DHW
Part 2
The dragon's realm


Allen:


I woke up slowly, emerging from a dreamless slumber, groaning as I stretched around, trying to find a better position, my body numb and my brain still fuzzy. A familiar warmth enveloped me, basking me in a delightful heat, a delightful sensation that only made me want to go back to sleep rather than stay awake another second. However as I wiggled around, trying to find a better position to drift back into the realm of dreams, turning around and around I found myself unable to get rid of a dazzling glow sneaked its way past my tightly shut eyelids, forcing me to remain awake. “God damn it! Did I forget to close the curtain again?” I grumbled, cursing myself, pulling my blanket over my head, trying with all my might to find sleep again, craving those sweet relaxing moments.

Unfortunately, it seemed nature itself had decided otherwise, the happy chirps of countless birds rising from the distance filled my ears, louder than usual, announcing the dawn of a new day, the rising sun's light breaching past my sealed eyes, denying me the sweet embrace of sleep while a cold, damp morning breeze slithered it’s way under my blanket, causing me to shiver uncontrollably. Also, as I grew more awake and aware of my surroundings, I couldn’t help but notice something was very strange with my bed. It's… hard to explain but it wasn’t the same anymore; it felt smoother and hotter beneath me, as if someone placed a heater under the mattress. Even the blanket felt odd, heavier, made of a different, much lighter yet so soft material, but just as comfy as I recalled. Lastly my head was resting on something that was everything but my pillow; it was harder, tougher still rather comfortable to lay on. However, perking my ears I could make out a slow regular beating coming from underneath, both reassuring and worrying. Suddenly, I realized, to my own disbelief that the bed seemed to be moving, rising and falling at a steady pace, only adding to the confusion. What the hell was going on?

My eyes snapped open, a blinding light immediately flooding them, forcing me to cover my face under that very same thing holding me in a snug embrace. After a few seconds I cautiously cracked an eye open, risking a peak outside, discovering the last place I expected to find myself in. Instead of my usual room with its cobweb-covered ceiling I was staring at long, sharp stalactites dripping with clear droplets of water, the rising sun illuminating the rocky walls, revealing a large roomy cave leading to a large rounded entrance opening on a grassy plain extending as far as my eyes could see, the perfectly flat landscape only disturbed by a few trees, a blazing yellow ball basking the land in its warmth and light, rising over hills far away in the distance.

Confused I took a glance around, the cavern not as deep as I had first imagined, made of only one large rather circular space ending on a dead end, water trickling down the roof and oozing from cracks in the wall, streaming along the rough ground in natural rivulets. In a corner, hidden behind a massive bolder stood a pile of leathery bags that looked strangely familiar. I tried to get up, only to realize I was stuck, something large and heavy pressing down on me, pinning me against the smooth surface beneath me, any attempt at pushing it away or squirming free proving futile. What the hell is this? Where am I? How did I end up in that unknown cave in the first place? Why does my body hurts like hell? I asked myself, a maelstrom of questions swirling in my still hazy mind, my body hurting and aching like I had been stomped onto by a dragon or something like it. My memories were a blur; I could barely put together any kind of coherent line of thought, the previous day a nonsensical mess of incoherent images. What little I could recall only added to the mystery. I remembered… dragons… soldiers… a fire… a weird guy in a cloak… an equally magnificent and terrifying creature and… then only a deep rumbling noise, dust filling the air and the acrid stench of powder.

A chill of terror ran down my spine, my hand tickling me so bad I couldn't stop scratching it. Lowering my gaze I looked at it, freezing immediately, discovering the broad mark stretching onto my palm. Suddenly I remembered, in a flash all the events of the previous day passing before my very eyes; the bonding with Kyo, that excursion to the cave, the eggs, that weird man in its cloak and then…. Unknowingly I was shivering in fright, recalling what happened last night, my heart pounding in my chest at the mere thought of it, adrenaline pumping in my veins, my mind racing, set ablaze by the memories, questions assaulting me from all sides. I took a long deep breath, appeasing my storming mind as best as I could; relaxing, closing my eyes, laying back on that smooth warm surface. However, instant of helping me relax I found myself grimacing, a potent, foreign stench waffling at my nose. “Damn this thing reeks!” I gasped, pinching my nose, retching as more of that stink assaulted me from all sides, lifting myself back to a sitting position in hope of putting some distance between me and the source of that awful smell.

The next instant I tensed, sensing motion right in front of me, the thing blanketing me in warmth moving away, rising up before my very eyes. Before I could identify it, the thing slammed into me, pushing me back down, covering my face on its own accord, pinning me down under its surprisingly heavy weight. What the hell is that thing anyway? I asked myself, cracking an eye open, discovering an odd, leathery blue membrane covering my face, protecting me from the sun’s dazzling glow. It was surprisingly thin, supple and warm to the touch, its smooth surface seemingly chilling under my fingers yet it carried an unimaginable weight or strength behind it, preventing me from lifting it up. Brutally, without warning the thing moved away, unveiling a bright yellow sun shining brightly right in the entrance to the cave. Dazzled I turned my head away, placing a hand before my eyes, grimacing in discomfort, trying to clear the blinding glow seemingly carved into my eyes.

Blinking a few times, my eyes finally adjusted to the light, showing me what I less expected to see. The sight I was met with was just… so unbelievable, so impossible it took me some time to admit it's truth. What I slept on all night were… warm and smooth scales wearing a marvelous deep blue color. Dread washed over me, washing away the amazement I felt moments ago; I knew only one creature with such beautiful colors… and it surely wasn't gonna be happy to see me, even less there. A deep throaty rumble reached my ears, causing all my hairs to stand on end, a hot moist gust of air billowing over my face, coming from my right, a tall form casting a large shadow over me, only confirming my worst fears. Slowly, extremely slowly, trembling from head to toe I turned my head to the side discovering that big bulky black scaled snout inching closer to me, lips pulled back, unveiling rows of sharp and deadly fangs glistening with thick saliva; those beautiful blue eyes looking straight at me, homed onto me, anger blazing in his blue irises. A thick acrid grayish smoke puffing from his nostrils, enveloping me in a suffocating, burning hot cloud. Kyo seemed to be, as always, angry, ready to unleash his wrath on me again. I screwed my eyes shut, backing away in fear, bracing myself for the worst.

“Who gave you permission to sleep on my belly?” he growled; voice filled with anger, his snout roughly bumping against me, shoving me backward, pinning me down under its massive size and weight. My hands clutched the scales, slipping on their slick surface; “I'm… I'm sorry!” I gasp, struggling to breath under the large dragon mercilessly squashing me down, “I don't even know how I got there.” I yelped in panic, pushing with all my might against his snout.

After a long minute he pulled away, leaving me enough room to breathe freely, still glaring at me from above, deep growls escaping his maw., his lips pulled back, revealing his sharp, glistening fangs. “Did you think I was your pillow or something? That you could use my wings as blankets and make yourself comfy. I don't remember allowing you to do any of these things. I don't even recall agreeing to let you close to me.” he hissed, baring his teeth again, this time a few blueish flames slipping out as well. I had nothing to answer to this, words stuck in my throat, fear coursing through me. I quickly sprang to my feet, deep menacing growls reverberating underneath his hide, making his scales vibrate, clear indications of how pissed he was. Standing on wobbly legs I risked a step forward… only to be smacked right in the face by a broad leathery membrane. I fell back, the air fleeing from my lungs after the heavy impact, landing hard on those soft scales, feeling dizzy as my sight shifted to blue, that same thing from before covering my limp body again, holding me in an almost… caring embrace, a delightful warmth spreading beneath my skin. Shivering, heart pounding in my chest, threatening to burst out of my ribcage, adrenaline shooting in my veins I threw panicked glances around me, both hands pressed against the soft blue membrane, pushing back as hard as I could, my back arching, every muscle inside me straining to help me break free. But for each bit of pressure I applied, putting all my strength into it, I was only met by an unbearable pressure roughly shoving me back against the dragon’s belly, pinned, squashed under his broad wing covering most of me. Breath short and ragged, fear spreading to me I kept squirming, trying everything to get out from under him, squirming trashing and kicking against his wing but all attempts remain vain, only serving to exhaust myself even more.

However, aside from squeezing me tight in his warm embrace he wasn't doing much more, only holding me close to his chest in some kind of hug, his scales quaking under me, like he was hiccupping or something similar. I didn't understand why he was doing this, panic gripping me in it’s cold embrace, sweat trickling down my back as I tried to squirm free. His big scaly snout appeared in front of me, deep growls resonating in his throat, sharp deadly fangs barred, saliva leaking from the corner of his maw, his eyes a blazing fire ragging with anger, throwing lightning at me, forcing me to crawl down underneath the shelter of his wing, holding the edge of the smooth membrane with both hands. I started to fear the worst, did the bond between us break during my sleep? Did he find a way to rip apart that connection, that link uniting our minds? Or was he just to mad at me to care about it. I thought… I thought dragons couldn't harm their riders… was I wrong? Have I been misinformed? Can he… can he actually hurt me? Or rather would he hurt me?

Dread washed over me at the mere thought of it; I tried to get out from his grasp, fighting with a renewed vigor, arching my back, grunting as I pushed using all my strength against his leathery wing, yet my efforts had the only effect of annoying him even more. With a loud huff he doubled the amount of pressure without breaking a sweat, cutting my breath short. His head was so close to me now, his moist, unbearably hot breath washing over my face, carrying an awful stench that made me gag, a disgusting, gut-twisting stink emanating from his slightly parted maw; scents of what he last ate blended with the familiar smell of fire. But suddenly, as his snout was about to touch my face, maw opening wide, so wide he could have engulfed my whole head in one go, thick spit dripping down onto my skin; he burst into laughter, his expression brutally shifting, turning into a face of utter amusement; a malicious, devious light shimmering in his blue eyes.

“You should see the face you're making!” he shouted, out of breath, his whole frame shaking violently under me, tossing me in all directions, his neck craning before me, loud laughter spilling out of his maw, echoing in the cave around us, making it feel like an entire crowd was making fun of me. “You… you… little scaly bastard…” I mumbled, still shaken by what happened, clutching his wing in-between my fingers, uncontrollably shivering in his loosening grasp, heart drumming in my chest at a crazy speed, feeling on the verge of imploding. “What? I have the right to entertain myself too.” he giggled mockingly, happily grinning, a surprising playfulness shining in his eyes like never before, his proud smirk taunting me, enticing me into kicking his ass as soon as I'd be up. “Never! You hear me never do this to me again! Damn I almost peed myself!” I growled back, leaning on my elbows, glaring at the tall dragon towering over me from its sheer height. Yet, despite all the anger and fear still ragging inside me I couldn't prevent a smile from growing on my lips. Seeing him smile, eyes sparkling with joy had me feeling proud of myself. Since yesterday I had only seen Kyo either sulking and depressed, or angry and hateful so it felt relieved to see a different side of him for once, although he was making fun of me, I didn't mind that much.

With his wing removed from my chest I got up, still trembling, adrenaline blooming in my veins. I could hardly believe what just happened, for a moment… barely a split second I thought…he… he would kill me, the thought stuck in my head, unwilling to go away, carved in indelible letters in my head. I gulped down, gathering myself, throwing a quick look around, observing Kyo's blue belly quaking under each burst of laughter, making my steps unsteady on that unstable, constantly shifting surface if they weren't slick enough already. I tied to climb onto his chest but quickly abandoned this idea, his constant squirming making it impossible to get a good grip. Instead I went down sliding along his slippery belly, noticing that puffy rift nestled between his hind legs, already moisturized, slightly parted around… his cock? A cold chill ran down my spine, fear washing over me at the mere thought of that massive pillar I had seen the day before; my entrails knotting at the simple idea of having to assist him in taking care of his natural urges. Or was it making fun of me that turned him on for some weird reason? I detached my eyes from the swollen slit, going down until I noticed his tail, the long, thick, spiked appendage swaying wildly in a completely random pattern, slamming noisily in the ground, sweeping away everything it came across. I had no time to observe more, the next instant a blue veil dropped over me, smacking me right in the face, covering me up in an instant, the air kicked out of my lungs as I was kicked off my feet, hardly landing on his warm belly.

Dazed, his mad laughter resonating inside my head I looked up, grimacing in a mix of anger and pain, staring into those deep blue eyes, not bothering to get up; it was better to stay there anyway… as long as he didn't shove me away. Kyo giggled so loudly it echoed in the cave and probably in the plain outside as well, his body violently shaking underneath me, rocking me back and forth. The satisfied smile on my lips grew broader; a new, unknown warmth spreading inside me, a sensation I had never felt before… something between pride and relief. It just… felt good to see him happy, that broad, warm smile and that playful expression on his otherwise snarly snout giving him a much different look.

“So… you are not angry?” I risked after some time just lying there, letting his squirming frame cradle me back into a half-sleeping state. “Why would I? It felt good…!” he chirped happily, looking down at me with that same goofy smile plastered across his scaly lips, his snout so close I could almost touch it, but could I? Should I? Cautiously I raised a hand, shivering in apprehension and anxiety, hot air from his nostrils tickling my bare skin. He didn't try to avoid it nor stop me from closing in on him, letting it happen, keeping a distracted eye on me. When my fingers finally grazed the soft scales between his nostrils he froze, his laughter instantly stopping, both eyes staring at me. Seconds went by, heavy, endless, as if time had just stopped, nothing happening, not a sound to fill the silence, not even a breath to disturb the suddenly too calm and quiet cave. Both shivering, holding our breaths we observed each other, waiting, suspended, not daring to move or to speak, not really knowing what to do from there, should we pull away, or continue? Nervously I started rubbing his scales, trembling all over as my fingers slid along his snout, my mind racing with confusing and conflicting thoughts, rejoiced and terrified at the same time, loving the soft, intimate caress while apprehending, fearing the dragon’s reaction. His whole body shook under the caress, his jaws parting on a low purr-like sound, his lips curling in something that resembled a smile as he, to my own surprise, nuzzled into my hand, pressing my entire palm against his warm scales. Seconds later he was laughing again, giggling amusingly, letting me rub his snout for a while as he kept mocking me probably. I couldn’t blame him though, I guess my expression, somewhere between utter terror and happiness must have been priceless to look at.

Unfortunately, it all came to and end once he pulled away, the laughing continuing for a few more seconds before he collected himself, appearing slightly nervous as his gaze met mine again, though avoiding direct eye contact this time, as if he was ashamed. “I mean… I… I… how to say it… I missed this kind of contact you know…” he whispered in embarrassment, a discreet but visible red hue tainting his scales, “It's been weeks since I had this kind of warm feeling of someone near me… and… to be honest… I've… I've been dreaming about it… I've longed for that kind of sensation for so long I suppose… it does feel good to have you around… it's… it's not as good and warm as a dragon… but you're a pretty good plush… and a great source of entertainment….” he chuckled with a smirk. “I understand… and thanks… on my end I'd say you're making a pretty good pillow…. And… your wing is a fine blanket.” “Thanks…” he mumbled, lowering his snout, eyes full of gratitude. I tensed as he inched closer, fearing the worst, only to shiver at the sensation of those cool scales rubbing against my face, a surprised gasp bursting from my throat while I stared at him in disbelief. Did he nuzzle me? Quickly, too quickly however he pulled away, leaving me shocked and speechless, my hand still hanging in midair, unable to return the favor.

We stayed there, staring at each other for a short time, both grinning at the other. Yet I saw something was bothering him; his eyes were constantly drifting away, his lips twitching as if he wanted to ask something but was holding back. My eyebrows rose interrogatingly but only got a huff in response, Kyo still nervous… or rather anxious about something. “Allen….” He reluctantly called after another minute of silence, his voice trembling with uncertainty. “Wow you know my name!” I shouted mockingly, trying to reach for that bulky snout of his. “I'm not joking” he barked, pulling away from my approaching hand. “Ok, ok what do you want?” I sighed, disappointed. “Can you tell me where we are?” “Don't tell me you dent remember!” I exclaimed, staring at him dumbfounded. “Remember what?” he huffed annoyingly, yet cocking his head to the side, intrigued. “What happened last night!” I almost yelled, puzzled by his sudden loss of memory. “What… happened exactly?” he mumbled, frowning in obvious confusion.

