Volcano: Dragon Inferno
Part I, Leaving Home

Long ago, a majestic bird-like creature, the Phoenix, traveled to the Island of Vinis where he hoped to find other creatures. After his family was killed in a storm he was the only of his kind remaining. In Vinis he found dragons that treated him with abomination. You see, the dragons were all desirous of his beauty and could not stand living alongside him. If the phoenix opened his chromatic wings to take flight, the dragons would invade the open skies, making it difficult for the large, humble bird to fly. And if he wanted to swim in the vast oceans, the king of the sea, the hydra, would forbid him from entering his waters. Most of the smaller dragons only followed the demands of the larger, stronger dragons and thus they didn't treat the phoenix any better.

One night, the phoenix observed the night sky. He admired the sparkling beauty of the stars and began to think that maybe he belonged high in the skies. High above where the luster produced by his gold feathers and his gleaming eyes would be appreciated rather than sought after with envy. A small dragon, who secretly befriended him said, “One day, you will find your true home and I will stand there with you when you do.” That same night, as they slept, a flock of the larger dragons, including the hydra, set out to get help from the Gods. When they arrived at the Island of Piras, home to the Gods of fire and beauty, they asked the Gods to make them as beautiful as the phoenix. They too wanted to shine in the bright sunlight and glimmer below the surface of the seas. But the Gods denied them the beauty they coveted and told them they could have it only when they learned to respect and appreciate the presence of the phoenix. The dragons insisted that living with the phoenix was conflicting and caused fights among them. They pleaded to the Gods “either relocate him or annihilate him.” The Gods were stunned by the dragons' petition. “Definitely not, your petition is offensive and will not be granted, we ask you to leave this island at once!” The infuriated dragons burned down a couple of the blue palm trees on their way off the island. As they left, the Gods were left pondering about what they would do to ease the dragon’s hatred towards the phoenix. They observed the blue palm trees recover and flourish in the fire and an idea impinged their minds.
Part II, Being Initiated & Tested
At dawn, when the stars were gone, and the mighty sun embraced the land, calamity struck. The enraged dragons had come to terminate the phoenix’s existence. Even the smaller dragons flew at high speeds behind the Hydra and his comrades. As the Phoenix woke up he looked down at the land and observed meadows caught in flames and ocean waves pressing against each other in response to the hydra’s anger...
The Phoenix was startled as to why the dragons were so angry. In his attempt to understand and appease them, the large dragons became even more brusque and began attacking the two. The Phoenix, unwilling to fight back hid behind a rock not thinking about his only friend, who lost his life shortly after. “Attack!” commanded the Hydra, “unless you wish to suffer the same fate.” And so, the smaller dragons began to spurt acid. The Phoenix knew he could not take on them on his own and with pain and guilt he turned and flew... He kept flying until he found the island of Piras and descended to find refuge underneath the blue-palm trees. He cloaked himself with his large wings, which turned into a terrible mistake. The dragons immediately saw the dynamic movement of bright light below on the island. From high above, they breathed fire onto the beautiful creature encompassing it in a blinding blaze. The Phoenix thought of his friend and held on to his inner strength, not willing to give up. He screeched louder than any creature had done before, dazzling the dragons. But more kept coming and the Phoenix was showered in flames once more. From afar, the Gods observed the glowing explosion of light and used their power to immunize the phoenix from the flames. Additionally they gave the phoenix strength to help him escape the wrath of the dragons and one even came nearer to stand beside the Phoenix in his fight.
The mighty phoenix felt the support he received from the Gods and spontaneously burrowed underground veiled by the fire inferno. The dumbfounded dragons remained silent until the earth below them began to quiver. They stared into the hole in astonishment and one by one fled the island in an attempt to escape the earth's growing convulsion. The hydra was the only remaining dragon and was able to witness a phenomenal occurrence. The hole and the ground surrounding it began to elevate high above the island, and for the first time the hydra felt fear. The convulsions suddenly stopped and a thick cloud of dust escaped the mountain-like formation. The hydra could feel the air absorbing heat and instinctively made an attempt to reach the ocean water, only to be crushed by rocks and covered in the ashes that the phoenix's structure liberated. In a matter of seconds, a fast current of a blazing red fluid escaped from the opening and made its way to the oceans and land.

Most of the dragons were killed in the process but many of the smaller dragons & some larger ones were able to find refuge and suffered minor losses. When the phoenix appeared to have returned to his friendly, natural state, they pleaded for forgiveness. “We were only taking our best shot at survival, the Hydra was relentless and would have killed us, you know that better than us.” The phoenix grunted and gave it some thought but he was not willing to risk himself and allow his life to repeat over again. Once more, he thought of his companion and he knew that if he allowed the dragons to stay, they could repopulate and a war would be re-initiated. In order to protect the land and the smaller dragons he asked them all to leave earth and find a new place to stay.
Part III, Returning Home
The phoenix traveled underground from place to place and created similar structures on land and underwater. Every few years he rose to the surface to ascertain that no dragons roamed the planet and to thank his friend, who he had let down in a fight that was meant to be theirs. And after all dragons had vanished from the earth the phoenix had finally found comfort deep below the ground, safeguarded in ever-burning flames.
To this date, the phoenix lies dormant below the Island of Thundrys, where he was born and where he witnessed his family's passing. He waits for the day the dragons return to earth & every now and then, he sends warnings to the dragons by causing small eruptions around the globe.