"Welcome back, Silver!" Said a squeaky voice. I couldn't tell if the voice was coming from the thing that flew onto me because it enveloped my vision. As I reached for it, it slithered over my head only to wrap itself across my back and shoulders. Its tail lazily wrapped around one of my arms while its claws dug into my shoulder. Its head poked into my sight, and I saw a black and white scaled lizard. "It is so good to see you again. How was the journey here?"

"Who are you?" I asked. When I did, I felt something brush against the back of my head. I turned to find that this creature had only the two front legs that were grabbing me and wings now neatly folded against her back. A wyvern?

"So you don't remember me this time?" she asked with disappointment. "That's okay since I'll have to relearn who you are. You gave me the name BeDe."

"B.D.? What does that stand for?"

"Black Dragon."

"Doesn't seem like a good name."

"Funny you say that since you were the one who gave it to me."

"Alright, BeDe, calm down. He just got back." Said Isheram.

"But I haven't seen him in almost two decades." The little dragon complained. Her tail tightened around my arm like she was afraid to be removed from me. Instinctively, I raised my hand above her head and scratched the top of it. Her entire body purred, and she calmed down, resting her head on my shoulder.

So you do remember. B.D. said, but not out loud. Her voice was in my head. Great, another voice.

I continued to follow Isheram through what I assumed was the inside of the castle. Our footsteps lightly echoed across the hall's stone walls but were overtaken by the conversation further down. Eventually, we entered the castle's foyer, occupied by varying monsters and humans. The lobby had banners with star patterns and dragons alongside paintings depicting armored heroes and epic battles. Each person I passed had a traditional weapon on them or dressed in noble attire dating back to the Victorian Era. Some surrounded a board covered in documents and pictures of faces. Unlike the townspeople, no one paid us any mind as they shuffled past us.

We climbed up the stairs to the second floor. It was mystifying moving through the larger halls, passing more paintings as we went by. These had an Eastern style, and each was like a perfect animation. On closer inspection of one of the paintings, I saw a woman dusting the frame, but her body was translucent to the point that I was surprised I could see her at all, and she was hovering no less than 5 inches off the ground. She turned to look at me with a smile and wave. I hesitantly returned the jester, and she continued to work.

Isheram stopped at one of the doors and opened it. He motioned me forward, and I walked in nervously. Inside, the room seemed massive compared to my old one, but it felt empty, like walking into a hotel room for the first time. Aside from the regular bed, dresser, and wardrobe, there were glass-paned doors that led out to a balcony and a tree in the center. The tree looked like an oak with red bark and different colored leaves ranging from spring colors to winter frost. From the tips of the branches grew fruits like apples, oranges, and cherries. It was an odd tree but beautiful all the same.

I didn't know how long I was staring at the tree once Isheram awakened me. "Do you remember this tree?" He asked almost quietly.

"No," I said. Even though B.D.'s body was limp, as if she was still resting, somehow I knew she was awake and listening carefully. Things did feel familiar, but they weren't jumping out at me like when I saw the boat on the beach. I might have set my expectations too high and have yet to learn exactly how this part of me works.

Isheram didn't push for more of an answer and continued the tour. Above the dresser was a golden-bladed curved sword with three holes in the middle. The edges glinted with diamonds in the moonlight. No guard connected the blade to the reddish-orange handle, and the blade had ruins I couldn't read.

As I continued looking at the sword, Isheram opened the wardrobe to reveal only one thing. It was a white hoodie with shapeless black lines. He took it out and gave it to me. The strangest aspect was that it looked nothing special compared to the tree and the sword.

"I understand that you may not be with us for a long time, but now that you have awakened as Silver, you should wear this." As he spoke, the black patterns began to take shape. On the sleeves, they looked like claws. On the back, they looked like spikes growing from the fabric. On the hood, they looked like fur and two wolf ears. "It will indicate to any monster who sees it that you are Silver and protect you from most things you otherwise couldn't."

"Thank you," I said, but more out of politeness.

"You don't need to thank me. This is all part of the drill." Isheram laughed as if he had made a pun. "Well, I think that's everything. You can leave whenever you want, but if you get lost, stand in the hall and ask where something is, and the Cleaners will guide you." Before he left, he told me to get some sleep.

Once he was gone, I hung up the hoodie and lay on the massive bed. I didn't take the time to change into something more comfortable as the weight of drowsiness fell on me as I remembered how late it was. The bed was soft and cool, but I never felt cold. I didn't think about anything. The last thing I heard before drifting into nothingness was B.D.'s voice saying Welcome back.

