“Thanks for helping you two,” Rose said, levitating a large box full of trinkets onto a shelf, having sorted all the items in the ledger.

“See? Told you it’d be more fun doing it together,” Alice said, giving Rose a wink on her way to me.

Because the owner of the wand shop wasn’t going to be around for a day, Rose thought it’d be nice if she cleaned up the place. And seeing as Alice and I had no obligations due to suspension, Alice offered to help. Rose refused at first, not wishing to push her work onto others, but Alice rejected her rejection – never knew you could do that – insisting it’d be fun and easy if it were the three of us.

“I’ll go look if there’s any more of these in the back that need sorting, and then we can start dusting the place,” Rose said, walking out the door by the counter.

Immediately my gaze darted to Alice, seeing as we were alone. It was early, and the shop was technically closed while Rose’s boss was away. Though, she mentioned having to stay for some deliveries.

Alice was just out of arm’s reach, probing at the floor with her toes while looking over the books left on the table. She desperately tried to avoid any eye contact but refused to keep her distance.

Penelope must’ve told her what I said about her needing to kiss me first. It made me want to tease her a bit.

“Hey, have I ever read your palm before?” I asked as a dumb idea came to mind.

“No?” Alice turned to look at me, finding it easier when we had something to talk about. “I didn’t know you were into that sort of thing.”

“I read about it in a few books. Want me to give it a try?” I offered, slowly reaching for her hand.

“Amm. . . Sure.” She agreed, giving me her hand and turning her palm facing upwards. Glancing into my eyes for a second before dropping her gaze onto what I was doing. “Did you find this in a spellbook or something?”

“Something like that,” I said, my thumb gently rubbing her palm. “Now, let’s see what it says here. Hmm. I didn’t know you were born on a full moon?”

“That’s because I wasn’t?” Alice furrowed her brows. “And it was more like an hour after sunrise.”

“Ah. Then perhaps there was a full moon somewhere else,” I theorised.

“Maybe. . .” She mumbled before realisation of what I just said hit her. “Wait, what?” However, her confusion got quickly dispelled as I started laughing. “Haha, real funny. . .”

“Sorry,” I said, covering my mouth as I couldn’t stop giggling at her priceless expression. “Let me try again.”

“Dummy,” she muttered, letting out a chuckle.

“Okay. Let’s take a look.” I hummed again, squinting my eyes as if looking for something. “Yeah, I feel it.”

“Feel what?” she asked, a bit more sceptical than before.

“How soft your hands are,” I said, her eyes shooting wide and cheeks burning red as she dropped her gaze.

“I think we’re doing this wrong,” she whispered, still letting me hold her hand.

“Oh, I know nothing about palm reading. I just wanted to find an excuse to hold your hand for a bit,” I admitted while smirking.

“God. . .” Her other hand covered her face as she turned to the side, trying her best not to look at me. “You’re impossible.”

“Me?” I acted shocked, leaning forward to catch a glimpse of her eyes. “It’s your fault for being so beautiful.”

She immediately pulled away her hand and turned her back toward me before taking a deep breath in a desperate attempt to remain composed. Not that it worked.

“Hey, guys–” Rose came back carrying another box, only this time she picked it up herself.

“Rose!” Alice yelled, running off as fast as she could. “You shouldn’t be doing the heavy lifting?”

“Huh? Why?” Rose looked confused, taking a good look at her. “Also, are you okay? You look a bit feverish.”

“I’m fine! Let’s just forget about that, and you let me handle this for you” Alice tried changing the focus, grabbing the box from Rose’s hands.

“Sure,” she mumbled, shifting her gaze toward me before a chuckle escaped her. “Ah, I see.”

It appeared Rose caught on rather quickly, though it was fairly obvious. And I couldn’t wipe the smug smirk off my face.

We got back to cleaning, finishing up within the hour.

Alice was eager to sit down, collapsing into the only wooden chair by the table.

“We got that done relatively quickly,” Rose admitted, looking rather impressed. “Where do you guys find the energy?”

