There was no depth in her thoughts, no reasons for her movement. Everything was instinctual; everything was driven by adrenaline and that pure instinct - an instinct flowing through her blood as fresh as the taste of the aforementioned liquid simmering hotly in the back of her mouth. She could feel it; she could almost taste it, that indescribable need for more destruction.

The creature she rode upon growled low, the reverberations vibrating all the way up her own backbone as she gripped tightly to its armored back. The creature was a dragon - no, the dragon; the last dragon - and its massive wings cut through the air as fiercely as the blindingly bright beams it cast from its maw toward unsuspecting foes dotted across the land below (and even above). She had only sent one last glance at the crumbling building behind her before she had hopped upon its back and took up the Ancient weapon to fight for her freedom and for her life. She had been shocked how natural her fingers felt around the cold bone surrounding the abstract gun; and almost like an entire program inside of her had come to life after years of hibernation, her blood began boiling at that very instant and she took to the skies, firing rapidly and never stopping to think. The usually lifeless demeanor accompanying her features was no more as every muscle on her body tensed and relaxed with every laser fired from her gun. This girl - Orta - was now a soldier in her own right. Scared out of her wits, blinded and confused by the events about her, she was only able to take up what little knowledge she gained from a life spent inside a prison cell watching the world below her, and use that as best she could.

The dragon roared under her, jarring her back to reality. Just ahead was a large battle ship with the emblem for the Empire painted on the side. She grimaced. Why were they attacking the town with such a large amount of manpower?

At that moment, a loud click sounded as something she could only describe as a speaker blasted a voice from it and into the vast black sky beyond.

“Deploy the airships! We must not let it escape!”

The grimace transformed into a scowl as the girl of silver hair raised her gun again. Apparently, freedom from the Empire was hard to come by.

A flurry of missiles and bullets abruptly darted in her direction, however, and the hand holding her gun suddenly became quite numb as her eyes shot wide open. Her mouth dried as that numb shock coursed through her entire body. There was no way she could dodge or destroy everything coming her way. But, just as she was about to mentally admit her death, the dragon released a blood-curdling, shrill cry and unleashed a volley of bright beams and lasers from its throat. Shocked by this action, Orta yelped once and threw both arms in front of her in mock defense. However, when the sound of loud explosions and crumbling caught her ears, she eased up to find remnants of the missiles falling to the ground and several dents and holes were now present in the airship. Her gaze darted unbelievingly to the dragon, and then back to the ship. After a moment, a feeling sunk deep within her and a sinister smile crept onto her face. Glancing back at the dragon, Orta could only stare in awe as it growled softly at her. The smile only grew. With another low growl to the empty air, the dragon flapped its massive wings and was soon soaring high above the ship. Orta raised her gun again, pointed it at the ship, and thus her battle for freedom had truly begun.

Many missiles, lasers, explosions, and frantic calls for reinforcements later, the dragon hovered slightly above the now falling battle airship with Orta as its rider. Gunpowder drifted heavily in the air, and the smell of burning - from both the ship and the town below - irritated her eyes and nose. A numbing wave of fatigue washed over her; and, though her heart was already slowing down, the rapidity at which her blood flowed through her could still be felt warming her skin against the chilled night air. She lowered her gun to her side.

Just then, the dragon began to fly off into the direction of a low tunnel away from the scene. Orta’s face scrunched up in confusion, but the sound of several wings flapping behind her left all her questions answered. At least three dragonmares were pursuing them now, and she knew already that she was in no position to take on all of them at once.

Causing her heart to leap for about the twentieth time that night, the dragon beneath her began to glow brilliantly, and when that light faded, there flew a more petite dragon. Its armor was embedded with the most beautiful green designs she had ever seen, and the skin was now a dark green color. Unfortunately for her, there was no warning as it began spiraling through the tunnel, weaving in and out of obstacles. All she had time to do was grip as tightly as she could to the armored surface of its back and practically meld herself with it to keep from tumbling off. Her eyes clamped shut, her thighs tightened against its sides, and then… silence. The darkness of the tunnel subsided and she could feel the light of the moon beyond those clamped eyelids. Easing up, Orta was able to behold the sight of the clear night sky and a vast landscape of nothing but uninhabited land. Her breath caught in her throat as the wind ran silky fingers through her hair and ruffled her clothes. The air outside of the town was so… clear… so fresh… She had never felt anything like this before.

When a quick jerk of the dragon once again jarred her out of her thoughts, she was finally presented the opportunity to at least figure out what this creature wanted with her. In a low but firm voice, the girl asked simply, “Why did you save me?”

The gentle snarl she got in response left her with a small smile, oddly enough. Smiling somewhat left her lips chapped and cracked, not used to the foreign action, but for some reason… she couldn’t keep herself from doing it. The creature then cooed awkwardly to her as she wiped a line of sweat from her brow. An odd feeling overcame her then - a peaceful feeling at most - and something compelled her to pat the side of its large head. “You rescued me… You are my guardian, my ally…” It roared and flapped its wings once more. Orta smiled again. “…You are Lagi.”