Sebastian and Trinity rode on the dragon towards the horizon, until they reached the mountainside. They flew over the mountains and under the trees, until they reached a village. The two looked around the place as they hopped off.

Behind the stone walls, over the large grassy plains, a ton of dragons flew about in the air. Tall abandoned towers and houses where they lived in, cauldrons and bowls where they’d eat their daily meals, and large trees that accompanied plenty of shade from the sun’s rays.

“Whoa, this place is incredible,” Sebastian muttered under his breath as he rested beside the large tree, watching the many colorful dragons interact and live out their daily lives.

“Yeah, I’ll say,” Trinity replied, as he joined him by his side. “So, what now?”

“I’m not sure.” Sebastian turned to the black dragon with red eyes. “Thank you for taking us to your home and showing us this. We appreciate it.” He got up and stared at the scenery before him. “Now you can relax and be with your kind.”

He turned, about to walk away; the dragon grabbed hold of his leg and continued to nudge it with a whimper. Sebastian gave a sad smile as he leaned down to pet it.

“Now, now, Sebastian can’t stay with you.” Trinity acknowledged. “He has stuff to do at school.” He glanced at his pupil. “Right? Go ahead and tell him.”

“Hold on, I know I have stuff to do at home, but that doesn’t mean I can’t do multi-tasking.” Sebastian looked down at the creature again. “Hey, if it's alright with you, would you like to come with me?”

“What?” Trinity straightened himself up. “Are you crazy? You can’t bring a baby dragon with you to class, especially during your training!”

“Why not? I don’t see how that—”

“Halt!” a voice called out. “Who goes there?”

“Huh? Who said that?” Trinity and Sebastian asked, looking around.

A figure whose wild red hair blew in the wind stood at the entrance of one of the long towers. She jumped and slid down the tower before meeting with the trio beside a tree. As the light green skirt glowed in the sun, she planted her bare feet against the grass, feeling it crunch beneath her. She also wore a torn white tank top with a scar hidden behind her hair.

“Hmm.” The woman flipped her hair and inspected the two guys. “How about that? It’s been so long since I last saw folks like you around here.” Some of the smaller dragons surrounded her as she petted them. “So, what’s your race? Are you monsters yourselves? I can’t imagine humans getting here on their own.”

“Well, we’re technically Demis,” Sebastian explained. “Not to explain. Your little friend took us here.”

“Ah, so you’re already good friends with Christy?”

Christy? The Crimson dragon is a female?

“I can understand. It’s hard to tell at first glance. Still, I’m impressed you found your way here. My name’s Darla, what’s yours?”

“Sebastian, it’s nice to meet you.”

Trinity tilted his head while listening in on the conversation. Um, what is going on here?

“Oh, my apologies.” Darla bowed in front of them. “I should give you guys a tour here. Welcome to the Admis Abyss.”

“Thanks, but we don’t have time for that.” Trinity pointed out.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

“That’s too bad. Why don’t we make it brief, then? There’s something I’d like to show you.”

.-.-.-.

Darla led Sebastian and Trinity across the Admis Abyss. She trotted down the stairs and revealed a passageway leading to a secret entrance. She explained how there were multiple ways to get inside the underground caverns, The Ethereal Sanctuary.

Dragon roars echoed across the vast caverns. Sebastian’s mouth gaped at the sight of tons of them flying about over the water. Some rested near the grassy plains and drank water from the lake. Sunlight creaked from the ceiling, hitting the reflection of the water.

The group walked along the rocky terrain and sat on the edge, watching the dragons relax and live their lives to the fullest.

“Hey, thanks for taking care of Christy, by the way,” Darla said, kicking her legs back and forth.

Sebastian blinked. “Huh? How’d you know?”

“She told me. I can understand ‌these guys.”

“You got here by a dragon, so Christy must trust you a lot.”

“We’re sorry if we ended up bothering you guys,” Trinity said. “We’ll leave as soon as we can—”

“Oh, I don’t mind. It’s no big deal. Your friend wanted to take a dragon in as a pet, correct?”

Sebastian shook his head. “Of course, although we call them ‘familiars’, a pet is also an acceptable term to use.”

“Now that I think about it, what’s your hometown like?”

“Well, it’s a good place, although it can be pretty hectic at times.”

“Really? Like what?” Trinity asked, prompting Sebastian to pause. “Sorry, did I say something wrong?”

“No, if you’ll excuse me for a moment.”

Sebastian got up and walked to one of the entrances. Trinity got up and followed him at a breakneck pace.

“Sebastian, what’s the matter?”

“It’s nothing. I was just thinking about the decision.”

“Are you sure you’re okay with trusting her?” Sebastian nodded, prompting Trinity’s eyes to narrow. “Why is your mind wandering? You’re not hiding anything from me, are you?”

Sebastian saw the look in his eyes. He sighed in defeat and told him his concerns.

“See, this tough school assignment is essential to pass my semesters. However, it decides on the role that I need to play.”

“Really? You’re still on the fence about it?”

I knew I shouldn’t have told you.

“Do you want to rule the world with an iron fist?”

“Goodness, no!”

“Then you want to save countless lives, right?” Darla asked, leaning over and listening in on their conversation.

“Hey, that’s rude to eavesdrop.” Trinity pointed out.

“Oh, sorry, but you guys are pretty loud.”

Oh, I thought we were more discreet about that.

Sebastian couldn’t help but sigh again. “I wouldn’t want to hurt anyone or make their lives miserable. But at the same time, saving the world and people you don’t know just sounds exhausting.”

Darla thought about it before pounding her fists. “Ah, so you’re the type that either only saves those you care about or does it for your own self-esteem.”

You have no idea how our system works, do you? “When you put it like that, I sound like a real jerk.”

“That wasn’t my intention. I don’t know how your village operates.”

“We don’t live in a village, though,” Trinity corrected her. He looked at Sebastian with a serious expression. “Look, I’m sure no matter what option you choose, your parents will love and support you, no matter what.”

“You don’t know my family like I do.” Sebastian retorted, looking away. “Both sides of my family expect me to choose a side. They have no idea how much that idea stresses me out...”

“Have you told them how you felt? Or complained to the higher-ups?”

“No, I don’t know what they’d say or do. What can I even tell them?”

“What about what you just told us? If they’re good people, then I’m sure they’ll understand.”

“Do you think that’ll work?”

“I may not know what it’s like over there,” Darla added. “But you’ll never know if you don’t give it a go.”

“Exactly.” Trinity nodded.

“You guys...” Sebastian grew misty-eyed from their support. He wiped his eyes and nodded with confidence. “Thanks. I feel a lot better now.”

“Glad to hear it.”

“Ok, let’s return to what we were doing before.”

“Now, where were we?” Darla asked herself. “Oh yeah. You’ll need to know how to love and care for these fellows firsthand. And I should know, I grew up with all of them. Are you ready?”

“Yes, I am.”