“Eh. . . I’m used to staying up all night. Nothing like late-night overthinking, am I right?” Alice chuckled, letting out a sigh.

We stayed up all night looking at the grimoire. Rose fell asleep relatively quickly, utterly bored by our obsession over the mysterious. But Penelope eventually had her fill, saying she’d want to look more into the demons and undead written in the book, leaving Alice and I alone to read through some of the spells and even rituals hidden inside.

“Can’t relate,” Rose said, pushing herself up to sit on the counter. “I love my sleep.”

Alice giggled, looking at me as I approached. “Wish I could fall asleep at a snap of a finger.”

“Don’t look at me,” I chuckled, stepping beside her and leaning on the table.

“You, sir, are no better,” she said, poking my arm while having the cutest smile on her face. “A minute in and puff. . . like a puppy. Or a kitten. You’re impossible to drag out of bed once there’s nothing you must do.”

“Don’t know how I feel about that comparison, but I’ll have you know, free time is meant for resting our mind, body and soul. It’s not my fault that lying in bed is just what works best for me,” I smugly smirked, holding my hands out.

“Wow, what a salesman. You happen to be looking for a job?” Rose teased, making Alice laugh.

“Alright, alright. . .” I chuckled, shaking my head before taking a deep breath. “What should we do next?”

“I’m feeling kind of hungry,” Alice said, holding her tummy.

“Me too. Too bad we don’t have anything at the store,” Rose said, still taking a look around while her feet dangled above the ground.

“There’s bound to be a pastry around here somewhere,” I guessed, glancing toward the street.

“Why don’t we go look for one?” Alice suggested.

“Can’t,” Rose said. “I have to be here for the delivery. It’d be awkward if they arrived while I was away. But you two could go.”

“And leave you here alone?” I asked, standing up straight. “I’ll just go.”

“I don’t mind going,” Alice said, raising her hand. “I wanted to take a look around anyway.”

I hummed, rubbing my neck.

While I had no problem hanging out with Rose, I didn’t want Alice walking around alone. The place was unfamiliar, and yesterday, my trust became thin regarding our safety.

There was not a sliver of a doubt she was capable, easily able to fend for herself. But if I could, I wanted to make it so she never had to raise a sword. To make it so she never had to worry.

Sadly, the nightmares that plagued me since childbirth made me believe we were destined to see hell. Or at least I was, but everyone around knew she’d follow. It’s what I loved about her.

So for now, I wanted nothing more than peace of mind.

“We can take a look around later. I’m sure you’d be better company than me, right Rose?” I looked to her for assistance, but Rose just tilted her head and gave me a look that screamed, ‘Really?’

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

“Look, I’m hungry, and she wants to go. Stop being stubborn and just take her. And kiss already.” Rose said, the last bit through telepathy while gleefully smiling.

“I won’t,” I said out loud, much to Alice’s disappointment only to turn around and grab her hand. “Come on. Let’s look around.”

“But you said–” Alice was confused, rightfully so.

Rose just pointed her tongue, probably thinking we were just wasting time. Though were we?

I asked myself that question many times before coming up with the idea, yet the answer was always the same. If we were to be forever, why not enjoy the blissful flirtation? One in which the feelings were clear and without fear of tomorrow.

Even I knew I wouldn’t be able to endure long not knowing how her soft lips tasted. Or how her touch felt as we gazed into each other’s eyes.

There was so much I wanted, and I understood it was greedy. Her love was one I was never meant to have in the eyes of the world, but none of it mattered if she chose so. That’s what I promised myself.

“Hey, could we stop for a second?” Alice asked, suddenly stopping in place.

“Hmm? Is everything–” But before I could ask her anything, she booped my nose and started giggling.

“What was that for?” I chuckled, staring confused.

“You were walking too fast while thinking, so I figured I’d grab your attention,” Alice said, smiling cheerfully. “It wasn’t anything important, I hope?”

“You’re thinking about that now?” I chuckled – her smile to die for. “It was, but nothing I’d forget.”

