No one was fully satisfied with the duel’s ending, least of which the two duelists themselves, though the feelings they had against the ending were varied. Naroe lost what he saw as a definitive ruling as to who White would stay with, possibly even partner with. Avira was frustrated at having to add this, what she saw as far too short of a rematch to have such a conclusion, to an already long day. Varen felt second-hand disappointment for his daughter and Reil now had to contemplate White’s lodging. White, for his part, was just upset that the fight ended.

None of them, however, would deny the skill that had just been put on display. And so, Naroe, still splayed out on the ground despite having recovered his breath, chose to laugh.

“Care to share what’s got you so happy?” Avira called out as she sat up.

Naroe calmed himself, still choosing to lie on the scarred grass with a smile. “It’s gonna suck if we get blessed by the same Plane.”

She scoffed at him. “Where did that come from?”

He raised his head to look at her, “Or if you got Light and I got Dark.”

She got to her feet, dusting off her clothing and plates as she did so. “Then we’d just have to learn to use what we’re given,” she said shrugging. “Besides, that just means our potential with that blessing is greater.”

Naroe hopped to his feet and presented his fist to her. “Even if it is, I wonder if it’d be as fun as that was.”

That made Avira smile. “I wonder too,” she said, bumping her smaller fist with his. “But now we have to figure out where White’s going.”

All turned to see the small dragon barely sitting still, his claws twitched enough to dig into the dirt, and his tail’s constant waging had formed a patch of ruined grass.

Reil kneeled next to him, smiling warmly as he began to pet the dragon. “What do you think, White? Do you know who you want to go with?”

White looked at both apprentices, he sensed the same anticipation from both of them, but outwardly they were completely different. Naroe was smiling, his knees bent with hands resting on his legs, but his gaze occasionally glanced at Avira.

She had started taking off her metal plating, placing them neatly on the side in layers to carry it all in one load on the breastplate. She feigned disinterest flawlessly, her eyes never moving to the hatchling as she worked, keeping a neutral expression the entire time. White found the disparity between her actions and her feelings confusing, though it did make going with her seem more interesting.

At the same time, he had already “bonded” with Naroe, as he had put it, and while White believed Naroe was correct in that statement, he had yet to figure out what that meant.

He put a claw to his chin, weighing the options long enough for Avira to finish removing her armor. She sat on the ground then, keeping her gaze on the mountains in the distance. He felt her anticipation had grown, and she could no longer bring herself to look at him.

White came to a decision then, one he felt rather impressed with. He pointed with two claws at both duelists.

A silence fell over the fields, broken only when Reil rose and turned to the General, clearly amused. “I think it's a little selfish, but what do you say?”

Varen looked back at him, his face slowly shifting to one of chilled-like excitement. “Really?”

Reil shrugged. “It’d be only for a week, I think one more away from home wouldn’t hurt.” He gave the younger man a sly smile. “I doubt even you could tell me when Salra will get back.”

Varen laughed and clasped Reil’s shoulder before turning to the still squatting and now somewhat confused Naroe. “Well, Naroe? Not like we’re lacking in space.”

The apprentice’s eyes widened as realization dawned and his gaze moved to Avira, who had turned to him now. She only shrugged at him. “Dad’s not wrong and I’m always for having Grandfather around. Besides,” her face turned to White and she smiled. “Even if he went with you, I was going to make time to visit.”

Naroe chuckled as he rose to his feet. “I figured that much. Reil, I still have those errands to run.”

“Of course, and I need to meet with Poe to get up to speed with how things are progressing here.” He looked at his granddaughter, a knowing smile on his face. “Why don’t you and Varen take White home to get settled? Both Naroe and I should be there tonight.”

Avira nodded, her facade barely containing the beaming excitement that leaked through her eyes and the corners of her mouth. “Good idea,” was all she said.

Naroe eyed Reil, visibly disappointed. “I was hoping to show White around the city.”

Reil let his apprentice’s objection slide easily, his smile undaunted. “I think he’s had enough excitement for today,” he gazed down at the intently listening hatchling. “I’ll bring you back something special, so I hope you’ll be for them how you were for us.”

White blinked up at Reil, watching as the false sun’s golden rays wrapped around his form as if he wore them like robes. The small dragon realized then that Reil’s presence had intensified since they had entered The Sanctuary. Like the sun within him had grown stronger.

No, it had drawn closer.

