Tsunashi, with his hands propped atop his head, took protracted steps alongside Trillon. The bison rattled its curled hair gently, taking care to not shake the uncommon passenger on his back, Glacia.

She eye’d Tsunashi as he strode along, her perception of him as unchanging as the minute she met him. Fool. Goofing around when drakes could show up at any moment. With a sigh, Seriara flew to a safe distance from him.

“A front maybe? To suppress his intent?”

Then that leaves the question of what is his intent. For someone with all that power, he still operates as if this is a game. Squandering time on a barren farm for a year rather than doing something about the ether.

Seriara dove to her head. “In the end, people will do whatever they have to, even someone like Infernus. We at least have a certain way of maneuvering through this ether.” She looked down at Trillon. “Makes me admire how a bison of all things could gain a resistance to it. What did it require to become immune?”

What it needs is a saddle. Damned thing is uncomfortable even with its plush hair. Glacia readjusted herself while peering ahead at Mushi and Tanka, who strode in front of them. Mushi’s massive sword created the trail that Tsunashi walked on. “That dirt trail is going to give our position away to whoever follows us. I can hardly imagine how you’ve endured the last year together. With her drawing every enemy and you screwing around every second of free time you get.”

“Quite the pessimist, this one.” Tsunashi said. “Don’t you think so, Trillon?” The bison groaned with acknowledgment. “How you choose to kick back has everything to do with how you survive the day to day stress. Worrying every moment won’t fix anything. Should try to step back from the uptight attitude you’ve been carrying, and you might be better off.”

“I am not uptight! I’m angry because I’m wasting my time here when I should be somewhere hunting the dragon that will earn my life back! Could fly to Accolade, recover from this poison, and not have to watch your idiotic strutting!” He laughed as soon as her mouth closed. Growing louder when he looked at her face.

“Tell me the difference if you rush to Accolade now and head straight for the dragon. Versus sticking around with people drafting an organized assault. Wait, let me have a go at it. You rush in, unprepared, and get zeroed. We’re right back where we started and probably fucked because of it. On the other end, you sit back, let me handle some of the strategy and the chances of you getting zeroed drop about thirty percent. And if things work out, the dragon’s dead, and you can go stomp off to wherever it is you’re rushing to.” He scratched his nose, then closed his eyes before he yawned. “To me, you seem keen to die. I would’ve never taken you to be a masochist at first, but congratulations, you’ve shocked me. Consider me surprised.”

“Like you’re one to talk! You seem just as eager to die killing this thing as I am! That weird ‘If I die’ nonsense you pulled a few days ago only proves it further! Slacking while we practiced coordination, sleeping while we worked on positioning! Every day, you’ve wasted time to improve by sitting on your ass!” Glacia’s animated anger caused Trillon to change its stride. “The actual difference between the two methods is for every minute that passes is another I had to sit under the Tarragons thumb! Time is so limited, I’d have to be a fool like you to waste even a second!”

“And just why is that? You’re not a hostage, are you? How could you be when you’re walking about into a war zone? You have more freedom than you realize. Who’re they to tell you what to do far out here in no-man's-land? Acting by the book gets people killed.” Tsunashi turned his glare toward her. He saw her flinch, scared, as if he would do something to her again. “You’re terrified, fidgety, feeling some type of obligation to some whimsical duty. I’ll be direct. The Tarragon set you up for a suicide mission. That bit I’ve wracked my mind speculating about for the past few days. An experienced Gardenia is one thing, but an impatient girl with a death wish is another.” He blew a puff of spoke from his mouth. “Whoever sent you alone may as well ordered your execution.” Glacia’s hands trembled. Tightly, she held onto Trillon’s hair and remained silent. “Ironic. You’re accusing me of playing games when you’re racing into a fire with your hands tied.” Immediately, she turned, returning his glare with one of her own.

“It’s non-negotiable. I’ll do what I have to do or die trying!”

“Is that because of an obligation? Some sort of contract with the faction that sent you to die alone?”

“No, it’s because I need to prove to all you bastards that look down on me. To prove that I don’t need anyone of you to take back my life.” She spotted a squint in Tsunashi’s eye.