“And your stomach?” she referred to the poison.

“It’s gotten better. Nothing more than a bit of discomfort with occasional cramps.” I sighed, returning the smile.

“That’s good,” she said, lowering her gaze while holding my hand tight.

There was a moment of silence, both just standing there content. However, trouble echoed in the distance as a caged wagon half-covered with cloth turned the corner with its front wheel damaged.

“Move! Everybody move!” the cart driver yelled, struggling to fend off the barbed tongue wrapped around his upper body, pinning him to the cage by the beast trapped within.

With a mother and child in the way, he led the cart to the left, losing control and crashing into a wall. The wagon had flipped.

Luckily, the mother and child were alright, and there were only a dozen or so people scattered around, all looking cautiously from a distance.

There was a brief eerie silence as we all watched the tongue drop hold of the driver, slowly withdrawing back into the cage. The cloth still kept the beast an utter mystery.

That’s when we heard the metal crack, and immediately Alice sprung into action.

“Wait!” I yelled, trying to catch her, but after the first step, I felt my stomach turn as the pain kicked in. “Ugh!”

I collapsed to one knee, damning the timing.

“Blink!” Alice closed the distance, charging the mana beast breaking out of the cage. But when it finally got out, its size took me by surprise.

It was a lizard-like creature covered with scales the size of a horse. One bite with its long snout armed with serrated teeth would’ve torn Alice apart. And as if that wasn’t bad enough, she also had to worry about the spiked tail and its potential for magic. The large sail covering its back that glowed with mana strongly indicated arcane abilities.

Alice ran past its snout before it could react, sliding under the tail swipe that followed. She was focused on saving the driver, which meant my job was supposed to be distracting the beast. However, when I tried channelling mana in order to teleport, a sudden surge of gradually intensifying pain swept over me.

She still got to the bleeding cart driver, but while trying to help, she was forced to sidestep the freakishly long tongue lashing out at her.

I could see it in her eyes even from afar, she saw the same opportunity to strike at the vulnerable and overextended tongue, but we were surprised to find how quickly it curled back into the lizard’s mouth.

The beast charged, and so without thinking, Alice empowered her winds with metamagic, sending the creature tumbling across the street. However, she hadn’t anticipated the lizard standing up and looking around, finding new prey - the mother and child fleeing to safety.

Instinctively, the mother tried shielding her son upon hearing the beast’s hiss, turning in place with her arms spread wide to make herself an easier target.

Realising nobody else had any intention of helping and seeing I couldn’t get up, Alice blinked over the beast, kicking its snout closed before leaping into the air again. Her plan worked, but all she really did was irritate the creature, and before Alice could land, it lashed out with its tongue again, wrapping it around Alice’s ankle before slamming her toward the ground.

She tried cushioning the abrupt fall by conjuring up a barrier but a dust cloud formed, leaving me wondering if she was alright.

“Alice!” I yelled, infuriated that I couldn’t help, so I did what any sensible person would’ve done, punched myself in the face. The next thing I knew, I was up on my feet.

“Gust!” I heard Alice’s voice from within the smoke that soon got swept away by the conjured winds, but the lizard somehow managed to withstand her spell, aggressively towering over her. It was preparing to bite.

“Stop!” I yelled, anger resonating in my voice.

I wasn’t sure if it was the tone or sheer audacity that halted the beast, but it shifted its attention in confusion, defensively hissing at me.

“Back. Off.” My words were more like growls, but the lizard cautiously took a few steps back.

Alice looked just as puzzled as the lizard, muttering to herself before hopping back on her feet once it backed off far enough.

Perhaps it was because of the poison or the fact that I punched myself hard like an idiot, but my head felt like it wanted to explode; however, one wrong move and the fighting would’ve continued, putting Alice at further risk, so I had to stay focused.

“Earth’s Grasp!” Alice chanted, conjuring up vines that entangled the beast, and despite its helpless struggle, Alice proved she had gotten stronger by pinning the beast to the ground, rendering it immobile.