________________________________________________________

When Avira, Varen, and White emerged from the distorted world inside the teleporter, it was in the center of a cross-shaped building tinted by a setting sun. Amber rays strayed through a large circular window over the western entrance, scattering from the ivory floor onto the ebony pillars that lined its sides. They towered at more than twice Varen’s height beside graystone walls, reaching into an arched ceiling colored with the sun’s gold. The eastern hall was its mirror in design, but with such little light, it appeared to be in the early morning rather than sunset. Both the northern and southern halls were inversed to their counterparts, with a sky-blue ceiling over white pillars and black tiling.

They stood on a platform made from the same stone as the walls decorated with the crystal pattern of a teleporter. Varen descended the eastern side of the platform in a single step, Avira’s discarded armor tied in a black binding he had created under his arm. Avira, who carried White atop her interlocked arms and chest, followed her father down the short steps.

They had taken the same lift as before to a large chamber filled with dozens of teleporter pads, all in various states of use by other members of what Reil referred to as “The Order.” There, White had waved goodbye to Naroe and Reil, which had Naroe contending with several conflicting emotions.

Avira had been kind enough not to make too much of a show of it, despite how much she adored the gesture.

The colossal warrior in the armor of night reached the even larger set of metal doors and held one open for his much smaller companions.

Avira thanked him politely and brought White into a city in twilight. Huge buildings, far larger than what he had seen in the village, with surfaces of dark metal and glass cut the sky. The structures closest were painted the most in the sun’s setting rays, while others were mostly or completely shadowed by taller neighbors. They took various shapes and sizes, surrounding them in all directions behind packed roads and passages.

The city inhabitants were all garbed in long or thick clothing that protected against the winds whipping between the buildings. While their fashion varied from person to person, all had a sort of simple elegance to their choices, whether they wore a few or many pieces.

A smooth, obsidian-like street that stretched out beyond even White’s vision began just beyond where they stood, marked with use by the constant traffic of carts and footfalls. Rams that stood taller than most citizens with spiraling horns to match pulled wagons containing all different types of cargo, bellowing in short but deep calls that rattled their mountings. Linked metal containers marked trails in the middle of the road, turning off into larger paths in between buildings. Some of them were lined with windows, revealing seated and standing passengers within.

They stood in front of an ancient stone building, its age plain from the outside despite the obvious care for it, with an entrance flanked by two sculptures carved from the same grey stone as the building. They were rings the height of the General, each carrying an inverted triangle that matched their size. White flowers hued with gold grew around their bases, stretching down a stone path to an onyx metal gate. Thin, densely planted trees flanked their exit and obscured the fence in both directions.

Varen took the lead once more, walking towards the gate with Avira silently following him.

While she said nothing, White could feel her excitement even without his extra senses. Her heartbeat was harder and faster than Naroe’s ever was, and her hands had the smallest tremble as she scratched around his horns. He noticed it was right where she had seen Naroe do so.

Varen clasped the lock and White felt something react underneath the metal’s surface, not unlike what he felt when they first entered the kingdom. There was a click and the door swung open freely. “Why don’t you wait here while I grab a carriage? Draw a little less attention?” He said looking back at his daughter with a smirk. “Maybe we can stop and grab some food before we get home.”

White perked up at the mention of food, and Avira could no longer suppress a grin of her own. “Pop-pop said he’d probably eat anything.” She looked back up at her father. “What about that fish place that just opened up?”

Varen’s smile widened and he pointed at White. “Spoiling him already? Lucky for you I’ve been eyeing Ladon’s Labor.” He turned away, then paused before turning back to her, his expression much more subdued. “Reil told me he made some fort of ‘bond’ with Naroe. He seems fine and you know I trust your grandfather, but please be careful with him. We have no idea what the implications of forming whatever this bond means.”

Avira stopped petting White and he felt her mind stop. He turned to look up at her and she locked piercing violet eyes onto his.

White blinked. Her intense gaze wasn’t one of hostility, but simply the byproduct of her mind tackling several tasks at once. One was instilling that same focus she had when she first saw him, another was deducing what Naroe had done, and a final one was the response for her father.

She broke the stare to put on a reassuring smile to the waiting warrior. “I will.”

Varen’s opened his mouth to say more, before closing it and shaking his head. What he said next, only White was able to hear. “I hope so.” Then he exited out into the street, the gate locking shut behind him.

When he left, Avira finally gave an unrestrained smile at the dragon. “Hello, White,” she said. “Did you like the duel?”

