Narati slowly opened his eyes to meet with Raine’s concerned look. A look of elation slowly appeared on the cat-eared human’s face before he laughed and hugged Narati. Hima woke up beside them, with her father also showing a similar elation before he said how he believed his daughter would come out fine. He let out a laugh of satisfaction.

Which turned into a frown when he saw that Narati wasn’t freed from the ‘evil spirit’. Hima noticed this and said, “Long story. Let me explain.”

As for Narati, the moment he contacted Sawyer proved to be the start of his interactions with the white furred and white scaled dream dragon. When he sat up, he saw the dragon-wolf sitting beside Raine, startling the ratfolk. Sawyer put one of his fingers from his hand-like paws over his snout and shushed him, before he disappeared with a blink.

Raine was going to say something about him missing Narati before Hakumen walked to him and said, “Well, young Narati. Quite a dream, isn’t it? Turns out that spirit’s not evil at all, so I owed it an apology.”

“I’m fine with it,” said Sawyer, startling Narati. “It’s not like he knows what I am.”

“He’s fine with it,” repeated Narati. Hakumen nodded.

“Splendid! Now, then, let’s talk about something else. Hima told me about you wanting to learn how to properly fight like Raine. Well, I’ll be frank with you, young one. Raine’s out of your level.”

“Yeah. I know,” said Narati. “He’s cool.”

“But we can teach you how to fight the way you want to. I noticed an axe among your possessions. We can start from there.”

“Fight the way…I want to?” Narati turned towards Raine, who shrugged.

“What the old fox means is to properly swing your axe like a warrior should,” said Raine. “And he’s right. Right now, you don’t have that god-awful axe of yours, so you’re stuck with a regular axe.”

“It’s not god-awful, Raine,” asserted Narati.

“Okay, okay. Sorry,” said Raine. “It’s loud and dangerous, that’s what I’m going to say. But like I said. You might find yourself preferring the lighter axe than that bulky thing, and you get to keep your hearing, too. It isn’t about the weight, Nara. It’s about the technique you can pull out of wielding a one-handed axe while also making good use of what your kind’s so good at: stealth.”

“We don’t need to go to stealth yet, young Raine,” said Hakumen. “The technique is also important. Hima will personally teach him the basics first. It seems that our little incursion into the realms of the dreaming gave them an understanding towards one another.”

And he was right. Both Hima and Narati exchanged smiles with one another. Raine smiled at himself, knowing that Narati managed to find himself a new friend.

“Heh. Kid’s starting to get noticed. I’m jealous,” said Raine, in jest. “Don’t push him too hard, Hima.”

“What? I didn’t push you too hard, did I?” teased Hima. “The score’s still ten to three.”

Raine chuckled. “At least it’s not to none.”

“I still got you beat, cat boy.”

Raine sneered back playfully. The dynamic between the two former lovers was rather entertaining to watch. It wasn’t as amusing for Hakumen, though, evident from his groan.

“Oh, get a room, you two!” said the old kitsune. “Get some downtime in the city or something! Don’t distract her!”

“Alright, alright, I get it,” said Raine, backing off. “Come on, Kaz. You gotta see the city. You need a healthy dose of a lively life, too!”

“Eh? But I didn’t—”

Ignoring Kaz’s protests, Raine pulled his hand and the two walked away from Hakumen’s compound and towards the walled city of Cavilen. Hakumen sighed.

“He’s due for a family at this point,” he said. “Thankfully, not with you.”

“Father, come on. There is nothing wrong with Raine. If you do, you wouldn’t be so happy seeing him again.”

Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

“I don’t mean his personality, my child. I mean his responsibility. He showed that he’s capable of that with young Narati. But I can never forgive him for choosing a life of adventure over you. Then again…if it wasn’t for him, we might find ourselves unprepared for what’s coming. Right, Narati-kun?”

Narati didn’t immediately answer. He clearly learned something about him from Hima. While Raine was talking with the ratfolk, Hima explained everything that transpired within the dreamscape, such as the revelation about Narati’s origin and what fate would await him. Hima, on her part, prepared herself so that the Fa’ar would not be shocked.

“Narati,” said Hima. “You know what you will become if you keep your darkness unchecked. Now, there is something you should know. Sawyer, he…removed the suggestion within your body, or so he claimed. I’m not sure I can trust him on that just yet.”

Unknown to Hima, and unseen to both kitsunes, Sawyer appeared beside Narati and said, “Try and listen to her, Narati. You clearly trust her more than me.”

