The Draconic Lineage

History/Story
History:

Chapter One: The Soul Dancers

In the first Chapter I will write about Akeya's family, and their origins:

Somewhere hidden deep inside the Phoenix Mountains there is a small monastery, so simple and unremarkable that even if you were given directions regarding its location you might miss it, because if you were to happen upon the entrance you would believe it to be a natural cliff in between two mountains. However, if you were to walk into said cliff, you would eventually be greeted by the view of a large open space surrounded by mountains, and in that open space is the actual monastery, although it could also be seen as a small village. While it isn't primitive or poorly made, it is clear that the inhabitants of this place didn't bother putting too much effort into getting too much luxury all the way up here here, and a closer inspection would show that most buildings are rather old.

This place is inhabited by a specific type of monks, or rather, a couple of families living together and sharing a common belief. There is no specific name or title for this group, because they never considered their group something like a cult: They consider themselves mages and scholars. However, to those that know their common belief they do have a name, based on the teachings that they all together follow: The Soul Dancers.

In ages past, before Zeref and the war between dragons and humans, when everything was much simpler, although not necessarily better, Dragon Slayers didn't exist. However, there were still humans who were gifted with power by the dragons, not through magic, but through blood. By sharing their blood the dragons could bestow certain powers upon humans, although the most common power, and also possibly the only one which has survived up until now, was to temporarily be immune to certain abilities, namely those of the same element as that of the dragon who gifted the blood.

A son of one of these 'blessed' humans, a wizard, spend his entire life studying magic, not to learn new spells, but purely to reach a deeper understanding of it. While the dragon blood running through his veins may not directly have helped in that research, his curiosity about the fact that it had such an effect drove the man to continue his studies, even at times when he felt like he could not possibly advance his studies any further. He continued like this his entire life, researching, studying, experimenting... This man has never been recognized as a great mage, since he never actually used his research for anything besides further research, but if people knew about him they would likely have proclaimed him a sage, and mages would have travelled from far and wide to learn the theory of magic, although whether the man would have accepted students, knowing that they wanted the knowledge to become powerful, rather than for the sake of knowing, is a question which has never been answered, since the issue never arose.

That is not to say that the man toiled alone. While the man himself never got children, he did have a brother, and said brother managed to help the wizard out from time to time, while also finding himself a wife and gaining several children. When the children were old enough the brother would also have them help out with the research, believing that being part of such a great quest of knowledge would help them grow up to be wise men and great mages. While all three children were capable of using magic, only one of them continued on to become a full fledged mage, the other two having inherited the wizard's desire for knowledge and understanding, rather than power.

With the help of his brother and his children the wizard finally managed to develop a way to understand magic on a level even most other mages would have trouble reaching: A series of rituals which would allow him to communicate with magic on a primal level. A method to slowly become one with magic. This discovery might have changed the history of the world drastically, or it might have not. Because while this method would allow one to form a very strong bond with magic, it also contained some rather severe flaws, which likely would have resulted in most mages discarding it as too risky. However, the wizard never revealed this discovery to the public, because even with these flaws he feared that somebody would figure out a way to turn his research into a weapon. He even had his brother and his children swear never to reveal this knowledge to anybody outside of the family. The wizard never wanted fame, power or wealth: All he ever wanted was to understand the nature of magic.

The wizard managed to make even more breakthroughs using this new method, even if he could not explain it properly to his brother. For the understanding gained by using the new method was mainly one of feeling, leaving little knowledge that he could write down or put into words. The wizard continued using the new method, his very being becoming more and more attuned with magic, until at one point his corporeal form dispersed, his soul turning into a spirit of magic, which even now is continuing its research, unknown to everyone, uncared for by anyone, uncaring about anyone.

His brother and his children were both overjoyed that the wizard had finally gotten so far with his research, and saddened that even if the wizard wasn't dead, his transformation had made it all but impossible for them to continue interacting with him through normal means. While they collectively agreed that they wouldn't follow in the wizard's footsteps, they couldn't resist the urge to continue using that new method, because the wizard had infected them with his thirst for knowledge, even if it was to a lesser extend. Their children continued this tradition, and so did their children, the entire line of descendants having become inheritors of the thirst to understand magic, and the technique to do so: the Soul Dance.

These Soul Dancers are all the descendants of the brother of that wizard: While they tend not to interfere with the outside world, sometimes a member of the group would leave, explore the world, and sometimes they found themselves a family and brought that family back to the monastery when they had become old, turning one family into several, all connected by their lineage, the Dragon's Blood.