White gave an enthusiastic nod. He didn’t understand everything that had happened, and he knew that, but it didn’t change the sensation he felt watching the two of them battle. In fact, when he began to consider it, he had enjoyed it more than when Naroe had fought the bear. He wondered why that was.

She scratched around his horns again, “Do you like being pet?”

He nodded more casually. Like most things since yesterday, it was just one of the things that had started happening to him, but it certainly wasn’t one he disliked.

“Have you had fish before?” she asked.

White’s head cocked to the side in consideration, as he never found out what it was that Reil had fed him.

Find this and other great novels on the author's preferred platform. Support original creators!

Despite not giving a clear answer, the small motion elicited pure glee from the young woman, which she now displayed openly. “You’re too cute,” she said as she lifted the hatchling to nuzzle him with her head.

The sudden indulgence in the desire that White had felt bubbling within her caught him slightly off guard. While certainly more than what he was used to, Avira kept it quick enough that White had a moment to process it before it became overbearing.

When she pulled him away, she still looked gleeful but now there was a quizzical layer over it. “What did Dad mean when he said you formed a ‘bond’ with Naroe?”

White, hanging from his forelegs in Avira’s hands, thought a shrug was the only appropriate response. He knew he still felt Naroe, even in that moment could point in his direction, though White couldn’t say much more besides that his friend was far. It was like a flame without heat, but bright enough that he could always see it. If he focused, he could hear its crackling take the form of Naroe’s more focused thoughts.

“Do you miss him?” Avira asked then.

White shook his head, though he felt like he might have if he didn’t have this connection.

“Is that because you feel him now?”

The dragon stared at her, now wondering if she could also read minds, before nodding again.

She hummed. “Going off what Dad told me, you did it pretty quickly with him, so they thought you might have imprinted on him in some way.” She smirked and pulled him close again, scratching under his chin. “But I don’t think that’s the case. You left Naroe to come with me pretty easily, even with my apparent good first impression.” She stopped scratching, looking up into the dimming sky in thought. “I wonder just what kind of bond it is.”

White felt her thoughts spill freely as they overflowed from her mental walls and he glimpsed then the true nature of her mind. Naroe’s had been an energetic mind, a constantly shifting and improving font of information that grew as he observed and analyzed. White simply had to glance in a new direction to catch bits of his stored knowledge then. But Avira’s was something else.

Beyond the walls she had built around her mind was an ocean, with depths that went far beyond the natural light of the world. Competing and clashing currents of thought spawned waves that crashed against one another, Everything White had felt from her up to that point had been what was strong enough to steam from the water’s surface.

White felt an impulse to dive his consciousness into those depths, but the walls rose once more when her gaze lowered. She stared at him and White felt a sudden awareness about her that had not been there before. White heard something ripple from the depths of her mind. It was diluted and distorted from its journey to the surface, but White was able to interpret it through the emotion that rose with it.

White? Curiosity, surprise, caution, doubt, and the smallest hint of something like fear. Concern seemed. These had given shape and power to the thought.

This upset White, as he liked Avira and didn’t wish to upset her. It also confused him as to how she knew he had been observing her mind. Naroe never noticed, or if he did, he never mentioned it.

White nodded in response and Avira’s pupils shrank into pins. He heard the fortress of her mind grow completely quiet. Her body went rigid as she slowly blinked and looked off into the distance, her expression of complete neutrality. Then, slowly, White began to hear something stirring from her mind. Then there was more and soon, emotion and thought erupted once more from behind the walls. But these were not the same as before, they were larger, faster, and greater in number. They battered against their confines as Avira’s carefully constructed barrier was pushed to its limit.

The small dragon didn’t like this either, so he did what came naturally to him. He rose from his position above her chest and gently pressed the top of his skull into her chin. The brewing storm began to settle and White heard Avira take a deep sigh.

“I guess I don’t get to hide anything from you if I keep you,” she stated as a sad truth of the world.

Something beyond the gate emerged into their line of sight then. White looked to see a massive black wolf with eyes like ice harnessed to a large azure carriage. It stared forward, ears up and alert as it motionlessly scanned its surroundings.

Avira sighed as she looked at the beast. “When he said a carriage,” she said rolling her eyes. “I didn’t think he was getting the carriage.” She smiled before beginning to pet White once more. “I thought it was weird when he said he didn’t want to attract attention, I guess he just meant for you.” She approached the gate as Varen emerged from the carriage door, the wood shifting only a little as his armored bulk stepped out. The General opened the gate once more as Avira approached him. “That was quick.”

