The Origin of Echo Zimri

         Lampads are a type of nymph that originate from the Underworld. Many believe that creatures descended from the Underworld are evil, but there truly isn’t a defined evil in this world. Echo Zimri, an abnormal Lampad, is very kind, and while residing in the Underworld, she not only guided the dead, but she befriended them and comforted them, which in turn helped them accept their deaths. Because of her kindness, Echo became an outcast among outcasts. The other Lampads didn’t have or understand the kindness she had, and what they didn’t understand, they feared.
         Echo didn’t like the way she was treated, so she finally worked up the courage to do what was most forbidden; venture to the surface. She knew that once she had crossed the border, she would never be able to return. She quietly debated with herself for quite a while whether or not she would actually go through with her plan, but Thanatos, her bat familiar, helped her along, and he promised her that he would always protect her, no matter what the danger. When they reached the surface, Echo was immediately awestruck by what she discovered. The surface world was so radiant and full of life, nothing like the world she came from below. Somehow, the tranquility also terrified her; she, a creature surrounded by death and despair, was in a place that no one of her kind had ever been. Her being on the surface defied nature. The fear began to take hold of her, and she fell to her knees into the soft grass, with Thanatos resting gently on the top of her head.
         Another sudden realization exploded in her mind; what was she supposed to do now? No one would accept her, as she was taught that she was a creature that left death in her wake. Echo wasn’t like that, just because she was born the way she was didn’t mean that she was evil. Echo knew that no living creature would stay near her long enough for her to explain that. For some reason in the eyes of these vibrant and innocent surface creatures, her gloomy appearance made her dangerous. Echo wasn’t dangerous at all. The only things she was capable of at the time was singing and summoning bats, and even then sometimes the bats just ignored her.
         Echo was lost in a world she knew nothing about. She wanted to cry, but she worried that her tears might make her look scarier than she already was, so she hid her face away in a dark navy hooded cloak. Echo also knew when she cried, it was extremely unpleasant for the ears, and that would most definitely repel any creature that would have thought to approach her. Unfortunately, the longer she sat in the grass, the harder it was to hold back the tears, and Echo finally gave in, her cries wailing like a dying animal. Echo was scared, and the more her fear consumed her, the louder and harsher her cries became. She soon noticed a shadow that kept appearing from above her, and the harder she cried, the closer it became. It was a large shadow, and the fear of being attacked by some ravenous creature made her wails inaudible to human ears; only human ears.
         The shadow continued getting larger and larger until Echo finally found the slightest bit of courage to look above her, and what she saw completely petrified her. An enormous scaly belly hovered closer and closer to the ground, and when the creature finally landed, he turned his head toward her. Echo was completely paralyzed. She was only a few mere steps away from a gigantic snout with reflective ivory scales that led to large emerald colored eyes. This was the first dragon Echo had ever seen in her entire existence. She was both terrified and fascinated.
After a long period of staring at one another, the dragon spoke; “Are you alright tiny creature? I heard you crying from my home, are you in pain?”
         The dragon’s voice was gentle and soft, unlike what Echo had been taught in the Underworld. She was still a bit discombobulated, and didn’t speak a reply. The dragon seemed to be analyzing her, and then he spoke once again, “You must be quite a long way from home, little one,” he said to the frightened girl.
         “I haven’t seen a Lampad in many centuries, you see, so I apologize for gawking in advance,” the dragon let out a soft chuckle.
         Echo was so confused by the events happening in front of her, and she really wasn’t sure what she should do. She couldn’t outrun the creature, if he was trying to play a trick on her, and there was no way that she could possibly defeat him in battle. After going over her possible outcomes in her mind, she decided that the best decision was not to decide at all, and so she continued to stand there and not utter a single word.
         The dragon looked at her, concerned, and said, “I don’t believe that you’ve ingested any kind of paralyzing herbs or berries, but I hope you don’t mind if I take you along with this other lovely young lady back to my home. I have much knowledge collected from around the world that might be able to help you, that is, if you require such help.” The dragon turned his head towards his back, “Delilah, could you please help this creature onto my back?”
         A girl that looked like a human slid down the dragon’s back, and Echo was shocked to see that she was in fact, not a human, but some other creature. Her wings were that of an angel, but they were black as night. Echo had never even fathomed the idea of an angel with black wings, so she was completely flustered by this creature. Delilah looked as out of place as she did, and that gave Echo a sliver of relief. She decided to focus her attention on the strange girl instead of the fear still flowing throughout her body. Delilah, avoiding any kind of eye contact, helped Echo climb onto the dragon's back.
         Most creatures would be insulted if another refused to look them in the eyes, but not Echo. She never wanted anyone to ever to see those stark whites eyes of hers. It was her own eyes that Echo was most ashamed of, and even then she could vividly hear the screaming, the terror of humans just by looking at her face. She was the only one of her kind with eyes of such a color; the others had black or deep violet eyes, and she never understood why.