Misery and despair…. Fia thought to herself. Ah, that makes sense. If shadow dragons gained power from their melancholy, that explained a lot about Viliant. She was only surprised by the fact that he had not uncovered his power sooner.

The dragons quietly nursed the scratches which they had dealt onto one another. Viliant was more silent than usual, and that was really saying something for him.

Eventually, Fia could take the discomfort in the air no longer. Hey, she asked. Are you okay?

Peachy.

Her eyes grew wide. The Viliant that she knew would never put it like that. Something was terribly wrong. Maybe she was incorrect to assume that a powerful element would outweigh its emotional backlash.

If you wanna talk about it, just let me know.

Hm.

The silence persisted. Then, a pit dropped in her stomach as she realized the issue. Viliant had already told her exactly what troubled him. He had two metal dragons for parents. One or both his parents were not his real ones.

Viliant…. About your parents—

Stop. I don't want to talk about it.

Today had shattered his entire worldview. The twelve-year-old dragon must have spent nearly a decade of his life, growing up in this cell. Fia had already experienced enough to know what the majority of his childhood would have been like. The sole happy memories, which he held dear, must have been about his parents.

Doubt must encircle his brain. Was all his life a lie? Did Viliant ever have a moment of his life where he was truly happy? Fia could only gaze on in pity and wonder.

She told herself not to regret the outcome of today. She was only trying to help Viliant the best she could. Regardless of family lineage, he needed whatever power was available to him a long time ago.

Nevertheless, that sort of misery would only feed into the element which had ruined it all for him. The mounting shadows would thrive off of his despair.

***

The next day, Viliant acted like normal aside from the hunch in his shoulders. Thankfully, the healer also happened to visit them.

"Umbra Caligo! Favilla!" he gasped when he stepped into their cell. "I thought you just had a single scratch. What happened?"

Viliant gave an awkward reply. "We knew you'd be coming. Thought it might be fun to wrestle."

The healer gave them each an odd look of concern.

Fia wiggled out of happiness, knowing that she was the one with the fewest scratches. I really got you good, Viliant! You're welcome.

His eyes closed while he took in a deep breath. I'm not thanking you for anything. This looks really bad.

The healer used his magic to make the scratches meld back into healthy scales. He left the two dragons to their lonesome once again.

Time passed. Days turned into another week. Both dragons survived their next matches in the arena. Viliant saw no need to use his shadow magic, preferring to keep it secret for when he was most desperate. Life was good, if they could call it that. However, Fia did not want to keep testing their luck for how long that would last.

She began to pester Viliant about their escape plan between their training sessions.

How're we going to escape?

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I don't know.

If you kept training your shadow magic, do you think you could teleport short distances like the banshee? You could just slip right through these bars! Fia slid her claws through the gap and wiggled them in a little wave towards him.

Let me rephrase that, Viliant snapped. I don't care.

For a moment, Fia was stunned into silence. How could you not care?

It is your dream to escape. Not mine.

Her eyes pinched up as she tilted her head to the side. One wing lay across the ground to emphasize her confusion. You… don't want to escape?

A large sigh hefted from his jaws. Some peculiar philosophies always seemed to fester in Viliant's head. If he found some way to say yes, Fia swore that she would spit embers across the tip of his tail.

Have you ever heard this story? Viliant decided to share with her a fable told in his clan.

There once was a dragon bound in chains for what felt like eternity. Even once the chains crumbled away at the end of time, the dragon stayed in place. He was no longer capable of dreaming of the skies.

The black dragon had his weary head tipped back to the rocky ceiling. His gaunt face showed the long years in which he had lived here. I’ve been here for so long. There's nothing for me to go back to. I wonder, to what extent would my life be easier… if I just stayed here?

Fia's eyes pinched up in an uncontrollable fury. Her field of view practically turned red as the fire erupted within her. As promised, she spewed a spattering of flames across his tail.

"Argh!" Viliant sprung onto his feet with a yelp. Again? What was that for?

Don't say things like that. Ever! It's nonsense, all of it. Instinctively, she turned away just like he did. Fia gave pause and admitted, Sorry. There was a bit of truth to what you said. You have been here too long, she said with extra emphasis. It's affecting the way you think.

Turning back to her, Viliant sneered. Really? I never would've guessed.

She disregarded the sarcasm. Entirely serious, Fia told him, You do want to escape, Viliant. I promise you'll be happier out there than in here. That was when a bright idea came to mind, so she relayed her thoughts faster. Plus, you do have a place to go. The Carlinoa Clan will be your new home!

For what she thought was a tremendously gracious offer, Viliant was oddly unresponsive. At last, he asked, Would they accept a dragon like me? His gaze cast down to the vestiges of his wings.

Of course they will, Fia said, curling her tail into the sweetest smile. You're my friend.

Is that what being a friend means?

Yes, she said. Plus, you saved my life. I wouldn't have made it this far without you! If my clan is going to welcome me back, then they have to accept you too.

The logic must have been acceptable to Viliant as he nodded his head. Thanks, Fia. I think… I think I would like that.

It's settled then! We need a way to escape.

Both dragons put their heads together and weighed all their options. Teleportation via Viliant's shadow magic would not work. In the short term, his mana system was exhausted from the sudden increase in magical activity. Even if he could master the technique, it was unlikely he would be able to take Fia with him.

My fire isn't hot enough! The dragoness blew an inferno against the bars until they turned a soft yellow. However, she could not bend them even when she tried with all her might. "Ugh." Fia gasped and dropped back down onto all fours. I see why you wanted to be a metal dragon so badly.

Viliant did not reply. His clawed feet shifted slightly, and his head angled towards the ground. That had been a foolish thing for her to say.

Sorry— she tried.

No. It's fine.

They had little in the way of a plan. Everyday, Fia and Viliant practiced their magic and tried to think of a way to escape that did not hinge upon their ability to get past the bars.

If we can't get out of our cell, that leaves only two other possibilities, Viliant thought. Either we can attack the guards, or we can try to slip out of the holding room. Both of those will be risky attempts. The hardest part will be getting out of the city and country.

What happens if we fail?

Viliant gave her a sidelong glance. They'll decide the troublesome dragons must be kept apart. Also, they'd probably give us tough opponents to kill us off. That's what happened back when I tried to escape.

Her heart dropped in her chest. They needed to make sure that their first escape attempt was a success.