Crystal Dragon

Crystal Dragon (クリスタル☆ドラゴン) is an ongoing historical fantasy manga series by Yuho Ashibe. It has been serialized by Akita Shoten in the monthly shōjo manga magazine Mystery Bonita since 1981, and collected in 25 bound volumes as of 2009. Set in Ireland and Roman Britain, it is the story of a black-haired girl named Alian (known as the Silver Wheel) and her fight against Bara Evil-Eyes, the Gothic warlord who destroyed her home tribe. Joining her in the fight are Henruda, the daughter of a Celtic chieftain, and Legion, the Silver Knight.

Story
Arianrhod, a dark-haired, green-eyed “changeling” (Celts were light haired people, so if a child was born with a really dark hair, they believed that elves/fairies came and exchanged the baby with their own), with a minor druid training, starts on a quest to find the fabled crystal dragon to get help to revenge her clan that was destroyed by Balor/Bara/Baragh of the Evil Eyes. A fantasy adventure that incorporates many of the Celtic beliefs and magic, while at the same time, retains the flavor of a “real” thing.

The story began when a girl called Arianrhod was one day named by a traveling stranger - Legion. To be given one's own name is a very important matter in life because the name reveals one's own self. To be taken control of that name is to submit the very soul of his/her beings. The one who knows the name can have the absolute power over that person. The traveler with shining silver hair is called Legion. After naming Arianrhod, He gives Arianrhod a dwarf-made circlet for her keeping.. Aryanrod was a little girl of Grian Conor tribe, lived in Erin island (it must be Ireland - with the Celt people). She became a pupil of the magician Driscoll.

The youngest daughter of the chief of their tribe, Wijnruit, had the same age as her, but they weren't really friends, since they had different characters. Then, their tribe was attacked by Domnyu Gwan tribe with young Baragh as the chief, who had only one eye and very cruel. Aryanrod was saved by Jin, the fire fairy king, called by the magician Driscoll before he died. Wijnruit was taken to the Ghost Valley, where Baragh lived. Nobody else was saved.

With the help of Paralda, the wind fairy queen who had given her name to be controlled by her, Aryan went to Ghost Valley to make revenge under disguise as a Roman girl who was really missing. Unpredictable, Baragh was attracted to her, though he was usually attracted to men. Their spirit gave clashed lightning sign to each other. Elata, a sister of Baragh and a magician, and also Glivis, Baragh's coachman and lover, were suspicious with Aryan. They made the one eyed Baragh asleep, so the other figure of him who had two lightning eyes was awaken. Aryan, with Bori (a little Viking boy slave)'s help, stabbed Baragh with a short knife and then ran away with the help of the fire fairy king, out of Ghost Valley. But Baragh with two eyes was immortal. His blood was black. He punished Wijnruit after discovering the real identity of Aryan. Wijnruit was forced to give him her name. Then Baragh dropped one drop of his black blood to her forehead and used her to get Aryan.

Aryan met Wijnruit and Bori who were released. Aryan who was blind after seeing Baragh's two eyes and was accompanied by a unicorn, knew there was a drop of dirt in Wijnruit's forehead though it couldn't be seen. Aryan was attacked by Kimura, a strange combination of animal creature. Unicorn saved her, but vanished because the blood of Kimura touched its body.

Then began the journey of Aryanrod and Wijnruit to get power to make revenge to Baragh. Every time they went to a place, the war followed them. Legion, the silver warrior from the Crystal Palace who was searching for a girl appointed by the Crystal Dragon, that lived inside the Crystal Hill to conquer the evil, was always watching Aryan from a distance. He and Paralda always took care of her. But Glivis was sent by one eyed Baragh to bring her back alive. In silence, Elata asked Glivis to kill her and gave him the short knife with Baragh's black blood, which would point to the direction of the single drop of blood on Wijnruit's forehead.

First, Aryan and Wijnruit came to Hening tribe with Adley Mirhar who also a fortuneteller and a poet, as the chief. But Baragh attacked this tribe and Mirhar was killed. But he delayed the duel that might happen with Legion and went back to his valley with victory. Aryan & Wijnruit escaped by Legion and Mirhar's plan to the fairy land. After that war, Bori followed Legion. Aryan could see again. But they came out of fairy land in a shore far away from their land. They met Glivis. Aryan made an illusion trick, so they could run away with a small boat.