I remained speechless, staring at him in dismay, the look on my face causing him to frown and twitch even more, a low frustrated rumble rising from the depth of his throat. “You really don't remember a thing?” I mumbled, puzzled, scrutinizing his face, searching for any trace of a bad joke.  “Nothing, my memories are a blur. I only remember us going to the cavern where the eggs were and after that it's only darkness.” he grunted, shaking his snout in incomprehension, concerned by the blank in his memory, “The eggs!” he suddenly yelped, eyes bulging wide, heart pounding so hard I could feel it beneath me, his muscles tensing, his wings fluttering in panic. I felt his whole body shift under me, so much I almost slid off his belly, his paws kicking in all directions as he tried to roll over. “Wow wow chill out!” I screamed looking for something to hold onto to not be tossed like a ragdoll, “Would you… just… hold still for a minute; they're right there!” I added, pointing a finger at the general direction where the goods were hidden. “Oh… that’s… relieving… but why don't I recall leaving them there?” he whispered, looking at the pile of bags, a wondering look on his face. “God damn it, how can you forget all of it?” I sighted, getting up again. “I… I… I don't know.” he let out, hints of worry and shame peaking in his voice.

“Alright so, let me re-tell you everything.” “Ok…” he murmured in an uncertain tone, ears perked in interest. “Well, like you said we went to the cave where we found the eggs hidden behind an invisibility spell…” “An invisibility spell! It… it can't be mine; I… don't know how to do such things, it's… it's a high level of magic.” he interrupted me, his incomprehension so deep, so complete it started to overflow, rushing through our bond, straight into my own head, crushing my own thoughts under a maelstrom of questions. I had grown used to him barely sharing anything to me, so this sudden flood of thoughts started giving me a headache, the new influx of unknown, foreign information making me dizzy. “Let me finish would you…” I huffed, grimacing in pain, massaging my temples, trying to cope with the torrent of thoughts, questions and ideas pouring in my unprepared brain, “You’re right though, the spell wasn't yours indeed, it was cast by someone who had been waiting for us.” “Who?” he interrogated, baring his fangs. “He was all dressed in black, his face hidden behind a hood. You couldn’t see anything of him except for one of his eyes that was glowing red.” “Did he give his name?” enquired Kyo, frowning, suspended to my lips, his expression a mix of worry and, I wasn't exactly sure but it really looked like concern. “Yes… he pretended to call himself the Watcher.” “God fucking damn it! Did he say something?” roared Kyo, claws curling, noisily scraping at the stone floor, his tail swishing nervously. “Yes… quite a lot of things actually.” “Tell me!” Ordered Kyo, snarling in anger. “He said the eggs were now belongings of his masters, that you were used to find them for them and that he was seeking something else.” I summarized, dread crawling over me, Kyo's eyes stabbing me, burning with held-back rage.

“What? What else could he be looking for?” growled the dragon, the simple mention of that man seemingly upsetting him even more than I expected. “Relax I'm gonna tell you, but… there’s something you must know beforehand; he called you… by a strange name.” “A strange name? What do you mean?” sputtered Kyo, head tilted to the side. “He called you… Kaos….” I let out, closely observing his face in search of any change in his expression, yet it remained that same puzzled mask. “What! That's not my name! Are you sure he was talking to me?” “He only spoke to you.” I retorted. “Why does this name sound familiar to me…?” he muttered under his breathe, rubbing his chin with a claw. “Don't know, I had never seen that guy before.” I shrugged, clueless.

Silence fell between us, Kyo lost in his thoughts, trying to piece everything together and maybe, hopefully figure out the rest while I patiently waited, not sure of what to do. “And… after?” he asked, breaking the heavy silence. “He… broke a big black crystal in front of you.” I continued, not hiding my disappointment. “No… he didn't do that!” gasped Kyo, trembling from head to toes. I swear his scales looked paler suddenly, his fear and worry tensing his traits in ways I had never seen before, the storm ragging in my head doubling in intensity, fueled by the relentless stream of panicked thoughts rushing through our bond. “Yes, he did… and after that you started to….” I stopped, hesitating. “Transform…” he finished, lowering his snout, his face closing, his expression shifting to a mix of fear and guilt. I slowly nodded, becoming increasingly puzzled and intrigued by the situation, wondering what was going on. Kyo seemed to know more than he would let slip, seeming unafraid or surprised by the revelation, instead appearing fearful and worried, as if he had already experienced this in a clearly unpleasant way.

“You saw… him?” he let out in a barely audible whisper, avoiding direct eye contact with me, the bond between us becoming eerily silent. “Kaos? Yes.” I confirmed. “That must be his name.” murmured Kyo, frowning. “Certainly.” I approved. “And… and then?” he asked, his whole frame now trembling. “We managed to escape him…” “Him… you mean… Kaos?” “No, that weird watcher guy.” I grunted, growing tired of the constant interruptions. “Oh… right… sorry.” “Anyway, Kaos… or whatever his name is kept him distracted while I looked for a way out. In the end we blew his ass to smithereens and the cave along with him, then Kaos teleported us here and that's pretty much everything.” I mumbled, scratching the back of my head, going through my memories of last night’s events to see if I had forgotten anything; Kyo only nodded; acknowledging my words, taking in all the new information’s filling the blanks in his memories. “And after that? What happened?” he asked after a long, heavy silence. “Nothing, he just said we should be safe here, then you… transformed again and immediately fell asleep.” “I see… did he tell you where he sent us?” “No, he just said you'd find out.” I replied, raising a quizzical eyebrow. “Well then, let's have a look outside.”

Without losing a second I slid down his belly, along his flank and landed on my feet next to him, taking a few steps back, leaving him enough room to get up and stretch out a bit, groaning and huffing blissfully as he rolled over and rose in his large four paws. In perfect silence we both walked to the entrance of the cavern, having to look down to not be blinded by the blazing sun. Cautiously we stepped outside; on edge, finding ourselves at the bottom of a rocky hill planted in a middle of a large, grassy plain. It was much bigger than I imagine, the plain stretching in all directions, offering a clear, undisturbed line of sight for miles until the very first trees. “I think… I know this place….” whispered Kyo after a few minutes observing the landscape, “Hold on a second.” Before my amazed eyes he took off, his broad wings propelling him in the skies with ease, sending him high above the trees in mere seconds, the powerful gust of wind they generated almost kicking me off my feet. Looking up I could only marvel at the gorgeous display of the massive creature flapping it’s wings, quickly soaring into the azure skies, his black and blue scales shining like a million of precious gems in the rising sun’s light. After a few powerful beat of his wings he stopped gaining altitude, stabilizing his flight before describing a large circle over the plain, scanning the ground and the horizon in turn. Finally h dove down, wings folded close to his sides, falling like a rock until he unfurled them again, halting his fall in the blink of an eye, softly landing near me with the same unbelievable agility for his size, his paws touching the earth like a gentle caress over the grass.

“We are almost there!” he chirped, tail wagging behind him, happiness enlightening his traits. “What are you talking about?” “We are so close.” he only repeated, overtaken by sheer happiness, his relief washing over me. “Close from what?” I grumbled. “Our destination!” he exclaimed, flapping his wings impatiently. “You mean…” I gasped, eyes bulging wide in disbelief. “Yes!” “It's… it's… great!” I approved, shuddering in a mix of fear and anticipation. I had only heard of the beauty that was the dragon's capital city and knowing I would see it with my own eyes made my heart thump faster in my chest. “As you say.” confirmed Kyo, joy sparkling in his blue irises, “I’m finally back home…”, he added, his cheerful expression vanishing, returning to his usual serious and distant expression. Yet I could feel a sliver of worry peaking in his eyes as his gaze turned toward the north, looking at something far away, far beyond the horizon, to the place he called home. “Well, in that case let's take everything we can and go.” I suggested, walking back into the cave. “I agree.” “For once.” I noted, glancing at him over my shoulder. “Just shut up.” he sighed following me, looking bothered by something.

In five minutes everything was ready, all the bags securely fastened to Kyo's flanks, attached to a complex harness he wore, their content rapidly but nevertheless meticulously checked by the keen eye of the concerned dragon. At last, after testing every leather strap I opened one of the bag, depositing the weapon I had borrowed from it back where it belonged, all of this under Kyo’s watchful eye. “Can I?” I shyly dared to ask when we reemerged in the open, eying his back with envy, Kyo unfurling his wings right next to me, casting a large shadow over me. “Mount me? Only in your dreams.” he snorted, flapping them a few times, letting the wind swell the blue membrane. “Ok.” I sighed, disappointed, the images of yesterday's short but intense flight replaying in my head, the feeling of the cold air whipping my face so fresh in my mind I could almost sense it when I closed my eyes. “Just kidding, hope on." he chuckled, crouching low. I remained frozen, shocked, staring at the empty spot on his back in disbelief, wondering if it was true or if he was just making fun of me again, noticing, in the corner of my eye the daring glances he kept throwing me. “What are you waiting for?” he giggled, “you really want to do the rest of the way on foot." he taunted me, raising himself slightly.

Hesitant, I took a step forward, trembling, unsure of what to do, one part of me bolted to the ground where I stood, the other urging me to leap forward and take my spot on his back. “Why?” I mumbled, shaken. “The capital is a few hours away by foot but it is much faster by air.” explained Kyo, waving one of his wings, “However… since I’m stuck with you now, not to mention I don’t feel like walking all the way there, neither can I let you do the trip on foot by yourself… although I'd love to see you try…” he chuckled, a devious smirk curling his lips, “I just can't leave you alone, it would arouse too much suspicion. So… since I don’t have any other option, hope on before I change my mind.” He growled, clearly not enjoying the prospect. I obeyed willingly, climbing onto his back, barely containing my excitement, taking a sit between two of the long spikes lining his spine, feeling the warm scales shudder beneath me. Kyo stood up, wings fanned out, tail hanging low, twisting his neck around to face me, scrutinizing me with a strange, undefinable look. “Something wrong?” I mumbled, making myself as small as possible under the intense stare. “It’s… odd… it just… feels… weird… it’s… revolting but… somewhat… normal at the same time… I… I can’t really explain it…” he murmured, intrigued and puzzled in equal measures. “To be honest it also feels weird to me…” I let out, my voice trembling with uncertainty, not knowing what to do now. “I guess… it makes sense…” he grunted, suddenly turning his head away, his stance shifting, claws sinking into the soft dirt, “anyway… ready?” he asked, readying himself. I grabbed the spike before me, nodding in approval, my heart madly pounding in my chest, fear now crawling over me.

Within a beat of his mighty wings, we were off the ground, quickly gaining altitude, powerful gusts of cold wind whipping my face, the sheer force of the take-off squashing me against his back as, below us the ground vanished, the cave a mere dark point in the endless green of the prairie. Soon we were flying high amongst the white fluffy clouds, the world below us passing by, plains, forests, hills, villages, rivers and lakes unfolding before us, the cold air seeping under my skin, causing me to shiver, my teeth chattering uncontrollably, making me regret not bringing a winter coat or something to protect me from the bitter cold. Kyo didn't seem to mind at all, actually enjoying himself, half-lidded eyes filled with bliss, a goofy smile plastered across his face, rivers of delight flowing in the bond, leaving me slightly numb and light-headed.

“How aren't you cold?” I stammered. “What do you mean cold? It's quite nice actually.” he retorted, glancing back at me, frowning in utter surprise, “oh… err… well… maybe for you it's a bit cold…” he admitted, swiftly descending below the clouds, “Better?” “Yeah thanks…” I let out, warmth spreading into me. Reaching forward with a hand I scratched the scales at the base of his neck, feeling their smooth surface croon under my fingers, Kyo twitching ever so slightly with each rub, trying his hardest to not let any emotion transpire yet he couldn't stop the tingles of his own enjoyment to reach me through the bond. Grinning playfully I kept rubbing, moving my bands along his neck, keeping a steady pace as I went higher along the long spiked fin adorning his upper body, looking for sensitive spots in his armored hide, massaging around his spikes, using the intensity of his delight leaking in my head to guide me, until finally a low purr slipped past his tightly shut maw. “Oh, is that a purr I heard?” I giggled, patting his scales, thrilled by both my exploration and success. “Quiet that was no purr!” he hissed, darting furious eyes at me, “I would never do that kind of sounds for someone like you. Now stop fooling around and sit down; you're disturbing me.” “Ok ok fine.” I retorted, crossing my arms over my chest, looking away, observing the landscape unfold below us.

Time went by, long endless minute of tensed silence, Kyo grumbling incomprehensible words under his breath, keeping a steady, stable flight, the bond between us sealed shut, not allowing any emotion nor thought to seep in. Yet, as we traveled through the endless, azure skies, I noticed he started twitching more than usual, snarling and craning his neck as if something was causing him discomfort, his eyes going back and forth between me and the immensity of blue sky ahead. I pretended to not see that odd expression on his face, leaning back against the spike behind me, casually whistling. “Fine that was a purr!” he brutally roared, abruptly stopping in mid-flight, the sudden change of speed almost causing me to lose my balance. “Yes I was purring because… because… damn it… it felt good! So start rubbish already my scales are itching like hell now!” he huffed, eyes screwed shut, not daring to look at me directly, “And don't you dare say a word you hear me?” he barked, blushing profusely. As he requested, I kept my mouth shut, extending a hand forward, scratching his, smooth, sensitive scales, eliciting a low coo from him. Without a word he resumed flying, cooing and purring, arching his neck every time I found a sensitive spot.

But soon, too soon I noticed we were losing altitude, Kyo slowly gliding toward the ground, aiming for a clearing near a road winding through a small forest. “What are you doing?” I enquired, looking over his wing at the closing-in earth. “From here you'll have to walk.” he coldly let out once his paws were firmly planted into the soft ground, wings flapping one last time before folding. “Why?” “It's obvious. It's not very good for both of us if they see you on my back.” he snorted, crouching low, making it clear what he wanted me to do. “It makes sense…” I let out, sliding down his flank. “At least it’s not that far away…” he let out, looking at something far in the distance. Following his gaze, eyes squinted I finally noticed something, a large shape far, far away, merely an outline from where I stood. “Not that far!” I gasped, jaws dropping in shock. “Well… maybe an hour or more.” he admitted, clearly unhappy to have to do that part of the journey on foot. “Couldn't you bring us at least a bit closer.” “No!” he growled; fangs barred defensively, “Trust me I wish I didn't have to walk either; I'd rather have flown straight to the gates but since I have to carry you around I can't take the risk; we'd be spotted by the guards from miles away.” “Alright then…”  I sighed, “let's go….”

We walked for quite a long time, one hour, maybe two, or perhaps more, I had lost track of time long ago, walking on a road large enough at least three dragons could have crossed without problem, the landscape so monotonous I felt like blanking out for a while, bored to death. Kyo's quietness didn’t help with that, only letting out a huff from time to time, yet his face spoke more than any words, showing a mix of anxiety and concern, heavy globes of sweat trickling down his hide.


………………………………………………………

Kyo


“Why?” that simple question swirling in my head, occupying all my thoughts. Why am I acting like this with him? Why did I let him ride me? Why did I ask for more of these rubs? Why did it feel good to have him close to me? Why did it feel somewhat… reassuring? But more important Why is the Watcher on the hunt? And even more disturbing why did It, Kaos if it was indeed its name help us, saved us instead of going on a rampage like he always did? So many unanswered questions, and even more to come. How would I explain this to the kings? Would they forgive me for this act of weakness? And… how… how could I keep Allen without being rejected. Or… perhaps… perhaps I could find a way to break that bond between us. Yet… each time my eyes fell on him those ideas faded away, replaced by an intense feeblish of care, a sensation that caused my guts to twist violently in disgust. Was it actually happening to me? That so-called, weakness of the mind this bonding was supposed to cause. Was I… succumbing to it… accepting it? No… no it couldn't be it couldn't be happening to me. Moreover, with each passing second a new thought, a new blissful sensation seeped a bit more into my mind, telling me it was alright, as if things were as they were always meant to be, bringing an irresistible soothing, reassuring feeling that became more and more impossible to fight.