That’s when we saw the two cloaked mages left in charge of Hamlet’s safety arriving at the scene.

“You okay?” Alice asked, running over to me. She looked out of breath but at least was uninjured.

“I’ll be fine,” I brushed off the pain, my jaw probably hurting more than the stomach.

“Thanks for saving me. . .” she smiled, grabbing hold of my arm.

“You didn’t need saving,” I pointed out, knowing she could’ve blocked or teleported to safety, but for some reason, she didn’t seem too happy with my response.

“Maybe I did,” she sighed, shaking her head before taking a good look at me. “By the way, what was with that weird language you spoke?”

“What language?” But before she could answer, a crowd had begun to form as the mages put the beast to sleep, meaning it was safe to approach.

“Is everyone alright?” they asked, afterwards starting their investigation. And while Alice and I appreciated the praise, her more so than me seeing as I hadn’t done much, we both agreed we would’ve preferred looking for food instead of answering questions.

It sometimes made me wonder if helping was worth the effort.

----------------------------------------

“Dragon Speech,” Alice said, holding a book open inside Grimhold’s library. “Regardless of how I look at it, there’s no other explanation.”

“You keep saying that but refuse to tell me what it is. . .” I sighed, turning to look at her as she sat next to me.

We were alone, all the other students having classes to attend.

“Because I wanted to make sure I wasn’t talking out of my ass. God, you’re impatient sometimes.”

She sighed, taking a brief pause.

“And?” My hand gestured for her to continue.

“Wait,” she chuckled, but something told me I was getting on her nerves, so I just kept quiet. “Dragon Speech. It’s an ancient language spoken by dragons said to have the power to command mana beasts. It’s their native tongue and not something you can learn. Even when you spoke it, I had no clue what you were saying. Sounded more like you were growling and hissing at the same time while throwing in letters at random.”

“But then how would I know it?” It made no sense.

“The same way all mages know how to speak runic – Inherited cognition,” Alice explained.

She was referring to mages awakening knowledge of the runic language upon manifesting a core, gaining the ability to understand and speak it fluently as if speaking common tongue. It was why I suddenly understood all the previously incomprehensive chants. However, despite experiencing the phenomenon myself, it raised a question even Alice’s parents couldn’t answer.

Why was I only able to understand it after awakening my frozen core, technically my second one? But in the end, we agreed that it likely had something to do with the seal placed on me.

“So you’re saying I was born knowing it?” I tilted my head, unsure if I was convinced she hit the mark.

“You must’ve used it subconsciously. Likely a part of your gift,” Alice explained, setting the book on the table.

“My gift?”

“Well, I guessed Dragon Speech because I already looked into it before back in Thysa while we were trying to dissect your gift.” She spoke so proudly, smiling the entire time. “Dragons inherit their parents' memories, and not only do they know Dragon Speech, but they’re also able to sense their surroundings, have an innate talent for magic, and absorb mana from the atmosphere.”

“I thought dragons dominated chaos?” I quoted Professor Geron.

“Mana’s just transmuted chaos, and dragon hearts absorb immense amounts. Sure, they could avoid using what they’ve gathered, but that’s like a mage refusing to use a wand because he could cast without one. Excluding you,” she chuckled.

“Aham. . .” I muttered, but she was right and her theory made sense, except– “But why would inherit such traits?”

“I don’t know. But your gift must have something to do with dragons,” Alice said, dropping her gaze while thinking.

She seemed a bit lost, sighing out of nowhere.

“What’s wrong?” I had to ask.

“Hm?” She looked up, smiling at me. “Oh, nothing. I was just thinking about everything that happened thus far.”

“And?”

“I think your gift is really cool,” she said, closing her eyes and leaning into me.

“Is that so?” I asked, wrapping my arm around her so she wouldn’t fall.

“A draconic gift, huh? Guess there’s no end to your surprises.” She chuckled, tilting her head back to look me in the eyes. “Want to get out of here?”

“Hm. Sure. We’re done here anyway,” I smiled and sighed in contentment.

Chapter End.

Thank you for reading.