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Cleveraptor
Strosivadan
The Judicator | Lord of the Underworld
TIME: Present Day - Late Morning | LOCATION: Neberziel - The Canyon | INTERACTION: None
"Open it."
Azhriel commanded, as he slouched nonchalantly upon his throne. A common habit of his despite being Lord of the Underworld. He was referring to the large spiritual cage situated some twenty meters from the steps of his divine seat. It was currently host to the powerful Soul of a Verzakian Dragon who, until now, had never been seen before across the land.
This one was dead, however. Victim to its' own primal urges to destroy anything and everything it lays it eyes on. Unfortunately, the first and last thing it bore witness to was its' very own creator, the God of Fire; Ragnagedon. The battle that raged between them had caught the attention of Azhriel's most trusted disciple, Lyssa The Gracious, and at his order the remaining essence of this divine creature was brought before the God of Souls.
Lyssa wasn't the only disciple in attendance, the remaining two members of the Ashen Guard, Gibari The Rook and Xander The Silent, had joined them to watch over the ceremonial inauguration of the fourth member. Despite all three of them standing guard, Lyssa still hesitated to respond to her Master's order. The Lord of the Underworld had never tamed a dragon's Soul before, nor had he tamed the divine creation of another God. She could feel her anxiety welling up inside, especially given that this was one of the Destroyer's minions.
Azhriel remained unfazed as the cage opened, granting the dragon freedom. It took a moment to proceed forward, scanning area for any signs of its' former master. The Judge could sense its' fear. Once it had been determined that the Fire God was not around, the beast changed dramatically. Bursting from the confines of the spirit cage with a roar, unfurling its' wings to their full length and bearing its' chest as a challenge. At this, Azhriel finally rose to his feet.
Noticing the challenger before it, the dragon instantly became hostile directing a snarl towards its' opponent as it began to circle. Azhriel remained calm, however, and casually walked down each step of his throne until he reached the canyon floor. Off to the side, Lyssa clenched her fists ready to jump in at a moment's notice. She glanced towards the others, they too looked ready to do the same.
Without notice, the dragon flew into action launching itself forward using its' powerful hind legs to propel it towards its' seemingly defenseless target. As it travelled the distance, an ethereal flame started to build in its' throat preparing to roast Azhriel to death. But it wasn't to be.
"Kneel."
As the singular word passed his lips, the weight of the entire world seemed to fall upon every Soul in the vicinity. A force far more powerful than gravity slammed the dragon to the ground, mid-flight. A deafening boom echoed out across the canyon as the ground shook from the impact. The beast was taken completely by surprise, who failed to recognize what had happened initially before attempting to struggle to its' feet.
Lyssa and the others had been forced to obey too. Both Gibari and Xander were left bowing on both their hands and knees, whilst she had only been reduced to a single knee. As she continued to watch the events of the inauguration unfold, she was almost horrified to see the dragon beginning to stand back up. Disbelief filled her face but Azhriel simply took a single step forward.
"I said, kneel!"
As he raised his voice the force instantly grew much heavier, slamming the dragon down once again. Lyssa had sunken to her hands and knees this time, whilst Gibari and Xander were almost fully prostrated. The beast made a feeble attempt to resist once more but the Judge merely placed a foot on its' head to prevent it.
"I am Azhriel." He spoke. "Lord of the Underworld and God of all Souls. You answer to me now."
The dragon seemed to writhe in pain with each word, a gutteral scream tearing from its' throat. Which is when Azh noticed it, Ragnagedon's essence still remained within the dragon even after death.
"This won't do." He murmured to himself.
Azhriel removed his foot in order to reach down to grasp at the dragon's heavily-toothed maw. Wrenching it open, he shoved his free arm down the lizard's throat. The beast attempted to flail in agony, accompanied by choked cries of pain, until finally the God of Souls ripped his arm out. The dragon recoiled as far back as it could, screeching with anguish, though it was still unable to move very far.
Held firmly in his grip, the Lord of the Underworld, examined a glowing, red sac of essence, Ragnagedon's essence to be exact. It must have been what was driving the beast to destroy, yet it also seemed to be the source of the dragon's ability to breathe fire. Azhriel regarded it with disgust before tossing it over towards Lyssa.
"Get rid of it." He demanded, though she was still unable to move.
Looking down at the Soul of the dragon he'd just tamed, Azhriel came to the conclusion that he had no need for a beast to serve him. Instead he would grant this Soul a new form, a human form. Directing his emerald energy towards the lizard, Azhriel began to envelope it completely. More hoarse roars could be heard coming from the beast until eventually, roars turned to screams. The screams of a man. Half-Human, Half-Dragon to be precise. He remained face-down on the ground, fully naked and panting heavily from the entire ordeal. Several scars covered his dark-scaled, sweat-soaked skin.
"Rise before me and serve your new God." Azhriel stated. "From this day forth, you shall be known as Thaddeus, The Betrayer."
