This fanfiction has a PG rating. There is/will be violence, action, peril, and thematic elements. Avoid this story if mentions/descriptions of death, war, etc. make you uncomfortable.
Written by Animals1778.
The page for my fanfiction, The Last Dragon Mage!
I try to update this story regularly, but I'm pretty busy right now so chapter 2 will be on hold for a little bit longer.
Please leave a rating and CONSTRUCTIVE criticism if you read the story, it's very helpful! Assume all chapters are incomplete unless they're marked as "complete".
Note: Even after a chapter is marked as "Complete", I may go back and add more or change things I don't like. I did this on 12/27/20 with the prologue because I realized I needed to add a bit more foreshadowing.
Screams and roars of pain echoed through the smoky air. A young girl ran through the burning fortress, coughing, and dragging a toddler with her. A large dragon pulled itself out from under the ruins of a tower, breathing heavily, and collapsed at her feet. "Oh no... oh no! Destrian!" Scooping up the child, she stumbled to the dragon's side. The girl desperately tried to wake him up, but it was hopeless. The dragon was still, and his eyes were dull. She stood up and wiped tears from her eyes, determined to at least save her baby sister. The fire was getting closer now, and she could barely see through the thick smoke and blinding light. She dashed blindly towards the fortress entrance, then fell back, screaming, as a burning tree fell just inches from where she was standing. Struggling for breath, she curled up on the ground. She had failed. She was going to die here. Where was the rest of her family? Were they already dead? Through the haze, she was dimly aware of a massive beast landing at her side and the fading shouts of the wizards that had done this. Just a few hours ago, she had been talking and laughing with her parents and playing with her sister. It was amazing how quickly things could change and lives could end. The fires were dying down, and splatters of cool rain landed on her head. Thunder rumbled in the distance. The last thing she saw was a flash of purple lightning as the creature took off again, flapping its powerful wings.
A group of wizards in dark blue dragonscale robes lined with fur were clustered around a dying campfire. They were near the top of a mountain, a mountain so high the tip touched the clouds. They were chanting something in a strange foreign language. Around them, dark, dragonish shapes moved, hissing and growling. Snow was falling fast, and the wind was whistling through the mountain peaks. A glowing blue, ghostly figure emerged from the campfire. It was constantly shifting from one form to another-one moment it was a dragon, the next a wizard, and then a variety of horrifying beasts. It rose into the sky and vanished in a blinding flash of multicolored light. The fire blew out, and everything went dark. Suddenly, blinding light illuminated the sky. Ghostly figures in all sorts of colors filled the air, some of wizards and some of dragons. The whole sky was full of ghost creatures and light. As quickly as they had appeared, the specters vanished, and there was darkness once again. The wizards had stopped chanting, and the world was quiet. A piercing roar split the silence, a terrifying noise that could turn any wizard's blood to ice.