Chapter Two: The Lineage Manifests

In this second Chapter, I shall talk about Akeya herself:

Akeya Kuusai was born into what could be considered the main family of the Soul Dancers. Her father, Kumoi Kuusai, is the brother of the head of the family, Hiun Kuusai. While she has many nieces and nephews, Akeya is only child: While they are not poor, the Soul Dancers are not exactly rolling in the money, seeing how they are too distant from most other humans, with too little to offer, to become rich. Combining this with the fact that Akeya wouldn't have to worry about being lonely, thanks to all her nephews, nieces and cousins, Akeya's mother, Meimei Shinkai, decided that one child was enough, and since he couldn't see any reason to disagree Kumoi went along with her decision without complaint.

Akeya's childhood was a simple but happy one. With such a big family nobody ever has to feel like they're truly alone, and there's almost always somebody who has the time to play with the little children, not even mentioning how much the little children played with each other. Akeya was not too different from the others, just another girl in the group, although back then she already had a tendency towards silence and being a bit less energetic than the others. However, it didn't look like Akeya was unhappy or anything, and even with her inclination towards stillness she could get along just fine with the others, so her parents decided that as far as personality quirks go, an early development towards becoming composed wasn't something to worry about.

In that monastery learning about the Soul Dance is as much a part of regular education as learning how to count, and Akeya was no exception to that rule. As soon as she was old enough to be able to grasp the concept she started learning about magic, and how to perform the rituals that allows Soul Dancers to attune themselves with the flow of magic. Akeya didn't show herself to be talented to the point of standing out, although she did show an affinity towards knowing what magic type she was sensing, which made her parents proud. After all, even if you can sense magic it wouldn't do much good if you can't discern what type of magic you are dealing with.

As Akeya grew up it became apparent that her tendency towards silence and carefulness was something that wasn't just going away. She wasn't withdrawn, or shy, since she still played with the other children and interacted like a normal girl of her age would: She just didn't talk as much as most others, and she was far less likely to get herself into trouble doing something risky following a childish impulse. Once again her parents decided that it wasn't something to worry about, although they wondered how their child came to be such a solemn person, especially considering her high self-esteem and confidence. It couldn't be that she was ashamed or afraid about showing herself, leaving Kumoi and Meimei to wonder what else it could be.

This question was never answered throughout the years. The best answer anybody could come up with was that Akeya simply had developed to be the kind of person who thinks a lot about what they do, and for her that had resulted in her deciding that she didn't feel like talking if it wasn't necessary. While still not worrying her parents never quite overcame their puzzlement about the whole subject: Akeya was smart, capable, kind, obedient, healthy and confident. Just not talkative. The other members of the family didn't really bother wondering about it, as they explained to Kumoi and Meimei. If there's nothing wrong with Akeya, why focus so much on that one detail that makes her a bit different from most children?

Of course Akeya's parents never actually considered her flawed: Eventually Akeya became the best performer of the Soul Dance of her age, because even if some others had more talent Akeya's seriousness and focused approach allowed her to bypass those more talented than her through sheer intensity. Her parents praised her for it, although they made sure not to give Akeya too much a feeling of being better than the other children: While so far Akeya hadn't shown any tendency, telling a confident person how good they are could too easily lead to them becoming arrogant, and Akeya never lacked any confidence. Although Kumei restrained himself more than Meimei, being a bit more inclined to encourage competitiveness between her child and others than her husband. Nevertheless, Akeya kept her calm, showing her confidence without giving others the feeling she was actually looking down at them.

When Akeya finally reached the age of fourteen it was time for he to perform what these days was considered the core of the Soul Dance: The ritual which completely attunes oneself with the flow of magic, which would grant the person who performed it magic abilities based on who they are. It is tradition for all children to do this when they became fourteen, because at that point almost all had learned enough to be capable of handling it, and there was no real reason to wait any longer. Although with Akeya the ritual had a bit more of an effect on the onlookers. It is always so that a child performing the ritual leads to a party, with all onlookers being suitably impressed, since during the ritual the awakened magic tends to put up a show. With Akeya, it explained a lot about her, and gave rise to lots of new questions....