Razmor, who smuggled himself with his friend 'The Wolf' to Ghost Valley from Hening tribe, was appointed by Elata who scared of the two eyes Baragh, as his lover. Razmor was intended to kill Baragh and he tried to, but Baragh already knew his plan. Razmor failed, but Baragh let him be his companion.

Aryan and Wijnruit came to Ikeni's land. They met Kia and Ilan. Kia, a young magician girl, had the same black coloured hair as Aryan. It was said that a girl with hair like that was changed by mistake when she's born by the fairies. She should be a fairy's child. (The Celt had golden hair like Wijnruit, the Roman black. For exception, Legion had silver hair and Glivis had red hair). Ikeni took war with the Roman because they didn't want to obey Roman's rules. They attacked a Roman city. Ilan was Ikeni's warrior. Aryan found a lost little Roman boy and took care of him. Ilan who loved Aryan offered her to take the boy as their child after the war was finished. Wijnruit who loved Ilan became jealous and every time she was jealous of Aryan, the blood drop in her forehead reacted. That's why every time Glivis could find them.

Aryan helped Pablius Antonius, a Roman aristocrat whose daughter was missing in the sea and her name was used by Aryan when she was coming to Ghost Valley under disguise. But finally Ikeni lost the war. Ilan died when he tried to rescue Aryan and this made Wijnruit very sad. Glivis saved Aryan from fire, because he promised Ilan not to attack her along the war. This time Pablius Antonius saved the two girls. At last Aryan considered she had to close the 'wound' in Wijnruit's forehead with her head-ring, which was given by Legion the very first time they met and could change shape along the time. If not, the evil could control Wijnruit and that 'wound' could invite the evil power to come.

Baragh married his cousin's daughter, Una, a 13-year-old girl, who was sacrificed by her father who was afraid of Baragh. Razmor was very angry because he pitied Una.

Aryan and Wijnruit thought, if they could go to Rome, they could get big power from Roman Emperor to fight Baragh. So they sailed to Rome. In that big Roman ship, Soril, a Viking guy who famous as the thousand wounds, was a slave. But the Viking attacked that ship. Aryan saved Soril by giving him the key of his chain. Soril saved Aryan when she was almost drowned. The two girls were taken to Viking's land. Soril put Wijnruit with his mother who adored her. Aryan had to help a magician woman. Soril taught her to be a female-warrior. Then it's happened that Wijnruit's assistant, a young girl, was killed brutally when they went to the river to take a bath. Wijnruit was accused. Aryan took notice that her head-ring was lost. Wijnruit told her that she wanted to wash her hair and didn't know what happened next. Aryan tried to get the head-ring back and went to fairy land, accompanied by Girs, Soril's cousin, who had weak health. Girs liked Aryan. In the fairy land Aryan was very happy to meet Legion. She was told by the old fairy that the head-ring had been given to the Crystal Dragon. Aryan was angry to hear that, but could do nothing than tried to go to Crystal Dragon's place.

Una was very shocked when Baragh brought the head of her father. She was not as tough as Wijnruit. Razmor and Una became love to each other. Then Una became pregnant, but they're afraid the baby was Razmor's, so they tried to escape. But Baragh found out the plan. Razmor had drunk some poison and he had put the same poison in Baragh's drink, but it didn't give effect to Baragh. Razmor died and the spirit of Adley Mirhar entered the body and he lived again as a poet, a harp player and a fortune teller. A different person who didn't recognize Una any more.

Wijnruit became Soril's wife, but she had to follow Aryan to the North to find the head-ring. In the journey Aryan saved Glivis' life from freezing by warming his body with her own. Glivis swore that he would not kill Aryan until she found the head-ring. They sailed to the Island of Fire & Ice. They met the image of Legion there. Legion led them to the Dragon. Aryan found a piece of Dragon stick which was a magician stick and also her head-ring.

Meanwhile, Soril who had a plan to follow the two girls, was led by Bori to the South to meet Legion on the same island. Soril had to conquer 'his becoming son' as the only way to save Wijnruit. But Soril who first thought Wijnruit was dead because of his sword but actually not, was angry with Legion and refused to take the sword he got on that fight, though Legion said the sword was his fate (it seemed it would follow him wherever he was).

