Astrico. A place of magic, wonder and joy. A place where two souls are bound and connected on a spiritual level. Where two souls become one. But it wasn’t always like that. There was a time, long ago where Astrico was experiencing nothing but death and despair. Uraison, a bigger, more advanced country decided they wanted what Astrico didn’t even know they had. The Prismalith. There is a cave that houses a large crystal wall that acts as a bridge between Astrico and the Realm of the Ajaiyi. The Ajaiyi are powerful and intelligent creatures that have a society of their own. Uraison, being more technologically advanced, discovered an energy reading like no other coming from deep within Astrico’s borders. Although they don’t know what is causing this energy reading, they know they want it. So, they attack.

  As the years go on, the population of Astrico starts to decline. Smaller towns are being ransacked as a way of forcing the King’s hand. But he refuses to surrender. The forces of Uraison grow closer to the Capital each day. The citizens start getting angry with the King, they want this war to end before it’s on their doorstep, believing if they just surrendered then Uraison may just let them live. But the King is stubborn and wants to remain in his seat of power. His captain of the guard, Napari, a tall dark woman with many braids that are in a constant updo fashion, is not as stupid. She knows in a head on fight with Uraison they will lose. She starts doing research, desperate to find anything that can help her people fight. While in the archives she finds a strange scroll that is somehow clean and remains unopened with a wax seal. The scroll talks about a cave system deep in the Menway Woods, that has a crystal wall that can connect an Ajaiyi with a Veisha, being bonded forever. Once you become a Veisha, you and your Ajaiyi will grow stronger than by any natural means. Napari has no idea what an Ajaiyi or Veisha is, but she knows this could be the key to stopping the war. She needs to find this cave and get an Ajaiyi. She silently wonders to herself how the archivists could miss something like this. They were supposed to know everything that was on these shelves. But she had a bigger problem to worry about, she would have to investigate this later. She decides to go to the King about this and talk to him about creating a search party to look for this cave. He obviously declines and calls her childish for believing in something like this fairy tale. So, she tells him she will look for it herself. He lets her, thinking that with her deep in the forest, he can get his army ready for battle, as she has always managed to stop him from attacking head on.

  A week goes by while she is in the forest, and she starts to lose hope that maybe that’s all this scroll was, a fairy tale. While she sleeps on the seventh night, she dreams of the Prismalith. She sees a light blue crystalline wall, but when she looks at it, she doesn’t see her reflection. She sees a large reptilian figure standing on four legs. She notices there’s large wings coming out of its back. She’s never seen anything like this, thing, before. When she wakes there’s a little gold flame hovering in front of her face. At first, she is startled, but as she focuses on it she notices a little face and arms. It chirps in delight that she woke up and starts to bounce away. When this gold wisp notices she isn’t following it comes back over and grabs her by the scarf around her neck and starts to pull her to her feet and attempts to guide her through the forest. Napari notices how the little creature doesn’t emit heat, and it isn’t burning her scarf. She then remembers her dream, and a newfound determination to find this cave surges in her. She has no idea how to continue this search but this whisp is desperate to get her to follow, so it’s a start. She follows the bouncy little flame until she comes across a large cut in the earth. The ground slopes downward, easy enough for her to walk on without tumbling into who knows what. She enters, and she is now more grateful to have this wisp with her since it is now her only light source in this large tunnel. After what felt like an hour, but it was only about fifteen minutes, and one final turn she reaches what she’s been praying she would find. A large crystal wall, that gives off a light blue glow. It’s the Prismalith. It’s larger and brighter than anything she imagined. The wisp comes up to her and grabs her wrist, bringing her to the wall, pressing her hand to it. Almost instantly her vision goes black.