“That’s good news!” exclaimed Narati, but he soon realized that Hima’s expression was unchanged. “What’s wrong?”

“The consequence of removing the suggestion is that you also lose the inhibition that prevents you from becoming a true Fa’ar,” said Hima.

Narati’s eyes widened. He did not know about this. He immediately turned to Sawyer, silently glaring at him, waiting for answer. Thankfully, he was not as vague as he was.

“It was tied to your true self. In essence, by giving you freedom, you are free, in more ways than one."

“Wait! I don’t get a say in this?! You can’t just go and decide without asking!”

“You were in no condition to decide,” said Hima. “That trip into your mind clearly opened old wounds. Besides, I did not make the choice for you.”

“Don’t try and say that there is a low chance of it ever happening. I won't mince my words. It will happen. But when it does, you will be prepared for it,” said Sawyer. “Consider this. Would you prefer to be burdened with the fact that one day, you’ll be enslaved again, and this time, you can’t fight back, or would you be your true self, free as a Fa'ar should? Consider this a gift.”

“How’s risking my life a ‘gift’?! I don’t want to become mad like Asran! I…I don’t want to be seen as a monster! I don't want to die miserably like him!"

“Which is why you better learn with us,” said Hakumen. “Raine does not have to know, young Narati. This time, the choice of telling him the truth rests in you. However, you have a long way to go in conquering that darkness of yours. You need to have a different perspective of your current predicament. Your enemy now is fear. That is the monster you must conquer. You fear your friends turning on you because they learned about what you really are. But one way or another, you must learn that disagreement among friends are normal. What you really want is to keep them with you, and make them see you as who you truly are; not a monster you perceived yourself to be, but a kind, black soul.”

“Kind…black soul?” asked Narati.

“He means a kind person, despite being technically evil,” said Hima. “I think there’s a better way to phrase it. Just because you’re a bad guy, doesn’t mean you’re a bad guy. See what I mean?”

“I, uh…don’t understand,” said Narati. “But you’re right, bruah (fox). I’m being taken over by despair. I…need to know who I am. Am I going to be a monster…or myself?”

Hakumen clapped his hands, startling Narati. “Now, that’s the spirit! Since we got that out of the way, are you ready to train, Narati Vasra?”

Narati, now feeling more confident, nodded. Sawyer winked, and said, “Like he said, Narati. Are you ready?”

Narati replied with a smile. “Yeah. Shall we begin?” he asked.

“Of course,” said Hakumen. “You’ve had quite a rest, haven’t you?”

Narati smiled at the cheeky comment. Perhaps Raine’s brand of humor and cheek came from the old kitsune, or maybe because they had similar personalities.

As Narati walked with Hima and Hakumen, Sawyer sat behind them, looking at Narati’s back. The scar from the whip lashes had largely been obscured by his fur and vest, but they were still partially visible. He also started noticing that the side effects from his removal of the spell had started to take hold. The subtle dark-green aura of Aether, a byproduct of mana use that was always in the air, but harmless, like carbon dioxide, in small amount, started to form wisps and trails around him. Even if the kitsunes were sensitive enough to sense malicious magic, those Aether trails were nothing more than a natural occurrence. Narati only subconsciously manipulated them, but not to the point of condensing them. He was far from being able to manipulate Aether like a mage manipulating mana particles to cast a spell. Sawyer knew the potential possessed by a true Fa'ar, and it was up to him to prevent Narati from being taken over by it.

“All things have a process,” narrated Sawyer. “Whether that process takes a short time or a while, I don’t know the answer to that. One day, when you are ready, you will have to face your fate, Narati Vasra. And when that happens, this world will be tested for what it’s worth.”

The dream dragon chuckled. “But you got time for that. It’s not like this world is doomed tomorrow. You’re lucky, you know. The Nuremnians are a real threat everyone faced before. If it was an unknown, however…I’m sure you won’t know what’s coming unless you got an angel coming to help. But what’s the chance of that happening so dramatically, like a pillar of light coming down from the heavens? Now that would be ridiculous. You’ve got enough problems as of now. Maybe it’s good that you’re spared of it.”

He joined the trio by walking towards them. However, once he got close, he disappeared, returning to the comfort of the dreamscape, intending only to observe how Narati would fare with his newfound freedom.

One day, Narati would have to make a choice. Hopefully, Sawyer made the right choice. If not, well…it’s his responsibility, too. If Narati must die, then so be it.

But that’s not going to happen, thought Sawyer. Because I am here.