Following the slew of action that happened yesterday, it was hardly a surprise that Benjamin had no issue getting to bed that night. Describing it as getting to bed wasn't quite right though. It was more akin to passing out in a targeted area than anything else. Either way, he had slept like a rock. All that together made it especially jarring when the ground started shaking.

"AghhAAAHHH" he groggily screamed as he was ripped from his slumber. He rubbed his eyes and scrambled out of his bedroll, first thinking they were under attack. Frantically searching around showed him nothing of the sort. The ground continued pounding despite the lack of any noticeable threats, leading him to look elsewhere. Lo and behold, once he had set his sights on Kinsoriel, he had had his answer.

"Could you please stop that?" He unintentionally hollered, far from being truly awake. Having gotten the black dragon's attention, a raised eye wordlessly asked what he meant. Ben motioned with his head at the rapidly thumping tail. It stopped shortly after.

"Oh, my apologies," Kinsoriel said with a hint of embarrassment, "I just had the most wonderful dream." A smile was present along his muzzle, and it didn't seem forced either.

While understanding what his main character had going through his head was much, much harder as a mundane man, this didn't add up. That shell-shocked look had only deepened as Ben tried explaining how an Author's book worked yesterday. Kinsoriel wasn’t the type to just accept things as they were, good or bad. Making a story with someone like that at the forefront would be beyond frustrating. With how he remembered making him, Kinsoriel shouldn’t be anywhere near this happy for a few days at a minimum.

“I’m sure it was. Mind sharing?”

“Not at all,” Kinsoriel said with a flourish of his wings as he began his early morning stretches, “but I’d rather hear yours first.”

“What?”

The dragon’s smile curved downward. “Did you damage your hearing? I said that I’d rather hear yours first.”

Ben waved a hand and shook his head. “No, no, I can hear you. That’s not it.” Before getting a response, he continued. “Why do you assume I also had a dream?”

“You… didn’t have a dream?” Kinsoriel’s smile had given way to a thoughtful blankness.

“No. I don’t need to sleep normally. It’s not surprising that I wouldn’t have dreams.” For as long as this journey had lasted, Ben had yet to dream. Even that one time was likely just Kinsoriel getting up in the middle of the night for a snack or something. Authors were the ones to dole them out as needed. They weren’t the ones to receive them. Even now as a resident in this world, Ben could only describe them from an outsider’s view.

“Hmmm,” Kinsoriel trailed, looking up into the sky as he did. The ex-Author followed his eyes but didn’t see anything. “Forget that for now then. What I was given last night was a greater purpose.”

Benjamin winced internally. ‘Of all the ways you could have said that, why a greater purpose? Who even says that outside of cultists and zealots?’ Trying not to jump to conclusions, he nodded along, asking, “And what would that be?”

“Enlightenment.” Extending his wings and raising both forearms to the sky gave the dragon a religious look. It certainly didn’t help Ben shake the cultish vibe he was getting.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

“I see…”

Kinsoriel scrunched his face in disgust. “Don’t lie, it is unbecoming of my first graduate.”

Rubbing at the back of his head nervously, Ben apologized. “Sorry. That’s just what people say when they don’t know what’s being discussed but try to be polite.”

Letting out a breath, the dragon relaxed. “Showing respect is important, but you should always be honest with your ignorance. Misunderstandings can mean life or death if allowed to fester. You get that, don’t you?”

“I do.”

“Then let’s try that again.”

The dragon waited for him to say something. Was he really going to make him fix what he had slipped? In a more monotonous tone, Ben replied, “What do you mean by ‘enlightenment’?”

“Aha, I’m glad you asked. I had a revelation. Everything I’ve ever learned starts and ends with me.” He pointed at his head. “I am far greater for what I have accumulated, but what would happen to it all were I to die?” He waved his hand off. “All of my wisdom lost to the world forever. Even if my library had survived, there would be nobody to curate it, nothing to express what words cannot. Those future generations would suffer for such a loss.” He folded his claws together and lightened up his demeanor. “But that doesn’t need to happen. Do you know why?”

“Why?” Ben asked out of obligation.

“Because I can share it with the world, ensure it lives on through others. Those like-minded can then do the same, and those that come after, and so on.” He repeated what he did earlier, raising his arms and extending his wings. “Imagine, a nation of scholars, of academics! A place where the only thing that truly matters is knowledge and understanding!”

Ben nodded along but was stuck on what had brought these thoughts out. The dragon nearly died yesterday, and a few days before that as well. Brushing so close to the edge would have impacted him, especially as an immortal. Being so nonchalant about his possible death didn’t make sense. It was either an act for appearances or something else was going on.

That aside, this idea was far more radical than expected. It didn’t sound bad or anything; heck, this sounded like a terrific way to get Kinsoriel through his arc. And there was no mention of it being just for dragons either.

There was a whole slew of problems Ben could think of immediately, however. For one, where would they even get the population to make a nation? While nice to think of Kinsoriel being open to anyone with the right intentions, it was hard to imagine those people reciprocating. Perhaps he was thinking of kidnapping them, which was its own can of worms. Say settlers come around and put aside their long history of rivalry. What then? Do they just go out into the wilderness and claim it for themselves? No country or kingdom would stand by and let that happen to their territory, even if they weren’t using it themselves.

“That’s a grand vision and all, but do you have a solid idea of how to do it? It sounds like it would be a massive effort.”

Kinsoriel scoffed at his concerns. “Of course I do. Do you think that I, the cha-” He sharply held his tongue.

Ben narrowed his eyes. “What was that?”

“Where is that angel that follows you around?”

Though Ben got the impression that he was being deflected, his MC brought up a good point. He didn’t see Moira when he got up. She tended towards taking the form of a bird at his request, but she would make her presence known by now. She wasn’t the type to leave without saying anything. Not when she considered him to be Fayten at least.

“I’m not sure. Moira?” Looking back and forth, he didn’t see the metal-hued angel. Cusping a hand to his mouth, Ben shouted, “Moira! Where are you?” Only silence returned his call.

Starting with a snicker, Kinsoriel said, “Perhaps she finally realized you aren’t a god.” He began to walk off. “Wait there while I gather some rations. We have a long trip ahead of us.” Disappearing into the forest, Ben was left alone.

It wasn’t like the ex-Author had anywhere else to be. He packed up his camping supplies in his Pocket spell and waited for one or both of them to come back. Sighing, Ben leaned against the tree and fiddled with his dagger to pass the time, twisting and twirling it. He’d seen plenty of his protagonists use one, so he figured wielding it would be a piece of cake. He was wrong. Seeing it embed itself into the ground next to his boot was enough to convince him. He could practice with it at a later time. For now, he was quitting while he was still ahead.

Cleaning and sheathing it, he looked to the forest, a look of concern hanging from his face. Kinsoriel was acting strange and his only other ally was nowhere to be found. She was even more powerful than his MC, so he couldn’t imagine anything had happened to her. Where could she be?