  When she opens her eyes again, she is in a white void. She starts to wonder if this was the wrong decision. She has no idea what these Ajaiyi are capable of and if they would even want to help her and her people. Suddenly a voice is in her head, asking why she has come here. Although Napari sees no one, she isn’t afraid. This voice is feminine, regal, and has no hint of aggression. Napari tells this voice that her people are in danger, and their fool of a King will get them all killed before they have a real chance to fight back. She says she has come to find the Ajaiyi and ask for their help. The voice responds, asking why the Ajaiyi should help her and her people, for it is not their war. Napari starts to falter, she worries her response will seal her people’s fate. But she responds with the truth; she read of the bond between Ajaiyi and Veisha. She wants to become a Veisha and hopefully help some of her people become Veisha so they may win this fight and stop blood from being painted across the land. The being behind the voice respects Napari for telling the truth, that she is seeking power, but it’s the power to protect not destroy. With that, the Ajaiyi seals her bond with Napari.

  After a few quiet moments, Napari hears a heavy, leathery beat in the distance, as it gets closer it sounds like wings. When she turns around, the large reptilian figure she saw in her dream has landed and is now standing in front of her. Its scales are a soft blue, four horns on each side coming out of the back on its head. She notices smaller spines going down its thick neck in three rows, getting smaller as they go towards its back. Napari is intimidated but not scared, even though she is about the length of this creature’s forearm. She knows those talons and teeth could rip her to shreds, but when her gaze makes it to the creatures’ silver eyes, time freezes. Her and this creature are now surrounded by stars. A feeling of joy flows through her, she feels like she has found her best friend, her other half, even though she has never met this being. Napari asks this creature what she is. The voice she heard from earlier returns, saying she is a Dragon, and she is exactly what Napari has been looking for, an Ajaiyi. Napari notices her mouth does not move when she speaks. This Dragon, knowing her thoughts, responds saying that most Ajaiyi lips do not move when talking, that most don’t communicate through the mind, though they have the ability to do so. They both start to close their eyes as the world starts to fade. Napari quickly asks the Dragon her name. She responds with one word, Laku.

  When Napari opens her eyes again, she notices she is still facing the Prismalith. When she turns around Laku is now standing behind her. She reaches out and gently strokes Laku’s lowered muzzle. The air feels heavier than it was when Napari first entered the cave. She asks Laku what this could be, she tells her it’s magic, and it’s incredibly strong in this moment due to the Prismalith being opened for the first time. Napari then smiles and tells Laku that they should go get the others. Laku stops Napari, telling her before they bring others, they must create something. Something that only they can create in this moment. The magic from the Realm of the Ajaiyi has been unleashed for the first time and it’s slowly dispersing into the earth around them. Laku’s magic is at its peak, and she knows what they must do. Laku tells Napari to set the sword she brought with her in front of the Prismalith. Laku’s chest starts to glow, it slowly rises up her neck, and when it reaches her head, her eyes start to glow white, and she unleashes her fire on the sword. She holds it until she is sure the magic has worked. When she is done, Napari stares at the sword that looks much different than before. The broad sword now has a subtle blue glow to the blade. The hilt is a bright gold, the grip wrapped with a dark leather, and the pommel has a large sapphire imbedded in the gold. Napari goes to pick up the sword and when her hand makes contact with the handle, it was cool to the touch. Laku tells her that this is the Sword of Valor, it was created from using her flame and the magic from the Realm of the Ajaiyi. Napari then notices that the air does not seem as thick as it was when Laku first appeared. She has used her fire to infuse the new sword with magic. Napari looks at the Dragon and places the sword on her back, ready to save her people.

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  Laku lays down to allow her Veisha to climb onto her back, settling in front of her wings. Laku takes them out of the cave and once they reach the surface, she tells Napari to hold onto something and leaps into the air. Napari grabs onto the spines on her neck and holds on tightly as Laku flies for the Capital. Napari tells Laku to land in the training grounds and as she does all eyes are on her. Napari explains everything to the soldiers, from the scroll she found to Laku forging the blade she holds in her hand. Napari tells them they need to venture to the Prismalith and get Ajaiyi of their own. Everyone is skeptical at first, but Napari explains that this bond she now shares with Laku is unlike anything she’s ever experienced. It’s like a piece she never knew was missing has been found. Trusting their captain, 10 of her most trusted soldiers decide to follow her. She brings them to the Prismalith and they too bond with an Ajaiyi. These soldiers’ bond with various creatures that none of them have ever seen. But no one bonds another Dragon. Once they return to the Capital, Napari tells Laku to wait in the yard while she gets the King.

