No Longer Feel

*Title taken from the Imagine Dragons song 'Gold'*

Characters: Alcyon, Lunarstrike, Armageddon

Alcyon thought he was the only one awake, until he heard faint voices. He recognized Lunarstrike, but not the other dragon. He glanced out into the hall, where he saw Lunarstrike talking to a dark green NightWing Alcyon hadn’t seen before. He ducked back into his room and closed the door before either NightWing spotted him, planning to ignore them and go back to his work. However, Lunarstrike seemed to have other ideas.

“Alcyon, I know you’re awake.” Lunarstrike growled through the door. Alcyon sighed, and ignored him. Lunarstrike was always getting on his nerves, which was annoying. It felt like Lunar didn't trust him, which, although fair, didn't make his job any easier. He waited a bit longer, letting Lunarstrike knock more furiously.

“ALCYON!” Lunarstrike said, his rage clear and sharp even through the door. Alcyon casually opened the door, giving Lunarstrike a calm look.

“Well, you didn't have to break it down. I'm right here.” Alcyon said. Lunarstrike's expression was the reason he'd done it, and bonus points because of the extra NightWing Lunarstrike had brought. Now that he looked at her more closely, Alcyon realized that this green NightWing had to be Queen Armageddon. Which meant she was also Lunarstrike's wife.

“I swear by all the moons, Alcyon.” Lunarstrike hissed under his breath. “I am trying to get Armageddon on our side, you are not helping by making me look like a fool.” Alcyon snorted.

“You don't need my help to look foolish, Lunarstrike.” Alcyon sniped back. Glancing at Armageddon, he noted her faintly amused expression. She wasn't Lunarstrike's biggest fan either, it seemed. Alcyon guessed she'd been after Lunarstrike's magic, which made a few things make more sense.

“What is this?” Alcyon looked up from his work as Lunarstrike threw down the scroll he was holding. Alcyon glanced at it, shrugged, and continued copying down the records they’d recovered from the old labs. It was a long task, but an important one. The eruption had damaged a lot of the old scrolls, but they were still legible, so Alcyon was rewriting them on new paper.

“It looks like a lab report, Lunar. What are you talking about?” Alcyon said, ignoring the glare he was getting from the NightWing. He was busy, and Lunar was distracting him.

“One that you wrote. Which is impressive, since this scroll is older than you are. Or at least, older than you claim.” Lunar said, jabbing a talon at the date on the top of the scroll. Alcyon rolled his eyes.

“I’m glad you know how to count, Lunarstrike. Go bother someone else, I’m busy.” He snapped, his feathers ruffling slightly. He’d never lied about his age, he’d just never had a reason to explain it, either. Lunar narrowed his eyes at Alcyon, clearly suspicious of him.

“An explanation, Alcyon.” Lunar hissed quietly. Alcyon sighed, reaching for a cloth and cleaning the ink off his claws.

“I am really twenty. I just age very slowly. I’ve been alive for about two thousand years. I have no idea why.” Alcyon said, amused by Lunar’s expression. It was the reason he’d joined the Animus Project, to try and figure out why he was who he was. He’d never gotten an answer, but he didn’t care. The Animus Project gave him a way to stretch the limits of the world, and he loved it.

“What do you mean, you don’t know why?” Lunar said, astounded. “Wait. You were around when the Animus Project began.” He realized, and started pacing. “That’s fascinating…”

“It’s really not. They were all idiots. Even my father.” Alcyon said. He was pretty sure his father, a dragon named Redwood, had known exactly why Alcyon was so strange, but he’d never asked when he was young, and Redwood had been dead for most of his life. “He was always obsessed with ghosts and that sort of thing. Now please leave.”

Lunar finally left Alcyon’s workspace, although Alcyon didn’t resume his work. He was too busy thinking about his father.

“He kept notes. Maybe I can find those.” Alcyon said out loud to himself, and started sifting through the scrolls on his desk. If he could find anything from Redwood, he would probably get some of his questions answered.