The World of Nymoria - Time's Arrow

by Frozen Night

Rating: teen
Tags: Death, Alternate Universe, Drama, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Tragedy, Adventure, Violence
Length: 84656

A story about a dragon entangled within the tendrils of time.

Time’s Arrow is a musical album and short novel taking place in my own cinematic universe tangentially based off of “Equestria” from My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.  Set nearly 1100 years before the events of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, the known world has endured much hostility and tension due to the discovery of ancient relics and the power they hold. Kirins and dragons are now divided in their conquest for more power in the realm and seek to eliminate each other. Follow Zuriak, an elemental lung dragon, as he navigates through the turmoil caused by years of war between his kind and the kirins.

Full Album Stream: https://frozennight.bandcamp.com/album/times-arrow

GDoc Mirror: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Fm3X9XdsyO4AUjf07Sp8Ofo7DY-ailhgWr4siTxraBc

GDoc Lore: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1dCgwMATM6aGFmQIGkJ1RR0R7jIcwb_LFn-zzED_muN0

Published 2024-09-10 05:20:03 UTC
Last updated 2024-09-10 05:20:03 UTC

Chapter I: The Hunt

Author's Note

Time’s Arrow is a musical album and short novel taking place in my own cinematic universe tangentially based off of “Equestria” from My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. It is a prequel to my previous album Thorn of The Frozen Star and chronicles the events of the kirin/dragon conflict many years prior along with its aftermath. My goal for Time’s Arrow is to establish depth, lore, and motive for the characters and environments that I created in Thorn of The Frozen Star and to introduce a different perspective on the events that unfolded. Although much of the lore presented in this document is derived from My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, it is largely fabricated and altered for the purposes of this story. I would like to thank everyone who has lent me their talents in helping me make this project a reality. I’d also like to thank those who took the time to listen to the music and read the story.

Chapter I: The Hunt

Mornden, Sixth of Raina, 3E379Y

How long has it been, three-no-four weeks since I last wrote anything here? I really should document my thoughts more. They say it keeps the mind healthy and active! Regardless, not much has happened since my last entry. Spring began a week ago, and the weather is beginning to warm up quickly. It’s unseasonably warm come to think of it, but I’m not complaining as Nymerion has been extremely lively these last few days. Regrettably, the hours I’ve been tasked with guarding the city have cut into many activities that I have been unable to participate in. My guildmates Xellis and Fenrir also suffer through these night shifts, so at least I’m not alone! They sometimes bring up our most recent mission earlier last month, as we don’t have much to talk about these days. I’m still trying to comprehend what we saw, but all three of us swear we saw a glowing cube ascend into the sky from the far western forest near the Kyryo border. None of us have any idea on its origin, or if any creature summoned it, or even what it means. Fenrir and Xellis believe the qilins are planning something. What it is remains a mystery, but it was certainly otherworldly. Xellis explained a peculiar rumor that the qilins possess abilities influenced by constellations and planetary alignments. I asked him where he heard that, but he just shrugged and said he heard it in passing. Sounds like nonsense to me as I’ve only read about the two celestial sisters having that kind of power. There is no proof either of course, but he’s still skeptical nonetheless. Regardless, after we reported back to the Council, they seemed spooked, and simply dismissed us without any follow-up. They know something, that’s for sure.

Meanwhile, with no missions, Fenrir, Xellis and I have been relegated to more guard shifts around the southern gate and surrounding forests. Additionally, this month’s hunt begins tomorrow and I’m not looking forward to a repeat of the last one. My companion, Idylya, is too aggressive, impatient, and frustrating to work with. Because of this, she always ends up scaring the prey away too soon instead of planning an effective attack. I continually tell her that that’s the reason we barely get any kills and always come in last place, but she insists it’s because I’m slow and non-reactive. I think she just doesn’t want to admit her lack of skill, but either way, I am certain we aren’t very compatible partners. How she ended up in the midst of this is beyond me. Ever since the Council announced the food shortage and the need for more claws, it’s been nothing but a disaster for me atleast. Come to think of it though, I’ve never seen her around any of the guild towers. It’s weird to think that I’ve been paired with her for seven months now, and I know nothing about what she does outside of the hunts. Maybe I’ll ask tomorrow, but she is a secretive one, that’s for sure. In any case, it’s been like this every month since last Sarais when we were initially paired up after my last partner was reassigned to a satellite village out east. Sometimes, I wonder what Nikalis is up to these days as it’s got to be unfathomably boring out there. Hopefully he has a chance to visit Nymerion again this summer because I don’t have many dragons to talk to these days aside from Xellis, who is pulling later shifts for some extra coin. Fenrir just leaves without saying a word as soon as our shifts end, so I have no idea what he does in his free time, and the same goes for Idylya. Not once have I seen her around town, in any district, but it’s nothing I really care to investigate anyway. I don’t imagine things getting much better from here on out, but I’ll hope for the best at least for tomorrow.
~Zuriak

Zuriak awakens to the beating sun shining on his face through the shutters in the window. A warm breeze passes through the cozy loft as he opens his eyes and adjusts to the light.

“Too early…or is it too late?” Uncoiling his long body, he rushes to the window and peers over to the sundial situated in the garden.

“...well past noon, damn.” Sighing, he gives the windowsill a gentle tap.

“Looks like someone overslept.” A snarky voice says from across the room. Zuriak turns towards the direction of the source. Near the opposite window, a deep purple dragon leans against the wall giving him a look.

“And here I thought you were simply skipping out on the hunt today.” She adds with a snort.

“Oh haha, very funny, Idylya. You know we’re not allowed to skip the monthly hunts.” Zuriak sarcastically retorts.

“I know that, but are you sure you do?” She responds, matching his sarcasm.

“Well, what I know for sure is that we’re going to get stuck with skinning and curing the harvest again, just like last month, and the month before that all because of our low yield, just you wait.”

“Oh lighten up, Zuri. I have a good feeling about today, but first we need to actually show up, so hurry up and get your things, you lazy bum.” Chuckling, she walks across the room while removing the wooden quiver from her back.

“Here check this out.” She pulls out a steel-tipped arrow covered in some sort of dark residue. “Essence of Wyrmwood, when combined with water, toad warts, and illyra roots, it makes a deadly paralysis poison, isn’t that neat!?” She holds up the tip to his face causing him to gag in response.

“It smells awful. How did you even discover this putrid concoction?”

“I read it in a scroll.” She says matter-of-factly.

“Should spend more time practicing that bow so you can actually hit something instead of reading dusty old scrolls.” Zuriak says. Idylya responds by sticking her tongue out at him. He frowns and turns his head back to his living room and begins searching for his rucksack.

Now where did I leave that damn thing? My den only consists of one open room, so there’s no way it could simply up-and-vanish.

“You know, the bow is harder than it looks.” Idylya pulls out her obsidian recurve bow, nocks an imaginary arrow, and aims at Zuriak’s head playfully. “It takes a lot of skill and precision to make these shots.”

“Uh-huh.” He says nonchalantly, trying to ignore her antics while making his way towards the fireplace where he notices his rucksack sitting idly collecting dust.

“It’s about time, come on, we still need to actually be there before it's too late.” She puts away the bow and starts hovering out the door slowly. “Otherwise, we’re going to be stuck sweeping every stone tile in this whole city for failing to show.”

Zuriak picks up his rucksack and checks its contents. It’s mostly unused medical supplies, well-preserved food, and sealed canteens, the basics. Although these supplies are not imperative for the hunt, it’s always good to have just in case. He grabs his long, steel dagger sitting on the mantle above the fireplace and takes a brief look at it. Serrated edge, a sharp metal ridge, and mythical tendril-like symbols and designs forged along the blade’s shaft, it’s a little dusty, but still as sharp as ever. Idylya gives the blade a curious look from across the room, but shrugs it off.

Has it really been a month since I last used this thing? The last mission, when we were determining whether the qilins had made any advancements in disputed territory, was a bust. Aside from the phenomenon concerning the otherworldly sky cube, we found nothing and the mission was inconclusive, but some of the Council Elders hypothesize they are retreating for the time being and biding their time.

“I sure hope your magic skills are sharper than that blade, otherwise we are most certainly going to lose again.” Idylya says half joking, half serious.

“I’ll be fine. It’s you and your impatience we need to worry about.”

Idylya rolls her eyes and exits his single-room treehouse. Zuriak shifts his gaze to the dirty, partially broken mirror situated adjacent to the front door. Pale turquoise scales, long dark blue mane, ivory antlers and horns, and vibrant green eyes staring back. “Let’s get this over with.” He whispers to himself with a sigh while sheathing the dagger and leaving his wooded hollow.

He follows her outside and takes in a deep breath, taking in the bright, spring afternoon. The distant and polished towers of the city glisten in the sunlight and cast long shadows over the lake. The surprising warmth permeates through the city around him. He peers down the lone pillar his tree home grew on and gazes at the residential district below. The capital city of Ithral, Nymerion, was founded at the very center of a waterfall pit deep in the heart of the country at the start of the second era. Plateaus of stone towering well above the serene lake below made building a civilization here possible. Plentiful water, and a natural defense against flightless outsiders is partially why the city still stands today as there is no direct path in or out. Since dragons can fly, there is no need for bridges, though there exists one sole retractable bridge near the market district for when goods and commerce are shipped to and from outer villages.

Zuriak steps back and unexpectedly feels a rush of water on his head from above.

“Are you daydreaming? Did you forget we have somewhere to be like right now?” Idylya recaps her canteen, hovering overhead. As he floats up to her level, Idylya’s pinkish-ruby eyes meet his, and a slightly irritated look is thrown her way.

“Let’s just go.” He says flying higher.

The two leave the residential district on the western edge of the city and make their way north. Following closely behind her, he looks down upon the shifting cityscape. Dozens of dragons out today enjoying the clear, spring weather. Shopping, working, socializing, a gorgeous day to be out and about.

He looks forward to Idylya and speeds up. Her violet scales glow against the afternoon sun, and her magenta fins flow with the wind. Eventually, he reaches her, and she takes notice.

“Ooohh, so you want to race now, I see.” She smiles a bit and points towards the forest’s edge at the top of the northern-most waterfall.

“Last one there’s a cockatrice!” She adds as she flies much faster, leaving Zuriak behind.

Zuriak hurriedly tails her and attempts to match her speed, but fails to catch up as they fly directly up the largest waterfall. Idylya reaches the apex soon after leaving him in the dust.

“Too slow, my friend!”

Zuriak eventually reaches her and collapses to the ground. “Why do you...have to make...everything a competition?”, he asks in between labored breaths.

“We are competitive by nature, also it’s more fun this way.” Idylya smirks and trots towards the forest’s edge. “Come on, we’re still going to be late if we don’t pick up the pace.”

Zuriak recovers and follows behind her while taking in the dense scenery. He doesn’t often venture out beyond city limits, unless his missions require him to do so every once in a while. The way nature grows and forms around itself is tranquil and serene, and is somewhat mesmerizing to him. The smell of petrichor lingers after last night’s storm, and the grass is still moist beneath his claws. Idylya gets further ahead of him as he slows down, appreciating the more silent atmosphere of the forest now that they are far away from the city. Several squirrels run across the rugged trail and into the bushes, not paying him any mind, and the birds in the canopies above are chirping a pleasant tune. Zuriak continues looking up at the sunlight piercing through the leaves, not paying attention to the road in front of him. He stumbles forward and bumps into Idylya waiting for him, their eyes centimeters apart.

“That’s the second time I caught you daydreaming today, and we’re not even there yet.” She says sternly. Zuriak frowns and backs away.

“I wasn’t daydreaming, just looking at the birds.”

“Uh-huh.” Idylya resumes her path and Zuriak trails behind her, maintaining some distance between them.

Soon, after several silent minutes of walking north, a field and lake adjacent come into view. Near the water, many other dragons wait, talking amongst themselves. Some of whom Zuriak recognizes from his guild. Two of them appear to be sparring with each other, an earth elemental versus an ice elemental, creating quite a scene with many watching. Several others are flying above the lake, likely stretching their muscles, while the vast majority mopes around on the grass waiting for the hunt to begin. As Zuriak and Idylya blend into the group, some of the other participants point and whisper to their partners giving Zuriak a sense of unease. The two continue walking through the crowd trying to blend in until a dark green, snake-like dragon and her charcoal-colored partner approach them.

“Look who finally showed up.” The green dragon mentions arrogantly. Idylya turns her head towards the direction of the voice and immediately rolls her eyes, not saying a word. Zuriak carefully scans the crowd before focusing on the green dragon, getting a little nervous.

“W-what do you mean, Ithinyelle? We’ve been here for over an hour now!”

“Is that so, Zuriak? Well, Neverak and I were the first ones here and it hasn’t even been an hour. I would have figured you spending so much time with Idylya would improve your ability to lie considering she’s the best at it.”

Idylya frowns and approaches Ithinyelle, keeping silent. The two shoot daggers into each other’s eyes for a solid minute before Neverak intervenes.

“That’s enough Ithinyelle, we still need to finalize our strategy, not waste time with them in pointless staring contests.”

“Whatever.” Ithinyelle hisses and follows Neverak into the crowd of dragons.

“What was that all about?” Zuriak asks.

“It’s nothing.” She dismisses. Moments later, the dragons all form a circle, making way for an older red dragon to step through.

“Attention everyone, now that we’re all here, I can finally announce the start of this month’s hunt!” A large, pale, dragon with a fading reddish-orange mane enters the circle and coils around it. “My name is Ryn and I’ll be overseeing the hunt this time around.” Ryn stands tall, towering over all the other dragons in the area.

“As with previous iterations run by me, those teams who bring back the most prey by mass, will be exempt from next month’s hunt. Conversely, the team that brings back the least will be tasked with curing and processing the total amount gathered today and will have guard duty for the next seven consecutive days.”

“That’s even worse than last time.” Zuriak groans.

“Please take note of the new markers placed near the western edge of the forest. The area beyond those points has been deemed too dangerous regarding current tensions with the qilins. For your safety and our own, please don’t take any chances as we will not attempt to find you beyond that point. Also, with today being Naturaden, the day honoring the forest spirits, I’d ask that none of you cast any overly aggressive spells or magic that would cause great harm to the forest. Any questions?”

A brown dragon in the back raises his arm. “What if we’re not trained to be guards and we get last place?”

“See it as an excellent opportunity to learn a new skill!” Ryn responds enthusiastically. “Any other questions?”

“Can we change our partners? Mine fell asleep…” A blonde female dragon near the middle asks. She then looks down to her left at her sleeping partner coiled up in the grass. Ryn furrows his eyebrows, and lets out a piercing whistle with two claws. The dragon bolts up in an attacking position still groggy. The other dragons around him laugh as he realizes his mistake. Ryn just rolls his eyes.

“Yes yes, very funny. If no one has any more questions, you can all pair up with your assigned partners, and we’ll begin shortly.” The pale, red dragon steps away and disappears amongst the crowd.

“You’re with me, Zuri! We’re going to win for sure!” A sharp voice echoes behind him. Zuriak spins his head around only to be greeted with Idylya’s contagious smile, shocked at her change in mood from earlier. Zuriak responds with a lackadaisical look which she ignores and follows the other dragons to the edge of the forest.

“Don’t get your hopes up.” He mutters under his breath.

“Hey, you finally showed up!” A mellow, but bright voice rings through the crowd.

“I thought for sure you overslept again.” An orangish-scaled figure adds as they slither through the crowd.

“What are you talking about, Xellis? I’ve been here this whole time!” Zuriak nervously lies again while looking around and making sure neither Ithinyelle nor Neverak are within earshot. Xellis gets up to his level, and looks behind him.

“Looks like she showed up as well.”

“Unfortunately. I still don’t understand why these hunting groups are divided into two instead of three. With the previous way we could just go with our respective guild trios, and not have to complicate things by pairing up randomly.”

“I’m sure they’re just trying to spread us out more in the hopes we’ll bring back more prey.”

“I could do so much better with you and Fenrir.”

“Oh, don’t worry about it, Z. And who knows, maybe you’ll learn a thing or two from her.”

“It’s been seven months and all I’ve learned from her is how not to use a bow.” Zuriak looks down and sighs.

“I didn’t just mean combat.” Xellis gives him a wink. Zuriak just gives him a blank look.

“Well regardless, I’m preparing for another loss and anticipating spending the whole night processing and curing the meat from today. You’re more than welcome to help me.” Zuriak says resentfully.

“Haha, as if. I’ve got stuff to do afterwards anyway, like sitting in the hot springs, and sleeping, and-” Xellis counts on his claws.

“Alright, everyone, gather up!” Ryn appears ahead of the pack looking as eager as ever.

“Anyway, good luck.” Xellis runs off and disappears with the other dragons.

Zuriak begrudgingly finds Idylya near the back and follows her to the line of trees. She gives him a warm smile, still as confident as before.

“There’s two-hundred of you making up one-hundred duos. I expect to see all of you back by dusk. Good luck, get ready and…” Ryn tilts his head up and shoots a lone bolt of fire arcing across the field towards the lake. As soon as it hits the water, everyone hastily makes their way through the forest dispersing in every direction. Some dragons take off to the skies flying far away from the others east and north.

Zuriak and Idylya bolt west through the trees, catching glimpses of the other participants attacking mostly rabbits and other small critters. Idylya, taking the lead, turns back to him.

“We need to get far away from the other competitors if we’re going to stand a chance this time.”

Zuriak nods and keeps his pace while searching for movement in the trees. For a moment, he slows down a bit and looks up at the sun through the trees.

It is awfully hot this time of year.

~

After half an hour of scampering through the woods, Idylya slows to a meager stroll and pays closer attention to her surroundings, walking in a circle around a large boulder. Zuriak does the same, but nothing catches his eye.

“Just like any other hunt we’ve had already, eh Zuri? We’ll probably find a few rabbits, a boar, and maybe a deer.”

“I should’ve brought some bottles so we could catch some bugs too!” Zuriak replies sarcastically. She chuckles as both of them hop over fallen logs and duck under branches desperately searching for any prey.

After a bit of endless searching, Idylya freezes in her tracks immediately and holds an arm out in front of Zuriak, gesturing to him to stay silent. She ducks below the bushes and pulls him down with her not saying a word. She then pulls some of the branches away allowing Zuriak to see some movement about seventy meters away through the thick foliage.

“This is where we prove ourselves.” She whispers as she draws her bow and a single arrow. The runes on the bow glow a deep orange.

“It’s got to be almost a hundred meters away.” Zuriak responds in a hushed tone.

“Yeah, and…?”

“If you miss the shot, we’ll lose it. Let me incapacitate it first. Some lightning will paralyze it, then we can get close enough so you won’t have a chance of missing.” Zuriak places both his claws together and a cyan aura envelopes them with sparks arcing off his fingers.

“That’s what the poison is for. You didn’t forget, did you?” She says disconcertedly. “And how do you know you’re not gonna miss?”

“No, it’s not that.”

“Then what?”

Zuriak pauses for a moment trying to think of a way to tell her she’s not very good with a bow.

“Whatever.” She stands on her back legs and leans on top of the bush while nocking a poison-tipped arrow and drawing.

Shit, she’s going to botch this.

Before Zuriak could level with her, she releases the arrow aimed for the deer’s gut, but it narrowly misses and flies just above the deer’s body leaving it unharmed. Zuriak stands above the bush, separates his claws, and shoots a bolt of lightning just as it begins sprinting away. The bolt misses and strikes the tree behind where the deer was, scorching it enough for the tree to topple over. Idylya sighs.

“Told ya you’d miss.” She taunts as she puts away the bow.

“Why can’t you just listen to me for once?” Zuriak says, raising his voice a little.

“Maybe it’s because you don’t put any faith in me or my skills!” She snaps back.

“What skills? You never hit any of your shots! Of course I don’t have faith!”

“Yeah, well your magic isn’t as great as you make it out to be. You also missed your shot, so don’t pin all this shit on me.”

“I missed because you scared it away.”

“You missed because your reflexes suck.” Idylya distances herself from him and continues searching the area for prey.

“All I’m saying is if we stuck to the plan, this wouldn’t have been an issue.”

“What plan!? You mean your dumb paralysis idea? I already had that taken care of with the poison! It was your rustling that scared it away anyway.”

Zuriak facepalms.

“It’s been seven months, and every month we do it your way. Why can’t we do it my way for once!? And what was with all that shit with Ithinyelle earlier about you being a good liar? Is this something I should know about?”

Idylya calms down a bit, defeated, and stares out into the forest for a moment.

“You wouldn’t understand.” She says in a hushed tone. “Let’s just go.”

Idylya takes a deep breath, and regains her senses as she starts wandering deeper into the thicket. Zuriak looks back at the smoking tree, then at her sternly.

“Could she be any more stubborn?” Zuriak whispers to himself.

~

“Well, we’ve been at this for a few hours now and only have a couple dead rabbits to show for it.” Zuriak motions as he slings the two rabbit corpses around his neck tied together by string. “We should head back and just accept our loss.”

Idylya doesn’t say anything and keeps her pace.

“It will be dark soon, and we are pretty far out.” Zuriak adds, trying to get her attention, but she remains unresponsive. “We’re also out of food rations and running low on clean water.” He says while squinting into his rucksack, hoping for a response from her.

Is she that torn up about the incident hours ago?

“Okay look, I’m sorry.” He says coming to a stop. She does the same but doesn’t look back. “I’m sorry I didn’t trust you and insulted your skills. Maybe if we work as a team, we can do a whole lot better.” Both remain quiet for a few minutes.

“I’m not a fighter, Zuriak.” She replies despondently. “I’m only here because I have to be.”

“Why do you have to? Are you not in any of the guilds?”

“You really know nothing about me, do you?” She answers indifferently with a hint of frustration.

“Then-”

“I’m in the alchemists guild for healing remedies. We make medicine for dragons like you and those on the front lines. About a year ago, the Council thought the solution to our food shortage would be to recruit other guilds into hunting regardless of their experience in combat. Me and about half our guild members were assigned to front-line dragons like you to help increase our yield. I know I’m not the best, but I work with what I got.” She finally turns around making eye contact with him.

“I didn’t know…but why did you wait to tell me this until now?”

“I didn’t want you to think I’m useless dead weight.”

“I don’t think you’re useless. I’ve never seen any alchemist handle a weapon before, so you definitely are skilled.” She gives a soft smile in response. “You just need to work on your aim.”

Her smile dissipates and she gives him a disapproving look.

“I-I mean what I meant to say was you’ve definitely gotten better since we first teamed up several months ago!” Zuriak corrects himself and moves closer to her. “And you’re right, I don’t know anything about you despite being hunting partners for a while now. Maybe that’s why we lose all the time…” He turns away.

“Well, let’s change that. Now that I shared my side, why don’t you tell me more about ‘the great and powerful Zuriak’?” She asks warmly. Zuriak faces her again with a nervous look, not sure what to respond with.

“Well, you see-”

A sudden blur catches Zuriak’s attention. He quickly turns and peers into the foreboding sea of trees past Idylya.

“Hellooooo? Earth to Zuri. You alright?” She retreats back and snaps two claws in front of him. “You just trailed off there.”

Zuriak snaps back to reality with a couple of blinks. “Sorry, I could've sworn I just saw a shadow over there.” He points far ahead of their original path.

“I don’t see anything.” She says as she looks where he’s pointing.

Zuriak shakes his head and scratches his mane before peering back into the forest’s depths.

“Maybe it was my imagination…”

“Shush! You hear that?” She places an outstretched claw over his mouth. With her other claw, she retrieves the bow on her back and scans the area. A slight rustling in the leaves behind a tall, thick tree about thirty meters away gives its location. Seconds later, a doe bolts from its hiding spot away from the two hunters.

“You’re not getting away from me that easily!” Idylya shouts and quickly nocks an arrow. She doesn’t hesitate and immediately fires towards the defenseless doe. The first shot misses and pierces right through a thick oak tree.

“Damn it, hold on, I got ‘em. It looks like the one we saw earlier.” She starts chasing after the deer trying to get a better each shot, but each consecutive arrow just narrowly misses her target.

“Wait, hold up!” Zuriak shouts as he pursues her. Acting fast, he pulls out the dagger tied to his left arm and places it in his mouth while sprinting on all fours.

The distance between the two grows as Zuriak struggles to dodge the dense forest obstacles. As Idylya fades from his line of sight, he trips over a small stump jutting barely above ground, and falls face first in the mud.

“Shit.” He exclaims as he attempts to regain his composure. “Where did she go?”

He circles around the mud pit looking for any sign of movement.

“Wait where did my dagger go?” He exclaims, realizing he dropped it after that faceplant. Walking forwards, his claw brushes across a pointed object embedded in the dirt and covered in a thick layer of mud. Zuriak takes a heavy sigh, picks it back up and keeps a firm grip on it. He takes another view of his surroundings, but doesn’t see any indication as to where Idylya ran off to.

“She really does have zero patience…” He trails off and begins walking in a westerly direction towards the setting afternoon sun. In the distance, blocked off by dense foliage, he sees a piece of fabric swaying in the wind.

Zuriak jogs a bit to get a better view, and notices a tall, wooden pillar in the distance sporting a piece of fabric. It’s tattered around the edges with a few holes poking through.

Have we really traveled all the way to the disputed area?

He approaches the wooden pillar and observes beyond. Nothing really sets it apart from the side he was on, though the vegetation beyond does appear lush and greener.

Could she have been dumb enough to go into disputed territory for a stupid deer?

He thinks to himself as he turns around back the way he came. As the sun begins to set, a thick mist moves through forest from beyond the flagpole blanketing the ground.

Suddenly, a high-pitched shriek rings throughout the forest, lasting only a split second. Zuriak swiftly shifts his view back to the forest beyond looking for the source within the murky fog.

“What was…?” He steps forward past the pole. “Could she be…”

“Aaaaagh!” A familiar voice shouts.

Of course she would, I wonder what happened this time.

Zuriak darts to the source of the shout past the pole. A violet figure comes into view as he gets deeper in.

“Idylya!” He reaches her and examines her condition. She’s bleeding profusely from her right arm while using the other to heal it with water from her canteen. A green aura glows from the wound, slowing the blood flow. She doesn’t acknowledge his presence, focused entirely on the wound.

“Okay, don’t worry, I have medical supplies.” He removes his rucksack and digs through for some gauze, adsorbent cloth and a bottle of clear liquid. “This is going to sting, please hold still.” He removes the eye-dropper cap from the bottle, applies a couple drops on the tissue and starts cleaning the wound. She yelps at the sting but keeps calm as Zuriak disinfects and cleans the wound. After cleaning the area of excess blood, he begins wrapping her arm in gauze.

“Thanks.” She weakly responds, still lying on the ground.

“What happened? You bolted off and left me behind!” Zuriak replies, half upset, half concerned. “What even drove you to go past the marker?”

“I...don’t know…” Her expression shifts, appearing much more despondent.

“Well, you don’t need to explain now, but we need to get out of here, fast!” He exclaims, picking her up. She slowly stands up on her own on three legs while holding her injured arm. The fog thickens, surrounding them in every direction.

“Wait, where did we come from? I can’t see anything!” Zuriak circles around Idylya trying to find any familiar landmarks, but to no avail.

“It’s too dangerous to stay on the ground. Are you able to fly?” He asks, panicking.

“I...think so...” She looks down at her wound and gently places her claw on the ground. Without another word, she begins floating up through the trees and disappears above the canopy.

Zuriak flies up a few meters not far behind Idylya, but before he is able to escape, a sudden burst of pain tears at his chest. His speed slows drastically as he holds a claw against his chest and feels a warm liquid. His breathing increases now realizing the severity and he falls back towards the leafy forest floor. A large thump echoes through the dim forest caused by his collapse. Paralyzed in shock, he simply stares above at the darkening sky unable to scream for help. A pool of blood forms beneath him, presumably from an exit wound on his back as his vision begins to fade.

Chapter VIII: Time's Arrow

Idylya paces around the forest, occasionally looking up at the sky, then back down at the glowing city below through the thick trees. The western wall of Kyrinia is clouded in a thick blanket of smoke, and the fire in the surrounding forest is growing. In the center of the clearing, Neverak remains coiled and silent with his eyes closed. His claws are cupped together in a sign and the runic tendrils on his face glow white, indicating his soul is currently projected.

“Shouldn’t they be back by now? It’s been well over half an hour.” She asks with a claw over her mouth. She looks at Neverak’s motionless body.

“I mean I understand the difficulty of keeping track of time without a timepiece, but still…”

Neverak remains unresponsive.

“I don’t know why I’m even asking you, it’s not like you’re here anyway.” Idylya pouts. “Well, ‘mentally’ here I mean.” She turns away from Neverak and back at the glowing city. Specks of kirins are seen rushing towards the fire within the walls and attempting to douse the flames with water from the adjacent lake.

“They know what they’re doing. Be patient.” Neverak speaks up. Idylya turns back around and sees his body in the same fixed position as before.

“So you are here after all.”

“Fenrir, Xellis, and Ryn are on their way back now. Fortunately, I don’t see anyone following them.”

“And what of Zuriak, Ithinyelle and Ying?”

“I’m trying to locate them now, but it’s difficult to do in a closed space.” Idylya’s heart accelerates slightly, hoping they can all go home very soon. A gust of wind befalls on both of them from above as an orange dragon descends down. Idylya at first steps back and arms herself with Zuriak’s dagger before recognizing the dragon and letting out a sigh of relief.

“I almost didn’t recognize you at first, Xellis. It’s hard to see in this darkness.” She says as she puts away the dagger.

“No kidding, I had trouble remembering where you guys even were. The other two are somewhere behind me, but they weren’t too far back.” Xellis looks at Neverak, unmoved by his return.

“Is he still with us?” Xellis asks, pointing at the dark, glowing dragon.

“Sort of.”

“And I take it, the other trio hasn’t returned yet either?”

Idylya shakes her head and looks down, kicking a pebble aside.

“I see. All we can do is wait, it seems like.” Xellis says, as he looks down at the city from their vantage point. Something catches his eye, and he sees several glowing dots around Kyrinia’s southern gate. They all scatter about in different directions and disappear in the trees.

“That can’t be good.” He whispers to himself. Idylya faintly hears and approaches him, looking in the same general direction. Another sudden gust of wind alerts them as Ryn and Fenrir drop down from the sky.

“They started searching. We need to leave now.” Ryn says with urgency.

“What about the other three?” Xellis asks.

“Neverak, do you see them anywhere?” Ryn asks, approaching him. The glow around Neverak dissipates and he opens his eyes.

“Ithinyelle and Ying are nearby in the forest close to the cliffside northeast of us, but I don’t see Zuriak.” He uncoils and stands on all fours.

“What do you mean you can’t find him!? Are you sure you checked everywhere?” Idylya raises her voice.

“Keep your voice down.” Ryn angrily answers her. “We need to find the other two and regroup.”

“What do we do if neither of them know what happened to him, or if he’s…?” Xellis asks.

“We return home.”

“How can you say that!? He-” Ryn runs up and covers her mouth before she could shout any more.

“He knew the risks going into the mission, and he knew that if he did not return on time, he would be left behind. That is the cost of battle, and we can’t jeopardize the mission.” Idylya closes her eyes and nods as Ryn uncovers her mouth. He looks at the other four dragons, then back at the city. “Neverak, direct us towards Ithinyelle and Ying. Fly low and stay within the trees for now.”

Neverak nods and takes the lead as he begins heading northeast through the forest. Ryn and Fenrir follow, leaving Xellis and Idylya behind. Idylya hangs her head as Xellis takes her claw.

“He’s alive, don’t you worry.” Xellis says, trying to comfort her. “He’s stronger than you think, and he knows how to defend himself.” She shifts her gaze to him. “Trust me, he’ll catch up.” He tugs on her arm and she complies as the two levitate and fly through the forest, trying to catch up with the dragons ahead.

Not far up, the two reach the end of the forest and into a large, grassy field near where mountains steeply rise. Ryn, Fenrir, and Neverak are up on a hill with Ithinyelle and Ying. Xellis and Idylya drop to the ground and Idylya sprints up to the rest of the group.

“Did you happen to see the matriarchal qilin? What did they look like, and what of their Zyntrithian symbol?” Ryn asks Ying and Ithinyelle just within earshot of Xellis and Idylya.

“We never found them, I’m afraid.” Ithinyelle answers in a low tone.

“What happened? Where is Zuriak?” Idylya questions. All the dragons look away from her, avoiding the question.

“After we entered the cave system, we split up due to there being multiple paths. Not long after, the sounds of bells echoed throughout the caves and both Ying and I met back up where we dug into. We figured that maybe one of us tripped over an alarm and it triggered our presence. We waited a few minutes for Zuriak, but he never showed up and it sounded like the qilins were heading towards us. We had no choice, but to get out the way we came quickly.” Ithinyelle looks down, visibly saddened. “We don’t know what happened to him, but we could hear explosions throughout the tunnels. I’m sorry.”

Tears start welling up in Idylya’s eyes, and she collapses to the ground. Xellis looks away, holding back tears and trying to distance himself from the group. The other five all look down in sorrow.

“Look, what happened, happened. It’s tragic we lost him, but we shouldn’t fall to the same fate. We still need to return to Nymerion.” Ryn instructs. He looks out over the six dragons darkly, then faces forward. “This was a mistake.” He whispers under his breath.

Ryn launches off and heads east in the direction of Nymerion. Ying, Neverak, and Ithinyelle look at Xellis, Idylya and Fenrir despondently before taking off and following Ryn back home. Xellis and Fenrir help Idylya up by holding her arms over their shoulders, but she makes no effort to stand up on her own.

“We should go before we lose them.” Xellis mentions. Idylya simply murmurs to herself.

“Something’s not right about all this.” Fenrir states, appearing skeptical.

“What do you mean?” Xellis asks.

“I don’t know, but something felt off about Ryn and this whole mission in general.” Fenrir and Xellis look down at Idylya as their grip on her arms start to loosen.

“This isn’t the end, you know.” Fenrir says to comfort her. “It’s not like the qilins to shoot first, then ask questions later. When I was captured in the north, they held me prisoner for two years, trying to get information out of me. I imagine they'll do the same with Zuriak.” Fenrir looks up at the night sky and closes his eyes. “He’s still alive, I can feel it.”

Idylya looks up at him with hope in her eyes.

“What are we going to do?” She asks, wiping the tears from her eyes.

“I don’t know yet, but we’re going to bring him back.”

~

Idylya looks out the window of the sixth floor in the Arcanum and down at the busy street below. Many dragons are out setting up booths, tables, and decorations for the Festival of Fire in a couple days. Two pale-colored dragons just north of the fountain are wheeling out a vat of a mysterious, bubbling liquid she could not make out. Several others across the way are constructing a gigantic paper mache replica of the god of fire, Julis. Idylya looks down at her notebook, then at her alchemic workstation. On her bench lies an assortment of volumetric and round-bottom flasks, beakers, an alembic, a crucible, a mortar and pestle, a copper retort, and weighing papers containing a variety of different ground up dusts. All around her, groups of other alchemist dragons are brewing potions and poisons for use by the warriors guild. Hardly anyone is talking, and the only noises in the room are coming from clanking glassware and bubbling liquids. She picks up a volumetric flask and a beaker containing water and looks at her notebook.

“To approximately fifty milliliters of water, dissolve zero point twenty-five grams of finely-ground heshar, then add eight droplets of spirits of salt.” She quietly whispers to herself so as to not disturb the other alchemists. Using her hydrokinesis, she carefully transfers the contents from the beaker into a one-hundred mililiter volumetric flask while eyeballing the volumetric markings on the beaker. She then places the weighing paper, containing a fine purple powder, on the balance while using a quarter gram counterweight. She picks up Zuriak’s dagger, scoops up some dust along the blade and removes some to a waste container until the balance is level. She then transfers the rest to the flask and swirls to dissolve. She takes a moment and looks into the deep purple solution against her own purple arm and palm. With a sigh, she sets it back down on the table, looks at her notebook again and picks up a quill. The header at the top of the entry reads “Potion for Fortifying the Senses”. Below the formulation are a couple lines of musical staves drawn sloppily. Currently, four measures are written in the key of D minor and 4/4 meter. She taps the sheet several times with her quill before writing another two bars of music. She then returns to her alchemy and holds up a small beaker of a clear solution labeled “Spirits of Salt”. Using her hydrokinesis once again, she meticulously separates a tiny pool of liquid from the beaker and adds eight distinct drops into the flask. The liquid fumes and heats up slightly upon mixing as she swirls the solution. She takes another look at her notebook while swirling.

“Dilute to one-hundred milliliters with water.” She whispers as she transfers the contents of the beaker with water to the volumetric flask. Lastly, she caps and invert mixes causing the solution to become paler. Outside, she notices a string quartet of winged Drogosian dragons setting up and practicing near the countless others setting up. Faintly, she can hear the high-pitched timbre of the violinist from her sixth floor alchemy station. In her mind, she tries piecing together the hard-to-hear notes and without warning, a sudden burst of inspiration engulfs her, and she picks up a quill as she sets down the flask. Just as she’s about to write more music on the staff, the sounds of a loud bell reverberate throughout the city, stopping after three rings. Many of the dragons in the room get up and leave as Idylya quickly finishes the motif. She lets out a sigh of relief as she looks down at her notebook with a hastily drawn sixteen bars of music. Her brief smile turns into a frown as she writes ‘For Zuri’ above the music.

“It’s been over a month now…” She reflects as she closes her notebook and stares down at her messy benchtop. She brushes it off and slides her notebook in the drawer before exiting out of the alchemy chamber and into the central atrium. She looks down the wide opening at all the dragons descending down the spiral staircase, some floating down the center to avoid the congestion. She does the same and takes a momentary glance at each of the floors of the Arcanum on her way down. Above her, on the seventh and eighth floors are the enchanting rooms, the fifth and sixth floors are the alchemy chambers, the third floor is the study lounge, and the first and second floors make up the Arcanum proper with the tallest ceilings. Many bookshelves line the halls of these two floors with an extensive collection of dragon literature along with a few sections on foreign studies. As she reaches the first floor, she slides past the heavy traffic going up past her, and squeezes through the twisting, long bodies of those around her.

“Jeez, is every dragon in Nymerion here today? I can barely breathe.” She comments to herself after getting through the main entrance. After exiting the library, she crosses the central plaza, avoiding the festival construction and makes her way north. Idylya looks up at the bell tower that rang moments ago and shields her eyes from the scorching sun. She turns back down at the hot, cobblestone pavement and grimaces.

“I hate being out in the sun.” She mutters. After about fifteen minutes of walking and proceeding past several tall buildings, she tip-toes off the road and into a well-shaded park where she sits underneath a tree, trying to catch her breath in the hot and muggy air and soothing her claws. She looks down at them, noting the mild burns from the pavement.

“Awesome, just what I need.” She comments sarcastically as she cups her palms together and intertwines her claws in a specific fashion. The aura around them glows blue and travels down her arm, stopping at her elbows. She then separates and holds out both claws in front of her, watching the moisture in the air quickly take shape around her claws. After a thick layer of water forms, she splashes it on her face. It doesn’t take long for the water to dry, and she stands up once more, feeling slightly refreshed. Hesitantly, she approaches the road again and stares intently at the cobblestone.

“You’re not going to burn me this time!” She shouts humorously, getting looks from the other passersby. She looks around at them and embarrassingly laughs as she floats over the pavement and continues traveling north, flying just above the ground.

After several minutes, she reaches the end of the road where a wide, oval-shaped cave entrance rests. The rickety, old wooden sign above reads “North Nymerion Hot Springs”, and beyond the entrance lies a long set of concrete stairs descending down. Idylya gently lowers herself back on the road, but is immediately met with searing pain from the hot cobblestone.

“Yeeeooowwwch!” She bursts into the cave and down the stairs, away from the oven above. “I swear to the divines, this better be worth it.” She says as she descends lower into the cave. As she gets deeper down, the rising humidity becomes much more apparent, and the surface of the stairs appear drenched in water. Without warning, she loses her friction, slips roughly and curses as she tumbles down the remaining few steps into the main hot spring cavern.

“Uggghhhh.”

“Ah, there you are!” A voice shouts from across the massive cavern. Idylya struggles to get back on her fours, and looks about the space. Several bubbling pools of hot water cover the entire floor of the room. Stone walkways connect the different pools with bridges and stairs leading up and down throughout the cave. Water from higher elevated pools waterfall down into lower ones and create a sparkling mist. The cave is well-lit through the use of covered wall lanterns and natural sunlight pouring in from holes in the ceiling. At the far corner from the entrance, Xellis swims around in the largest pool while Fenrir sits on the ledge and waves her over. No one but the three of them are there. Idylya makes her way over, being careful not to slip again especially going over the bridges.

“Glad you could make it.” Xellis stops swimming and gives her a warm smile.

“I don’t understand how you can be in here right now. It’s got to be almost forty degrees outside, and it's definitely much warmer down here!”

“True! But look around you, there’s no one else here for that reason. It’s the perfect place to meet without worrying about eavesdroppers. You never know who’s listening in from above.”

“I get that…but how are you swimming without being boiled alive?”

“I’m a lava elemental. Hot water is kinda like lava in some ways.”

“Except that they aren’t.”

“They are.”

“They aren’t.” Idylya retorts and Xellis chuckles at her attitude.

“Heh, I can see why Zuriak likes you.” Xellis looks at Fenrir with a goofy grin, to which he rolls his eyes in response. Idylya blushes a little. “I figure you’d like being around water more than me, honestly.”

“My fins are sensitive to hot water. I can’t swim around in it for very long.”

“Ah, that’s a shame. These waters are some of the hottest around Nymerion. That’s another reason why many don’t come here…well, unless you’re a lava or fire elemental. Every dragon seems to love Yulen’s Hot Springs over on the east side, but the water’s way too cold over there if you ask me.” Idylya nods, appearing disinterested.

“But anyway, let’s get on to business.” Xellis swims up to the ledge near Fenrir as Idylya circles around and joins the duo.

“Fenrir was able to procure a special map of Kyrinia from the Tower of Nymeria-” Xellis looks at him curiously. “How were you able to get this, again?”

“That’s not important, but this map will certainly be a helpful guide for what we have planned.” He holds up the large wooden drawing tube from behind him and hesitates before uncapping the top. “You know, we really shouldn’t be doing this here, the humidity and moisture will damage the parchment.”

“Fine…” Xellis sighs and pulls himself up from the pool before shaking himself off like a dog. Both Idylya and Fenrir shield themselves from the droplets. “Follow me.” He then walks across the stone bridge towards the entrance with the two of them in tow. Upon reaching the stairs, he walks past it, and down a long dark corridor, removed from the rest of the hot spring cavern. Xellis grabs a lantern from the wall, holds it in his mouth and walks further in. The other two dragons walk up a little faster to stay within the light.

“Where are we going?” Idylya asks. Xellis looks back at her, stops, and removes the lantern from his mouth.

“Well, you guys want to go somewhere dry, right?” He turns back around and gestures at a solid metal door. “This should do nicely.” He opens it, and holds up his lantern, revealing a large room filled with mounds of mysterious stones, all scarred with glowing red marks.

“This is where they store magma stones for the hot springs. They release heat in the presence of water, so this area is kept very dry. The stones are dormant otherwise.” Xellis looks at Fenrir for approval.

“Mmmmm, good enough assuming the map doesn’t spontaneously combust now.” Fenrir cautiously notes.

“Hey, it’s the best I could do.”

Fenrir removes the drawing tube strapped to his back and uncaps it. Carefully, he pulls out the map and unravels it on the cave floor. Xellis places the lantern down next to it, to get a better look. Depicted is the semi-oval border of Kyrinia along with labels of the northern and southern gates, the western and eastern districts, the ruling class district and details of the Jade Palace.

“If you recall from the post-mission briefing a few weeks ago, Zuriak, Ithinyelle, and Ying entered through the Peaks of Peril on the southeastern side, just before a bend in the mountainside. They punctured a hole about fifty meters above the forest floor, and proceeded to dig north into the cliffside.” Fenrir starts tracing a claw over the outside of Kyrinia up north on the Peaks of Peril. “They then turned west and dug a little bit more before digging straight down and coming upon an elaborate cave system.” He moves his claw west towards the Jade Palace. “According to some intel I gathered from our guildmates, they are currently holding a very powerful creature somewhere beneath the palace. Skyl, a cosmic elemental who was stationed out there a couple weeks ago, claims the energy signature is very similar to our own, but he could not confirm the identity of the signature.”

“It has to be him!” Idylya exclaims.

“Well, it could be. Winged Drogosians also have similar energy signatures to us. Whoever this is could also be Ithralian, but someone entirely different. There’s no way to know for sure.” Fenrir answers, causing Idylya’s excitement to dampen.

“If we do choose to pursue this rescue mission, we’ll need some additional help.” Both Fenrir and Xellis look at Idylya.

“What do you need me to do?”

“Well, you see, it involves talking to someone in particular…” Xellis begins. Idylya’s expression changes immediately, realizing what they mean.

No! Absolutely not! It’s her fault he got captured! If she didn’t suggest they split up, none of this would’ve happened.” She lays down and crosses her arms, staring intently at the two of them.

“Okay, you’re probably right about that, but we need an earth elemental on our team, and Ithinyelle is our best bet. Can you please put aside your differences just this once?” Xellis pleads. Idylya’s face softens a bit after seeing Xellis’s concerned face.

“Is there really no other earth elemental?” Idylya relents.

“She knows the area as well as we do and is quite strong compared to other earth elementals.” Fenrir answers.

“Okay, fine, if it’s absolutely necessary.”

“Thank you. If you can convince her, we’ll be in much better shape.”

“I can’t believe I have to be the one to do this. Why can’t either of you talk to her?”

“Well, you see haha…” Xellis begins nervously as he looks away from her, scratching the back of his mane. Fenrir does the same.

“Unbelievable.” Idylya comments frustratingly as she glares at the two of them. “She’s not even that scary, just obnoxious and narcissistic.”

“Well, at any rate, Xellis and I are still working out the infiltration details and route, but we believe our best bet will be on the Empress’s birthday which falls on the nineteenth of Aquilius this year according to the lunisolar calendar. Typically the celebration occurs at Lake Menoa on the western side of the city.” Fenrir hovers a claw over the lake depicted on the map. “We believe that like the siege mission, a lot of guards and armed qilins will be there instead of the palace. If you can get her on board before then, things will go a lot smoother.”

“I’ll see what I can do.”

“There is one other thing, unrelated to this.” Fenrir adds. Xellis and Idylya both look at him quizzically. “I spent a good deal of time reflecting on the siege mission and it puzzles me. It was a poorly planned and executed mission, and it almost seems like we were destined to fail from the beginning, but isn’t Ryn known for his impeccable strategies? Was it appropriate to expect Zuriak, who has little fighting experience, to follow-through with an assassination?”

“When you put it that way, it does seem strange.” Xellis states.

“Before you two met up with the rest of us, he was asking Ithinyelle and Ying a lot of questions about the matriarchal qilin, but he didn’t even ask a single question about Zuriak.”

“Do you think this was all intentional?” Xellis presses.

“I think we should be very careful around the Council. It’s almost like Ryn knew what was going to happen.” Idylya turns away from them and stays silent. “What I said here does not leave our group, understand?” Xellis nods while Idylya gets up and exits the room without saying a word.

~

“That will be one silver piece, my lady.” The winged Drogosian dragon says from behind the counter. Idylya removes her coin purse from around her neck and fishes around in it for one silver coin. The line behind her continues to grow as she desperately searches for the coin with some looking at her annoyedly.

“Haha, I know I have one around here somewhere.” She laughs nervously, embarrassed at the growing displeasure among the dragons behind her. A dark-colored figure approaches her from the right side and places a coin on the table. She turns her head to the side to get a better look at the figure as the server behind the counter takes the coin and replaces it with a large-sized smoothie cup.

“Oh uh, thank you, Neverak.” He nods and steps out of the way as three dragons rush past him. Idylya takes the cup and looks at the long line of disgruntled patrons, giving them an embarrassed smile. “You didn’t need to do that.”

He looks away towards the rest of the crowd, ignoring her comment, then back at her.

“We need to talk.”

“About what?” She asks as she begins drinking her smoothie. Neverak begins walking through the overcrowded plaza and motions her to follow him. Idylya lightly hovers above him, allowing her to drink the smoothie without having to stop. All around them, the Festival of Julis is in full-motion. Dozens of booths featuring exotic merchandise, food and drinks from outside of Ithral are all lined up around the central plaza in a three-tiered ring fashion. In the center, a giant statue of Julis is set up with a stream of fire coming from his mouth in bursts. Neverak and Idylya make their way beyond the outer ring and into the streets of Nymerion, away from the crowd. He stops at a corner and Idylya plants her lower half back on the ground, about halfway finished with her smoothie.

“Word has gone around the elites that someone broke into the archives in the Tower of Nymeria and stole a map.” Neverak says, facing her.

“O-oh, that’s weird. What was it a map of?” Idylya responds, trying to stay cool.

“Kyrinia. But it was more detailed than the one you can freely view in the Arcanum. It had key strategic points of interest and detailed locations of Kyrinia’s military operations.”

Idylya turns her head away slightly and continues drinking her smoothie. Neverak sighs.

“Look, I’m not here to bust you, but you should reconsider what you’re planning.”

“I didn’t take it.”

“Maybe so, but I’m sure you know who did.”

“I don’t, honestly.”

“Feigning ignorance won’t help you after you get caught. I hope for your sake, you’ll realize that sooner rather than later.” Neverak turns around and starts walking away.

“Wait.” Idylya sets down her smoothie on the bench next to her and steps forward. Neverak pauses and looks back at her. “Assuming I did take it, what do you think I would do with a map like that?”

“I assume you would use it to rescue your ‘dragonfriend’, Zuriak.”

“Uh, no! Haha, of course not!” She nervously blurts out. Neverak pinches his forehead in frustration.

“Why do I even bother?”

“Well seeing how you’re so high and mighty, what would you do differently?” Neverak pauses again and thinks deeply for a few seconds.

“There’s nothing we can do.”

Idylya loudly sighs.

“What is it with your trio that makes you all so heartless!? He’s your comrade, and he’s still alive!” She shouts. Several passersby all turn to the both of them curiously. Neverak pays them no mind.

