When my consciousness stopped moving between planes, I found myself in a weirdly familiar place. I thought my skill had malfunctioned for a second because I was standing on an island in the middle of the sea.

A couple of details distinguish this realm from Ysanna's. Real earth makes up the island, not just the stone platform on which I stand. Sandy beaches and tall trees appear beyond it.

Continuing to look around the plane, I spotted a tall, jagged mountain jutting out of the ocean in the distance. Immense fog surrounded it, moving and swirling unnaturally.

After a full three-sixty spin, I took a deep breath through my nose and smelled the salty sea. Mixed with it was a faintly sweet scent reminiscent of apples.

Not what I was expecting for the land of storms.

I stood there for a few minutes, enjoying the relaxing scenery. The gentle crashing of the waves combined with the rustling of the trees due to the wind was utterly calming.

I wasn't a fool. The moment I channeled my mana into the circle, the peace would shatter, and in come the raging storm.

Letting the smell of apples and salt fill my senses, I closed my eyes and tapped into the pool of mana inside my chest. With a quick exertion of will, the mana flowed down my legs and into the circle.

The first rune lit up, and I let the mana flow. I had a bigger mana pool now, so it took awhile for my mana to get low enough for my body to dip into the first level of mana fatigue. I kept the stream coming even as I could hear the raging gale outside the circle. My manapool reached the halfway point, and I heard waves smashing into each other like charging bulls.

When my mana pool reached a quarter left, I stopped the flow and retracted my tendrils that extended into the circle. Even with the barrier in place, I could see when lightning crashed into the waves as it glowed behind my eyelids.

Opening my eyes, I found the circle blazing with bright cyan runes. Another lightning strike crashed into the barrier, and I looked away from the explosion. Beyond my circle of calm were titanic waves that threatened to drown the island in a deluge of raging water.

Thunder rang out, and more lightning started to rise from the mountaintop in the distance. The swirling fog was now a spinning cyclone of black wind with lightning tendrils licking the air.

I guess I found the guardian.

Like an angry twister, the thundercloud shot into the sky in a beam of light, and I braced myself. The howling wind picked up in volume, and the largest bolt of lightning I had ever seen crashed into the waters before the island. There was a slight delay between the blinding flash of light that consumed the world and the thunderous roar of cannon fire that followed.

When the spots in my vision finally faded, I blinked my eyes a few times and found myself experiencing whiplash all over again. The storm was gone; the raging tide and the wild winds had calmed to a peaceful slow.

Instead of meeting tsunami waves and lightning, a world of bubbly foam and white fog filled my vision.

"Spirit Lord, summoner, you have shown this plane a fine storm. I have tasted the winds you bring, the chaos they hold in potentia. The waves responded to your fury and rose till they could drown cities. And the storm... You have done well, mortal."

The voice boomed across the realm, shaking inside my head and the plane itself. Its owner slowly twisted and snaked through the air, their scales cutting through the fluffy clouds of white covering the skies.

Her scales were the lightest teal, with a beautiful pattern of ornate, orange, and pink flowers flowing down her body. Small pink scales lined her stomach from her head to the far end, where the fogbank obscured her tail."

"Greetings, Great Guardian. This one's name is Cyrus. I have come to make a contract for the skill 'Storm King's Tempest.'" I bowed low. "May I have your name, great one?"

A rumbling laughter rang through the air, and I raised my head to find the dragon's body shaking. "Zhuyin did not lie. It is refreshing to meet a summoner who knows the proper protocols." The laughter died, and she lowered her head to the barrier's edge. "My name is Sturmarathys. And I have been hoping for your arrival."

"My arrival? Did Zhuyin predict I would be here?"

The dragonness shook her head. "No, but I did. Ever since she informed me of the little princess making a contract with you, I knew it would only be a matter of time till you found your way here." Her amber eyes flashed gold. "After all, if that outrageous peacock can find a summoner to match her wild child, then I can find a match for my runt of a son."

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I blinked a few times, trying to process what she said. Entering a 'who has the better child' competition was not something I'd like to cross off my bingo card.

Also, do the guardians talk to each other? And just what exactly is the relationship between a dragon mom and a phoenix mom?

Whatever it was, I just wanted to make a contract and start raising my skill ranks.

Instead of voicing my thoughts out loud, I bowed again. "I'd be honoured to contract with one of your kin."

One look at the kaiju-sized dragon was enough for me to agree. Even if it took centuries, to ride a dragon that size would be the thing of legends. The childhood dreams I've always had, back when I still believed in magic and fairytales, would always lead to the culmination of one thing and one thing only: to ride a dragon.

"I knew you were a clever one!" She bellowed.

She turned inward and twisted her body so fast that a small tornado formed. As she made the full rotation, she shot into the air, unleashed a beam of lightning that shot into the sky, and continued past where I could keep track of it.

