The Crimson Dragon's Oath
| “ | This is a story of Victoria, a tale from the distant past. An era when Spring remained, an age before stone castles, a time when a girl made friends with two crimson dragons. | ” |
| —Description |
The Crimson Dragon's Oath is a trailer/PV released for Arknights, acting as a teaser to What the Firelight Casts and an overview for the background of Act II of the Main Theme. it provides additional information for the history of Victoria and Tara in the form of a folklore, spanning from the split of the Draco houses to the Aslan-Draco war that usurped the latter's rule.
The PV is narrated in English by the Earl of Warwick.
Transcript
The Earl of Warwick, sitting in a room, recites a tale from the book he reads.
Earl of Warwick: This is a story of Victoria, a tale from the distant past. An era when Spring remained, an age before stone castles,
The screen flashes to the view of a moon in the sky, then zooms out to reveal a pair of crimson dragons soaring...
Earl of Warwick: a time when a girl made friends with two crimson dragons. One of them was greedy, but the other was true and brave.
...and zooms out again to reveal a girl standing in a field of flowers below them, seemingly imploring the dragons to not fight each other.
Earl of Warwick: Both swore for eternity to protect her beauty and grace. Everywhere they went, the girl would find and take the most beautiful flower growing in that place.
One of the crimson dragons are now shown standing menacingly before the girl.
Earl of Warwick: Then one day came when the greedy one exclaimed, "Grant me a gift, should you call yourself my friend?" With honeyed tongue it begged the girl to braid a wreath with the flowers she had gathered, and the girl gladly agreed. With deft hands she wove a beauteous floral garland...
The girl put a crown of flowers on the dragon's head as the sun rises...
Earl of Warwick: ...and placed it around the head of the greedy red dragon. Yet the dragon of courage said,
...while the other dragon is shown flying away in the sunny sky.
Earl of Warwick: "No boon for me, no gift do I need. Our journey is incomplete, and there's much for us to see." And thus it departed alone, and flew to the mountains beyond where it created Tara, a kingdom to call its own.
The screen shifts and shows a beautiful flower.
Earl of Warwick: The flowers that thrive here grow in no other land. The domain was deemed perfect to adorn the girl's fine hand.
The two dragons appear looking at the flower with the girl on top of it.
Earl of Warwick: The wind told the greedy one, of its kin's great findings.
One of the dragons now looks up to the girl while the other stays fixated on the flower.
Earl of Warwick: Speedily it flew towards Tara with the girl upon its wings. And the greedy drake was awed, dazzled by the native bloom.
Now the other dragons looks up to the girls as well...
Earl of Warwick: "Resplendent shall be our crown, when we take that flower from you."
...but turns back to the flower.
Earl of Warwick: The good drake was speechless, as greed pressed the demand.
Now the first dragons lowers his head in sorrow.
Earl of Warwick: There was nothing left of Spring, but the blossom of its own land.
The flower appears again...
Earl of Warwick: Long battled the dragons, a feud of naught but woe.
...now bound into a wreath.
Earl of Warwick: But greed emerged triumphant, the flower was then bestowed. Though the blossom suffered wounds and several petals were shed. It became the brightest jewel upon the greedy dragons head.
The sad girl walks alone through a dark forest.
Earl of Warwick: The girl secretly wept watching her friends fight and bleed.
Suddenly a lion appears before her with others watching from the shadows.
Earl of Warwick: Then a lion snuck up to her giving whispers that soothed her grief. And the lion told the girl, that it had a very large pride who would swear to protect her, and vow to stay by her side.
The pride of lions reveal themselves.
Earl of Warwick: So the girl forgot her sorrows, and played with newfound friends. It no longer yearned for the drake who dwelt in distant lands.
The lions and the dragon charge at each other to seize the girl, creating bloodshed along the way.
Earl of Warwick: But the drakewar barely ended when the lion pushed its claim. It seized the girl and roared: "Put the crown upon my mane!"
The dragon is shown flying in the sky bringing down its wrath in the form of fire.
Earl of Warwick: The good drake had not healed, but valiantly it challenged the threat. Not for the crown it fought and killed, but the oaths it swore to kept.
Blood begins to rain down to the earth...
Earl of Warwick: But the pride was ready for war, and spilled the dragon's blood. It drenched the fertile earth, and turned it to barren mud.
...which turns everything into a frozen barrenland.
Earl of Warwick: The people grew cold and starved, now that winter has arrived. They remain cowed and silent, though a question lingered in mind: "Is it gone, our crimson dragon who lives beyond the peaks? Is it gone, o virtue guardian, the one with no greed?"
The screens turns black before revealing a young Loughshinny and Eblana standing together. The shadow of the Earl is cast upon them.
Earl of Warwick: Are you listening, Loughshinny? Can you.. and will you answer that question for us?
Arknights