I shook my head, trying to clear my mind of those silly ideas, yet they always come back like a swarm of pesky flies assaulting me from all sides, preventing me from focusing on something else. Suddenly I realized we were close, finally able to see the city, distinguishing the high outer walls, the tower reaching high in the skies, the city that was my home displayed in its full glory. Relief washed over me, finally I made it, I had accomplished my mission, despite all the obstacles I had succeeded and I was back home. But more than the thrill of success what really made me happy was something else, something that both made my heart swell and my loins churn, stirring my arousal to life. “Don’t worry… I’ll be back soon…” I muttered, a shiver of happiness and anticipation running down my spine.


……………………………………………………

Allen


I couldn’t believe my eyes, my jaws dropping in amazement, my mind blanking in sheer shock, a chill of both excitement and apprehension running down my spine. With each step we got closer, revealing a bit more of the city ahead, exposing walls the size of mountains, their slick, pristine surface reflecting each ray of sun like millions of mirror, giving them a marvelous, dazzling appearance. Above those already impenetrable frontiers stood dozens of towers of all size, some barely peaking over the fortifications while other towered high above the city, all of them adorned in gold. I had never been out of my small village but I had seen pictures and heard tales from wandering merchants on how big and beautiful the big cities down south were, but what I could now see with my own two eyes was far beyond what any word could hope to describe. The road before us became wider, the pavement more even, climbing one last small hill before at last bringing us to one of the gates. We finally arrived in front of a huge door as thick as kyo's tail, made of pure obsidian guarded by a dozen dragons and as many humans, all of them wearing heavy but shiny armors. From there, everything started slowing down, eventually coming to a halt, a long line of dragons stretching for at least a mile from the gates. 

“Damn, at this rate we are not going to enter before nightfall.” grumbled Kyo, peeking over the dense crowd of dragons waiting on the road, some of which wearing heavy looking bags while others were accompanied by small crowds of humans. “With a bit of patience….” I retorted, leaning against one of his forepaws. “We're a bit in a hurry.” he huffed, pulling away from me, snarling in annoyance. “Yes, but what can we do about it? Getting impatient now won’t help us.” “I know a way we can get past this crowd. Open the smallest bag.” ordered Kyo after a few instants of deep silence, lowering himself to my level. “Ok.” I mumbled, surprised, peering inside the open bag. “You should find a big scroll.” And indeed, here it was, a large piece of rolled paper, and by large I meant it was my size, the sheet thicker than a wood plank. “I have it.” I grunted, struggling to pull it out, staggering under its sheer weight. “Great, now bring it to them.” “Hey I'm not your…!” I protested.

“Hush you idiot! You wanna get us killed or what!” he roared, his mental presence rushing in my mind, every inch of my body tensing, words stuck in my throat, eyes wide in shock. For a second I even felt like my heart had stopped beating, my head throbbing with pain, overwhelmed by the new presence inviting itself in my mind. “Here, humans like you are nothing more than slaves; your life has as much value to them as the dirt under their paws. Those of your kind are… little more than trash here.” Kyo quickly explained me in my mind, words, mixed with panicked thoughts and images flooding my brain, letting me see through his eyes what the life of a human was amongst them. “I see.” I mumbled, legs wobbling beneath me, my head aching as if someone had tried to knock me out, my brain struggling to cope with the flow of information, a loud whistle filling my ears. “So please be kind and obey, just… follow my instructions and don't do anything stupid.” begged Kyo, staring at me with pleading eyes. “I'll try.” I grumbled, putting the heavy paper on my shoulder. “And Allen, in public only call me master or something like that.” he added. “I'll try…” I repeated, teeth gritted, “I bet you're pleased by that?” I growled, glancing back at him. “No… I wouldn't dare enjoy by that…” he chuckled, throwing me a toothy grin.

I took a deep breath, observing the road ahead of me, full of dragons stomping the ground impatiently, before engaging myself in the thick scaly crowd. I walked as fast as I could, avoiding heavy clawed paws, jumping over swishing tails, dodging flapping wing, slaloming between dragons under their wondering gazes. After several minutes of running I stopped, painting, heart thumping in my chest, sweaty and exhausted, the scroll weighting heavily on my shoulder. I threw a circular look around, only meeting colorful hides wherever my gaze fell. I didn't know where I was after so many detours, the tall beast towering over me preventing me from seeing anything. Was I close? I didn't know and I had no way of finding that out. Going slower I wandered between dragons, going forward… or at least I hoped so until someone shouted.

“You want some help my friend!?” I froze, panic rushing in my veins, my heart racing in my chest, slowly turning my head toward the source of that unknown voice, finding myself face to face with another human. It felt so weird to see another guy like me in the middle of that sea of scales and claws but he didn’t seem phased the slightest, as if it was a normal thing for him. “You seem lost, you want some help?” he politely asked again, his sharp, inquisitive gaze scanning me from head to toe. “Err- yes… sorry… I'm… yeah I'm lost…” I mumbled, a crimson red blush creeping over my cheeks. “I had noticed.” he chuckled, “so what are you doing here?” he enquired, gesturing at the heavy scroll I was crumpling under. “I have to bring this to the guards.” I quickly explained, determined to keep that conversation as short and quick as possible. “It looks important.” he commented. “It is.” “Can I ask from who it is?” “It's from k…” I stopped mid-sentence, Kyo's advice flashing before eyes, “…my master…, he was sent on a mission by the… kings and has to see them immediately.” “In that case hold still  a second I think I may be able to help you.” he let out after a long thoughtful minute. I couldn’t hide a long relieved sigh, but to my own dismay he turned around, gently patting the foreleg of the dragon next to him, the green-scaled beast letting out an annoyed huff before reluctantly lowering itself, glaring at the man with hate and disregard in his eyes.    

“What do you want slave?” it hissed, his deep voice sending dreadful shivers down my spine. “Sorry to disturb you my master but this young man here needs to talk to the guards immediately.” quickly explained the other human, bowing down respectfully before his master. Instantly his focus shifted to me, every fiber of my body tensing in apprehension. Shivering, gulping down I stood there under that inquisitive gaze scrutinizing me, piercing through me like cold daggers. “Why should I care…” he finally grunted after some time. “He has a message of the utmost important to deliver them.” insisted the man, pointing at the heavy scroll under which I was crumbling. “Of the utmost importance you say?” enquired the dragon, raising a scaly eyebrow. “Yes, from what I understood it comes from the kings themselves.” “Interesting… but who gave you such an important message to carry young man?” he asked, frowning suspiciously. “My master…” I stammered nervously, “He is further back in the crowd… and he must be getting… really pissed right now…” “Well, in that case I guess I can help a fellow dragon.” let out the green dragon, his traits softening, a sly smile curling his lips.

Lifting his head up he yelled, or rather roared in a foreign language to the closest guard, immediately getting their attention. In a few moments he was in front of me, dominating me with his sheer size, his golden eyes falling on me like he would do to some garbage abandoned on the road. Without a word he took the heavy paper and read it, muttering under his breath. He froze for a brief second, jaws agape, eyes bulging wide in shock, his scales seemingly paler than before. Gathering himself he took a deep breathe, read the paper again before waving at his colleagues. Whatever was written on that paper had the effect of a little bomb, every guard rushing forward, clearing the gates, hurrying those who were blocking the way while others stepped forward,  parting the crowd. “Everyone make way now!” roared one of them. “On the side of the road now!” commanded another, roughly shoving a group of younger dragons aside with his wing.

Soon a wide alley was opened, everyone except me had moved to the side of the road, dipping in muddy soil, looking around, trying to see what caused such trouble. With the way cleared Kyo walked to me with a small, satisfied smile floating on his lips, all the gazes following, some frowning, other whispering, wondering what was going on. All my body yearned to run back to him and stay close to him but I held still, showing no emotion, keeping my head down, obediently waiting for him to reach me. “I could get used to that…” he chuckled once at my level, “Don’t just stand there and hurry up slave.” he hissed, slapping me with his broad wing, roughly shoving me forward. I wanted to protest, to tell him high and loud to go fuck himself but I kept my mouth closed, following io his tracks. I noticed, in the corner of my eyes the dragon from earlier surrounded by a small group of humans, all of them looking at us, the green dragon wearing a proud and almost… kind grin, but when he saw us his smile vanished, replaced by an expression of utter shock and disbelief, his eyes bursting open and his jaws dropping.

“If I was expecting that…” he muttered, speechless, yet high enough to be heard. Kyo turned his head toward him, looking as much surprised if not more than the other. “Am I dreaming?” he gasped, petrified. In response the other dragon gently slapped him across the face with his thick tail, “Apparently not,” he giggled playfully. “What… what are you doing here?” stammered Kyo with a broad, warm smile, shaking his head in a mix of happiness and disbelief. “And you?” retorted the green male, joy sparkling in his eyes. “I'm working.” “For real?” enquired the other one,  looking surprised. “Yep” chuckled Kyo, pointing at the satchels strapped around his flanks, “And you?” “Well, I’m coming back from a business trip.” casually replied the green dragon as if it was nothing out of the ordinary. “I'm so happy to see you here.” chirped Kyo, tail swishing behind him. “Me too.” purred the other, nuzzling Kyo affectionately, “Well shouldn't we be going? I mean the doors are open.” “Sure.” approved Kyo, “and why don't you come with us?” he offered. “I… I don't know… I wouldn't dare to disturb you in your work.” protested the green one. “Are you kidding me! You're never bothering me.” Shouted Kyo, “It's always a pleasure to see you my friend. Besides… it's the least I can do to thank you for the help.” he added, kindly nuzzling the other dragon under the chin, emitting a low purr. “Alright I'm coming but it's only because it's you.” sighed the other male, grinning toothily dropping the embarrassed look.

We entered the city, accompanied by the green dragon and his four human slaves, walking on a large cleared road, in a n alley formed by dozens of dragons dipping in the mud on each side of the road, watching us as we passed by, frowning or exchanging puzzled looks, trying to figure out what was happening. The guards didn't stop us, didn't object nor tried to argue when we crossed the gates, only keeping an eye on us. A tidal wave of relief washed over me as we truly stepped into the city. Throwing a quick glance over my shoulder I discovered dozens, no hundreds of pairs of eyes homed on us, glaring at us with envy as the guards went back to their original position, blocking the access. Yet it seemed I was the only one worried by that, Kyo and the green dragon named Tarken, from what I heard, happily chatting as they strolled down the avenue, not even caring about !he crowd outside.

“So Kyo tell me, what's that so-called work you are doing?” asked Tarken after a few minutes of chatter. Tension rose sharply, a thick, heavy silence falling between us, my heart pounding hard and fast in my chest, cold sweat trickling down my spine, fear leaking in the bond despite all our efforts to keep it concealed. “Oh just carrying things.” eluded Kyo, trying to sound as casual as possible although the smile he put on looked cringy as hell. “That I've noticed, but what kind of thing exactly? I mean, it must be something very special to have you granted such privileges” “You’re right, those are things too precious and valuable to be carried by simple slaves.” spat Kyo glaring back at me. I only dipped my head low. “And valuable enough to grant you special access.” commented Tarken, “accesses even I don't possess.” “What can I say, it's one of the benefits of doing this job.” chuckled Kyo. “Now I'm curious, can you show me?” “T-Tarken… I… I don't know… you see… it's… top secret…  I'm not even supposed to talk about it with you… even less…  show you.” stammered Kyo, looking in all directions to see if anyone was listening. “Wow, must be really important then” “You have no idea" sighed Kyo. "Come on just a peak, I swear I won't tell anyone.” begged Ta!ken, staring at kyo with cute pleading eyes. “Fine…” reluctantly accepted Kyo, “but only somewhere more… private.”

We quickly left the main avenue, entering a narrow dark alley between two tall buildings, completely empty and quiet. “You promise me you won't spill a word of what you are about to see?" questioned Kyo, plunging his gaze into the green  dragon's own. “You have my word, I'll be mute as a tomb.” After one last circular glance to make sure no one was observing us Kyo opened one of the bags. “Wow that's makes a tone of eggs!” gasped Tarken, eyes bulging wide in disbelief, his paws wobbling below him. “You weren’t joking when you said they were too precious to be carried by slaves…” “Are they that precious?” I risked, instantly regression my question, all the attention focusing on me, Kyo rolling his eyes in disbelief while Tarken frowned as if I had just said the stupidest thing he had ever heard. “What a silly question… dragon eggs are… priceless…” he let out, astonished. “And that's not even all of it.” chuckled Kyo.

With deliberately slow and measured motions Kyo opened each bag, the locks popping open one after the other, exposing all the stuff he carried to his friend,  his grin growing broader with each opened bags, delighted to see Tarken's face loose its composure. In seconds everything was displayed before the petrified green dragon, there were weapons, explosive goo, shiny gems and other things like a complete set or dragon-sized armor  all mace of thick black metal embedded with gold and decorated with gems like those of old legends and paintings. Yet it seemed I was the only one  amazed by it, Kyo grimacing at the mere sight of the massive bent and forged plates. “Everything is human-made… where did you get all of that?" mumbled Tarken after inspecting several pieces of equipment with an expert eye. “That's a secret my friend.” retorted Kyo with a  sly smirk, “besides how could you possibly tell that?” he interrogated, darting suspicious eyes at his friend. “I more used jo see human craft than you and let me tell you those are masterpieces.” whistled Tarken, cautiously pinching a long sword between his claws, “Where could you possibly have gotten those?” “I can’t tell you anything, that's top secret you see.” “You stole them didn't you…” growled Tarken, darting suspicious eye at Kyo. “What! No.” “Don't lie to me Kyo! There's no way you could have found such rare objects within the borders.” growled Tarken, baring his fangs, his claws scraping the paved ground. “Look Tarken, I don't care where they come from, my job is only to carry them here,. Got it?” “Bullshot, the only way you could get your paws on everything would be to go in the human empire and bring it back. Am I correct?” Kyo's snout lowered “So you had to know where they came from am I right?” "I can't say no…" sighed Kyo, defeated. “God damn it why did you do that Kyo?” exploded the green dragon. “I have my reasons…” hissed Kyo through clenched teeth. “Which are?”

Kyo didn't answer, a deep rumble escaping his throat. The air was eclectic with transient, everyone holding their breath as the two dragons faced off, standing face to face in the narrow street, fangs bared and dripping with spit, long sharp claws racking the stone, their muscles tensed under their hides, their tails hanging low, deep rumbling growls rising between the two of them, both ready to snap at any moment, looking for the opportunity to strike. They were of equal size, but Kyo was at a clear disadvantage with the added weight of all the bags strapped to his back and flanks, in a fair fight against Tarken I doubted he could come out victorious in his current state. “And i see you brought back another thing from your trip.” spat Tarken, shattering the silence, taking advantage of Kyo's surprise to hush forward, slamming himself head-on into Kyo's chest. Kyo staggered back, gasping for breath, pain bursting into my own chest, all the air fleeing my lungs, leaving me stunned, gasping desperately for air. “What do you mean?” huffed Kyo, grimacing in pain. “You know what or rather who I'm talking about.” hissed Tarken, his verdant eyes falling on me. “Who? Him? It's just a lowly human I… took under my wing, a little… souvenir of some sort if you wish, I must admit he already proved quite useful.” grumbled Kyo. “Kyo…” sighed Tarken, rolling his eyes in disbelief, “How long will you take me for a fool Kyo? You really think I didn't notice the mark on his hand?” snarled Tarken, kyo's traits turning livid, his scales losing all their natural glitter, a tide of horror washing over me.