It was still dark outside when I woke up, but the moon was full and lit up my room. At first, I thought It was late at night, yet I wasn't tired anymore. I tried to find a clock to check the time, but I couldn't find one. There wasn't a lamp either, and it was around this point I remembered where I was. I still needed some light, so I got out of bed to look for something. As my feet touched the surprisingly warm floor, the room lit up with warm honey colors.

"Did this happen last night?" I asked no one in particular. Last night, the room was mostly lit by the natural lights outside, enough to see what little was in the room.

"They allowed magic to follow in here once again," B.D. said, now sitting beside me. "Everything from those lights to the floor now runs on magic, giving you access to more stuff. If you want to know, I'll teach you what those functions are later."

Looking around further, I realized that the room had most of my cargo placed in appropriate places. My clothes were hanging in the wardrobe, and the picture of my family was framed on the dresser. I walked to the dresser to pick up the picture, and as I did, I asked B.D., "Did you do all of this?"

"No. While we slept, the Cleaners came in and put everything where it might go."

"You mean like that ghost woman from yesterday?" I asked.

"Not a ghost. I can think of only one race of creature that can become ghosts, and humans aren't one of them. The cleaners you saw were summoned phantoms made to do a task."

"...Weird."

"You get used to it."

"No, I mean, since I've gained this power, certain facts popped into my head like a screaming voice. But nothing came up for the Cleaners when they were mentioned."

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

"...Like I said, you get used to it."

Another enigma. Did the other Silvers before me have to deal with this? I put the picture down and looked back outside. "B.D., what time is it?"

"Ten a.m. I believe."

"It's ten already?! But there isn't a hint that the sun is rising."

"That's because there isn't a sun on this side of Skyland." I looked at her, puzzled. "Skyland is a shadow realm where the rules of nature may not be the same as that in the real world."

I remembered reading about shadow realms in the brochure. It said they were created by forming a pocket in reality like an air bubble under water. So, I was no longer on earth. After blinking a couple of times, I looked out the window one last time before I went to the wardrobe and grabbed the hoodie. The hood fit me well, which was surprising because it seemed too big for me when I first saw it. Maybe the Cleaners shrunk it with whatever magic they had on them, or perhaps I was imagining things.

"How does it feel?" asked B.D.

"Really nice." Physically, it felt nice. It was soft and warm, yet somehow, it breathed so as not to get too hot. With that said, I was not too fond of it. It felt heavy on my back. How many Silvers were before me who wore this? What would be expected of me? Was it okay to pursue my goals and not consider everyone else's problems?

"Silver?" I regained focus upon hearing B.D.'s voice in my head. She looked concerned. Speaking out loud, she asked, "Is there something wrong? You got quiet all of a sudden."

"I… Do you know why I'm here?" I asked.

"I don't think anyone told me."

"Just before I decided to come here, my parents were attacked by a vampire named Shadow Fang and a group of leatherbacks. I want to find him to get answers and stop him from doing bad things. But then I remembered that there was something else I needed to do. At my school, there was a guy named Chase who I've been at odds with for a long time. It turns out he is also a leatherback."

"Was he among the ones who attacked your parents?" She asked with a growl.

"No, but I feel he is connected to all of this. The thing is, I met his father and implied that I would try and get his son back to him. Chase has given me, and others he has bullied a lot of crap, but his father fears for him. It was just like my parents when Shadow Fang attacked."

We were both silent for a bit until B.D. spoke up again.

B.D. then said, "If Chase is connected to Shadow Fang, then you will see him again. You may know what to do by then, but Shadow Fang must be found first."

I took a deep breath and sighed. "You're right. There is too much I need to consider already."

With my mind turning away from all that and a growing taste for pancakes, I grabbed whatever else I needed and started looking for the kitchen. B.D. roosted on my shoulder and directed me through the castle's higher floor.

It took too long to reach the stairs leading down into the foyer. Luckily, I could smell the burnt food from pans and pots by then. I followed the smell from there into the dining hall.

Just as I was leaving the steps into the foyer, a loud voice grabbed my attention. I turned around and confirmed that the person wanted to talk to me. He was tall with short brown hair and scales around his neck. His pupils were snake-like, and he had a hiss to his cadence. Slinked over his back was a World War rifle with the bayonet attached, a hatchet on his left wrist, a smaller gun on the other side, and a World War bomber jacket. He walked up to me with his hands extended and a big smile as a forked tongue flicked with his words.

“Während ich lebe und atme. Der Eiserne Werwolf, Silver, ist zurückgekehrt,” he said as three more people followed him. Each one had their own unique traits, but all had similar looking weapons.

"I don't speak that," I replied. Just as I started to feel bad that I didn't know anything besides English, B.D.'s wing brushed me on the back of my head.

