Enter through the gate
The path will take you there
Heed not the sound of music
Walk quickly but with care.

Fear the world of dreams
That thrive in darkness deep
Inhabited by dragons
To rob you of your sleep

Until you see the light
From out of darkness shine.
You may begin to think
That you have lost your mind.

Dragons don't exist
When comes the light of day
To illuminate the shadows
And keep your fears away.

"Teacher" asked Senset, "What does this mean, dragons don't exist? That is what we are and we exist, don't we?" "Do we?" answered Teacher. "What does exist mean?" "It means to have real being, to have life" answered Senset. "And are we alive as you understand life? Do we breathe? Do we sleep? Do we eat?" asked Teacher.
"I....well....no, we don't" answered Senset. "Teacher, what does this all mean? If we don't really exist, how are we here?"

"We are here, because Mankind believes we are here. It is their nature to be fearful of that which they don't understand, they need something to save them from themselves young man, and so they imagined dragons. At least this time it was as instruments of good rather than of evil." "Evil?" "Yes my son...evil" "But...but..." "Hush my son, I shall attempt to explain."

"In the Middle ages Dragons were man eating creatures of evil. The power of good was necessary to slay them and rid the land of their destructive powers. They breathed fire, burning villages and fields, kidnapping fair maidens and generally behaving in a manner designed to bring terror to the hearts of man. It was as if man needed a personification of all that he viewed as evil around him. An evil that he felt powerless to control. When a young knight of pure heart began to enter manhood he would undertake a quest, the result would be to find the evil dragon that they were being cursed with and then slay him so his feifdom could prosper and thrive. He would then win the heart of the fair maid being held captive by the evil dragon, they would marry and live happily ever after. Of course you must understand that these dragons did not exist then anymore than we do now. The tale was nothing more than an analogy of good triumphing over evil.

Over time, the evil became more prominent in the world and no longer was the service of an imaginary dragon required. It was, after all, an accepted fact that evil existed in the world because the devil exists and provides a strong temptation to man to do his bidding. So, one by one all the evil dragons ceased to exist, and became the subject of folklore. They joined other creatures like unicorns, fairies, trolls and ogres and became tales told to children to make them mind. Eventually they found their way into written lore as well. Thus giving substance to the fiction with descriptions of how we are to look. Just as we are now, we have always been in the minds of men all over the earth.

The difference being that now mankind views itself as evil and we are the good that keep them from harming each other. We will exist and help mankind thrive for as long as we are needed. When we are not needed in great numbers, or when it is convenient we fade into memory. Centhra apparently was no longer needed by her human, and you see what happened to her. That is the fate that awaits all of us when we are no longer needed, but I shouldn't worry anytime soon. As long as the earth does not thrive then we will be needed as the symbol of good that keeps man striving towards the light of day and a better life. Who knows? That may never happen and we will continue to exist for all eternity. The earth sustained tremendous damage at the hands of man. Someday someone will come along with the knowledge needed to heal that damage. He may exist all ready and we will know soon enough. In the meantime, we will continue to be and do what we are created to do, and that, Young Senset, is the truth about Dragons."