“If only you were as rebellious with them as you are with me.” a clicking noise came through his teeth several times before he looked back at her. “Then perhaps we can help each other.”

“No way.” Glacia said, shaking her head. “No way I’d work with you. I can barely hold myself from puking being three feet near you. I’d never-!” Abruptly, his finger touched the center of her forehead.

***

Glacia fell backward, losing her balance on Trillon. Or so she thought. Her body bizarrely hovered in place, though she saw, felt, and believed herself to be falling. Like a pendulum, she snapped back, where everything suddenly went dark. The noise of clicking startled her, compelling her to turn in its direction. Rays of light bewildered her, urging her to shield her eyes and step back into hands that held her shoulders. She jumped, startled, before hearing Tsunashi’s voice.

“Relax.” He pointed at a brown sofa that rested against a sole wall below an illuminating window pane.

“What is this?! What the hell do you want from me!?”

“I only wished to talk in private.” A table appeared before the sofa, carrying nothing but a picture frame put on its face. Tsunashi sat on the table, motioning Glacia to take a seat on the sofa. “You know, you don’t need to speak out loud to talk to me. That goes for outside of here too, if you try.” He exhaled through his teeth, knocking on his forehead with his knuckle. “This is a domain inside of my head. Don’t mind the details of what you may see here. It’s a bit… complicated.”

Regarding what he had said, Glacia thought as if she were speaking to him. “I want out.”

“At least hear what I have to say. I brought you here because I couldn’t risk Seriara hearing this. I don’t know whose side she’s on right now or how much authority she has over your body. ”

Glacia’s senses went alert, as if an alarm blared in her head. “She was right! You could see her before!”

“There’re a lot of factors that involve her. Her allegiance being the most important. Undoubtedly, she’s a reason you’ve been with the Tarragon for as long as you have. Though now’s not the time to babble about her. Right now, I need your help. Leaving her in the dark would accomplish your objective with the least resistance. Just sit down and let me clarify.”

Glaring at him a while longer, Glacia reluctantly took a seat on the sofa. As she sank into its cushion, more of the scenery packed the area. A structure fell into place. They were now in a living room connected to a kitchen and a stairway. On the steps descended a woman who, though paler, closely shared the appearance of Tsunashi. She carried a basket of clothes in her hands, walking by them directly to the kitchen. “Who is she?”

“I couldn’t tell you.” Tsunashi gave the passing woman a thoughtful stare. “I see her so much, and I don’t even know her name. I can only assume that’s the boy's mother.”

“What boy?”

Tsunashi folded his feet on the table. “Around a year back, a few days before that huge Morath attack, people blabbered about for months. Did you see anything extraordinary happen?”

The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

Focus occurred to Glacia’s face as she fiercely stared at him. “Yes… A star shower. That’s where that other race of humans with the crystals in their hands came from. The ones people are calling Bearers.” Tsunashi flashed the back of his palm at her. In the place where once a sparkling gem rested was a chasm of black.

“He… I… We were there. In the port town, before the dragons appeared. Put up something of a fight until Talion, their leader, killed us.”

_ _ _

The front door opened, a young image of Tsunashi, beaten and bloodied, trudging through with a blonde girl at his side. The woman poked her head in the room; her face turning frightened as she rushed to the door. She gasped, hoisting his head towards hers.

“Another fight!?”

The blonde girl nodded. “Some guys at school ganged up on him.”

The image of Tsunashi coughed, reaching his hand out to the wall for balance. “Knocked… a few of the shits out first.”

The woman clutched him by the wrist and dragged him into the kitchen with the blonde girl closely behind.

_ _ _

“I awakened in the rubble, soaking in blood that I thought was mine until I looked around. Bodies of everything you could imagine. Men, women, children, animals, scattered into torn pieces.” Tsunashi’s shoulders locked, accompanied by a gradual tightening of his fist. “That wasn’t the part that confused me. It was the dry blood on my lips and teeth. And I couldn’t even remember what happened! I can hardly remember how I ended up there!” His fist crashed on the table. “No matter how hard I tried, nothing!” He searched around the room. “Everything you see here is his thoughts. His memories that I’ve been wrestling with. Tsunashi Tachibana. And I don’t understand any of it! I don’t know what was important to him or what kind of person he was. Just these images that turn up and fuck with my head and twist my stomach!”

