I looked over as the door opened, and Sylvia stepped out of her room. She let out a long yawn as she stretched her arms and shoulders high above her head. She licked her lips lazily and looked over at me.

“Good morning,” she said, her usually beautiful voice sounding groggy.

This is Sylvia in her natural habitat. It’s been a while since I’ve seen her morning face.

“Good morning. Sleep well?”

She nodded and dragged herself over to the kitchen. She rested her arms on the counter and planted her face into her open hands. “I did. I felt like I haven’t slept this well in…forever.”

“I’m guessing you and Mila had a good talk?” I asked.

Sylvia shrugged, and I didn’t miss the small smile that tugged on the corner of her mouth. “Didn’t talk all that much. I just cried a bit, then Mila cried a little bit…so…we mostly cried if I’m being honest.”

I couldn’t help but smile. “Good, that’s good. I’m happy to see you are feeling better about all of this.”

Sylvia just scratched her head. “Yeah, me too. It feels like the weight of the world has finally been lifted off my shoulders. I was so afraid that Mila would never recognize me…that I’d just be some random person to her forever.”

“Well, now you know that’s not the case. Mila even told me that she loved you,” I said honestly.

Sylvia’s crimson eyes went wide as she looked at me in disbelief. “She—she did? Mila said she loved me?”

I smiled and nodded along to her cute ramblings. “Yes, she did. And I didn’t even coax her into it either. She thought about it for a moment and told me that she did with what seemed like genuine honesty.”

Sylvia brought a hand to her heart and squeezed her nightgown tightly. A look of relief washed over her face, and she bit her lip to stop herself from crying again as she looked up into the ceiling.

“What else did she say?” Sylvia asked me with a tired and strained voice.

“Not much. I figured that was good enough, and she fell asleep shortly after.”

Sylvia nodded her head slowly and rubbed her eyes. She sighed and started walking again, only to stop in the middle of the kitchen and glared at me. “What are you doing? Why are you ready to go somewhere?”

“Bowen left me a message this morning. He wants to fly me out to the Spike Forest,” I told her.

Sylvia looked confused and slightly annoyed. “He wants to ‘fly you out?’ What does that even mean?”

“He wants to fly me out…on a Gryphon. I’m not really looking forward to it, but I should be back today,” I said with a small sigh.

Sylvia blinked a few times and pursed her lips. “I’m going.”

“You can if you want, but I don’t know if Bowen has another Gryphon ready. I figured since it’s only a day, it wouldn’t be a big deal, and somebody needs to watch Mila—”

“I said—”

“And I wasn’t done talking,” I interrupted her interruption. Sylvia puffed her cheeks out at me, and I just sighed. “I figured since you probably couldn’t come with me to the Spike Forest, you and Mila can accompany me to the school infirmary.”

Sylvia looked at me, and she stopped pouting as the air turned serious. She gave me a sad look and nodded.

“Okay. We can go see her.”

—

Sylvia Talgan’s POV

Mila kicked her short legs back and forth on the bench and hummed to herself in the most adorable way possible. Watching her just act normal made my heart swell with pride.

When Voker had fallen asleep and wouldn’t wake up, I was worried. Mila acted despondently and wouldn’t eat or drink food for almost two days, no matter how much coaxing I tried. Even her friend Rosemary tried to get her to eat, but Mila wouldn’t even mumble a word to anyone.

I thought she was gone…that we had lost her forever. And even I couldn’t help her…

It was on the third day that I decided I would make the decision. That I would commit fully to my promise, it wasn’t that I wasn’t committed when I promised Voker to help raise Mila I…I just wasn’t sure I could do it. I was apprehensive and afraid.

I knew deep down in my heart and mind that I would never be this little girl’s mother. And that hurt. It scared me to give it my all because I knew I’d never get what I wanted.

But despite all that, I decided to do it. I wanted to do it for her and for him, and for myself. I wanted—no, I will make us an inseparable family. I’ll show them and everyone else that I can do it, that we can do it…despite all the odds.