“Acting out of emotion results in making hasty and rash decisions, and there’s no guarantee whatever your planning will even work.” He answers, unmoved. Idylya looks down at the road, feeling a mixture of emotions. Neverak bridges the gap between them, and puts a claw on her back, feeling sympathetic. “We have to move on.” She looks up at his crimson eyes.

“I can’t. Not when there’s a chance.”

“That chance could very well result in you getting captured as well.” Idylya turns her head away from Neverak.

“How have the others been?” She asks. Neverak takes his claw off her back.

“I don’t know about Ying because she doesn't talk at all, but she’s been physically despondent these past couple of weeks. Ithinyelle on the other claw…” Neverak turns his head over to the festival. “...she has her own way of dealing with problems.” Idylya rolls her eyes in response.

“Yeah, I bet.” She mutters to herself. Neverak looks back at her, confusedly.

“Didn’t you two used to be friends?”

“Used to. We don’t exactly see eye-to-eye anymore.”

“May I ask why?”

“She has this ridiculous notion that I ruined our friendship because of selfishness. She’s the one who’s selfish, not me!”

“I see, well, I don’t mean to pry into your business, but she could really use a friend right now.”

“I told you, we’re not friends anymore. Aren’t you close with her? That sounds like your job.”

“It’s hard for me to admit this, but you have a stronger bond with her than I do.” Idylya turns away and scoffs. Neverak frowns.

“You both have the same reason for hating each other, you know that?” Idylya turns back to him and raises an eyebrow. “You’re both selfish to each other, but neither of you want to admit it.”

“So be it. If she doesn’t want to admit to that, why should I?”

“You shouldn’t let your hatred consume you. As I said earlier, acting out of emotion only results in poor judgment.” Idylya’s face softens a little.

“I don’t…hate her, but I can’t be around her anymore. You see-” Idylya is suddenly cut off by a reverberating bell echoing throughout the valley. Neverak turns his attention to the bell tower.

“I’m afraid I must be going.” Neverak says as he starts floating up.

“Are you going to report me?” She asks with worry. Neverak is about to say something, but he cuts himself off and ponders for a moment.

“Hmmm, I won’t report you if you reconcile with Ithinyelle. I think it’d help all of us for you both to talk again and settle your differences.” Idylya rolls her eyes in annoyance. “There’s a cave behind the southernmost waterfall in the Arboretum. She’s usually there every afternoon, meditating.”

“Fine.” She answers sharply as Neverak nods and flies off. In a fit of anger, Idylya picks up her half-finished smoothie and throws it in the direction Neverak flew off to, but it instead falls on another dragon’s head as they’re walking away from her.

“Uh-oh.” Idylya winces, regretting her outburst. “Sorry!” She yells across the street. She then immediately takes off and flies away swiftly just as she starts to hear curses coming from the soaked dragon.

~

“Can’t believe I’m doing this.” Idylya mutters to herself as she floats down into the Arboretum. Several dragons pass her as she lands on the cobblestone pathway. Heading south, she begins to take in the sounds of birds chirping, the increased vegetation, and the solitude as there seems to be less dragons around than where she landed from.

“I also can’t believe it took me a few days to work up the nerve to see her. I’m not even scared of her…just afraid of conversing with her and the possibility of her saying ‘no’ to our request.” Coming up to a small dirt beach, she immediately recognizes it as the spot where she played the flute for Zuriak months ago. The southern waterfall lies just beyond the shore.

“It was pretty funny using him as a guinea pig for that music experiment.” She reminisces. “There’s something mysterious about that flute and I really should study it more. Maybe once he’s back, I can try other songs on him and see what else it can do.” She smiles to herself and stares at her reflection in the water, watching it slowly turn into a frown.

“But first I gotta do something I’m going to hate.” She dives into the water smoothly and freely swims around for a bit.

It’s been so long since I last swam here, I forgot what it feels like.

Idylya swims around the Arboretum’s plateau and sees a few other water dragons also swimming around near where the depth drastically drops. She waves at the others and they wave back as she passes them, going deeper towards the center of the lake. As the light fades, she remembers back to when she met Ithinyelle years ago.

It was right here, wasn’t it? It’s hard to see, but this is where she almost drowned.

She floats down to the lake floor and walks through the seaweed and rocks.

Was it really my fault that we hate each other?

She kicks a rock and watches it sluggishly roll down a crevice, causing a slew of bubbles to rapidly rise to the surface.

Maybe we were both to blame.

Out of the corner of her eye, something lightly twinkles against the scattered light on the lake floor. Idylya crouches and picks up a thin metal necklace with an azure gem hooked on. She brushes the gunk off the gem and tries to get a better look at it. Wrapped around the gemstone is a carefully smelted lung dragon made out of a shiny white metal

Dragons lose all sorts of things down here. I’m surprised none of them ever ask a water elemental to find it for them. Then again, this lake is pretty massive. Who knows what other treasures are lost around here.

Idylya loops the necklace around her left arm and twists it enough to keep it secure.

I don’t normally wear jewelry, buuuuuuut I kinda like it. The metal hasn’t rusted, so I wonder if this was lost recently.

She looks up at the scattered light through the water and at the other dragons swimming above her. With a light push, she swims back up to the surface and towards the southern waterfall. Upon getting close, she leaps up into the waterfall and propels herself forward into the cave, but is quickly met with another dragon sitting just behind the waterfall and she crashes into them. The two become tangled as they roll deeper into the cave.

“Ow, who the fuck!?” The other dragon exclaims. Idylya rubs her head as Ithinyelle’s blurred figure comes into view. “Oh, it’s you.” Ithinyelle spits as she aggressively pushes Idylya’s body off her own and stands up.

“What do you want?”

“I need to talk to you about something.” Idylya struggles to get up, sore from the accident.

“How did you even find me? Are you stalking me?”

“What? No! Neverak told me you were here!”

“Oh, did he now?” Ithinyelle mumbles something incomprehensible under her breath as Idylya fully stands up and shakes the dirt off her fins.

“Well, might as well get on with it and tell me what you need.” Ithinyelle bitingly comments, then goes back to where she was sitting and coils up.

“Look, I know we’re not on good terms, but we could really use your help with something.”

“With what? And who’s ‘we’?”

“We, as in, Xellis, Fenrir and I, think there’s a way we can bring Zuriak back.”

“Oh…” Ithinyelle’s sour expression softens. “...you’re wasting your time.” She finishes monotonously.

“What is it with you and Neverak?” Do neither of you have any faith that he’s still alive?” She responds, raising her voice. Ithinyelle breaks eye contact and shifts her gaze to a puddle of water next to her.

“It doesn’t matter if he’s alive or dead. He tried to assassinate a very important qilin. I imagine if he’s still alive, he’s being kept in the deepest, darkest depths of the Jade Palace. There’s nothing we can do short of worsening our current situation with Kyryo.”

“Are you really just going to give up like that?”

“I’m not giving up. I just…don’t want to risk losing anyone else.” Ithinyelle begins harshly but her voice quivers. “Now please leave me be.” Ithinyelle turns away from Idylya and goes back to meditating. Idylya hangs her head and proceeds towards the exit. As she passes by her, she notices a red aura around Ithinyelle’s head, a sign of inner turmoil.

“I’m sorry.” Idylya says, opening up, but Ithinyelle remains unmoved. “I’m sorry if I was the one who caused the rift between us. I didn’t do it out of malice, but the more you chose to pursue the warriors guild, the more I felt disconnected from you. Reflecting back on it, I see now that that was a poor excuse. I never wanted our friendship to die, I just wanted you to know that.”

Ithinyelle’s aura shifts to orange and her neutral expression cracks. Idylya turns back towards the cave’s exit and prepares to jump in the water.

“How could you leave me behind like that?” Idylya freezes and Ithinyelle stops meditating. “Especially when I needed you the most.”

“I couldn’t watch you throw your life away. I never wanted you to pursue the way of the warrior because I was afraid I’d never see you again. I realize now that that was just my selfish desire.”

“I failed getting into the guild that time and no one was there for me.” Ithinyelle opens her eyes and stares down at her reflection in the same puddle as before.

“I know there’s nothing I can say that will change the past, but I’m here for you now.” Idylya comforts. She walks back into the cave and towards Ithinyelle who doesn’t take her eyes off the puddle. Suddenly, Ithinyelle is met with a warm embrace as Idylya wraps her arms around her in a tight hug. The two stay silent for a moment before Ithinyelle hesitantly reciprocates the hug.

“It’s my fault too.”

“Hmmm?”

“I never wanted to admit it because it shows weakness. I cared more about my own goals and pursuits than our friendship, and deep down that is one of my biggest regrets.”

“You know me more than any other dragon. It never mattered to me whether you were strong or weak. Even the strongest ones have weaknesses, but that doesn’t make them any less of a dragon.” Idylya comforts her.

“I know…but I can’t help it sometimes. Losing Zuriak two months ago was one of my lowest moments. It made me realize that I cared more about completing the mission and surviving than the well-being of those around me. How can I call myself a warrior, one who’s supposed to defend their kin, when I can’t even protect my own comrade. I feel like I failed my purpose.” Ithinyelle chokes out.

“You can still fix this. All of us can.” Idylya whispers. The two hug silently for a few more minutes as Ithinyelle holds herself together.

“What would you have me do?” She questions, breaking the silence.

“We’re going to infiltrate the Jade Palace underground.”

Ithinyelle pulls herself from the hug and looks in Idylya’s eyes, interrupting their moment.

“You’re joking, right? If that didn’t work last time, why do you think it will work this time?”

“Because we’re going to stick together. Either all of us come back or none of us do.” Idylya asserts. Ithinyelle lightly chuckles in response.

“That’s awfully reckless coming from you.”

“It’s going to work.”

“I’m guessing this is all unauthorized too, meaning we could get removed from our guilds if we get caught or even worse, exiled.” Ithinyelle adds disappointingly. Idylya frowns.

“Sometimes, rules need to be bent or even broken to do what’s right. I’ll understand if you decline.” Ithinyelle stands up, wanders over to the entrance of the cave and pauses for a moment.

“No…I need to do this.”

~

Idylya scratches her arm underneath where she wrapped Zuriak’s glowing dagger as she and Ithinyelle carefully walk down the slippery stone stairs into the North Nymerion Hot Springs. Hot air and steam rises out from down below as it mixes with the cool night air above. Ithinyelle takes notice of Idylya’s discomfort.

“I forgot he gave that to you. It feels so long ago.” Ithinyelle mentions.

“It’s all I have to remember him by. I’m sure he’d like it back once this is all over.”

“And what about that? I thought you hated jewelry.” Ithinyelle points at her other arm where the shiny azure pendant is wrapped.

“Oh…” Idylya stares deeply into the gem. “I found it in the lake not too long ago.”

“And now you suddenly like wearing jewelry?”

“It’s not that. Something about this gemstone though…it gives me a warm and hopeful feeling.” Ithinyelle picks up Idylya’s arm to get a better look.

“Hey!”

“Looks like kyanite. The gemstone of the water elementals and the birthstone of Aquilius.” Idylya retracts her arm and Ithinyelle gives her a goofy grin. “Some say it gives off an azure glow to those during heightened s-”

“Okay professor. I didn’t ask for a geology lesson.” Idylya nervously laughs it off and covers the gem.

Ithinyelle keeps her grin and shakes her head in disapproval as the two begin down the moist, concrete stairs. The sounds of night start fading away as the two travel further into the dark. Ithinyelle’s grin vanishes as she carefully avoids the puddles on the stairs, but a slight misstep causes her to slip and fall forward and land on her face.

“Why do we have to meet here?” She asks, unenthused.

“Because that’s what Xellis insists on. He says no one ever goes to these springs because they’re too hot for non-fire and non-lava dragons. The long trek down these stairs is also off-putting for most, not to mention they’re quite hazardous if you’re not paying attention.”

“Yeah, I can see why.” Ithinyelle complains as she regains her footing.

“Xellis also says that there’s a way out of the city through the hot spring cavern here. He says it’s best we don’t get seen leaving the city at night.”

“Right.”

As the two reach the end of the stairs, a lone orange dragon rests along the rocky edge of one of the pools with half his body in the water. Both of them slowly approach the sleeping dragon, being careful not to wake him. Once they reach him, Ithinyelle rolls her eyes and pushes the rest of his body into the water. As soon as his body submerges, he chokes on the water and struggles to get out of the pool.

“You awake yet?” Ithinyelle sarcastically asks. Xellis coughs up more water and glares at her.

“You know there are other ways to wake someone, right?”

“Yeah-yeah, so, where’s your other friend? The green and grey one.”

“Fenrir said he will be a little late.” Xellis wheezes.

“Oh, cool.” Ithinyelle lays on the ground and leans up against a rock as Xellis gets out of the water. As he dries himself off, he looks at Ithinyelle and tries to give her a warm smile.

“As much as I disliked that, I still appreciate you helping us.”

“I’m not doing it for you guys.” She begins harshly. “...but I want to set things right.”

Xellis’s smile disappears as he sees a shadow step out of the stairway, holding a lantern in their mouth. He waves the shadow down, and as he gets closer, the shadow’s colors become much more apparent.

“What took you so long, Fenrir?” Xellis asks impatiently. Fenrir hovers over the few pools between them and stays airborne after reaching the trio. Strapped to his back is a drawing tube, but different than the one he had in their last meeting.

“It took longer than I expected to copy that map.” He responds as he taps the drawing tube a couple times.

“What did you end up doing with the original?” Xellis presses.

“They’ll find it, don’t worry.” Fenrir answers calmly. Idylya nervously sweats, thinking back to when Neverak confronted her about the missing map.

“Great! So, I haven’t told either of you this yet, but we’ve received some reports from other trios in the intelligence guild that the situation around Kyrinia has intensified for the Empress’s birthday tomorrow. We’ll need to set up the excavation on the Peaks of Peril about three kilometers east of the city.”

“Are you out of your mind?” Ithinyelle interrupts, angrily. “I have to dig for three kilometers? Do you realize how much work that is and how long that will take?”

“More actually, haha…” Xellis nervously laughs, attempting to dispel the hostility. “There’s also an elevation depth of four-hundred meters.” Ithinyelle facepalms and mumbles something to herself. Xellis scratches the back of his head as his face turns red.

“Well, we better get going. We should reach the entry point by daybreak if there are no interruptions.” Fenrir notes. Idylya and Xellis nod as Ithinyelle composes herself.

“Yeah, let’s get this over with.” She answers unenthusiastically. Xellis picks up Fenrir’s lantern and starts slowly flying deeper into the cave system beyond the hot spring pools. The other three follow closely to him as they dodge the hanging stalactites through the darkness. The deeper in they get, the more the ground ascends upward. After a few more minutes of flying, moonlight can faintly be seen ahead, pouring in through the small cave exit. As they near the exit, Xellis slows down and gently sets the lantern down against the rock wall, just out of sight from outside. The other three fly past him and into the night sky above. He soon joins them and takes one last look at Nymerion from behind the hills.

~

As the sun begins to crest over the eastern horizon, the four dragons descend below the clouds and into the Peaks of Peril. Fenrir takes the lead as they all stay low within the mountains to avoid being seen. Fenrir begins to slow down as the base of the western-most peak comes into view, the one overlooking Kyrinia. They all stop and float down into the forested valley before the peak and look around at their surroundings. Xellis rubs his eyes sleepily and shakes his head before looking up at the morning sun.

“I take it this is where we’re supposed to be, Fenrir?” Xellis groggily asks. Fenrir removes the drawing tube from his back, uncaps it and removes the map from it. He places it on the forest floor and the other three crowd around. Idylya notices some alterations to his copy than the original one she saw when they were initially planning. It is much more zoomed out and includes perimeter markings around the city that extend into the Peaks of Peril. There are also measurements of distance and depth indicated along with a drawn three-dimensional isometric layout of the Jade Palace. Seven floors are outlined above the main floor along with three sub-levels below.

“You really did your research, Fenrir.” Idylya compliments in awe.

“Thank you. It took weeks of information gathering from other guild members, but it’s all there.” Fenrir says pridefully. “The captive was reported to be held in the lowest chamber here.” Fenrir taps his claw on the third sub-level of the Palace, a large rectangular room with a single hallway and stairwell leading up to the first floor near the palace throne room. Another hallway is shown leading out of the room in the opposite direction, but goes nowhere.

“Our target is this large room on the third sub-level. I imagine the room is probably a prison and guarded. Fortunately, the Empress’s festival should be starting soon, away from the Palace, meaning less trouble with security. Ideally, we should come up from the floor and quietly as possible to avoid attracting attention. If we can determine where Zuriak is being held, we can simply dig up to his location, and sneak him away through the cavern. By the time they notice he’s gone, we’ll be far away from here.”

“You make it seem so easy.” Idylya notes. “We don’t even know the layout of the prison, or the guards’ routes.”

“I’m surprised you guys didn’t ask Neverak as well. A cosmic elemental would solve this issue no problem.” Ithinyelle questions.

“Hah, as if. He’d rat us out immediately.” Xellis answers matter-of-factly. Ithinyelle snickers sarcastically.

“You know nothing, Xellis.”

“I know enough.”

“If you say so.” Ithinyelle says with a sigh as she walks to the base of the Peak and digs her claws into the ground. Seconds later, rocks and dirt are moved aside as a small opening appears, leading downwards. She removes her claws and looks back at the other three, waiting for them to move.

“You guys coming?”

Fenrir picks up the map and catches up with her, and just as Idylya is about to do the same, Xellis pulls her to the side.

“Hold up.” Xellis says as he breaks off a couple branches from a nearby tree. He then drops them on the ground and places one of his palms on the ground, transforming it into a small pool of lava. He picks up both sticks and hovers them over the pool, allowing them to ignite.

“They’ll both need some light.” Xellis finishes lighting up the sticks and hands one to Idylya. She stares into the flames as Xellis cools the pool and flies over to the other two with the torch in one claw. She follows closely behind them, holding the other torch as they all enter the cave. Inside, Ithinyelle pushes more rocks and dirt to the side as the other three trail behind her in the air with a fair amount of distance to avoid getting hit with debris. The group silently digs through the ground for a couple hours as Fenrir measures their progress on his map, eventually reaching a turning point.

“Stop.” Fenrir calls out to Ithinyelle. She does so and collapses to the ground in exhaustion.

“Are we close?” She pants.

“Above.” He points upward. Ithinyelle rolls over and gets back up before she claps her claws together and embeds one of them in the rock wall. Soon, the ceiling between them collapses, sending chunks of debris down into the cave. The three of them shield their eyes from the dust while Ithinyelle clears away the rubble by compressing and pushing it to the side.

“That was loud.” Xellis comments as he rubs his ears. Ithinyelle ignores him and floats up the shaft she just created. The other three fly up behind her with the two torch holders lighting the way. After flying up about twenty meters, they stop at a peculiar black slab larger than the size of the shaft. Idylya holds up the torch to it to get a better look.

“What is that?” She asks. Fenrir looks down at the map.

“We might’ve hit the floor of the prison.” Fenrir answers.

“I thought you said I’d have to dig up four-hundred meters.” Ithinyelle confusedly notes.

“Give or take, it’s hard to tell.” Xellis defends. Ithinyelle ignores him and starts pushing up on the slab, loosening it.

“Careful. We don’t know where this is exactly. Try peering through the cracks.” Fenrir warns. Ithinyelle lifts up more of the slab on one side and tries to see through.

“It’s mostly just darkness save for a few torchlights, but I don’t see or hear any qilins.” She whispers down. “Help me through.”

Idylya and Xellis put the torches in their mouths while Fenrir does the same with his map as they help Ithinyelle lift the slab. Their combined strength slowly raises the slab into an empty space, eventually tipping it over, allowing them through. Idylya, Fenrir, and Xellis collapse to the ground in exhaustion while Ithinyelle looks around the room they dug into. A long hallway extends in both directions with wall torches dimly lighting the way. Along the walls are various paintings of kirins with nameplates below them. Ithinyelle looks at them confusedly.

“Fenrir, are you sure we’re in the right spot?” Ithinyelle asks quietly with skepticism. Fenrir organizes himself and spits out the map before opening it up again. He traces their route and looks around him at the passageway they wound up in.

“This might be one of the adjacent hallways. Seems strange, however. I would’ve expected a guard to show up after moving that slab.” Idylya stands up and looks down both ends of the hallway. At the far ends, she barely makes out the closed doors on each side. She looks up at the painting on the wall in front of her.

“Radiant Ember, second era, year three ninety-nine to year four fifty. The Living Fire Kirin.” She reads out loud from the plaque.

“Who is that? A former Emperor?” Xellis asks as he approaches her. Idylya doesn’t answer and instead walks down the hall, keeping her eyes fixed on the next painting.

“Saiyei.” She says in a hushed tone.

“What?” Xellis asks while moving over to where she is.

“It means ‘shadow’ in Zyntrithian. Look at this one’s horn.” Xellis ponders the painting while Idylya returns to the previous one. “This one is ‘fire’ in Zyntrithian, ferosa.”

“I forgot you were obsessed with that dead language.” Ithinyelle comments as she joins the two. She stares intently at the painting with a sense of familiarity. “During our mission briefing a few months ago, Ryn showed us a scroll containing qilins like these. They’re matriarchal qilins, aren’t they?” Idylya gives a soft nod. Fenrir joins the trio with his nose still buried in the map.

“I believe that door leads to the main chamber. We should get moving.” Fenrir rolls up the map and places it back in the drawing tube as the four of them proceed down the hallway. At the door, Xellis opens it slightly and gasps.

“I don’t think this is a prison.” He says worriedly as he pushes open the door. All four of them spill out into a spacious, ornate chamber with bookshelves lined against the walls in a maze-like fashion. Chandeliers at the cross-sections of each row and column light up the library in a regal way with red, velvet rugs covering the stone floor. Ithinyelle leads through about to enter the array of books but suspiciously looks around her in all directions.

“What the heck, Fenrir? You said this was where the prison was.” Ithinyelle angrily whispers.

“The dragon signature was detected in this room. I only assumed it was a prison because where else would the qilins keep a dragon?” He retorts with the same level of anger. Before Ithinyelle could speak, she turns her head and sees a thin bullet of fire coming down one of the aisles. She ducks and narrowly misses the shot. As she regains her senses, an orange kirin with a brown mane charges down at her with a flaming katana. Ithinyelle places her claws on the stone ground and conjures up a wall just as the kirin is about to slash. They jump, cut through the rock and glare at Ithinyelle.

“How did you get in here, dragon?” The kirin speaks. Xellis’s claws glow orange as he quietly places them on the ground. Before he is able to perform the spell, the sounds of magical teleportation appear above. He looks up and strafes in time to avoid the second attacker just as they’re about to slice his neck with a glowing blue sword. The second kirin, a blue one, jumps back to distance themselves from the other three dragons.

“I would avoid doing that if I were you.” The blue kirin says nonchalantly.

“Where are you keeping him?” Xellis demands.

“Keeping who, might I ask?” She answers, calmly. Xellis charges at the kirin and swings his tail, attempting to knock the kirin over, but she swiftly avoids it.

“You know damn well, who!” Xellis shouts. The orange kirin breaks away from Ithinyelle and joins with the blue one. Idylya steps out from behind Fenrir to get a better look at the two kirins. The blue kirin gasps upon seeing her.

“I-Idylya, is that you!?” The kirin exclaims. The orange kirin stares in bewilderment next to her. The blue kirin’s voice floods her senses in familiarity, and her eyes widen.

“The two from the forest.” Idylya mumbles to herself. In the blink of an eye, she charges at the blue kirin, and holds her down to the floor by the neck with her left claw. The orange kirin dodges just in time, but Ithinyelle takes advantage of his broken stance and summons a concrete box around him. The blue kirin struggles against Idylya’s force.

“Where is she!? The green one with the Zyntrithian marking on her horn!” The kirin ignores her as she tries to escape Idylya’s grasp. Xellis and Fenrir begin walking the perimeter before the bookshelves while keeping their eyes fixed on Idylya in shock and confusion.

“I suppose it was only a matter of time before you showed up. You two were close after all.” A voice from the shadows echoes. “Please let Temara go.”

Idylya reluctantly releases the kirin and turns her attention to a green kirin emerging from the shadows. Suddenly, the orange kirin’s katana pierces through the concrete box and he slices it open vertically. Idylya moves away quickly as he pushes through the rubble and tends to Temara. She deeply coughs as the orange kirin helps her up. The green kirin fully steps out into the light and walks towards Idylya.

“You know why we’re here.” Idylya says coldly. Ithinyelle backs up towards Xellis and Fenrir, all of them uncertain about the situation.

“Zuriak, right? The one who tried to kill me? Well, I’m afraid he’s not here.” Terra Nova says, mirroring Idylya’s cold tone.

“That’s impossible! A dragon’s energy signature was detected here in the palace!” Idylya exclaims.

“And how would you know that?”

“Because-” Idylya stops herself before she could reveal any more information. Terra sighs in annoyance.

“Well, dragon signature or not, your friend isn’t here, nor was he ever in the palace. I advise you to leave the way you came before there’s trouble.”

“And you expect me to believe that!?” Idylya instantly unsheathes Zuriak’s dagger, holds it in her mouth as it glows red and charges at Terra. Terra doesn’t react and allows Idylya to pin her down. Idylya snarls and sharply glares at Terra with both her claws holding down Terra’s hooves. Terra looks emotionlessly into Idylya’s eyes, but the longer the two stare at each other, the more Terra’s face softens up, eventually replacing with a look of concern and regret. Before Idylya could make another move, the orange kirin charges at them and pushes Idylya off Terra with a blast of fire. She drops the dagger and it rolls along the ground towards the other three dragons. Fenrir jumps over Idylya and sends the orange kirin flying back with a gust of wind. He makes contact with one of the bookshelves and it topples over into the adjacent shelves like dominoes.

“Nero!” Temara shouts. As Terra returns to her hooves, Xellis summons a ring of lava around her and manipulates it into a cylindrical column of fire, imprisoning her. Ithinyelle places her claws on the ground and transforms it into a dense stone pole. She then besets Temara and swings it at her, but Temara quickly picks up her sword she dropped and crosses with Ithinyelle. The two engage themselves as Nero recovers and groggily rejoins the foray. Fenrir tackles him just as he’s about to pick up his katana. Terra teleports herself out of the circle and fires at Xellis with magic, to which he sustains a couple hits. He retaliates by sticking his claws in the ring of lava and pulling out several obsidian spikes. He throws them at Terra who dodges them, but trips and falls near where more bookshelves stand. Idylya returns to consciousness and looks at her burn wound. Much of her scales are now red, and some of her fins have been singed. She gets up and tries to see through much of the darkness, looking for the dagger, but fails to see where it went. She looks up at the chaos before her as both kirins and dragons brutally fight each other. She turns and sees Terra struggling to get up just before she dashes into the maze of bookshelves. As Xellis is about to chase after her, Idylya shoves him aside and tails her.

“Idylya, wait!” She ignores him and dives into the maze. Not long after weaving through the endless sea of bookshelves, Idylya begins to lose Terra. She slows down and stops at one of the cross-sections as the sounds of hooves fade away.

“Shit!” She curses and pounds the wood of one of the shelves. She slumps down against a bookshelf and tries soothing her burn wound.

“They’re all going to pay.” She breathes out. Out of the corner of her eye, a strange white light shines down one of the corridors. Being drawn toward it, she gets up and heads down the corridor. The further down she goes, the more she notices her surroundings changing. The bookshelves have been replaced with stone walls, and the ground has shifted to dirt and grass. The light continues to get much stronger the more she walks. Along the walls are strange crystals that give a strong colorful glow, brighter than candlelight. Before long, she reaches a large garden hidden away, with a large sakura tree in the center of the cavern. All along the tree are pools of water with lilies floating around the tree itself. Small waterfalls cascade down from the high ceilings, and peaks of sunlight pour in through holes in the ceiling.

“I don’t remember this place being on Fenrir’s map.” She whispers to herself as she looks at her reflection in one of the pools. A streak of blood runs down her forehead and between her eyes and her appearance is disheveled with a mix of dirt and blood covering her scales and fins.

“I just want this to end.” A silent tear rolls down her cheek, but she quickly shakes it off as a rustling in the grass alerts her of a presence.

“I don’t regret what I did.” A voice says behind her. Idylya slowly turns around and faces Terra Nova where she entered the garden from. “But I also don’t condone the actions we took that day.” Terra gives a somber look while Idylya wipes the tear and blood from her face.

“He’s not dead, but he’s also not with us anymore.”

“What are you talking about?” Idylya questions with a wavering tone.

“All throughout my life, I despised the conflict between our nations. I despised the bloodshed and mayhem that we have wrought upon each other for centuries. And I despised the fermenting hatred we have with each other. Not once in my life have I ever had the desire to kill.” She begins forcefully, but her mood quickly shifts sorrowfully. “And yet…Laniakea has chosen to curse me with a power to be used against our enemies. I didn’t kill him-I couldn’t kill him-so I chose to do the only thing I could…send him through time.”

“H-how is that possible?”

“Throughout history, there have been a handful of gifted kirins that possessed incredible magic, capable of performing unthinkable spells.”

“Matriarchal qilins.” Idylya finishes, her breathing picking up. “That symbol on your horn, that means ‘time’, right?” Terra nods.

“He knew as well.”

“If you sent him through time, then you must be able to bring him back!” She exclaims, raising her voice. Terra shakes her head.

“It doesn’t work like that, it’s not time travel. Once an object is trapped in my spell, it ceases to exist in its original point in time. It is then held in stasis until an undetermined point in the future. What happens while in stasis or where the object goes is still a mystery to me.” Idylya closes her eyes and turns away from Terra.

“How far in time is he?”

“I do not know. Could be days, months, or even years. There’s no way to truly know.”

“Then all of this was for nothing.”

Terra looks down at the small river, flowing away from the center tree.

“Time’s arrow flows in one direction. If one could rewrite the laws of time, there would be no more order. The past would get muddled, and the future would collapse. Even if Laniakea’s magic could bring him back, I would not fulfill your wish.”

In anger, Idylya manipulates the water around the tree and encases Terra in a water sphere. She struggles to swim to the top of the sphere and gasps for air as Idylya compresses the sphere. As Terra tries to free herself, the sphere begins to heat up and rapidly evaporate. Water then bursts out in all directions and Terra drops to the ground, now in nirik form. The runic markings around her body all glow white in sync with her horn symbols. The flames around her glow a brilliant mixture of magenta, white, and red. Terra charges at Idylya like a fireball, but Idylya just barely puts up a water shield between them, creating a dense fog of steam. Terra steps back a little, disappearing in the fog.

“I had to do it, Idylya. He was going to kill me.” Idylya tries dispersing the fog while staying alert. From above, Terra drops down in a rolling cannonball fashion, but Idylya blocks her with her arm and sustains severe burns.

“Ahhhhhhh!” She soothes the burn and dashes behind the tree while the fog is still thick.

“He was dangerous! Wouldn’t you have done the same if you were me!?” Terra shouts within the fog.

“We didn’t have a choice! Neither of us wanted to kill you, but we do what we’re told to maintain peace in our country!” Terra cuts through the fog with a magical flaming katana coming out of her horn. She then uses her head to swing at Idylya, but she evades it as they circle around the tree. On the last swing, Idylya quickly levitates water from the pond, densely covers her claws and clasps the katana. The katana dissipates as Idylya jumps back and yelps in pain, her palms peeling from the burns.

“All those moons ago, I truly wanted to believe you two were different, that you would look beyond the desires of your superiors and think for yourself like I did when I saved your lives. But both of you were cut from the same mold as the rest of your kin. You’re all cold-blooded killers.”

Idylya ignores the pain and levitates more water from the pond to cover her entire body. She then tackles Terra and attempts to douse her flames, but Terra releases a shockwave of heat and knocks her away. Idylya lies on the ground as her multiple burns start bleeding, unable to get up.

“And what of you?” Idylya manages out. “You’re doing exactly as your Empress commands.”

“Our situations are nothing alike!” Terra shouts in rage.

“If that’s true, then why are you here in the Jade Palace and not with the Oasis? Have you abandoned them!?” Suddenly, Idylya feels a strange, cold sensation enveloping her. Her heart rate slows, and her blood temperature drops as the pain from her wounds goes numb. Terra steps towards her, her flames increasing in size and temperature. She kneels down to Idylya’s level.

“I never abandoned them. They always knew what my destiny was and that someday I would need to face a challenge like none I’ve ever seen before. I do not follow as the Empress commands, but I will do what is necessary to protect those I love.”

“Whether you want to believe me or not, it matters little to me. I chased after the sliver of hope that Zuriak was still alive and being held here, knowing I could lose everything. He may have been following orders back then, but I made the conscious decision to be here of my own volition to protect him. As much as you want to claim we’re different, we’re more alike than you think.”

“You’re wrong!” Terra hisses as she charges her horn. Idylya shuts her eyes and instinctively releases a counter-shockwave of ice from her core, knocking Terra back across the garden. The resulting shockwave coats the tree’s leaves and grass in a layer of frost. Idylya gets up and looks down at the light blue aura covering her claws.

“The blessing? But, how…?” She whispers to herself. As Terra slowly returns to her fours, Idylya levitates water on her claws. She then freezes the water into ice spikes and throws them at Terra like daggers. Terra regains her composure in time and uses her horn’s fire magic to cut through the spikes, however one slips past her side and slices part of her belly. She grunts and touches the wound.

“So you’re also an ice elemental, just like him.” Terra begins charging her horn for another attack. Idylya holds her head in a panic, unsure how to counter Terra.

“What ice spells did Zuriak have? I can’t remember any of them!” She frantically speaks to herself. She looks down again at her glowing blue claws, then at her chest, getting a sudden light-bulb moment. She takes a deep breath, then releases a beam of ice from her mouth just as Terra shoots a beam of fire from her horn. The two forces collide and form a ball of energy. Both of them continue surging with energy as the ball expands. In a brief flash, the pent up energy explodes outwards and sends both of them flying in opposite directions. Idylya gets up and groggily runs towards Terra, trying to ignore the intense pain and partially fractured spine. Before Terra could react, Idylya charges her claws and pins her to the wall before she could release another spell. Idylya then freezes Terra’s arms to the wall and lets the ice travel to the rest of her lower body, trapping her. Terra’s nirik form dissolves away and she looks into Idylya’s eyes with fear and sorrow as Idylya materializes an ice spike in her claw and holds it up. She hesitates and Terra closes her eyes, waiting for the strike. After a few moments, Terra reopens her eyes and looks at Idylya as she fails to follow through with the final blow. Idylya’s face cracks and she drops the spike before breaking down and crying.

“You can’t do it, can you?” Terra says quietly. She doesn’t respond and continues sobbing while Terra uses her body heat to melt the ice. She then falls off the wall and onto her four hooves, trying to stay balanced while sustaining her injuries.

“You loved him, didn’t you? I can tell by the look in your eyes, the burning desire to avenge your loss.”

“I just want things to go back to the way they were before all of this and tell him.” She chokes between sobs as Terra looks down on her pitifully, feeling the pain of her loss.

“I’m sorry, Idylya, but no power on the matriarch’s green earth can change the past.” Idylya opens her tear-stained eyes and looks at Terra’s mournful expression. “We have to live with the decisions we make and the consequences that follow.”

“I will never forgive you for what you’ve done, but I also can’t bring myself to commit the ultimate sin for revenge. I don’t want to cause any more pain.” Idylya chokes out.

“I don’t expect you to forgive me.” Terra begins sadly. “That is something I will have to live with for the rest of my life.” Terra wipes the blood from her face as Idylya’s tears subside. “You should regroup with your friends and leave before the palace guards get here.”

Idylya shakes herself off and stands up, feeling the brunt of her attacks now that the adrenaline has worn off.

“And what will you do?” Idylya says just as Terra limps past her. She stops, but doesn’t look back.

“All I’ve done is cause pain to those around me because of my gift.” Terra turns her head back. “I’m done listening to those who think they know what’s best for me; I’m going to forge my own path. Perhaps that is something we can relate to.”

“Yeah…” Idylya sulks and looks down at her claws.

“If it means anything, if you were a kirin or pony, I think you would’ve done well in the Oasis, or rather, I believe that now.” Terra looks at Idylya remorsefully before heading towards the exit again and teleporting away. Idylya looks at her back and at all the bruising and bleeding becoming more apparent.

“I don’t know what I’m destined for.” She comments to herself as she levitates water from the pond around the tree and onto her wounds. An aquamarine aura glows around the wound and starts rapidly healing. She does the same to her other open wounds until her chakra is spent. As she walks back into the library, she takes one last look at the tree and gazes up at the pink leaves.

“It kind of felt like it was watching us.” She says in a daze, recovering from the recent blood loss. Without a second thought, she returns to the maze again, trying to remember her original path, when a presence catches her by surprise from down the dark corridor. The sounds of several entities coming at her gets progressively louder as Idylya steps back a bit, afraid of another conflict. Before she can react, a dark green dragon embraces her in a tight hug, with an orange one and a light green one behind her.

“We thought we lost you.” Idylya, stunned by Ithinyelle’s affection, returns the hug.

“We weren’t sure if we were ever going to find you in this labyrinth. We heard an explosion and once that matriarchal kirin returned to the fight, we assumed the worst.” Xellis says with some relief in his voice.

“Did you find him? Is Zuriak here?” Fenrir asks. Idylya’s relieved expression is replaced with sorrow.

“No, he’s not here, but-”

“Damn, so it was all for nothing then.” Xellis says, distraught.

“I see.” Fenrir adds with disappointment. “We should get out of here before the qilins know what happened.” All three nod and follow Fenrir down the corridors of bookshelves.

“What happened to Terra Nova and the other two qilins?” Idylya asks Ithinyelle as they’re sprinting through the halls.

“She teleported to the other two not long after the explosion Xellis mentioned. She then summoned a wall of fire around them and herself, but after Fenrir blew the flames away, they were already gone. We’re not sure where they went.” As all four of them return to the entrance area they all fought in, Idylya looks around at the devastation caused by the fighting.

“Yeah, it was quite the battle. Those two knew how to handle themselves.” Ithinyelle says after seeing Idylya looking at the damage they caused. Fenrir guides the other three through the door they entered from and down the hall of matriarchal kirins. Idylya stops as the other three run past her. She looks up at a relatively new painting of the current matriarchal kirin Terra Nova. Below her name plate reads ‘Third Era, Year 345’ with a dash next to it, and the title ‘The Time Kirin’.

“Come on, Idylya!” Xellis shouts from down the hall. She nods and joins him as the other two attempt to lift the stone slab. “By the way, I found this after the qilins left.” Xellis shows her Zuriak’s dagger, undamaged from the battle. “You should hold onto it.” He finishes as he gives it to her. She takes it, feeling a bit more relieved than before.

“Thank you. I wasn’t sure if I’d ever see it again.” Xellis gives a small smile as they both join the other two in lifting the stone slab. In the air, they carefully pick it up and float down the hole, resting it along the rim.

~

Ithinyelle opens a window in her loft and lets a cool breeze flow through her room. The candles waver in the wind, but stay lit, giving off a warm glow in the night. Idylya sits coiled across the room on a cushion drinking a hot cup of tea while staring into the candlelight beside her.

“What do you mean he’s ‘lost in time’?” Ithinyelle questions, irked. Idylya breaks her focus from the candle and faces the other dragon across the room.

“That’s what the qilin told me. She’s able to send things forward through time, and I suppose that includes living creatures too.” Idylya responds emotionlessly.

“But not retrieve them?” Ithinyelle scratches her mane in distraught. “I’m trying to wrap my mind around this. That’s actual insanity that a qilin can do something like that. It shouldn’t be possible.” Ithinyelle shakes her head. “Any idea how far in time she sent him?” Ithinyelle takes a sip from her own tea.

“No, it could be minutes or even years.” She responds with the same emotionless tone. Ithinyelle gives a deep sigh.

“I don’t know if there’s anything more we can do. He might turn up someday…or he might not. But I think it might be time to let him go.”

Idylya stares down into her cup, looking at her reflection. She closes her eyes and breathes deeply. “I see.” A long silence passes.

“I think it’s time for me to leave this place.”

Ithinyelle chokes on her tea and sets the cup down. “You mean leave Nymerion? Where would you go?”

“I’m not sure yet, maybe Ithika or Raana, somewhere far away from here.”

“And leave me behind?” Ithinyelle asks, feeling a little hurt.

“No, no, it’s not like that, it’s just…I need a break from everything.” Idylya rationalizes. Ithinyelle lightly chuckles to herself.

“It’s alright, I understand where you’re coming from; we’re not hatchlings anymore. But, if you do leave Nymerion, you’ll probably be removed from the alchemists guild though.”

“I’m aware, and yet I do not feel any remorse towards that. I don’t think that was my purpose in life.” Idylya looks her in the eye. “I need to figure that out for myself.”

“Heh, if you say so.” Ithinyelle drinks the last of her tea and walks over to Idylya. “Just promise me you’ll visit every now and again.” She holds out a claw.

“Deal.” Idylya takes her claw and Ithinyelle pulls her into an embrace. The two hug for a minute before Idylya lets go. “I do have one thing for you though.” Underneath the table, Idylya slides out her obsidian recurve bow and places it on top. The runes glow a faint white. “I don’t think I’ll need this anymore.” Ithinyelle picks it up and examines its runes and structure.

“Are you sure?” She asks while feeling its surface. Idylya nods. “If you insist, though, I'm not very experienced with a bow and this will take some time learning. I’ve also been meaning to ask, how did you even acquire this? I’ve never seen you use it outside of the monthly hunts.”

“I found it in an underwater cave in Lake Nokova not far from where I found the flute a few years ago.” Idylya turns her attention to the long cloth-wrapped item on the table. “There’s a lot of mysticism in that lake.”

“No kidding.” Ithinyelle snorts as she sets it back on the table. “But thank you.” The two embrace again for a moment before Idylya grabs the other two objects on the table.

“Well, I should get going, there’s still some things I need to take care of this evening.”

“Alright, we’ll talk again soon.” Ithinyelle walks over to the door and holds it open for her. Idylya gives her a smile as she steps out into the cool night air. She quickly floats off and flies up into the upper residential district of Nymerion not far from Ithinyelle’s abode, holding Zuriak’s dagger in her right claw and a cloth-wrapped item in her left. The full moon above glows a brilliant white and illuminates all the buildings and trees in the area. She looks down and towards the far western wall where Zuriak’s vacant domicile resides, and lightly lands on the platform where his meager garden sits with a sundial in the center. She looks at the sundial for a moment before turning her attention to the door. Much of the red paint on the wood is beginning to flake and come off, and the bolts are covered in a layer of rust. She turns the knob and enters, letting a gust of wind brush past her. She looks around, saddened by the state of decay already settling in after his absence. The moonlight shines in through the window, lighting up only a corner of the room.

“I hope this reaches you…” She holds up the dagger and makes her way towards the low table in the center of the room. After moving forward a little bit, she steps on a creaky and loose floorboard. The other side of the floorboard bends up underneath where Zuriak’s bed is. She turns her attention to his large, circular bed cushion and steps on the loose floorboard again with more pressure. Sure enough, the other side lifts up higher, pushing part of the bed aside.

“That’s odd…” She moves the bed and inspects the floor underneath, noticing the shorter cut pieces aren’t nailed down. Curiously, she lifts up a few of the floorboards, and gasps at the contents underneath. A book with the text ‘Z’s Journal’ scribbled on top and a sack of money shine against the moonlight. She holds a claw to her mouth as she picks up Zuriak’s journal.

“I shouldn’t.” She pauses for a moment, but gives in and starts flipping through the pages. The entries go as far back as Nivalia 3E360Y. She lightly smiles to herself seeing his awful claw writing back then and him detailing how he just bought the journal with the money he earned that week after sweeping the nursery home. She continues turning more pages, and reading some of the things he’s done over the years up until his entry about the two of them being paired for the monthly hunts a year ago.

“Freiden, twelfth of Sarais, three seventy-eight. I can’t believe they’re pairing me with a dragon who has never hunted before, what a joke! Her name is Idylya and she’s a water elemental.” She recites from the journal. “Definitely not a useful element to have while hunting! How is the Council choosing these dragons? Are they just scrounging around on the streets for just about anyone? I thought they were supposed to be guild members, but I suppose I’ll have to see for myself tomorrow.” She lowers the book in frustration, sighs and pinches her forehead.

“If you were here right now, I’d slap you...” She mutters as she picks up the journal again and turns to the next entry.

“Starden, thirteenth of Sarais, three seventy-eight. As expected, she doesn't know how to hunt. I don’t know where to begin, but here goes. So, I showed up on time at Lake Nokova, and fortunately, Raymir was the moderator this time around. He typically does not care about who gets the most prey, as long as every dragon finishes up before sundown. So, there I am waiting with Xellis and Fenrir for this water dragon to show up, and right on cue, this purple and pink dragon comes bursting out of the forest moments before we’re supposed to start, shouting my name. Of course, a few other dragons looked at me, trying to hold back laughter. Felt like I was back at the nursery years ago.” Idylya puts down the journal again and looks up at the ceiling.

“How else was I supposed to find you? I wasn’t going to ask every dragon there.” Her eyes refocus on the journal as she scans through the long entry.

“Let’s see...doesn’t know how to use a bow…very arrogant…has a temper…doesn’t listen…I think I’ve had enough.” She says bitterly as she turns several more pages and scans their contents, looking for her name being mentioned.

“Huh, this one was just before my hatchday.” Idylya sits down, her bitterness subsiding.

“Thuriden, twenty-sixth of Thera, three seventy-nine. It’s like my mind and my heart fail to communicate with each other. I think she’s arrogant and narcissistic, but there are times I can’t help but think about her. I’ve never felt this way around anyone else, so I feel like a head case right now. I found out Idylya’s hatchday is tomorrow, and that’s only because she told me! During Thera’s hunt a couple weeks ago, she just nonchalantly brings up that her hatchday is on the twenty-seventh…it kinda felt like she was opening up to me a bit. My brain is telling me she just wants me to buy her something, but my heart is saying she’s trying to establish something closer…I saw an amethyst necklace at the market the other day for twenty gold pieces. I figure, if I were to get her something, it’d be that because it's Thera's birth stone and it matches the color of her scales. I think I will flip a coin on it.” Idylya finishes reading the entry with a hint of sadness in her voice.

“I was trying to establish something…I’m sorry if I wasn’t good at showing it.” She looks over at the table where the dagger rests. “I never received a necklace...but that’s okay, I don’t really like jewelry anyway.” She briefly looks at the pendant looped around her arm. “Well, most kinds of jewelry.” She picks up the dagger and holds it up to her face, inspecting the markings.

“Huh, I never noticed this before, but there are Zyntrithian symbols here. Ferosa ji zenii, fire and frost.” She translates. “Not sure why this is on here, but he always held this thing in high regard, like it was the most important thing in his life. Must have meant something great to him.” She pauses, inspecting the other markings along the shaft.

“I wish you felt the same about me.” She adds sorrowfully as she sets it back on the table. She then holds her kyanite pendant and grasps it, feeling a warmth emanating from the center. “But now you’re gone and there’s nothing more that can be said.” After a long moment of silence, she picks up the journal again and skips to the last entry on the thirty-first of Maya about their mission in Kyrinia.

“Tomorrow, on the first of Solera, I’ll be embarking on the most important mission of my life. I know that probably sounds pompous and hyperbolic, but according to the mission briefing, this could very well turn the tides on this war with Kyryo.” She again recites.

“I don’t fully understand why Fenrir, Xellis and I were chosen for this task, but I suppose mine and Idylya’s recent run-in with that group of qilins is a key factor for us two at least. I wish she didn’t get tangled up in all this. She’s not the fighting type no matter how good she claims to be with a bow…well what I’m saying is, I don’t want her getting hurt again.” She continues, feeling more grief as a tear rolls down her cheek. “All that matters is returning home alive.” She stops, wipes her face of the tears with her free palm and sets the open journal down on the table. Without a word, she picks up a quill and inkpot on the table and soaks the tip before turning a couple more pages, reaching a blank one.

“I’m sorry, Zuri, but I need to let you go.” She sniffles as she begins to write.

Freiden, Twenty-First of Aquilius, 3E379Y

I hope you are able to read these words. So much has happened between the day we lost you and now, but I haven’t forgotten, none of us did. Two weeks prior to this writing, Xellis, Fenrir, and I formulated a plan to bring you back home. Unfortunately, our plan was a failure upon learning what actually happened to you. We infiltrated the Jade Palace with the help of Ithinyelle, expecting to find you imprisoned there, but instead we found Terra Nova, the time qilin. She told me what her magic did to you and I’m sorry you have to go through this. I’m tearing up just writing this. I wish I did more to keep you from going in, and I blame myself for what happened to you.

I love you Zuri, and no matter what time period you end up in, that will never change. That is why it pains me to say this, but I have to let you go. I will always cherish the memories we had, and I want to leave you with the one thing I hold dearest. It’s buried at the island, the one we promised to return to if we ever got lost as I’ve decided to leave Nymerion. Look for my symbols on the cover. Whatever time you end up in, I hope you can find your way. I know it’s time for me to do the same.

P.S. I discovered I’m also an ice elemental, like you! Perhaps it was fate that briefly brought us together.
~Idylya

Idylya signs her name, and includes a stylized letter ‘I’ next to it with tendrils and flowers extending off the letter before closing the tear-stained journal and placing the quill back in the inkpot. She briefly stares at the text on the cover before taking the quill again and writing three Zyntrithian symbols vertically below his writing in a large calligraphic style.

“Dragon of time…” She translates as she returns the quill to the inkpot once more and places the journal back where she found it. With a deep breath, she gently places his dagger on top of it and covers it up with the loose floorboards. Finally, she drags his circular bed back where it was, and moves back to the center of the room where she does a full circle, taking in all the memories they had together. Before she turns to exit his abode, a gust of wind pushes past the open door as if his presence finally returned home.

“One more thing left to do.” She pulls out the cloth-wrapped item and grips it hard before taking off into the night sky and flying west.

~

As the morning sun shines in over the eastern horizon, the land below Idylya glows a warm orange. Ahead of her, she sees a familiar waterfall overlooking a lonely island. In the background, the Peaks of Peril stand tall and instill wonderment in the region. She begins to slowly descend onto the tiny island eventually landing on a soft patch of dirt in the very center. She yawns and rubs her eyes from the long journey before gazing around with sleep-deprived eyes. Gradually, she begins clearing away a small patch of foliage near the tallest tree and a wide boulder. Using her claw, she carves in the same symbols on the boulder she used on Zuriak's journal. After clearing away the grass and plants, she digs a hole with her claws that’s just large enough to fit the wrapped object she’s carrying. She pulls out the object once more and unwraps the cloth, revealing her mythical flute. The runes around the flute are dormant and colorless.

