortunate accident in me? Absolutely not. It took me way too long to process my childhood without proper therapy. Huh, years of waiting for my therapy slot just wasted. Maybe the guy next on the list will be happy to get his spot faster.
I'm pretty sure I'd never forgive them for naming me Elvyz, either. After all these years it was only recently, I started to somewhat accept it. If that name was a stroke of their own genius, or an inspiration by the edgiest Elvis impersonator to officiate their marriage in Vegas, I do not know.
Honestly, the only thing I'd probably miss was my Steam library and listening to my playlist. Never being able to listen to my favorite songs does sound very depressing. Things that I would appreciate right now, my friends and music.
At least that short list made saying my final goodbye easier. Speaking of goodbye, how long is this going to take, exactly?
Over time, even this peaceful place could turn into my personal, psychological torture chamber if all that truly was for eternity. My own Jaunt. Hell, but with mind torture instead of a rather tasteless BBQ.
Interesting enough was the sensation of the chilly atmosphere of this place mentioned earlier. While cold used to feel like the previously mentioned skin-biting agony before I was hit, now it sank into me, deep and oddly pleasant. Though I was still worried about the eternity part.
Do I have to find my inner peace? In my current situation? Absolutely not. As for my life, there was an enormous sense of everything needlessly wasted and thrown away. Not necessarily in the moment of my demise, but of the things I always dreamed of and would never accomplish. It was somewhat sad that I would just shrug all these years off like that. I could think of deluding myself with the idea that most people tend to spend their lives by missing countless opportunities, hoping to fulfill their dreams another day, till the chance of another day would be taken away unexpectedly. Being it by force or not.
So where was my tunnel with the light at the end?
A montage of the greatest hits of my life?
My top five cringe moments you won't believe?
Well, at least I wouldn't have to relive that horror reel. And with that, even though I skimmed through all of them, my mind fell on the final stage, reluctant acceptance. The sudden tiredness was overwhelming my rambling mind, sleep seemed very enticing right now. Did I make it? The stars around me started to dim till one after another faded away.
So… eternal sleep inside something that was the equivalent of a black hole then?
I could live with that. Or… you know... Not live with it.
Accepting that, I drifted off in a reluctant peace, embracing my final, eternal slumber.
What I didn't expect was waking up again. To my dismay, I was still floating in utter darkness.
Clack, Clack, Clack!
That loud clacking tore through the silence, seeming to come from every direction at once. What was that noise? It was so loud and powerful, as if a god was knocking on the walls of my perceivable world. Was Thor smashing his hammer against the walls of my universe?
My body… I assumed having one again judging by the physical feeling of occasional touch around my body, was still suspended in that pleasantly cool expanse. Though now it was like drifting in the depths of the ocean, a deep bluish hue had begun to permeate the darkness around me. There was still no indication for up or down. Left or right remained a similarly alien concept, my mind swaying with a faint dizziness.
How much time had passed since I drifted off? Did time even carry any meaning here?
Something brushed softly against my backagain, sending shivers rippling down my spine. Spine and back, this time my physical form felt surprisingly, undeniably real.
A low hum vibrated through the void, and with it came a subtle rocking motion, swaying my body in a slow, gentle rhythm. The humming climbed in pitch and unfurled into a melody, rich and resonant. I couldn't make out any words, yet it felt as though some vast, almighty presence was singing a deep, reverberating song that made my entire surroundings tremble softly in response. It was one of the most beautiful things I had ever experienced. Visions drifted through my mind. Frozen wastelands stretching to the horizon. Barren tundras blanketed in snowy silence. A towering ice palace catching a pale light, and silvery, winged shapes gliding effortlessly through a clear sky.
Only gradually did the song grow quieter, fading like the last note of a lullaby. It was shortly after that I surrendered to the most peaceful sleep I had ever known.