At this exact moment something moved in the corner of my eyes, a swift shadow dashing for me too fast for my paralyzed body to react, something warm and rough wearing around my wrist, clutching it in a steel grip, yanking and twisting my arm around until my palm was face up, exposing the black marks for all to see. A heavy, thick, impenetrable silence fell upon us, every face turning grim and serious, all eyes focused on my hand. Tarken stepped closer, looking calm yet intrigued, observing my hand with wide amazed eyes, slowly raising a massive, clawed paw toward me. I tensed, gulping down heavily, heavy globs of sweat falling along my forehead. I tried to break free but whoever held me had a far stronger grip on me and didn't seem to falter the slightest. I could only watch as the tall green dragon scrutinized my palm, blowing hot air over my skin, causing me to shiver uncontrollably, his sharp claw  cautiously tracing over the twisting and curving marks sprawling over my palm, muttering under his breath. Kyo stood right there, staring in awe at Tarken, trembling, mumbling inaudible words, his snout hanging low, looking at his own paws shamefully a tear pearling at the corner of his eye.

“You… you… did it…. You bound yourself to him.” stammered Tarken in a mix of disbelief and astonishment, holding my hand in his shaky paw. “Yes and what are you gonna do about that?” huffed Kyo, trying to sound defiant yet he kept his head low, not daring to look his friend in the eyes. The grip around my wrist loosened slightly, suddenly I broke free, shoving the one holding me away, and, in less than a second a dagger appear in my hand, the sharp blade pointed at the green snout in front of me, the tip scratching his pristine scales right between his nostrils. The green dragon flinched, surprise crossing his face for a second but he didn't back away, looking rather amused, smiling even. “I see you're full of resources.” he let out, a hint of respect transpiring in his calm tone, “But I wouldn't try anything reckless if I were you…” Several clicking noises caught my attention, my senses going nuts as dreadful shivers rushed down my spine, the faint but familiar scent of gunpowder tickling my nose. Throwing a quick glance around, keeping the blade firmly pressed against the green scales I discovered four guns pointed on my head, held by steady hands, fingers on the triggers, faces devoid of emotions, I knew they wouldn't have any second thought on shouting me down. “Fuck…” I grumbled between gritted teeth, slowly lowering my weapon.

“You thought I didn't notice the missing dagger.” chuckled Tarken with a sly grin. Kyo observed the scene, speechless, jaws parted open on a blank cry, the bond between us overflowing with terror. “Please… Tarken… I… I beg of you… don't…  don't do anything stupid… please.” whimpered Kyo, tears flowing down his cheeks. “Relax Kyo I’m not gonna harm him,” retorted Tarken, “you're far too intriguing for me to do anything to you. And to answer your Kyo I won't do a thing.” he calmly replied. “What?!” we both gasped in perfect sync. “I won't denounce you to the guards.” “But… but… why?” “Because you are my friend silly.” chuckled Tarken, giving Kyo an affectionate lick across the snout, taking him by surprise.

To my own relief guns dropped as quickly as they appeared, cold faces replaced by warm apologetic and friendly smiles. “Damn Tarken you scared the shit out of me!” yelled Kyo, still shaken by the whole ordeal. “Kyo… you know I'll never betray you like this, you're my friend after all.” purred Tarken, “And friends are here to help each other out.” “I know Tarken I know, it’s just… I can't trust anyone here… not now that I have him by my side.” “Don't worry I won't do a thing against you… I even envy you my friend.” “R-r-r-really?” mumbled Kyo, scrutinizing Tarken with a shocked look. “Yes I… well… I was… very curious about all this… bonding thing for years, I read a lot about dragons who performed it, I've always wondered what it felt like to be bonded and I've dreamed of doing it myself but never had the courage nor the right person to do it.” admitted Tarken, looking at both of us with envy, a crimson red creeping over his scales. “Are you… are you serious?” enquired Kyo, puzzled by the revelation. “Of course, I mean… I've spent my life with humans as my servant.” “I know but… most dragons don't give a damn.” “I'm not most dragons it seems…” chuckled Tarken “And when you give humans a bit of consideration, they turn out to be fascinating creatures.” “I don't see what you find them.” huffed Kyo, skeptical. “You should give it a try Kyo, you'd be surprised.” “If you say so…” sighed Kyo, not convinced.

I was so surprised to hear that in the mouth of a dragon. I knew peoples of all around the empire dreamed of having their own personal dragon, to be chosen by one, to ride one of the majestic beasts and be part of the renown dragon rider order, I never suspected dragon could feel the same way, well, on that side of the border; I thought, as I was told for all my life that all of them despised us as inferior beings, a harsh reality I had been met with ever since I came across Kyo, I didn't imagine dragoons like Tarken existed here. They talked for a moment of things that didn't concern me, Tarken asking Kyo plenty of questions on how bonding felt, what changed for us and many other things, the subjects quickly shifting to more private subjects. It went on until Kyo decided it was time to go, realizing we had spent quite some time in that narrow alleyway.

“Be careful my friend. There is no way to know what could possibly happen now.” advised Tarkean when we emerged into the light. “Why are you saying that?” I asked, curious. “Well there is no way to know how the kings will react to your presence amongst us Allen, beside strange things happen around here… people disappearing for obscure reasons, more and more weird laws and decree, gangs creating everywhere, slowly taking control of entire districts, fighting for each bit of terrain.” explained Tarken with a grim face, “Oh while I still think about it your home is now part of the dragon eye crew's territory if I recall.” “Just fucking great.” sighed Kyo tiredly. “Anyway, I wish you the best of luck with the kings and if you have some time come to my home, I'll be happy to talk with both of you.” “I'll come.” promised Kyo before we parted way.


……………………………………………………

Kyo:


It felt good to see some friendly faces but what Tarken told me was worrying to say the least. As we reached the more crowded streets, I couldn't get that thought out of my head. Now I was watching everywhere, analyzing every dragon I saw earning some annoyed glares from some of them, but I didn't care. Soon I realized there were less guards in the streets than what I remembered and the only one I managed to observe tried their best to hide in the shadows, all of them wearing, painted on the thick plates of their armor large symbols, maybe one of the clan's emblem I supposed. I recognized only one of them, belonging to one of the most respected clan of the city: the dragon order. I knew them quite well, they relied heavily on honor, order, respect and discipline, making them one of the most famous, respected and appreciated clan throughout the city. We passed through different district of this so huge city, more or less dirty streets, houses and buildings in varying state, some even on the brink of collapsing judging by the large cracks sprawling on the walls. “How can people live in there?” mumbled Allen, looking up at the crappy buildings. “I kept asking myself this question for a long time and found no answer.” I sighed, “I suppose they don't have a choice.”

Soon we approached the second set of walls, these were, like the first belt, perfectly white with some decorations here and there, golden ornaments and silver glinting in the walls themselves. Here, there were even more guards blocking the entrance than at the first gate, had they increased security? Was there a problem I wondered, noticing the impressive barrage of armored soldiers, everyone approaching the massive gate seemingly turning around and heading the other way, grumbling their annoyance out loud. “That's not right?” I mumbled, feeling strangely nervous. “Something wrong?” “Yes… seems like this part of the city is closed…” “Fuck… is there another way around?” interrogated Allen. “Yes but it would take too long.” “So what do we do?” “We keep going.” I growled, making my way through the crowd.

“Go back from where you came!” yelled a guard when we appeached, stepping in the way, fangs bared, trying to intimidate me. “Wow chill out what's going on?” I asked, trying to sound as calm as possible “This access has been closed by order of the kings.” he coldly retorted, “Now get lost.” “Closed… that's a problem, you see I've got important cargo to deliver and…” “No one enters this part of the city whether you like it or not. If you want to enter, you’ll have to go around to another gate.” “That is impossible.” I firmly replied, not budging the slightest, “What I’m carrying must be urgently delivered to the royal palace.” “Yeah, as if I’d fall for that excuse.” snorted the guard, unconvinced, “Either you get lost before I throw your ass in jail or you show me a proof of what you’re claiming.” “Oh so this access is open then.” I chuckled, undeterred. “Not without the proper authorizations.” he snarled, planting his eyes in mine defiantly, low rumbling growls escaping from his throat. "Give them… slave." I growled to Allen, keeping my gaze on the guard.

Without hesitation he obeyed, quickly rushing to the satchel, unbuckling it and, after a few seconds of fumbling in its content pulled out another scroll larger than him and, staggering under its sheer weight brought it to the guard. The dragon grabbed the paper, unrolled it and quietly read while keeping a suspicious eye on me, his lips twitching and his paw trembling, his eyes bulging wider with each line. When he finished reading his whole frame shook with uncontrolled shivers, his maw opening and closing on silent words, only low pitiful squeaks escaping his throat, Meanwhile the other guards closed in on us, attracted by the awkward situation. “We… we will have to check Sir… it's… it's not that we don’t trust… t-trust your statement b-b-but it-it's… protocol.” blabbered the guard, bowing down in embarrassment. “Do your work.” I let out. The other intrigued guards came closer, only for the first one to show them the scroll, the royal sigil clearly visible on the thick paper. Immediately, without a word spoke they went into action, surrounding us, blocking all paths of escape. Cautiously they opened each bag and meticulously checked their content, comparing it with a manifest written on the scroll we gave them. “Damn… so many eggs.” gasped a stunned guard after opening one of the bags, colorful shells shimmering in broad daylight “Can I…?” “No!” Roared their commander, latching his paw around his subordinate’s forearm, “touch one of them and you'll never be able to touch anything else. You hear me soldier?!” he hissed. “Sir… yes sir…”  winced the other submissively.

A few annoying controls later the gates finally open, the massive reinforced doors moving away before us. We entered a part of the city that always made me want to paint those beautiful building made by our best architect, those large clean avenues and everything else in bloodred. “Kyo.” Called Allen in my mind, “Why are you so angry? Is there something wrong?” I realized that, in spite of all my efforts, of all the mental barriers I tried building my emotions, feelings and thoughts kept leaking in the bonds now linking us, slipping in the cracks of my mind. “I hate this place…” I hissed through gritted teeth, picking up the pace on the empty boulevard, the silence only disturbed by my claws clicking on the pavement. “This city?” enquired Allan, frowning. “Only this part…” “Why?” “Those assholes live in wealth and luxury in their little golden Eden when I and so many other live in misery, dipping in shit with almost nothing, fighting each day to survive.” “But… I saw you wanted to be one of them.” protested Allen. “It's everyone's dream here,” I confirmed, “and my only way out of that shithole, my only way to protect my family….” “You criticized us but your country isn't much better than mine.” commented Allen. “Shut up… you don't know a damn thing on how it works around here.” I growled, pissed off. “Maybe… but I observe Kyo and what I see proves me that there's no difference between here and where I come from, most people working their ass for a living and a few bustards living of the labor of the mass.” grunted Allen, throwing a circular glare at the rich tall buildings around us. Although I was quite taken by surprise by his words, my heart warming up when the realization that we agreed struck me I couldn't let him speak anymore, not here, not now, not of that kind of subject. “Shut up or I'm really gonna hurt you.” I growled, jaws snapping mere inches from his face. “You want me to stay silent because you know I'm right." huffed Allen, not impressed or scared the slightest. “Maybe… but please shut up until we meet the kings, even mind conversation are not safe here.” “Ok… ok  fine.”


…………………………………………………

Watcher:


Pain… only pain… I was floating in an infinite ocean of the purest suffering, my body numb, paralyzed, unable to move even a finger, my head throbbing, an unbearably loud hiss filling my ears. Around me there was only silence, darkness and emptiness, with perhaps only a faint scent of smoke floating in the air. I could tell I was lying on something hard and uncomfortable, yet it may have been ice cold or burning hot it wouldn’t have made a difference. Another thing I was certain about was the fact I was pinned down by something heavy massive, leaving me unable to even hope to free myself, my magic seemingly gone, leaving me stranded. At first, as I emerged I was confused by my current predicament, struggling to recall how I ended up in such a situation, unsure if I was still alive at this point. But, as my fuzzy mind cleared, memories rushed back to me, only adding to the throbbing ache resonating in my head. Recalling what had happened only filled me with a boiling rage and frustration. How did it all happen? How did this human managed to fool me like this? How could I have fallen for something so simple? I had seen the explosive substance in the bag, I knew of the weapons, I was aware of all the crack in those fragile walls, but I ignored them. What a stupid mistake I repeated myself, cursing my hurry to at long last capture him, too confident to consider the flaws and the risks of intercepting him in those mountains.

“You really disappointed me, Watcher.” suddenly came a deep bone-rattling voice imbued with pure darkness. It echoed endlessly around me, reverberating both on every surface and withing every fiber of my being, sounding terrifyingly close and yet so far away into the deepest, darkest shadows. The very sound of each word rolling out of an invisible mouth, crackling and rumbling like thunder sent a dreadful, icy shiver down my spine, at least reassuring me on one thing, I was still alive. “I failed master.” I whispered, nervously, sensing a heavy, disappointed glare cast on me, seemingly coming from everywhere at once. “I see that. It seems you have underestimated your opponent or rather, his little helper.” he chuckled, his tone indescribable, somewhere between amusement and frustration. “I know master. I stand by ready to accept my punishment for my failure.” “The time for your punishment isn’t now Watcher.” “What?” I let out in a gasp of surprise. “Yes, despite your unsuccessful attempt you still have a mission to accomplish, and perhaps if you succeed I may overlook this slight hiccup.” “Master… you… really…?” I stammered, a thrill of excitement running down my spine. “Yes; despite your recent… issue… you are still my most qualified agent for this task.” “But I miserably failed.” I protested, bewildered, “They fled away and must have found shelter into a safe place by now.” “Not at all, in fact in the grand scheme of things your failure is only… a minor setback. In your mistake you still managed to achieve success by completing a very important part of the work, perhaps the most crucial.” he explained, leaving me dumbstruck, raising a quizzical eyebrow, “Yes they managed to escape but Kaos is awake now and we can follow his energy… wherever he goes. And you wouldn’t guess where the stupid drake he latched onto fled.” he added, bursting into a thundering, evil laughter that seemed to make the very rocks around me shake.

“You mean….” I muttered, frozen by shock and disbelief. “Yes my Watcher, these fools fled right into our grasp. They are right there, at arm’s reach, preparing to meet their kings as we speak.” “So stupid… so ignorant, they won’t know what hit them.” I exclaimed, joining my master’s laughter. “Precisely.” he let out, quickly regaining his cold, stoic composure, “And I want you to be the one to capture them for me. Our obedient pets will provide all the help you may need but I want you to bring them to me, alive. And remember, do not disappoint me.” he spoke, his warning words countless whips tearing at my very flesh, bringing a freezing cold to every fiber of my being. “I'll free you from your rock tomb now, but do not forget, I won’t be so forgiving if you fail me again.” “Thanks master.”

I shuddered, sensing a dark tide of pure chaos, despair and destruction washing over what once was a cavern, oozing from the smallest gap, seemingly permeating through the very fabric of reality, long cold smoky tongues slithering between the fallen rocks keeping me trapped. Before my eyes, heavy blocks of stone and small pebble alike began vibrating, pulsing with an ominous obscure glow casting a purplish light over my makeshift prison before vanishing, shattered by a crushing, invisible forced, reduced to the thinnest of dust, immediately swept away by the howling wind. Slowly I got up, rapidly checking the state of my equipment before heading out of the cavern, taking a deep breath of the fresh mountain air. For once I appreciated it, even savoring it, feeling as I hadn’t seen the outsides in eons. “Don't disappoint me this time watcher.” spoke the dark, deep, rumbling, menacing voice of my master, “I' will be watching you.” I didn’t respond and simply vanished, only leaving a trail of black smoke behind.


……………………………………………

Kyo


“Finally!” I exclaimed, relieved, those bags starting to feel really heavy, the cumbersome leather harness like an anchor dragging me down, digging in my very scales. But at last we had reached our destination, having made our way through the large, richly decorated avenues of the high city districts, past one large gate to enter the royal court, a veritable city within the city, clad in gold and wealth, reserved to only those with ties to the royal families or with enough money and connections to buy their way in. The gates were usually packed with people demanding an audience or trying to sneak in, luckily for us we were able to overcome this last obstacle thanks to the royal sigil on the scroll I was carrying, granting us both safe and quick passage. Now, we were standing in a large esplanade lined with tall trees, bushes, small rivulets of clear waters running along the marble floor, and richly ornamented statue forming the main entrance to the royal domain.