Lyra woke up in a cold sweat, screaming, and sat up in her bed. The light in her room turned on, and her father stood in the doorway, looking drowsy but concerned. "What is it, Lyra? Another nightmare?" He walked over and sat at the foot of her bed. She nodded and tried to calm her racing heart. Her dad stroked her hair, trying to comfort her. "Do you want to tell me about it?" He asked gently. Lyra shook her head. This had been one of her worst dreams yet. It had been horrifying and vivid, and she could still almost smell the smoke and hear the screams. Her father sighed and handed her a glass of water. "Let me know if you need anything, okay?" He stood up, yawning, and headed out of the room. "Wait!" Lyra cried as he moved to turn the light off. "Can you please leave the lights on tonight?" She shivered and snuggled closer to her favorite stuffed animal, a battered Dyno named Mr. Snuffles. Her father nodded and left, leaving Lyra alone in the large, empty room. She closed her eyes, but couldn't fall asleep. The dream had been too real, too scary, and she wished she could forget about it. But what had it meant? Every nightmare she had ever experienced had always seemed like a peek into someone else's life or even a prophecy, and there had always been dragons involved. After several restless hours of overthinking, She slipped out of bed and tiptoed into her three-year-old brother's room. He was still there, sound asleep. Lyra sighed with relief. It had become her routine to check on all of her family members every time she had a nightmare where someone died. It made the nightmares seem a little less real, and it was oddly comforting. She watched him for a moment, and then made the most important promise of her life. I will protect him forever. It's my job to keep him safe. With that, she turned and walked silently out of the room.Troy sat up and looked around his bedroom. The walls were covered with posters of monsters, superheroes, and famous wizards. Flowering vines were wrapped around the walls, and his windowsill was covered with terrariums full of carnivorous plants. Books were scattered across the floor and around his bed. Plant Magic for Beginners, A Wizard's Guide To Basic Spells, 10 Tips For Better Wandwork, and the required Academy textbooks were stacked haphazardly on his dresser. The shelf above his dresser was devoted to action figures his dad had bought for him-small, lifelike models of powerful Earth wizards. The figures raced back and forth across the shelf, shooting imaginary beams at one another. The action figures stopped moving at the sound of someone coming up the stairs. "Troy! Get up and put on your best robes. I want to see you down here in five minutes!" The shrill voice of Mabel echoed through the hall. Troy flopped out of bed. The knot that had been in his stomach for weeks now was growing tighter. His dad and Mabel wanted him to be successful, like his sister Lyra. She was in her fourth and final year of standard wizard training, and she had already gotten recruitment letters from several prestigious upper-level wizard schools. She was supposedly some kind of prodigy, and she seemed pretty stuck-up about it. She was always in her own world, and his dad was always bragging about her magical skills to his friends. He never bragged about Troy. Troy had clearly not inherited whatever gene had given her so much power. He could barely perform the basic spells Academy scholars were required to know for the exam. Troy pulled on a pair of stiff, dragonfly green robes and his shiny black boots that were way too tight. He paused in front of the mirror and tried to smooth his tangled black hair. As he reached for the comb, Mabel pounded on his bedroom door. "Troy! hurry up!" She nagged, her tiny feet pattering as she paced the hallway. Tossing the comb onto his bed, Troy sighed and opened the door, grabbing a twisted wooden wand from his dresser as he left the room. Mabel followed him down the stairs. She was a short, stout woman with frizzy hair and a thin, puckered mouth. Her stupid familiar, a Creela, was never far behind her and attacked Troy every chance it got. Sure enough, as Troy walked into the dining room, the Creela pounced on him, hissing and trying to chew his hand off. Troy swatted it away, feeling quite grateful for its lack of teeth. Troy sat down at the table and began picking at his eggs. The Creela crept forward and started gnawing on his boots, squealing and flapping its tiny wings. He groaned and buried his face in his hands. "Hurry up, Troy. You need to get going," Mabel fussed. She glanced at the clock and gasped. "We're already late! Come on!" She yanked the door open and stepped outside. Abandoning his breakfast, Troy and the Creela followed her out the door. Stepping into the warm sunshine and the overgrown garden, Troy wondered if this would be the last time he would be allowed outside. Mabel wouldn't want a disgrace to the family wandering around where anyone could see him. Mabel, Troy, Lyra, and his dad walked in silence for several minutes, through the winding cobblestone streets of Lamplight Town and onto the grounds of the school. They approached the ornate steel gates of The Academy. Families were clustered outside, waiting to be allowed to enter. Most of the kids looked to be around Troy's age, though some seemed a bit younger. Familiars romped underfoot, chasing each other and playing with their owners. Troy had never had a familiar of his own. His dad couldn't afford to buy him a pet, not while the family store was going out of business and Lyra needed school supplies. Maybe he'd be allowed to use one of the school's resident monsters, like some of the other students who didn't have familiars. It would be embarrassing, but it was better than nothing. Maybe he could have one of the school Burnewts. Nobody would make fun of him if he had a cool pet. His hope vanished when he remembered he was supposed to take Earth classes. He would probably get stuck with something weak and dumb-looking, like a Saplette.