Over a long span of time I couldn't measure in any way, my hazy mind resurfaced and submerged again and again. My surrounding shell shifted and rolled on occasion, accompanied by soft, distant rumbling. But never again did that sweet, haunting melody return. The one that had shown me a dreamy winter-wonderland and filled my chest with something dangerously close to warmth and safety. Whatever vast creature cradled me in the dark, it had sung me to sleep once, and that single memory was enough to make the silence feel almost tender rather than lonely.
Despite everything pointing against it, I had almost convinced myself this would be my eternity: a dreamlike drift through half-sensed sensations, rocked in unseen claws with no expectation of an ending.
I was wrong. I was always wrong.
At least in this one assumption I surely had to be right?
The increasing pressure against my now undeniably physical body erased any remaining doubt when I woke for the final time. This was no longer the weightless, floating peace I had experienced right after the crash. It was something far more immediate and claustrophobic, the walls of my small world pressing inward from every side.
Something was wedged firmly against my back, sandwiched between my body and the curved shell wall, and the confinement was no longer content to let me drift back into unconsciousness. So much for my peaceful little reprieve from existence.
The safe, cocoon-like comfort of my enclosure curdled rapidly into claustrophobic panic, the constraints tightening against my form from all directions at once. Worse still was the sudden, sharp awareness of missing air. Lungs that apparently existed now and very much wanted to be used. Bucking instinctively, I shoved against the walls surrounding me. At first, nothing happened.
What did I expect anyway?
Curling my back, I threw my weight against the shell again, harder this time. Something began to audibly crack.
Oh shit.
Was I inside an egg? Was this reincarnation? Was I about to be reborn as a chicken, my fate already sealed as a dinosaur-shaped nugget? A cosmic punishment for squandering my previous life so spectacularly?
But when I shoved again, I felt the resistance yield under what were unmistakably hands. Hands, thank God. A small wave of relief cut through the panic.
Okay. Not a chicken. But then… what?
A volatile cocktail of excitement and dread fizzed up inside me as I punched and clawed…
Claws! Okay not entirely hands, but close enough.
I continued clawing at the interior walls, breaking them apart piece by jagged piece. If I had to be some strange creature, at least let it be something respectable. Something with a degree of dignity. I wasn't asking for much.
A chunk of shell gave way. Dim light bled through the gap, and the outside world crept into reach.
Forget dignity. Air and freedom were the only things my racing mind had room for. Another section crumbled as I tore through a thick and resilient membrane separating my cramped little world from the vastness beyond.
Then light assaulted my eyes. Brilliant, blinding, merciless light. I squeezed my eyes shut. Cold, fresh air rushed into my lungs with my first real breath in this new life. As my eyes slowly adjusted to the levels of light, I opened them again and became immediately aware of something peculiar. A soft, tickling sensation sweeping across them with every attempt of shutting and closing my eyes.
Blinking experimentally, I felt a thin secondary membrane slide from the rear of my eye socket toward the front, sealing it shut like a semitransparent curtain drawn across a window, before another dark one, shut them from the top down.
Very weird….and fascinating.
I was so thoroughly captivated by this new ability that the entire outside world ceased to exist for a full minute. With some trial and error, I discovered I could operate both membranes independently. Eventually, satisfied with my ocular experimentation, I finally decided to look up. My head had been pointed toward the ground so far, which, unimpressively, appeared to be a thick layer of trampled snow.
On the other hand… or paw… aren't eggs supposed to be kept warm?
The gaze upwards revealed my surroundings, but also highlighted a white, scaly muzzle occupying the lower center of my severely widened field of view as a blurred, pale blob I thought to be part of the snow floor before.
Some type of reptile, for sure. Not that my knowledge of reptilian species was anything to write home about. Strangely I don't feel cold at all. Do snow lizards exist?
Focusing back on my environment, I recognized I was inside some kind of cavern, or more accurately, an igloo, considering every wall was composed of purposefully carved, blue ice and compacted clean snow, forming a large dome. Unlike any icy cave or igloo I had encountered in depictions before however, these walls were beautifully crafted. Not your average stacked blocks, but evenly sized, well-fitted bricks adorned with intricate carvings of draconic figures and strange, repeating symbols on every surface.