I’ll love both of them forever…I…

My heart fluttered, and I closed my eyes as I remembered yesterday's events. When I think back to Ciki’s boutique, I want to scream and shout. But, it was like he read my mind…told me precisely what I needed to hear…and told me it would be okay. I wanted to say to him right then and there that I loved him so much, but I had to stop myself.

How can he be so dense yet so intuned sometimes…was he speaking from experience?

I didn’t want to corner him in a public place, and it was too soon. We’ve come too far to add another problem to the immense fire that is our lives. On the outside, Voker is smiling and laughing more, but I know deep down he is anxious. He’s putting on a strong front as he always does, and I can’t…I just can’t be the one that breaks it down, not right now.

All these stares he is getting…the Dragon eye and slaying a Dragon… getting bigger despite sleeping for three months. New mana seeing powers and everything else in between. I know it’s killing him inside. I know…I just know he is calling himself a monster.

But he’s not. He never will be. Not to Mila or me.

Suddenly Mila made a weird farting noise with her lips, and she dragged it on until she was out of breath. At first, I was so surprised I didn’t even know what to say to her. But that was short-lived as I couldn’t help but laugh.

Are children always this weird?

Mila cocked her head up at me. “Where is Daddy? Is he almost back?”

I tried to stop my giggles. “Yes, Daddy won’t be long. He just had to go see Uncle Sylas.”

“Uncle Sylas?” Mila said slowly.

“Yes, Uncle Sylas and Aunt Linnetia. They are our friends,” I told Mila.

“Friends…” Mila had a far-off look in her eyes and turned her beautiful dark blue eyes back to me. “What about Ren and Lauren?”

“That’s just Ren and Lauren.”

Mila blinked a few times and nodded to herself. Only to go back to making that noise with her lips again.

Maybe I shouldn’t have said that…

I don’t hate Ren or even Lauren. I think Lauren is annoying, but at the end of the day, I understand why Lauren is doing the things she is doing. Although, of course, I don’t agree with it. And it makes me mad. But at the very least, I understand.

And Ren…well…I tried to warn her. I really did. I never imagined Voker would have gone and done all the things he did, but it doesn’t surprise me. I know how he gets, and I’ve long since come to terms with it. After all, he did it in defense of his friends, and Parker was a scumbag who deserved every bit of pain Voker inflicted on him. Maybe even double.

And when I get my hands on that Vamp—

Mila’s nose twitched, and she shot out from her seat. “Daddy!'“

Voker raised an eyebrow, but I caught the small smile creep up on his face. “You noticed me, huh?”

Sometimes….Voker can just be so silent that not even I can hear him, and his ability to hide his presence is frightening. Then again, I wasn’t paying attention…but still.

Mila’s tail swayed back and forth as she lightly hit him in the stomach. “You were gone forever!” she pouted.

“Forever? It took me less than ten minutes,” Voker grumbled while patting her on the head.

Voker mentioned that he had to see Sylas but didn’t tell me why. If I didn’t know better, those two were mixing up some more drugs or something. With all the corrupt nobility being outed, a new drug called “Night Dust” was found in their warehouses and inside estates.

Apparently, those corrupt nobles were going to begin flooding the streets with the drug in hopes of causing a mass epidemic. Thanks to Voker, that was avoided. Something else this kingdom should be thankful for.

“What did you get from Sylas?” I asked him.

“A drug,” he answered back calmly. Of course, he said that with the most straight face possible. As if it were a normal thing to procure from a friend…

I sighed and slipped a hand underneath my mask so I could scratch my face. I felt as if I aged years in a matter of moments from this stress. “Do I even want to know?”

“Probably not. But you are going to find out anyway. So let’s go,” he said.

Mila skipped ahead on the path as we walked toward the infirmary. I had been here quite a few times since the Dragon attack. Mostly to heal people I had missed or to check up on patients that needed more help.

I wish I could say that I enjoyed helping these people, but in reality, I didn’t care for it. Biting into other people and tasting their blood felt…wrong and dirty. I mean, nobody's blood tasted as good as Voker’s, and I just didn’t want to go around biting people as Voker was the only person I wanted to drink from…but I also wanted to help.