I can translate what he is saying for you, she said internally. I was too relieved to point out that she was speaking inside my mind, but at this point, accepting the new stuff was more manageable than reacting to it every single time. B.D. started the conversation by translating what the man said. The translations for me would be internal, while everything I said was external for him.

From the top, the man said, "As I live and breathe. The Iron Werewolf, Silver, has returned."

"And who are you?" I asked.

"Just a humble mercenary looking to meet my role model."

Mercenary? I asked, expecting B.D. to hear my thoughts.

She responded, Some tasks that need to be done require groups or individuals with the skills to handle out-of-hand problems.

Sounds like sketchier superheroes, I thought. Even if that was the case, the two professions were no different. While the police are trained to handle any situation, it does come at the cost of being able to deal with a vast and unique pool of abilities that can crop up with ascendeits. It's more challenging when someone who breaks the law has such mastery over their powers that the fear of a gun lessens tremendously. Superheros were the way to combat the contrary as they would be the well-trained ascendeits fighting for the law. B.D. confirmed my comparison was accurate.

The scaly man continued. "You've been out of it for 20 years, and I want to put the legend to the test."

"Look, I just woke up, and I'm hungry. I'm not going to test anything."

The scaly man didn't let up. "You can't be considered the Invisible Wolf by avoiding fights."

"And I can't defend my titles on an empty stomach."

He smiled and called the rest of his group to follow him away from me and B.D. His eyes mischievously indicated that he was not done with interaction. Hopefully, I won't have to deal with him again, but first, I had to eat something.

The dining hall was massive, with three rows of long tables. The ceiling is crescent overhead with glowing veins of light pulsing on the pillars. Every pillar had what I assumed were perches since gargoyles were eating and conversing on them. Plates floated one way and the other, all coming in and out of the kitchen. The conversations from the humans and other humanoid monsters sitting at the long tables echoed quietly off the walls. Now that I knew mercenaries were common here, I wondered what the conversations were about.

Distracted by the scale of everything in front of me, someone grabbed my vacant shoulder, making my hair stand on end. Behind me was Professor Crown, or as I should call him Claymore, looking as he did when I last saw him. Only now, he was wearing a robe with stars of the night sky decorated on it.

With a jolly grin, he greeted me by saying, "Good morning, Silver. As late as it is, I expect you rested well."

I replied, "I did, but I wouldn't call this morning."

Claymore led me to the head of the dining hall, where a plate of food awaited me. It had eggs, bacon, and bread neatly organized and still sizzling as if they just came off the stove. Aside from the pancakes replaced by plain bread, everything looked as if they came from a Waffle House or something similar. There was something different about the eggs and bacon, though. Were they better? They were better than any restaurants, yet I couldn't think of them as good, much less memorable.

On the floor beside me was another plate with raw meat. B.D. lept off my shoulder and took to eating that. I couldn't hold back my laughter as I watched the wyvern eat each piece that was just as big as she was.

Claymore, who seemed to have finished eating before I did, asked, "How is it?"

"Good," I answered like I was lying through my teeth. While I ate, a question started to form in my head. After seeing the nobles, mercenaries, and Claymore, I realized I didn't know my place amongst all the important-looking people. "Um, Claymore? You may already know that I came here to find Shadow Fang, but I'm guessing I have some responsibilities as Silver."

"There are things you should be aware of, but you don't have one specific job. You are my right hand, voice, will on the ground, and strongest scout. However, you are not obligated to do anything by my command."

"But, as I understand it, everyone knows I represent you. Are you okay with me doing whatever I want?"

"I've seen you live and die many times, and everyone you have reincarnated as has never betrayed me. Besides, my name will not be squandered by someone else's action."

Oh, right. I thought to myself. I never did find out what Claymore did here. So I asked him. When I did, he seemed confused.

"Have you not figured it out?" He asked. "I'm the king of Skyland." He gestured his hands in a grand jester. His voice overshadowed all others as he declared his kingship.

My eyes popped out of my head, and I nearly choked on the bacon. Immediately, I thought back to what B.D. said about Skyland and how massive it was. Every monster and magic user I could think of was assumably here, and he was the king to all of them. "Wait. Does that mean you are the one who made Skyland?"

"Oh no. Skyland was made before my time. I am just the recent king." I was still just as shocked. Claymore probably saw my fear after that realization, so he did his best to comfort me. "I meant what I said about your responsibilities. You came here for one thing. As such, I will help you in whatever way I can. Speaking of which." Claymore rose from where he was sitting and motioned me to join him. B.D. returned to my shoulder after finishing her breakfast.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"To the training hall. If you are going after Shadow Fang, you must know how to fight with your powers."