Water Dragon

Water Dragon
Species information
Mortality	Mortal
Distinction	Aquatic creatures resembling dragons Inhabit bodies of water Hibernation cycle between Full Moons Dangerous magical beasts capable of an Cold Fire
Status	Unknown (presumably extinct)

“	The Dragon's sole purpose is to destroy mermaids. It wiped out the Eastern Pod, and now it has come here. No mermaid is safe.	”
	— Weilan on the threat of a Water Dragon[src]

Water Dragons are aquatic, fire-breathing magical beasts resembling dragons that inhabited bodies of water, and are distinguished by their hibernation cycle between Full Moons. Most Water Dragons were cursed with a dark spell that had driven them to destroy all merkind itself with their cold fire breath.

Biography

During the Shang Dynasty, a Chinese Mermaid of the Eastern Pod fell in love with a land boy. When another pod heard of this, they punished the mermaid and her entire pod by casting a spell to turn the land boy into a Water Dragon, capable of permanently stripping a merperson of their magic and transforming them into a human being, and of killing merpeople. The Chinese mermaid used the Jiao Long Bracelet to undo the spell on her lover and return him to his human form.

Approximately three thousand years later, in the late 1990s, the Eastern Pod found itself under attack by the rebel mermaid, Aurora. An equally powerful Northern mermaid named Nerissa came to their rescue and fought alongside them for years. Eventually, the battle with the Eastern Pod turned against Aurora and Nerissa went to face her alone. During the battle, Aurora overpowered her and turned Nerissa into a Water Dragon. She forced her to destroy the entire Eastern Pod by stripping its members' tails and magical powers, turning them permanently into human beings. Later, its surviving members, including a hatchling named Weilan and her elderly grandmother who escaped unharmed were forced to flee to the mainland of China, and eventually the pod split. After the Eastern Pod was defeated, she was put in a deep sleep. Nerissa was never seen again and was believed to be dead by her fellow mermaids.

In 2014, Nerissa, still a Water Dragon, began experiencing dreams of her now grown-up children, Zac and Mimmi. These dreams awoke her from her slumber on April 15th that year, and the first thing she saw upon awakening was Weilan. Afraid of the dragon threat, Weilan's grandmother sent her away for safekeeping to live with Rita in Australia the following month, and Nerissa followed, sensing and wanting to see her children.

On 13th June, 2014, the following month, during one of these encounters, Zac and his girlfriend, Evie McLaren were followed by a still-cursed Nerissa to the Moon Pool at the heart of Mako Island, where the latter returns to her original state as a human being permanently by Nerissa's Water Dragon form's Cold Fire. However, Zac and Mimmi were both spared by the dragon when they found themselves at its mercy due to Nerissa's true self starting to resurface somewhere within it. Even while under Aurora's curse, Nerissa does not lose herself enough to harm her own children, which later provides one of the clues Zac and Mimmi need when they discover the truth about the dragon. As the spell continues to gradually break, Nerissa begins appearing to Zac and Mimmi through visions in attempts to reach out to them.

The following month, on 12th July, 2014, Mako's Mermaid Council makes a plan B to destroy the Water Dragon by unleashing the full power of Mako. After learning of a Chinese legend where a land person was turned into a dragon and freed by a mermaid wearing a magic bracelet; Zac and Mimmi realize that their mother is under the same kind of spell. After managing to get a hold of the same bracelet, Zac and Mimmi attempt to use it to free Nerissa as Mako's Mermaid Council creates a massive thunderstorm using their Moon Rings by launching the power of Mako's Moon Pool in an attempt to destroy the Water Dragon once and for all. After a brief moment where both Mimmi and the dragon disappear, Nerissa emerges from the water, finally being completely free from the spell.

Physiology

Water Dragons are dragon-like, wingless, reptilian beasts that are made out water. They are mostly snake like in shape but have two arms that sport sharp claws. They have intricate and complex spine, spike, and horn-like structures running along their entire body, scales that glow blue, sharp teeth, a snake-like tongue, eyes that glow white, and a long snout similar to a crocodile’s. The size of most Water Dragons is about 60 feet (18 meters). A Water Dragon's respiratory system can extract oxygen from both water and air, allowing them to breathe freely both underwater and on land.

A Water Dragon falls into its hibernation cycle between each Full Moon, thus only awakens when the Full Moon rises, only to fall back into its hibernation cycle once more once the Full Moon sets. It could also be briefly summoned by a Moon Ring's moonlight during a lunar cycle, before falling back to its sleep.

A Water Dragon's tail is also very strong, and can pierce through the hard solid objects. A Water Dragon is also capable of breathing cold, blue flames from its nostrils and mouths, which has dangerous unmetamorphosing effects on a merperson once burned.

Reproduction

It is unknown how Water Dragons reproduce although given its a curse it unlikely that they do.