Whatever built this place was civilized enough. The question was whether whatever species I belonged to had created them. And if they were intelligent enough for that… did they also suffer through soul-crushing nine to five jobs?
Returning to the subject of my own species, I was still reluctant to find out what creature I had become. The idea of retreating back into the egg and never finding out seemed very appealing.
Knowing it was impossible and feeling the primal urge to escape my confinement regardless, I started pushing myself free with considerable effort. The entire structure of the shell crumbling as my body left it hollow. Wet scales slid out easily, my form coated in the disgustingly slick residue typical of an egg. My trembling, unsteady legs allowed me to wobble a little further from the wreckage.
Looking down and stretching my arms, I was greeted by white-silvery scales covering a pair of front legs ending in curved claws, confirming I was some variety of quadrupedal lizard. I sighed inwardly at the confirmation. This also explained the strange, dragging sensation behind me. The weird sensation of my extended spine… which had to be my tail. Okay, no panic, no freaking out. Slow, steady breaths. Focus on your breathing. I was barely able to keep myself from freaking out.
Not the most promising start, although these forepaws bore a resemblance to something almost hand-like, five digits on each, one bearing a passing likeness to a thumb.
My gaze drifted toward what appeared to be an arched opening at the far end of the chamber. It was enormous, suggesting the architects themselves were of considerable stature. Though it was equally possible that wasn't a doorway at all, but a gate built to a grander scale entirely. Once more, a sensation from my unfamiliar body tried pulling my attention away. Something wet and leathery pressed against my back, sending a shiver rippling down the full length of my spine, tail included.
The chamber was lit only by floating, melon-shaped orbs glowing with a soft, pale light, drifting lazily like tiny captive moons.
What is this sorcery-
"Screeee!"
I froze.
"Squawk?"
My eyes shifted slowly to the left. Very slowly. The sight that greeted me nearly reduced my entire body to slush. Sitting roughly four body lengths away was obviously a dragon hatchling, its enormous blue eyes locked onto me with unbridled fascination. If it normally had slitted pupils, they were currently as wide and round as the floating moons. Stubby miniature spikes protruded from its neck, the ridge of its head and along its tail. Its body was roughly my size, covered in the same white scales that gradually shifted into a softer blue hue.
My eyes went likely as wide as its own.
A dragon. It was a dragon. Which meant that I was a dragon.
The hatchling chirped with delight and stumbled closer until our noses nearly touched, eyes still fixed on one another. A wave of distinctly fishy breath hit me and I wrinkled my snout with a scowl. Something about its appearance nagged at the back of my mind as familiar, though I couldn't quite place it. Shaking the thought off, my mind shifted to more pressing questions.
Are we siblings? Hatchmates? Broodmates? I can't even tell if it is female or male. Where are our parents?
The thought was cut short by a sweet purr. The hatchling was purring. Something out of my control rose up in response, and I found myself purring back. Our noses touched. Our eyes closed. Something beyond my understanding made clear what my slow mind was unable to comprehend yet.
Brother.
Eventually the purring subsided. When my eyes opened, his wide ones were already fixed on me once more with intense focus. I suppose I had a brother now. But how did hatchlings behave? I genuinely hoped rivalry and fighting weren't going to be a recurring theme.
His nose bumped against me. I blinked. He bumped his snout again. I wished I could read his expression, but I was completely at a loss as to what to make of it, when he squealed and lunged at me without warning, tail wagging with the unbridled enthusiasm of a puppy. This time it was my turn to squeal, though mine sounded considerably more distressed. He was shifting on top of my back, his tiny paws slipping around.
Aaaah, stop! Stop it! What on earth are you doing you living ice cone!
My legs buckled under the sudden weight on my back and I flopped belly-first onto the snowy floor. The commotion on top of me stilled almost immediately, replaced by a deeply satisfied croon. A white tail dangled lazily across my snout while its owner settled comfortably somewhere along my neck. My own tail twitched in annoyance beneath his snout as I attempted to heave myself upright, but my feeble limbs were entirely incapable of dislodging him. If anything, my still-wet scales offered more resistance than my muscles did, sending his paws skidding occasionally across my back.