It’s a… difficult position to be in.

I passed out after the Dragon nearly killed me, and when I came to, I found myself in a block of ice. I remember hearing Voker’s voice, and I swear I saw his face at one point, but I had lost consciousness again. When I came to fully, I found Jen just sitting next to me. She wouldn’t respond to anything I said and stared off into the distance with empty eyes.

I immediately left her and went to find Voker and kill the Dragon but what I came across was my worst nightmare. The Dragon lay motionless as students and teachers climbed out of holes and dragged their bleeding and dirtied bodies across what used to be our campsite.

I found Voker…crushed into a rock. His mask melted, and his clothes were burnt into his flesh. And he was just laying there in a pool of his own blood…with a… giant hole in his body.

I…I don’t even want to think about it. I…I‘ll never forget what he looked like. I’ll never let that happen to him again. I’ll never hold back in a fight like this again because I’m afraid of people finding out about my powers.

I’ll never let him die again.

But that was the promise I made to myself after he started breathing again. I tried and tried for what seemed like hours to get him back, but nothing worked. I had given up…and at some point, I just found myself sinking my fangs into random people.

Sometimes I healed them. Other times I took a little more blood than I should have. But, at the time…it felt good…it numbed the pain and helped fill the void in my heart.

I lost track of everything for hours as I searched through the camp, looking for people who were still breathing. I couldn’t be sure how many people I ended up biting, but it was well within the triple digits, considering how many survivors there were.

Some were more conscious than others. Some screamed at me. Others tried to attack me. Those that attempted to stop me were knocked out for their own good.

I imagine I made a lot of enemies that day. People are probably going to have nightmares for years because of me…when I looked in the mirror and saw my bloodied self…I’d be afraid of myself too.

“Hey? What is being built right here?” Voker asked me.

I looked out to the clearing that had been…well…cleared. Where four roads met the dirt, and some of the trees had been removed. It was like a small park in the making.

Of course, I knew exactly what would be built there, but I decided I wouldn’t tell him. I think seeing his natural reaction when the time comes will be much more enjoyable.

I just hope he won’t be mad at me for okaying the project…in my opinion, it should have been bigger, but Bowen insisted it could only be slightly taller than the trees…whatever.

“I’m not certain. It’s one of Bowen’s projects I know that much,” I said with a slight shrug.

Voker nodded to himself and didn’t ask any more questions as the three of us continued on our journey. The school’s infirmary was pretty far from the center of campus and the dorms, which was sort of annoying.

One would think that having a place where students sleep and could get medical assistance would be closer. I mean—oh…it’s so diseases don’t spread to the dorms or teachers’ living quarters. That…makes a bit more sense…I guess Bowen really does plan ahead.

We arrived at the infirmary, but it was more like a large house made of gray wood than a medical building. Black knee-high fence posts were hammered into the soil, and the beautiful purple and white trees dotted the yard.

Out in the courtyard was… a heart-wrenching sight.

A handful of people were slowly being pushed around in moving chairs. Nurses, all wearing black and gray uniforms, wore professional smiles as they carted their patients about. Nearly all of the patients were students, but a few seemed to be older, maybe teachers.

Most of these people I had healed once or twice. These are the ones that didn’t die physically but mentally. They all had far-off looks in their glassy eyes. Their frail hands lay limply on blankets. They all looked like husks of their former selves.

The worst part is I do recognize some of these people…right now, I’m making direct eye contact with my swordsmanship professor, but she doesn’t seem to have even a hint of life in her eyes. Whereas before, she was nothing but fun and outgoing.

She was one of my favorite teachers.

I must have stopped walking at some point as I caught Voker smiling sadly at me. Mila squeezed my hand and looked up at me with sad eyes as well. Perhaps she could sense I was bothered…or maybe she was just sad that I stopped walking.

We made our way into the building, and the smell immediately hit us. Mila coughed slightly and wrinkled her nose. It wasn’t overwhelming for me, just more of an annoyance than anything.

This place smelt clean…far too clean to be normal. And there was the underlying smell of…what I imagined old people smell like…it’s just a weird smell.

