There's No Such Thing As Freedom

Atlas hadn’t stopped running for days.
His legs ached, and his lungs felt like they’d been ripped apart into shreds. But he couldn’t stop now. If his mental map of Pantala was correct, he’d only be running for half a day more before he reached the ocean. 
Then I can fly away and start all over again, he held the belief tight in his chest. I can be an entirely new dragon. 
While the Distant Kingdoms were probably just a legend: a made-up story to explain the sudden appearance of Clearsight, there was nowhere on Pantala where Atlas could be safe. Not after what he’d done. 
Atlas scanned the sky for anyone that seemed to be on his trail. In the far off distance, a swarm of dragons engulfed the sky from one end to the other, casting a shadow the size of several hives. They traveled in eerie synchrony, like a thundercloud of possessed locusts chasing him to his death. At least the Tree Wars that had caused so much bloodshed were at a pause now, with Queen Wasp redirecting her focus to her escaped plaything. That’s all I was, just another weapon, nothing but a toy to be tested out. 
The remaining LeafWings, if there were any, were probably trying to get their talons on him too, for a different reason. They all probably wanted to see him dead.
His fiery wrists illuminated the long yellow grass with an amber glow. Why wasn’t I just born as a normal SilkWing? He thought wishfully. The flaming strands of silk he could produce were the entire reason he was thrown into this whole mess. They were what had made Queen Wasp force him to help her on her mission for power. I can’t even bear to look at them. 
And look at all the damage I’ve caused. A never-ending expanse of swaying grass and orange sands stretched all the way to the horizon. An endless, treeless, sea of savanna.  The lush forests that once thrived here, growing tall and vast, were now burned to the ground. Every single inch of them. And it had all happened because of Atlas. 
I deserve this fate, running exhausted and hungry across an entire continent, to run away to a place that may not even be real. Hundreds of SilkWings and HiveWings had died fighting, and most of the LeafWing tribe were probably piles of ashes, swept across the grasslands. Atlas had indirectly caused hundreds, maybe even thousands of deaths. I made the war as deadly as it has been. 
Why did this war even need to happen in the first place? Can different tribes of dragons truly never get along, like Queen Wasp believed? Why did some dragons always need to have more power than others? Even before this whole war started, the HiveWings always acted like they were the superior tribe who deserved all the resources. 
If Atlas, one dragon, could cause so much destruction on his own, how much damage could they all cause if they wanted to? Would the world even be better off without them? 
Dragonkind is a species that must be destroyed, a whispery voice, not his own, appeared in his head. 
Was he going insane? It was plausible. Being the cause of countless deaths of innocent dragons against your will could certainly make a dragon spiral into madness. 
You know it. The voice spoke again. There was a chance that this mysterious voice was not just a figment of his imagination. Dragons have caused so much damage already. Imagine how many deaths the future could hold. Just destroy them all now and prevent it altogether. To do that, you just need to free me. Please. I’ve been trapped forever. 
He pushed against the voice, which was probably just a figment of his imagination. A side of him he had never seen before. What it was saying wasn't true: there were so many good dragons out there. Atlas’s friends, his family, and surely so many more. A twinge of guilt bubbled up in his throat. What had happened to his family and friends while he was trapped in Wasp’s talons? I hope they’re okay right now. He thought. I hope they’ll live long, happy lives, after this war is over. 
But the voice. Whatever it was, it had such an air of desperation and helplessness to it that Atlas immediately wanted to listen to it, to help it. He needed to help it. 
I can free you. No more HiveWIngs, no evil queen, no Tree Wars, the voice came back again, sounding even more desperate. All you need to do is find me and free me. I’ve been trapped here for what feels like eternity now. Please. 
This was Atlas’s chance to help someone, to redeem himself, even if just a little. He could counteract a tiny bit of the damage he’d caused. An ounce of the sea of guilt he was drowning in could be drained away. He had to do this. The voice in his head telling him otherwise had faded away into nothing. 
How do I find you? Atlas asked the voice. 
I’m right below your feet. Look for the necklace. 
And there it was. A necklace lay half-buried in the tangerine-colored sand. It glinted in the fading light of the now setting sun. 
How do I free you? 
Pick me up and put me around your neck. 
Atlas picked it up with the utmost gentleness, stroking it slightly. He slid it over the reddish-brown scales of his neck. It radiated a feeling of refreshing coolness, washing away the hot chafing air of the dry savanna. 
I did it. I-
The necklace had ensnared its next victim. This one was so easy, he just walked right into it’s clutches. Freedom, what he longed for most, would never come within his reach again.
Category:Fanfictions
Category:Fanfictions (Completed)
Category:Fanfictions (Fanon)
Category:Genre (Short Story)