“One last time.”

She takes a deep breath before producing a somber melody from it. The runes along the flute glow yellow as the magical notes fill the air. In this moment, the sounds of the forest cease, leaving only her notes and the dull ambience of the nearby waterfall to fill the void. The notes continue to ring in her ears and fill her head with an aura. Before she could lay the flute in its resting place, a strong feeling of exhaustion overtakes her. She softly rests her head in the mud and looks down onto the water with the flute held firmly in her claw, her eyes struggling to stay open.

“I’m lost, Zuri.”

Chapter II: Awakening

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Chapter III: The Mist

“Wake up!”

Zuriak is thrown awake by a sudden cold sensation. He springs up immediately, still groggy, and starts mindlessly swatting the air with his claws. After it becomes apparent he’s not hitting anything, he rubs his eyes and focuses on the sole purple figure standing across the cave.

“Oh, of course. Who else would dump water on someone to wake them up.” Zuriak shakes the moisture from his mane and the upper half of his body.

“Hey, I’ll have you know I tried other methods before this. You slept like a rock. Literally. For sixteen hours.” She responds, emphasizing the pauses.

“S-sixteen hours?”

“Uh-huh, look outside, it’s already well-past daybreak.”

Zuriak looks out the cave’s entrance to the sun well over the eastern horizon. A faint golden glow envelopes the rocky slope into the meadow they trekked through the previous day, and the smell of petrichor present in the trees and plants around them.

He looks about the cave and sees nothing but bloody rags and a pair of arrows. Idylya appears to be eating berries from her open palm across the cave. He moves slightly, and a sharp pain strikes him unexpectedly. He looks at his back and sees two new stitches he doesn’t remember getting.

“Try not to twist your back too much, or you’ll rip your stitches.”

“Did you do this?”

“Yup.”

“And you found some food?”

“Yeah, I picked through the bushes this morning. They’re a little ripe, but still edible.” Idylya gets up and walks over to Zuriak, holding out her palm of blueberries. He takes a clawful and eats them all in one bite.

“What even happened yesterday? My memory is a bit hazy.”

“You mean you don’t remember?” Idylya said, concerned. “You were injured, again, so I patched you back up.”

“I remember taking a couple hits from those arrows and getting out of that forest, but I don’t clearly recall reaching a cave. Mostly just bits and pieces.”

“Huh, well you were definitely out of it not too long after we escaped them. Maybe it was the blood loss...”

Zuriak takes a couple steps forward before losing balance and resting up on the cave’s walls. He holds a claw up to his face, seeing double and shakes his head.

“Are you feeling okay? You know you haven’t eaten anything in almost a day, right? You should eat more of these.” She holds out more assorted berries in her claw.

“I’m…good. We should get going while it’s light out.” He pushes them out of the way and motions towards the exit, but she moves in front of him and places her claw against his chest.

“Don’t be dumb, you need to eat something first. We still have a long journey ahead of us until we reach Nymerion.” She pulls out the map again pointing at their location. “You’re going to pass out from exhaustion halfway through, and then I’m going to have to carry you the rest of the way, again.”

“Fine.” Zuriak huffs in defeat. She smiles and holds out a smaller pile of blueberries to him.

“Here, that’s all I have left, but it should be enough for now.” He takes it and eats slower than before, feeling much more sated.

“Told ya. That should hold you over for now.” She picks up the rucksack and slings it around her shoulder. “Here.” She then tosses his stained dagger over to him, still in its sheath.

He catches and stares at it recollecting yesterday’s events remembering the way that cyan-colored kirin with green eyes stared him down.

“Hey, you coming?” Idylya shouts from outside the cave.

He ties the sheath to his left arm and follows her out into the open late-morning sunlight. The two move around the cave and continue their climb higher up the rocky slope, now dry after yesterday’s rainfall. Patches of clouds move through the sky causing shadows to cascade through the coniferous trees around them. Idylya retrieves a compass from the bag and spins around getting a better sense of direction. As they both reach the top, Zuriak gasps at the sight before him. A vast valley separates them from an even taller rocky slope further eastward.

“Once we cross this, we’ll at least be back in Ithral.” Idylya notes, taking out the map.

“I’ve never seen the Valley of Despair from the ground before. It’s...breathtaking…” He adds, staring down into the wooded valley below.

“Hmmm? I didn’t quite catch that. It’s so windy up here.” She says, raising her voice a little. She moves her head fins out of her eyes, trying to get a better look of the valley, and puts away the map.

“Let’s go.” She starts sliding down the gravel slope getting ahead of Zuriak.

“Hey, wait for me!” He quickly follows behind her down the slope trying to keep his balance. They both dodge through trees and boulders as they descend further into the valley. As the slope begins to level off, Idylya slows down and waits for Zuriak to catch up to her.

“Hey, look up ahead.” She points through the trees in front of her to a wide river cutting through the valley, flowing south. They both approach it, and she sticks her head in without hesitation. He does the same, and looks at her under the water. She gives him a wide grin and resurfaces, shaking her head dry. Still underwater, Zuriak washes the grime from his face and mane, then takes a couple gulps of the water. He removes his head and sees Idylya looking up at the mountains towering over them.

“We still have a long way to go.” She comments, swimming through the river to the other side. Zuriak nods and follows her through the water and onto the opposite shore. After crossing, they both shake the water from their bodies and continue onward in silence.

“So, what’s it like controlling two elements?” Idylya asks, looking behind her.

“That’s a random question. Uhhh...it’s definitely hard, that’s for sure. I can’t swap between the two rapidly without focusing, but what made you curious?”

“Nothing really, just trying to break the silence. To tell you the truth, I don’t really like being a water elemental. It’s not as exciting as say...lightning or lava. I’m actually a little bit jealous of you.”

“I’m sure it’s not that bad, and Sarais’s Blessing isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be. It feels like I have less control over magic than any other dragon. There’s a noticeable trade-off.”

“Well, don’t worry, I can confidently say that you have more control than someone else I know. Her earth elemental abilities almost got me killed a few times.” Idylya faces forward again as their incline shifts upwards.

“What happened?”

“One time many years ago, she wanted to spar with me to see if she had the blessing, and you know how that goes.” She briefly turns her head back at him. “It’s awakened when a dragon with the gene experiences unrelenting stress and peril. Obviously, I’m not the fighting-type, but she got rough and nearly sandwiched me in-between two boulders.”

“Ouch. Well, it could’ve been worse.”

“Pffft, that was only the first time she tried. I’ve got many more related stories.”

As the slope increases drastically, Idylya stops abruptly and faces Zuriak with a devilish smile. “Race you to the top!” Idylya bolts up the rocky incline, kicking dirt into Zuriak’s face.

“Not again!” He quickly recovers and chases after her, the strain increasing as their slope becomes more vertical. At the midpoint, he surpasses her and winds up revengefully kicking some dust into her face causing her to fall behind a bit more. At the final stretch, he leaps up and falls onto the grassy plateau above him, collapsing. Idylya slows down, realizing she lost, and comes up over the plateau gently.

“Well, well, well, you finally beat me. I was expecting you to keel over this time.” She says as she holds out a claw to him. He takes it and returns to his legs still out of breath.

“Can we…not do…these races anymore? I’ve dealt with enough…these past couple of days.” He wheezes out.

“I’m sorry, I won’t provoke you anymore.” Idylya says remorsefully. “It was probably a bad idea anyway with those stitches.” She catches a glimpse of her handiwork and feels a wave of relief, noticing that they are still intact. Zuriak gets ahead of her and the two enter the forest, one step closer to home.

~

Idylya stops and looks up at the shining afternoon sun, shielding her eyes.

“Nnnngg, it feels like we’re in an oven.” She pants. “It’s the middle of Raina. Weather like this doesn’t usually come about until Solera.”

“It is particularly unusual.” Zuriak responds, moving past her. “As long as we stay in the trees and out of direct sunlight, it shouldn’t be too bad.” Idylya readjusts her eyes to the vibrant green landscape in front of her and trots up to Zuriak, now a good ten meters ahead.

“Remember that heat wave we had five years ago?” Zuriak asks, looking back at her.

“Yeah, it lasted for two weeks that summer, and none of our scholars could figure out why. I remember just swimming in the lake below the city for hours a day just to cool off. I didn’t think much of why it happened at the time, but I did hear some odd rumors like how it may have been caused by a unicorn sorcerer tampering with the weather system.” Idylya replies, remembering as if it were yesterday.

“I heard a different rumor that all the qilins were in their charred forms for those two weeks because of a murder of one of their own and the combined heat from their flames spread out into the surrounding countries.” Zuriak added.

“I haven’t heard that one, but here’s an interesting one. About a week after the heat wave, when I was heading home through the central plaza, I overheard a couple of guards speculate that it might have been one of the winged unicorns; the one who controls the sun. Like she was amplifying the sun’s heat for who knows why. Most speculated that it was a message to those who don’t worship her or something. Of course, we have no way of investigating this theory since dragons are forbidden from entering Canterlot without a royal invitation. It’s not like we’d get an answer anyway even if we could. Those snobby unicorns think they’re so…” She trails off, trying to find the right word.

“Perfect?” Zuriak finishes, raising an eyebrow.

“Infallible.” She corrects.

“I’m pretty sure those two words mean the same.”

“Yeah, yeah, fine mister thesaurus. Perfect is what I meant. They think they are so powerful because they have two goddesses watching over them that can literally bend the natural order to their will.”

“That sounds pretty powerful to me.” He grins, knowingly getting on her nerves.

“No, that’s not what I’m getting at. If they never had their two omnipotent rulers, their country would be far less developed and they wouldn’t have those crazy, self-centered egos. I find them more annoying than the qilins, honestly!” She says, raising her voice.

Zuriak laughs and looks back towards their path. “Wasn’t expecting the conversation to take a turn so suddenly.”

“Oh, right, sorry.” She apologizes.

“Doesn’t this seem like a bad omen though? Perhaps the start of another heatwave, or maybe something bigger?”

“Seriously? One warm day, and it’s a bad omen to you? I doubt it’s anything relating to the qilins as we didn’t see anything strange with that camp, or those hunters. Though…” Idylya trails off and ponders for a moment. “...You killed that qilin hunter yesterday. If we get two weeks of blistering heat, that would lend more credence to your theory. And yet, on the other claw, I do like the idea of blaming the unicorn’s sadistic ruler…” She trails off once again looking up through the leaves.

“Hey, watch out!”

Idylya snaps out of her thoughts only to smack face first into a tall, carefully-carved stone tablet protruding up from the ground. Roots twist and wrap around its smooth surface as if the trees were grasping it while piles of leaves coat the forest floor around it.

“What the fuck? Who put this here!?” She exclaims, holding her nose with both claws to try to relieve the pain.

“Beats me.” Zuriak responds with an arm extending up the rock. “I tried to warn you.”

“Whatever.” She continues rubbing the sore while Zuriak peers up and around the polished monolith, discerning its origin.

“It’s got to be five meters tall and probably two meters wide. Almost looks like it grew here judging by the way it’s embedded in the dirt, but it’s so neatly carved, it leads me to believe someone cut into it.” He looks up on the semi-flat surface and sees faint markings behind all the roots embedded in the stone. Curious, he starts crawling up and around the monolith to get a closer look. Surely enough, there’s illegible text carved into the smooth surface. “Looks like there’s something written all over it.”

Idylya looks up to him, momentarily forgetting the pain, and circles around to the other side. Her leg catches on some of the roots causing her to stumble a bit, but she notices more writing on the back side. She moves her eyes closer, inspecting the hieroglyphs, but struggles to gather any meaning from them.

“Someone was definitely here though, but I doubt it was recent.” She mentions. “From what I can tell, the writing sort of resembles an ancient language from long ago. I remember spending a month learning about the history of southern dragon language in university, and some of the symbols here definitely look familiar. Zyntrithian is the name of it, I believe.”

“I didn’t know you were a linguist. Are you able to translate?” Zuriak asks, still studying the symbols.

“If taking a few classes on linguistics makes me a linguist, then sure.” She chuckles to herself. “But unfortunately, I barely even remember the basic syntax and grammar, let alone the symbols themselves. It’s been years since I last touched the subject, but allegedly, Zyntrithian was once the native language of Ithral. However, after the Great Equestrian war at the end of the second era, it was phased out in favor of the Equestrian ‘common tongue’.” Zuriak crawls back down to her level and looks at the same writing.

“See this one? The one that looks like a ‘Z’ with lines across the center? That means ‘ice’, I think. It’s pronounced ‘zenya’. And this one below it symbolizes ‘disease’ or something of the sort.” She then points to a symbol with a plus sign and a long ‘S’ intersecting the center diagonally. It’s pronounced ‘sho’.

“Zenya sho. Ice disease.” Zuriak iterates.

“Well there’s more to it, but I’m not too certain on what the following symbols mean. Might be worth writing down and examining in the Arcanum of Nymer when we return. There’s several volumes of books on translating Zyntrithian.” She replies, taking out a notepad and charcoal stick from her bag.

“What’s weird is none of our history books or scrolls ever mentions an ‘ice disease’ or any deadly ice event. So then why are there engravings on a boulder in the middle or nowhere? Almost makes me wonder if we are the first ones to discover this lost relic in centuries. Come to think of it, there’s still so much uncharted forest in Ithral, so it’s possible that none of our kind has ever discovered this place until now. Most of our long-distance travel is done by flight, so I suppose it makes sense no one has come across this before.”

She begins copying the columns of symbols in her notebook from right to left, top down, carefully drawing with the tiny piece of charcoal. Zuriak turns away and looks deeper in the forest beyond the stone. A dark, shadowy figure sits motionlessly just beyond the sea of trees. A pair of oddly-shaped branches flay up from the head of the object mirroring each other almost resembling a stag’s antlers. He focuses on it and begins moving forward only to bump into a tough, gritty object catching him by surprise. Resting below and partially buried, he sees a tombstone mostly covered by undergrowth and fallen leaves. He lowers himself and removes some of the foliage obscuring the text on the tombstone’s head. Like the monolith, it contains various symbols, though the patterns and shapes differ.

“Is this a graveyard?” He asks himself. He turns back towards the dark forest, not seeing the mysterious figure anymore.

“It’s...gone?”

Idylya approaches him as she puts away her notebook. “What’s gone?”

“There was something, someone, an object just outside my vision. I swear I saw something, but it’s gone now.” Zuriak scratches his head and looks down at the tombstone again. “Oh yeah, that as well.”

Idylya lowers and inspects the grey block.

“It’s a grave.” She tenses up a bit and looks around spotting some other similar grey objects. Standing back up, she walks over and brushes off the next adjacent block of stone revealing more ancient text.

“We’re on a burial ground.” She whispers to herself. “We should leave.”

Zuriak continues walking through the graveyard inspecting the foreign writing. After passing several down the row, he sees one with no writing.

“No name? Were they preparing for more deaths?” Zuriak looks up from the grave to see Idylya trotting fast through the graveyard. Zuriak sprints to catch up with her.

“Hey, what’s the rush!? We didn’t finish investigating.”

“This is hallowed ground, a sacred place. We shouldn’t be here.” She says, eyes jumping from grave to grave nervously. Both of them walk past more gravestones and move further south, catching glimpses of more burial mounds along the way. Zuriak tries to keep up behind her, not paying any mind to what he’s seeing.

“Do you think the dead are going to rise from the grave?” Zuriak asks sarcastically.

“No, obviously. I’m just getting an eerie feeling, like we don’t belong here. Almost like they or something else is watching.”

“...Alright.”

As they travel further, Zuriak notices the tree shapes becoming more warped, and irregular. Some even have no branches, as if they just broke off and never grew back. Soon, a thin mist begins flooding the forest, and the temperature drops noticeably.

“Are you seeing this?” Zuriak questions, seeing his own breath.

“I don’t have a good feeling about this. Stay close and don’t stray, otherwise we’ll lose each other.” She replies, not looking back. Zuriak nods and sticks by her side as the mist thickens.

“I’ve never seen anything like this. It almost seems intentional, deliberate, like we are being hunted.” He mentions, peering into the white mist. “...or maybe in this case, haunted.” He notes.

“All the more reason to get out of here.” She sharply responds, fear in her voice. She speeds up past him, slowly disappearing in the dense fog around them.

“Hey, hold up, I’m losing you!” Zuriak exclaims, trying to match her speed, tripping over logs and rocks on the hazy floor. Idylya doesn’t react to his call and gets further away.

“Did she not hear me?” He says to himself.

“Hey, slow down!” Zuriak shouts again, louder. He stops and takes a moment to rub his eyes, removing the tears caused by the smokey fog. As he reopens them, Idylya vanishes completely within the mist. Zuriak does a double take and circles around looking for any movement.

“IDYLYA!”

He cups his ear hoping for a response, but nothing comes.

“So much for sticking together.” He grumbles and falls to the leafy floor, trying to stay below the fog.

“I need to get out of here, but where did she go?”

A twinkle of light illuminates in his peripheral vision and grabs his attention. Turning towards it, he sees a shining, translucent orb in the distance piercing through the mist. Drawn to it, he returns to his feet and follows the orb though seemingly not getting any closer the further out he goes.

Is it moving further away?

He continues pursuing the unreachable ball of light not paying much mind to the trees and branches around him. Unable to see the ground below him, his left arm falls through to nothingness causing his whole body to topple down a sloped cliff. Sustaining a few cuts and bruises along the way, he eventually hits the bottom and rolls onto his stomach.

“It would be nice if I could not get hurt for once.” He huffs, talking to no one in particular. He opens his eyes and sees the same orb no longer moving. As he lifts himself back up, he straightens out his back and shakes his mane, removing the dirt and pebbles. Some of the fog clears, revealing the orb and its companion. A light-coated stag stands before him with majestically shaped antlers that almost double its height. It kicks its hooves into the dirt while the aforementioned orb of light rests between its antlers. Zuriak slowly approaches the stag, but as he does, it bolts off deeper into the fog. He chases after it once more, but a strong gust of wind catches him by surprise and clears up all of the fog. Right where the stag was, a large ornamental gravestone rests.

Zuriak approaches the gravestone cautiously. As he walks up, tiny snowflakes float down from the bleak, cloudy sky above.

“Snow…?” Zuriak holds out a claw catching some of the flakes. Soon, the earthy ground is covered in a white blanket of frost despite the light snowfall. Zuriak looks up at the intimidating headstone towering well above his height featuring a neatly chiseled Ithralian lung dragon somewhat resembling himself. He turns his gaze down and his eyes fixate on the blank nameplate.

“Another no-name? This one looks nothing like the ones from before.” He questions, staring into the polished surface. As he’s about to touch the gravestone, the sounds of branches snapping echo throughout the forest. He spins around trying to determine the source, growing more fearful, but fails to see any movement. He turns his attention to the grave again and places a claw on the nameplate.

“It…feels like there’s a heartbeat underneath the stone…” A sudden, strong brush of wind pushes his mane to the side and he feels a strange presence behind him. Turning around slowly, he’s greeted by the same stag from before towering above him. Zuriak stands frozen in shock, unsure how to react. It kneels down to his level and points its antlers towards Zuriak, presenting the orb of light. Zuriak hesitantly reaches for the orb, but before he could make contact, a blinding light engulfs his vision. The light is rapidly replaced by darkness as Zuriak opens his eyes, noticing the grave is now gone. His heart starts racing at the sudden change.

“Where am I!? Hello!?” His voice echoes through the darkness. His claw now rests on polished crystal that is smooth to the touch. He squints into the darkness and into the crystal's reflective surface seeing his own disheveled appearance. His mane is a complete mess, and dirt covers most of his scales.

“It’s been only a few days, but it looks like I’ve been gone for weeks.” Turning directly behind him, he sees light at the end of the tunnel. He takes one last look at his reflection before continuing down the path.

Zuriak rounds the corner, but immediately steps back upon noticing the near ninety-degree drop. Looking around, he sees a cresting sun just over the horizon hiding behind an array of tall mountains. Clouds are present overhead, but giving way to the light of dawn. Along the ledge, there doesn’t appear to be any trail leading from the cave.

“I’ve got to be dreaming right now. Did that stag teleport me here? How could that be possible?” Zuriak ruffles his mane in frustration, trying to make sense of things. “Would I be able to fly?”

He moves an arm up to his neck confirming that the collar is still there, dismissing his dream theory. He peeks just over the ledge, inspecting the severity of falling. Nothing, but pitch black darkness awaits. A cracking sound ripples throughout the canyon and nearby adjacent peaks. Zuriak looks down and notices the crystal rock he's standing on begins to split.

“Shit!”

As the rock splits open, Zuriak lunges for the stable side he came from. He narrowly grabs hold of the cracked ledge with most of his body hanging over the chasm below. He digs his claws into the crystalline rock, but quickly loses grip as the weight of his body drags him down. The rocks his claws are holding onto begins to crack as well. Without any warning, the remaining rocks and crystals on the ledge separate and slide down the slope. Zuriak falls down into the darkness below, closing his eyes, awaiting the impact.

But no impact came. He opens his eyes, seeing the morning sky above and a barely visible crescent moon, glowing on the western edge. He rolls over off his back and scrambles to his claws, absorbing his surroundings.

“It's all so surreal and yet it feels more real than anything.” He walks over to the cliffside overlooking the vast valleys and forests stretching beyond the horizon. To the south, he recognizes the lake he and Idylya traversed a day prior with the little island and waterfall. West of that he sees the clearing where the kirin camp was now completely vacant.

“The Peaks of Peril. I've never been up here before...” Zuriak continues, whispering to himself.

He turns his body around, eyes still glued on the scenery. As he turns his head forward, a sharp object stabs through his chest and exits out his back. His eyes start tearing up in pain and he coughs up a bit of blood, as he sees the culprit. A charred kirin with solid white eyes and blue flames burning off their mane and hooves glares at him while a long, red piece of glass extends from their glowing green horn. Unconsciousness takes hold of him once more before he is able to speak, and he drops to the ground once more.

A familiar cold and wet sensation washes over Zuriak, causing him to bolt upright instantly. He rubs his eyes and slowly opens them, adjusting to the light and rolling onto his stomach. Three figures come into view as his vision sharpens. One of them a maroon, spiky-maned dragon with spiraling horns and light red scales, the other one a grey-scaled dragon with a light green mane, and the third one a recognizable purple dragon currently sealing their water canteen. Zuriak immediately rolls over once more, getting a sense of his surroundings. The same pond he followed the stag to is present behind him, though the gravestone is gone.

“So, it was just a dream after all.” He whispers to himself. “It felt so real…”

“What was that?” Idylya asks. Zuriak shakes his head.

“It’s nothing, but must you do that every time? There are other ways to wake someone up” He retorts.

“It’s the ‘tried and true’ method for you at least. Hasn’t failed me yet.” Idylya boldly responds, stashing away her canteen in the rucksack. Zuriak rolls his eyes.

“Why did you leave me behind? I shouted your name a couple times after we separated.”

“I didn’t hear you. In fact I was doing the same after I lost you. Eventually, the mist faded and I heard voices not too far away. Thank the divines they found me, because I couldn’t make heads or tails of where I was.” She points to the two dragons next to her.

“Good to see you are alive, Zuriak.” The light red dragon holds out a claw. Zuriak takes it and pulls himself up. “When you two never returned after the hunt a couple days ago, a search party was formed. We had groups of six scour the areas north, east and west of Lake Nokova. I’m quite surprised you two got lost in the first place given how you both have been hunting these woods for months now.”

“Where did you two even go?” The grey dragon asks. “Ryn and I have been scanning this area all day while Xellis and a couple others are searching over on the eastern side of the lake. He’ll be relieved we found you two.”

“We made the poor decision to go way too far out past the bounds, Fenrir.” Zuriak answers.

Idylya speaks up. “And we ran into a fierce group of boars. About seven of them. We were outnumbered and had to retreat for a bit. Eventually, it got dark fast and we lost our way.”

Ryn laughs. “You two couldn’t hold your own against a pack of boars? Sounds like you’ve grown soft this past winter.”

“Hey, we were tired, it was late, and we weren’t prepared to take on seven of them.” She spat.

“Sure, sure, next you’ll t-” Ryn cuts his sentence short, now noticing a shiny onyx collar around Idylya’s neck. It was blending in with her violet scales. He turns his focus back to Zuriak seeing an identical collar, no longer being obscured.

“Fenrir, find the other four and head back to the lake. Send the signal for all other parties to meet back up. We’ll regroup in a bit.”

Fenrir nods silently and disappears in the forest.

“You shouldn’t lie to a superior, you know. You were captured by the qilins weren’t you? Those magic suppression collars are made by them to suppress chakra flow. You can tell by the runic markings around the ring.” Ryn runs a claw across Idylya’s collar and gives them a suspicious look. “It would explain why you simply did not fly home...”

“Okay, the truth is we were ambushed by qilins hunters at the border.” Idylya hesitates before continuing. “They overwhelmed us and took us hostage. We were thrown into cages with these magic collars and chains at their camp near the Peaks of Peril.” She turns her head towards Zuriak, nudging him to speak.

“Uh, right, we managed to escape that night when the guards weren’t looking. One of them accidentally left a small sharpened blade sticking in one of the crates near our cells. I managed to pick the lock with it. Once we were far enough away, we used rocks to break the chains. We ran away that night and have been on the move ever since.” Zuriak finishes, making eye contact with Ryn.

Ryn holds his chin processing the news, giving them both the same skeptical look as before. “I see…so, it seems they are advancing on us after being dormant for the last several months, taking prisoners and doing who knows what. They are plotting something, and it’s worth sharing this information with the rest of the Council when we return. Here.” Ryn’s right claw crackles a bit, then erupts in flames forming a fiery aura down to his wrist.

“This might burn a bit.” He uses his left claw to hold Idylya’s collar stable and begins running a fiery claw down the top. The metallic surface slowly melts as Idylya winces in pain. After the metal softens, he runs his nail all the way down, slicing through it like butter. He then separates the collar with both claws and tosses it to the ground while Idylya soothes her burn.

“Was there no better way to remove that!? You could’ve warned me first!” She exclaimed.

“I did say it might burn a bit, and unfortunately no. The only way to open it is with the key...or you burn it with dragonfire. The material they use is so durable that normal fire is not hot enough to burn through it. Overall, it’s not an issue if you’re a fire elemental, but still presents a problem for every other elemental.” Idylya picks up the charred collar and inspects it. “Our metallurgists haven’t been able to identify the metal either, but we believe it’s a rare substance found deep within the Peaks of Peril.” Idylya nods and continues staring into it.

“Alright, Zuriak, your turn.” Ryn says as his claw lights up again.

“Let’s get this over with.” He responds, unamused. Ryn nods and cuts the collar with ease this time and tosses the smoldering object away. Ryn shifts his focus to the scarring around Zuriak’s chest.

“You really took a beating. Good thing you have a healer watching over you.” Both of them look over at Idylya, who picks up the second collar and compares it against her own.

“We should get going, it’s going to be dark soon. You’re going to explain your story to the Council when we return, got it?” Ryn says as he starts hovering. Zuriak nods and looks up at the sky. Not much later, a white flare launches high into the air not far from their position.

“That’s the signal, let’s join up with the rest and head home.” Ryn commands. Before they leave, Idylya shoves both collars into her rucksack discreetly as Ryn takes off. Both dragons fly after him through the trees and into the open sky. Zuriak looks down at the forest below passing by, then turns his gaze to the setting sun, still processing the strange dream he experienced.

There are so many things we know nothing about in this world, magic and phenomena. I have so many questions about what I saw, but I fear none of them will be answered anytime soon.

Chapter IV: Idylya's Lullaby

Thuriden, Sixteenth of Raina, 3E379Y

Rain continues to permeate the city as it has been for the last couple of days nonstop. Seems like as soon as we returned, the weather started adjusting to the normal springtime season. I haven’t seen my thermometer go above eighteen degrees since the day of the hunt a couple weeks back. Maybe those scorching days were pure coincidence? Either way, probably not worth worrying about it anymore. In any case, I haven’t been called to my post since we returned and the reason remains unclear. The following day, after Idylya and I returned to Nymerion, we were summoned by the Seven Wise Ones in the Tower of Nymeria about the details of our capture. It seems Ryn notified them immediately. Can’t say I’m surprised, he would do anything to protect the city and our country even if what happened is largely irrelevant and insignificant, in my opinion. Idylya did most of the talking and continued the false narrative that we were prisoners of war held against our will and about to be questioned, while I mostly just nodded and clarified some hazy details. I know she lied to protect us, but it still felt disingenuous lying to the Council even if most of the story was true. Though on the other claw, if anyone from the Council found out we were saved by the qilins and broke bread with them, we’d be exiled for treason despite any rationale. During the meeting, one of them was recording our story on a scroll, and it looked like a couple others were taking notes. Were they planning something? I don’t know for certain, but they were hasty in sending us home afterwards. Afterwards, we both promised not to tell a single soul what really happened, and that was the end of that. Something was on her mind that she didn’t want me to know, or rather, felt it was unnecessary to tell me. Thinking back to my injury, I mean, injuries, the qilin camp, the dead qilin and the graveyard, this journey has altered my perception of the war and what my purpose is. The war itself spans centuries with neither side showing any eagerness for a ceasefire. The qilin group we met led me to believe that not all of them have a burning hatred for us and maybe I’ve softened up to them as well. Idylya was right, there are no winners in war, just a perpetual cycle of murder and momentary victory.

Idylya. I haven’t seen her since the tenth when we met with the Council. Though, I believe I saw her going into the Arcanum of Nymer the other day when I was at the market. I never knew her to be such a bookworm, especially as of late. It almost seems out-of-character for her. I still remember the symbols on those gravestones we found days ago, ‘Zyntrithian’, I believe is what she called it. She wrote those lines down in her notebook, so she could be translating those texts. Then again, I suppose she could also be reading up on poisons and alchemy. I’d say both are equally likely. I may go see what she’s up to after tomorrow’s training session, but she has been surprisingly quiet. No more rude awakenings to speak of at least, but her sudden silence worries me. Did she also see something in that mist?

That graveyard encounter still keeps me awake at nights. Questions still flood my mind regarding what I saw in the mist. It seemed more like a deadly premonition than anything, like I was being shown my death as a warning. Does magic like that even exist? Can someone know their own or someone else’s future simply by performing a spell? Was it even a spell? I’ve been desperately trying to reject this notion out of fear, but I cannot rule out that possibility. The qilin who ‘killed’ me, before it transformed, bore an eerie resemblance to the one I killed a day prior, but this one had odd markings on its horn much like that green one from the camp. I’d like to believe they’re unrelated, but again it’s a possibility. However, I’ve always believed ‘what’s dead is dead’, even if it was an illusion. No amount of magic can rebind the soul and body. Once the soul leaves, it’s gone forever in the aether, at least that’s what I remembered learning about years ago at the nursery. Maybe once I meet up with Idylya again we can learn more about those old texts, assuming she gets around to translating them.

Even though Ryn didn’t believe our lie about the boars, he was right about me growing weak from the winter and has offered to help train me these next few weeks. Looking back, had I not reacted in that split second before the qilin jumped me, I would’ve been dead, and that terrifies me. Have my skills really deteriorated over the past year? I don’t know what he has planned, especially since we have different elemental affinities, but I do need to brush up on both cryokinesis and electrokinesis. Better get some sleep though as he wants to start early tomorrow.

The sounds of birds chirping in Zuriak’s windowsill causes him to stir a bit before opening his eyes and gazing around his loft. His cozy tree-trunk house was still the way he left it after returning a week ago, barring one Idylya. He uncoils and approaches the window looking out at the busy city in front of him. Many have already started their day either doing chores, their job or simply enjoying the brisk spring air. The sun is partially breaking through the clouds and creating a rainbow against the city’s waterfall barrier. Zuriak checks the sundial outside, waiting for the sun to peek through the clouds again.

“Almost six. I should have plenty of time to get to the training grounds.” Zuriak picks up his satchel of money and dagger, spending a moment inspecting it. The qilin’s blood was cleaned off the dagger after he got home, but specks of red still cover the handle. Zuriak ties it to his left arm and takes one look in the mirror. The wound on his chest has completely healed but the same scars remain from when the qilin cauterized his scales. The two arrowhead wounds on his back have healed as well with no obvious marks. Aside from those two injuries, he still looks the same as he did days ago.

“Nothing’s changed, has it?” Expecting no answer from his mirror-self, he flies out through the open window and over to the bustling city nearby.

“Someone’s up early.” An unknown voice from above calls down. Zuriak looks up and is unsurprised to see a pastel orange-scaled dragon with a vibrant red mane fly above.

“Are you following me around now, Xellis?” He replies impassively.

“Nah, I just happened to be in the area, and I noticed you finally left your cave for once. Have you not been assigned patrol since you returned? Fenrir and I have been pulling long hours this past week guarding the main gate, and the outer perimeter. What gives?” Xellis whines.

“I wish I knew. The Council hasn’t allowed me to return to my post since Idylya and I were debriefed over our hunt.” Zuriak flies a bit lower down to the central plaza and lands in front of the great fountain looking around the various produce carts. Xellis follows suit and lands next to him.

“Right, the hunt. What happened to you two during those couple of days? Everyone in our guild is asking me about it because we’re so tight.” Xellis makes a fist bump, which Zuriak meagerly returns. “Fenrir told me you got bested by a boar, but I don’t believe that. You’re not that weak are you?”

“No! And I’ll tell you later.” Zuriak replies bluntly.

“Why not sooner?” Xellis interrogates.

“Because.”

“Because why?” Xellis replies with a hint of concern. “We’ve known each other for, what, two years now? And in those two years, you’ve never hesitated to divulge your thoughts to me.” He looks sadly at Zuriak. “You gotta be honest with your friends, Z. If anything, I’m even more curious now.” He finishes resolutely. Zuriak scratches his head, distracted by his thoughts.

“Fine.” Zuriak sighs and Xellis smiles victoriously. “I’ll indulge you when I’m done with my training for today. Aren’t you supposed to be on guard duty anyway?”

“It’s just a small break, the others won’t even know I’m gone.”

“Mhm.” Zuriak takes his eyes off Xellis and sees an apple cart not too far from where they are.

“So, where are you off to? And who are you even training with?” Xellis asks while Zuriak walks over to one of the carts. He picks up an apple, retrieves three copper coins from his satchel and hands them over to the winged Drogosian merchant.

“Thanks for your patronage!” She takes the coins and stows them somewhere beneath the table. Zuriak smiles and takes a bite. He then shifts his attention back to Xellis behind him.

“I’m training with Ryn for the time being.” Xellis laughs in response.

“Ryn? Hah, good luck! That old codger will work you to the bone! And since when do you need training? You’ve always been capable of handling yourself on missions. It’s why I find it hard to believe your quote-unquote boar story.” Zuriak ignores his comment and starts biting into the apple.

“Sometimes it feels like I’m losing my senses, like I can’t react in time. This past winter was the most uneventful one we’ve had in ages. No major missions and no real reason to keep my skills sharp.” Zuriak says shamefully. He takes a couple more bites from the apple before tossing the core off into the grass.

“Ah, I blame mental fatigue.” Xellis adds.

Zuriak raises an eyebrow questionably and faces him.

“You know, ‘mental fatigue’.” He repeats putting more emphasis on the phrase. “We’ve been at the grind for so long, performing the same duties, jobs, missions and so on that we’ve grown complacent. You’re not alone in feeling out-of-shape, I’ve also started feeling fatigued and lazy, going through the same monotonous tasks everyday.” Xellis lowers his voice and gets closer to Zuriak. “To tell you the truth, I’m personally awaiting the day we can start freely traveling beyond our own borders without the ponies, griffons or even qilins either attacking on sight or cowering in fear.”

“Where would you even go?”

“Don’t tell anyone, but I’d like to visit the unicorn capital someday, Canterlot. Did you know they have some of the best cuisine on the continent, and are famous for their mountain hot springs and baths? Magnificent.” Xellis replies with excitement and gestures a chef’s kiss.

Zuriak smiles and looks up to the sunlight breaking through the clouds.

“You’re a one-of-a-kind, you know that, Xellis?”

“Pssh, you flatter me.”

“Well, I’d better get going, Ryn’s probably wondering where I am right now.”

“No problem, I need to get back to my post anyway before someone catches me slacking. Hey, don’t forget to meet me here this afternoon after my shift. I’m not gonna forget your promise. I know your memory is bad, so this is your first reminder.” Xellis chuckles to himself before taking off towards Nymerion’s eastern district.

“I don’t have a bad memory, do I? It’s just Xellis being Xellis, I guess.” He comments to himself.

Zuriak shakes his thoughts and flies up through the wooden and stone towers covering the market district. Reaching the southern gate, he angles up flying parallel with the waterfall, then lands on solid ground adjacent to the open river cutting through the southern forest. The morning sun creates an orange glow reflecting off the water’s surface.

“The training ground shouldn’t be too far from here.” He mumbles to himself. “Would be nice to have a map though.” He peers down the calm forest path leading further south. “Should stretch my muscles and walk a little.”

Zuriak walks a couple kilometers into the forest, silently taking in the springtime atmosphere before stopping abruptly, taking note of the absence of sound and stillness in the air.

“Something’s not right…”

Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, a flash of light passes by just above his head. He immediately freezes, and ducks narrowly missing a second projectile. A series of more firebolts hurdle towards him from the same direction. Thinking fast, he regains composure and continuously heads south hopping over logs and other foliage avoiding each firebolt.

A mercenary? How could they have gotten so deep in our country?

Zuriak freezes for a moment behind a tree, focusing energy in both palms and forming a sign with his claws. A faint blue glow starts emitting from them while he haphazardly dodges the onslaught of fire bursting past him and igniting the trees. After a moment, he ducks down and crawls out to a more open area, then slams his claws into the dirt releasing the charged energy. Stalagmites of ice rapidly rise from the ground around him creating a barrier as tall as some of the trees. Some of the firebolts impact the barrier creating a thick mist, but fail to break through.

Gotta find a way out of here.

Zuriak retracts his claws from the ground and launches straight up outside of the barrier into the sky above. He flies away from the source of fire when a blunt, heavy object drops down on him from above. Both come crashing towards the earth, slamming into trees and branches before making contact with the ground once more. The figure, still on top of him, grabs hold of one of his antlers, draws a blade and holds it against Zuriak’s neck.

“Aha! Now, how’s that for a wake-up call!”

Zuriak’s blurred vision slowly recovers as he focuses on the forest in front of him, while also confirming the source of the familiar voice. Frustrated, he shoves Ryn off and rolls over.

“You could’ve killed me!”

Ryn’s demeanor changes. “Exactly, I could’ve, but I didn’t. Consider this a warmup as we’ve got a lot to cover today. I hope you didn’t forget your training from your year in the warriors guild.” Ryn sheathes his blade and holds out a claw to Zuriak.

Zuriak sighs and takes his claw, pulling himself up. “I didn’t forget, and you could’ve at least warned me prior.”

“What would be the point of that? The purpose of surprise attacks is that they are unexpected. Warning you beforehand would make it too easy and wouldn’t teach you to critically think under duress.” Ryn continues walking through the forest for a couple moments before turning back towards Zuriak. “You coming?”

He huffs and dreadfully follows along with him. After walking for about half an hour more, both of them reach a flat, grassy plain, extending much further south and east. The west end contains a thick line of trees, towering over much of the surrounding forest. The clearing before them is devoid of any trees or noticeable landmarks save for a large boulder. The plains appear to extend to the southern desert and sharply drop off the cliffside. A small river slices through the grass near where they entered the field and extends into the morning horizon.

“Where are we?”

“Have you never been this far south? We’re right at the southern border of Ithral. Just beyond these plains lie the Wasteland.” He points a claw towards where the grass is faded just before the drop-off point. “I figure this would be the best place to train you with no interruptions and plenty of open space.”

“I see.” Zuriak and Ryn both look up at the rising sun.

“What a beautiful day! The clouds are finally clearing up.” Ryn shouts, taking a deep breath. “Let’s get started.” Ryn approaches the lone boulder next to the river and places a claw on it.

“Even though we both have a different elemental prowess, the fundamentals are still similar. When it comes to magical projectiles there are two things you need to focus on, accuracy and precision. Accuracy describes how well you are able to strike an object at its target location, and precision measures how well you can successively hit that target. You see the indent right here? Imagine it’s the target.” He then points a claw at a jagged, round indent near the rock’s center.

“Watch.”

He then moves back several meters, and holds up an arm. His palm glows red with fire forming around the outlines of his claw. He then aims at the rock and fires several shots at the indent, leaving burn marks around the edges, all overlapping each other perfectly.

“Since you’re an ice elemental, try to imagine you’re throwing sharp knives. Ice is more direct and deadlier, but easy to miss your target because of the limited area of effect. Fire, on the other hand, is splashy and has a more forceful impact.” Ryn digs his claws in the mud next to the river and draws a bullseye in the rock’s indent. “See how many bullseyes you can get from one barrage of ice.”

Zuriak focuses magic in his right palm and a light blue aura coats his claw. He takes aim at the same spot Ryn fired at earlier and fires a barrage of ice spikes. A couple shots managed to pierce the indent and embed into the rock near the center of the target, but the other icicles found their way outside of the bullseye.

“As I thought. You have a good eye, but hold back your power. Those first two shots were nearly perfect, but each progressive shot was further and further from the target. Every attack you do needs to have the intent to kill, or else you’ll grow uncertain and lose focus.”

“Right.” Zuriak curls his claws into a fist, thinking back to the kirin he killed days prior. He focuses his palm again and fires more ice at the rock, this time most of the shots missing the center.

“All your shots landed on the stone at least.” Ryn comments, now laying in the grass and observing from a distance. “Keep going until you can land a bullseye with ten successive shots.”

~

After over three hours of training, Zuriak collapses and stares up at the clear blue sky. He turns over to see Ryn napping in the grass.

“Some instructor he is. It feels like I’ve been at this all day.” Zuriak mutters to himself.

Zuriak crawls over to the river and dunks his head in to cool off. He pulls his head out and cups his palms in the water to drink from while staring into his distorted reflection in the waves. In the ripples he notices a shadowy figure right behind him take shape. The figure slowly manifests into a shaded cyan-colored kirin with a dark blue mane. Blood drips from their eyeless sockets and their expression remains neutral. Zuriak rubs his eyes and reopens them seeing the same horror stare at him in the water.

Zuriak’s eyes widen as it lifts a hoof and places it on his shoulder, keeping the same emotionless face. A sensation where the apparition set its hoof causes Zuriak to snap and discharge a beam of ice in its direction, in terror. The beam travels down across the field and hits a tree in the forest, icing it over completely into one solid chunk. He continues breathing hard, processing this moment and staring at the frozen tree in the distance as it slowly falls backwards onto smaller trees behind it.

“That wasn’t real, it couldn’t have been real, but I know I felt something.” He runs a claw through his mane turning his attention to the now awakened Ryn, staring at him in shock.

“I...saw something...in the forest.”

Ryn gets up and looks out into the forest where he shot at, but sees nothing of interest. “I’ve been watching you this whole time and eyeing the forest, making sure that we weren’t followed by anyone. Trust me, I would’ve known if there was someone or something out there.”

Liar, you’ve been sleeping since I started.

“Right...it was probably my imagination.” Zuriak responds, keeping his thoughts to himself.

“Still though, that was quite a shot. If that tree was your enemy, that would’ve been an instant kill by the force alone.” Ryn turns his attention to the target-boulder, noting its severe damage from Zuriak’s continuous attacks.

“You’ve certainly been at this for a while. Let’s try moving on to something else.”

Zuriak silently gazes back in the river, seeing nothing but his own worried face.

“You okay over there!?”

Zuriak snaps out of his thoughts and looks at Ryn now on one of the hills, past the river. “Yeah...I’m good!” He shouts back as he makes his way over.

“Follow me, we’re going to need a bit more open space for this.” He responds as he goes airborne, flying further south to the cliffs. Zuriak does the same and they both land just before the edge. He looks over the cliffs at the near vertical drop and out into the sandy sea before them.

“It does make you wonder what’s out there.” Ryn curiously comments, while also gazing into the sands. “No one knows much about what lies further south past the desert. I’ve heard reports of one of our own making the trek across by air a couple decades ago to map it out, but they had to turn back after a few days when supplies ran low. They reported nothing but sand as far as the eye can see. A curious bit of information; how much we still don’t know about our own world.”

“It is certainly intriguing…” Zuriak responds, now shifting his attention back to Ryn.

“Ahaha, you’ve got that look in your eyes, I can tell! Nevermind the desert, we’re here to train. Now, I know you already know how to breathe ice, but do you know how to synergize your primary and secondary elements?”

Zuriak gives him a look of confusion.

“As I thought, this is something you don’t learn about during basic training because of how uncommon it is to hatch with two elements. For example, I’m a fire and wind elemental, and you’re an ice and lightning elemental. Now watch.”

Ryn takes a deep breath and channels the air around him while also charging flames. In one long exhale, he releases the fire coupled with a steady stream of wind. The fire and wind begin vortexing, forming a fire tornado out into the desert, gradually dispersing the further it travels.

“Now you give it a try. Remember to focus and channel both elements as one.” Ryn says, out of breath.

Zuriak inhales sharply and releases a beam of ice from his mouth over the cliffside. Realizing his failure, he inhales again and breathes another beam of ice, though this time with less vigor. In frustration, he inhales a third time, but does so too fast and coughs up some ice.

“You’re being too forceful and letting one element consume the other.”

“And what do you...suggest I do...to not let that happen?” He replies in between coughs.

“Hmmm, try holding out both palms and focusing one element in one palm, and the second element in the other.”

Zuriak nods, coils in the grass, and holds both claws open, focusing magical energy in them. They both glow a pale blue, while an icy orb forms out of both.

“Okay, that’s one element in both. Now, switch your left claw’s energy to lightning.”

He nods and attempts to switch, but unintentionally does so to both claws. A purple-ish blue aura now outlines both claws with sparks of electricity arcing off his fingers.

“Mhm, I see now. You can’t split your chakra at once.”

“So, I won’t be able to combine my elements then…” Zuriak says, defeated.

“Not yet, at least. It will take some time with more training. You should also meditate at least once a day to help gain control of your chakra. Chakra is the magical energy with which we are able to manipulate the elements, so it’s likely your problem is rooted there. Regardless, I believe that is all we can do for today. Let’s head back.”

Zuriak squeezes his claws and lets the energy dissipate.

~

After flying back, Ryn floats down and lands just outside Nymerion near the southern waterfall. Zuriak lands next to him and looks down at the buildings and trees below. Ryn briefly pays him no mind and gazes up at the late afternoon sun.

“I’ve been meaning to ask, but what did you see in the river?”

Zuriak hesitates and closes his eyes.

“Nothing.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to tell me?”

“There was nothing there, I just lost my senses a bit.”

“I see...well, if you ever feel like telling me the truth, you know where to find me. We’ll reconvene tomorrow for the next session.” Ryn takes off and begins flying to the main plateau towards the Tower of Nymeria.

Maybe I should’ve said something. Would that have accomplished anything?

As soon as he’s out of sight, Zuriak looks up at the sun and back down at the waterfall contemplating where to go.

Well, it’s not too late in the day. I should make use of the remaining daylight.

He starts flying and descending lower into the valley below most of the rocky platforms and trees until he lands on a very wide, flat plateau at the center of the city. Situated about five meters above the lake’s surface sits a lush garden, the Arboretum. A unique plethora of trees, flowers, and plants grow nowhere else in the city but here, making it somewhat of a sacred place. Due to the plateau’s elevation and obstructions above, very little sunlight reaches this far, except during the mid-afternoon hours.

Zuriak looks around and sees several other dragons perusing the gardens and talking amongst themselves. Most come here to unwind, while others use the garden’s natural energy to meditate. He sees an open patch of grass just under a sliver of sunlight and lies down creating a circle with his long body. He faces into the circle and moves his palms together intertwining his ring and little fingers while placing his two middle fingers above his indexes creating the hand sign for ‘Energy’. He breathes deeply, closes his eyes and concentrates on absorbing the natural energy around him. Slowly but surely, a glowing green aura envelopes his claws. The faint aura begins covering the surface of his body until he is fully encompassed. He opens his eyes, now able to see the flow of energy around him and its sources, be it from nature and other living creatures. At this moment, his hand sign changes to where his indexes, thumbs, and little fingers meet, while his ring and middle fingers cross over each other. His aura then transitions to a light blue while focusing the natural energy to his head. Soon, his thoughts are flooded by his recent capture, the dead kirin and the graveyard. He starts to lose focus as these memories disrupt the chakra point in his head. Overcome with fear, his claws drop and the energy dissipates around him.

“I can’t forget, and I can’t find peace with myself.” Zuriak sits on the warm grass staring into nothingness, feeling the wind brush against his mane while pondering his recent past.

“That stag…could it have been one of the divines?”

In the wind, an airy tune fills the air. Zuriak’s ears perk up and his attention shifts to the source of the sound. He gets up and walks through the garden, noticing that he is now the only one here. He comes up through the bushes where the plateau slopes down into the lake and sees a familiar purple dragon playing a flute. As he steps forward, his claw breaks a twig, interrupting her performance. She jumps up and looks behind her.

“Oh, it’s you. I honestly didn’t expect to see you here.” Idylya says, half-surprised.

“I was...meditating...over there.” He replies pointing over his shoulder. “Just trying to clear my head.”

Zuriak steps fully out onto the grassy slope and lies down across the decline. “I didn’t know you played.”

“This old thing? I’ve been playing on and off for a number of years, but I never fully committed to learning it.”

“It sounds pretty. What were you playing?”

Idylya blushes a little. “It’s some stupid song I wrote many years ago that I can’t get out of my head. I find that it sometimes helps me relax.”

“Play it.”

Idylya tenses up, stunned. “N-no, I shouldn’t. I’m too out of practice...”

“Didn’t sound like it to me.”

“I can’t play in front of anyone either, stage fright.”

“Do you want me to cover my ears?” Zuriak responds as he humorously covers his ears. Idylya chuckles a bit.

“Fine, but no laughing, or interrupting or making faces. And you can’t tell your friends either. And don’t-”

“Okay, okay, I get it. No funny business.”

