The hatching began oddly, with them being summoned to the house, and then, as soon as Zahndar set foot on the creaking wood, a hole opened up underneath them, and every last one of those gathered fell. Down, and down, and down, like being trapped within the seal, a fall with no end, no beginning, no...

But it did end. With a thump he and Kavaer landed side by side in the darkness, winded and bruised... and soon to be blinded. Eyes easily accustomed to the dark about them winced away from the light that other candidates began to create.

"Come," Kavaer murmured softly, as he rose to his feet and helped Zahndar up as well. All about them the insanity was beginning, as creatures and... things... began appearing and teleporting various candidates off, all the while 'amusing' the rest with tricks.

Together the two slipped away before they could be spotted, exploring the still dark edges of the cavern together, trying to get an idea of what was going on. Trying to find a way out.

But what they did find...

The sounds of peeping, squawking, and a deeper chuffing noise reached their ears as they passed a crack in the wall. With a glance, the two knelt, gazing through the crack...

And met four pairs of silver eyes, which quickly revealed themselves to be two dragons - one with three heads and one with only one. Zahndar reached a hand out and ran it over Nionlar's main head, immediately knowing the hatchling's name and that Nionlar was his, no arguments permitted.

Kavaer, meanwhile, gazed into the eyes of Phantath, then nodded once in acceptance, gathering the small hatchling up in his arms as he rose, moving aside as another candidate dove through the crack.

"This was what we were meant to be here for," Zahndar spoke calmly, as he and Nionlar moved back away from the crack and the growing ruckus throughout the cavern, "We should leave as soon as possible."

Kavaer nodded, following the other in his quest for a quieter corner to rest and wait for when they could leave.

* * *

Kavaer clutched his head, barely feeling Zahndar's supporting arms about him or the two dragons pressed to either side in an attempt to pull him from the clutch of the foretelling that lanced through his being like lightning. It was too much, he couldn't understand anything of what he was seeing, there were so many strange things around... metal monstrosities that moved on their own, wires that held and passed knowledge from one edge of the world to the next in an eyeblink, boxes that showed images that glittered and danced with movement and false life... and all of it, all of it crumbling, crashing down about the ears of the men and women and those precious, precious children that inhabited the world...

~Calm, bond-mine.~ Phantath's soothing mindvoice finally broke through, managing to shunt the images and knowledge aside. ~Focus only on what is necessary at this moment - the location of Yirsi. We will deal with the rest later. Together.~

He took a trembling breath, "South. South into the wasteland... but should we dare..? This will hurt more than the descendants of those that sealed us! So many races exist now..."

"Sometimes such things are necessary, Kavaer." Zahndar released him and rose to his feet, his sapphire eyes locking with Nionlar's silver for a moment, the two sharing a wordless exchange. "And who's to say they're innocent? Who's to say they're not related to the Gandiar? That they wouldn't strike out at us the minute we attempted to find our own place in this world?"

Kavaer bowed his head in acceptance, wrapping an arm around Phantath's shoulders for comfort, "As you wish, Kaesirl."

Phantath nuzzled his bond, ~Perhaps there is another path... I only saw bits and pieces of it, but what if you were to... claim another world? A world more suited to you than this one?~

One of Nionlar's heads glanced thoughtfully at Phantath, while the other two gazed up at his bond, ~Perhaps Phantath is correct. Without the strain of supporting so many spells, of trying to survive on a world inherently hostile to you... perhaps life would be easier.~

Zahndar frowned, "Kavaer, you saw this? I did not."

"Briefly, faintly... buried beneath enough layers to be nothing more than flashes and ice-shine." He took a breath, "Zahndar..."

"If, if and only if, mind you, that becomes a viable option, I will consider it. For now, this is our place. Here, where the Ensior created us. Who's to say we can even survive on another world? Perhaps we're bound here by the very way we were made..." He bit his lip, his voice dropping in volume, "And who's to say we can even survive past the generation left to us? The Gandiar killed our children, killed our youth, killed our elders and anyone else they could overpower enough to slay. Have they truly succeeded where they thought they failed and killed us entirely? There is a reason we tried to protect our children with our lives..."

Kavaer froze, gazing up at Zahndar in horror, the truth of their situation shocking him to the core. That they could be so close to death. They, the children of the Ensior, the Makers of the world...

Phantath did the only thing he could, nuzzling closer to his bond and lending what assurance he could.

But it was a cold assurance, when all four could sense the truth behind Zahndar's words.