As we approached, an older lady wearing a nurse uniform was working on paperwork. This black and gray uniform designated her as a nurse for House Paine. She put on a kind smile, but her face quickly changed into that of surprise upon seeing Voker.

She jumped out of her seat and went into a deep bow behind the counter. “Lord Dragon—”

“Please, take a seat, miss. This is hardly the place for formalities,” Voker said, his voice deep and warm.

She looked at me next, giving me an awkward smile and a slight nod of the head. “Good morning, Sylvia. How may I be of assistance to you two?”

“I’m here to see a patient by the name of…uh… Jyngewa… never mind. Her name is Jen Icebreaker.”

I don’t blame him. Saying Jen’s full real name is problematic. Speaking of saying people’s real names…I…I guess I should be calling him Kaladin now…huh? It seems almost wrong to call him anything other than Voker…but it’s also hard calling him anything other than Voker.

“Ah, yes, Ms. Icebreaker,” the woman mumbled.

“Has she recovered any?” I asked.

The nurse shook her head with a sad smile. “I’m afraid not. Her condition hasn’t worsened or improved.”

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

“Stagnant…huh…” Voker muttered to himself. “Has her family come to visit her at all?”

The nurse shook her head once more. “No. The only people to have visited her are…” The nurse moved some paperwork around and squinted her eyes. “Head Master Taurus, Sylvia, Varnir, Tsarra, Sylas, Linnetia, Sededa, and the princesses.”

“Really? Lauren and Ren came to visit?” Voker asked.

“They did indeed. As a matter of fact, Princess Lauren has visited the most out of everyone, often coming alone at night just to see her,” the nurse told us.

Really? Lauren is coming all the way out here just to see Jen? I mean, they were friends but were they really that close? Or is she…that woman…does she have no shame?

I looked over to Voker and caught him smiling to himself. “I see. That’s good. Would you mind escorting us to her room?”

“Of course, Lord Dragonslayer,” the woman said with a bow.

Voker sighed, and we were guided through the facility to the second floor. The nurse knocked on the door and waited a few moments before opening it after a voice called us. She allowed us to walk in first, and sitting in a chair was Jen with another nurse beside her.

Jen looked the same as when I last saw her but worse. She looked like a ghost; her face was gaunt and had lost much of its color. Even her beautiful hair seemed muted, as if it had lost its pristine sheen. She sat propped up on a chair with her hands resting on a blanket as she stared out the window with dead eyes.

The usual, outgoing, loving girl was gone. Just… just an empty shell left. She didn’t even seem to recognize us.

“How is she doing today?” Voker asked the nurse that was helping Jen.

“She’s doing well, Sir. She managed to eat her breakfast with the usual amount of assistance,” the nurse said solemnly.

“I see….”

I looked at Voker, and although his handsome face showed no signs of emotions, I knew he was sad. He and Jen had a friendly relationship, and since I knew him so well, I knew he was hurt over seeing her like this. Even I didn’t like seeing Jen like this…I spent days trying to heal her, but there was nothing I could do.

There wasn’t anything I could do for any of these people.

Voker walked up to Jen and knelt down beside her. He grabbed her hand gently and squeezed it slightly. “Good morning, Jen. How are you feeling today?”

Of course, there was no answer. Jen didn’t even look at Voker or react to his voice in the slightest. Voker stood back up and smiled softly at Jen.

“Excuse me. Would you two mind walking my daughter around for a few minutes?” Voker asked the two nurses.

The two nurses exchanged confused looks. “Sir, we can’t—” the younger of the two tried to explain things to him, but Voker shut her down.

“Just for a few minutes. It’s all I need,” Voker said with a voice of finality.

“Daddy! I don’t wanna go!” Mila pouted.

Voker rubbed her head and smiled down at her. “I just need you to go with them for a few minutes, Mila. So be a good girl for us and go with these nice ladies, okay? I heard one of them has some candy.”

Mila let out a low growl, and Voker just chuckled as he bent down and gave her a small hug. “I’ll be back before you know it. I promise.”

