[h1][center]Chapter 11[/h1][/center]
    The sun barely shone above the peaks of Jade Mountain when Moonlight took flight, the cold air felt nice under her wings. The journey to the Lost City was a much shorter one than her journey from the Sea Kingdom, so she didn’t feel any need to rush.
    On the horizon, a faint light appeared, it was the same unique color animus dragons had. She felt both scared and excited.
    “[i]What am I going to find there? Answers or death?[/i]”, she was surprisingly calm, as if she had anticipated that whatever happened there, she would be ready. “[i]I don’t want to have to deal with Animus Magic, why am I even going there?[/i]”
    She looked over her shoulder as Jade Mountain slowly disappeared in the morning mist. She suddenly had regrets, as if she didn’t even think of the consequences in the last couple of weeks. First, she went head-on to fight an Animus dragoness she thought she [i]knew[/i] was responsible for her parents deaths. [i]What if she had used her powers on her? She might have been killed on the spot...[/i] Somehow, she felt less scared by Queen Coral direct threat but she still shuddered at the idea that she could have forced Tidal to cast a spell on her.
    [i]Was the trip to the Lost City of Night really worth the risk?[/i] StarFlight had told her his sister lived near the city and that if anything magic had happened, she would have told him although it did little to reassure her.
    “[i]He wasn’t even able to see the text on the scroll. Why me? What’s so special about me? And why was I not scared by the scroll then? If that[/i] DarkStalker [i]is as StarFlight and Fatespeaker mentioned, what kind of powerful magic has he left behind in the city that no one can see?[/i]”
    Unconsciously, Moonlight had stopped flying forward, she was now hovering in mid-air, a short distance from the City. Behind her the Sandwing desert, dry, windy, with a clear blue sky and in front of her, a gigantic purple barrier that appeared to let through a blurry image of a ancient city partially in ruins. She barely could make up what was what but it seemed clear to her that despite the centuries, not everything was rumble. The barrier extended from the top of what seemed to be mountains under it and all the way in the sky. 
    "[i]DarkStalker’s Teeth...[/i]" she muttered.
    She had heard the name before but it seemed to have popped in her head at the most convenient moment as if she had been whispered it in her ear.
    She looked up as she wondered how high it went in the sky. Her curiosity at equal level with her fear.
    She tried to breath calmly and keep her flight steady. Her mind was screaming at her to run away but her curiosity was soothing her into wanting to know more about this barrier, this city, about herself.
    Her talons were tingling painfully, she had to take a decision.
    “[i]Welcome to Night City, Moonlight![/i]”, a voice resonated in her head.
    She missed a wing beat and plummeted down to the ground for what seemed an eternity until she managed to stabilize herself. Not a moment too short as she noticed she was facing the bottom of the barrier, where it met with the ground.
    “[i]Sorry to have scared you, Moonlight. You are the first dragon to come in twenty centuries.[/i]”
    “I... am?”, she asked out loud.
    “[i]Indeed, let me welcome you to the City that has been my home so long ago.[/i]”, the voice continued. It was rather pleasant and warm. Inviting and yet there was a little uncanny thing about it that Moonlight couldn’t figure out. Perhaps the fact that the voice was only in her head or that it was trying to gain her confidence and that it succeeded without much effort.
    “But... the barrier?”, she asked.
    “[i]Is of no consequence to you.[/i]”, the voice affirmed. There was no malice that she could decipher in its tone but she wasn’t sure if she could trust herself anymore with all this magic around her. She should have been running away already.
    As she didn’t react, the voice resumed:
    “[i]Please, go through it, I can assure you nothing will happen to you.[/i]”
    “I... have so many questions...”
    “[i]And I will answer them with the best of my abilities.[/i]”
    Moonlight stared at the barrier, she had landed on the edge of one of the mountain and was just inches away from the purple glow. She could see the City behind it better. Some buildings had sustained the passage of time with little damage while others could only be noticed by the remaining paths they still traced on the ground.