The palace was exactly as I remembered it, standing proudly in the center of the city, a towering, imposing mass of magnificent architecture dominating all other edifice, so much so that any visitor felt tiny and insignificant compared to the sheer proportions of the construction. Even though it was only the second tallest building of the entire city; this title belonging to the silver tower I could clearly see from my current position; this one was clearly the most humbling, awe and respect inspiring of them all, proof of the power its inhabitants held over the entire realm. I let my eyes wander over the high walls, craning my neck upward to see as much possible of the tall structure, marveling at the level of detail, the countless decoration, imagining the craftsmanship required to make this into a reality. The walls were made of the most perfectly chiseled and polished stones, their pearlescent whiteness almost blinding to look at when the sun was at its peak. The roofs and domes crowning each part of the building were made of pure gold, shimmering brightly in the light, putting the many decorations adorning each part of the building on a gorgeous display. Legends said it took over a century and countless workers to build the impressive metal and stone structure making up the main part of the palace, the multiple wings, dependencies and other additions taking dozens of years each to complete, some still under construction to this very day.

Glancing over my shoulder I spotted Allen, a few steps behind me, staring at the gigantic palace standing before him, jaws dropped in utter shock and amazement, his eyes bulged wide. I couldn’t hold an amused giggle, finding his awestruck expression quite funny, his amazement and curiosity seeping in our mental connection, along with a staggering numbers of questions. “They don’t have that kind of thing in your land.” I snorted mockingly. “I wouldn’t know, I’ve never left my village.” he calmly retorted, remaining surprisingly in character, avoiding direct eye contact and keeping responses short to not arouse suspicion. “Anyway, let’s go, the kings must be waiting for us.” Without a word we walked under the arches of the entrance, over a large bridge crossing one of the city’s main canals; past two tall, thick metal doors carved with gorgeous symbols before arriving in the inner court. Before us lied a paved road surrounded by a lush garden, bushes and small statues lining the path forward, hiding the entrances of many smaller winding alleys leading to many peculiar places worth exploring. In the center of this place, forming a crossroad of sorts stood a fountain spewing jets of clear waters in a large basin above which sat a gigantic golden statue representing a tall, proud and quite handsome dragon watching the visitors with his somewhat terrifying eyes, his ambiguous expression giving me chills of discomfort. At first it looks scary but when you change angle you’d see the proud beast watching toward the horizon with obvious determination, leaving me to wander who exactly and what was it supposed to represent?

Strolling past the statue, listening to the sound of water gurgling in the clear, translucent water of the pool we stepped foot inside the palace. We arrived in a large hall bathed in a clever mix of sunlight and glowing crystals, instantly attracting the full attention of the entire, quite diverse crowd waiting, wandering and chatting in the large, mostly empty space. Guards as well immediately noticed us, some suspicious, others intrigued but all of them remaining perfectly stoic, imperturbable, letting no emotion transpire. With just a flick of a tail one of them indicated to us to follow him, a group of four other taking up position around us, keeping the intrigued guests at a safe distance, most if not all of them stepping aside to let us pass. I could feel the weight of their gazes on my back as we went past them, quickly living the room, entering the longest corridor I had ever seen. We walked at a rapid pace in perfect silence; the deep, heavy, tensed quiet only disturbed the rhythmic clicking of claws on the slick floor, the guards having left us as soon as we had ventured in the corridor with but a single, clear gesture to go on ahead. Throwing quick, nervous looks around I spotted, precisely every five meters, two guards standing watch, dressed in full sets of armor, immobile like statue, barely moving or breathing, observing silently, waiting for something to happen, their presence, although reassuring only adding to my growing anxiety.

Finally we found ourselves in a small antechamber fitted with comfy looking sofas and seemingly delicious food, facing a door I only knew too well. I shivered in apprehension, my guts twisting violently, a large lump stuck in my throat, my mind ablaze with apprehension, imagining all kinds of scenario, from the best, happiest outcome possible, to the most awful ones that filled me with dread. What were they gonna say to me? This question stuck in my head while my gaze darted back and forth between the satchels weighing me down and Allen who was contemplating a nearby painting. The mere prospect of what would happen to both of us, to me if our connection was discovered made me tremble in horror, fear gripping my heart in its cold embrace. However, before I could find a solution to my predicament the doors cracked open with a muffed whine from their hinges; just enough for the kings’ advisor, a white dragon with piercing cobalt blue eyes. His icy cold, expressionless gaze immediately fell upon us, scanning both of us in turn for a long, nerve racking minute, showing no visible emotion until he saw Allen, frowning in surprise for a split second before regaining his composure.

“You are late.” he coldly let out, displeased, his words even colder than his eyes. “I know sir. I beg for your forgiveness.” I mumbled, bowing my snout respectfully, “I… ” “Don't care.” he snapped like a whip, “You will explain yourself before the kings. They have been expecting your return for a few days now, don’t keep them waiting any longer if you value your scales.” Without another word he spun around, opening the doors to their fullest, revealing the throne room in its full glory.

We took a few cautious steps on a red carpet, stepping in the eerily quiet room, the tension sharply rising with each step. The room was exactly like the rest of the palace if not more luxurious, a large hall several stories tall, ending on a vaulted ceiling with, all over it’s surface a gorgeous mosaic representing a starlit night sky. On either sides of us, among columns and alcoves, stood gorgeous statues, paintings and engravings representing past rulers, counting their heroic deeds from the foundation of the realm to the present days. The thick red carpet we followed was the entire length of the room, leading straight to a volley of steps where the two thrones stood, side by side, our kings sitting patiently on each of them, silently watching us as we got closer.

The left one was a quite good looking gold dragon, his tall, slender silhouette barely fitting in his seat, his long tail lazily hanging on the side, his thin, sharp ivory claws scratching the ancestral armrests. His amber eyes were homed straight at me, not moving away for a single second, my very scales feeling hotter the longer he looked at me. The right king was the complete opposite, tall, strong and muscular, covered in thick black scale plates, his jagged claws appearing sharp enough to slice me open with a bone-chilling ease. Unlike the other king he looked more like a battle-hardened warrior, always on edge, preparing for the next battle, ready to slay you at the first wrong move, yet a certain wisdom could be seen in the depth of his blood red eyes.

“My kings.” I shyly whispered before bending down until my snout touched the floor, slapping Allen in the back of the head, not too hard, just enough for him to end in the same position. “Kyo, at long last you have returned. We were waiting for you for some time now, in fact we feared you had forgotten our agreement.” said the first one with a strange bland of relief and frustration in his voice, “But I see in the end you were successful in your mission.” “Yes… forgive my delay; I had to lose the human armies and their puppets before I could come back. Nevertheless I succeeded and I brought you….” “Let us be the judge of that, bring them to us.” he ordered. I diligently obeyed and, with Allen's help removed each bag from the harness, depositing them at their feet before opening them wide, unveiling their priceless content before them.

“Well… everything we requested appears to be here, and in good conditions too.” Let out the golden one as he examined one of the eggs. “That's good work Kyo.” congratulated the second one, speaking up for the first time. “Thanks my kings it was an honor to accomplish this task for you.” I mumbled, relief blooming in my veins, quickly turning into a heart warming joy and hope. “But there is still a problem.” coldly dropped the first king, his sentence causing me to flinch and tense uncontrollably, the strict, emotionless tone making me fear the worst. “What?” I gasped, panicked, my heart and mind racing. “You should have been back two days ago.” he rumbled threateningly, his expression rapidly shifting, his amber eyes casting a suspicious look over me. “I… I k-know my kings… I… encountered troubles on my way back.” I stammered, anxious, cold droplets of sweat trickling down my spine. “We understood that, but what kind of troubles exactly?” enquired the second, leaning forward slightly. “They were... quicker to react than we expected.” I explained, pondering the weight of each word before speaking, “Their army gave chase and caught up with me on the last leg of my journey, a few miles away from the border. Fortunately I managed to escape after killing a few of them, including one of their dragon riders.” I ended, almost spitting the last few words, the thought of them filing me with disgust and hatred, despite my current predicament, “Sadly this fight took it’s toll on me and I had to hide for a few days to recuperate and heal my own wounds.” I ended, feeling the disapproving thoughts of Allen sneaking into my own mind. “This is great news Kyo, taking down one of them isn’t an easy fit, if you speak the truth it will be a humongous blow to their forces and moral.” congratulated the second king, looking suitably impressed.

“And what about this retched human that has been following you around?” questioned the first king, his attention and menacing gaze switching to Allen, he reeks of the stench of their kind.” “Him? I snatched him on the way back. Let’s say it’s a little souvenir.” “Interesting…” muttered the second king, scrutinizing Allen from head to toe, the ambient tension only increasing, the air becoming heavy, hard to breath, feeling like a thick, sticky goo. “But how can we be sure he will obey you and not be a threat to us?” asked the black one staring intensely at Allen, keeping direct eye contact. “What do you mean?” “What we are concerned about is, hot to be certain he won’t attempt anything and how to ensure he wouldn’t be able to give his kind any valuable information if he did manage to escape.” calmly let out the black king. “Be reassured, he is just a harmless little human, he won’t try anything foolish if he values his own skin. But if that would appease your concern, I will personally ensure escape isn’t a valid option.”

“We would be reassured if we could believe a word you spoke.” retorted the first king, traits twisted with disdain and disgust. “W-w-what? What… d-do you mean?” “Kyo… Kyo… do you think we are fools!” he spat angrily, a deep throaty rumble echoing in the silent throne room. “What? Of… of course not… I wouldn’t dare to…” I let out in a pitiful squeak, overtaken by sheer fear and panic. “Then why try to lie to us? Did you honestly think we wouldn’t notice the true extent of the connection you share with this lowly human, this… bond linking your souls?” he spat with repulsion, snarling in disgust at the both of us, “How dare you show yourself before us after committing such a despicable act? You disgrace to your own kind, you shameless betrayer of your own specie. You dare to pact with our enemies and still have the guts to come here and hope we wouldn’t notice. You will be executed for that, you… and your disgusting new friend….” he roared in boiling rage, his tail loudly smashing into the floor behind his throne, the sound it made rattling every fiber of my being. Horror washed over me, my heart missing a beat, my hopes crumbling like a house of cards, my worst nightmares becoming a reality right before my eyes. However, despite the sorrow and dread crawling over my scales, I couldn’t stand by and let that happen without defending myself, I had to if I wanted to see them again….

 “Please… please your majesties I beg you to hear me out before passing judgment upon me. I know fully well the consequences of my actions, I know what it meant to do it… and I know I brought this burden upon myself… but I had no choice.” “Your pathetic excuses won’t save you. Your fate was decided the instant you forged this disgusting alliance with them so save your breath.” Hissed the golden king, lips pulled back, unveiling rows of razor sharp fangs. “Hold on brother, I am indeed curious to hear how things truly unfolded.” interrupted the other, looking more intrigued than angry. “Why bother? As far as we know he could be a spy sent back to us to gather information for his new masters. His words have lost all their meaning the instant he performed this vile act.” “I wouldn’t be so sure, to me this human doesn’t look like a soldier of any kind, even if they were wearing an elaborate disguise. To me… he looks more like a farmer or something similar.” “In that case… tell us the truth Kyo but you’d better convincing. My brother is willing to give you the benefit of the doubt… but I won’t be so forgiving.”

“O-of… of course your highness…” I muttered, barely containing my relief, my mind already racing, recollecting all the events of the past few days, wondering how much I could tell. After a long, tensed minute during which each second felt like an eternity, I took a deep breath and spoke. “I can guarantee you that most of my story was true… until… my fight with one of their riders…” “I knew this was too good to be true…” grunted the second king, not hiding his disappointment. “No… I truly beat him in a fair fight, but… as said before… I was also wounded during the battle. I managed to find a cave in which I hid everything I was carrying before an entire squad of them attacked me. Despite my best efforts I stood no chance against them with my injuries. Thus I was captured and brought back to a nearby village where… I… stumbled upon him.” I continued, gesturing toward Allen. “Your assumption was right your majesty, he is no soldier, only the son of an old farmer yearning for adventure; and in my position back then… it was… the best and only solution to… bind myself to him. From there we were able to fly away without raising any suspicion. Still I know what I did was a shameful act guided by weakness and fear yet it was my only option. I… beg… for your mercy… and forgiveness for having withheld this information from you.”

“Hmmm this is an interesting turn of event…” murmured the second king, “and a surprisingly clever way to get on their good side.” “I must say… I’m impressed…” reluctantly grumbled the first king, “However, an important question remains to be answered. Is he going to be a threat to us?” “No… he… he is too stupid to be a danger, he doesn’t know a thing about the world outside of his village.” “How can we be sure?” “I have been around him long enough to know he won’t do anything. Beside, his people don’t seem to particularly appreciate the empire.” “I guess he could be a valuable asset to us… as much as you have proven yourself so far…” rumbled the first king, the other only nodding thoughtfully. “My loyalty to the realm and to our people hasn’t changed nor faltered, my goal was and still is to complete the task that was given to me.” “I suppose we could overlook the… unfortunate event you encountered during your trip.” sighed the golden dragon right, “And since your brought us back everything we requested as promised I think we can forget any doubt regarding your loyalty.” approved the black dragon. “Unfortunately, with what happened, we cannot put our trust in you anymore.” “B-b-but… why…” “You did well Kyo, there is no denying that. However, the fact you compromised the safety of the country by bringing him here and tried to hide the true reason of his presence leaves us no choice. It is a shame really… for you but we won't be able to give you what we promised.”

“You mean… you won't respect your end of the bargain!” I roared, rage and frustration boiling in my veins, my claws tearing through the thick carpet beneath me, my tail swishing from side to side, every muscles in my body tensing, my lips trembling and twitching in utter anger, “I risked my life to bring you everything you demanded and you…” I exploded, unable to contain the maelstrom of pure rage and despair brewing inside me. “Not exactly;” replied the golden dragon, undisturbed, his voice really starting to get on my nerves, “We will hold our end of the bargain, but we won't give you what you were promised now. First we will have to run a thorough investigation on you to confirm for certain you haven’t betrayed us. Then… we might call upon you for new tasks

 And… if you give us satisfaction we will grant you your demands.” “This is unfair! I did everything you asked of me, I never protested, never questioned any of your words, I risked my scales to get you what you wanted and this is how you reward me!” I shouted, rage drumming in my veins, a familiar heat rising in my throat, the familiar burning caress of growing flames filling my maw.

“Hey you, yes you, the two dickheads sitting around doing nothing but blow air!” shouted Allen, speaking up for the first time since we had entered, the sound of his determination-imbued voice taking me by surprise. Awestruck I remained paralyzed, speechless, staring blankly as he walked closer, the fiery ball of flames growing in my maw dissipating. “What did… you… call… us you impudent child!” roared the first king, trying his hardest to remain calm, bolts of electricity bursting from his tightly sealed maw. “You heard me right the first time.” “How… dare you insult us, you insignificant insect! You will bitterly regret every word you dared to speak!” “I’d be more worried if you actually respected any promise you made.” snorted Allen, undeterred, his fearless determination coming as a shock to me, leaving me utterly astonished. “You won’t be so talkative when you will be burning alive and trust me… this one I’ll personally make sure it is carried out slowly… and painfully. So if you value your life and your new… friend you will stay in your place and learn to keep that big mouth of yours shut.” “So far I only see empty threats, you simply sit here and order those around you to do your biddings but you don’t have the slightest idea of what Kyo and I have been through to bring you those darn things and you expect he’d continue working for you now?” “Silence, if we had wanted the opinion of a human we would have asked for it!” grunted the golden kin, dismissing Allen. “Alright, let me make my self clearer then…” sighed Allen, “You don't want to give him what he earned then you won’t get anything either.”

