First Demonic Dragon

- Mount Kailash, Tibet.

At the top of a lone, snow covered mountain, there appears to be nothing out of the ordinary.

You could explore the whole mountaintop from inch-to-inch and never find anything that would disprove that fact.

However, there was a miracle here that was not for any mortal eye to glance upon.

If one were evolved enough to peer behind a veil, they would in fact find something wondrous and out of place.

A beautiful monastery like none other, that was neither large enough to be considered obnoxious or so small that it appeared rudimentary.

It provided what the inhabitants needed; no more, and no less.

Streaming out of the front door were a steady stream of monks in bright orange robes.

Their shaved heads were no different from ordinary monks, but the only thing significantly different about them was the painted blue ring around their necks that seemed to hold some sort of significance…

They had knapsacks packed with what little belongings they had and were beginning their track down the mountain- at least until they were instructed that it was safe for them to return.

The last monk to leave was just about the oldest man that anyone had ever seen.

But his lack of youth miraculously did not equate to a lack of strength.

He looked just as prepared to take the trip downward as the rest of his brood.

Hell, he may have even reached the bottom before the young ones.

He stretched his old bones in the same way that someone would when they first woke up in the morning.

*Speaking Lhasa Tibetan* "Ahhh... It's been a while since I've been out on such a warm day. It's effect on the blood is truly revitalizing."

"As always, I appreciate your splendid attitude, Sanyasi Daido. Even going so far as to comply with my sudden and unreasonable request." Another voice said.

The man glanced behind him and immediately lowered himself in front of the one whom he viewed as the mightiest of the supreme beings.

Standing in front of him was a nude, blue skinned man with an androgynous appearance.

His black hair, though matted, was styled in a single braid and adorned with a crescent moon and the Ganges River.

He wore a garland of ancient skulls around his neck, along with several living snakes.

Parts of his bare body were painted over with the white ashes of eviscerated corpses.

A third eye sat closed in the center of his forehead; forever closed until the opportune time arose.

"Think nothing of it, Lord Shiva." Daido bowed deeply. "We wish you the best in your endeavor."

Shiva looked towards the sky and saw that it was still early morning. "I will wait to begin the invocation at nightfall, when you all have reached the foot of the mountain."

'So late??' Daido would never open his mouth to question his supreme one, but inwardly he did wonder about the reason for this decision of his.

"I wait this long for your own safety, Daido. I cannot know the ramifications of invoking the Evil Dragon on the mortal plane after he has ascended to a new realm of godhood. Even though he will be but a specter, there still exists the possibility of ramification on your minds."

Once again, Daido was captivated not only by his lord's ability to see inside of his mind, but also his forethought in caring about them so.

"I understand, Lord Shiva. We will graciously wait for the moment you call upon us to return."

With Shiva's smile of acceptance, the monk finally turned away and began his own trek down the mountain.

The blue skinned god watched him was away until his back disappeared, at which point he returned to the inside of the monastery.

Already waiting for him inside were three more deities... and an animal.

One was a goddess so beautiful that she was inhumane, with beautiful light coffee skin and long black hair like oil.

The other two were men- one bearing a similar likeness to his mother, and the other being a large, elephant-headed hybrid of a man.

These three were also gods, and the only family of Shiva.

"It is time for you all to return to Svarga as well."

Parvati: "Should we not have some say in the matter?"

Ganesha: "We are unlike the humans, father. The dragon will not break us just with his mere arrival."

Kartikeya: "Besides, if we can stand in front of you, then nothing else in creation should bring us to our knees."

Shiva wasn't expecting for his family to put up such a united front against him, and he weighed the choices in his mind against their wishes.

"I see... We wait for nightfall together then. Do not say you were not given permission to leave beforehand."

"We will not, husband." Parvati smiled.

Together, the four of them sat down in front of a statue of Shiva's exact likeness.

They closed their eyes in unison and waited, while the large Komodo dragon crawling about the room searched for an exit... or mice. Whichever came first.

-

At the instant that night covered the mountain peak, Shiva opened his eyes in unison with his family.

"Seems it is time."

He stood up and instantly located the one animal in the room that was vaguely out of place.

With a waive of his hand, the Komodo dragon was suddenly lifted up from it's perch and brought towards the blue god.

"Your sacrifice is appreciated, beast. Return to the everlasting cycle…" Shiva created a curved knife in one hand and cut open the stomach of the creature in one smooth motion.

It's entrails and organs came spilling out and they landed within a burning pyre that was already prepared beforehand.

'Making another offering to a god in my very own abode... Never in my wildest dreams did I think..' The full absurdity of this moment was certainly not lost on Shiva.

But he didn't let himself think about it too much, or else he feared he would end this ceremony early out of his own jealousy.

"Did the Creator give you an invocation of some sort, father?" Ganesha asked once the entrails of the komodo began to stink.

"..." Shiva blinked his eyes in unison when he realized hat he hadn't.

Usually there was some sort of stanza or long poem that one had to recite in order to fully capture the god's attention.

Usually when a god had no agreed upon invocation, that meant the one trying to contact them had to use their own energy and hope it was enough to pique the god's interest.

The Creator had already told Shiva that the dragon could be fickle... but now he was wondering exactly to what extent.

'He wouldn't dare to ignore me... right?'

Shiva let only a small whip of his aura leave his palm, and he waited for the traditional dramatic reaction.

'The Dragon of The Bottomless Pit... Don't disappoint me.'

In the aftermath of Shiva infusing his energy into the pyre; nothing happened.

Complete and utter silence was all that followed.

Annoyance weld up in Shiva's mind for the first time in eons.

'He actually dares to-'

*Rumble!*

From outside, a dark storm could be heard brewing overhead from out of nowhere.

Large bolts of lightning would have directly struck the monastery if Parvati didn't intentionally redirect it.

The thunderstorm continued to rage on with no real end in sight, but no apparitions appeared in the walls of the monastery.

It was still completely silent!

"Unthinkable... Does he actually dare to not appear when called by one of the Trimurti??" Kartikeya growled.

"No…" Ganesha suddenly strained his neck so that he could stare at the ceiling above them. "He's been here since the storm came."

The entire family followed the elephant's example and glanced above their heads.

There, sitting quietly in a pool of shadows was a single large eye.

Reptilian in origin, it's irises were wrapped in a beautifully unique golden color that could only be defined as holy.

The silent manner in which it appeared, as well as it's eeriness, made the gods except for Shiva raise their guards.

They had forgotten that in present form, the being they had called was little more than an apparition.

He couldn't have hurt them if he wanted to.

"…Do you know me?" Shiva asked.

The eye disappeared from atop the ceiling and reappeared on a wall much closer to where the god stood.

It said nothing, but clear recognition shown in his eye.

"I'm fairly certain you should be able to speak." Shiva said.

"I've yet to discover anything meaningful to say." When the specter finally did grace them with his voice, the deep growls shook the walls of the ancient monastery.

"So you are of the calculative sort? Intriguing, since most think you brutish."

"They would hardly be wrong."

Shiva rubbed his jaw thoughtfully as he decided to just dive head first into the reason for this invocation.

"I just ask you a question, Abaddon. Why do you destroy?"