Both dragons collapsed onto the ground in defeat, burying their faces under each other's wings. Viliant blinked away the useless tears. If these were her last days, he had better make them as peaceful as possible for her.

Their best bet would be if the alligatoise killed Sage Rokirith for his arrogance. That way, Viliant could continue tending to Fia at the oasis. He would switch out her entire bed and replace it with tiny flowers—anything to give her a last glimpse of happiness. For someone who always thought of survival, prolonging life day by day, he had never considered what made life meaningful. I'll outlive Fia, but she burned so bright. She probably led a better life in less than ten years than I can do in over a hundred.

His watering eyes took longer than he would have liked to stop. All the while, Sage Rokirith soared laps around the oasis. With wings spread wide, he belted out a fearsome warning cry. The scream pierced the young dragons' eardrums as well as the depths of the pond.

The alligatoise poked its head above the water. Its jaws opened and closed as if smacking in anticipation, greedily awaiting the adult dragon.

Viliant tried to console Fia so that she would stop crying. Gently, he tried to suggest, Dry your tears. You'll want to see this. For a moment, he considered how to present the situation in a way which she might derive a tiny bit of amusement. Viliant said, While I didn't get the adult to help us, I did accidently goad him into killing the alligatoise.

Okay. I'll watch. Fia sniffed and wiped her tears against his wings.

"Urk." As much as he revolted at having his wing used as a handkerchief, his newfound compassion for her helped him tolerate it.

An intensity glowered behind Fia's blue eyes despite her near certain demise. The turtle is not a friend. Must watch, so I know how to kill it….

Viliant's mouth parted slightly. The poor dragoness must recall how they had observed all the coliseum fights together at his behest. A twinge of pride flitted through him. She did learn something from me after all, he beamed. Even if it was too little, too late. Viliant kept his cheek pressed to hers, horns interlocking, with his wing blanketing her. Together, they tilted their heads up to the sky.

When the alligatoise refused to flee at the warning cries, Sage Rokirith ended the last one with a terse growl. His snout aimed towards the sun, and his whole body put power behind a wingbeat so that he could fly higher. His flight pattern oscillated in a broad, upwards spiral, spinning tighter and faster as he neared the top. The sage flipped around backwards to enter a nosedive.

So cool! Fia marveled as she took in a sharp gasp.

Showoff. Viliant wondered if the sage did that specifically for him, the dragon with torn wings who would never fly.

He looks like a flying ace, Fia insisted in all admiration. I… I wanted to be a flying ace.

You do know what that means, right? Viliant started to retort, but he quickly held back his criticisms. A kid could have her silly dreams. He certainly was not going to dash them when she would not live long enough to fulfill them anyway.

The aerial maneuvers of the adult dragon paled in comparison to what came next. Some darkened embers kindled at Sage Rokirith's maw. The ghast lizards might have introduced Fia and Viliant to the blackfire element, but now they witnessed a master in action. The fire expanded around the adult dragon until his body was engulfed in flames, appearing to descend like a black comet.

The flashy display, however, would not protect Sage Rokirith from the alligatoise's jaws. Although a single bite did not allow the alligatoise to swallow an adult dragon whole, the sheer bite force would prove fatal in the wrong spot. So much as a graze or nibble could maim the sage.

The alligatoise drew back its head as it watched the blazing dragon fall closer to the oasis. Preparing its attack carefully, the alligatoise bided its time for a few seconds more. Then, its jaws split open as its neck shot straight upward. A torrent of water exploded in all directions. The entire body of the alligatoise lurched as its hind legs pushed against the bottom of the basin, adding speed and strength to the lunge. The alligatoise gave a final reach with its neck to position the dragon's horns within the confines of its open maw.

Sage Rokirith performed a tight flip in response. The bladed end of his tail cleaved across the tip of the tortoise's beak, rending its tough, scaly skin down to the skull. In the process of this technique, Sage Rokirith directed himself to the sun once more. He beat his wings a single time before folding them close to his body. The sage evaded the alligatoise's mouth as it snapped shut with a crack.

A scratch like that was hardly worth the risk taken to deal it, yet Sage Rokirith celebrated the tiny victory. The gray dragon twisted himself into a vertical spin. His wings fanned outwards, revealing their leathery, vermilion interior. The dark flames peeled off his body and spread outward in a broad circle. Once the colorless, lightless, balls of fire had reached the edges of the pool, Sage Rokirith pounded his wings. He tipped back his head, and his reverberating roar triggered an eruption of blackfire.

Geysers of frigid flames consumed the pond. An agonizing grunt came from the tortoise as it was engulfed within the inferno. Soon, the hulking silhouette of the beast became visible through the fire as it tried to march onto land. The alligatoise emerged, dripping with water and ice all the while blackfire licked across its metallic shell. The earth rumbled underfoot as the tortoise lumbered away from the oasis, knocking over some trees in the process.

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Sage Rokirith looped through the sky and landed in the same spot where he had previously stood in front of Viliant and Fia. "Now then. The alligatoise is gone. Get off my land!"

A heavy sigh whooshed past Viliant's nostrils. They did not have much choice in the matter, so he invited Fia onto his back while he stayed laying down. Let's go—

Wait! she hollered. Fia chirped unintelligible sounds, whining and begging for the sage to accept her telepathy as she edged closer to him.