    “[i]I wish I wasn’t alone right now... Fatespeaker, StarFlight... Tidal.[/i]”, she tried to keep her breathing as steady as possible, her senses were overwhelmed by all those new ideas and things. The barrier also had a sort of disturbing hum now that she stood very close to it.
    “[i]You’re not alone, Moonlight, I am with you[/i]”
    “Please stop reading my mind! I know it’s something my kind does but it’s really disturbing when it’s done without consent.” She snapped at the voice.
    “[i]I’m sorry Moonlight, I can’t prevent myself from doing it, I’m just the remaining spell that was cast a long long time ago, I just have part of the consciousness of the dragon who cast me. But if that can reassure you, I have no power in this form, I was cast mainly to help dragons like you.[/i]”
    “Dragons like m... What are you saying? Who are you anyway?”
    “[i]I’m saying, nice to meet you, Moonlight. My name is DarkStalker.[/i]”
    Moonlight blinked, took a deep breath and walked through the barrier with her eyes closed.
    “[i]You’re quite the unusual one. It’s nice to see one trained again on the ways of blocking thoughts.[/i]”
    “I’ve had a good teacher,” she said unfazed, “I think you know her, her name is Moon.”
    The voice remained silent.
    “[i]But you know already that it won’t work with me.[/i]” The voice affirmed more than questioned.
    “I do, I’ve been told somewhat about you.”
    “[i]Well, there are things that are told about me that are not exactly true.[/i]”
    “That too you tried with Moon, but it won’t work with me.”
    “...[i]And StarFlight told you to be wary of my propaganda, yes. Which makes me wonder...[/i]”, The voice paused for a while then resumed, “[i]For someone without the mind-reading gift, you are quite clairvoyant and at a much younger age than most.[/i]”
    Moonlight gritted her teeth, she hated the idea that a spell, even by the most powerful Animus dragon who ever lived, could read her thoughts and memories so easily. She felt so powerless and there was nothing she could do to protect from him knowing. Fortunately, she thought, the voice was kind enough to not emphasize that point.
    She looked around her and saw green hills with flamboyant colors from the blooming flowers that contrasted with the desert she just left behind, tall brown mountains with white tops where she was standing, and down in the valley, the city with vibrant colors despite its clear state of despair. As she gazed all over it, the first thing she noticed was that the sea had eroded a great part of the city, probably half or more but she couldn’t be sure. She desperately wanted to ask the voice but she didn’t feel like discussing with it, it unless it was in relation as to why she came here. The voice seemed to have taken the hint and remained silent for now.
    The further from the sea the City was, the less rumble and the more intact the ruins were, that is, as intact as a ruins can be. A few buildings were still standing with few missing a wall or a corner, and even fewer just eroded on the surface, but what she realized was that DarkStalker’s spell made them look like the colors and paints never faded away.
    She took flight again and leisurely used the thermals to glide right in the middle of what seemed to be the main street. The flashy colors clashed with the despair state of the street. The roads that were once shiny and bright with white markings alongside their border and in some places thick lines going from one side to another, now looked like a mismatch of black and white stones. She knew it was just the magic showing her how it looked at the time and she felt a bit annoyed that she couldn’t see what they looked like nowadays.
    She walked to the corner of a building, just under its shadow and sat down where she had the best view of the City. It was eerily silent and she let her mind wandered breathing in slowly, the salty air filling her nostrils. She could almost hear the cry of joy from the dragonets running around the city and the merchants with their chariots traversing the street to expose their goods at the market. The City was exuberant with a Queen that certainly knew how to keep it thriving. Several walls showed marks of wealth and luxury. Even at the time, the NightWings wanted to show off, if not to others, to themselves. And if their libraries were only half as full of scrolls as the City appeared luxuriant, she was certain to find the answers she wanted.
    A gust of wind took her out of her reverie and she looked up, three NightWings passed low over her. 
    “[i]Must be Fierceteeth’s guards.[/i]” She realised.
    The dragons didn’t turn around and continued flying straight. They didn’t seem to be interested in another NightWing going into their city.
