Janie hopped to the next tree. She watched to see what the boy would do. A small clearing made it hard for her to follow. She had to stand at the edge and overlook from a distance. Though with her senses, that proved simple.

“This is a good spot,” the boy said. He closed his eyes and green particles spread into the ground.

A branch lashed out towards the small dragon.

“There!” The boy shouted.

Janie flipped off the tree and landed on the ground. A root shot from beneath the Earth, forcing the dragon to somersault backwards. As her hands sprung from the ground, she caught sight of a ball of fire heading towards her. Her palm formed a barrier, bracing the impact.

The redheaded girl sprinted towards Janie—a small sword of fire held in her hands. The girl’s sword swept towards Janie’s side.

With a single palm, Janie caught her forearms, deflecting them into the air. The dragon moved to punch her in the stomach, but another root shot from underneath. It coiled around Janie’s fist.

The other girl flashed a smug grin. “Sneaky br---” Her voice was stopped by a heavy kick to her side. Maintaining her flamesword became impossible. The momentum of the kick sent her bouncing off the ground like a ball.

A loud cracking of wood echoed in the clearing. Janie smashed through her entanglement with pure strength.

The dragon narrowed her eyes towards the boy. She dashed at him like an animal on all fours, claws digging into the ground. Her knee was delivered to his midriff.

He fell to the ground with a grunt, passing out from pain and shock.

“Where did you learn that!?” The spirit shouted in her brain.

Janie winced. She stared at the girl on the ground and sighed once she realized the girl wouldn’t move.

The dragon’s teeth scraped against each other, and creases formed in her brow. She sniffed the air. The scent of parchment wafted towards her. Janie left those two on the ground and bolted towards the new smell.

“Where are you going? Did you find it?”

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Janie didn’t answer. She tried to steady her breathing. Her lungs were on fire. The edge of a cliff came into view.

“Don’t!”

The dragon leapt. Wings sprouted from her back, tearing the fabric of her new uniform.

There was an unmistakable golden glint in the highest tree. Janie soared towards it. Her extended claws grabbed onto branch and scroll, taking them both down with her.

White particles spread around her body.

No!

She tumbled into an auditorium, smashing part of the wooden floor with her horns. Janie glared at her surroundings.

“You look like a mess.”

Janie swatted towards the voice, but the scaled hand easily caught her arm. Janie whipped around, her eyes meeting those dark slits.

“Auntie!?”

Ilisef sighed and clutched her niece’s arm tight. “First, you will need to calm down.”

Janie’s breathing slowly became more regular. She looked around, finding the stupid scroll and tree branch on the floor. She grabbed the scroll and pointed it at her aunt in annoyance.

“I didn’t put mana into this!”

Ilisef exhaled. She calmly grabbed Janie’s scroll. “No, the proctors decided you were in danger, so they transported you here.”

Janie pouted, inflating her cheek. “Janie was fine!”

The plague dragon shrugged. “You won the game, didn’t you? Why does it matter?”

“No, Janie was supposed to find two.” The small dragon’s shoulders slumped, and she stared at the floor. Her voice became smaller. “What about the princess?”

The queen of the plague sighed, her forehead creased in agitation. She picked Janie up like a toddler. “Come on, you’re going to take a bath.”

Janie bit her aunt’s shoulder, to no avail. “Auntie! Let me go! I need to find the other scroll!”

“Aren’t you too old to be throwing tantrums? You know that princess can take care of herself, right?” Ilisef pulled Janie’s head from her shoulder. “What do you think would have happened if you found her scroll?”

The small dragon was momentarily stunned. What would happen? “Janie would have won the game.”

Ilisef delivered a chop to Janie’s head. “No, you would have made all of her efforts pointless. If you found both scrolls, the princess would have passed without doing anything.”

Janie tilted her head. “Isn’t that how a princess should be?”

“Idiot. If you did that, I’m sure she would resent you.”

Before Janie realized it, they were already back at her and Enala’s new room. Janie choked down her building tears. “Why are you so mean, auntie?”

Ilisef put Janie down on the bathroom floor. Her eyes bore holes into the small dragon. After a long sigh, her gaze softened. She placed both her hands on Janie’s shoulders. “Is that what you think of me?”

The small dragon nodded. An annoying voice in her head kept telling Janie her auntie was in the right.

Ilisef smiled devilishly. “Whelp, since I am so mean, I need to scrub all of this muck.”

Janie shook her head rapidly. “I can wash myself!”

Ilisef laughed like a demon.

Janie’s bath time was filled with screams and evil laughter. She teared up from the harsh scrubbing and hair brushing. Even her barriers proved useless against the elder dragon. Every time Janie would erect one, Ilisef would say, “you need to become like End if you want to stop me.”