"This time, Riders won, Cael!" she exclaimed as she happily shook her tiny emerald tail.

At this time, the red reptile landed between the girl and the boy. It didn't attack anyone... instead, it changed its form slowly. With reddish smoke coming out of it with a hissing sound, the reptile transformed into a young boy with messy crimson hair and gleaming orange eyes.

"Hey, Cael!" the red-haired boy shouted loudly, even if he was only a couple of meters away. "Don't be so sad, it's just a game, dude!"

The grey-eyed boy didn't answer. Instead, he looked at the other boy's crimson tail... which betrayed its owner's glee by swinging from side to side.

Just as the red-haired kid wanted to make an excuse, the black reptile suddenly landed near him and caught his tail with its mouth. Then, it started shaking him in mid-air.

"Hey, sis!" the confused boy shrieked pitifully. "W-what are you doing?! Releaaase me!"

Watching this, the remaining two kids couldn't hold back their laughter. The grey-eyed boy didn't look so down anymore.

A minute or so later, the black reptile gently released its "prey" and transformed into a little girl with long and smooth pitch-black hair, pale skin, and clear silver eyes.

"Brother, you are meanie," the girl said, her voice almost emotionless. "Don't bully Cael."

As the red-haired boy regained his composure from being thrown by her just a few seconds before, he replied, "Hey, I'm the only one who gets bullied here!"

Interestingly enough, the grey-eyes boy actually agreed with that claim. Of course, he couldn't say it aloud, so he just slightly smiled.

"You broke the rules, brother," the girl said as she calmly touched her waterfall-like black hair. "It means we lost. Cael, the Seeker, won."

The three other kids felt slight confusion after hearing her words. For a moment, silence loomed over the small mountain as the four of them didn't say anything and just looked at each other.

The four children, each of them seemed to be around eight years old. The grey-eyed boy at the center looked somehow different from the three other kids, though. His pupils weren't slick or vertical; he didn't have a slim reptile tail; parts of his body weren't covered with glistering scales. At first glance, the scale that hid his crotch and the strange footwear made him look similar, but a more scrutinous look would reveal that the other three kids didn't wear anything at all. The scales that covered their intimate places were a part of their bodies, and their feet naturally looked like the hind legs of a reptile.

The boy shook his head in denial and said, "No, this time, I lost for sure. I underestimated Aura. She recovered faster than I expected. Maybe I should have hit her harder..."

Hearing this, the green-haired girl slightly pouted.

"He attacked you directly, Cael," the black-haired girl started to explain. "By rules, only a Seeker can attack directly with Mana, and Raiders can only try to catch or immobilize."

"Hey, I didn't attack him," the red-haired boy complained. "I sent my Firebolt to hit the land under him. It isn't my fault that he didn't dodge the rubble and tried to breakthrough head-on!"

"Yes, brother," the girl continued as she looked at her brother with her calm silver eyes, "if he dodged, it wouldn't be considered an attack. But he didn't, and so you violated the rules."

"Ugh," the red-haired boy grimaced as his orange eyes looked around for help, hoping that the other girl, who quietly observed the scene, will save him from his tyrannical twin-sister.

The girl shook her emerald head as she said, "I didn't pay attention when this happened. At that time, I felt the position of the Wind Sourceshard and rushed toward it without distracting to anything else."

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

The group of four became silent yet again.

"Thank you, Forma," the boy with silver hair broke the silence with a weak smile, "but I can't accept this as a true victory. Even if Ardor didn't even anticipate this type, I'd still lose. His attack didn't slow me down that much, you know? It didn't hurt either."

The boy knew the true reason for his defeat, his weakness. He couldn't be like them, flying through the sky, becoming one with the wind. How can he compete in speed with his peers while being stuck in the Lesser Form? He couldn't. He thought that maybe this time would be different. He was wrong.

"Cael, buddy, this is just rude, you know?!" the red-haired boy, Ardor, shouted with his high-pitched voice. "It is as if you are saying that my Firebolt is useless! Take those words back, buddy. Take them back!"