Mila didn’t seem all that pleased for a moment, but perhaps the promise of candy swayed her. I just hoped they actually had candy on hand. I thought she would genuinely disregard Voker’s wishes when Voker sighed and the doll he had bought for her appeared out of thin air.

“Here, take this. I brought it just for you.”

The little girl’s eyes sparkled for a moment as she snatched the knight doll from his hands and hugged it tightly to her chest. Then, she let out a small giggle and went over to the nurses. The two nurses looked nervously at each other but shrugged. They left the room without any complaints.

Voker waited some time for their footsteps to disappear, and once they were gone completely, an earth wall blocked the door. Voker sighed to himself and looked up at the ceiling.

“What is it that you plan on doing exactly? Why would Mila need to leave?” I asked, confused.

“I didn’t want her to hear Jen’s screams. And what I’m about to do is probably just as unethical as it is illegal,” he said seriously.

What? Wait, what?!

“Explain yourself? What is it that you are about to do to her?”

“Hopefully, get her to wake up, even if it is going to cause her some pain. I figured since she isn’t getting better, then we have nothing to lose. And with you here, she probably won’t die,” Voker said nonchalantly.

“Probably… won’t… die? So what…what did you and Sylas cook up?”

“Something. Anyways, let’s get started.”

Bindings made of earth magic locked Jen to her chair. Voker brought out one of my syringes filled with a sickly-looking brown liquid from his ring. I felt like it looked thick and disgusting, even through the glass. Voker gave the needle a quick flick, and it took him only a moment to find the vein in her arm.

The next few minutes have been forever etched into my mind. As long as I live, I’ll never be unable to hear Jen’s screams, and now I understand why he sent Mila and those nurses out of the room. Voker was right. If I weren’t here…Jen would have died a horrible death.

But for the first time in over three months…Jen seemed to show signs of change…even if it was just her screaming.

—

Kaladin Shadowheart’s POV

“I thought you would have been more…impressed and less annoyed,” Bowen grumbled as he dismounted the Gryphon.

How exactly do I explain to this man that I’ve traveled further than any Gryphon or faster than any mage could ever hope? Maybe I just don’t.

“I don’t get along with animals, let alone monsters,” I told him.

And, of course, the second I said that… the Gryphon tried nipping me in the back.

“I’m so sorry, Sir Dragonslayer! She usually isn’t so aggressive,” the Gryphon Rider told me frantically as he reigned his mount in.

I waved the young man’s concerns away. “It’s fine. As I said, I just don’t get along with animals.” Bowen was just staring at me with a slightly annoyed and confused look. “What? Why are you looking at me like that?”

Bowen patted his Gryphon and gave a nod to his rider before looking back at me. “Don’t you have a Beastmen daughter? So—”

“That’s racist.”

“Wait, let me just—”

“There is nothing for you to explain, Bowen. Could you really look a Beastmen in the eye and tell them what you are about to tell me?” I asked him.

Bowen brought a finger up to refute, but he just pursed his lips and started walking. Bowen has been looking better these last few days. When I first awoke and saw him looking twenty years older, I worried about the man. But things appear to be calming down.

Ever so slightly, that is. I can tell he is still unbelievably stressed. And for a good reason. There is a world-ending entity threatening him if he doesn’t make an undisclosed deadline.

“Hey, you finally got here! It’s good to…uh…yeah,” a familiar voice called out to us.

Professor Garrison was standing with his hands on his hips and looking at us with a complicated look. Did he seem…surprised…confused…angry? A mix of all of them?

And he wasn’t looking at Bowen but me.

“Is something the matter, Professor?” I asked him.

The man quickly shook his head and put back on his usual friendly smile. “No! Sorry…it’s just been a while since I’ve seen you. Unfortunately, I didn’t get a chance to speak with you at the ceremony either.”

Bowen slapped me on the back and raised an eyebrow at Professor Garrison. “Would you mind escorting Sir Shadowheart to the viewing platform, Margrave Garrison?” Bowen said playfully.

The professor laughed and waved me over. “Sure thing.”