Glacia’s perplexed expression turned to one of interest. She leaned forward, glancing back and forth between the Tsunashi in the kitchen and the Tsunashi on the table. “Are you suggesting that you’re not him? So wouldn’t that make you Infernus?”

Tsunashi’s eyes sank toward the ground, then back to her eyes before breaking eye contact. “Not wholly him, either. I remember more about the dragon than the boy. That he was dead, how he craved to atone. Pieces of his memory have come back to me throughout the year. His demise, Seriara, Talion, Nomu, and recently… What I need to do in order to stop his ether from expanding.” A storming wind surrounded them, swiftly shifting into jagged terrain until they stopped inside of a red glowing crag. A pulse beat through the walls, lines of ether trailing along its edges like a bloodstream. Below them roared the rage of the lava, while above them the delicate pumping of a heart-shaped design tethered to the etheric bloodstreams hovered. “The Eye of Embers. A pump, so to speak, created by Infernus to control the flow of fire ether. In his absence it’s been thrown out of wack. Leading to the plague of it we’ve seen around these parts. To keep things short, we need to find a path into it.”

Glacia stood in awe of the scenery, still assembling together what Tsunashi had said. “W-Wait. There are inconsistencies in this story. The Ash of Ebon. The Tarragon think that monster is a reborn Infernus. Clearly that’s not the case. So where is its place in this? And why do you need my help to stop it?”

“About the Ash… The boy… I believe Talion or Nomu, my sons, have turned him into the dragon. Meaning, somehow, there are two of us. The lengths my sons have gone to push their agendas have gone far past the laws of life. The Eye of Embers is my last gambit to stop the both of them in one go. Once it’s operational again, dragons will lose their strength. Myself included.”

Glacia surveyed his face for any deceptive emotions. “And you want me to believe you’ll willing to weaken yourself? For us?”

Tsunashi nodded. “At the Eye of Embers, my plan is to overload it with my ether, and as a result, it would need to reabsorb any of my ether to preserve itself. That’s where the ‘If I die’ part falls into place.” Tsunashi looked into Glacia’s eyes. “Overloading the heart will turn it into an etheric bomb. Large enough to catch and kill every living thing, from what I estimate would be twenty kilometers in every direction. Once that’s done, the heart will promptly scrounge up whatever ethers in the air. Thus, making the Ash weak enough for you to deal a killing blow and release what’s left of Tsunashi.” He exhaled like the weight of the world slid off of his shoulders. A smile on his face, he eagerly nodded at Glacia. “What do you think?” A moment of silence passed as he waited for a response from Glacia. However, she didn’t give him one, covering her mouth with her palm. “If it helps. Your part in this would put you away from the bigger threats of danger. Where I’d need you… Is in Accolade. They have a palace on the top of a hill, a place where the fire of the first Tarragon has burned for hundreds of years. It’s attached to a library, hopefully with information on the Eye of Embers. I’d need you to get in and find that info. The sooner you do, we can end this.”

Appearing lost in her thoughts at the amount of information he had given her. The slimmest movement of her body made him anxious, and every second of silence dried his tongue. She withdrew her hand from in front of her lips, muttering silently. “I… I will do it. Just get me out of here.”

The ambiguity of her voice left Tsunashi unsatisfied; however, he said all he needed to. “Understood.”

The scenery collapsed in their vision, dropping piece by piece until darkness obscured their vision.

***

Glacia’s eyes flickered to the returning light. She groaned, then inhaled the burning scent. “Finally.” Seriara’s presence brightened, causing goosebumps to run down her arms.

“Finally what? We’ve still got some way to go before Accolade. Or are you glad he’s done talking?”

Yeah… He finally shut up. Tsunashi’s words weighed on her. The suspicion of Seriara and the “him” she claimed to know before. It felt like she’d invaded a duel between children. There was one thing she could respect Tsunashi for, and that was his honesty. Events lined up, cause with effect, though it was still very bizarre. How could he die and come back to life? How could he share bodies with a Bearer and revive in a way with the Bearer, becoming the Ash of Ebon? Too many things made little sense, but it was the clarity she appreciated. The approach was better than Seriara had ever done, while it seemed he put less thought into it. The guardian always seemed to withhold something, speaking in riddles or only speaking when the time was right. Perhaps she could trust him. At least for now.