“Ladon’s is bound to get packed quickly, so I rushed a little.” He responded cooly.

As Avira stepped beyond the fence and onto the steps leading into the carriage, she stopped and looked back at her father. “Am I going to have people telling me they saw you carrying a carriage again?”

“You can tell them it was empty this time,” he smiled and gave her a thumbs up.

White felt Avira take a deep breath before simply saying, “You can tell them,” before entering the vehicle and locking the door behind her.

Varen, to his credit, expected this reaction and took it in stride. After all, he was on his way to getting his own treat. But as he sauntered over to the driver’s seat, not even bothering to take up the wolf’s reins, he did note that even his mount had not noticed White’s presence.

As he drove, greeting passerbyes both who knew him and dared to approach despite only knowing of him, he resolved to speak to Reil as to why he had such trust in the dragon.

Avira was silent until they arrived at a massive park that was steadily being filled. Long awnings with crimson shingles provided scattered shelter between patches of vegetation and gardening. Lanterns shaded in blue and gold produced tinted spheres of light that became more pronounced as the night drew in. At its center stood a large rounded building, shielded bars lining its base. Inside, cooks dressed in white aprons and caps ran from station to station, their gloved hands working unseen tasks. They were beset on all sides by dining patrons, hundreds of tables had been filled. At each corner of the plaza stood a sign with the image of a golden sea serpent carrying a bulging linen sack in its mouth.

When Avira saw how busy the place was, she gave a disappointed sigh. “I guess he was right, but it didn’t seem to make much difference anyway.” Varen appeared at the window, holding up a finger with a smile before casually striding off towards the restaurant. “Oh no.”

Several diners had already paused in their meals to stare dumbstruck at the General approaching, these people he did not engage with. Most averted their eyes but did their best to act as natural as they had been before noticing him. A few met his gaze with a smile. These people would nod or wave, and Varen would respond in kind. One of the chefs had noticed him the moment he had stepped onto the property. This chef was the owner.

Varen had spotted the man’s mark of esteem amongst his peers, a metal name tag in the style of the golden serpent from the sign outside, the moment he had arrived. This was not something he would normally do, especially as a first impression, but Avira did not ask to eat out often. She was doing this in part for White, Varen knew but he still was happy. For this lord of darkness would be able to knock out three birds with one stone. He could visit a new restaurant, have a nearly full family dinner, and turn his daughter further away from the morning’s… disappointments.

The owner was someone who carried what had brought him to his position and he brought this to bear before the General. He was not tall, with faded golden skin worn with deep lines. Withered eyes were set below tightly clipped gray hair, seeing only the approaching figurehead take over his world. None of the other chefs dared stop their tasks, but those within line of sight couldn’t help the occasional glance at who was at their door. The owner bowed deeply.

Inside the carriage, Avira watched as her father exchanged words with her. She allowed a brief sigh before looking at the hatchling that rested on her legs. “He’ll be a little while, but not long.” Her gaze flicked back to the unfolding scene to see her father being led inside. “At least he shouldn’t be.”

White was sitting up, looking out the darkened window at the mass of people. The village didn’t have this many people when they arrived and a number of them had been members of the order. There were a few scattered amongst them to be sure, figures of light and void usually grouped together, but the vast majority were average citizens. Each one was like a glass portal that led to another world, their lives a sea of color and shapes before the dragon. The longer he stared, the clearer the images beyond became. The farther the soul, the less he saw of it.

But that was already changing, his senses growing stronger every second he looked into that world. He blinked it away, Avira’s words resonating once more in his mind.

“I guess I don’t get to hide anything from you if I keep you.”

White had been thinking about those words and his bond with Naroe. The hatchling had never entered Naroe’s mind, but that was because Naroe’s mind was embroiled by an open flame. From that flame, White was able to glean a great deal. Not to say the apprentice’s mind was simple, fire rarely kept a single shape after all, but it was reactive and unafraid of showing itself.

Avira’s was different. While White was able to read the writing on her walls and what spilled over the surface, her true thoughts were layered. Levels of observations both internal and external intricately flowed through one another, producing trains of thought that led to conclusions. These were scrutinized, then put through the process again or stored away in a deeper layer.

However, there was a spirit not unlike Naroe’s that this mental facility fed into. This familiar spirit was what allowed White to continue deciphering Avira’s mind without intruding into her thoughts.