Professor Garrison took me on a little stroll through the campsite. Loads of people carrying tools and other various equipment moved about. Makeshift tents had been set up, and there was also a sizable military presence here. I suppose Luminar was protecting its brand new asset.

Most of this place was unrecognizable as rocks had crumbled to the ground and massive craters dotted the stone landscape. It was hard to imagine that this place was a bustling camp full of students and teachers just three months ago.

They also couldn’t wipe away all the blood…

“It’s surreal, huh?” Professor Garrison commented.

“Yeah. It’s hard to believe that this is the spot.”

I heard Professor Garrison swallow his spit, and he looked at me with a surprising amount of nervousness. “Something wrong? Are you okay, Professor?”

He scratched his head and let out an awkward chuckle. “Yeah, after everything that’s happened. I just don’t really know what to say to you anymore.”

“I see…things are different now, Margrave Garrison.” That at least put a slight smile on his face. “How about you tell me how you survived? When I watched the Dragon smack you…I thought you were as good as dead.”

“I should have been. If it weren’t for my armor keeping me alive, I’d be dead a hundred times over. And keeping me alive is…putting it lightly. It was like I got turned into a liquid mush and my armor just kept it all inside. If it weren’t for you and Sylvia…I’d be a goner,” he said despondently.

“So your armor saved you…I assume that’s why you aren’t wearing it anymore?”

“Mhm…it’s completely ruined. I tried taking it to various smiths and even got it shipped to Krunbar last month, and they said there was nothing that could be done. It will never return to its former state.”

I nodded along to his words, but I was a bit confused. “Can’t they just replicate it? Your armor was high quality, but it shouldn’t be impossible, right?”

“Unfortunately, it is impossible. That armor came from a dungeon I conquered some time ago. Fixing it was my only option,” he said with a slight shrug.

“That makes more sense…I heard you could technically get anything out of a dungeon, but even a full armor set, huh?” I mused.

Professor Garrison kicked a rock and chuckled to himself. “I remember it like it was yesterday. When I saw that armor on a stand at the bottom of a dungeon, I thought it was some kind of trap. I mean, I’ve heard and seen some things in my time, but that was a first even for me.”

“Did you have to fight for it?” I asked.

“Nope! I just walked right up to it and put it on. No fight included. Everyone called me crazy, but they said if I did it, I could keep the armor,” The Professor said with a laugh. “And now look at me…I survived a direct hit from a damn Dragon! So who's laughing now, huh?” he snickered.

Ah…there’s the man I know.

“So… Margrave…what’s the plan? Are you going to continue teaching?”

He shrugged. “Probably for another year or two. After that, we decided to settle down and…well…you know. Gotta make that six-year deadline somehow.”

“I’d heard something about you were getting a city and starting a family…and you said ‘we,’ who's we?"

The Professor’s head snapped towards me. “Ah…well…you see…I uh…”

I raised my eyebrows at the man’s bumbling. “Are you nervous about something? What happened to you, Professor?” I questioned.

He shrugged again. “I just….never thought I’d settle down, you know? I could never see myself being a father or even owning a home…I always thought of myself as a free spirit that did whatever it wanted.”

“But?”

He shook his head a few times and smiled somewhat sadly. “I’ve almost died a few times. More than I care to admit, if I’m being honest. But all of those times… I never got beaten as I had with that Dragon. There was one time when I nearly died, but that was because I got surprised, not because I couldn’t fight back. I guess…nearly dying like that really humbles a man. The last thing I thought to myself before my body smashed into a rock was, ‘who's going to miss me?’ That was… a sobering thought….knowing I had no family left in this world.”

“I would have missed you,” I said honestly. “I’m certain many of the others would have as well.”

Professor Garrison smiled a real genuine smile and patted me on the back. “Yeah, I know that. But it’s…not the same, you know? But thanks for saying that. It means a lot,” he said earnestly.

“Mhm. I can see how that may be the case. But you dodged one part of my question…who is this ‘we’ you spoke of?”