"So, do you want to acknowledge that your Firebolt was very powerful, right, brother?" Forma spoke before Cael could even open his mouth. "Do you want to receive the punishment for violating the rules... big bro?"

Hearing the two words "big bro", Ardor shuddered. He knew his twin-sister well enough to understand that she only called him like this when pissed off! She didn't show her emotions openly, so clues like this helped him to save himself from her antics more than once.

"What?" Ardor exclaimed, faking surprise. "Since when was my Firebolt strong? It is just a vain trick. It just looks scary! But, in the end, it is almost harmless. Do you think like this too, Cael? What about you, Aura? I didn't try to hurt you, buddy!"

Seeing the reaction of his easily excitable friend, Cael sighed with a simper.

"It seems that you kids are lively as usual," the kind and mature voice of a woman suddenly attracted the attention of the four children. Seeing the voice's owner, the kids reacted all at once.

"Aunt Mitis!" the three tailed children exclaimed, even if only Aura was blood-related to the woman in question.

"Mom!" Cael raised his voice as he ran towards the woman and jumped to hug her. Even if the boy approached her with enough power to knock down a bull, she didn't dodge. Instead, she smoothly caught Cael and tightly folded him to her ample chest covered in dark blue scales.

"We didn't see each other for a day, and you already miss me so much?" Mitis teased as she used her thick and smooth lizard-tail to stroke the boy's cheek. With her height close to 180 cm, she lifted the boy above the ground without it looking awkward.

"Hehe, Cael is such a momma's boy!" Ardor laughed without thinking. A moment later, he felt a stern glare from a certain silver-eyed girl and dexterously hid behind shy Aura.

"Thank you for finding the Sourceshard for my husband," Mitis said as she released her son. "As a show of gratitude, papa Invictus roasted a Six-legged Greatboar with his own Thunderflames. If you hurry up to the castle, the meat would be still hot."

Hearing her words, all kids, including Cael, started to drool.

"A Six-legged Greatboar..." even Aura, who was the most well-mannered of the four, couldn't help but swallow her saliva. This was a giant beast five meters in height that even four of them combined couldn't hunt yet!

"You children can fly on your own," the woman said to the three children who can transform, "I have something to talk about with my son. Don't worry, it wouldn't take long. We'll be there soon, too."

The three children nodded before each of them turned into a reptile. After exchanging glances with Cael, they soared into the sky and soon disappeared.

"You don't need to hold it back anymore, son," Mitis whispered.

Cael's calm, slightly smiling expression began to change rapidly. In a moment, he started to shed tears, his face grimace of frustration and disappointment.

"I, I lost!" the boy muttered with a whimper. "I gave it my all! I tried so hard... And yet, and yet!"

As she stroked his head gently, Mitis said, "It is okay, son. No one blames you. It isn't your fault."

"I wanted to make you and Dad proud! To prove that I can be helpful even as am I! But..."

"We are already proud of you, Cael," Mitis whispered tenderly as she squeezed him tightly to her chest. The boy couldn't see how her clear azure eyes became moist. He could only feel her silky dark blue hair as it tickled his face a little.

"But I can't become big like other dragons! I can't fly through the sky like them! I... I don't even have a tail! I'm weak..."

"This isn't your fault, Cael," the woman's voice slightly trembled as she held back her own tears, "it is mine. You aren't weak. You are a very strong child. You have a firm and kind heart. And you have a talent that no other dragon has. With four elements at your disposal, one day, you'll be the most powerful dragon in the world."

"Would I cure my illness? Would I ever acquire my True Form?"

"Yes, Cael," Mitis said firmly. "Yes, you will. Your Dad and I will make sure of it. You don't need to worry about anything."

"Thank you, mom." Cael calmed down.

A bright smile emerged on his teary face as he said, "I love you. You are the best mom in the world!"

"I love you too, son," Mitis showed a smile of her own. "You are the best son in the world!"

"Before we return to the castle," she said, "there is someone I want you to meet."

"Who is it?"

Mitis paused as she looked at the horizon that could be barely seen from the mountain's height.

She replied, her voice soothing, "A new friend. A friend who will take you to the sky."