Akeya looked around as she stood in the ritual circle around which the entire village had been built, where all children performed the ritual. As expected almost everybody was gathered around the circle, some patiently waiting, others enthusiastically encouraging her. Her father and mother are the most expectant and the most enthusiastic ones, smiling at Akeya as they wait for her to show them her being. Akeya nodded back, her own smile hidden by her mask, even at this age already wearing it. Her parents never asked why, and Akeya didn't tell. Honestly, she just thought it fitted her, but she wouldn't point it out if nobody else did. She looked down at herself, at the clothing all were supposed to wear during the ritual. It was mostly simplistic stuff, the only notable thing being the large amount of small lachrima decorating the clothing, with the intention of helping attuning with the flow of magic. She then looked upwards at the dark sky, breathing deeply before she started speaking.

"I am Akeya Kuusai, daughter of Kumoi Kuusai and Meimei Shinkai. I am here to perform the heart of the Soul Dance, to reveal myself to the flow of magic, and for the flow of magic to reveal itself to me. May the Guardian Spirit of this village guide my steps."

Having said the required lines Akeya began to move, slowly but surely making her way around the ritual circle, her fingertips glowing as she wove them through the air, mixing her own magic with that of the air and the atmosphere. The ritual could really be considered the heart of the Soul Dance: It was careful, precise, and impressive, especially with the fading trails of magic energy left behind. Every child added something of their own nature to the dance when they performed it, and with Akeya that resulted into an extra elegant and flowing movement. Technically anything worked as long as it sufficiently dispersed the dancer's magic throughout the area and had it mix with the flow of magic, but the Soul Dancers had turned this ritual into a tradition, so almost every single one used this dance or something very similar when it was their time to perform the ritual. Once she had made her way throughout the entire circle Akeya returned to the middle of the circle, closing her eyes as she took a meditative pose.

"I ask the flow of magic to talk to me, so I may understand it, and it may understand me. True understanding goes both ways, and thus I shall bare my soul in the hope that I will receive the same courtesy."

She then once again fell silent, breathing deeply as she focused on regulating her magic. The audience had been silent from the very beginning of the ritual, every single spectator focused on the girl who was performing the ritual so elegantly and with such dignity. Like always, everybody looked forward to seeing the one who performed the ritual succeeding in creating a contact. It looked like nothing happened for a few minutes, although the adults could sense that in the ritual circle the magic was stirring, and the other children knew that if they were to comment they'd get an earful from their parents. Then suddenly all the eight braziers that surrounded the ritual circle flared up, leading to everybody moving backwards in surprise. The intense flame lasts for a couple of seconds, then without warning the flames turned dark, not black, but a dark blue, spreading a bluish light that gave everything an appearance both beautiful and mysterious. Akeya still had her eyes closed, but the lachrima on her clothing were all glowing, magic being drawn towards them and from them into Akeya, only to then be expelled as Akeya tried to interject herself into the flow of magic.

This stage also lasted for a minute, almost nobody daring to breathe as they wait for the ritual to end. It looked like Akeya would gain fire based abilities, although the changing of the colour of the flames had most people confused. Their confusion was both washed away and renewed when Akeya suddenly opened her eyes: They were glowing, and the pupils had turned into reptilian slits, giving Akeya's normally intense stare a new level of sharpness. Around Akeya the air turned darker, then lots of small glitters started to fill the air, swirling around Akeya and slowly forming a shape, the glitters turning into the reflection of the light on scales, the scales covering a serpentine translucent serpentine body, with two claws holding onto Akeya's shoulders as a pair of transparent wings spread out, wide enough to reach both ends of the ritual circle. A dragon who appeared to be made out of shadow and light itself had curled itself around Akeya, looking around at the audience, who all have gone completely silent now. Akeya's head and eyes followed the movements of the dragon's, resulting in everybody being subjected to two reptilian stares at the same time. The dragon then started to fade away, or rather, was slowly drawn inside of Akeya, who in the process grew a pair of wings and a tail, while her hands and feet turned into claws and her entire body was covered in dark blue scales. For a moment nobody and nothing moved, then Akeya spoke again, her voice this time having a strange hiss attached to it:

"I have opened myself to magic, and it has opened itself to me. All those who have gathered here, they can see what my being be. I thank the Guardian Spirit for guiding me, and the magic for accepting me."

With that she ended the ritual, breathing in and then releasing a weak burst of magic energy as she breathed out, restoring herself to normal. In the meanwhile everybody just stared at her, including Kumoi and Meimei. The Soul Dance ritual had showed it to them, and there was no room for doubt: The Dragon Blood runs strong in Akeya, to the point that when it was time for the magic to show her being it had shown a dragon with dark blue scales, scales the colour of twilight. A Twilight Dragon.