Idylya gives a soft smile and holds the flute to her chest.

“This is still a work-in-progress, so it’s not quite there yet.”

She then moves the instrument up to her mouth. Zuriak notices the strange tendril markings etched into her silver flute begin to glow blue, but doesn’t pay any more attention to it. Notes begin filling the air as she performs a soothing melody. The wind picks up, carrying the music far beyond the Arboretum. As she plays the first eight bars, Zuriak’s eyes start to grow heavy, and he finds himself yawning unexpectedly.

Damn, I didn't expect to get tired so fast. Hope she doesn’t see me yawning.

She moves on to play the next passage, opening her eyes momentarily to see her guest’s reaction. The new notes reverberate off the rocky walls around her creating a slight delay effect. Zuriak’s legs weaken with exhaustion, and he begins sliding down into the grass. Idylya plays the final phrase as he begins drifting away from consciousness and his body relaxes on the grassy slope.

Idylya finishes her song and opens her eyes to see Zuriak asleep. “Huh, so it did work, after all.” She smiles and flies up to the city above her leaving him to rest near the water. “Sweet dreams, Zuri.”

~

Zuriak opens his eyes to a sliver of sunlight peering down into the Arboretum below and the loud reverberation of a bell echoing throughout the city. He finds himself sprawled out on the grass with part of his tail drifting in the water.

“What happened? How did I get here?” He asks himself as he rolls over and stands up. He looks around trying to recall the events prior, but his memories are still hazy.

“The Arboretum, I was here...and I saw Idylya playing a flute...and…wait, what happened after that?” He continues asking himself. “I don’t remember feeling sleepy at all before she started playing.” Zuriak looks around the Arboretum, then down at the lake.

“Was it a spell? Did she do this?”

He then ascends up to the city, hoping to find Idylya, but upon reaching the main plateau, she is nowhere to be found. He sighs and lands on the street staring at the other dragons going about their business. Sunlight over the area begins to dim as it moves behind the western forest and out of the valley.

“I must’ve been asleep for a few hours.” He scratches his head, unsure what to do.

“Didn’t expect to see you back so soon. How did the training go?” Xellis asks as he randomly appears above him. Despite his sudden appearance, Zuriak remains unfazed.

“It was…alright, but it didn’t go exactly as planned and we had to call it early. By the way, have you seen Idylya around by chance?” Zuriak responds, his eyes wandering around the sky.

“Nope, why?”

“Nevermind.” Zuriak takes his eyes off the sky and starts walking down one of the streets. Xellis follows right next to him.

“Is your shift over already?” Zuriak asks, surprised.

“Uh, yes? It’s dusk. We usually work day shifts in the middle of the week. Don’t you remember?

“Sorry, had an unexpected nap earlier and I lost track of time.”

“Well, count yourself lucky you’re on ‘vacation’, these past couple of weeks have been the most boring weeks I’ve had since the Julis Festival last summer. I would love to be in your position and just sleep whenever I want.” Xellis bitingly comments.

“This isn’t a vacation! I think I’m growing weaker both physically and mentally.” Zuriak snaps back. “It feels like I can’t control my magic, and I’m being plagued by memories of what happened weeks ago.”

“Well, what happened anyway? You promised you were going to tell me.”

Both of them stop abruptly outside a large marble building at the end of the road, terminating in the cliffs. It stands tall above the other adjacent buildings and glows in the fading sunset. The waterfall behind it creates a cool mist, glistening in the light. The four pure white pillars in front hold up much of the structure with additional architectural support on the sides. The nameplate above the pillars reads: Temple of The Twelve Divines.

Zuriak remains silent and walks up the rocky steps.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold up.” Xellis quickly runs up next to him and places a claw on his shoulder. “Since when are you religious? Are you that hesitant about telling me?”

Zuriak continues up the steps and reaches the set of double doors. He turns around at Xellis patiently waiting for a response.

“Are you coming?”

Xellis sighs and follows him into the marble building. Inside, the sole room contains a massive ornate statue made of metal, depicting the twelve dragon gods and goddesses all intertwined with one another. The statue sits tall, almost reaching the ceiling with various displays of ancient art hanging on the four walls around the room. Bits of sunlight filter in through the windows and reflect off the statue’s polished surface. No one else is presently in the room. Zuriak approaches the statue, noting some incense still burning at its base, filling the room with an aromatic scent. He lays in front of the statue and reads the plaque out loud.

“Nivalia, Thera, Marsa, Raina, Maya, Solera, Julis, Aquilius, Sarais, Orthos, Novos, and Lunys, the architects of this world.”

Xellis silently lays along the right side of the statue, across from Zuriak, appearing uninterested.

“Each of them had a purpose during the creation of our realm. Nivalia created the earth we stand on today. Solera created the sun, and Lunys created the moon. Both of which are now controlled by the winged-unicorn sisters. Maya created life, Thera gave that life the ability to feel emotion, and Orthos granted sentience to those creatures. Aquilius-”

“Look, I know the story already. Our elders instill this belief ad nauseum. What’s your point?”

“Well, all throughout history, they are depicted as dragons, like us.”

“Correct.”

“But what if we were wrong? What if they’re not, and instead something else? No one has ever seen the divines.”

“According to the legend, they left once their work was done, so of course, no one’s seen them. Whether they are dragons or not, it doesn’t matter that much to me...what are you getting at?” Xellis replies with a bit more intrigue.

“That one, right there, Novos, the god of death and entropy.” Zuriak points a claw up to the black and gold dragon depicted on the statue. “I saw him on our journey back home. Or at least, I thought I saw him.”

“You can’t be serious.”

“There’s a patch of dense forest at the far western side of Ithral near the Valley of Despair. Idylya and I stumbled through there by accident, and there was a massive graveyard from ages ago.”

Xellis doesn’t say anything, but puts a claw on his chin becoming more interested.

“A mist came in out of nowhere and we got separated. I followed a glowing orb to a lake and saw a large stag before me. It ran off when I approached it, but what it was obscuring was a mysterious stone monolith, like a gravestone. There was no name on the stone, but I couldn’t help but see a resemblance in the dragon carved on top.”

“Hmm, that sure is something…” Xellis focuses his eyes on the ornate statue. “As crazy as it sounds, you’re not the first dragon to witness that kind of phenomenon with the divines.” Zuriak curiously turns his focus over to Xellis.

“When I was still living in Raana, out east, we had a sage living in the village who would offer us wisdom whenever we needed it. Some say he was nearly two-hundred years old, but no one truly knew his past or how old he actually was. I remember seeking his advice on how to make the right choices in my life, and he brought up this one story about the time he was allegedly visited by Thera, the goddess of emotion. Many years ago, when he was in the forest outside our village gathering wood, he witnessed a doe with glowing, tendril and branch-like tribal markings along its body. Drawn to it, he followed it to the forest’s edge, but by the time he reached it, the doe vanished. Afterwards, he said he had visions of the future about critical choices he’d have to make in order to be happy and to be at peace with himself. He claims it changed his life, but I figured the whole story was a metaphor and that he didn’t actually see the goddess because of how preposterous that would be.”

Zuriak stays silent and turns his gaze to the incense still burning.

“I am still a bit skeptical, but it can’t be a coincidence.” Xellis continues. “Have you spoken to Idylya about this?”

“No, come to think of it, but today I did see her by accident in the Arboretum. For some reason though, I ended up passing out sometime after she started playing her flute. I don’t know what happened after that, but when I woke up, she was gone.”

“You fell asleep after hearing her play?”

“I think so. I saw her playing a flute, and I asked her to play something. She did and apparently, I nodded off part way through her song despite being completely lucid moments before.”

“Huh, was there anything odd about the flute? Like did you see anything out of the ordinary when she was playing?”

“I could’ve sworn I saw a faint blue glow emanate from different parts of it, but it was hard to tell.”

“Uh-huh, well I suppose it could be enchanted or…”

“Or what?”

“Mmmmm, it’s nothing, there’s not a chance it could be one of those things…” Xellis says partly to himself. “

“What things? Why are you being so secretive?” Zuriak says, getting irritated.

“A divine instrument. Honestly, being in this temple and hearing your story are the only reasons I remembered. They were used by the divines of course and contain their cosmic power, but like most ancient objects from that time period, they’re lost to the sands of time. I doubt she just happened to randomly find one, no, I’m positive that flute is just enchanted. From what I know, blue-colored enchantments affect the state of mind. Doesn’t she have a background in enchanting? Maybe she was trying to test something, heh.”

“Well, regardless of the flute’s nature, why would she…”

“I’m beginning to wonder if she just did that to avoid talking to you.” Xellis interrupts, getting ahead of himself.

“But that’s such a complicated way of showing it.”

“Hey, it’s just a theory.” Xellis holds up his claws in defense. “You know, at some point, you should confront her about this.” Xellis says as the sun begins to fully set and the room darkens, leaving only the torch sconces to light the room.

“Right, it’s just a matter of finding her again.”

“Shouldn’t be too hard, I always see her leave the Arcanum just before dusk after my shift usually ends.” Xellis looks again at the statue and moves uncomfortably. “Let’s get out of here and get something to eat. It feels like the eyes on that statue are staring into my soul.” Zuriak nods and stands up, briefly staring into the statue. He then follows Xellis out into the cool, breezy night. Lanterns light up the streets in a neat array from the shops and businesses near the temple. As they descend down the stairs, a large group of dragons pass them going up, led by one holding a book.

“Looks like we left just in time. I’d rather not get caught up in the evening service.” Xellis says with relief. Zuriak nods in agreement.

“Do you still eat at that one ramen shop, the one with that goofy looking statue outside? What’s that one called again?”

“Zibiki’s? Nah, I’ve been pinching pennies since I’ve been out of work for the last two weeks.”

“Well this one’s on me, but you have to tell me what else happened during your adventure.”

“Deal.”

The two dragons continue walking the serene streets all the way back to the central fountain. The outdoor markets and stalls are all closing up for the day with many dragons flooding into the restaurants for dinner after a long day. Zuriak and Xellis cut around the fountain and head north in the general direction of the Tower of Nymeria passing through Nymerion’s crowded nightlife district famous for its wide variety of food. At the end of the street, a lone ramen shop sits on the corner with a chiseled, stone lung dragon situated outside. It is comically holding up a sign reading ‘Zibiki’s Ramen’ in a fancy calligraphic font.

“You know, that statue kind of looks like you.” Xellis comments, holding back some laughter.

“No, it doesn’t!” Zuriak goes up to it and compares facial features.

“Sure, whatever you say.” The two duck underneath the cloth hanging from the stall and coil up on two cushions on the left side of the bar overlooking the prep station. Many ingredients are laid out on the counter, and a steel pot sitting over a light flame is nearly empty. A shorter, older looking dragon emerges from behind the shop and sees Xellis and Zuriak. He gives them a wide grin upon seeing Zuriak.

“Was wondering when you were going to show up, Zuriak! It’s been a while.”

“Haha, I mean, it hasn’t been that long, has it?” Zuriak responds, nervously. Xellis lightly chuckles.

“The ‘usual’, I take it?” Zuriak nods. “And for you?” He turns to Xellis.

“I’ll just have the house special, thank you.”

“Sure thing, I’ll have that up shortly.” He disappears into the back of the shop again, and Xellis turns to face Zuriak with a silly grin.

“How often do you come here again?”

“Let’s not talk about that.”

“Heh, alright.” Before Xellis could continue, Zuriak sees a dark figure sitting a few cushions down turn towards them.

“So you made it back after all.” The charcoal-colored dragon says. Xellis whips around and is startled by Neverak’s presence.

“Gah, how long have you been there!?” Neverak ignores Xellis’s comment and keeps his attention on Zuriak.

“I know what happened.” He points to Zuriak’s neck where the suppression collar was and a burn mark where Ryn sliced it off. “You’re lucky to have made it out alive.” Zuriak rubs the spot where the collar was and turns away from Neverak, looking down into the table.

“How did you know?” He says, defeated.

“Know what?” Xellis asks, looking back and forth between Zuriak and Neverak.

“The Council of Elders explained to every group leader in the warriors guild what happened. It helps us to avoid certain areas when traveling outside of the country for missions.” Neverak takes a drink from his white, ceramic cup. Xellis looks at the burn on Zuriak’s neck.

“For a dragon that’s in the intelligence guild, that was pretty bold of you to hunt near the Northwestern Passage. You and that purple one, the one Ithinyelle won’t shut up about.” Neverak adds.

“It was a mistake. We didn’t know where we were.” Zuriak replies in the same defeated tone.

“If you say so.” Neverak takes one last gulp of his drink, then drops several silver coins on the counter from his coin pouch. “By the way, I probably shouldn’t tell you two this, but I overheard something from the Council today as they were exiting a meeting. They’re planning something big soon.” Neverak uncoils and stands on all fours, trying to balance himself while being slightly inebriated.

“Something big? What does that mean?” Xellis questions. Neverak shrugs his shoulders.

“Do I look like a council elder to you? I’m only telling you two because I heard your names being mentioned.” Xellis rolls his eyes in response.

“Well, thanks for the info. I suppose that’s something to look forward to.” Zuriak says. Neverak nods and stretches out his arms and legs before flying off into the night sky.

“That wasn’t exactly a pleasant conversation. Why does it always seem like he’s hiding something?” Xellis asks his companion. “But more importantly, when did you get burned? You did promise to tell me more in exchange for a free meal.” Zuriak shakes his head and faces Xellis.

“Before I tell you, can you promise not to tell anyone?”

“Yeah, absolutely.” Zuriak looks around making sure no one else is within earshot of their conversation.

“We were attacked near the border.” Zuriak explains in a lower tone.

“Wait, seriously? How far out were you?”

“As Neverak brought up earlier, we were apparently near the Northwestern Passage, but…something happened. I don’t know if it was magic, or a high-powered weapon or what, but I was impaled by a deadly force.” He points a claw against his chest scar. Xellis winces a bit.

“Idylya was also injured but she was well enough to find help, and apparently there was this group of qilins nearby…”

“Jeez, Z, don’t tell me…”

“They helped us.” Xellis sighs and turns away from Zuriak, holding his face in one claw.

“You’ve been in the intelligence guild for how long? Nearly a decade now? And you didn’t see this obvious trap? Did she not see it either? Did you really expect qilins, our bitter enemies, to just take you in and help you for no reason?”

“Okay, well what were either of us supposed to do, just die?”

“Well our elders did say…” Xellis quietly mutters to himself.

“Whatever, I’m going home.” Zuriak says bitterly. He gets up from the cushion and heads out onto the street.

“Wait, I didn’t mean it like that.” Xellis turns around and calls out to him just as he passes the stone statue. Zuriak stops and looks back.

“I didn’t mean to insult you or jump to conclusions, I’m sorry.” Zuriak sighs and begrudgingly returns to the shop.

“Look, I’m glad you’re alive, but was there really no other option? I thought Idylya was a healer.”

“I’m not sure, I was unconscious for most of it, but I assume she was unable to do anything.”

“And you told this story to the Council? I’m surprised they didn’t exile you for breaking bread with the qilins.”

“I didn’t exactly tell them the truth. Actually, Idylya spun it to make it seem like we were captured and I just went with it.”

“Hmmm, I hope that doesn’t backfire later down the road, you could get in serious trouble for that.”

“Hoping this all dies down soon and we all forget, honestly. I just want to move past it.” Zuriak says. A moment of awkward silence passes as neither wishes to diffuse the tension. Xellis rhythmically taps on the counter and looks around the ramen shop, trying to fill the void.

“So, what were they like? The qilins, I mean.” He asks. “I’ve never met one before.”

Zuriak scratches his chin. “...Frightened.”

“Of you?”

“Mhm, all but one of them. I don’t think they’ve ever seen dragons before. Their leader, however, looked like she'd seen it all. Apparently she’s the reason I’m alive.”

“Were you afraid of them?”

“...No, not them but…”

“Sorry to keep you two waiting for so long!” The red-scaled chef bursts through the kitchen door holding two hot bowls of ramen. “We’re running low on spices, so I had to pull some from storage. But please, enjoy!” He places the two bowls in front of Zuriak and Xellis, then returns back to the kitchen.

“It’s about time, huh? I’m starving!” Xellis playfully nudges Zuriak. Zuriak stares into his own reflection in the broth for a minute before scarfing it down.

~

“Concentrate on your chakra flow. Feel the energy, and let it pass through all your chakra points.”

A deeply-focused Zuriak floats gently meditating above the grass overlooking the adjacent desert. A faint green aura encompasses his body. Ryn is floating meters above him inspecting his form.

“Now, begin channeling one element into one palm.” Zuriak, keeping his eyes closed, does so with ease as cold mist forms around his left claw.

“Good, now reduce the chakra flow in your left claw in half and return it to your core. Then channel it to your right claw while keeping a steady flow on both sides.” Zuriak holds out his right claw and tenses up his arm.

“Finally, assign the second element to your right half.”

Sparks start erupting off Zuriak’s right claw as he opens his eyes now holding both ice and lightning.

“Release!”

He cups both claws and releases the combination over the dry wasteland before him. The beam fires far beyond their view distance and slowly dissipates.

“Not bad.” Ryn floats down to the grass and continues staring at the electrical energy fading away. Zuriak floats down as well, breathing heavily.

“You now have a good grasp of elemental chakra control.”

“Yeah...it only took me...three weeks?”

“Quicker than most, that’s for sure. Over time, it will get easier, and you’ll be able to refine your attacks and synergize better. Keep in mind though that dividing your chakra and synergizing elements is only possible when all of your chakra gates are open. Those who do not have a strong connection between the mind and body often struggle with chakra control. And that is something we will work on soon. Have you been meditating outside of our training?”

“Y-yes.” Zuriak responds with a bit of hesitation.

“Good. Elemental splitting is a powerful tool that can both help and hurt you.”

“What do you mean by ‘hurt’?”

“Well, to a fragmented mind and body, one who tries to force chakra through a blocked chakra point risks severing that connection permanently. So far, we’ve only dealt with the core point and its extremities, i.e. your palms. Say for example, you channeled two elements to your throat but that chakra point was blocked. The instability of those two different elemental chakras flowing at once through that blocked point would damage it and hinder your ability to breathe ice. That’s why I tell you to continue meditating and to keep a sound mind.”

“How does a chakra point get blocked?”

“All sorts of reasons. Could be a result of inner turmoil, stress, or even a physical injury.”

“I see, that’s good to know.” Zuriak looks down at his left claw.

“Indeed, unfortunately, that is all we can do for today, as I need to return to the city for a council meeting. We will reconvene in a few days. By the way, I was told you are scheduled to return to guard duty with Fenrir and Xellis on the eleventh.” Zuriak simply nods.

“Should be nice getting back into some sort of routine.” Ryn adds.

“Yeah.”

“Well, I’m off. You try to take care of yourself, okay?”

Ryn flies off northward into the clear, blue sky hastily, leaving Zuriak behind. As Ryn leaves his line of sight, Zuriak flies over to the small river back in the plains. He sticks his head in, cooling off and washing the dirt from his face. After resurfacing, he stares back into his reflection expecting to hallucinate again, but no figure appears in the water.

“Maybe it was all in my head.”

He turns back towards the forest and without looking back, ascends over the treeline flying back home. During the flight, he continues to stare down at the forest below, observing its serene state. The sun above him casts rays down on the trees and foliage as he passes by, creating a warm glow.

To just fly away from everything, would that be so bad?

After flying for some thirty minutes, the tall buildings of Nymerion come into view. Zuriak starts descending down into the Central Plaza and looks around. The sundial near the fountain reads slightly past 13:30. He turns to one of the food carts grilling several cuts of meat on a skewer, producing a tasty aroma. There’s a long line twisting out into the street, obscuring much of the setup, and it appears to be handled by a group of winged Drogosians.

“Probably should get something to eat.” He reminds himself. As he makes his way over, a certain purple dragon catches his eye going into the Arcanum of Nymer at the south end of the plaza.

“Or maybe…”

Forgetting his hunger, he makes his way across the plaza and up the stairs into the Arcanum. Inside the round building, rows of tall bookshelves extend out from the center circle with tables, and cushions scattered in between. It is quite crowded and many of the dragons present are quietly studying. After looking in between each bookshelf, he walks up to the second floor, seeing much of the same. Like with the first floor, bookshelves draw out from the walls and point into the center, though much shorter with a wide circular gap in the center. Across the way, he sees her on her back resting on one of the pillows, with her nose buried in one of the books she’s holding up. He quietly makes his way over, but the creaking wooden floor makes it difficult to stay hidden.

“Hi.” He whispers.

She momentarily lowers her book to see who it is, but quickly goes back to reading when she sees Zuriak’s face. He then places a claw on top of her book and pushes it down. She sighs annoyedly.

“Can I help you with something? I’m a bit preoccupied at the moment.”

“I know your flute was enchanted.” She tenses up, but then relaxes.

“That was three weeks ago.” Idylya snickers. “And is that what you believe?” She adds, grinning.

“Believe? Don’t think you can gaslight your way out of this one.”

“Don’t take it too personally, I was just testing something that even I didn’t know anything about. You were an excellent test subject, by the way.” She then resumes reading her book, breaking eye contact with him.

“Ugh, you confuse me, you know that?” Zuriak remarks while rolling his eyes.

“At least that’s one thing I’m good at.”

“Yeah, yeah, well the reason I came here is to ask you something.”

“I’m all ears.” She does a gesture.

“So, you remember when we stumbled across that graveyard up north?”

“Yeah, I mean it wasn’t that long ago…”

“Well, did you see anything in the mist?”

She tenses up again, and turns away from him, biting her lip. “No, I just got the heck out of there as fast as I could. It was a miracle I found you, you know. Why are you asking? Did you see something?”

Zuriak remains silent, unsure if he should mention his hallucination because of her response.

“No, I just thought I’d ask because of how weird that whole place was.”

Idylya raises an eyebrow confused at his shift in tone.

“...aaaaaannnd, that’s it? That’s all you wanted to ask me?”

“Yep.” Zuriak quickly replies, trying to dissipate the conversation, slightly embarrassed. Idylya just shakes her head

“Pffft, and you say I’m the confusing one...” She whispers under her breath. “Well...now that we’re on the same topic, do you remember that monolith we saw just before the mist?” She starts digging through her bookbag and retrieves a journal.

“Vaguely.”

“I actually finished translating it not too long ago. To tell you the truth, I was on the fence about translating it based on the experience we had. It definitely felt otherworldly.” She opens the journal and flips through some of the pages.

“The Mist of Novos, Shaia zhún Novos.” She says as she hands him the journal. He takes it, places it on the nearby low table, and turns to the same page she was reading from. There, scribbled in charcoal were the symbols she wrote originally along with their translated counterparts.

“How long did this take you?”

“About two weeks. We have like several different volumes of the Zyntrithian glossary here, so searching through them took a long time.”

Zuriak flips through a few more pages until he sees more of the translated contents.

“In the mist, he waits, not out of malevolence, but as a warning. A warning of what’s to come.” He pauses and looks at her with a bit of concern.

“That was on the backside of the boulder, the rest is up front.” She notes, turning a page over.

“A mortal god cruelly nudges fate. He doesn’t harm the body, but the mind... Our attempts to defy destiny irrevocably put us on its path. One cannot change destiny, and knowledge of it is a curse. Let this ice disease finally embrace us.” Zuriak looks back up at her more concerned than previously.

“What happened to them?”

“That remains a mystery, but the sentence ‘let this ice disease finally embrace us’ leads me to believe they died of hypothermia, which is strange considering Ithral’s hot climate. It never gets cold enough here to provoke hypothermia and we’re also cold-blooded. However, I was able to dig up some old scrolls on an unidentified creature that was seen here in Ithral sometime around the year two-forty five in the second era. It reportedly was able to freeze everything around it without casting a spell, almost like a walking ice box.”

“Any physical descriptions on it?”

“Only that it was a quadruped with scales, which doesn’t really help that much.”

“Hmm, so it couldn’t have been that stag…” Zuriak whispers to himself.

“It couldn’t have been what?” She overhears.

“Oh, it’s nothing.” He quickly defends as he flips some more pages and sees a large depiction of a familiar symbol resembling Zyntrithian patterns. It is circled in red and below it, ‘time’ is spelled out in capital letters.

“What’s this one?”

“You don’t remember? That one qilin we met in the forest, the green one with the weird horn. That symbol was on her horn, and I was right, it was Zyntrithian. It means ‘time’.

“Time...” He trails off.

“Just adds more to the mystery, doesn’t it? And why is a word from our language on her horn?”

“Perhaps we weren’t the only ones to adopt it?”

“Well, as it turns out, Zyntrithian did have some presence in both Kyryo and Drogos, but Equestrian was always the most common language. Only higher class qilins were ever taught Zyntrithian. Like, we’re talking about royal status level qilins.”

“Maybe it’s some weird custom where they carve a symbol in one’s horn to represent something.”

“I doubt it. Qilin horns are ten times harder than bone. No knife or blade would be able to cut that deep and so precisely.”

Zuriak turns to another page and finds a rough sketch of the collars Terra placed on them back at the kirin camp. Symbols are taken from the design and overlaid below the sketch with rough translations.

“And what are these?”

“I haven’t quite figured that one out yet, but those collars contained Zyntrithian symbols as well. I’m wondering if their translations can give us any clues on their origins, or a way to effectively remove them without dragonfire should this happen to other dragons in the future. So far, no luck.”

“Crystal, magic, void, Novos.” Zuriak recites from her notes. She takes back the book and closes it.

“As far as I know, it’s just gibberish and answering one question seems to have opened up many more.” She adds while stowing the journal away. “I’ll continue looking into all of this, but that qilin definitely knew more than what she let on.”

Chapter V: The Siege of Kyrinia

Mornden, Eleventh of Maya, 3E379Y

It’s been a while since I’ve written anything, but things around Nymerion have been so quiet this past week that I don’t know what to write. Tonight, I resume my job guarding the city. It is kind of nice regaining some semblance of normalcy again, but I still feel mentally distracted over the events of last month. I’m sure Fenrir will ask me dozens of questions about my absence since I haven’t seen him since the day we were found. It sure has been a long time, but I will probably just say something along the lines of ‘recuperating from an illness’. At least that will sate their curiosity for now. Technically, it is partly true, if you consider ‘overstressed’ an illness. Oh yeah, something I found puzzling when I returned was that I am exempt from the hunt this month. Ryn told me this personally, but didn’t give a reason except that ‘my mind needs to be focused on other things right now’. Don’t know what to say to that, but he promptly left the barracks without hearing my questions. Maya’s hunt was yesterday, and from what I heard, it was about as typical as you’d expect. Ithinyelle and Neverak won that dumb competition like they always do, so it seems like I didn’t miss much anyway. I wonder if Idylya was forced to go solo on this one, if she had to team up with someone else, or if she is in the same boat as me. I’d like to ask her, but ever since our encounter at the Arcanum a few days ago, she hasn’t been back. After learning about the text on the monolith, it makes me more fearful than ever about what I saw. Did I really see my own death? If one were to see their future and the path laid before them, couldn’t they betray their own destiny? And yet, what did those forest dwellers see all those years ago that would force them to write that warning? I take it, the paths they saw ended much sooner than my own.

Time. That is another thing that’s been on my mind since our meeting. The green qilin from the forest, what is her symbol meant to signify and how does it relate to time? Does it grant her a special power? Given my previous studies on magic when I was younger, I’ve never come across anything that can manipulate the fabric of time. The past is solidified, and the future is undetermined. No amount of magic can change these physical laws. I should read more on the subject, but the Arcanum has little text on the concept of time and its nature. I feel I will not receive any kind of satisfactory answer from it.

Suppose I should conclude this entry here as my shift begins in half an hour. It will be a late night, I can tell, but at least Xellis and Fenrir will help make the hours go by fast.

Zuriak puts away his journal, and grabs his dagger plus a red armband. All guards are required to wear an armband of a specified color with the symbol of their guild to help identify each other. He ties the band around his left arm and swiftly exits his room through the open window of his tree home. Outside, the sun is setting on a warm spring evening. Many dragons are still out, talking amongst each other and enjoying the calm night air. At night, the central plateau lights up with candles, torches and lanterns around every corner, creating a serene and warm atmosphere. Zuriak flies south and makes his way to the southern barracks, a tall stone structure five floors high situated on a tiny pillar. The pillar sharply descends down into the water below with two small waterfalls on each side of the structure. He flies into the open window on the fourth floor and without warning, immediately slams into a few of his fellow guards, knocking them all over like bowling pins.

“Gods, Zuriak, can you watch where you’re flying!?” One of them angrily blurts out on the floor. The other two simply give him annoyed looks as they release themselves from beneath him and return to their feet.

“Ah, sorry, Ithinyelle. I didn’t see you three by the window.” He laughs nervously trying to ease the situation. Two of them roll their eyes while Ithinyelle makes a gesture, pointing two claws at her eyes, then at Zuriak’s. All three of them then fly down the large square opening in the center of the room to the first floor.

“Gotta stop being clumsy.” He whispers under his breath.

“Was wondering if you were going to show or not.” Xellis floats down from the floor above with Fenrir in tow, peering at the other three just exiting.

“Looks like you already got reacquainted with Ithinyelle, Neverak, and Ying.”

“I honestly did not see them when I flew in, and I was in a hurry!”

“Yeah, sure, Z, I hear ya.” Xellis says with a bit of sarcasm giving him a wink. “Well anyway, it’s almost dusk. We should get going.”

“Hold up, Xellis. Now that Zuriak is here, I need to let both of you in on a message I received from the courier yesterday.” Zuriak and Xellis look confusedly at each other then at Fenrir. “We are to report to the Tower of Nymeria on the thirty-first of this month regarding an upcoming mission.”

“The Tower? Did they mention any specifics about the mission?” Zuriak asks.

“No details were given, other than to be there at sunrise, sharp.”

“Well, I think this is good news for us. The Council is finally recognizing us for our merits! I guarantee you we’ll move up to rank twelve or eleven by the end of this.” Xellis excitedly chimes in.

“Could happen. Though I am still perplexed as to why they chose us over higher ranking Novo trios...I don’t imagine it will be anything too crazy because of that.” Fenrir finishes.

The two nod and watch as Fenrir flies down through the center to the first floor. Xellis holds Zuriak back briefly.

“Do you think this is related to that thing Neverak told us about weeks ago?” He asks, nervously.

“I do. Not sure what they have planned for us though. Like Fenrir said, I doubt it will be anything out of our league.” Zuriak says, trying to dispel Xellis’s nerves.

“Right, you're right, that makes sense.” Xellis comments with slight relief. The two quickly fly down the center opening and rejoin Fenrir by a large cork board. On the board, a top-view map of Nymerion and the surrounding forests are diagrammed with great detail. Scattered over the board are pieces of parchment pinned with the names and hours for each trio working. Zuriak sees their three names written on the western outlying forest with hours from 19:00 to 03:00.

“Ugh, I hate the western forest, especially at night.” Xellis complains.

“Lighten up, Xellis, at least it’s not the Arboretum. I’d be bored to tears if I had to do that a second night in a row.” Fenrir cheerfully responds.

“I’m just worried for Zuriak.” Xellis leans closer to Fenrir and whispers. “He is a bit rusty and slow after all.”

“What was that?” Zuriak asks.

“Nothing!” Xellis innocently replies.

Zuriak rolls his eyes and looks over to the trio he previously bumped into across the room. Neverak and Ithinyelle appear to be holding back laughter and looking at them, while the Ying is currently rolling up a Nymerion map. He turns back to Xellis who is going through the supply shelves, gathering preserved food and other basic supplies.

“What do you think they are laughing at over there?” Zuriak asks.

“Who knows, probably some stupid joke. You know how dry their humor is, especially Ithinyelle’s. They sure did luck out on their location though.” He says incredulously as he looks closer at the map. “Since when has the Council deemed it necessary to have a rank one trio guard the residential district? That’s usually a rank fifty job for novices.” He sighs, resigned. “And of course we get the western forest even on your first day back. What were they thinking?” Zuriak looks back at them, noting their laughing has ceased. He remains skeptical as he watches them prepare for their own shifts.

“Well, come on, Z, let’s get this over with.” Xellis finishes packing the necessities and motions him and Fenrir towards the center of the room. “Hey Fenrir, did you get some torches?”

“Yeah, they should last the night unless of course it rains.” He answers and holds up three of them.

“Awesome.”

Both Zuriak and Fenrir follow Xellis as they all fly back up through the central opening and out the roof. Back outside, they continue flying northwest when a deep, resonating bell echoes throughout the city signaling the first hour of dusk. Xellis, Fenrir and Zuriak fly further west and over the forest about a kilometer in. The trio descends into a grassy clearing and finds their bearings in total darkness. Fenrir hands the three torches to Xellis who promptly takes them and sets them on grass in front of them. His whole body then glows orange as he sticks one of his claws into the dirt transmuting it into a small lava puddle. The whole area lights up despite the small radius of the puddle. He then holds all three torches over the pool and waits for them to catch fire.

“I hope you’re more alert tonight than you have been these past weeks. Every time I’ve worked in the western forest at night, I’ve had encounters.” Xellis mentions.

“What kind of encounters?” Zuriak asks.

“I don’t know, it’s hard to explain, but every once in a while, I’ll see a horse-like figure in the darkness that just stands there and does nothing. As soon as I get close, they run off into the woods, and I can never find them after that. Almost feels like I’m chasing after a ghost.” The three torches combust, and he hands one of them to Zuriak, and the other to Fenrir. Zuriak takes it and stares into the flame.

“How often do you see this ghost?”

“At least once per shift in this part of the forest. Whatever it is, it started appearing about a month ago. Come to think of it, I started seeing it a few days after you returned. Fenrir’s seen it too as well.” He continues.

“I don’t know what I saw, but I definitely heard something last time we patrolled these forests. It was far to the west, over the hills.” Fenrir adds as he points in the westerly direction.

“So, now you know why I don’t like the western forest at night. It’s creepy as shit.” Xellis finishes as he makes a hand sign and places one claw over the lava pool. The lava quickly hardens and darkness shrouds them both, leaving only their dimly lit torches to illuminate the area. “My advice is to just avoid that area altogether, and stick to the woods. It’s not worth chasing after the paranormal.”

Zuriak nods.

“As usual, if you guys run into some trouble, use your magic as a beacon and wait until help arrives. Anyway, let’s meet back here in a couple of hours for food. I’ll make a fire here to help direct you two back. Good luck!” Xellis flies off northward while Fenrir grabs Zuriak’s arm.

“I don’t know if Xellis saw what I did, but I’m pretty sure we saw the same thing, or the same creature rather, when I was in the hills during our last shift here. When I spotted them, they simply vanished into thin air as if they turned to dust.”

“Are you certain?”

“I’m sure of it. If you end up that far, do not douse your torch, alright?”

“And why is that?”

“I have a theory, well more of a hunch, that they are afraid of light and travel in darkness, based on what I’ve seen.”

“I...think I understand.” Zuriak reluctantly agrees. Fenrir nods and flies up into the air, heading south.

Zuriak stares into the flame from his torch for a moment before taking off, heading further west. In the air, he maintains a low altitude, flying just above the treeline and slow enough to avoid extinguishing the flame of his torch.

Looking down upon the dark forest, he doesn’t see any creatures or shadows. The moon starts cresting over the eastern horizon, shedding a minute amount of light over the treetops. Zuriak takes a moment to land in a more open part of the forest to inspect and listen for any movement.

“Strange, I don’t hear anything, not even the trees or leaves blowing in the wind.”

He holds his torch up to the trees to get a better look at them. A rustling in the bushes far away catches his attention. He holds the torch up to the trees, but sees nothing. More rustling appears behind him, closer than before. He quickly spins around investigating the source, but still finds nothing. Minutes of absolute silence permeate the forest as Zuriak prepares to fly away.

Suddenly, a couple bullets of energy slip past his head from behind. Zuriak immediately spins around towards the general direction they came from and gets in a battle stance while steadily holding the torch.

More bullets come his way from the left without warning. He quickly holds up his left claw and produces a small ice shield just large enough to block the attack. The force causes him to recoil a bit. Then, out of nowhere, more energy bullets are fired at him from the opposite side. Barely reacting in time, he drops the torch in the wet grass and produces the same shield from his right claw and narrowly avoids taking damage.

That...noise...I’ve heard that same high-pitched noise before. It reminds me of...

Thinking fast and evading more attacks, Zuriak ascends up into the air and flies further west. He looks down and behind him at the forest below scanning for any movement in the trees. Some branches creaking catches his eye as he flies a bit faster. As soon as he reaches the hills, he descends back onto the ground and gets back into a battle stance again. He takes out his dagger and charges it with lightning waiting for the creature to emerge.

Where are you…

His eyes keep looking left and right at the forest’s edge, but doesn’t see anything. A slight rush of wind causes him to look up briefly only to see a magical red sword coming down. He holds up his electrified dagger just in time, guarding himself from the attack. The one wielding the sword reveals themselves to be a dark-colored kirin. The kirin lands roughly on the ground in front of him and holds the sword in front of them with their magic.

“Who are you!? How did you get this far into Ithral!?” He demands, though the kirin doesn’t respond and instead lunges at him with the sword. Zuriak guards against the attack as the two proceed to spar, sword versus dagger. The kirin gains ground on him, pushing him back up the hill. Zuriak uses his free claw to ice the ground causing the kirin to lose their balance and slide down the hill. He then fires more ice shots at the kirin, but they dissipate the ice with their fire. Taking advantage of the opening, Zuriak thrusts forward with his dagger at the kirin, however it goes right through them.

“H-how is this possible!?” He questions, staring into the kirin’s expressionless, green eyes. The kirin doesn’t speak and instead raises their weapon about to slice Zuriak. He side-steps, narrowly evading the swing, but sustains a slight cut along his right arm. He holds it to cover up the bleeding and stares down at the unmoving kirin.

Shit, since when can qilins make themselves intangible? I’ve never faced anything like this.

The kirin moves towards him progressively gaining speed, and holding their sword out. Zuriak tries to think up a plan, but fails to do so in time, barely avoiding each of the kirin’s swings. As Zuriak blocks each attack, the kirin gains more ground on him, just like before. Eventually, the force of one attack causes him to collapse. The kirin uses this opportunity to do a vertical slice, but Zuriak blocks it just in time on his back with the dagger. The two struggle against each other’s forces, not breaking form. Zuriak then charges some electricity in his free claw and moves to grab the kirin’s sword while still holding his dagger in place. He grasps it, slicing part of his palm, and sends a surge of electricity through the sword causing sparks to arc off of it and into the grass. The kirin breaks their contact, and gets pushed back several steps after taking a large jolt. Some of the dry grass ignites from the electricity, producing several small fires around Zuriak. The kirin doesn’t move, only staring at Zuriak from afar.

They’re not attacking…? Wait, earlier in the forest when I had my torch, they kept to the shadows...and now they’re standing down when near fire. Looks like Fenrir was right.

Zuriak charges more electricity in his palm and fires a bolt into the dry grass next to the kirin, setting it ablaze. The kirin quickly moves away from it as he fires another bolt on the opposite side. Zuriak smiles and floats several meters up and uses both his claws to fire bolts of lightning into a circular pattern around the kirin. A ring of fire quickly erupts around the kirin giving them no chance to escape. The kirin moves to the center, closes their eyes and stabs their glowing sword into the ground in front of them. Zuriak lowers himself a bit, getting closer to them.

“Speak now! What is your purpose here?” The kirin then opens their eyes, but stares into their sword.

“You shouldn’t have lived…” He says in a low, hushed tone.

“Lived? So it was you who tried to kill me weeks ago!”

The kirin doesn’t say anything more, and lifts their sword back up out of the ground. He then walks to the edge of the fire ring and hovers the blade over the flames. The flames travel up through the sword and onto him, setting him ablaze. Zuriak watches in shock as the kirin disintegrates instantly. Zuriak lands in the center of the circle looking around him.

“Hey, Z! What happened here!?” Xellis calls from above. “I saw the smoke all the way from my area, and was worried you got into some trouble.” Xellis stays airborne just above Zuriak in the ring.

“It was...it was nothing.”

“Seriously? This sure as fuck doesn’t look like ‘nothing’.” Zuriak doesn’t respond and a few seconds of silence pass.

“You saw them, didn’t you? The apparition?”

“I think so.”

“And they actually fought you, who were they?”

“They didn’t speak, but it was a qilin.” Zuriak says, half-lying.

“I knew it! It had to be either them or a pony.”

A sudden gust of wind blows throughout the field extinguishing the fire that was beginning to spread out of control. A light grey dragon descends down upon both of them.

“Is there a reason you two knuckleheads decided to start an uncontrolled fire and let it spread?” Fenrir asks, irritated.

“I didn’t, but Zuriak did. He fought you-know-what.” Xellis says, adding emphasis on the last bit.

“You did? And you defeated them?” Fenrir questions, turning to Zuriak.

“It was a qilin and they got away...I’m sorry.”

“How did a qilin make it this far past border patrol? Unbelievable! We’ll need to make a note after our shift ends so the others are aware. I’m determined to notify the Council too, since this is a repeating occurrence. For now, let’s stay close to the city for the remaining time.” Fenrir says.

“Sounds good.” Xellis confirms. Zuriak looks back at the scorched grass where the kirin disappeared.

“Yeah, let’s go.”

~

“Any minute now.” Xellis says as he slouches a bit more against the wall, tossing a rubber ball across the room. It ricochets off the opposite wall, hitting the floor a couple times, then bounces back to him. He catches it and throws it at the wall again.

“You should show some respect, Xellis. It’s not everyday we get summoned to the Tower of Nymeria.” Fenrir scolds him, pacing around the room and shaking his head in disapproval. He looks out the window down six floors to the busy cobblestone path below circling around the tower.

“Hey, they told us to be here at seven, and we did. Now it’s almost nine, and we’re still waiting around. If anything, that’s disrespectful to us.” He retorts, still tossing the ball unwaveringly.

Fenrir sighs in frustration and catches the ball right before it returns to Xellis. He then throws it out the open window and lays against the wall opposite to where Zuriak and Xellis are laying. Zuriak is struggling to keep his eyes open.

“You owe me a new ball.” Xellis says in a bored tone. Before he could continue, the double doors leading out to the balcony open up, bringing in more sunlight and a gust of wind through. Idylya wanders in, confusedly looking around until she sees Xellis and Zuriak to her left, slumped against the wall and Fenrir to the right. Xellis gives Zuriak a light punch.

“Look alive, Z, your dragonfriend is here.” He whispers in his ear.

“Huh, who?” He groggily says a bit too loudly.

“Oh, hi. Wasn’t expecting to see you three here.” She comments brightly as she walks over to them.

“Likewise. We’re here on ‘secret’ intelligence guild business.” Xellis says trying to sound cool.

“Yeah, I bet.” She rolls her eyes, walks across the room and coils up against the wall opposite of the balcony. She then takes out a book from her bag and begins flipping through some pages.

“Zuriak, say something.” Xellis whispers in his ear.

“Say what-” Zuriak responds before getting cut off by three loud thumps on the balcony. The same set of doors opens up letting in another gust of wind.

“-and you know, she had the nerve to comment about how dull my scales are. I’m an earth elemental, of course my scales are frequently dirty.” The trio of Neverak, Ying, and Ithinyelle enter the room fervently. Ithinyelle pauses her story she was telling the other two and makes eye contact with Idylya.

“Oh, it’s you.” She comments venomously. “Never thought I’d see you here of all places given your...skill level.” She continues. Idylya gives her a glare.

“Hello to you too, Ithinyelle. You’re looking as dull as usual, I see.” Idylya retorts, returning to her book.

Ithinyelle moves forward with anger, but Neverak holds his arm out in front of her and shakes his head.

“Remember why we’re here.” Neverak reminds her. She nods and the three continue towards the center of the room. Before they sit down, another set of doors opens up at the opposite end of the balcony, leading further into the Tower. Two older looking dragons emerge, one with a bright face, the other more stern. Zuriak and Xellis quickly regroup with Fenrir and converge to the center of the room with the other trio. Idylya puts away her book and stands up next to Zuriak.

“Ah, good to see you’ve all made it on time.” Ryn excitedly says.

“On time? We’ve been here for two-” Xellis starts before Fenrir clamps his mouth shut looking nervously at the two wise ones before them.

“Heheh, what he means is, we’re honored to be here, no matter the time.”

“Right, well these three had an unexpected errand to run, so we had to delay the meeting a bit.” He motions to the trio that just arrived.

“Now, let’s get started.” Both him and the other dragon lead the seven of them into the meeting chamber. A series of semi-opaque windows line three of the walls with sunlight pouring in through the eastern side. In the center of the room lies a sole round, wooden table with about ten cushions lining the circumference. Above the table is an ornate chandelier made entirely out of deer antlers with candlelights on each side. On the table rests a large open map of the continent. Ryn and the other dragon take a seat at the north end, while the others circle around, staying within their groups. Idylya takes a seat separating the two trios.

“Thank you for accepting this mission. I will be overseeing this meeting, and Raymir here will be observing and recording the details for the archives.” The much older dragon gives a grunt, takes out a scroll and unravels the paper. He then removes the quill from a bottle of ink on the table near both him and Ryn.

“Mission 30A.379: The Siege of Kyrinia. Dated thirty-first of Maya, third era, year three-hundred and seventy-nine.” Raymir begins writing on the parchment, as a couple dragons in the room gasp.

“Thank you, Raymir. Now, upon hearing those words, I bet some of you are confused, let me explain. Nearly a couple months ago, one of our intelligence trios was stationed out in the southeastern region of Kyryo, spying on the qilins near the border. During that time, they claimed to have seen the Empress and her personal elite squad moving east, which of course set off some red flags as the Empress never leaves the Jade Palace. They reported her stopping at some off-shoot qilin camp a ways north of their position and stayed there for a few days. Although, nothing out of the ordinary was seen during her stay, further details reveal that an additional qilin was in their troupe when they left the camp.” Ryn places some kirin figurines on the map at their approximate locations.

“We believe that the camp the Empress visited was the same camp you two escaped from during the hunt that month.” He then points to Zuriak and Idylya both of whom briefly look at each other nervously.

“Our current theory is that the camp held a very powerful qilin known as a matriarchal qilin.” Ryn pulls out a large scroll from underneath the table, and unrolls it across the table so all could see. Depictions of kirin anatomy are illustrated across the scroll with diagrams indicating the unique traits that differentiate them from normal kirins. Further down the scroll, strange symbols are shown next to their ‘common tongue’ translation, and a short biographical entry is given on one. Zuriak’s eyes widen, recognizing the symbols and markings here from his encounter with Terra Nova. He looks up at Idylya who is giving him an uneasy look.

“All throughout history, the qilins have always had the upper claw in major battles, and it’s all because of the matriarchal qilin. In the year two seventy-two, The Battle of Kirin Grove, our forces were able to successfully invade Kyryo and push as far as Kirin Grove, but were instantly thwarted by a single one of them that seemingly appeared out of nowhere. He had the ability to call upon the forces of nature. We were devastated by severe lightning storms, tornadoes and torrential downpours. And all it took was one qilin.” Ryn places a claw on the qilin depicted in the scroll.

“What we learned is that every few generations or so, a qilin is born with a unique gift bestowed by their goddess, at least according to their legend. The magic they possess drastically differs from that of a normal qilin and they are able to perform unimaginable feats of magic. But now, we have a chance. We have information that none of our ancestors had, and now we can actually make a difference.”

“And how do you expect the seven of us to fight something that can summon tornadoes when half of us can’t even fight that well!?” Ithinyelle shouts.

“Hey!” Xellis comments.

“That’s why I brought you all here. All seven of you will play a crucial role in this mission.” Ryn places more battle figurines on the map.

“Unfortunately, we do not know what this qilin looks like or what they can do, and the only calling card for identifying them is the markings on their horn. You two, did you happen to see any peculiar looking qilin when you were imprisoned? I know it’s been a while, but it will save us a lot of time.” Zuriak and Idylya tense up.

“We were...caged up in the storage area separated from the rest of the camp. The only qilin we saw was the one giving us food.” Zuriak says nervously.

“Mmhm, I see…I suppose that was a longshot.” Ryn responds with a hint of suspicion. He then places three figurines depicting dragons on the map south of Kyrinia, the kirin capital.

“How do you know this qilin the guild reported leaving is a matriarchal qilin...or however it’s called?” Idylya asks abruptly.

“We don’t, but according to their legend a matriarchal qilin serves as a royal secret weapon, and they are usually trained away from the public eye. We can’t think of any other reason the Empress would randomly seek out this qilin especially given the dangers near the border.” Ryn returns to the map and moves a couple of the pieces.

“The plan is simple, we’re all going to arrive at this location at dusk tomorrow evening, and we’re going to split off into two groups. One group will go to Kyrinia’s western wall and stage a battle to draw out most of their military, while the other infiltrates the Jade Palace and finds that qilin. This is an assassination mission, so stealthiness is paramount.”

“So, what you’re saying is, killing this matriarchal qilin will end the war?” Fenrir speaks up.

“It would be the beginning of the end, so to speak. It will allow us to invade Kyryo unfettered, and we can start reclaiming what is rightfully ours, the divine instruments.”

“And this is the only solution?” Fenrir asks.

“Yes, the matriarchal qilin is the key to the qilins’ victories. This is the best chance we got.” Ryn looks around the room at the others, expecting more questions.

“Why tomorrow? That’s awfully short notice to prepare.” Idylya asks.

“We’ve recently learned of a qilin sneaking past border patrol on the western front and getting as far as the western forest. Thankfully, they were dispatched before they could reach Nymerion, but this has forced us to shorten our timetable.”

“Sounds like some incompetent guards, if you ask me.” Ithinyelle whispers under her breath.

“If none of you have any more questions, we’ll conclude this brief meeting, and I’ll see all of you at daybreak tomorrow morning. We’ll iron out the details tomorrow.” Ryn then whispers something into Raymir’s ear as he nods and continues writing.

“Well whatever, no big deal.” Ithinyelle says as she and her two teammates get up. “Let’s get some breakfast.”

“Sure, I’d love some!” Xellis interrupts.

“Oh, I wasn’t talking to you.” She harshly responds. Xellis just gives them a dispirited look, as all three leave abruptly. While Ryn is still talking to Raymir, Fenrir motions both Idylya and Zuriak out into the foyer. Xellis follows behind them.