I froze, a surprised gasp bursting from my gaping jaws, my eyes bulging wide while my heart leaped into my chest. In Allens hand a small yet menacing gun had materialized, the surprisingly large canon pointed at the kings. Question swirled in my blanking mind, my body unable to move even though my instincts were screaming at me to do something, anything. But I couldn’t move a muscle, paralyzed, paws glued to the ground, only able to watch and question where he had gotten such a weapon and how he had managed to hide it until now. The kings seemed as surprised as me, the golden one suddenly backing away while the other tensed, ready to strike back. I was only a spectator to the scene, feeling the tension skyrocketing with each agonizingly long second, deep rumbling growls echoing in the empty room, slow, measured breathing and claws racking against the slick floor intertwining, the two large dragon towering over the unafraid human defiantly standing before them, gun in hand, finger on the trigger, taking aim. “No… don't….”

Too late, with a loud, deafening detonation a small bullet burst from the canon landing in the wall between the two kings, missing both of them. I breathed a sigh of relief, dreading what would have happened if either of them had been hit. “I think your aim needs some practice young man.” Chuckled the black dragon, his traits twisting in a devilish grimace, the most terrifying smile I had ever seen drawing on his lips. “But you won’t get that chance.” added the other one, the same bone-chilling expression materializing on his face. Suddenly a loud metallic click reached everyone’s ears, coming from behind them, their attention immediately shifting to the small shiny cylinder sticking out of the richly ornamented wall. From the point of impact a thick black smoke erupted, dense, acrid; shrouding half of the room in an obscure, impenetrable veil in mere seconds, leaving the kings and me gasping, coughing and disoriented. “Kyo!” scrammed Allen, appearing next to me, covering his mouth and nose to protect himself from the suffocating puffs of smoke rolling toward us. His words and the sense of hurry in his tone snapped me out of my stupor, sending an electrical shock down my spine. Still shaken and confused I walked to the bags and, with Allen’s help, quickly attached them all to the harness, his speed and dexterity impressing me.

“Guards!” roared a furious voice. “Stop these thieves.” shouted a second, the smoke already beginning to clear, allowing us to make out the shape of the two dragons. We rushed out of the room, past a puzzled advisor and into the corridor where all the guards had jumped into action, blocking our way forward. Nevertheless we charged ahead, racing toward the first two soldiers standing in our way, their heavy armors and razor sharp talons leaving little hope for a positive outcome for us. The heavy satchels strapped all over my backs and flanks hindered my movements, making it difficult to fight in this somewhat narrow space. The two closest guards suddenly leaped into action, lashing out with all claws and fangs, rushing in our direction at an impossible speed, fire already blazing in their parted maws. Before I could do a thing one of them twitched and collapsed on the ground, crying out in agony, a small hilt protruding from one of his eyes, vermillion blood gushing out of the open wound, the metallic stench tickling my nostrils. The second one, bewildered slowed down, distracted for a split second, leaving himself open to an attack as I slammed head on into him, roughly shoving him into a wall, his heavy, cumbersome armor keeping him pinned down. Allen, when we passed the first whimpering and squirming guard snatched his dagger back, the sharp blade dripping with fresh blood.

“You cannot escape!” roared a deep terrifying voice coming from behind us, echoing throughout the entire length of this endless-looking hallway. I was scared, in shock; unable to believe what was happening, it felt like a dream, or rather a nightmare from which one couldn’t escape. My heart was pounding in my chest, my breathing shallow and irregular, my vision becoming a blur of colors and undefined shapes, the corridor seeming to stretch longer each time we closed in on its end. Yet we kept running, never slowing down for even an instant, knowing it would spell our doom, plowing our ways through one guard after the other, Allen’s blade and pistol always finding a way to incapacitate at least one of them while my claws, fangs, horns and fire kept the others at bay. Nevertheless, we couldn’t find them all, dodging those we couldn’t handle, feeling them giving chase, closing the gap between us despite their heavy gears.

My senses were on high alert, urging me to go on, warning me of the impending danger right on my tail, fear like never before crawling over me, keeping me going despite the heavy weight I was carrying.

I threw a quick glance over my shoulders, only to nearly trip and fall to the ground, eyes widening in horror, a cry of pure horror remaining forever stuck in my throat. What I discovered was frightening, the bone-chilling picture displayed before me engraved itself into my mind for eternity. The nightmarish vision I had witnessed could only have spawned from the most twisted and tormented mind, however… deep inside I knew it was the undeniable truth. All the guards which, moments ago were proud dragons dressed in their gold decorated armor had now become what could only be described as beasts. Their bodies had horribly mutated, their form twisting, shifting as they ran after us, their claws elongating, sharpening, new deadly, jagged fangs spurting from their maw, a dark, gooey saliva dripping along their chins, their shiny, shimmering, colorful scales turned into slick, inky blackness, rows of awe-inspiring spikes jutting from their backs and shoulder, reaching to the very end of their tails, their eyes perfectly white, devoid of irises and emotion, radiating a vile, dark glow, only animated by one thought, one goal, to tear them apart. To my own horror I realized the changes weren’t only visual, they appeared stronger, faster, more agile than before, quickly catching up with us, driven by a seemingly unstoppable force, their blank eyes enlightened by a burning desire to tear us apart. It finally dawned on me why they said we couldn't escape, the pack of guards only, the previously disoriented or wounded guards recovering in the blink of an eye and joining their ranks. Before us the same scene happening, the same terrifying creature blocking the way, their numbers far less impressive compared to those behind us, yet their appearance was more than enough to dissuade any attempt of breaching their lines. Our options were vanishing one after the other, leaving us with nowhere to hide or to run except in the jaws of death itself.

Suddenly, as despair and sorrow took a hold of me I felt something unknown awake within me, rising, building up at an alarming rate, an unstoppable tide of energy inundating my veins. It was like a wave… a storm, no, a roaring hurricane of pure darkness. I gasped, staggered forward by the violent surge, unable to breath, the obscure flow like choking me, drowning me in it’s impenetrable darkness. It poured in my veins, filled every inch of my body with a new unimaginable strength, yet, the more it spread, the more I felt like I was sinking in it, drowning in this ocean of darkness, pulled under the surface by an invisible, inescapable presence. I tried to resist with all my might however my attempts remained futile, I couldn’t hold it back, it was too strong, too powerful, on the brink of overpowering me completely, my vision darkening, shrouded in shadows the world around me spinning, my head throbbing painfully. But suddenly, as unexpectedly as it had begun, everything stopped, the ravenous flood halting, subsiding even, leaving me with all this uncontrolled, boiling energy to deal with, pounding in my veins, radiating with all this inviting, tempting, prime evil power. Nevertheless I didn’t know what to do with it, or how to cope with its alluring temptation, the raw power coursing through me seeking a way out, whispering honeyed words into my ears, inviting me to let go, to give in and abandon myself to this new power, my struggles leaving me suffocating gasping for breath, exhausted.

It was only at this moment, on the verge of succumbing to the darkness, carried away by the relentless tide that I noticed him, watching me from a distance, seemingly oblivious to the boiling obscurity, or rather unbothered by it, appearing at home in its vile embrace. His presence sent cold chills down my spine, so close to me I could almost touch him if I dared to extend paw, but at the same time he seemed so far away. He looked somewhat amused by my desperate struggles to remain in control, finding that quite entertaining, appearing curious to see how I would get out of this predicament all the while playing with small strands of liquid, gooey shadows. I was both astonished and petrified, for the first time he was more than a dark, ominous presence lurking in the depth of my mind, it’s constant threat looming over me; for the first time I could ‘see’ him, even if there wasn’t not much to see, his form appearing blurry, foggy, his outline constantly shifting, with only his burning, crimson red eyes clearly visible, scrutinizing my very soul with their scorching gaze. I couldn’t help but stare back at him, straight into those two glowing orbs, my very being seemingly melting away the longer I withstood his infernal stare. I was equally terrified and intrigued, wondering what he was up to, puzzled by the fact he hadn’t even tried taking over yet, as if… as if he was… lending me his power.

Then, out of nowhere and everywhere at the same time his deep dark voice rose, echoing endlessly in my head, rumbling like an earthquake, shaking my mind to its core. “Why are you fighting me? I'm trying to help you.” He grunted frustratingly. “G-g-get out of… m-my h-head.” I whimper in a low scared voice, trying with all my might to stop the flow of darkness coursing through me, suddenly doubling in intensity. “Stop resisting, you’re only making it worse…” he grumbled, ignoring my plea, “Don’t fear it… you can control it, you have already it before.” “I… can't… it's… too much. Please stop.” I beg, desperately fighting the ruthless torrents washing over me. “No,” he firmly rumbled, unflinching, his clear, sharp, determined tone leaving no room for discussion. “But… how?” I muttered, lost for word, slowly but surely giving in.  “Breath slowly…, calm down and above all, stop resisting and you will see.” he explained in a surprisingly calm, gentle, almost caring tone contrasting with his bone-chilling appearance.

Perplexed, and without any option left I obeyed, terrified at the mere idea of being overpowered by the raging tide of darkness. Yet despite the fear and obscurity crawling over my scales I followed his advice, taking slow, deep, breathes, finding relaxing thoughts to appease my panicked brain, feeling myself be carried away by the furious flows, sinking below the surface, swallowed into the shadowy depth. However, instead of fading away in the pitch-darkness, I find myself rising up again, emerging to the sight of what looked like a calm, quiet lake of raw energy. It was so strange, so unexpected, so unbelievable that for a time I wondered if I wasn’t hallucinating. Amazingly it even reacted to the slightest motion, the simplest thought, complying with my every command, leaving me speechless and confused, questioning how this was even possible, watching the dark energy swirled, rose and fell, forming into everything I desired.

However, I had no time to marvel at the new discovery, reality calling back to me, the dire situation reminding itself to me as I was roughly yanked out of my reveries. Breathless, disoriented and confused I threw a quick look around We are still in the same endless-looking corridor, the same hoard of guards still giving chase, not even thinking about giving up. However, I immediately noticed something has changed, the world around me familiar yet so different at the same time. My vision has changed, showing me an unknown image of my surroundings, everything appearing in varying shades of blue, ranging from a bright light blue to darker tones close to black, the rest seeming foggy and blurry, vanishing in a gray abyss. Walls and furniture were radiating a faint glow while long blue lines slithered in all directions across the floor, forming a tangled mess in which it was hard to find any logic. Allen has also changed, his form reduced to its very outlines, shining bright like a beacon of pure, pearlescent light, leaving behind a whitish trail.

Behind us however I only saw a dense, impenetrable wall of obscurity, twisted, shadowy forms emerging from this spreading darkness, moving fast in our direction, pulsing with an intense purple-black aura. “Do you see now?” he asked, his cold, distant tone even more terrifying than the things chasing after us, sounding as if… as if he was fully aware of all of it. “What… what’s… this…” I stammered, scared to the bone. “The truth.” he coldly stated, “You are seeing a glimpse of the reality behind this kingdom, the secret they hid from you, from all the inhabitants of this city… and even… to the entire country.” “It… it can't be… how… how is this… even possible? How did nobody ever… see this?” I squeaked, struck by the awful realization. “There is so much you don't know, but now is not the time for a lengthy explanation.” “Agreed… but what can I do now?” I gasped, stepping aside just in time to avoid a powerful blast of energy, the obscure ray impacting a statue instead, obliterating it into a million fragments of scorched stone. “You know this answer.” my heart skipped a beat at the mere idea of what he implied, my guts twisting violently, a wave of repulsion and horror washing over me, my mind torn apart by the decision I now had to make. “I can't… kill them.” “Kyo look at them.” he sighed, “You see what they are, what they have become, only corrupted and twisted creatures, mere obedient puppets.” “But they are still dragon.” I protested, their old appearance flashing before my eyes. “They lost their own true nature long ago. What you saw was only a disguise, a trickery. But underneath they are demons, beasts only driven by a burning lust for blood and power, devoid of any emotion or remorse, blindly following the command of their master, only seeking to satisfy him.”

I was horrified, but deep inside I knew he was right, there was no other way to end this, there was no hope of reasoning with them, nor was there any chance of escaping the palace unharmed. There was no other choice, we couldn’t just run and hope for the best, we had to fight back. I had so much energy inside me, pounding with an ever-growing vigor, boiling impatiently in every fiber of my being, now was the time to put it to good use. Cautiously I channeled it, at first only a small amount, feeling it flow into my veins, both freezing cold and blazingly hot at the same time, filling me with both dread and amazement, astonished at how easy it was, how well it reacted, like it had always been my own to master. With each passing second the stream grew, from a mere trickle to a river of pure, liquid darkness flowing in my veins, pulsing with an unfathomable amount of energy. To my own surprise I found myself thrilled the raw power coursing through me, gathering into my maw, forming a ball of pure energy, pounding rhythmically, radiating a dark glow as it grew, my jaws parting wider and wider.

Suddenly, twisting my neck around, I took aim, seeing for a brief instant the flood of twisted, deformed and corrupted forms running after us and, without any second thought shot. The large, dark projectile burst from my maw, glowing and sparking raw energy, slicing through the air, landing right in front of them. For a split second nothing happened, the first group of former guards simply running past it, the devious, evil grin plastered across their faces mocking me, amused by my failure. Brutally the light radiating from the orb intensified, becoming a blinding flash, a loud, ear-splitting deflagration filling the silence, silencing loud, panicked cries of pain and agony, a powerful shockwave washing over us in a mere second, almost kicking us of our feet, making the entire structure around us quake violently, so much in fact small debris rained down on us. But I couldn’t care less, staring at what was unfolding behind us, unable to peel my gaze away. In front of my amazed eyes all the guards had disappeared most of them scattered to the wind, reduced to burnt and blackened scraps, the rest laying dead, horribly disfigured and dismembered, torn off body parts resting in puddles of blood, all of them scorched beyond recognition, their twisted, molten traits frozen on an expression of utter suffering and fear. Dense smoke billowed from the point of impact, quickly enveloping the whole scene, the acrid stench intertwining with the gut-wrenching fragrance of burnet flesh and scales.

There wasn’t time to stop and watch however, the smoke and chaos offering us a perfect opportunity to escape in the confusion. We kept running, going as fast as we could, finally emerging from the hallway, panting and coughing from the corrosive smoke rolling in behind us, entering the crowded hall, countless wondering gazes immediately falling upon us.

Panicked screams and shouts of fire were already reverberating in our wake by the time we reached the exit, rushing through the widely opened gate without encountering the slightest resistance. By reflex, without even thinking, I spun around, skidding to a stop on the slick floor, spewing flame on the tall wooden doors, inky black flames immediately taking hold, quickly spreading, ravenous, unstoppable, engulfing the whole entrance in a mere instant. The confusion only spiraled even further, cries of panic and horror filling the silence, dragons rushing toward the raging inferno, allowing us to escape the inner court unnoticed. We leap out of the main, gate, not even stopping to catch our breath, immediately heading as far as possible from the palace, crossing the large, now crowded boulevards of the high district, tall pillars of smoke rising high in the skies, attracting all the attention. We snuck past the gate, the stunned guards barely paying us any attention, too shocked by the sight of the raging fire to even care about us, quickly vanishing into the maze of narrow streets and dark alleyways of the lower district.


……………………………………………

Watcher:


“Explain me how they managed to escape!” I roared in anger, fists balled, teeth gritted, boiling with anger. “They took us by surprise Watcher.” stammered one, shamefully bowing his head down. “They are more powerful and resourceful than we thought.” confirmed the second. “For me it seems your incompetence is the only cause of this royal fiasco!” “We failed Watcher, we were ill prepared and paid the price dearly for our recklessness. We now… hope for our lord’s mercy.” “He will be the judge of that; I have more important things to do… like fixing your mess.” I spat, turning around and leaving the room, kicking a piece of debris on the way out.

