“Ragithar,” I called out into the void of my soul. Seconds later I felt the increasingly familiar thrum of power as my element drew near, the feeling gradually growing in intensity the closer it got. Soon enough I could see the dark fire in my mind's eye; the thing that had disrupted my life, the thing that had hundreds across the continent vying for my head, the thing that had almost got me killed more than once. Despite that, I could not despise it. It was just as much a part of me as I was it, and a beautiful part of me at that.

Coming to a halt just before me, the red flame flickered softly, occasionally revealing black wisps of smoky shadow that danced and twirled in slow yet graceful patterns across its surface. It seemed pure and innocent, and in that moment I understood and accepted that it was part of me. It always would be, and there was no reason I should have to hide who I was forever. If my only friend — or as close to a friend as she was — would not accept me for this, then no one would, and I was okay with that. But if she did accept me, then that was evidence that others might too and that I could convince those who don't that being a hybrid doesn't automatically make you something to be feared and butchered like a rabid animal. I could change Etrythia, change the mindset of its inhabitants, and make it a continent safe from the hate my mother, sister, and myself had been subject to. With that single revelation that I had unknowingly been shying away from, my entire life goal and perspective changed, and I reached out willingly, gleefully, to my element.

I will become strong enough to accomplish what others have only ever dreamed of, starting now. And when I find my sister, we’ll do it together.

A surge of power erupted through my body, even more than any of the previous times, and I felt a satisfied grin etch itself onto my face. Practice with your element was required to advance in the ranks, but you also needed to find yourself, your true self, for without a complete soul there could be no space for the element to grow.

Opening my eyes, I controlled the dark fire with my will, instructing it where to go and what to do with scarcely a thought. It danced effortlessly around the clearing, shedding light onto the trees and bushes at the edge of the clearing and creating shadows that the stationary campfire could not.

Fyrlia’s gasp from beside me nearly threatened to pull me from my concentrated state. I furrowed my talons into the dirt from the effort but managed to maintain the connection. For a few more moments I directed the dark fire around before I was unable to hold it anymore. It dissipated in a shower of embers, each one drifting slowly to the ground and winking out like a firefly.

The torrent of power once more subsided to my ordinarily calm state, similar to the sea after a storm. The silence from my two companions was oppressive, specifically Fyrlia’s silence, so I focused instead on the sounds and scenes of the night.

The campfire crackled soothingly while the tree's leafy branches were pushed against each other by a slight breeze, creating the illusion of whispering voices. The trees themselves were of varied types, some with sharp, pointy leaves and crooked trunks, while others had soft, round leaves and straight, towering trunks that seemed to never end. One tree even had thin, peeling bark that looked similar to the material of a scroll, though that may have just been the effect of distance and darkness making it appear as something it wasn't. Various frogs lent their voices to the night, creating a cacophony of noise that ranged from small, bearable croaks to large, obnoxious belches that tempted me to track the frog down just to make it shut up. In the distance, an owl screeched, a sound so unnatural against the subtle peace of the night that, if it were possible, my scales would have raised as a cat's fur does when it's spooked.

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Finally, Fyrlia spoke. “You're one of the elemental hybrids.”

It was less of a question and more of a statement, but I nodded in affirmation anyway. The flickering shadows from the campfire played across Fyrlia's face, emphasizing the deep furrows on her brow as her gaze bore into me.

I tensed reflexively, hoping, no, praying, that everything would work out and she wouldn’t hate me for this. After another moment of tense silence, her expression cleared and she laughed.

“I knew you were hiding something!” She exclaimed.

Perturbed, I glanced at Cryhn. That was not the reaction I was expecting. He met my gaze and shrugged his wings slightly, gently shaking his head with a bemused expression.

Fyrlia’s head moved back and forth, tracking our silent conversation before she let out an annoyed sigh. “Really guys? I’m right here.”

“I just wasn’t expecting that,” I admitted honestly.

“What? You thought I was going to turn all crazy and try to kill you?” She scoffed. “No, no matter what your element is or what the prophecy might say, I wouldn’t do that. You’re a nice dragon Rylar, I don’t see why everyone else can’t accept that such a thing is possible for hybrids.”

The sincerity in her voice made me, for a moment, feel guilty for ever doubting her. The next moment, however, all I felt was shock.

“Well that’s good,” Cryhn began. “I was hoping to avoid killing any dragons tonight.”

My head snapped toward him, my eye widening slightly. “What?”

Maybe that's just his way of joking? I thought optimistically. But no, the blank, dead serious look in his eyes said otherwise.

“I’m responsible for your safety, the prophecy must come to pass. If that means killing one of our kind, then so be it.”

To say I was shocked was really an understatement. Dragons were killed on sight by many of the different lifeforms on Etrythia, so it was an unspoken rule that you never, never, kill another dragon unless they have committed some sort of heinous act, and even then it was a last resort.

“What’s so important about the prophecy that you would kill me over it? Wouldn’t you want to do the opposite and kill Rylar since it says the hybrids will cause chaos and death?” Fyrlia questioned. Her brow was once more furrowed, though now it was in confusion.

“Not that I want to,” she added quickly, giving me an apologetic look. “I just meant hypothetically.”

“Cause chaos?” He scoffed. “The hybrids will unite everyone and prevent the spread of evil that has already corrupted so many different parts of Etrythia. Whoever told you that lied.”

“But the first stanza says that we — as in dragons — might die soon,” Fyrlia argued.

“Prophecies are never as straightforward as they appear at first glance, and this one is no exception,” Cryhn said, looking up at the full moon where it was perched in the center of the sky. After a moment, he continued, “I can explain tomorrow, but I think we’ve all been awake for long enough, especially if we need to leave at first light tomorrow.”

While Fyrlia and I tried our best to convince him to tell us, he was unrelenting, and, eventually, we conceded, halting our pestering for the night while we settled down for sleep.

Ever since we escaped the prison we slept close to each other with the sky and stars at our backs. It gave me a feeling of comfort and stability that I hadn’t known I was missing out on from sleeping inside a cave where my only companions were the stone walls and Kazlar’s rumbling snores from another room. Even so, my mind would not allow me to rest for what felt like hours but was probably only minutes, the gears constantly turning in my brain as I tried to decipher the prophecy. Eventually, though, my mind gave in, letting me slip into a peaceful, dreamless sleep.