“Is there something we should know, that you’re not telling us?” Fenrir asks.

“Uh, no, nothing at all. Why are you asking?” Zuriak responds, looking away.

“You seemed dismissive when Ryn was asking if you saw that qilin.”

“To tell you the truth, I don’t like being under the spotlight, that is all.”

“Mhm, well, I’m not convinced. You are jeopardizing the mission by withholding information, which could get us in trouble. Don’t forget that.” Fenrir walks out onto the balcony and flies off leaving the other three behind.

“What was that all about?” Xellis asks, trying to break the tension. “You’re not hiding anything, are you, Z?”

“No! It’s just Fenrir being overly cautious and paranoid as usual. I already told you everything!” Idylya glares at Zuriak upon hearing his slip-up.

“Yeah, that’s true. Well, if you need me, I’ll be in the hot springs, enjoying what time I have left before this death wish of a mission.” Xellis manages a nervous smile before flying off.

“You did WHAT!?” Idylya shouts once Xellis is out of range. “I said not to tell anybody!”

“He’s my best friend and he kept asking me. What was I supposed to do?” Idylya cups her face in her claws in response.

“You could’ve spun the truth like we’ve been doing.” Idylya quietly answers as she eases up a bit.

“I have to tell Fenrir too otherwise I don’t think he’ll trust me.”

“Well do what you must, but you should be careful what you say around friends. Sometimes they wind up stabbing you in the back.”

~

Near the central fountain, three dragons fly down from above, landing on the southern end. The early morning sun is barely peeking through the clouds. Due to the time, the central plaza is nearly vacant save for the three currently there, along with a couple passersby. Zuriak looks at his reflection in the fountain.

“Think we’ll be waiting two hours again, just like yesterday?” Xellis asks them with a hint of humor and sarcasm. Neither Zuriak nor Fenrir respond, ignoring him.

“I think we will.” Xellis answers his own question. In the distance, he sees Idylya groggily walking over to them from the west street. She eventually reaches them, but doesn’t say anything and instead rubs the sleep from her eyes.

“Ah, good morning!” He comments cheerfully. Idylya shoots him a glare, then looks out to the rest of the plaza.

“Looks like someone didn’t get enough sleep…” He murmurs to Zuriak next to him who simply sighs. Minutes of silence pass by as the sun slowly creeps through the eastern edge of Nymerion.

“I haven’t been very honest with either of you.” Zuriak begins, breaking the awkward silence. Both Xellis and Fenrir divert their attention to Zuriak while Idylya tries to scoot away from the conversation.

“We...weren’t captured by the qilins...they helped us. Both of us were severely injured near the border, when we were found by a group of qilin nomads. They saved my life, they saved both of our lives…if it wasn’t for them, I would be dead.” Xellis’s eyes widen, and Idylya facepalms.

“Are you fucking with me right now?” Fenrir asks.

“It’s true.” Idylya interrupts softly and faces the group. “The one responsible for Zuriak’s recovery was the matriarchal qilin. We weren’t their prisoners, we were their guests.” She adds. Fenrir just shakes his head while Xellis eagerly listens.

“You played right into their trap.” Fenrir says with concern.

“How could it have been a trap? We didn’t give them any valuable information, and they didn’t threaten or hurt us. We got out of there scott-free.” Zuriak says, defending his position. Fenrir keeps his face in one claw.

“I never told anyone this, but years before I started our group in the intelligence guild, a mission went wrong in northern Kyryo and I was captured and held as a prisoner for two years. On the surface, they look cute, innocent, and honest, but in reality, they always have an ulterior motive planned. You may not have said anything, but I’m sure they got something out of you if they just let you go willy-nilly.”

“What else were we supposed to do!? It’s not like we had any other choice!” Idylya retaliates.

“You shouldn’t have gone that far west to begin with. That’s exactly what Ryn said before the hunt!”

“Well, sometimes you need to take more risky approaches to succeed!”

“I fail to see how this was a success when you didn’t even catch anything.”

“THAT’S BECAUSE WE WERE INJURED!” Idylya’s voice continues rising. Xellis and Zuriak look around to see the early risers on the streets staring at them.

“Hey, let’s settle down now, what’s happened has happened. Not worth getting worked up over.” Xellis mediates.

“We’re walking right into a trap…” Fenrir mutters under his breath. Idylya calms down and stares off into the distance away from the others.

“Jeez, could you be any louder, I-yell-ia.” A voice from above taunts. Idylya shoots daggers at Ithinyelle, but doesn’t say anything as the second trio arrives.

“Look who finally showed up on time for once.” Xellis sarcastically comments.

Ying chuckles to herself at that comment, while Neverak and Ithinyelle ignore it, and move past him to the fountain next to Fenrir.

A strong gust of wind unexpectedly bursts through the fountain as a red blur slips past the group. Above them, Ryn floats on top of the fountain, appearing more energetic than ever.

“Glad to see you’re here on time because we have a long journey ahead of us.” He says, keeping his cheery demeanor.

“How can anyone be this enthusiastic at this hour?” Xellis whispers to Fenrir. The others all nod as they fly up to his level.

“We’re going to be taking a longer route to avoid qilin villages through the Peaks of Peril. We’ll also need to stay above the clouds, but I estimate we’ll arrive around dusk. From there, I’ll explain more about our strategy. Are you all clear?”

“Yes!” All seven of them say in unison. Ryn then turns his attention to the clouds above and begins flying northwest, gaining more altitude. The others follow, leaving Nymerion behind.

~

The eight dragons land on a hill, overlooking Kyrinia from the southern side. The sun is nearly set and the city is already well-lit, illuminating much of the area outside the city walls. A loud bell reverberates throughout the city, signifying the first hour of dusk.

“Alright, according to our latest intel, qilin guards rarely patrol the southern forest and do so only every couple of hours. I estimate we have around an hour to complete this mission.” Ryn says as he picks up a stick.

“So, here’s what we’ll do.” He starts drawing Kyrinia’s walls in the dirt and lines separating the three districts in the city.

“We believe the matriarchal kirin is residing somewhere within the ruling class district, right here.” He taps the section of his drawing closest to the mountain range with his stick.

“Neverak, you will need to use your projection ability to scope out their location before we can proceed. Search the palace, basements, tunnels and anything for a qilin with symbols on their horn. You’ll need to also look for potential entrances and exits that we could use to our advantage.” Neverak nods.

“When you locate the qilin, report back, and we’ll enact the next phase.” He then draws a line from their approximate position to the west side of the city.

“Here, Xellis, Fenrir and I will draw attention to the western side of the city. Xellis will start a forest fire, Fenrir will push the smoke over the city, and I’ll launch fireballs over the wall signaling an attack. The goal here is to get them to believe Kyrinia is being besieged by a large force. This will lead them to send most of their guards and warriors out to defend the city. The smoke from the forest fire should give both of us ample time to escape the scene undetected. Hopefully this will, in turn, give us an opening to invade discreetly. Of course, realistically, the ruling district guards are going to stay and defend the Empress, so we will need to get around them. Ying and Ithinyelle, you two will go with Zuriak to the compound and find the qilin.” Ryn draws another line from their location north to the mountainside, circling back around towards the Jade Palace situated higher up.

“Fly north, and stay within the trees. When you reach the rocky wall, Ithinyelle will create a tunnel into the mountain, allowing you three to reach the backside of the Jade Palace without being seen.”

“And if we get caught?” Ithinyelle responds.

“You fight your way out. We only have one shot at finding this qilin because once they know we’re hunting the matriarchal qilin, they will do everything they can to protect them. So once all three of you find them, you need to kill swiftly, then get out of there.”

“Umm, excuse me? What do you want me to do?” Idylya interrupts. “Shouldn’t I go with Zuriak and the others too?”

“Negative, you are our only healer. If something goes wrong, and you get fatally injured, we’ll be shit out of luck should the same happen to us. It’s a long way back to Nymerion, a trip none of us would survive while injured.”

“Yeah, you would only get in the way.” Ithinyelle bitingly comments. Idylya gives her a sharp glare and swats Ryn’s drawing, throwing some dirt in Ithinyelle’s face.

“What the…fuck, you bitch!” Ithinyelle falls to the ground and rubs her eyes, struggling to get the dirt out.

“Hey, cool it! We need to stay quiet.” Ryn interjects.

Ithinyelle’s vision returns, and she tackles Idylya, shoving her face in the ground.

“How do you like it, huh!?” Idylya flips around and rolls both of them over, placing Ithinyelle below her. She then puts both claws over Ithinyelle’s neck, choking her, while she does the same to Idylya.

“Enough!” Xellis and Fenrir pull them both apart, and they let go of each other’s necks while staring each other down.

“We can’t afford any screw-ups, so shut up, and do your job!” Ryn says in frustration.

“Whatever.” They both scoff and walk away from each other. Ryn rubs his forehead angrily, and looks at Neverak.

“Neverak, are you ready? We don’t have a lot of time.” Ryn asks.

“I’ve been ready.” Neverak, unmoved by the skirmish, coils up in the grass and holds his claws together forming a hand sign. He lets out a deep breath while a faint white aura encompasses his body. Ryn gives him a nod of approval, and Neverak closes his eyes.

“Alright, all of you, be on the lookout for any movement nearby. I’m sure all that commotion must’ve stirred up some attention.”

Everyone nods except Idylya who is simply staring down into the vibrant city below. Zuriak approaches her, concerned.

“What was that all about?”

“You wouldn’t understand.”

“I’ve been seeing how you two react around each other. Is something going on?”

“No, but what can I say, she’s annoying, snobby, and thinks she’s better than everyone else. How can I not get upset over that?” She huffs.

“Some dragons are just like that, you can’t butt heads with every single one that gives you a nasty look.”

“Ryn could’ve picked any other earth elemental in Nymerion and they would’ve been loads more tolerable than Ithinyelle.” Idylya makes a face after finishing her sentence.

“It’s just for the night at least, and you won’t even be around her that much. Come on, we should keep guard so Ryn doesn’t yell again.” Zuriak holds out a claw for Idylya. She faintly smiles and takes it, pulling herself back up. As the two regroup with the other six, Neverak’s aura dissipates and he opens his eyes. A surprised Ryn approaches him immediately.

“That was fast. What did you find?” He questions.

“It’s interesting, there’s a whole network of tunnels deep within the Peaks, almost like a labyrinth. There’s a secret entrance directly behind the palace and garden, but it doesn’t look guarded for some reason. I did see a green qilin wandering the tunnels near the exit, but I couldn’t get a good look at her horn because of the darkness outside of a few strange markings.” Zuriak’s ears perk up.

“It’s certainly something, and the qilin mostly matches the description of the one we’re looking for. Are you able to trace a route from here to the tunnel system? Maybe we can avoid getting near the palace.” Ryn says as he hands Neverak the stick he was using to draw.

“Yeah, give me a moment.” Neverak begins redrawing the city and mountains that Idylya previously erased with a little more detail.

“Did you hear that? Do you think it’s her, the one who saved your life?” Idylya whispers. Zuriak tenses up.

“I...don’t know...”

“All of you gather around, we’ve got a slight change in plans.” Ryn calls to the six dragons.

The six approach the newly drawn map, now with a path into the mountains leading into one of the farthest reaching tunnels.

“Neverak says that this cave extends out the furthest, closest to where we are. Zuriak, Ithinyelle, and Ying, you three are still going to tunnel into the Peaks, but you’ll exit into the cave system.” Neverak claims that he didn’t see any guards patrolling the caves, but be alert. It could be filled with traps.” The three nod.

“Xellis and Fenrir, we are still going through with the diversion, just in case. We don’t want their whole force attacking them if they get caught.”

“Yes, sir!”

“We’ll meet back here in half an hour, no later. Good luck to all of you!” Ryn finishes.

“Good luck, Z. Let’s chill after we get back, yeah?” Xellis holds out a fist to Zuriak.

“Yeah, definitely.” He returns the fist bump. Xellis smiles and takes off with Ryn and Fenrir to the city’s western outskirts.

Idylya approaches Zuriak, looking away and scratching her mane. “Good luck, Zuri. Please come back alive.”

“Don’t worry, it won’t take very long.” He gives her a warm smile. “Oh, right, here take this.” Zuriak unwraps his dagger and sheath from his arm and hands it to her.

“You’ll need something to defend yourself with, just in case.”

She takes it and holds it against her chest. The symbols and tendrils along the blade glow a bright orange.

“What will you use then?”

“My magic should be enough. You need it more than I do anyway since you don’t have your bow.”

“Ah, true...thank you.” She responds, tying the sheath to her arm. They both smile as Ithinyelle approaches Zuriak from behind.

“Ugh, come on, we’re wasting time.” Ithinyelle grunts as she grabs Zuriak’s tail and flies upward. Ying follows suit.

“I’ll wait for you.” Idylya mouths as the three leave earshot.

In the air, Zuriak regains control and loosens himself from Ithinyelle’s grip.

“Must you be so rough?”

“We’re on a mission, Zuriak. We can’t afford to waste five minutes waiting for you to say ‘goodbye’ to your dragonfriend.” She scolds him.

“She’s not my dragonfriend.”

“...riiiiiiiiiight...” Ithinyelle responds sarcastically as she lowers her altitude to just below the treeline. “Hey, Ying! Slow down a bit, we don’t want to make too much noise bumping into tree branches.”

The three of them get lower and fly slowly through the trees, avoiding most of the branches and eventually reaching a steep rocky incline. Ithinyelle lands vertically on the wall, embedding her front and hind claws into the stone. She then places an ear against its surface.

“We’ll need to get a bit higher up. Follow me.” She climbs about ten meters higher and again places her ear against the surface, giving the rock a small tap. Zuriak and Ying float up to her level.

“Here.” She pounds her right claw into the rocks, and they begin to separate creating a three by three meter opening extending further in. She climbs in and the other two land behind her. Ying holds up a claw and produces a flame which she then lights the tips of her horns with, illuminating their surroundings.

“Wait, you can do that?” Zuriak questions. Ithinyelle lets out a sigh.

“Zuriak, you should know that dragons are impervious to their own elements. That’s Elemental Magic one-oh-one.”

“Right, I’ve just never seen anyone...do something like that before.”

“Uh-huh.” Ithinyelle responds skeptically. Ying chuckles a bit as they resume their trek.

The trio walk deeper in the cave as Ithinyelle progressively moves away rocks and Ying’s horns light the way. The light from the entrance fades away as they make a sharp left and continue forth walking through the darkness.

“So, what do you have against Idylya, Ithiny?” Zuriak asks, breaking the silence.

“Don’t call me that, and why does it matter to you!?” She spits.

“Just curious, why all the hostility though?” He responds, holding up his claws in defense.

“I’m not hostile, I just don’t like being asked dumb questions!” She snaps.

“Okay sorry, jeez.” The trio continue walking in silence for a minute longer before Ithinyelle stops earth-bending. She looks down at the dirt silently.

“Believe it or not, we used to be friends years ago.” Ithinyelle replies, softening up a little.

“Hmm?”

Ithinyelle looks back at Zuriak and Ying. “We met one hot summer ten years ago in the lake below Nymerion. Every dragon was out that day swimming trying to cool off. I made the mistake of seeing how deep the lake was by swimming to the bottom. By the time I reached the bottom, I realized I didn’t have enough air to resurface, and I started drowning. Fortunately, Idylya happened to be swimming around that deep at the time and noticed me gasping for air. Being a water elemental, she formed an air bubble around me, and helped me to the surface. She saved my life, and we became friends thereafter.”

“Then how did you-”

“The older we got, the more I realized she was more interested in her books than her friends. We started hanging out less and less because she always had something going on, but I knew it was a lie. She would just sit in her room reading textbooks, scrolls and fiction. By the time she left for University, we drifted apart and stopped seeing each other.” Ithinyelle looks down at the ground, kicking away a rock.

“So you hate her for not hanging out with you all the time?”

“No, I hate her because she lied to me for years and never once apologized. Friends shouldn’t lie to each other, otherwise, what’s the point of being friends? It’s like she never valued our friendship.”

“Did you ever figure out why?”

Ithinyelle shook her head. “She never told me, and by the time we went our separate ways, I stopped caring. Since joining the warriors guild, I’ve made many new friends, like Neverak and Ying. I just don’t want to see her anymore.”

“I’m sorry I brought it up, but she’s not all bad.”

Ithinyelle snorts. “If only you knew.” Ithinyelle resumes bending the rock a bit farther before stopping again after several minutes.

“Wait, shouldn’t we have hit the caves by now?”

“Hmm, you might be right. Neverak’s map didn’t lead that far after the turn.” Zuriak answers.

Ying gives a couple taps on the rocks below her with her left claw. Zuriak and Ithinyelle both give her quizzical looks, then face each other.

“Perhaps, we should dig down?” Ithinyelle asks. Ying gives her a nod, and Ithinyelle places her ear against the soft floor.

“Yep, it’s definitely hollow below us. Be ready, who knows what we’ll come across first.” She says, giving the floor a tap.

Zuriak and Ying give her a nod as Ithinyelle collapses the floor beneath them with her foreclaws. They all fall several meters into a small junction in the cave system. All three of them land on a pile of rocks freshly fallen from above.

“Ow, that was a hard landing.” Zuriak says, trying to regain his senses.

“Get off me!” Ithinyelle shouts from under both Zuriak and Ying. She quickly pushes them off and brushes some of the rubble out of her mane. “You know, that’s the second time you’ve crushed me!”

Zuriak rolls his eyes as he and Ying stand up. Three pathways exit out from the small circular chamber in opposite directions. Two torches rest on the walls adjacent to each corridor, gently lighting up the room.

“So, what’s the plan?” Zuriak asks.

“Split up.” Ithinyelle interrupts. “Whoever finds this qilin will have to be the one to kill because there’s not enough time to explore every centimeter of this place as a group. We’ll meet back here in about fifteen minutes. That should give us enough time to bolt out of here and regroup with the others should we fail.” She adds, taking the lead.

“Are you sure we should split up? I feel like we should stick together as there’s more strength in numbers.”

“Again, given how much time we have and how large this cave system must be, it’s better if we split up and cover more ground, trust me. Besides, we’re all more than capable of handling one qilin on our own, isn’t that right?”

“Y-yes of course.” Zuriak responds, hesitantly.

The trio splits up and runs off into each corridor with no time to lose. Zuriak doesn’t get very far in until he sees a bright light at the end of the tunnel. Before he can reach the exit, his back claws brush over an unusual, stretched piece of fabric. He stops for a moment, and inspects both his claws and the dirt around them.

“Did I run into something?” He looks back the way he came, seeing nothing but darkness. Thinking nothing of it, he proceeds out the tunnel and into a massive cavity within the cave system. To the left and right are pathways around the crater in the center with many lanterns and torches marking the way, and in front of him a steep decline going down about twenty meters. Below him in the crater, he sees more light and some movement in the light’s glow. He flies down the shaft and lands with a large thud. Zuriak turns to face the creature startled by his presence.

“It’s you!?” Zuriak exclaims as his eyes widen, seeing a spooked Terra Nova. She says nothing, keeping her eyes fixated on the threatening figure before her. He starts approaching her while she backs away and briefly glances around the cave. Numerous square indents of varying sizes cover the walls and floors, all perfectly cut.

“Do you not remember me?” He asks confusedly. She remains silent, while he looks down and points to the scar on his chest. She takes a moment to process, but quickly remembers.

“Z-zuriak!? From the forest!? What are you doing here?”

“I should be asking the same thing. How did you end up back here?”

“You shouldn’t be here, you need to leave, now, or they’ll find you. There are tripwires set up all over the caves that will alert the guards of an intruder. You didn’t trip over any, did you?”

“...No...but...I came here to find the matriarchal qilin. I wasn’t expecting you though. I thought you never wanted to return to Kyrinia.”

Terra sighs and looks into his eyes, concerned.

“The matriarchal kirin...never thought you’d be so formal.” She breaks eye contact with him and looks away.

“When you and that other dragon left us a couple months ago, we were visited by the Empress’s militia. For years, they’ve been watching me ever since I left the capital. They wanted me to return to Kyrinia because now they deem it necessary to fulfill my destiny, claiming there is a looming threat to this country.” Terra starts walking around the room, continuing to look away from him.

“I refused, as I was happy doing what I’ve been doing for the last sixteen years, and I wanted no part in causing harm to any living creatures like my predecessors did.” Zuriak follows her movements.

“They did not like that answer and gave me a choice. Either face my destiny, or be branded as a traitor and be imprisoned. That would include both me and the rest of the Oasis.” She sits down in front of one of the reflective crystal pillars, looking at her own reflection.

“What they gave me was the illusion of choice knowing full well that I would abandon the Oasis and return to the capital to protect those kirins.” She turns back to Zuriak.

“And I did.” She then places a hoof on her horn and looks up. “This symbol, it means-”

“Time.”

Terra’s expression briefly changes to disbelief as her eyes widen, but she then drops the look and chuckles a bit.

“I shouldn’t even be surprised. It is your language after all.” She returns to the center of the room in front of Zuriak. “I am the eleventh matriarchal kirin, so I guess you found me.”

Zuriak doesn’t respond and instead closes his eyes. Terra raises an eyebrow in confusion.

“So, now that I told you my story, why not tell me why you’re looking for me? I imagine this isn’t some friendly get-together.”

Zuriak opens his eyes and looks down at the rocky ground, unsure what to say.

“I was sent here on a mission to…”

“To kill me, right?” Her expression changes to a frown. “I suppose it was only a matter of time before you Ithralians caught wind of my existence. How poetic it is that the life I saved is the one that will end my own.” She laughs sourly.

Zuriak remains silent and motionless, keeping his eyes to the ground. Terra takes note of his non-responsiveness.

“You have a choice, you know. I wasn’t sure about you telling this, but when the Empress’s militia arrived at our camp, we were warned about dragons near the border. One of her assassins claimed to have killed one and severely injured the other a day before her arrival. By my guess, they were likely referring to you and your friend. I wouldn’t put it past them that they knew about our intervention in saving your life.” She scoffs. “And they used that against me, knowing that if I refused to return to Kyrinia, me and the rest of the Oasis would be imprisoned for life for helping Ithralians.” She looks at Zuriak, abruptly changing her tone. “And despite all this, despite everything that has happened, I would do it again. And you know why? It’s because life is sacred...precious...valuable.” She says, stomping her hoof. “You, like every living, breathing creature on this planet, are worth something.” She finishes, looking away from him. “Shouldn’t that also apply to me?” She asks quietly after a moment of silence, eyes brimming with unshed tears.

Zuriak looks away from Terra, hands squeezed, feeling his claws painfully pointing into his palm, his thoughts racing. Finally, he steps closer to Terra, and starts to shudder slightly. “You're right, I do have a choice.” He says as she continues to look at the ground. “And I don't want to kill you.” He holds out a claw to Terra. Terra softly smiles and lifts her hoof when the sounds of bells reverberate throughout the several tunnels leading away from the room. Terra’s eyes widen.

“Oh no, did you hit a tripwire in one of the tunnels!?”

“I don’t know, maybe!?”

“You have to get out of here before they capture you!” Zuriak quickly refocuses and starts flying up, trying to remember which tunnel he entered from. Several kirins emerge rapidly from the corridors surrounding the two. Some of them are carrying chains and spikes. The kirins all look up at Zuriak with anger.

“Don’t you dare lay a claw on her!” One of them shouts. Three of them transform into their charred forms while several others throw chains around Zuriak’s neck and forearms, bringing him back to the ground. Zuriak struggles against the chains, looking up at Terra as two kirins approach her from both sides.

“Did he do anything to you?” The kirin asks. Terra simply shakes her head.

“Good thing we got here in time, otherwise this would’ve gotten messy. Kyrinia is being attacked at the western wall, but we can’t find out where the fire is coming from. Though now…” He looks at the immobile Zuriak. “...I have a hunch of what’s going on.”

“What should we do with him?” Another kirin steps forth. Terra starts to speak up but is interrupted by the one next to her.

“He’s going to be interrogated and sentenced to death, of course.”

“No...” Zuriak whispers as he wiggles an arm free and charges some lightning discreetly.

“No, that’s too archaic and merciless. Instead, he’s going to be our prisoner for life. We can use him later down the road as a bargaining chip.” Terra says, trying to go along with them while protecting him. She looks at him with concern and helplessness.

“What? I’m not going to be used by you qilins!” He takes hold of the chains and sends a surge of lightning to all the kirins holding him down. As soon as they release their grip, he loosens himself from the chains, and digs his claws into the fine dirt as jagged ice spikes erupt around him. Terra and the others spring back narrowly missing the spikes. The remaining kirins all transform and fling fire projectiles at him. Most of the shots hit the ice spikes, shattering them into thousands of tiny shards. Zuriak flies up, dodging the fire while keeping his eyes focused on Terra, who tries to avoid the chaos. In the midst of the onslaught, he summons an ice barrier around him while still hovering above the ground. The seven kirins all shoot continuous beams of fire at his ice barrier melting it away. Thinking fast, he discharges electricity from his arms and legs, breaking through the barrier and striking two of the kirins. He drops to the ground and swings his tail, knocking over the other three unexpectedly. He then looks around the room searching for Terra, but doesn’t see her. Down one of the few corridors, he sees a glimmer of light and decides to follow it while the other kirins are in a daze. Further down, Terra runs through one of the corridors, leaping over rocks and debris, using her horn to light the way. Zuriak follows after her with the other kirins in tow. Using her magic, she intentionally damages some of the rock walls in an attempt to slow him down. He starts jumping over the obstacles while shooting ice spikes from his mouth but misses his shots due to the fallen rocks. Terra rounds a corner at the end narrowly avoiding some of the spikes as they embed into the wall. As Zuriak turns around the corner, he stops and cups his claws together, charges, and fires a bolt of lightning at Terra far down the passage, resulting in an explosion that pushes her out into a massive chamber at the end of the tunnel. Zuriak runs to the chamber to find Terra surrounded by debris struggling to get up. Part of her fur has been singed and her hooves are bleeding. He slowly walks up to her.

“Please, don’t do this.”

“That little speech you had earlier, that was nothing but a trick! You were just stalling me, waiting for them to arrive! Fenrir was right, you’re all liars.”

“That’s not true, and I had to play along with them! You have to understand that what you’re about to do is perpetuating this bloody cycle of hatred! This won’t end the war, it will strengthen it!” Zuriak’s eyes soften a little as he stares deeply into her blue and purple eyes remembering the kirin he killed months ago. He lowers his charged claw and dissipates the energy. “Please.”

“...Maybe...you are-” Suddenly, a wooden spear is thrust through his back and out his chest. Blood starts streaming down from both sides as he grasps the spear. He turns around to see one kirin in a throwing stance while the others are holding chains with magic. His hind legs collapse to the ground while his arms struggle to hold himself up. Three of them approach him, and while he’s mostly immobile, throw the chains around his neck. He looks back at Terra who looks at him pitifully. Two of them hold the ends down, dragging the rest of his body to the ground, and one of them wraps an additional chain around his mouth, preventing him from breathing ice. The other four kirins use their magic to hold his sprawled arms and legs in place. He struggles against them but fails to move in his weakened state.

“He’s too dangerous to keep as a prisoner. You must send him away, Terra.” One of them says, keeping a firm magical grip on the chains.

“I don’t know if I can, I’ve never done it on a living creature before…” She says, trying to avoid the sight before her.

“You must try!” He orders harshly.

Terra stands up and walks over Zuriak, repulsed at kirins’ brutish methods. She gives him a sad look as her horn glows white. The symbol and runic markings vibrantly glow the same color. She places a hoof on his nose and tears start forming in her eyes.

“I’m sorry.” She then backs up several meters as the other kirins do the same while staying focused on him. Her horn glows brighter as a bluish-white, partially transparent cube materializes around him. The impaled spear and chains holding him down disintegrate and the kirins, using their magic to hold him down, release their grip. He struggles to get up, and places a claw on the surface of the cube, as it rises off the ground. Rings begin forming around each side of the cube as electricity arcs off the corners. Zuriak places his other claw against the forcefield and with both sends a surge of lightning in an attempt to free himself, but it backfires and flings him back towards the opposite side. He gets up and looks hopelessly at Terra while grasping his bleeding wound. Tears start forming in his eyes as he thinks back to his past and everything he’s been through in the last two months.

Terra’s eyes glow white as the rings spin faster around the cube causing the rocks in the room to vibrate. Without warning, a beam of light shoots from her horn and strikes the cube sending a shockwave throughout the chamber. Instantaneously, the cube vanishes leaving not a trace behind.

“Goodbye, Zuriak.”

Chapter VI: The Matriarchal Kirin

“Terra, hurry up, we’re going to be late!” A voice shouts from outside. Terra Nova runs over to the window, looks down from her second floor apartment and sees a female kirin with an icy blue coat and an azure mane looking jittery and nervous. Next to her, a male kirin with a dark orange coat and maroon mane sits half-asleep.

“Are you still sleeping? We can’t afford to be late again!” The blue kirin shouts.

“I just need a few more minutes!” Terra rushes back to the mirror in her bedroom and finishes combing her mane and tail. She tugs to get the knots out but it still looks as messy as ever.

“Perfect.” She then levitates her saddlebags over and dashes through her living room, nearly tripping over the scattered books and vials littering the floor. She swings open the front door, nearly hitting herself in the process, and is greeted by the blazing sun blinding her for a moment.

“It’s not even mid-year and it already feels like the end of summer.” Terra complains to herself. She exits out the door and starts walking down the wooden stairs leading down to street level while partially covering her eyes. She then jumps over the last two steps and accidentally lands in a pool of mud at the bottom.

“UGH! Seriously?!” She quickly jumps out of the mud, trying to scrape it off her hooves and fur as she makes her way to the cobblestone road. “Of all the rotten luck.” She whispers to herself.

“It’s about time, Terra. We’ve been waiting forever!” The blue kirin says, noticing her hobble out onto the street.

“I’m sorry I overslept, Temara!” Terra exasperates, still trying to get the mud off her hooves. Temara grabs one of Terra’s hooves and drags her a bit.

“Come on, don’t mind that mud, you know how Moon Shine is with tardiness! If we get one more infraction, we’ll be scrubbing every alembic, beaker, and flask in the lab!” Temara worriedly adds. Her outburst wakes up the sleepy kirin next to her, and he gives them both a tired look.

“Are we ready yet?” He questions with a big yawn.

“You too, Nero? Jeez, do neither of you have proper sleep schedules!?” Temara exclaims.

“Okay, okay, Temara, I’m ready.” Terra shakes loose from her grip, not wanting to answer that question. The three of them sprint south and east weaving through cobblestone streets, and alleyways. Soon, they pass right onto the main road connecting the northern and southern gates of Kyrinia. Near the center, they pass through the heart of the market district containing many stalls and shops selling food and wares. At its center, a marble statue stands tall depicting an old kirin holding up a sword. East of the statue leads up into the eastern district and the Jade Palace. West leads down a grassy hill into the gardens, and towards a great lake and small forest. Shops, restaurants and other businesses line up north to south along the road between the two gates. Plenty of kirins crowd around the many open carts circling the statue buying food, jewelry, and foreign commodities.

“Wait, hold up.” Terra stops and calls to the two kirins ahead of her. They both stop and look confusedly at her. Terra walks back a few meters to a produce stand selling strawberries.

“She can’t be serious right now.” Temara says to Nero who simply shrugs.

After the kirin in front of her leaves, Terra walks up to see a frazzled blue pegasus with a magenta mane organizing the bits she just received. “Hi Amber Leaf, how’s business this morning?” The blue pegasus drops some of the bits from her mouth and looks up at Terra.

“Oh, miss Terra Nova, good to see you again! Business is certainly going today! I might run out of stock before lunchtime!” Amber chuckles a bit and picks up the bits she dropped before quickly tossing them in a large pouch underneath her cart.

“Could I trouble you for eight Equestrian strawberries?”

“Certainly!” The pegasus places a fine piece of cloth on the table and picks eight fresh strawberries from one of the barrels behind her. She then places them on the cloth and pulls up on the four sides and ties it into a sack with some loose string.

“That will be one and a half bits, please.”

Terra levitates a gold and silver coin from her saddlebag and stacks them on the table.

“Thanks for your patronage, Terra!” Terra grabs the bag with her mouth and throws it into her saddlebag before returning to Temara and Nero.

“Strawberries? Really, Terra?” Temara asks, irked. Terra simply rolls her eyes as the three of them pick up the pace again towards the southern side of the market. Before long, they slow down in front of a dark brown, two-story shop nestled between two, wide four-story buildings. Much of the exterior is made from old decaying wood and cracked cement with a hanging sign above reading ‘Moon Shine’s Magical Potions and Remedies’. Terra slowly opens the door and uses her magic to hold the bell above the frame, preventing it from ringing. She then motions the other two to enter. Trying not to disturb the silence, Terra turns around and starts closing the door.

“You’re late, all three of you!” An angry, gruff voice yells from across the shop causing Terra to slam it shut. “This is the third time this month!” A large, charcoal-colored figure with a grey mane emerges from behind the stacks of potions lining the small aisles.

“Well you see what happened was-” Nero answers, sweating bullets.

“I don’t want to hear your excuses, none of it!” He interrupts. “Understand this, if you arrive late once more, you’re out of here. We have an entire batch of orders to fill this week, sent by the royal military and I need all the help I can get.”

“Wouldn’t it be counterproductive to get rid of the only three potion-makers you have for something…small…like…tardiness.” Nero questions, his voice getting quieter and more broken, noticing Moon Shine’s darkening expression. Moon Shine levitates a heavy leather-bound book and pushes into Nero’s chest.

“Seventy-five Ithralian disease-preventing potions are needed by the twenty-fourth, one-hundred milliliters each.”

Nero holds the book against his chest, sighs, and disappears behind the wood door separating the store front from the laboratory.

“Temara, you will be brewing two-hundred small vials of a blood-freezing poison, each at no more than ten milliliters.” He levitates a scroll over to her that was sitting on the counter. She takes it with her own magic and unrolls it looking at the procedure and ingredients. “Take care when crafting this particular recipe; you do not want this stuff on your hooves.”

“Zero point seven grams of powdered basilisk fang per vial? That’s…one-hundred forty grams total. Do we even have that much?”

“Mhm, check the dessicator in the cellar, there should be enough for the full two-hundred, all freshly acquired.”

Temara walks into the lab towards the cellar door, her face still buried in the scroll.

“And you Terra will be assisting me in crafting a special potion requested by the High Commander himself.”

“What kind of potion?”

“I can’t disclose too many details other than that it’s supposed to enhance nirik transformation. Pick up a blank scroll and quill, and meet me at my workstation.” Terra nods and walks with him into the lab. The two separate, and she walks over to the cabinets containing rolls of parchment. Using her magic, she carefully removes one without disturbing the rest. She then snatches a quill off of the nearest alchemy table and pauses for a moment. She takes a moment, peering into the separatory funnel holding a mysterious green liquid. A piece of torn parchment rests below it with bold text reading ‘EXPERIMENT #801B, DO NOT TOUCH’

“What in the Matriarch's name could you be making, Moon Shine?” She whispers to herself. She gives the funnel a light tap causing some bubbles to form in the viscous liquid.

“Terra, did you find a scroll and quill!?” Moon Shine yells across the lab.

“Yes, coming!” Terra picks up an inkwell next to the warning label and trots over to him.

“Excellent, I’m going to need you to document our procedure. I’m not quite sure if this will even work, but I’m certain I got the formulation down.” He clears his throat and levitates a dark rock over to him from a burlap sack on the floor and a mortar and pestle from the shelf above.

“Experiment nine hundred twelve-A, dated the seventeenth day of the fifth month of the three-hundred and sixty-third year in the third era. First we’re going to grind up pure obsidian into a smaller form.” Terra begins writing in the scroll and observes him. Using his magic, he places a small, black rock in a mortar and pestle and grinds it up into a fine powder with some difficulty.

“Next, add fifty milliliters of water along with five drops of aqua fortis and boil at one-hundred degrees celsius until the liquid is blackened.” He grabs a graduated cylinder off the bench with magic and walks over to the water spout across the lab and dispenses the appropriate amount of water before quickly returning. He then transfers the obsidian dust to a clear beaker and adds the water. Terra uses the silence to draw some diagrams of his method. Before he could continue, the front door bell of the potion shop rings.

“What in blazes? Now who could that be?” Moon Shine asks, with a hint of frustration. He sets down the beaker and goes to the front of the lab, peering through the cracks in the wooden door. Terra sets down the scroll and quill next to the beaker and follows him, just as curious.

“It’s the Empress’s royal squad!” He says to Terra trying to keep his voice low. “But they’re not supposed to be here until next week.” He looks again through the door getting a head count. “Hmmm, there’s only three of them.” She tries peering through one of the lower cracks and sees three kirins in brilliant white full-body armor containing the royal family’s crest. Two of them appear to be wearing silver kabutos while the one in front is holding one at his side. Terra moves out of the way as Moon Shine opens the door and greets the royal squad. Terra looks through the same cracks, listening in on the conversation.

“Ah, welcome sirs, I was not expecting to see you until the twenty-fourth! Is there a problem?”

“Our business is not alchemically-related, we’re looking for someone, a Miss Terra Nova.” The lead kirin answers. The other two armored kirins stand by the front door, both giving Moon Shine an emotionless stare.

“Oh, and, uh, what do you need from her exactly?”

“We have orders to give her this from the Empress herself.” The lead kirin produces an envelope from his saddlebag with the royal crest.

“Ah, I can assure you she’ll receive this next time I see her.” Moon Shine holds out a hoof to grab the envelope, but the guard holds it back.

“The Empress wanted us to deliver it to her, personally.” Terra takes this cue to open the door, directing all attention on her. The lead kirin takes one look at her horn and walks over to her. “The Empress sends her regards, ma’am.” He then levitates the letter over to her. She takes it by the hoof and inspects it, getting a better look at the royal family’s seal, a symbol of a kirin facing to the left, standing on their hind legs, holding a sword in one hoof and breathing fire. On the other side, a symbol is sketched in black ink, one Terra is all too familiar with. She holds a hoof against her horn in response.

“Th-The Empress sent this to me?” Terra asks in shock, looking up at the lead kirin.

“Indeed. We intended to get this to you sooner, but our royal courier service is overwhelmed at the moment. That’s why Her Grace sent us instead.” Terra averts her gaze back to the envelope, mouth agape. The kirin gives a soft nod to Moon Shine and turns around, walking towards the exit. The two other guards follow, taking their gazes off of Moon Shine.

“What does the Empress want with me?” Terra asks, causing the trio to stop in the door frame. The lead kirin turns back towards her.

“I do not know, and it is not for me to question the Empress’s motives.” He answers before returning to the exit. A breeze passes through the room from the open door, disturbing the potions and glassware. Moon Shine walks over to Terra and gazes at the royal insignia.

“By Mystigo’s beard, I’ve never seen a royal letter from the Empress herself.” Moon Shine comments, watching Terra open the letter. She unfolds the single sheet of parchment within and reads aloud.

“Miss Terra Nova, your presence has been requested by Empress Rhayla Solaria, first of her name and mother of the kirins. We’ve been watching you for some time, and we wish to discuss an important matter with you. Please arrange to be at the Jade Palace at fifteen hundred hours on the seventeenth day of the fifth month. This letter will grant you entry beyond the eastern district and into the palace. We await your arrival. Signed: High Commander Astral Comet.” The timestamp next to his name reads ‘3/363/05/14’, three days ago. Terra lets the parchment fall to the floor allowing Moon Shine to see the rest. Below the text, the same symbol from the envelope is drawn in a calligraphic style. He studies it, then looks at her horn wide-eyed.

“In all my years, I never would’ve expected…” He starts.

“...Expected what?”

Moon Shine clears his throat and his eyes divert away from the letter and Terra.

“It’s…nothing. Don’t worry about the experiment today. That royal summons is far more important.” Terra gives him a nod, and watches him disappear back into the lab. She picks up the letter again with magic and traces the symbol with a hoof, then traces the one on her horn.

~

Terra looks up at the towering Jade Palace before her. A massive sprawl of emeralds coat the pagoda-styled structure gleaming in the afternoon sun just along the path upwards. Bridges attach the central building to two wings both left and right of the structure towering at the same height. Additional bridges extend from those wings further into the base of the Peaks of Peril. Many more structures appear to be built into the mountainside behind the center all appearing similar to the central pagoda. Multiple kirin guards holding spears and long swords are stationed at the entrance with a handful patrolling both the perimeter and marble stairs leading back down along the mountain to street level. Red, velvet carpet extends from the entrance into the palace foyer. Terra takes a deep breath before following the carpet inside.

“Halt, state your business!” One of the guards firmly shouts.

“Oh, the Empress has requested my presence.” Terra responds, trying to mimic the formality. She holds up the letter she received earlier today with the high commander’s signature. The guard levitates it over and thoroughly reads through it before giving it back to her.

“Understood.” He steps aside and resumes his position. Terra meekly walks inside feeling a sense of unease at the sight of all the expensive and ornate objects decorating the foyer. Gemstones dress the walls most notably emerald, and drapes holding the royal family crest hang over the walls and ceiling. The noble kirins inside don’t pay attention to Terra and continue talking amongst one another. The set of double doors at the far end open abruptly and a heavily armored kirin with a sheathed sword at his side emerges and walks down towards her.

“Ah, glad to see you’ve made it miss Terra Nova.” The kirin bows. Terra pauses, not sure how to react. Feeling the eyes of the other kirins in the room, she mirrors his bow trying to keep up her formal facade.

“My name is Astral Comet, the Empress’s high commander. You have my deepest apologies for not getting you that letter sooner. I hope it wasn’t too much trouble getting here on such short notice.”

“It’s an honor, sir, and it’s not a problem.” The two stand back up, and the kirin gives her a small smile.

“The Empress is expecting you in the other room, just down the hall.” He points to the set of doors he just exited from. Terra nods and proceeds along the velvet carpet once again looking at the expensive furniture and tapestries, her sense of unease growing.

Passing through the door, it closes sharply causing Terra to flinch in fear.

“Thank you for accepting my invitation, Terra Nova.” A voice echoes across the great hall. Terra turns around to be greeted by a large sun-drenched room with walls standing up two to three stories tall. Sunlight floods in through the white paper windows on the left down onto a tiled depiction of the sun. Statues of nameless kirins line the corridor leading up to the throne where a white kirin with a very long and flowing pink mane looks down upon her with her soft citrine eyes. On her head rests an impressive looking stag crown with a single emerald jewel front and center with a number of fine colored chains decorating her horn. Two other kirins sit to the right and left of her, one of them holding a piece of parchment and a quill with magic. Terra takes note of how young the Empress looks, giving her a brief sense of relief.

“You stand before Rhayla Solaria, Empress of Kyryo, daughter of the sun, mother of the kirins, and chief commander in the Great War.” The kirin on the right loudly proclaims. Terra bows, feeling uneasy and intimidated. Rhayla notices her fear and starts walking down her throne’s stairs.

“You have nothing to fear, Terra. You see I-” Rhayla is sharply cut off as she trips and falls down the remaining stairs after accidentally stepping on her long mane. The crown on her head tumbles down the stairs ahead of her and rolls in front of Terra.

“Your Grace!” The two other kirins simultaneously shout. They both quickly trot over to her and help her up.

“It’s okay! I’m fine! It’s nothing!” She exclaims, dusting herself off and regaining composure. Terra picks up the crown with her hoof and looks at it in awe, the details of the crown much more noticeable now. Inscriptions of a strange nature are carved into the antlers of the crown, and the center jewel gives off a mesmerizing glow. Odd tendril and branch-like markings give Terra an eerie, but comforting feeling as they glow the same green color as the gem. The Empress approaches Terra and gives a light chuckle.

“Trust me, it’s not as flattering as it looks to wear that thing. Not to mention the job it comes with is much less enticing.” Terra snaps out of her trance and holds out the crown for the Empress. She takes it with magic and repositions it on her head as the glow dissipates.

“Now where was I? Ah yes, the reason why I summoned you here…” The Empress retreats back a few steps and stands directly on the tiled sun. The sunlight from above glistens in her reddish-pink mane. Terra follows her but stops just before the tile, still intimidated by her regal presence.

“What do you know about that symbol on your horn?” She continues.

“Oh, uh, my parents told me it’s a birthmark.” The Empress raises an eyebrow.

“Do you believe them?”

“Of course, I don’t see why they would lie about that sort of thing.” Terra replies confidently.

“And what if I told you it’s more than just a birthmark?”

“I don’t know what else it could be.”

“Tell me, have you ever heard of the story about Tyberius the Talented?” She asks curiously.

“Yeah, it’s an old war tale about a kirin who could control the forces of nature, wind, rain, thunder, and lightning over a hundred years ago. He used his powers to save kirins whenever they were in danger, but what does this have to do with my birthmark?”

“Did you know he also had a unique symbol carved into his horn since birth?”

“I don’t recall that ever being mentioned, but then again I never really cared for the story. To tell you the truth, I always thought it was propaganda to get more kirins to fight in the war. Y’know, to boost morale.” The Empress gives a light-hearted chuckle.

“Well, I can assure you he was very much real, and so were his abilities.” Terra raises an eyebrow, her intimidation replaced with curiosity.

“Over time, details change and facts become myths. As his legacy ages, the spread of disinformation rises, and many don’t believe in the amazing things he did. Further, many aren’t aware that he wasn’t even the first kirin with extraordinary abilities.”

“He wasn’t?”

“Mhm, there’s a lot to explain, but I feel showing is better than telling. Follow me.” The Empress moves her mane back to avoid stepping on it again, and walks behind her throne towards a lone door. Terra follows suit with the other two kirins maintaining some distance behind them. Rhayla’s horn glows a bright yellow and the runes on the door begin transforming into symbols similar to the ones on her crown. It unlocks and opens letting out a dusty smell. Terra peers into the darkness curiously trying to see anything.

“This way.”

Rhayla passes through the door and her horn lights up once more. Light particles spread throughout the room and pin themselves against the walls and ceiling. Terra follows her into the small yet cozy room appearing similar in decor to the throne room adjacent. In the center, a metallic spiral staircase descends down into more darkness. The door closes abruptly and the Empress begins the descent using her horn to light the way. Terra follows closely behind her and uses her own magic to add additional light as they descend a couple floors below the surface. At the bottom, the magic in Rhayla’s horn disperses into the darkness in front of them and into many orbs down the dark hallway. Suddenly the whole hallway lights up, causing Terra to shield her eyes a bit. Rhayla steps forward to a tattered, old painting on her left depicting a crude sketch of an unknown kirin.

“All throughout history there have been kirins who possess exceptional abilities that trivialize our own magic in comparison.” Rhayla holds a hoof against the painting. “Beginning with this one two eras ago, we tried to understand how and why such phenomena occur.” Terra looks at the painting taking note of the strange symbol on their horn. “We believe that once in a generation, a kirin is born with special powers to help us overcome a potentially fatal future event. We haven’t fully deduced the ‘how’ yet, but our current theory postulates these gifts are bestowed by the Ethereal Matriarch, Laniakea.” Terra looks at Rhayla quizzically and is about to speak, but Rhayla continues talking.

“This one here, the one called Mystigo, possessed incredible regenerative abilities and near limitless chakra. He was able to hold nirik form indefinitely without exhaustion. We don’t know much else about him, other than that he fought a chaotic draconequus at the end of the first era.” Terra attempts to speak again, but Rhayla doesn’t notice and moves down the line onto the next painting depicting another kirin with a strange symbol on their horn.

“Emerald Forest was able to shapeshift into any creature they desired be it dragon, unicorn, pegasus, griffon and so on. For a time, many thought she was a changeling which led to her imprisonment for a couple of years. Fortunately, it was later discovered that changelings cannot replicate nirik magic, otherwise she would’ve never been able to prove her innocence. And here we have Arcadia, one who was able to duplicate themselves without splitting their chakra, a marvel kirin…and here-”

“Okay, I get it! I understand that all these kirins are special, but what does any of this have to do with me!?”

Rhayla stops, taken slightly aback by her outburst.

“I-I’m sorry for interrupting, Empress. Please forgive me.” Terra hangs her head, embarrassed. Rhayla smiles.

“Curiosity is nothing to be sorry for. Sometimes I find myself lost in my own words.” Rhayla approaches Terra and holds a hoof against her horn. “You all share one common trait, a magical symbol etched into your horns. You are the next matriarchal kirin, Tyberius’s successor.” Terra backs up a bit letting Rhayla’s hoof drop.

“And h-how are you certain it’s me and not someone else with a birthmark?”

Rhayla frowns. “There is no other kirin with a mark like yours. My father has been searching since Tyberius passed, and up until his death, his efforts yielded nothing. Shortly after my coronation six years ago, I heard about a young kirin who nearly burned down an entire block from a misfired spell.” Terra’s cheeks turn red in embarrassment and she looks away from Rhayla. “It was then that rumors of your mark started circulating, rumors that the chosen one has been reborn, and I’ve been keeping a watchful eye on you since then.” Terra shakes her head in denial.

“I know this is a lot to take in, and I can’t imagine the thoughts and emotions going through your head right now, but please try to understand.” Rhayla places a hoof on her back.

“I-I can’t accept it. I’m just a nobody from the western district, and I only know potions and a few spells, none of this crazy ethereal magic. That accident years ago was just my first attempt at nirik transformation. I didn’t intend to nearly burn down Temara’s and everyone else’s houses.”

“Regardless of intent, there is still a strong, burning flame within you. There’s another thing I’d like to show you, if you don’t mind.” Rhayla takes her hoof off Terra and walks further into the hall. Terra turns back to face Rhayla and hesitantly follows her. As they get deeper in, Terra looks to her left and right at the paintings depicting more kirins with odd horn markings and symbols, though aside from that, they look no different than any other kirin. At the end of the hall, Rhayla stops at a wooden door noticing Terra’s attention directed at the paintings. Rhayla opens the door with magic revealing a closet holding various old relics on an ornate shelf, all preserved quite well. Rhayla picks up an emerald locket from the top shelf and holds it in her hoof.

“The magic a matriarchal kirin possesses is not of our own world, rather it’s more cosmic, otherworldly. That is because it is derived from the Ethereal Matriarch’s own chakra pool. That’s why we so aptly named this phenomenon the ‘matriarchal kirin’. You all share in Her chakra pool.”

Terra looks at the locket curiously.