    Moonlight stretched and blinked. She was alone in the silent city, only the backwash of the waves reaching her ears. The NightWings now too far away for her to see.
    “[i]And there I am in a City reeking of Animus magic, stupidly alone and defenseless... Argh, why did I came here alone?! You’re stupid, Moonlight![/i]”
    She took a step out of the building shadow, the sun was high in the sky, she could see it just as well as the rest of the city. Despite the reason why it happened, she still enjoyed the ability to see for the first time, but would she really accept magic to give back her sight forever? She was given this [i]gift[/i] for a reason and she wouldn’t be herself if she gave into the magic.
    “[i]In the middle of the City of the Night, no one can hear your thoughts...[/i]”, she reflected.
    A voice ahems in her head.
    “Except you, of course...” she shook her head, “I almost forgot you existed for a moment.”
    “[i]I can be pretty discreet if I want to.[/i]”, DarkStalker added.
    “I might take your word on that then...”
    “[i]And miss out on my magnificent voice?[/i]”
    She chuckled, “You certainly do have a way with words, I must admit.”
    “[i]Well, if you enjoy some good words, I could recite my most famous novel...[/i]”
    “I... er, will pass for now. Are you like that with everyone or just me?”
    “[i]I haven’t met anyone in a very long time but I was cast to accompany blind NightWings of powers and show them around.[/i]”
    “I supposed that you are aware of the words that appeared on the scroll and got me there.”
    “[i]Obviously, those were meant to help NightWings like you know that they were not alone and had a support here in the City.[/i]”
    “That was kinda creepy though.”
    “[i]I wouldn’t put it like that, plus it got you there, didn’t it?[/i]”
    Moonlight had to admit he was right and sighed.
    “I came for a very specific purpose, can you answer my questions?” She continued.
    “[i]Not directly but if you will follow the yellow marks on the street, you will find yourself in the library.[/i]”
    She looked down and to her surprise she noticed a dotted lines going from where she was to deeper into the city. She hadn’t noticed them before, maybe they had just appeared when DarkStalker mentioned them.
    She dutifully followed the marks until she reached a very tall building with its doors completely gone. Many of its decorations were also missing and had fallen over time but the building itself was still standing strong, towering over everything else in the city. Moonlight wondered how she hadn’t noticed it before.
    Next to the entrance, a plaque shimmered with a yellow aura. As Moonlight approached it, it started glowing and words formed on it, words that she could read.
    “[i]This is the City's pride, the most important library of all of Pyrrhia, even two thousands years after its abandonment, it still contains many books that...[/i]”
    “Please stop, it’s difficult to read and hear you at the same time.” She commented softly.
    “[i]Sorry, it’s just my basic spell, if you touch a designated slate, I will read it to you. Would you rather that I just let you read in silence?[/i]”
    “I guess... I mean, I feel a bit safer having some...one with me, even though it’s [i]you.[/i]”
    “[i]Ouch.[/i]”, the voice muttered.
    “Don’t tell me a voice have feeling...”
    “[i]I’m basically him but powerless. The animus magic lets me react to everything you say in a natural manner even if whomever cast the spell died.[/i]”
    “Right...”, she looked back at the slate, “It says here ‘books’ but I don’t remember Pyrrhian dragons having any books.”
    “[i]Well, we, the NightWings, had them two thousand years ago. It’s disheartening to see that we regressed so far in technology...[/i]”
    “And who’s to blame for that?” she pointed out.
    The voice didn’t deign replying.
    She slowly walked through the library’s enormous entrance, it was towering over her as if it had been made to receive gigantic dragons. Its sides had intricate carvings of books and scrolls with dragons reading them.
    The inside was mostly dark but the sun shone through parts were the roof had been missing. The broken tiles still resting on the ground or on the tables. It was clear to her that whomever took the books to Jade Mountain, were careful not to touch anything else.
    Under the dust, the dark mahogany tables mostly stood unperturbed, their woods barely chipped for most of them as they were protected from the weather by those large walls. Most of the book stands were broken and had fallen long ago on top of one another, peculiarly leaving the center hallway free of debris so that any dragon could still cross the library to whichever alley they wanted; hundreds of scrolls and books cluttered the floor underneath the stands. A good number with blank pages were the sun had hit, others torn and a few destroyed beyond recovery.
