The sky was brooding as Felix and Zira took off the very next morning. Still, it was not enough to bring his mood down, even if he did have a rather sleepless night. All things considered, his date with Eri had been exactly what he hoped for. And now, he found himself falling in love with her all over again.
With a dumb grin on his face and the disgust of Zira, the two of them flew low. While the potential of rain couldn’t bring him down from his high, it certainly made them keep closer to the ground.
Of course, they weren’t alone. Eri and Kyrith were right behind them and quickly gaining. And when his…girlfriend– Yeah, screw it all. She’s my girlfriend! –caught up, she flashed him a smile. It seemed she too was in good spirits.
He returned the gesture before looking back to his hand. There, around his ring finger, was the ring. Gently, he rubbed a thumb over it as if ensuring it was real.
The crystal and eggshell glittered in the darkening light.
It’s definitely going to rain soon, Zira said, interrupting him from his thoughts.
Yep, but that’s fine. It’ll just be our training, he said completely unbothered. The original plan was for them to make some progress and then have a brief spar before lunch.
Zira let out a disgruntled snort. That might be easy for you to say, but I’ll have to fly in this.
He reached down and patted her side. I know how much you don’t like the rain, but we are on a tight schedule. We have to find the sanctuary today.
We didn’t have to stay all day yesterday… she grumbled.
I disagree, I think you should be thankful we did. I saw how you and Kyrith were acting, you’re getting more friendly with him.
What is that supposed to mean?! she shouted at him.
I mean, Zira, that you are coming out of your shell. You are starting to treat him as a friend. Honestly, I wish I saw you play more–
STOP IT!
Felix winced as she practically roared into his mind, a wave of embarrassment and anger quickly followed suit.
It’s bad enough that I have you constantly leaking your… Your perverted thoughts! I don’t need your opinions on me and Kyrith!
He couldn’t help but chuckle. It was a rare sight to see her so flustered, especially over something he could clearly see and feel. Fine, I’m sorry.
No you’re not.
He just sent her a mental shrug before changing the topic. If he continued, he risked her throwing him off. Anyway, since we have a long way to go, do you want to combine our minds?
Zira turned her head and gave him a questioning look. Why now all of the sudden?
I don’t know, honestly. I know I’ve been declining but I think it’s because of my own personal pride. I wanted to push myself and prove that I could keep up with you. But now, I feel confident enough. I want to focus on the two of us…
I sense there is more to it than that.
He let out a sigh as he felt her presence peer into his mind. Of course there is. We’re simply running out of time, and I want us to be as ready as possible.
The two of them fell silent at that, both contemplating the future. By this point there was no doubt they would have to fight, they would have to kill…
I don’t want to lose you, Zira said, breaking the silence.
And I don’t want to lose you either.
Alright, fine. Let us combine our minds and let’s see how long we can go for.
He perked back up but before he could respond the sound of thunder rumbled out in the distance. A moment later, rain began to fall around them.
Movement to his right caught his attention. It was Eri and she was signaling if they should land.
He signaled no. We’re pressing onwards…
With that, he entered Zira’s mind and felt the comforting embrace of her presence. Let’s do this, he said, allowing their consciousness to meld together.
In a blink of an eye the two of them became one.
***
Hours passed as they streaked through the sky. The winds blew hard against them while the rain and hail fell without mercy. The storm showed no signs of calming down, but they would not be stopped.
On and on they pushed, at times nearly losing Eri and Kyrith. Yet, even those two were persevering.
They must have combined their minds as well. The thought was shared by both of them. They were in sync, perhaps more than they had ever been. They no longer thought of their individual bodies as… Well, exactly that, individual bodies.
As a singular body, they soared and flew through the skies. Two sets of eyes to help them see, two sets of ears to help them hear. Even Felix’s body moved and shifted in time, perfect to Zira’s movements.
There were no extra or errant thoughts either, every single one came from them. They used their two brains to process the world around them. It would have been surreal, if it were not for it being their view.
The rain and hail continued on as they navigated through the gales and updrafts. And while getting pelted by ice was not fun, they did not complain. In fact, it was exhilarating. It was exhilarating in a way that they had never felt before.
The thrill, the danger, it was addictive.
But, all good things must come to an end.
As the day grew long, the storm finally began to wane. The hail stopped while the rain subsided, only the remnants of the wind were left and even that was dying out.
Feeling triumphant and tired, they became two once more…
That… That was– Ow! Felix winced as the feeling of his own body returned to him. He hurt and throbbed everywhere. A quick glance down to his hands showed welts had formed.
Stolen novel; please report.
Gods damn it! he shouted through the pain.
Are you alright?! Zira asked, coming to her senses.
Fuck– I mean, yes… Ow! Carefully, he reeled his mana in, only now realizing he had even used it. When the hell did I– OW!
I think we started to use it once the hail came in, Zira said, trying to be helpful.
A lot of damn good it did! He let out a groan, there wasn’t a spot on his body that wasn’t aching. I must have made it too thin… Damn it! Anyway, I don’t… I don’t think anything is broken at least.
Not wanting to spend any longer than what was necessary in agony, Felix guided his mana once more. He held his breath as he waited for his mana to start healing his injuries. They were painful but minor. However, it would take some time before he would be healed.
P-please, if you can… Keep it steady.
I’m trying, but there are still some errant winds. Zira pressed her consciousness into his mind. Let me bear some of the pain.
Normally, he would have rejected the offer. But right now, they were flying and still on a tight schedule. Okay…
Felix brought her mind close to his, sharing the pain in the process.
Ow… Zira groaned. Apparently it was just as painful for her as it was for him.
Yeah, I know. But… Thank you. Already, with her help, he was feeling better. Anyway, how far do you think we are from the sanctuary?