“These are relics of the past. Some call them ‘Zyntrithian artifacts’, others ‘divine instruments’, regardless they are pieces of history left behind by the divine mother herself. Since the first era we’ve been hunting these fragments of time to better understand Her and Her relation to us. So far we’ve amassed about fifty relics over the last couple millennia. As you can probably guess, they are quite hard to find.”

Terra looks up and down through the five shelves at the shiny, pristine relics. From a diamond ring to a tattered book, they all give off a soft glow and emanate energy.

“Each one has been imbued with Her own magic, and we’ve found that they resonate with magic signatures that match their own.”

“Resonate?”

“We believe they are all connected to each other and to the Ethereal Matriarch through the cosmic ley lines in our own universe.” Rhayla levites the locket over to Terra, motioning for her to hold it. Terra holds up a hoof allowing the locket to fall into her grasp. A light shockwave emanates from the locket causing the other relics to shake. Terra’s horn markings and eyes glow white and her vision gradually fades into darkness. She closes her eyes for a brief moment before reopening them to the colorful reaches of outer space before her. All around her, semi-transparent white lines travel through and far in many directions and to the planet below her. The same white lines wrap and entangle around the planet’s surface with seemingly no beginning or end. Within them, a strange, off-white liquid flows in one direction down into the planet and further out into the great unknown.

“Where am I? What is this place, Empress!?” Terra’s voice echoes through the nothingness of space. Terra looks at her hooves and gasps, now being able to see right through them. Like a ghost, only her light green coat can be seen faintly. She starts flailing around in a panic, trying to move away from here, but her efforts fail, and she continues floating in the same spot, unmoved.

“This has to be an illusion…a dream…or even a nightmare.” She rubs her eyes for a moment and gazes into the expanse of space. Millions of distant stars decorate the furthest of space and glow much like festive lights during the lunar new year festival in Kyrinia. Beyond the planet below her are two more smaller planets, however the white lines don’t seem to make contact with either one. So entranced by the scene before her, she just now notices a single line just outside of hoof’s reach leading down to the planet. She holds out a hoof to the line hoping to grab it and pull her in, but despite her best efforts it is too far out of her reach.

“Hmmm, what if I…” Instinctively, she charges her horn, and releases a beam of white magic at the line. Without warning, she is instantly flung into the network, her body dematerializing into pure energy as she travels down into the planet. In a matter of seconds she releases her magical hold on the chakra zipline, and her body re-materializes above a tall, snowy mountain. She gets up, disoriented, and nearly vomits in the snow. As she regains her senses, she looks around the summit, now feeling the effects of the subzero temperatures, and tries to produce some fire. Nothing, not even a spark erupts from her horn. Confused, she tries other spells, though all of them fail.

“Why is my magic not working?”

She walks over to the edge and looks down to see a vibrant, glowing city suspended along the side of the mountain.

“This is Canterlot, but how did I get here?” She looks back at the snowbank she fell in, and doesn’t see any white chakra lines anymore, just an endless rain of snow. She then looks down at her hooves again, noticing her semi-transparency is still present.

“There’s got to be a way off this mountain.” Terra explores all sides of the tiny summit looking for a safe path down, but is disappointed to find she is surrounded by steep cliffs. She returns to the snowbank she arrived from and sits in the snow, looking out into the gloomy, snowy sky around her.

“There’s got to be a way…” Just now, an azure glow from beneath the snow radiates outward from the snowbank. Terra directs her attention to the snow and stands back up. Her legs start to lock up from the cold as she digs through the snow. Eventually, she unearths a block of ice with the mysterious object frozen inside. The block is a perfectly-shaped cube, and inside is an azure arrowhead pointing up. The winds around her begin to pick up as she attempts to break the ice with her hoof. Terra buckles down as all her hooves seize from the cold. She stares at the arrowhead, trapped inside, and then at the dark clouds above her.

“If r-regular spells d-d-don’t work, then wh-why was I able to connect with those w-white lines…?” She suddenly gets a similar idea, rolls over, and aims her horn at the ice cube. “I-if I can t-travel through these lines, then c-c-can I make objects do the same?”

She focuses on the shape of the ice cube, its density, and its size. White chakra lines begin forming within the ice and a semi-transparent blue cube takes shape around the arrowhead, a cube within a cube. As all sides of the inner cube form, she levitates it through the white chakra network much like a bead through a piece of string. It holds the arrow head and safely removes it from the block of ice. She allows the blue cube to dissipate, dropping the arrowhead into the snow. She takes one look at its shiny, azure surface before touching it, causing a surge of energy to flow through her. Lightning strikes all around her as she feels her body being pulled away from the frozen mountain. She closes her eyes once more hoping this this will all end soon. In a matter of seconds, a familiar warmth engulfs her and she opens her eyes to see the Empress smiling in front of her.

“You are the chosen one.” Rhayla points down at Terra’s open hoof to find the locket is no longer there. Instead lies the same arrowhead from her cosmic experience, now dormant. Rhayla picks up the arrowhead and inspects it herself.

“What was that!? I nearly froze to death!” Terra shouts, shivering.

“You saw what She wanted you to see.”

“What were those white lines? Why was I on Mount Canterberry? Why could I not use magic? And why did She want me to find that?” Terra points at the arrowhead. Rhayla turns her attention away from the arrowhead and places it on the shelf next to the returned emerald locket.

“Those are the ley lines of the universe. They are the magical tethers that bind together our world and the beyond. They are imbued with natural chakra from the Matriarch herself. The ley lines themselves are capable of delivering chakra to anywhere in our world and beyond, even through time itself. The phenomenon you just experienced was astral projection, a process where your mind and body separate.” Terra holds her head, trying to process this information.

“And what about magic and the arrowhead?”

“Well, projected spirits cannot perform magic as they temporarily sever the connection with their own chakra pool. Why She sent you to Mount Canterberry and why she wanted you to find this relic in particular is a mystery, but the Matriarch tends to work in mysterious ways. In the past, we’ve found that those who possess Her magic are capable of locating relics due to the same magical resonance I brought up earlier. Matriarchal kirins tend to ‘react’ when they also come in contact with these relics.” Terra gives a deep sigh, and Rhayla takes note of her dissatisfaction.

“I’m afraid I don’t have all the answers you seek, but I can tell you, however, that past matriarchal kirins have undergone similar astral projection experiences. Experiences that required them to overcome a challenge in order to understand the particular ability they were blessed with. May I ask how you acquired that new relic?”

“I…don’t know how to describe it. It’s like I was able to pull the object through these ‘ley lines’ as you describe except, I was able to fabricate the lines myself.”

“Hmmm, I see…” Rhayla rubs her chin and ponders for a moment.

“Is that a good thing?”

“I’m not sure…this is a peculiar one. You see, the matriarchal kirins before you have all had their powers rooted in the physical world. Tyberius controlled the forces of nature, Earth Shine could bend lava, Skysong had electrokinesis, Radiant Ember was able to transform into fire…but yours doesn’t seem to have any connection with our own world…” Rhayla taps her hoof against Terra’s horn symbol.

“That is the final piece of the puzzle.” Terra strokes her horn, feeling the grooves of the symbol.

“What does it mean?”

“We’re working on that. Zyntrithian is an ancient and lost language originally formed by the Ithralian lung dragons in the first era. Unfortunately, our resources for translating it are limited due to a lack of a comprehensive glossary.”

“Oh…”

“Terra, these powers, this phenomenon can be seen as both a blessing and a curse. What may come across as a gift, some would consider a bad omen. Many kirins see the birth of a matriarchal kirin as a sign that we are in danger.”

“In danger of what?”

“We don’t know, however shortly after your predecessors discovered their destinies, they were faced with hardships that impacted our civilization. Take Tyberius for example. Ninety-one years ago, he fought in the Battle for Kirin Grove giving us a major advantage. If he never existed or never had the gift, we would’ve lost the grove to the Ithralian lung dragons, and possibly Kyrinia if it were to follow. We need you, Terra, here in the palace, so you can train and be prepared for what’s to come. There’s still so much more for you to learn.” Terra drops her hind legs and sits on the red carpet, staring into the fabric. Rhayla stays silent, patiently waiting for any response from Terra.

“Is that why you summoned me here? To fight in the war?” She says, saddened.

“Ultimately, we are not sure, but our theory suggests that your gift has something to do with the war.”

“Well, I’m not a murderer. I don’t want any part of this.”

“Do you view Tyberius as a murderer?”

“...I think he did what he thought was the right thing to do.” Terra avoids eye contact with the Empress. “But, I’m not him. I don’t want to use these powers if it means killing innocent lives, even if they are our enemy.”

“You have a kind heart, Terra…but that same heart could very well put us all in danger.” Terra turns to face the Empress.

“It’s my own philosophy to never harm a living creature.”

“Would you follow that same philosophy even if your own life was at stake?”

Terra looks down again, unable to answer.

“I’m sorry you have to bear this burden, Terra. Believe me, it pains me to see such a kind kirin such as yourself have to choose between your own principles and the will of others. I can’t make you fulfill your destiny, I can only guide you.”

Terra doesn’t respond and continues staring into the carpet with a saddened look. Rhayla bends down, holds up Terra’s chin and gives her a warm smile.

“I think I’ve said more than enough today. How about we get out of this dusty, old room?” Terra’s frown doesn’t change as she and the Empress stand up and exit through the corridor. Terra takes one last look at all the matriarchal kirins framed along the walls before ascending up the stairs with the Empress.

On the journey back up, the lanterns below extinguish engulfing the room in darkness once more. Back in the throne room, the two advising kirins greet Rhayla. She manages a weak smile, but returns to a more serious expression. The sun is no longer shining above through the room’s ceiling as the afternoon shifts into the evening. The walk back through the throne room and the ornate hallway is silent save for the other kirins presently talking with each other. Along the way, other royal kirins in the palace bow to her as she and Terra march out with the two advising kirins leading the way. Rhayla and Terra come to the palace entrance just before the long marble stairs leading into the city and Rhayla stares out into the setting sun just above the horizon while maintaining the same serious look.

“Terra, I have one more thing to tell you.” Terra looks up at the Empress curiously.

“Over time, when a matriarchal kirin uses Her chakra, they develop magical degeneration. It is a process that disintegrates one’s own chakra network over time the more they use it.”

“So, what does that mean?” Rhayla turns to face Terra.

“It means don’t use the Matriarch’s ability unless you really need to.”

Terra nods and bows before descending down the stairs and back towards her home. Halfway down the stairs, Terra looks back up at Rhayla close-talking to a few guards while briefly staring down at Terra making her uncomfortable. As she reaches the end of the stairs she looks out onto the cobblestone street and the setting sun.

“Why did you choose me, Laniakea?” She whispers to herself.

~

Terra puts two hooves on her kitchen counter and opens one of the cabinets with magic. She sorts through the contents inside and takes out a large amber bottle with a dark liquid inside. She levitates it down and looks at the print on the side.

“Tendrils of the Forest, fourteen point eight percent alcohol. Haven’t opened this one up yet since I got it for my birthday a month ago.” Terra then levitates three cups from an adjacent cupboard and sets them on the counter.

“What’s taking so long, Terra?” Nero shouts from the next room over.

“Just trying to find an uncorker!” She looks through the few cabinets and drawers she has, and a bucket of clean utensils. She holds a candlelight to the bucket and sees it buried at the bottom among other cutlery. “Found it!”

She levitates the uncorker, the three cups, the bottle, and candlelight over to her living room where Nero and Temara sit before a low wooden table on some cushions. The living room is much more well lit with candles and moonlight pouring in from one of the open windows.

“What do you think?” She asks as she sets down the bottle in front of them.

“Wow, all the way from Canterlot. We’re surely getting treated tonight!” Temara squeals in excitement.

“How did you even get this?” Nero asks, inspecting the bottle.

“Someone gave it to me on my birthday last month.”

“Was it that strawberry merchant on Oak Street? I hear she carries more than just Equestrian strawberries.”

“Oh who cares where she got it from, Nero.” Temara gives him a light tap. Terra smiles and uncorks the bottle, letting the fragrance of the mixture fill the room. She pours an even amount into the three glasses and they all share one drink together.

“You know we were starting to get worried after not hearing from you in three days. We figured that the Empress may have held you captive for questioning or something.” Temara laughed while immediately taking another drink.

“Haha, yeah…almost” Terra answers, whispering that last part.

“You missed a lot of work and Moon Shine’s getting on our asses about progress. I don’t know how he can expect us to fulfill these orders by the twenty-fourth. Only four days left, and I still need to brew fifty more disease potions! Insanity!”

“Well, I’m almost done with the blood-freezing poisons, and I have to make two-hundred. You just need to be more efficient.” Temara says, smirking.

“That’s easy to say when you have an easy formulation. I have to combine illyra roots, fire-beetles, red-cap mushrooms, and cockatrice eggs in a pot of royal water. I’m thankful my fur hasn’t burned off from the fumes alone! Crazy to think that putrid, acidic concoction prevents disease in Ithral.” Nero looks into his cup of dark liquid.

“Hey, I spent the first day just grinding up basilisk fangs, and that’s harder than it looks-

“Okay, okay you two, it’s not a contest.” Terra interrupts, pouring more wine into her cup.

“Sooooo, are we allowed to ask what happened at the Jade Palace?” Temara asks, looking curiously at Terra. Terra looks into her cup for a moment before downing its contents in one gulp.

“Is it as beautiful as they say? I’ve never had the chance to see it up close.” Temara inquires curiously.

“Eh, it’s not as great as everyone makes it out to be. I’ve been there once before and the interior just felt like a tacky display of antiques. Kind of felt like my nana’s house.” Nero answers. Terra turns away and out the window at the luminescent full moon.

“You guys remember that story of Tyberius the Talented?”

“Oh yeah, I remember him from school years ago. He was a powerful kirin that gave us a major advantage in the war almost a century ago. He was a big inspiration for many back in the day.” Temara responds.

“Pffft, that story sounded so fake. Everyone knows he was just used as a political figure to boost morale and get more kirins to join the Emperor’s army.” Nero bashfully criticizes. Temara rolls her eyes.

“Well…what if I told you I can do what he did?”

Nero chokes on his drink while Temara looks at Terra inquisitively.

“How do you know this?” Nero asks.

“It’s her birthmark, the symbol on her horn.” Temara answers before Terra could speak. Both Nero and Terra look at her surprised. “What? Did neither of you actually read the entire story? He had a weird ‘S’ shaped symbol carved into his horn. It was how he knew he was the chosen one.”

“Yeah, but you…sound like…you’ve always known.” Nero brings up while recovering from his coughing fit.

“How did you know?” Terra steps towards her.

“When we met six years ago, I was so fascinated by your magical abilities. I mean, you nearly burnt my house down! I wanted to learn more about you and your strange markings. You simply shrugged it off as a birthmark, and for a time, I was content with that answer. It wasn’t until we were taught about Tyberius in school when I started thinking about your answer again. I’ve never seen any other kirin in this city have a birthmark on their horns that was so carefully shaped, and looking at Tyberius’s symbol reminded me of yours. It was different, but the style looked the same. I think I’ve always known there was something special about you, but you’ve always seemed so adamantantly against that notion, so I stopped bringing it up.”

“Does that mean you can control the weather like he did? Can you make it rain right now?” Nero pours himself another drink, but nearly knocks over Temara and Terra’s cups while doing so, the effects of alcohol beginning to kick in.

“Well, not exactly, it’s hard to explain.” Terra rubs her chin and looks up at the ceiling, pondering how to describe it.

“Let’s take a walk.” Terra moves over to her front door, while the other two struggle to get up. Temara takes the bottle without them noticing and follows behind the other two as they all exit Terra’s apartment and into the dark street below. On the street, very few kirins are out, mostly city guards patrolling the area. Temara makes a habit of hiding the bottle every time they cross paths with someone.

“Where are we going, Terra?” Nero stumbles around, trying to fight his drunk disorientation.

“Somewhere open…and away from everyone.”

All three of them continue south down the road until they reach the sprawling market district, now completely vacant in the late night. Once they reach the first Emperor’s marble statue, Terra looks around in all directions with a confused look.

“Is something the matter?” Nero asks.

“Kind of have this weird feeling we’re being followed…” Both Nero and Temara look around with Terra but don’t see anyone else around.

“I don’t see anyone.”

Terra scratches her head and resumes walking through the desolate market with a sense of paranoia. All three of them take a right not far beyond the statue and continue into a grassy field that descends down into darkness. Terra follows a set of wooden stairs leading down into the field sticking close to the dimly lit path. The full moon above gently gives the field a whitish-blue glow and off in the distance ahead of them, the moonlight reflects off of a large lake surrounded by trees. The further they travel, the quieter and darker the atmosphere gets save for Temara giggling in the back and taking small shots from the bottle.

“What’s so funny?” Nero asks, getting a little irritated.

“It’s nothing!” Temara giggles some more.

“Is that the wine? You weren’t supposed to take that with us.” Nero stops walking and tries reaching for the bottle, but Temara levitates it just out of reach.

“What’s the magic word?” She taunts. He sighs and relents.

“Please?” Temera smirks and lowers it but still out of his reach.

“Okay, now say ‘pretty please with-’” A white aura overtakes the bottle and floats over to Terra, unamused.

“Temara, why did you bring the wine? Kyrinia’s open alcohol policy is harsh, and we could all be heavily fined if caught.”

“Ohhhh, psssshhhhh, it’s all good.” She stumbles forward, knocking into Nero. He lightly pushes her off, still as irritated as before. Terra holds the bottle up to the moonlight to determine what’s left. Roughly a quarter of the bottle remains.

“Jeez, how much did you drink?”

“Only a teensy tiny bit, haha.” She makes a gesture with her hoof.

“Ugh, well, I don’t want to get in trouble, so we might as well finish it.” Terra takes a long swig and coughs a bit, then hands it off to Nero.

“Here, finish it off.” She says in a raspy voice. Nero eyes the remaining liquid and chugs the rest. He gags a bit and holds a hoof against his mouth.

“This stuff was not meant for chugging.” He notices a trash can not too far down the trail and trots over to it, occasionally losing his balance. He tosses the bottle inside and waits for the other two to catch up with him. The entire way, Temara has a hoof around Terra’s neck trying to stay balanced.

“You really need to control your drinking habits, Temara. You’re going to end up in the hospital one day if this continues.” Terra comments.

“Mmmhmmmm.”

The two join up with Nero and all three of them reach the moonlit lake just ahead. The trail ends just before the shore, and the silence in the area is deafening save for the small ripples in the water. Terra shakes Temara loose and both of them look at her curiously.

“What I’m about to show you must never be mentioned to anyone. No friends, no family, got it?. I’m still trying to figure this all out and process it.” Nero and Temara nod with Temara doing her best to look serious. Terra looks around the shore for a rock, about the size of her hoof. She digs one just underneath the sand and places it in front of the other two. She then closes her eyes and focuses her magic. The rings and symbols on her horn glow white and blue sparks start arcing off her horn. Suddenly a small, blue, transparent cube begins forming around the rock. The same sparks appear around the sides of the cube and begin forming a plasma channel between Terra’s horn and the cube. All the while, Temara and Nero look stupefied at the spectacle before them. The electricity between her horn and the cube amplifies and Terra strains over the magical force. More and more electricity arcs off the plasma channel until a loud bang erupts and the force sends all three of them flying back. The two kirins slowly recover from the shock and groggily return to their hooves. Terra sits up and rubs her horn in pain, looking at the smoking, burnt patch of grass. The rock is coated in ash.

“What was that!?” Nero asks with a bit of fear in his voice. Temara freezes in shock.

“Wait, that wasn’t supposed to happen. I thought I got it right.” Terra struggles to catch her breath and charges her horn again, aiming it at the rock. Arcs of electricity once again bounce off her horn though much weaker than before. Nero and Temara quickly back up further to avoid another explosion. As a weak, very transparent cube forms once again around the rock, Terra collapses to the ground and loses her charge. The alcohol starts taking its toll on her and she begins seeing double. Nero and Temara run over to her and help her up.

“Okay, it’s probably best to call it quits for your safety and our own. What were you even trying to do?” He asks. Terra’s breathing returns to normal, and she stands on her own.

“When I visited the Empress, I had…well an ‘out-of-body’ experience...” The two kirins look at her quizzically.

“And in this dream, or however you want to call it, I had to perform an unusual spell to retrieve something and return home. I can’t explain it, but I just knew how to do it, like I’ve always known.”

“What does the spell do?” Nero asks, appearing more interested than Temara.

“I still don’t fully understand it myself, but from what I understand, I can suspend and move objects through space.”

“Through space? You mean like levitation?”

“No, it’s not like that, it's…hard to explain.” Terra walks over to the charred pebble and lightly kicks it back into the lake. “But I haven't been able to perform the spell again since that day.”

“I’m just struggling to comprehend any of this.” Nero holds his head with one hoof while Temara drunkenly embraces Terra.

“Don’t worry about it Terra, we still love you even if you can’t perform the spell!”

“Gee, thanks.” Terra pushes her off again.

“If you can supposedly cast that spell on objects like rocks and stuff, can you do the same on living beings?” Nero questions with heightened curiosity.

“I don’t know for sure, but to tell you the truth, I don’t think I’d ever want to use this on anyone…” Terra is cut off as something out of the corner of her eye catches her attention. She looks through the trees and sees a pair of torches further back down the path. They appear to be approaching them at a fast pace.

“Oh shit!” Terra ducks down below the bushes and signals the other two to do the same. They both notice the moving torchlights in the distance and huddle down next to Terra.

“What do we do, Terra!?” Temara scream-whispers. “How did they even find us?”

“Well, her show was bright, flashy, and loud, so it’s not surprising that we drew some attention.” Both Nero and Temara look at Terra worriedly.

“We can avoid them if we stay low and in the trees and bushes.” Terra tries to stand up, but immediately falls sideways, losing her sense of balance. She curses under her breath, trying to get back up. Her vision becomes blurred as she looks around.

“Are you okay?” The two kirins ask in unison.

“I’m…fine, just follow me.” Terra rubs her eyes, then disappears in the dark forest back towards the city proper. Temara and Nero follow her while occasionally looking through the bushes to get a better look at the two kirins on the path. Eventually they get close enough to recognize them. All three freeze in place upon seeing two city guards armed with spears through the bushes. None of them say a word as the guards quickly proceed towards the lake. As soon as they leave earshot, all of them breathe a sigh of relief and run through the remainder of the forest until they reach the hilly, open field just before the street. They all drunkenly fall over onto the grass breathing heavily. Terra rolls onto her back and closes her eyes for a moment, while Temara bursts out laughing.

“I can’t believe it was that easy.” She laughs.

“Are you kidding? We were one snapped branch away from getting caught.” Nero criticizes.

“Oh come off it, Nooruuuuuu. Terra what do you think? Easy as pie, right?”

Terra doesn’t respond. She opens her eyes and her gaze fixates on the stars above. A red, fiery star shines above, near the moon although dwarfed in comparison.

“Terra?” Temara and Nero get up and look down upon her. Her gaze doesn’t change.

“Can I ask you guys something?” The two look at each other, then at Terra confusedly.

“Would you give up your life if it meant possibly ending the war?” Temara bites her lip, and is about to answer, but Nero speaks before her.

“That meeting with the Empress…it wasn’t just about this ability, was it?” Terra lightly shakes her head.

“They want me to fight in the war like Tyberius did.” The other two kirins give her a sad look. “But I don’t want to hurt anyone.”

“I don’t want you to go, Terra.” Temara pulls her up and embraces her in a bear hug. Nero hugs both of them as they all collapse to the ground. Terra doesn’t take her eyes off the stars.

Temara and Nero separate, lie down in the grass next to her and look up at the stars with her. Minutes of silence pass as a cool gentle breeze blows through the field. The sound of windchimes can be heard back up towards the city, and the leaves on the nearby trees rustle. Not long into the silence, Temara dozes off and starts snoring, interrupting Terra’s state of zen. Both Terra and Nero stand up and look down at the drunk, sleepy kirin.

“Let’s call it a night.” Terra says as they both levitate her with their magic and travel back up into the city.

~

“Hey Terra, are you awake!?” A deep, masculine voice shouts, causing Terra to stir in bed.

“You’ve been asleep all day!” A blue kirin adds as Terra’s vision focuses on the two kirins in her tent. “We’re all going to the Northwestern Passage near the border to collect more bananas and coconuts from the valley. Food’s been very scarce around here.”

“Nnnngggg” Terra moans, pulling the covers over her head.

“Jeez, that must’ve been some dream. It’s been years since I’ve seen you sleep in this late.” Nero comments over Terra’s laziness.

“Come on, Terra, time to get out of bed.” Temara rapidly throws the blanket off Terra, forcing her to roll out of her cot and onto the ground.

“Okay, I’m up.” Terra stands up and spins around to face her two companions as they roll their eyes and exit the tent. Before she leaves, she shakes her mane and looks over at her calendar, pinned to the center pole in the tent.

“The twentieth day of the third month in the year three hundred seventy-nine.” Terra ponders for a bit and squints at the subtext on the calendar. “Huh, it’s also Naturaden in Ithral, seventh of Raina.”

Chapter VII: Laniakea's Curse

A bright flash blinds Zuriak causing him to stumble around. As his eyes refocus, the spectacle before him nearly causes his heart to burst from shock. In front of him, far away, likely millions of kilometers, a bright and shining star sends its rays to his transparent, blue cube. He tries to shield his eyes and looks down below him only to see a vast world through the semi-transparent floor. Zuriak steps back against the wall in fear that he will suddenly fall through the floor, but as seconds pass, he loosens up and drops to the floor again, cradling his open chest wound that is still dripping blood. Strangely enough, despite the floor being tangible, the blood drops fall through the floor and out of the cube, down into the unknown world below.

“Is this purgatory?” He struggles to ask himself, looking all around him at the stellar infinity. Moments later, Zuriak feels a presence from behind him, outside the cube as parts of his peripheral vision are draped in white. He closes his eyes, believing that it is simply another dream as it were in the misty forest months ago. Minutes pass as Zuriak slowly comes to the realization that this is reality, his reality. He opens his eyes and looks up to see a massive, white horse-like creature with a marvelous set of antlers, trident-shaped kirin horn and an ethereal blue mane overlapping one of their eyes. Their three crimson eyes simply stare down at Zuriak, emotionless. Zuriak can’t help but stare directly into this beast’s glaring irises almost as if they are hypnotizing him. Neither of them share any words as the beast closes their eyes and wraps their wings around Zuriak’s cube. Another bright flash of light blinds him once more, causing him to drop to the ground. In mere moments, the atmosphere changes. What was once a bright and warm light from the star is now replaced with cold and darkness. Zuriak opens his eyes and finds his long body bent over several rocks. There is a single, lone torchlight several meters away from him, struggling to light the passage. He looks all around him, noticing the cube is now gone leaving him all alone in the vast darkness. The blood from his chest has slowed now that it’s coagulating, however, the wound will still require attention.

“Have I returned? Hello!?” He shouts into the darkness. Nothing, but echoes respond to his call. He gets up on all fours and starts walking towards the torchlight, letting his eyes adjust. He looks around him, but doesn’t see any familiar landmarks in the little light he has. He continues silently through the passage seeing a row of torchlights every twenty or so meters, limping over the rocks trying not to widen the wound.

“I need to find the others and Idylya. She can stitch this back up.” He collapses to the ground, severely exhausted and in pain under a torch.

“That must’ve been a dream, or an illusion, or some qilin voodoo magic.” He comments to himself, reconciling his thoughts and experience with the trident-horned beast.

“But, it all felt so real…just like the forest…” Zuriak struggles to his fours once more.

“Am I dead? I can’t be dead. Do dead spirits still feel pain? And if I’m still alive, why didn’t the qilins finish the job and kill me?” He walks further through the passage noticing a strange illumination coming from around a bend. He picks up speed, and sees a rickety old wooden door with what appears to be sunlight pouring through the cracks. Zuriak picks up speed, getting a rush of adrenaline, being able to see the outside again. He takes hold of the ring handle and pulls it open, greeting himself with sunlight from above. The whiteness of the outside causes him to squint his eyes, allowing them to adjust. Getting his bearings, he finds himself in a garden outside of several tall ornate pagoda-style structures around him. The main building in front of him gleams in the sunlight, the emeralds on the building cause a cascade of green all throughout the garden.

“I have to find the others. They need to know about this qilin illusion magic and that I’m still alive.”

Through the twists and turns of the dirt path, Zuriak finds himself in front of a tall, marble fountain. He looks at his reflection in the flowing water and sees his filthy complexion as if he’s been living in a cave for years. Blood smears and claw prints cover his entire chest. He dips both claws in the water and rinses the dried blood off. He then sticks his head in and takes a long drink before the sounds of hoofsteps alert him from above the surface. He immediately takes his head out to find several armored kirins all around the fountain, some armed with spears, others charging magic.

“Who are you!? And how did you get into the Jade Palace gardens!?” One of them yells with a bit of fright in his voice.

This is bad. Though do they not recognize me from the fight?

“Speak now, dragon, or we will use force to take you down!” Another kirin interrogates.

Seven of them. It’d be a losing battle to fight all of them in my current state. Flying is my best bet, just need to avoid the spears and fire.

“This is your last chance!”

Zuriak takes his claws off the rim of the fountain, crouches, and scans for a quick exit through the air.

“Take him!” Zuriak launches rapidly in the air just as a couple spears pierce the ground he was just at. More spears and firebolts narrowly miss him in the air as he flies around the exterior of the Jade Palace, avoiding the kirins. More guards notice him and begin sending a barrage of magic, arrows, and spears. Just as he’s flying above the long set of marble stairs in front of the palace, a wave of fire strikes his wounded chest, causing his wound to reopen once more. He falls onto the stairs and starts sliding down them leaving a trail of blood. The kirins on the stairs all panic and move out of the way, making way for both him and the pursuing guards. As soon as he hits the bottom, he gets up and narrowly exits the compound and into the streets of Kyrinia’s eastern district. The kirins on the streets all look at him in shock and get out of the way as he sprints through the crowds and dodges obstacles outside of the market. The guards pursue his path, but do not use weapons or magic, as they also weave through crowds of kirins. Zuriak continues going south towards the main north-south road, but sees another group of guard kirins coming up from that way. He quickly turns left and enters a restaurant looking for a way up to the roof. All the patrons stop eating and immediately rush past him to the exit. He pays them no mind and runs through the tables making a big mess until he reaches a set of wooden stairs in the back. He runs up the stairs and down a hallway to an open window. Without a second thought, he jumps out the window and onto the ceramic shingles of the building next door. Now on the rooftops, he jumps from building to building avoiding the pursuing guards who have now resumed throwing spears and magic at him. After getting behind a much taller building, he stops and charges some ice in one claw.

“I need to fly, but I can’t while bleeding, or else I’d lose too much blood.” He then holds his charged claw against his chest and flash freezes the wound. He winces in pain and moves his claw away. “That won’t stay frozen for very long, but it should be enough to get me out of the city.” Zuriak launches himself from the roof and gains much altitude over the city to avoid the barrage. Eventually, the city becomes nothing but a dot to him as he begins flying east.

The others are likely back in Nymerion unaware that I’m still alive. They probably had to abandon me to avoid getting caught themselves. That is what Ryn told us after all.

About fifty kilometers away, Zuriak begins descending down to the forests below, feeling much more exhausted suddenly. As he descends closer to the ground, his vision blurs for a moment and he falls on his stomach. He shakes his head and gets back up looking around sharply in paranoia. The sound of his stomach rumbling catches his attention.

“Ah, right, it’s been more than a day since I’ve last eaten anything. No wonder I’m tired.” Zuriak looks down again at his chest wound, noticing the ice quickly thawing in the hot summer sun. He flash freezes it again causing him to wince in pain once more.

“There’s about sixteen hundred kilometers between Kyrinia and Nymerion. It will take me at least a full day to fly that far, and that’s if there are no obstacles or disruptions. In my current state, I won’t even make it halfway…” Zuriak looks away from his wound to a blackberry bush not far off. He starts heading towards it through the tall brush and towering trees. He picks several and eats them immediately. While eating, he picks up a stick and starts drawing a rough map in the dirt.

“Between here and the Valley of Despair is about eleven-hundred kilometers, but on the southern end after crossing back into Ithral, there’s the village Elderroot. I can recover there and continue after resting. I’ll just need to avoid Kirin Grove in the southern region so I don’t get attacked. For now, it’s just a matter of getting out of Kyryo. Heh, just like our last adventure a few months ago, right Idylya?” Zuriak looks to his left, expecting a response, but realizes no one else is here. He frowns and eats several more berries before dropping the stick and taking flight again.

Soon after Zuriak is airborne, he sees a strange creature in the distance flying at the same altitude. It looks small, winged, and definitely not a dragon. He squints to get a better look, but a strange sensation in his stomach causes him to hold back and look away. He soon finds himself regurgitating the berries and feeling immensely ill. Losing focus, he bumps and crashes through the tall trees and painfully falls through the branches until he is met again with the hard forest floor. As he drifts into unconsciousness, he hears a strange flapping of wings just above him and a gasp.

~

Zuriak feels a strong ray of sunlight pierce onto his cheek and the smell of old, rotting wood fills his nostrils. His eyes slowly open to a large wooden roof held together by an array of decaying support beams. Many holes cover the roof allowing bits of sunlight to peek through. He looks to his side and finds himself on a damp pile of hay surrounded by other taller piles of loose hay. He rolls over, slides down the hay, and looks at his twisted, long body extending towards an open door frame. The sounds of grass rustling alert him of a lone figure in the doorway which causes him to instinctively charge up some lightning, but he freezes and dissipates the charge after getting a better look at the figure before him. Both the creature and Zuriak stay frozen and silent for a solid minute, before the creature moves towards him with their mouth gaping in awe. Upon closer inspection, Zuriak notes their pony-like figure, with a set of matching white antlers, dragon wings, and a long dragontail. Zuriak backs up against the hay piles trying to keep distance between them.

“I can’t believe you’re alive, especially after falling from the sky at such a height.” The pony-like creature says, getting closer. Zuriak doesn’t respond, feeling uncertain about the situation. She takes note of this and stops.

“Sorry, where are my manners? I normally don’t talk to ponies, or well, dragons because of…well…um…nevermind, my name is Scarlet Rain.” She says with a wavering voice. She hops over Zuriak’s long tail and holds out a hoof. Zuriak hesitantly shakes it, feeling a bit better about the situation, but still skeptical.

“I’m Zuriak.” He answers, staring down at the mysterious pony.

“I found you tangled within the tree branches and you looked hurt, so I brought you here.” She points at Zuriak’s stitched chest wound. He looks down, amazed at the stitch-work. “Judging by that other scar, it looks like you’ve been through a lot. Luckily, I carry all sorts of antidotes, potions and first aid tools when traveling through Kyryo.” Zuriak looks around the dilapidated, wooden room.

“Where is ‘here’?” Zuriak asks.

“I’m not actually sure, but I want to say around fifty kilometers south of Kirin Grove. This place used to be an old farming settlement before it was abandoned years ago. I always pass by it on my way to Kyrinia from Novawind.”

“You’re from Equestria?”

“Mhm!”

“And you’re not afraid of me?”

“Why would I be afraid?” Zuriak shrugs his shoulders and stands fully on his front claws, towering before her.

“I always thought ponies avoided dragons at all costs out of fear.”

Scarlet Rain chuckles a bit. “I wouldn’t call myself a pony.” She holds up her dragontail and spins around with her wings extended. “You’re heavier than you look, by the way. It was quite the struggle carrying you here, but thankfully this place wasn’t very far.” She says as she rubs her left wing.

“Y-you carried me here? How?” Zuriak answers with mild surprise.

“Like I said, it wasn’t easy. I had to drag you through the air high enough so your body wouldn’t brush up against the trees. My wings are still aching.”

“Oh, sorry.” He responds, slightly embarrassed. He then stands on all fours and walks over to the barn’s entrance, looking out at the dense forest ahead of him. The sun is beginning to set, and the sky above glows a bright orange. Scarlet Rain sits next to him and also takes in the scenery.

“Thank you for your help, by the way.”

“Anytime! But may I ask where you’re from, or where you’re going?” She looks up at him.

“My home, Nymerion.”

“Seriously, you mean old Nymerion? Why there?”

“Old? Well, it is a pretty old city, come to think of it.”

“I didn’t know anyone still lived there, though I haven’t actually seen the city myself.”

“What? There’s loads of dragons there! Do they not teach you anything about dragon culture in Equestria?”

“No, but I wish. It'd help me learn more about myself.” Scarlet replies, with a hint of sadness. Zuriak looks down at her, trying to make sense of her anatomy.

“What are you exactly? I’ve never seen a pony with…well dragon features.”

“I get that a lot. It’s alright though, I don’t fully understand what I am either. My mom says my dad was from the dragon lands across the Celestial Sea. I’ve never met him, but it would be nice to someday because I have tons of questions I want to ask him.” Scarlet gives him a warm smile.

“Has your mom been able to help you find him?” Her smile quickly fades.

“She passed away about eight years ago.”

“I’m sorry to hear that. Didn’t mean to open old wounds.”

“Don’t sweat it, I’ve gotten over it, but it’s been tough living alone on the farm in Novawind.” Scarlet holds a hoof against her chest. “But enough about me, what brought you out this far?” Her expression rapidly changes to curiosity. “I still can’t believe I’m seeing an old Ithralian lung dragon for the first time!” Zuriak laughs heartily.

“Well, unlike Nymerion, I’m not that old. I had…an assignment out around these parts, but it didn’t go as planned. At this point, I just want to return home and see my friends again.” Zuriak looks again at Scarlet Rain, noting her color scheme. “You know, you remind me of one of them.”

“Who?”

“Just…someone you wouldn’t know. I hope she’s not mad at me for not returning last night, but…” Zuriak reflects back to the winged-unicorn he witnessed in the blue cube and their burning crimson eyes. “...as I said before, things didn’t go as planned.”

The last bits of sunlight dip below the horizon and the sky is quickly filled with bright white stars. The sounds of grasshoppers and other noisy forest critters quickly fills the ambience as day shifts to night. Fireflies appear and begin illuminating the forest and around the barn. Scarlet digs through her saddlebags and pulls out several strawberries. She tosses a few over to Zuriak.

“Here, it’s not much, but it should hold you over for the night. I was actually en route to deliver a bunch of these to Kyrinia, but wasn’t expecting to spend the night in the wilderness. You’ve got to be hungry especially after all the vomiting you were doing earlier.” He holds a claw against his stomach area, suddenly feeling malnourished. The strawberries in his claw look freshly ripe and larger than the ones he remembers seeing in Nymerion.

“Thank you, again.”

Scarlet responds with a big smile, and eats her portion. Zuriak eats all three in one mouthful and goes back to the hay pile he woke up on earlier. Scarlet yawns and collapses on a smaller hay pile, opposite of Zuriak’s.

“Good luck on your journey home.” She exhaustedly says before drifting off. Zuriak looks up through the broken ceiling at the stars above, once again recalling his experience in the cube.

I hope you’re doing okay, Idylya.

~

Zuriak awakens to the familiar sounds of birds chirping and the swaying of branches outside. He lazily rolls sideways down the haypile and stands on all fours, feeling much less sick than the day before. He looks across the barn at the still-sleeping pony snoring away.

“At least you don’t dump water on someone to wake them up.” He whispers to himself, looking at the sleeping dragon-pony. He exits the barn into the morning sunlight and takes one last look at Scarlet Rain.

I hope she’ll be okay with me leaving, but I can’t waste any more time.

Zuriak crouches, then launches himself in the air, flying high over the forest below. He turns and flies into the rising sun while shielding his eyes. The wind blowing into his mane, and the warm morning weather puts him at ease as he begins flying home.

As hours pass, Zuriak approaches the Valley of Despair and looks down into it. He sees the wide river cutting through it, dividing the two sides.

“Huh, was the river always that wide? It didn’t seem that way when we crossed it months ago.” Zuriak descends lower as he crosses over the valley. He eventually lands on a cliff on the eastern side, right before entering Ithral. He looks down the slope into the valley, remembering his and Idylya’s crossing back in Raina, and the race they had up the mountain.

“Feels so long ago…” As he turns around to face the looming forest before him, a sudden realization pops in his head.

“I wonder if it’s still there.” He takes off to the skies once more and continues traveling east. Not long after, a gap in the forest catches his attention. He looks down and starts hovering lower until he’s face-to-face with the Zyntrithian stone monolith. Much of the lower half of the stone is covered in a thick layer of moss. He brushes away the moss and reads through the writing again in the hopes that there’s something more to it, something that they may have missed.

“If only you were here, Idylya. I can’t remember what most of these mean-” One symbol in particular catches his attention. He places his index claw over the symbol for ‘time’.

“Huh, that wasn’t there before. Tenjo. The same symbol that matriarchal qilin had.” Zuriak drops to the ground. “Did her spell relate to time?” He steps back from the monolith, getting a better look at the whole thing. On doing so, he trips over one of the gravestones and stumbles back before falling in a pile of leaves.

“Ow, I don’t remember the gravestones being this close to the boulder…” He gets back up and looks around, seeing many more gravestones lined up in a wide circle around the monolith. Zuriak shivers a little in fear and lightly hovers off the ground to avoid stepping on any more. “Idylya was right about this place. It feels unnatural.” He does a loop around the monolith once, pondering its contents when something peculiar catches his attention. Near the top of the stone, mostly covered by branches of an adjacent tree, a strange object is chiseled in. Zuriak floats up and moves the branches away, revealing what appears to be an outline of a tesseract with the Zyntrithian symbol for time below it.

“That can’t be the same one…could it?” His heart races as he begins processing this new piece of information. The recent memory of the blue cube becomes much more clear to him now.

“No, that’s not possible…” His claws slide off the rock, and he drops to the ground abruptly. He balances himself against the monolith and looks around at the gravestones he doesn’t remember seeing months before. None of them are marked. In an instant, he takes to the skies once more, creating a strong gust of wind below. In the air, he vastly picks up his speed in the general direction of Nymerion.

“Those qilins at the palace, they acted like they’ve never seen me before. Was that matriarchal qilin capable of time travel magic?” He ducks below the clouds and tries to get a better look at the forests, but nothing about them seems familiar. “How long was I gone? Days, weeks, months…years?” He asks himself in a fit of paranoia. After about an hour of flying, Zuriak slows down and descends lower, getting closer to Nymerion’s city limits. As he gets closer, his paranoia is quickly replaced with sorrow as the shining waterfall city now appears desolate and in ruins. He gently floats down next to the northern waterfall on the outer ring and looks over in shock. The Tower of Nymeria, once stood proudly over the city, now torched and coated in holes. Many of the surrounding buildings either burned down or fell over. Mysterious flames still linger on many of the buildings, perpetually burning.

“No…” He whispers to himself. He slowly floats down off the ring and into the city’s center, where the great fountain used to be. He falls onto the uneven cobblestone and looks around in a circle at the devastation of the place he called home. Shops completely vacated and ruined, streets overturned and littered with rubble, and trees and bushes burnt to ash. A silent tear rolls down his face, as he looks towards the Arcanum of Nymer, or what’s left of it. He approaches the derelict structure and weaves past the broken doors and fallen bricks. After reaching the central room, he looks around and notices all the books are either gone or piles of ash. He walks up the round set of stairs and over to where Idylya was sitting the last time they met here. All that remains is a single frail scroll wedged behind one of the bookshelves. He picks it up and holds it against his chest.

“I’m sorry, Idylya. I should’ve never left you…” More tears roll down his face as he collapses to the floor. “You’re all gone, and it’s all my fault…” Zuriak coils up and lets the tears freely flow, anguished, and distressed. A few moments later, the gentle caress from a hoof takes him out of his trance. He opens his eyes to see the purple dracony from the other day looking down on him, saddened.

“I should’ve told you last night, I’m sorry.”

Zuriak briefly makes eye contact with her before looking away. She keeps stroking his back to comfort him as the two sit in silence.

“How long has it been?”

“Well, according to our history books, the kirins attacked Nymerion in early three hundred ninety-three. That was sixty-one years ago.” Zuriak squeezes the scroll hard and his face shifts to anger.

“Please don’t be mad. I know you’re in pain, but anger will only make it worse.”

“How can I not be mad!? They took everything from me, and there wasn’t a damn thing I could do about it! Was it the matriarchal qilin that did this!? And why did you even follow me here!?” Scarlet backs away in fear, unsure how to answer. Zuriak calms down upon seeing her cower.

“It doesn’t matter anymore…” He looks down at the scroll and unravels it. His heart flutters a bit upon seeing several lines of musical notes written on a staff. The title and composer are no longer legible due to years of water damage, but many of the notes are still clear. The melody was written for flute.

“I can’t even begin to imagine the pain you’re feeling right now, but don’t take it out on me! I followed you because I wanted to know if you were going to be alright knowing what happened!” She bursts out, mirroring his anger.

Zuriak turns away from Scarlet, remorseful over his outburst. He wipes his face clear of the tears and composes himself. “I’m sorry.”

Scarlet’s face softens, but she doesn’t respond, now curiously looking at Zuriak’s scroll.

“What is that?”

“It’s probably one of the last pieces of dragon culture left in the city that’s still mostly intact.”

“May I see it?”

Zuriak hesitantly hands her the scroll, then turns back around, looking out the broken window. She holds it up with one hoof and examines its contents.

“Oh, it’s music.” She says, more curious than before. Soothingly, she begins humming the melody. Zuriak’s ears perk up and he looks back at Scarlet with intrigue, thinking back to when Idylya played the flute in front of him.

“You’re also musically-skilled, just like her.” Scarlet stops humming and looks up from the scroll.

“Like who?”

“Someone I should’ve listened to all those years ago.”

“Was she the same one you were talking about last night? Idylya?” He turns to her, surprised.

“How did you know?”

“You talk in your sleep.” Zuriak turns away, embarrassed.

“What happened, exactly?” She follows up behind him.

“Years ago, several other dragons and I were on a mission to assassinate a specific qilin. They referred to them as the matriarchal qilin, or one who has the Ethereal Matriarch’s gift.” Scarlet approaches him by the window, feeling a little more connected.

“A matriarchal kirin? That kind of rings a bell…” Scarlet ponders.

“Idylya told me it was a bad idea, and that I shouldn’t kill the qilin despite being instructed to do so by my superior. I told her everything is going to be alright, and that I will be back. Little did I know that I couldn’t follow through with it anyway, and got trapped. The qilin used some sort of time spell on me, but I didn’t realize that until…now.”

“A time spell?”

“This qilin trapped me in some sort of blue cube, and for a moment, teleported me someplace I don’t know how to describe. It seemed like I was only there for mere minutes before returning.”

“That wasn’t Terra Nova, the Time Kirin, was it?”

“You know of her?” He asks in shock. Scarlet gasps and holds her head.

“Sweet Celestia, that was you who attempted to assassinate her? That was one of the major reasons the kirins sought to attack Nymerion!” She exclaims. Zuriak holds his head in his claws. “Shortly after Kyryo’s previous Empress died, her son succeeded as Emperor and within a year began the Siege of Nymerion. Many kirins refer to him as a brutish ruler in comparison to his mother.”

“So, it really was all my fault then…” Scarlet looks away from him, regretting saying anything. “I was so stupid not to listen to her, and now everyone suffered because of me.”

“Revenge never solves anything, all it does is perpetuate the bloody cycle of hatred. I’m sorry you had to find out this way.” Scarlet grabs one of his claws with her hooves and pulls it away from his face. He looks down at her with watery eyes.

“She once said the same thing. It’s hard to believe you and her are so much alike.” Zuriak rubs his eyes and gets up. Scarlet steps back a little as she watches him step over the debris back to the set of stairs.

“Hey, where are you going?” Scarlet flies over the broken tables, chairs and bookshelves, and follows him down the stairs. Zuriak trips over some of the pointed wood and squeezes past the broken doors again until he is outside. The clouds above grow thicker and cover the sun, giving the city a dismal atmosphere. Scarlet hovers above him still waiting for a response.

“How long have these fires been burning?” Zuriak points up at the building adjacent to the Arcanum.

“Decades, and they will continue to burn for many more years to come. Only those in the royal kirin bloodline are capable of producing the eternal flame, or so I’ve been told. It was a spell the royal kirins formulated in the three-nineties in secret before they besieged Nymerion. No one’s quite sure how they fabricated that spell, as it seems comparable to the matriarchal kirin’s magic.”

“And what happened to the dragons that survived this catastrophe?” Scarlet returns to her hooves and rubs her chin.

“No one really knows that either. According to historical texts, when the kirins were gaining the upper hand in battle, many of the dragons abandoned the city and fled east. The winged dragons of Drogos reported hordes of them flying further east into uncharted territory. Those that stayed in Nymerion, however, were brutally outnumbered by the kirins.”

“What about the other four cities?”

“The kirins captured them shortly after. Most surrendered because of the vast kirin army while some were able to flee.”

“I see.”

“There’ve been sightings in recent years, though. I remember reading about a small Equestrian town in the far northeast say they saw a group of Ithralian lung dragons flying from the Frozen North into Equestria about five years ago, but they haven’t turned up anywhere else since then.”

Zuriak flies off without saying a word, but slow enough for Scarlet to catch up. As he travels over and under the dilapidated residential plateau, the realization that his friends Idylya, Xellis and Fenrir possibly perishing during the onslaught settles in. His eyes start to well up again, though he rubs them to avoid another episode of tears. Scarlet flies just above him also looking around the wastes of the city in both fascination and pity. As soon as a familiar treehouse comes into view, Zuriak slows down and simply hovers outside. The elder tree he once called home still stands tall on the lone grassy plateau higher above most of the residential district, however the leaves have all decayed. The other elder tree residences nearby all appear as decayed as his, some have even toppled over. Scarlet stops as well and looks curiously at the tree waiting for Zuriak to do or say something. He floats down to the entrance and enters his home for the first time in seventy-five years. Inside, a thick layer of dust covers every surface, and broken glass from the windows litter the floor. Many of the things he cherished once have either shattered or been stolen. Only his circular bed and a few pieces of furniture remain, all covered in mold. Scarlet hesitantly enters shortly after him, not wanting to interrupt this delicate moment.

“This place used to be my home, but now like much of the city, I barely recognize it in this state.”

“I’m sure it was very beautiful back then. Equestrians used to call Nymerion the ‘City of Sapphires’ because of how blue and pure the water was. It seemed to make everything grow lush and green.”