“Glacia!” Tanka called with a wave of her arm.

Pulled out of her train of thought, a frustrated Glacia retorted. “It’s pronounced Glacia! Like G-L-A-Y-See ya! Not G-L-A-Y-Sha!”

“Whatever! No need to be bitchy! Tri says to scoot further on his back. You’re falling off!”

Realizing she was a bump away from falling off the bison, Glacia adjusted. A glance at Tsunashi and it seemed as if nothing had changed. Walking with the same stride, hands on top of his head. “H-Hey.” His response to her was opening an eye and tilting his head toward her. “Should things be this quiet? The way you made it seem as if drakes were going to swarm us.”

“Oh?” He cracked his neck. “They’ve been circling us for a while now. A few more than there were ten minutes ago.”

White noise resounded in Glacia’s ears, during which Tanka and Mushi whirled around, speaking at the same time.

“WHAT?!”

Everyone stopped in place, looks of shock aimed at Tsunashi. “I mean, it’s only obvious. Not a living thing for miles and you thought we’d be the only ones on this road? Drakes are too cowardly to act on a fight they can’t win. It’s nothing to worry about.”

“How many were there ten minutes ago, Tsunashi?” Mushi asked.

“Fifteen? Now there are about twenty or twenty-one of them.” Suddenly, the white hairs on his shoulder levitated from their rested position. “That’s strange. That only happens when…” He sighed. “See that? The panic is the reason I stayed quiet. Now that we’re troubled and worried, they’re sure to attack us.”

Mushi scanned the area, spotting a rustling beyond the nearby trees. “He’s not wrong! Get in formation like I taught you, Tanka! Glacia, get ready to do your part! You and Trillon will need to provide a distraction!”

Snatching the hilt from her waist, a long blade of ice extended to the size of Mushi’s great sword. “Roger!” She turned it flat on her shoulder and altered it to where she could over the blade.

Tanka revealed her hollow horn and stuck it in her hair, and grazed the beads around her neck and arms. With a vigorous roar, she surrounded herself with water and conjured three bisons that mimicked Trillon.

“Damn…” Tsunashi whispered. “I was hoping we’d get close enough for them to bypass us, but this muddles things.” A jolt crossed his eyes, spinning his attention over to Tanka. No! In one rapid motion, his hand slapped Trillon on the rear. “Trillon, go to Tanka! Hurry!”

The bison took off. Its speed launched Glacia from its back, Tsunashi catching her before she hit the ground.

“What the hell are you doing? Trillon was the only thing keeping me safe from the ether! I knew I couldn’t trust you!” The pain from the stable came back to her body relentlessly, but faded as Tsunashi pulled her close. Before her eyes, three drakes charged Tanka. Each bison figure lunged at a drake, but were dispersed by the drakes crashing through them. Tanka, strangely, didn’t move, only reacting at the last possible moment. Narrowly, she avoided the first that reached her and jumped over the second. The third lunged into the air, catching her by her leg. Its teeth nearly crunched down until Trillon rammed it and caught her on his back.

“Tri!” Tanka cried out, blood leaking from her leg.

Mushi moved to her aid with a spinning slash, decapitating one drake that missed their attacks. Feet fluttering, she skipped forward with an overhead slash and slammed the second. “I got you! Stay close to me!”

“Damn drakes caught me by surprise…. I won’t let it happen again!” Tanka adjusted herself on her companion, unsheathing a knife and slashing it against the lifeless drake, then plucking a scale. “I’ll give them a taste of their own fire!”

Glacia drew Tsuna’s attention as his expression became dire. He cradled her, feeling the warmth from before now more than ever. And to her surprise, feeling stronger than usual.

“I won’t let you go, Glacia! We just have to buy them time.” Tsunashi’s eyes sought toward the forest, the drake’s scales gleaming within the bushes. “We’ll show them how dragons really fight!”