Disgusting.
Not only did the creature have the audacity to use me as bedding, but even as I struggled in protest, he had the further audacity to begin purring in smug satisfaction. I sighed, hoping that particular habit wasn't going to become a defining feature of my new life.
It doesn't feel too bad though. It feels kind of nice actually. Like having an overgrown, cuddly cat on your back. How could I resist this level of cuteness?
The body on top of me went rigid. My own followed a heartbeat later, as we both stilled and listened to the distant echo of clicks against a hard surface approaching. They had to be footsteps reverberating from the entrance. My head turned toward the sound, and I assumed his did too. Frantic thoughts cascaded through my rattled mind, stubby claws curling anxiously into the soft floor.
Please be parents. Please be happy parents. Wonderfully, delightfully happy parents who are thrilled beyond measure to meet their children.
I let out a strangled squeak as two enormous dragons came into view, their heads alone as large as my entire body, moving with unhurried, strides into the chamber. Both bore shimmering white scales and aggressive, icicle-like spikes running along their necks, backs and tails. The very same spikes that were currently mere nubs on me and my brother.
Something clicked in my mind as the two giants came to a stop side by side, their gazes settling on the undignified tableau of me pinned beneath my brother, who showed absolutely no intention of moving. They look like… oh. IceWings. They look exactly like IceWings. Realistic, dangerous murder IceWings, but still IceWings.
Standing before me in the flesh, they bore almost no resemblance to the civilized, sometimes even cute creatures the illustrations made them out to be.
Was I actually inside this world? Why couldn't they look as goofy as they did in the graphic novels? Why did they have to look like they were seriously considering ripping my head off and mounting it on one of those spikes? And why was my brain thinking that?
Both had their heads adorned with what appeared to be small, silvery crowns nestled between their horns and wore necklaces with silver rings around their necks. One circle on the larger one, two on the smaller. Though the size difference was perhaps only half a head. Royals, or at least palace nobles of some standing. I was never particularly well-versed in the fashion conventions of important figures, fictional or otherwise. Though right now, fictional felt dangerously real for what I was looking at. if first circle was possible for nobles, what about tiny crowns?
The left dragon, broke the silence with a low growl directed at its companion. The smaller one answered with a rapid series of clicks and hisses, which the larger countered in turn.
To my immense disappointment, I realized these dragons apparently had a language. That part wasn't surprising, they did in the books but what genuinely frustrated me was that I couldn't make any sense of it whatsoever. It was just animalistic dragon noises. I groaned inwardly. Why does everything have to be so complicated? They are fantasy dragons, for god's sake. Just magic their language into something I can understand. Give me a primal instinct, a gut feeling, anything!
I couldn't determine their gender, read their expressions, or understand a single syllable they exchanged. Was that a hatchling limitation, or just a me problem?
"Screee!"
Apparently he had observed enough and now wanted to investigate. The hatchling on top of me scrambled upright, planting a rear foot squarely on my head in the process.
Watch it, you oversized lizard!
The two dragons fell silent, their sharp eyes shifting back to us. My brother trotted happily toward them and sat down like an eager dog, letting out an adorable warbling sound, its tail thrashing in the snow. Their eyes remained unreadable, though perhaps that was simply what peak loving parental pride looked like on an IceWing.
The smaller one stepped forward, sniffed my brother thoroughly, gave him a single lick, then shoved him firmly aside. My brother stumbled towards the larger dragon with a startled yelp, clearly unprepared for the abrupt dismissal. Then the larger dragon quickly reached down and grabbed him by the scruff of his neck. Swiveling its head with the fluid grace of a swan, it deposited him neatly between its shoulders.