Zuriak moves his bed across the room revealing some loose floorboards underneath. He removes a couple pieces of wood and gasps and its contents. He picks up an old dagger with a familiar set of symbols and tendrils written along the blade. Surprisingly enough, it appears to be in pristine condition despite the years of neglect.

“What did you find?” Scarlet asks, walking towards him. Zuriak also recovers a tattered journal that the dagger was resting on and a sack of coins. He spins around and shows the dagger to Scarlet.

“When I was in the warriors guild in early three-seventy, we had a mission out on the northern end of the Valley of Despair. It was storming pretty badly, and we had to take shelter in a cave near the river, along the cliffs. I found this strange dagger wedged in-between some rocks not far into the cave and was surprised to find it in excellent condition, not a single patch of rust. I decided to hold onto it for luck, though I’ve never been sure what these symbols mean.” Zuriak shakes his head. “Anyway, I gave this to Idylya before my mission so she’d be able to defend herself. Somehow she knew where my secret stash was, but…” Zuriak’s expression changes. “...she didn’t need the dagger anymore.”

“Maybe she didn’t know what to do with it, or she didn’t feel right holding on to it?” Scarlet responds with confusion. She then notices the torn journal in his other claw. “Is that a diary?”

“It’s my old journal. I used to write in it, so I wouldn’t forget the things that changed me.” He examines the cover with a look of confusion.

“Hmmm, this calligraphy right here, I don’t remember ever writing that.”

“What do they mean?”

Zuriak’s attention affixes to the third symbol.

“It’s Zyntrithian. This symbol here means ‘time’.” He taps his claw over the last symbol. “But I don’t know what the other two characters mean.” Scarlet looks closely at the third symbol and ponders to herself.

“That looks like the marking on the Time Kirin’s horn. I remember reading about that in our foreign history books way back when. What did you call it? Zyntrithian?”

“It’s an ancient dragon language that we used to speak and write in many years ago. It was constructed to help us connect with the twelve divines as a lot of old relics discovered in this region were inscribed with these symbols, but the language effectively faded away after the Great Equestrian War. Idylya was the only dragon I knew who was sort of capable of reading it. Come to think of it, she was teaching me some of it not long before the siege mission. I must’ve accidentally scribbled some on the cover.”

“I’ve never heard of anything like that.”

“I didn’t expect you to. A lot of history here is now lost to time.” Zuriak looks back down at his journal and starts flipping through the delicate pages, struggling to read much of the faded text.

“Hard to believe I’ve been writing in this since I was seven.” He turns some more pages, and for a brief moment, smiles. “This was when I met Xellis in Julis of three seventy-seven. He got drunk at the Festival of Fire that summer and threw up on me when I was in line to try a bowl of spicy liquid dragonfire. He would not stop apologizing that day and offered to pay for my meal.” Scarlet chuckles at the thought as Zuriak turns several more pages.

“This entry was when Idylya and I were paired for the monthly hunts in Sarais of three seventy-eight. She kept telling me about how good she is with the bow and how its special properties would help us get the most prey. It actually did the exact opposite and we wound up with one rabbit which she blames me for. I could tell it was her first time hunting because she had no idea what she was doing, but she didn’t want to admit that.”

“And this one was…this one was in Thera of three seventy-nine…” Zuriak trails off.

“What was?” Scarlet questions.

“...It’s nothing important.”

He continues flipping through the pages, but stops just after the last entry he wrote about the siege mission. A new entry was written in someone else’s handwriting. Zuriak skims through the contents until he reaches the end and sees Idylya’s signature scribbled in.

“She wrote something to me.” He looks at Scarlet with surprise. She sits down, appearing interested in hearing what Idylya wrote.

“Freiden, twenty-first of Aquilius, three seventy-nine…”

Chapter IX: Dragon of Time

Zuriak looks down at his journal, rereading Idylya’s entry over and over again as he lays in the shade, stretched out across the entire porch of Scarlet Rain’s two-story farmhouse. His head rests on top of his arms as he claws back and forth between the two pages she wrote, disheartened. The morning sun shines out over the rows of strawberry bushes, growing across a massive field. The farmhouse itself is surrounded by several arrays of strawberry bushes with a single dirt road leading into the border town of Novawind about one kilometer out. Zuriak briefly turns his attention to Scarlet Rain frantically galloping through the fields, picking strawberries and placing them in her basket. As she rounds the middle section near the house, she drops the basket from her mouth and collapses in front of the porch near Zuriak, exhausted.

“You know…if you’re going to be here, you could at least help me out.”

Zuriak gives her an emotionless stare as he lifts his head up and slowly stands on all fours. He closes the journal and places it on the open windowsill before stepping off the porch and out into the burning sunlight. Scarlet gets up and looks at him in surprise, noticing his aging figure.

“Jeez, I think your scales have been getting paler since I brought you here weeks ago. Not to mention, they look more jagged and frail.”

Zuriak ignores her comment and walks towards the fields, breathing deeply. He then turns his head back at Scarlet and gives her a silent nod before walking down one of the rows of strawberry bushes. Scarlet hurries to his side and grabs the half-filled basket again with her mouth. Zuriak inspects each bush and picks the ripest strawberries as Scarlet holds up the basket with a look of concern. As the two reach the end of the row near the edge of the forest, Scarlet stops and sets the basket down.

“I’ve also been finding a lot of blue hair around the house! Aren’t you even a little worried?” Zuriak looks at her concerned face and eases.

“It’s all a part of aging. Nothing to be worried about.”

“But you skipped all those years.”

“Time may have been warped from my perspective, but the effects are all the same. My true age is catching up with me.”

“Oh…” Scarlet frowns and turns her head.

“If what you say is true and seventy-five years have passed, then I should be one-hundred and one.” Scarlet faces him once more, curiously.

“How long do lung dragons live until?”

“Most can live up to one-hundred sixty, but there are many factors that can affect that. Come on, let’s finish harvesting.” Without another word, Zuriak starts down another row of bushes and begins picking strawberries again. Scarlet looks down at the basket before picking it up and trailing him when something out of the corner of her eye catches her attention. Far down the dirt pathway leading into town, four figures are seen approaching them in the distance.

“Shit!” Scarlet drops the basket, grabs Zuriak with her hooves and pulls him around to the back of the house.

“What are you doing!?”

“We’ve got company.” She says as she swings the door open and drags him inside. She desperately looks around her kitchen and living room for a place where he can hide.

“Here!” Still holding his arm, she pulls him through the kitchen to the door leading down into the cellar and opens it hastily. She releases her grip and the two quickly run down the wooden stairs. As Zuriak’s lower half turns around the corner through the doorway, his tail accidentally swipes some cups and plates sitting on the counter. The resulting shatter causes Scarlet to freeze and look back up at him with a blank look.

“Sorry about that.” He apologizes as she facehoofs.

“Forget about it.” Scarlet continues through a maze of boxes towards the center of the cellar and scans the room, looking for a hiding spot.

“Go underneath the stairs and curl yourself up.”

“Uh, are you sure about this?”

“Yes, of course, now hurry!” Zuriak scampers across the cellar as his long body bumps into the many stacks of cardboard boxes littering the floor. Scarlet rushes to keep the stacks from toppling over.

“Can you be less clumsy?” She huffs.

“This house wasn’t built for dragons my size, I can’t help it!” Scarlet rolls her eyes, gallops across the cellar and grabs a large, thick blanket as Zuriak curls his long body under the stairs. Scarlet tosses the blanket over him and runs back up the stairs.

“Keep your head down.” She says through the cracks in the stairs. Zuriak lowers his head and closely listens in. The sounds of broken glass being swept up are shortly interrupted by a couple knocks on the front door. Scarlet’s hooves creak across the wood as she moves to open the door. Many more pairs of hooves shift across the floor and muffled voices can be heard along with Scarlet’s.

What could they possibly want? Am I going to have to do this every time she has guests?

The voices above him seem to raise in volume, but are still too muffled for him to discern anything. Zuriak’s eyes widen as realization suddenly hits him.

“Shit.” He quietly says over his cupped mouth. “I left my journal upstairs.” Zuriak subtly removes the blanket from his head and looks up through the gaps in the stairs near the closed door. The hooves make their way towards the cellar door and Zuriak hurriedly covers his head with the blanket again as the door opens.

“There’s nothing down here but old boxes and junk.” Scarlet says aloud as she and the others walk halfway down the stairs while Zuriak remains frozen still.

“I see.” A masculine voice says. One of them continues down the rest of the stairs and the sounds of cardboard being moved across the concrete floor are heard.

“Hey, there’s some precious family heirlooms in those boxes!” Scarlet exclaims. The other voice seems to ignore Scarlet as another box is shifted.

“He probably flew over the village and further into Equestria, Ember Shard.” A more feminine voice speaks down to the other. “He was massive too, I doubt he could fit down here without it being obvious.”

“We need to be sure.”

“Well, this is the fifth farm we checked near the border, and there’s still several others we have to cover today.”

“Fine, but we’ll have to inquire about any additional sightings from the locals. The further north he gets, the harder it will be to track him.” The same masculine voice asserts as all of them return upstairs and close the door behind them. Zuriak uncovers part of the blanket to try to listen in again, but the voices fade away as they all get further away from the cellar entrance. Shortly after, the front door squeaks open, and the multiple pairs of hooves exit. Minutes later, the cellar door opens up once more.

“Okay, it’s safe.”

Zuriak throws the blanket off and rushes up the stairs past Scarlet. In the kitchen, his body knocks into the furniture as he makes his way to the open windowsill where he left his journal, but notices it missing.

“Hey, chill!”

“Where is it!?”

“You mean your journal?” She picks it up off the counter near the sink and throws it aggressively at Zuriak’s head.

“Idiot! I almost got caught lying to them because they found that sitting on the windowsill!” Zuriak picks up the journal off the floor and looks at her apologetically.

“They saw the dragon language on the cover and thought I was conspiring with the dragon fugitive they’re looking for!”

“I’m…sorry…” Scarlet’s temper subsides upon seeing his dispirited expression.

“It’s not your fault…” Scarlet sighs. “I told them it was my grandfather’s. I don’t know how convincing that was, but it was enough to get them off our backs for a while.”

“Who were they?”

“Two of them were kirins who claimed that a lung dragon appeared out of nowhere at the Jade Palace, tore up parts of Kyrinia, endangered the lives of kirins and fled north. The other two were part of Novawind’s police force. I presume they were going to arrest me if they found you here.”

“I didn’t mean for any of this to happen.”

“I know, and that’s why we need to be more careful.” Scarlet says anxiously.

Zuriak moves the kitchen table and chairs back where they were and he sets his journal down while Scarlet sits down next to him.

“What are you going to do now? I don’t mind having you here…the company has been nice, but I imagine they’ll be back at some point.”

“I’m not sure what to do anymore, to tell you the truth.” He opens up the journal to Idylya’s entry and shows Scarlet.

“But now, I think it’s time I find what she left behind for me.”

“Where is that? ‘The island we promised to return to if we ever got lost’.” Scarlet recites.

“It’s in Kyryo.”

“Are you serious? You can’t go back there, especially with them trying to find you.”

“I know the risk, but I can’t keep waiting until the right moment to go.”

“It’s a bad idea, and you’re going to get caught because you’re big and easy to spot.” Scarlet spreads her front hooves out, exaggerating his size.

“If I do, at least you won’t have to worry about me anymore.”

“What kind of response is that? Do you think you’re a burden to me?” Scarlet loudly berates, but Zuriak remains silent.

“Well, you’re not, but whatever, do what you want.” Scarlet loudly exhales, stands up, walks over to the kitchen window and looks out at the dark storm clouds approaching. She then looks back at Zuriak’s depressed face.

“For what it’s worth, you’re the only friend I have right now.” She adds before making her way to the door and stepping outside. Zuriak closes his journal and leaves through the same door, watching Scarlet pick up the strawberry basket she dropped earlier.

“I wish you could understand…”

~

Zuriak quietly sneaks out the back door of the farmhouse and out into the cool night air. Once fully outside he walks down the porch and onto the moist grass. The soft glow of the moon emanates through the layer of clouds above and the sounds of grasshoppers fill the ambience. He lightly floats above the grass and slowly ascends into the sky, flying south back into the kirins’ country.

If I’m fast enough, I should be back by tomorrow afternoon.

As he travels higher and higher away from Scarlet’s farm, his speed picks up drastically. Above the cloud layer, he gazes at the moon as it illuminates the bed of clouds, giving them a solid appearance. Zuriak lowers himself a bit and runs one of his claws through the cloud, watching it split as he drags it across his flight pattern. He lifts his claw back up, now drenched in water and shakes it off before increasing his speed again.

This will be the last thing I do.

After several hours of flying, the moon begins to set and the sun rises over the eastern horizon. As Zuriak descends through the cloud layer, the sunlight dissipates, leaving the mountainous land below him in overcast. In the valley, nestled within the Peaks of Peril, he starts looking around for the familiar island and waterfall.

It should be around here somewhere where the mountains and forest meet.

He lands on a rocky plateau situated deep within the mountain range next to a river bed. He looks up at the towering peaks, then back down at the river and follows it downstream. After a bit more walking, he comes to a drop off where the water spills into a large lake. In the center, a lonely island sits with trees as tall as those in the forest surrounding it. Zuriak dives into the lake from atop the waterfall and resurfaces, spitting out a mouthful of water. He then treads to the island and pulls himself up on the rocky shore before looking back at the waterfall and remembering.

“It was here, all those years ago. The place we were to go if we ever got lost.” Zuriak shakes himself off as the rest of his body surfaces. As he walks through the dense foliage, he looks around at the tall trees for any markings when a large boulder catches his attention. He doubles back and inspects the surface when he notices three distinct symbols roughly drawn into it.

“These are the same symbols from my journal.” He says with shock as his heart starts to race. He looks below him and sees an unusual dirt patch with very little weeds and grass compared to the rest of the island. He starts digging through the dirt, but stops after a few seconds.

“Hmmm, it can’t be this deep, can it?” He comments with skepticism as he looks at the rock again. “But those are definitely the same symbols from my journal.” Zuriak continues digging through loose dirt until he reaches solid stone.

“There’s nothing here.” He says uneasily as he starts frantically digging around the rock. “It’s around here, it’s got to be.” He says to himself with increasing desperation. He eventually pushes the boulder aside and lets it roll down the slope into the water so he could dig under it, but to no avail.

“This can’t be…” Zuriak collapses to the ground and stares out at the waterfall. “Someone or something must’ve dug it up before me. Somehow they knew…” Zuriak continues laying in the same position for several minutes until sounds from the forest alert him. Without getting up, his eyes dart in the general direction of the sound and through the dense bushes and trees on the island, he barely makes out two kirins near the shore. Sheltered by the foliage, the two do not notice him.

A qilin must’ve discovered this island and taken Idylya’s gift for themselves.

Zuriak’s depressed expression shifts to anger as he watches the two kirins refill their canteens in the lake.

One of them must have it.

Zuriak sluggishly rises, but his anger subsides as the two kirins rush off back into the forest, unaware of his presence.

But I don’t even know what she left me…

He scrapes the mud off his underbelly and floats above the island. Lazily, he passes over the lake and flies over the trees around where the two kirins arrived from. He keeps his speed low as he looks down at the waves of trees when the airy tones of a flute passes through his ears. He stops and floats above the forest, looking around for the source of the notes.

“That timbre…it sounds so familiar in a way.” Curiously, he flies south and carefully scans the forest below him for any movement. As he gets closer to the sounds, he notices the growing heights and sizes of the trees, large enough where one could live in them. He increases his altitude to distance himself from the treetop as the musical tones get louder. Eventually, he notices trails branching into the forest all leading further south into a vast settlement. Groups of kirins are seen carrying food and supplies on their backs as they lead into the settlement. It doesn’t take long for several of them to notice his presence as they all point up at him in shock. Zuriak doesn’t pay them any attention as his focus is still on the source of the music. As he reaches the apex of the tall trees, he freezes above a clearing in the center of the village and looks down at the kirins all staring up at him in shock. His eyes fall upon the lone blue kirin near the fountain who ceased playing their flute. Just barely, he makes out glowing green runes on the flute as the kirin sets it down, putting him in a trance.

It can’t be…could that be Idylya’s flute?

Some yelling below breaks him out of his stupor, and he rapidly flies away from the settlement. Once out of range, he haphazardly drops into the forest and slams into the ground, breaking numerous branches along the way. He gets up and clutches his chest, struggling to breathe.

“That qilin, how did they get her flute? What happened to Idylya? Was that her gift all along? How did they know where to find it?” Zuriak vigorously asks himself. His heavy breathing begins to abate, knowing none of his questions will get answered. He steps through the debris of his crash and out into a small grass clearing at the edge of the forest. There, he lays on his back in the tall grass and looks up at the gloomy sky.

“I have nothing left in this world, and somehow the divines find another way to take something from me.” Some rustling in the bushes at the other end of the clearing causes Zuriak to take his eyes off the sky as the same blue kirin emerges from the forest. Somewhat timid at first, the kirin sees him at the other end and slowly approaches him. Zuriak rolls over, gets back up and shakes the loose grass off his mane. As he does so, he stares at the kirin darkly, watching them carefully wade through the tall grass. The kirin stops several meters away from his towering figure.

“Who are you?” The kirin asks, confidently. He continues his blank stare, not wanting to indulge the kirin’s curiosity.

“Where did you come from?” The kirin takes a few more steps forward as Zuriak begins noticing peculiar designs on the kirin’s horn. His eyes widen upon recognizing the markings, reminding him of Terra Nova.

It can’t be. Could there really be another?

Without a word, he lunges forward and circles around the kirin in anger. Part of his long body overlaps hers as their luminescent green eyes meet.

“It’s been a while, matriarchal qilin.”

“W-what are you talking about?”

Zuriak delicately holds the kirin’s horn with one of his claws and rubs his thumb across the symbol while staring at it intently. The kirin sits frozen in shock.

“A new symbol, reincarnated.” He releases his grip and loosens his body around the kirin as he turns his attention back to the kirin with a forlorn look. “We have a lot of history, you and I.”

The kirin shakes her head and suddenly frees herself from his grasp. She jumps back a bit and stares at him angrily.

“I’ve never met you before in my life. Now, I’m going to ask again. Where did you come from?”

“Why, you sent me here. Or rather, your predecessor did.” Zuriak answers venomously.

“Predecessor?”

“Have you not heard of the great Terra Nova, the Time Qilin?” He questions condescendingly.

“Time Kirin…?” Her face shifts to concern as she looks away from him in deep thought. “…but she died decades ago.” She continues in a hushed tone.

“She was what instigated the near extinction of my country and the dragons living there.” Zuriak sternly lies. The kirin doesn’t respond. Zuriak walks closer to her, who is still distracted by their thoughts to not notice him advancing. “Mhm, well no matter. You have something that belongs to me.”

The kirin breaks their train of thought and glares at the dragon. As Zuriak stretches a claw out to her, her horn glows green and a wave of fire erupts from it as she uses her head to control the direction of fire. Zuriak instinctively dodges the onslaught from the kirin and progressively strafes back as the kirin quickly gains the upper hand. Zuriak, getting more annoyed, charges up one of his claws and pushes through the flames, grabbing the kirin’s horn and leaving his arm covered in burn marks. The kirin looks up at him, scared, as he encases her horn in ice. He releases his claw and looks down at her with a somber look.

“I don’t want to fight you.”

“That’s a lie! That’s all you dragons know how to do! All you do is kill and take what isn’t yours.”

“All I want is that flute you stole from the lake.”

“What lake? I received this flute as a gift many years ago back in Kyrinia. You’re the thief here!” The kirin charges up her horn, melting the ice.

“That’s impossible! I recognize the runes along the surface!” Zuriak steps back and shields his face as ice shards explode out in all directions. As she charges towards him, a group of kirins emerge from the forest behind her.

“Ivory Frost, what’s going on!?” One of them shouts from across the clearing. Ivory stops and turns back at them abruptly as two of the kirins start shooting fireballs from their horns at Zuriak.

“What are you guys doing here? I can handle this!” She answers boldly. Zuriak tries dodging most of the shots, but a few of them graze his scales and underbelly causing him to grunt in pain. He counters with a swipe of his tail, knocking all four of them down, and launches himself into the sky. As he gets higher, he looks back at the kirins struggling to get up.

“I will reclaim what is mine, no matter the cost.” He clasps his claws together and forms a sign. A blue aura envelopes them that progressively grows in vibrance. Once he reaches the clouds, he stretches out his arms and releases the energy while his claws cut through the clouds. The moisture in the clouds quickly freezes and turns to ice and further into snow as it starts falling down into the land below. The increasing pain in his burn wounds start taking their toll, and he ceases the spell to conserve energy.

“I can’t let the qilins take the last thing I have to remember her by.”

~

Zuriak gently hovers down near Scarlet’s farm, now in the late afternoon. Below, he sees her flying over the many rows of strawberry bushes and watering them with a large green pitcher. He drops to the ground and walks over to her, though she pays no mind to him.

“I need your help.” He asks, assertively. Scarlet ignores him and continues on to the next row of strawberries, further away from him. As he tries to bridge the gap, she progressively keeps her distance.

“Please, it’s important.” Scarlet rolls her eyes and descends down. Her wings close and she sets down the watering can before silently giving him a blank stare.

“I went to the lake.”

“I know you did.” She replies coldly. “Should I expect more kirins showing up at my doorstep, looking for you now?”

“I did what I had to do, but now I know what she left behind, it was a flute.”

“Wait, a flute?” Scarlet’s cold mood shifts to curiosity as she holds a hoof up to her chin.

“Look, I know you’re mad-” Scarlet brushes past him and makes her way back to the house. Zuriak scratches his head confusedly before following her into the house. Inside, Scarlet jumps up the stairs to the second floor while Zuriak carefully maneuvers around the living room furniture. As he makes his way upstairs, Scarlet emerges from her room and stands at the top of the stairs, looking down at him. She’s holding a piece of paper in her left wing.

“Remember back in Nymerion, you found that sheet of music in the library?”

Zuriak nods.

“Well, I tried restoring it this past week, and although it’s still hard to read, I’m pretty sure it was your friend, Idylya who wrote it. I could only make out the ‘I’ and ‘A’, along with a faint ‘Y’ in the middle, but I’m pretty sure we can fill the blanks in.” Scarlet hands him the sheet of music. Zuriak takes it and stares deeply into the musical notes. “It was written for flute, by the way, that’s what helped me connect the dots.”

“Why didn’t you tell me this before?”

“Well, I’m not finished with it, but when you brought up trying to find her gift yesterday, I wanted to show you the progress I’ve made. I figure if you saw this, then you wouldn’t feel the need to put yourself in danger going back there, but you were already gone by the time I woke up.”

“Thank you for doing this.” Zuriak’s brief smile turns into a frown after reflecting on his journey from today.

“Someone stole her flute. I don’t know who found it, but it’s in the hooves of a qilin right now that they claim they received it years ago.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.” Scarlet frowns.

“I’m going to get it back by any means.” Zuriak says with determination.

“By any means?” Scarlet emphasizes. “What are you planning on doing?”

“I’m working on it.”

“Do you plan on using violence?”

“Look, it’s not just about the flute!” Zuriak says, raising his voice. “They butchered and drove my kin out of our homeland, and it still wasn’t enough for them. Now, they’re trying to hunt me down and they’re not going to stop until I’m in their grasp.” Scarlet is taken aback by his outburst. Zuriak calms down after seeing her frightened demeanor.

“There was…a qilin living in a village near the lake, and I think she’s the next matriarchal qilin, the successor of Terra Nova.”

“Who cares if she is?” Scarlet says with a hint of jealousy.

“But-”

“You can’t keep doing this! You can’t keep picking fights with the kirins to uphold some personal vendetta! It’s literally tearing you apart!” Scarlet exclaims with more energy. Zuriak hangs his head in defeat, knowing she’s right. “I wish you could realize how lucky you are to still be alive after everything you told me about your past. You almost died during your hunt, you almost died from those assassins, you almost died trying to kill the time kirin, and you almost died trying to get out of Kyrinia.” Scarlet counts on one of her hooves. “You are gambling with the gods, here!”

“Maybe you're right…I’ve made so many mistakes.” Zuriak looks down at the sheet of music once more. Scarlet’s mood shifts to sadness as she walks down the stairs next to him. She also looks down at the piece of music and softly rubs his mane. “I’ve been through so much these past few months, relatively speaking. It’s easy for me to forget all the good. If it wasn’t for you, I’d be all alone in this dark future.”

“We all need to stop fighting with each other.” Scarlet comforts him as Zuriak turns towards her. “Violence is like a cycle that keeps repeating itself. Those who seek power fuel the cycle, and those who seek revenge just perpetuate it over and over again.”

“I just want something to remember her by.”

“Well, what about this sheet of music?” Scarlet brings up with a bit of optimism. Zuriak reads through the music, trying to discern the notes.

“Is there a way I could hear the melody on a musical instrument?”

“I wish, but I don’t have any in the house. At least not after my mom sold our piano over a decade ago.”

“I see.”

Scarlet takes a moment to ponder as Zuriak sulks again.

“But, there is a piano in the Church of the Royal Sisters in Novawind. I actually used to take piano lessons there when I was little, haha.” Scarlet says embarrassingly. “But, we can’t have you stroll through Novawind without being seen because you’re too freakin’ big and easy to spot.”

“Please, there’s got to be a way.” Zuriak pleads.

“Hmmm, let me think about it. We’ll need to wait until the heat dies down a bit before we can do anything though. I imagine those kirins who were here the other day will be sticking around for quite a while.”

~

Zuriak and Scarlet quietly exit Scarlet’s house through the back door and out into the cool night air. The full moon above lights up the ground below making it relatively easy for both of them to see their way. Scarlet uses one of her wings to take the lantern out of her mouth and holds it up to get a better view through the darkness.

“This way.” As both of them cross through the strawberry field and onto the dirt road leading into Novawind, Zuriak stops. Scarlet does the same and looks back at him.

“What’s wrong?” She asks.

“Are you sure we won’t be seen in town?”

“I’m very certain. Novawind becomes a ghost town after midnight, but the church stays open all throughout the night for those who wish to pray to the royal sisters.”

“What if someone shows up while we’re there?”

“Trust me, I’ve never seen anyone up late in this town for any reason.” Zuriak nods with hesitation, but continues on down the road. Scarlet picks up speed to get ahead of him.

“You know, I’ve never physically seen a pony before.”

“Seriously?”

“The relationship between Ithral and Equestria was tenuous at best in my time. Rarely would ponies ever travel into our country. They always viewed us as dangerous creatures.”

“I get what you mean. Even though I’m only half a dragon, some ponies in Novawind still view me as a danger to them.”

“That must be a tough burden to carry.”

“I mean I don’t care what they think anymore. I am who I am, and I don’t want to change that.” Scarlet gives him a weak smile. “If you want to know what an earth pony looks like, just imagine me without antlers, a dragontail, wings or a scaled underbelly.” Zuriak chuckles.

“Heh, I suppose that’s one way to put it.” Before long, the trees on both sides begin to give way and open up to a massive field with rolling hills and tall grass. The path slopes further down the hill and into a cozy, moderately sized town. Scarlet holds up the lantern against the moonlight.

“Not much further now.” The two descend down the hill and stand just outside the entrance to the town. The archway at the entrance reads ‘Novawind’ carved into treated wood. The dirt path within the town appears much more flat and compressed with plenty of hoof marks embedded in. Scarlet flies up a little over the dark houses and buildings, inspecting the streets. She then drops back down and stays close to Zuriak.

“I don’t see anypony. We should be good.” She whispers as she begins leading him through the desolate streets. Zuriak catches glimpses of the dark and quiet houses along the way while he carefully walks so as to not make any noise. Scarlet does the same, but doesn’t pay any mind to her surroundings outside of the road in front of her. At the far end of the street, a towering, white, ornate cathedral rests away from the other buildings. Beautiful stained glass depictions of Princess Celestia and Luna cover the top half of the cathedral separated by day and night. Zuriak looks up in awe at the beauty of the cathedral in comparison to the rest of the town. Scarlet walks up the marble stairs, opens the front door, and ushers him in. Zuriak takes one last look around the area and makes sure no pony sees them before swiftly passing by Scarlet. Inside, the sounds of his claws and Scarlet’s hooves against tile echoes throughout the main chamber. Rows of benches line up before the podium in the back with another stained glass mural of the princesses directly behind. Moonlight pours in through the tall windows along one side with freshly lit candles in each corner of the chamber. To the left of the podium, a large, black grand piano rests in the moonlight. Zuriak dashes over to the piano and lifts the cover. He stares down at the ivory and ebony keys before pressing one and letting the note reverberate throughout the cathedral.

“Hey, don’t get too excited.” Scarlet playfully comments as she sets the lantern down near the entrance and joins him. She takes a seat on the bench and removes the sheet of music from her saddlebag as Zuriak moves to the side. She then places it on the music rack and studies the score.

“It’s been so long since I last played haha.” She says with mild embarrassment. Zuriak gives her a warm and encouraging smile. “Let’s see, the first three measures are E, C sharp, D sharp, B then C sharp.” Scarlet taps one white key, two black keys, one white key, then another black key in succession. “The next four measures are D sharp, E, D sharp, C sharp, D sharp, E, E again, G sharp, D sharp, D sharp again, G sharp, and C sharp.” She continues, stroking each key as she reads it aloud, though her expression changes to a mild daze upon hearing this phrase. She then repeats the same four measures fluidly, appearing more bewildered this time. Zuriak looks at her with concern.

“Is something the matter?”

“I think I’ve heard this melody before.” She proceeds to slowly play the whole passage as written, no longer instructing Zuriak. “It’s so familiar.” Scarlet immediately puts a hoof to mouth and gasps. Zuriak looks at her confusedly.

“It’s the melody my mother used to play for me when I was little. I knew these notes looked familiar, but I had to hear them to confirm.”

“Are you saying your mother wrote this?”

“Not exactly. Years ago before I was born, my mother was traveling back home from Kyrinia, and it was getting dark, so she decided to camp for the night in the forests near the Peaks. Throughout that night, she frequently awoke due to nightmares of grotesque creatures and demons she couldn’t describe. On the third time she awoke, a beautiful melody was heard within the forest. It sounded like a duet between a violin and flute that soothed her soul. She tried to investigate where the melody was coming from, but the notes seemed to vanish as soon as she got too close. When she returned to the campsite, she no longer experienced these terrible dreams. She tried recreating the somber melody on the piano we used to have at home and wound up arranging it into something more. After I was born, she would play it for me every time I had nightmares as a foal.” Scarlet pauses for a moment. “Do you ever wonder if your friend is still out there after all these years? I mean if what you say is true and that dragons can live to one hundred sixty years old, could she still be alive?”

Zuriak closes his eyes and strokes his beard in deep thought.

“If she is still alive somewhere in this world, I’d never be able to find her. By now, she’s probably moved on anyway.”

“Oh…” Scarlet rests her hooves on the piano and stares at the keys. “There’s more to the song, if you want to listen.” Zuriak nods in approval and closes his eyes as Scarlet prepares to play once more. Using her right lower hoof, she presses the sustain pedal and begins the same somber melody as before. After the phrase ends, the same melody is performed with embellishments and changes along with a rapid, arpeggiated counter-melody in support. The notes ring out in a regal way and reverberate throughout the church. A silent tear rolls down Zuriak’s face as Scarlet concludes the short passage.

“Thank you. I’m glad you were able to preserve this one final memory of her.”

“Me too. Music has a special way of connecting you with your inner emotions. It taps into that part of your brain that you thought you lost.”

“What should we call it?” Zuriak asks. Scarlet closes her eyes briefly and rubs her chin.

“Hmmm, what about…” She opens her eyes, digs through her saddlebag and produces a stick of charcoal. She then carefully writes over the header of the sheet. “Dragon of Time.” Zuriak chuckles.

“What do you think?” Scarlet asks with a smile.

Before Zuriak could respond, his ears perk up at the sounds of hoofsteps near the church entrance. Scarlet takes notice too, but before she could react, Zuriak scoops her up and flies up to the tall ceiling near the entrance. Scarlet covers her mouth and starts sweating bullets as the front entrance opens. A dim glow of candlelight pours through the entrance as an earth pony wanders in. Both Zuriak and Scarlet look down at him from directly above as he stops and looks around.

“Hello, is anypony in here?” He looks down suspiciously at the lantern Scarlet brought, then begins walking around the rows of benches and shining candle light in the darkest areas. Zuriak and Scarlet both track his moments like a hawk, hoping he doesn’t look up at the ceiling. As he reaches the piano, Zuriak begins floating to the floor as quietly as possible.

“Damn foals have no respect for this delicate instrument.” He says irritatingly as he sets the candle on top of the piano and closes the cover over the keys. Zuriak looks at the open doors and floats towards them. “Hmmm, what’s this? Somepony left their music here.” Scarlet’s eyes widen and she holds her face in her hooves as Zuriak notices she forgot to pick up Idylya’s melody. As the earth pony picks up the sheet music and turns back towards the entrance, Zuriak bolts out through the doors like lightning. The resulting wind causes them to slam shut as he carries Scarlet through town and onto the roof of someone’s house. He sets her down and she shakes her head in disappointment.

“How could I be so stupid? Now we lost the sheet of music!” She continues cursing under her breath.

“Who was that?”

“That was the caretaker of the cemetery behind the church. I think his name is River Stone or River Pebble…River-something, I don’t know the ponies here that well.” Scarlet ruffles her mane in frustration. “He must’ve heard me playing since his house is right next to the church. I never thought the acoustics would be that loud.”

“Is there a way we can get the music back?”

“Oh, we’re definitely getting it back.” Suddenly the lights of the house they’re on top of switch on and movements below can be heard. Scarlet covers her mouth, sweating more bullets.

“We should get going for now.” Zuriak whispers as the two levitate up above the town. More lights from the adjacent houses come on just after they quickly bolt in the direction of Scarlet’s farmhouse.

Once in range, the duo descend back towards the farmhouse and onto the porch. Zuriak yawns loudly and slowly blinks as Scarlet opens the door and ushers him in. She takes one last look outside over the field of strawberries before closing and locking the door. Inside, Zuriak collapses on the rug in the living room and starts curling up.

“Something about that piece of music really made me sleepy all of the sudden.” Zuriak slurs in exhaustion. Scarlet chuckles a little.

“Yeah, there’s a reason my mom would play that for me all the time. Music sure does have strange properties, doesn’t it?” Zuriak murmurs a bit in response and closes his eyes. Scarlet smiles and takes the blanket off the couch before tossing it over his body. As she makes her way upstairs, Zuriak stirs.

“Thank you, Idylya.” He whispers. Scarlet pauses for a moment, perplexed as she stares down at him from the railing before heading off to her room.

“You’re welcome.”

~

Mornden, Eighteenth of Sarais, 3E454Y

It’s been difficult adjusting to the future since I arrived over two months ago, and I’ve been avoiding writing in here too much because this journal has become so frail. Not only am I in a different time, but a different culture too. I’ve been living with a dragon-pony hybrid in this quaint little village called Novawind at the southern tip of Equestria since I discovered the fate of Ithral. I remember reading about Novawind years ago and back then it was just a hamlet of pegasi with a couple farm families. Hard to believe it’s grown so much, but then again, seventy-five years is a long time.

After being here for so long, I’ve come to accept the fate of my kin, and now I wish to find peace with myself despite the divines seemingly punishing me in every way imaginable. I still yearn for a way to return to my own time, but to my knowledge, no mortal magic can perform such a thing. And yet, if the time qilin can send me forward in time, does that mean that same magic can send me back? It’s cosmic magic that no one can really comprehend, and I wouldn’t even know to acquire that. Divine instruments contain some cosmic magic, but finding one is like finding a needle in a haystack, I wouldn’t even know where to start. All I can do is make the best of things where I’m at now.

Recently, I discovered my true age finally caught up with me too. My scales are a little faded and my bones feel weaker, but despite all this, I look surprisingly young for 101-

“What are you writing?” Scarlet peeks over at Zuriak’s journal from the stove as she’s cooking eggs and toast in a pan. Zuriak gives her a nervous look from the kitchen table and hastily covers the pages with his claws.

“N-nothing.”

“Typical.” Scarlet rolls her eyes and scoops the eggs onto a clean plate along with two slices of toast. She then picks up a knife with her mouth and spreads some butter and strawberry jam on the toast before placing it in front of Zuriak.

“Thank you.” Scarlet smiles through the butter knife still in her mouth as she prepares her own plate, and sets it on the opposite side of the table. As she walks around to her chair, she trips over Zuriak’s tail wrapped around the floor of the table and faceplants.

“Could you at least coil when you’re at the table!?” She says as she gets back up and takes a seat.

“Sorry, it’s easy to forget.” Zuriak nervously laughs.

“Uh-huh, well anyway, hope you like breakfast today. I decided to splurge and bought fresh chicken eggs in town the other day instead of the same oats and grains we’ve been eating these past few weeks. Cooked them just like my mom used to make.” She says as she starts scarfing down her breakfast.

“She sounds like a caring pony.” He says before picking up a fork.

“Eh, sometimes. She had a good heart, but was always scatter-brained and forgetful. I didn’t tell you this, but it took her three years to decide on a name for me after I was born.” Zuriak lightly chuckles.

“What did she call you before that?”

“Who knows? By the time I asked her about it, she was already showing signs of dementia and couldn’t remember herself.” Scarlet takes another bite as she watches Zuriak stare down at his journal.

“What about you? Did your mom have trouble naming you as well?”

“It’s complicated. In dragon culture, proper families are uncommon. Most couples fulfill their duties during mating season in the spring, then leave their eggs with the House of Midwives who look after them until they hatch. After one is hatched, they are assigned a unique name by random, then sent off to a nursery. I never knew my mother.”

“Jeez, when you put it that way, that sounds depressing.” Zuriak shrugs and looks away.

“It’s a different way of life, I suppose.” He looks down at his journal again and picks up his quill.

Frequently, I’ve been having dreams about returning to that place Terra Nova sent me. Scarlet Rain tells me that the qilins firmly hold their beliefs in the Ethereal Matriarch, or ‘Laniakea’ as they so call her. Could that have been the qilin-like creature I saw in that otherworldly dimension? I can’t help but think I glimpsed into infinity during those moments, as convoluted as that sounds. Could this goddess be the reason I’m-

“So, I heard an odd piece of news the other day in town.”

Zuriak looks up from his writing with interest.

“Apparently, the southern region of Kyryo experienced unusually cold weather a month ago. Kirin Grove reported receiving snowfall for an entire month, and we’re still in the middle of summer!”

“O-oh, that is certainly very odd.” Zuriak responds nervously, remembering the spell he placed in the clouds during his visit. Scarlet squints her eyes at him suspiciously.

“That wasn’t you who did this, was it?” She says in a low tone, unamused.

“I may have overreacted…”

“Sweet Celestia, I didn’t even know dragons could alter weather patterns like that! I thought only pegasi were capable of such things!” Scarlet rubs her temples in frustration. “Well, that’s another thing we can add to the growing list of reasons the kirins want to capture you. How did you even do that?”

“I actually learned it from a fellow ice elemental in my guild. You’re supposed to ‘seed’ the atmosphere with frost magic in the cloud layer. Over time, the seed grows and spreads over a large radius, eventually cooling and freezing the moisture in the air. I didn’t know how long it would last because this was my first time doing it.” Scarlet shakes her head.

“Well, it lasted a few weeks from what I heard and apparently damaged much of the flora in that area. I fear that someday this will all catch up with us.” Scarlet comments, concerned. Zuriak scratches the back of his head and looks down, regretfully. Scarlet finishes the last couple bites of her breakfast and gets up. She turns her head to him with a forlorn look, wanting to change the subject while Zuriak returns to writing.

Over a month ago, I learned of the next matriarchal qilin while hunting for Idylya’s flute in Kyryo. This qilin looked much younger than Terra Nova and seemed very confused when I pointed out her horn symbols. I’m guessing she’s not aware of her lineage yet. The other qilins called her Ivory Frost, and she was in possession of the flute. I do not know how she acquired it, but I don’t think I’ll ever rest easy knowing the flute is in that qilin’s hooves. Scarlet pleads for me not to pursue this endeavor any longer, but she doesn’t understand. Maybe there’s still a way…

“Are you just going to write in that journal all morning?” Scarlet interrupts for a third time.

“It helps me stay sane.”

“If you say so.” Scarlet scoffs as she puts her dishes on the drying rack and returns to the table. She sits across from Zuriak and looks down at his journal with a brief contemplative look before flipping it closed.

“Hey!”

“You can finish that thought later. I think I might have a way on how we can get Idylya’s melody back.” Scarlet smiles deviously as Zuriak gives her a puzzled expression. “I learned that the caretaker, River Rock, and yes that’s his name, moved the piece of music into the archives in the basement of the church. All we have to do is snatch the keys, then go at night and look for it.”

“How did you get this information?”

“I spoke with him when I was in town, and it was not a pleasant experience. I asked him about the piano in the church and that my mother and I used to play on it when she was still around. I then explained that I’d like to play it again in her memory, but I had no sheet music to play. That really got things rolling because he brought up that he found a stray sheet of music a couple weeks ago that he didn’t recognize. He then went on to tell me he placed it in a book with all the other piano sheets in the archive room within the basement.” Scarlet’s bright mood then turns sour. “Then he had the gall to ask me what business I have in the Church of the Royal Sisters and that I should instead seek out the temple in Drogos and pray with my own kind. I was this close to leaving a hoofprint across his face.” She holds up one hoof to her face and squints her eye.

“Ouch, I always thought ponies were more welcoming than other species.”

“Ehhh, Equestria has its own share of problems. Tensions are high even between pegasi, unicorns, and earth ponies.” Scarlet shakes her head again, clearing her thoughts. “But anyway, I’ve seen where he puts the keys when I was spying on him. They’re on a little hook in the storage shed next to his house. Not exactly secure, so it should be a piece of cake.”

“When should we go?”

“In a few days. His night shift ends early on that day, so that should give us plenty of time to scour what’s down there.” Zuriak smiles optimistically and looks down at his journal again. Scarlet returns the smile briefly, but it softly turns into a frown.

“Could you help me with the fields today?” She asks quietly.

“Yes, it’s the least I can do after the trouble you went through.” They both get up and Zuriak places his clean plate in the sink before heading out the back door. Scarlet takes one look at his journal before tagging along. Outside, Zuriak takes a deep breath and looks up at the bright blue sky. Scarlet goes around to her storage shed and pulls out two iron hoes. She then stretches out her wings and balances the hoes across her back as she makes her way to Zuriak.

“We need to till the northern farmland today.” She notes before dropping the hoes on the ground. Zuriak nods and picks one up. Before he begins down the first row, Scarlet stops him with a mildly sad look on her face.

“Wait, there’s something I need to tell you.”

“About what?” Scarlet shifts uncomfortably.

“Since the fall of Nymerion and Ithral, you might be the last lung dragon on the continent.”

“It seems that way. You said it yourself that no one is quite sure where the survivors fled to. It’s been decades though.” Scarlet turns away.

“And how do you feel about that?”

“It doesn’t exactly feel good, but I’ve been slowly accepting my fate. It is quite lonely at times, but at least I have you around.” Scarlet turns back and faces him.

“What would you do if you knew where they were?” Zuriak scratches his beard in deep thought and looks up at the sky.

“I’m not quite sure. Most likely, I would like to reunite with them and be free again without worrying about being seen and captured, but I don’t want to leave you behind, especially all that you’ve done for me. It’s a tough scenario with no simple answer.” He takes his eyes off the sky and back on Scarlet. “Not like it matters anyway. We shouldn’t always dwell on the ‘what ifs’, rather we should focus on the ‘what is’. Does that make sense?”

“Y-yeah, I suppose so…” Scarlet responds softly. Zuriak smiles and hovers over the fields with his iron hoe. He then digs it into the ground and starts tilling the first row.

“Please don’t leave me.” Scarlet whispers.

~

Scarlet and Zuriak sneak through the quiet streets of Novawind once more. Like last time, not a single pony is out late and only the sounds of the wind brushing against the trees can be heard. Both of them land outside of the meager single-story wooden house River Rock calls home. Scarlet peeks into the dark window, making sure he is still fast asleep. She then turns to Zuriak and nods approvingly before they both go around the house to the small storage shed attached to his house. Scarlet opens the unlocked door and looks around at all the garden tools and appliances.

“Jeez, you’d think with this much stuff, he’d secure it a bit better.” Zuriak whispers.

“Theft is very uncommon in this town, but yeah, he is quite careless.” Scarlet looks up along the walls and sees a row of key hooks with three key rings hanging, each containing several distinct keys.

“Which one do you think it is?” Zuriak asks, scratching his chin.

“Uhhhhh, this one I think.” She slides the middle ring off the hook and holds it in her mouth. The two of them then dash across the street and up the stairs to the church once again. Scarlet carefully opens the squeaky door and the two walk down the center aisle of the main chamber. Scarlet turns left at the priest’s podium and proceeds past the piano and into a small room on the left side. As Zuriak passes the piano, he notices a padlock has been affixed to the cover to prevent anyone from playing.

“Oh…”

Scarlet peeks her head out of the room at Zuriak.

“What is it?”

“It’s not important.” Zuriak shakes his head and joins Scarlet as they descend down the stairs in the other room, eventually reaching an old wooden door. Scarlet fumbles around with the key ring, trying to find the right one.

“It’s one of these, I’m sure.” She then inserts one at random into the lock and attempts to turn it. “Okay, next one.” She does the same with the next key, but no luck. “Hmmm, this one?” She proceeds to the next key and attempts to unlock as Zuriak rests on the stairs, growing impatient. Scarlet combs through the remaining keys on the ring until she reaches the last one. “I’m definitely sure about this one.” She voices confidently as she performs the same routine. With the sound of the deadbolt unlocking, Scarlet pushes the door forward, letting out a musty and damp scent.

“Yeesh, I doubt anypony’s been down here in years, save for River Rock.” She coughs, covering her mouth. Zuriak gets up and walks past her into the dark cellar. Scarlet enters behind him and looks to the shelf near the door to find a candle. She picks it up, breathes a bit of fire on it to light it up and rests it on her outstretched wing. The two of them silently sort through the shelves of old books, antiques, and odd-looking statues. Scarlet passes a peculiar looking wood-carving of Princess Luna.

“Huh, this statue is quite weird.”

“What statue?” Zuriak stops scanning the shelves and looks back at the object Scarlet is holding.

“It looks like Princess Luna, but different. Almost like a thestral, or a ‘pony of the night’ as some call them.”

“A what?”

“You know…a ‘thestral’. Like me, but instead of a pony-dragon hybrid, a pony-bat hybrid.”

“Didn’t know those were real.”

“Dunno if they are, to tell you the truth. They’re mostly just creatures of myth.” Scarlet sets the statue down back where it was. “Some ponies believe Luna to be Celestia’s dark counterpart and that she is plotting to take control of Equestria.”

“Do you believe that?”

“Pffft, no! There are a lot of hackneyed rumors out here in the country, and they’re all started by the looniest ponies. The statue is pretty unsettling though.”

“Things surely are different up here. I’ve never really kept up-to-date on Equestrian politics.” Zuriak answers as he takes a book off a shelf and starts flipping through it. Images of a long, chimerical creature are printed across several pages with text written below each one, describing its features.

“What’s this creature? I’ve never seen one of these before.” He hands the open book over to Scarlet and she reads through the pages.

“Oh, that’s a draconequus. They’re a weird chimera of many different animals. I’ve only ever heard about one existing centuries ago.” Scarlet studies the pages a bit more. “Kind of reminds me of you.”

“Heh, well I’m definitely not one of those things, but there’s certainly a lot of weird stuff down here.” Zuriak comments as he continues fishing through piles of books. Scarlet sets the book down on a dusty, old desk and holds her wing out towards Zuriak to give him more light.

“Let’s see…” Zuriak begins picking through each book one at a time and tosses each one over his shoulder as he reads them. “...One-Hundred Mysterious Facts About Princess Celestia, Tartarus: Truth or Fiction?, Beware the Bugbear!, Lullaby for a Princess, Cupcakes!, A Brief History of Canterlot, The Lusty Equestrian Pegasus-”

“Oh! I’ve read that one before!” Zuriak looks at her with a raised eyebrow. “It was…okay haha.” She adds, blushing while Zuriak continues sorting through books.

“Background Pony, a recipe for white bundt cake, The Wrath of Grogar, Friendship is Optimal, The Mare Who Once Lived On The Moon, Ten Easy-To-Play Songs for Lyre, Past Sins, Infinite Eclipse: Origin, A Hearth’s Warming Curse…I feel like it’s not in here.” He turns to Scarlet who rubs her chin in thought as she walks over to the other side of the cellar. Zuriak follows her, trying to stay out of the darkness. She then holds the candle up to a bookshelf near a broken cello and begins reading the bindings from the middle shelf, left to right.

“The Enchanted Kingdom, University Days, Fallout: Equestria, The Royal Sheet Music Archive, ah that might be it!” She takes the book off the shelf and opens it up, letting a sheet of paper fall to the floor. She sets the book down, picks it up and reads through it. “Dragon of Time, awesome, this is it!” Zuriak breathes a sigh of relief.

“Let’s get out of here.” He says as he makes his way towards the exit. Scarlet stows the sheet away in her saddlebag and follows behind him.

“I’ll figure out a better way to preserve this once we get home. Definitely don’t want to lose it again.” She says before blowing out the candle and returning it to the shelf. As the two brush past the wooden door, Scarlet closes it and relocks it before sprinting up the stairs near Zuriak. Scarlet rushes around the corner and bumps into him near the piano in the main chamber.

“Something doesn’t feel right.” Zuriak notes while scanning the chamber.

“What do you mean? It’s dead quiet, that’s how Novawind usually is at night.” Scarlet moves past him and down the center aisle towards the front door.

“No, it’s something else, like a presence…” Scarlet doesn’t hear him and continues forth as Zuriak hesitantly joins her while continuing to look around. As the duo leave the church and back out into the pitch black night, Scarlet pulls out the keys she borrowed and holds it on her wing.

“Just one more thing to do, then we can head home.” Before Zuriak could respond, a dark figure rapidly descends down on him and plants itself on his upper back, causing him to slam to the ground.