Damn had everyone decided to be absurdly useless and stupid today? I had easily found the cave in which they slept, Kaos’s aura so prominent, so strong, the trail it left behind so noticeable I had no trouble following it. From there I had reached the city in a split second, only to find it overtaken by chaos and confusion. The tall columns of thick black smoke towering over the city center and countless dragons running around like headless chickens were the only confirmation I needed to know they were here. However my hopes quickly fell apart when I entered the palace to learn they were here, or rather had gone through here. Yet, the worst part was hearing they had been allowed to enter and move freely within the city when the guards had received clear instructions to escort them wherever they went, allowing them to slip away when the chaos started. The plan, once again had fallen apart completely, the scene of utter devastation, reminiscent of a battlefield I found myself standing serving as a painful reminder of how badly things had gone. Around me there was only death and destruction, the hallway devastated, a large crater cutting the corridor in half, the cracked walls and ceiling looking on the verge of collapsing, scorched marks and bodies covering the ground, dipping in rivers of coagulating blood, plumes smoke still rising from the smoldering ruins of the gate. In other circumstances I would have savored this moment but now wasn’t the time to take in this delightful destruction. Was I the only one trying to work properly here? Well at least their advance had shrunken quite significantly and, despite the recent mess they had caused I could still track them now, thanks to the trail they unknowingly left behind. The only thing I had to do, and I really loved doing it, was hunting them… and, even in such a big city, it wouldn’t be hard to find them.


……………………………………………….


Allen:


“Where are we?” I finally dare to ask, glancing around nervously, not recognizing any of the buildings around us, unable to decipher the draconic runes scribbled around everywhere. We had been running for so long my legs felt numb, my body spent, my lungs on fire, and, although we had slowed down, walking, slaloming in the packed streets Kyo didn’t seem eager to stop at any moment. “I don't know.” he grumbled under his breath. “You mean we are lost!” “No! Just… give me a second.” he sighed, halting for the first time, taking a long circular look around. “So?” “I… don't know this part of the city.” he reluctantly admitted.  “God damn it… how are we supposed to escape if we don’t even know where we are?” “Shut up.” only hissed Kyo, throwing me a menacing glare. “What?” “Shut the fuck up!” roared Kyo. “Why?” “Just be quiet for more than a minute ok., I can’t focus if you keep bothering me.” “Ok… ok, no need to be upset.”

With only a grunt he resumed walking, faster this time, forcing me to run after him to keep up with him. I quickly noticed something wasn’t right, he was constantly glancing over his shoulder, slithering in the tightly packed crowd, taking sudden, unexpected turns seemingly at random, going from street to street without knowing where he was going, sometime even entering an alley only to back out, discovering a dead end.

“Kyo stop!” I screamed from the top of my lungs, panting. He obeyed with a few growls of annoyance and frustration, slowly turning around to face me. “Why are you running like this if you don’t know this place, where are you even going?” I ask between quick; shallow breathes. “Far.” he coldly snarls. “Far from what?” “From you!” he barked in a burning hatred. “What?” “You heard me right, don’t force me to repeat myself. Since I met you, everything has been going wrong, my mission is a total failure, the entire city wants my head and I have nowhere left to go, all of that thanks to you!” “Are you sure it’s my fault!” I retorted, fists clenched, anger boiling in my veins. “Yes, I’m certain of it” “Wrong. Without me you'll either be enslaved or dead.” “Without you all would have gone much more smoothly, I would have dropped all this crap days ago, and now, instead of running away from half the kingdom I’d be enjoying a nice, relaxing day home in much better company!” he roared, unleashing all his held back rage and frustration, his voice breaking on the last few words. “No, stop lying to yourself, we both know it’s not true.” “Shut up. You know nothing.” He growled, baring his teeth, claws noisily dragging along the pavement. “Without me Kyo you would have been trapped, or even killed minutes ago. Heck, you wouldn’t even have made it out of that cave!” I roared, taking a step forward, staring defiantly at him.

Kyo flinched, his angry expression twitching slightly as he took a step back, grumbling incomprehensible words under his breath. “Fine I’ll give you that… perhaps… you helped me back then… but now thanks to you I have all the fucking city running after me.” “After us.” “They don't care about you, you are just another insignificant human to them, a mere insect like the rest of your kind.” “I'm as much a threat to them as you are, I attacked them remember, I a citizen of the Imperium!” “I don’t even get why you did that in the first place!” shouted Kyo, claws curling, a deep rumble vibrating in his throat, “What was even the point of angering them? If you… if you had just shut your mouth and behaved like I asked you to it would have worked out.” “That’s what you think, but if you had paid more attention to your surrounding you’d have seen the trap you were walking into. But no, you were too busy bowing down to them to spot a thing. If I hadn’t been there, you would have been captured… or worse.” “You pathetic human… always thinking yourself so mighty… so above everything else, I would have been fine without your intervention and even if it was all a set up, I could have defended myself!” “Do you realize you are doing exactly the thing you are criticizing humans for?” “Just shut up… I’m in no mood to argue with you, even less after that little stunt you pulled.” snarled Kyo, lips twitching angrily, yet still in some way holding back. “No Kyo, this won’t end like this, you can’t shrug it off and order me around like your pet whenever you are upset. I'm not gonna stay silent any longer Kyo so, if you have something to say, do it now.” “I won't waste my time talking to you. Just go away, go back to the retched shithole that gave you birth and leave me alone.” he roared, his words like a powerful electrical shock. “What's wrong with you Kyo?” I sighed, shaking my head in disbelief. “Just leave me be… and get lost.” He growled before walking away.

I stood there, speechless, watching with wide, shocked eyes as he sank into the crowd, leaving me alone, standing in the middle of an unknown street, in an unfamiliar city. He really was a tough nut to crack, his strange behavior leaving me puzzled, dumbstruck. Didn’t he understand I was trying to help? Did he refuse to see I just saved his big scaly ass? I tried to run after him, but the walls of scales and claws separating us kept me at bay, allowing him to vanish, swallowed by the crowd, his form indistinguishable in the colorful see of dragons. Nevertheless I pressed on, making my way through the crowd, sneaking underneath them unnoticed, narrowly avoiding getting crushed on countless occasions. I went from one street to the other in hope of finding him, but my search was in vain, only leading me to the bags, tucked away in a dark corner of a secluded passage. Inside I found the explosives, the weapons the pieces of armor, the countless riches and what I first thought were only strangely curved and bent  plates made of a dark metal. However, after a few minutes of examination I realized they were in reality elements of a complete set of armor designed for a dragon. “Damn it's quite light for an armor.” I whistled as I lifted a large plate out of the bag, admiring the work of the blacksmith who had designed it, wondering who and where it came from.

Yet I could immediately tell that two of the bags were missing, and those contained the eggs, a part of me reassured that Kyo at least kept them with him, lighting a spark of hope that he was nearby. “Well how am I gonna find him now?” I whispered, looking in all directions, praying to find the smallest sign of his presence. “And what am I supposed to do with these fucking bags? God damn it Kyo I freaking hate you!” I cursed under my breath, desperately scratching my head. “Do you have a problem comrade?” asked an unknown voice carrying a surprising, foreign accent I had never heard before. Surprised I staggered back, eyes darting around until I spotted a man near to me leaning against a wall. In my startled state it took me some time to realize he was talking to me. “Do you have a problem with those bags?” he enquired politely, casually getting closer. “Yeah a big one.” I let out, both relieved and anxious, “Ky… I mean my d… my master just ditched me here with all this shit to carry to his home.” “He seems to be quite an asshole.” he chuckled with an understanding smile. “I can only agree.” “Do you want some help to carry everything? I mean… it’s gonna take you whole day otherwise.” “It's kind of you but I don't think we will go far with only the two of us.” “Who said I was alone.”

With a malicious expression he turned around and shouted something in a language unknown to me.

The next instant ten other guys came out of a nearby street, quickly running to meet us. I tensed, fearing the worst, a hand wrapped around the stock of the pistol buried in my pocket, ready to pull it out at any moment. Fortunately, nothing happened, the ten guys quickly saluting before the first one took them aside, quickly explaining the situation in the same weird language before asking me: “Where does he live?” That was a good question, one to which I didn’t have the answer, not even a single clue, unless…. Suddenly it came back to me, I knew it, or rather I had seen it thanks to an old memory, barely a thought that somehow had slipped into the bond. Back then I hadn’t given it much thought, storing it in a corner of my brain, but it would finally be useful, that is… if I remembered it properly. For a long, drawn out minute I scratched my head, digging in my memories in search for that one information, going deeper and deeper without finding anything useful, growing desperate until, at long last I found it. But the instant I gave them the address their faces became pale and grim, grimaces twisting their traits as their gazes wandered over the pile of large, heavy bags next to me.    

“Man… it's in the other side of the city.” let out one, whipping heavy globes of sweat from his forehead. “Yeah… it’ll be quite a long walk there, especially with all that stuff to move.” added another. “It’s probably gonna take us the entire day, especially with the guards on high alert.” Grumbled a third one. “Don't worry guys.” Let out the guy with this strange accent in an appeasing tone, not appearing concerned the slightest, “We'll use the subways.” I was surprised, unsure of what they were talking about, nor what they meant exactly by subway. I had no time to ask any of the many questions burning my lips, the group already getting to work, organizing to carry the heavy satchels by hand, lifting or dragging them outside into the crowded street. I followed them, curious to see where they were headed, providing all the help I could.

Slowly, carefully we moved each bag through a couple of streets, dodging large paws and long swishing tails along the way, struggling under the heavy burden of the large cargo we were carrying until we reached a strange door standing at the end of a narrow alley. Scanning my surrounding I didn’t see anything suspicious, to be honest, I didn’t see much at all. There was nothing but tall walls and windows, some trash scattered about, and that unusual metallic door over which stood a bronze plaque which read, "Subway, line C". “What is this place?” I shyly asked, nervous to voice my concerns out loud, not feeling any sense of danger, yet not reassured either. “You don't know the subway?” “No… I'm pretty new here.” I admitted, a crimson blush spreading over my cheeks. “I knew I had never seen you around here.” exclaimed the first guy I had talked to, “Don’t worry I’ll explain everything to you.” he continued in an understanding tone, “The city was built a long time ago atop a hill. It has changed and grown a lot since but some of the older parts are still there. You see, long ago there was an… underground part. I don’t know what it was used for exactly but I can tell you that beneath our feet there is a huge maze of tunnels, rooms and accesses to the surface. Back then it was common knowledge, but people forgot when the city grew and the old system wasn’t needed any longer. Big parts of it were filled in, other collapsed or flooded, but some still exist to this day. They were reinforced, modified, rails and lights were installed until a real network was formed. Now we use them for fast merchandize transport from one side of the city to the other without needing to use the streets.” he explained before pulling a lever next to the door. With a loud metallic clacking it unlocked the metal plate sliding upward, the sound of clicking chains echoing through the quiet street. “I see.” I murmured, impressed and intrigued as we entered, stepping in a large square room lit by a lone yellowish, flickering crystal embedded in the roof, casting long shadows over the walls, “Wait… It's a dead end!” I gasped, spinning around to witness them pulling all the bags inside. “Not exactly.” giggles the first man, pulling a second lever, bringing the door down in a bone-chilling symphony of metal whining and clicking.

A deep silence fell upon the group, a cold gust of air washing over us despite the tightly sealed space in which we were standing, my heart drumming in my chest, panic shooting in my veins, my hand tightening its grip around the gun in my pocket. The others didn’t seem to mind though, one of them, the closest to the wall, casually reaching out, pressing a big metal button. The floor shook violently beneath my feet, sinking a few inches down, startling me, but I quickly figured out we were slowly descending. Soon the high walls around us disappeared, revealing tall, thick, sturdy steel chains running all the way from the floor to the ceiling, the platform we were standing on suspended to them, swaying slightly on its way down. After long minutes of waiting on this platform listening to the clicking and wincing of the complex machinery around us we finally stopped, arriving at what seemed to be the bottom of the elevator shaft. We were now at the very end of a long cavern, the placing looking like it had been there for ages, bearing the mark of time, the walls and ceiling bare while the ground was made of old, once colored tiles. The walls were lined with old, tired crystals of another time, radiating a feable, flickering orangish glow, somehow managing to illuminate our way forward. Not losing a single second, the men exited the elevator, pulling out bag after bag, ready to continue, leaving me no time to get analyze this new, unknown environment, only catching a familiar scent of grease, rust, dust and humidity.

Our progress was slow, made even more arduous by the uneven ground and sometime lacking light, but at last we arrived on what looked like a small, barren train station. It was very simple, two platforms with a few benches scattered around, a large map with the different lines highlighted nailed to a, old, worn out board, an equal number of train tracks running parallel to each other, vanishing both ways into the dark depth of a tunnel over which hanged a sign indicating the direction each track led to. Before us, on the nearest track stood a few ageless railcars strapped to a strange contraption, even though repurposed mine carts would have be more accurate, some half rusted through. The other didn’t let that bother them, beginning to load the heavy bags straight away, piling them up and securing them in the carts, leaving the front one for us to ride in. A quick inspection later and we hoped in, trying to make ourselves as comfortable as possible for the trip while one of the men got closer to the strange machinery attached to the front of our makeshift train, tinkering with it for a minute, cursing inaudible words under his breath until, in a cloud of thick smoke and dust the machine roared to life. Shouts and cheers burst in that same unknown language as the brakes were released, the makeshift train leaving the station in a cascade of sparks and an ear-splitting wincing, entering the darkened tunnel, the deafening cannonade of the engine making it impossible to hear anything.

It took us around ten minutes to reach our destination after several track changes, coming to a relieving stop on a similar platform to the previous one, the engine finally shut down to the delight of my ears. Within minutes we were back to the surface, emerging from another elevator, this time opening at the corner of a surprisingly quiet intersection. At just a quick glance I could tell it was a quiet residential neighborhood, houses and small buildings extending as far as my eyes could see, this place emanating an unusual but pleasing peace and quiet, looking like a perfect place to settle down. A few minutes later we were standing in front of a small, inconspicuous house, resembling all the others in every ways except that it was completely dark inside, showing no trace of a life or presence inside.

“He must not be back.” I supposed, trying to look natural even though I was worried sick, hoping he was indeed there. “Well man it was a pleasure helping you but now we have to go. I hope it goes well with your master.” “Thank you guys… I… wouldn’t have done it without you.” I mumbled in gratitude. “Our pleasure to help.” politely replied the leader of the group. “Hold on a sec I have something for you.” “No, don’t worry, there’s no need, we weren’t doing this for the money.” he protested, visibly embarrassed. “I know, but it would be rude of me to not thank you for your invaluable help. Without you, I’d still be stuck on the other side of the city.” Before he could protest I turned around, opening one of the bag, rummaging through its content before taking out ten beautiful, gorgeous, shiny gems. Their eyes open wide in shock, the entire group taking a step back in disbelief, staring at me as if I had just offered the world to them. “It's too much we can't….” “It's my pleasure to offer them to you.” “But… it’s your master’s… belongings… if he ever finds out… we’d all be in big troubles, especially you.” “Trust me, I know him, he won’t even notice they are gone.” After some vigorous protests they accepted the gift, the conversation continuing for some more time before we parted way. I stood there watching, waving at them while they walked away, waiting until they were out of sight before turning around, laying my eyes on the house.

But, for some reason, the longer I stared at it, the more I felt something wasn’t right, my guts telling me to be careful, my eyes quickly going from one window to the other, looking for anything out of place. And then… I found it, so obvious I wondered how I hadn’t noticed it sooner, hidden in plain view as some would call it: the door was slightly opened. Moreover, it wasn’t like it had been left open by inadvertence, something was clearly off, as if… it had been forced open. Reaffirming my grip on the gun I slowly, carefully ventured closer, on high alert, listening to the smallest sound, the slightest motion both inside and outside, my heart pounding in my chest, my breathing short as I pushed the door. It opened without resistance, revealing only a small part of the house, everything dark and quiet, too quiet. Gulping down nervously I stepped in, my heart instantly stopping as did my breath, taking it with it a scream of pure horror. The scene displayed before me was so horrible, so repulsing, so disgusting it left me frozen, unable to look or walk away, leaving me with but a singular burning question:  What happened here?