It was only then that I noticed the bigger dragon that just picked up my brother wore another necklace of sorts underneath its circle piece. The white shapes nearly hidden by the nonexistent contrast of its white scales. A crude, piece of jewelry strung with what I could only assume were teeth. Dragon teeth, most likely given the scale and shape of them matching their own. Something deep inside my head began to scream. The slightly smaller dragon turned and stepped toward me.
Please don't shove me like that?
A pathetic squeak escaped my muzzle as it leaned down, cold slitted eyes level with mine. Without warning it bared its teeth in a vicious snarl and delivered a sharp slap that sent me skidding two body lengths sideways with a shocked screech.
You know what? Just shove me like that next time.
I was seeing stars when a loud chirp of concern rang out from somewhere behind the larger dragon's neck, which was quickly silenced. Two white forepaws landed heavily in front of my nose. What did I do to deserve that?
A close hiss from the dragon followed, then its jaws parted directly above my neck.
Oh god please don't! I do everything, please please, just please!
Pathetic, pleading squeals spilled from my draconic muzzle without a shred of dignity. But the killing blow never came. Instead the jaws closed softly, teeth gripping the scruff of my neck with surprising gentleness, lifting me clear off the ground with a low growl. My panic ebbed slowly. Strangely, it didn't hurt at all, even as the dragon turned and began moving.
Can I have a ride too?
My tiny legs flailed for a moment before curling up instinctively as the dragons made their way out of the chamber and through a labyrinth of corridors, the floors bare and silent around us, only reflecting the sound of their clicking claws, as the flooring shifted from soft snow into hardened ice. It nagged at me that I hadn't received the same treatment as my brother. He got to ride a dragon. I dangled like prey. I shot a sullen look up at the underside of my carrier's jaw.
You know what? Rough start aside, maybe this is just how IceWings show affection. You're the rude tribe after all. But perhaps, for once in my existence, I've ended up with parents who might eventually, in their own deeply unconventional way, actually want me.
The howl of wind grew steadily louder as we moved. The teeth on the larger dragon's necklace began to click and rattle against the silver circle above it at the invading gusts. And that was when the screaming inside my head finally broke through.
A presumably royal IceWing of first and second circle. A necklace made of dragon teeth. An aggressively rude mate. Why does this feel so familiar? Why was this…-oh no. Oh no please don't do this to me! Not Tundra and Narwhal! For fucks sake no!
The howl of the wind intensified as we reached the wide entrance. A fierce snowstorm raged beyond it, the world outside reduced to a churning blur of white.
Can we not simply wait it out in these comparatively cozy hallways?
I was also surprised I hadn't encountered a single other IceWing so far. If this was the royal hatchery, why was nobody guarding it? The larger dragon, who I was now fairly convinced was Tundra, delivered one final series of hisses and clicks towards who i assumed to be Narwhal. Then she leapt without hesitation into the howling storm. My tiny talons started shaking at the idea of following the two dragons. I really wanted to insist on staying inside. But how could I convince Narwhal in any way?
What if I said please? With extra sugar on top? Actually…I don't think IceWings have sugar.
Narwhal tensed above me, broke into a short galloping run, and launched himself into the maelstrom a few moments after her.
Sudden bursts of wind struck from every direction and at random intervals, wrenching at me with no warning. How my father -still a deeply strange concept to sit with- managed to hold any course at all was a mystery I couldn't begin to unravel. I couldn't see further than my own outstretched claws. The second membrane slid shut instinctively, shielding my eyes from the assault of snow and wind, while still allowing me to see... absolutely nothing in this mess. Only my hearing remained reliably useful, catching the shriek of the wind and the powerful, rhythmic beats of Narwhal's wings cutting through it.
Unable to do anything but flinch in slight pain or shock at the sudden twists pulls, I entertained my mind with something else. Perhaps I was mistaken. A dragon tooth necklace wasn't exactly a rare or defining accessory, was it? Surely any number of royal IceWings throughout the long history of this universe could have fit that particular description. And as far as established canon went, Winter, Icicle and Hailstorm had all hatched separately from one another. There was simply no way I could slot myself into all of that…probably.