Sage Rokirith took a half step back from the sheer audacity of the dragoness. He lifted a claw as big as Fia's whole head, dangerously close to her eyes. "Tell this little fool to get away from me," he said whilst looking at Viliant. "Or else I'll spill her fever-rotten brains."

"Fia," he intoned sharply. I said let's go.

Please! she said. Tell him I said please.

He just threatened to kill you! Rather nastily, I might add.

Fia's eyelids drooped as the usual innocence abandoned her mind. That's not much of a threat to me right now, is it? she asked in a trembling tone. Fear still enveloped her as she said, I'm going to die anyway, aren't I?

Fair enough. That was the whole logic behind trying to ask the adult dragon to help her anyway. Viliant wanted to walk away from the oasis alive, however, so he hesitated for his own sake.

As if anticipating the worries hidden behind his mental filter, Fia said, You don't have to pester him for help anymore. I just wanna tell him something. Please?

Fine. Viliant made sure to take a step back as he informed the sage, "I told her, but she wants to tell you something. And she said… please."

Sage Rokirith turned his head to the side and lifted his chin, glaring down at Fia with great skepticism. With much reluctance, he finally accepted the telepathic invitation which included Viliant on the exchange.

Fia's mind held neither a plea for help nor any grudge against the sage's refusal. Instead, she simply bubbled with appreciation as she gushed, That was amazing, mister! You're a real flying ace.

All at once, Sage Rokirith changed his body language. His terse wings eased up and his tail flicked into an endearing smile. Why, thank you. I must admit, you are much nicer than your companion. After a long pause, he added serendipitously, It almost makes me want to spare your life.

Viliant's mouth dropped open at first, but he promptly closed it and looked away. No way, he thought to himself. A groan curled from his chest, and his horns hit his claws with a tink. I can't believe it! The young dragon had tried everything to appeal to the adult; everything that is, except flattery. How can I be so stupid?

The watchful eyes of the sage observed Viliant's reaction. After a long pause, Sage Rokirith asked patronizingly, "Do you understand?"

The vanity of the supposed sage knew no bounds. As much as Viliant wanted to lambaste him, he held his tongue. He could not say or do anything to make the sage renege his offer to help Fia. So, he simply said, "No. Enlighten me."

"Pinkie's nice. You're not."

"Hey," Viliant growled softly. "That's my nickname for her." Keeping his tone more even, he uttered slowly, "This is the same child who I've been asking you to save the whole time."

"Yes, yes, but how should I know she was as sweet as you claimed? Many devious dragons will lie through their pointed teeth, particularly when they have something to gain." The fangs of Sage Rokirith flashed in front of Viliant's eyes as a demonstration. "I am guilty of this myself, but you cannot fault me. We are dragons cut from the same scale, you and I…. Clever. Cruel." The elder dragon circled around Fia and Viliant, eyes narrowed in appraisal of the scarred, black dragon.

"But as you said," Sage Rokirith continued, "it was always my intent to help. First, I needed to discern exactly what type of characters I was dealing with, lest my pity should unrighteously decide the fate of many others. A single life spared could be a thousand saved," he said, focusing on Fia with that proclamation. "Or a single life spared could be a thousand sacrificed," he added while looming over Viliant.

I only wish I could kill thousands, Viliant thought wryly. While he might have shrunk back against the accusation, he could not help but imagine the human faces cheering at the coliseum. Every last one of them deserved a death as brutal as the fights which they had gleefully spectated. Nothing would sway his opinion otherwise.

The sage dramatically dropped onto one knee, laying out his wing and bowing his neck. "I have chosen to assist you both. Do not embitter me when I look upon this day, or else I will be forced to atone for my judgment."

An unsettling quiver raced up Viliant's spine. This aged, experienced dragon flattened himself before two children, vowing to undo them if they wrought harm by his standards—whatever that entailed. "Fine," Viliant said, only because they did not have any other choice in the matter.

As Sage Rokirith shifted his attention to Fia, he forced Viliant to disconnect from their link. The sage spoke privately to her which caused his hackles to rise. "What are you talking about?" Viliant demanded. Through his telepathic signals, he tried to politely rejoin the conversation, but his requests went ignored. Next, he tried to force his way in which got his mind thrust away and jammed painfully. Viliant was still reeling as the sage moved directly in front of Fia.

Sage Rokirith blew a sliver of blackfire onto her forehead. The ember smoldered against her scales then disappeared, as if melding through them. The sage traced his claw over the same spot and whispered something unintelligible under his breath.

Viliant leaped to her side and hovered protectively over Fia. "What did you just do to her?"

"A small spell to help counteract the fever." He did not elaborate on what exactly he did beyond the effect. "Now then, I will take you to a healer."

With Viliant's assistance, Fia climbed onto the adult's back with him. We're gonna fly! she chimed. She eagerly looked over Sage Rokirith's wings, but opted to lie down even before they took off. Her eyes closed and a soft snore caught in her throat. A spell of wooziness overtook the dragoness after the blackfire treatment, causing her to pass out for the duration of the ride.