Aryan and Glivis were thrown to Alecia after that event. They met a girl-priest. Aryan didn't know that she was an evil spirit. She gave them a view in her water-bowl. Wijnruit was happy with Soril. Baragh had Mirhar as his lover and a black evil unicorn named Fire Sword as his horse, so she said he really didn't need Glivis any more. But Glivis was still faithful to Baragh. Aryan was almost trapped by the girl-priest, when she was offering her blood almost too much, to see Wijnruit who would be having danger after Soril sailed and left her with Bori. The wiseman/woman from the Seven Sleeping Islands helped her. She used her piece of Dragon stick to fight the evil spirit in the air. The image of her pulled the necklace of the girl-priest which was the bridge between that place and Evil Valley. But it couldn't be torn at that time. Glivis finally killed the girl-priest.

Then they all went to Rome. Aryan followed a Roman-Celt young man, Efidel, who was a trader. She worked for him.

In Baragh's place, after the black unicorn was born by a normal mother horse, every human baby born was developed to be a strange creature. Even Elata felt that evil had filled the valley, and that was her fate because she asked power from them before (so Baragh who was only a weak child could be the chief of the tribe after their father died). She's afraid but didn't regret anything. Una was afraid about her baby. She believed it was Razmor's so it would be a normal baby. But Elata put magic work on her. She poured Baragh's red blood and herself to Una's body after giving her a sleeping drink.

Wijnruit was very angry when she heard from Bori about Soril's behaviour with women, after he left. She decided to take the next ship to follow him. But somebody deceived her to get her head-ring. After the head-ring was taken, Wijnruit became a girl with evil-spirit again. She said she was a fortune-teller and offered richness to that guy. Later she became a fortune-teller to Emperor Nero of Rome.

Efidel was robbed and killed in the journey to Rome. Soril and Glivis became known each other in that place. But Aryan had been taken to another place by the robber after fighting like a crazy soldier and almost died because of her wounds. Paralda helped her curing the wounds with herbs. Aryan followed an old grandma went inside a hill. She found the image of sleeping Legion there - that place was A Sleeping Young Man's Dream Crystal Palace - and lost her piece of Dragon Stick. She was helped and her wounds got stitches by the dwarfs after killing the spirit of the mother of that old grandma who was a vampire to the dwarfs. The dwarfs promised to get her Dragon Stick and give it back to her wherever she was.

The valley of Baragh became alive. The four strange children creature who always protected Baragh now could help him on hunting and destroying other places. The time had come to Una to give birth to her child.

Aryan was back with the robber & was sold to Rome as a slave. She became a male-gladiator. All of this was planned by Soril. They were invited to a party in the Emperor Palace. All of them met there: Aryan with a mysterious young guy named Alanus who wanted to attack Wijnruit, Glivis who recognized the evil-spirit of the girl-priest in Wijnruit, Soril who wanted to find his wife, and Wijnruit herself.

This is the end of volume 14.

The story still continue until volume 24 (ongoing).

Characters

 * Alian(Aryan, Aryanrod; depends on country translation): The heroine of the story. Her name means The Silver Wheel. Aryanrod was a little girl of Grian Conor tribe, lived in Erin island (it must be Ireland - with the Celtic people). She became a pupil of the magician Driscoll. Later became a powerful magic wielder.
 * Heinruda(Wijnruit; Depends on country translation): Friend of Alian and also Alian's tribe chief's daughter. Later become a wife of sorisl. She accompany Alian through her journey
 * Legion: The Silver Knight who is alongside with the elves and is the one naming her in the past. "He" only appears in the last volumes, almost the story he appears as Legion's Spirit, not true him.
 * Bara the Evil-Eyes(Baragh; Depends on Country translation): the chief of Goth tribe. He wants to conquer all the tribe of Europe and almost attacks Roman Empire.
 * Soril the Barbarian: Very strong, he was a slave of roman merchant until Alian set him free.
 * Bori: the chief of Goths The boy Alian met in the ghost valley, he help her flee from Bara.
 * Glivis: Bara loyal assistant, he is being ordered to capture Alian and Henruda.