It took her a moment to respond. Not too far, I think. I’m starting to notice the mana interfering with my direction.
He let out a sigh. That’s…actually good to hear. Maybe we stand a chance of finding it before nightfall. As he said that, a new thought occurred to him. Where’s Eri and–
An ember-colored dragon suddenly appeared next to them.
He started to give them a wave but stopped. Kyrith looked like his normal happy self, however poor Eri looked horrible.
Hey Zira, maybe we should find a place to rest?
Huh– Oh… Yeah, I think you might be right.
----------------------------------------
Eri clung to Kyrith for dear life. She was exhausted, she was soaked, she was developing a headache from over using her mana. But, most of all, she was furious.
What were they thinking?! she said, fuming. We barely made it out of that storm!
I thought it was fun… Kyrith muttered.
She narrowed her eyes at her partner. I’m glad you had fun. I had to burn a large chunk of my mana just to keep the hail away.
Kyrith’s consciousness cowered away from her ire. S-sorry…
Letting out a sigh, Eri looked over to where they were apparently landing. It was a small valley with few trees, a rare sight this far into the interior of the Endless Forest.
Most of the different regions lie to the fringes, but I wonder what other secrets lie this deep… In truth, she had spent most of her life up to this point within a relatively small area. To be able to see this much of the island was fascinating.
Uh, Eri…? Kyrith hesitantly muttered.
Yes?
We’re coming in to land. Might, uh, want to hold on.
She took a deep breath and held it for a moment. Please be more careful than last time.
I will! You can count on me! he responded, regaining some of his spirit.
Meanwhile, Eri got low and wrapped her arms around Kyrith’s neck. If I wasn’t so exhausted, I would try to use a spell… she thought to herself, but apparently her partner was listening.
I’ll be gentle, I promise!
She rolled her eyes while a small smile began to form. I’m sure.
Peeking over Kyrith’s neck, she got a view of Zira and Felix going in to land. They were going a bit fast, but that was to be expected. Both dragons were carrying extra supplies after all.
Despite the speed, Zira managed to successfully land. She dug her talons deep into the soft, wet soil and came to an abrupt stop.
Our turn! Kyrith called out, already entering into a dive. Again, he was going faster than normal but Eri could feel him concentrating. He was doing his best to control his approach.
A few seconds later, the two of them landed. Her partner mimicked the amethyst-colored dragon and dug his talons into the ground. They went in deep, and soon dirt and mud were being kicked up.
Aw, I’m going to need a bath now! Kyrith whined as they came to a sliding stop.
You’ll live, she responded and attempted to hop off from her perch. However, she briefly forgot just how tired she was and instead of a graceful landing like normal, her legs gave out from underneath her.
“Ow…” she groaned before attempting to stand. Yet, her legs refused to move.
“Eri! Are you okay?!” Felix shouted from atop Zira.
She opened her mouth to speak but before she could, Felix attempted to slide off from his saddle. Unfortunately for him, he too landed hard. She watched as he collapsed into a heap on the ground, just a few feet away.
“Felix!” she cried out, finally getting her feet under her. She quickly rushed over to him and kneeled.
“I’m…fine! Just… Just everything hurts–”
“Everything hurts?! What happened?!” She didn’t wait for him to respond, however, and immediately rolled him onto his back.
He tried to chuckle but ended up wincing instead. “I, uh… I didn’t use enough mana…”
She gave him a confused look before she started examining him. She came to stop as she pulled his shirt off and stared. His entire chest was beginning to bruise. Worse, she noticed his head was starting to swell with knots.
Any anger she felt towards him was completely gone. “Felix… Gods, what happened?”
“Hail… I tried to use my mana but… It wasn’t enough. I’ll be okay–”
Eri cut him off. “Let me treat you!”
He shook his head. “No… You must have burned a lot of mana. I’m using mine to heal… It’ll take a while though.” He began to move, first rolling onto his side and then sitting up. “I’ll…be okay.”
He gave her a smile. Eri wasn’t so sure, though. However, with her mana so low, she risked passing out if she attempted to heal him.
“Fine,” she said. “But let me know if it gets worse.”
Felix gave her a nod. “Will do… But Zira is taking on some of the pain.”
“Not enough, apparently,” Zira growled out as she looked down at him. She had been watching the interaction in silence.
He seemed to relax more even as he waved her comment away. “Just need an hour or two, then we– Actually,” he brought his attention back to Eri, “how are you?”
“Exhausted and have a headache, but with a little rest I think I will be alright,” she answered.
“That’s good. When I first saw you appear after the storm, I was concerned.”
She threw him a coy smile as she stood up. “Oh, you should be. I was furious.”
Felix gulped. “Sorry… Me and Zira, we combined our minds and kinda got lost in it…”
Lost in it? “What do you mean?”
He tried to shrug but caught himself. “I don’t know how to explain it. But the more dangerous the storm got, the more of a rush it was.”
Eri couldn’t believe what she was hearing and looked up to Zira.
“What he says is, unfortunately, true. Sorry,” the amethyst dragon said.
“What about you and Kyrith? Did you combine?” Felix asked, bringing her attention back to him.
“We did–”
Kyrith interrupted her. “Yeah! It was fun– And challenging! But we didn’t last for very long… The hail started distracting us and Eri had to focus on keeping her barrier spell up. I don’t blame her though.”
Wait a second… “Did you and Zira manage to stay combined the entire time?” Eri asked.
Felix gave her an awkward look. “Yeah… But that is starting to look like a mistake.”
I’ll say… She let out a sigh. “Well, I suppose we both could use some rest…” Ending the conversation, she turned her attention over to her partner. Hey Kyrith, can I ask you for a favor?
A favor? he asked
Yeah, a simple one really.
What is it?
She gestured to her soaked clothes.
Mind drying them out for me?