That was the recorded story of Akeya's awakening of her abilities. Her parents finally understood why she was so solemn and silent: Dragons are confident but solitary creatures, and a dragon of twilight, who is neither part of the day nor the night, is even more so solitary. While overjoyed at the successful ritual Akeya's parents had something else to worry about now: How would their daughter develop, she who showed herself to be similar to a dragon?
Akeya herself didn't worry much. The magic fit her, as a magic ability awakened by performing the Soul Dance rituals always did, and she spend her time honing it, developing it, making it her own, even more so than it already was the moment it appeared. Her family didn't think any less of her, their respect of Akeya might even have gone up, but they all had to admit that they hadn't been expecting such a thing.

Then, when Akeya had already turned nineteen, the next surprising thing happened, once again instigated by Akeya herself...

RP Sample:

"Are you sure about this Akeya? We won't stop you if you are, but I had never expected you to make this decision."

Meimei looked at her daughter, who was seated opposite of her with crossed legs. As always Akeya did not give the impression of being uncertain, making Meimei feel slightly embarrassed for asking the question, but she wanted to hear Akeya make it clear that she was resolute in her decision. Kumoi nodded, agreeing with his wife, also looking at Akeya. As surprising as Akeya's Soul Dance had been, he had always thought that she would be one of the people who would spend their entire life in the monastery. She did not show any inclination towards wanting to go outside for finding new friends, and so far she had shown more interest in advancing her studies than becoming a renown mage.

"As your mother said, we won't try to discourage you, but this is quite the surprise, so we want to know for sure that this is what you truly want."

Akeya nodded, looking at both her parents with that eternal focused gaze, her slightly oval pupils being as calm as always.

"Yes, I am sure father, mother. While I do honestly enjoy my life here, I feel like I should at least see what the world outside these mountains is like. I would rather not risk staying here until I'm old only to then realize that there were things I missed out on because I never left my home. I want to see the world, because even if it turns out to be nothing impressive, that would only help me appreciate my home even more."

Her gaze softened a bit, raising her hand to touch her chest.

"Also, you know better than anybody else about my magic. There are no dragons here, but outside I might learn more about them, and any possibility of learning more about dragons might help me learn more about myself. I could learn something fundamental about both myself and magic out there, and in that case I could bring it back and show it to you and our entire family. I thank you for your concern father, mother, but I am seldom unsure about anything, and this time is no different. I ask your blessing, and that of the Guardian Spirit."

Akeya then bowed, once she raised her head silently waiting for Kumoi and Meimei to respond. Her father and mother look at her, then at each other, before smiling gently and nodding.

"Of course you have our blessing Akeya. Go out there and see the world. Don't worry about us, this place will always be the same and a safe home for you, should you wish to return."

"Knowing you are sure about this we fully support you Akeya. You have our blessing, and that of the Guardian Spirit. You know he would never oppose a decision made with the intent of learning something new. I just have on request: Make sure you stay healthy, and at least visit us from time to time."

Akeya nodded, then slowly stood up, once again bowing once she was standing. Kumoi and Meimei also stand up.

"Thank you for being so accepting father, mother. If you will excuse me, I will start preparing for my departure."

However Kumoi shook his head, beckoning Akeya. Akeya raised one eyebrow before moving closer to her parents, who when she was close enough wrapped her into a warm hug.

"Good luck Akeya."
"Have fun dear."

Akeya nodded, then after a couple of seconds hugged Kumoi and Meimei back, closing her eyes as she basks in the warmth of the embrace. Even a solitary person can't resist enjoying the warmth of their parent's embrace. Once the hug ended Akeya turned around and walked out of the room, heading for her own room.

Within minutes Akeya was walking out of the monastery grounds, covered in a large cloak and carrying what little she found worth taking on her back. She already had a pretty solid plan about what she would do. She could survive for reasonably long in the wild, her magic abilities making her both durable and rather good at hunting. Once she reached civilization she would get herself onto a boat heading towards Clover Town. The great Guild Blue Pegasus was stationed there, and from what Akeya had been able to discover that guild would be the best choice for her to join: It puts good interest into knowledge, is supposed to be mainly inhabited by respectful mages, and also had a good gathering of light mages. Normally somebody who was sensitive to light would avoid such a place, but the way Akeya figured the best way to avoid having to deal with them is to make them allies before they become enemies.

Face Claim: Tried to find source of image, but so far as I can see it's just a random drawing of a ninja girl somebody made. However, for those who really want me to have a Face Claim, Tsubaki Nakatsukasa from Soul Eater is as good a choice as any.