Professor Garrison started whistling to himself, and I just narrowed my eyes at him. “Hey…don’t give me that look…listen…when I said I thought of myself as a free-spirited man, I did mean it. I never planned on settling down because I didn’t think there was any woman I wanted to settle down with. And it’s not like I didn’t try either...I mean…I tried a whole bunch…sometimes a few at a ti—”

“Professor…just…tell me the person’s name…please,” I groaned.

“Ah well…it’s Bella. I’ve never been with a woman that just has…so much passion. You could say she finally tamed the Dragon inside of me. I mean, our first few nights together—”

“Please. I really don’t want to hear about your nightly escapades with her, as I’ve heard enough from just about everyone else. So I’ll just take your word,” I said with a sigh.

“Oh?! And what did people say about her?” Professor Garrison asked me with a hint of excitement.

“Well…they didn’t call her Bella the Ball Busting Bear Beauty for nothing…” I told him.

The Professor just had a dopey smile on his face as he stared out into the blue sky. “Yeah…ain’t that the truth...”

The conversation seemed to have ended there as we found ourselves atop a wooden platform overlooking the camp. An enormous tarp had been erected over what I assumed to be the Dragon’s corpse. It was then that Bowen finally caught back up to us.

“I’ll see you in class…maybe?” Professor Garrison asked me with a raised eyebrow.

“Probably not. I don’t plan on returning—”

“Oh, but you will be returning to class,” Bowen said sternly.

“And who said that I would?” I shot back.

“Don’t glare at me like that, Kaladin. And how dare I…ask one favor of you after doing so much for you…” Bowen said, feigning pain in his chest.

“Are you guilt tripping me…” I groaned.

“This looks like a great time to leave. I’ll see you around…one way or another,” Professor Garrison said with a wink as he walked back down.

Bowen cleared his throat and gazed out into the camp. “I am guilt-tripping you. Did you really think I was just going to let you skip on your duties? I don’t mean to pull your leg, but I have done a considerable amount for you, have I not?”

“I can’t argue with that…”

“Exactly. When your family arrives with that wretched Dragon Empress, you may leave as you planned. I can’t hold you here against your will, nor would I ever plan on doing that to you.” Bowen sighed and looked at me with a warm smile. “But the students need to see you. Even if it’s only for a few more weeks. You’ve become quite the hero, you know…you saved a lot of lives.”

“I…suppose you aren’t wrong,” I admitted.

“Besides, I had Mila’s uniform custom-made just for her. It would be a crying shame if she didn’t get to wear it to school at least a few times,” Bowen added.

“When did you do that?”

Bowen shrugged. “I told you that I would get things moving after the festival. Admittedly it’s taken me longer than I anticipated due to…certain events. But progress has been made on the daycare. I hope to have the construction for the new building finished before next winter.”

“That’s good news, at least. Not sure how good things will be now, but at least children will have a place to go in the future.”

Bowen gave me a side-eye. “That’s not the only promise I completed. I managed to find a home for Mila. Are you…”

“It won’t be needed. Sylvia and I made our decisions. I can hardly abandon her now, nor would I want to,” I told him.

Bowen smiled and looked back out. “By the way, have you decided? If you are going to stay or not?”

“I’m not as confident as I was before. I have…more people to consider than I did when it was just me. When the time comes, I’ll most likely have a conversation with my family, and we can go from there.”

Bowen’s eyes drifted away from me and to the tarp. He sighed and leaned on the railing, gripping it hard enough that his knuckles turned white. “This damned Dragon and its stupid scales…it’s been three months, and we have barely made a dent.”

“That bad, huh? Have you tried going from the inside out?” I suggested.

“Of course. That’s the only way we’ve managed to get this far. But getting through all that muscle, tendons, and flesh is…a daunting task for anyone. Not to mention we haven’t been able to separate the head yet,” Bowen groaned.

“What is stopping you? Shouldn’t that be the easiest part? The neck is probably the smallest section of that monster…maybe excluding the claws or something,” I reasoned.

Bowen sighed again and rubbed his face with his hands. “You’d think so…but the Dragon’s spinal bones are thick and nearly impervious. We've tried just about everything from Mythril to acid to magic… even the Dwarven team from Krunbar are stumped.”