Culture

A Water Dragon was generally uninterested in human beings and other land-inhabiting beings, thus making them safe from its wrath.

Natural abilities

“	When a mermaid is caught by the dragon, they lose their tail and their powers for life. Nobody knows what will happen to a merman.	”
	— Weilan to Zac Blakely[src]

Water Dragon's cold fire's effects on a bewitched merperson

• Cold Fire Breathing: A Water Dragon's cold breath was able to permanently revert a merperson, no matter if they were native from the sea or not, into a regular human being, and remove their magical powers once burned. This magic also prevented a merperson from re-undergoing metamorphosis in an active Moon Pool itself, and protected them from certain magical anomalies directly related to their old merperson selves and magic. There was no known cure nor counter-spell of the Water Dragon's Cold Fire, though. The Cold Fire was the only known magic that could strip a sea-born merperson's powers and abilities, and was still unknown if they were completely immune to all of the Full Moon's special lunar and other celestial occurrences on an active Moon Pool itself, unlike their human-turned counterparts who were known to be susceptible to all of them.

• Enhanced Durability: A Water Dragon is capable of surviving more physical trauma to their body, that would otherwise be fatal, including their own Cold Fire. However, it does not protect them from a powerful enough phenomena, like a powerful lightning strike empowered by the full magic of Mako Island. The Dragon is also immune to the powers of Moon Rings.

• Enhanced Swimming: The Dragon can swim at high speeds, similar to a merperson's Speed-Swimming, giving it the velocity needed to chase a merperson.

• Amphibious: A Water Dragon's respiratory system can extract oxygen from both water and air, allowing them to breathe freely both underwater and on land.

• Enhanced Senses: Water Dragons may have slightly enhanced senses suited to life underwater due to living in the sea.

• Endurance: Water Dragons are able to swim for days without exhaustion, something which no human has the stamina to do. They can also dive at depths no human could withstand.

• Aquatic Adaptation: Depending on where they are born and raised, Water Dragons may be resistant to certain elements in that area. Despite this, all Water Dragons are resistant to the cold of the depths even if they are from the Southern hemisphere.

• Extended Lifespan: While Water Dragons do age, their lifespan is far longer than that of humans and merpeople.

Weaknesses

• Emotions: Love weakens the spell which drives the Water Dragon to hunt mermaids. As a result, a Water Dragon's pre-exisiting feelings towards a chased merperson would keep them from hurting their loved ones, and even begin to gradually break the spell that turned them. Nerissa wouldn't hurt Mimmi or Zac when she was under the curse. It is possible that the Chinese Mermaid was also safe due to the love she shared with the cursed land boy.

• Mortality: Despite their extended lifespan and enhanced durability, Water Dragons are still mortal, and can be killed through powerful enough methods, like a powerful thunderstorm empowered by a large source of magic.

• Magic: The Water Dragon is still susceptible to the effects of magic. Furthermore, the fate of every Water Dragon is controlled by whomever originally cast the spell that turned them, forcing them to obey their every command, ranging from making them falling asleep even for decades to forcibly sending them to wipe out an entire pod of merpeople with its cold breath. Also, they can be trapped inside of the Chinese Puzzle Box with a spell.

• Jiao Long Bracelet: Every non-hereditary Water Dragon could be freed from its curse by the enchanted red-gemmed bracelet's power on the time of the Full Moon and the power of a mermaid, breaking the spell that had turned them and restoring it to the state before they were turned.

• Lunar Cycle: Every Water Dragon is susceptible to its hibernation cycle, during which they would disappear and enter a slumber-like state for the duration of each lunar cycle, only to be awakened from its slumber for the short period of time until the Full Moon set. However, a merperson was able to channel another suitable source of moonlight and use it to summon a Water Dragon from its slumber for a short time before being forced to repeat the cycle.

Known Water Dragons

Cursed

• Land boy (formerly)
• Nerissa (formerly)

Trivia

• The Water Dragon's Cold Fire's effects on a merperson are very similar to the the Moon of Fifty Years, as they are both used to extract a merperson's tailed true selves and magical abilities permanently with no known cure.
• According to Weilan, as far as anyone knows, there is no telling of what the Water Dragon's Cold Fire could do to a merman, based on the Eastern Pod's experience with the cursed Nerissa.
  • However, as revealed by Zac Blakely, when a merman is bewitched by the Water Dragon's cold fire, he would be stripped of his true self and magical powers in the same way as their female counterparts would be. However, this thesis was not outright confirmed, thus making the Moon of Fifty Years seemingly the only weapon that could work against him.
• The legend the bracelet takes its name from refers to Jiaolong, a mythical Chinese dragon said to live in rivers.

Gallery

Main article: Nerissa/Gallery#Dragon_form

Water Dragon teaser