  Napari then goes to the King telling him what she has discovered and brings him to the training yard. When he sees all the Ajaiyi he is in awe and sees his victory nearing. Napari and the other soldiers spend the next few months training with their Ajaiyi waiting for the inevitable attack on the Capital. Laku also teaches Napari the magic that resides in the sword. Since humans can’t wield magic, this sword will do it for her. The attack does come, and they are ready. Uraison launches a ground assault on Astrico and is unprepared for the Ajaiyi that have come into this world. Napari and Laku unleash fire and beams of light on the opposing forces, and eventually they defeat the Uraison army. With the help of the Ajaiyi they rebuild Astrico, and those with larger Ajaiyi are sent to the smaller isolated towns for assistance. With the discovery of the Prismalith, the King has decided it’s time for all of his people to try and become a Veisha.

  As time passes, it’s discovered when an Ajaiyi comes forward, they will be the same age as their potential Veisha and therefore once a child turns 10 they will travel to the Prismalith and attempt to bond. The more time a Veisha has with their Ajaiyi, the stronger their bond will be. Unfortunately, not everyone is able to bond. Not every Ajaiyi that comes to the Prismalith accepts the answer that comes from the potential Veisha, for if they lie, hide or hesitate with their answer, they will not be fit for a bond. In the meantime, Napari has been given a new title, Diadom. A title granted by the Ajaiyi Elders. Laku had known why Napari came to the Prismalith. The Elders had a vision of what was to come and sent Laku to meet her at the gate. Only after the war was, she able to teach her Veisha the powers of the sword and the wonders of her home.

  The following years, Astrico grew bigger and more powerful. Better technology was created and Astrico slowly started to emerge into a new age. Seeing Ajaiyi became normal, and they were easily integrated into everyone’s lives. Then one day, something incredible happened. A boy bonded a red Dragon. Napari was ecstatic when she heard the news. She decided that once this boy and his Dragon turned 15, she would offer to train him personally. For his dragon was the first to appear in 12 years. His name was Lydo, and the Dragon was Zeir. When Napari came to Lydo with her offer, he accepted before she could even finish her sentence. As he grew up, Napari decided she would pass down her title and the sword to him. But when Lydo was 25, there was an incident with a commanding officer. Lydo, having bonded a Dragon, thought he should be given a higher rank, even though he had never seen real combat. Lydo started to demand from Napari that he be given what he deserves. She denied him and told him that being in a position of command is not something that is given but earned. He needed to earn the trust of his fellow soldiers; he needed to prove that they could lean on him when needed. She knew from that moment on, if he were to wield the sword, he would not use it to protect, but to conquer. He started to devise a plan to kill Napari and take the sword for himself. He took Zier and snuck up on the duo when they were returning to the Capital from their long flight patrolling the border. They battled in the air, the roars of their Dragons echoing over the Capital. Napari knew Lydo had the upper hand, Zeir was younger and larger than Laku, and Laku was tired from their recent trip. In the final moments, Napari and Laku knew what they had to do. To keep the sword out of his hands, Napari and Laku channeled every bit of magic they could and sealed their souls in the sword, so they personally could ensure it would not end up in the wrong hands. For a Diadom would never be a conqueror, but a beacon of hope. In a blast of light, they were gone. When the citizens looked to the sky, and they saw nothing. They had expected to see at least one of the Dragons remaining. But both were gone.

  For weeks, everyone waited for Lydo to return and finish what he had started. But weeks turned into months, months turned into years, and eventually Lydo and the Sword of Valor were forgotten. 188 years have passed, and Astrico is thriving. The current King is a Veisha, his Ajaiyi being a large cobra. Large enough to take on a Dragon. He has discovered that their bond is so strong, it acts as a power source for their energy array. Once a month there is a ceremony where they imbue the array with magic thus providing power to the city and thus incredible new technology was created. Astrico has not seen battle since the war with Uraison 200 years ago, and no one has bonded with a Dragon since Napari and Lydo. But two young boys will manage to do something the people believed was a myth. For twin Dragons have hatched in the realm, and they are of age to find their bond, and they are more than eager to find their Veisha.