“Agh!” Zuriak struggles against the dark pony-like figure and begins charging lightning in his claws, but before he could release it the figure affixes a familiar collar to his neck. The lightning quickly dissipates. “What the fuck!?” Zuriak shakes the figure off and swipes his tail at them, knocking them over. “Who are you!?” He lightly tugs at the collar, getting flashbacks from when he first met Terra Nova. Scarlet turns to the both of them in shock.

“This is bad.” Scarlet whispers to herself as she tosses the keys and her saddlebags aside and reacts by breathing a stream of fire at the pony, but they evade it before jumping off towards the street and galloping off. Without a word, Zuriak darts after them.

“Wait stop, it’s a trap!” Scarlet pursues him but progressively loses ground as they all run through the dark streets of Novawind. Lights begin coming on in the rows of houses as all of Novawind’s residents are awakened by the noises. As the pony nears the overarching ‘Novawind’ sign at the town’s entrance, they attempt to fly up. Zuriak launches himself at the pony, but before he could tackle them, a magic aura encases him and freezes him mid-air. The pegasus looks down on him as five unicorns and two kirins step out of the shadows, all using their magic to hold him. All seven of them and the pegasus close in on him and use their magic to force him to the ground. Zuriak tries writhing against the magic, but is met with even more resistance. Scarlet approaches the group and watches in horror as Zuriak is restrained.

“Stop! What are you doing!?” Scarlet shouts as she breathes fire at the cluster of unicorns. They all break their magical strain on Zuriak, setting him free momentarily and dodge the fire.

“Ember Shard, get the dragon-pony and restrain her!” One of the unicorns exclaims. A red kirin jumps out of the cluster and transforms into nirik form. He then charges at Scarlet, but she quickly flies up. In a panic, Scarlet breathes fire down on Ember Shard from the air for several seconds, however he emerges unscathed. He then fires several fireballs from his horn at Scarlet. She hastily flies away to avoid the barrage, but is hit by a couple, causing her to fall to the ground.

“Get away from her!” Zuriak gets up and attempts to breathe ice at Ember Shard, but only produces a puff of cold air. While vulnerable, the five unicorns throw heavy metal chains around his body. One of the unicorns then twists a chain around his neck, choking him. Zuriak desperately grasps for air, but eventually falls to the ground once more. In his last moments of consciousness, he sees the two kirins tie up Scarlet’s hooves in smaller metal chains and the other five unicorns approaching him cautiously.

Chapter X: Fragmenting

“Awake, dragon.” Zuriak is abrasively awoken by a bucket of cold water being dumped on his head. He instinctively shoots up and charges at the source, but is met with solid iron bars. He recoils in pain as his eyes adjust to the morning sunlight, bursting through the trees. Around him, several tents are pitched around a single, large campfire with various pieces of outdoor furniture scattered throughout the campground. Two kirins, a red one and a cream-colored one, stand before him outside of his new prison, both giving him an emotionless stare. Zuriak returns their look with a dark expression. “What’s your name?” The red one asks while the other holds up a scroll and quill with magic. Zuriak stays silent. “I will ask again, what is your name?” The kirin asks again with greater irritation.

“Why should I tell you anything?” Zuriak replies defensively.

“This will go a lot better for you if you cooperate with us.” The kirin answers stoically.

“And if I don’t?”

“Then I hope you and your friend enjoy seeing these iron bars for the rest of your lives.” The kirin points to another cage a few meters away from Zuriak. Inside, Scarlet Rain lies tied up and unconscious. Zuriak stares at Scarlet’s unmoving body with a look of guilt as the two kirins start walking away.

“Wait.” He reaches a claw from outside his cage. The two kirins turn back at Zuriak, expecting an answer. Zuriak sighs in defeat.

“My name is Zuriak.” The other kirin begins writing in their scroll as the other approaches him again.

“And where are you from, Zuriak?” Zuriak growls mildly, not wanting to indulge their questions.

“Nymerion.” Both kirins’ expressions change to mild confusion.

“But, Nymerion’s been in ruins for decades.”

“Yes, all thanks to your ancestors.” Zuriak spits venomously. The red kirin aggressively puts their hooves against the cage. Zuriak remains unflinched.

“So, tell me then, Zuriak of Nymerion, what were you doing at the Jade Palace months ago? Speak truthfully!”

“Why don’t you ask the Time Qilin? I’m sure she can tell you all about that.” He says with the same fervor. The kirin relents a little upon hearing that name and backs off a little. The other one finishes writing in their scroll and looks concernedly at the red one.

“Ember, maybe this is something the higher-ups will want to know about?”

“Perhaps. Get a message to Kyrinia and let them know we’ve found the dragon intruder. I think they’ll want to know what Zuriak has to say.” The cream-colored kirin nods and the two begin to leave.

“What did you do to Scarlet Rain!?” Zuriak shouts at them before looking back at Scarlet.

“She is currently sedated for the time being.”

“And what do you plan to do with her?”

“After thorough questioning, she will be handed over to the Equestrian authorities. Beyond that, it is out of our jurisdiction.” Without another word, the two kirins continue walking towards a tent near the center of their meager camp and join a couple others. Zuriak slouches in defeat and guilt as Scarlet begins to stir from her cage and groggily wakes up.

“Ngh, what’s going on?” She tries to get up but quickly realizes her hooves are hog-tied, rendering her immobile. Zuriak briefly breaks out of his slump and turns to Scarlet with sorrow.

“Scarlet…”

“Zuriak, what happened?” She tries to wiggle herself free, but to no avail.

“I’m sorry…for putting you through all this.” He tugs at his magic suppression collar uncomfortably. Scarlet looks at him, but he doesn’t return eye contact. She then moves her eyes around the limited view of the camp and forest due to her immobility.

“We were fooled from the start.” Scarlet mentions sorrowfully.

“What do you mean?”

“Ever since I spoke to River Rock that day, I’ve been skeptical about him; the way he looked at me after asking about the piano and music sheets.” Scarlet closes her eyes. “Dragon of time.” She recites before reopening them. “I wrote it on the sheet of music before we lost it, and he must’ve had suspicions about that piece of music after the kirins were investigating Novawind.”

“Do you believe he was the one who tipped them off?”

“Maybe…I don’t know…” Scarlet’s voice starts to waver.

“Hey, we’re going to get out of here, I promise.” Zuriak assures while Scarlet shakes her head, trying to clear her face of tears.

“I haven’t been honest with you these last couple months.”

“What do you mean?” He raises an eyebrow.

“Remember a few days ago when I asked you what you’d do if you knew where your kin fled to after Ithral’s downfall?” Zuriak nods.

“I know where they are…I’ve always known.” Scarlet softly speaks.

“What!? Why didn’t you tell me!?” He shouts, getting the attention of one of the nearby kirins. Ember Shard walks over with an annoyed look on his face, giving Zuriak an alarmed look. He looks over to Scarlet, who is pretending to be unconscious, then faces him again.

“That’s enough. What are you shouting at, dragon?” Zuriak shoots daggers at the grumpy kirin.

“I’m just thinking aloud.”

“Well, you would do better to keep those thoughts to yourself. I don’t want to hear any more from you until the royal council arrives and we depart for Kyrinia.”

“And how long will that take?”

“By daybreak tomorrow, so you’d better have your story straight by then.” The kirin then turns and leaves to rejoin the others. Scarlet opens her eyes and gives Zuriak a fearful expression. He returns the same look.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” He asks in a quieter voice.

“I was afraid you’d leave me if you knew where they were. That’s why I posed the question.” Scarlet breathes deeply. “Across the Celestial Sea and beyond Drogos, there’s a settlement called ‘Nemora’ in the far east. It was constructed as a haven for refugees of Ithral. I don’t know much more than that, but the dragons of Rathu in Drogos know how to get there.” Zuriak grips his cage bars with force.

“Are you serious?” He counters with a hint of anger. “Are you telling me I wouldn’t be in this shit right now, if you told me?” He continues, raising his voice.

“I didn’t mean to mislead you.” Scarlet’s defeated expression remains unchanged. Zuriak releases his grip and slumps in his cage depressingly.

“Not that it matters anymore, my fate is sealed.” He bitterly comments as he tries to get his long and tangled body comfortable in the cage.

“It was selfish of me to withhold that information, and I’m sorry for that.” Scarlet coughs a couple times, producing some flames as she tries to move her head off the dirty cage floor. Zuriak looks at her current state and softens a little, regretting his outburst. “I think I need to let you go, Zuriak. All I’ve done is make your life more difficult.”

“Well, if it wasn’t for you, I’d have died months ago. And you gave me a chance to reconnect with my past.” Zuriak relents.

She doesn’t respond and instead coughs up a couple more bursts of flames while looking out into the forest. Zuriak looks over at her with concern, but quickly notices she doesn’t have a magic suppression collar on.

“Huh, that’s weird, they didn’t give you the same collar they put on me.” He mentions.

“What collar?” Scarlet asks as she coughs up more fire. Zuriak points at his neck.

“This one. It’s supposed to dampen magical abilities.”

“Well, I’m not a unicorn, and the only magic I have is the ability to breathe fire, if you even want to call that magic. Kirins are impervious to fire, so they probably don’t consider me a threat.”

“Years ago, when Idylya and I found ourselves at that qilin camp, they put these same collars on us ‘just in case’ as they put it.” He gestures with air quotes. “Apparently, they’re made of a special type of metal that’s incapable of breaking and can withstand fire…well except…dragonfire…” Zuriak trails off as he ponders what he just said.

“First time I’m hearing about it, honestly. Can’t say I know very much about kirin tech.” Zuriak breaks out of his brief trance and grips his cage bars, appearing more energetic.

“Wait, aren’t you a dragon?”

“Half.”

“Even so, the fire you breathe, that’s dragonfire, right?”

“Hmmm, probably? How can you tell?”

“The core temperature of dragonfire is much higher than normal fire. You might be able to melt my collar.”

“What if I can’t breathe dragonfire? And wouldn’t you suffer severe burns in the process? I can’t control the spread of my flames, so you’d get hurt pretty badly.”

Zuriak eases his grip on the bars and slumps down again as he looks across the kirin camp.

“The way I see it, it’s either I endure the burns, or endure a lifetime in chains.” He then turns towards her. “I can then use my magic to break us out of here.”

“And then what? We’d be escapees. They’d just come after us again.”

Zuriak strokes his beard and ponders.

“Come with me to Nemora.”

Scarlet hesitates for a moment. “Are you sure I’d be welcome there? I don’t exactly fit in with other dragons.”

“We’re not all bad. I think they’d warm up to a friendly face.” Zuriak responds reassuringly. Scarlet rubs her chin.

“Maybe it’s time to move on from this place. The farm is all I have in life and it’s currently running me dry. I don’t think I can sustain that for the rest of my life, so…” Scarlet cracks a smile. “...let’s do it.”

Zuriak breathes easier. “We’ll wait for nightfall, when they’re all asleep.” Scarlet nods and Zuriak rolls over in his cage and stares up at the metal ceiling, mildly content, though some chatter across the camp catches his attention. Zuriak tries to look over his cage and sees a sliver of the red kirin speaking with the cream-colored one. He rolls back over and holds his ear out through the cage to listen better.

“So apparently, this dragon has been spotted elsewhere in Kyryo. Some kirins reported seeing him in Kirin Grove about two months ago, and they believe he was the cause for the snowfall there during that time.” Ember Shard says to his companion.

“No kidding? What was he even doing there?”

“A kirin who had a run-in with him reported he was after her flute, claiming it was his.”

“Hmm, I bet I know why. That flute must’ve been a relic.”

“You think so?”

“Can’t think of any other reason. Back during the war, Ithralian lung dragons would hunt for these mythical objects because of their rarity and power, it was one of the major instigators for the war between us and them.”

“I see, and what do you make of this ‘Time Kirin did this to me’ bullshit? She’s been dead for over thirty years.”

“That I’m not sure about. No one really knew Terra Nova outside of her clan, much less a dragon outsider.”

“Well, we’ll make sure to squeeze more information out of him tomorrow.” Ember Shard concludes as the two move further out of Zuriak’s earshot.

A relic? Was Xellis right about it being a divine instrument all those moons ago? If it contains cosmic, otherworldly power, would it be possible to use it to get me back to my own time? They are essentially imbued with power from the divines, magic that is otherwise foreign to us, so there exists the possibility.

Zuriak pauses his thinking and turns over to Scarlet, contemplating his current situation.

No, it’s not worth it, especially now that I have her to watch over now. I have a plan and I need to stick to it for both our sakes. Besides, I wouldn’t know how to use that power even if I had it.

He directs his attention to the kirins once more by the campfire.

And yet…

~

As nightfall descends onto the forest, the sounds of night begin taking hold, and moonlight replaces sunlight. The four kirins around the central campfire stand up and begin packing tools and equipment in one of the three tents. Zuriak watches from afar in his cage while Scarlet does the same. None of the kirins pay them any mind as they meticulously clear the campsite, preparing for their departure tomorrow morning. Zuriak and Scarlet give each other nervous looks, hoping to escape without being seen. About half an hour later, the last kirin out, Ember Shard douses the fire and returns to his tent. On cue, the two nod and Zuriak digs his claws into the dirt outside his cage. Using immense strength, he then slides his cage across the grass, trying to keep the metallic noise low. He stops a couple meters away from Scarlet’s cage and gives her a confident expression.

“Are you sure about this?” She whispers. Zuriak gives a nervous smile, picks up a branch near his cage and clenches it in his mouth before tilting his head up to give Scarlet a clear shot of the collar. Scarlet shakes her head and takes a deep breath, then releases a stream of fire aimed at his neck. He bites down hard on the branch to avoid screaming as his neck starts to burn and blister. The collar starts to slowly melt away as his pale scales turn red. Scarlet stops the firestream, noticing tears of pain forming in his eyes. He quickly grips his collar and tears it off before it re-solidifies and cradles his neck with his ice to soothe the burn. His heavy breathing starts to taper as his pain is relieved. Scarlet looks at him in bewilderment as he spits out the branch.

“You’ve been through so much…” She whispers to him. He doesn’t respond and grips two of his cage bars, freezing them over.

“Are you ready?” He asks. Scarlet gives a soft nod before closing her eyes. Zuriak releases his claws and forces his weight against the weakened bars, causing them to snap. The noise from the bars stirs up the kirins nearby and both of them see lights coming from their tents. Zuriak slithers out of the opening and performs the same ice magic on Scarlet’s cage before snapping them open as well. As Zuriak breathes some ice on Scarlet’s chain hog-tie, a fireball flies just above his head. He ducks below and sees both Ember Shard and his cream-colored accomplice come barreling towards them.

“The prisoners are escaping!” Ember signals to the other three kirins. Zuriak floats up and discharges some lightning at Ember. He summons up a fire shield, but the force of the lightning against the fire explodes and sends him back against a tree. Scarlet looks around in a panic and forces her hooves apart against the frozen metallic brace. It gives way and snaps allowing her to quickly stand up and bolt out of the cage. As the cream-colored kirin darts towards them, she sends a massive fire wave towards the duo. Scarlet jumps in front of Zuriak and breathes a counter wave of fire, blocking her attack. The other two kirins appear from behind her and charge at the two with glowing horns. Zuriak drops to the ground and breathes ice on all three of them, freezing their hooves to the ground. Scarlet rushes past them and into the main tent where her saddlebag lies resting in a corner. She grabs it with her mouth and runs back out where Zuriak defends against the onslaught of kirin fire. She takes off and flies up into the sky past him, giving him the ‘ok’ sign. He then releases a wide shockwave of ice from his core, covering the entire camp with frost as he follows Scarlet up into the night and away from the kirin camp. In the air, Zuriak takes the saddlebag out of her mouth and rests it on her back in front of her wings as the two fly in no particular direction.

“Thank you, that was close.” She comments alongside him, but he keeps his attention forward. He puts one of his claws against his neck and tries cooling the burn some more with ice magic. Scarlet notes a pale ring where the collar used to be surrounded by redness. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. It will heal over time.” He assures. Scarlet redirects her attention to the land in front of her. Faint moonlight lightly covers the forest below them.

“Where are we?” She asks

“I don’t know. Look around for any lights or signs of life.” Scarlet nods and scans the barely visible horizon when a blurry glow catches her eye to the right within the trees.

“What do you think that is, a camp?” She questions. He looks in the general direction where her hoof is pointing.

“Could be. Let’s find out.” Zuriak speeds up past her.

“Hey, regardless of whoever they may be, are you sure you want to show yourself?” She warns. Zuriak looks back at her.

“I’m done hiding, and I’m done living in fear of those around me. All that matters now is going home, to my real home.” The duo hover over the light source from above the treeline and peer down. Two earth ponies are sitting next to each other on a log near the campfire. Both of them appear to be eating something with more food roasting over the fire. Zuriak aggressively descends to the ground across the campfire from them and hits the dirt with a loud thump. One of the earth ponies chokes in surprise, while the other jumps back in fear.

“SWEET CELESTIA!” They shout in unison. Scarlet lightly floats down and lands in front of Zuriak, hoping her presence will calm them down. Zuriak’s expression remains neutral.

“L-look, you can have whatever you want from us, just don’t hurt us!” One of them says, cowering in fear.

“We’re not here to rob or hurt you, we just need to find our way home. Do you know how far Novawind is from here?” Scarlet asks, giving the two some relief. They both look at each other confusedly.

“I-I don’t remember the n-name, but we did pass through a village north of here a c-couple days ago.” The female earth pony stutteringly answers. Scarlet smiles optimistically.

“Thank you, and for the record, you never saw either of us.” She gives a little gesture with her hoof before they both rocket upwards through the trees. Zuriak takes one last look down at the couple as he stays in line with Scarlet accelerating northward.

“What’s the plan now?” He asks her.

“Assuming my house hasn’t been searched and looted by authorities, we’ll need to grab some things, then quickly head east towards the coast. Once we’re over the Celestial Sea, I doubt we’ll have any more trouble with the kirins. From there, we can figure things out, but for now, we’re still in danger on both sides, ponies and kirins.”

Scarlet and Zuriak continue flying further north until they see the familiar village lights of Novawind cresting over the night sky. Before long, Scarlet passes above her strawberry fields and her house comes into view. Both of them descend and slow down towards the front door of the house. Scarlet lands carefully on the front porch and peeks inside from the window, making sure it’s clear.

“Okay, I think we’re good.” She enters and lights a candle from the living room table with her fire before proceeding up the stairs with haste. Zuriak plants his claws on the ground and follows her up the stairs. As he enters her room, she’s carefully packing away valuables and keepsakes into her saddlebag. Zuriak searches through the bag and retrieves the lone sheet of music they’ve been searching for. Scarlet stops scavenging through drawers and looks at the sheet he’s holding.

“Hard to believe that single slip of paper caused a whole mess of trouble.” She notes bitingly. Zuriak stares deeply into the notes on the paper and studies them.

“I…can’t remember what this sounded like…” Zuriak struggles to remember.

Scarlet looks at him with concern. “It wasn’t that long ago, are you feeling alright?”

Zuriak shakes his head and regains his composure. “Yeah, everything’s fine.”

Scarlet nods and starts humming the theme as she continues packing away valuables. “Why don’t you get your journal downstairs? It should still be on the kitchen table.”

He spins around, takes a second candle from her shelf and lights it off the one Scarlet brought up before heading downstairs. Past the living room, he sees his journal right where he left it on the table. He walks over and flips it open across the dining table, positioning it within the candlelight. The words glisten in the light and give him pause.

“Her flute…” He whispers and flips through more of the pages silently.

I want to leave you with the one thing I hold dearest. He recites in his head from Idylya’s last entry.

“A divine instrument…”

A moment later, Scarlet sneaks up and taps him on the shoulder. Zuriak gasps and twitches in surprise.

“Is everything okay? We should get going before it’s light out.”

“Right, let me grab my dagger, it should be in the living room somewhere.” He grabs the candle and moves past Scarlet, inspecting the darkness in the room adjacent. “Ah, here we go.” He jumps over the chairs and furniture to the windowsill and finds it shining in the moonlight. The runes along the serrated edge glow an eerie color. “I’m ready.”

Scarlet takes both the dagger and journal and places it in her saddlebag with the rest of her stuff and picks up Zuriak’s candle with her wing. She then gives her house one last look, knowing it’s unlikely she’ll ever come back. “It’s hard, y’know?”

Zuriak steps outside on the porch and looks back at her with a raised eyebrow.

“I’ve lived here my whole life, and now I’m about to leave everything behind.” Scarlet wipes a bittersweet tear from her eye. “It’s for the best though, and now I’m ready to start a new chapter. Thanks to you.” She blows out the candle, turns around and hugs Zuriak briefly before floating up over the strawberry fields. Zuriak glimpses once more inside the house, then closes the door.

“You’re welcome, Scarlet.” He says to himself with a hint of sorrow as he flies up to her level. The two bolt east into the night, not turning back.

~

“Hey, can we stop here? My wings are getting sore, and I can barely keep my eyes open.” Scarlet shouts up at Zuriak, who’s a bit further ahead. The morning sun is beginning to crest over the eastern Celestial Sea as the two near the tropical coast. Zuriak doesn’t respond to her and continues flying at the same pace, looking down at the jungle below. An annoyed Scarlet speeds up to his level, and taps him on the head with her hoof. “Hello!? Did you hear me? I need to stop otherwise I’ll pass out!”

“Hmmm? Oh sorry. I didn’t hear you.” Scarlet rolls her eyes as the duo descend onto the sandy beach along the coast. Zuriak digs his claws into the sand and feels the warmth while Scarlet drops on to a patch of tall grass and rolls over, causing her saddlebag to drop and spill its contents.

“I’m just going to rest a while.” Scarlet yawns.

“We shouldn’t stick around for too long. Got to get to Rathu before it gets dark.” Zuriak says looking out across the sea. He turns back towards Scarlet who’s already snoring. He sighs and goes to pick up the things that spilled out of her saddlebag. In it were the piece of music and his journal among other things he doesn’t recognize. He opens it up and tries humming the music, but struggles to find pitch. He grunts in frustration, slides it back into the bag and retrieves his journal with a stick of charcoal wedged between the pages. After walking down to the shore, he collapses and coils up against the sun with the journal resting on his body in front of him.

I hope you can find your way. He once again recites from Idylya’s journal entry, his head progressively filled with doubt.

“Should I be doing this?” He turns his head and peers across the sand at Scarlet sleeping. “Is this the best thing for both of us?” He looks out onto the sea again and the rippling waves, in contemplative thought.

“Would I be more complete with Idylya’s divine instrument even though I don’t know how to use its magic?” He looks down at his claws and grips them. “I don’t feel good about any of this.” He then opens his journal to a new blank page and grips the piece of charcoal, his claws trembling. “I’m sorry Scarlet, but I’ve got to do what I think is right before I can be at peace.”

Starden, Twenty-Third of Sarais, 3E454Y

Scarlet, I am sorry for what I’m about to do, but I need to make a hard decision that will impact us both. I never wanted to hurt you, lead you astray, or get you tangled up in the mistakes I’ve made, and that’s why I need to follow through with this. I believe Idylya’s flute is a divine instrument and that its cosmic magic can help me fix my past. I want to ‘right my wrongs’ and find my way, my true path. I don’t expect you to understand, but please let me pursue this. I promise we will meet again soon.

Zuriak stands up and carefully walks over to Scarlet so as to not wake her. He places the book down in front of her and sets a rock on the open entry so it stays open. He then slowly floats up and bolts in a westerly direction back the way they came.

“I promise I will return.”

~

Zuriak peers through the trees ahead of him as the sun begins to set over the horizon. Light starts fading making it more difficult to see his surroundings. The rumbling of his stomach lightly catches him off guard as he takes a look at the bushes around him.

“Need to find food before it gets too dark.” He reminds himself as he starts picking through the bushes for anything edible. In the distance, he spots a lone white rabbit partially blending in with the frosty bushes scavenging for something edible. Zuriak charges an ice spell quietly and slowly approaches it, carefully avoiding any branches or twigs that would alert it of his presence. Just as he’s about to fire the spell, the rabbit turns its head and stares at him from behind the brush. Startled by its sudden blank stare, Zuriak hesitates for a moment, then fires the ice spell at it, missing by a long shot. The rabbit hastily hops away further into the brush. Zuriak sighs and begins walking back towards the fire pit he constructed days ago.

“It’s been a few days since I’ve returned and I haven’t seen any sign of that blue qilin, Ivory Frost.” He comments to himself, fatigued and malnourished. “I can’t get too close to the village otherwise they’ll see me. Somehow I have to draw her out without the whole village following like last time.” Zuriak looks around at his surroundings, noticing the decayed flora as a result of his ice storm spell almost two months ago. The snow has melted completely now, but the ground still remains cold and moist. “That spell did a number on the environment here.” He then walks over to a berry bush nearby and inspects them carefully before taking a clawful, not wanting to get sick again.

“Hmmm, what if I did the spell again?” He ponders as he eats several at once. “It would require a lot of chakra, but it might work.” Before he could continue, a thunderous boom echoes through the trees and a gust of wind rushes through, pushing down much of the foliage. Zuriak drops to the ground and takes cover, uncertain of who or what caused it.

Shit, was I spotted!? Where did it come from?

He rises to his feet cautiously and circles the area before kicking dirt into the fire, dousing it. An eerie, reddish-pink glow emerges through the trees far away from his vantage point, but does not move. He quietly slithers into the bushes and peers through the leaves in the direction of the glow. Before long, a second boom reverberates throughout the forest centered on the unmoving glow.

A qilin perhaps? I better wait in hiding for now.

Zuriak monitors the glow for a couple hours waiting for it to dissipate, but it continues persisting long after the sun has set, leaving only the crescent moon and the glow illuminating the forest. Progressively, the glow tapers off until it disappears completely and the sounds of the forest return. He slithers through more bushes, getting closer to where the glow was while trying to stay low. Coming up on a dense patch of jungle, Zuriak peaks his head out at a shocking sight. Many of the trees, grass and foliage are coated in a mysterious red crystal with stalagmites jutting out from various spots. He leaves his hiding spot, and charges some lightning in his claw to light the area, enthralled at the sight before him.

What could’ve caused this?

Zuriak approaches a large stalagmite to his left and carefully holds out his claw to touch it. A sharp, stinging sensation causes him to retract it instantly.

“Jeez, that was cold!” He exclaims as he aggressively shakes his hand to get some feeling back. “Wait, that was cold? I shouldn’t have been hurt by that, I’m an ice elemental.” Zuriak takes a couple steps back away from the crystalized forest, nervous about the situation, and launches himself in the air. He looks down at the jungle below, then up at the towering Peaks of Peril in the moonlight, nearly reaching the cloud layer.

“I need to end this now. The more time I spend here, the greater the chance of me getting injured by mystical qilin magic like back there.” He gazes up at the cloud layer above him. “I’m afraid this is my best shot. If it worked last time, it should work again.” Zuriak outstretches both claws in the air and flies up to the clouds once more. They glow blue as he splits the outer layer of the clouds with his ice magic. An hour goes by as he continually infuses the clouds with ice magic over the Peaks and southern Kyronian jungle, causing snowflakes to form and fall down into the forest below. He ceases his spell and flies towards the Peaks, planting himself along a ridge overlooking a steep trail leading into the forest towards the grove below him.

“She has no choice but to confront me again.” Zuriak looks around him at his handiwork as the woods and trail are increasingly coated in white once more. The temperature has fallen to freezing levels and the wind has picked up. “I don’t know if I can sustain another battle with a matriarchal qilin, but I don’t need to win. I just need to survive long enough to take it and go.” Lights start illuminating the village below, and most of its residents are leaving their homes, determining the source of the recent weather. Minutes later, a lone light follows the path from the village up to the base of the Peaks where Zuriak sits. His heart races at the thought of the inevitable fight that will arise, but also at the thought of seeing her flute again. The light, carried by the horn of a blue kirin, emerges from the forest at the trailhead. Zuriak looks down at her emotionlessly, inspecting her character and physical appearance. The markings and runes on her horn glow a vibrant green now, and in her magic a flute glows the same shade of green. She looks up at him with glowing green eyes, matching her magic aura. Zuriak rises and hovers down to her level, keeping a distance between them.

“You’ve come.” He says blankly. She doesn’t respond and instead holds the flute up to her mouth. The runes along the instrument glow yellow as she begins playing a melody he has not heard of before. The notes echo through the forest and fill his ears with dread as his vision starts contorting. He cups his ears to dampen the music, but as the tune continues, he begins growing ill. Without warning, he removes his claws and stabs them into the dirt, quickly producing an ice spell. A path of ice stalagmites erupt from the ground and chase after Ivory who pauses her song and dodges the ice. Zuriak’s senses recover as he glares down at her who returns the same look.

She knows about the flute’s divine properties.

The tendrils on the flute glow red as Ivory holds it up to her mouth once more. Zuriak acts swiftly and charges at her with great force. Before she could react, he slams into her and raises her off the ground. She drops the flute and struggles against his grip. Seconds later, Ivory’s body heats up as she transforms into a nirik and launches herself out of Zuriak’s grasp. Fire erupts from her four hooves as she stabilizes and propels herself up to Zuriak’s level. He watches her in awe over the sudden transformation, caressing his burns. Ivory briefly scans the trail and forest below her, but doesn’t see where the flute landed. She then turns towards the dragon across from her and glares as their eyes meet.

“You’re aware of the power it holds.” Zuriak says down to her calmly.

“This is your last chance, dragon! Leave my kin alone!”

“Not until I reclaim what is rightfully mine!”

“I would no sooner destroy the flute myself than hand it over to you!”

Zuriak growls and clasps his claws together and forms an upside down triangle with them. They glow a vibrant azure and in a short moment, he fires two beams of ice from both claws at Ivory. Ivory produces a magical shield just in time to absorb the beam, but just as it dissipates, Zuriak charges at her and tackles her to the ground along the pathway up to the summit. As the two make contact with the rocky surface, he loses his grip and the two separate. Zuriak quickly returns to all fours and hovers slightly while Ivory struggles to stand up, still in nirik form.

“You stole everything from me, matriarchal qilin, and I’m not letting that happen again!” Zuriak charges some lightning and directs it at Ivory as she narrowly jumps away from the first bolt. He follows her up the cliffside with more bolts, gaining the upper hand while Ivory dodges the storm. Before turning the corner, Ivory doubles back and hastily shoots a stream of fire from her horn, separating the bolt and pushing him back. He ceases the barrage and evades the fire allowing Ivory time to fly again.

In the air, the two begin flying higher up along the cliffside as the clouds severely darken. The two fire shots at each other, progressively increasing in altitude to evade. The storm above transforms into a grim sight as lightning fills the clouds. Ivory and Zuriak reach the apex as the storm reaches its height. Ivory gains more speed and begins circling Zuriak, shooting beams of fire from her horn in a pinwheel fashion. Zuriak spins in synchrony with both his claws producing an ice shield. As the two ascend higher, Zuriak breaks from the spin, spreads his arms out, and couples two fingers together. He then channels lightning from one end to the other, directing it towards Ivory. It strikes her before she could charge a spell and sends her back as she loses focus on keeping herself airborne. As Zuriak prepares for another attack, Ivory regains composure and streams fire much more fervently from her hooves. She fires a beam of energy at Zuriak, pushing him away from her, but he courses through it, grabs her, and sends them both into the mountainside, breaking into a crystal-covered cavern. The two split off in different directions, with Ivory now covered in bruises and cuts. Zuriak slowly rises in the darkness and squints at his surroundings, unable to see anything.

“This all seems familiar.” He says, coming to his senses. A ball of lightning forms in one of his claws, creating light as he inspects the caverns around him. “I’ve been here before.” He looks all around him at his reflections in the crystals and touches a claw to one of them. “My vision…and the blue qilin.” His words darken as he forms a fist with his lightning claw and punches through the crystal wall. “I’m not going to let that happen.” He quickly slithers through the opening towards the light to find Ivory along the edge trying to recover. He snakes up along the wall, looking down at her viciously.

“Why are you doing this? I’ve never done anything to you.” She says through labored breaths.

“That divine instrument you possess is not rightfully yours.”

“I didn’t steal it. Many years ago, I received it as a gift from the Emperor. It used to be the Time Kirin’s flute, a relic!”

“Lies!” He shouts. Ivory shakes her head.

“I didn’t understand why I received it before, but now I know.” Ivory slowly stands up and looks him in the eyes. “You were right, I am Terra Nova’s successor, and it’s time for me to finish what she started!” She instantly transforms back into nirik form and charges at Zuriak like a fireball. Unable to move in time, she slams into him and pushes both of them back out into the sky. Zuriak uses his ice to push himself away from the kirin and gains more ground while Ivory chases after him. Her horn glows a deep pinkish-red and she fires strange red ice shards at Zuriak from afar. He dodges them and uses his ice shield to deflect most of the shots.

What is this spell? Kirins don’t possess ice magic!

Zuriak charges some lightning and fires it at Ivory, but she swiftly dodges and sends a wave of fire barreling towards him. He summons another ice shield, but it shatters and sends him back down towards the summit. His impact creates a small crater as Ivory lands down next to him. He rolls over and struggles to his claws, looking at Ivory’s horn symbol.

“I didn’t realize it before, but you’re an ice qilin. Zenya, the Zyntrithian symbol for ice is on your horn.” He notes, remembering what Idylya told him back at the monolith all those years ago. That’s what your goddess gave you?” He spits.

“You have no idea what I’m capable of.” She answers, matching his tone.

“Are you prepared to give up everything?” Zuriak closes his eyes and releases a shockwave from his core, sending Ivory towards the other side of the summit. She gets up, but stumbles a bit and looks to the sky at the fading crescent moon and red star above.

“There’s more to a matriarchal kirin than the Zyntrithian symbol on their horn!” She shouts from the other side. Zuriak watches as her body glows the same pinkish-red color as her ice shots before, an aura forming around her horn. Magical thorns erupt from her horn during the charge as Zuriak moves back, uncertain of the spell.

Could this be the same crystalized ice I saw in the forest?

Without warning, Ivory fires the spell directly at Zuriak. He instantly holds up both claws and blocks it with an ice shield, using the force of the beam to keep him balanced. The shield progressively breaks down as his chakra drops. Ivory sends a brutish wave of the beam down towards Zuriak, shattering his shield and stance. The red beam strikes him in the chest and quickly coats his entire body in a layer of red ice. Zuriak closes his eyes, wishing for the pain to end as his body is crystallized. Seconds later, the beam dissipates as he opens his eyes again, peering through the diffracted crystal at the kirin, the pain going numb. She collapses to the ground, breathing heavily and struggling to stand up. The markings and rings on her horn turn a charcoal black as she collapses once more, unable to get back up. She looks at Zuriak pitifully as the lifeforce from her body fades away. The tremors caused by her magic cause the rocks around her to loosen and slide down the mountainside, taking her with them. Before long, he witnesses her disappear down the cliffside presumably falling into the woods below. As minutes pass, a slight sense of relief washes over Zuriak, but is quickly replaced with dread at his current imprisonment.

I have to find a way out of here. There’s still a chance.

Zuriak uses his magic to break the ice, but not a single crack is formed. He then tries to move his limbs, but the ice doesn’t give in. He continues struggling when suddenly, the ice around his form begins compressing, applying intense pressure to his body. He tries screaming in pain, but is unable to move his mouth or any facial features as the ice continues its crushing force. An odd, thorny sensation is then felt across his body at various points, much like acupuncture for a brief moment before the ice’s force loosens up. Moments later, the ice cracks and splits without any force, miraculously freeing him. Zuriak collapses to the rocky ground, breathing deeply and caressing his extremities.

“I’m free? But…how?” He coughs up, looking into his reflection in the red ice. Zuriak stands up on all fours, feeling the same strange acupuncture feeling across his body as he walks over to where Ivory fell from. He looks down at the vertical drop, trying to see where she fell, but to no avail.

“She could not handle the power of the gods and her chakra network turned to ash. Young and inexperienced, she did not know what she was getting into and it led to her death. Perhaps the spell failed and that’s why I’m free now.” In an instant, he grabs his left arm, feeling a sudden rush of pain as he turns away from the ledge.

“The flute should be along the trail somewhere below.” He hovers up and carefully inspects the rocky pathway leading back down to the forest while holding his arm. Near the base, glistening in some rays of morning sunlight, a thin metallic object sits wedged in the rocks near the treeline. Zuriak smiles weakly, hovers down towards it and picks it up.

“After so much time, and so much pain, I finally did it. I finally recovered your most cherished item, Idylya, your divine instrument. Maybe now I can reunite with Scarlet and-” Zuriak finishes triumphantly but is cut off by a strange phantom feeling in his left arm. He holds it up and is stunned to see his entire left claw is gone, replaced by light particles flaking off along his entire arm.

“What…?” He whispers as he looks behind him at the rest of his long body all experiencing the same effect. He carefully places his claw-less arm on the ground, but collapses, causing him to drop the flute. Quickly getting back up, he rushes over to the flute as it rolls down the trail, grabs it, and launches himself in the air, leaving a trail of light particles.

“No no no no no no, is this part of that spell? Was it the ice? I gotta find Scarlet-” Zuriak is interrupted mid-flight as he comes crashing down in the forest near a lake. “What’s happening!?” He drops the flute and attempts to shoot ice from his right claw, but nothing happens. He then tries breathing ice, but to the same effect, produces nothing. “My magic is gone…” Zuriak looks around at the forest, his flaking body, his missing left claw, then finally at the flute, recognizing the futility of his situation. “I’m not going to make it…” He says with pain in his voice.

He picks up the flute and limps through the trees, feeling his tail get lighter as it begins disintegrating into stardust. Beyond the forest, he continues up a grassy hill where a waterfall is spilling into the lake below when one of his legs collapse, succumbing more to the spell’s effects. He falls on his stomach, now motionless, looking down at the lake below from the cliffside.

“I’m not going to make it, Idylya.” He repeats with more sorrow as he struggles to keep tears from forming around his eyes. Memories of his past flood him as all his mistakes come to light.

“I had a chance to make a life for myself, and I blew it.” He chokes back a couple sobs as his left arm completely disintegrates, leaving only his right arm, grasping the flute tightly. He holds it out towards the lake, letting it glisten in the sun once more.

“I kept living in the past, thinking there was a way out, clouded by the vision of connecting with you again through this divine instrument in the hopes I’d see you again, but I didn’t realize you were here all along. Scarlet…she’s all alone now because of me. I was unable to let go, tethered to all of my past mistakes.” The clouds above start dispersing, making way for the late morning sun to shine through. Soon rays of sunlight bombard the field creating a calm sense of atmosphere.

“I’m scared. I don’t know what lies ahead, or if there even is anything beyond life. I wish I could ask you, and tell you everything I’ve been through. And you would tell me everything is going to be okay because it doesn’t matter.” Tears start streaming down onto the grass.

The sun’s rays eventually combine and light up the hill and lake in a golden aura. Zuriak takes a deep breath as his midsection slowly disintegrates, moving up his body. The light particles mix in the sunlight, flowing with the wind.

“I will always be the sun and stars shining down upon you, and you will always be the moon protecting me at night. Through time eternal, nothing will separate our bond, and I will always remember you.”

Tears riding down his face, he embraces her flute one last time before a brush of wind disperses the remaining fragments of his body. The flute drops to the ground where Zuriak once was, but nevermore.

Epilogue

“I think I see something…over there in the trees!” A quivering voice shouts.

“Where? I don’t see anything.” I masculine voice asserts.

“There, across the water on that lone island over there. I think I saw a purple thing slithering through the grass! Terra, come look at this and tell me I’m not crazy! I feel like I’ve seen it before…”

Idylya slowly awakens from the commotion happening on the other shore and the hot sun beating down on her. She lifts her head out of the mud, looks down at the imprint she left and grips the magical flute in her left claw.

How long was I out?

She stands up and shakes the dirt and dried mud off her scales and fins before stretching her long body. She then rubs her pink eyes and peers through the branches and foliage at movement from the other side of the lake. Two kirins are walking through the marsh, trying to get a closer look at the island she’s on.

Shit, I need to get out of here before they see-

A magical popping sound echoes from their position and is reflected milliseconds later right behind her. The creature gasps causing Idylya to tense up. She doesn’t move and firmly holds the flute against her chest.

“Is that you, Idylya? I can’t believe it.” A new voice startles her. Idylya doesn’t turn her head, and waits for another response. “What are you doing here?” The sounds of hooves stepping through mud pass by her on the left as a familiar creature comes into her peripheral vision. Idylya turns her head slightly to see the green time kirin once more. A sudden sense of guilt, fear and anger overcome her, causing her to flinch and drop the flute. Terra looks down at it, then up at her as Idylya rubs her eyes, trying to keep her emotions intact.

“What do you want?” Idylya whispers out. Terra picks up the flute with magic and dusts the dirt off, briefly inspecting the markings.

“Temara says she saw something unusual here as we were out foraging for food. Naturally, we had to check it out to see if it was a threat.” Terra takes her eyes off the flute and looks up at Idylya who’s covering her face with her claws. “You’re not a threat are you?” Terra asks in a half-joking manner. Idylya slightly shakes her head sideways. “That’s relieving.” Terra takes note of her distress and levitates the flute up to her head, giving it a little tap. Idylya uncovers her face and hesitantly takes the flute from Terra’s magic. Terra awkwardly scratches her mane and looks down.

“Would you like to join us for lunch?” She asks, trying to relieve the tension. Upon hearing food, Idylya’s stomach rumbles and a sense of hunger strikes her. She nods in response and Terra gives her a warm smile. “Give me your claw.” Terra’s horn glows white as she holds out a hoof for Idylya who reluctantly grasps it. The same white aura envelopes both of them as they are instantly teleported across the lake. The sudden teleportation produces a gust of wind in their destination that catches the two other kirins off guard.

“Terra, what are you doing!?” They both shout in unison as Idylya towers over them.

“Relax you two, she’s not a threat.” She calmly states.

“Do you not know who that is? She tried to kill you! How can you be so accepting of that after what we went through weeks ago!?” Temara retorts sharply.

“Because Idylya’s not that type of dragon, not anymore. There’s a reason I’m still alive and I need you guys to trust me on this.” Terra pleads. Nero rolls his eyes.

“I don’t think we have a choice, do we?” He relents before turning his attention on the flute she’s holding. “Hmm, but I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt this time.”

“Ughhh, okay, okay, but I’m not letting her out of my sight.” Temara says as she turns her attention towards Idylya. “No funny business, got it?” Idylya silently nods as the kirin trio begins walking north through the woods and beyond the waterfall cliff towards the Peaks of Peril. Idylya trails behind them, keeping some distance.

What am I even doing right now? I know I shouldn’t be following them, but I don’t know where else to go. And why does Terra put so much faith in me? We’re not exactly friends and yet she treats me like one despite our harsh differences and recent past.

“Try to stay close to us, Idylya, we’re not too far from camp.” Terra shouts from further ahead as the distance between them grows. Idylya snaps out of her thoughts and sprints up towards the group. The woods narrow on both sides as the elevation drops down into a forested valley nestled within the Peaks. In the distance, Idylya sees smoke coming from the middle of the valley as they descend down a gravel slope. The forest remains still, save for the sounds of claws and hoofs pressing against the rocks, grass and the rustling of leaves in the wind.

“You two go on ahead, I’ll catch up.” Terra says to the other two kirins. They both nod understandingly, and Terra doubles back towards Idylya.

“You might see some familiar faces. The Oasis hasn’t changed much since you and Zuriak were last here months ago.” Idylya noticeably winces at the sound of his name. “Ah, sorry.” Terra hangs her head down.

“Why are you doing this?” Idylya speaks up.

“You’re lost, aren’t you?” Terra begins gently. Idylya nods and warms up a little.

“I left Nymerion and that part of my life behind me not long ago. There’s nothing left for me there.”

“And that’s because you’re not like them, like your kin, I mean.” Terra adds. Idylya looks down at her as the two stop walking. “Now you think you don’t have a home because you don’t share the same ideals as those around you and you feel like you don’t belong.” Idylya looks down at her flute, then up at the forest path ahead.

“We’re all lost, just like you.”

“I don’t think I have a purpose anymore, or if I even had one to begin with.”

“There’s more to life than just purpose. When I said I think you’d fit in well with us all those weeks ago, I meant it.” Terra starts walking again, and Idylya cautiously follows. “None of us really have a singular purpose, we pursue the things that help us learn, grow, and evolve, and a lot of that coincides with our desire to help those around us.” Terra comes up to a patch of long, draping leaves in the path and waits for Idylya to catch up. Terra smiles and pushes back the leaves as the two of them pass into a forested clearing along a pond with numerous tents pitched up and kirins all around performing their duties like a well-oiled machine. As Idylya fully steps into the clearing, multiple kirins gasp and stop what they’re doing, frozen in fear. Idylya grows more uncomfortable as more eyes stare at her fearfully. Terra gives her a reassuring nudge, and Idylya smiles nervously while waving at all the kirins. Slowly but surely, the kirins return to their work and pay her no mind as the duo trek through the camp.

“They understand.” Terra comments. “It doesn’t matter who you are or what country you’re from. If you’re willing to learn and grow, there will always be a place for you here, a home.” Idylya wipes a bittersweet tear from her eye as the two reach the center pyre of logs, branches and other combustible material. Terra sits down first and motions for Idylya to do the same.

“Déjà vu, huh?” Terra sarcastically blurts out. Idylya chuckles lightly and coils up by the fire, setting her flute down on the log behind her.

“Ah, I was wondering when you two would show up. Thought you might’ve gotten lost, haha.” Nero jokingly notes as he appears behind them.

“I’m just trying to get her settled. It’s a lot to take in, and you know that.” Terra defends.

“Hey hey, I know, just trying to break the tension is all.” Nero’s eyes drift to Idylya’s flute resting against the wood.

“Where’s Temara anyway? You two are more attached to each other than any other kirin here.” Terra abashes him. Nero ignores her and slides in between the two, annoying Terra.

“So, where did you get that?” He asks Idylya while pointing at the dormant flute.

“Oh, I found it many years ago at the bottom of a lake.” Idylya softly answers.

“Was it in Ithral? Which lake was it? Was it damaged at all when you found it? Was-”

“Okay, Nero, why don’t you go get us some food, we’re all hungry!” Terra stands up and starts dragging him away from the fire.

“But I have more questions.” He begs.

“I’m sure you do, that’s why you should hurry up.” She pushes him in the direction of the food pantry and he begrudgingly obeys.

“Sorry about Nero, he can be really nosy sometimes as you may have previously learned last time you were here.” Terra apologizes.

“Don’t be. I’ve never had someone ask me about it, and Zuri thought it was just an enchanted flute.” Idylya looks over at it, reminiscing. “Sometimes I wonder who its original owner was, and why it wound up at the bottom of a lake.

“It might be a relic.” The two look behind them to find Temara staring down at the flute. “Nero’s obsessed with relics or ‘divine instruments’ as he likes to put it.” She adds.

“A relic of what?” Idylya asks.

“One of the Ethereal Matriarch’s relics, of course.”

Idylya furrows her eyebrows in more confusion and Temara sighs.

“Many of us believe she is the cosmic creator of the heavens and the earth, and when she created earth, she left behind many relics imbued with mystical power. I know the royal kirin family has amassed quite a few relics since at least the late first era.”

“I’m not at all familiar with this ‘Ethereal Matriarch’ as you put it. We believe in the twelve divines back in Ithral, and that was all anyone believed in.” Idylya mentions.

“It’s actually interesting you bring up the twelve divines.” Nero jumps in while levitating a tray of assorted tropical fruits. He sets it down in front of them and continues as Idylya takes a couple slices of watermelon. Terra cracks open a piece of dragon fruit and listens curiously.

“Not many share this belief, but I always imagined that the heavens and the earth were created as a result of both the twelve divines and the Ethereal Matriarch. Legend has it, she was the grand designer and the twelve divines were her helpers. Divine instruments were the tools the twelve used to shape and transform this world as instructed by the matriarch. Eternally, they are protectors of this world, and are reincarnated when their physical bodies wither and decay. Sometimes I believe Terra is one of the reincarnated twelve divines since matriarchal kirins possess a fraction of Laniakea’s power.” He smirks at Terra teasingly. She annoyedly frowns and throws the shell of her dragon fruit at his head.

“Ow, what was that for?”

“I hate being reminded of that.”

“Well, it’s just a theory anyway.” Nero shrugs. “Anyway, legend has it that the divines are attuned to Laniakea’s divine instruments and are able to locate them by the magical resonance they give off. I always wondered how the royal kirin family has found so many over the years, and another running theory of mine is that they have used past matriarchal kirins to locate these instruments.”

“Pfffft, do you realize how convoluted that sounds?” Temara harshly questions.

“It’s not convoluted! I have good reason to believe this based on empirical evidence!” He starkly defends.

“Okay, that’s enough, you two.” Terra chimes in.

“Fine, well regardless of Temara’s poor judgment on the matter, I believe that flute is a divine instrument.” Nero answers while Temara lets out a disgruntled hmph. “May I see it?”

Idylya nods and holds it out for Nero to see. He leviates it with magic and inspects the runes along the surface.

“The markings are definitely reminiscent of others I’ve seen. It’s almost like a calling card. They’re usually denoted by a particular tendril-like branching pattern much like those found on a divine’s body, as the legend describes.” He says as he sets it back down on the log. “However, according to the same legend, only the divines are capable of activating and using these instruments to their fullest potential. I take it you haven’t noticed anything peculiar about it?”

Idylya hesitates for a moment.

“No, aside from the markings, it sounds just like any old flute.”

“I had a feeling, but perhaps if Terra were to play it, would that unlock its mystical magic?” Nero strokes his chest fluff and gives Terra a goofy grin. Terra responds with a deep sigh.

“I wish you’d drop that ‘divines’ theory, Nero.” Terra says, firmly.

“Well, it was worth a shot, heh.”

Terra turns her attention over to Idylya who’s gazing deeply into the flute. “Are you doing alright over there?”

Idylya snaps out of her trance and nervously laughs. “Yeah, I’m all good.”

“Well, our plan is to pack up and head out for Novawind in a couple days. We’ve been trying to evade the Empress and her militia for the time being since we abandoned the Jade Palace after you and your friends broke in. It’s an Equestrian pegasi village at the tri-border between Kyryo, Ithral and Equestria. You’re welcome to join us.”

Idylya looks down at her flute again, then at the three kirins.

“I think I’d like that.”

~END~