The Star's Will

Where there is Life, there is also Death. This world was no exception. The people were cornered. While they flourished for a time, their burst of growth quickly became a scramble for the ever-shrinking resources of the world. They divided into factions and began to wage war, using any excuse to spur their members. Each clung to the hope that research could give them an edge, and they began to use any means to gain power. 

At first, the weapons were simple–axes, swords, bombs, guns, gasses. Anything that would cut through enemy lines. As the factions grew in power and desperation, their weapons became more intense. They created explosives that could wipe cities off the map, manufactured diseases the world had never seen, and weapons that could fire from the stars. However, there were limits to their madness which they sought to correct. 

Finding resources elsewhere would be ideal. Space was vast, and surely something out there would help them escape their fate. They could not find a solution in the realm of science, so they turned to things that were forbidden. The human soul was an odd thing, but the human mind was useful. Where computers and processors fell flat, the human mind could sort and comprehend a hundred years of constant memory. Thus began a phase of research where the prisoners of war became test subjects for new technology. 

Non-living weapons now used a mind at their core. Technology so advanced that it resembled magic now dominated battles. With time, mobility and function of these minds were lost. The researchers implemented pilots which could supplement lost abilities with their own memories. The connection was intimate and tied the minds together. These pilots were the first to communicate with the lost souls powering these weapons. Together, the elements were theirs to harness. Together, time and space were under their command. At last they could flee to realms uncharted.

Some stayed on the world, intent on claiming a homeland that went back for thousands of years. Others left in waves, deserting the world for greener pastures. The Chronoscape was an escape through time–a promise of paradise that lasted for as long as the pilot and their companion could travel. Whether these weapons remained human, whether the deserters were traitors to their kind, whether the world was worth saving–those who remained fought tooth and nail for the answers. 

Those who left found their own answers. They searched for the corners of the Chronoscape, only to find none. While they forgot the purpose for running, they knew to continue forward until they found safety. Some served as makeshift mechanics for their companions, gradually changing the form of their friends. Some companions grew independent, others became wild like animals, and still others grew closer to their aides. Some became dragons and Riders.

These events have been lost in the folds of time. Whether they are the origins of dragons or a simple reflection of what could have been is a mystery…except, perhaps, to the Great Ancestors.