The Dark Dragon — Lyle Drew

Andrius of Gratis was an ordinary man, at least he started out that way. Atlantean Priests weren't as common as they were during the 1st Age of Atlantis, but he wanted to be one, even when he was young. His parents petitioned the priests from the Academy in Poseidis to consider him, even though he wasn't a descendent of Poseidon. To everyone's surprise, he possessed the necessary gene and so the Academy educated him as a priest. Upon graduation, he served a large section of southern (northern according to modern magnetic directions because the magnetic poles reversed thousands of years ago) At-lan as a priest, enjoying his trade and meeting new people. That was where his life no longer remained ordinary.
After traveling as a priest for forty years, Andrius witnessed the end of the 2nd Age of Atlantis; it came suddenly when the submersible Poseid sank, creating a cataclysm that changed the face of At-lan forever. Andrius' injuries were the same as they were for other people who happened to be within five kilometers of the coast; the thunderous sound rendered him deaf and his left leg broke when the blast threw him against a boulder. Unable to hear his own words, he chanted a healing spell for his leg and then for his body as a whole. He thought one chant, but unable to hear, his words were different. His hearing returned at once, but he also felt different, overcome with a feeling of renewal. His life should have been near its end after a hundred years, but he was as young as when he first graduated as a priest. Andrius soon discovered that he wouldn't grow old until he was nearly two thousand years of age. Recalling the chant, he rejuvenated his body, beginning the process again, in time to witness the arrival of the space faring Kryloneans. Life should have gotten easier, but he was lonely since priests were rare.
Then, the end of the 3rd Age came, bringing with it the final destruction of At-lan. As a member of the At-lan Army, he protected Noah, his animals and the ark from the advancing Hellenes. The ark was sealed, but the Hellenes continued to advance on it. The battle that followed left Andrius missing an arm and with a mutilated leg. Stabilized, the Kryloneans took him to Tiahuacan and fitted with a robotic arm and leg. That wasn't what he wanted; had his limbs been saved, a priest or even he could have reattached them, made them functional again. Now, he feared his robotics would greatly hinder the use of his power, particularly the arm. Feeling sorry and useless, he wandered the continent, coming across a Krylonean woman, attacked, beaten and repeatedly raped. She wanted only to live out her lonely life in peace, but now near death, she welcomed it, having lost her family to the Hellenes. He healed her, only to find her will to die strong. Eventually, she yielded to his reasoning that he was lonely too, needing the friendship of another human to keep him sane. In time, he extended her life to its normal limits.
For hundreds of years, they roamed Terra's southern hemisphere, arriving at the great island that people would call the United Kingdom. Their travels introduced them to many friendly people and creatures, mainly a mountain forest dragon by the name of Eilert. Sadly, they also became aware of another, larger dragon who was stealing young people. They knew him only as the Dark Dragon, but that was all they knew of him. Slowly, its life and theirs entangled as the humans learned the identity of those who controlled the Dark Dragon and why. Allies grew from two goddesses to hundreds of people as the battle to save Terra escalated. The beings who controlled the dragon were the old enemies of Terra -- the Titans, but they had grown more powerful. It was time that someone stopped them before they could return to their planet for reinforcements and enslave everyone!