    As she approached some of the stands, she noticed a faint light on the top -or what used to be the top- part of them. She moved closer and she could read “[i]History[/i]” on one and “[i]Romance[/i]” on another.
    “Oh, that’s neat!”, she claimed out loud.
    “[i]Thank you![/i]” replied the voice.
    “You did all that?”
    “[i]Well, it wasn’t totally my idea but it was my magic indeed.[/i]”
    “I’m... impressed.” She said as she looked around again and up to the ceiling. There were even glowing signs pointing to where each section would be.
    “I guess... I’m the only one who can see still see this?”
    “[i]That’s correct! But during my time, it helped hundreds of NightWings.[/i]”
    “That many? But I thought it was only for blind NightWings with powers...”
    “[i]That’s correct. We even had special courses for them a couple years after this was implement[/i]”
    “But... weren’t you very young? I mean...”
    “[i]As young as you when I did this.[/i]”
    Moonlight had to sit down in the middle of the library, how can someone could have accomplished that much in such a short time.
    “How much magic have you used then?”
    “[i]Hmmm... yes.[/i]”
    “I see.”
    She felt a hint of envy running through her scales, if only she could have accomplished half as much.
    “[i]Don’t beat yourself over it, some find their call early on, some find it late and some never find it. That doesn’t make one any less relevant.[/i]”
    “For someone who is known for totally different [i]great[/i] things, you certainly are quite the inspiration.”
    As the voice didn’t reply, she got up and started looking at the different signs: “[i]History[/i]”, “[i]Geography[/i]”, “[i]Science[/i]”, “[i]Politics[/i]”, “[i]Gifts[/i]”
    “[i]That’s the one you are looking for.[/i]” Said the voice unexpectedly.
    She blinked, not sure if she could still really trust it. With the lack of further exchange, she walked into the [i]Gifts[/i] aisle; on one talon, it could be a prank by a disembodied voice, which didn’t make it very pleasant either, but on the other talon, she couldn’t think of any reason why he’d do such a thing.
    “Why are you helping me?”
    “[i]Because that’s what I was cast to do. There’s nothing in my spell written to discriminate against specific dragons.[/i]"
    “Even IceWings?”
    “[i]IceWings don’t have powers.[/i]”
    “What about hybrids?”
    “[i]I[/i] was [i]an hybrid.[/i]”
    “Fair point.”
    She sighed, she really enjoyed the conversation and the presence in her head and yet there was still this uneasy feeling that screamed at her to run away from all the magic.
    “I have to find out...”
    The aisle didn’t have many books nor scrolls left. Most of the remaining one were in such a bad state that Moonlight could see why there were left here. She rummaged through a bunch of them, they almost fell to dust as soon as she touched them. As she reached the end of the aisle, frustration started growing within her. She touched the last book and as it crumbled, she turned around and swiftly walked away.
    Doing so, one of her front leg hit something hard stuck on the ground and she smashed her chin onto the cold floor.
    “Ouch...” she whimpered.
    “[i]I think you found it.[/i]”
    “I... what?” she looked back on the ground where she stumbled and she saw a sharply cut slab of stone was protruding from it. At first, it just looked like a broken piece of the floor but something caught her attention about it. There was a glow coming from underneath it, but not just any glow. It had that unique Animus color that she last saw from the other side of DarkStalker’s Teeth.
    She got up and winced, her talon had a deep cut and was bleeding.
    “[i]You might want to take care of that...[/i]”
    “Can you do something?”
    “[i]It is not part of my spell.[/i]” The voice replied blankly.
    She looked at her talon, now reddish-brown, a color she knew wasn’t supposed to be despite seeing it for the first time, then back at that faint glow and back again at her paw.
    “Aaarg!”
    She reached for one of the scrolls on the ground and quickly unrolled what’s left of it and torn a good portion.