A second later, the same beam of electricity crashed down on the mountaintop and then shot back into the air. The whole thing reminded me of the drive-through bank systems where you send your stuff up into the shoot.

When the beam came hurtling back to the ground, Sturmarathys opened her jaws, and the lightning stopped and turned into a ball that slowly unraveled and revealed a smaller dragon the size of my arm.

He had blue scales deeper than his mom's, with an orange mane to her pink. I didn't see any patterns in his scales, so it must not have transferred over, or he would get his pattern when he evolved.

Honestly, he was rather adorable, looking more like a magical dangernoodle than a fearsome dragon. I wouldn't blame him for his size. He had a lot of growing to do.

"Behold, I am Sturmrorex!" the dragonling shouted to the heavens.

Sturmarathys reached a claw out and smacked him in the head by lightly flicking her talon downward. "A dragon prides themselves on their ability to strike fear and awe during their entrance. Never say behold again; that cliche is for overly compensating dragons."

Sturmrorex reached up and rubbed his head. "Yes, mother."

Maybe I accepted too soon. This is starting to get weird.

"Greetings, Sturmrorex, my name is Cyrus."

The dragonling turned to me and moved his body slowly, up and down for about ten seconds. "You smell like greatness. You will be perfect for my rise to divinity!"

I put on the best smile I could while inwardly cringing. "Would you like to hear the skill I've come to offer?"

"Mmmm... Yes! Tell me now!"

Sturmarathys bopped him on the head again. "Treat the man who will be your partner with some respect! The summoner will be your new master, and together, you will grow. A dragon's pride is important, but a spirit must treat their summoner respectfully, as they do them." She then turned and opened her mouth, displaying glowing plasma at the back of her throat. "And you will promise not to abuse the contract, yes?"

I nodded grimly. "I swear."

"Good." She closed her mouth and backed away while pushing her son forward. "Make the contract, boy. I am excited to hear of your growth the next time we meet."

Sturmrorex bobbed his head and flew as close as possible without touching the barrier's edge. "What is the skill you offer?"

I smiled and materialized the ritual athame into my hand. The white runes glowed as I slid it across my palm. With blood beginning to pool in my hand, I extended my arm and pushed past the barrier. "I offer thee 'Storm King's Tempest.' Will you make a contract with me?"

His amber eyes flashed gold the same way his mother's did. "A king is okay, but a god-king is even better!" He lowered his mouth to my palm. "I accept."

He drank the blood, and the wind ensured every last drop was used. As he completed the ritual and confirmed the contract, his body broke apart into a small twister that splashed my skin with seawater. The twister shot into my hand like a bullet, and I felt my soulspace gain a new weight.

I closed my eyes and entered my soulspace. All the wisps of my other familiars were floating between the two lakes—all except Chomperz, who was by my side, resting near my head.

"Are we okay with the new spirit?" I asked out loud but willing my voice to reach only Chomperz.

Chomperz floated silently, unmoving, but I waited patiently. Eventually, Chomperz drifted to eye level, and I could see his face projected through the ethereal orb. He nodded once and then slowly flew off.

I turned and watched him go. Images of his spasming form clawing at the dirt flashed through my head, and I had to rip the thought to pieces before I started to get angry.

I'll keep you all safe. What use is a lord who can't protect the ones he cares about?

I waved goodbye to my familiars as they interacted with each other and pulled myself away. Opening my eyes, I found Sturmarathys waiting for me, her long serpent body making slow loops in the air.

"I aim to go far. My goal is to ascend the ranks and achieve immortality. Your son will join me side-by-side with the rest of my familiars." I stood tall and squared my shoulders. "I hope to meet you again one day as someone who can greet you as an equal."

Her voice was crystal clear in my head even though it sounded more like rolling thunder to my ears. "From anyone else, I would have taken that as an insult. But from someone like you? I look forward to the day we again meet. Temper my son's pride. He has grown spoiled from the stories his siblings tell. But never diminish it. He is a dragon and one with an impressive lineage. Raise him to be the king that your skill promises, and I will be satisfied no matter what tier you achieve."

I gave a final bow before I felt the circle beneath me fall away. Sturmarathys' winding form shot into the sky as the gales churned the waves.

As I fell, the wind cut against my skin, and the freezing ocean's waters bombarded my chest. And the last thing I heard before my consciousness returned to the physical plane was Sturmraythys shaking the world with her roar.

GGHROOOOOOOOAR!

I opened my eyes and stretched. Ysanna's realm was the same, and the weird storm-ball was still overhead.

Sitting up, I placed a hand on my chest and felt the beating of my heart as it raced.

That was the coolest thing ever. Heh. I guess the little boy never truly outgrew his desire for dragons.

I leaned back in the embrace of the beanbag and giggled like an excited child. And I kept giggling until I closed my eyes and took a much-needed nap.