…………………………………………

Kyo:


Damn why did everything have to go wrong like for the past two days? Why did it all go downhill like this? These question haunting me as I wandered aimlessly through the streets, the latest misfortunes endlessly repeating in my head. The kings tricked me, played me for a fool and used me to do their dirty works, I was now researched by the entire city not to mention the Watcher and to top it all of had awoken at the worst moment possible, filling my veins with his liquid darkness. I could feel it coursing through me, pulsing with an unimaginable strength, radiating this familiar enthralling sensation of unstoppable power and might. Sadly I knew better than to succumb to its insidious calls like I was fully aware of the clear, obscure trail I was leaving behind, making me stand out like a sore thumb in the crowd. And as if it hadn’t been enough I argued with Allen, ditching him in the middle of nowhere, in a city he didn’t know. Unfortunately, my mind was such a confused mess I didn’t even remember where I left him, leaving me to just hope the resourcefulness he had shown so many times would keep him alive and out of trouble. Now I was just walking in an unknown street, too angry to even care about the others crossing my way, only going forward without a goal, simply carrying on, wherever it would lead me, mentally cursing myself for not seeing the signs, for falling in all the traps, for leaving the only person that even remotely cared and tried to help.

I finally come to a stop after this long walk, my brain somewhat clearer, my thoughts collected, knowing what I had to do, but first… I needed to figure out where the hell I was. I threw a long, circular look to my surroundings, scanning for any landmark that would help me identify this place, a sign, a shop, a building, anything. But I couldn’t see a damn thing; or rather I could… but not what I wanted to. My vision was a blur of blue tones, the buildings reduced to vague outlines while everything else, people and objects alike glowed brightly, the same tangled network of lines running through the ground, merging, splitting, going in all directions at the same time. I closed my eyes, taking slow breathes, focusing on the rivers of pure shadows coursing through me, controlling their flow, slowly cracking an eyelid open. Thankfully my vision was back to normal, showing me the world as it truly was, vibrant with bright colors, vibrant with life, full of tiny, barely visible details. However, this reprieve was only short lived, the shadowy veil quickly making its return, at first a mere point in the corner of my eyes but quickly spreading until it covered the entirety of my field of view.

“Stop this.” I growled, knowing fully well what, or more specifically who was behind this dizzying changes. “No.” he coldly replied, reasserting his dominance over the flow of dark energy pouring in my veins. “I'm losing patience here, so stop fooling around with my eyes, I need to see god damn it.” I hissed through gritted teeth, fighting back with all I had, succeeding in regaining control over him. “You are not in a position to order me around.” he snapped in return, his voice turning into a deep, bone-chilling rumble, his power surging withing me, washing away my defenses. “It's my body… go away find your own.” “Trust me, if I could, I would have done it a long time ago.” “So just quit messing with me then. I won’t let you control me, nor will I tolerate you pulling this kind of tricks on me, so just stop it and let me see god damn it!” I roared in a mix of rage and frustration, pushing back, fighting the raging torrent of pure darkness boiling in me. “I'm not playing Kyo, I'm trying to show you something.” He huffed, annoyed at my resistance. “Show me what!?” “Stop resisting and you'll find out.” he snarled, slamming in my mental walls, his words imbued with a hint of mystery. “I’m not in the mood for games, so either speak or get lost!” I roared, infuriated, roughly shoving his mental presence back, seemingly taking him by surprise.” “Fine, I want to show you… the truth.” “The truth! What truth?” I explode, violently pushing him back, “The truth of an old, twisted and corrupted mind. Yes, before you ask, I know who you are. It took me time, but I remembered why your name sounded familiar to me… and I will not listen to any of the wicked lies you may spew, you vile cre….” “You have no idea of what I am!”

I squealed in pain, staggering back, a tide of raw suffering filling every fiber of my being, the world around me spinning, my vision darkening his thunderous roar echoing in my head. I was bending down, grimacing under an unbearable pressure crushing my very skull, suffering and chaos breaching through my defenses in a split second, leaving me frozen and powerless, forced into submission. I tried to resist but it only made it worse, his soul-crushing grip on my body and soul tightening, not loosening for a moment, his strength and power having suddenly doubled, leaving me utterly powerless. Defeated I gave up, stopping all attempts of fighting backs the insurmountable flood, his mental chokehold finally fading away, not without a satisfied chuckle. I remained perfectly silent, only waiting for him to do his thing, watching my vision shift to it’s new, unusual state, taking some time to adjust fully, the feeling of dizziness only intensifying, giving me a serious headache.

“Now look, and see…” he commanded. Cautiously I rose back to my paws, my body limp and numb, trembling uncontrollably, barely standing up. Nevertheless I did as he ordered, taking a long gander around me like a good obedient pet. Instantly I froze, a shocked squeak escaping my maw, the so called truth he was talking about hitting me like a powerful blow to the guts. I couldn’t believe it, didn’t want to believe it yet it was there, right before my eyes, undeniable, inerasable, this image forever engraved in my memories. Everything around us except for the sky was enveloped by a blackish fog seemingly seeping from the ground, its obscure tentacles reaching as high as the tallest buildings, blanketing the cit in an ominous shadowy veil. Not leaving a single object unaffected. Everything was corrupted to some degree, the water from the fountain next to me, the grass and trees, even the plants in a nearby store, the very walls of each building oozing with this vile, tainted aura. Even the other dragons walking right past me, oblivious to the thick darkness around them were more or less coated in blackness, the thing latching onto them like a parasite, slowly eating away at them. The only ones who seemed unaffected by it, untouched, kept safe for reasons I didn’t know were the kids, shining like beacons of pure light in the thick darkness.

“I… I must be… d-dr-dreaming….” “Sadly, no.” “It's… it's everywhere.” I stammered, petrified, “But… how is it possible… how didn’t… someone ever notice?” “The lies run far deeper than you may think, and have been there for so long nobody questions them anymore.” he explained in a distant tone, his expression, thoughts or emotion sealed away, hidden behind a stoic mask, indecipherable. “Do you understand now?” “Yes… yes I do….” I murmured, shaken and astonished, yet unable to even more, like frozen, rooted to the ground as the dark fog rolled around me, over me. “Then get the fuck out of here before they find us, or before it get’s you.” he roared, sending an electroshock throughout my body. “But… where do I go?” “Where is not important, as long as you are far away from here.” “Yeah… right….”

I mumbled, taking a step forward, only to be stopped by the same invisible force. I could feel his burning, disapproving gaze staring at my back, almost hearing him sigh and shake his head in disapprobation. “What now?” “Don’t you think you’re forgetting something?” “What?” I grumbled, annoyed, “Oh him… he can just die for all I care.” “Kyo… Kyo… you are a bad liar.” he let out, almost giggling, a smile almost curling his lips, “You can pretend all you want, but you can’t lie to me Kyo, I’m in your head after all, and I know he hasn’t left your thoughts for a single moment.” I kept my lips sealed, bowing my head down, looking away, staring down at the ground in between my paws in shame. “Admit it, you like him.” “No… I… it's just… part of the bargain… I can’t live without him anymore… thanks to that cursed bond tying me to him… but it doesn’t mean I like him.” “Kyo stop lying, you are really bad at it.” he retorted, bursting in frantic laughter. “I’m not lying, as much as I hate it… I have to keep him alive and safe… as much as it displeases me.” I rumbled, snarling back at him. “Then tell me where all these sorrows and regrets come from? Explain me why you keep thinking about him if you despise him that much? And tell me why you haven’t stopped following him since you two argued.” “No… it’s… it’s… just I…” I mumbled, teeth gritted, claws sinking deeply into the soft dirt of the street, unwilling to admit he was right. “Kyo look around you. You know this place, am I right?” “Yes.” I reluctantly admitted. “You know how and why you came here.” “Yes…” “And you know exactly where he is.” “Yes.” I murmured in a barely audible whisper. “So go pick him up before both of you get in even bigger troubles.”

In silence I agreed, slightly nodding in approval, taking a deep breath when the intense pressure keeping me in place disappeared, my vision blurring for one last time before coming back to normal. Without a work I start walking, maintaining a slow, regular pace, partly to not attract attention, but mostly to postpone this moment I so dreaded. Streets went by, one after the other, inevitably bringing me closer to my destination, my throat sore and dry like a desert, my heart pounding in my chest, my brain racing, trying to find a good solution to the problem before me, apologizing… to a mere human. I didn’t want him to see my weaknesses, seeking to avoid opening up to him, but the more I turned this issue around the more it became apparent he had seen them long ago. In the meantime I could feel, deep in my mind, his silent presence watching me, spying on me, patiently waiting, keeping an eye on both my back and thought at all time, his burning gaze keeping me going in a straight line.

“Ok fine… you’re right!” I finally mentally shouted, after a long time hesitating and pondering. “Excuse me?” he asked, sounding surprised. “Don’t… make me repeat it again…” I grumbled, already regretting my words, “You… were… right… I care… I care about… about him.” I let out in a barely audible whisper, only earning a quizzically risen eyebrow. “As… as much as it pains… me to admit it… he has proven very helpful.” “A nice euphemism to say he save your hide multiple times.” he chuckled. “Yes… I know… but it’s just so… unusual… so new to me…. I never had to rely on anybody but myself… and especially not a human to escape sticky… situations. I’m… I’m not… not trying to make excuses for the way I treated him, it’s just… so… foreign to me, my whole world is falling apart around me and… I don’t know what to do anymore… I’m so lost…” I murmured in a trembling, unsure voice, head bowed down, tears gathering at the corner of my eyes. “Why are you telling me this again?” he let out after an endless instant of silence. “What!” “You know it’s not to me you should say that right? Are you practicing or something? Are you hoping for advices or anything?” “Why am I even bothering talking to you anyway.” I sighed, disappointed. “Cause you are desperate and you need someone to talk to.” he casually snorted, leaning back, as if watching a boring play. “I guess so…” I muttered. “Kyo, if there is one advice I can give you, simply be honest with him, don’t over think it,  just, let what is weighing on your heart out.” I was caught off guard to say the least, not at all expecting this kind of response from me, leaving me perplexed and questioning what I knew, or thought I knew about him. “Why are you so kind with me? I mean you are….” “A demon.” he interrupted me, “I was, now I'm only a spirit, a mere shadow of my former self. And to answer your question I have my reasons.” I asked nothing else; fully aware I wouldn’t get any more information from him.

In a few minutes spent walking quietly through increasingly familiar places, we reached a small, peaceful neighborhood packed full of small houses so similar to each other in shape and colors it was impossible to identify one specifically. Thankfully I knew exactly where I was going, a broad smile unknowingly growing on my lips the closer I got to my destination, my heart swelling with hope, happy thoughts filling my mind, blissful memories sending delightful chills down my spine. Yet, all these joyful images faded away the very moment I spotted my home, my heart skipping a beat, my breathing halting, my eyes bursting wide. I could tell something wasn’t right. The house, usually buzzing with activity was silent like a tomb, no smoke coming out from the chimney, no light coming out from any of the window, nothing, as if the place had been abandoned. The air became colder all of a sudden, the street quieter, even the panicked cries that could be heard coming from the palace had suddenly ceased, everything telling me something bad was brewing, somewhere close by, my senses on high alert. My worst fears were confirmed the moment I discovered the door, hanging wide open, making it clear there definitely was nobody inside.

Cautiously I peeked, the house dark, cold, quiet and lifeless, dust already collecting on the furniture, confirming my worst fears, and that stench, it smelled like something rotten had been left outside and never removed. Braving my fears, ignoring my instincts screaming at me to stay out I entered, and stopped immediately in shock. Inside there was only chaos and destruction awaiting me, everything turned upside down, not a single thing left undamaged, long claw marks slashing the walls and floors accompanied by a worrying number of splatters and smears of blood. My heart tightened, fear creeping over me, my mind racing, trying to imagine what could have been the cause of such devastation, a robbery gone wrong? A raid by the guards? A very rough sex session? Without any answer, panic slowly taking hold I entered the main room, only to discover the same scene of utter devastation. Everything has been meticulously crushed, torn to shreds and even burned, more puddles of blood painted across the walls and floors. I could feel tears building in my eyes, despair setting in, the true scale of the damage appearing to me, nothing was left, everything had been destroyed, every memory, every object, all gone, scattered on the floor among ash and blood.

I searched every rooms of the first floor just to find the same scenes of destruction, what I once called my home, the place where I felt safe now looking like a warzone, or maybe a slaughterhouse. Fear was taking a hold of me, wrapping it’s icy cold fingers around my heart, insidious voices whispering bone-chilling words in my ears, making the worst scenario I had imagine look all the more plausible. I shook my head, refusing to believe it, refusing to give up now, rushing up the staircase, slipping on the blood trickling down the wooden steps leading to the second floor. The awful stench floating in the air seemed even worse here, assaulting my nostrils, the amount of spilled, coagulated blood even more concerning yet I didn’t even stop to observe it, heading directly to the bedroom. When I flipped the switch, illuminating the room in a warm yellow glow I felt like the ground was falling below me, my jaws dropping, my eyes bulging wide open, my heart stopping altogether.

I had hoped it hadn't happened, I hoped they could have made it out, I had prayed from the first second I entered that the blood sprayed all over the wall wasn’t theirs but it was only hopes, hopes that had now been utterly shattered. Before me, lying in a pool of their own blood, holding each other in one final embrace were the ones I used to call my friend… my mates… my family. To me own disbelief, despite their injuries they looked… somewhat peaceful, huddled up together against the bed, their claws and fangs drenched in blood and fragments of flesh, guaranteeing that whoever attacked them, didn’t leave the scene of the crime unscathed. Nevertheless, the vision of their dead bodies covered in wounds was too much for me to handle, breaking into tears, crumbling down before them in sorrow, despair and rage.

Time went by, seconds, minutes, hours, days? I couldn’t tell, time mattering little in my current state, Kaos having gone completely silent in my head, retreating to whatever dark corner he made his home in, leaving me alone, sobbing and sniffing loudly, unable to move or speak a word. Eventually the stream of my tears dried up, allowing me to see once more, my senses slowly coming back to me. My gaze wandered around the room, recalling everything we had done in here, shuddering blissfully from those thoughts, all of this now gone… forever. That is when I noticed it, a presence, small, very well concealed, observing me from behind, my scales shivering under its gaze. I jumped back to my paws, ready to fight, fueled by hatred and rage, scanning the room in search of the one who had dared to do this. However, instead of an enemy I discovered, hidden in the shadow, Allen, bow in hand; ready to fire the arrow I could see faintly glimmering in the dim light. I was so relieved to see him I could barely contain the urge to hug him growing inside me, I wanted to speak, to tell him how sorry I was. But no word had eve time to slip past my lips that he was already gesturing at me to stay silent, pointing insistently at something outside. I wanted to protest, confused, unsure, but he insisted, putting a finger before his own lips every time I tried to open my mouth. Intrigued, I obeyed, ears perked, wondering what was going on, questioning what he knew that I didn’t. At last I heard it, voices, heavy breathings, clicking and squeaking of armor pieces moving, sounds of claws on the ground, racing toward us, some voices shouting order as they approached.

“Fuck…! They found us…” I whispered, hearing them take position around the house, blocking all exits. “He is inside!” shouted one of the voice, a small group, judging by the cacophony they made already storming the house, spreading out into the first floor while a small detachment slowly climbed the stairs. There was nowhere left to hide, nowhere left to run, the bedroom a dead end in which we were now trapped. An immense form appeared atop the staircase, slowly analyzing the few rooms surrounding him before walking straight toward us. His immense stature soon completely blocked the entrance, a broad, wicked grin plastered across his face, his eyes burning with pure hatred. “You cannot escape this time.” “I'm not sure about this.” exclaimed Allen, leaping from his hiding.