    “[i]Desecration...[/i]”
    “Don’t play that game with me, it was already lost!” she snapped.
    She wrapped her talon quickly with just a small portion of the paper and limped on three legs towards the second entrance, which was closer to her than the main one.
    “Do you know if there are healing plants around here?”
    “[i]Hmm, maybe, I know there’s a garden nearby but I am not able to tell you much about plants.[/i]”
    “If I can smell them, I should be fine...” she grumbled.
    Moonlight followed his indication towards the garden but as she feared, the probably well-kept garden at the time was now covered with wild plants. She closed her eyes and inhaled slowly. She could almost recognize the scent of every single life around, plants, animals, dragons. For a moment, she was glad she still had her nose working and had been afraid she might had had to lose something in regards of gaining the ability to see.
    After several seconds, she plucked a few very specific leaves.
    “Not the best but that will have to do. I’m not going to risk flying anywhere with this.”
    “[i]And you have things to read.[/i]”
    She turned around as if she had felt like the voice was coming from right behind her, but when she enthusiastically replied “That’s right!” she saw no one.
    Back into the library, she proceeded to study the stone she hit. One of her black scales was still stuck on it and it made her grit her teeth. She reluctantly proceeded to try and reach for it. With some convoluted positions that permitted her not to put any pressure on her injured talon, she eventually managed to dislodge the stone and get access to a scroll that seemed rather thick. So thick that she actually wondered how it got under the floor in the first place. Her mind started forming ideas and theories as to why it was there and that it might have been on purpose, to protect it from prying talons so that she could be the only one to have access to it instead of the scroll being lost in the Jade Mountain library and...
    “[i]And who would have done that?[/i]” asked the voice in an inquisitive tone.
    She raised her foreclaw and opened her muzzle to counter-argument it but realized she had nothing of worth to weigh against it.
    “Right.” She just spit when she realized how futile her conspiracy theories were.
    She grabbed it slowly, the purple glow soon lighting up the aisle in a soft purple light, strong shadows sharpening the angles of the book on the stands, even overwhelming DarkStalker’s City magic. 
    Outside, the sun was already halfway through the horizon, the sea was rather still, reflecting the orange and yellow streaks of the star, its sounds breaking into the large building creating a soft repeating background noise that gives the place a unique ambiance mixed with the NightWing magic spell.
    The light of day was going down by the minute, shadows grew further through the door and the library dimmed even more. For the first time in her life of near-blindness, she felt a certain uneasiness at being in the dark. There was barely any life around her and the few plants crawling between the slabs of stone on the library ground made it look even scarier.
    “So, you had to make the experience fully authentic, didn’t you?”
    “[i]Ain’t the night beautiful? You can go outside and look up at the stars too![/i]”
    Moonlight sighed and looked at the scroll under her wing and then at her bandaged talon. She tightened her wing grip around the scroll as if she was afraid it would drop and break, then slowly made her way to the library entrance. She sat just under the porch. The three moons were up and almost full. She wondered for a second if any NightWing egg was planned to hatch in the next days and if all the moons were going to be full at once. The first time since DarkStalker.
    She shivered.
    Soon the stars shone on the blue night sky. She found herself tracing the brightest ones and realized she could make figures with them, here a deer and there a human, and of course, a dragon...
    “Do you ever look up at the stars and wonder...”
    “[i]What?[/i]”
    “Where all this is going?”
    What was the meaning of life? Was there even a goal to it if we all died in the end?
    She felt the cold scroll under her wing, this was why she came here, this was why she fought hard against herself and her fears. If this wasn’t a fluke, then it contained all the answers she ever asked.
    After a long moment, she got up and walked to a table. She quickly wiped it with a wing, removing the dust and books from its bench and sat after putting down the scroll.
    She stared at it, and it felt like it stared back at her. It was shiny and appealing with its purple glow. A few words were written across its length:
[h1][center][i][b]Of Blind NightWings and NightWings Powers[/b][/i][/center][/h1]
[h2][center][i]By DarkSight[/i][/center][/h2]