The Academy was a fascinating place. Lyra had told him all about it. Students who passed the entrance exams could choose one branch of magic to study alongside basic Astral magic-Earth, Ice, Storm, Water, or Fire. Each element had a tower where the students slept and went to classes. Most students also had a Familiar, a monster that they connected with in some way. They would forge a powerful bond with that monster, and together they could do almost anything. Students usually started going when they were 13 years old, but some especially powerful students could start at 11 or 12. Before The Academy, they went to regular school and were homeschooled or attended extracurricular classes to learn how to control basic magic. Graduates of the Academy could either start work or get further education at a high-level wizarding school. High-level schools usually specialized in just one type of magic and were very, very hard to get accepted into. Troy knew he would never get into one of them. Maybe, with a lot of luck, he could get through Academy training. Perhaps he could even become a powerful wizard, like Lyra or his parents. He could prove himself to everyone who had teased or ignored him for being bad at magic.
Troy was jolted out of his thoughts when he realized they had made it to the front of the line. Gale, the Keeper of the school, was waiting for them at the gate. He picked up a clipboard and flipped through several pieces of paper. "You would be... Troy Lightbloom, correct?" Troy nodded. "Good," Gale unlocked the gate and pushed it open. "Right this way, then. Turn left, the brick path will take you to the exam prep room." He nodded at the rest of Troy's family. "You can head over that way and meet in the auditorium. The students will be out shortly to take their tests." Gale flew over to the next group, a father and eight children. "Good luck, buddy," Troy's dad said softly, patting him awkwardly on the shoulder. Mabel said nothing, and Lyra offered him an encouraging smile. The trio turned and disappeared into the crowd of worried parents and anxious students. Troy stepped through the gates, his heart beating quickly. He was alone, and he was about to face his biggest fear.
Chapter two
After a minute of walking along the brick path, Troy found the exam room. The door was bright blue, and instead of a peephole there was a massive and horribly realistic acromi eye. Troy knocked carefully, feeling like the eye was staring into his soul. A small student with frizzy red hair pulled the door open slightly and stuck his head out. "Oh! Uh... are you here for the exams, too?" He asked squeakily, quickly opening the door all the way so that Troy could enter. Troy nodded and entered the building. The inside of the exam room was pure chaos. Some students were crying or pacing nervously, while others were practicing spells and giving each other pep talks. A pair of girls was trying to comfort their friend, who was puking and shivering with terror. The student who had opened the door stuck out his hand. "My... my name is Leo. Leo of the Skydrifters," he introduced himself with a small, awkward wave. Troy waved back at him. "I'm Troy... of the Lightblooms." He was certain the name Skydrifter sounded familiar, but he had no idea why. Leo smiled, revealing a chipped front tooth and braces. "Well, I'm glad to meet you. You're the only one who wanted to talk to me. Except for my sister, but she's an idiot so it doesn't count." They stood there in awkward silence for a moment. "Are you ready for the exams?" Leo asked finally. Troy shrugged. "I guess so." Leo started to reply when a small, feathery yellow creature barreled into him, knocking him over. Acting on reflex, Troy grabbed Leo before he hit the ground and helped him to his feet. Yellow feathers were drifting down on them from the sky, and sprawled on the floor was a Solarix. "Thanks," Leo said quickly, shoving the bird into the nearest cage. Troy watched the bird flap around for a moment. "Is that your bird?" Leo shook his head, and then nodded, and shook his head again. "She's really my dad's, but he gave her to me." Leo flushed slightly. "Apparently she's stubborn and refusing to evolve. He.... he thinks I have a way with birds and wants me to go to pet training classes with her." Troy nodded, still focused on the bird. "That's cool."