I put mana into my Dragon Eye just to see what the area looked like and I was shocked. I had seen areas with high amounts of mana. Typically forests or high population areas tended to have this…almost ambient mana to them. Mana leaks from living things, mostly when people use mana enhancement or magic.

But this entire area is basked with mana…it was almost like this place was alive. Do Dragons really just have that much mana compared to other creatures? So much that it can saturate a zone this large for months after its death?

“What does that Dragon eye of yours see?” Bowen asked me.

I cut my mana off to my eye as I had learned my lesson the first time. “Lots of mana. We are talking more than I can observe in the capital or the forest.”

Bowen grunted and bit his lip. “Is that going to help us by chance?”

“Who knows? Despite being able to see this stuff half the time, I’m not even sure what I’m looking at. I can only guess. I need Avasta to tell me what I see…other than that, I’m just running on guesswork,” I told him.

“So…do you think you can help out? I called you out here for your help, after all.”

“I might have something. No promises, though.”

Bowen shrugged. “Good enough for me.” He gave me a slightly annoyed look. “It’s not like the queen of chaos is coming for you. She is coming for my neck if we don’t get this damn head separated,” he groaned.

I chuckled, and Bowen smiled slightly. A long silence drifted over us as we both looked down at the camp. The wind was starting to get cooler this far north, and it was only a matter of time before fall really set in. It’s odd to think I’ve almost spent an entire year here in Luminar.

“Thanks, Kaladin. For doing what you did,” Bowen said earnestly.

“It was nothing…well, it was something, but I had little choice. I couldn’t let this Dragon run amok and kill Mila, now could I?” I said.

Bowen grunted again and pulled the hair on his beard. “True. But you saved the life of my children and wife along with my own. For that, I thank you.”

Huh?

“Your children?”

Bowen gave me a playful smile. “Indeed. We are expecting another child soon.”

“That is…good…congratulations, Bowen. Is your wife well?”

“She’s doing well, yes. However, it should be some time before she begins to show.”

Although Bowen was talking about something that should have brought joy to his eyes…he seemed somewhat…distant now.

“Is this…bad news? I thought celebrating a new life was supposed to be a joyous occasion?”

Bowen blew some air from his nose and licked his chapped lips. “Sure…it’s not that I’m not thrilled…I’m…I’m just worried, Kaladin.”

“Worried? About what?” I asked him.

“I think you should be asking me what’s not to be worried about... when we had Rosemary, I didn’t think I was ready to be a father, but at least Luminar appeared safe and secure back then. And if it wasn’t, then I could change things. But now…with the appearance of a mad Dragon and a Dragon Empress… political tensions rising…the deaths of hundreds of people…I’m just one man in the middle of this storm. I feel like I’d be ushering a child into a world of chaos,” Bowen said as he rubbed his face aggressively.

What do I even say to that? I mean…I agree…the man isn’t wrong.

“Just take it a day at a time. That’s what I’ve been doing for well… almost seven years,” I said with a sigh.

“A day at a time?” Bowen murmured with his face covered.

“Yeah…just a day at a time. Tomorrow isn’t guaranteed, so there is no point in worrying about it. At least when things get this crazy.”

“Do you hate that? Not having a plan? Not knowing what’s next?” Bowen asked.

“Somewhat. I don’t think I was ever destined to live an easy and simple life. But that’s not going to stop me from doing what I want to do. I’ve learned the hard way far too many times to stop now.” I looked over to Bowen and smiled, and he looked surprised for a moment. “I’m sure things will be fine. You’re a good man, and I have much to thank you for, Bowen. My life here in Luminar has been…peaceful for the most part, all in due part to you. As long as I am available, I’ll assist you with whatever you need.”

Bowen stood up a little taller and clapped his hands. “If that’s the case, why don’t we get back to business? If I don’t get you home on time, I will have a furious Vampire looking for me on top of a Dragon Empress.”

“If I don’t come home at all, I’m going to have a very angry Vampire and Beastmen looking for me.” Bowen just laughed and motioned for me to follow him.

“Then I guess we should put you to work, Sir Dragonslayer?”