He turned to the young woman in question, already disinterested in the other humans outside, and found that she was staring at him. Once again he questioned just how much she was able to see from his being.

The ocean within was stirring once more, he could feel that clearly, but not with anxiety as it had been. It was moving with a singular purpose now as if everything was being directed towards one fine point.

Then White felt it, the result of her hidden efforts. A small portion of her mental fortifications came down, revealing a portal not unlike a whirlpool within the surface of her mind. He couldn’t tell how deep it went, but her anticipation was that of someone presenting a wild animal with an offering of food, hoping to gain its trust.

Even the newborn could tell this was not an action taken likely, and although this was a first for him, he instinctively knew how to proceed.

His mind reached out, gently touching the surface of the water, and felt Avira’s own emotions become more clear. She was nervous, but White knew at once that she had done something like this before, and that made him trust her with this process more.

With that trust in hand, he descended into her mind, gently floating down into its depths.

It was dark, but by no means devoid of activity. White felt her thoughts glide across him freely as he sank and he in turn allowed her mind to sink into his. There wasn’t much for Avira to see obviously, and she realized this rather quickly, but that did not lessen the weight of the experience for her.

For White, however, there was a great deal more to digest. Avira was very well educated, even for her age and status, and White felt her develop a deep fear of overwhelming him. But White wasn’t afraid, even as all of his perceptions were enveloped by her mind because he truly felt Avira at that moment.

She was carrying him down as gently as she did in the outside world, letting him explore at his leisure. He could have revealed all her secrets at that moment, leaving her carefully guarded mind with nothing he had not already seen. But he didn’t.

Instead, White was content to follow the trail that had been formed for him gradually. It was her thoughts of him, all observations, guesses, and conclusions that she had garnered since first laying eyes on him, spreading out from her core like the line of a web. As he followed it, the thoughts turned from pure fascination and adoration to hopes and plans she believed she could fulfill with his help. Hazy images of an older Avira riding a much larger White to vanquish an unknown enemy flashed by, varying wildly in setting and timeframe. While these visions piqued White’s interest, he was not at the bottom.

They stemmed from something deeper, an intense desire that had planted itself within her core. A desire to protect the people and world she had grown up in had embedded itself in her very being. And when White finally arrived at the sea bottom made from the stone that was her resolve, he caught a glimpse of what had formed that foundation.

A distilled memory of a younger Varen dressed in black, his clothing tailored much more intricately than anything White had seen among the other citizens. A midnight vest, buttoned down the side with azure trimming, and pants to match. He stood grinning more than a head taller next to an almost sickly pale woman, her raven hair braided and covered with a flowered white veil. Her violet iruses matched Avira’s, though her smiling round face was much softer and gave her a far more gentle appearance. Her gaunt form wore a long dress of pure white that trailed behind her, golden petals clinging to the fabric as if it had been formed in part from sun-soaked flowers.

This was the source of the spirit White had sensed from her and it stood untouched from the darkness of the sea.

Understanding had been achieved, and thus the bond was formed.

White’s vision returned to the waking world to find Avira still staring at him. Her expression was unchanged, but he could now clearly feel the layers of anticipation, excitement, and concern that flowed through her.

She hadn’t been sure what to expect, but she digested the full breadth of the experience rather quickly and gave him a pleased smile.

“You’re just a baby,” she said gently stroking under his scaly eye with her thumb. “They’re all so worried about you and you don’t have the slightest clue. But that’s okay, I’ll make sure you’re taken care of properly.” Then her smile faltered as another fact rose to the surface of her mind. “Though that does beg the question of what these connections you’re forming are. As far as I can tell, it’s just your nature taking action, but that doesn’t explain much. It’s not like the blessings, I don’t feel Naroe like you do for one, but I can feel you and your thoughts.” She chuckled then, “If they can even be called thoughts.”

The door to the carriage opened then, Avira’s gaze darting away from the hatchling. White could now feel the action had startled her, but she had expertly kept the reaction deep beneath the waves.

Varen’s bulky form leaned in, carrying two large bags marked with the design of the restaurant. “Helped them out a bit, so they gave me some extra treats.” He shot the hatchling a winning smile, but White knew through Avira that there was still some trepidation beneath it. “Figured White could would appreciate them.” He turned to his daughter then as he set down the bags on the floor of the carriage. “You two good?”

Avira gave her own smile, “Yeah,” she said casually while turning back to her new friend. “We’re good.”