Faul: The Reincarnation

Chapter 17: The Fall of Azra: The Brothers' Fate

"Hey, Gag! Take me along!” Little Braf (Faul) shouted, his voice full of youthful enthusiasm.

Gag glanced back at his younger brother with a soft smile, but his eyes were filled with concern. "Oh, little Braf, you can’t fly for long, and I don’t have enough strength to carry your weight," he replied gently.

Braf frowned, his small form standing on the edge of a cliff. "I can still try! I’m not that small!" he protested, his arms outstretched as if to prove his point.

Gag sighed and placed a hand on Braf’s head, ruffling his hair affectionately. “Baby brother, just stay behind. I’ll get you the flowers from the garden when I return,” Gag said, his voice carrying a mix of affection and a quiet, hidden sorrow.

As Gag spread his wings and lifted into the air, he thought to himself, *Little Braf, you might look so innocent now, but you could become a problem for me in the future. I just hope we’ll be on the same side when the time comes.* With a heavy heart, Gag soared into the sky, his wings beating powerfully as he left Azra behind.

Azra was a paradise, a realm built specifically for dragons. When humans hunted dragons for their bones, skin, and scales to craft weapons of war, the elder dragons grew fearful of their extinction. In response, the six elder dragons—of which Gag and Braf’s father was one—used their immense powers to create Azra, a world where humans could never set foot. It was a sanctuary, a haven from the outside world, forged from the dragons' pure fear of annihilation.

Azra was designed for the safety of the younger generation of dragonkind, where they could live free from the threat of human hunters. But while Braf grew up accepting the peaceful isolation that Azra offered, Gag harbored a far darker vision. Unlike his brother, Gag was consumed by a desire for vengeance against those who had threatened the dragons' existence. His ambition grew to unimaginable heights. He wanted not just to protect Azra but to rid the world of all beings except dragons.

The six elder dragons had cast a powerful spell that would prevent any outside forces from entering Azra or any inside forces from leaving. But Gag and Braf were different. They were the only two who could pass the boundary of Azra and journey into other worlds. This made them unique— and dangerous.

It had been days since Gag left Azra, and Braf couldn’t help but worry. He had been hunting alone, eating alone, and doing everything without the presence of his beloved brother. Braf’s heart was heavy with the absence of Gag, who had always been by his side. "It has been days now, and Gag is still not back. Is he alright?" Braf thought, his mind troubled by the silence that had settled over Azra.

Meanwhile, Gag’s journey into the outside world had taken a dark turn. He sought the “Creator,” the one who had the power to end all life, intending to destroy them and end the existence of all beings. However, during his travels, he encountered a far darker being—the God of Plague. In a fierce battle, Gag killed the God of Plague and absorbed its essence. This essence, once inside him, began to consume Gag, turning him into something twisted and unnatural.

The essence of the God of Plague corrupted him, transforming Gag into an abomination. No longer just a dragon, Gag had become a being of immense, terrifying power— a sacred creature capable of forcing all who stood before him to kneel. Yet, he knew that Braf would never bow to him, no matter how much power he wielded.

A thousand years passed, and Gag’s tyranny stretched far beyond Azra, as he systematically destroyed world after world. He was unstoppable, an agent of death and destruction. Yet, Azra remained untouched. The dragons, though terrified by the whispers of Gag’s name, were safe—for now.

Two thousand years later, Gag’s reign of terror finally reached Azra. Though he had never directly attacked the dragon settlement, the mention of his name caused fear to spread among the dragons. Every dragon trembled at the thought of what Gag had become, except for Braf. Braf refused to fear his brother, despite all the horrors he had heard of him.

Determined to find his brother and bring him back, Braf set out on a journey across the realms. But as soon as Braf left Azra, Gag returned, seeking to rally the dragons to his cause. His twisted vision of dragon supremacy would not allow him to rest. But when the six elder dragons refused to follow him, Gag’s patience ran out. In a violent outburst, he killed the elder dragons and destroyed Azra, wiping out the very world that had once sheltered him.

When Braf returned, having given up on his search for Gag, he was met with the most gruesome sight. The world he had once known—his home, his family—was gone. Azra had been reduced to ash, its once-pristine beauty destroyed in an instant.

"Braf," a dying elder dragon whispered, his voice raspy from his wounds. "You need to stop him. He has been consumed by the essence of the God of Plague. If you don’t stop him, he will kill every living thing." The elder dragon’s words were his last as he took his final breath.

Filled with rage and grief, Braf swore to stop his brother. The brother he had once loved, the brother who had once been his greatest ally, was now his sworn enemy. Gag had become something beyond recognition, a creature of pure destruction, and it was up to Braf to put an end to his reign of terror.

Determined and filled with an overwhelming sense of duty, Braf set out to confront Gag. He knew that the battle ahead would not be easy, but he also knew that there was no other choice. The world—both dragon and mortal—depended on him.

As Braf flew toward the shattered remnants of Azra, he steeled himself for what was to come. He no longer saw his brother as the one he had once adored, the one he had once followed. Now, he saw only an enemy—an abomination that needed to be stopped before it could destroy everything Braf held dear.

*This is the end,* Braf thought, the weight of his purpose heavy in his heart. *The brother I knew is gone. Now, it’s up to me to save the world from his wrath.*

The final battle was about to begin.